Page 19 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume One

Baldewin seemed happy to hear the question. “Our mages in the clan attempted a seeking spell, but it hadn’t locked on to you before Ravi found you. We can smell your magic.”

Cameron blinked at him. Then blinked again. “Uhh…you serious?”

“Quite serious.”

“Well, that puts a different spin on things. You’re literally saying I smell like magic to you?”

“Precisely as our other mages do. Yes. Your blood sings with it.” Baldewin shot him a slight smile, bordering on enigmatic. “You know that scent in the air, right before a major lightning storm sweeps through? Where it smells electrifying and moist and full of power? That’s what magic smells like.”

Cameron absorbed that information, sat with it for several seconds. So, it wasn’t like the spell they used had misfired or got tangled up and gave the wrong results. They weren’t relying on a spell at all, but their own senses. Kind of hard to argue with that. Cameron could see precisely one flaw in their logic.

“Okay, but—hear me out—but what if I’m not really magical? What if I’m more a recessive gene, a carrier of magic, but it’s not active in me?”

Baldewin was a good listener. He didn’t immediately shoot Cameron down but thought about it for a long moment. “I can see why you asked that question. I don’t believe that’s the case. People who are recessive carriers of magic don’t smell that way. They smell like your average human. We don’t detect anything from them.”

“Oh.” Cameron took in a deep breath, held it, let it out again. Okay, that was a more direct answer than he actually knew what to do with. His brain felt fit to bursting, like a water balloon on the edge of exploding. Maybe he should stop asking questions.

So, of course, his mouth immediately came out with another one. “Alric—should I be calling him the king or something? I never got to ask earlier.”

“No, it’s not necessary. He’s not truly a formal person. Unless he corrects you, feel free to use his name.”

“Okay, thanks, that worried me. Anyway, Alric hinted that things were wrong earlier. That mages are somehow important to you guys? Why? I don’t get the link.”

Baldewin shot him that measuring look again, as if weighing how much to tell him. “We don’t have time for a full explanation before reaching your hotel, but will a simple one suffice for now?”

“I think simple is all my brain can handle right now.”

“Very well. Dragons cannot have children with each other. It is only through mages that we are able to bear children.”

Cameron stared at him, a man waiting for a punch line. When none came, he blurted, “Wait, can male mages get pregnant?!” Cameron suddenly had a vision of himself nine months along and carrying twins and ye gods, no.

“What?” Baldewin responded in equal alarm and surprise. “No! No, I didn’t mean that. We have alternative, magical means for same sex couples to have children. It’s just that the majority of mages are female, you see. It’s predominantly through them that we have children. The other reason mages are so important is that dragons have no ability to work magic. So we only have the magics we do because of our mage clan members. Much of our protections and such come from our mages. Our numbers have dwindled badly over the years. We’re tough, but not immune to disease or injury. People sometimes get into accidents or contract a disease even magic can’t cure. And no mage mates means no children to replenish our population, and it is—” Baldewin sighed and for a moment looked a century older than the late thirties he appeared. “It breaks my heart, to tell you the truth. Our mages have always been a joy to us. Not only because they help us have children, but because of the magic and wonder they bring with them. Most of us have been without mates for over five hundred years. So few mages survived the war. We protect any we find automatically.”

“But I’m the first you’ve found in five hundred years, or so you said.”

“Correct. It gives me hope to see you. It means magic is trying to revive in the world again. We’ve perhaps latched onto you too strongly, and alarmed you in the process, but you understand now why we did? You—and probably your family as well—are a beacon of hope that we’d given up as lost.”

That did put it into perspective as nothing else had. He tried to put himself in their shoes. What would it be like to go years upon decades upon centuries, needing something desperately only to not find it? Where no matter how hard you looked, it was nowhere to be found? Would it be like googling something and getting a million hits in return? Congratulations, what you’re looking for is somewhere on Planet Earth. Good luck. Just the mental image of it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Did that mean he was more comfortable with everything dumped on him today? No way in hell. But he did feel like he at least understood where they were coming from.

Cameron felt like he’d exchanged one set of questions for another, but the hotel was already in sight and he didn’t have much time before Baldewin dropped him off. He didn’t even know where to begin on his second list of questions. But he did know that if he didn’t tell his grandmother about this shortly, she’d fly to Germany even with her bad knee just to whack him. So there was that to look forward to.

“I think I need time to process all of this before I’m ready to talk again.”

Baldewin gave him a hopeful smile, the curve of his mouth tentative, brows raised a little. “But you do want to talk again?”

“I have no choice on that, trust me. My sister’s already hyperventilating, she’s so excited, and my grandmother will be in the same boat as soon as I tell her.” Cameron wasn’t sure about his parents. They also viewed Halmeoni as crazy. Fifty-fifty odds they’d take it well. But that was a different problem for a different day. Not today, that was for sure.

“But do you want to talk about it again?” Baldewin asked in a strangely penetrating way.

Did he? Cameron’s brain swam with facts and questions, so it was a little hard to tell right now. “I guess I do. I want to understand it all better.”

“Then please talk with us again.” Baldewin slowed at the curb, coming to a stop in the passenger loading zone.

Cameron opened the door, got one foot out, and then stalled there. He did feel bad about snapping at Alric earlier. He felt like he owed the man an apology and maybe a second chance for them to get on a better footing. Cameron had dreamed about magic being real all throughout his childhood. It seemed a shame to reject it as an adult just because it didn’t sit well immediately.

Making a quick decision, he turned to look at Baldewin. “Tell Alric to come pick me up at nine a.m. And don’t be late.”