Three Stars

Dragana POV

All I wanted to do was to leave this place. I did not know how to approach the subject of a dagger with my great grandfather Solomon, not sure if I were to tell him about the odd feeling I had about Lord Cazima either. Based on what I heard, Solomon too was a monster, castrating young boys for his own needs and reasons. I was not sure what possible justification he could provide for his cruelty, and if he would even tell me the truth. Insecurity and fear started creeping up and almost suffocating me. What did he want from me??? Things may not be as they seem, I thought to myself.



Cybela was still roaring in the background, her thunderous growls echoing everywhere, and even without seeing her, I could tell she was likely a terrifying dragon. “She is calling for you Dragana, she wants to meet you”, Solomon turned around looking at me. “We do not have to go if you do not want to”, he continued observing my obvious discomfort. Another roar, almost a cry, broke the silence between us. I felt a pull towards that cry, as if some invisible bond dragged me towards it, yet I was petrified of seeing an actual dragon. I heard and read about them, but never seen one in my life. “She will not hurt you, and besides, I am going with you”, Solomon said, cupping my face with his hands. I simply nodded.



We made a way through a wall of evergreen flowers blooming dusty pink flowers and slowly came upon a huge clearing, in which lay a stunning, shimmering lake. Its emerald, green waters glistened in the sun, water lilies covering the front end of it as far as the eye can see. On the other side of the lake stood the most terrifying creature I ever laid my eyes on. She was sitting down on the ground, her large, scaled tail wrapping around the portion of the lake. Her purple scales were shinning under the beams of sun, sparkling golden almost. She was a massive creature, and even when sitting down she was easily forty or fifty feet up in the air. Her golden eyes were fixated on me, and I felt that same inexplicable pull again, as if a cord connected me to her. As in a trance, I started walking toward her, my eyes locked on hers. She had stopped roaring and was fixated on me. “Dddddrrrraaaaaggggaaaana…”, I heard her deep yet gentle voice. “Cccccooommmmeeee cllooooserrr Princcceesssssss”, she continued, and I felt as if I were in a another dimension. My mind was screaming that she may be dangerous, yet my legs had moved toward her with incredible speed, having will of their own. Soon I was at the edge of the lake, only its waters separating me from her.



“Llllillies will brrring you” I heard. I looked down and a walkway of sorts started forming from the flowers on top of the lake, forming a direct road to her. Solomon was looking at me, saying nothing. I stepped on the first lily fully expecting to fall into the lake, yet somehow, it felt as if I were walking on the cobble stones. “How is this possible?” I asked a rhetorical question.

“Drrraaagon maaagic”, Cybela said. She moved her long neck over the water and in a few steps, I would be standing right in front of her strangely beautiful face. The pull towards her was stronger than anything I ever experienced before. I have never read or heard about the bond between humans and dragons, unless one was a made shifter or a born dragon, which I was neither. I finally made it and ended up a few inches from her face and large golden eyes in which I found nothing but peace. My fear was completely gone.



Looking at her golden orbs I felt a sense of belonging, unlike ever before. They were sparkling with gold, greens, and turquoise hues, and I found myself completely mesmerized. She put her face closer to me and I felt her warm breath. Extending my arm, I touched her scaled face gently to which she produced gentle grumbles, almost like purrs. The warmth and electricity were spreading over me, happiness in fact, and I could not take my eyes off her. “I haveeee waitteed forrr you a verrry long time”, she said in almost a motherly tone. A tear slid out of her eye, falling on my hand. The moment it touched me; it was like a dam had broken in my heart. Rapid flashes of blurry images started going through my mind at incredible speed. I could not make out what was happening, but I knew it was important. The emotions engulfing me were many, it felt as she was downloading every aspect of every emotion into me, through that one singular tear. And there was something else. I felt it in my fingers at first.



It started tingling like a small fire at first, and then it engulfed me completely. A surge of power ripped through me, and I closed my eyes, unable to bear more. I felt something inside me snap, as if chains of some type snapping within me one by one, until there were none left. A strange sense of peace followed, and I opened my eyes. Everything was brighter and my senses were sharpened a million-fold. The colours looked vivid, the smell of my surroundings was intense and when I turned around to look at Solomon, I could see his energy and his aura pulsating around him for the very first time. “Looookkk at yourrrsself”, she instructed me gently and I glanced at my reflection in the still water of the lake. Looking back at me was a silver-furred Lycan with three purple stars aligned neatly in the center of my forehead.