Real Dragons

by Rebecca Shelley

  He got his hands wrapped around the chauffeur's gun hand and tried to pry the gun away.

  Then the policemen were there with a gun in Weldon's face and another aimed at the chauffeur. "Drop it!" a policeman yelled. "Drop it now."

  The chauffeur let the gun clatter to the floor. Weldon let go of him and raised his hands to show the policeman he was unarmed.

  "Don't shoot." Jonas's voice rang out across the hall. "He's just a kid."

  Weldon's heart exploded with relief.

  One of the policemen hauled him to his feet. Jonas raced over and wrapped a strong arm around him. "You're bleeding."

  Weldon looked down at his side where the first bullet had grazed him. It was just a scratch. He'd had worse falling off his bicycle. "Could be worse."

  "Yeah. You could be dead." Jonas gave him a stern look. "You should have told me."

  Jonas got a first aid kit from a policeman and cleaned Weldon's wound with a sterile wipe. Policemen swarmed the room—handcuffing the chauffeur and the muggers which they'd caught.

  Someone untied Mr. Stevens and Don.

  "I couldn't tell you," Weldon said. "They threatened to kill Don if I did. But how did you know where I was?"

  "Victor. He says he was sorry for waiting so long." Jonas ruffled Weldon's hair. "He thought you were lying until he saw the address written on the paper by the phone and heard on the radio that Mr. Stevens was missing. And one of the other boys told him you'd been talking about dying tonight. Then Victor got thinking maybe you weren't lying. He woke me up, and I called the police."

  "Weldon." Don walked over, rubbing his wrists where he'd been tied. "I can't believe you got the gun away from that guy. Talk about insane. Talk about brave. You came here all by yourself to save me?"

  "Not by myself." Weldon pointed at the colored lights that swirled around the room. "I brought the dragons with me." He scooped up a handful of glitter from the floor. "And Haley's fairy dust. And—" he pointed to the diamond wristband now in a policeman's hand, "Barthelme's littlest dragon friend. Did you see her fly? She never would before. But tonight she did, to save Barthelme." Weldon couldn't help grinning. "I done told you I didn't need no outline."

  "You are insane," Don said. "Absolutely and totally insane, but I'll buy into your insanity. Why not? It saved me. You brought the other dragons and I have this." He pulled the dragoness out of his pocket. "Baxter said she was good luck and the best thing to have if bullets start flying." Don looked around. "All those shots and no one got killed."

  Weldon winced as Jonas pressed a bandage to his side.

  Mr. Stevens strode over to stand next to Don. His face was white, and he clenched his hands together. "Thank you, young man. You saved us both, and the diamond wristband. If there is anything I can do for you . . . ."

  Weldon swelled with pride, but he noticed Don didn't look too happy standing there by his father. "Well, sir. Maybe you could let Don come over and hang out with me sometimes. You know, we good friends now, and I'd hate to never see him again."

  Mr. Stevens frowned and red came into his face. "Donald is supposed to be at a private boarding school right now."

  Weldon's heart sank.

  "But they don't think so," Don said, hotly. "They'd been told I wasn't coming after all, remember?"

  Stevens's frown deepened. "This isn't the best time to discuss it."

  Don left his father's side and came to stand next to Weldon. "It's never a good time to talk to you," he said to his father. "You're always too busy. You care more about those stupid jewels than you care about me. That's why I took them from the safe, because I wanted you to have to come find me to get them back. Except then your chauffeur saw the wristband on me. He took me over to Weldon's part of the city and forced me out of the limousine at gunpoint. Then sent his thugs to get the jewels from me. But you didn't even notice I was gone. You don't care at all."

  Mr. Stevens face went even redder. "Of course I care about you! I want you to have a good life. Go to the best schools. Have all the possible advantages."

  "But that's not what I want!" Don shouted.

  Mr. Stevens opened his mouth to yell back. Before he could, Weldon stepped between Don and his father. He'd never even dared stand up to his own parents, but the same courage he'd found in coming to Don's rescue still lingered with him. "Why don't you be quiet just for a minute, sir, and listen to what Don wants? It couldn't hurt none just to see what he has to say."

  Mr. Stevens snapped his jaw closed.

  "Go ahead," Weldon told Don.

  Don shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at his father. "I just want to be a family. I want to live with you like a normal father and son. I want you to care about me and spend time with me. That's all. "

  "But—" Mr. Stevens rubbed his face, covering his eyes for a moment. When he took his hands away, Weldon could swear he was trying not to cry. "I don't know how to be a father. I never got the chance. Your mother and I separated while you were still a baby. All I know is business." He looked pained to make that admission. "I can't take your mother's place. I'm just not like her."

  Weldon felt bad for him and sorry for Don. At that moment Weldon realized how much his own parents meant to him. Yes, his mother didn't understand about his drawing, but she cared about him and took time to help him with his homework. His father had always been there to pick him up when he got hurt. Strange as it was, after all Weldon had been through, he even missed Phillis.

  "You don't have to take Mom's place," Don said. "Just let me be a part of your life."

  Mr. Stevens dropped his gaze to the floor and stood quiet for a moment. "I guess I could try."

  Don let out a whoop that made Weldon jump. Mr. Stevens took a stiff step forward and hugged his son.

  Barthelme stood on the edge of the seventeenth crack. Beside him, Haley's wings fluttered, making patterns of dark and light across the sidewalk and sprinkling the air with silver dust. The dragoness sat on his shoulder, a glimmering black pearl nestled against his neck. Her mate trumpeted and circled with the swarm of baby dragons, creating a cascade of colored lights.

  The diamond dragon had taken her accustomed place around Barthelme's wrist. Her cool scales pressed into his skin, and she crooned as he rubbed her head with one finger. Barthelme's other two dragons landed on his head and twined themselves around locks of his brown hair.

  A garbage truck rumbled past, belching smoke. The swarm of dragons scattered for a moment, letting the smoke settle down into the crack and drip into the Realm Below.

  "You think we should really go back?" Barthelme said. He edged his toes over the crack and thought of his house and the great hall and playing dodge-the-mosquito with his friends. But thoughts of his home were crowded out by the memory of the angry crowd that had turned against him and the Fairy Queen's insistence on killing his dragons.

  Haley's wings slowed. He frowned at the crack. "We-we could live on the island, you and me and the dragons. They might leave us alone there."

  "Maybe." Barthelme licked the fear from his lips. "I don't want to stay in this world." The Realm Above had been nothing like he'd imagined it. The tall buildings hunched over him like angry giants, and the cars that streamed endlessly along the road growled with the fury of hungry monsters. The dirt and noise and bustle made him long for the silence of the silver lake and the sway of grass in the wind.

  "Shall we go down?" he asked the dragoness.

  She uncurled from Haley's shoulder and lifted in the air to hover in front of Barthelme's face. She stared at him, looked through him into his soul, then let out a low croon, twisted in the air, and dove into the crack.

  "You're right," Barthelme responded. "We've faced the dangers of the Realm Above, why should we fear our own people?"

  Haley nodded. "We will face them. No hiding. We will fight for the lives of your dragons if we have to, just like they fought for us."

  Barthelme set his wings in motion, lifted from the ground, and dove after the dragoness. Wind r
ushed past his face and through his hair. He descended down, down, so far down. The silver lake spread out below him. Rainbows rippled across its water. The grass bent, showing its green underside as he flew down and raced across its silver tips.

  He headed for his house, but a thunderous noise stopped him. A crowd of fairies stood on the beach, shouting and waving.

  Barthelme stopped mid-flight and hovered uncertainly. The fairies' cries sent knives of fear through his heart. Haley came up beside him. "We might as well get this over right now," Haley said.

  Barthelme bit his lip and rubbed the diamond dragon on his wrist. "Don't worry," he whispered. "I won't let them hurt you."

  "Barthelme!"

  He looked up, surprised to see the Fairy Queen rise above the other fairies on the beach, her gold dust making a bright halo around her. It was she who had called him.

  He glanced at Haley. Haley nodded. Together with the swarm of dragons they winged over to the beach. The crowd quieted as they flew up, so that Barthelme could hear the silver water lap against the black sand.

  "Barthelme," the Fairy Queen said. Her voice came out silky soft, and she reached both hands out in greeting.

  Barthelme hovered just out of her reach. "I will not let you kill my dragons."

  "Weldon, your folks are here." Jonas's voice startled Weldon, and he dropped his pencil.

  He looked up from his picture to see his father and mother step into the kitchen. A shock went through him. He hadn't even heard the bell ring or the front door open. He rose slowly from his chair at the table and covered his drawing with one hand. He'd hoped that his parents would take longer to get there. He needed more time to finish his drawings. He couldn't go back. Not yet. Not to a house without paper and pencils.

  His father stood a step behind Mama, rubbing his frazzled beard.

  "Weldon." Mama reached her arms out to him.

  Weldon swallowed a lump in his throat and lifted his hand from the paper. His Mama couldn't hurt him any worse than that crazy chauffeur with is gun.

  "I'm not coming home," Weldon said. His voice shook. "I won't let you kill my dragons."

  "What?" Mama's eyes flashed. "What in the world are you talking about?"

  Weldon's fingers wrapped around his pencil in a death grip. "No one gonna touch my dragons."

  Jonas cleared his throat and put a warm hand on Weldon's shoulder. "I think what Weldon is trying to say is that he does not want to come home as long as you won't let him draw."

  "What?" Mama's voice rose almost to a screech.

  Weldon winced. He was glad Jonas had spoken up for him. Maybe Mama would listen. He did want to go home. He'd missed Mama and Papa and Phillis. But . . .

  "Mr. Jonas," Mama said. "Weldon has better things to do with his time than scribble all day. Come on Weldon. Stop being difficult. We have a train to catch."

  Weldon refused to let go of the pencil or move away from his pictures on the table. His face grew hot. "I don't got better things to do. My dragons saved Don and Wallace Stevens's lives. You know Wallace Stevens, the multi-millionaire? Well I saved him, with the help of my dragons. Ain't nothing better than that."

  Mama blinked at him in surprise. Her mouth opened but no words come out.

  Jonas motioned his parents toward the table. "Why don't you have a seat? Would you like some soda? Weldon has a lot to tell you." He went to the fridge and came back with drinks for everyone.

  Mama took a reluctant seat. Weldon's father came over to the table and looked at the picture Weldon had been drawing. "He do be a good artist, Rita. Alice say he got talent."

  "I don't see what pictures have to do with Mr. Stevens," Mama said.

  Jonas kicked back in a chair and explained the happenings during the night. "So you see, your son is a hero," Jonas finished up. "An extremely creative and talented hero. Maybe you should let him draw—"

  A thrill of excitement went through Weldon. Jonas made it all sound so good.

  "No. School is too important," Mama said.

  Papa cleared his throat. "Education isn't everything, Rita. You didn't marry me for my education, cause I ain't educated like you. You married me because we loved each other. Well . . . Weldon loves art. That got to be worth something."

  Mama's face softened and she wrapped a hand around Papa's arm. "Do you really think it is so important?"

  Yes, Weldon thought. Tell her yes.

  His father nodded. "Life ain't just about getting a job and making money. It about being happy. I say, if drawing make him happy, we should let him draw."

  Weldon tensed. His mama stared at him long and hard before speaking. "—after he finishes his homework and only on drawing paper. No scribbling on schoolwork."

  "Of course," his father agreed. "Weldon, you good with that?"

  Weldon smiled. "As long as I got me a sketchbook to draw in, I promise no more pictures on my homework."

  "All right then," his Mama said.

  Weldon dropped the pencil and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "Thank you, Mama. Thank you." He hugged her for a long time and then got a hug from his father as well.

  "Let's go, boy." Papa rubbed the top of his head.

  Weldon folded up the pictures and shoved them into his back pocket along with the pencil. Together he and his parents stepped into the living room where Sonia and Taneshia were just heading off to school. They gave him a quick hug goodbye and trooped out the door.

  Victor looked up from his chair by the fireplace. He nodded at Weldon, and Weldon nodded back. "Thanks for your help," Weldon said.

  Victor looked down at his MP3 player, a hint of a smile on his lips.

  "Take care of yourself, Weldon." Jonas clapped him on the back and opened the front door. "Stop by once in a while to say hello when you're on this side of town visiting Don."

  "Sure will," Weldon said. Then he was out the door and following his parents down the street toward the subway station. He felt good in a way he never had before. Good to be with his family. Good to be going home. Anxious to pick up his sketchbook from Alice.

  "Thank goodness you're back," the Fairy Queen said to Barthelme. "You and the dragons."

  Barthelme's wings buzzed with surprise. He looked over at Haley confused. Haley shrugged as if to say he had no explanation for the warm welcome.

  Hawthorn lifted up from the crowd and flew over beside the Queen. He frowned and stared down at his feet. "Yes, good thing you came back. The garbage is piling up something fierce around here. No one can stand the stench."

  "Hawthorn is right," the Fairy Queen said. The gold dust floated in the air, making Barthelme fight off a sneeze. "None of us realized how important the dragons are. We thought of them only as a nuisance, but without them our world is a lot less pleasant." She lifted her hand and pressed silky fingers against Barthelme's cheek. "Welcome home, Barthelme."

  Barthelme's face grew hot, and he stammered out his thanks.

  The Queen bowed to the dragoness and her mate. "Welcome back. We are very glad to see you."

  The pair trumpeted in response, did a loop-de-loop in the air and then darted away toward the dump with their swarm of children following.

  Barthelme's dragons stayed with him as he and Haley flew back to the house. Barthelme stopped at the front door and faced his friend. "Thanks for coming to save me. You are the bravest, the most loyal—"

  "The handsomest, the best flyer," Haley interrupted with a wide smile. His black wings fanned the air in pleasure. "And I always win at dodge-the-mosquito." Haley zipped away before Barthelme could argue that he'd beat Haley at the game three times in a row last time they played. Barthelme laughed. Above him a cascade of noise dripped through the crack in the sky. He stared up at it for a moment, then went inside and closed the door behind him.

  About The Author

  Rebecca Shelley is the author of over 30 published books including the bestselling Smartboys Club series as well as the popular Red Dragon Codex and Brass Dragon Codex (writing as R. D. Henham). Sh
e loves writing about dragons and is excited to be writing the Dragonbound series. Her Aos Si trilogy will thrill fans of YA Paranormal Romance. To learn more visit her website at http://www.rebeccashelley.com/

  If you have enjoyed reading this book, it would be awesome if you could leave a review on the site where you purchased it.

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  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  About The Author

  Books by Rebecca Shelley