Aleda Sable needs to sit and digest everything she discovered from the last two months. Life was never boring but the epiphanies she stumbled upon have left her breathless. To this end, she realizes her previous existence was tame, maybe even dull, compared to her new reality.
Life is becoming discovery. How many like her are there in the Northwest? Is her friend Cyre one of a kind or is he but the tip of an iceberg of creatures the world tries to pretend doesn't exist?
Now humans are encroaching into the secretive world of Aleda and her kind. Unknown forces are causing her people to shift, partway, in their cars during busy rush hours, capturing the attention of the media and focusing unwanted light on them. In trying to find the solution, she uncovers a complex network of intrigue and danger to herself and others like her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dragons Among the Eagles
by
C. L. Kraemer
Portland
Aleda heard the distinctive ring of her cell phone. She reached into her purse and looked at the readout.
"Warren!"
She flipped the phone open. "What? I still have one more day before I come in. This had better be
"Yeah, hello to you too. Have you checked out your dragon story?"
Aleda moved from the kitchen counter into the living room to gaze at the hazy sunlight sparkling off the Willamette River in the canyon below her house. She was feeling unsettled and had chosen not to jump immediately back into the reporting scene.
"Actually, I've stayed away from all the news sources. I'm off until tomorrow, and I'd planned on relaxing until then."
She heard him harrumphing in the background. Warren didn't understand people who weren't married to their work.
"Well, smart aleck, we've had a mountain of emails regarding the pictures we used with your story."
She snapped her attention to the conversation. "What?"
"I said… we've had hundreds of emails about your pictures. It seems the dragon sightings are almost as numerous as Bigfoot sightings. But I have to tell you…"
Aleda could tell by the unusual way Warren was talking, he had a big, fat Cuban cigar stuck out of one corner of his mouth. His labored breathing indicated he was walking while he talked. She could just imagine his forehead beginning to glisten with a light sheen of sweat as he worked himself into a frenzy.
"I believe these people are really genuine."
"Just like the UFO sightings, Warren?"
The growled response she received made Aleda bite her lip. Maybe she'd gone just a
little too far.
"What do you want me to do, Warren?"
"Will you look at the ones I've picked out and contact these writers?"
"Warren?"
"Yes?"
"I have a life I'm going to live."
"I know, I know. Just let me send these letters to you and tell me if you think they have merit."
"Fine. Send them to my email. I'll take a look at them--later."
"Thanks, Aleda!"
She ground her teeth. He'd done it again. She could hear the smile in his voice before he hung up. The man knew how to work her. It was times like these she would have been happy to shift and scorch his shorts.
~ * ~
She rubbed her palms against her eyes and blew out a weary breath. The one bright spot of her email inbox had been Cyre's answer. Aleda picked up a pen and put a star on Friday, Sunday and Monday of her calendar. Her stomach flipped and she couldn't help but smile. It would be absolute heaven to fly wingtip to wingtip with him. Snuggling in front of his big screen TV watching movies until they fell asleep--could life get any better? She doubted it. Meanwhile, she felt as though her eyes were bleeding. She'd been sitting in front of her computer sifting through the letters from a different set of farfetched enthusiasts than the usual Bigfoot sighters. The frightening part was the similarity to her initial meeting with Cyre described in some of the letters. They were certain they'd seen the dragon pictured in the shots on the inner page of the paper. Aleda stood up and stretched her hands over her head, twisting from side to side and bending to alleviate the kinks. Cyre needed to see these letters. His innocence could get him killed if he wasn't more cautious.
Shaking her hands to get the blood flowing, Aleda decided to go for a walk. The day had dawned with misty skies but being in the house this long was making her feel claustrophobic. Fresh air and a brisk walk would clear her mind. Her life was just beginning. She was going to live to be seven hundred fifty years old.
Was a master's degree
really necessary? In the next seven hundred twenty-five years was the advanced degree going to make a difference in her lifestyle choices? Most of this argument was moot. Her inheritance included the home where she lived and enough money to survive. But could she keep her things and not be suspect?
Aleda began to jog along the riverfront with the overload of questions invading her mind. Soon she was listening to the rhythmic slap, slap, slap of her shoes against the pavement leading up the west hills toward home. All thoughts of what she needed to do, wanted to do were lost in the joy of misty rain rushing against her face, wind playing with her long, dark hair and the rush of running.
At the top of the hills she slowed to a walk, letting her breathing even out and pulling in deep breaths of crisp, clean air. Her life had changed, that was certain, but she could handle it. After all, her history certainly hadn't been fairy tale. The trauma of her childhood, a mother who abandoned her when she was barely three and an aunt, who tried to beat the wicked out of her, hadn't succeeded in breaking her down. Why should
simple lifebumps such as learning she was a dragon/human shapeshifter who was going to live to be seven hundred fifty years old beat her? Aleda dragged herself up the steps and unlocked the front door. The light on her phone was blinking furiously.
"No way am I checking that."
The thought of a hot shower enticed her and articles of clothing dropped to the floor with each footfall along the hallway. Donning dry clothing after her invigorating clean up, Aleda moved to the couch to flip through the news channels. A television helicopter was circling the scene of an accident. Several police cars were
visible and an ambulance was arriving. The newscaster was warning folks to avoid the area as there would probably be delays. Suddenly, the picture went black and the sound vanished. Aleda blinked.
"Sorry folks, we're having some technical difficulties. We'll keep you updated as we get
the information. On a different note…"
That was strange.
Her phone rang and she groaned. Before she looked at her caller ID, Aleda knew who was on the other end of the line. If she didn't answer, he would call and leave messages all night.
"Hello, Warren."
"Aleda. Tell me you've been watching the news."
"Yes, Warren. I've been watching the news."
"Good, then I won't have to bring you up to speed on the accident on I-205. Get over there as fast as you can."
"Why, Warren? The news just warned everyone to stay away. The traffic will be horrific. Besides, we don't do everyday fender-benders. What's so special about this?"
There was a hesitation on the line and Aleda's stomach plummeted to her toes.
"You know I listen to a police scanner all the time."
"Uh-humm."
"The scanner was going wild before they shut it down. There were three different agencies on the frequency and each one made the same shocked statement about this accident."
"Get to the point, Warren."
"Aleda, I want you to get over there and find out the truth. Go now and get back to me tonight. This is the story that could put our paper on top."
"WARREN!"
"What?"
"What is so important you want me to cover an accident?"
"The police reported the deceased driver of the vehicle was…"
Aleda heard him swallow, pull in a deep breath and continue.
