INVITATION

 

The dragons all disappeared more than 300 years ago. At least that’s what Vae was told by every elder in Kilharia. 

   Then what was it I saw across the lake, Vae wondered for the umpteenth time, if not a fledgling dragon? 

   Piling the tangle of crimson curls atop her head, Vae sighed and tried once more to bring the relentless memory into focus.

   Under the light of the year’s brightest moons; fat Undra and wee Tigh. The larger orb tinged with gold, the smaller a pale pink. The wind roused her awake. Vae slipped into her silks and stepped outside. Clouds swept in. A sudden, icy chill. A deep rumble. Vae saw it then, on the southern shore, unmistakable: Wings. A puff of smoke. And then, the slightest veil of blue flame-

   And then it was gone.

   A cold, wet nose nudged Vae out of her reverie. It belonged to Shinu, her family’s oldest Kelpie. Shinu urged Vae back to her task, the shearing scissors gently tugging the animal’s black fluff away from her skin. But instead of a fistful of hair, Vae’s hand pulled on a black ribbon of smoke, unfurling Shinu’s form, spinning the canine into a slight, raven-haired child.

   Vae gasped, tumbling off her stool.

   “What do you want, darkling?”

   “No not I. It’s what you want, curious one. I’m here to offer a pact.”

   “What sort of pact?”

   “You bring me a human child to feast on, and I’ll show you where the dragons are hiding.”