Part 7a. The Mission to Veryi
Tasrin woke up Enid and waited for her to remember where she was. Siggie, huddled in a pillowcase beside her looked at Tasrin with berating eyes. 
"Damn mind picker got me hallucinating." he said, shaking his head. "Are you awake?" he asked louder.
"Yes." she yawned, "Where are Iyru and Oisin?"
"They left early this morning after Safyre woke some of us" Tasrin emphasized some, "up early."
At second glance, Tasrin did still seem a bit moist. The trio couldn't have left that much earlier. Looking around, Enid saw Fairlight tending a small fire and Knux sleeping.
"Aren't you going to wake him?" she asked.
"He was awake all night, he deserves a rest." Fairlight stated, "And plants don't run."
"This she finds out now." Tasrin glowered.
"Breakfast?" Enid asked hopefully.
"We eat as we fly." Tasrin said, taking some vacuum packed bread with him. Enid didn't object though she wasn't happy about eating while they travelled. usually that got Siggie dirty because she had to hold him. Vacuuming a skull was not an easy task.
Reaching the mini heli another problem presented itself. "Will there be enough room to bring Siggie?" Enid asked.
"Just stuff him in the cargohold." Tasrin said.
The look Enid gave him was too much to bear, even for Tasrin. She looked as if he had suggested she left her baby alone while two vicious lions were stalking the camp or something. In fact the cargo hold wasn't bad. he would have suggested it to anyone who wanted to tag along. Sighing he handed her a helmet she immediately put on Siggie's head.
"Ok." he said.
"The head is the most vulnerable part of a human's body." she said. "I don't want to damage him, it's not like I will find another one."
Handing her another helmet, Tasrin started the engine and waited for her to board the heli.
A minute later they were in the air, speeding to the West, toward Veryi Desert. The three teams had agreed to all try to find different areas. The mini-heli, being the fastest way of travel would go furthest, to Veryi and Arawn, while the boat would head for the main base to get help. He should be there to do that, Tasrin thought, after all he was charged with security, but then Iyru had the lead. And the prospect of seeing a dragon hatch was enough to still even his most dutiful instincts -not that he had many.
"We should have that talk now." Enid said, breaking a comfortable silence.
"We should?" Tasrin curved an eyebrow.

***

Enid looked around the desolate sandy landscape. The desert honoured it's name. She had not seen a single creature around. Would a dragon even hatch here? Looking at Tasrin unload an egg, she wondered why the lieutenant had been so persistent on landing in the desert. She was slowly beginning to understand him, but she was far from knowing what made him tick. 
"What do you think will hatch?" she asked.
"I have no clue." Tasrin answered truthfully, "But it will be strong."
"And lonely..." Enid said, Tasrin seemed to like being alone.
"What's wrong with being alone?" he asked.
"Nothing I guess." she shrugged. Nothing for him maybe, Enid ran up walls if there wasn't enough sound to keep her sane.
"Dragons are supposed to like fire." Tasrin suddenly said, "I like fire."
For a moment there was something in his eyes that made her reconsider all she had learned until now. There was more to him than she had thought. Something hidden that might be worth exploring if she could see it again.
Placing the egg gently in the sand, Tasrin waited. "Do you know how long it should take?"
"I'm as clueless as you." Enid smiled, "We should have asked Iyru."
Before ten minutes had passed the egg started to reveal cracks in it's shell. Little pieces flaked from the egg until finally pieces of red-orange skin shone through. A soft warm breeze rose and touched the human's hair before a small female-looking orange dragon with a tail of blood-red hair on the top of her head stood before them. Twin horns pointed to the sky on the sides of her head and her wings, large sails, seemed stronger than skin.

Tasrin took one look at the dragoness and felt a strange presence enter him. He knew the presence to be female, and though his mind whispered 'just my luck' to him, he didn't mean a word of it.
Looking at Tasrin, Enid suddenly wondered why she hadn't seen him like this before. The man was absolutely delighted, as happy as a child on Christmas with his new dragon. Somehow she had trouble remembering the stern soldier she had known.
"Tasrin." the dragoness spoke softly, "My name is Kalhar. Will you take care of me?"
"As much as you will take care of me." he answered, bowing down to place some meat in front of the dragoness. The dragon gobbled down the food, then neatly cleaned her talons and licked Tasrin's face. "Thank you." she said.
Suddenly realising he was not alone, Tasrin turned away from Enid and said, "We have to move on."
"Can she follow us?" Enid asked.
"Follow!" the small hatchling called out, "I can lead you."
Enid looked at Tasrin, questioning what the dragon had said, "If she says so, it's true. I don't think they lie, Enid."
How did Tasrin know that? Enid wondered, and if so, what had Kalhar said to disturb him? Hoping the answers would eventually come, Enid was patient when she needed to be, she followed Tasrin to the heli.

***

Landing the heli at the edge of desert and swamp, the hot dry air of the desert fading into the sticky moistness of the swamp, Enid was surprised to see Kalhar there. She still hadn't been able to believe the dragon had been able to keep up with them, even if Tasrin had assured her she had.
"Question." Enid said, "Did you know she was following?"
"I felt her all the way." Tasrin answered.
Maybe that was why he had been so quiet, Enid pondered. Or why he had smiled at times. What had that little desert princess been telling him?
Leaving Siggie in the heli, Enid didn't want to get him dirty, she took an egg and carried it carefully to a small shallow stream.
"Are you going for water?" Tasrin asked.
"For reptile actually." Enid said, "Dragons are supposed to be reptiles."
Gently tapping the egg, Enid waited.
"Why do you want to hatch this egg in the swamp by the way?" Tasrin asked.
"Well it was convenient, You heading out to the desert. I didn't want to make you fly halfway across the world to hatch mine." Enid said, "And it's kind of fitting." she added, "The mind of humans is swampy too. Maybe whatever hatches will help me unravel."
Suddenly the egg burst in half and out of the broken shell spilled a strange dark green dragon. The hatchling had no limbs save for two small flippers. It reminded her of something.

"Hello!" she said, stroking the swimming dragon over it's back.
"Hi." the male hatchling croaked back.
"Hmmm, frog." she said, "That's what you remind me off. Do you have a name?"
"Lewin." the green baby dragon said.
Suddenly two hands held her from behind and Tasrin kissed her. Her mind fluttered to try to find a reason for a few seconds, before settling down and letting him kiss her.
"What was that for?" she asked.
"Something I needed to check." he said, looking as surprised himself as she felt. Maybe it was interplanetary jetlag, or emotional stress... either way she didn't really mind. That thought shocked her a little. This wasn't the place to fall in love.
"Oh but it is exactly the place." Lewin answered, "Herbert will take care of you, like I will."
"Herbert?" Enid asked out loud.
Tasrin looked up and winced. "So they told you too."
"Who? Lewin just told me your name. I didn't know it before."
"I'm sure Fairlight knows it." Tasrin said, a slightly angry look in his eyes, "I don't like her one bit."
"She's not that bad. Well not to me anyway."
"I just know she ran straight to Iyru to tell what I was reading..." he mused.
"What were you reading?"
"Nothing." he said, blushing slightly.
"I can ask them easily." Enid said.
"Just a romantic novel."
"I never would have guessed." Enid shrugged, quickly stepping onto another subject. it would be just like her to scare him away now, "How do you think we'll get Lewin back to the rest?"
"I can help." Kalhar said, an unseen force suddenly lifting the baby swamp dragon from the water.
"Hey! I was swimming!"
Struggling the swamp fought the desert female who yawned, "I'm stronger." she finally said with a sadistic grin.
"I can teleport myself!" the frog-like creature called out.
"Where do you want to go?" the desert asked, "I doubt you could get us all there."
"I sure can!" it squeaked, losing it's temper. Then finally a small laugh showed on the draconic face, "I even know where to go now!"
Suddenly all four of them where standing on the beach where they had stayed that night.
"That's a very neat trick, lewin." Enid said, "But we have to go back."
"Why?"
"We left Siggie."
"Not to mention the heli." Tasrin added, "We'll need it later."
"Oh, ok."
Kalhar smiled her sadistic smile and pulled the swamp from the water again: "Get us back lizard!"
"Amphibian." Enid corrected, "But yeah, we'll have to go back."
Lewin sighed and suddenly they were standing where Lewin had hatched again. Without warning the underground had changed and this time Enid felt Tasrin slip behind her. Falling in the mud, Enid couldn't help laughing.
"What?" Tasrin growled.
"The funny feeling Iyru talked about." she smiled back, "Like having to constantly fear for your life."
"Exactly yeah." Tasrin said. "Let's fly back."
"Maybe we can take a bit more vacation." Enid winked, "The air above the island looked ominously dark. If I know my weather, they'll get a heavy storm."
"How do you know weather?" Tasrin asked.
"Siggie is very interested in the weather."
"Is he?"
"Of course he is. I need to know when he has to wear a hat." Enid smiled, "Let's go back to the heli if you don't believe me."
"A day of vacation sounds great on second thought." Tasrin answered, "They probably won't miss us."

See what happens with Fairlight and Knux in Kunmie Magic

LIBRARY