Whatever the fish was, it was tasty. I had cleaned then, with a dragon scale knife, which Reginax provided. We sat on the ground and devoured the small pile of food, that baked nicely over the campfire. The dragon/woman belched and looked over at me casually.
"You realize we're being hunted by something, right now?"
I nodded.
"Yah. Felt it a while ago. Dunno why I know... I was never much of a hunter. Nor outdoorsman, for that matter…"
"Probably part of your summoning gifts."
"Who and why?"
She shrugged. "That will be on the list to find out, yes?"
"Yes. Although unlike most of these type stories, I will NOT be trying to go back to my own world. I am already dead there." I picked a fishbone from between my teeth, with a fingernail, and rose up to a standing position. I was about six feet four inches. The dragon had eight inches on me, in her human form.
"Sorry I don't have a sword for you." She said, standing up beside me. "I can change back and roast em all, if you'd like. We can have wolf brisket!"
I winced.
"Wolves are pretty much like dogs. I'd rather not eat dog meat. Lets see what their issue might be." I turned and walked toward the stronger presence, concealing itself at the edge of the woods. Cautiously, the leader emerged, snarling and growling. But, not attacking. Locking eyes with the animal, I got down on his level, and waited.
"Hello." I said in as friendly a voice as I knew how, "How can we help you and your family, Sir?"
The wolf's head snapped up and cocked to the side as I spoke. And then, I got a reply. In my brain.
*I…I UNDERSTAND you!* A deep and craggy voice.
"Oh. Well, it seems I can hear you as well. In my head. How interesting."
He looked back and nodded his pack forward. The growling and snarling had stopped, and there seemed to be an air of cautious curiosity. Reginax stood silently behind me, her arms folded.
*I … am Railun. Leader of this pack.*
"I'm John. Leader of nothing and no one. Nice to make your acquaintance. How can we assist you, Railun?" I sat up and gestured and offer for the wolf to sit as well. Which, he did.
*We… were hunting dinner. You and your woman were on the short list of easy targets.* he said, rather sheepishly.
"Ah. No weapons. Well, good thing you didn't. The tall chick back there is actually a black dragon."
The wolf looked startled and gazed over my shoulder.
*Really? That would explain the scent. We thought a dragon was nearby. Oi. That would have really sucked….*
I laughed. "So, food. Can you guys catch fish like a bear?"
*We have never done so…"
"Come on, let me show you how. You guys LIKE fish, right?"
*We are not very picky eaters…*
"Come on then, You're going to love this. WAY easier than chasing down an elk."
I spend the next few hours, teaching the pack how to work as a group and collect fish from the stream, so they all could eat their fill. It was necessary to explain a couple times, before they got it, why they should NOT fish the same spot every day. The fish would deplete and there wouldn't be enough for a respawn. So, moving around the river was essential. And staying near the shallow banks.
*You have our thanks, John. With this, even the pups can contribute. We will thrive now, in any season!*
"As long as you have open water, you should be good." I smiled.
*A gift for your service, teaching us this. You are a pack member now. When you have need, call on our power. We will all lend ours to you.*
I bowed deeply. "I am honored. And I am glad I was able to communicate with you all."
"Let's get you a weapon. I know there's a village near here. Should be a smithy as well, if I remember correctly." Reginax said, as we walked down the mostly unused dirt road. Grass grew over most of it, and it looked very much like it hadn't been traveled in MANY years.
"I have no cash. How can we purchase it? Do you dragons carry gold on you? From your horde?"
The statuesque woman glared at me.
"THAT is an old wives tale. We do NOT keep hordes of gold. Damnit, that asshole, Smaug. That story is ALL HIS fault…"
I started. "Wait, he actually existed?!?"
"Of course. He was a raving kleptomaniac. And he had a taste for human flesh. Sick bastard. He made a LOT of problems for my kind." She kicked a sizable rock out of her path, for dramatic emphasis.
"Wow. Strange to hear of a legend being spoken of in that way. So, the rest of them existed here as well? Gandalf? Frodo?"
"Beats me. Never heard of them. But Smaug was one of mine. A flaming pain in the ass. Someone finally ended him. Saved the rest of us the trouble. He hid in some dwarven city for decades. Couldn't find him." She grumbled.
So. Middle Earth had existed. But, in another world. But, the story itself, had come to my own world to be told. Which meant, the summoning thing must go BOTH ways. Not that I cared. Like I said; NOT going back. Me over there was dead. Me here was still upright and mobile. I'll stick with that.
"Where are we headed anyway?" I asked, looking around. The forest was dense here. It did NOT seem like a great place, to put a town.
'I don't remember that name of it. It's been a while since I was here. Since a friend passed away, really." Reginax got quiet, after that. I thought it best not to pry.
The path widened out and there, amidst the huge trees, and not, interspersed WITH them, an ancient village.
"Hrm. Looks like it's longer ago that I thought…" the dragon chewed her lower lip.
"Yeah. Like several hundred years." I said, as we entered the ruins.
"Oi. We may not find you a weapon here."
"Ya thnk? I'd imagine the smithy is pretty tapped by this point…"
We strolled down the main street, avoiding trees and the desiccated remains of wagons and debris. No one had lived here for a VERY long time. The more I looked, the closer to MANY hundreds of years, seemed.
"When was the last time you were here?" I finally asked the silent Dragon Queen, as she pause to look in the window of an open ruin.
"…right after… he died. Has it really been THIS long? Surely time cannot have passed so quickly.." she murmured.
At that point, I kept my mouth closed. Too many smart remarks crossed my mind. And I still was not quite sure how far I could press her, before I ended up as barbecue.
The street opened up into a smaller sized town square. In the center of the square sat a remarkably well preserved monument. Reginax muttered to herself and approached. It was then, that I noticed a figure, staring at her from the doorway of the structure. Tall, brown hair. Broadly built. A warrior, probably. But, here? In an uninhabited, ruin of a town?
Hesitantly, I waved, catching the figure's attention. He appeared even more shocked.
"You..you can SEE me??" he shouted, moving towards us.
"Well, yeah. Is there a reason I shouldn't?" I called back, moving up to Reginax' side. She looked down at me and frowned.
"Shouldn't what?"
"Be able to see that guy running toward us from the monument."
She looked directly at the running man. And through him.
"Ah. Another perk of Hero status."
"What?" I asked as the man stopped before me, a huge smile on his face.
"You can see and hear the dead." She stated flatly.
"Reginax, my love!" the man gushed, moving to hold her hands…but he passed through her.
"She can't see you. Or hear you. Only me." I said, realizing WHO this man was, and why the dragon hadn't come here in so very long.
"Ah. Oh." His shoulders slumped a bit.
"I'm John Saint-George. Late of Earth."
"Nice to make your acquaintance, Sir. I am Glenn Edirol. Just late." He bowed slightly, his eyes never leaving Reginax.
""Would I be correct in assuming you're Reginax' latest husband?" he queried.
I choked involuntarily. Reginax looked at me, her frown deepening.
"What's wrong? What did he say?"
"Nothing. And no, Sir." I directed the brief second statement at the surprisingly solid spirit.
"So long. I've wanted to see her again for so long." The man whispered, standing close to the dragon queen. "I miss talking to her. Walking with her. You are a lucky man. She always had a story to tell or a joke. I miss her voice…"
"Glenn Edirol." I stated flatly.
Reginax visibly started and stiffened up.
"THAT is who you are seeing and speaking to??"
"Yes."
Tears started to flow from her incredible amber eyes.
"My love… I am so sorry. I am so sorry I was not here to save you. I would have given anything…" she raised a gauntleted hand to her face, to wipe away the tears that were coursing down her cheeks.
"Do not cry, my love. It is not your fault, I do not and never did blame you." I relayed the message as the man softly spoke it.
The statuesque dragon queen choked and started to sob.
"How long has it been, Glenn?" I interjected quietly, as Reginax sank to her knees in the dirt.
"Oh… coming up on a thousand years, I imagine…' he said ruefully, kneeling before the sobbing female.
"Why are you still here? Why didn't you pass on? Go to the light? Cross the Veil?"
"Don't have a clue. But here I am. Can't move beyond the town."
"hrm. Say, you wouldn't happen to have a sword in there, would you?" I nodded at the monument, realizing it was this man's tomb."
"Yes. And my armor. And my bones." He smiled sadly.
I looked at the two. Kneeling in the dirt, longing to hold each other.
"Reginax. Can you feel his presence? Are you sure he is what he says he is?"
The dragon sobbed and nodded.
"Since you said his name…I can feel him…it is he...whom I first pledge my life and love to, so long ago… you humans are SUCH frail things…if I had just gotten back faster, my magics could have saved him."
'oh..my Love. DO not. Do NOT blame yourself." He moved to gently hold her. But all he could manage was to encompass her form, with his intangible arms.
My brain twitched. A thought passed through, unbidden, and a plan unfolded. One I was not entirely a fan of, although I knew in my heart it would be the right thing to do.
"Glenn, have you ever tried possessing a living body?"
He looked at me strangely.
"No. Why in Gideon would I do that?"
"At least temporarily, to interact with people?"
His eyes widened, in realization.
"You would allow… oh…oh, bless you!! BLESS your soul, Sir!!" he stood up, a look of hope on his face. Reginax stopped crying long enough to look at me.
"What… what are you doing?"
"Hurry. Before I come to my senses and change my frikkin mind…" I said loudly, to the ghost before me.
Tears ran down HIS face as he stepped towards me.
"Bless you…" he stepped into me. And my consciousness shut off like a light switch.