Page 25 of Drakhana's Secret
She may not agree with what we are about to do, but that doesn’t mean that she will leave us to fend for ourselves. There was lentil soup and roast chicken. She’s giving all the warrior dragons the protein they need to stay strong.
Baba even sent along special tonics that can help with staying alert and staving off fatigue during battle. I make a mental note to thank the both of them. Sapphire may not want to participate in the meetings, but I know that she’s somewhere in the came thinking of our well-being.
When the meetings finally end, it’s well into the night. My bones are tired, but my mind still races. I pretty much have no hope of getting any sleep. Maybe Baba has something to help me with that?
Then again, I decide not to bother the elder dragon. She’s busy tending to the injured as if Sapphire. I haven’t seen her all day. I’d intended on apologizing for my callousness.
I find a peaceful spot under a great pine tree. Its roots for a semicircle that’s perfect to lie between. There’s even moss on the ground, which makes the soil more forgiving on my back. My hips still haven’t recovered from all the orgasms that Sapphire had given me.
I roll up my dirty jacket once again and place it under my head as I stretch out on my back. I entwine my fingers over my stomach and watch the stare above me. The sky is so clear, it’s almost like I can see all the way into the deepest reaches of space.
Unable to help myself, I run through all the plans that we have made so far. I check and recheck our strategies and exit plans should we find ourselves in a bind. I’ve grouped dragons who know the city with dragons who don’t so that no one gets lost. There are many places to hide in San Francisco in case we get in a pinch.
Of course, there’s really not much room for error. The only way that we can find out if our plans work is through the actual fight. All I pray for is that we don’t mess this up. I can’t come home and face Sapphire with nothing less than a victory.
“Were you able to get some dinner?” Sapphire says as if she just blossomed out of thin air in front of me.
I must have been so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t notice her approach. I push up onto my elbows so that I can see her. She’s pushing her thumbs together. It’s her way of fidgeting when she’s unsure of herself.
“I did,” I say, careful. The last thing I want is another argument. Not when I’m about to fly out into battle in a few hours.
“Good.” She drops her gaze to the ground.
For a moment, I see the young whelp in the forest again with tear stains on her cheeks. Gone is the confident leader who was willing to stand up for her people. Her softness touches my heart.
“I wanted to apologize,” I say.
“For what?” She looks me in the eye. There’s real curiosity there.
I’ve come to discover that there are two sides to Sapphire. There’s the peace-loving innocent who wants nothing but the best out of life. And there’s the passionate lover who can have the world eating out of the palm of her hand. I don’t know which I like better.
“For being a total dick earlier by forcing the vote,” I say, coming clean.
“I have a confession of my own to make.” She comes closer and sits by my side.
I don’t move from my position, leaning on my elbows. She’s since bathed because I can smell the lavender soap on her skin. I inhale deeply and take comfort from the scent while I wait for her to continue speaking.
“If I’m being honest, one of the reasons why I don’t want you to go out and fight is because I don’t want you getting hurt. I can’t bear the thought of it.”
My heart grows two sizes too big for my chest in that moment. I lie back down and motion for her to come lie with me. She settles herself against my side, resting her head on my chest. I wrap my arm around her waist.
“As much as I want to stay here with you, I have no choice but to fight,” he says. “What I’m doing is for the clan.”
“I know that. I don’t fully understand it, but I know it.”
“The sooner we accept that we’re on the front lines now the faster we can adapt to it. The better we can prepare for anything that comes our way.”
“I hate that we’ve come to this point. That all our lives have been turned upside down.” She pauses before she continues. “But, in the back of my mind, I knew that one day the fighting will reach us. I had a feeling that we could only stay away for so long.”
“This fight was inevitable the moment ice and fire started clashing. We have become involved whether we like it or not.”
She thumps my chest with her fist. “But you also have to understand that the clan is looking to us for guidance now. We can’t take that responsibility lightly. The young ones are looking up to us. We have to set an example.”
“Yikes.” I wince as the realization hits me. “The last thing I ever wanted was to become an example to someone. I don’t think I’m worthy of that title.”
“We’re never worthy of becoming role models, we just become them. They will look to up to us whether we like it or not. All we can do is be aware of that and make sure decisions are in line with that ideal.”
“It seems like a pretty high pedestal.”
