Page 32 of His Greatest Treasure

On the basis I didn’t hear any shouts or other movement, I guessed I’d made it without being seen.

I stopped going carefully and just crashed through the trees. I was already calling, “Blaze! Are you there?” when I flung the door of our den open.

For a horrible second, I thought he wasn’t there and he’d left, maybe never to come back, but then I smelled his familiar wood-smoke and ash scent and saw our bond, bright gold and orange, tugging in a straight line to the little oil lamp in the corner of the room.

Blaze rose from the little flame, growing, looking more humanoid by the moment. I stared, fascinated. He grew to his usual size and, as he did so, his arms and legs became clearer, I could make out his face in the flickering light, and then he smiled.

In an instant, I dropped the food and flung myself at him.

I completely forgot that I wasn’t really a dragon and I would burn. I just needed to touch Blaze.

He shifted into his human form as I hit him, which was good because otherwise I might have rushed straight through him.

I collided with him heavily and he stumbled back against the wall of the den. His arms wrapped around me, maybe to steady himself.

I pressed my nose into his neck and breathed in, smelling his unique scent and squeezing him.

“What’s wrong, Alfie?”

“Morgan’s gone. He’s never coming back.”

As I spoke the words – the ones I’d been unable to say until that moment – my restraint burst and I dissolved into tears. It never occurred to me to be embarrassed about it. All I knew was that Blaze had his arms around me, he smelled of comfort and familiarity and affection, and he would stop me missing my brother so much.

He held me for a long time as I cried, until I hiccupped and drew back.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

He raised a hand to wipe away my tears from my cheeks. “Don’t apologise.”

“I got your coat wet,” I pointed out. The coat I’d given him right at the beginning. He still wore it, almost always.

Blaze smiled. “I’m a fire spirit. I can dry tears no problem.”

That made me smile back at him. “I knew you’d make me feel better. I’ve missed you for two days.”

He pushed me back a bit and I thought he meant to make me go over to one of the wooden chairs, but he manoeuvred me onto the armchair and I sank into it. Then Blaze settled on the arm of the chair and leaned into my side, his arm around my shoulders and one leg touching mine.

I wanted to pull him onto my lap but figured that would be weird.

“So,” he said, and stroked some of my hair off my forehead. “What did you mean that Morgan was gone?”

“He’s- he’s gone. He left.”

“I thought he was only just coming back.”

“He was. He did.”

Blaze blinked at me, and I realised I wasn’t being clear.

“I mean, Morgan was meant to come home for good and I was going to introduce you and we could sneak out here together and now he’s gone and he’ll never meet you because he’s not allowed back inside the territory, ever.”

“Why not?”

“Fatherdis- disowned him. It’s the worst thing that can happen to a dragon. He’s out there all alone.”

I could feel my tears welling up again and blinked them back.

Blaze stroked my forehead again and it was actually comforting. I wanted him to keep touching me like that so I leaned into him. Sure enough, he kept doing it.

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