I see the world with my eyes, nose, and claws. I know an elf when I see one, smell one, and touch one.
“But I’m not,” she argued. “I’m a human.”
You’re half human, half elf. Hybrid.
Cora felt the sweat form under her brow and on her palms. A dragon was looking her in the eye and telling her she belonged to another race. “With all due respect, you’re wrong.”
Your features are softer than those of humans. The curves of your eyes are exaggerated, shaped like the almonds you find in your forest. Your upper lip reminds me of a bow. The fair skin of your neck and face is unnaturally smooth and soft. Not a single mark has adorned your face because your skin there is impenetrable. You’re petite, much smaller than the average woman of the human race. You’re strong, able to run long distances and lift heavy objects because your body is mainly composed of lean muscle, not fat. But I see the human aspects as well, such as your wide shoulders and ungraceful movements. Not to mention your limited intelligence.
At first, his words were complimentary, but that quickly changed toward the end. “I am intelligent. I’m saving your wing, aren’t I?”
You thought you could kill a Shaman with a dagger. If he could roll his eyes, he would have.
“That doesn’t mean I’m stupid. It means I’m brave.”
You’re confusing bravery with recklessness.
The constant insults were making her hot under the collar. She’d never been so insulted in all her life, and the fact that her aggressor was a magical dragon wasn’t helping matters. “You know what…” She put her hands on her hips and tried to think of something harsh. “Your scales aren’t even that pretty.”
Flare immediately tensed under the insult, every muscle in his arms recoiling for a fight. His neck straightened, and he looked down at her like she was firewood about to be lit with his flames. A growl erupted from deep in his belly, echoing along the mountainside.
Maybe she shouldn’t have said that.
Do you want to die, hybrid?
Whenever she was scared, she acted braver. “Do you want to lose your wing?”
He snorted gently, and smoke rose from the end of his nose.
“Then maybe you should keep the insults to yourself.”
They aren’t insults. They are honesty.
“Well, I’m being honest too.”
No, you aren’t. You’re asking to be turned into lunch.
“If you were going to kill me, you would have done it by now.” She turned her back on him and kept walking forward. She hid her fear well, and she suspected that made the dragon respect her more. Or maybe she was completely wrong, and he would burn her alive.
Six
They stopped at nightfall.
Cora couldn’t see where she was going without a torch. Without light, she would be walking aimlessly in the dark. Progressing through the rough mountain terrain wouldn’t be smart if she didn’t know where she was stepping.
Flare never seemed fatigued, but he didn’t complain when she decided to stop for the night. They found a grassy area near a cliff face. The fog had settled in, giving them an extra blanket of invisibility. It would be impossible to track Cora under those circumstances.
She had a thin blanket to keep her warm, and she used her pack as a pillow. She lay on her side and stared at the dragon sitting a few feet away. He was curled into a ball with his head resting on the tip of his tail. His eyes were open, watching her just as she was watching him.
She’d been thinking about what he’d said for the entire day. Could he be right? Could she really be a hybrid? She’d always been different from everyone else in the village. Could that be why?
What troubles you?
Her eyes moved to his. “What makes you think anything is troubling me?”
You furrow your brow when you’re stressed.
Could he really read her that well? They’d only been together for an afternoon. “I was thinking about what you said. About me being elvish.”
What about it?
“I’ve always felt different from everyone else. Like I don’t completely fit in.”
Your brash personality probably turns them away.
She gave him a cold look. “Would you stop insulting me?”
Just being honest.
“Well, be a little less honest.”
I can try.
“Anyway…I don’t know where I come from, so I guess it’s possible.”
Clarify your meaning.
“My guardian said he found me abandoned at the gate. He took me in and raised me as his own. He doesn’t know who my parents are or where I came from. All he knew was my name because it was left in a letter.”
What else did the letter say?
“Nothing.”
Flare adjusted his position against the rock wall, his eyes still on her. It’s unlikely an elf would ever abandon her child. It’s very rare for them to have children at all, let alone toss them aside like an overproduced commodity.
“Then why would my parents leave me?” As much as it shamed her to admit it, it still bothered her that her parents didn’t want her. Dorian took her in and was a wonderful guardian, but he wasn’t her father. Every gathering in the village was full of families, and it pained her to know she’d never had one of her own.
I don’t have the answer you seek.
Cora looked up at the stars because she couldn’t stand his yellow eyes any longer.
But it wasn’t because they didn’t love you.
She slowly turned back to him, caught off guard by the gentleness of his words. “What?”
An elf would never abandon their child unless they had no other choice. They were trying to protect you from something. What, I do not know.
That hope was enough to make her heart swell in longing. In her dreams, she pictured the loving eyes of her parents staring fondly at her. They were reunited as a family, and everything was finally as it should be. “You really believe that?”
I do. Flare continued to stare at her, his colossal eyes glued to her face. But I also believe they are no longer on this earth. They would have come back for you by now if they were living and breathing. The fact that they haven’t after all this time can only mean one thing.
The painful truth of his words hit her right in the chest. It was a fear she’d been prepared for. Her parents didn’t want to come back for her, or they weren’t alive to come back for her. Either possibility was devastating. “You’re probably right.” She turned on her side and faced the opposite way from the dragon, hiding the tears that began to leak from the corners of her eyes. She kept her silence and allowed them to fall down her cheeks and to the soil beneath her. Crying wasn’t in her nature, and she certainly didn’t do it in front of anyone else.
As a dragon, Flare could sense vibrations in the atmosphere. Without even looking at her, he could sense her agony. It hummed in the air surrounding her, and it was loud enough to press painfully on his ears. He could feel every tear as it fell down her cheek.
He could feel everything.
“How’s your wing?” Cora gripped the edges of the rock and climbed over the wall. It took most of her concentration to scale the mountain and get to the top of the rise.