Page 9 of Wynter and the Stone Dragon

The last twelve hours of his life had changed him. He blinked, his eyes burning at the thought of never seeing Wynter again. Dhat-Badan walked over to him.

“She truly is a child of the desert,” the woman murmured with awe.

ChapterFour

Wynter glanced around her. She was in a barren section of ground surrounded by fern-like trees. She had used the wrong ring. She hadn’t gone home, she was in the world with the stone dragons. Rubbing her eyes, she sat down on the ground. She sniffed and wiped away a tear.

“Mama… Papa,” she mewed.

A noise from behind caused her to turn. A small oval-shaped stone moved back and forth, then stilled. Curiosity overrode her exhaustion, and she climbed back to her feet and walked over to the rock. It was hard to get to because it was in a wide hole with dirt mounded high around it.

She squatted down next to the rock. When it didn’t move, she pushed on it with her finger. She gaped in delight when the rock rolled away from her before stopping. She stood up and walked over to it. Squatting again, she touched the rock with her finger a second time.

Wynter giggled when the rock rolled in a circle around her and stopped again. She turned and touched the rock over and over until she was dizzy. Falling down in a heap of laughter, she stared at the rock as it slowly uncurled. Brilliant emerald eyes the same color as hers stared back at her with curiosity. Slowly, the creature unfurled its body, and Wynter saw that it was a tiny stone dragon.

“Pet!” she demanded, wiggling her fingers with delight.

The stone dragon took an unsteady step toward her before its legs gave out. Wynter reached out and caressed its head. The dragon released a low purr and wound around her, nudging her. She gently scratched its chin.

The ground shook, and she jumped. The little dragon grinned, lifted its club-like tail, and struck the ground again with a resounding thump.

“Pow-pow!” Wynter exclaimed with delight.

She wrapped her arms around the dragon’s neck. The dragon wagged its tail again, shaking the ground so much that Wynter’s bottom bounced. She laughed and petted the dragon.

A loud, terrifying screech shattered the peaceful quiet, and they both froze. The little dragon whimpered and snuggled closer to her.

“We go home,” she said in a low voice.

She scrambled to her feet, clawing her way out of the hole, and searched the ground until she saw the shimmer of gold where she had dropped one of the rings. She hurried over and picked it up just as the trees cracked and parted. The head of a massive serpent appeared through the opening, its long, forked tongue tasting the air. Vivid yellow eyes locked on the dragon before turning to focus on her.

Wynter tossed the ring into the air and thought of her nice, safe bedroom. With one hand she reached for the ring, with the other she reached for Pow-pow. The little dragon mewed in terror, caught between the serpent and the threads of blue light that were pulling it toward the portal.

In a split second, the dragon decided that the room with the colorful blankets and pretty lights was much more comforting. Tucking in its legs and head, the dragon fashioned itself into a round rock and let the blue strands pull it through the portal. Wynter scrambled through the portal, too, and closed it a split second before the serpent struck.

Tired but safely back in her bedroom, Wynter picked up the heavy baby rock dragon and pushed it up onto her bed. She pulled off the filthy tunic Khalid had given her and kicked it under her bed before she climbed up beside Pow-pow and fell onto her back. She would find Pow-pow’s mother tomorrow. Touching her father’s drawing would give Wynter a sense of where the older dragon was.

When Harmonia checked on her early the next morning, Wynter was sound asleep, sprawled out with her arms over her head, her platinum curls wild and tangled, and her feet very dirty. Harmonia bit her lip and studied the rock her baby sister was snuggling with. She waved her hand over Wynter, whispering a cleansing spell, and straightened the covers.

It was a good thing Harmonia didn’t turn around as she exited the room. If she had, she would have seen a pair of curious eyes, almost the exact color of Wynter’s, staring after her.

* * *

Time passed and Pow-pow became the newest member of the Stormhold family. It had taken a while for her parents to agree that Wynter could keep the rock dragon, but it was inevitable. All of Pow-pow’s family was dead—a victim of the serpent. They couldn’t leave the little dragon all alone.

Fortunately for Wynter, her father had been determined to discover how the dragon was able to traverse through the Ring of Power. Wynter had replaced the ring in the basket the following morning, and because of her age, none of her family suspected that she had been the one responsible. Her father was convinced he must have somehow caused the dragon’s appearance in their home, and he spent months trying to replicate the conditions that would create a portal instead of a window.

Wynter’s mother, on the other hand, was simply fascinated with Pow-pow. Their isolation made raising a dragon possible, and the obvious bond between Wynter and the creature had made it virtually impossible to say no.

Of course, that didn’t mean that life was always rosy. Raising a growing rock dragon inside a medieval castle/Mage-line research facility was bound to have its trials. The upside was that they had no problems any longer with the large-eared rodents that used to sneak into the kitchen, or with starting a bonfire outdoors in even the dreariest weather, or with breaking through the thick exterior walls when her oldest brother discovered a sealed passage in the ruins.

The downside was—well, having a growing rock dragon with a tail that could smash through thick stone walls living indoors. Electra and Ladon’s daily chore was to repair all of the damage done when Pow-pow chased the odd kangaroo mouse through the corridors or decided to wag his tail.

Then there were his wings. They sprouted when he turned eight. They were growing larger, and when he forgot to tuck them next to his body, he could split a building in half. Everyone loved the feisty dragon though.

“Come on, take me for a ride!” eighteen-year-old Wynter hollered, racing across the meadow as Pow-pow bounded after her.

Pow-pow lowered his head, catching her under her rump, and tossed her into the air as if she were a bale of hay. She came down on Pow-pow’s back just in front of his wings and held onto the ridge of his spine plates as he did a few experimental jumps before unfurling his wings and lifting off.

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