Jem Jones Linkup: Quirk #6//In Which Dragons Are Invisible To Our Narrator

Jem Jones is back! I repeat, Jem is back! This is not a drill! And she brought another Quirk prompt with her! I forgot how much fun I had with the previous Quirks--writing flash fiction really boosts my confidence as a writer. I would highly recommend giving it a try! 

This prompt was a lot of fun to work with! I hope you enjoy the finished product! 

"It's lovely of you to drive me, deary," Grace tells me.

"You know Todd wanted me to keep an eye on you, given...everything," I reply. "Really, asking me for a ride is doing me a favor--I don't have to run about trying figure out where you sneaked off to." 
I'm keeping my eyes on the road, but in the edge of my vision, I see her wrapping her arms tighter around her burgeoning belly. She's wearing a tight, short black dress that makes her condition unmistakable. 
As we round the bend and come to the top of the hill overlooking the Drenen Forest, Grace inhales sharply. I brake, turn off the car, and pull the key out of the ignition--though why I bother, I can't say. We're miles from nowhere. By the time I have my door open, Grace is sitting coiled on top of the car, one hand on her stomach, eyes far away. Watching. I close the the door behind me and climb up next to her, dangling my legs off the hood.
"Are they there?" I ask eagerly.
"Yes," she says, staring off into the distance still.
"How many?"
"Two. Dancing."
I scoot forward and watch her face as her golden eyes move, following the dragons I can't see. At first, she's staring off into the distance, but after a few minutes, they seem to see something closer. 
"Are they coming nearer?" I ask, breathless.
"Yes," she whispers, and raises a hand, pointing to my left. "There."
I turn and strain my eyes, knowing that I can't see them, but hoping I'll see something--a ripple in the air, a tree moving as a long tail brushes it. I can't see anything, but when I turn back, Grace is crouching on top of the car, ready to jump, a short black sword in her hand. 
"Grace, no, stop!" I cry, too late. 
She jumps into mid air, only to meet and grab onto something, which whips her through the air. 
I clap my hands to my mouth and watch her in flight, her legs holding onto something--a lithe dragon body--and her sword descending in a series of complicated maneuvers onto the same something. If I could see the dragon, it would block my view, but I can see her hand on her stomach as she carves, only her legs holding her on.
It seems her steed is bucking frantically--she alternately flies up and plunges down, while rocking from side to side, feet and ankles locked, red hair streaming behind her. Finally, she picks up her sword, the end of which is now glistening with...something. She runs a finger across the end of the blade, then reaches the hand up her dress and--must smear it on her stomach.
As the dragon brings her back towards me in one of its rushes, she tosses the sword. I jump back, and it lands, quivering, in the grass right in front of where I had been standing. I shade my eyes as she rises higher, and watch as she leans forward, grabbing something--the dragon's ears?--with both hands, and the dragon turns.
Grace flies back towards me, losing altitude until she's skimming along the edge of the cliff, right next to the car.
"Grace!" I cry, as she unlocks her feet and brings them underneath herself, standing in midair as she flies alongside the cliff. With a flying leap, she lands on hands and knees at the very edge of the cliff. 
I run over and drop to my knees beside her. "Grace! Are you all right?" 
She turns her head and grins at me, breathing hard. "Better than all right. I'm doing excellently, thank you deary." 
I sit back on my heels, drop my head in my hands, and groan. "Todd is going to kill me! Grace, you told me you just wanted to watch the dragons, that you weren't going to do anything stupid!"
"Okay, so I lied." She sits up, still breathing hard, and drops into a sitting position, one leg extended, the other bent. 
"What were you doing? What were you thinking?" 
"You know what I was doing. What my mother did for me, and her mother before her, and on back." She puts a hand over her stomach. "I have carved her true name into the dragon's back, so that she will be able to see them."
I stare off into the distance, where I know the dragons dance. What would I give to be able to see them? What would I risk to give that to a child?
I sigh. "Todd is still going to kill me."

Are you excited that Jem's back? Have you written any flash fiction? Have you ever had to take a pregnant woman somewhere only to have them betray you and do something completely ridiculous? (I'm guessing the answer to that last one is 'no'. XD)