Sorry for the long break. I needed time after the medical issues to adjust. It took a while to become myself again.
Taran and I haven’t spoken much since leaving the isle. He refuses to talk about waking the other dragons. In fact, reclaiming his kingdom seems to fall at the end of his priorities. “I want to help you find your mother,” I tell him when we land back at the cave. Taran in his dragon form shakes his head. Crossing my arms I give him an annoyed look, “Why not?” A deep growl rumbles at the back of Taran’s throat and he refuses to look at me. In frustration I ask, “Is there something you are hiding from me?” The look in Taran’s eyes tells me there is more than just something he doesn’t want me to know. Pausing for a moment I ask, “There is something you want to hide from me?” Taran lowers his head. “Please tell me. Shift back and let me help you,” I plea. With a sigh of defeat, Taran shifts. He stares out at the water for a few minutes before finally speaking, “Did you see your death?” I nod, “I killed myself, so I could be born. Two of me couldn’t exist. All I did was step into- ” “N
The next day I helped Taran feed his gem, but it was a struggle for both of us. He seemed absent, and I could focus without him. It frustrated Taran more. Now the distance between us feels greater.We arrive at my apartment before sunrise. Taran and I cook together. It seems to help him relax; then we watch a movie before bed. Taran and I wake up in the middle of the afternoon. I check my phone on the charger and find that there are twelve missed calls from my father. Listening to his voicemails, I hear how frantic he sounds, "Tru, I need you to come home as soon as possible; it is about your mother." His other voicemails ask me why I am not calling back, where am I, and if I want to see my mom again, I should hurry home. All sound more panicked than the last.I quickly call him, "Dad, is everything okay? What's wrong with mom?""Just get here as soon as possible, Tru," is all my dad can say. He sounds heartbroken.Taran overhears the call; he puts on some clothes then turns to me, "L
TaranTru rushed into her parent's home without even saying hello to anyone. I can feel her pain. Though we knew this was a possibility, we didn’t think it would happen so suddenly. I tell everyone hello and am surprised to see Cindy and David here. I know it is his mother, but they don’t seem to want to interact with the family.I find Tru next to her mother in the bedroom. Guilt overwhelms me as I see Tru crying and how weak Alice appears. I used every healing potion I could think of, but nothing helped.Alice asks Tru to speak with me privately, and I see the hesitation in her eyes. Tru doesn’t want to leave her mother’s side. I can see the sadness in Tru’s eyes as she walks past me. It makes me wonder if she will resent me for not saving her mom.Once Tru is out of the room, Alice says, “Taran, will you shut the door?” I nod and shut the door behind me as I enter. “Have a seat,” she gestures towards a chair close to the bed. After I sit, Alice asks, “How did you know that the red
I sit next to my mom, holding her hand. She fell asleep talking, and I hadn’t wanted to leave yet. Her fingers feel cold, and her skin feels thin.Taran stands in the doorway, “I made you some food. Please come eat. Your mother needs to rest.”I shake my head, “We were in the middle of a conversation. She was telling me about her childhood. I want to be here when she wakes up. Besides, I’m not hungry.”I can hear the desperation in Taran’s voice, “Tru, you haven’t eaten or slept in the past three days. Please, come eat. Your father won’t let me bring it here.”“What if she wakes up while I’m gone?” I tell him through tears.“Your mother will call if she wakes. Her phone is right next to her.” Seeing that I’m not moving, Taran offers, “I will stay with her if you want. Please go eat something.” Taran walks over and kneels beside me, “Tru, I’m worried about you. I don’t believe you are thinking clearly. Your mom is tired. She’s pushing herself while she is awake to speak with you. Look
I sit on the edge of my mother’s hospital bed. They called her time of death two hours ago. My mother went on bypass yesterday afternoon. When the hospital asked us to leave because visiting hours had ended, my mother squeezed my hand when I told her goodbye. Then when we arrived this morning, I knew she was gone. I no longer felt her presence in the room.“Dove,” Taran’s gentle voice pulls me from my thoughts. I look at him and see another man standing behind him, “They need to take Alice downstairs.”I nod and stand. Taran quickly pulls me to him. We leave the room and join my dad and brothers in a lobby area. “Are you okay, Tru?” Dave asks when we sit down.I nod, “We knew this day was coming. I will miss her, but at least she isn’t sick anymore.”“We barely left her side the past two weeks,” Dave says lightly. “I’m not sure how to go back to day-to-day life.”“The house felt empty last night without mom there,” Mike says with tears, “I’m not sure how I will step foot in there agai
Taran squeezes my hand as we listen to the officiant speak. The room is full, and people are standing in the back. Some drove across the country to say their goodbyes. Looking at my mother in the casket gives me an odd feeling. It almost feels like I’ve gone numb. The woman lying there doesn’t even look like my mother.My brothers and I all decided to let Mike speak. We agreed on a story for him to tell while he gives her eulogy. I feel like it was the right decision for Mike to speak. I don’t think I can get words out now.As the officiant finishes, he asks if anyone would like to share stories about my mother. At least eight people share stories. Some of them were friends, some cousins, former co-workers, and the rest were from her support group. Cindy then stands and walks up to the stand. “Alice always gave the best advice. She felt more like my mother than my mother-in-law. Any time I had an issue, we would sit and talk. Alice gave me advice on everything from how to handle thing
Taran and I pull up to my father’s house. As we enter the house, I hear a voice, “Tru, come here. We can bring everything back the way it was!”I give Taran an odd look, “Do you recognize that voice?”Taran shakes his head, “No, but I hear its call.”“Whose call?” I ask, confused.Taran looks worried, “The stone. It is awake.”I feel a lump in my throat, “It wants us to bring everything back.”“Don’t Tru. We can convince it to keep things the way they are now,” Taran says in a plea.I shake my head, “It is too late. I brought everything back when my magic awoke. There is nothing we can do.”“I won’t lose you, Tru. You’re mine.”The same voice whispers, “I have a plan. We need all the dragons to restore the kingdom. I know how to keep them away from you.”Curious, I leave my room and get the stone out of its box. It is no longer black but glowing orange. Softly, I ask, “What is your plan?”“We hide you. I will block your memories of Taran. Then you can relearn your magic, then we out t
In the late 15th century, a human stole the Dragon Stone from my people. For thousands of years, we lived alongside humans. We protected them from the dangers of this world: vampires, demons, werewolves, and other blood-thirsty creatures that would take too long to name.What did they do to thank us for our protection?They stole the source of our power and turned on us.Without the dragon stone, we lost the ability to transform, the ability to wield magic, and our ability to reproduce. The stone was a gift to the first dragon. The story is so old that it is unclear what the sorcerer's name was, but he cursed his former lover after she had an affair. He transformed her into a dragon. It said that she was so heartbroken that she jumped into the water, hoping to drown, but instead found peace in the water.Years later, she surfaced, desperate for human interaction, but found everyone feared her. After trying to kill herself, the sorcerer gifted her with a s