Dragon's Blood

Chapter 2: Darcie

Luck was anywhere but at our side as Obsidian and Sacre failed to find a suitable living space. Now, we had only two options: stay in this city under a Human Glamour, or travel to a neighboring city. Why we felt the need to stay nearby failed to show itself... For now, at least. All we knew was that we had to stay. A final check to ensure that we had all of our supplies and Glamours in order was mandatory before we left, of course. But as our fate would have it, Sacre couldn't transform. Not fully.

"I'm so sorry... I- I don't know why I can't transform..." Sacre held his head low. It wasn't like he was a full Dragon, just his tail and talons were showing. Kyrie tilted her head in thought, as did I and Obsidian. Li simply waited patiently. Suddenly, Li clapped her hands together, making the rest of us jump.

"So long as you don't move your tail, it looks like some weird... What did the Humans call it, again? Cosplay? Whatever. Just don't move your tail."

"Oh... Kay...?" Sacre now seemed to be confused, but with a shrug, he decided to go along with it.

"Li, that might actually work. So long as nothing elicits strong emotion in Sacre, we could say it's just a costume... Great thinking!" Kyrie agreed to the idea, seeming to have experience. That alone made me raise an eyebrow at her, but I would have to ask later, when we weren't about to head out in search of somewhere to stay.

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The day wore on to night, with only a few people stopping us to inquire about Sacre's appearance or take a picture with him. I suppose luck was finally showing it's face for us... In it's own way. We looked at multiple hotels and motels (or rather, the ones we could get into easily) before finally deciding to settle in the most vacant motel. It may not have been high-class and it may have been somewhat run down, but... It was far better than nothing.

Inside the room were two beds, a desk or general table built into the wall, side tables and lamps... From how Obsidian and Kyrie were acting, this seemed to be pretty standard. The warm lighting gave the room a more cozy appeal, but there was no hiding the scuff marks on the walls and floor or the stains and tears on the bedding. Li did a cursory sweep of the room to make sure there weren't any bugs or cameras, which resulted in a surprising all-clear.

"What... Is this thing?" I asked, pointing to an odd box-like object that was mounted to the wall.

"That's a television, better known as a TV. The Humans use it as a form of entertainment, and they use this-" Obsidian began to explain to me, grabbing another odd box with buttons that reminded me of a phone, "- to control it. This thing is called a remote. You really should get out more, Dragoş!" He laughed at my inexperience in the Human world. In my defense, I'm not exactly sociable... However, he has a point. I really should get to know how this world has changed. With a groan and an eyeroll, I turned on the TV, just to get caught up on whatever I seemed to be missing. As I sat on the bed, figuring out how this strange thing worked, the others went into half-glamours in an attempt to conserve magical energy. A thought struck me, and… Though I didn’t want to tell the others, I knew I had to.

“Erm… Hey, everyone? I just thought of something… We may have to blend into human society a bit more than usual. Perhaps enroll in that school that we passed by about a mile back, get a job… But only if I’m not the only one that feels this strange pull to this city.” I turned my full attention to the others, the seriousness in my voice attracting theirs in return.

“Wh- what are you saying, Dragoş?” Sacre asked, the hint of fear finding itself detectable in his voice.

“Yeah… Just what do you mean by that?” Kyrie’s voice and stance displayed confusion.

For a moment, I thought through my words. “Well… I believe the Celestial Soul is nearby. There’s just this really strange pull that I’ve been feeling to this particular area, and I don’t think it’s just because I enjoy the sights.”

Silence fell as everyone processed the idea.

“You… Are our leader. Whatever you choose to do, we will follow.” Obsidian was the first to break the silence. As he spoke, he put a fist over his heart and knelt down… A gesture I haven’t seen any of them do in a very long time. It was a simple one, really, but the meaning behind it meant so much more: loyalty, trust, and belief. I didn’t know how to respond as I watched them all, one by one, make the same gesture.

It was decided, then. Within the week, we’d go to the school, check it out, and if any of us felt the Celestial Soul's pull, we’d all start a far more extensive search there. Of course, if we didn’t, we’d just find ourselves roaming around in glamour… Er… Then again, maybe we should hold off until we find an actual shelter!

As everyone wound down for the night, I lowered the volume on the TV. I really had missed a lot this past century, given all the news channels I had stumbled upon… And with that thought, I shook my head to clear it. I had to come up with a plan! How were we supposed to stay undercover for what I felt would be an extended period of time? I suppose I could make a charm… But would I be able to find everything I'd need?

After a restless night, I decided to get up, try to find the materials I'd need for a Glamour charm. The list was simple, just a little bit of wood, a little bit of magic… But to shape the wood, I’d need a various a sundry of tools. There’s also the issue of what types of wood are available to me… I shouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure I can find everything I need! Of course I needed money, so I took the amount that I saw fit out of our stash. $350 should do the trick, right? I certainly hope so. With that, I set off, into the world I’d grown so distant from and unsure of. Alone.

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“Excuse me, where could I-” Another unhelpful Human. Why wouldn’t anyone help me…? From everything that I’d heard from the others, I expected different results! I should’ve known that I had gotten my hopes too high. And so, with a heavy and agitated sigh, I blocked everyone out and made my way to the only store that looked like it would have everything I needed; the Home Depot.

It was here that I found out that the world really had changed. Did everything rely on electricity…? Just how lazy had Humans gotten this past century?! Either way, I knew I had to find my way to wherever the wood was… This store reeked of it, after all. I found my way through the labeled aisles, gathering the tools I felt would be perfect, and finally found the perfect piece of wood. Well… 2 pieces. Walnut and Alder wood. I couldn't decide which would be better.

Upon making my way back to the motel, I noticed there seemed to be a small crowd gathering at the window to the room next to ours. “What’s going on…?” I murmured to myself as I let my curiosity get the better of me. Cautiously, I approached the the crowd, straining to get just a peek in the window. I almost dropped the bags from the shock of what I saw: A young female being slapped around over and over by a much older looking male.

“Did anyone call 911?!”

“Should we break down the door?”

“Someone stop him!”

The voices around me began to mix as I thought through the situation at hand. It would be effortless to interrupt the abuse, but… Was it ok for me to do that? I had to do something…! After weighing my options and realizing no one else was going to jump in and stop that brute, I set down my bags and rushed the door. It gave way easily, and as soon as the male heard the crashing thud of the door he looked straight at me, his raised fist still poised to hit the female’s bloody face. “The hell d’ya think yer doin’?” He was drunk… Yet the room didn’t smell of alcohol at all. “Git outta here! Ain’t nothin’ t’do with you!”

“I beg your pardon? A man should NEVER hit a woman!” A voice came from behind me, I turned to see Kyrie and Li enter the room. I stepped aside, the barely conscious female finally being let go by the drunkard and crawling to the nearest corner. The male had a cocky arrogance to him now as he stared at Kyrie… It was obvious what he was thinking.

“Weeeeell. Looky here!” He came up to Kyrie, putting his hand on the door frame. He opened his mouth to say something else…

And a loud bang resounded in the room.

Li hadn’t done anything, and neither had Kyrie… I looked over to where the other female should have been. She was holding a gun, pointed towards her attacker. But this gun was not one that I’ve ever seen before. I looked back at the male and saw what looked like purple paint splattered all over him, seeming to start from the neck, a look of shock frozen on his face as he collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain. “What… Did you do?” I turned my attention back to the female.

“I just gave you guys an escape…” Her voice was subdued, no doubt an effect of the lashing she just took. Her dyed, faded mauve hair covered her eyes as she curled herself up into a ball. “... Go.”

“Not without you. I can’t just leave you here with that drunkard!” I walked around to the other side of the bed, extending my hand towards her, but careful not to get too close.

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

“But-”

“We won’t hurt you.” Li’s voice cut through the air like her talons would through meat. “That fool, however, will if you stay. Please, at least get out of this room.” The human female sat in silence, not moving. She seemed to be considering Li’s words… And after a while she sighed heavily and lifted her face towards us, revealing bloody lips and bruises all over her paled, russet-toned face. Her left eye was swollen shut and it appeared there was a cut on her eyebrow, no doubt from the man’s wedding band, and without realizing what I was doing… I carefully reached down to touch her face, to take her pain away as best I could. But when she flinched away, I withdrew, wondering what had just come over me.

With a curious look, Kyrie walked past me and helped the female up. It seemed she simply didn’t want a male presence around… Understandable. I sat on the bed and waited for Kyrie and Li to safely get the human out of here. As I sat there, I began to question staying in this human form. It was making me too sympathetic to the kind that killed my parents… Yet I had only been like this for just over 48 hours. Something wasn’t adding up, but it was the only explanation I had as to why I wished to take the pain away from a human. Shaking my head, I stood and began to walk out the door. However, I heard a grunt from the man laying on his back on the floor in a drunken confusion. At the sight of how pathetic he was, I scoffed and gave him a swift kick to his most sensitive area (do I even need to say it?) before leaving.

I had almost forgotten the bags if some elderly human hadn’t stopped me. “What you did was good. Surely you are in God’s graces!” He praised me. “Here, I hope I got everything back in the bags… What are you working on, sonny?” I smiled at his curiosity, but shook my head.

“Thank you, kind sir, but it’s only a school project. Nothing special.” I lied as I took the bags from his wrinkled hands. He stood straighter when I took them… And reminded me how weak humans really were.

“Well! I best let you go on your way then!” The old man smiled crookedly and laughed before waving goodbye and walking towards an elderly woman, presumably his wife, who also waved at me. I nodded at them before turning around and entering “my” room. I thought I was done with dealing with humans for the day, but it seemed Kyrie and Li had other plans.

On the bed closest to the door, I saw the female sitting, trying her best not to cry, but failing to keep a few stray tears inside. “She has nowhere else to go…” Kyrie looked up at me as she continued to try comforting the stranger. She spoke softly, likely not even realizing it. “Dragoş, there has to be something we can do…”

There was. But it was something that I’d been intending to avoid.

The only thing I could think to do was to use magic on her, to heal her enough so she could go out into the light of day without being questioned mercilessly. “... No.” It took so much for me to deny the female that kind of help, but I couldn’t risk her finding out about us. I could already feel the disapproval of the others as I set the bags on the table, keeping my eyes fixated to the ground. I didn’t want to look at them. No... I straight up couldn't look at them.

“Please, you’ve helped me more than enough.” The purple haired human spoke up. “All I need is an ice pack, really…” She smiled weakly, and with that, I went back to staring at the floor. Could I really just let her be like that? I thought back to when I tried healing her just moments ago. It was doubtful she’d let me near her. But should I try…?

Kyrie’s voice interrupted my internal debate. “No, that won’t be necessary. You see, we-”

“-Have make-up for you to use!” I cut in.

“Er… Really? I don’t think it’ll hide this…” The female pointed to her black eye.

“Oh, right… Um… Sorry to ask this now, but what is your name…?” Well, that could’ve gone better.

“Darcie, though I don’t see why that matters now.”

“Ah. Ms. Darcie, will you allow me near you? You flinched away earlier, and I would rather you not be frightened in any way…” I was really going to do this. For some reason, I just felt compelled to help her, and it drowned out every sense of reason I may have had at the time. Why did I want this so badly?

Darcie looked as if she was about to cry, but nodded anyway. I motioned to Kyrie to take one of her hands as I moved towards them. I took the injured female’s free hand and the second that I did, I felt it. A true power yet to be realized lay inside her heart… It almost felt like… “A Dragon…?!” I couldn’t contain my shock as I dropped her hand and fell back. Darcie jumped back, looking offended, as if she could hear my thoughts. Kyrie tilted her head quizically at my reaction. Had she not felt it? Maybe it was just my imagination… “Er… Pardon my outburst. I just felt that you were stronger than I had imagined... And from where I’m from, we call our strongest ‘Dragons’.” I bowed my head apologetically as I once again took her hand, hoping that she believed my lie. But I felt it again… Was she another Dragon that had been in Glamour for too long? There were times that we felt as if we were turning into humans due to the extreme use of Glamour magic… Either way, it was obvious to me at least that she was an important part of everything.

I closed my eyes, focusing on her pain and taking it away. I could feel Kyrie’s healing energy come in as soon as her pain was gone, truly fixing all that was wrong externally as well as emotionally. Our hands grew warm and I knew they were glowing a dim, pastel green light when Darcie gasped. For just a brief moment, I felt something else resonate within Darcie, as if a natural response to our magic. However, I had to push it to the back of my mind as Kyrie and I finished our healing.

Once I opened my eyes again, I saw that our guest was both amazed and terrified. “Wha- How did you- What?!” Darcie was unable to figure out what to ask, it seemed, as she felt her face. Where her eye had been swollen shut, she wasn’t even slightly bruised. The cut had disappeared with no trace of even a scar. Perhaps the most notable change, however, was the newfound sparkle of life in her eyes. More than ever I felt a pull towards her… And yet I pushed it back as well I could at the time. She got up slowly, the realization that she truly was all better slowly sinking in more and more. We all watched as she moved to the mirror on the bathroom door and put her hand over her mouth when she saw her reflection. The reddish-brown tones in her skin glowed with health, her golden, honey eyes tearing up from happiness or confusion… I wasn’t quite sure which. “How is this possible…?” Her voice was no louder than a whisper, yet we all heard her. Kyrie was the first to respond.

“Would you believe magic?” I shot Kyrie a glance, hoping to convey to her that she shouldn’t go any further than that. Her response was to smile and roll her eyes as if to say ‘I’m not stupid, Dragoş.’

“Well… I don’t know. But thank you for helping me. How much do I owe you?” She turned toward us, reaching toward her back pocket, probably to get some money out.

“Oh, no, we don’t need anything really!” Kyrie stopped her, waving her hand dismissively at the thought.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Although, you may want to start heading home. It’s starting to get pretty late.” Obsidian spoke from the corner he had been in, his arms crossed.

“Oh, um, ok… Yeah, I probably should get going… But I don’t think I caught any of your names. Can I know who helped me?” A sheepish look crossed her face as she asked for our names. Kyrie was the first to introduce herself, followed by Li, Obsidian, Sacre and myself. With a nod and a smile at each of our names, Darcie repeated them once we had finished, as if to confirm the pronunciation. With that being done she gave her reflection one last glance before waving and walking out of the room. “Thanks again! Maybe we’ll run into each other again?” With a final smile, she truly was gone. Although... Out of protective curiosity, I decided to peek out the window.

Darcie walked back to where we had run into her, the room across the parking lot, and nudged the man on the floor awake from what must've been a drunken slumber. As soon as he stirred even just the tiniest bit, she jolted straight up and took a step back to avoid him. I heard him say something, and that's when I decided to take a listen by enhancing my sense of hearing.

"Come on, Dad. Mom's waiting for us. Let's just... Go home. Or do you want me to leave you here like last time?" Darcie crossed her arms and stood defensively away from him. I really wasn't that surprised that the drunkard was her father... It was too hard to imagine them having any other relation.

"Meh... Dars. Jus' go tell yer momma not ta wait up fer me..." Her father grumbled with a dismissive waive of his hand before seeming to go right back to sleep on the concrete.

With a sigh, Darcie grabbed his arms and dragged him inside the room. "At least try to sleep of the alcohol somewhere safe, wouldn't ya?" Was the last thing I heard before I turned my hearing back to that of a normal human. I continued to watch, however. Just to make sure she was safe. When I saw her leave the room, I noted that she had the odd gun-looking thing with her and a backpack. Was she a student, perhaps? Regardless, I knew I had to stop watching her.

So I retreated back into our room, explained what I witnessed to the others, and went back to trying to catch up on human technology.

Still, though… All the thoughts I had pushed back rushed to the front of my mind once again. Just what was Darcie’s story? Why did I feel such a pull to her? Who was she?