Dragon Conjurer 6, page 15
“I’m sorry,” I said with just enough sincerity to feel real without being obnoxious. “My name’s Dylan Cooper.”
“Zahra Mohsen-Williams.” The beautiful girl squinted her eyes slightly at me but relaxed her stance. “What are you doing here?”
“My team and I came to MIA to handle a displaced American monster,” I said. “We’re staying here for a while to experience how this Academy does things before we go back home to AIMM.”
“Yeah, I know why the Dragon Conjurer is here in Egypt,” Zahra said with a slight roll of her eyes. “What I mean is, what are you doing out here, in the courtyard?”
“Oh. Uh…” I shrugged and glanced around. “Headmaster Mahrous said I could use the grounds to let my dragons get some exercise. They’re a little restless this afternoon, so I was going to let them out to play for a bit.”
“‘Out to play?’” Zahra cocked an eyebrow at me and laughed a little. “You say it like you’re letting your dogs out to run at the park.”
“Well,” I chuckled at that. “It’s not a terrible analogy, they’re kind of like huge puppies sometimes. Huge puppies that could tear your head off…”
“Right…” Zahra continued to stare like she didn’t know quite what to make of me.
“So, you have plant-based powers?” I tried to subtly divert the conversation back to her. I wanted to know more about Zahra Mohsen-Williams. I got the feeling she was nicer than her first impression suggested, and I thought, maybe, I had just caught her off guard.
“Yeah.” The slender girl’s smile softened a degree. “I can’t conjure plants or anything, but I can manipulate them.”
Zahra raised her hand up at the yellow rose bush beside her and curled her fingers in toward her body. The bright blossom pulled back in on itself and shrank into a baby bud, like someone had hit rewind on its life timeline. Then she opened her hand as she gestured slightly closer to the flower, and it burst back into a brilliant, full bloom.
“Wow,” I breathed. “That’s really impressive.”
“Thanks.” Zahra graced me with a bright smile. “I’m still working on controlling it. That’s why I was out here alone.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” I apologized. “And I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“It’s okay.” Zahra waved her hand dismissively at my words. “You just surprised me is all. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
“Hey, no worries,” I chuckled. “I guess I was just really surprised to see someone with powers like yours.”
“What do you mean by that?” Zahra asked, and her brow furrowed self-consciously. “Are they weird? Am I weird? Ugh, I thought… never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
“What?” I frowned. “No, they’re not weird at all, they’re amazing, actually.”
“I don’t know,” Zahra mumbled and pulled her long braid over her shoulder to twist her fingers around the end. “Sorry, I just don’t…”
“What?” I asked kindly.
She seemed kind of sweet, but I got the feeling Zahra felt out of place here, and I wondered if that was why such a beautiful and interesting girl was out here all alone rather than hanging out with friends.
“I just don’t feel like I fit in here, that’s all,” Zahra admitted as she stared down at the yellow roses.
The bright blooms wilted slightly as she looked at them, and their color dulled like they were just as sad as her.
Fuck, Nick was going to lose his mind over this cuteness.
“But you’ve got magical abilities,” I pointed out. “The Magical Institute of Africa is pretty much exactly where you belong.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Zahra flipped her braid back over her shoulder. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t mean to pry,” I hesitated. “But you sound like you’re from the U.S.”
“Yeah.” Zahra shrugged. “My dad’s from Pennsylvania, I kind of grew up going back and forth between Philly and Cairo.”
“What?” I was completely baffled. “Why…?”
“My dad’s an archeologist,” Zahra chuckled. “He met Mum on an expedition to the Valley of the Kings back in the nineties, and they fell in love, so I’ve basically split my entire life going back and forth between both countries so I can ‘experience both aspects of my heritage.’ Or at least, that’s what my dad says.”
“Wow,” I said. “That must have been a really interesting way to grow up.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Zahra murmured. “I mean, I got to experience a lot of culture and stuff all through my childhood, but it was also a lot of instability. I was always homeschooled, so I didn’t really ever have a lot of friends because I never spent enough time in one place to build long-term relationships.”
“That must have been really tough.” I frowned, and it sounded like Zahra’s life experiences had come with a heavy price of isolation. No wonder she was out here all alone. “That must have changed when you came to the Academy, though, right?”
“Not really.” Zahra forced lightness into her laugh. “I’ve only been here a few weeks, so I don’t really know anybody beyond my teammates. I mean, they’re nice and all, and they include me in training, but they kind of stay to themselves when we’ve got downtime.”
“So, you still feel pretty isolated,” I concluded. “That sucks.”
“It’s nothing new.” The beautiful Egyptian-American girl shrugged.
“So, how did you end up here instead of at AIMM?” I asked to change the subject.
“I was visiting with Mum’s parents when my powers manifested,” Zahra explained. “The next day, Headmaster Mahrous showed up in a limousine and told me about the Academy, and now here I am.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of what happened to me, too,” I chuckled as I thought back to the first time I’d met Dr. Hastings. “I’ve only been with AIMM for a couple of months.”
“Really?” Zahra asked with surprise. “The way people were talking about the Dragon Conjurer, I figured you’d had your powers for a long time.”
“That’s wild,” I laughed. “I mean, Ky, my first dragon, I conjured him pretty much by accident in October. Things just kind of, escalated pretty fast from there.”
“Wow,” Zahra mused. “People talk about you like you’re a rock star, like you’re some kind of super powerful and really skilled warrior. I have to admit, I was a little curious about you.”
“I have a girlfriend,” I instantly blurted out. “Many.”
“What?” Zahra instantly looked irritated again, but I couldn’t help saying it.
There was no fucking way I could leave any room for this gorgeous plant-girl to be interested in me. Not when I needed her to fall in love with my best friend.
“Yeah, I have four girlfriends, and--”
“Why do you think I would even care?” Zahra snorted. “You just assume I see a Dragon Conjurer and get all swoony? Don’t tell me you’ve already let this dragon stuff go to your head.”
“No, I just--” I fumbled.
“I hate tattoos,” Nick’s dream girl curtly informed me.
“Oh, good,” I sighed heavily. “Sorry, I just… wanted to make that clear, and… yeah, I have a lot of tattoos. All over.”
“Gross.” Zahra smirked, and I chuckled at her sassy expression.
“It kind of comes with the dragon territory,” I explained.
“So…” Zahra hesitated. “How many dragons do you have now? Sorry, maybe that’s a rude question.”
“No, it’s fine,” I laughed. “I have four.”
“That’s pretty cool.” Zahra smiled.
“It has its moments,” I agreed.
I realized I was still smiling way more than usual, but I couldn’t help it. I liked this girl, she was sweet and totally not stuck-up like I first thought. I got the feeling that years of social isolation had taught her to put up a wall of snotty attitude to protect herself, but deeper down she was a real sweetheart who wouldn’t want to date a tattooed guy.
She really was perfect for Nick.
“I think your powers are super cool, too,” I said in an attempt to divert the conversation to my ultimate match-making goal. “My best friend, Nick… he can phase through plants, and sort of communicate with them and through them. It’s hard to explain, but he always kind of joked about… well, it’s not important. I just think he would think you’ve got the coolest powers ever.”
“Really?” Zahra’s hazel eyes shone with interest. “That’s pretty sweet, too. I sometimes feel like I can sense something from the plants, like their emotions or something. I swear they get sad when I push them too far. I’m not sure, though, I’m just feeling things out right now, but I want to connect more with my powers. See how much I can learn from the plants.”
“Yeah, I think you’d like Nick,” I said with a firm nod. Then I gestured at her faded Flip Flappers shirt. “He’s really into anime, too.”
“He’s got good taste, then,” Zahra laughed.
“We’re going to meet up later for dinner,” I suggested. “You should join us, I think you’d like the rest of my team, too. I mean, if you don’t already have plans… with guys or… girls.”
“I don’t.” Zahra smirked and cocked another sassy eyebrow. “That sounds nice, actually. I’ve been eating mostly by myself. I usually bring a book with me just so I don’t have to sit there like a total loser.”
“We’d love for you to join us,” I assured her. “Our MIA guides, Bo and Binta, they’ve been away at the Tanzanian outpost for the last three months, so I guess you won’t have met them yet, but they’re so great, and I think you’ll really like them. I bet they can help you feel more comfortable here.”
“Okay,” Zahra said and glanced down at her watch. “Shoot.”
“Everything alright?” I asked.
“Yeah, sorry.” Nick’s dream girl smiled apologetically. “I just didn’t realize what time it was. I’ve got a class in five minutes, but I’ll meet you guys for dinner later.”
“Great.” I grinned. “Have a good class, Zahra.”
“Thanks.” The beautiful girl reached down to pick up her backpack. “It was nice to meet you, Dylan.”
“You, too,” I said. “See you later.”
“Later,” Zahra called over her shoulder as she jogged up the limestone path.
“Holy shit!” I half-squealed. “That went so well!”
I took a deep breath to steady my excited nerves, but half of me wanted to sprint right off and find Nick and tell him all about his dream girl. I could just imagine how fidgety and bug-eyed he’d get, but as I took a step up the path, Thor wriggled suddenly on my back, and Ky blasted ice down my arm. Beyblade rippled a heatwave over my skin, and Goldie’s wind scraped over my nerves.
“You guysss,” I groaned. “You don’t understand, this is Nick’s dream--”
A raging wave of dragon energy pulsed through my core, and I hissed as I stumbled a little from the shock.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “I’m sorry, you’re right. Dragon time first. Let’s go.”
It looked like Nick would have to wait just a little bit longer because there was no way my dragons would tolerate another delay in their romping. I’d probably end up a spazzing mess on the floor if I tried to explain anything with all this energy buzzing in my veins anyways.
I sighed as I turned away from the limestone paths and walked out through the archway into the open expanse of flat earth between the Academy and the glittering waters of Lake Nasser.
Three steps later, my four dragons shot out more blasts of their elemental energies in unison, and the sudden intensity of it nearly dropped me to my knees.
They were becoming so powerful, but I took a deep breath and rebalanced myself as the energies surged through my body.
Now that I was prepared for it, the strength of my dragons raced under my muscles like a powerful current, and as I relaxed into the sensation, I felt completely energized by it instead.
Ky’s ice still bit at my fingertips with subzero temperatures, and Thor’s electricity tingled uncomfortably down to my toes as Beyblade’s fire made my skin hot. But mixed pleasantly with the discomfort was a feeling of strength that was mildly intoxicating.
I wondered if I could learn to tap into my dragons’ powers while they were separate from my body, too.
“Exokyzo, Bianxifa, Sokisaseru, Trylle frem,” I said quickly.
All four of my dragons immediately burst out of my skin together and appeared in a rainbow of bright light.
Thor and Ky quickly trotted off toward the huge lake, and Beyblade blinked at me before he slithered into the air and flew just above the ground to join my ice and storm dragons.
Goldie leaned her pearlescent head down and nuzzled her face into my hand for a second before she raced after the boys.
I couldn’t help but smile at the playful way my dragons ran off toward the water. It reminded me of a kindergarten class being set loose for recess.
The chill in my right hand and the zap of pins and needles in my feet edged away, and the feverish heat of Beyblade’s fire ebbed as my dragons wandered away to romp in the open space.
I walked after the four of them as I steadied my breathing, and I tried to stow away my excited thoughts of the amazing discovery of Nick’s dream girl.
That epicness would have to wait.
I turned my focus to the surge of power and strength I felt when my dragons acted up under my skin. I tried to tune into the memory of the energy and see if I could connect to that strength while my dragons splashed at the edges of the lake.
It was difficult, but I forced my mind to hold onto the lingering sizzle of Thor’s energy in my spine first since this was the most prominent. I imagined the energy like a ball between my shoulder blades and visualized the indigo energy growing and expanding under my skin.
I wasn’t sure if I was just imagining it, or if I was really making it happen, but the surge of strong energy flashed quickly under my muscles. I forced myself not to lose concentration and maintained my focus on the energy, but it felt like trying to stretch out a clump of wet tissue paper.
As I continued to concentrate, I kept my breathing slow and steady, and Thor’s power slowly spread out like a tiny, delicate spider web between my mind and my muscles. Excitement laced through my gut, and the spider web trembled, so I tamped my excitement down and took another steadying breath.
Stay with me, buddy, I softly pleaded with my storm dragon.
If I could hold onto this surge of power and strength, I could be more useful on the battlefield. I wouldn’t have to just stand back and watch as my team and my dragons did all the heavy lifting. Maybe I could even learn to use a bladed weapon eventually, that would be so badass. I mentally scolded myself for my wandering thoughts, and I dragged my attention back to the task at hand.
The indigo threads steadied slightly as I continued to drill every ounce of my focus and energy into the delicate web of strength. I maintained my concentration and focused on solidifying the threads and anchoring them deep in my muscles where Thor’s tattoo usually was. I pictured the ends burrowing deep into the muscles of my back and was rewarded by another ripple of strength.
The power surged slowly through my body as I forced my breaths in and out in a steady rhythm. A few minutes later, the web of surging power felt almost stable. I could tell it was still delicate and entirely dependent on my complete, unbroken concentration, but it no longer felt like trying to hold air in my hands.
I decided to test the extent of the connection.
With my eyes still closed tight against the bright Egyptian sunlight, I relaxed my mental hold slightly on the indigo web of power. The delicate threads wavered a little, but they held, and the strength and energy from my storm dragon continued to pulse steadily through my muscles.
I took it another step and slowly started to open my eyes.
The tenuous web of power shuddered like a sheet in hurricane-force winds, and I immediately slammed my eyes shut again.
Then I sucked in a deep breath and willed the trembling threads to steady, and I mentally rechecked the anchor points and pushed them further inside my muscles. As I did, the surge of indigo-colored power vibrated along the nerves in my spine while I breathed deeply and sank my mind deeper into myself, and I shifted my feet a little further apart and relaxed the tension in my shoulders.
After a moment, the shuddering indigo threads slowly became more stable. I spent a few minutes focusing on maintaining the web as it was while I took several long, deep breaths, and the threads solidified again and became stronger as I forced my body to relax.
A feeling of confidence began to crawl frustratingly slowly along my muscles, and the trembling slack between the indigo threads began to tighten. I could tell the web was becoming steadier and stable the longer I remained relaxed.
I decided to try and open my eyes again, but first, I knew I needed to hold onto the calm rhythm of my breathing I’d established. I took a few more deep breaths, and then I slowly released the tight hold on my eyelids.
The steady strength of the indigo web of surging energy between Thor, my mind, and my body fluttered slightly, and I sucked in a long, slow breath. The mental turbulence shook the delicate threads for a few seconds, but then it stabilized, and I was able to open my eyes completely.
The rush of power that flowed through my muscles as I stood watching my dragons romp in the shallow edges of Lake Nasser was a high unlike anything else I’d ever felt in my entire life.
I wanted to laugh out loud and throw my arms up in the air, but I forced myself to remain calm and relaxed. It seemed that my connection to Thor’s power and strength while he was separated from my body was entirely dependent on me staying calm and focused.
At least for now.
I figured with time and practice, it would become easier and more natural, like the auditory connection I shared with Goldie. I took a moment to pat myself on the back for the progress I’d made so far, and then I closed my eyes again to see if I could make a mental connection to another of my dragons’ strengths.
I focused on the silvery tether that connected me to Ky and took another deep breath. It felt like the best way to go about this was to try and spread the connection beyond an awareness of his physical location to encompass my ice dragon’s power itself. I cleared my mind and focused on the tether, but my concentration shattered instantly when I heard a sharp rumble from Thor’s throat.
