Chapter 12

Elena woke the following morning to find Jame sleeping soundly behind her. She had gone to bed very late, so he had crept in sometime after she fell asleep without waking her. Rolling over, she pushed back his hair and kissed his forehead, but he remained stationary. With the adage about tickling sleeping dragons buzzing in her mind, she reached down to lightly brush her fingers up his bare side, receiving no more than a sigh in response. It would seem this particular dragon could sleep through a light assault and was immune to tickling.

Giving up, she pushed herself out of bed and went out to meet Rowena, who was ready with breakfast, even though it was just after dawn. After food came a luxurious scented bath, followed by dressing, followed by hours spent sitting patiently while Rowena carefully curled, pinned, and plaited her hair. Truth be told, the dress was even finer than the first; done in frothy white fabric with glittering golden embroidery. The overall effect gave her a distinctly ethereal quality as though she were floating rather than walking.

Jame roused himself just as they were putting on the finishing touches. His eyes widened as he took her in and she couldn't help but blush. It was an odd habit she had begun to develop and was hoping to quash as soon as possible. Before he could give her his insight, though, Rowena instructed him to sit and eat his own meal.

"Did you speak to Master Rubo or Lord Sotsona?" Elena couldn't help asking as she patiently allowed Rowena to fuss over her.

"Your Lord and his daughter were already on the road. I met them and explained. They should be at the castle by nightfall," he informed her over bites of toast. After that, he pushed forward a square, wrapped package that she hadn't noticed sitting on the table.

"The mirror?" Rowena interjected knowingly. She moved forward and removed the cloth, examining the round surface set in a lovely square frame for any hint of flaws or imperfections. After a moment, she seemed satisfied and nodded, moving over to set it inside an intricately carved lacquer casket.

With a sinking feeling, Elena realized there was nothing else to do. She was ready. The mirror was ready. Jame was finishing his last bite. In just a short time, this would all be over. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought when she set out from home that she would have an adventure like this. She didn't even know if she believed these kinds of adventures existed three days ago. Before she knew it, Jame was in front of her, taking her hand and thanking Rowena as he pulled her toward the door. The older woman kissed her and wished her well before placing a cloak around her shoulders and the casket in her hands. Numbly, Elena thanked her, hoping the pitying light in her eyes was just her imagination.

"Are you ready to fly?" Jame asked suddenly. She looked up to find him grinning irrepressibly down at her.

Forcing a smile, she nodded and was caught up in his arms. For a moment, it sounded like all the air around them was being sucked in, then they exploded upwards, shooting forward as Elena buried her face in his shirt. In what seemed like no time at all, they had reached the castle.

"How do you fly without wings?" Elena asked breathlessly as he held her steady on her feet.

For some reason, Jame seemed to think this was very funny. "I will myself to fly. I don't need wings to do it."

She shook her head, afraid to listen more lest he start making sense. Her heart was skipping around uncomfortably as she turned to take in the massive edifice for the first time. "You're gonna be brilliant, you know. No need to feel scared," he reassured her quietly, slipping his arms around her waist and settling his chin on her shoulder as he followed her gaze.

"Are you coming with me?" she asked meekly.

"No. This is where I leave you. But I have a present for you." A necklace dropped around her throat and she reached to touch it as he worked the clasp. It was bright silver, worked to look like the wind blowing toward a blue-tinged opal in the center. It was beautiful. "There's this too."

He pressed a handkerchief into her palm. Quizzically, she unfolded it to find three palm-sized, glistening scales, each shaped like a diamond. "They're mine. If you ever need me, just drop it and I'll come."

Her eyes clouded with tears as she closed her hand around the gift. "You're really going, aren't you?"

"This isn't my world, Elena. I don't belong here," he told her quietly, the pleasant smile he'd kept up all morning melting from his face.

Taking a breath, she looked up and asked, "But what about me? You don't want to be with me?"

Deliberately, he put his hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead. It was a moment she didn't need to be clairvoyant to understand. She already knew. Whether they wanted to be together or not was not important. They couldn't be together.

He rested his forehead against hers, touching her face, her neck, her shoulders. Breathing her in. Memorizing her face. Finally, he kissed her as gently as possible, so that she didn't realize until she opened her eyes that he was already gone.