by K L Rymer
I gaze down into that swirling pool or portal. In the stories, Brynmawr was said to be sleeping under a pool under Dinas Emrys.
So it’s no coincidence that Brynmawr’s doorway would be in the form of a great, rippling pool.
Brynmawr’s cavern can only be accessed via magic after all. That’s why humans have never found it.
When humans excavated the site, all they found was an ancient cavern. But little did they know that the true cavern existed in a pocket world where Brynmawr lay undisturbed for over a thousand years, protecting his ancient hoard.
Only supernaturals have the ability to disturb him, hence why he didn’t take too kindly to a certain wizard and a vampire trying to wake him up one cold, November evening, nearly destroying the hill in the process.
I glance down at my watch. It’s nearly been half an hour since the portal opened up. Where is he? We all have bouquets of daffodils for crying out loud, what more does the dragon want?
I chew my lip, peering up at Myrddin. He gives me his wrinkly-eyed smile. “Give him some time...”
I nod and gaze back into the rippling water. Its hypnotic waves cause me to go into a trance, and I almost doze off, but then Zahara shakes me awake.
“Do you think he’s okay?” Felicity’s sweet wind chime voice asks.
No one answers her. We all just stare down into the water.
“Maybe he’s curled up crying in the corner again,” Zahara snorts, and I grit my teeth.
That’s my dragon she’s talking about.
“Hey, cut him some slack, Morticia. It’s been over a thousand years,” Damien interjects, keeping his flames aloft.
Felicity kneels by the pool’s edge and her reflection stares back up at her. “I sure hope he’s all right down there. Poor baby.”
Thomas studies the water now with his gold, scrutinizing eyes. “Maybe it’s about time one of us went down there. What do you say, Professor?”
We all glance at the wizard. He keeps his solemn gaze on the pool. “We give him more time. As Mr Hellborne said, it has been over a thousand years.”
I peer down sadly into the water. I understand where the headmaster is coming from, but... what if he never comes out? Will the portal just close up? Is there a time limit?
“Should we all cheer him on or something?” Nora asks, gazing around unsure.
We look to the headmaster again. He’s lost in thought. “That could work... One does need a cheerleader in their life after all...”
So, is he suggesting that we all carry pom-poms or something? Felicity would certainly look cute in a cheerleader outfit.
Felicity remains at the water’s edge, and now she says ever so softly, “Come on, Brynmawr. We know you can do it.”
Well, she’s a little mousy to be a cheerleader, but I’m sure the dragon appreciates her efforts all the same.
Zahara suddenly takes us all by surprise and screams down at the pool. “We haven’t got all day! Come on, get your lazy ass up here!”
Felicity gasps. “Z-Zahara! Don’t be so mean...”
The Unseelie folds her arms. “Someone’s got to give him tough love. The same as what Bryn and I gave you, Fizzle Whip, the night Damien left. You wouldn’t leave your room for weeks.”
My eyes fall on the demon, and the guilt paints his pale features. “Can we not bring that up?”
The pixie stands, placing a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Damien. It’s in the past.”
The demon offers her a genuine smile, but it soon disappears when that water starts to simmer. We all watch with bated breath as the pool bubbles below us, and now the headmaster throws up his magical staff, summoning an invisible barrier.
Brynmawr bursts from the pool, sending a wave of scorching liquid everywhere, and now he soars high above the clouds.
We really shouldn’t have been standing in the splash zone (this ain’t SeaWorld after all). Dragons are hot.
We fall back and I can’t believe my eyes.
Brynmawr shoots into the air like a missile, disappearing amongst the clouds, and now he spreads his wings and releases a loud, majestic roar.
The hair rises on my arms as I watch that hulking, red beast, and a tear slips from my eye.
He did it. Brynmawr made the first step.
It’s a beautiful ending after all.
Chapter 21.
The dragon crash lands back to earth, sending shockwaves through the hill.
He raises his head high, gazing down on all of us with those piercing, yellow eyes. None of us know what to say. It was a sudden, yet spontaneous exit.
Felicity is the first to break the tension. She pulls herself away from Damien and slowly creeps toward the dragon, offering him her bouquet of daffodils.
I’m so proud of her. That’s a real-life dragon. One that could eat her whole.
She’s so brave.
You want to know how Brynmawr and Felicity hit it off in the end? They’re both fans of My Little Pony. That’s right. (I guess the dragon must have been really bored in that cavern.)
Brynmawr commended the show’s positive portrayal of dragons with the character Spike, and Felicity had never looked so ecstatic. Finally, someone who appreciates her love of those plastic horses.
I’ll admit that I was a brony once back in the day too, but I was like eleven (I totally don’t have a Rainbow Dash Plush sitting on my nightstand back at Texas).
“H-Hi B-Brynmawr...” Felicity stammers. “R-remember me? F-Felicity?”
The dragon tapers his yellow eyes like a cat, and I know from spending time with him that that is how he expresses affection. “Yes. I remember... We had an interesting discussion about the complexity of dragons in popular culture. Namely around the phenomenon that is My Little Pony...”
The pixie’s blue eyes light up. “Y-yes! I really enjoyed having that talk with you, Brynmawr. Nobody else seems to understand that My Little Pony is more than just a children’s show...”
Zahara mutters something beside me, and I catch her dramatic eye roll. Yeah, as you can imagine, the Unseelie isn’t all that into plastic ponies.
The dragon chuckles as he lowers his head toward the tiny pixie, and she gives an involuntary squeak. “If it makes you feel better... Bryn likes Frozen. Both one and two. She was constantly singing the songs back in my cavern...”
I bristle. “N-no I wasn’t!”
Zahara sneers my way. “I knew it. You are soft.”
I grind my teeth, glaring at that red dragon now.
Traitor.
Brynmawr sniffs Felicity’s daffodils, and she almost gets sucked up into his giant nostrils. “Are those daffodils you have for me?”
The pixie beams, placing the bouquet on his snout. “Yes. Welcome to the surface, Brynmawr.”
He grimaces, but it’s really a smile as he shows her his sharp teeth, and the pixie visibly pales. She needn’t worry though. Brynmawr really is a gentle dragon. He means no harm.
“Thank you, Felicity Thorn.”
Damien steps up next and places his own bouquet down, and it’s good to see he hasn’t burned them with his flames. “Congratulations, Brynmawr. Good to have you here.”
The dragon bows his head in respect. “And you too, Mr Hellborne.”
Nora comes up now and puts down her own flowers, offering Brynmawr that dazzling smile. “It’s an honour to be in your presence once again, oh gracious Red Dragon...”
The gorgon girl curtseys in respect, and her hair wiggles about her head.
Brynmawr dips his head again. “The honour is all mine, Mrs Stone.”
Nora giggles nervously and shuffles back again, and now Thomas steps forth. “I look forward to saving the world with you, Brynmawr.”
“You too, Thomas Goldburn. Thank you for the flowers.”
It’s jack’s turn now, and the dragon and the titan exchange silent bows.
Zahara approaches, holding out a pile of what appears to be dry, rotten grass. My eyes bug when I realize that was her bouquet. No wond
er she always wore gloves when she smoked cannabis. She didn’t want to make it rot (and here I was thinking she didn’t want to get the smell on her hands).
She shrugs. “What can I say? Unseelie. I make plants rot, but to be fair, they were already dead. I just sped up the process a little.”
Yeah, but you could have always worn gloves again...
Brynmawr chuckles good-naturedly. “It’s not a problem. At least you’re being honest. Thank you, Zahara...”
Now the dragon’s eyes fall on Myrddin and Angelina. The vampire flips her blonde hair and says, “Good to finally have you on board.”
The dragon’s pupils narrow. “Glad to make your acquaintance again, Mrs Ambrose...”
Angelina doesn’t offer him any daffodils.
Myrddin, however, holds out several bouquets, even making new ones appear from his sleeves. He’s a wizard; he knows his magic after all.
“Well, it’s been a long, long time, Brynmawr...”
The dragon sneers and puffs a thick tendril of smoke Myrddin’s way. The wizard coughs, but he continues to smile ever so gracefully.
“I have nothing to say to you, Boy Wizard...”
Myrddin chortles. “Well, I’m not a boy anymore...”
Brynmawr’s lips twitch and it looks as if he’s trying to smirk. “I can see. You got old.”
The wizard’s expression falls flat. “Well, that wasn’t very nice... I could have always told King Vortigern to dig you back out again, you know, but I advised him to leave you be. Even at a young age, I knew the time would come for you to return to the surface, and here you are...”
The dragon blinks uninterestedly. “Are you saying that I should thank you, Boy Wizard?”
Myrddin stomps his staff. “Yes, and stop calling me that! I am a man now.”
Brynmawr shows his teeth again. “Boy, man, wizard... it’s all the same to me...”
Myrddin grumbles as the dragon throws his head back, roaring in laughter. The sound echoes through the valley.
We all cover our ears.
Yep. Hiding Brynmawr will be no easy task.
...
We stayed on top of the hill for hours and even made camp, and before long dusk arrived.
We sit on a stone circle around the fire which Brynmawr kindly made with his fire breath, and now we discuss the complexities of where we are going to house said dragon.
We can’t take him to the academy. It would cause a stir. Only Myrddin and House Mendacious know about the prophecy after all. And we can’t very well let him roam free.
He’s a dragon. He needs to hunt, and the last thing we want is missing sheep. Not that there isn’t enough in Wales already, but still... One farmer is bound to notice a missing sheep or two.
I just wonder how Mattie’s hiding Gwyneira right now, and it baffles the mind.
Ugh, what a conundrum indeed.
We roast chicken over the fire pit as I throw a few spare legs up into Brynmawr’s mouth, but it’s not enough to sustain him. I’d brought him chunks of uncooked meat while I visited him down in the cavern, but I could only bring it in small portions. I’m just not strong enough to carry a cow carcass, okay?
Poor thing. He must be so hungry. It’s been over a thousand years since he had a decent meal. We could always buy him meat in bulk or rear our own herd, but knowing me, I’ll get attached to the sheep.
“That’s good chicken,” he remarks, trying to look as grateful as he can, and I smile.
“We will find you something bigger soon, I promise.”
Everyone stirs uncomfortably at the word “bigger”. I meant a bigger animal of course, but it’s the implication. Dragons have been known to predate on humans and supernaturals.
Only Damien, Angelina, Zahara, and, surprisingly, Thomas don’t look the least perturbed. Felicity, Nora, and Myrddin are too kind-hearted, and Jack is nothing like the scary titans I watch in anime. He’s a gentle giant like Brynmawr.
Thomas even looks sympathetic. He’s a carnivore too after all, so will understand Brynmawr’s need for meat.
He rises next and takes off his blazer, and then he proceeds with his turtle neck.
Zahara’s eyes bulge. “Ooh, finally! I didn’t think you had it in you, Thomas. Why do you think I’ve tried to get you so drunk in the past? Come on, strip for us!”
Myrddin sighs, clutching a steaming cup of tea. “You do remember that I am not a student, right? I’m old. I will not take joy in this folly.”
Zahara smirks. “Sorry, Professor, but you shouldn’t enrol such good-looking students at your school. We’re going to want to see each other naked from time to time.”
The wizard sips his tea. “I suppose... But please control yourselves whilst I’m around. I’ve had to scold Hellborne and Thorn a few times already.”
I don’t blame him. Those two can’t keep their hands off each other.
Felicity blushes bright pink, giving off a nervous titter, but Damien has never looked so smug. His eyes even flash red.
A trouble maker indeed.
Thomas’s yellow eyes glow as he glares at Zahara. “I’m not stripping, Zahara. And besides, I have a girlfriend.”
The Unseelie scoffs. “Katy’s boring. Forget that cat. You need a real woman, Wolfie...”
She winks up at him and the shifter’s hair bristles.
“I’m shifting into my wolf! So I need to take my clothes off. I’m going to hunt for Brynmawr. There’s plenty of deer around.”
Nora gasps “Is that allowed? Vampires have restrictions from the supernatural council too after all.”
We all glance at Angelina. The vampire’s eyes burn azure. She’s the only one of us who doesn’t eat the chicken. “I hunt humans, Nora. Not deer. I doubt the council care about Bambi...”
“Aw, I love Bambi...” Felicity cries, and Damien pats her head.
Myrddin sips yet again. “It’s fine. You may go and hunt, Thomas. Make sure no humans spot your wolf.”
Thomas nods then disappears, and I kind of wanted to see him take off the rest of his clothes. There’s just something about a hot nerd that makes a girl wet, you know...
Katy’s lucky. But then again she’s a nerd too.
“Aw, boo!” Zahara cries after the shifter, and I hear Brynmawr chuckle.
“You really do miss a lot when you’re sleeping for a thousand years. I don’t remember the supernatural races being this... what’s the word... united...”
I blink. “What do you mean?”
Myrddin answers for me. “A majority of supernatural races were at war around the 5th century. That will be the world Brynmawr remembers.”
I raise my brows. “Really? So, was it like vampires vs werewolves or something?”
Angelina offers me a scathing look. “No. Not just vampires and werewolves. We were all at each other’s throats at some point. Vampires didn’t particularly care for the fae either, the Seelie and Unseelie kind...”
Zahara cackles. “That’s right. And the fae didn’t care much for magic users too.”
I don’t miss the little glare as she peers my way, and It’s hard to tell whether she’s serious or not. I am a magic user after all. A wizard in fact. Half wizard.
Brynmawr speaks again. “She’s right. It was bloodshed. But it appears you have all united with one common enemy now. The humans...”
Everyone falls silent.
Oh, don’t we know about the supernatural society’s hatred of humans. We all had to hear about it in Mr. Higgles’ Human Studies class. The school excluded us because we’re all half-human.
“But all you present now are of human origin. Ironic. I guess this is the trait that made you all Mendacious then?”
No one replies. We just gaze sadly into the fire.
The dragon sighs, rising to his feet. “Ridiculous. Why would you have such a cruel system at your school? One that is supposed to celebrate differences, Boy Wizard?”
Myrddin sips his tea nonchalantly, but I don’t miss that sad glimmer in
his eye. “I have my reasons...”
I narrow my eyes. “And what are those? I always did wonder why you tolerated such BS, Professor. Do you have any idea how Macson treated Felicity last year?”
I shouldn’t say BS to my headmaster, but he is my father too. But it’s not like you can say BS to your father either, right? I wouldn’t know. I never really had a father figure growing up. Just a lousy stepdad.
“I’m very aware, Miss Williams. But I also believe it was what united you all too, right? Would Mr Hellborne have valiantly saved Miss Thorn that night at the V-day ball?”
Felicity smiles up at Damien. “He was very brave that night.”
Damien cocks his brow at her. “Brave? It was Macson. There was nothing brave about it. I wipe my arse with pieces of shit like him, Tinkerbell.”
“Mr Hellborne, language,” Myrddin scolds.
The demon’s eyes blaze as he produces a smirk. “Sorry, Professor.”
Felicity batts her eyelashes, scooting up closer to him. “Still... my hero...”
“Ugh, put a shoe in it,” Zahara gags, sticking her finger down her throat.
Myrddin continues. “I’m not saying that I condone bullying by any means, but... having you all in House Mendacious helped me form my army...”
My eyes bug and I’m not the only one.
So what now? An army?
Myrddin chuckles. “I’m half-human myself. You didn’t all really think that I thought you evil, right? Nonsense. Tough times are ahead. I wanted an army that stood on both the human and the supernatural side. You’re unbiased. Is it starting to make any sense yet?”
“So... we’re really not Mendacious?” Felicity asks, her tiny voice hopeful.
The wizard smiles at her warmly. “No. Under different circumstances, Miss Thorn, you would have been placed into Magnanimous. And you too, Miss Stone.”
“Yes!” Felicity cries, startling us all as she jumps to her feet. She clutches Nora’s hands. “We really are kind and just, Nora.”
The gorgon’s smile is ridiculous as she can’t stop laughing. “I knew it!”
Myrddin goes around the group now. “Jack would have been in Audacious and Thomas Ingenious. We all already know you were Ingenious too, Angelina, as you tricked the font.”
