Page 37 of Dragons & Dumplings
The ice dragon scowled. “He compiled his research into an actual book?”
“He has,” I said proudly. “I’ve only had the privilege of reading snippets of it so far, but he has created a fascinating history of Glacius' adventures, as well as his lasting legacy. Once his book is widely published, I have no doubt it will bring fame and glory to him and your fleet.”
Moroz turned to Yuri with renewed interest. “Your book could bring honor to our fleet?”
Yuri gave a sharp nod. “I may not be the warrior you hoped for, but I have found my own way to contribute to the fleet.”
“A warrior defends his family, his people, and that is what you have done here today.” Moroz’s tone was full of pride, but softened as he continued. “You, my son, are an honorable warrior in your own right.”
Yuri’s throat bobbed, but he gave his father a tentative smile. “Thank you for saying that, Father. It means a lot.”
Moroz’s icy eyes warmed a fraction, and he cleared his throat. Turning to me, he said brusquely, “Thank you for…assisting my son with his research.”
“It was my pleasure.”
He then turned warily to my parents. “I…I would like to…apologize for my…behavior earlier.” His apology was stilted, but I think we were all surprised that he was making it at all. We were evenmoresurprised when he stuck out his hand. “From this day forward, the Glacien Fleet will enter into a truce with Willowmere, as well as the fire wyrms—I mean, fire drakes of the Flameborn Fleet.”
After only a heartbeat of hesitation, my dad stood to shake Moroz’s hand.
My heart swelled with joy at seeing two long-standing enemies beginning down the path of reconciliation. I’m sure the road ahead of us wouldn’t be easy, but I had faith we could eventually bridge the divide between our two peoples.
And if there was hope for them, then there was hope for me and Yuri. Maybe fire and ice really could mix, after all. Our icefire proved it.
Epilogue
Yuri
Itookanotherbiteofmy frozen berry parfait, sighing in relief as the dessert cooled my tongue. Mei had gone out of her way to craft a special version of her Dragonfire Dumplings just for me. Instead of adding jalapeno seeds and loads of ginger to the minced pork, she only kept in a touch of garlic. Still, I needed a tall glass of milk or a vat of yogurt if I wanted to eat the entire serving in one sitting.
Tonight, I managed to finish it all in record time—and with only half a glass of milk, to boot! Even so, I certainly wasn’t complaining about the cooling effects of the parfait.
Looking up from my frozen treat, I watched Mei as she worked her magic on the last pair of customers for the night. As thanks for Clove’s help maintaining the barrier last month during the Harvest Feast, Mei had invited both the witch and her boyfriend, Thorne, to enjoy a complimentary meal at the diner.
What the pair of lovebirds didn’t know, however, was that they were unwitting guinea pigs for Mei’s latest culinary creations. Based on the looks on their faces, I was willing to bet that whatever the dishes were, they had been well received.
My lips curved up in a smile when I saw the way Mei was laughing and chatting with Clove. There was an ease about the fire drake that hadn’t been there a month ago, and I was glad to see that the stress and worries that had once caused her panic attacks were nowhere to be seen.
There were still occasions when her tight schedule and anxieties caused her to begin overheating, but I made sure I was always right by her side to cool her down.
A lot of things had changed in just a few short weeks. Mikhail had begun his community service punishment with one of the local charities. I caught glimpses of him occasionally, but I thought it was best to give him some space.
I didn’t want a repeat of last time, and I didn’t yet trust him to behave himself—even though a witch-made collar had temporarily confined him to his humanoid form. Besides, unlesshewas the one who offered an apology first, I had no desire to see him.
Our father refused to see him, as well—at least until he had fulfilled his punishment, which wouldn’t be for another five months, at least. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about spending time with him, myself. We had only spoken once so far, and it was an incredibly awkward experience, to say the least.
But at least he was trying. And not once had he talked down to Mei or her parents, or referred to them as wyrms, so I considered that significant progress. Though, he still had a long way to go.
We both did.
I was still getting used to being surrounded by friendly townsfolk, who would go out of their way to smile and greet me. And despite my best efforts, I still sometimes flinched when someone touched me, expecting pain to follow. Though my physical wounds were long healed, it seemed I still had some lingering phantom scars.
Perhaps, if I continued spending the majority of my time sitting in a red vinyl booth, surrounded by gentle warmth and the constant murmur of contented voices, those would heal someday, too. Not to mention the healing warmth of one fire drake in particular.
My father had always warned me that ice dragons like me would burn on contact with fire. But I had learned to love the flames, and let them melt the walls I had built up around my heart.
I never wanted to go back to the cold.
“I’m so glad you both enjoyed the food! I’ll be adding it to the regular menu at the start of the new year!” Mei’s cheerful voice drew me from my thoughts.
