by H. L. Burke
Abry’s mouth pinched, and she stared at her hands.
Cora narrowed her eyes. “You know something, don’t you?”
“Well … a little. I asked Mom if she knew anything about it, and she said about twenty years ago, when the legislation to reintroduce dragons into the national parks failed, a group attempted to free a queen dragon from one of Mr. Algernon’s–not your dad’s boss, but his father–anyway, from one of his dragon breeding facilities. At first it was in all the papers, then everything went silent and instead of a big, flashy trial and harsh judgments, everyone involved got plea deals for minimum sentences, and the proceedings were kept hush-hush.”
That sounds like something Dad would do, especially if he were younger and didn’t have me to take care of. “Why though? Why such a big secret?”
“My mom thinks it was because Mr. Algernon, Sr. realized his own son was part of the heist, the inside man, and he put all his political influence and money into making sure the whole thing went away quietly. He sent Mr. Algernon, Jr. overseas for a few years, and by the time he died and left everything to him, he’d trained his son to be a perfect copy of himself, to preserve the family legacy and whatnot.”
Cricket flew into Cora’s lap, turned around three times, and nestled down. She stroked him. “Maybe Dad still knows people who were part of the heist. I mean, he works for Mr. Algernon now. Maybe some of the other people do too.”
“Maybe.”
Clouds passed over the sun, cloaking the inside of the greenhouse in cold shadow. “I wish Dad would tell me the story. What he did back then was so much more interesting than gardening.”
“Maybe he’s afraid you’ll get it into your head to be some sort of dragon-Robin-Hood like he was and end up in jail. Besides, you want to be a dragon jockey. That’s kind of the opposite of what he used to do.”
Cora flushed. Being a jockey was such a kid’s dream. She didn’t have a backup plan, though. “I just want to work with dragons.”
“Well, as long as the Dragon Regulatory Agency is around, the only way to legally do that is through companies like Algernon Investments.” Abry reached over and patted Cricket’s head. “I really loved our dragon business, though, and not just because of the dragons. I love keeping records and making important decisions about how we invest our capital. That’s what I want to be when I grow up, a real business woman. Maybe we can work together, start a company.”
“C & A, LLC, forever.” Cora forced a laugh. She focused on Cricket. I don’t think that’s what I want. I wish I could be like that McCall guy who wrote the dragon book, watching dragons in the wild and learning about them. I should’ve been born a century ago, before stupid people put all the dragons in cages.
Rain pattered against the glass roof, just a light sprinkle, like tiny feet running back and forth overhead.
Abry sighed. “That sound always makes me sleepy.” She pressed her face against the window. “Hey, someone’s coming … I think it’s Parker.”
Cora straightened up. She’d forgotten he’d planned to come by. In the summer it was too easy to lose track of what day it was.
Abry hurried to open the door, and a dripping Parker stepped in, accompanied by a small girl with brown pigtails plastered to her neck. She wore a blue gingham dress and scuffed shoes.
“Sorry we’re late. Do you still have the steamer?” Parker smiled. “Mitzi’s real excited about her.”
The little girl jumped up and down.
“Yes, we do. She’s sleeping in her cage, but if you promise to be calm and quiet, I’ll take her out and let you hold her.” Abry bent down to Mitzi’s level. Wide-eyed, Mitzi nodded.
Parker glanced into the egg tank. “Oh, hey, you got more after all.”
“Yeah, but they’ll probably just be mayflies.” Cora pushed Cricket into his birdhouse. She was pretty sure Parker had already seen him, but no one ever thought much of Cricket at a glance. His dull coloring worked in his favor that way.
Mitzi rocked the steamer as if she were a baby. The dragon flicked her tail but didn’t struggle. Cora and Abry both had handled her enough that she was decently docile.
Parker’s mouth quirked to one side. “Darn, she’s cute with that steamer. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to save up enough. Dad’s been on a losing streak lately, so no quarters.”
Cora gazed at the little girl, whispering to and patting the dragon. When Cora was her age, she would’ve done anything to have her own pet dragon.
“Abry, maybe … I mean, we can’t sell her anyway.” She nodded towards Mitzi and the steamer.
“You’re right.” Abry touched Mitzi’s shoulder. “You can have her, if you promise to take good care of her and feed her.”
Mitzi’s mouth dropped open. She squeezed the steamer so hard the dragon gave out a puff of vapor. “Oh, I will! I will! I’ve already named her and everything. Sky, ‘cause she’s blue.”
“That’s a great name.” Parker grinned. “Man, you two dolls are swell.”
Cricket popped out of his bird house and gave a shrill chirp. Cora winced.
Parker gazed up at him. “What exactly is he? I thought he was a mayfly at first, but he’s three times too big.”
“We just overfed him. With the right diet, mayflies can get bigger than you’d think,” Cora said quickly.
“Ah, gee, you learn something every day, dontcha.” Parker shrugged. “He’s noisy.”
Cricket landed in the egg tank, chirping madly. Abry and Cora exchanged a glance.
“You should probably get home with her. The rain looks like it’s letting up.” Abry took Mitzi’s hand and led her towards the door.
“Look!” Mitzi pulled away and pressed her nose against the egg tank. “I think that one’s hatching.”
Cora’s stomach clenched. Parker and Mitzi stared at the twitching egg. Cricket pulled away the wilted leaves that rested against it.
It’s one of the ones he was so attentive with. What is it going to be?
Abry hung back, rubbing her arms. Something sparkled, like rhinestone jewelry catching the light. A dragon unfolded from the broken shell. Its scales were clear and bright. A frill like crest graced the ridge of its back and its two opalescent wings.
“Oh, pretty …” Mitzi breathed.
“Golly.” Parker’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
It can’t be. It just can’t be.
Abry’s face went white. “Oh Cricket … oh Cricket, what were you thinking?”
Cricket puffed out his chest and cooed.
“Can I hold it?” Mitzi clapped her hands.
“I think we’d better go, sis.” Parker pushed her towards the door.
She stuck out her bottom lip. “Ah …”
“It’s stopped raining. Go wait outside.”
The little girl slumped off.
Parker glanced at Abry and Cora. “I won’t tell, but what are you going to do? If that’s what I think it is …”
“We’ll have to turn it in, won’t we?” Abry asked. “I mean … we can’t keep her.”
“Not with the Dragon Agents already watching.” Cora stared at the shimmering hatchling. “It can’t be, though. It just … it can’t be.”
How could Cricket have hatched a queen?
Chapter Seventeen
The Right Thing to Do
The girls sat, staring at the new hatchling, long after Parker had left. She was definitely the prettiest thing Cora had ever seen, like a diamond encrusted, crystal figurine. She and Cricket preened over each other, rubbing necks and cooing, though the queen’s call sounded more like a ringing bell than Cricket’s chirps.
“We have to turn it in,” Abry finally said. “It’s the law.”
“But if we do and they ask questions … will we have to explain Cricket?” Cora's shoulders hunched. Cricket flew up and perched on her shoulder.
“Oh and the other egg! Do you think it will be a queen too?” Abry huffed out a long breath. “We should talk to my mom. Maybe she’ll know what to do, how we can get th
rough this without losing Cricket or getting arrested.”
Cora nodded. An empty, sucking pit sat in the center of her chest, but Mrs. Stevenson would know what to do. She was smart, and she listened. Cora covered the egg tank with a tarp, the queen still inside. “I’m taking Cricket.” If we have to go on the run, I want him there.
The rain sprinkled off and on as they hurried to Abry’s house. An oil lamp burned in the front parlor, but the sign to Mrs. Stevenson’s law office read “closed.”
They pushed their way in. Reverend Stevenson sat in a rocking chair, his Bible on his lap. The girls exchanged a glance.
“Where’s Mom?” Abry asked.
He looked over his spectacles at her. He had thinning brown hair and Abry’s smile. Cora drew herself up straighter. Here she was a criminal in front of a man of God. She’d even gotten his daughter mixed up in her life of crime.
“She went to Mrs. Brannigan’s for tea. What’s wrong? You both look flustered.” He placed the Bible on the side table and leaned forward, his fingers steepled in front of his face.
“We … we needed to ask her some legal advice.” Abry shuffled her feet.
The reverend’s mouth quirked into a smirk then straightened back out. His eyes still twinkled, though. “Legal advice, hm? What trouble have you two gotten into now?”
“We haven’t really … yet.” Abry exhaled. “We may have accidentally broken the law.”
He raised his eyebrows. “How do you break laws by accident? I’m not the lawyer in the family, but usually law breaking involves intent.”
“We … we sort of … did you know my dad was arrested once?” The question slipped out of Cora before she could stop it.
The Reverend’s eyes grew grave. “That is something you should ask your father, Cora, not me.”
He does know. I can tell. “Does breaking the law make someone bad?”
The Reverend’s chest rose and fell in a great sigh. “Not always. Your father … you should ask him about his particular case, but I will say there are times in our history where the law has been wrong and brave people have defied it in order to enact change, stop injustice, and even save lives.”
“But doesn’t it say we’re supposed to obey the law? That’s why it's the law.” Abry frowned.
“Men make the laws, Abry, and men can be wrong. They can be influenced by greed or power or even a misguided idea of what is right. So what is this law that you may have accidentally broken?”
Cora chewed on her bottom lip, and Abry shifted from foot to foot. Cricket gave out a nervous chirp, flapping his wings so that Cora’s hair moved in the breeze.
“Does it have something to do with the dragon business and the Dragon Regulatory Agency visit you received a last week?” He cocked his head to one side.
Cora’s face went hot.
“Mrs. Stevenson tells me things. I suppose you could call me her personal confessor.” He laughed. “It does, then? Involve dragons?”
“One of our eggs hatched into … a dragon we’re not supposed to have,” Abry said, her voice quavering.
“Really?” The Reverend pushed his glasses up his nose. “That is serious. Does your dad know, Cora?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Your dad and I have spoken about his past before, but what you need to consider is that the Dragon Regulatory Agency probably won’t arrest a twelve-year-old girl. The one they’d arrest would be the girl’s father, especially considering … My point is, this isn’t your choice to make because it wouldn’t be your sacrifice to make. You need to talk to your father.”
The pit in her chest began to ache. Tears sprang to her eyes. “I … I don’t want to get him in trouble.”
“I know.” He rose and put his hands on her shoulders. He closed his eyes, his lips moving. Praying, Cora realized. She tried to find comfort in this but felt only dread. Cricket nosed at the Reverend’s fingers. The man opened his eyes. “I’ve asked for guidance, for you and your father. Abry, I think you should stay here. We’ll use the telephone in your mother’s office to call over to Mrs. Brannigan’s and get her home … do you want me to walk you back, Cora?”
“No, sir. It’s not that far. I want to talk with my dad alone.” She scratched Cricket’s head.
“If you need anything, you come right to us, all right? This is not something you have to face alone … or your dad. I will have Mrs. Stevenson work up a legal defense, just in case.”
“If we give the Dragon Regulatory Agency the queen … do you think it will all be over?” She gazed up at him.
The Reverend's eyes widened at the word “queen.” He let out a whistling breath. “Maybe … or they may want to know where you got her and things might get worse before they get better. It’s hard to be sure. Get home. Your dad will know what you should do.”
Cora tucked Cricket under her collar and slipped back out into the rain. She kept her head low. “I can’t do it, Cricket. I know you made the queen for me and Abry, but … where would we even keep her? And if we don’t turn her into the Agency … I can’t lose Dad. Even if …” She choked, her fear and grief gripping her by the throat. “Even if I have to lose you. I’ll do what I can to keep you but Dad … Dad’s my dad.”
His tiny claws clutched her shoulder as she sped up.
The clouds broke, allowing a red tinted sunset to seep through and painting the greenhouse in shades of gold. She went inside.
Someone had lit a lantern at the far end of the greenhouse. It shone through the gaps in the pallet walls. She hurried through, fearing Agents Porter and Vagnes would be waiting for her. Instead Dad leaned over the now uncovered egg tank.
She drew a deep breath and, head down, approached.
Another creature slept next to the queen, a small, black dragon. She gaped.
“Did you know they hatched?” her father murmured.
“I … the queen was here when I left. Not the … is that …?” She leaned over them.
“Yes, that’s a drake. You have the start of your own colony here, Cora. I guess Cricket took it to heart that there wouldn’t be any new eggs coming and decided to do something about it.” He gave her a sad smile.
She blinked. A colony?
Cricket wriggled out from under her clothes and circled down to nose at the new arrivals. They nuzzled him back.
“We have to turn them in. If the agents find out we have a queen and a drake, they’ll arrest you.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I can’t … I don’t want you to go to jail.”
His mouth quirked to one side. Reaching down, he picked up the tarp and covered the tank again. “Come with me, Cor. It’s time you saw something.” He turned down the lamp. “Leave Cricket here. He won’t like this.”
Cora kissed Cricket's nose before lifting him up to his birdhouse and following her father out the door.
Cora and her father walked through the sunset, down the streets, through their neighborhood, and past the school and the stores. He turned down a side road towards a line of warehouses. Ahead a huge building loomed like a great, gray cinder-block against the sky. There was an odd smell in the air, like a mix between a barn and a garage. A line of gas lamps lit up the entryway where a guard in a blue uniform paced. He swiveled a flashlight beam into Cora’s face, and she blinked.
“Jeff, what are you doing down here? I haven’t seen you in years. Is this your girl?” The guard lowered the light.
Dad strode up and shook the guard’s hand. “Yes, this is Cora. I thought it was about time she saw.” He nodded towards the building.
The guard nodded, his mouth turning downward. “Look, I can let you in to see, but don’t … this isn’t like the old days, Jeff. I need this job. I can’t risk …”
“I know. Believe me, Pat, I’m in the same boat. Things change.”
Pat glanced back at the building and sighed. “Would you have believed we’d end up here? It was the only job I could get with my record. Do you think Xavian even remembers what we wanted to do?”<
br />
The name made Cora stand up straighter.
“I’m sure he does, but we’re not the only ones who had to make our choices. We won’t cause trouble. I promise.” Dad smiled.
Pat withdrew a heavy ring of keys from his pocket and opened up a metal door.
“Xavian like … like the Xavian I know?” she whispered.
“The Xavian you know is Xavian Algernon the Third.” Dad squeezed her shoulder. “He’s not the first with that name, and he most likely won’t be the last.”
Pat stepped aside. “Don’t take too long, okay? I don’t want people asking questions about why you’re here.”
“Thanks. I owe you one,” Dad said.
Hand in hand, Cora and Dad entered the warehouse.
A huge space filled with shadows and cage like metal structures opened up before them. Staircases crisscrossed like bars, leading to catwalks that blocked out the dim glow of blue tinted bulbs. A conveyor belt, switched off, stretched into the distance. Cora’s neck hair stood on end. A steady hum, like rustling leaves, rose and fell in intensity.
“Where are we?” she whispered.
Dad drew her up the first shaky staircase to where they could peer over the wall of steel beams and wire. Beneath them, inside an enclosure barely bigger than her massive body, slept a queen dragon.
In the hazy light, her scales reflected only gray and black, making her appear dirty … or maybe she was dirty for how could she stay clean in such cramped conditions? The smell of oil and droppings, machinery and animals, rose off her. Cora pulled her collar over her nose, suddenly feeling short of breath. They continued along a catwalk, gazing down into cages filled with dragons of all shapes and sizes, all cramped and dirty, many in a stupor.
Cora gasped. “Why don’t they … I mean, the queen’s so big, couldn’t she break out? Couldn’t she …” She glanced down at the dragon queen then looked away.
“They feed them a chemical that keeps them docile.” Dad leaned over the edge, against the rail. “When I was younger and found out this is how they were kept … it nearly destroyed me. They’re meant to be free, flying above trees and mountains. Not force-fed and producing eggs to be sold for profit.” The wrinkles around his eyes deepened, and a tear hovered on his lashes. “At the time, there was hope, a bill in the legislature to reintroduce them to the wild, but Mr. Algernon, Sr. and the other dragon tycoons killed it.”
