Page 21 of Enchanted Queen
“That’s—” he gave his head a shake. “I cannot even fathom a land dragon.”
“The dragons are most rare, yes, but there were five land dragons stuck in their shifted forms when the disease hit, so you are likely to see one eventually. May have even sailed over one without knowing.”
Emric shuddered.
“Is the reason we didn’t see any creatures at all before arriving here because that was what you wanted us to see?” John asked, all traces of judgement somehow gone from his voice.
I was right to push for him to be here.
“Precisely,” she agreed. “So, the dragons are most revered, then we have a winged and land version of felines, canines, and equine as well.”
Emric looked like he wanted to run for the balcony to search the skies for any of them.
“And about how many of you were stuck in your shifted forms when this happened?” Yes, I was going to need a moment to process the thought of a winged wolf, but I also could not get over the fact that these people were stuck in a non-human form for this long. At a certain point, wouldn’t the animal instincts override the human ones? But then again, I had just seen a dragon laughing, so maybe not.
She considered this. “There are at least a hundred of us stuck in our shifted forms. And two times that many stuck in our human forms.” She paused. “Neither is a good fate. It is physically painful to not be able to shift into your Enchanted form. Likewise, it is painful to not be able to return to your human one. Though there is a divide currently and those of us in our human forms would like to think we have somewhat of an upper hand, the truth is that all of us are hurting. Not only are we hurting, but our Enchanted are also not aging. And in the case of the queen’s younger cousin in his dragon form, not growing. Because we are stuck in our current forms, we are also not bonding. We are, very simply, just stuck.”
None of us knew what to say to that for a few moments.
“And you have a population of non-Enchanted also?” John asked. “Just like Wylan does?”
She gave us a nod. “Yes, it is our duty to protect both them and the creatures which roam our lands.”
“And how does one know the difference between an Enchanted shifter horse and a regular horse?” John asked.
She smiled. “All shifters have a sort of sheen to them; the dragons have almost an iridescent sheen. And if that were not enough, you will instinctively know. It is the awareness within the creatures themselves. But all four kinds of creatures, Enchanted or not, are all respected here.”
“So the four large turrets around the castle,” I began.
“Are landing zones for the winged forms of our Enchanted,” she finished. “The tallest being for the dragons.”
“And which form are you?” Emric asked, then seeing the look John sent him, he added, “Which I mean in a respectfully curious way. No wait. Don’t tell me.” He looked her over, in a far too excited manner. “Are you a wolf?”
“I’m betting not,” I offered, rolling my eyes and wondering if I should have left Emric behind today.
“Oh?” Amory asked. “What are you betting then, Prince?”
I smirked. The way she was graceful and could move without a sound. The way she could maintain eye contact without flinching. The way she could deliver a verbal blow without blinking. Even her human mannerisms screamed feline. “Feline, it is the land or winged variation I am unsure of.”
She grinned. “Well done. Yes. I am a land Tigress.”
John held up a hand. “Forgive me for asking a somewhat rude question, but are the winged versions of each form respected more or valued more than the land?”
She thought on that. “In theory, no. We have always needed to coexist to protect our land. The dragons are more revered, definitely. But each form has its own weakness.” She paused. “There are, of course, good people and bad people in every form. So yes, there are a few who have wings and then condescend to those of us without.” She dipped her chin. “But our queen is not one of them. She believes we all exist to work together to properly protect Dra Skor.”
“What happens if a dragon shifter and a wolf shifter get married?” Emric asked.
Amory cocked her head. “Then their children will have a fifty percent chance of being either form.” She paused. “The royal family bloodline seems to have a dominant dragon gene, but the last two heirs have also taken dragon counterparts to ensure it. Dragons have ruled Dra Skor for more than a hundred years.”
I took a sip of my tea, content to stand and listen. What we were seeing was a broken Dra Skor. I couldn’t imagine the beauty of all these forms and creatures if she had been healthy.
“Now, to get to the part I think you are going to be most interested in,” Amory added. She quickly pointed to each of the lake areas on the map. “Though we have numerous stream systems throughout Dra Skor, we have a specific wooded area and lake representative of each of the four forms. A sanctuary for each form. Then we also have a pond. So four lakes, streams running throughout Dra Skor, and one pond.”
“Piece of cake,” Emric mumbled but less enthusiastic this time.
“All but the streams have been blackened.” She paused. “Thankfully, because the wildlife of our land and all our animals would have been lost to us without a clean water source.”
“The wildlife and animals coexist with your shifted forms?” John asked curiously.