Page 6 of His Greatest Treasure

I heard him crashing through the undergrowth and muttering to himself. Then he called, “Um, hello? Where did you go?”

I didn’t answer.

Just as I thought that perhaps he might walk straight by me, he stopped and turned towards me. As though he was following a trail I’d left.

His eyes were bright silver, and the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. I really didn’t mean to notice, considering he was hunting me, but I couldn’t help it. They were absolutely stunning. Awkwardly,they also followed an invisible trail right to me and landed on my flickering form.

“There you are! What are you doing in our territory?”

I bolted again.

I grew big, which in my flame form was dangerous, especially surrounded by flammable wood. I was faster when I was bigger, though, and I ran between the trees, darting this way and that, trying to get away from the handsome young dragon.

He followed me, his footsteps heavy and crashing down, and muttering to himself the whole time.

Maybe I’d burned something as I went and he could smell it? To stop that happening again, I doubled back on myself and crouched down, shrinking and lowering my eyes so that he’d never be able to find me. I was practically under a tree root, desperately trying not to burn too hot so that I didn’t set the tree alight.

It wasn’t likely because the ground was damp, which I hated. Ireallyhated the damp.

My pursuer didn’t even follow my false trail. He stopped right in front of me and I saw his shoes, shiny black.

“You dropped these,” he said.

Instinctively, I glanced up.

He was looking right at me. That should have been very nearly impossible, yet here he was, and he knew exactly where I was.

He was also holding out those bananas.

When I didn’t move, he began to shuffle nervously and he fiddled with the Fairtrade sticker on one of the bananas.

“I guess I could just leave them here for you, if you don’t want to come out. But I’d rather speak to you. You know, you’re not meant to be in our territory without Lord Somerville’s permission. You gave us a real fright, you know. What were you doing outside the castle? Other than stealing bananas, I mean.”

Gradually, I grew bigger. He didn’t seem like a threat. He was so angelic-looking that once I’d settled my eyes on him, I could hardly look away.

It also seemed he was a nervous talker because his eyes went big and he stared at me, gasping, “Oh, wow, you’re beautiful. Is that a personal comment? I didn’t mean to be rude. I was just saying. What are you, anyway? Am I allowed to ask thator is it vulgar? I wouldn’t mind people asking me, I suppose, but I don’t know how other people feel about it.”

I hid a smile as he talked. His voice was soft and he looked… he looked so sincere and interested that I actually answered him, which I probably wouldn’t have done for anyone else.

“I’m a fire spirit.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking.”

“No, I don’t. Are you a dragon?”

I couldn’t quite tell. There was something about him that was captivating but it wasn’t intimidating the way that most dragons were, and I didn’t feel the fire simmering in his belly the way I did with most dragons.

“Yes, I am. At least- yes, let’s say I am.”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“Well, I am a dragon. Probably. I’ve just never shifted before, that’s all. But I will one day. Soon. Mother tells me that I’m not to rush it or I’ll hurt myself and my dragon will come out when it’s ready, but Morgan shifted when he was eighteen and I’m already older than that, so I probably should get a move on.”

“How oldareyou?”

“Nineteen.”

I stopped myself from snorting. Nineteen was nothing to a fire spirit. I wasn’t sure how old I was. We didn’t keep track of years in the same way that other people did. All I knew was that I’d been around a lot longer than that, since every home had a fire in its hearth and there were plenty of warm places for me to settle. I still felt young, though.

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