Page 5 of Dragon Chosen
Did you hit your head?I asked.Some humans are quite disorientated after such an injury. I can take you to a healer if you wish.
No.She didn’t realise she was finally communicating mind-to-mind, right before sitting down on a log.No, I’m fine.
Humans are so very tiresome. They seem to have this bone-deep need to lie, even to themselves. My father, Hadrian, king of all dragons, had told me as much when I was little more than a hatchling. Primarily because people kept ‘accidentally’ coming into our hatching sands, trying to force a bond with me and my sisters. As soon as we were old enough to be flown from Wyrmpeak, he was forced to remove our entire clutch to a secret cave only my father and the human prime minister knew the location of.
You are not fine.I settled back down because humans seemed to be more comfortable when we dragons made ourselves look smaller. Made them less upset about their own inadequacies, I imagine.If you were happy, I wouldn’t have asked.A huff of my breath had her sitting up a lot straighter.You feel… sad, angry, worried, upset, and angry again. I nodded.Yes, anger seems to be the most prominent emotion.
I’m not angry.
That petulant declaration had my eyes rolling, right up until the point the human pulled something from her pocket. Whatever lie she was telling herself, it was apparently going to disintegrate in the face of what she drew out. A book, I realised. Humans have such small attention spans, they needed to write down all of their knowledge on sheets of pulped wood fibre, but it didn’t seem to be her lack of mental faculties that had herbottom lip quivering and her face screwing up quite alarmingly. The book was set on her knees, her hands rising, then going to touch it, then rising again as she made a strange sound.
Sobbing, that’s what the memories I’d retained from the nest of dragon stone told me. The girl was sobbing. I saw a rapid flicker of my ancestor’s responses to that. Mostly of queens and their bondmates. I saw queen after queen draw closer to the human, offering them solace.
Was that what I was supposed to do?
I consulted with my memories, but came up with nothing appropriate, because there were few instances ever of humans and dragons interacting, other than when bonded. With a sigh, I shuffled closer, laying my head on the ground before her.
This book, it contains important wisdom of your people?I asked.This is why you cry?If you fear the loss of such knowledge, fear not. I am sure there is a dragon who has memorised the same knowledge. I can ask my brethren if you wish, and we can write it down again.
Not wisdom…The human made an alarming noise that my memories decided was both a laugh and a cry. They meant two very different things, which made this whole exchange very confusing. She bared her teeth at me, which I was forced to remind myself was a way of defusing tension in humans, not a threat display.Just a story.
This is how you humans make sense of the world.I nodded.I understand, but surely there are other stories you can read that will give you meaning?
Of course…She dropped the book beside her.It’s just that this particular book was very precious to me.
Precious?My head rose up as I examined the book more closely.Is it gold?Before she could answer, I noted the gleam on the cover.Human wisdom made of gold? That would be a fine thing, indeed.
Humans liked to assume all dragons had hoards of gems and gold. It was one of the aberrant beliefs that had them raiding our caves, searching for caches of treasure, when there was only dragon stone and hatchlings inside. I, however, did very much like gold and precious minerals. Finding them in the soil gave me great pleasure.
That’s just foiling, she said with a wave of her hand.And anyway, the book is ruined. I fell into a mud puddle and made a total mess of my dress.She plucked her garment away from her skin.And in doing so, ruined something very important.
This is what makes you unhappy?I jerked forward, grabbing the human’s garment with my jaws and using it to toss her onto my back. A little yelp and hands slapping down on one of my spines made clear she’d found her seat.Then I will take you somewhere to get cleaned up, then we will find a human that can fix your book. You will be happy then?
She didn’t get a chance to answer. I strode through the forest, following the trail I’d carved through the trees, before emerging out into a field. Sheep and humans all bleated in surprise at my sudden appearance. I admit I felt a moment of satisfaction as they all scurried away.
My father won’t be happy that you just terrified his sheep and shepherds, she replied.
Father?Her thoughts had a strange flavour to them. Some of the pain and anger she felt was because of this human, but there was also some very real affection there. That ambivalence, I knew it well.He is a demanding human? One that always pushes you to do better, be better?
My own father was never satisfied. If my sisters and I heard another speech about the fact we were the future of dragonkind in Nevermere, I would roar. It was a rant along those lines that drove me out of the family cave network in the first place.
Father? No,she replied, her fingers digging into my spines as my wings flapped out, ready to climb into the sky.My mother…? She’s the demanding one.
“Gods above…” she squeaked as I threw myself upwards.
Fear not, I said.I have been flying for some time.
With a human on your back?
There was a faint note of hysteria in her thoughts and, sure enough, her legs locked tightly around my neck.
I have had no rider before you, I admitted.But if the males manage to do it with ease, I’m sure I will excel at this. Just hold tight. I will not allow you to fall… What is your name? I can’t keep calling you human.
Fern…Her thoughts had changed in tone, becoming breathless, almost jubilant.I am Fern.
And I am Auren, Fern,I replied.Now, there is a hot springs not far from here. Perfect for bathing in.
Anywhere but here,Fern said. Take me anywhere other than my father’s estate, my queen.
