Chapter 13: Epilogue

For two weeks now, Tinke and I were a couple, and we met daily. Hailey had accepted me as a student and we meditated together every morning. My life had changed.

I was now a respected shaman and Hailey's official successor. My parents were almost bursting with pride. Mainly my father. My mother was pregnant and mostly in a bad mood. She claimed our nest smelled like dead rats and forced my father to renew our beds daily. But the alleged smell did not want to go away. Her latest idea was to build a new nest.

Iris laughed in amusement when I told her and Hailey about it. The First grinned and put one of her wings around my shoulders. "I'm happy for you", she said. "This is good news. Tinke will be a good partner for you. One day you will need her by your side."

"Will I?", I asked in surprise. Hailey raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

The wings of the first were warm and soft. She pulled me a little closer to her. "In a few years, a future queen will come here with two dragons. She will need your help. Until then, you still have a lot to learn. You and also Tinke. Until then, please avoid the territory of the dragons. They are resentful creatures. But you should welcome the dragons of the future queen. They won't be a threat."

"What? Dragons? A queen?" Hailey snorted. "Certainly not!"

Iris sighed. "Your time as a shaman will already be over. Before the Queen appears, I will bring you to me. Until then, teach Jane everything you know."

"Oh." Hailey looked at me. "Of course. But. Dragons?"

"Dragons." The First nodded. "A white dragon and a black dragon. A small group led by a young witch. They will need you, Jane. And you're going to need Tinke to make the right decision."

I nodded and looked at Hailey uncertainly and confused. My teacher ruffled her wings, lost in thought.

At the same time, in the territory of the dragons, a grieving dragon mother took care of her dragon cub, together with her friend. The tiny dragon child stumbled through the cave squeaking in happiness. Her mother had given her the name Hanna Vicky Buttyputty. A silent memory of the father, whom the child would never meet, and of the former guardian of the eggshells and paintings. A memory of two dragons her mother missed.