Page 141 of Dragon Her Heels

“Yuless would not appreciate you kicking back and reading a book out here in the slightest. I recommend you do that activity in the comfort of your bedroom. He can then serve you however you need while you enjoy the same activity. You can create the quiet with your magic.”

I would need to play with my wards, but I could see how I might be able to manipulate the world around me to give me the appropriate level of quiet needed to enjoy a book. “Or I could make him make me a reading throne in the castle, which is likely a great deal quieter than the house.”

“That would be an excellent option as well.”

“So, how does this situation result in other female dragons coming to be?”

“Yuless shares no actual genetics with any of the other dragons. They are unique beings. The Universe made them male, although I do not understand the reasoning as to why she, until this point, deemed they could not reproduce.”

I considered the problem, and then I realized, with a sinking sense of certainty, the dragons would not have thrived. “It’s because of the nodes. They can’t sustain that many dragons. They could barely sustain the ones here now. If they reproduced, there wouldn’t be enough magic for any of them. I’m going to be spending years fixing the nodes, too.” I heaved a sigh. “Watch that be why I develop a severe case of scales; I’ll be playing with so much pure magic my body will adapt to it. Dragons are magic, aren’t they?”

“They are,” the archangel confirmed. “Your guess is an excellent one, and I must confess I do not know the truth to it myself. That is hidden behind the shrouds not even we can pierce through.”

“Please tell me Lucifer isn’t going to wallow over this.”

Azrael chuckled, and he smiled. “He will not, but that is only because he understands the necessity of what happens and that you are in good company and peace. You find comfort in the valley, and as such, the only ones who are suffering are Yuless and that mortal you brought home with you. But it is a passing distress. You will not appreciate the trip the hospital, but that is nothing new. They are only going to confirm that the damage has been addressed. You will also receive some medication, which you will protest taking because protesting will earn you excellent reactions from your dragon. Now that we are here, is there anything you would like to see before you return to the mortal coil?”

“That was an excellent attempt at deflection, Azrael. How does this change things for dragons?”

“It is simple. You will have daughters, and those daughters will be dragons.”

I blinked. “Oh.”

“You are truly a dense being sometimes. But I suppose it is a tolerable failing. You are what you are, and expecting you to question everything rather than change what is right in front of you would be asking a bit much. You are Fate in all ways, and that does mean allowing life to begin and end as it will, along with all the steps in between. While we are here, do allow me to show you the falls. I think it will provide perspective.”

* * *

Time had no true meaning in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and after a pleasant stroll across the fertile but unsown landscape, Azrael led me to a place where the ground fell away into roiling clouds of mist. A thundering falls joined with the boundary between life and death, and the weft and warp of the grand weave of life flowed into the mysteries beyond.

“What is this?”

“This is the source of all life and death. View this as a doorway, the one needed for all life to begin and for all life to end.” The archangel pointed at the boundary wall. “This is the strongest point of the boundary, and this is where the tired souls rest.”

“Within the wall?”

“Yes. You might say the boundary is the resting place of all soul energy while awaiting rebirth. The seeds of life are connected through this point, and when the seed germinates, the soul will slip through the falls and take root in the body being formed for it. Some souls are so scarred from their lives they are terrified of this place. Follow.”

I obeyed the archangel, marveling at how any being could handle such a burden.

“It isn’t a burden for me, I assure you. It is just a part of what it is to live and to die.”

We came to a section of the boundary where the weave’s darkness somehow bore splotches of the deepest black. Azrael pressed his hand to the surface over one such spot. “This soul has been at rest for many a long year, and it is time for it to be reborn, but unlike most, it requires a custodian. I warn you, should you choose to assist me in this matter, it will have consequences.”

“All actions and inactions have consequences,” I reminded him. “But I would like to know what sort of consequences I might face for making a choice either way.”

“This soul was once a dragon from the same clutch that had hatched Yuless, Wyness. Yuless adored Wyness, as his little brother became his first friend and companion in life. But Wyness met a woman, and while she bore him fruit, the little one perished a few days after her first breath. It broke them both. The woman walked into the dark waters of a turbulent sea and joined her daughter here. Wyness lingered, but when the magic faded for the first time in the world, he did not seek out the safety and security of a node, and thus he too came to be here. Should Wyness be reborn, it shall be without memory but with a sense of identity. He will know his name is Wyness. He will know his beloved brothers by name, and he will understand the burden of loss; not even my father can take these things from him. The Universe won’t.”

“He is one of her beloved children.”

Azrael nodded, and his expression turned pained. “The Universe is the mother of all life, but she does not grieve the same way humans or the divine do. To her, death is a necessity. In some ways, I feel as though she tests us to see if we might be as worthy of eternal life as we wish.”

All things lived, and eventually, all things died—except for the Universe, who would never receive rest, if things were as we believed. “Can the Universe die?”

“She could will herself, and everything with her, out of existence if she wished. But there would be a new spark, a new being like her to take her place, because all existence is a cycle. She understands this, and she has embraced it. She is not like the Fates, so do not worry. She is here because she wishes to be here,” Azrael assured me. “Tell me, what do you think when you behold my face?”

“Your father is a pretty boy, but you could use a few extra layers of skin to keep your poor skull where it belongs,” I replied, allowing myself a playful grin. “Should Wyness be reborn, and should a mysterious daughter appear for reasons involving that big comfy bed I happen to have in my room, is their future a bright one?”

“They will both be raised in paradise, and he shall be the beloved little brother of all the world’s dragons, but he will be remarkably unspoiled for you will not allow a spoiled child underfoot. Your daughter will be terrifying in her similarities to you, and she would be the option for you to rest and for your portfolio, such as it is, to pass down. And because they are both dragons, they will have entire flocks of baby dragons over their many long years, and they will infest your orchards, drive you wild, and fulfill your soul’s every need. There are few bad consequences from his rebirth, but much like you, your daughter will have no worries about even ten thousand years of life. And because their children will be dragons, Wyness can thrive. The Universe, I feel, made a mistake with him.”