Knight jumped from his chair, his light back in his hand and on.
“Thank you. I know it’s rude to gawk, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime. And, umm, it’s only fair. You saw me naked.”
I didn’t ask to see you in a state of undress.
“True, but you get what you get when you enter a man’s apartment with no notice.”
Fair enough, Knight. Gaze until you grow tired of looking at the same color.
Squatting, he shined the light on her tail and then onto her back legs.
“You got some green mixed in. Stomach, feet, tail. Faint but there.”
While dragons ranged in color from gold to green, her father, the Aragonite Star Dragon, was the only true gold dragon. Even Kya, who most resembled her father of all his offspring, had also inherited the green of her mother’s scales, the same color of ferns that grew on Buto.
“I’m glad you returned.” Knight pushed to his feet, so tiny in comparison to Kya. “It’s strange. I wanted to call you.” He laughed. “Dragons don’t use telephones. I was working when I heard you in my head again. I almost fell off the scaffold.” Another laugh, tinged with nervousness. “I work construction. I’m not afraid of heights, so I’m always on the top platform.”
After taking in his fill of Kya, while speaking of things she didn’t understand, Knight returned to his chair and sat.
“You’re quiet tonight.”
You speak enough for the both of us.
“The Knights have the gift of gab, Kya.”
She’d forgotten she’d told him her name. Against the rules. Kya would have to be more cautious when dealing with humans, particularly this human who, despite his gregarious nature and lack of self-preservation, possessed a keen mind.
“That’s a nice name. You can call me Armstrong. Knight seems a little formal after you’ve seen a man naked.” He found another can in his paper bag, opened it and sipped. “Or diata. I like that, too.”
Kya bent her knees and settled her long body on the gravel. Armstrong enjoyed the sound of his voice. Kya needed to learn more about humans. Why not from this strange but kind man?
I need a guide, Armstrong, in the ways of human thought and behavior. Will you be that guide?
“A cross-cultural exchange, you mean?” He appeared interested, his elbows on his knees and back leaned forward.
Not an exchange. I cannot share dragon life with outsiders.
“That’s pretty one-sided.”
True. But it’s how we’ve survived and will continue to survive. I will, however, grant you one wish and two questions in exchange for your service as my human guide.
The man’s teeth were quite white when he smiled at her. She’d chosen well, this Armstrong Knight of Washington, DC. He possessed a dragon’s soul and a protective heart. The human wouldn’t take advantage of the unorthodox offer she’d made him. Dragons didn’t grant wishes beyond that of their healing stone magic.
“Two questions and a wish?”
Yes.
“Must I do all three tonight?”
You do not. But it’s only fair that I offer a token of goodwill tonight if you agree to the exchange.
“You’ve already given me a token of goodwill. You’re not only here, but you’ve permitted me to look you over with my flashlight. If you were a human female and I stared at you like I did, I would’ve been slapped. Dragons heal and leave. Until two days ago, I had no idea dragons spoke at all. So you see, Kya, there’s already been a cross-cultural exchange between us.”
Which was why she was supposed to learn from humans by pretending to be one of them. She upbraided herself for not taking her father’s teachings to heart and practice. Kya needed to listen more and question less. Was it too late to begin anew with Armstrong as a human female?
Kya had no skill in pretending to be what she wasn’t. The physical shift was easy enough to make but being a human entailed more than looking like one. She was out of her depth and didn’t feel confident she could convince a man as smart as Armstrong to befriend and trust an unusual human woman.
Her strength was in being a dragon, but an ignorant dragon in the body of a human would yield little. Besides, Kya rather liked the way Armstrong looked upon her natural form. Not with fear but with curiosity and respect. He saw her, Kya, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit that she enjoyed the human’s interest.
“If I asked your age, would that count as one of my questions?”
Why does my age matter?
“It doesn’t. I’m twenty-five. My birthday is March twenty-ninth. I have an older brother, Isaiah, and two younger sisters, Clarice and Janet. My father died when I was thirteen. It was hard not having him around, but Isaiah stepped in and stepped up.”
Kya didn’t know how to respond to anything Armstrong had shared, especially about the death of his father. He’d stated that fact of his life with the same flat voice as he uttered the others. Yet, his scent betrayed his calm exterior.
Sadness. Grief.
Kya had never known either emotion. Dragons were long-lived, although not immortal. They grew old and died. Nothing could kill them as far as she knew. Unlike humans, they didn’t get sick, not even what humans called the “common cold.”
I’m the youngest dragon.
“In your family?”
I’m the youngest dragon of all dragons. We don’t age as humans do.
She thought, trying to calculate her age in terms of human years. If she told him her hatch year, she didn’t think her response would adequately answer his question. She grasped the underlining meaning of his query. What he wanted to know was her age in relation to his own.
He’d seen her with her parents and siblings, smaller and weaker, and he’d assumed, correctly, that she was younger than the others. What he didn’t know was how much younger.
What is the age when a human is considered a young adult?
“Eighteen. We can vote at that age but not drink.”
Then I’m eighteen.
“You’re so young. My mother would call you a baby, although I’m sure you were born before her.”
When Father isn’t around, Mother permits me to tuck my head in her neck and breathe in her scent. I’m too old for such cossetting, I know, but I cherish those moments more than I should.
“Siblings?”
One brother and six sisters.
With each shared fact of family and home, Armstrong moved closer to Kya until he laid on his back in front of her nose. He smelled of a spice scent but no fear for how close he was to a dragon’s mouth and fangs. The human really was quite unusual.
“If I touch you, will you run away like you did when I asked you your name?”
Dragons do not run away. It was simply time for my departure.
“Yeah, riiiight, whatever you say, Bloodstone Dragon.”
Mock me at your peril, Armstrong Knight. Is that your one wish, to touch a dragon?
He shook his head. “Without trying, I can name five hospitals with centers dedicated to children with cancer. Do you know what cancer is?”
I do, but knowledge of diseases that afflict humans isn’t necessary for dragons to heal them. If the human is worthy of our gift, we grant it freely. Is that your wish?
“Yeah, is it too much to ask?”
How many children?
“I don’t know. I don’t expect you to heal every kid with cancer. I don’t even know how long that would take or how long you’ll be here. But some kids are worse off than others and will die if something can’t be done to help them. Trust me, Kya, very little can be done to help them. Children would be worthy of your healing magic, I would think.”
You want nothing for yourself?
“I just asked for something for me. For however long you’re here, will you heal as many children with cancer as you can? That’s my wish.”
A strange human indeed. Kya was prepared to grant Armstrong most anything, although she’d imagined his request would reflect what she’d come to thi
nk of as the shallow and selfish nature of a human’s heart. Perhaps Ledisi was correct. Kya shouldn’t judge the many by the actions of the few.
After tonight, she had less than four days before her sister would return for her and they’d fly home to Buto. Armstrong’s wish, while admirable, would challenge Kya. She’d never healed a human without the watchful eye and guiding magic of one of her parents or a sibling. What she’d done for Armstrong, two nights ago, was her first independent act of healing.
His injuries weren’t severe, and not life-threatening like cancer. The greater the damage to the human, physical or psychological, the more magic and skill required of the dragon. His wish would take time.
I will do my best, diata.
He shifted onto his side, so very close to her nose. But he didn’t reach for her despite the way his hand twitched on the graveled ground between them.
“I know you will. You would’ve killed those men in the alley if I hadn’t gotten to them first, wouldn’t you?”
Yes, I was prepared to do so. The thought of eating such vile creatures was sickening. But I couldn’t do nothing while they hurt the woman further.
“You really are young. Seeing you would’ve sent the bastards running and saved the girl. You wouldn’t have needed to upset your stomach by eating those maggots.”
You didn’t run away from me.
“I’m not them. May I touch you? Your gold scales call to me. I don’t know why.”
To her discomfort and confusion, Kya desired the human’s touch. She scooted away from the hand raised above her nose before lifting inches into the air. If Armstrong was intent on touching her, she’d left herself within his reach. But he wouldn’t because he was an honorable man, and she hadn’t granted him permission to lay hands upon her.
My scales are too sharp for your tender human flesh. Dragon scales may resemble the snakes you’re used to, but ours are not harmless to the touch.
Disappointment bloomed across his face before he hid it behind a smile. Armstrong lowered his hand, and Kya felt a stab of guilt. She neither enjoyed the sensation nor appreciated the emotions this human created within her.
I can, however, use magic to soften my scales so you won’t sever your hand if you insist on petting me as if I’m a domesticated animal.
A loud bark of laughter. “You, a domesticated animal? I don’t think so. First, you could barely fit in my living room. Second, I would never insult you by thinking of or treating the Bloodstone Dragon as I would a dog or cat. I don’t want to pet you, Kya, I want to touch you, know you. That’s not the same.”
It wasn’t the same. It was worse.
Kya concentrated, her attention inward and on the magic that was her birthright. She saw her skin and the scales that grew from it. Thick, heavy, and sharp for protection. Scales were a dragon’s last line of defense. She learned at an early age how to adjust the strength of them, a natural shield for her kind.
The adjustments, however, normally increased not decreased, although that direction was also within her power. As she shifted the texture and density of her scales, the magic and focus required much the same as when she shifted into her human form. Kya breathed magic through the vents of her scales.
She envisioned a malleable human bed, capable of comfort and support. The change tingled, the way it did when Kya cast her magic with purpose and heart.
Touch me where you will, Armstrong, my scales welcome your hand.
At his boyish smile, Kya returned to the rooftop. She reclined, as she’d done before.
She didn’t know what she expected from the human, but it wasn’t the feel of his face against hers. Kya had assumed Armstrong would explore her tail, maybe her wide flank or even the nose he’d been so close to minutes earlier. Instead, he leaned in and pressed his cheek below her right eye. Hands came up and rested beside his head, palms against her and so very small and warm.
“This is our first hug of what I hope will be many. Thank you. I appreciate your trust. I’ll never betray anything you tell or show me. We Knights aren’t built for betrayal.”
Neither were dragons.
3
Kya was exhausted, and she still had thousands of miles to go before she reached Buto. After the last four days, she couldn’t wait to see the green of her island home and bask in the fresh air. There was a stench to sickness, Kya had known, but the aroma of dying children was unlike anything she’d smelled before or hoped to smell again.
Yet she would because there was nothing like curing a dying child and seeing that child healthy and running about pounds lighter for the pain lifted from shoulders too small to carry its weight. Parents had cried and thanked Kya. Doctors marveled and gazed upon her with gratitude. Nurses had invited her back, although from the questioning looks on their faces they were unsure if she comprehended their language.
She did. But Kya wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. She’d remained silent, flying away before they could take too many pictures of her. To Kya’s annoyance and dismay, Armstrong’s wish meant she’d had little time to visit the human on the roof of his apartment building. Annoyed that she missed him and dismayed that she had to leave without saying goodbye in person.
Kya had flown past the building where he told her he worked, hoping to spot him on the scaffold. It rained then, as it did now, so there were no humans outside on what looked to be an unsafe structure.
I must return home, diata.
She spoke in his mind. He would hear her. Kya’s telepathy extended thousands of miles. Once she approached the protective mists of Buto, however, her telepathic link to the human would be severed.
I look forward to seeing and speaking with you again. Be safe, Armstrong Knight. And have faith. Your dreams are well within your reach.
Kya had enjoyed Armstrong’s company more than she ought. More than she would reveal to him or even to Ledisi, who flew toward her.
Fast.
Why was she moving so fast? A second later, Kya’s question was answered in the form of an armored helicopter. Kya had seen planes in the air before, but nothing like the one that chased her sister.
Gray like the rainy sky, the helicopter’s blades whirled through the air. Men in green-and-black uniforms pointed weapons from the open door. One of the weapons fired. A large net shot from it and toward her sister.
Ledisi slashed through the sky, cutting to the right and avoiding the net. Instead of continuing her path toward Kya, Ledisi banked left and the helicopter followed.
More nets were cast out, and Ledisi avoided each one. She didn’t attack the humans pursuing her, even when bullets rang out.
Kya roared. How dare the humans attempt to harm the Soul Stone Dragon.
She flew in the direction her sister had gone.
“No, Kya, stay away. I can handle this.”
“But they’re trying to hurt you.”
“Their bullets cannot penetrate my armor. But they may be capable of slicing through your young scales. Make them as strong as possible, Bloodstone Dragon, and keep your distance.”
Kya rarely disobeyed. Yet the urge to do so had fire churning in her belly with the force to hunt, protect, and kill.
What would she do if Ledisi didn’t return? What would Kya tell her parents if she returned home without their eldest offspring? Unlike other species, dragons didn’t give birth but once every two to three hundred years. It had taken four hundred years between her mother’s last hatchling for Kya to be born. By dragon standards, her parents were quite old, which also meant they were powerful beyond reckoning.
These humans did not want to begin a war with the Dracontias.
In the distance, she heard the Soul Stone Dragon roar. Ledisi was a full-grown and experienced dragon, she reminded herself. Her scales were tough and her magic even stronger.
Still, the absence of her sister by her side frightened Kya. Even more so than the second helicopter she heard coming toward her.
It approached fast, but not as fast as Kya could f
ly.
She took off. Kya knew not to fly in the direction Ledisi had gone or toward Buto.
The helicopter pursued, and she flew faster. Magic curled around Kya and propelled her through the sky. The same nets Ledisi had so easily avoided, Kya was fairing less impressively.
She’d never flown defensively or with a rush of anger and fear that had her throat burning.
Not just burning, but hot from pain. She’d been shot. More than once. The bullets hadn’t gone in, but the impact hurt. Kya tried to focus on strengthening her scales, but the high-speed chase and barrage of bullets made it difficult to recall her training.
She dipped, slowed, and let the helicopter fly over her. Pivoting, Kya flew in the opposite direction. She couldn’t maintain her rate of speed, not after having spent four days flying all over the United States and using her healing magic at over a dozen cancer centers.
Kya felt her magic and strength wane. She tried to fight through the fatigue. Tried to stay ahead of the helicopter that had turned and was once again hunting her with determination.
When the net came this time, Kya was too slow. The tight net fell over her head and half of her body. Clawing with her front legs, she tore at the net, which was stronger than she thought. But not strong enough to contain the Bloodstone Dragon.
It ripped, and Kya breathed easier.
Another net caught her. Then another. And another still, until her head and legs were tangled.
Losing her equilibrium, Kya plummeted. She struggled against the webbing, using teeth and claws. These nets felt wrong, strong in a way that suggested they were made to do exactly this.
Capture a dragon. A small dragon. The first helicopter hadn’t been after Ledisi. It had served as a diversion, a well-planned distraction to draw the older, bigger and stronger Soul Stone Dragon away from the easier prey.
Kya.
Opening her mouth as far as she could, Kya blasted the nets with her fire magic, singeing them but not much more. She breathed deeply, fought her fear of crashing into the Pacific Ocean from such a high altitude, and blew a continuous stream of fire.
Too close. Dragon fire wasn’t meant to be released so close to the originating dragon. But Kya had no choice, so she closed her eyes and pushed even more fire from her swiftly falling body.
Sirens and Scales Page 307
