Tempest's Journey-pt 1 Light streamed through the sheer material of the curtains, illuminating the many books and parchments I had scattered across every flat surface. Rhys, Galen and Nymeria were perched on the edge of the desk, peering down over the side at Solomon. The blue dragon, now the size of a dog, was rolling around on the floor with his tongue hanging like...well, like a dog. 
Nymeria had a special ‘thing’ for causing poor old Solomon all kinds of grief. It was like a cat and mouse game between the two of them. Solomon was the mouse, and Nymeria was the cat, and Galen and Rhys were terrible little enablers. Earlier this morning they’d cornered Solomon in the bathroom and were terrorizing him with little plumes of fire, ice and sparks. Needless to say the bathroom was now a wreck and it was going to take some maneuvering to fix it before Mother found it and kicked up a fuss. 
“Solomon,” I said it sharply, stalking across the floor to where he was laying flat on his back still, drooling all over the floor. Nymeria was getting ready to pounce him from her perch on the desk, and he had no idea. “Get up you big fat lump of scales.” I knelt down and tried to roll him over. He just flopped like a sack of potatoes. 
“What on earth are you doing?” I turned as Dominic came striding in, another pile of books piled up in his hands. Of course he had books. He always had books. The only difference this time was he looked liked he’d dug through ten miles of dirt to get them. 
I shoved Solomon one more time and when he didn’t move I threw my hands up in exasperation. God forbid I try to save his sorry ass. I stood up and turned to Dominic, and as soon as I did Solomon squealed in fright as Nymeria pounced him. The blue waste of scales charged out of the room with a little red blur hot on his tail. 
Dominic dumped the books on the table with all my other parchments. “I thought you would have learned by now that trying to get between those two is like trying to get between Alandra and Abraxas when they’re making out in the closet.” He sighed and dumped himself in my chair, propping his very muddy feet on my desk. 
Why men felt the need to put their filthy feet on clean desks and tables was beyond anything I could comprehend. But it was his last statement that really got me. 
“Alandra was snogging Abraxas in the closet? And he’s still alive?”
Dominic just grinned and bit into a green apple he’d pulled out of nowhere, raising his eyebrows the way he always did when he knew something that I didn’t. 
I shoved his feet off the desk and sat on the edge. Rhys and Galen both hopped up and took their spots on my shoulders, wrapping their tales around my neck and arm. 
“Why are you so dirty?”
“Because.”
“Because why?” I reached down and wiped my hand across his cheek, and my fingers came away smeared with mud. 
He took another bite of his apple before answering with a full mouth. “I’m taking up a new hobby.” 
Typical Dominic. “What kind of new hobby? Are you opening a mud pie bakery?”
He grinned. “Blacksmithing.” “Blacksmithing,” i echoed. “Is this going to be like your surfing crusade? As i recall you caught more sand and fish than actual waves. I didn’t think you liked fighting anyhow.” I was willing to lay wages on how long this newest hobby was going to last. 
Dominic reached forward and smacked my knee, and Galen jumped off my shoulder to land on Dom’s leg, eyeballing his apple. “It isn’t fighting dinkleberry. It’s metal-smithing. Just because i’m a walking casualty doesn’t mean I can’t create beautiful things.” Galen was creeping up Dom’s body, going for the apple, pinning it with his sharp little gaze. 
“And who’s going to teach you to be a blacksmith? Your books? I’m no metal-crafter but I think it’s a little more practical than that...although it does have a certain charm doesn’t it...my brother, librarian by day...blacksmith by night.”
He kicked the desk again. “How do you manage to make everything sound like an insult embedded within a compliment?”
“Pure talent.” I hopped off the desk and grabbed Dom’s apple and Galen at the same time. Galen crawled back up to my shoulder and I held the apple up to him to bite one as I walked across the room. “Hey!”Dom got up and came after me as I turned the corner. I could hear Solomon and Nymeria going at it somewhere. Solomon’s squeals were bouncing off the walls and there were scorch marks all along the walls. “So how are you going to learn to be a blacksmith?”
“Do you remember that dwarf mom was telling us about. The one she took Alandra to see in the mountains in Olanthi. Made those swords with her arkenstone for Dad Dante and Arden?”
I thought about it for a moment. It was one of those memories that came before Dom died and the Angelwings hatched. “Kind of...I don’t thing dad’s ever really used that sword though. There was a dwarf?”
“Nah I don’t think he has either.” Dom came up beside me and held his hand out for Rhys. He crawled into Dom’s hands, his white scales bright against my brother’s dirty skin. Dom was the only person apart from momma who the Angelwings actually liked. “And yes there was a dwarf. Lanri. I met him by accident in the hills. He’s offered to teach me. And you know that dwarves are the best craftsman to ever live.” 
“Lanri...” i said. “He sounds familiar...is he bald or something? I’ve heard Alandra yapping about him but that was a while back.” 
“He’s got a mohawk now, but he’s still the best blacksmith in all of Olanthi.”
We turned the corner to find Solomon hanging off the wall by his claws, trying to desperately get away from Nymeria who was prowling around on the floor. She was letting out little spurts of fire that were making Solomon whine. 
“Nymeria!!” She turned and looked at me, cocking her head to the side and letting out the tiniest whine before she came to me, half walking and half gliding as she flapped her wings. 
Solomon fell off the wall with a crash and bolted from into another room, his tail between his legs as Dominic came to stand in front of me, a muddy grin on his face. “So,” he said. “Do you want to meet Lanri?”