Page 42 of His Greatest Treasure

Suddenly, I was nearly blinded by a bond. It flared so white and bright, like a shaft of morning sunlight through the clouds, that I actually blinked, squinting until I was used to it.

No, it wasn’tabond, it was two bonds.

And they had surrounded me, enclosing me in their pure, protective sphere.

My mother stood on one side of me and Aunt Silvia stood on the other. The bond that strung between them seemed to wrap around me, circling me rather than cutting straight through.

“Are you alright, Mother?”

“Yes, Alfie. Are you hurt?”

“My tummy feels funny.”

It was continuing its wriggling and writhing inside me and I didn’t like it one bit. The sound of the siren was cutting through my ears, making it difficult to hear anyone speaking properly.

Mother reached out and stroked a hand along my forehead, brushing my hair back from my face.

“I know it does, but it will be over soon.”

“What will be over?”

“The siren will stop.”

I looked around. Aunt Silvia was scanning the small crowd. It looked like almost everyone was in here.

“Why did we all come here?” I asked.

“Because this is where we are most protected,” said Mother.

My stomach lurched. Or tried to claw its way out of me. I wasn’t sure which. It hurt, I knew that. Something seemed to rise up my throat and choked me.

My voice came out thick as I asked, “What do we need protecting from?”

“From whatever caused the siren to sound.”

“You don’t know?”

“The Guardian has sounded the siren. That’s all I know. Don’t worry, though, Alfie. We are well protected here, with the Guardian outside and your father beside us.

I scanned the crowd for Father but couldn’t see him.

Perhaps because their bonds were so bright and open, surrounding me and protecting me, I thought they’d want to answer. I thought they’dbe truthful.

Or perhaps because my mother looked so wary and alert, and Aunt Silvia was still peering into the crowd, her eyes constantly roving.

Whatever the reason, I decided to ask, “Why do my insides feel like this?”

“It’s the sound of the siren. It’s unsettling.”

“No, I’ve felt squirmy for weeks. I don’t know what it is.”

Silvia barely glanced at me, searching for someone else in the room, but she answered. She sounded distracted. “It’s because you are a dragon.”

I took a moment to be glad of that. I still hadn’t got any proof that I actually was a dragon, since I hadn’t been able to shift yet.

“I can’t shift, though,” I reminded her.

This time, it was my mother who answered and her voice was far more soothing than Aunt Silvia’s. “You’re safe, Alfie.”

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