Page 18 of Drakhana's Secret
His words make my blood boil, but my eyes catch the whelps hugging the legs of the elders. The clear fear on their faces is what forces me to calm myself. This is not the time and place to fight about this.
Gritting my teeth, I say, “Gallant, let’s talk about this in private.”
I begin to walk away without looking back to make sure that he’s following me.
Twelve
Gallant
As I headed back to camp, my plan slowly formed. I expected opposition, but I didn’t expect Sapphire to be totally against it. Squaring my shoulders, I follow after her.
Since I’m much taller than she is, I slow my steps in order to stay a few feet behind her. I can take my eyes off her. Never did I expect to run into her again at the camp.
One of my most vivid memories of Sapphire is of her crying. She was nuzzled against a huge root of a tree. My buddies and I had gone toad hunting when I heard sniffling.
I almost didn’t see her at first. That was how small she was. In fact, I actually thought she was a fairy of myths and legends.
She was in that in between age of being not quite a whelp but not yet a fledgling. I had asked her why she was crying and found out that the other young dragons were making fun of her for being small for her age. Possessing a bleeding heart for the underdog, I became her friend.
Taking her hand, I walked her out of that forest. I asked her to point out the dragons who made fun of her. She hesitated at first, but eventually gave in with enough urging.
We walked up to the group of young dragons and I gave them a piece of my mind. Since then they never said a hurtful word to Sapphire. Little did I know at the time that she would grow into the gorgeous dragon striding deeper into the forest ahead of me.
The last time I saw her, she was little more than getting over her fledgling stage. She always had long brown hair, almost past her back, but now she has brains in her hair and beads that add a sexiness to the strands that I never expected. They sway when she moves.
Speaking of swaying, her hips are mesmerizing with each step she takes. I will never admit it to anyone, but growing up, I had a crush on her. There was always a light in Sapphire that attracted me to her.
She had always stayed positive. Even when I came to her with a bloody nose or a skinned knee. She fixed me up with a smile on her face and something encouraging to say.
Even in a tank top and a skirt that needs washing, she’s still the most attractive woman in the world to me. That light within her is still there. It’s just made more potent with an allure that’s dangerous to dragons like me.
Not only is Sapphire beautiful, but she’s grown into a strong and capable woman. I can see how all the dragons in that camp hung on her every word. They would soon follow her over me any day.
Then she started arguing with me? Setting those big blue eyes aflame? If she wasn’t attractive to me before, she certainly is now. Enough to distract me from my original purpose after coming back into camp.
I had visions of rallying the troops. Bringing together a band of dragons and taking back our city from the ice and fire clans. I had images of fighting and glory.
All that went down the drain the instant I came up against the force that is Sapphire. I don’t bother asking where we are going. Like everyone in that camp, I’d follow her wherever she wants to take me.
When she believes that we’re far enough to make our conversation private, she turns around. She’s a whirl of long hair and a flowy skirt. This entire time she walked barefoot. I hadn’t noticed until now.
She’s the type of earth dragon that doesn’t want a barrier between her and the soil. I don’t know how that will work in the city. The streets are absolutely filthy.
“I’m sorry for raising my voice at you earlier,” she says.
My eyebrows come up. “You call that raising your voice already? I’d like to see what happens if you were truly mad.”
“Gallant, this isn’t the time for jokes.” She sighs. “This isn’t the time for fighting either. Especially not in front of the clan.”
I drop my gaze like a child being gently scolded by my mother. The anger, I can manage. The disappointment, on the other hand, is a little trickier to navigate. I can already feel the guilt brewing in my chest.
“Everyone back there . . .” She points toward the camp. “Most especially the young ones are looking up to us to lead them. We can’t let them down by bickering amongst ourselves.”
“Do you think the elders never fought?” I ask.
“Not in front of the clan. When they faced us for a vote, they have already gotten all the arguments out of the way. We can’t break that tradition.”
“Tough luck getting a unanimous vote with just the two of us.”
