By J. L. Ender
The portal closed with a whumph and the smell of mint chocolate chip cookies. My human stomach rumbled as I stepped onto the pier. Seagullsâ piercing cries sounded above.
The city sprawled along the gentle curve of the giant turtleâs shell, the buildings rising taller as docks and warehouses gave way to apartments and shops, eventually peaking with an elegant stone clock tower. Further out to sea, another turtleback city floated, a lighthouse gleaming at its apex.
Todanlué was definitely one of my weirder travel destinations.
Two fishermen muttered as I strode through the wharf district. A little girl pointed me out to her mother, and a man tugging a rickshaw stopped to whisper to a boy selling broadsheets.
Great. My reputation precedes me.
I strode up to the seaside cottage of a Malin Valrys, who had let Runic Dreams come overdue. I raised my quaint human hand to knockâŠ
The door swung open. An older womanâMalin, I guessâshoved a book in my face.
I lowered my hand and cleared my throat. âIâmââ
âI know. Just take it and go.â
I studied the cover. Runic Dreams.
She slammed the door, almost hitting my stubby human snout.
Maybe I should change my face. There was nothing to stop me. Except⊠Iâd gotten used to seeing my human visage in the mirror, strange though it sometimes was not to be the dragon.
Who am I?
Thoughts heavy, I tucked the book in my satchel and set out. Supposedly, a local noodle place near TodanluĂ©âs neck served a fantastic spicy ramen.
A distant roar pierced my thoughts. I snapped my eyes to the sky.
Like a streamer of pure sunlight, a golden dragon gleamed against the fluffy white heavens. Two sorcerersâaeromages guarding the cityâsoared nearby, little flecks in sky-blue robes. Lightning arced from their fingertips.
I shouldnât get involved. I seriously shouldnât.
My hasty portal closed above me with a whumph and the pungent scent of a fishing wharf.
Plummeting through the air was a serene experience as a dragon but nauseating in a human body. As I fell, I created a widespread flurry of ice and snow, briefly blinding the aeromagesâand inadvertently the dragonâand created one last portal.
Arid badlands stretched around the dragon and me. Iâd ported us farther than I intended, to some unfamiliar plateau. I checked for rogue unicorns, then sagged against a rock outcropping, exhausted.
Stepping close enough that I could smell brimstone, the golden dragon snarled. âWhat did you do?â
My human form quivered in a visceral reaction to her proximity. I ignored the urge to run.
âWhy did you help me?â She glanced around, eyes widening. âDid you help me? Explain yâself, human.â
The dragonâs presence muddled my thoughts. I could reduce my people to an abstraction when they werenât around, but here was a living, fire-breathing reminder of what Iâd left behind.
âIâve come to believe humans and dragons donât have to be in conflict. We used to be allies.â Now there was tension, threats of war. Iâd been sent among humans as a spy, and Iâd become⊠I didnât know what.
Huge yellow-green eyes bored into my soul. âSomething off about you.â
I swallowed. âIâm just a simple librarian.â I wanted to leave, but I was so tired.
She snorted. âAs if.â Her eyes flicked to distant horizons, then back. âIâm no demon magic user, but I know portals enât easy. Tell me the truth.â
Could I trust this stranger? âWhat were you doing above TodanluĂ©?â
âIâm a courier. Just delivering a message. Didnât know the city was patrolled.â
âI hear negotiations between the Prime Minister and the Dragon King are⊠intensifying.â
She nodded. âWorldâs going crazy.â
I shrugged. âIsnât it always?â
âWellâŠâ She sat on her haunches. âCan you take us back?â
I still hadnât moved. âEventually.â
âI could kill you and fly away.â
âI know.â A dusty wind blew between us. âPlease donât.â I studied my fingernails. âWhat was your message?â
She quirked an eyebrow. âWho are you, really?â
âI work for the enforcement arm of the Taori Wizarding Library. I collect overdue books.â
âAnd I was delivering your Prime Minister a top secret recipe for chocolate cake.â
âReally? That sounds delicious.â
She rolled her eyes. âTake me back. I need to deliver my message.â
I nodded and stood, wobbling a little. Portals get exponentially more tiring. âWhere were you headed?â
âTishantĂ©.â
âNever been. Iâll take you back to TodanluĂ©. Youâll have to fly the rest of the way.â
âFair enough.â She eyed me. âYou smell of dragon.â
I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. I cracked open another portal.
We arrived on TodanluĂ©âs head. No buildings out here. The immense turtle shivered slightly but swam on.
The dragon studied the sky between here and the next turtle. âWell, goodbye, human.â
I nodded but again said nothing. I didnât trust myself.
And then she swept my legs out from under me with her tail. I fell backward toward the ocean far belowâ
No time for a portal. Too tired anyway. Familiar green-gold scales shivered down my skin. I flapped my way back to the turtleâs crown. I glanced toward the city with farseeing eyes, but no one there had noticed.
The golden dragon studied me. The water lapped below. Seagulls wheeled and squawked. The bell of a distant rickshaw rang out.
âTraitor.â
Was I? The dragon flew away, leaving me cold and hollow.
I shifted back to human on the nose of the turtle. She watched me with big, doe-like eyes, but passed no judgement. A single tear slid down my cheek.
Fool. Dragons donât cry.
I wiped it roughly and patted my bag. Still intact, and Iâd managed to keep my robe together this time. Good. I had no time to worry about the opinion of one stupid dragon.
I had a book to return. Someday I might be forced to pick a side, but for now, I had a library to tend.
I loved the line ‘Fool. Dragons don’t cry.’ And now I feel like something chocolatey…
Hope you enjoyed a chocolatey snack đ Thanks for reading!
Great description of the city and the inner turmoil of him trying to decide who he is!
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it ^_^
Ohhh this is great! I want to know if heâll ever find a balance. </3
Thank you! I hope to be able to write that story someday… the next one will be exploring a different plot thread, but I’m hoping to circle back to this one and cover it in greater detail.
Love this dragon librarian series.
Glad you’re enjoying it! I’m hoping to write quite a few more ^_^
It keeps getting better and better!
Thank you! ^_^
Love the tension here! And I’d love the recipe for mint chocolate chip cookies đ
Thank you! I’ll have to ask my wife, she makes amazing cookies, so that can probably be arranged! đ