Page 30 of Henry & the Dragon
Henry reached into his pocket and withdrew the medallion he’d received before he left on this, his twentieth excursion. He lay it reverently on the furs Kai’s head rested upon.
“He had what belonged to you. He kept me from my family for far too long based on a series of lies. He… he….”
Angry tears slid down Henry’s cheeks. Kai wanted to take them away, to see Henry smile, but he was so weak. Henry swiped at them with a growl, but still he toiled. Dmitra leaned in and put her head to Henry’s arm. That seemed to give him the strength to continue.
“When I saw him with your medallion, I couldn’t understand the anger that poured into me. I knew only that he had touched something of yours. Made it impure, tainted. With every lie he told me, my father’s blade—“ Henry jerked his head around, then scrabbled over and retrieved his sword. “Father, I know you wouldn’t allow me to attack this dragon, because you knew she was Kai’s mother. Is that not so?”
The blade glowed a brilliant blue, bathing everyone in the purest of lights. Henry continued to fascinate Kai, and he hoped they had forever to surprise and delight each other.
“I’ve applied salve to his wounds, but the poison still is within his body. I’m uncertain if my ointment will be enough, and I fear I don’t have the time to wait and see. Kai is weakening, even as we speak. Please, father, don’t let my love perish.”
The sword flared so brightly, Kai had to avert his eyes, and he’d stared directly into dragon fire. What was this sword that Henry clutched in his hand?
“I understand,” he murmured. He turned to Kai, his features pinched. “I fear this will hurt,” Henry said, a moment before he placed the blade over the wound. Like so many other times, Henry was right. The blade seared Kai’s skin—or so it felt—and he screamed. His mother roared, echoing his pain, shaking the entire mountain. Still, Henry knelt by him, doing his best to soothe and comfort Kai, while Dmitra ran her tiny hands over Mother’s scales, obviously trying to keep her calm. When Henry finally removed the blade, Kai sank back onto his mother’s side, exhausted.
“What did you do?” Kai asked, his voice weak.
“I did nothing. My father did. In truth, I know not what he did, only that it appears to have worked, and I am forever grateful to him.”
The brilliance of the blade dulled, leaving only a soft glow that cast shadows about the cave. Henry scrabbled to gather some clothing strewn about and handed it to Kai.
“I can barely move,” Kai said as he struggled to sit up.
“Then don’t. Lie there and rest.”
“There’s something I should tell you, Henry.”
A bushy eyebrow quirked up. “There are many things you must tell me. First and foremost, how is your mother a dragon?”
“That is but one of the things I must share with you.” Kai pushed himself up, his muscles screaming with every movement. “Please, I beg you to not be afraid of me. I would never do you harm. You know this, yes?”
Henry grabbed Kai’s hand. “Yes. To my very soul.”
“Then know that, no matter what, I will guard and keep you.”
Kai tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Before, after Neron had him poisoned, Kai hadn’t the strength to protect himself. His mother heard his cry and raced to him, arriving in time to keep the bandits from taking everything and leaving Kai for dead. She lifted Kai in her claw, doing her best to keep him from being jostled too much, then launched herself skyward to find a place for Kai to rest and heal.
Only it didn’t help. Now that he was no longer in agony, his memory was coming back. He’d asked her to find Henry, but she refused to leave his side until he told her she had to, or he would die. Then she made several sojourns to find Henry, but each proved futile. She’d never laid eyes on him, so she had no idea who she was looking for, but still she tried. For Kai.
“I am not as you see before you, Henry. Well, that is not all I am. My people are ancient, but still very new. We are what humans will call a paradox. Neither one thing or another, but a melding of both.”
The stretch of bone and sinew had been too long in coming. Though Kai’s body protested, it also craved the blessed change. His arms grew thick with heavy muscle, his body following immediately afterward. When the golden wings he’d always been so proud of erupted from his back, he cried out, not in pain, but in utter bliss. It had been far too long since he’d done this, felt complete. Only lying with Henry had come close to this feeling. When the transformation was complete, Kai rose up, still dwarfed by his mother, to his true form.
“You’re… a dragon!” Henry cried out. “How is this possible?”
Kai reverted to a human form, then stumbled slightly, still dizzy from the toxins. Fortunately, the shift had started his body healing. It would take time, but the change, alongside Henry’s amazing salve, would have him better in a few days.
“That is a story that is older than time, and would take nearly as long to tell. I am a member of a species called the Hodac. We are dragons that can walk as man or soar as birds.”
Being this near dragons, Henry and Dmitra should be near wetting themselves, but instead they stood in awe as they took in the beautiful dragon his mother was. Her iridescent scales picked up even the slightest of lights, shimmering like a rainbow. It was her hues that Kai’s father so loved, it made him ask her to be their queen.
“Our majesty—my mother—bids you welcome.”
“Your mother is… So… You’re a prince?”
Kai bowed deeply. “Prince Kaithyn Dellamar at your service.”
Henry flushed, and it seemed that he was near collapse. Only Dmitra stood between him and the floor.
