It didn’t take Ginelle and Harrison long to find enough wood to keep the fire burning through the night, and when they returned to where Ruki and the ladies were waiting, they had a decent camp waiting for them to return to. Margorie wasn’t kidding when she claimed to have conjuring powers, as she had prepared not just food, but also had blankets made up for them to rest on as they slept. Margorie also enchanted Ruki’s food so that it would a lot more dense and filled the dragon up more than it should have. She felt it was the least she could do for the big creature since he had been a pivotal ally in helping Ginelle save all the witches from their pending execution. After having their fill of the delicious food Margorie made and set up places to sleep around the fire, and Ginelle finally started to tell her mother about her time at the logging camp. How she met Harrison and the other loggers that took her back to the camp to stay with Margorie and help in the kitchen and learn spells from the old witch. She them told her about how she came to meet her animal companions, detailing how she saved Garrak from the trap and healing his leg, and how that led to Ruki asking for her help. He mother was amazed to hear this, but for Margorie and Harrison it was just a rehash of what they already knew. When Ginelle got to the part when Ruki took her and the wolf away from the logging camp after the King’s army showed up, she detailed how far they flew away to the abandoned house that the dragon had known about in a land far, far away. It had take them almost two full days of flying to get out there, but it was a nice house that she liked very much. She detailed about the town and the kids she healed because of the corrupted totem. When she started to talk about meeting Angus and that they were both staying at the house together, which is when the adults listening had questions.

  “Who is this boy?” Alyssa first asked.

  “How old is he?” Harrison demanded.

  “Hang on there,” Margorie said, almost laughing at their paranoia. “Ginelle said he has been a good, and quite a respectful housemate… so take that for what it’s worth. There is no need to fear someone until we meet him in person. If any of your fears are justified, I will smite the boy myself.”

  “Excuse me?” Ginelle said, “There will be no smiting! Angus has been a gentleman since the moment he arrived, and it was his house! I’ve been lucky to have not been kicked out and in need of a new home.”

  The three adults sitting around the fire became a little more quiet when they realized Ginelle wasn’t going to tolerate the abuse of someone they hadn’t even met yet. Angus had been a fair and outgoing host, and she wouldn’t hear of it, even from the people she loved and trusted the most. She knew just as well that people should be judged by their actions and conduct, not based on speculation. Ginelle and her mother cuddled up underneath Ruki’s wing, which her mother found surprisingly warm despite the fire being blocked out. Margorie slept on the other side of the fire, as she wasn’t ready to cuddle up with the dragon just yet, and Harrison insisted on staying up to as he wasn’t that tired and wanted to make sure that no one snuck up on their camp. He leaned up against a tree, but eventually fell asleep which was alright. Despite having his eyes closed, Ruki had an ability to sense anything that was nearby, like some kind of internal sonar. Nothing could sneak up on the dragon, so even if he was asleep Ruki could not taken by surprise as any creature or human that came close would wake him up. That’s how he knew Ginelle was in trouble that day they fled the logging camp, as she was not only moving faster than usual but Ruki could sense the royal troops that were chasing her. Ruki had flown up a little as he could sense the presence of the army that had approached the camp but flew back down when he noticed that Ginelle was running towards him. Ever since she had healed his tooth and they started talking, Ruki felt an emotional connection to the young witch and that had compelled him to remain close to her. That is why he chose the nearby cave near the house to make his new home. Like the wolf, he had decided to stay wit the young witch and protect her from whomever was looking for her. Ruki was also hoping that after nearing torching the palace that day, that the king and his foolish wizard would realize that she was not worth pursuing. Men however were stubborn, so Ruki knew better to make such assumptions. The dragon closed his eyes and managed to get a little sleep before the sun rose the next morning.

  Harrison was the first to wake and felt bad that he had fallen asleep, so he chose to instead look for wood to refresh the fire and make himself useful. Alyssa was the next to wake and she let Ginelle sleep in as she quietly crawled out from under the wing. Margorie was just waking up as she watched her new friend crawl out.

  “Did you sleep well?” Margorie asked.

  “It’s surprisingly warm under there,” Alyssa answered.

  “And his dark scales make it easy to hide,” Margorie observed. “There is no way anyone could find her at night. Even with the fire, the dragon was barely visible.”

  “I read a lot about dragons,” Alyssa said, looking back at Ruki, “But I had never seen one until yesterday. Part of me even thought they didn’t exist except in stories.”

  “I always knew they were around,” Margorie informed her, “I saw one when I was very young, but never again until recently. I was always told they preferred the high altitude of the mountains, but some would stray if they had no one else to keep them company. Usually that would be other dragons, but here this dragon has found friendship with Ginelle and her wolf. That is a bond that will be very difficult to break.”

  “You taught her how to speak to animals,” Alyssa reminded her, “Does that mean you can speak to this dragon as well.”

  “I should be able to,” Margorie confirmed, “We both can but only if the Dragon wants us to. In order to speak with any creature, they have to want you to hear them. So, when the Dragon wants to speak to us, he will tell us.”

  “Why does it speak with Ginelle?” Alyssa asked, more out of fear that curiosity.

  “It watched her help other creatures,” Margorie replied, “The animals in the woods quickly learned that she was a witch they could trust. That entire forest would have risen up to defend Ginelle if Ruki himself didn’t set it ablaze.”

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  “Amazing,” Alyssa said, “And you said all witches can do it?”

  “With work, it’s possible,” Margorie confirmed, “But it appears Ginelle has a special appeal that makes her more approachable by animals. She appears to be a natural at speaking with creatures and that can be very beneficial to her. There is a good chance she may have never discovered that talent if she wasn’t driven from the kingdom by the king and his witch hating wizards. They created the very enemy they feared as mother earth is not without a sense of humor.”

  “The irony is not lost on me,” Alyssa concurred, “She would have certainly been a much different witch had they not driven her from the city.”

  Ginelle was the last to wake up, and Ruki was content to let the young witch sleep as long as she wanted. He was not willing to let anyone bother her until she woke up on her own. Harrison was there to greet her first as she crawled out from under the big dark wing. He strolled over and gave her a decent hug, happy to see her again.

  “Good morning,” Harrison said, “Did you sleep well?”

  “Of course she did,” Margorie replied for her, “Stop smothering the girl. You’ll have plenty of time for that when we get to our permanent destination.”

  “What about the fellow at the house?” Alyssa asked, “Will he be alright having more guests taking over his place?”

  “He’ll be alright with it,” Ginelle replied, “And we can always have Harrison build a new house if we need more space.”

  “Well, if you can cast a hundred mirrors again,” Harrison suggested, “I could have a new one built within a week with the right supplies.”

  “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Margorie approved, “We should consider adding a few houses, so that everyone can have a little privacy.”

  “Like a small village,” Ginelle said, warming up to the idea. “I like it.”

  “As do I,” Ruki added, “As long as your cabin is closer to my cave.”

  “Did he say something?” Harrison asked.

  “He likes the idea,” Ginelle answered, “He would prefer that my cabin be built a little closer to his cave so that I can visit him more often.”

  “That’s a reasonable request,” Margorie agreed, “We’ll work on it. For now, it’s time to get back in the air and on our way.”

  It took the four of them about ten minutes to pack up camp and put out the fire. Margorie even used some magic to cover up the fact that a camp was even there to begin with. Once things were all cleared up, they all got back on the massive dragon’s back, and launched back up into the sky to resume their journey. The remainder of the trip back to Angus’ house in the mountain didn’t take as long this time as Ruki had done more than half the trip the previous day. The big dragon had a lot of energy left in him and was still pumped up from that attack on the castle, he used up as much of that energy as he could pushing himself as hard as he could to get most of the trip done that day. It made for an easier and more relaxing flight for the second day, especially after Ruki managed to have a good rest after exerting himself so much. As they sailed closer to the mountain where the house resided, Ginelle felt more at ease as she was happy to be back and far, far away from that terrible kingdom. She also felt better knowing that the people she cared for would be safe at this house as well, and she would be able to spend more time with them after believing that she may never see them again. It made her feel good as their trip back home was coming to an end. As the house slowly came into view, Ginelle could see Angus working on the wall outside, even without the aid of mirrors. Ruki let out a rather loud roar that warned those on the ground that he was close and coming in for a landing.

  Angus slowly walked over towards the dragon as it softly landed on an open patch of land near the house. He was surprised to see that there was four people on its back, but still walked over to help Ginelle down from Ruki’s back and then did the same for Margorie and Alyssa. Harrison didn’t need any assistance as he just leaped off and was able to land without any issue.

  “Good morning,” Angus said, “I take it the rescue was a success?”

  “You are correct,” Ginelle said, smiling back at him. “Angus, I’d like to introduce you to Margorie, and my mother and father.”

  “Alyssa,” her mother said, offering a hand to shake.

  “Harrison,” her father said, also shaking his hand. He was looking over the young man as he did so but said nothing off his first impression.

  “This is a lovely location,” Margorie said, looking at the house and the barn, “And using this side of mountain as cover is wise.”

  “My uncle first made this place,” Angus said, “He was a wise man and appeared to know exactly what he was doing.”

  “We don’t want to impose,” Harrison added, “But we’d like to stay at your house while we go over options for our own residence moving forward.”

  “Of course,” Angus said, just happy to see more people. Not having Ginelle around had reminded him how lonely the place would have been without her, and having another man around to help out with the work Ginelle wanted done would also make things easier.

  It was at this moment when Garak emerged from the house and slowly galloped over to where Ginelle was standing. Alyssa had forgotten about the reference Harrison made and squeaked in fear as she also hid behind Margorie as she had never seen a wolf that large in her life. Ginelle showed no fear at all as she gave Garak a big hug and appeared to be whispering something to it while the beast listened intently.

  “That’s Garak,” Margorie reminded her, “Another loyal creature she befriended at the logging camp. She saved him from a trap and healed his paw. When he was unable to reconnect with his pack, he returned to the camp and because her companion. He even lets her ride him whenever there are long walks to make.”

  “That is fascinating,” Alyssa said, starting to ease up. “How did it get so big?”

  “A combination of a few things,” Ginelle answered, “Our spiritual connection and Margorie’s cooking seemed to beef him up quite a bit.”

  “Speaking of cooking,” Margorie cut in, “Let’s go see what kind of kitchen I have to work with. It’s almost lunch and I’m sure everyone is feeling a bit peckish.”

  As the three women walked off with the big wolf, Angus stood there and watched with more of a sense of relief than dread. He was happy to see Ginelle was back, but also know that having her mother and mentor meant she’d feel less sad than she did when they were not there. Harrison walked up to him and placed an arm around his shoulder.

  “You were never given a choice in this matter, were you?” Harrison asked.

  “Nope,” Angus confirmed, “I’m pretty sure if I tried to toss anyone out, the wolf would have eaten me after the dragon burned me to a crisp.”

  “You lucked out,” Harrison informed him, “Margorie is a better cook, and I’m going to build some new cabins so things will not remain as cramped in the house for very long. I’m sure having them all around is better than tending to this place alone, right?”

  “Definitely,” Angus agreed, “And with you here, we can also work together on the wall and other additions to the estate that Ginelle asked for.”

  “Or course,” Harrison said, as he like the idea of being kept busy. “I have a feeling you and I are going to get a lone quite well.”

  “I also don’t have a choice in that either, do I?” Angus inquired.

  “I’m afraid not,” Harrison confirmed, “But I have a feeling you’ll be okay with it.”