Page 29 of Unexpected Magic

The stew wascooking. The fish was filleted and wrapped in cabbage leaves ready to be placed in the embers. She had found some wild thyme to insert in the package for extra flavor. She had also found a wild apple tree laden with ripe fruit, and had a dozen of those ready to put in the fire—one for her and the rest in case the dragon had a wish for something sweet. She longed for a way to spice, fill, and sweeten them—some cinnamon or nutmeg, dried grapes or even dates, and honey or sugar!

With a slice of bread in her hand and another cup of tea, she was feeling much better, the pain in her body slowly subsiding to a mere ache, albeit an ache in what felt like every bone. She was seated on the box she had moved to the entrance of the cavern, watching the sunset over the mountains on the far side of the lake, when the dragon flew into view.

How beautiful he was!

The wind from his wings as he backstroked into a landing had her blinking and wiping away a strand of her hair that had blown across her face.

Her dragon lord. It was impossible to escape the inference. Catalysts and dragon lords were paired in legend and in history,and she was a catalyst. But why did he not show her his human form? And what about her role as a unicorn maid?

She stood to greet him. “Lord Dragon,” she said, “I am Delia Nettleford. May I know your name, sir? Can you write it for me in the mud there?” She pointed to a rapidly drying puddle left by the recent rain.

For a moment, she thought she had offended him, for he tossed his head upward, but perhaps it was only surprise, for he immediately stepped to the puddle and stretched out a paw.

Slowly, and with many hesitations and rewrites—for a second claw often obliterated what he had written while he was working on the next letter—he wrote letters she could read. J… A… S… P…

“Jasper Thornton?” she exclaimed. She found it hard to believe that fate, or a good angel, or whatever saint looked after love matches had paired her with the very man she would have chosen.

The dragon nodded.

Mr. Thornton might not have the same enthusiasm for the idea, she reminded herself. Indeed, why should he? Apart from a magical gift for sparking magic in others, over which she had no control, Delia was nothing special.But he did rescue me, she reminded herself.And hedidsteal me away. That had to mean something, but what?

*

Delia soon realizedthat Mr. Thornton—or Jasper, as she had taken to calling him in her own thoughts—was suddenly in possession of a great deal of power, and he was trying to learn how to handle it.

One thing he was apparently unable to do was change back into his human form. He managed to convey this in a longfrustrating session involving gesture, more writing in the mud, and many guesses by Delia.

He agreed when Delia said he would figure it out, but so far, after two weeks of exercises and practice, he was still stuck in dragon form.

Meanwhile, he point-blank refused to seek help from his uncle, the duke, the College of Mages, or anyone else, and nor would he take Delia to see other humans. Not those at the castle. Not his mentors and masters in London. Not even the people in the local villages, which she assumed existed since he robbed them every day of food and other necessities.

If one can call it robbing when those deprived of bread or fruit or vegetables found a lump of gold in place of their missing property.

While he had not yet succeeded in transforming himself, he was making progress in other ways. He worked in the field beyond the slope, and she often stood on the path and watched him gesturing and even dancing as he learned to manipulate his power.

Sometimes, there was little to see beyond the emerald shimmer of his power, though she could feel great forces moving around him—it was something akin to the feeling of an imminent thunderstorm, as if the very air was full of lightning and the world hushed in preparation.

On other occasions, she was treated to a light show, as streams of color flew from his claw tips, making patterns in the air—though what they were for, she could not imagine.

Her favorite times were when she could see him working magic. Calling the wild beasts to him and then letting them go again. Transforming a rock into a chair or a tree into a table with little more than a stare and a gesture. Causing a wave to rise twenty feet high to rush along the still waters of the lake.

He had stopped flying out of sight to purloin the food and other items they needed. Every morning, he changed several pebbles into gold, stared into nothing—or perhaps into another place, and then made a quick gesture as if beckoning with one mighty paw. Immediately, the gold would disappear and some other item would be there in its place. A loaf of bread. A string of onions. A jar of tea leaves. Whatever they needed.

Whatever Delia needed, that was. Jasper flew away every day to eat whatever it was that dragons ate. A deer perhaps, or a wild pig. He often brought back a fish or a rabbit or a pheasant, carried in his talons. Delia was fully recovered from whatever had ailed her and was eating well, and at least cooking gave her something to do.

Delia tried to keep herself busy, cleaning the cavern, mending and altering the clothes Jasper had found for her, making her meals, exploring their environs—being careful never to go too far, for if she did, the dragon would arrive in her path, ready to pick her up and return her to the slope by the cavern.

It was frustrating that Jasper could not talk to her. Delia missed conversation. She missed reading. She missed Polly, the nuns, and the babies. And yet she was oddly happy. She had dreamt of being with Jasper, and now she was. Admittedly, she had not imagined he would be a dragon, but he would not always remain a dragon, would he?

When it happened, it was sudden. She was, once again, watching Jasper working magic on the slope beyond the cavern. As she watched, the dragon disappeared, and in its place was a lion. Then a horse. Then a giant snake, a wolf, a bear, and a unicorn in quick succession. Her mouth was still gaping open at the dizzying changes when Jasper suddenly stood where the unicorn had just been.

The human Jasper, all six feet of lean muscled man, as naked as the animals had been. He looked around and saw herwatching. She could feel her face burning as she turned away, presenting her back to him. He had been a beautiful dragon, but that was nothing to how magnificent he was as a man.

*

Jasper was bubblingwith elation at finally mastering the transformation spell and making it back into human form. A naked one, which should have been awkward, since he’d given Delia an unintended eyeful.

He should have been embarrassed, but in all honesty, her reaction added an extra layer of spice to his delight. Her gaze had, undeniably, lingered on him before she noticed he had seen her, and remembered her modesty.