Page 15 of His Greatest Treasure

Well done me, way to make me sound like a petulant kid. Perhaps I wasn’t grown up at all.

“Then he’ll authorise it quickly,” said Rhod, ever the logical one.

“It’s not expensive and it’s not dangerous. I’ll be more dangerous running around with matches than an oil lamp, and I have plenty of those. You can’t tell me that a dragon is in danger from fire and I don’t think it’s appropriate to bother Lord Somerville about it.”

Wow, I actually almost sounded like Rhod then! I was pretty pleased with that. It had been an entirely logical argument.

Rhod, however, didn’t agree.

“I’m afraid I don’t have the authority to put your request through myself. I’ll have to present it to Lord Somerville.”

I was incredibly frustrated. I only wanted one little oil lamp. Maybe two, in case something happened to the first one. I didn’t want Blaze going without. And Rhod was going to ask my father,and I felt very certain that his answer would be ‘no’ and it would take me absolutely ages to arrange to get it otherwise.

I was so desperate that I didn’t try to think of another reasonable, logical argument. I just blurted out, “Please Rhod. I really, really want it. I promise I’ll be careful.”

I actually saw our bond shimmer for a moment. It was the same sort of bond I had with most of my clan, which meant it was instinctive and almost unbreakable. Only a deep betrayal could break such a bond.

Rhod looked at me for a few seconds, deciding, and I waited for him, studying our bond as it shimmered with… I might almost have said affection.

That was so surprising that I nearly forgot to say, “Thank you,” when he finally agreed to get me my oil lamps.

I scurried away, a bit surprised and a bit pleased. I couldn’t wait to take them to Blaze.

Chapter 7

Blaze

Iwalked the woods just before dawn, in the hopes that nobody would be up and around at that time of day. It didn’t make much difference to me what time it was, seeing as I didn’t sleep like other beings. I was awake and restless.

I’d been alone for so long that it felt strange to be so near to people now. Especially people who could see me, if they chose to. People who would recognise me for what I was.

I’d never been seen while I burned in the factory fire and, even if I had been seen, I’d have looked like a trick of the light, a flicker of someone’s imagination, and then I’d blend perfectly with the flames again and that would be it. And, even if thosehumans could see me, they certainly couldn’t catch me.

The witches had been able to catch me and only luck and speed had saved me.

The dragons could catch me, too.

My greatest defence was to turn to flame.

The only part of me that was solid was my wick and people couldn’t grasp hold of me. If they did touch me – just as Alfie had discovered – my flames would burn them.

I felt a twist of guilt for burning him. He had been so kind to me, and I’d burned him. I hadn’t meant to. I’d just been in my flame form, that was all, and he’d shoved his hand into my core.

That had felt strange.

I’d had people touch my flames before and it barely made an impression on me. I was insubstantial, I burned, their fingers could pass right through me. That was it. I hardly noticed they were there, if it was an accident.

With Alfie, though? I’d felt a surge of heat and energy that made my flames seem to burn hotter. And I hated that I’d hurt him, even a bit. He’d healed quickly, but it must have hurt for a while.

I was so gratefulfor his dragon healing.

I pulled his coat closer around me and snuggled into it. It was ridiculous to feel safer inside a coat, especially if it was likely to be a dragon who attacked me if they found me, and a wad of cloth was not going to be able to protect me. Yet I did feel safer with it on.

I felt warmer, too.

When I got to the edge of the woods, I paused. I didn’t want to be seen. Didn’t want to alert anybody to my presence. But I was sure that the Guardian had been by here and had been layering up more spells.

I needed to see what they were, to know that I could still get out.

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