Mourning Glory

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. Now we go to school there. It’d been neutral territory during the war among the dragon-mages, so it seemed like a good location to try and bridge the gap. The queens then had to send out some trusted, not likely to kill each other dragon-mages to remove the noma. After that those dragon-mages became professors and were responsible for building Dracaena Academy. The whole idea was that raising the once warring tribes together might start healing the rifts. By the time we start at the Academy, we pretty much have a handle on changing between human and dragon forms, but flying and other magics are still unexplored until that first year. I kind of miss that. The complete joy of the first successful flight or spell. Today is the first day of my last year. Of course, if Mother doesn’t stop sending me on piddly errands, I am going to be late. I grab the linens she sent me after and rush back to our quarters. Mother is in the solar when I arrive.

“Finally. Here,” she takes my load. “Did you get your supply sheet and enrollment papers?”

“Relax Calla,” Daddy says, drawing our attention. He smiles, leaning against the jamb that separates the solar from the dining area. I grin and go to hug him. “This is her seventh year at Dracaena. I’m sure she knows how it works.” He returns my hug. “Hey, Baby,” he says softly.

“I am only trying to make sure she is prepared.”

“Really? While you’ve had her running all over this castle, Glory has already left. She had to take another guard. You haven’t forgotten that Zinny isn’t just going to the Academy to learn, have you?” His voice sounds pleasant enough, but there’s that sharp undercurrent that always accompanies any conversation between my parents.

“Of course not! I know she’s the Princess’s guard, but she is still a child herself.” Having been a handful when I was younger, Daddy had suggested I train with the guards to keep me busy. I’d excelled though, and since I was Glory’s best friend, being her guard was natural.

Mother looks at me and seems to forget whatever else she may have wanted to say. She throws down the linens and stalks out of the room. Daddy turns to me.

“I’ll apologize, but you’d better be on your way.” He hugs me again. “Love you. Look after your sister, okay?” he whispers.

“Yeah,” I reply, surprised. He almost never references the fact that Glory is his daughter too. Maybe that was more for my mother’s sake. I pull back. “Well, I’d better get my things.” I head for my rooms and grab my backpack. Expansion charms are great. I’ve got loads of books from previous years already stored away. I dig around in the pocket where I keep my flight gear just to make sure I have it all and didn’t leave anything on the castle training grounds. I am no good at charms, but Glory fixed this one up for me. She said it was a gift for getting her through the first three years of P.E. Our skills are pretty complementary, but it can be annoying to have to depend on each other for little things. I pull out a long wing guard. The bag’s pockets are much larger than they appear, so it takes me a minute to drag out all the guards. The face guard is pretty rough, but the rest is in good shape. I put it all back in and sling the backpack over my shoulder. Even better than the expanded space, I can only feel a fraction of the weight. I give my bed chamber a last look. It’s simple. The best quality materials make my furniture, but the whole thing is a bit austere. It’s a good place to be alone. Most of the time I relish being able to bring honor and glory to my tribe. I am proud of my position. Still, sometimes it’s a lot. Sometimes I want something simple. I want something for myself. When I officially became Glory’s personal guard, I swore that I would always put her needs before mine. That promise guides nearly everything I do. When I struggle, like with potions and charms, I worry that will stop me from being what Glory needs. Sometimes I wonder if those things are even necessary for a guard. I shake off my thoughts. I won’t have much privacy at school. Glory and I are roommates. Even here I stay with her most of the time. We hatched the same day and have scarcely been apart since. I need to catch up to her. I hurry from the room and out of the castle. I wonder which guard is with her. I think of some of the other guards. Most are older, but she is probably traveling with one our age. Glory is a bit shy. She’s probably uncomfortable. I smile to myself as I imagine one of the young male guards just being polite while the princess blushes and gets flustered. Sorrel’s in our year, so maybe he’s with her. It could be Ash though. During the war, training started early. Now, during the uneasy peace, young soldiers were a little rarer—but not much. I catch myself just in time to stop before crossing the barrier. A glamor spell hides the grounds of our tribe, Elmara. The entire territory is contained and protected from the eyes of the noma. Those humans had persecuted magical creatures to the brink of extinction. It’s imperative to keep our existence secret. They’re the whole reason we have human forms now. I look out to see if any people wonder about the countryside. The grass is damp and the sky gray. Less noma will be out, but I still need to be cautious. Determining it’s clear, I step past the glamor and head northwest. The valley where Dracaena Academy is located is cloaked by a similar spell, but before that, I need to go get my supplies. I am pretty sure Glory will have gone to the familiar shop first. Students are allowed a single pet, but the queen had never consented to one in the castle. It didn’t stop Glory from looking though.

I can’t move as fast in front of the noma, but it doesn’t take me too long to get to town. I pass by the run-down houses and buildings to an old stone house. When I am sure no one watches, I walk around back and pull a wand from my backpack. The history books say that the original dragons could wield untold magic with nothing but a thought. That couldn’t save them from the nomas though, and they made a deal with the wizards. The magical pact that resulted in us being dragon-human shape-shifters with no known old-world dragons or wizards left. The pact also made us rely on spells and magical tools, at least for some things, like opening a hidden portal door to a street lined with magic shops. I draw a doorway with my wand, which causes the gray stones to glow. I glance around again to make sure no one is watching. I don’t want to have to alter any memories. I’m not good at that either. It’s still clear. I step through the wall and onto Dragon’s Way.

A lot of students are already filling the street. I step forward and look back at the yellow brick building behind me. It has black trim and looks very clean, but it is only a portal connected to the gray house. Open the door, and you just see gray rock. Even after studying glamor spells and charms for six years, I still don’t understand how they work. Glory says I only understand physical magic because I have no imagination. I turn back to the crowd and start looking for the princess. To my right is a robe shop for those that like to dress traditionally. At school, we have uniforms but can elect to have school robes. I think they are a silly wizard-era holdover. It’s not uncommon for students to dress in them and go trick nomas on Halloween. The Lavender banner hanging from the shop sign indicates it is run by Rowana dragon-mages. A dark green banner on the caldron's shop proclaims its allegiance to Oakenalla. Here we are encouraged to do business with those of other tribes. That doesn’t always work out. Up ahead a vermilion banner and a blue banner hang only a couple yards apart, and in front of those shops, an argument is escalating. A crowd gathers. I just make out Sorrel’s head as he tries to get away from the mass before a fight breaks loose. I can’t see Glory. She’s too small, but I’m sure Sorrel has a hold on her and is escorting her away. He wouldn’t be concerned about a fight if our princess was not near. I pick up my pace. I don’t want to draw attention, so I refrain from running. I slip past the crowd and see the end of Glory’s golden hair as she slips into the wand shop. She doesn’t need a wand, but I expect Sorrel wants to cut through the shop to Drake’s Passage. I step through the shop door. It is owned by an Elmala man, so we are pretty safe here.

“Glory, Sorrel,” I say at a normal volume.

“Zinny!” Glory calls and comes rushing back from behind a shelf. She’s wearing dull green, different from our tribe color. She is trying not to stand out by wearing the darker color. Sorrel follows. His reddish-brown hair is cut short and almost matches his burgundy jerkin. He sort of grimaces when he sees me and then smiles sheepishly. Glory has closed the distance between us and pulls me into a tight hug. She’s a good seven inches shorter than me and has to look up, “Did you see the fight? Were they really fighting? Do you think they’ll have to move their shops? I was so frightened.” I laugh at her rapid-fire questions.

“Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll take care of you,” Sorrel puts a hand on her shoulder as he reassures her. Glory looks down and blushes.

“I don’t know if it came to blows or just stayed a yelling match. As for the rest, you’re the princess. You should have a better idea of policy than I do. If they have to move shops, that’s for the queens to decide. I don’t know the consequences for business owners fighting.”

“Well, it’s expulsion at school to have inter-tribal fights, and you might get permanently expelled,” Sorrel says. That’s the only model I know to go off of. I just follow orders. Then Sorrel addresses me, “Sorry, Zinnia. I tried to get her out as soon as I could.” He doesn’t want me to think he failed to protect her. Well, I didn’t trust anyone to do a better job than me, but Sorrel is as good as any of the others.

“You can’t control what other people do,” I say to him. Then I turn back to my charge,

“Are you ready to get our school supplies?”

“Well, actually, we’ve gotten everything except Divination and Flight Training supplies. I know your schedule, so I just got the other things,” Glory says.

“And here I thought you’d spent all this time in Floran Familars.”

“And Fencing,” Sorrel adds. I look back to him. “You’ll be in Fencing too, right?”

“Of course,” I say. Fencing is an extracurricular at Dracaena Academy. We aren’t supposed to be training to be soldiers, but everyone knows the war could break out again. The school is supposed to foster trust among the younger generation, but we still prepare for a time when that fails, just under the guise of fun. Of course, I think it is fun, and there’s a lot of honor and respect in it.

“I forgot about that, but we can get that at Sports Unlimited when we get the flight equipment.”

“Yeah,” I say. “I don’t need much. I can still use my stuff from last year, but a new face guard for both forms and a better sword belt would be good.” Fencing for us is a little rougher than that the noma’s practiced, and my face guards were in pretty bad shape. We head out the side door and loop around Drake’s Passage, a narrow ally, back to Dragon’s Way. When we reached Sports Unlimited, we take in the huge displays. Here they sell everything for every sport a person could think of, magical and non-magical. It is my favorite shop, but I don’t want to stay too long. I’d gotten us running late already. I pass the floating earth disks that are really fun to launch at each other if a person has earth magic—which I do. I’d made Sorrel cry when I first convinced him to play against me. He has fire magic, and he couldn’t block the earth disk before it clunked him in the face. I think he was mostly embarrassed. Still, he wouldn’t go for a second round. I make it to the face guard and grab one, checking the fitting.

“Don’t want to mess up that pretty face,” an infuriatingly familiar voice makes my stomach flip. I pull down the guard and turn to see Reed, a Floran drake. He grins, his over-sized left incisor slightly extended past his bottom lip. That’s always the first thing I notice. Because it’s my fault. Of course he’d make a comment about protecting my face. Why did he have to be here right now?

“Hello, Reed,” I say and turn back to my shopping. I have no desire to converse with him. He leans on the rack holding the guards. He’s way too close, but I don’t back up. I know he’s just trying to get under my skin.

“Hello, Princess,” he whispers. He’s the only person who calls me that. Just another reminder of the day I lied and make me feel guilty. I’m not a princess. Glory’s my half sister. It’s her mother Azalea who is queen. My mother is the queen’s servant.

“Reed,” another voice distracts the drake. I look back to see Zephyr. He’s one of Reed’s friends, but he’s much less annoying. “Queen Iris is ready to depart,” he says formally. Reed sighs and looks back down at me.

“Guess we’ll have to continue this conversation later.” He walks past Zephyr to find his queen. Iris is our age, but her mother died a few years ago, making the young girl a full queen.

“Sorry to bother you, Zinnia,” Zephyr says. I smile at him. We’ve never been friends, but he’s always been kind, if a little anxious at times.

“You don’t bother me,” I say. I know he’s Reed’s friend, and I hope that he doesn’t feel as though I’ve insulted the other drake too badly. He chuckles, though he doesn’t seem amused, more like he’s troubled.

“He can’t help himself. For some reason flirting with someone who says ‘no’ is too much fun for him.” He leaves. I don’t think Reed’s flirting with me. I think he wants to constantly remind me of the lie I told, but since Reed does flirt with pretty much anything that breathes, it’s not surprising Zephyr would come to that conclusion. I shake off the encounter and turn back to select my face guard. Glory and Sorrel are both watching me. After six years of Reed’s antics, they should be used to it.

“What?” I ask. They look away and continue gathering the supplies they need. Soon we leave and head for Fortune’s Favor. I have never been in the shop, but the school supply list recommends it for Divination. I can’t believe I’m taking that class. What a waste. Anyway, we enter the shop, and I try not to get overwhelmed by the drapes and crystal balls and the awful incense that would irritate me even if I were only a noma. My dragon-enhanced nose burns immediately. How can a dragon spend any time with this stuff? I pick up a teacup, wondering what that has to do with anything.

“Look at this,” Glory says. I turn to see her holding up a wheel-like object with moving parts. It’s bright gold in color, but I can smell the cheaper metal.

“What is it?” I ask. Sorrel takes it.

“Clearly it is meant to tell the future.”

“Which is?” Glory asks. I hope she doesn’t actually believe he can tell the future from some fancy toy. Sorrel grins and holds it up, pretending to study the little markings etched into it.

“That Zinnia will go on a date with Reed.” I huff and roll my eyes and check my list,

“In his dreams.” Sorrel laughs. Glory doesn’t respond, so I wonder if she does believe in future-telling. I go to the back of the store where the books are and grab the text. Sorrel finds me a star-chart while I get the secondary text Global Comparisons of Prophecy. We take the merchandise to the counter where I pay. Finally, it is time to leave. My head is about to explode from the smell.

Out in the open we pack away any unusual items so that when we cross the threshold of the glamor spell, the noma won’t think anything of it. We head along Dragon’s Way until the barrier ends at a building much like the one I entered, but this one has red brick. Past that we arrive inside an empty house. This gives us time to watch and make sure it is clear before we walk out into the noma’s world. I set a brisk pace, anxious to spread my wings and get to school. I soon feel a tingle and the hair on my arms rises, signifying that I have passed through the barrier. I grin and swipe back a sand-colored lock of hair before transforming. It’s almost instant. The wings sprouting from my back and the horns growing from my head sting a little, but it is natural, more like stretching after getting stiff. I leap into the air, beating my wings and give a joyful roar. As much as I love my parents and my queen, there’s a freedom and lessening of responsibility at school. I look down and see Glory and Sorrel transforming. Glory’s gold and vermilion colors are striking, and as a dragon it is even more noticeable that she is smaller than most (well, any excepting herself) queen dragons. She doesn’t like to be in public in her dragon form for this reason, but she’s so pretty and loves to fly as much as anyone. Sorrel is a dull red color, but next to Glory he seems a little brighter. They spread their wings and launch into the sky. We fly over the lush grass. The wind moves gently under my wings, holding me up.

As the castle that serves as our school comes into view, we glide a little lower. The seven colored banners representing the seven tribes hang along the large rectangular base. The castle was built to house up to 1000 dragon-mages. While most of the inner rooms are designed only for the human forms, the halls and some rooms can hold dozens of dragons. As a dragon, my back stands about as high as a tall horse’s, but the largest of our teachers, Professor Spud, in his dragon form is nearly twice as tall. Our dragon forms don’t stop growing until we are in our mid-twenties. Accounting for all that bulk made dragon castles tower over the noma variety, and since Dracaena Academy was designed to hold even more, the massive structure was a wonder. I remember my first year, as a just over five feet, twelve-year-old girl, the intimidation of standing before such a structure. Glory had only been about four and a half feet tall. She’d been terrified at first. I shake out of my reverie as the tower with our house banner comes into view. The towers shoot high into the sky, each labeled with a tribal banner, but here we call them “houses.” It’s supposed to help lessen the tension brought on by centuries of tribal warfare. The banners designate the the location each tribe or house will reside in. The castle is not only massive, but the construction so convoluted that I am unsure of about half of it from the inside. As I look at the green flag emblazoned with the Elmala crest, I think about how this will be my seventh and final year sleeping in the tower. The though saddens me a little. I’m not sure what kind of life I will have to face. I’ll always be Glory’s guard. I’ll be her friend and servant. How will our duties change though? I shake off these thoughts. I don’t know the answer. When we get close to the entrance, I unfold my wings and feel the air push against the membranes. The pressure forces me to stop, yanking on my wings. I settle next to the a pair of fellow Elmala students and change back into my human form. They nod politely to Glory. The doors to the castle are not open yet, and a hoard of young dragon-mages are gathering. The three of us make our way closer to the brightly adorned castle. I look up at the blue Hydranga banner closest to us. I’m distracted when a big black dragon with red and gold markings lands next to me. Next to him is his young lavender Queen. They transform. Iris stands proudly, looking ahead with her long brown hair hanging behind, not a bit ruffled. Reed, on the other hand, grins mischievously, swiping back his bright red forelock so that it meets with the black hair that covers most of his head. He’s one of the few dragon-mages who can’t fully pass as a noma. He has to use some kind of glamor spell to keep them from noticing the tooth, the scarlet hair, and even more striking, his scarlet eyes.

“Hello, Princess," he says. I ignore him. Gloria's blushing and looking down, but the Floran guard is talking to me. His tooth catches my eye again. I try to avoid looking. "Don't be like that Zinnia. How are you? We didn’t have a chance to catch up earlier.” A frustrated or maybe tired sigh comes from his left. He turns to his queen.

“Perhaps you should politely address the actual princess before you flirt with her guard."

Glory and I both blush.

"My apologies," Reed says and takes Glory's hand, kissing the back of it. I see Zephyr roll his eyes and turn away as Reed continues, "Greetings, Princess Glory. How was your summer?" Glory pulls back and stammers, too flustered to really answer. I resist the urge to hit him. He's a guard too, and if we fight, it won't be pretty. Also, we'd both be expelled. I step between them instead while Sorrel puts a hand on Glory’s shoulder "You're all so silly. No need to be so serious and overreact."

"You have no manners," I reply.

“I was perfectly polite."

“No, you're,” I pause and try to think of a word, “suggestive."

“Of what, Princess?" his tone becomes sharp as he uses his nickname for me. His politeness is a facade. I know this. He just wants to get on my nerves.

“Please, you two, the year hasn't even begun," Iris replies tiredly. I grab Glory’s arm and pull her around to the side of the moving mass of students. Sorrel follows. I try my best to ignore the Floran dragon-mages.

"I know the Florans are more open about relationships, but he is…" Sorrell struggles to find the right word.

"Insufferable?" I suggest. Sorrel laughs.

"He’s not so bad," Glory says. She's blushing again as she looks up at us, her hands gripping each other. “I mean, he does flirt a lot," she looks down," but it's worse around you.” She looks back up at me. “And the arguing, that's you too," she tells me. I just grumbled. I hope she doesn't think the guy has a crush on me. I can't tell her what happened when we were kids. I can't tell her that he’s getting revenge. A slow forever type of revenge that may only lessen when we graduate and I don't have to see him again. Before anything else is said, the mass of kids part for Professor Sage. The old man steps out onto the steps leading to the main entrance.

"Greetings. Welcome, students. Please allow me to give you some instructions. Leave your luggage in the designated area of the entry hall. It will be taken to your rooms. If you have questions Professors Yarrow and Henbit will be available. Make your way to the Great Hall in an orderly fashion. Sit at your house tables." He moves aside, and we heed his words. We enter the castle a bit slowly. The professors are there directing students to the Great Hall and pointing out where to leave belongings. They reassure the terrified first years that their things will be taken care of and that they will be just fine. Inside the Great Hall are long rows of tables. The seven tribes sit separately. The designated place for the crown princess or Queen, should one be attending Dracaena, is at the back of the room, opposite the professor’s table. These are the chairs closest to the doors. As Glory’s guard, I sit to her right on the long side of the table with Elmala banners handing over it. Sorrel sits across from me. More and more students file in and take their seats. Ash sits next to Sorrel while Daisy sits next to me. Posy is a few seats down, but she starts trying to get Ash’s attention. The volume in the hall rises to a painful degree, but everyone is so excited that it is easy enough to ignore the discomfort.

The doors shut loudly behind Glory, and we all instinctively turn towards the sound. Professors Henbit and Yarrow make their way around to the front table where the other teachers are setting. Professor Roots helps Henbit up onto the dais where the table sits. Both professors are fairly plump women. Professor Henbit is from Elmala, but Professor Roots is from Rowana. She teaches history, my favorite bookish subject. Professor Sage stands and comes around the long table to address the whole school.

“Greetings again. Do hope we will have a wonderful year. I have a few announcements before supper will be served. First, some ground rules for the first years. You are not to leave school grounds without permission, no exceptions. No unauthorized magic is to be used in class. Some of you older students may have conveniently forgotten that, so let me say it again: no unauthorized magic usage in class. There is no fighting allowed. We understand that disagreements will occur, but if we feel the safety or the sanctity of this school is threatened, you will be expelled. There are various competitive sports and activities that you may elect to participate in. Flightball, Diskcrash, Fencing, and many others may encourage competitiveness, but you must refrain from violent venting. If you need help adjusting, please speak with Councilor Ivy.

“Now, there has also been a change, an addition of sorts. All of those rules still apply while you are at this school, even more so now that the queens have decided that there is still a need for an Empress to rule over the seven tribes." The tension in the room almost chokes me. We aren’t going back to war, right? He just talked about not fighting. But he specified “while you are at this school.” Does that mean when I leave, I will be in danger? I can’t imagine it. Protecting Glory now is one thing. Protecting her during war…Could I do it? My stomach flips. I feel sick. I’m glad we haven’t eaten yet. I look at Glory. She looks horrified.

“Did you know about this?” I whisper. She shakes her head. Across from me, Sorrel is looking down at his hands folded on the table. Behind him, at the next table, Reed is looking straight at me. His face is one of shock and fear. Mine must look the same. We were sworn to protect different charges, but if it came down to it, no matter how much he annoyed me, I couldn’t imagine killing someone I’d been in class with for the last six years. Someone who had once saved my life.