NOVEL NEXT Book 5, Chapter 20
When I woke up a few hours later, it was to find that I was still in my half-dragon form, even after sleeping. That was... worrying, to say the least. Had my dragon's blood content risen to the point where this was my default now, and I'd have to actively maintain my prior elven form?
Or was I just absolutely fried from dying twice in one day and was still in the throes of a particularly powerful dragon episode, what with having just taken an entire liter of dragon's blood straight into my veins?
Who knew? Not me, I was feeling like lukewarm dogshit.
"You're already awake," Volex noted, squeezing me gently. "I'm sorry about last night, I was just... I was worried about you, Catherine."
"I'm worried about me, too," I rasped out. "Ugh, I need water. I should just bite the bullet and make myself a magic gland that conjures water directly in my digestive system so I stop getting dehydrated all the time. That sounds like some insane Wizard bullshit I'd do to solve a minor everyday annoyance."
Volex rolled her eyes.
"I take it from the whining that you're alright?" Emily asked, from my other side.
"Been better," I said, "but I'll live. Was I a dragon when I fell asleep?"
"Half-dragon," Volex corrected me. "And yes, you were."
"Mmn. Y'know, the fact that you're suddenly a lot more capable of sassing me suggests that your new reliquary is working out pretty well for you," I said.
"It is," Volex agreed, nodding. "And now, if you want me to stop being annoying on purpose, you'll have to persuade me, like I'm a person."
"Why would I want you to stop?" I asked, innocently. "You're perfect as you are."
Volex rolled her eyes.
"Is it just me, or are you and Volex a lot closer than you are with Talia?" Emily asked, reminding me that she was still here with us. "I never hear you saying these sorts of affectionate, love-y things to Talia, and..."
"Talia and I talked about it yesterday," I admitted. "I've been a... less-than-attentive lover, to her. Honestly, I think part of it is that Talia is more-or-less stable, with no real big problems that need to be addressed, and I'm the kind of person who tends to focus on whatever problems need solving, and sometimes invent new problems to solve if I've run out of real ones. But! I will be addressing that, because, as much as Talia knows I love her, she deserves to hear me say it more often. And, while I'm making that resolution? I love you too, Emily. Quite aside from the parts where you've saved my life several times, you're also a joy to talk to, and you never fail to brighten my day. Thanks for being in my life."
Emily blushed fiercely, and looked away shyly.
"Alright, well," I said, as I tried and failed to sit up. "...Help me upright, please?"
---
"Goddammit," I muttered as I walked into the driver's cabin and dropping into the seat beside Frederick, back in my baseline elf form thanks to Volex channeling her magicka through my own Sorcery.
"Good morning to you too, Sunshine," Frederick said, still on cocaine and probably some of his Shugenja magic. "We're almost through the frontier, and soon enough, we'll meet a patrolling band of orcs to talk to."
"That's good, but I have more dragon bullshit to complain about,"
"Which is?" Frederick prompted.
"Back when I first transitioned, after I'd broken the autohypnosis that was repressing it all but before I'd actually grown tits, I experienced a sort of bodily dysmorphia that made me miserable," I said. "My soul thought I should have tits, and the fact that my body wasn't in full agreement was... unpleasant."
"You know there's transgender women who aren't dragons, right?" Frederick asked.
"Yeah, I'm contextualizing," I said, waving dismissively. "The actual dragon bullshit is that now I get dysmorphia from not having wings and a tail, which is deeply inconvenient on account I would prefer to not advertise the fact that I'm dragonblooded."
"Oh, damn," Frederick said. "That's... Hrm. Right, Emily said she gave you a transfusion with that bloodbag I gave you. You are..." He paused, sniffling and sneef-snorfing at the air like a wild animal. "...You're a decent bit past the threshold of 'half-dragon' status, now. Which, frankly? I'm rather jealous at your progress. When I was your age, I started with the same amount of dragon's blood as you started with, and it took me twenty years of practice to develop my blood potency to the point of being a half-dragon. But, then, I didn't have a Black Dragon for an uncle, did I? Oh well. It's all in the past, now, and it's a poor guardian who complains that his charges have it too easy."
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"Yeah, it's-"
"Oop, orcs," Frederick said, as those of us with elven ears began to hear the sound of hoofbeats in the distance. "Coming towards us. I'm gonna slow us down, let them dictate the distance. Get Summer up here to talk to them."
"I'll get her," Emily said, turning around to fetch Summer.
"How about you?" I asked, as Frederick brought us in for a gentle landing. "Do you experience that whole... dragon dysphoria thing?"
"It went away on its own after a few years," Frederick said. "Considering the rate at which you do things, however, I genuinely believe you might conquer the Hikaano Imperium as its new Gold Dragon Emperor before you get used to hiding the fact you're a dragon, and suddenly stop having to hide that fact."
"Hrm. Honestly, eminently possible."
Any further conversation would have to wait; the orcs were upon us now, and Summer had just gotten up here. I opened the passenger side door, and Summer and I stepped out.
The first thing I noticed about the orcs was that they weren't all orcs. Among their number was an Elven Mage-Knight, mounted on a unicorn, and clad in full plate- she was in the lead, and was regarding me with a look of unbridled curiosity that I was most likely returning in full. She was... honestly, like looking in a mirror- tall, broad, a little burly, and red-haired, except where I had adopted the styles of a new culture, she'd immersed herself in the styles of the old.
"...State your business," the Mage-Knight said in High Elven, after a pause. Summer rolled her eyes, and folded her arms- she had not become any more fluent in High Elven in the past twenty four hours. I resolved to have Volex make her a translation charm at earliest convenience, so she could actually participate in any further Elf Bullshit we encountered.
The second thing I noticed about the nomadic orcs of the Mesa Verde was how small they were. Elsewhere, the average orc was as tall as the average elf- and therefore taller than the average human- but the two orcish men before me were both rather small fellows, riding on small horses. Large men don't do well on small horses, and large horses don't do well grazing on grass alone, requiring significant amounts of grain in their diets to stay healthy.
Their clothing was layered, and richly decorated with intricately-patterned embroidery and tiny beads. Their leather riding boots had pointed toes and raised heels, for securely staying in the stirrup, and their long tunics had simple patterns woven into them. At this time of year, they'd added on vest-like short-sleeved coats to their outfits, and atop their heads, they wore round, flat-topped caps with fur linings. Overtop their clothing, they wore short-sleeved coats of small, articulating metal plates, and one of the two had clearly augmented his cap with an onion-like iron helmet.
And, of course, they were all well-armed, with two bows- one was a backup, they did not dual-wield bows- of orcish make, evidenced by being made from a layered composite of wood, horn, hide, and ligaments, and having a very distinctive recurve shape that gave them the power of a big ol' longbow in a much smaller package that could actually be shot from horseback; whether these bows were based on the similar-looking elven horse-bows or the other way around, the similarities very much remained, and I felt a tiny spark of kinship, as well as the weight of a long, messy, intermixing history, as, up until recently, the Mesa Verde was a friendly neighbor of the Rosewood Kingdom.
In addition to these bows, they each carried very large quivers of arrows- a smaller one hanging from one hip, and two larger ones attached to their saddles. They all carried spears, well-sized for cavalry fighting, and one of the orcs even held his in his hand rather than keeping it holstered on the saddle like the other two, who were holding their bows. And, to cap it all off, the Mage-Knight in the lead had a cavalry saber of obviously High Elven make hanging at her hip, which was in very good condition.
"I am Catherine Ironheart, Prince of the High Elves, come to aid the people of the Mesa Verde in their hour of need," I said. "Tell us what you need, and we will see it done."
The orcs exchanged looks with the Mage-Knight.
"Did you say your name was Ironheart?" the Mage-Knight asked.
"Catherine Ironheart," I repeated, nodding. "Daughter of Napoleon Ironheart and Ariel Silver. Redwater born and raised. What's your name, Cousin?"
"I... I thought only a handful of Ironhearts survived the war," she continued. "That the bloodline had nearly been lost..." She shook her head. "My name is Elana Ironheart, daughter of Joseph Ironheart and Penelope Rosepetals, and Mage-Knight of the unicorn Kelekos. And I, Cousin, am very glad to meet you. You will... you will not reciprocate this feeling, in a few hours."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"You call yourself a Prince, so I assume you have political ambitions?" Elana asked. "Well, condolences are in order, Cousin- The Hidden City will drown you in politics, and... I'm afraid I don't have a choice about bringing you there."
"What Hidden City?" I demanded. "How much longer do I have to keep peeling this fucking onion, Cousin?!"
"It wouldn't be much of a Hidden City if outsiders knew about it, would it?" Elana said, a little smugly. "Now come on, let's get moving. We've got distance to cross, and I am looking forward to the look on my father's face when I bring home a gaggle of long-lost relatives as a New Year's gift to him, as well as your face when you learn what he's been up to. It is... Well. Let's just say three hundred years is a long time, and a lot can happen in it."
I stared impassively at her for a long, wordless moment. And then, at long last, I sighed.
"Well, sure, why not?" I asked, throwing my hands up. "I didn't set out on this adventure expecting to like what I found. Hop in the van, Cousin, and we'll be off."