Martinsburg, West Virginia
Illustrations
Monday, August 19, 1996
12:23 PM

Staring down at the book, the Seraph continued to stare at the image of the lady with the dragon. “Who is this?” she questioned as she pointed to the woman.
Riley gazed at the cover. “The goddess.”
“Really?” Jennie questioned, eyeing the figure. It just didn’t seem like right while a wash of whiteness blanketed over her eyes and mind. “I…”
“Welcome home,” said a voice as Jennie blinked while finding herself abruptly standing in the doorway of a kitchen. A middle age woman stood at an old cast-iron stove, cooking dinner in a large, dingy pot. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it home tonight. Did something happen?”
“Really sorry about that. Tian got into another fight with Jiao. Tian can’t seem to understand that Jiao is a bigger, more powerful dragon than he is.” Jennie found herself speaking about something she knew nothing about. And who was this Tian character?
“Brothers will be brothers,” the woman said with a laugh. “Poor, little Tian. He just wants to prove he’s just as good at his older brother.”
“I know,” Jennie said. “But Jiao isn’t someone to mess with. Because of today Tian got his leg injured, so he won’t be able to fly for a couple of days. Stupid dragon.”
“But you love him, right?” the woman questioned.
Jennie sighed as she contemplated why she was speaking and acting out of her control. “I love him,” she said, looking to the floor. “Maybe a little too much. That dragon will be the death of me. I’m sure of it.”
“No, Tian wouldn’t harm you,” the woman said with a smile. “He loves you too dearly. He would protect you with his life.”
“I’m sure he would,” Jennie said with a nod. “By the way, I just stopped by to grab dinner. I have to sit tonight with Tian. He won’t sleep well unless I’m there.”
“All right,” the woman stated. “I’ll pack your dinner.”
Standing there for a moment, Jennie took in her surroundings and her style of dress. The room was rather bland. It seemed to have everything basic thing a family could need, a kitchen with running water, a table to eat on, and three beds that sat on the opposite side of the room. Basically, it was a hut, but felt warm and secure.
Her clothing was a bit odder to describe as she looked down at herself. Wearing a short skirt with an odd spiral design, a pair of leg wraps, leather shoes, and a heavy tunic-like shirt, she blinked at the sight. She tapped her foot against the floorboards then ran a hand over her chest, feeling the soft sensation of her clothing. It was obvious that her clothing was worth more than the shack she stood in.
“I hate seeing you stay here all the time when you have a room of your own at the school,” the woman said, turning to face Jennie. Her face cracked a warm smile.
“It’s okay,” Jennie replied. “I like coming home. It just...doesn’t feel right there. Too many people.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t mind sleeping with the dragons though,” the woman remarked as she held out a package. “Eat well. I placed a little extra in there for Tian.”
“Thank you, Mom. I‘m sure Tian will enjoy that,” Jennie said, taking the small boxed-lunch that was wrapped in an old cloth.
Leaving the house, Jennie turned to look at the building for a moment. It looked worn and ready to fall apart, but she felt it would hold. It stood amongst other hovels. Her eyes focused ahead of her to a large, stone building that looked like a magnificent castle. “Harbinger Academy.”
She repeated what she announced aloud in her head then looked to the ground as if realizing something odd. The building in front of her looked nothing like the school she was going to be attending, but they held the same name. “I don’t know,” she whispered, heading to the stone structure.
Passing the gates and heading down a side path, Jennie found the trail to be well worn down and almost familiar. She rushed past other students, heading toward the large stone stables that contained the dragons. “Tian!”
“Tian!” she called out once more, entering the room. She pressed her food tight to her chest as the sight of the stables stunned her. There were many stalls that contained various types of large lizards. She noted some were smaller than others were, but all were amazingly beautiful. Heading to the back of the stables, she came to a stop when a dragon poked its head out of the stall and gazed at her.
The creature was breathtaking. And Jennie had never seen such an animal before in all her life. Placing the food to the ground, she reached out her hands and touched the animal’s snout. Its almond eyes gazed at her with fondness as it nudged its nose against her face.
“Watch it, Tian,” she said as the dragon snorted, creating a frosty trail of steam that floated toward the ceiling.
Tian was white in coloring with a bluish tint to his inner skin, making the white scales illuminate in the light. His dark blue eyes were large enough that Jennie could see her whole body reflection as she found herself with her mouth opened in shock.
“You’re not my Tirien,” Tian said as Jennie stepped back with uncertainty. The voice was so loud and overwhelming yet it was only heard in her mind. The dragon bobbed its head up and down then cocked it to the side, studying her. “Who are you?”
“What?” Jennie questioned as she shook her head, realizing she had control of her body once more.
“Oh!” She looked down at her hands then clutched them together tightly. “I’m Jennie.” She peered up at the dragon as it looked back at her with wonder.
“And why are you here?”
“I don’t know,” Jennie whispered, feeling a cold chill down her spine. Once more she was able to communicate with someone in her dreams, but it was an animal that could easily eat her in one bite. The fear of something killing her caused her body to tremble as the dragon nudged her with his nose.
“I’m not going to hurt you, little one,” Tian replied as dragon laughter echoed in her mind, sending a burst of warm, pastel lights in her mind. “Humans taste bad. And get stuck in my teeth. You’re...the same age as my master? You resemble her. Very little differences...but I can see them.”
“I’m sixteen,” she said as the dragon nodded.
“The same indeed,” he said loudly in her mind.
“Why can I hear you in my head?” Jennie asked.
“All dragon tamers can hear the voice of their dragon in their psyche,” Tian stated with a snort. “We have a strong link to each other...that no other human or beast can break. Just between the two of us.”
“Tian,” Jennie whispered as she reached out her arms to the beast. The dragon leaned its head down as she hugged him around the nose. “Do you know what a Seraph is?”
“No,” Tian said calmly.
“How about the Goddess Alitheea?” she asked. She felt the dragon’s breath deepen as he flung his head up, flicking Jennie backward to the ground where she rolled.
“That name!” Tian growled as icy tendrils of smoke formed in his nostrils. “She slinks around here, visiting my brother. I know her interest in him is not for good. It must be for evil.”
“Evil?” Jennie asked as her face became full of doubt. “What do you mean?”
“What would a goddess want with a dragon,” Tian replied as he shook his head. Jennie found herself looking to the opposite stall to a slightly larger dragon that was sleeping. The dragon’s scales were a deep red that reminded her of fresh blood. “And Jiao plays her for a fool, too. Stay away from the both of them. I’m sure they’ll betray you.”
“Betray me?” Jennie asked in a shaky voice. Tian glared at Jiao’s sleeping form then stomped his foot harshly against the ground, causing the earth to trembled.
“Don’t go near them,” the dragon warned her again. “Stay away from them.”
Tian craned his head down to Jennie as his eyes burned into hers. It was a fearful sight to have such a large lizard stare at her. “I’ll protect you with my life,” he said in a deep voice. It rang in her mind as she closed her eyes. “To prove my love.”
“I can’t return your love,” she whispered as she felt the words flow from a different person within her.
“Tirien,” the dragon whispered.
“Can’t return my love?” Jennie blinked to find herself back in the bookstore. Kasei’s green eyes were staring at her with curiosity. “Where did that come from?”
“What?” she asked. Her eyes focused downward to the tome on the table as she felt her breath get caught in her throat. “I met a real dragon.”
“A dragon?” Kasei questioned. “Did you have another dream?”
“Yeah,” Jennie whispered, “it was so different. I was someone else. A girl named Tirien.”
“Tirien?” Riley asked as Jennie nodded. A look of doubt came over Riley’s face as he looked away. “That’s odd. If the legends are correct, then she was the first Seraph. And she‘s my ancestor.”
“Your ancestor…” A small growl escaped Kasei.
“The first?” Jennie mouthed out, “but the dragon didn’t even know what a Seraph was…”
The room became quiet as no one spoke. Jennie could only stare down at the book as her whole body began to go cold. What’s going on?
“Let‘s not worry about this now,” Kasei said casually as he reached out, taking a hold of her hand. “We‘ll go home and relax. It‘s been a rough day. Right?”
“Yeah,” Jennie said reluctantly with a small laugh.
“I‘ll meet you out front then. I have some things to grab from my office,” Riley said as pointed toward the back of the store.
“Kasei,” she whispered, following behind him slowly, as the two walked to the front door. “You seemed a little upset with learning that the girl in the dream was Riley‘s ancestor. Do you have a problem with the Caspians?”
“I have a problem with Rem,” Kasei said, releasing his grip on Jennie’s hand. He turned on his heels and looked back at her. His face was contorted with mixed emotions of hate and grief. “He hurts you constantly. He says nasty things. And…”
Jennie blinked. She could see Kasei clinch up as if he was ready to lash out at something. The younger boy seemed overly frustrated and ready to snap.
“It‘s okay,” she called out as Kasei unexpectedly leaned toward her, placing his head on her shoulder while his arms slipped down to the sides of her body.
“And my brother,” Kasei whispered. His breath was hot against Jennie‘s shoulder.
“Reiyl belongs to Ayumi-chan.” At the mention of the name, Jennie felt a twinge in her heart. It was obvious that was the fiancée that Reiyl had mentioned before. Not it felt more real knowing her name.
“Oniisan will not go against the laws of the village. He respects the elders and will not cheat. He will not allow for mistakes to be made. He will not…” He looked up at her with eyes that didn’t hold any of his usual boyish charm. Instead the depths of his eyes held a feral soul.
“What‘s wrong with you?” she questioned.
“There is no way for you to keep him,” Kasei growled lowly in his throat, “so you shouldn‘t be trying to capture him.”
“Kasei, I‘m not trying to take him away,” she said with a shake of her head. She wrapped her arms around the small boy and smiled as she placed her head on top of his. “I‘m not trying to fall in love with him. It‘s only been a week anyway. That‘s too soon…”
“And that‘s not what I‘m saying,” Kasei said softly as he bit into her shoulder. His sharp fangs penetrated into the flesh of her collarbone as she winced in pain. She had been bitten in the past by cats who didn’t want to be touched, but the pain of their small teeth couldn’t compare to Kasei’s nip.
“There are many types of love,” Kasei spoke into the wound, “You can’t have any with him. When we‘re done here, he has to go back.”
“And he will,” she cried out as Kasei’s teeth deepened into her shoulder. Tears flowed from her closed eyes as she felt the burn from the lesion abruptly stop. She opened her eyes to find the boy had released her and was staring her in the eyes.
“Touch him again and I’ll stop you myself,” Kasei said. He tilted his head back and grinned. There was nothing about him that was boyish or carefree. He looked like a wild animal that was about to attack.
“How can you say that?” she asked, rubbing at her bleeding shoulder.
“It’s in my nature,” he muttered. “Besides…I can give you what you want. Just let me grow up some.”
Jennie didn‘t say anything. She didn’t know what to say, but she stilled when she felt Riley near. She peered over her shoulder as the air became cold around them. He had to have heard what Kasei was saying, but it didn’t show on Riley’s face.
“Ready to go home?” Riley asked in a numb voice as she nodded.