Chapter Fourty-Four

"That," Cierra said, "Was Jeremiah. He goes to my school."

Cierra paused, thoughtful. "We actually don't really talk often. We just keep running into each other these days."

Hans laughed, "Maybe it's kismet. You're fated to meet."

"Oh no," Cierra waved her hand emphatically in front of her face, "Definitely not. If anything, he needs to be fated to meet my friend, Dawn. She's been heads over heels for him since she first saw him."

"Is Dawn the girl Lonnie was interested in from your profile?," Hans asked.

"Yeah, don't tell him though," Cierra laughed playfully, "He doesn't stand a chance."

There was a lull of silence.

Hans face turned serious, "Did you hear what they were talking about?"

"Not really, something about dragons?," Cierra answered, not giving it much thought, "Must be a new book or TV show they're into. They seemed pretty passionate about it."

"Yeah…," Hans dragged out his answer, "It was more than that though, the two people your friend was with, they also seemed pretty strange."

"Oh, Tia?," Cierra shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't want to admit it, but Tia did have a certain 'I could skin you alive' vibe to her. "I've met her once before actually, in the town square with Jeremiah. Though then she was wearing a trinity from The Matrix getup with black and red hair."

Hans looked like he wasn't paying attention to anything Cierra was saying, eyes focused somewhere over her shoulder.

"Earth to Hans," Cierra waved her hand in front of his face, hoping to grab his attention.

"Sorry," Hans shook his head, as if to shake out some troubling thoughts, "There's no way they are… you know…" His voice trailed off, leaving Cierra to fill the gaps.

"What? Dragons?," Cierra said, incredulous.

"I mean," Hans dropped his voice low and leaned over the table, "We see gods and beasts every night."

"Okay," Cierra dragged out the word, not bothering to lower her voice, "Let's say they were dragons. One," Cierra raised a finger, "That would mean they are here, in the real world, when we ever encounter our guys in the dream realms, and two," She held up another finger, "What are the chances that we would all happen to be in this town at the same time? There's only four of us that we know of, none of us are dragons, and the stats don't lie.," Cierra paused for a breath, "It's not likely."

Hans leaned back in his chair, taking in Cierra's words.

"Still, be careful around that guy from now on."

Back at home, Cierra found herself running through every part of her meeting with Hans. In the end, it had felt much more like acquaintances getting together for an awkward luncheon than anything else.

Where when they first met at the restaurant Hans had hugged her, there had only been an uncomfortable wave goodbye when they left.

Damn you Jeremiah, Cierra silently cursed him. Everything had seemed to be going well until his group interrupted them.

Cierra sighed. At least she wouldn't have to see Hans for however long this training with Fer Benn lasted. Maybe she could drag out her time there for a few years and avoid seeing him altogether.

"I will nah be lis'ning to a bird!," Cierra could hear Fer Benn, but couldn't see him, "Shoo! Scram!"

There was a secession of angry caws.

"Stop! Stop righ' now!"

Following the noise, Cierra turned the corner to the left side of the castle, to the see Fer Benn being attacked by an angry crow. She almost laughed; the sight was so absurd. The bird was flying around his head, cawing, and pecking at his hair, shoulders, and face.

Was that the same crow from before? Cierra couldn't tell. Do crows have identifying markers?, she wondered to herself.

"Cierra!," Fer Benn called out, surprised.

Immediately, the crow came at her. Before she knew it, the bird was on her, batting its wings in her face, clawing it her with talons she had never known could be so long.

Cierra instinctively covered her face with her arms, and, when that left her with nothing but the searing pain of the crow's claws, she dropped down, putting her head between her knees and using her hands to protect the back of her neck.

"Ow! Get off me!," She cried out. The crow didn't heed her words, instead choosing to pull at her hair, "Fer Benn! Get your crazy crow off of me!"

"'Ey now," The crow stopped, and Cierra cautiously raised her head. Blood flowed down her arms, dripping on the ground. Quickly, Cierra healed herself, resetting back to when she first turned the corner. Fer Benn held the crow tightly in one of his fists. "Cierra, mee' me wife, Morganna."

"Wife?," Cierra asked, confused, "Your wife is a crow?"

"Le's ge' ya inside before we talk," Fer Benn said, before turning to the crow, "An' you. You can come in as lon' as ya promise to nah hur' anyone."

The bird was silent, beady eyes staring at Cierra.

"Ey," He gave the bird a shake, "You promise?"

There was a moment of quiet and then a very quiet 'caw' in response.

Fer Benn nodded his head, pleased.

"Le's go den."