Origin (Scales 'n' Spells 1)

The more he stayed here, the more he interacted with everyone, the more certain Cameron became. He was in the right place. He loved it here, and the friends he’d made were awesome. The magic called to him strongly, no doubt about that. He probably would stay for that reason alone. But it was times like now, when he got to play a game of ball with two dragons, that really sold him on the idea of staying.

Ravi got the ball in through the goal, and Cameron snapped out of the thought, focusing more on the here and now. Baldewin growled again in frustration even as Ravi tossed the ball back to Cameron to get it back into play.

This time, Cameron got a better feel for the wind, on how much to channel into the spell. He had better control over the ball as he shot it back into the air. “Vente anti gev adi!”

Perfect. The ball went up precisely between the two of them. Not that it helped Baldewin any. Ravi still beat him to it, basically twirling mid-air like a ballerina, claw swiping the ball handily out of the air before he tucked it into his chest and shot off for the goal.

Baldewin didn’t even try to chase him. He flapped massive wings, hovering, then dove for Cameron.

Cameron let out a squeak as Baldewin caught him up in a strong grip, lifting him out of the stands completely. Cameron clung to him in a death grip, but Baldewin had him, tucked in safely against his chest.

“I call advantage!” Baldewin stated smugly.

“That’s not advantage, that’s fucking cheating!” Ravi snarked back, looping back with the ball still tucked into his chest. “Put him back!”

Now that Cameron was up in the air like this, flying, he couldn’t imagine getting back on the ground. It was exhilarating up here, the wind caressing through his hair like a lover’s hand, ruffling his clothes and putting a wide smile on his face. “Baldewin, don’t you dare. Two on one, Ravi! Man up!”

“Oh, you’re both going down,” Ravi promised with a feral smile on his face.

* * *

Alric stood on the balcony and watched the three play with a faint smile curving up the corners of his mouth. It had been ages since anyone used the field, so that alone made him happy. But seeing Cameron out there, using his magic just to play, was a relief. The man who’d been so adamant about not being a mage was now out there using wind spells to play ball with two dragons. The thought amused him.

And it was a relief, too, to see Cameron getting along so well with them. Alric wanted him to form close ties here, to make friends—to fall in love with someone. As a king, he needed to keep this mage. As a man, it was bittersweet in the extreme to watch Cameron laugh and play with his clanmates and know that eventually, Cameron would fall for someone. That he would have to watch it happen.

As hard as it was to watch in some ways, as much as it twisted at his heart, this was good. Cameron needed this sort of fun interaction. Alric had no intention of interfering with it. But it didn’t hurt to watch, right? Cameron’s obvious joy and amusement was too captivating for him to walk away just yet.

“There’s my wandering student. I wondered where he’d gotten off to.” Lisette came to stand at Alric’s side, shaking her head. “He’s a bit too green to be using wind spells like that. Although I suppose it’s good practice.”

“He seems to be doing rather well at it.”

“Hasn’t sent the ball out of bounds yet, at least.” Lisette pursed her lips, judging. “Ah, I say that, and he nearly does. Well, judging how much power to draw and use is part of it all. And he can’t kill anyone with that ball, so I suppose it’s fine to let them have their fun.”

“Rather my thought on it.” Alric kept his hands in his pockets and continued to watch.

“Poor Baldewin. He’s never been able to quite keep up with Ravi’s speed.” Lisette chuckled, obviously able to hear the growls of frustration even from here.

“There’s very few in this clan who can.” Wind dragons were normally the fastest of them all. It wasn’t a surprise Ravi could outfly the clan. Something about their more streamlined build, the larger wingspan proportions, helped their speed.

“If those three are keen on picking the sport back up, maybe we can modify the game rules and create smaller teams,” Lisette suggested. “Especially if we find more mages, I think it’s possible to re-create the old days. Although the field will need some renovations, as it’s been left alone to the elements too long.”

“That would be nice,” Alric agreed, a touch nostalgic. “We’ve not played in ages. I’m not sure if I even remember the rules anymore.”