‹ Prequel: United
Divided
Icefire
I leaned forward anxiously, biting my lower lip as the egg hatched slowly. Grandfather had a servant bring in tea and blood. Mother passed me the grass tea – my favorite. My father gagged as I drank it.
“How can you drink that!?” he said. “It’s worse than sheep’s blood!”
I laughed. “It’s wonderful. It reminds me of trees, grass, and green.”
“Well of course it would remind you of grass,” my mother teased and I nudged her.
At least I had that in common with my mother. I loved elven foods and drinks. When I was ten, she took me to the gardens. They were gorgeous and I was excited about the Forbidden Fruit. I read that, with one bite, it could kill you. My father made us make a suicide pact, something that greatly worried me. My mother was furious but we did so. The only thing lethal about that fruit is its taste.
I drank blood, too, but not as often. My fangs weren’t as long as everyone else’s. When I was angry, though, they grew down to my chin like my father’s did. I also had the sensitivity with the sun. That was annoying; especially since I enjoyed being outside among plant life so much. We expanded the greenhouse and brought in more plants from the elven realm.
Finally, a piece of shell flew through the room, startling my mother into dropping her cup. I grinned excitedly. I don’t know how Mother and Father got something like this but it was incredible. Slowly, the dragon emerged from her egg and I gasped in wonder.
She was small enough to fit in my hand. Her scales were shimmering already! I studied the color and was fascinated that it was a darker shade of blue on the outside that brightened near the middle of the scale. It was gorgeous.
She coughed a few times and I held my hand out. As soon as she stepped onto it, I felt the sensation I read so much about. Our eyes locked and she blinked a few times.
Father.
It wasn’t a question and I grinned.
“Hello,” I said quietly. “Do you have a name?” She shook her scaly head. “Do me a favor and blow out some flames if you can.”
Why, Father?
I smiled. “Just trust me.”
She flapped her wings and set out a jet of blue flames and my mother gasped.
“Amazing!” she breathed.
I lifted the dragon closer to my face. “How do you feel about… Icefire?”
She tilted her head. I like it. You are… what exactly?
I beamed. “You’re quite the blunt dragon, aren’t you?” She flapped her wings again. I assumed that was her way of shrugging. “I am an elf and a vampire. These are my parents.”
“Hi,” my mother said, reaching out tentatively.
I will not hurt her.
“She says she won’t hurt you,” I said.
“How can we not hear her?” my father asked as he held out a finger for Icefire to nudge.
“She has imprinted with me,” I answered. “The only other person who will be able to understand her is my soulmate.”
My father nodded thoughtfully. “How big will you get?” he asked the dragon nervously and I chuckled.
Apparently he hadn’t done all of the research.
“Icefire is a pocket dragon,” I explained as she flapped her wings experimentally, hovering off my hand a few inches. I put my hands together just in case. “She won’t get much longer than my shoulders. As for her height, she might reach the top of my head.”
“How fast will she grow?” Mother asked.
I frowned. “Did you do any research?”
She smiled and leaned against me. “I thought you could be our teacher.”
I flushed and cleared my throat. “She will grow at a rate of two inches a month,” I said, moving my hands when she leaned precariously to the right. She flapped her wings desperately to stay afloat. “When she reaches full maturity, her growing will cease.”
“Any special talents we can expect from her?”
I thought. “I’ve never read of a blue dragon, to be honest,” I said. “Red dragons are, as you’d imagine, known for their fire. Green dragons are skilled with manipulating the earth. Gold dragons were gifted with speech so anyone can speak with them. Icefire here is one of a kind.”
“Why is her fire blue?”
“Their flame is the same color as their scales,” I answered.
Icefire floated back to my hands, yawning. It made a little squeak and made my mother giggle.
“Where would you like to sleep?” I asked her.
Your shoulder if that is agreeable.
“Of course,” I said and put her carefully on my right shoulder. “You will not fall?”
No.
She fell asleep immediately and I smiled fondly. I looked at my parents.
“Thank you very much,” I said quietly, stroking Icefire’s head as she snored, smoke puffing out of her nostrils.
“We thought you’d like a companion,” my mother whispered.
“Speaking of which,” my father said, “I think the two of you should have a long talk.”
“Father,” I began.
“No,” he said. “I’m going to make sure that the dinner and ball are on schedule.”
I sighed and watched as he left with my grandparents. My mother looked concerned as she faced me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I looked at my hands and told her about my feelings of being ostracized.
She sighed and held my hands. I looked at her and was shocked to see tears in her eyes.
“My parents were murdered by humans,” she whispered and my jaw dropped. “I was a little she-elf at the time. At first the humans didn’t believe me. So, Elder Arlan had to show my memories to the council of humans. It sparked this stupid argument that led to a 20 year ban from the humans being allowed into the elven realm. Many of my fellow elves blamed me since I was so young. I was an outcast too, Jacob.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked.
She smiled. “There are times where some information will be shared with you,” she explained and I wrinkled my nose.
“I hate it when you say that.”
She laughed. “You’re also wondering about your temperament, aren’t you?”
I frowned. “How can you tell?”
She flicked my nose. “I’m your mother, nitwit.” We both laughed. “Your father has always been a gentle soul. Your grandfather made sure of that. Now, me on the other hand…. I’ve been a firecracker since long before my parents died. You’re a little bit of both. Which one you feed is up to you.”
I nodded thoughtfully. “This is all….”
“Confusing?” she offered and I smiled a little. “You’ll figure it out, Jackie. You just need to be patient.”
“Gross,” I said and she giggled.
I stood and helped her stand up. I put my hand on her stomach.
“Will it be like me?” I asked quietly and she kissed my cheek.
“Yes.”
I smiled and walked downstairs with her, Icefire still snoozing on my shoulder.
“How can you drink that!?” he said. “It’s worse than sheep’s blood!”
I laughed. “It’s wonderful. It reminds me of trees, grass, and green.”
“Well of course it would remind you of grass,” my mother teased and I nudged her.
At least I had that in common with my mother. I loved elven foods and drinks. When I was ten, she took me to the gardens. They were gorgeous and I was excited about the Forbidden Fruit. I read that, with one bite, it could kill you. My father made us make a suicide pact, something that greatly worried me. My mother was furious but we did so. The only thing lethal about that fruit is its taste.
I drank blood, too, but not as often. My fangs weren’t as long as everyone else’s. When I was angry, though, they grew down to my chin like my father’s did. I also had the sensitivity with the sun. That was annoying; especially since I enjoyed being outside among plant life so much. We expanded the greenhouse and brought in more plants from the elven realm.
Finally, a piece of shell flew through the room, startling my mother into dropping her cup. I grinned excitedly. I don’t know how Mother and Father got something like this but it was incredible. Slowly, the dragon emerged from her egg and I gasped in wonder.
She was small enough to fit in my hand. Her scales were shimmering already! I studied the color and was fascinated that it was a darker shade of blue on the outside that brightened near the middle of the scale. It was gorgeous.
She coughed a few times and I held my hand out. As soon as she stepped onto it, I felt the sensation I read so much about. Our eyes locked and she blinked a few times.
Father.
It wasn’t a question and I grinned.
“Hello,” I said quietly. “Do you have a name?” She shook her scaly head. “Do me a favor and blow out some flames if you can.”
Why, Father?
I smiled. “Just trust me.”
She flapped her wings and set out a jet of blue flames and my mother gasped.
“Amazing!” she breathed.
I lifted the dragon closer to my face. “How do you feel about… Icefire?”
She tilted her head. I like it. You are… what exactly?
I beamed. “You’re quite the blunt dragon, aren’t you?” She flapped her wings again. I assumed that was her way of shrugging. “I am an elf and a vampire. These are my parents.”
“Hi,” my mother said, reaching out tentatively.
I will not hurt her.
“She says she won’t hurt you,” I said.
“How can we not hear her?” my father asked as he held out a finger for Icefire to nudge.
“She has imprinted with me,” I answered. “The only other person who will be able to understand her is my soulmate.”
My father nodded thoughtfully. “How big will you get?” he asked the dragon nervously and I chuckled.
Apparently he hadn’t done all of the research.
“Icefire is a pocket dragon,” I explained as she flapped her wings experimentally, hovering off my hand a few inches. I put my hands together just in case. “She won’t get much longer than my shoulders. As for her height, she might reach the top of my head.”
“How fast will she grow?” Mother asked.
I frowned. “Did you do any research?”
She smiled and leaned against me. “I thought you could be our teacher.”
I flushed and cleared my throat. “She will grow at a rate of two inches a month,” I said, moving my hands when she leaned precariously to the right. She flapped her wings desperately to stay afloat. “When she reaches full maturity, her growing will cease.”
“Any special talents we can expect from her?”
I thought. “I’ve never read of a blue dragon, to be honest,” I said. “Red dragons are, as you’d imagine, known for their fire. Green dragons are skilled with manipulating the earth. Gold dragons were gifted with speech so anyone can speak with them. Icefire here is one of a kind.”
“Why is her fire blue?”
“Their flame is the same color as their scales,” I answered.
Icefire floated back to my hands, yawning. It made a little squeak and made my mother giggle.
“Where would you like to sleep?” I asked her.
Your shoulder if that is agreeable.
“Of course,” I said and put her carefully on my right shoulder. “You will not fall?”
No.
She fell asleep immediately and I smiled fondly. I looked at my parents.
“Thank you very much,” I said quietly, stroking Icefire’s head as she snored, smoke puffing out of her nostrils.
“We thought you’d like a companion,” my mother whispered.
“Speaking of which,” my father said, “I think the two of you should have a long talk.”
“Father,” I began.
“No,” he said. “I’m going to make sure that the dinner and ball are on schedule.”
I sighed and watched as he left with my grandparents. My mother looked concerned as she faced me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I looked at my hands and told her about my feelings of being ostracized.
She sighed and held my hands. I looked at her and was shocked to see tears in her eyes.
“My parents were murdered by humans,” she whispered and my jaw dropped. “I was a little she-elf at the time. At first the humans didn’t believe me. So, Elder Arlan had to show my memories to the council of humans. It sparked this stupid argument that led to a 20 year ban from the humans being allowed into the elven realm. Many of my fellow elves blamed me since I was so young. I was an outcast too, Jacob.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked.
She smiled. “There are times where some information will be shared with you,” she explained and I wrinkled my nose.
“I hate it when you say that.”
She laughed. “You’re also wondering about your temperament, aren’t you?”
I frowned. “How can you tell?”
She flicked my nose. “I’m your mother, nitwit.” We both laughed. “Your father has always been a gentle soul. Your grandfather made sure of that. Now, me on the other hand…. I’ve been a firecracker since long before my parents died. You’re a little bit of both. Which one you feed is up to you.”
I nodded thoughtfully. “This is all….”
“Confusing?” she offered and I smiled a little. “You’ll figure it out, Jackie. You just need to be patient.”
“Gross,” I said and she giggled.
I stood and helped her stand up. I put my hand on her stomach.
“Will it be like me?” I asked quietly and she kissed my cheek.
“Yes.”
I smiled and walked downstairs with her, Icefire still snoozing on my shoulder.