Turner: World Change

Once the war with the scorbs was won, I was going to have to spend the rest of my life on Mur. I didn’t like it, and didn’t want to go, but I had no choice in the matter because Tetharia Sonicdragon wasn’t just keeping me alive to open portals.

The core of Mur had a bad habit of running amok every so often, and trying to snuff out everything, and it turned out that the human-born dragon had another ability tied to the one of portal opening: core fixing.

So, the greater part of the guardian’s job was to ensure I’d be available to make that little repair and prevent their world from being turned into a burnt out ice cube.

In other words, he was also my warden.

After the big battle that we assumed ended the war, the guardian and I went through the portal from Earth to Mur for the final time.

Uh. Not quite…

Chapter One

Surprise

The moment we stepped from the shelter and onto Mur, I realized immediately that things weren’t cooperating with the scenario as laid out by the dragons, which was doorway-closes-forever-never-to-reopen.

Yeah. That didn’t happen.

I was so surprised that I subvocalized the one-word spell to shut it. Then I wished I hadn’t. I wasn’t sure if I’d been heard; however, when you’re dealing with dragons…

Did you say something, Juri? asked Emissary Tetharia, who had taken my hand as we stepped through from Earth and was still holding it as we started across the field to go to Watchers Castle. He looked down at me with a small frown.

I sighed. Dragons, especially sonic dragons, such as the emissary, and of course, me, have what is probably the best hearing in existence. We could hear a flea belch, so he’d caught the vibrations in my throat.

I shrugged. Oh well. There was no reason to keep it a secret, and it would certainly come out anyway.

The doorway didn’t close automatically, sir, so I did it.

According to the dragons, it should have gone shut without my help since Earth was done with the scorbs.

Either they were wrong, or we weren’t finished with our alien invaders. For my money, this meant it wasn’t over.

He stopped short and stared down at me, his razor-sharp steel-gray eyes cutting into me like twin lasers. Then he swung around to look. He stared for a moment at the space where the portal had been, but naturally, once it shuts, there’s nothing to see. He turned back to me.

Are you certain? The war is over, so the path should have terminated the moment we stepped upon Mur.

Well, it was obvious to me that the war couldn’t be over, and thinking about it, I wondered now why anybody thought the scorbs would give up that easily, but I didn’t say that out loud.

What I did say was, Nevertheless, it didn’t, sir, so I’m thinking it’s not over yet. Do you want me to reopen it?

I remembered asking the emissary, once, what would stop more scorbs from coming to Earth even if we did manage to kick the ones off that were there. He answered that according to the magic, it was the time to defeat them and that I would never have been born if we couldn’t win. I remember hoping he was right.

Well, I didn’t know a whole lot about magic, and maybe we would win, but to me, it was obvious that we sure as hell hadn’t won yet. I was going to have to go back to Earth. We all were.

The emissary stood looking down at me. I saw doubt on his face. Sheesh. Now, why would I make up a thing like that? However, I could see I was going to have to prove to him that I could still open the portals, which would let him know that I had just closed the one to Earth.

I held my irritation in check, wishing again that I hadn’t shut it. I probably wouldn’t have, but I was so startled I think the close spell just slipped out.

We were in the field that spread out from the big water oak tree where I first met the Watchers Cassie and Orlo in the dream. The camp in which I’d trained had been set up in fields and cleared forests beyond the big tree. Once the war started in earnest, it grew into a large military base, a jumping-off point from this world to Earth.

I could see the myriads of tents and temporary buildings marching up and down the hillsides. Not having been sent back to their homes yet, the dragons and Mur humans were still there. An airship was standing on the landing pad at the edge of the upper field, and there were several others on the field below. None appeared to be preparing to take off yet, but evacuations were sure to begin soon.

Well, without a doubt, if they left now, they were going to have to come back.

The emissary was staring at the activity in the camp and hadn’t answered.

You want me to reopen the way to Earth, sir? I asked again.

Ah, no. Try another location, one nearby.

Guess he figured that, just in case I wasn’t wrong, he didn’t want that one opened back up just yet. Even though I didn’t look forward to seeing all the disappointed faces of everybody there, I felt it might be best to return to Earth right away and get it over with, but I supposed the emissary had his reasons for waiting. I nodded and unwrapped my tail, unfolded my wings, and hopped up into the air.

I hovered, picked a spot near the castle, and intoned the necessary short chant as I danced out the fast steps of the portal-opening pattern. I sang the word to hold it open and landed beside the emissary, wrapping my tail back around my waist as I watched the portal begin to stretch down to the ground. I folded my wings.

One side of the doorway appeared in the field where we were standing while the other stood open near the castle’s moat. It was the first time I’d ever opened one on Mur to somewhere else on Mur, and since we were close to the castle, I could see the two sides at the same time. It looked strange. Its edges framed the walls, the raised bridge, and the turrets with a flag of the kingdom flying from the tallest one and the banners bearing the colors of Watcher’s Keep on the others. Both flag and banners flapped briskly in the breeze.

The emissary said something I’d only heard him say once before, Damn!

Yeah, it must have been a shit moment for him, all right. I peered up at him.

Sir, shouldn’t we go back to the shelter now? I mean, they’re going to have to know sooner or later. Probably should be sooner, but I didn’t say that.

After all that had happened, I knew this was going to be a huge shock to everybody. I pictured them as they’d stood there in the gigantic cave in front of the portal that led to Mur, watching us leave for what they’d thought was the last time, thinking the war with the scorbs was over.

I imagined the crowd dispersing, and Mr. Haskins - who was now temporary world leader - would maybe take a short break but was likely already planning a meeting with the resistance cell leaders to begin the job of getting some measure of order back into the world.

They were all tired, but they wouldn’t want to let it go for long. The citizens of Earth needed to know that somebody was running the show and making preparations for a world that didn’t include the scorbs.

I didn’t want to have to be the one to tell them that it wasn’t over, that more of those big round, scorb spaceships were going to be showing up sometime in the not-too-far-off future, bringing more violence to an already war-torn Earth.

Emissary Tetharia shook his head, obviously disturbed, and started for the portal. We will not return yet, Juri. I must first consult with the king. We need to determine how much time we have before the Artesio return.

Whatever.

He stepped through, and I followed. We came out at the moat, and I shut down the portal. The bridge across the moat began to lower, and I gathered we’d been seen by Cassie and Orlo or one of the servants. Either the force field that shielded the castle hadn’t been engaged, or if it had, someone had removed it.

I was tired. Not so much physically, but mentally and emotionally. All I wanted was to find a place I could crawl into and be alone for a while. Now, there was this. Of course, on the one hand, since the path to Earth hadn’t closed, I’d be able to see my friends and family for a while longer; on the other, there was going to be more conflict for my home world. And no one was going to be mentally prepared for that.

I ran to catch up to the fast-moving emissary. In his agitation, he’d again forgotten how much shorter I was than his towering eight-foot hulk. He looked like a giant moving statue composed of dark granite as he rushed ahead of me. The bright morning sunlight glinted off his shimmering, midnight black scales.

He went over the bridge and through the gate and headed down the main street to the castle. By the time I reached him, he’d already gotten up the steps to the front entrance. The door opened, and Orlo stood there eyeing us, his brilliant blue eyes puzzled.

He dipped his head in a small bow. Greetings, sir. I have been expecting you and Juri. However, I saw a portal open beyond the moat. He frowned. How is that possible? Like everyone else, he knew I shouldn’t have been able to open them anymore.

He moved aside to allow us in. Several servants were standing by, and as he strode into the entrance, Emissary Tetharia was handed a royal pullover tunic by one of them. I got nothing, but then I wasn’t expecting to since teenaged dragons weren’t allowed to wear clothing on Mur.

Dragons, even in human-form, don’t look naked anyway. Just scaly. Over the months, I’d gotten used to it, though I had wondered, at first, why the adults bothered with wearing anything. They didn’t mind being unclothed - the emissary hadn’t worn clothing most of the time while at the shelter - but usually only went bare while flying.

Months ago, while training for combat with a squad of teen dragons, I asked them about it. They explained that it was traditional. I got the impression that this was a world of traditions, so I supposed it had become the norm for the adults to wear clothing. Perhaps it was a symbol of adulthood. It was a theory.

Two servants took my skimpy, tattered bag, my flute case, and the three large bags of the emissary’s and carried them off down the hall. I guessed they were hauling them to whichever rooms we’d be staying in.

I wondered if the emissary was still going to be required to be my guardian. I hadn’t asked but had assumed he wouldn’t be once I was permanently on Mur. Now, with this new wrinkle, which meant I wasn’t on Mur for good yet, it seemed likely I was going to continue to be his ward. I hoped not, but I had a sinking feeling about it.

The portal to Earth did not close as it should have, Orlothian, he explained to the Watcher, scowling as he donned the tunic and tugged it into place. Juri closed it herself. That can mean only one thing: the war with the Artesio is not yet over. I must contact the king immediately. He turned and quickly stepped into a sitting room, closing the door and leaving Orlo and me blinking at each other.

Juri, you have arrived. Welcome back! It was Cassie, Orlo’s fellow Watcher who was also his wife. She came toward us from somewhere down the hall. She was wearing a matching tunic to the colorful one Orlo wore, and her pretty bronze face was wreathed in a warm smile that died when she saw our expressions. She stopped, eyebrows going up.

Is there a problem? she asked.

Yes, ma’am, I said. The doorway to Earth didn’t close on its own.

She gasped. "But… but… we were victorious! The enemy has surely been defeated! She stared at Orlo. Where is the emissary?"

Orlo gave a disheartened shrug and turned to head down the hall toward the main dining hall. His tone decidedly sour, he said, It seems we were incorrect, Cassie. We have perhaps prevailed in battle, but apparently, the war has yet to be won. Emissary Tetharia is in the blue sitting room informing the king. Let us go into the morning room to await him. He puffed out a breath. This is truly a disappointment. Come, Juri.

Chapter Two

Taking a Break

We went into the small dining space just off the kitchen that they called the morning room.

Well, small is a matter of perspective. It wasn’t as big as the castle’s main dining hall in which we ate the day we met the emissary, but it was not little. The area would have swallowed both the dining room and kitchen at my parents’ old house. Not surprising, I suppose, considering we were in a castle.

Cassie and I settled into chairs at the round table while Orlo stepped over and opened what appeared to be an ornate pantry door and drew out two bottles, a large red one and a smaller, green-tinted one. He placed them on the table, took down three glasses from a cabinet, poured some of whatever was in the larger bottle into two of them, and handed one to Cassie. He poured part of the contents from the green one into the third glass and handed it to me as he sat down across from Cassie and me.

Cassie sipped her drink. Well, I suppose there is nothing to be done about it, then. She sounded resigned.

I could tell from the scent that their drinks were of the alcoholic variety. From the slightly fruity smell, I gathered it was some kind of wine. Mine seemed to be a type of tea. It was cold, so what I thought was a pantry must have been a refrigerator. The tea was pretty good, though I would have preferred coffee. It was still early, and I hadn’t slept well the night before. Although I had a cup at breakfast before we left the shelter, I could have used more. I hoped they had coffee on Mur.

Orlo took a large sip of his drink and shook his head. No. If nothing else, I imagine the king will halt the withdrawal of the troops. He eyed me. Did you reopen the portal to Earth?

No, sir. The emissary said not to until he’s spoken with the king. I finished my tea, shaking my head when Orlo made to refill my glass.

Well, they will have to be made aware as soon as possible. Before all of your fighters disperse into the general population, said Cassie holding out her glass to be replenished. Your people do not have a military as such; therefore, Robert Haskins may be unable to prevent that from occurring.

She may have had a point, though I didn’t know how Mr. Haskins had things organized. Maybe nobody would disperse until he told them to.

Orlo nodded. We should remark on this to the emissary. He needs to take it into consideration.

He gazed at me and changed the subject. I trust you have been informed that there is a problem in this world that requires your attention.

Yeah. I was waiting for that to come up. Mur had a problem with its core caused when it and a pile of other worlds were duplicated and split off from Earth into other dimensions ages ago. Now that I was on Mur, I was supposed to get it stabilized so it wouldn’t go all cold and cause the world - and everything on it, including me - to become one big frozen chunk of ice. That was the real reason I was born. It was to be my next job. I wondered now if I would have time to do it before the scorbs landed on Earth again. Not to mention I had no idea of how to do it.

Yes, sir. Emissary Tetharia explained it to me.

He also explained how the scorbs had been directed to Earth with the use of compulsive dreams. This was done by the royal mages with the purpose of causing a big enough crisis to force the birth of a human-born dragon. The core of their world was getting more out of whack and could only be stabilized by such a dragon. This dragon would have a magic that would stop the core erosion, a magic given up ages ago by the denizens of Mur in what turned out to be a very unwise decision.

In other words, the main purpose of the human-born dragon was to save Mur.

The birth of such a dragon was precipitated by imminent danger to Earth, but there hadn’t been a big enough problem on Earth to cause one to be born in a long time. So, in their brilliant, warped wisdom, the rulers of Mur decided to create a crisis, resulting in an alien invasion. And me. The emissary said no one outside the royal families of the dragons and Mur humans knew about this. It had been kept from the citizenry of Mur and, of course, from the people of Earth.

And this was the world in which I was going to have to spend the rest of my life. I really didn’t care who else didn’t know about the deception, although I would have been disappointed if Cassie and Orlo had known and condoned it because I considered them to be friends. However, I knew and was not thrilled.

What it meant was the royals of Mur - and their mages - shitted my world. And me since otherwise, had I been born at all, I wouldn’t have been born a dragon. And to make matters worse, my genetics and magic got screwed up before I was born because my pregnant mother had been close to where the scorbs fired their antimatter weapon when they discovered and destroyed Earth’s first resistance movement. I was affected by a kind of particle emission that caused me to be even more of a mutant than I would have been with simply being born a dragon. It was the reason I had the aura that caused everyone to hate me. The aura was supposed to protect me but instead had the opposite effect.

The negative emission was the reason the Watchers couldn’t locate me when I was born in order to explain the facts to my parents so, consequently, my mother and father hadn’t known what was happening to me. They hated me too, but you have to give them credit for not abandoning - or killing me. I learned from Cassie and Orlo I wasn’t even supposed to begin the change until I was thirteen. Another side effect from the emission was that I’m both a fire and a sonic dragon, something unheard of before. Yeah. I’m a real mutant. It’s a wonder I managed to survive long enough to be of any use. I almost didn’t. The years since my birth - or at least since I was three - were rough. Wasn’t anything to be done about it now.

I’ve always felt a little coil of darkness within me, kind of a depression. Having remained in an intermediate stage halfway between human and dragon until I was fifteen - which made me look damned weird - might have something to do with that, I guess. Being hated by everyone for most of my life didn’t help any either, but ever since I learned what caused my condition, how it all came about, the darkness had grown. Now, that little coil had gotten bigger, and sometimes it wound so tight it felt as though it would pull me apart. I tried not to think about it, but it was hard.

I continued my answer to Orlo. The only thing is - I don’t know how to go about fixing the core. The emissary said it’s going to take hours of concentration to get it done, but I don’t know what I have to do. I shrugged. So long as it doesn’t involve being tossed into a volcano…

Both Cassie and Orlo stared at me for a moment, then Cassie let loose a laugh, and Orlo gave a deep chuckle.

He said, Ah, no, Juri. No volcano tossing done here.

When Cassie quit laughing, she said, I too have read some of those old tales, Juri. I can assure you - that will not happen.

I grinned. It was the first real chuckle I’d had for a while. The emissary took me seriously when I mentioned that scenario to him. He was way too literal sometimes, and I didn’t think he had much of a sense of humor. I was glad that Cassie and Orlo did and also knew about the old stories of how to appease a volcano. Although this wasn’t just a volcano.

The process will be taught to you. It involves spells such as the ones you learned in order to open the dimensional doorways. However, the tutoring in those particular spells will be done by the royal mages, Orlo explained.

The royal mages. The same assholes that screwed my world.

So, will they come here to teach me?

Cassie answered. In the past, it has transpired that the mages have come to Watcher’s Keep to instruct the human-born dragon. That is, in fact, the usual method according to our records. However, there have been instances when the dragon was, instead, called upon to go to the royal palace. I do not know if that will be the case for you, but if so, do not be of concern. The palace is nice, and I believe you would like it there. She frowned. I only worry now that you will first have to return to Earth. The crisis of your world was supposed to be over before you came here.

Yeah, well, none of that deal has gone the way it was supposed to--

The emissary came into the room, interrupting me. He shot a look at me and said, The king has ordered me to deliver Juri to the royal palace. He will have the mages ascertain exactly when the Artesio will return. If all goes as hoped, she will have the core problem resolved well before their arrival.

Well. I guess there was going to be another record of a human-born dragon having to go to the palace to be trained. I wasn’t particularly surprised. Where I was concerned, if something could go in an unusual direction, it probably would. I was disappointed, though. I had no desire to go to the royal palace. I liked Cassie and Orlo and would have preferred to stay at Watcher’s Keep. But I didn’t ask why.

I cut my eyes at the emissary. I had a feeling he thought I was going to let slip to the Watchers exactly how Earth came to be invaded in the first place. For some incredibly stupid reason, the kings and mages had not expected things to get as screwed up as they had.

Just goes to show how immensely dumb supposedly smart people can be.

I resented having been designated to save Mur. I hadn’t asked for any of this and still felt as though those long ago mages and scientists who decided that the human-born dragon was the only way to solve the core problem should have been able to come up with a better method. And, in these times, they ought to have been able to find some way to handle their screwed up core other than deliberately getting my world invaded.

But the emissary needn’t have worried about me letting their dirty little secret out. All I wanted was for it to be over so I could go find a quiet place away from everybody to live. I might be forced to stay on this world, but that didn’t mean I wanted to hang around on a permanent basis with any of the people. Even the ones I liked.

Cassie and Orlo were visibly startled at the announcement that I was going to the royal palace rather than the mages coming here. It was obvious they thought the odds had been in favor of my staying here. They glanced at each other but said nothing. Guess they figured there was nothing to be said since it was by order of the king.

Emissary Tetharia glanced at the bottle of wine Orlo had set out.

Orlo noticed and got another glass from the cabinet, pouring him a drink.

The emissary inclined his head in thanks and sat down beside me. He peered over at my glass and raised an eyebrow.

Just tea, sir, I assured him.

I hoped he didn’t think Cassie and Orlo would give me alcohol. They knew how old I was, and though I didn’t know much about Mur yet, more than likely, giving a sixteen-year-old alcohol was probably just as illegal here as it was on Earth. I imagined that’s why they gave me tea.

Truth is, though, that particular law didn’t get enforced much on Earth. Things would probably change once the scorbs were permanently gone and the government, both worldwide and local, got to working properly. Assuming Earth actually managed to toss the scorbs out for good, that is.

Still, I didn’t want an alcoholic drink anyway. I tried it once when I was living on the edge of the wastelands in Charlotte. I didn’t like it and couldn’t see why anybody would want to drink the stuff. To each his own.

Maybe it was because the emissary still considered himself to be my guardian and was just doing his duty, which I guess included protecting me from the evils of strong drink. That dragon was much too protective of me. I was surprised he hadn’t made me go into the sitting room with him when he contacted the king. Guess he was too aggravated at the time to think of it. Right now, though, I had a question for him.

Sir, when will we leave for the palace? Someone needs to contact the coordinator and let him know what’s happening. Cassie pointed out that he should be told before the fighters begin to scatter so they can start preparing.

And for that, I would need to reopen a path to Earth because the techs from both worlds had worked on it, but as it turned out, they hadn’t been able to figure out a way to get walkie-talkies or phones to work between Earth and Mur unless at least one portal was open. The only other way would be to set up a mutual dream, but that would take a while, and trying to connect with a particular scrying crystal between worlds was iffy according to the witches.

He nodded. You are correct, Juri. I have already discussed it with the king, and he has given his permission for us to return to Earth. That is why we were not immediately ordered to the palace. He tossed back his glass of wine and held it out for more. He leaned back in his chair and sipped his refill more slowly.

We will go to the cavern shelter this afternoon, after the midday meal. We will deliver the message to Robert Haskins and return to Mur. You are to leave the portal open. I have been told to ensure that you are well rested before we leave for the palace. An airship will come for us the day after tomorrow. He eyed me. Do you have further questions?

Only one, sir. Will you still be my guardian while I’m with the mages?

I hadn’t really needed a guardian - or protection - while on Earth. There wasn’t much there that could permanently hurt me except the scorbs’ anti-matter weapon. There would have been no protection from that had it been fired directly at me, and it would have taken out my so-called guardian, too.

No, the emissary was actually my warden. His duty was to ensure that I returned to Mur with him once the war was over. I think he was handed the job by default merely because he had been appointed as emissary to Earth and was with me when the king determined it was time for me to be watched. I don’t think he wanted the job any more than I wanted to be guarded at all times. Guess when your king, who is also your father, says to do it, you probably don’t have much of a choice.

He nodded. Yes, Juri. I am still your guardian. I will remain so until it is no longer necessary. He didn’t look happy as he studied his glass. He looked up at me and seemed to be about to say something else but evidently changed his mind.

I supposed his job now was to ensure I got to the palace. I wasn’t happy about it either, but I tried to keep my expression noncommittal.

Cassie finished her glass of wine and stood. I must have the servants prepare rooms for you. We had not expected these turns of events, so the ones that were readied will not suffice. She smiled at me. Juri, Lyra Williams explained to me how much you enjoy reading. We have quite an extensive library here, and a number of the books are in English. If you would like, you may go there to occupy yourself until time for the midday meal. She gave a slight bow to the emissary, nodded at Orlo, and left the room.

I felt a pang at hearing Ms. Williams’ name. She had been one of the first people to like me once that hate-Juri crap wore off. I loved her as a mother. Things got muddled between us after I learned that she, along with several other trusted adults, including Mr. Haskins, knew I was to be exiled to Mur once the war was over. They hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me because they thought I might run off and not do my job of opening portals to allow traffic between the worlds. That had hurt, and it considerably dampened my faith in them because once I took them into my heart, it never occurred to me that they would have such little confidence in my willingness to do the right thing.

However, though I found it difficult - okay, impossible - to completely trust any of them anymore, I sort of made up with them before we left. They apologized, and anyway, I still loved them, especially Ms. Williams. It was going to be tough to tell her - and the rest of them - that the scorbs would be back.

Orlo said to the emissary, I imagine our king has halted the evacuation of the troops. If you must go to the camp, I will attend Juri in your absence--

That will not be necessary, Orlothian, though I thank you for your offer, interrupted the emissary, giving him that hint of a smile he had. Our king, in his infinite wisdom and kindness, has given me leave to rest today and tomorrow save for the task of informing Earth of the continuation of the problem with the Artesio, so I will accompany Juri to the library if that is where she wishes to go, and I will avail myself of the opportunity to read.

Did I detect a hint of sarcasm in his voice when he referred to the king’s infinite wisdom and kindness? I wondered what that was all about. With a little luck, I’d never find out. And, crap - I’d hoped to be free of him for at least a few hours. He wasn’t a bad sort, but…Oh, well. I could ignore him. I got pretty good at that over the weeks since I was stuck with him.

Orlo smiled. In that case, I will also take my leave. I will join you for the midday meal. He gave me a warm smile, and he too departed after a little bow to the emissary.

I stood. I hope you know the way to the library, sir, because I sure don’t--

Behind me, a voice said, Come, little dragon. I will show you and Emissary Tetharia the way.

Ordinarily, I could hear a snail sneeze, but I hadn’t heard even a shuffle until the servant spoke. I let out an involuntary eep and jumped but managed not to break anything. I stared up at the young fire dragon standing there. I noticed the emissary had on his smile-hint and almost seemed amused.

I tried not to glare as I side-eyed the emissary. Guy decides to get a sense of humor now. I couldn’t help it if I was a little on edge.

The servant apologized. I am sorry to have startled you, little dragon. I was merely practicing my quiet walking. He smiled. It is required of servants.

I cleared my throat. Um, okay. It’s all right. Lead the way.

The emissary trailed us out the door.

Chapter Three

Deep Rumblings

Cassie hadn’t exaggerated. The library was extensive, and there were numerous books in English. I was familiar with some because they were copies of ones I’d read or seen back home.

There were a whole lot more that were in the language of the dragons but, while I had learned to speak the dragons’ language fairly well, there had been no opportunity to learn to read it. So, until I got the chance to study the printed word, I’d have to stick to English language material. I smiled, recalling that my friend, Nickel, called the dragons’ language dragonese.

I chose a book and settled myself, legs tucked underneath, into one of the big, comfortable, upholstered chairs scattered around the large, quiet, sunlit, book-filled room. The emissary had already gotten himself a book and was occupying one of the overstuffed chairs across the room from me.

I hadn’t been able to sleep well the night before because I’d been kind of bothered about having to leave Earth, but I didn’t realize just how sleepy I was until I found myself dozing off. Guess I should’ve asked if there was any coffee available.

A deep, murmuring voice caused me to snap awake. The emissary was still sitting, but he’d laid his book down and was quietly finishing a conversation with someone on his phone. He picked his book back up and resumed reading.

I watched him for a minute, trying to see what he had chosen to read but couldn’t determine anything from the cover since the title wasn’t in English.

Instead of ignoring him as I usually did, I found myself trying to figure him out. The only thing I knew about him was that he was a son of the dragon king and had been appointed to be both emissary to Earth and my guardian/warden. He taught me how to fly while I was in dragon-form the first time I Turned, and he fed me and helped Dr. Monroe save my life after I overtaxed myself opening doorways so Mur’s fighters could be dispatched to the necessary locations on Earth.

I appreciated him saving my life, but I figured he did so because if I died, there wouldn’t have been any hope for our world. At the time, I didn’t know I was also going to be required to save Mur. Now, thinking about it, I supposed that had factored in, too.

Yeah. The scorbs would have wiped out Earth, and Mur would’ve eventually been frozen solid. I thought both scenarios might still happen since crap sometimes didn’t seem to work out right when it came to me.

The emissary had been… I guess you could say, gentle with me on several occasions. Such as when I learned I was going to have to leave Earth permanently and was heartsick because everybody had kept it from me. And, I remembered seeing tears on his face when I sang in the cemetery after the funerals for Kira, Tom, Dr. Mason, Mrs. Lyons, and the others that were killed in the last battle against the scorbs. He even tried to comfort me. So, though he usually appeared reserved, even somewhat cold and detached, I knew he had a side that was a bit softer, a little less abrasive.

I didn’t know if he had a wife and kids, but if so, they sure hadn’t seen anything of him in the last couple of months. From the size of his dragon-form - way huge - I figured he was kind of old, so if he had kids, he might also have grandkids.

When he overheard my brother say he was old, he insisted otherwise. Maybe from his point of view, he wasn’t but looking at it from my sixteen-year-old perspective, I had to agree with my brother. I thought it best not to tell him that.

It did sort of make me wonder how long dragons lived. No one had ever mentioned lifespans, but I assumed it was the same as for humans. If Emissary Tetharia was old enough to have grandkids and his father was still alive… good lord... that would have to be one old king.

In truth, though, I wasn’t that interested in the emissary’s personal life. I just wanted everything to be over with, so I could get on with my crappy little life without having a big, ebony-hued dragon dogging my every step.

I suppose I was kind of ambivalent about my feelings for him.

I went back to reading and drifted off again, only to be startled awake by a loud groan that grew into an even louder rumble that seemed to fill the world. I sat up fast, shaking the sleep from my head. What was going on? I shot a glance at the emissary. He was still sitting but was no longer reading. His book lay closed in his lap, and he was staring toward the big window in the wall at the far end of the room. Somewhere in the castle, some type of alarm began making an ear-splitting racket.

I looked out the window and saw the trees that marched up the hills above the castle were swaying. The building was shaking, and the rumble changed into a horrible grinding that went up the scale before beginning to fade. It sounded almost animalistic, like some living thing was screaming in pain. The shaking stopped. It probably lasted less than a minute, but to my shocked senses, it seemed interminable.

"Sir! What was that?" Even to my own ears, my voice was squeaky, but that scared the hell out of me. I never heard anything like it in my life.

His eyes shifted to me with an expression I couldn’t read. A small earthquake, Juri, a tremor. They have become more frequent in recent years. It is due to the unstable core.

Holy shit. "Um, that was a small quake? Will they get worse? Shouldn’t we leave for the palace right away so I can get started on learning how to fix it? Geez, sir, I--" I stopped, took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly, realizing I was babbling. But the tremor had brought home to me just how serious the situation was. I was a whole lot less inclined to be resentful of having to learn to fix the core.

His face softened as he eyed me, and he came over, squatted down in front of me, and put his hand over the one of mine that had a death grip on the chair arm. My other hand had just as tight a grip on my book.

Little dragon, he rumbled quietly, Do not be afraid. The core still holds at this time. Yes, it is imperative that you learn how to get it under control, but we here on Mur have been experiencing such tremblings for quite some time now.

He stood and gently pried my fingers from the chair arm and tugged me to my feet. Come. It is time for the midday meal. I was about to awaken you anyway. We will go to Earth directly afterward. Do not worry. There is usually a span of weeks between the quakes, so there should not be another for a while.

Somebody abruptly cut the clamoring alarm relieving the assault on my ears. We’d started for the door when I realized I was still clutching the book. I stopped, glancing at it, and realized I’d clenched it so hard that I left dents in the cover. It was a good thing my claws hadn’t extended, or the book would’ve been in much worse shape. I was going to have to apologize to Cassie and Orlo for that. I hoped the dents could be removed.

Still shaken, I mumbled, Need to put the book back, sir.

Do not concern yourself with that, little dragon. Leave it on the table by the door, and a servant will take care of it.

I nodded and followed him out, where we bumped into Orlo and Cassie, who were also on their way to lunch. They saw how unsettled I was and joined the emissary in reassuring me. They declared that the castle had been built to withstand much more powerful quakes and hadn’t sustained any damage.

Everything is fine, Juri, said Cassie smiling.

Since I had no choice but to take their word for it, I nodded.

We ate at one end of the big table in the main dining hall and then left to go back to Earth. Orlo and Cassie, who would have to deal with Mr. Haskins and his organization if it became necessary after the emissary and I left for the palace, went with us.

Chapter Four

Return to Earth

I guess Emissary Tetharia, and Cassie and Orlo didn’t want to take their tunics off in order to fly so, once I danced open a doorway to Earth, the emissary motioned for me to land.

I wondered once again why these people hadn’t come up with clothing that allowed them to unleash their wings without shredding them, such as the ones Ms. Williams fashioned for me with openings for my wings and tail, but I shrugged it off. Even had I kept the special shirts and pants, I wouldn’t be able to wear them on Mur. I’d gotten used to it.

I hadn’t bothered to bring a walkie-talkie with me when I left Earth, but along with several other people, Mr. Haskins still had one of the Mur pocket phones, so the moment the portal opened, Emissary Tetharia pulled his phone from a pocket and tapped the digit that was programmed to reach the coordinator.

I could hear the shock in Mr. Haskins’ voice when he realized he was talking to the emissary. I understood how he must’ve felt. Nobody was going to be happy about this.

I said the word to keep the portal open. It stretched down to the ground, and we walked through into the huge cavern that was a shelter and also the main base for the human resistance against the scorbs. It had only been a few hours since the emissary and I left, but somehow it seemed longer. I found that, even under the circumstances, I was glad to be back.

We wound our way to the building containing the ready room where people were beginning to gather. Most looked confused. I supposed that was normal considering they had never expected to see me - or any other dragon - again, and here we were back so soon after leaving. I saw Tony and Selene in the crowd exchanging grim looks with each other. I was sure they suspected why we were back.

Casually dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt for a change, Mr. Haskins was standing at the front of the crowd. I hadn’t really paid that close attention to his appearance lately, but now I noticed that he seemed thinner, older. His hair was grayer, and he had dark circles under his storm-cloud gray eyes.

I had begun to think of him as Mr. Haskins again. When I learned he, along with the other adults, had known I was going to have to go and live permanently on Mur, I was so upset that I found myself only able to think of him as the Coordinator, which is what I called him when I didn’t just say sir. Somehow, that distanced me from him, making me more able to cope with how hurt I was. However, it had also caused me not to notice the change in the