The sun had drooped low in the sky, staining the water a brilliant gold while streaks of gray and pink painted the sky when Lanna locked the bakery doors and flipped their sign to ‘closed’. It had been a busy day and her arms and feet were sore, but she didn’t mind. The past few weeks working at the bakery had been some of the best she’d had in a long time. The work was hard and the hours were long and started early, but the bakery smelled wonderful all day, the customers were far friendlier and gentle, and she had not once been leered at or grabbed, which was a nightly occurrence back in Dudlud.

The Halliwin’s were beyond generous and kind. The room they’d offered her was downstairs, technically in the basement, but it was warm enough and they’d given her more than enough soft, downy quilts to compensate when winter was to set in, though that wouldn’t be for several moons yet, and Lanna wasn’t sure she would be here that long. Though part of her hoped so. She had come to love the place. She loved the family especially. Ben was a playful, active child who would babble for ages if someone would sit and listen to him. Lanna barely absorbed half of what he said, but she appreciated his energy as he flung his arms out and danced about while he spoke. Sometimes, if she felt brave enough to interact directly and was not too tired, she would lift him above her head and spin him, and he would laugh until he wheezed or Heather lightly scolded them both.

She hung around the home a lot when they weren’t working, helping Heather with odd chores or sitting with her in their small living room while she knitted yarn into colourful little clothes for the coming baby and Ben napped in his room. Heather decorated the prettiest cookies and cakes and had been showing Lanna some of the techniques. She was not very good, however, so she practiced on the odd cookies that had cooked too long or were malformed and weren’t being sold. Ben loved those cookies best of all because he got to eat most of them. Heather was a warm woman with an open heart who would often urge Lanna to open hers too, then just settle into a comfortable silence and talk about the weather and the town news when Lanna wouldn’t. She wished she could sometimes, but she knew she could not.

And she liked Carter best of all, though she had come to adore all of them. Carter was strong and solid and worked like a mule, which Lanna could relate to. He had put her straight to work the day after they had arrived, but he would talk to her on the breaks and show her some of the recipes, and let her taste test things, which she loved. Baked goods remained a novelty that Lanna was obsessed with. He’d work her hard and then insist at the end of the night that they have a single drink and a leftover pastry to celebrate a job well done. He never pushed her for her story, but was always interested in any details she would choose to offer from her travels, and Lanna appreciated that she did not have to work so hard to keep her mask in place with him. She could heft flour and work near the ovens with little trouble, and Carter would simply grin and say he’d struck gold with her. He was a simple man with simple pleasures, who didn’t need to know who she was or what she was running from so long as she did her job and behaved pleasantly with his family.

She smiled as she wiped down the counter and tabletops, and then slipped silently into the back where Carter was shutting down the bread ovens.

As she approached him, he turned and his smile grew. He clapped her on the shoulder. “Good work today, Lanna. Thanks for taking over during the rush there, I know it was supposed to be your lunch break, so I appreciate the help.”

Lanna shook her head. “I didn’t mind. I hardly need that long of a break as it is. I’ve said that before.”

“You work too hard,” he replied with a shake of his head. “Come on, let’s take a look at our pickings.”

Lanna paused long enough to remove her apron and hang it on the hook along with the others. Beneath, she had a thin shirt and long black pants, but before she followed Carter, she grabbed her cloak from where she’d folded it up and tucked it away safely. As usual, some of her exhaustion and weariness melted away as she settled it back over her shoulders. Its warmth was comforting and always would be.

As she slipped back out front, she found Carter waiting with the plate of leftover cookies. She smiled. He’d come to know her pattern over the last few weeks. She had sampled several of the deserts, but she favoured the cookies best of all.

“Take two,” Carter urged. “You’ve definitely earned it after the past few days.”

Lanna’s smile widened and she plucked two of the frosting-covered treats off the tray. “Thanks,” she replied. She gripped one between her teeth and leaned against the wall while Carter stole a slice of cinnamon bread for himself and a sugar-coated dough-knot, likely for Heather.

“You’ll join us upstairs for a bit?” Carter checked.

Lanna smiled. Carter needed no further confirmation from her. He stepped around her and she followed him quietly up to the top floor of the building, which served as their home. Heather was at the table, pouring a small glass of brewery brandy from the vineyard outside of town. It was their little tradition, but Heather had been skipping the alcohol. They’d tried to include Lanna in the tradition, but the first time she’d tried the liquor, it had burned her throat and made her choke and cough until tears had streamed down her face and her skin had tightened and screamed. It had been entirely unpleasant, though it was now the source of light chuckling from the couple, and Lanna had no desire to partake in alcoholic beverages ever again.

So now Heather put out one glass of the brandy and two with pear nectar that Lanna found quite pleasant. “Sure you don’t want to try again, Lanna?” Carter teased.

She bit into her cookie to avoid having to answer directly and picked up one of the glasses of nectar. “No thank you,” she refused.

Heather lightly swatted Carter on the arm as she came around the table. “Leave her be,” she scolded. “Lanna, honey, don’t let him pick on you like that.”

“It’s okay; I probably would have laughed too.”

Carter raised his glass into the air. “To another successful day,” he declared. “And, to our incredibly hard worker for whom we are immensely grateful.”

A small smile touched Lanna’s lips and she mimicked Heather in raising her glass too, and then gulped back the mouthful of juice. She followed it up with a bite of her second cookie. She didn’t quite understand the custom – it was not one her homeland partook in – but she still appreciated being included. She wondered if this was what it felt like to not need to hide. She was still tense and cautious and reserved, but she found it far easier to relax and let her guard down a little in Prewport. Occasionally, she would even forget for a few minutes that she had anything to hide at all.

“I have to be honest with you, Lanna; when we first picked you up on the side of the road, I expected you to be gone by morning. You had that cornered look in your eyes like a wild horse ready to bolt and frankly, you didn’t look like you could lift a bread pan, much less a full sack of flour,” Carter admitted. “But you proved me wrong and I’m glad you did. Your help has been invaluable these last few weeks and I couldn’t have asked for better help.”

Lanna’s heart skipped a beat in her chest. It felt strange to be appreciated. Most of the time hard work was just expected and her quirks were barely tolerated. “Thank you,” she whispered back. She shocked herself when tears prickled in her eyes as she spoke. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity. You don’t see a lot of generosity further west and I don’t know where I would be if you hadn’t come along, but I know I wouldn’t have been happier.”

Heather made a sympathetic noise as she came around the table and yanked Lanna into a hug. “Oh, honey, you’re welcome here as long as you like. You don’t ever have to leave if you don’t want to. This can be your home, you know that, right?” She gripped both sides of Lanna’s face firmly but tenderly and forced their gazes to meet. “And you can talk to us too. If something is on your mind, you don’t have to bottle it up. Whatever it is that you’re running from, we’ve got your back,” she vowed.

Lanna’s lips pulled into a grim smile. That wasn’t true. She didn’t blame them or believe they meant her harm, but she did know they would turn on her if they knew the truth. They would fear her and shun her and certainly never allow her near Ben again. It wasn’t something she would hold against them, it was just the way things were, though sometimes she wished she could tell them, thought that maybe it would be easier if someone knew. But this was a burden she had to bear alone.

Her silence said enough for her because Carter nodded. “Heather, don’t pressure her, she doesn’t have to talk about it; it’s probably a painful topic. Lanna, all Heather means is that if you ever need anything at all, you can come to us. We’ll do what we can to help you.”

Lanna carefully extracted herself from Heather’s embrace. She was reluctant to, the woman was warm and kind, but in a twisted way, that made her sad. She wanted to stay with them and would enjoy the time she had, but it changed nothing about her situation. Desire had nothing to do with it, when the time came, she would have no choice but to leave.

She cleared her throat as she shook off the sorrow leaking into her heart and instead changed the subject. “So what are the prep tasks for tomorrow morning?” she inquired.

To her surprise, Carter shook his head. “Nothing. You’re going to take the day tomorrow.”

Lanna frowned and shook her head. “There’s no need for that,” she argued. “The bakery is open tomorrow, and I usually work.”

Carter shrugged. “Lanna, you’ve been working exceptionally hard, you deserve a break. Besides, there’s a big order coming in that’s going to eat up our one day off of the week and I’ll need help then, so take tomorrow instead, okay?”

Lanna set her jaw and shook her head. “I don’t mind working the entire week, truly.”

Heather placed a hand on Lanna’s shoulder. “We know you don’t mind,” she agreed. “But we do. You need to rest too.”

“Don’t think we haven’t noticed you’ll work yourself to the bone and past if we let you. I don’t know what ingrained that robotic work ethic into you, but it’s okay to take a breather and I’m going to insist on it. You’re banned from the bakery tomorrow unless you’re sitting on the other side of the counter eating something.”

“But I-”

“Lanna, take the day to do something for yourself. You’re almost always here, helping. There must be something around town that you would like to do. Go enjoy yourself.”

Lanna glanced between the two and sighed. She wasn’t going to break them from their decision. “Alright,” she relented. She glanced at her hands and desire rose in her throat. She did leave the bakery from time to time. She didn’t sleep as well as the others did and would take walks at night or in the early morning well before the sun rose and moisture hung in the air in a dense fog rolling in from the ocean. And she noticed things when she did leave.

She chewed her lip and glanced at Carter. “Carter…is the Hallihalo yours?”

“Hmm?” Carter’s brows dipped into a frown. “The little skipper down at the docks? It is,” he agreed. “Why do you ask?”

Lanna shrugged. “I just noticed it on a walk and was curious is all.”

Carter leaned back in his chair and hummed. “I haven’t taken that thing out in years,” he admitted. “Used to go fishing sometimes back before business got so busy. Pretty sure it’s stayed moored there since Ben was a baby.”

Lanna nodded. “Would you mind terribly if I borrowed it?” she inquired. Her heart stalled in her chest as she spoke. Even after everything they had done for her, how they’d shown her they were happy to have her around, Lanna still felt an anxious knot rise in her throat as she asked the favour. It felt wrong like it might shatter the fragile illusion of happiness she’d crafted here.

But her fears were unwarranted. Carter merely shrugged and nodded. “I don’t see why not,” he agreed. “Though I don’t know what sort of condition it’s in. You know how to work a rowboat?”

Lanna nodded. “Yes. And the boat looked fine when I was down there last.”

Carter waved a hand. “Then take it. My old gear is down in storage, I’ll pull it up first thing in the morning and you can take it with you if you like.”

Lanna shook her head. “I’m not going to fish, I just want to go out on the water for a bit is all. And I was going to go now.”

“Now? But Lanna, it’s getting dark,” Heather protested. “It will be nightfall by the time you get down to the docks; Carter, is that even safe?”

Carter pursed his lips. “It seems like a calm night, but Heather’s right. Without the light of day, it can be easy to get turned around and not be able to see the shore. Are you sure you want to go out at night? Tomorrow might be a better time,” he urged.

Lanna shook her head. “Now is the perfect time,” she replied. “I won’t get lost and I promise I will bring your boat back in the same condition I found it.”

Carter waved a hand. “I’m not concerned about that old dingy, Lanna. As far as I’m concerned, you can take it out whenever you like. Just be careful, alright?”

“Thank you.” Lanna smiled.

Carter made a shooing motion with one hand. “Off with you, then. And be careful.”

Lanna nodded and needed no further prompting to quietly slip back downstairs and out the back door.

The air was crisp but not cold as she made her way down the street. Life in the town tended to die down quickly at night. Most mornings started early and few people were inclined to pair an early morning with a late night.

There was a pub on the far side of town that got busy at the end of the week, but she avoided that crowd. After Dudlud, she had no desire to immerse herself in that scene again.

Just as Heather had predicted, the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon by the time Lanna hit the docks, but she did not mind the dark. She had walked all night plenty of times through the seasons, it did not bother her.

The docks were quiet as she walked across them, only one or two people moving about securing lines from fishing vessels brought back in or moving cargo crates around.

They paid her no mind as she walked by and she did not bother them either as she made her way to the far end of the docks where the smaller boats were tied up.

The Hallihalo was a simple rowboat with nothing more than a waterproof varnish and the name painted across the side in the same decorative font as the bakery. Lanna presumed the name and the design were Heather’s doing.

The boat rocked in the water as Lanna stepped into it and reached up to undo the knot securing it to a post on the dock. She gathered the rope into her arms and tucked it under one of the slat boards serving as a seat. After picking up one of the oars, Lanna used it to push away from the side of the dock. The waves were gentle but it still took a bit of strength to begin rowing away from the water’s edge and further out to sea. Lanna had lied when she told Carter she knew how to use a rowboat. She understood the concept, but she had never done it before. Regardless, despite the burn of her muscles as she pulled the wooden paddles through the water, she was making smooth progress.

Within the first week of being in Prewport, Lanna had noticed a small offshore island. It didn’t look very big, barely a scrap of land, a few large boulders and some sparse bushes and trees that happened to be poking out of the water. It was where she wanted to go.

***

Lanna was stronger than she seemed at first glance, but it had still been hard work getting out to the small island. Her muscles burned and she had broken a sweat by the time the hull of the rowboat bumped against the rocky shore. She wiped her brow as she pulled the oars in and kicked off the thin flat shoes she was wearing.

She rose and put her arms out for balance as she stepped over the side of the boat into the pebbly surf. The rim of the boat had a helpful lip Lanna could curl her fingers around as she hauled it up far enough ashore that the tide wouldn’t be able to catch it and pull it back out. She did not feel like a late-night swim after the boat.

As an added precaution, she wrapped the boat’s rope around a large rock. Once she was confident it was secure, she walked further up the steep incline.

From the top of the hill, Lanna could see all the edges of the island. It was incredibly small, but it was far enough from the shore to be out of sight of the naked eye. The normal naked eye, anyway. But even her sharp vision had only been able to see the blurry outline. There was no one here and she was safe.

Even still, she had waited to ask about the boat until the new moon encroached. The moon was bright over the water, so now that there was barely a hairline sliver in the sky, there was far less light to see by.

There was still a knot of apprehension spoiling her mood. She was taking a huge risk, but she couldn’t keep it in any longer. She did not know, but she hoped giving her body what it wanted would extend her clock a little longer. That was the compromise. She would take the risk, but she needed more time. It was like applying ointment to a gaping open wound, but at least it would help a little, for a short time.

She inhaled sharply, taking a deep breath to fill her lungs with the night air. Her skin tightened again and she felt it. The surge of life and energy from deep in her core. She released the air in her lungs slowly. She took her cloak off and the feeling died just as rapidly, but it was only temporary. She pulled her shirt up over her head, then shimmied out of the pants she had been wearing too. It was chillier now and she shivered as she folded up the garments and set them aside. Her cloak fluttered softly as she swung it back up over her body, and by the time she was cocooned in its warmth once more, the feeling had returned, twice as powerful.

Aja was awake, active and ready and eager. There was no turning back now, though Lanna still hesitated. It was for the best; she needed it. She couldn’t keep on like this anymore. But it had been so long she was afraid it was going to hurt.

Lanna took another breath and her skin tightened again. It constricted painfully and her cloak grew from warm to scalding. The pressure rose and tears stung in Lanna’s eyes. Her knees shook and she collapsed down to brace her hands on the ground. It did hurt, but only for a few moments before it released like the tension in a massaged muscle. She sighed softly and basked in the sensation. It was slower than it was meant to be, but she was out of practice.

Her vision grew fuzzy and faded out, and she breathed another content sigh. When she reopened her eyes, she was staring into darkness, but it was a soft, comforting emptiness, and she felt at peace. She was still dropped to her hands and knees, but she couldn’t stop the smile as she heard the soft patter of footsteps. Aja crawled up underneath her and craned her neck to peer up at Lanna. Aja was rather translucent, all sparkly and ethereal, but then, so was Lanna now. It had been so long since they’d last seen each other. Lanna had broken down only once after her escape. She had only been in this state three times before. It should never have been that way.

She braced as she watched Aja crouch. She sprung up and there was a powerful jolt as their essences collided.

It was swift and sudden from there, as her joints popped and bones shifted and her body folded in on itself. Her vertebrae multiplied and her spine lengthened in both directions, and the pressure in her shoulders grew until the skin ripped free. It hurt a little, her body protesting an abuse that should have been fluid and natural. It had been too long.

When it was finally finished, she took a few shaky breaths to recover. Everything here was so new now. Sharper scents and sounds, the air gliding over sensitive scales that had not felt the wind in too many seasons. Human skin was itchy and she hated it sometimes.

After a moment to recover, Aja opened her eyes. Her night vision was far sharper than Lanna’s but came to her in varying hues of green and blue. She parted her jaws and her tongue flicked, tasting the salt and moisture on the air. The ocean was comforting and traumatizing. They had lived near enough to the sea before that she could taste the salt on the wind. It reminded her of home. But it also reminded her of the rusted iron bars and the constant rocking of being caged and hauled across the sea.

She shook herself and snorted, shaking the thoughts from her mind. It did not matter now. What mattered was that she was here and alive and she was going to go home, no matter what.

She dropped her haunches to the wet, rocky ground and lifted a paw. It had been a very long time, and she had grown and changed since then. She flexed the ivory talons at the end of each toe and hummed. Her scales had darkened. They had been paler but had darkened to a lovely royal blue that caught the low light of the stars and gleamed. She shook her head and arched her back like a cat before flaring her wings. The membrane stretched between the scaled arms was a light purple-pink hue, and they stirred the air as she stretched them before refolding them against her back. In addition to the two ivory horns that curled up from the top sides of her skull, she had soft spines that ran down her neck in an alternating pattern of the same purple-pink and a lighter blue, and her long tail ended in a fluffy purple tuft, the only bit of fur on her. She had grown too. Previously, she might have stood shoulder to shoulder with a kitten, now she was more the size of a large housecat.

Aja glanced up at the stars twinkling above her and crooned. She had missed being this way. She hopped up and darted to the nearest tree. Her claws sunk into the bark and she scrambled up the trunk onto a broad branch. She ducked under some of the pine needles poking out in all directions until the limb grew slender enough to provide a gap in the bristles.

Her tail wagged with delight and she spread her wings. She flapped them twice and wriggled her haunches before catapulting herself off the branch. Her spread sails bulged with wind and with another mighty flap, she was airborn.

Aja’s maw split and she crooned with delight. She tucked her wings in close and threw her weight into a twist before flaring them once more and climbing higher into the sky. Aja could not remember the last time she had flown.

The stars were bright tonight, glittering up in the sky like a million white embers painting the horizon. Aja craned her neck and angled her wings to do a full loop before spiralling back towards the ground and catching herself at the last moment. The wind brushing against her scales had the small dragon preening with delight.

She swooped low enough over the water to drag her talons along the surface. The wind created a small swell, but instead of flapping up over it, Aja pulled her wings close and shot through the fold of the water like an arrow. The icy chill shocked her system, but it also pulled a hoot of delight from her lips. Smoke wafted from her ridged nostrils as heat built in her chest. She split her maw and released a small puff of flame and smoke into the air. It died quickly in the moisture-clogged air, but it was simply the delight of the act that Aja was interested in. She had not flown or ran or played in ages. Far too long. It felt like she had been asleep for seasons, and now that she was free, she never wanted to leave the sky.

She flew in twists and loops and spirals, climbed high only to plummet in a death drop that brought her so close to the ground her wing muscles strained and burned to pull her out of it.

She flew until her wings were straining to keep her aloft and forced her to reluctantly touch down on the moist, rocky ground once more. She shook her body from snout to tail and folded her wings. Her heart was racing in her chest and she scampered back to the tree she had initially climbed. The roots were large and raised, and the ground beneath them was relatively dry.

Aja kneaded the earth a few times before settling down and sweeping her tail up over her paws. She purred happily and lifted her head to gaze up at the stars. They looked different here than they did back home. She barely remembered much of home anymore, but she did remember sneaking up to perch on the rocks and gaze at the sparkling sky-lights whenever the night was clear and the moon was bright. There was no bright moon tonight, and she remembered that was important, but she did wish for the luminescent orb to be full and shiny tonight. It was always such a pretty sight. She huffed and watched the wafting smoke as it dissipated into the air. She missed home, but she knew she would see it again someday.

Aja’s head dropped to her paws and she began to purr to ignite the spark in her chest. It would keep her warm despite the chill of the seaside rock she was resting on. She blinked sleepily and parted her jaws in a massive yawn before shifting her weight and settling in. It didn’t take her long to drift off after such an energetic flight. She had already been weary from the day at the bakery, and sleep tugged insistently at her mere heartbeats after closing her eyes.