by S. E. Smith
“Well, do you wish to see your kingdom?” Drago asked in a slightly amused tone.
“My kingdom? How?” Carly asked.
“Climb onto my back,” Drago instructed.
“Climb…? Okay, climb, like on a horse,” Carly replied in a slightly uneasy voice. “Did I ever happen to mention that the only horse I have ever ridden was on a merry-go-round… and that I fell off of it?”
Drago’s husky laughter filled the air. “I do not know what this merry-go-round horse was like, but I will not let you fall off,” he promised.
“Yeah, well, those could be the last famous words I ever hear,” Carly muttered under her breath.
She tentatively stepped closer to Drago’s large body and looked up. His shoulders stood way over her head. There was no way she could climb up that far. Biting her lip, she started to shake her head. A startled squeak escaped her when she felt a strong scaled band wrap around her waist and she was suddenly lifted into the air.
“Drago!”
“I will not let you fall, Carly. Trust me,” he said.
Carly’s fingers curled against the scales of his tail. She muttered a soft curse when she looked down and realized she was several meters above the ground. She swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat and nodded when he gently lowered her to sit astride his shoulders and neck. Instinctively, her fingers clutched one of the large fin-shaped membranes that ran along the back of his head and down his neck. She tightened her thigh muscles and braced her heels against the front of his shoulders.
“I can already tell that this is a really, really bad idea, Drago. Don’t you have a pair of binoculars or one of those machines you put a quarter in to look around? I mean… Eek!”
Carly’s voice faded on a loud screech when Drago’s muscles tightened under her and he pushed upward. Terrified, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms as far as she could around Drago’s neck, buried her face against his smooth scales, and closed her eyes, all the while muttering dire threats and begging forgiveness for all her past sins.
“You will have to tell me about of some of these sins. Something tells me the list would not be very long, but it could be very entertaining,” he chuckled.
“Oh, just shut up. I can’t believe I am doing this,” she sniffed against his neck.
“I swear I will not let you fall, Carly,” he insisted.
She didn’t respond. Her arms and legs trembled with the effort to hold onto him. Her stomach dropped when he started to fly in an upward direction. She was having trouble breathing. The fear and panic threatened to choke her. Black dots danced behind her closed eyelids. Her fear of passing out grew until she opened her mouth to cry out a warning to Drago. Her eyes snapped open at the same time.
The cry of terror she was about to release died on her lips. Her stunned gaze locked on the beauty of the stars and the faint wisps of clouds. On the horizon, the fading red, yellow, and orange glow of the setting sun was in stark contrast to the darkness of the night.
“The moons will rise shortly,” Drago said.
“Oh, Drago, it is – breathtaking,” Carly whispered, unsure that he could hear her, but needing to express the awe she was feeling anyway.
Breathtaking was an understatement. The view of his kingdom from above literally took her breath away. The setting sun illuminated the horizon like a blazing fire, igniting the ocean in an array of colors before it slowly dissolved and faded.
Carly turned her head to look along the coastline. She expected it to be too dark to see, but waves of brilliant green and blue bioluminescence lit up the water along the cliffs. A startled laugh escaped her when the little paper bird flew by them before turning back toward the palace after Drago snorted at it.
“Where is Little Knight going?” Carly asked in concern, trying to follow the bird’s flight.
“I instructed him to stay close to the palace. Where we are going he might get damaged,” Drago stated.
“Oh, good. Where are the lights coming from down in the forests?” Carly asked, leaning forward.
“Many of the plants and animals have a chemical that glows at night, much like those in the water. Hang on tightly,” Drago replied.
Carly blinked when she realized that she was barely gripping the curved ridges along his neck. She tightened her hold on Drago just as he swooped downward. She gasped and then felt a sense of exhilaration sweep through her. She could feel the power in Drago’s dragon body as he guided them down along the cliffs. His wings rose and fell in strong strokes before he caught a gust of wind and allowed it to lift them up again.
“This is just like being on a roller coaster,” she laughed.
“What is a roller coaster?” Drago asked, turning his head to glance at her over his shoulder.
“It is a ride that goes up and down, in tight circles, and sometimes upside down really fast,” she explained.
“You enjoy these roller coasters?” Drago asked.
“Yes. Not the real scary ones, but I do love the not-so-scary kind,” she admitted.
“What do the scary ones do?” he curiously asked.
“If they have a really big drop or go upside down, I get sick to my stomach, but I love the ones that curve sideways,” she said, staring down at the water below them.
“Then I will give you a not-so-scary ride,” Drago replied with a firm nod of his head.
“Drago… Oh!”
A squeal of laughter escaped Carly when Drago swooped down again and began weaving in and out of the tall pillars that stood just off shore. She leaned forward, her hands firmly gripping him. The wind blew her hair back, and she could feel the fine mist rising from below as the waves crashed against the base of the pillars.
Together, they weaved in and out of the towers of rocks and up along the coast. Carly shouted for him to go faster. Their laughter combined when he soared up over the cliffs and turned inland. The first moon was coming up on the horizon, turning the glowing waves into a cache of multi-colored diamonds. If anyone had asked her at this moment if she had seen anything more beautiful in her life, she would have said one word – Drago.
“It’s magical,” she remarked in a quiet tone.
“Yes,” Drago agreed.
Carly turned her head to focus on where they were going. Drago was flying high above the treetops. Bright colors flickered on and off like fireflies far below them. Drago continued his inland course for close to half an hour before he swept through a gap between two mountains and emerged in a long valley. She thought he would land in the meadow, but he didn’t. Instead, he turned to the west.
She caught her breath again when he entered the thick forest. Her fear that he wouldn’t be able to see soon died when he easily navigated through the forest. Massive trees that reminded Carly of the Redwoods near her home rose up to block the bright light from the rising moon. To the left, she saw the movements of a herd of animals. It was hard to tell exactly what they looked like in the darkness, but the shadows were enough to make her thankful that Drago was there.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To a special place that I used to go to before…. I wish to show you the old palace,” he replied.
“Oh!” Carly hissed out when they broke through the darkness of the forest and into another clearing.
A lake at the base of the mountain stretched out in front of them. The second moon had begun to rise, illuminating the tranquil water. At the far end, carved into the mountain were the ruins of an ancient castle.
“The ruins of Arkla,” Drago announced, skimming the water of the lake with his hind legs before soaring upward.
Chapter 16
Mists from the waterfall to the right of the ruins made the white stone glisten. This was the one place where Drago had found peace during the hectic days before the silence. He had also come here shortly after his confrontation with Nali.
His gaze swept over the ancient palace that had stood for almost a thousand years before his ancestors had built the n
ew palace closer to the coast and near the cove. This was a sacred spot preserved as a reminder of their origins. Eleven of the fifteen tall, dragon-shaped pillars remained supporting the remnants of ornate arches. Parts of the other four pillars were submerged beneath a waterfall, while their other remains lay scattered near the palace’s entrance. Pride filled him when Carly released a soft exclamation of pleasure. Turning, he flew down for a landing along the front steps.
“What was this place?” Carly asked, sitting up and gazing around.
“Arkla was the original stronghold of the dragons,” Drago said.
He knelt down and stretched out his wing. Turning his head, he lifted his tail out to Carly. She gave him an uncertain smile before lifting her leg over his neck. She held onto his tail to steady herself before sliding down his wing to the ground. He transformed once she was standing on her own.
“Oh! I swear I could watch you do that all day long,” she said before turning to walk over to the edge of the courtyard. “This is incredible.”
Drago watched Carly run her hand over the smooth stone. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. They stood there, staring out over the vast lake. The first moon had risen high enough to cast its light across the water.
“As the population of my people and trade with the other kingdoms grew, it became necessary for our city to be near the coast. The final decision came after a fierce winter snowstorm covered the mountains with a record snow. The combination of the snow and an earthquake sealed the fate of this palace,” Drago explained.
“It is amazing,” Carly said, leaning her head back against him.
“I used to come here as a boy,” he reflected.
Carly looked up at him in surprise. “I can imagine it was a lot of fun to explore,” she said.
Drago chuckled. “It was forbidden. My parents warned me that the structure was unstable when I asked about it. My mother soon realized that the combination of danger and saying it was forbidden was like waving a bag of gold in front of me. She worked with the engineers to stabilize the structure to preserve it for future generations. At least that was the excuse she gave my father when he protested the gold she was exchanging for the work,” he replied with a grin before it faded.
“You must miss them very much,” Carly said, turning in his arms to gaze up at him.
Drago sighed when she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. He ran his hands down her back to her hips and pulled her close. Closing his eyes, he allowed the peacefulness of the night and the warmth of Carly’s presence to wrap around him.
“I do. I miss them and my people. I wish….” He paused and opened his eyes to gaze out over the moonlit water again.
“You wish…,” she asked.
Drago swallowed. How did you tell someone that you wished you could have one more second with someone? He couldn’t remember his last words to his parents before they had left. All he could remember was the sound of his father’s heartbroken roar before it too became silent. That was the first time in his life that he had really felt the emptiness of losing someone close to him.
He shook his head. “It is nothing,” he said, releasing her and stepping to the side to hold onto the stone railing.
“I had wishes,” she said.
Drago’s lips twitched and he turned his head to gaze at her. “More than one?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Carly waved her hand in the air. “Oh yeah, probably like a hundred or more, but not all at the same time. I finally decided if I ever met a real live genie that I needed to have my three wishes ready,” she stated with a toss of her head.
“A genie… I do not believe I have ever met one of those,” Drago replied with a thoughtful look.
Carly sighed and stepped closer to him. Drago decided he liked the way her hair shimmered in the moonlight. He could see strands of gold running through the dark brown tresses.
“Well, so much for being a magical land! No genies, what is the world coming to?” she grumbled.
“I did not say they did not exist, only that I had never met one. What is a genie and why would you wish to meet one?” he asked.
Carly leaned forward on the railing and released another loud sigh. Drago bit back the retort he was about to make when the movement gave him a full view of her breasts and the curve of her buttocks that made him want to slide up behind her and….
“You aren’t listening, are you?” Carly asked with a knowing grin.
“What?”
Carly shook her head again and turned to gaze out over the lake. “I said a genie can grant you wishes, but you have to be very careful what you wish for. If you wish for the wrong thing, bad things can happen. Oh, and you only get three wishes. No wishing for more wishes,” she firmly stated.
“That is not much fun,” he retorted with a grin.
Carly laughed. “No, it isn’t, but you can imagine the problems it could create for the genie,” she replied.
“What would you wish for?” he asked.
Drago leaned closer when she didn’t immediately answer. The light-hearted mood from a moment ago had changed to a quiet reflection. He raised his hand to brush her windblown hair back from her face.
She turned to look at him. In the moonlight, he could see the expression in her eyes. It was sad, more like resigned. A rueful smile curved her lips.
“When I was a kid, I wished for my parents to love each other, a dragon, and to free the genie because I couldn’t imagine how hard it must be to never be free,” she admitted.
“And now?” he asked.
Carly straightened and turned to him. “It hasn’t changed much. My parents have found love with someone else. It turns out my dad was not the right person for my mom. She has a new girlfriend and is finally happy. My dad found a woman who loves to cook, doesn’t nag him about watching football, and has three boys to take fishing and play sports without nearly killing anyone else on the field. As far as my dragon wish – well, I chose you. Since I never met my genie, I’ll just have to hope he or she was set free. Overall, I can’t complain….” Her voice died and her expression changed as she turned her head away from him.
Cupping her cheek, Drago gently turned her head so that she faced him again. “Except for?” he encouraged.
“Jenny – I miss Jenny and I can’t help but worry about what she must be going through after my disappearance,” Carly confessed with a strained smile.
Drago pulled his hand away and turned toward the ruins. He could feel a muscle in his jaw pulsing as he clamped it tight to prevent the harsh words from escaping. He knew the words were born of fear – his fear of losing Carly and being left alone once again.
Deep down, he understood her worry and regret. He had felt the same emotions when he had lost everyone. How could he justify allowing Carly to live with that feeling?
A strange burning in his eyes and a swift pain in his chest struck him. He raised his hand and rubbed the spot over his heart. His jaw tightened with resolve.
“We need to return to the palace,” he said.
“What? Oh, okay,” Carly replied with a slight frown.
Drago stepped away and shifted. He reached down and scooped Carly up in his claws. Holding her against his chest, he pushed off the ground. Carly sat in his palm, leaning against one clawed finger with her arms wrapped tightly around it. Neither one of them spoke during the return trip, both lost in their own thoughts. Drago wished he could read Carly’s thoughts. His own thoughts were swirling with memories of their brief time together. He desperately wanted to remember each and every second of it. The knowledge that those fleeting moments might be the only things he would have of Carly pierced his heart with a sharper blade than that of any sword or arrow.
He glanced down when he felt Carly move. She was stretching out a hand to touch the cloud they were flying through. The simple, innocent move was like another knife through him. Her joy and awe was captured in his mind to join with the other precious m
emories. Facing forward, he released a low roar.
“Where are we going?” Carly asked nearly an hour later.
“To the treasure room,” he replied in a clipped tone.
Drago pulled her closer to his chest as he turned in a downward spiral and whispered the magical words that would split open the ground. His body twisted and turned through the jagged opening. The ground closing in behind them within seconds of his passing through the gaping hole formed in the compacted dirt, rock, and roots.
Within minutes, they burst through to his hoard of treasure far below. His wings opened and he glided over the rolling mountains of treasure. His back legs extended and he landed, sliding along the loose gold coins before coming to a stop near the archway where Carly had first appeared.
He reached out and gently set Carly on the steps before he shifted. She turned toward him with a frown. Her face was tight and she had that look of defiance on her face.
“What is going on, Drago? Why are we here?” she asked.
Drago returned her steady gaze. He lifted his chin and unclenched his fists. He would not change his mind. As a leader, it was his responsibility to think of those under his protection first, even if that meant great heartache and loneliness for himself.
“I am setting you free – like your genie. You must return to your world and let Jenny know that you are safe,” he stated in a low, fierce tone.
“You are… Drago…?” Carly’s voice faded and her eyes filled with tears. She stepped toward him, her right hand raised in a silent plea. “What if I can’t come back? What about you?”
Drago reached up, grabbed her hand, and placed it against his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment when he felt her caress. His fingers tightened around her hand and he opened his eyes.
“Go while I can still give you this, Carly. Go!” Drago ordered in a harsh voice.
Carly looked at him and started to shake her head. He released her hand and took a step back. His throat tightened when he heard her choked sob and saw the tears dampening her cheeks.
