From a Forest of Bone and Blood | Chapter Fourteen
Tomorrow turned into the day after that, and the day after that turned into the day after that, until the festivities were well and truly over and the villagers were talking about starting work on a new road to travel through the Wraithwood. There was talk of renaming the forest to something more pleasant, but Jensen doubted the name change would stick. Everyone knew the forest as Wraithwood, it would take generations for the name to change.
As the days passed, it became apparent to Jensen that they were procrastinating. As much as he didn’t mind it - every night Jared came to his room and they touched and kissed and learned what pleased the other most - Jensen felt like he was risking the people of this village more and more with each passing day. It would be a most cruel jest to lift the curse from the forest only to draw a Witherkin here.
No, they had to go to the pool, whether they were content with the status quo or not, and so they packed up their things, consulted the map, and left the next morning.
The path to the pool was easy enough to follow, despite cutting back into the Wraithwood and being nearly a half-day’s trek away. For the first time since they’d entered the Wraithwood they heard birdsong as they walked, which Genevieve happily pointed out.
“I think I hear the ocean,” Genevieve said. “Listen.”
They listened. Sure enough, they could hear the ocean, waves crashing against the rocks and cliffs.
“The pool should be just ahead,” Jared said, looking closely at the map. “Just around this corner. Oh-“
They rounded the corner and at once Jensen saw the cause of Jared’s surprise. There, coiled up and sleeping, was a large dragon.
It was a magnificent creature, long and sleek with its giant wings tucked close as it napped. Jensen and his companions stopped and stared at it.
“I don’t think it will eat us,” Genevieve whispered. “From what I remember about being a dragon, I don’t think they eat humans.”
“Shhhh,” Jared whispered back. “Don’t wake it up. Back away slowly and we’ll think this through from a safe distance.”
They did as Jared suggested, backing up and trying not make any loud noises that might rouse the sleeping beast. Once they had backed around the corner, Jensen rested against the large boulder that kept them out of the dragon’s view.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” Jensen said, casting a glance in the direction they’d just escaped from. Jared ran a hand through his hair, pushing the longish strands away from his face and behind his ear, where they’d stay for perhaps a moment or two. Jensen wasn’t sure why Jared bothered.
“No, I wasn’t either,” Jared said. Alona crossed her arms over her chest and looked pensive.
“What should we do?” asked Genevieve.
“Shouldn’t there have been something marked on the map if there was a dragon?” Jensen fumed. “Something like Here be Dragons or something like that?”
“I don’t think so, Jensen,” Jared said, walking to the edge of the boulder and peeking around the corner.
“This is ridiculous,” said Alona. “We’re all part dragon too. Maybe we should just try to talk to it.” With that she strode out from behind the rock into the clearing where the dragon slept and shouted.
“Hello! Would you mind waking up, please? We really need to get past you and you’re sleeping on the path!”
“Alona! What in the depths-“ Genevieve ran out from behind the rock, followed closely by Jensen and Jared. Alona’s shouting had done the trick and the dragon was waking. Light blue eyes opened and warm breath huffed out of the dragon’s snout, blowing about the leaves and grass directly underneath its mouth.
The dragon stretched like a cat, digging its claws into the earth before rising to its full height. It narrowed its eyes at the four people who stood in front of it, probably deciding whether or not to burn them into little crisps. Standing side by side, Jensen and the others held their ground, not wanting to back down.
Perhaps this was it. Perhaps this dragon was the reason two of them wouldn’t finish the quest. It swung its head forward and sniffed each one of them individually, its breath rustling their clothing. Finally, it opened its mouth, sharp fanged teeth glistening, and spoke.
“What do you need so desperately that you would brave the perils of the Wraithwood Forest? Don’t you know that this land is cursed?” The dragon’s voice was deep and rumbling, but the tone was soft - curious. Jensen, feeling emboldened, stepped forward, but Genevieve spoke before he could.
“The land isn’t cursed,” she said, “at least, not anymore.”
“Yes, little one, I gathered that. I saw the merriment in the village. I assume you had something to do with that? You destroyed Queen Alaina?”
“Ah, er, yes,” said Jensen, hoping the dragon wasn’t in alliance with the dead dryad. “If you knew about her, you must have known that destroying her tree would destroy her and free the dryad souls.”
“How long have you been in the forest?” Jared asked.
“I’ve been in the forest a long time, little dragonlings,” it said. Jensen looked at his companions, wondering if they were as surprised by this as he was. Then again, he shouldn’t be surprised. After all, the sea dragon had scented them from underwater.
“Why didn’t you lift the curse yourself, then?” Jared wanted to know. The dragon cast what could only be an amused smirk at him.
“Presumptuous, aren’t you? I’ll tell you - it wasn’t my place. Human affairs and dragon affairs are rarely intermixed.”
“That’s not true anymore, though,” Alona countered. “You know that’s not true.”
“Sadly, yes,” the dragon said. “We are hunted down like beasts now. But that is not relevant to you four standing in front of me right now. Tell me, what is it that you are seeking?”
“We need to find the Pool of Restoration,” Jensen said. “It’s a rather long story, but we need it to both restore our memories as well as stop the Witherkin from finding us.”
The dragon plopped down on the ground, once more blocking their path.
“I’ve got all the time in world,” the dragon said.
***
“That’s a very interesting tale,” the dragon said. “It does sound like you do need the Pool quite badly. I’ll take you there. It’s hidden from the world, you know. I’m the guardian of the pool - we can’t just have anyone walking up and partaking of the water.”
“It’s rumored to be the fountain of youth,” Alona said, which caused the dragon to snort disdainfully.
“If you’ll pardon me a moment, I cannot get into the pool in this form. Since you are a dragon split four ways, I’m sure it will not shock and surprise you too much if I transform into my human form?”
The dragon didn’t wait for a response before positioning itself strategically behind a large boulder and shifting. A few moments later, a man appeared from behind the same boulder, fully dressed. He was shorter than both Jensen and Jared, and stocky, with shoulder-length brown hair and the same blue eyes as when in dragon form.
“Follow me, unless you’d like to waste more time?” he said, motioning for them to follow.
“Thank you,” Jared said. “What should we call you?”
The dragon glanced back over his shoulder at Jared. “You can call me Christian,” he said. He led them further into the forest and closer to the sea, twisting and turning as the path necessitated. Finally they reached a part of the forest where the cliffs jutted up from the sea and continued inland, creating rocky crags and gullies in the earth. Christian led them onward until he stopped in front of what appeared to be a cave.
“Another cave,” Alona groused, causing Christian to laugh.
“Well, this isn’t exactly a cave,” Christian said. “It’s a tunnel that leads to the Pool. Come.”
Jensen took a deep breath and followed the dragon into the cave. Unless there was a rockslide or this was all an elaborate trick by the dragon Jensen thought the Oracle must have been mistaken.
The tunnel wasn’t very long and it ended in what at one point must have been a large sinkhole in the mountain side. The sinkhole must have happened very long ago, for the trees here were very old, covered in draping moss. There were trees growing out of older, decaying trees, their roots reaching around the older dead wood to firmly root in the earth, making the trees appear as if on stilts. They walked only a short while longer before they stopped in front of a large Pool of water, more like a pond, really. There were lily pads and all sorts of vegetation growing in the water, but the water itself was clear and clean.
It looked inviting.
“Here we are,” Christian said. “This is the Pool of Restoration. Who wants to go first?”
Jensen, Jared, Alona and Genevieve all exchanged cautious, nervous glances. They were here. This was it. This was what they had sailed to Seagrave to find, what they had braved the ghosts of Wraithwood for.
This was the end of their quest. Jensen should have felt overjoyed, so why did he feel melancholy. He stared at the Pool for what felt like a few long, long minutes, until he felt Jared grasp his hand.
“No matter what, remember?” he said. Jensen felt his throat constrict, making words impossible. He nodded his head and felt a stinging sensation in his eyes. Was he about to cry? He bit the inside of his lip and told himself to man up.
“I’ll go first.”
It was Genevieve who’d spoken up. The dragon had backed away from their party, perhaps sensing that this was something they needed to face themselves. Genevieve pulled her hand from Alona’s - Jensen hadn’t noticed that they’d been holding hands to begin with - and stepped toward the pool. Now that she was merely a step away, she turned to Christian.
“Do I just drink it, or do I need to immerse myself?” she asked.
“Do what you feel you need to,” Christian said. “But you do need to imbibe at least a little of it for it to work. Just going for a swim isn’t going to help you out none.”
Genevieve’s eyes narrowed a little at that, as if she didn’t appreciate the jest, and turned back towards the pool. Leaning down, she scooped up a handful of water and brought it to her lips, tilting her hands so the water ran into her mouth.
She swallowed.
The change was both gradual and sudden. From her fingertips her skin tone began to change, turning from a soft olive tone to a light, leafy green. The color change seemed to slide along her skin like she was putting on gloves, down her forearms to her elbows, where it sped up, racing over her body and causing her to gasp and drop the remaining droplets of water from her hands. When the green reached her hair another change overcame her, causing her hair to morph from the silky brunette strands into long, twisting vines that bloomed with leaves and small white blossoms. Her eyes remained unchanged, the deep, dark brown of them reminiscent of the soil of the earth.
In retrospect, Jensen would wonder how he could have not realized that Genevieve was the dryad.
She turned to face her friends, the expression on her face one of shock and wonderment.
“I’m a dryad,” she said, stretching her arms in front of her and looking at the changes. “Oh, my forest. I’m much too far away from it. I can feel my tree calling for me. I have to go. I’ll - I’ll miss you. I’ll miss you all.” She wiped at her eyes, obviously overcome with emotion. “Alona - I-“
Alona walked over to Genevieve with determination and embraced her firmly before placing a kiss on her forehead.
“It’s alright, Gen,” Alona said. “You are the way you were meant to be. Remember? Remember your mother tree? How happy it made you to run through the forest? You have all that back now. I’ll come visit you, I promise.”
Jensen tried to access those memories, but they were vague, not his. It was as if he had a memory of a memory. He tried to connect with the earth underneath him and felt nothing but the sensation in his feet. He was cut off, Genevieve had taken back what was hers. Jensen felt a little bereft.
“You promise?” Genevieve sniffed, grasping Alona’s shirt in her fist and burying her face on Alona’s shoulder. Jensen felt a pang in his own heart. He would make sure to visit Genevieve as well.
“I’ll miss you too, Genevieve,” Jared said, sounding a little choked up. Genevieve pulled herself from Alona’s embrace and walked over to Jensen and Jared, embracing them each in turn.
“Goodbye,” she said. “You’ll come visit too, right? Both of you?”
“Of course,” Jensen said, annoyed at how rough his voice sounded.
Genevieve nodded and then closed her eyes. With that a breeze sprang up and her body disintegrated, blowing away on the wind.
“Gen!” Alona cried out in alarm.
“She’s alright,” Christian said. “That’s how dryads travel. She’ll be back in her forest before you know it.”
“I’m going next,” Alona declared, positively stomping over to the pool. She plunged into it up to her waist before cupping her hands and bringing the water to her lips to drink, which she did quickly.
She stilled, waiting for a change to overtake her, if any. Nothing appeared to happen. She stayed in the Pool for what seemed to be a long while before turning back around to face Jared and Jensen, and when she did her eyes were filled with tears.
“Alona, what is it? What’s wrong?” Jared looked about ready to dive into the pool himself to save her from whatever it was that had her so upset, but she shook her head and walked back to shore.
“Did nothing change?” Jensen asked, concerned. Alona held out her hand, palm up, and a flame blossomed there, soon taking the shape of a flower which then dissolved back into her hand.
“I’m - I’m the wizard,” she said. “Or actually, I prefer the term mage since I’m not a man, but, but - Oh Gods.” She turned to face Christian, the tears that had been threatening to spill finally tracing paths down her cheeks. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t know that dragons were sentient. I thought,” here she paused and looked at the ground, taking deep, shuddering breaths, “I thought I was saving the world. I killed so many, and my army - I led them to their deaths!”
“Hey now, calm down,” said Jared, holding a hand out. He looked like he wanted to embrace her, but Alona took a step backwards.
“I’ll be alright,” she said, visibly calming. “I just need to come to terms with it - that’s all. I’ll be alright, you’ll see. Christian, I-“
“Don’t apologize to me,” Christian said. “It is not my place to judge you. I don’t know your story and I’ve been here for a very long time.” Christian’s face was a mask of stoicism and his eyes were cold, and Jensen wondered how sincere his words really were. He turned back to Alona. She’d moved farther away from them, finding a fallen tree and making a seat for herself on it. Tears were still escaping her eyes, but she didn’t seem like she was going to break down sobbing anytime soon.
“That means -“ Jensen couldn’t finish his sentence.
“That means one of us is a dragon,” Jared said, stepping closer to Jensen. He took both of Jensen’s hands in his own and leaned forward to kiss him.
Neither man closed their eyes as their lips met; neither wanted to look away when they didn’t know what would happen next.
“I’ll go,” Jared said, releasing Jensen’s hands and walking hesitantly toward the Pool. Jensen bit his lip and tried to stomp down the emotions he felt as he watched Jared walk away.
Jared didn’t immerse himself in the pool. Instead, he knelt down on one knee and dipped his hand into the water, bringing it to his mouth and taking a long draught. He held it in his mouth for a moment before swallowing, and Jensen watched Jared’s throat work as he took the water into himself.
Jared’s breathing grew shallow and quick, and his eyes widened. In the next moment he was stripping off his clothes, and just in time too, for his body shifted and grew, and in place of the Jared that Jensen knew and had grown to love was a large dragon, even larger than Christian in his dragon form. Eyes seemed to be a constant thing, Jensen noticed, as he looked up into the familiar hazel depths.
Jared roared, tipped his head back and shot flames into the sky. Then, with a great flap of his wings he was skyward, flying and cart wheeling through the air in a joyous dance before alighting on the ground again next to the Pool and shifting back into Jared. No, Jensen corrected himself, before shifting into Jared’s human form. They were both Jared.
And with that, Jensen realized who he was.
Jensen was the soldier.
Jensen was the child of the distant father, the soldier who’d followed Alona on the quest to eradicate dragons just to escape the dreary future that faced him in his hometown.
Jensen was the only soldier to escape the grisly fate of his compatriots in the forest.
With his next breath, Jensen decided not to partake of the Pool of Restoration.
His memories were foggy, but they were most certainly his. He knew if he partook of the water that they would solidify and become crystal clear, and then all the memories that he wanted to escape would once more haunt him.
He’d see clearly the dead eyes of the dragon child, the open, slack mouth that cried wordlessly for his corpse mother. Jensen shuddered. Yes, he’d tried to save them - they were a mother and child for Veris’ sake - and had been whipped severely for his treason. That incident hadn’t been reported to the wizard - to Alona. The soldiers in control of that debacle had acted as if Jensen owed them a favor for it. Now Jensen wondered if it was because even Alona wouldn’t have approved of what had happened.
Jensen knew that if he drank that water the scars from that day would return as well, deep welts of tissue criss-crossing his back and forever reminding him of the horrors of that day.
No. No, Jensen decided. This was his chance at a fresh start. He would be alright as he was. There was no more chaotic magic in him, not now, nothing to draw the Witherkin to him and threaten any new friends he might make.
It startled him when he felt Jared’s arms enfold him, drawing him close, and that sealed it. This was where he was meant to be. This was where the end of his quest lay, here in Jared’s arms. Jared. His dragon.
“Jensen, it’s your turn,” Jared said softly.
“No,” Jensen said. “The Pool isn’t meant for me, Jared. It never was. It’s me. I don’t complete the quest.”
Fire flashed in Jared’s eyes, followed by confusion. Jensen didn’t say anything, just pulled Jared in for a gentle kiss.
“It’s my choice, Jared,” Jensen said when he ended the kiss. Jared searched Jensen’s eyes as if searching for confirmation that this was the right choice. “It’s better for me if I don’t. Please just trust me on this. Remember what we said: No matter what.”
“And I meant it, too,” Jared said. “I love you. Do you still love me - even though I’m a dragon?”
“You’re a dragon,” Jensen repeated, the reality of the situation settling in on his shoulders. “It’s unreal, but yes, you’re a dragon.” Jensen fought back the urge to laugh. He knew he’d sound like he was losing his mind if he did. “It’s alright. You’re still Jared, yes?”
“Yes, I’m still Jared,” Jared said with a smile. “I’ll always be Jared.”
“Jared, if I may have a moment,” Christian said from a few paces away. Jared disentangled himself from Jensen and walked over to Christian, who drew Jared further enough away so that Jensen couldn’t hear what was being said. Jensen supposed it was dragon business and so he walked over to Alona and sat next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you alright?” he asked. Alona turned to face him and a wan smile showed on her face.
“Yes, I’m alright,” she said. “I can’t believe this is it, you know? That our quest is over. Gen’s back in her forest, or at least on her way, Jared’s a dragon, can you believe that? A real, live dragon. Does that make you his mate?”
The corners of Alona’s mouth twitched up a little further, showing some of the spark that Jensen was used to seeing, and he returned the smile.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe. Do you think I’m a coward for not drinking the water?”
Alona looked startled at the change of subject, but then her expression softened.
“Jensen, I think we all know that the soldier, I mean,” Alona’s normally confident tone stuttered and she looked at him with sad eyes. “I think we all knew back when we shared memories that whoever the soldier amongst us was that he or she got the short end of the stick. From what we remembered, your life was pretty awful. I don’t blame you for not wanting to remember it.”
“So you don’t think I’m a coward?”
Alona sighed but then smiled, a little wistfully.
“No, I think you’re pretty brave, actually.”
“Brave?” Jensen scoffed.
“Yeah,” she affirmed. “You’re choosing to keep facing the unknown - to start over, from scratch. I almost wish I’d done the same. I’m not going back to hunting dragons. Not after knowing J- I mean, not after this.”
Jensen nodded. “So it’s us then,” he mused. “We’re the two that didn’t complete the quest. The oracle foretold correctly after all.”
“Oh, to the depths with that old bag,” Alona muttered. “I still say we completed the quest. I mean, none of us died.”
Jensen couldn’t help but laugh at Alona calling the oracle an old bag. Adrianne had been anything but that. Alona snickered as well and soon they were laughing together.
Jared turned to face them, obviously curious about what they were talking about, but Christian drew his attention back to him again and they continued talking for a few minutes. Then Jared walked over to Jensen, a serious look on his face.
“Jensen,” Jared said. “I can’t stay here with you - not right away at least. I just had a long talk with Christian, and I’m going to tell you about it because I’m not just going to take to the skies and abandon you.” Jared tossed a glare over his shoulder at the other dragon.
“You know that when I came here it was as a trap for Alona’s army.” Here Jared winced and glanced over at Alona, but she waved her hand dismissively for him to continue.
“It’s in the past,” she said. “Let’s just agree that we’re friends now and not try to kill each other in the future. Deal?”
“Deal,” Jared agreed wholeheartedly before turning back to Jensen. “Anyway, if the trap failed and if Alona’s army prevailed, the dragon elders were going to form an army of their own and systematically subjugate the human race. It was our last chance at preservation. I have to fly back to the Mainland and let them know the threat is eliminated. I want to talk to them about educating the human race about dragons as well. I think it’s time that we’re seen as more than beasts, and well, it might take a couple of weeks, and I can’t take you with me. Will you wait for me, Jensen?”
Jensen blinked as he processed all the information Jared had just dumped on him and then shook his head to clear his thoughts. Jared looked crestfallen and Jensen realized what his gesture would look like to Jared.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Jensen said. “I mean, yes, I’ll wait for you. Just promise me you’ll hurry back, alright?”
“I promise,” Jared said, kissing Jensen soundly and then stepping back to shift once more into his dragon form.
“Wait, right now?” Jensen cried as Jared flapped his wings to take flight. Jared’s eyes were sad as he nodded and left the ground, leaving Jensen watching the horizon long after Jared disappeared.
Chapter Thirteen | Epilogue
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