I’m waiting.
The fiercely beautiful woman with flashing eyes–Purple? No, blue? He couldn’t tell–stared out at him from behind a wall of fire. Her golden hair was lifted wildly on the wind, lending her the distinct look of a warrior. Archer reached his hand out to her, his fingers wide and strained from the effort. The woman reached her hand out to him, too. It looked deceptively fragile. He knew that behind her eyes there was nothing but ferocity.
I’m waiting.
Archer was overwhelmed by an angry feeling of inferiority. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to the woman across from him; to be able to cross the flaming threshold that was keeping them apart. She was waiting for him. And he was failing her. Unable to pass through the curling flames to touch her hand. He was a coward.
Suddenly, the woman was gone, and in her place was a black silhouette that towered above him; above even the wall of flame. Archer cried out in fear and backed away. He truly was cowardly. He didn’t deserve to bridge the gap between himself and the beautiful woman. Why would she want him anyway?
The dark beast behind him unleashed a mighty roar and Archer looked up into a pair of glowing red eyes. Dragon’s eyes. He positioned himself to fight, but soon the world around him was disintegrating and he could feel himself being lifted from what he now knew with certainty to be a dream. He struggled to stay within the dream, worried that the giant monster might somehow harm the beautiful woman he had been trying to reach, but there was no use.
Archer awoke in his bed in a cold sweat. The dimness of the underground tunnels of the former Kersh clan made it difficult for his eyes to adjust, so he stayed in a dazed dream-like trance until he was fully conscious. He growled and got quickly to his feet, throwing his covers aside and walking purposefully toward the mess hall to get a drink of water.
Ever since the rest of the dragon shifters and their Loni counterparts had returned back to Kaldernon, the once bustling tunnels had been vacant and empty. He was the last of the shifters on the planet Earth, and had chosen to stay behind with a few of his close friends. They believed that Earth, being the place they were born, was their true home. Not only that, but he had unfinished business. The Guardians, a fringe group of fundamentalist assholes, had unleashed untold horrors on the dragon shifters. They were rounded up like cattle and tortured and experimented on so that the Guardians could try to learn more about the worlds beyond. Archer was convinced there were still Guardians walking the Earth, and refused to rest until every last one of them was taken out.
“Good morning, Archer,” Thom, Archer’s best friend since childhood, greeted. Archer gave a brief nod and passed him, making his way to the barrel of water in the corner. He ladled some out into his glass and drank deeply, allowing the water to wash away the dark feelings left within him by the dream.
“Good morning Thom,” Archer replied, once he cleared his throat. “Any news today?”
“Actually, yes,” Thom said, his reptilian eyes sparkling. Thom had always looked the part of a dragon. Although he was mostly humanoid, he had sharper features and never quite escaped the round, dragon-like eyes. It was part of his charm.
“Oh? What is it?”
“Guardians were spotted digging through the ruins of their old camp. It was destroyed, but they were there. We have Tanna trailing them right now.”
“Well that’s…not good news,” Archer said thoughtfully. As leader of the shifters left on earth, it was his job to keep them safe. But if Tanna was following the Guardians, it could be a trap. Maybe they knew that the old site was under constant surveillance. But maybe not.
“I thought you would be pleased,” Thom said, crestfallen. He had devoted his life to serving Clayton, Archer’s father and leader of the Kersh clan, and his family. Without Clayton there, he was Archer’s best friend and most loyal companion. But he loved to brawl and fight more than anyone Archer knew.
“It’s true, I want all the Guardians dead where they stand,” Archer agreed with a nod. “I just worry about putting Tanna in danger.”
“Tanna can take care of himself.”
“I’m sure he can,” Archer agreed. Still, it left him with an uneasy feeling.
There was a small handful of shifters left on Earth. It was surprising how many of them were reluctant to join the flight to Kaldernon. It was something they had all been told to dream about and wish for, their return ‘home’, but once it became a possibility, there were a lot of people who had second thoughts. Archer had been able to articulate them at the last minute, before his parents allowed him to ascend with them. He was standing between them when he said, “I need to stay behind with the others.”
At first he thought his father wouldn’t let him go. But the man’s face softened and he gave a nod. Before his mother could grab him to stop him, Archer jumped away from the beam and hid in the bushes as his parents ascended. He watched the rest go up in pairs, and hurried to the spot where he knew Tanna, Thom, and a few other shifters were in hiding. He would be their leader now. It was their unspoken agreement.
“Come. We have to find Tanna and see where the Guardians are leading him,” Archer said. “It may be a trap.”
Thom nodded dutifully and they rushed from the underground caverns, determined to find their friend.