Page 4 of Waking Her Dragon

“Sydney.” Fedelm’s voice floated through her mind, along with a sense of welcome and the warmth of a true friend.

Before Sydney could respond, the Noble Woman continued. “What you seek is along the farthest wall on the east side of the building. It is old, nearly as old as Time itself, and the pages must not be touched.”

“Wait. What? I can’t…”

“Patience, Special One.” There was a levity to Fedelm’s voice that Sydney had become acquainted with during her stay in their Realm. The Noble Woman was smiling, just as she had every time Sydney’s impatience led her to speak before everything had been revealed.

“Sorry,” Syd apologized.

“Never apologize for your zeal and zest for knowledge and understanding.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Fedelm, please, dear girl.”

“Yes, ma… ahem, I mean Fedelm.”

“Thank you. Now, you will go where I have instructed. Once there, you will see three large books covered in leather the color of freshly tilled earth. On each spine, you will see gold lettering in the language of the First Dragons. The information you seek is in the second volume. Use your Magic to remove the book from the shelf. Place it on the velvet-covered table. Then, using the Enchantment of Drakara, the Dragon Queen with whom you share your soul, open the tome. As you read the words and search for the answers you need, continue to use that same Magic to turn the pages. Do you understand, Sydney?”

“Yes, Fedelm. I do.”

“And that is why the Ancients trust you in one of their most sacred places.”

“Thank you, Fedelm. I owe you a great debt.”

“You owe me nothing, Special One. We are one in the spirit, and that is payment enough for a lifetime of favors.”

With that, the Noble Woman was gone, and Sydney was making her way to the east wall of the Hall. As if a soft tether had reached out and taken hold of her hand, she was drawn to three books in the very center of an especially ornate section of the shelf. Approaching slowly, her heart beating like a bass drum, Syd envisioned the book gently floating off the shelf and safely landing on the velvet-covered table to her right.

The second the huge volume was in place, its thick leather cover opened, and Sydney saw the words, The Legend of the Dragon, written in gorgeous gold calligraphy. Even though it was written in the oldest language, and she was far from proficient, those words she knew all too well.

Hands shaking with excitement, her palms a little sweaty, she pulled out the chair that looked more like a mini-throne and slowly sat down upon the overstuffed, velvet seat. With little more than a thought, she turned the page and began her journey.

It had been wonderful and so incredibly enlightening, especially since she had Kara to explain anything she had yet to master that was written in the dialect of the oldest of the Dragon language. Three weeks into their four-week ‘hall pass’, as she called it, Sydney found what she was looking for, and boy howdy, had she been gobsmacked.

In the very middle of the massive book, there was a highly decorated title page that read: The Special One and the Wandering Dragon. Barely able to contain her anticipation, she leaned close and listened as Kara read.

“This prophecy, given in earnest by the Dragon of Divination, the Princess Aisling, is foretold to guide those who come after, the Winged Warriors who will walk the Earth through times of great strife. To you, our descendants, we pray these words will light the path of the journey you must take.”

“A powerful white witch of long regal lineage, sworn to the Earth, made whole by human love, must Mate a Dragon of royal descent, marked by devastating loss and the heart of not one clan but two.”

“Hang on,” Sydney interrupted. “I’ve heard all this. That’s talking about Kyra and Royce.”

“Well, I haven’t heard it,” Kara sighed. “And I want to know the whole story, if that’s all right.”

“Umm… Oh… Of course,” Syd quickly replied. “I forgot you weren’t with me then.” Shaking her head, she chuckled, “I feel like we’ve been together forever.”

“Aww, thanks. Me too.” The Dragon Queen’s voice was soft and loving. “Also, even though I only know Kyra and Royce through your memories, I can see that you are right. The Ancestors were clearly talking about them.” Clearing her throat, she added with her usual sass, “Now, on with the show.”

Kara’s tone changed once again. There was a reverence for not only the words, but the meaning and the sheer power of what those who came before had put into place. “The Vibria born of human parents who will possess the spirit of one of the first female Dragons born of two Winged Warriors will be lost in plain sight. But do not fear. Her Clan will find her. She will be loved and adored. And when the time is right, she will ascend with the First Elder to become her true self, the Special One.”

Kara paused. For two seconds, Syd wasn’t sure what was happening. Then she asked, “You okay?”

“Yep,” Kara chirped. “I was just waiting for you to say, ‘That’s me!’” Bursting out laughing, the sound like pebbles rolling around in the dryer, she wheezed, “Sometimes I just crack myself up.”

“You are such a brat,” Syd chuckled, unable to be irritated. “And you crack me up, too… most of the time. Now, hurry up. I’m dying over here.”

“Okay, okay…” Clearing her throat one more time, Kara continued, “Born to an extinct race, thought to be one but actually two. Both with destinies blessed by Fate, neither knowing the other exists. When reunited, can nullify death to bring back the one needed to complete the circle.”