Chapter 44: Hatchling

ZELTARIA

Zeltaria started to come back to herself as the heat of the hot spring and the sting of Ika’s spell began to fade.

The spell had taken a lot of her blood and energy to create a new body for Holly, and a little extra effort to link it to Holly’s soul.

Looking down, Zeltaria couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her old friend, now in a new form.

A friend with a soul as strong as a dragon’s.

She held Holly a little closer, picking at the flaky black scales covering her body.

A wave of relief washed over her when Holly took a deep, exploratory breath, as if she was breathing for the first time in a long time.

Which, considering her zombie bodies didn’t need to breathe, wasn’t far from the truth.

Slowly, Holly’s new body, covered in purple and gold scales, emerged from the black coating. Zeltaria cleaned off the last scale.

Holly’s new form was mostly purple with gold accents in different shades.

Her dragon body was still somewhat human-like, with two legs and hands with opposable thumbs.

But a scaled tail, wings sprouting from her shoulder blades, and a pointed face with horns pointing back from her skull made her look very different from a human.

Weakly, Holly started to move in Zel’s arms, testing her muscles.

Her breathing got stronger and steadier, and finally, to Zeltaria’s joy, Holly opened her eyes. Her purple irises sparkled in her reptilian eyes.

“O-oh…hey, Zel…,” Holly said, her voice rough as she got used to her new vocal cords.

Zeltaria ran her hand over Holly’s scaled snout and up to the back of her head, holding her gently under one of her new dragon horns. “Hey, yourself. Welcome back.”

Holly tried to get up, her hands pressing against the cool stone floor. Cerys approached slowly.

She and Aranya had kept a respectful distance, each wrapped in a towel for warmth and modesty. “Miss Holly, please don’t push yourself.”

Holly managed to sit up and looked at Cerys with a big grin. “Can’t just sit around, can we, Cerys? We’ve got limited time and trouble back home, right?”

Cerys was surprised but nodded. Holly was right, they ~did~ have trouble back home. And now that Holly, with her centuries of experience, had a physical body again, they had a better chance of dealing with it.

Zeltaria didn’t try to stop Holly, but Aranya was the first to notice that Zel ~couldn’t~ move. She hurried over and crouched down next to her. “Zel? Do you need help? Are you—”

“Dying? No…just…need to rest,” Zel managed to say.

There was still a dark handprint on her chest and stomach where Ika had held her hands during the spell, and it was clear that the spell had taken a lot out of the red Succubus.

Holly got to her feet, unsteady, and Cerys reached out to help her. “Been…a while since I had a ~whole~ body,” Holly said.

She smiled. “It feels good.” She turned to Zel, who was still lying on the stone floor, while Cerys helped her stand. “You did it, Zel. Just like you always promised.”

Zel pushed herself up onto her elbows. “I keep my promises, Hols. Now, we need to find that stupid enkeli.”

Holly and Cerys agreed, while Aranya tried to help Zeltaria get up. “Alethria might have found something. We just have to trust and get back there.”

Zeltaria finally managed to get an arm around Aranya’s shoulders, and the spider helped her up.

“But first, why don’t you rest a bit more, Zeltaria? You look…tired,” Aranya said quietly as Zeltaria tried to steady herself.

Holly nodded. “We could both use some rest. Turns out, being reborn ~really~ takes it out of you.”

Zeltaria laughed and finally gave in. “F-fine. But once we’re ready, we have to go. We can’t wait any longer than we have to. Time is of the essence.”

The four of them made their way back to the hot springs.

As they walked through the steam, Zeltaria locked eyes with Ika, who moved a little away from Iro as she sat next to him, talking quietly.

“Ika, what did you do?” Zel asked as she sank into a seat in the water, sighing with relief.

Ika giggled as the others settled into the water, her eyes mostly on Holly’s glittering scales and armored body.

“Nothing you’d disapprove of, if Iro is to be believed. Holleen, it’s good to see you back in scales again. Very similar to your original form.”

Holly rubbed the back of her neck and bowed her head a little in shy thanks. “T-thanks, Madam Ika. It’s been…well, a long time.”

Iro raised an eyebrow at Ika. “~Original~ form?” he asked, curious.

Ika laughed softly. “Yes. Did you think people are ~born~ as zombies? No, it takes a strong soul and a dedicated caretaker to bind and maintain a soul link to a body like that.

“Zeltaria and Holleen were inseparable when they were younger. I’m glad to see them together again.”

Zeltaria sank deeper into the water, her cheeks glowing red, until only her lips were above the water. “Urta, you’re embarrassing me.”

Ika’s laughter echoed through the room, while Cerys stifled hers behind a polite hand. Iro and Aranya joined in with their own timid giggles.

“Apologies, ruta. You know how moms can be. When are you heading out?” Ika asked, slowly getting up and making her way to the pool’s edge.

Zeltaria watched Ika’s movements. “As soon as I can walk without nearly toppling over. And when Holly’s had her fill of the pool. She’s been gone for centuries, so what’s the harm in letting her ~experience things~ again?”

Holly, mostly submerged with just her nostrils peeking out of the water, mumbled something that came out as bubbles. But her joyful expression made it clear that Zeltaria was right about her delight in being alive again.

Ika climbed out of the pool, and Zeltaria squinted as she noticed a small trickle of white seeping down her thigh.

“Stay safe, you guys. You know where to find me next time you want to chat with an old lady like me.”

Ika grabbed a towel, wrapping it securely around her body before leaving the chamber. Interestingly, she didn’t leave any clothes behind, despite not having brought any with her.

After waving goodbye to her adoptive mom, Zeltaria slowly turned to face Iro, who was doing his best to look innocent. “We’re going to have a ~talk~ once this is over, dog.”

IRO

After thoroughly enjoying the spring and a quick nap, the group dried off and got dressed.

They stood at the cave entrance, with Holly still clinging to the sign at the mouth of the cave. Clearly, she wasn’t ready to leave.

“It’s a bit rough, but it should help, Miss Holly,” Aranya said, approaching the sulking dragon with a hastily-made spider-silk sweater.

Holly let go of the sign and eagerly grabbed the soft, warm garment. Her usual enthusiasm for life seemed to be a soul thing, not a zombie thing.

Zeltaria stood next to Iro, looking out over the alpine village and the distant buildings of Inasa City on the horizon.

“Getting home by tomorrow will be tough. I hope you’re not too fond of feeling in your legs, little Iro,” Zeltaria teased, taking the first step towards home.

Iro shivered. He already missed the warmth of the hot spring. “I’ll let you know how I’m doing when we get there.”

They were about to pass through the village when a voice called out to them on the wind.

Suddenly, a flurry of icy blue flower petals appeared before them, forming a vaguely human shape.

“A-ambassador Zeltaria! Mistress Alethria has found them. The enkeli!”

The group exchanged a look, a mix of excitement and disbelief, before the dryad continued.

“She, this Siuei, is actually ~between~ us and home. If you hurry, you might make it there before daybreak.”

Zeltaria stiffened, standing tall and stepping closer to the dryad. “Are you free to act on your own? Could you lead us to this hideout?”

The dryad shook his head. “It’s hardly a hideout, ma’am. She’s at councilman Matalie’s estate.”

Zeltaria muttered a curse under her breath and thanked the dryad, who left as quickly as he had arrived. Zeltaria turned to her group, a devilish grin on her face.

“Looks like I get to kill two birds with one stone. Matalie’s a fat, overbearing, useless pig, and now he’s in cahoots with traitors.

“I think we should go get this Siuei before she comes for us. All in favor?”

The entire crew, including Iro, shouted, “Aye!”

With a smile that could freeze a star, Zeltaria turned and started walking. “Then let’s go catch an enkeli.”