Page 36 of Henry & the Dragon
Mother bit her lip. “No. No land is worth losing my son yet again.”
“Please, don’t concern yourself with the loss of your beloved property. We would take everything with us.”
Mother’s eyes narrowed. “How so? And how would we get to this place?”
“It would take some time to prepare, but when we are ready you would close your eyes, and the next moment you and your entire lands would be in our kingdom. Have nofear, milady. As I’ve explained to Henry, your family would be welcome amongst our people. Henry is a skilled healer, and he has said that Euric is a smith of great renown. There is a sister who Henry has always loved and looked to for strength. And then the mother who raised them to be noble, true friends. We could think of no better people to have living with us.”
The suspicion didn’t leave Mother’s eyes. “From whence do you hail?”
“Mother, there are things you need to know before you make any decisions. They will be unbelievable, akin to fantasy tales, but I guarantee you they are truth set in stone.”
So Henry started telling his story from the beginning. He told of Merry’s illness, of Neron’s cruelty, of learning to craft salves that he gave to people, of Neron’s jealousy, of meeting Kai, of Neron’s attack on Kai, of the dragon, of his journey to find Kai, of meeting and becoming Dmitra’s father, the joy of finding Kai, and finally of the truth about Kai’s mother.
“Balderdash!” Euric snapped.
Kai stood. “I can prove it,” he said.
“’Tis a lie, and you have bewitched Henry!” Merry cried.
Mother, oddly enough, sat quietly and viewed the proceedings.
“He is a dragon!” Dmitra said. “I have seen it.”
Euric’s gaze darkened. “You toy with the mind of a child? Are you truly so despicable?”
Kai ignored the outburst. “Please, follow me outside.”
Without waiting, he turned and strode out the door. Henry couldn’t help but notice the regal bearing Kai now seemed to have. When they were all gathered outdoors, Kai stepped behind the house, Henry standing guard, and stripped off the cloths he wore. They weren’t much, but it was far better than him being nude in front of Henry’s mother.
The transformation came quickly. Henry stood in awe, seeing the sinewy body he’d witnessed stretch, hearing the bones crack, and watching Kai’s eyes widen. It seemed as though it should be painful beyond belief, but Kai exulted in the change. When he was done, Kai ducked his head near Henry, who, feeling bold, planted a kiss on the lovely hued scales.
“For luck,” he said.
When Henry called for the family to gather, they trooped toward the spot. When they found Kai in his dragon state, Merry and Euric screamed and grabbed their children. Mother, still, was oddly quiet.
“He won’t harm them,” the Queen said. “We would never harm a child.”
“B-B-But he’s a dragon!” Euric shouted.
“Not all dragons are bad,” Mother finally said.
“What? How can you say that?” Merry demanded. “Dragons are evil.”
“No!” Mother shouted, her face contorted in anger. “’Tis not true, and I will not have you speak such of our guests.”
Her reaction surprised Henry. “Mother? What are you saying?”
She turned away, as if unable to look Henry in the eye. “When your father came home from the war, you know how he was. We’d all feared he’d lost his mind on the battlefield. Only… late into the evenings, he and I would sit by the hearth and he would tell me tales of the one who saved his life. His comrades had been all but wiped out, and those who yet lived were dying far too fast to be helped. Father feared he would die there as well. He said he lay on the battlefield, blood spilling out from what he was certain were mortal wounds, when an immense shadow fell over the area. He believed it to be Anaya, the Goddess of Death, come to spirit them away to the afterlife. He cried out, pleading for her to take him, but protect his family. Only instead ofshepherding him to the afterlife, it lifted him up and carried him off, taking him several leagues away from where the battle had been fought. He told me the great beast then transformed into a man, who tended to his wounds. He said the person was good and kind, and that he treated your father well, cooking, cleaning, and otherwise caring for him. They had many conversations, and he spoke fondly of his home. Of missing his people. For nearly an entire moon, he stayed with your father, tending to his physical wounds. After he had ensured your father was well enough to travel, they hugged and he bade your father farewell, then sprouted wings and flew off into the night as a dragon.”
“Why did I never hear of that?” Merry wanted to know.
Mother’s cheeks pinked. “I thought… I believed it to be a figment of his imagination, but now?”
At his side, Henry’s sword glowed once more. He lifted it from the scabbard and held it aloft.
“That’s why you wouldn’t attack Kai’s mother,” Henry whispered.
The sword pulsed rapidly. Mother came closer. “I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you,” she said sadly.
