Page 14 of My Dragon Lovers

“I’m just saying… if you want to understand them better then maybe you have to go to the place where it all began.”

He drew back. I could tell that he was contemplating things even though he knew it was wrong. “But they’ve always warned us against it. We’re not supposed to go there.”

“We weren’t supposed to do a lot of things, but we did them anyway,” I said, ready to remind him of our most recent transgression; a foray into the human world to reunite with Kyra. He pursed his lips and then rolled one into his mouth.

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

“I mean… whenever someone tells me not to do something there’s always a part of me that is tempted to do it anyway. And you can’t tell me that you’ve never thought about that place and what it’s like now. It’s not like we have much history to explore on this planet anyway. We’ve been hiding ourselves for generations, keeping ourselves focused on one small corner of the globe.” My gaze turned to the ruins around us. “We don’t have places like this, monuments to the dragons of the past where we can walk through and know that we are treading the same ground as them. Sometimes it feels as though we’re not really connected to them at all. But that island is a place where draconic history was made. It’s a place where our people made a drastic choice that would lead to a new future for our people. If Ilvar had succeeded and returned to Drakon they would be singing songs of that battle, but instead we whisper about it as though it is something to be ashamed of, as though it’s some dark secret that should be buried and hidden away, just like our homes,” I glanced back at the pit, tension running throughmy body as I brought these feelings to the surface. I normally, ironically, kept them hidden within me, but now I wanted to let them soar free. It felt as though we were on the cusp of doing something important with our lives, and I did not want to deny these thoughts any longer.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to look. I never understood why we were forbidden from going there anyway. It’s not as though there are any humans around. It’s just an island that’s been forgotten by everyone. I guess the only reason why it might make sense to stop us from going there is because it’s Ilvar’s tomb. But maybe it would help Kyra come to terms with her history. Maybe it would help us all to put the past behind us. After all, we are going to have to lead the thunder into the future and how are we supposed to do that if we don’t have as much information about the past as possible?”

A smile widened on my face. It had been a long standing ambition of mine to return to that island, and now it was finally coming to pass. I knew that being with Aidan and Kyra was going to lead to some amazing things, but I hadn’t thought a miracle like this would be one of them. It thrilled my heart to think that we would be returning to that place where history and heroes were made. I hoped that some of the glory would rub off on me, and that somehow there would be an opportunity for me to be a hero in the future. That’s all I really wanted, to do something that mattered in the world and have people think that I was an important dragon.

Chapter Eleven

Aidan

The wait until nightfall was excruciating. She was out there, my princess, my queen, waiting for me to fly in and sweep her off her feet, to take her towards a future that was draped in gold, a future that we would enjoy forever. But we had more planned than that as well. With Brock’s help I could take away some of her anguish. The fact that she was Ilvar’s daughter weighed heavily on her mind. It was the block that prevented her from enjoying the liberation of her dragon. If I could help her come to terms with this then she would be able to enjoy the same freedom as we enjoyed. She could unfurl her wings and then we could soar through the skies together, and everything would be as it should be; perfect.

I did not tell my parents about our plan. I had made too many demands of them for one day. They would certainly not have agreed to allow us to return to that place where the dragon’s shame was greatest. The two opposing philosophies had clashed and only one had emerged triumphant. The planet had been saved and humanity had been spared, but something had died. The perspective of those dragons who wanted to leave and return to Drakon had been dulled, and now nobody thought we could return to that place of myth.

Sometimes I wondered if it even existed, or if it was like one of those places the humans spoke about; an Eden or an Atlantis, a place lost to time. Had we really traveled through the stars to come to this place? In all the stories there were different reasons why we had left Drakon in the first place. In some those first dragons were cast out, in others they had fled of their own accord. I had no idea if Drakon even survived. Perhaps it hadshattered and was now just dust floating through the cosmos. Perhaps the only way it survived was in our minds. I was under no illusion that I would ever see it for myself though. We were generations removed from those travelers who first arrived on this soil and made their home on this alien ground. Earth was my home, but Drakon was an intriguing possibility of what might have been.

Ilvar had been convinced that Drakon still existed and was waiting for his return, but then again he was mad. It wasn’t as though we could trust his judgment.

I hoped that Kyra would be excited for the future. I hoped she and Jade would be willing to come and live with us, to find their place within our thunder. Kyra had always seen herself as separate from us because of her father, but Jade had grown up in this thunder and it was only at the end that she had left. There was still a place for her here.

And I would do all I could to convince them of that. I would have to convince the other dragons as well. I wanted to show them that history was not going to repeat itself, and that they did not have to fear Kyra just because Ilvar’s blood ran through her veins. We could be more than the people who brought us into this world. We were capable of making our own destiny.

So Brock and I soared through the sky under the cloak of the night. We passed over the mountains and swooped through the deep valleys, gazing down at the prey that scurried across the land, and the predators that chased them. In the distance the human cities twinkled, alluring and bright. They were not part of our mission here, however. They were little more than a dream that we could never touch. I had heard tales of dragons who chose to live among humans, sacrificing the ability to shift in order to be in a world that was alive and vibrant with diversity and opportunity. I had no idea if these dragons were still livingor not. They had their own story to tell, and perhaps they had denied their true nature for so long that they weren’t dragons any longer. I wondered if it was possible for our dragons inside to wither and die if they were not nourished. I feared that this would happen to Kyra eventually if she did not accept the most bestial and natural part of her. She always tried so hard to keep it locked inside her that I feared one day something would snap and the bond she had with her dragon would be irreparably severed.

I feared too that she would welcome this fate.

We drifted towards her house, a remote building that was far from a city, so there were no glowing lights that threatened to make us vulnerable. We landed softly, shifting almost immediately. My tail curled back and my wings retracted. I shuddered as I felt this great beast being folded back into my smaller human form. I wasn’t sure if I would ever understand the wizardry that made this possible, but I didn’t see the point in trying to analyze it. The fact that it happened was enough to satisfy my curiosity. It was just another instinct, no different from breathing, no less mysterious than falling in love.

I glanced towards Brock and pointed in the direction of her house. We walked swiftly, yet there was a hitch in my stride as we approached. What would happen if Jade said she didn’t want Kyra to come with us? I tried not to think about it.

There were no lights on in the house, which I thought was strange. The night was quiet, silent. We walked up the front yard, past Jade’s truck. The porch creaked under our weight. I knocked on the door. There was no answer. I glanced at Brock. Had Jade taken Kyra away? Had Kyra changed her mind? I knew I shouldn’t have left her alone for the day. Why did I always make the wrong and stupid move?

I had my hand on the handle of the door, ready to test it to see if it was locked when suddenly it burst open and Kyra cameout, the force of her movement enough to send me scuttling back like a panicked crab.

“Did you know? Did you know this was going to happen? Did you have anything to do with this?” she shrieked like a banshee who’d ventured forth from the gates of hell. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, her throat raw, and so her words sounded like grating growls. She pushed me with all her strength, her palms slamming against my chest. I stumbled back, almost falling from the porch. Brock caught me, but he too was being driven back.

“What are you talking about Kyra? Did we know what?” I shot back.

Suddenly Kyra seemed to lose all her strength. It was as though it had risen inside her in one intense burst, but after releasing it she was drained and had nothing left. She looked distraught and desolate. Her head hung low. She slumped against the house, sinking down into despair. She didn’t say anything else. She just stretched out a hand and pointed towards the door. I peered into the darkness. I didn’t want to leave her, but I thought whatever she had to show me was important. I crept into the house and as I got closer to the kitchen I began to smell it; the tang of blood.

Then I saw her. Moonlight spilled in through the kitchen window and illuminated her body. She looked as though she was frozen. I knew immediately that she was dead. A dark shadow pooled underneath her body. I gasped and looked back in the direction of Kyra. I strode back towards the porch. Brock was there, crouching in front of her, trying to ask what was wrong. Kyra was still silent.

“It’s Jade. She’s dead,” I said. Brock looked stunned as well.

“She’s not just dead. She’s been killed, by a dragon,” she spat the word as though it was a curse and I could sense all theanger and venom that was contained within her heart. I pressed my lips together.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” I said.

“No, it makes perfect sense. Someone knew that we were together. They killed Jade because they couldn’t forget what she did. They knew that I wasn’t going to be here to protect her because I was off with you. It has to be one of your thunder Aidan. Who knew that you were here? Who would have done this? They couldn’t help but get their revenge, could they? Who did you tell?” Her eyes were wild and her voice even more so. She grabbed my collar and began shaking me. I put my hands on her shoulders and tried to talk sense into her.

“Nobody apart from Brock knew that I was coming here Kyra. Nobody knew where Jade was. It’s not someone from my thunder. They wouldn’t have done this. They’re not hateful. They even said that there’s a chance for Jade to make amends. They were willing to forgive the past…” I trailed away, knowing that my words would have been of no comfort now, not when it was too late.

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