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Ayre stared at Fuego in shock. “How do you know my name?”
Fuego laughed just as he re-appeared from under the water next to the rock outcrop Ayre stood frozen on. Fuego’s broad shoulders were bathed in the golden rays of the sun.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” he asked, filling the silence between them with gentle mockery.
Ayre shook his head; something strange and unfamiliar was uncoiling within his chest like a lurking snake, effectively dismantling his control and threatening his peace of mind.
“Well, I did,” continued Fuego smugly. “So now that we are no longer strangers, will you join me for a swim?”
After a few moments of stubborn silence on Ayre’s part, Fuego cocked his head to the side and said: “Unless you’re afraid of me?”
Ayre didn’t deign this question with a reply. He pulled off his clothes and dived. Fuego’s loud laughter was ringing in his ears.
A few minutes later Ayre broke the surface, shook hair and water out of his eyes, and looked about himself. Fuego was circling him like a predator, his grin as sharp as a dagger. Ayre mirrored his movements.
“Show me your tattoos,” said Fuego as abruptly as he did everything else.
Ayre frowned. “Why do you care so much about them?”
Fuego shrugged. “They fascinate me. I’ve never seen so many tattoos on one person. The first time I saw you I was struck by their appearance. From where I stood they seemed to be moving.”
Ayre was taken aback by Fuego’s candid reply, so when the latter asked him whether he could have a closer look, Ayre decided that his frankness deserved a reward. He straightened up and turned around, making sure that the water of the pool enveloped him from waist down. From his peripheral vision he saw that Fuego did the same before moving behind him to study his back. Ayre kept himself utterly still under his gaze. He wondered if Fuego’s interest was purely scientific. Had he misjudged his intentions? Did Fuego simply want to satisfy his curiosity about his unusual tattoos?
A crushing feeling of disappointment squeezed his chest.
“Amazing,” murmured Fuego. “These actually look like brushstrokes. I’ve never seen such a sophisticated technique before…”
Ayre shivered, feeling each word as palpably though it was pressed into his skin. Why did this human have such an effect on him?
“Cold?” asked Fuego, leaning slightly over his shoulder.
“Uncomfortable,” replied Ayre.
“How come?”
Ayre huffed and crossed his arms on his chest. “I can feel you tracing the markings on my back with your eyes,” he snapped.
“You must be very sensitive,” murmured Fuego. “I can’t wait to see how you will react when I trace them with the tips of my fingers.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t done so yet.”
“Are you asking me to touch you?”
Ayre snorted. “Do you always hear what you want to hear?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Generally, yes.”
“Unbelievable.” Ayre shook his head. “Are you done?”
“I have only just begun.”
“Well, hurry up then. I’m not going to stand here forever. I’m not a piece of rock painting.”
“No, you’re not,” drawled Fuego. “You’re a piece of – well – a very fine piece of – ”
“Fuego, there you are!”
“We’ve been looking all over for you!”
Ayre whirled around and saw two familiar human males standing on the bank, hollering at the top of their lungs and waving enthusiastically among bamboo plants that screened the place from view. They were both dressed in brightly-coloured breeches and vests with flowers in their hair that Ayre recognised as leftover decorations from the flower festival that had taken place just before his arrival.
Fuego cursed.
“ Did I ask you to look for me?” His voice was so cold Ayre was surprised it hadn’t frozen the water around them.
Yet he was even more surprised when one of the humans giggled as though Fuego had said something funny. The giggling human was a short and stocky young male with a round face that looked quite childlike; his thick black fringe fell right to his slit-like eyes, making his cheeks look very chubby.
“Tao,” snapped Fuego, “control yourself.”
Tao let out a pig-like shriek and hid his face in the shoulder of the human standing next to him. Ayre didn’t know whether he did it because he was upset by the reprimand or because he didn’t want Fuego to hear that he didn’t stop giggling. Human behaviour continued to puzzle him. Tao’s companion (he had wisely chosen to grin silently) put a supporting arm around his waist and patted him gently on the head.
“So you’ve caught him, I see.”
Ayre had expected to hear that sarcastic voice any moment now. It wasn’t difficult to imagine that these three humans were Fuego’s close companions. Ayre had learned that humans called such humans “friends” but he didn’t really understand the concept and the word sounded too unfamiliar on his tongue to use. He knew that the idea behind “being friends with someone” implied a strong bond and usually brought together humans of similar ages and tastes, but he could not quite figure out the purpose of such a close companionship. Fuego, for example, appeared permanently displeased with his – Ayre mentally paused before adding – friends.
“Not quite,” replied Fuego, proving his point; “we’ve been making progress when you idiots interrupted us.”
“Oh, no, how very clumsy of us,” replied the sarcastic human without a note of remorse or regret in his voice.
Fuego grunted in displeasure and Ayre suddenly realised that he liked the sarcastic human. He had an aloof air about him as though he didn’t care about anything whatsoever, but his dark eyes held a look of shrewdness and intelligence about them that was hard to miss. Ayre thought that he could be a scholar by nature just like Ayzu and wondered whether he knew things about the human kingdom that could be of use to him.
He had an angular face and a permanently sneering mouth and was taller than the other three humans. In fact, he appeared to be even taller than Ayre, which was impressive, because generally Ayre towered over other humans. Or maybe it was his spiky hairstyle that gave such an impression? There was a rope necklace around his neck with a pendant shaped like a huge fang hanging from it. Ayre was intrigued. Of course, it could have been a fang of a tiger for all he knew, but Ayre’s first thought was that it was a fang of a dragon.
“Here I thought you’d be pleased to see us –”
Smirking, the spiky-haired human wiggled a small pouch in the air. Ayre watched in wonder as Fuego’s attention instantly shifted and focused on it with intensity that were he a dragon would have turned that pouch into cinder. What could it be to affect such a change over him? All Ayre could say was that it wasn’t gold.
Fuego, in the meantime, clasped his hands before him and doubled over in a low bow above water in sign of gratitude. Then he turned around and flashed Ayre a wide grin. “I must go now,” he said, suddenly dropping his grin and his voice to a murmur that washed over Ayre like a caress, “But you can be sure that I’ll be seeing you in my dreams tonight. See you around!”
He winked and walked away, leaving a very stunned Ayre behind.
Ayre was somewhat comforted when Fuego’s spiky-haired companion picked up his clothes and threw them at him, saying with disgust in his voice that he didn’t enjoy the sight of his dangling bits. Ayre started when they all burst out laughing. Realising that he had been staring at the human’s naked behind, he quickly dropped his gaze and plunged underwater.
Afterwards, he scrubbed himself raw. He felt like scrubbing the inside of his brain. He was furious with Fuego and he was furious with himself, falling for his tricks like that! The human male had obviously satisfied his curiosity about his tattoos and didn’t want anything more to do with him. Ayre could barely control his anger at the thought.
He spent the whole night at the temple, clearing his mind and focusing on more important things that lay before him. The next night he decided to put his plan into action and study the royal palace from high above in hopes of getting a better idea about the kingdom’s military resources and defences. Unfortunately, that foray didn’t accomplish much.
Ayre had waited until the inhabitants of the city fell asleep before transforming into his dragon form and taking to the skies. He couldn’t resist making several large loops above the city with his wings stretched as far as they would go; his translucent scales vibrating with excitement. He had used a spell that would make his larger than life dragon form to appear non-corporeal.
To other dragons he would look like nothing more than a shimmering outline – to a human eye he would be virtually invisible. He did resist the temptation to send a few celebratory volleys of fire into the air – but just barely. He hadn’t realised how much he’d missed flying until he got to fly again. Having recollected the purpose of his flight, Ayre stopped and looked down, piercing the night with his gaze.
This was the first time he laid his eyes on the royal palace and, though he had heard it described as the most magnificent building in the kingdom, he could not quite imagine what he would find upon finally seeing it. He had already had an idea about how extravagant humans could be when it came to houses and temples, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of the royal palace.
Ayre’s first thought was that it was a spectacular study in abundance and overindulgence. His second thought was that Aybo and his mate would absolutely love it. It was a far cry from their caves inside the mountain. “No wonder Aybo craves what humans have,” thought Ayre to himself. “He has always hated our simple way of life.”
Having concluded his observations, Ayre could tell how many columns, courtyards, gardens, fountains, birdcages, umbrellas, palms, balconies, galleries, windows, doors, and fancy staircases there were. He could tell how many dragon heads decorated its pointed rooftops and even take stock of each and every precious stone that decorated its whitewashed walls.
He could draw a detailed map of its exterior but even his keen eyesight couldn’t see through its walls to learn whether there were any secret passageways or underground tunnels that could be penetrated or how many cannons and catapults they possessed or whether there were special enclosures where they kept, raised, and trained elephants for battle.
Outwardly, in the glow of lanterns he could find no visible defences other than a squadron of palace guards they seemed to rely on the most; they carried spears and stood at multiple entrances, while tigers prowled the grounds. They seemed completely defenceless otherwise. These guards could hardly be called warriors and their numbers were too small to pose any real threat. Ayre was sure that they were so used to a peaceful life, they wouldn’t even know how to defend themselves against a sudden attack.
The problem was that Ayre didn’t want Aybo to know that. If only he could report back that they were so well armed and guarded that it would be a mistake to invade them! Ayre so desperately wanted humans to have means to protect themselves that he was willing to explore every inch of the kingdom in order to find something that would lend truth to such a report.
He had little hope that he would find below the royal palace a complicated labyrinth of tunnels used for military purposes, but he was too desperate not to have a look if only he could find a way to get there. He told himself that just because there were no outward signs of their readiness to repel his brother’s invasion, didn’t mean that they weren’t prepared. “Though peaceful and friendly, they might yet prove to be fierce warriors,” he told himself. He wanted to believe that! Unfortunately, believing something didn’t make it true.
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