Chapter 1A Kiss
_____Rinzua, a boy of seventeen, was running silently through the forest that rose behind his house and up to the cliffs in front of his house. His dark brown eyes were constantly darting to his feet to make sure that he would not trip. His short white blond hair was plastered to his forehead with the sweat that drenched skin almost as pale as his hair, and he was trying not to pant to loudly. He had his sword in hand, point up, so he could easily attack anything that tried to ambush him. He jumped at every sound and blowing of the wind. He suddenly noticed motion just outside his vision. It was to his right. He slowed down to a walk and turned his head slightly so that he could see what was moving. A bush was rustling slightly. There she was! He swiftly ran toward the bush and swung down, starting at the empty space that his sword had just cleaved. Panic flashed through his mind as one thought dominated all: nothing was there! He felt the sharp edge of a sword pressed between his shoulder blades.
_____"Ok Jensa. You win. Now take that toy saber off my back," he said in a voice of mock defeat, with a hint of playful sarcasm. He felt the saber leave his back as he heard a feminine voice sound behind him, one heavily laced with a Scottish accent.
_____"If yeh call it a toy again, Ah'll take yer head." Rinzua turned to face the girl standing behind him. Her jade-green eyes were staring at him. She was almost twenty-one, but she looked nineteen. Her hair was dirty blond and waist length, but it was tied tightly at the back of her head with a brightly colored band. Her skin was darkly tanned, not a bead of sweat to be found decorating it. He opened his arms wide as he smiled disarmingly.
_____"Now Jen, would you really take your dear, little brother Rin's head?" Jensa smiled and embraced her brother.
_____"O' course no'. Yeh're mah only kin since our parents left fer the castle."
_____"Good," replied Rinzua. "Let's go home. Y'know, I think this was our hardest training session yet." Jensa laughed.
_____"Yeh say that after every trainin' session." They walked the rest of the way through the forest in silence.
_____As they reached the edge of the forest and their home was in sight, Rinzua said,
_____"Hey Jen, first one to the door gets first shower."
_____"Why? Ah'll only beat yeh," Jensa began, but Rinzua had already started running. She shook her head and ran after him. By the time Rinzua had reached the door, Jensa was already in the shower. Rinzua heaved a sigh, knowing from the beginning that she would win. He went to the kitchen sink and washed his hands and face. He sighed once more and sat down. After a while he heard Jensa get out of the shower and go into her room. He went into his bedroom to get a fresh change of clothes and then went into the bathroom to take his shower.
_____After he was finished, he went to stand in Jensa's doorway to watch her. She was sitting at her dresser looking into her mirror while she was putting on the necklace that she had since before Rinzua was born. The necklace was a beautiful ruby that was embedded in a circle of gold on a delicate gold chain.
_____"Y'know," Rinzua said, "that necklace looks like it was made for you." Jensa didn't reply or look back at him. "Did you know I was here?"
_____"Yes. Ah saw yeh in mah mirror. Do yeh want dinner now or later?"
_____"Now, please."
_____"What do yeh want?"
_____"Chicken. Lexie likes chicken."
_____"Why don't yeh goo and call him while Ah start cooking?"
_____"All right." Rinzua went outside and onto the edge of the cliff. He put his thumb and his middle finger to his lips and blew three sharp, shrill whistles. Nothing happened for a few seconds, and then Rinzua heard the faint flapping of giant wings. The sound got steadily louder until an enormous white dragon appeared over the cliff. The edges of the dragon's wings, the two claws on its four legs, and the fringe on the tip of its tail were all gold. Its eyes were ruby red, the same color as the jewel around Jensa's neck. The dragon landed on the cliff edge on all fours and lowered its head to Rinzua's eye level. Rinzua reached up to scratch the dragon's nose. "Hey Lexie. We're having chicken tonight." The dragon grinned in pleasure. Jensa appeared in the doorway and yelled to Rinzua,
_____"We're out o' chicken. If yeh want some, yeh're goin' tah have tah hunt it yerself."
_____"But Jen, you know I'm not good with a bow and arrows."
_____"Wheel then, Ah guess we're no' havin' chicken."
_____"All right, all right. I'll go hunt the chicken." Rinzua went inside to grab the bow and a quiver full of arrows off of the wall and went out to hunt in the forest. Jensa walked over to the dragon's left side and stroked it just under its wing. A deep, reverberating masculine voice filled the air around them. It was the dragon's voice, but it seemed to emanate from Jensa's jewel.
_____"That feels nice." As he spoke, Jensa could feel the jewel vibrate slightly against her breast.
_____"Ah kin. That's why Ah'm doin' it, Lexenos."
_____"You know I prefer to be called Lex."
_____"Ah kin, but it's so informal. Ah!" Lexenos suddenly wrapped his wing around Jensa, freezing her momentarily.
_____"Please don't stop." Jensa unfroze and continued to stroke Lexenos. He gently pulled Jensa closer to him until she was pressed against his body. She laid her head against him and stroked him more gently. Lexenos turned his head to look at Jensa. He moved his head toward her to lick her face with his forked tongue and then nuzzle his nose against her cheek. Their heads moved apart and their eyes met, then their heads slowly started to move toward each other, with Lexenos tilting his head slightly. A sudden whoop of joy emanated from the forest, causing Jensa and Lexenos to look toward the forest. Rinzua was shouting with joy, hauling a chicken behind him that was almost as big as him.
_____"Yahoo! Jen! Jen! I got one! I got one, Jen! I got a chicken!" Jensa untangled herself from Lexenos' wing.
_____"Wheel, Ah guess Ah'd better get things ready fer that chicken." She headed from the kitchen. Lexenos settled down on the ground and took one last look at Jensa before he laid his head down and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, Rinzua came catapulting through the forest and into the clearing. He looked at Lexenos, who appeared to be sleeping, and stopped whooping and started tiptoeing toward the house. When he got inside, Jensa said, "What's yeh're problem?" Rinzua gave a whispered reply.
_____"Lexie's asleep."
_____"He's no'."
_____"How do you know?" Rinzua's reply was louder than before.
_____"Because Ah do."
_____"How?"
_____"Ah was outside with him before yeh came back." Rinzua was silent for a few moments, and then he blurted out,
_____"You didn't do anything, did you?" Jensa didn't reply, then,
_____"Mebbe."
_____"Jensa! You didn't! But... he's a dragon! And you're human!"
_____"So?!"
_____"Jensa! That's just wrong!" There was a beating of wings from outside. Rinzua went to the door to see what it was. Lexenos was gone. When Rinzua turned to go back inside, he was that Jensa was sitting at the kitchen table, her head buried in her arms, quivering. "Jensa?" She didn't respond. Rinzua moved a chair so that he could sit next to her. He put his hand on her head and began to stroke her hair. "Jensa, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry." Jensa's voice was muffled from her arms.
_____"Ah'm no' cryin'."
_____"Of course you're not," Rinzua said in a soothing voice. Suddenly, it started to rain. Rinzua ran to shut the door so that the rain wouldn't get inside.
_____"Yeh kin," Jensa said, her voice still muffled by her arms, "they say dragons' tears bring rain." Rinzua sat back down beside her and put his hands on her shoulders. She raised her head, avoiding her brother's eyes, and said, "Wheel, Ah'd better start cookin' that chicken."
_____"Right. I'll be in my room." Rinzua got up to go to his room.
_____"An' jes' fer the record, nuthin' happened." He turned around and hugged Jensa, her back still turned to him.
_____"...food!" Rinzua opened his eyes sleepily and saw Jensa standing in his doorway. "Ah see yeh woke up when Ah said 'food.'" She grinned at him.
_____"What?" he said, his brain still muddled by sleep.
_____"Ah said, 'Dinner's ready, coom and get it if yeh want any food.'" He rubbed his eyes. "Ah see yeh're still half-asleep." She walked over to him and sat down next to him on his bed. "Do yeh remember catchin' the chicken?" He nodded. "Yeh went to yeh're room when Ah started cookin' and yeh fell asleep. Wheel, noow the chicken's ready, and if yeh don't goo and get some, Ah'll eat it mahself and give the rest to Lex." Rinzua quickly got and went to the kitchen and got a plate full of chicken. He was stuffing his face as Jensa walked into the kitchen, laughing.
_____"Wha-shu laffin at?" Rinzua said through a mouth full of chicken. Jensa took his chicken-filled face in her hands and said,
_____"You, mah dear brother, you." She got herself some chicken, but not very much. Rinzua swallowed, then looked up at the ceiling and said, "It stopped raining." He glanced at Jensa, who was just picking at her food, then did a double-take. He looked Jensa in the eyes and said,
_____"Jensa, you're not eating. You need to eat." Jensa looked down.
_____"But Ah'm no' really hungry."
_____"Jensa, please eat. For me." Jensa speared some chicken with her fork and sighed. "All right. But only fer you, Rin." Rinzua smiled comfortingly at her.
_____"Thanks, Jen."
_____Rinzua had already finished two more plates when Jensa had finished her first. Rinzua took her plate and filled it with as much chicken as it could hold.
_____"Eat hearty, my sis."
_____"Please, Rin, that's too much...." Rinzua looked at her with sad puppy eyes and his bottom lip was sticking out. "Rin...." His bottom lip started to quiver. "Oh, all right." Rinzua smiled and sat down to watch her eat. She started on her chicken, and then paused to ask, "How much o' the chicken's left?"
_____"A little more than half, maybe."
_____"Good." She resumed eating. When she was finished, she put her plate in the sink and said, "Rin, will yeh goo and give the rest o' that chicken to Lex?" Rinzua started to tie the chicken up in a brown kerchief as he said,
_____"Sure." He tied the kerchief around his neck and ran out the door, leaving it wide open with Jensa yelling,
_____"Close the door! Yeh weren't born in a barn! And be careful, those rock steps'll be slippery!" Rinzua slowed down when he reached the steps that were hewn into the cliffside and looked down at them. They led to the cave where Lexenos lived, which was about thirteen feet down from the cliff's edge. Rinzua started to walk down the rock stairs. It didn't take him too long to get to Lexenos' cave. There was a faint glow coming from the mouth of the cave. Rinzua walked in and saw a fire in the middle of the cave. He sat down by the fire and unwrapped the chicken. He called out into the darkness,
_____"Hey Lexie, I have the chicken." He heard movement from the back of the cave. Lexenos came out of the darkness and started to gnaw on the chicken. Rinzua watched Lexenos for a few seconds, then asked, "Lexie, where did you come from?" Lexenos continued to gnaw on the chicken without pausing to look up. "Don't feel like talking, do we?" A sudden, loud thumping noise came from outside. A few seconds later, Jensa walked into the firelight.
_____"Rin, yeh should kin better than that. Yeh kin that Lex talks through mah jewel, and that he can't talk if the jewel's no' near." Lexenos looked up.
_____"Jen, will you please tell my story?" Jensa leaned up against Lexenos.
_____"O' course. When Ah was born in the Highlands in the year 720, a special jewel was forged for me. That's the jewel Ah'm wearin' right noow. When this jewel was finished, Lex was born out o' it."
_____"Lex was born out of the jewel? How?"
_____"He jes' kinda came out o' it, like steppin' through a mirror."
_____"That's weird. How is that possible?" Lex finished eating the last of the chicken and laid his head in Jensa's lap. Jensa began absentmindedly stroking his nose.
_____"This jewel's magic. It's called a summoning jewel. It was presented to oor parents as a kind of congratulations gift for mah birth."
_____"Wow. Everyone must have really loved our parents."
_____"Yeah. It's said that the Highlands had it's mos' peaceful era under oor parents' reign."
_____"...huh." Rinzua suddenly yawns.
_____"It's gettin' late, Rin. You should go tah bed."
_____"What about you?"
_____"Me? Ah'm gonna stay here and talk with Lex for a little longer." Rinzua turns his face away from Jensa and Lexenos.
_____"Ok. Good night." Rin picks up the kerchief and runs off before Jensa could say anything. Jensa stares after him and heaves a long, heavy sigh. The jewel reverberating against her chest as Lexenos says,
_____"Don't worry about him, Jen."
_____"Ah kin. Ah kin he's fine, but Ah jes' can't help but worry. He's mah brother and Ah love him."
_____"And I love you, Jen." Jensa blushed brightly and looked away from Lexenos, but he used his wingtip to gently push her head to face him. Lexenos slowly moved his head toward Jensa.
_____"Oh, Lex...." Finally, their faces met in a tender, loving kiss.
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