“Aeris for the last time, it ain’t a trap.”

Aeris stared at the house. The brick building sat sandwiched between two shorter ones, looking as if it were giving the world the finger.  “Why did she send us here? Something just doesn’t feel right.”

“Look, I don't like followin' that Teresa woman's advice either, but you said so yourself, we gotta find out what to do about that Matriarch. She could be out there right now, triggerin' other folks.”

So long as it doesn’t put you in harm’s way, I don’t care, Aeris thought. But Janine would care. She knew it even as she wished otherwise.

The young woman walked up to the door and hammered on it. Not long after, the door opened and a man with square-rimmed glasses appeared.  His eyes alone gave the impression of a very strict individual. His posture and told her he didn't like having his time wasted. He stared at Aeris.

“Excuse me, sir,” Janine said. “We’re lookin' for Mr. Logan Jackman. We were told he lives here.”

The man continued to stare, his eyes widening by the second. Aeris’s tail curled around her legs. Janine stepped in front of the man and waved her hand in front of his face.

He blinked and stepped backward, then straightened his glasses. “I, uh, sorry. Yes, I’m Logan Jackman.” he shook Janine’s hand, but his gaze remained fixed on Aeris. The shock was beginning to wear off and his brow began to wrinkle. “But just Logan is fine, Miss…?”

“Name’s Janine, and this is my dragon Snowflake.”

Logan's frown hardened. “Is that supposed to be some idea of a joke?”

Aeris tilted her head. “I'm sorry?”

“I’m not talking to you.” He turned back to Janine and folded his arms across his chest. “I’m afraid I can’t help, young lady.” He stepped back inside and began to close the door.

Janine put her foot in the door’s path. “Look, sir, we need help. There’s a dragon out there hurtin' people and we need a way to track it down.”

The man glared at them for a moment longer before steppin' aside. “Please come in.”

When Aeris went inside, she expected it to be a tight fit. She even tucked her wings and tail close to avoid brushing anything. Instead the entrance hall was quite wide with anything noticeably fragile placed higher up on the shelves. People who did that were used to having dragons in their homes.

They entered a large study. Like the rest of the house, it had been designed with dragons in mind. Fragile items sat on high shelves lining the walls and large cushions joined the chairs surrounding the table in the room's center.

The design confused Aeris. The way he looked at her suggested he hated dragons but his house had been designed for them.

Logan motioned to empty seats then sat in the closest one. “Please make yourselves comfortable. So, before we begin, I need to tell you now: I’m an accountant, not a dracologist.”

“But...But we were told you’re a dragon expert, and--” Janine began.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course you did. I’m sorry to tell you, but the man you’re looking for is my grandfather who unfortunately died years ago.”

“But why’d someone recommend you if--”

“My grandfather is still considered one of the foremost experts on dragons. There are many fans who assumed I followed in his footsteps.”

Janine lowered her head, the edges of her ears turning pink.

Aeris nuzzled her. “It’s okay. We’ll figure something else out.”

“You mentioned a dragon was harming people. I'm not the expert my grandfather was, but I learned enough from him. What do you know about this dragon?"

"Nothin', really. We just heard she's probably a Matriarch. We think she got no control over her Call so she's hurtin' folks without meanin' to."

He stood and approached one of the large bookcases on the wall. He scanned the books for a moment then pulled one of the larger ones from the shelf and brought it back to the table. Without a word, he flipped through the pages. Every few pages, his gaze would flit at Aeris. She scooted closer to Janine.

Finally, he stopped on a page and began reading. Janine leaned forward in her seat.

Logan raised his head. "I'm sorry, but my grandfather's notes say nothing about tracking a Matriarch or how to identify one."

Janine slumped in her chair. Aeris had never seen the young woman look so defeated.

"I’m very sorry you came all this way for nothing, but if you have any specific questions, I can’t help you. I do happen to know several dracologists who would love to help you, however. They may know something.”

He wrote down several names and addresses on a piece of paper then gave it to Janine. "I'm afraid several of these people don't live in Diamus so you'll have to travel to track them down. I hope you find what you're looking for."

The moment Janine grabbed the paper, he seized her wrist. "Before you go, I need to ask you something," he said.

Aeris wanted to knock the man away, but her curiosity kept her seated. “What do you want?”

“You’re an Ardelle Celestial. How old are you?”

Aeris’s tail curled around her body. “You know what I am?”

“I never studied dragons, but my grandfather told me about the different species. One he mentioned was the Ardelle Celestial that was wiped out. Or that’s what everyone was supposed to think.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose and gave Aeris a cold look. “Now you didn’t answer my question.”

She didn't want to answer his question, but he also had a firm grip on Janine so she didn't want to do anything to anger him. “I’m 22.”

“What about your parents? Your registration papers?” He leaned forward, ignoring Janine's attempts to pry herself free. “Friends? Other relatives? Someone has to know something about where you came from. A species as rare as yours can’t just have fallen out of the sky!”

"What's the matter with you?" Janine asked. "Why d'you care what she is or who her folks were?"

Logan didn't respond. He stared at Aeris with an almost manic look in his eyes. He wasn't there yet, but she feared pushing him over the edge.

“I’m sorry, but my former master made a point of hiding my past from me. I only just found out I was an Ardelle Celestial a few months ago.” She tensed and waited for him to do something.

His face fell as his hands fell limp at his sides. Janine quickly scrambled back to Aeris. He stood up and swore then paced in front of his chair.

Aeris turned to Janine who shrugged. The pacing worried her, but she wanted to ask what his grandfather knew about her kind. This is the first human who had identified her.

Janine broke the silence. “Why do you care so much about where she came from?”

“My grandfather always believed that Ardelle Celestials were still alive, even when the entire dracology community laughed in his face. He sank every coin he had into failed expeditions, chasing every little lead he could. He died disappointed and broken.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that,” Aeris said.

“And now, like some twisted joke, you come along and prove my grandfather right.” He rubbed his forehead and gave a humorless chuckle. “Where were you 40 years ago? Where’s the rest of you kind? What are you hiding from?”

She stared wide-eyed at the man. It felt so strange to find someone who cared so much about where she came from. Just like it felt so odd that someone spent so much time and effort looking for her kind and she had never heard of them. But something about the way he stared at her bothered her. It was the same manic look her former master had when he revealed his true colors.

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” she said. “But I don’t have the answers you’re looking for.” She stood and bowed slightly then turned for the door. “Come on, Janine.”

She didn’t relax until they were back outside, even then she continued to look back to see if he was following. No one was there.

Once the house was out of sight, Janine spoke again. “I’m real sorry about that. I thought he'd have the answers.”

“It’s okay. We’ll just have to figure something else out.”

“No, it ain’t okay, Aeris! Will you stop sayin' that?”

She flinched at the outburst.

Janine quickly wrapped her arms around Aeris’ neck in a tight embrace. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve said that. I just--I know you've been doin' a lot for me. For once I wanted to return the favor.”

“It's okay. But you don't have to return anything. But, maybe we should just accept that we can’t do anything and leave.”

"It ain't fair," she mumbled. "You never hurt anybody. You deserve to be happy. Why does somethin' have to go wrong everywhere we go?"

Aeris didn't have any answers. She didn't think there were any. But that wouldn't stop Janine from trying to set things right though.

It was one of the things she liked and hated about the young woman. There was nothing she could do about it. The more she pushed, the harder Janine would try to set things right.

 
They walked in silence until Janine stopped and pointed. “Hey, you wanna poke your head in and say hi?”

Aeris looked up at the restaurant, confused as to how they wound up here when it wasn’t even close to Mr. Jackman’s home. Going inside and risking another attack was the last thing she wanted, but it seemed rude not to check on everyone. 

The inside wasn’t nearly as packed as she feared. Still, she stayed right by Janine’s side and kept her head on a swivel. The young woman walked without seemingly a care in the world into the kitchen and greeted everyone with a cheerful smile.

“Well, someone’s in a good mood,” Caroline said. “So what brings you two to work on your day off?”

“Just stoppin' by to say hi. Where’s Mr. Thomas?”

“Out back, taking out some trash. Now, seriously, why are you here?”

Janine chuckled nervously and started retelling their day. Aeris stopped listening and turned back to the door. The normal din of conversation had ceased and she felt an odd pressure like a heavy blanket had been placed on her.

She peered through the window into the main dining hall. Every dragon in the restaurant had stopped eating and faced the front door, their heads bowed in submission. She angled her head to see what they were staring at.

A large dragon, flanked by male humans, walked through the restaurant. She wore a long black cloak, but with every stride, there was a glimpse of dark grey scales reminding Aeris of storm clouds. Her horns extended far beyond her head and were wrapped in silver chains that also laced through a thin veil on her head. 

The two humans behind her wore matching brown uniforms with gold inlays. They wore stone-like expressions and had hunting rifles slung over their shoulders. Aeris shuddered at the sight of their guns.

The dragoness stopped at the table in the middle of the restaurant. The dragons sitting there immediately grabbed their plates backed away as if the table were about to explode. Without acknowledging the previous occupants, she sat down. One of the humans immediately removed her cloak and folded it neatly in his lap.

Aeris was afraid to move, afraid to breathe. Like the other dragons in the dining hall, she felt like dropping her head. She had felt something similar but never on this scale. 

“What’re you lookin' at?” Janine whispered from behind. Aeris wasn't sure if the dragon at the table could hear her, so she was glad for the whispering. “Who’s that?”

The back door closed and she turned around to see Mr. Thomas entering the room. “Oh hello, you two. What are you doing here?”

“Some wyrm just showed up that’s got everyone scared,” Janine said.

He moved closer and peered through the viewport and immediately turned pale. “Oh no,” Mr. Thomas said. He began straightening his clothes. His brow was already glistening with sweat. He turned to Aeris. “Stay here and no matter what, do not come out.”

She had no intention of going anywhere near the dragon, but she nodded anyway.

Mr. Thomas smiled nervously before hurrying out the door. The two humans turned to the man immediately, but the dragoness continued to stare straight ahead.

“Welcome to the Dragon’s Den, Dracaena,” Mr. Thomas said, bowing low. “Please forgive me for not coming to greet you sooner. If I had known you were coming to visit—”

The dragoness turned to Mr. Thomas. There was no anger or disappointment in her face, but he immediately fell silent and dropped to one knee.

“So you know who I am,” she said. “You are the first human to acknowledge my title since my arrival.”

Mr. Thomas stiffened but kept his gaze on the floor. “Right. I’m sorry for that. Humans on this side don’t really—"

“I did not ask you to make excuses for them.”

“Yes, your grace.”

“Who is she and where does she get off—” Janine began. She was cut short by Caroline clapping a hand over the young woman’s mouth.

“Janine,” Caroline said, her voice quivering with every word. “I like your spunk, but if you wanna live, you will not open your mouth until she’s gone.”

“But who is she?” Aeris asked.

The woman slowly removed her hand but watched Janine as if in preparation to silence her again. “What her name is, I don’t know, but she’s currently the Dracaena.”

Janine moved out of arm’s reach and raised a brow. “A what? I’ve been around dragons all my life, and I ain’t never heard of a Dracaena. Is that what they call Matriarchs in the dragon lands?”

“Shh!” Caroline threw a fearful glance out the viewport before turning back to Janine and Aeris. She looked so pale and clammy Aeris feared the woman might pass out. “The Dracaena is not just any Matriarch. She’s the dragon chosen to be the guardian deity.”

“But I thought humans didn’t worship dragons anymore?” Aeris asked.

“Most don’t, but a few in the dragonlands still practice dragon worship and the dragon they worship is the Dracaena.”

Janine snorted. “Judging from the looks of her, she’s done let all that worship go to her head.”

Caroline shot the young woman such a nasty look, Janine recoiled. Aeris fought the urge to step between them.

“Listen closely. As the Dracaena, she gets certain privileges even a Matriarch doesn’t have. Do not upset her or Ethan is the one who will get in trouble.”

Aeris stepped in front of Janine. “Listen to her, please. I sense something about her. She’s…I can’t really describe it, but she’s different.”

Mr. Thomas stumbled into the room. Dark stains were under his arms and his body trembled. He leaned against the wall and took several slow breaths. “Snowflake, she…she wants to see you.”

Aeris felt lightheaded. “She what?”

“I’m so sorry. I tried to keep her from finding out, but once she asked me, the words just started pouring out of me and I couldn’t stop.”

“Why does she want Aeris?” Janine asked. “She’s done nothing to nobody.”

“Aeris?”

“I mean—Look, I’ll explain later. What does she want with her?"

Mr. Thomas shook his head. “I don’t know. Just be careful.”

Aeris nodded and entered the dining hall. The other dragons refused to look her way but she heard their whispers.

“What does the Dracaena want with her?”

“She’s gonna die.”

“Are they friends? How does a dragon like her know the Dracaena?”

The walk felt like it took ages. Each step, she felt a force pressing down on her, squeezing her, and sapping her energy. She wanted to run.

The humans stared at her with their hands dangerously close to the rifles leaning next to their seats.

The Dracaena moved her thick tail with surprising flexibility, pointing it at the empty space on the other side of the table. “Please, sit.”

Despite the friendly tone, Aeris flinched like a scolded child. She kept her head down and sat on the cushion.

“I am Sareen, otherwise known as the Dracaena. However, just Sareen is fine so long as you show the proper respect.”

Aeris nodded and bowed slightly. “It’s an honor to meet you, I’m Snowflake.”

“Apologies, but that’s an odd name.”

“I get that a lot.”

“Have you never considered changing it?”

“It was given to me by someone I respect. It’s strange, but I like it.”

Sareen was silent for a moment. Aeris felt exposed and vulnerable. Her mind raced with explanations of what this dragon wanted with her.

Eventually, Aeris couldn’t take it anymore. “Um, I’m sorry, but…why did you want to see me?”

“Hmm? No particular reason other than a desire to gaze upon the last Ardelle Celestial.”

Aeris stiffened.

“You are surprised.”

“Yes. It’s just…I’ve only met one dragon who knows what I am.”

There was a brief flash of anger in Sareen’s yellow eyes. “I see. Well, irony certainly is cruel.” Her expression cleared like the sky after a storm. “But I would rather not speak of that. How did you come to live amongst the humans? It is surprising they would even accept you given your history.”

Aeris stared at the table again. “I don’t know what history you mean, but I was found as an egg and taken in.”

“You never met your parents?” When Aeris shook her head, she continued. “You’re very lucky. The past enjoys haunting the present.”

“What does that mean?”

“Ask the dragon who informed you of your origins.”

Aeris stared at the table. The gentleness of Sareen's tone made her feel as if she did something wrong. She felt ashamed of herself for even thinking to ask another question, especially that question. It made her more nervous about the other thing she wanted to ask.

Of all the dragons, the Dracaena had to know how the Call worked. This was the best opportunity she could ask for, but it was so hard to look at Sareen for more than a few seconds. Every time she felt an invisible hand push down on her head until her nose pointed downward. 

“There is something on your mind.”

“Um, may I ask you a question?”

“Yes, you may.”

“How does the Matriarch’s Call work?”

Sareen tilted her head. “Oh? That’s a curious inquiry. Not unexpected from a domesticate, but certainly surprising you would ask such a bold question.”

“It’s just there’s been a dragon affecting other dragons with her Call except she doesn’t know she’s doing it. I need to find out how the Call works so I—”

The Dracaena laughed. Aeris fought the urge to hide under the table. “Oh, your naivety is simply delightful. If there is a Matriarch running loose who can’t control her Call, I’m afraid there’s nothing anyone can do. She must either learn to control it or she will have to be killed.”

“Oh.” That was not the answer she wanted to hear. She didn’t know the first thing about how to control the Call so killing the dragon seemed her only option. But that idea didn’t sit well with her. 

“Excuse me, but will you be needing anything?” Janine asked.

Aeris snatched her head up and turned to the young woman. She didn’t imagine it. Janine stood next to their table, wearing her usual friendly smile. 

What are you doing here? Stay away!

“Why thank you, child, but I do not require anything save for privacy. You may leave us.”

“What about you, Snowflake?”

“I won’t repeat myself, girl. Leave us.”

Aeris couldn’t move. She saw the smile fade from Janine’s face, she saw the young woman take her defiant stance. She saw it, but her body refused to move to intercept. 

“Who do you think you are?” Janine said. Before she could continue her rant, Mr. Thomas covered her mouth. The color drained from his face and he trembled worse than ever.

“P-Please forgive my employee! She’s a little touched in the head. I only hired her because her mother—”

“Let her go,” Sareen said calmly. “I wish to hear what she has to say.”

Mr. Thomas looked ready to cry, but he released Janine. A hush had fallen over the restaurant.  She quickly moved out of reach and straightened her clothes before turning back to Sareen.

“Look, I get you’re some important deity and people worship you, but that’s no reason to forget your manners.” 

Aeris cowered in place. She wanted so badly to drag Janine out of the room.

It seemed Janine was far from done. “You’re awfully cold for someone claimin' to be all high-and-mighty. A true leader is supposed to guide and teach folks, not threaten and scare ‘em.”

Sareen approached and stood over the young woman. Janine dropped her head. She seemed to sink into the floor or Sareen got larger—Aeris couldn’t tell which. Janine wrung her hands, but it didn’t hide her trembling. Her breaths came in hard shuddering bursts as if she were freezing.

Aeris wanted to jump between them, to wrap herself around the young woman and shield her from danger. Her muscles tensed but she didn't move. The fear of making things worse kept her in place.

“You have a strong will, child, but not strong enough,” Sareen said. The deep rumble in her voice sounded like distant thunder. “I have lived for hundreds of years, and I know exactly how childish, arrogant, and irresponsible your species is. Look at me.”

Janine continued to stare at the floor.

“See? How quickly your unctuous bravado breaks down the moment it’s challenged.”

“Leave her alone!” Aeris cried, jumping up from her seat.

The Dracaena slowly turned to Aeris. “Excuse me?”

She straightened up and repeated. “I said, leave her alone.”

Sareen stepped closer. A low rumble filled the room like approaching thunder. Aeris’ tail wrapped around her legs, but she continued to glare at the larger dragon. The pressure she felt before intensified, feeling like heavy chains pulling her towards the floor. Still she kept her head up and maintained eye-contact. The other dragons whispered about she was going to die and shuffled towards the exit. 

The Dracaena slowly backed away. “How very curious.”

Aeris tilted her head, nearly forgetting her anger. “What do you mean?”

“I’m certain you’ll discover that soon enough. I’ll be taking my leave now. I look forward to our next meeting.” 

The human holding the cloak immediately moved to place it back on her. They then headed for the door. Before leaving, she stopped and said, “A word of advice: teach your charge to hold her tongue unless you enjoy fighting for her.” 

The moment left, the pressure Aeris felt vanished. She collapsed to the floor, her whole body sapped of energy. Janine was on her knees as well.

“I thought I was gonna die,” Janine said. “What was that?”

Aeris shook her head. “I don’t know, but I never want to see her again.”