“Great. That’s just great.”
“We did get a couple of things out of him,” Gary said. “One, he did feel you coming and could hear you like you could hear him.”
“That’s… good?”
“Two, he says he didn’t want to eat you, because he thought you were just playing a game.”
“A game.”
“Yeah. Like tag. Or something.”
The urge to rock back and forth was almost too much to resist. “Go on,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Um. Okay. Also. Don’t get mad.”
“Because of course when someone says that, it obviously works every time.”
“Someone is sassy today,” Gary said. “Tiggy! Guess who’s sassy today!”
Tiggy scrunched his face up. Then, “Sam?”
“You win!” Gary cried, prancing in place. “Guess what you win!”
Tiggy looked excited. “What do I win?”
“You get to tell Sam that one thing that might make him mad!”
Tiggy started clapping. “Yes! Yes! I win! That—” He frowned. “That not good.”
“Might as well hit me with it now,” I said. “I’m already knocked on my ass. What’s one more thing in this desolate wasteland known as my life?”
“Yeah,” Ryan said. “You and the new dragon are going to get along just fine.”
“I’m not an emo teenager!”
He patted my hand.
“Okay,” Tiggy said. “Sam not mad?”
“I’m not mad,” I assured him.
“Sam stay not mad?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “If you say something I don’t like.”
Tiggy swallowed and wrung his hands together. “Okay. So. Dragon. We tell him. ’Bout destiny. And stuff.” He glanced nervously at Gary, who nodded for him to continue. “And he said. Um. Fuck off?”
“Fuck off,” I repeated.
“Yes. He said Sam fuck off. He not help.”
“Oh my gods.”
“Shh, Sam,” Tiggy said, pushing a big finger against my face.
“Oh my gods.”
“Shhh, shhh, shhh.”
“Tiggy,” Gary hissed. “His face is doing that twitching thing! Stop touching him before he bites you or takes away your soul!”
“Tiggy keep his soul,” Tiggy said, taking a step back, bringing his hands up to cover his chest. “It mine.”
“If that dragon wasn’t large, scary, and could eat me,” I snarled, “I would so kick its ass right now! Godsdamned Jekhipe!”
“Oh,” Gary said. “That’s one other thing? He doesn’t like the name Jekhipe. Says that was the name the gypsies gave him.”
“Of course he doesn’t like it. Okay, you know what? I’ll bite. What does he want to be called?”
Gary’s lips twitched. “You need to remember that mentally, he’s only fourteen years old. And has a lot of feelings. And says that we’ll never understand his pain.”
“I’m the denominator,” I said to no one in particular. “That’s just who I am. It’s like all I get is the crazy. Everywhere I go.”
Gary was rather gleeful when he said, “He says his name is Zero Ravyn Moonfire.”
I hated everything.
JEKHI—EXCUSE me, Zero Ravyn Moonfire—told us in no uncertain terms that we were not allowed to stay in the dome come nightfall. “It’s mine,” he growled. “And you already took away my best friends, so I don’t even want to talk to you right now!”
“Your best friends,” I repeated, trying to get a handle on the situation.
“The mermaids!” Zero shouted at me. “You completely destroyed the mermaids!”
“They were your friends?”
“Yes! Sort of. Okay, not really, but they understood what it felt like to be an outcast with a face that no one could possibly love!”
“Oh,” I said. “Come on. Your face isn’t… that bad.”
“Good job,” Ryan said. “Really. I believed it.”
Zero slithered toward me, the hood around his face expanding, spikes twitching.
“Eep,” I said, taking a step back.
“See?” he wailed as he deflated. “I’m hideous.”
“There, there,” I said. “It’s…. There, there.”
“My gods, Sam,” Gary said. “Are you actively trying to make things worse?”
“Hey!” I said. “It’s not my fault I’m a handsome devil and don’t know how to talk to children!”
“I’m not a child,” Zero said. “I’m fourteen years old. I know a lot of stuff, okay? You’re all just old and don’t remember what it’s like to be my age. You don’t know what it’s like to be me. You don’t know my life.”
“Zero?” Gary cooed. “Honeybunch. Listen to your aunt Gary, okay? I knew Sam when he was fourteen, and guess what? He went through the same thing you’re going through. He was… well. Awkward is probably the nicest thing I can say. You ever see those birds with the tiny bodies and really long legs that do nothing but squawk all the time? Yeah, imagine that in human form. That was Sam.”
“What?” I rolled my eyes. “No it wasn’t. I was never awkward. Tiggy. Tell him.”
Tiggy scratched the back of his neck.
I narrowed my eyes. “Tiggy. Tell him.”
“Don’t like lying,” Tiggy said.
“But… you wouldn’t be…. Tiggy. Tiggy. Of course I wasn’t weird and awkward as a teenager. I skipped right over that whole thing and was amazing as I am today!”
“You’re weird and awkward now,” Kevin said.
“Hey!”
“So there’s hope,” Gary said to Zero. “You’ll see. One day, when you’re Sam’s age, you’ll blossom into the most handsome snake dragon monster thing that ever did live.”
“But I don’t want to wait until I’m forty-five!”
“Forty-five?” I shrieked. Then I coughed, slapped my hand against my chest a couple of times, and responded much more reasonably. “Forty-five? I’m not forty-five. That’s ridiculous.”
“Oh,” Zero said. “Do we not round up anymore? It’s been a while since I’ve been awake. I could be wrong.”
I stepped forward, meaning to choke the life out of the gigantic dragon, but Ryan snagged me by the arm and was able to stop me before I could even get my hands on him, which was probably for the best, what with the destiny thing and all.
“Easy,” he whispered in my ear. “You don’t want to piss him off even more.”
“He’s pissing me off.”
“Yeah, but you’re the older one here. Not like that, don’t give me that look. You know what I mean.”
“I wasn’t awkward as a teenager,” I said.
“I knew you when you were a teenager,” he reminded me. “Maybe a little awkward.”
“You never even talked to me.”
“I stared at you a lot.” He shrugged.
“You creepy bastard. It wasn’t bad, right?”
He grinned softly and leaned in to kiss me on the cheek, lips lingering. I saw Zero watching us, but when he saw he’d been caught, he quickly looked away. “Not bad,” Ryan said. “I maybe even loved it a little.”
“Sap,” I muttered, but my heart was tripping all over itself, so maybe I was too. I cleared my throat and looked back at the others. “Look. It’s getting late. It’s been a long day. Kevin, can you fly back to the other side of the cavern and get our packs? We can stay inside the dome tonight and worry about everything—”
“Wow,” Zero said. “Way to ask. Gods.”
I closed my eyes and counted to five, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “I’m sorry?”
“The dome is mine,” Zero said. “That’s where I live. You can’t just go in there without asking.”
I opened my eyes and forced a smile on my face. “Okay. That’s fair. I’m sorry. Zero. Can we please stay in the dome tonight?”
“Thank you for asking,” Zero said. “And no, you may not.”
&n
bsp; I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“What part of me saying it’s mine did you not understand?”
I had to remind myself it was illegal to murder dragons.
“Maybe I should handle this,” Kevin whispered to me, even though everyone could hear him. “After all, I’m also a dragon, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“Fine. Just… do it.”
“You make the best decisions when you agree with what I say,” Kevin said.
I almost punched him in the eye.
Kevin turned toward the snake dragon. “Hey, buddy,” he said, thumping his tail near Zero’s. “Hey. What’s going on? What’s happening in that noggin of yours? Hmm? You can tell me. I’m like your older brother, you know? You can tell your big bro anything. You know that, right? Bros stick together, you know? You’re my brother from another mother. You know?”
“What,” I said.
Zero eyed me suspiciously before he rose up until he was right near Kevin’s ear. He started whispering. Kevin nodded. “Uh-huh. Okay. Right. No, that’s fair. You’re right. He does look like—right. Wow. That’s… uh-huh. No, I totally see your point. I wouldn’t want him there either.”
Kevin turned to glare at me. “You are a terrible person.”
“What!”
“Zero reminded me of a very important point. You suck sometimes.”
I glared at Zero, who didn’t even seem chagrined. “Okay. Fine. I’ll bite. What is it that I am supposed to have done now?”
“You have to be invited into a dragon’s lair. You can’t just enter anytime you want. You did the same to me!”
“I did not. If you’ll recall, you kidnapped me and took me back to the keep because you were going to try and have your way with me.”
“Everything tries to have sex with him,” Ryan told Ruv with a sigh. “Dragons, Darks, you.”
“I didn’t try,” Ruv said. “Believe me. You would have known if I had tried.”
“No one would feel sad if I ran you through with my sword,” Ryan muttered.
Ruv grinned.
“That’s not how I remember it happening,” Kevin said. “But I suppose your recollection would have been colored by the fact that you were awed by my masculinity. I’ll allow it.”
“Whatever,” I said. “Fine. I don’t even care anymore. I’m tired. I’m hungry. And I am sick of everyone’s shit. We’ll sleep out here. Under the stars, where I like it. And then tomorrow, we’ll—I don’t even know what we’ll do. Fuck it. Fuck this whole day. Fuck you. Fuck everyone.”
“He’s cranky,” Tiggy said.
“Yes, kitten,” Gary said. “That’s what happens when you find out that your destiny rests in the hands of a bunch of idiots and an amazing unicorn.”
“Exactly,” Tiggy said. Then he frowned. “Wait.”
“I need to break something,” I told Ryan.
“Why are you looking at me for that?” Ryan asked. “Don’t break me.”
That wasn’t what I’d been thinking at all, but now it seemed like a good idea. I turned and stalked away before I could act on it. It seemed like the better thing to do.
“HOW DID you all find each other?” Ruv asked us later that night. We sat around a fire, the sparks shooting up toward the night sky filled with what seemed like a million stars. I was actively avoiding looking up at them, though, sure I’d be cursing David’s Dragon until it fell from the heavens and I had yet another mess to deal with. I didn’t think I’d be wishing on the stars for a very long time to come.
“Sam stole me away from my keep,” Kevin said.
“Sam stole Tiggy and me from the Dark Woods,” Gary said.
“Sam stole my heart,” Ryan said.
“I did not steal you from your keep. And Tiggy and Gary all but followed me home. And Ryan, I am going to fuck you until you’re cross-eyed later. You don’t even know.”
“Ew,” Gary said, nose wrinkling. “You kiss me with that mouth.”
I snorted as I stoked the fire. “Like you have any room to talk.”
“You talk about sex a lot,” Ruv said, cocking his head. “I’ve noticed that.”
“You get used to it,” Ryan said.
“Why shouldn’t we?” I said. “Everyone does it. Why does it need to be something no one talks about?”
“Merely an observation,” Ruv said. “We are not so… free in Mashallaha. It was rather shocking to come to the City of Lockes. It was loud. Very different.”
“Had you left the desert before that?” I asked, curious.
He shook his head. “No. That was the first time.”
“I can’t imagine having to stay in one place all the time,” I said. “I would get too restless.”
“But you’re the King’s Wizard,” Ruv said with a frown.
“Apprentice,” Gary coughed.
“I am. What about it?”
“Shouldn’t you be staying in the castle at all times? As the Wolf of Bari Lavuta, my job is to be by the phuro’s side.”
“You’re not right now,” Gary pointed out.
“Well… yes. But it is because I was ordered here. I do what the phuro commands. Is it not the same for you and your King? Or Morgan of Shadows?”
I laughed. “I guess. If they ask me to do something, I will usually do it. But they give me the freedom to do what I want. To make my own mistakes.”
“There is no room for mistakes,” Ruv said seriously. “Mistakes only lead to weakness.”
“But if you don’t make mistakes, how can you possibly learn anything?”
“By listening to your elders. They impart their knowledge and wisdom and you learn from them.”
“How would this have worked?” I asked.
“What?”
“You and me. Vadoma must have been telling you for years about me. What she thought you were to me. What she thought we could be. What she wanted for you. For me. Without even taking what I would have wanted into consideration. How would it have worked had I agreed to it? To have you be my cornerstone?”
I knew everyone else was listening as intently as I was for the answer. This, out of everything, was probably something that I needed to be focusing on the least, but I was interested in knowing Vadoma’s angle on all this. What her endgame was.
For a moment, I thought Ruv wasn’t going to answer. Then, “You would have come to Mashallaha. Lived amongst your people. Learned your heritage. The ways of the gypsy. Vadoma would have been your teacher. She would have shown you the path home.”
She was ballsy, I had to give her that. “Mashallaha is not my home,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “The gypsies are not my people. They looked down upon me as if I was lesser than them. They consider my blood diluted because of who my father is. And even if I could change their mind, why would I ever put myself in a position where I’d have to start something like that to begin with?”
“Really?” Ruv asked. “And I suppose the people of Lockes have shown you the same kindness? Just how many people in that crowd were… how did you put it? Looking down upon you. In Mashallaha, people are not trusting of outsiders, especially those with your power. But it’s because they do not know you. And they are mired in tradition.”
That… stung. More than I thought it would. Because he did have a point. I’d given my all to the people of Lockes. Or at least I thought I had. Sure, I’d made mistakes. I wasn’t infallible. But there’d always been an undercurrent there, a low hum ever since I’d been pulled from the slums and placed at Morgan’s side. There’d been an initial outcry, but it’d died down quickly thanks to Morgan and the King. But had it ever truly gone away? I knew I could charm my way out of most situations, but what good did that really do me in the long run?
I couldn’t place all the blame on Lady Tina for the movement against me, even if I wanted to. She merely latched on to something that had apparently already been there. She’d just given voice to it.
She was still a bitch, though.
“I can’t make everyone ha
ppy,” I said slowly. “Even if I wish I could. It’s not possible. No matter what you do, there is always going to be someone who doesn’t like it. And I can’t spend all my time trying to change their minds, even if I wanted to.”
“And yet you still fight for them,” Ruv said. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You may have put up a good front, but you’re still here.”
“Of course I’d still be here,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I be? People deserve to live how they choose, free and not governed by another’s will. Because that’s exactly what will happen if… the Darks get their way.” I couldn’t say his name. It was stuck on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t force myself to say it. Not after what Morgan had told me about him before we’d left Castle Lockes. Not after… everything.
“You are a good person, Sam of Wilds,” Ruv said. “Naïve, I think, but good. I believe you will do what Vadoma thinks you will do.”
“Um, thanks?”
“Of course he will,” Ryan said, sounding grumpy. “Sam is the best person I know.”
“And he does what he says he’s going to do,” Gary said.
“And he makes me happy,” Tiggy said. “And I love him.”
“And he takes care of us,” Kevin said.
I was a little choked up at that.
“Plus,” Kevin added, “he’s got a really great ass.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. There, under the stars. So far from home, I laughed. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zero in the shadows of the dome, listening to every word.
Chapter 19: The Magic of Zero Ravyn Moonfire
EVERYONE WAS asleep except for me, Ryan’s hand lying loosely on my waist, Tiggy sitting up against Kevin with Gary in his lap. Ruv was lying a little ways off from everyone, but that was okay. The embers in the fire still burned, a tendril of smoke rising up toward the night sky. The air was cool but not uncomfortable. I felt small here in the middle of nowhere. Overwhelmed by everything that had happened and everything that would come.
I looked over at Ryan, whose mouth was slack, soft little snores on each exhalation. His brow was furrowed, like he was concentrating on something difficult. I reached over and brushed a finger from his forehead down between his eyes to the tip of his nose, the lightest of touches. He relaxed under the touch, and I hoped that whatever dream he was in didn’t hurt. I couldn’t stand the idea of him being hurt.