Damn, he’d thought Kya would shift and enter the underground tunnel the way he had. How many times did she have to remind him? Kya was the Bloodstone Dragon, and it was the proud, lethal Dracontias who’d laid waste to twenty bloodthirsty Kesins and decimated a centuries-old tower house with jaw-dropping ease.
He knew she would kill Westmore, but the sight of the Bloodstone Dragon hovering over a ceiling-less dungeon, her armored tail through Westmore’s open chest, his bloody heart out of his body and impaled on the tip of Kya’s gold tail, was enough to have him dropping the box and stumbling inside the cell.
Unlike the first time he’d been in there, his son wild with fright and anger, the red dragon stared in silence at his victorious mother, who gazed upon her baby dragon with awe, relief and love.
Westmore’s body and heart slid from Kya’s tail, a soft thud on the prison floor.
With a wisp of magic, the shackle around their son’s neck snapped and fell. Stained with Westmore’s blood, Kya lowered her tail to the baby dragon, encircling his small body. Releasing a heart aching wail, their son collapsed onto Kya’s tail.
He’s so small and weak. If I could kill the doctor again, I would. Gather whatever you have in that box of yours and meet me where the tower house used to be.
For a minute, he failed to respond. Their dragon had endured much. No child should live as he had. Another year, maybe six months, he would’ve likely died from malnutrition or a broken neck.
But he hadn’t, Armstrong was forced to remind himself when Kya lifted their child’s listless form from the cell and to her. She cradled him with a tenderness typical of the Dracontias.
By the time Armstrong climbed the stairs with the brown box and made it to Kya’s side, she lay with their son on the grass. Dead Kesins littered the ground, and Cafferty Castle burned in the background.
“He’s safe.”
Kya nudged him with her snout until she had Armstrong wrapped in her tail beside their sleeping dragon. When she blew on them, Bloodstone magic forming a thick fog, Armstrong knew he wouldn’t be riding on Kya’s back or taking an international flight home.
Our son is safe because you are a true diata.
14
“This is unprecedented, daughter.”
“Yes, thank you for your kindness toward the Knight family.”
From the sky, Kya and her father watched the Knights on the beach below. The Southern Coast of Buto was breathtaking from the sky and on the ground. In the Indian Ocean and southeast of Africa, Buto, home to the Dracontias, boasted the best beaches in the world, crystal clear blue waters and white sands. Until six months ago, no human had laid eyes on the Ekon Shore.
“We’re all family, Kya. The Knights and the Dracontias.”
“You’ve changed.”
The Aragonite Star Dragon’s tail came up to circle Kya and pull her close.
“An old dragon I may be but a blind fool I am not. Your diata loves you and your Kesin. Have you told him that dragons mate for life?”
“I have not.”
She also hadn’t told Armstrong he was her mate. That, when she’d lain with him and accepted the human inside her untouched body, he’d became her kendi. The Bloodstone Dragon’s forever love.
“He’s come to me. As the oldest Dracontias and your father, Armstrong Knight has asked for a wish.”
“He had no right.”
“He has every right. Armstrong’s a father who doesn’t want to lose his son again. He’s also a man who wishes to forge a family from the charred horrors of the past.”
“The sacrifice is too great. The danger even more so.”
Shifting, Kya ran the side of her face over that of her father’s. As she continued to grow into a mature dragon, she would inherit more of her father’s powers. She would never match the Aragonite Star Dragon’s size, but she would duplicate his all-gold form.
For the Dracontias, only one pure gold dragon could exist at a time. That dragon would rule the Dracontias and Buto.
“With Armstrong Knight the human, you can only produce more Kesins. Yet, if he survived the shift, as an Afiya, the gold Dracontias bloodline would not end with you.”
One gold hatchling. Out of eight baby dragons between the Aragonite Star Dragon and the Bluestone Dragon, only one had been born with the definable gold scales of Akata, the dragon who would bring strength to the Stones of Dracontias. When the balance of her scales turned gold, her father would cease to exist and Kya, the Bloodstone Dragon, would ascend to Akata, ruler of the Dracontias.
She barely had any green scales left.
Kya buried her face in her father’s neck, a childish display not befitting her status or age.
“I’m still Akata, daughter. I am here. Let me gift you with an Afiya who can rule by your side. A kendi worthy of your love and trust.”
“Allow me to speak with Armstrong first.”
“As you wish, Bloodstone Dragon. Are you ready to name your Kesin and introduce him to the Dracontias?”
After the rescue, she’d transported her baby dragon and Armstrong to his DC home. When she’d arrived and shifted into her human form, Armstrong had already carried their Kesin upstairs and into the nursery he’d decorated years before. A human child’s bed replaced the crib she’d last seen in the room, but most everything else remained the same.
Kya hadn’t been able to speak when she saw Armstrong curled around their sleeping child, unafraid he would awaken, startled and attack. He’d whispered apologies into their Kesin’s ear and stroked his soft baby dragon skin the way Kya’s father did to his hatchlings.
The next morning, Armstrong had awoken to a human child in his arms. Their son was short and thin with a heart-tightening resemblance to his father.
Her diata had wept.
So had Kya, who’d watched over them the entire night.
An hour later, he’d shifted back into his dragon form. A week after that, she’d returned home with her Kesin and Armstrong Knight. He’d pled his case, asking to stay on Buto for a few months to get to know his son. She couldn’t deny him his request, no matter how painful she knew the eventual parting would be for them all.
Half a year later, their Kesin healthy and happy, the time for the naming and Armstrong’s return to the land of the humans was upon them.
Kya flew away from her father and toward the beach below. As she did so, the bright sky darkened with the appearance of every Dracontias on Buto. The few Kesins born to an Afiya and human, over the centuries, were also in the morning sky. Dracontias magic held them aloft. Their lack of a healing stone made them no less a Dracontias and beloved dragon of Buto.
The Knights reclined on the chairs and under a wooden cabana with flowing white curtains on the top and sides that rustled in the wind and shielded them from the rays of the sun. Kya’s siblings had assigned themselves the task of making the Knights stay on Buto as comfortable as possible for the humans. They’d begun with Armstrong, who wanted for nothing during the six months of his stay. He didn’t seem to miss the creature comforts that came with living in a home with electricity, and he appreciated the cabin Gasira and Ledisi gifted to him.
Kya had no idea where her siblings retrieved the wooden structure from, but it had a fireplace, which warmed Armstrong on cool Buto nights. The spacious, one-level cabin’s open floor plan reduced their Kesin’s anxiety of closed-in places when he stayed with his father instead of sleeping under the stars and curled in the circle of Kya’s body. Most nights, however, Armstrong would toss his double sleeping bag beside Kya, slip inside and then wait for their baby dragon to make himself comfortable on the rest of the bag.
On some of those nights, Kya and Armstrong would awaken to ten wiggling toes and two playful hands. The transformation never lasted long, an hour or two at most. Unsurprisingly, Armstrong treated and loved their Kesin the same no matter his form.
Kya landed next to Armstrong, quite handsome in a black suit and tie and white dress shirt he’d insisted on wearing for
the occasion. Dark, bare feet peeked out from under black dress pants, and he laughed every time their son tickled his toes with his wet tongue.
Glancing from father to son, Kya worried their Kesin would retreat into his shell after Armstrong departed for the land of humans. They’d bonded in a way Kya hoped but didn’t think possible between a Kesin and their human parent. Perhaps Armstrong could reach their son because he’d spent so much time around the Bloodstone Dragon. More likely, Kya reasoned, sitting on her haunches and using her tail to pull her son to rest under her front legs, the Dracontias’s fear of their secret being revealed prevented many a human parent from having the opportunity to develop a relationship with their Kesin.
She peered up at the Dracontias, Afiyas and Kesins. Her kind thought themselves intelligent and enlightened beings, and they were, but they’d also allowed fear of exposure to cloud their judgment and deny Kesins the love of their human parent. In her ignorance and cowardice, she would’ve done the same. Still, her experience with the Circle of Drayke couldn’t be ignored or dismissed. Some humans did pose a threat to the Dracontias and more would if the dragons revealed too much or made themselves vulnerable.
Humans outnumbered the Dracontias, but a war between them would leave the Earth in ruins and the humans an endangered species. The Aragonite Star Dragon’s rules were meant to prevent such possibilities, and Kya couldn’t deny his mandates had fostered peaceful relations between the two species.
Yet, the heart was unpredictable and not subject to a ruler’s protective dictates. When the time came for Kya to serve as Akata, she hoped she’d rule wisely and fairly, as the Aragonite Star Dragon had done for over two thousand years.
Is there anything you wish to say to those gathered before I begin?
“Am I supposed to say something? Give a speech? If so, you should’ve told me because I have nothing prepared.”
Since when does a Knight require advanced notice to speak?
“Aren’t you the funny dragon? For your information, I’m here as a silent observer.”
Oh, you’re being quite good today, Armstrong Knight. That suit and your feigned compliance become you. But it will not last. I’ll give you an hour.
“An hour for what?”
A hand rose to stroke her side, a back and forth movement that, if performed by one of her siblings, would’ve sent familial warmth through Kya. With Armstrong, however, his touches created a decidedly intimate heat within her. He’d learned too much from Gasira about the female dragon form, including how and where to caress Kya to produce his desired effect.
Thirty seconds. You were good for thirty seconds. Do remove your hand from my side.
“No one knows what I’m doing. Besides, you make the most amazing sound when I scratch you here.”
Before action met words, Kya toughened her scales. Not enough to harm Armstrong’s hand but enough so she wouldn’t embarrass herself in front of those gathered.
He laughed. “You’re adorable. I’ll be good.”
For how long?
“How long is the naming ceremony?”
A snort preceded her answer. No more than five minutes. We dragons don’t require pomp and circumstance.
“Well, there you go. Five minutes.” Two hands slapped together. “Better get on with it, Bloodstone Dragon, the Dracontias and Knights await.”
Kya would miss him when he returned to his human life, which he’d put on hold to be with her and their son on Buto.
She projected her words into everyone’s mind, including the Knights.
On this day of Amadi, we rejoice because our family is made stronger by the addition of a Kesin, a bridge between humans and dragons. A bridge between the Knights and the Akata family. Armstrong, come forth and introduce your son.
No longer playful, a serious Armstrong walked around Kya and stood in front but to the left of their son. His hand settled at the nape of the baby dragon’s neck, where it caressed in smooth circles that soothed.
Their son snuggled against Armstrong’s side, content to stay pressed between his parents.
“I once knew a human who became sick. The doctors tried their best, but there was little they could do to save him. He had four children and a wife who loved him dearly.”
From her seat in the cabana, Mrs. Knight began to weep. Isaiah, to her left, laced his fingers through his mother’s.
“For months, I watched him wither. His body weakened but never his courageous spirit and indomitable light. When he passed away, he took them with him. Six months ago, I felt both when I entered a cell not fit for any living creature.” Face lowered and kissed the head of their son. “My mother believes in signs from God. That night and in that cell, I sensed my father’s presence. I believe he kept my son safe when I couldn’t. Cancer may have claimed his life, but it didn’t break his spirit or heart. Awful men may have caged this little Kesin’s body, but they didn’t break his spirit or heart. He endured. Survived. I name my son Elijah Isaiah Knight.”
Knees dropped to the sand and arms embraced. “Welcome to the Knight family, Elijah. Your grandfather would be proud. I know you’ll wear his name well.”
Armstrong stood and received hugs and kisses from his family, but none more than from his weeping mother.
Kya moved backward so the Knights could shower Elijah with the same affection. He glanced over his shoulder at her to make sure she hadn’t gone too far but otherwise stayed where he was and accepted the coddling.
“You said you were unprepared to make a speech.”
“It wasn’t a speech. I spoke from my heart.”
“Yes, I’m aware. You’ve made your family happy, Armstrong, especially your mother.”
Armstrong turned to wink at Kya. “I could give you more Kesins. That would make Mom really happy.” He winked again then laughed when Kya failed to respond.
He teased and tempted but could Armstrong not see all that he’d give up if he entered into a permanent relationship with Kya and the Dracontias. The Knights were the exception not the new rule on Buto. As much as she loved her diata, Kya couldn’t take him from his human family.
Despite all that had changed since Kya first realized she was pregnant, much had not. Their Kesin wasn’t equipped to live among humans. If he ever learned to control his shift, it would take him at least a century to do so. In less time than that, the remainder of her green scales would be gone as would be her father and Armstrong.
Eventually, the Knights returned to the cabana, with Armstrong filling the vacant seat to his mother’s right. Flanked by her sons and surrounded by her daughters and grandchildren, Mrs. Knight beamed.
Kya would continue to watch over the older human woman. Armstrong’s father may have died in pain, with no dragon to cure and extend his life, but Kya wouldn’t allow Mrs. Knight to suffer the same fate. When her time came, she would drift from life and into death, her human heaven her eternal reward.
Are you ready, Elijah?
Her brave son rarely spoke telepathically, but he understood everything said to him. Elijah scrambled to her. His gold tipped tail slapped against the sand, his red face upturned.
My anxious son. After today, you’ll have everything denied to you on the day of your birth, thanks to your father.
Once again, Kya projected her thoughts to the crowd. Unlike Armstrong, Kya had little to say.
A healing stone does not make a dragon a Dracontias. Yet, a Stone of Dracontias offers each dragon an opportunity to help those in need.
The morning of their return from Ireland, Armstrong had presented Kya with Elijah’s Dracontias stone along with a box of information on their baby dragon he didn’t want to risk falling into the wrong hands. After Armstrong had read every file, she’d burned the contents of the box and kept the stone.
Kya lowered her nose to her son’s forehead. He stayed still as her Bloodstone magic seeped from her and into him. On its wispy tentacles, she withdrew his stone from her skull and, with care, used her magic to travel up his n
asal passage and to the protective cavity of his brain. The tentacles located the hollow in his skull where his Stone of Dracontias had once been.
A gentle push of magic had the tentacles inserting the healing stone into the hollow.
Elijah stumbled forward when the first whoosh of Dracontias magic whipped through his tiny body. His magic. Red like Kya’s but not from a Bloodstone.
You’ll grow used to the magic and your healing stone. I’ll teach you, the way my parents taught me.
Kya coiled her tail around her baby dragon and lifted into the air. The Dracontias, much like the Knights, awaited her choice of a dragon name. Well, as Armstrong once told her, Bloodstone Dragon wasn’t a name but a title and Elijah would receive his much earlier than was normal.
She raised her son high into the air so all the Dracontias could see. He vibrated crimson, his returned stone adding luster to already bright scales.
Kesin. Human. Dracontias.
Let us rejoice and welcome the Red Jasper Dragon and his healing stone of courage and wisdom.
Below, the Knights cheered. In the sky, a rainbow of magic burst from the Dracontias, radiant streams of love. The colorful mists scooped Elijah from Kya’s tail and tossed him into the air. On winds of magic, Elijah was handed from one Dracontias to the next, beginning with the Aragonite Star Dragon and the Bluestone Dragon.
Each dragon ran the tip of their tail or tongue over the baby dragon. For eight years, her son had known nothing but cruelty and loneliness. He’d been touch deprived, which hurt Kya’s heart.
Seeing him now, basking in the affection of his family, safe and happy and where he belonged, the human inside of the Bloodstone Dragon sobbed tears of joy.
15
Armstrong paced his living room. He’d heard everything Kya had said, none of which surprised him. He’d even agreed with her, which did nothing for his bad mood and the sense of desperation rampaging up and down his spine.
Elijah slept in the twin bed he’d hastily purchased for him before he and Kya had set off for southern Ireland. For years, everyone told Armstrong he should stop torturing himself and pack up the nursery. They’d all thought his son dead. Most days, so had he. Yet whenever he attempted to close the door on that chapter of his life, stubborn hope would reassert itself. Thus, the nursery never again became his home office, and his son would always have a place in his home, even if a rarely used bedroom.
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