“You should have mentioned you were in pain,” Kissa chided. Then, her eyes sparked as she looked at her brother. “And you should have noticed sooner! Now Ashton thinks we’re blind fools.”

“The injury is on the back of his neck.”

“You walked alongside him half of the time.”

“And Ashton did too! He didn’t notice.”

“He likely thought you had checked already!” Kissa tossed her hands up. “What use are we, if we can’t do such simple tasks?”

“I’m sorry if I got you two in trouble,” Rook said, his shoulders slouching. “But, it’s not all that big a deal.”

Vaughon, after double checking Ashton was still out of sight, sidled over to Rook and gave a side hug. “You’re adorably naive. So innocent.”

Naïve? Maybe. Innocent…

Rook squirmed free.

“Not really.”

“Right,” Vaughon scoffed.

“I…” Rook took in a deep breath and released.

Vaughon tilted his head, giving Rook his full attention.

If there was anyone who’d understand, it was these people. And Vaughon and Kissa felt far less risky than Brennan or Ashton. He’d lucked out with their burn response, but it had created tension. One wrong admission now and they might shut down, stop doting, or even abandon him. He had to phrase his words carefully.

Staring at the ground, Rook continued, “I hurt people when trying to escape. I bit an arm and...”

Saliva rushed into his mouth as he remembered the taste. His stomach gave a hungry pinch that he rushed to hide. He swallowed guiltily.

“Who’d you bite?” Vaughon asked casually.

“A-A goblin. All the way to the bone. Multiple people had to yank me off.”

“Nice! Did you take the arm with you?”

Rook had expected solemn understanding at best, so Vaughon’s amused delight was a surprise. Dare he push his luck further?

“A chunk…”

Vaughon studied Rook quietly, then a large grin overtook his face. “You like the taste?”

Rook’s mouth dropped open.

Vaughon jostled him with his elbow.

“Our ancestors ate anything with meat and bone, including cousin species such as the wyvern and sirens. Nowadays our palettes are more refined, and treaties restrict selection, but the goblins refused to sign those dusty parchments, so they’re legal prey. They’ve mostly cleared from our territory, but an occasional spy or lost soul will get caught. I’ve never eaten one in my thirty-six years, too boney and dirty to be my first selection, but I’ve heard it’s compared to bat.”

Rook blanched. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had bat.”

“They’re not half bad, if you’re really hungry. I’ll try catching—”

“Wait, you’re thirty-six! And you’re both twins, right?”

“We are.” Vaughon sent his sister a blow kiss. “Dragon twins are more common than singles or triplets.”

“What about Ashton and Brennan?”

“Brennan is a triplet. He has two sisters competing for his mother’s line, so he claims he’s fortunate he ended up male and out of the competition. Ashton has no siblings.”

“And Brennan is oldest, even though Ashton is the leader,” Rook sought confirmation.

“Ashton is sixty-one and Brennan is nearly seventy.”

“You’re bullshitting me. None of you can be past thirty!”

Vaughon laughed. “To think you were raised amongst short lived humans.”

“We age slowly,” Kissa spoke up. “The life expectancy for dragons spans four centuries. Five, for those with enough royal blood in them. Dragonlings aren’t fully mature until twenty-five, and even then, important decisions and positions are withheld until fifty—with rare exceptions.”

“So, I’m a child to you.”

Vaughon ruffled Rook’s hair. “You’re young.”

Turning, he passed a fabric strip to Kissa. “Place this over the siren’s nose, the masks won’t fit his face right with the muzzle.”

Kissa turned cloth in her hands.

“You’re the craftsman, but can’t we do better?”

“Not with what we have.” Vaughon spotted Whisk and Gwendolyn returning. Whisk was chatting one-sidedly. “Girls, try these masks on!”

Whisk skipped right up to Vaughon, taking the nicer of the two masks. One whiff and her nose wrinkled. “Gwendolyn, where did you throw the apple core? I need an air freshener.”

“You could just breathe through your mouth,” Rook suggested.

Whisk stuck out her tongue.

Rook concluded she was likely younger than him. Perhaps fifteen or sixteen.

With Gwendolyn choosing not to respond, Whisk began retracing her steps.

“What a weirdo,” Gwendolyn muttered out of earshot.

Vaughon passed her the second mask. “There’s two understandings about unicorns; never fully trust them and you will never understand them.”

Gwendolyn scoffed. She tossed the leather beside her and sat down on a rock with her arms crossed.

“I’m not wearing that.”

“Then you’ll suffocate,” Brennan stated matter-of-factly, exiting the treeline.

Ashton stoically trailed after him. Smoky residue clung to their clothes, but they appeared calmer. With their ages fresh in his mind, Rook studied their faces, only able to pick out a few wrinkles from sun exposure.

“You’re supposed to be rescuing me!” Gwendolyn snapped. “You claim to be powerful dragons! Think up something better.”

“Rescuing you?” Brennan rumbled. The girl scrambled up the rock at his direct approach, though this only matched her at his head height. “We are not your allies, elf. Now, pick up the damn mask or I will bundle you like livestock for the rest of this trip. Lose it, and lose a limb.”

Gwendolyn grabbed the mask and clutched it tightly against her chest.

“I’ll go get Whisk,” Rook quickly stated.

Before anyone could object, he was already heading toward Whisk. She was climbing over a graveyard of bleached wood from a flood long ago. He reached her just as she sniffed the air.

“I hope she didn’t throw it into the lake,” she muttered to herself.

“No smile? You’re finally being serious,” Rook joked. “Are you really trying to find the apple by smell, though?”

Whisk gave a one shoulder shrug.

“It’s not super amazing, but everything has a stronger scent since I got here. Even you.”

“Ugh, I know. I stink.”

“No.” She paused, wrinkling her nose in his direction. “Well, yes, you do stink.”

“Ouch,” Rook said dryly.

She waved a dismissive hand. “But I mean scent rather than smell. Like when we first met in the caves, I knew you were one of them. Brennen and the others. You all have this… burning scent, but it’s not from wood. It’s like knowing you’re smelling a banana and not an apple, despite them both being fruit.”

“That’s handy.”

“I’m sure you’ve experienced enhanced senses or talents too.” Having resumed her search, she missed Rook shaking his head. “In fact, I bet a number of talents we had in the human world are related to what we really are. It makes a whole lot of sense now... Aha!”

Whisk jumped into a patch of wild grass. She pulled out the apple core victoriously.

“I’m liking this unicorn thing!” She plucked bits of dead grass off. “And dragons are pretty cool, though a little haughty. As for elves, well, I don’t like to judge based on one person…”

“Maybe Gwendolyn’s her own species of elf?”

Whisk let out a whinny of a laugh and started heading back to the others. “Too bad we weren’t roomed near each other in the caves. You make better company than the fawn and centaur I was neighboring. The centaur was okay, but the fawn never stopped moping. He disappeared pretty quickly.”

Fawn.

Corruption.

Blood.

His gaze going distant, he licked his lips in memory of the black liquid.

Focus!

Rook’s fingers clenched. “Did you happen to be near a human or a dwarf?” he asked.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Whisk responded quickly. She either was absolutely certain or had given it no thought. “They only kept some of the hooves together to settle our herd mentality.” A smug smile tugged on her lips. “I tricked them into giving me the nicest stall.”

“Do you remember arriving? Any idea how to get back to the human world?”

“No and no? Like everyone, I woke up a captive. Speaking of, I got my ostler, or whatever they were, into trouble. No one suspected me. It was hilarious. I—"

At the same time, they saw Brennan and Ashton fold their arms. The group stood in a circle.

“I’ll tell you later,” she quickly whispered, before running up to weasel her way between Kissa and Gwendolyn.

Rook reluctantly took the remaining spot beside Ashton and Gwendolyn. Brennan’s eyes flicked to Rook before returning to Ashton. Whatever they’d discussed while he was away, Rook was willing to bet he’d been part of it.

“Wear your masks at all times during the flight,” Ashton warned the youths.

“And make note of the nearest exits on either side of the plane,” Whisk added.

Rook bit back an uneasy chuckle.

Ashton ignored her. “You’ll get cold in a short period of time. Face away from the wind. We’ll fly low to avoid being spotted from afar. Brennan will carry the high elf, Kissa—"

“I want Vaughon to carry me,” Gwendolyn declared, tilting her chin up.

Between her fingers, the mask was getting a thorough ringing. Brennan looked ready to remove that threatened limb.

“Vaughon is carrying the unicorn,” Ashton said slowly, as if Gwendolyn were stupid.

Whisk skipped over to Vaughon and wrapped her arm around his.

Vaughon smiled vaguely; whether for Whisk or in sympathy for Gwendolyn, it was unclear. Rook suspected it was intentionally for both.

“No, Vaughon will carry me,” Gwendolyn said steadfastly. “And can’t we ride on your backs? I’ll feel safer if—"

Smelling smoke, Rook glanced at Ashton’s clenched jaw before quickly asking, “Could Vaughon carry both?”

Kissa began counting points on her fingers. “There’s no way to keep anyone on his back, more than one person will throw him off balance, and he needs three able legs for a safe landing. Plus, Vaughon is the smallest.”

“And yet, I fly circles around you, dear sister,” Vaughon playfully challenged her.

“Brennan is the largest male and most experienced flier,” Ashton said, his narrowed eyes daring Gwendolyn to keep trying.

Tucking the mask under her arm, Gwendolyn placed a hand on her hip. She pointed a finger at Rook. “Then why isn’t your precious dragon baby going with him?”

Rook blinked several times before it sunk in that she was referring to him. His arms folded tightly.

“Dragon baby?”

“You want to trade places with Rook?” Ashton asked, resting a hand on Rook’s shoulder. This time, Rook didn’t jump away. “Fine. But I’m not used to carrying heavy bundles of narcissism. I might drop you a few times.”

Rook ducked his head to hide a grin, caught off guard by the deadpan humour.

Gwendolyn glowered and looked to Kissa. “Why can’t you carry me?”

“I’m carrying the siren,” Kissa explained stiffly. “With his injuries, my larger size will protect him best from the elements.”

Gwendolyn entered a silent sulk.

“You’re the biggest?” Whisk exclaimed, her eyes widening.

“Of course!” Kissa stood straighter. “Female dragons always are.”

“Enough of this, blindfolds on.” Ashton tossed a cloth at each youth. “I know the masks have goggles, but none of you are ready to see a dragon form yet. It’s dangerous to be flown in an unconscious or panicked state.”

“I kinda want to see a high elf shit itself,” Vaughon whispered to Brennan.

Brennan cuffed him playfully on the head, glancing at the elf to confirm she hadn’t heard.