In Part 1 (Ch. 1-5), we met our Static bookworm narrator Emilie and her friends: the active Mage Jess, the shy Wizard Shannon, and the enthusiastic and Dynamic Alex. But when Emilie was set to research her favorite true dragons, she read a mysterious note saying that she was a true dragon herself.
True to her word, Shannon was outside my garage before I even entered it. Not that I’d be able to tell that if I couldn’t see her heat past the door. And I think she’s using a fire wand to keep warm, because the heat around her is kind of weird-looking. I think I’ll just try to ignore it.
I lower the garage door behind me before Shannon speaks. She’s whispering: “You’re sure about this?”
“Very sure,” I whisper back. She’s got a flashlight wand, so at least it should be easier to see today. I went by starlight last time, which didn’t work so great in the forest. Although today it’s so foggy I can barely see past the light illusion’s glow, so starlight would’ve been zero help and I would’ve had to figure out how to strap a flashlight to my bike’s handlebar. That or navigate by heat, which sounds like a very bad idea with how little difference there is between the air and the road.
I mount my bike and start heading towards the gate, and Shannon quickly catches up to and passes me.
While the ride here was just as uneventful as last week, I feel like we’re being watched. I didn’t really keep track last week but this time I think a pack of wolves is kinda close. Too close for comfort. I’ll keep watch on Shannon after I take off. Speaking of which…
There’s a shelter at the edge of the clearing so that someone could camp out here if they were really brave. Or so you can sit there during a brief rainstorm. “Shannon, could you go behind the shelter for a bit? The person I want you to see is a little shy.” It’s not really a lie, but I definitely don’t want her to see me shift. “I’ll call for you when she’s ready.” I know the Mymoir said not to speak to others while in dragon form, but also that article wasn’t a locked one. My voice shouldn’t sound any different when I talk that way, so I’ll pass it off as me calling from out of sight. It’s a reasonably good excuse so long as I don’t do it too often.
“You’ll be okay on your own?” Shannon verifies, and I nod.
“It was fine last week.” I head out to the middle of the field while I confirm that Shannon isn’t in a spot that she could see me. Then I pull out the feather and shift.
Shifting was a lot harder last week, but I suppose it’s easier when I actually know what I’ll look like. And I have a better idea of where to stand for the change this time. Not that it was silent—Shannon’s position has changed to one where it looks like she’s reaching for a wand. She might not know any spells, but I bet she has something on her to fend off wildlife. Not that she told me about it.
The Mymoir says that speaking in dragon form is kind of like thinking at people. It’s probably another basic ability like how I can use heat magic without a spell. And like shifting and flying and reading the Mymoir.
I refocus and think at Shannon. «She’s ready! Please don’t be scared.» Shannon reacts, so I guess it worked.
I take a couple of steps, turning to face her more directly. It’s a little odd walking in this form, since my legs work differently, but from my experimenting so I could stand last week, I have some idea how to move. I suppose I’ll get used to it. Shannon walks around the side of the shelter, shines her flashlight on me and gasps.
I let her stand there a few moments before I say anything else. «She’s safe!» Excuse for her not to see me? The Mymoir says that, long ago, there were times that Dragons used to carry people. Usually important people, but also sometimes just friends. «We’ll be back in a few hours, okay? If you watch the clouds, we’ll be there.» Without waiting for a response, I take off.
I’m already pretty high before Shannon moves again. She stops walking near the middle of the field and I think she looks up at me before lying down on her back.
But those wolves still seem awfully close to the field.
Spells in the Mymoir are written with a lot of ways to customize them. Sometimes they have blanks or “replace this” text, or they might have notes on what defaults to change. I’ve spent some more time reading Jökull’s Extreme Heat Wall and I think I can use it again here, although with a little more caution. The hardest part is that it’s in coordinates relative to myself, so I’m going to have to “hover” and hope that the vertical coordinates won’t matter so much. At least the spell uses its own effects for position detection after it starts, so I’ll be able to move around again after a bit.
I know you can get frostbite from being in the cold for a while, but I think it’s better to have the ice on the inside, especially since Shannon has that fire wand. I’ll set a ring of higher temperatures outside. The really cold temperature sounds a lot safer than the really hot one, anyway. I’ll set Jökull’s Targeted Thermal Regulator around Shannon to help out her fire wand, though. That spell is like Fred’s except that it can help someone other than myself.
I don’t know much about Jökull, but I feel like maybe some of the mean Dragons have non-Dragon friends. Maybe it’s not so clear who the villains are. But first I need to keep myself and my friends and family safe.
Slowing to hover above Shannon, I whisper-think to cast the spells. If she heard anything at all, I doubt she’d understand, but I’m keeping watch to make sure she doesn’t wander into the extreme cold/heat areas. Lying on the ground as she is, I think she’ll be alright for now. But I’m glad I cast them, because I’m almost certain now that the wolves know she’s there. And they probably smell my lingering scent, too.
I might study Dragons a lot, but nature in general is still interesting to me. Besides, I have met some wolf people in town. They’re not common, but sapient monsters do make studying nature easier. At least, as long as they let me ask questions. They don’t seem to appreciate all the questions I ask.
While the circles don’t reach their final temperatures anywhere near immediately, I can spot the difference and confirm they’re placed correctly before I go back to more leisurely flight. I’m not comfortable just yet, but the ice will probably be solid before the wolves try to act. I hope.
As I watch, the wolves draw steadily closer to Shannon, who isn’t moving. I’m not sure she’s even awake. It’s super dark and the fog does reach up to where she is, so I’m relying on heat, which while giving a lot of detail is also super blurry because heat doesn’t just sit still. And then she sits up and the closest wolf pounces and I’m diving—
And the wolf bounces off the ice and howls in pain, and I rapidly redirect my flight upwards. She’s safe! I don’t know what I sound like, but I don’t care as I let out a relieved laugh. She’s safe!
Then I notice another large something in the air and I hear a hunting screech—swiftly followed by a loud CRACK! And the large beast flies away rapidly as the wolves all flee in another direction. I think a gryphon just hit the ice wall, although I’m not sure if it was hunting Shannon or the wolves, and I don’t think the wolves know, either.
I check our surroundings for more beasts, but I can’t find any—or at least, not any approaching the field—so I think she’s safe, at least for now. I’ll leave the spells active, but I think it’s okay for me to have some fun with my flight, finally.
Several minutes later, I fly near the field again and – cough – my eyes sting. I move away to circle and think. Um… The whole field is looking kind of hot. And bright, and not just from heat. Uh oh.
I rapidly search the Mymoir. «Steven’s Fire Extinguisher!» And for good measure, I drop Jökull’s Extreme Heat Wall while keeping his Thermal Regulator version up. The ice vanishes immediately, but I think it served its purpose.
Once the field isn’t visibly glowing anymore, I go back to my normal flight and Steven’s spell ends naturally. I think maybe Dragons aren’t nearly as bad as they appear. But I’m still not going to let them know I exist.