Page 15 of Scars Like Wings
“I’m going to lift your shirt up and look at your back, Byrdie-Bee, okay?” I appreciated the sentiment, but I couldn’t have responded to Talli if I wanted to. And the pain didn’t want me to. This pain had the same presence as the voice from the caverns. It had other plans that it refused to tell me. It felt like an old friend and the perfect stranger. What was it?Whowas it? What did it want?
I felt Talli pull my shirt up. I expected it to catch on something with the sharp blades I felt in my back. But instead, everyone’s breath caught in a collective gasp.
“Holy fuck. What the fuck are those?” Uncle Everett cursed.
“What’shappeningto her?” Aunt Max asked.
“Whatarethose, Talli?” Pops asked.
“Those are the beginnings of wings.” Talli stated simply.
“They look like… Dragonfly wings?” Everett said.
“She’s sprouting wings. This is all worse than I feared.”
“What? Talli, what are you talking about? What’s wrong with my daughter? Is she?—?”
“I’ve only seen this once before,” Talli interrupted. She rose from where she must have been crouched over me. She took a deep breath.
“I have only seen this once before,” she continued. “She was eleven. Dragon-shifter. Her parents had both been murdered by hunters. Her grandmother called me to help with the arrangements. I was there when the girl heard about her parents. I was there when she… She…”
A beat passed. Meanwhile, snaps reverberated through the room like wood crackling in the fire. I wanted to throw up. It was too loud in my ears. I heard her boots against the hardwood floor as she crossed the room. When I thought she wouldn’t continue, she persisted.
“Dragon-shifters are born human. They are one of the few shifters who are. It’s for protection, a biological safety net to protect them from exposing themselves to hunters, the one being that can kill a dragon. But once they hit puberty, the dragon begins to manifest. Their scales appear, their teeth sharpen, their powers grow, and the magic within brings out their wings and tail. The process allows them to become a dragon when their body is ready for the change. It’s a slow process, so that they can learn, control, and adapt to each change.
“But the dragon inside is like any animal. It reacts to stress and will fight whatever is causing the distress, even if it’s at the dragonborn’s own detriment. If a dragon-shifter is pushed toofar too soon, the dragon will try to manifest at once instead of gradually.”
“And what happens if it does?” Pops asked.
“I was there when the grandmother told the girl what happened to her parents. The girl was overcome with grief. She couldn’t handle it. So, her dragon manifested to try to protect her, to help her face what she couldn’t bear. But it tore her apart. Her dragon could withstand anything. Dragons are invincible. They can conquer anything. But the girl’s body… It wasn’t ready for the change.”
“Talli…”
“Eleven years old, Forrest… She had her whole life ahead of her. Even beyond this thing, the worst thing to ever happen to her at the time…”
“Talli!”
“She died with me right there?—”
“Tallis, listen to me! Byrd is stronger than that. She is older and stronger. She can’t die. Please, Tallis! I… I…” Pops paused, broken, his voice cracking. “I can’t lose her, too. Not her, too.”
A moment passed. It felt like a lifetime.
“There is one thing I always wondered if it would have made a difference?—”
“Yes! Anything! Let’s try it! Right now! What are we waiting for?—?”
“If it works, it could save her life?—”
“Okay! Then?—”
“But it could mean that her dragon would never manifest.”
The air was sucked out of the room almost instantly. The room was so quiet. Even my shifting body paused.No. I wanted to cry. That justcouldn’tbe the only way. It justcouldn’tbe. My scream sounded more like a roar of protest.
“We can’t do that.”
“It’s the only way, Forrest.”