Now, the village was quiet, resting beneath the double moons of this incredible world.
Jabir padded down the long wooden dock, his boots thudding softly on the time-worn planks. When he reached the end, he dropped with a sigh, letting his legs dangle over the edge. His feet swung above the shimmering crystal clear water, the reflections of the moons dancing like fairy lights on the rippling surface.
He smiled faintly.
Fairies.
He’d actually met real fairies today. That still boggled his mind.
His dragon let out a low, contented sigh inside him—a rare, quiet rumble of peace.
This place feel like home, the dragon murmured.
Jabir nodded silently and began to hum. The soft tune was one he always sang to calm the nervous creatures back home—shy baby Grombots, trembling Tasiers, and flustered tree-gliders. Heck, even the pactors like the melody. The song spilled gently into the night, threading itself between the stars and water, as familiar as his breath.
He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, swinging his legs and staring out into the starlit lake, when something shimmered below him—silver and silent.
He blinked and leaned forward.
A face.
Wide, curious eyes gazed back at him from just beneath the surface—startlingly close. A crown of long, flowing, silver hair drifted in the water like kelp spun from moonlight, each strand shimmering as it caught the glow of the moons. Her features were delicate, otherworldly, with high cheekbones and a mouth shaped like a bow. Pearlescent skin reflected the stars, and her eyes were the color of polished jade, deep and ancient and startlingly gentle.
Jabir’s breath caught.
She was… breathtaking.
The creature—no, girl—froze the moment she realized he could see her.
Then she darted back underneath the dock, vanishing into the shadows.
“Wait!” he called out in a low, frantic voice. He twisted and dropped onto his stomach. His boots kicked up behind him as he lay with his chin resting on his crossed arms and peered into the moonlit water. The wooden planks were cool beneath his belly, but his pulse was hot, racing.
He hummed again—just a few bars of the song.
Silence.
Then, a small ripple.
A hand emerged from deep under the dock, slender and webbed, with skin that glistened like an abalone shell. It hovered an inch beneath the surface.
Jabir’s heart thudded. Slowly, he reached down and dipped his hand into the water, spreading his fingers wide. The coolness was a shock, but he kept still, barely breathing.
The creature hesitated… and then reached up.
Her fingers brushed his.
Electricity jolted up his arm like a shooting star.
“Whoa,” he gasped.
His dragon hissed in surprise.
What that? the dragon growled, more bewildered than angry.
I don’t know, Jabir whispered silently, but I felt it too.
The siren’s eyes widened. Startled, she yanked her hand back and vanished again with a splash so delicate it barely disturbed the surface.
