Page 5 of The Searching Songbird

“I can imagine. So, this dream... was there a dragon in it, by any chance?”

Josselyn's eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Wait – how did you know that?”

“Cause there was a dragon in my dream, too. But it didn't feel like a normal dream. It was almost as if it were speaking to me through my dream. Well, without the actual speaking part.”

Josselyn was nodding now. “Exactly. Like it was trying to tell me something important, but instead of words it was using images.”

“Like flashes of someone's memories.”

“Yes! Just like that.”

“There was a girl. I think she might be in trouble.”

“But who was she? I don't see how we can help her, when we don't even know if she's real, much less who she is...”

“The dragon...” Lily reached up over her shoulder, letting her fingertips graze the top of her mark – a beautiful, black wing that stretched out across her shoulder blade. “If she had a dragon...”

“... then she might be one of the other Shendri,” Josselyn finished, her eyes widening as her hand went to cover her own mark, four black claw marks that cut across her forearm.

“We have to help her, Joss. That man, he was hurting her. I'm sure of it.”

Josselyn's face was pensive as she rubbed her hand over her mark. “Okay, but how are we going to do that? We don't know who the other Shendri are.”

“Maybe Luxeos knows something?” Lily asked, referring to the former goddess of the sun and creator of the original Shendri warriors.

“I doubt it. Luxeos can only sense the Shendri when they release their beast, and they have to be somewhat close by, to boot. If this girl could release a dragon, I wouldn't think she'd need much help defending herself.”

“Which means her beast is still dormant...”

“Not entirely dormant, if it's communicating with us on her behalf. But it's possible she's still unaware of its presence. I had trouble reaching Kella, at first, remember?”

Lily tapped her lips with her finger, thinking. Maybe their beasts were the answer. After all, they'd known the dragon once, even if it was over two hundred years ago.

Suzu, are you there? Can you hear me?

There was a pause, and then a soft “I'm here” as the phoenix's voice filled her mind.

What do you know about the dragon Shendri?

“Aoi, the original Shendri, or are you asking about the dragon himself?”

Both, I guess. Joss and I think the current Shendri might be in trouble, so anything that could help us locate her would be beneficial.

“Hmmm. Well, I couldn't say where the current one is now. I haven't sensed her presence at all. Not like I can with Josselyn. But I can tell you the original dragon Shendri was from the Eastern Islands.”

Wait, what? I thought you were from the islands, like me.

“No, I was bonded with a girl from Roshka.”

Does that mean my family was originally from Roshka? I'm Roshkan?

“Yes, I suppose it does.”

Interesting... but not relevant, so moving on. The islands. Anything else?

“Other than the fact that the dragon, Artemis, was a pompous know-it-all? No, nothing of relevance.”

Shoot. Thanks, anyway.