“Mikhail Constantine, ignoring your opponent’s
attacks is detrimental to your health. You are not focused. A distracted mage
is a dead mage.”
I ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m sorry, Sai.
My mind just isn’t in the game today.”
Sai crossed the floor of the training room. “So I
have noticed. What is so occupying your mind that you do not focus on keeping
from being toasted?”
I smiled. Sai had a knack for turned the simplest
questions into the most complicated inquiries.
“Honestly, I don’t trust Gordon.”
“Why not?”
That was Sai—always probing deeper. Gesturing in
exasperation, I replied, “I don’t know. I just feel uneasy around him—like he’s
about to do something that I have to stop. I can’t really explain it.”
Nodding wisely, the man tucked his hands into his
sleeves. “In other words, something about Gordon’s aura unsettles you. Remember
what I told you about a mage’s instinct. It is that sixth sense that often
means the difference between life and death for us magi. Heed it. It could be
wrong, but most times it will not fail you.”
A yawn escaped, and I rubbed my eyes. “I think I
need to go home.”
“Only if you promise to practice on your own.”
Sai’s eyes twinkled. “Return to us soon. We miss you while you are away.”
Tyren stepped through the door as I began focusing
my energy. “Wait a moment. I have something for you.”
My eyebrows rose. “Really?”
She placed something warm and scaly in my arms. “He
is a dragon. His name is Noddah. “
As the blue squirled around me, I stared at the
vampire. “Tyren, I can’t keep a dragon in my—“ 1888 fell away, and it was once
again 2011. “—dorm room,” I finished.
~~~~~
“I can’t keep a dragon here!”
Sai poured me a cup of tea. We sat at the bar in
the kitchen of his apartment. The second I returned, I had made a beeline for
the address on the card he had given me. The dragon curled on the counter top,
still fast asleep.
“Dragons are excellent creatures. They are
immensely clever, and can be very helpful when they have the mind to be.”
Groaning, I shook my head. He was missing the
point. “Sai, I don’t even know if I can keep a goldfish in my room, much less a
something equal to a puppy on steroids!” I put my head on the counter. “Why
can’t people just give me food?”
“M.C., if Tyren gave you a dragon, you should be
honored.”
I looked at him from under the brown strands that
seriously needed a trim. “What do you mean?”
“Tyren has quite a bit of faith in you if she
trusts you with the care of a dragon.” He held up a hand to stop my barrage of
questions. “Let me explain. During the Medieval times, dragons were hunted
because they were thought to be evil. Used to being hunted themselves, the
vampires set up a pact with the dragons. The vampire king is in charge of
protecting them. That is why the symbol of a dragon is often associated with
vampires.”
“Like Count Dracula?”
Sai chuckled into his tea. “Yes. Actually, his
legend is based in the truth of the actual vampire king. His name was Vlad
Dragoni.”
“Gordon’s
ancestor.”
The man frowned. “Indeed. I had forgotten about
him.”
It was my turn to frown. “You forgot about the
vampire heir?”
Sai shrugged. “Yes. What do you know of him thus
far?”
Absentmindedly, I stroked the dragon’s back. “We
just found him. I know I don’t like him.”
“Trust your instincts.” He stood abruptly. “But I
have said too much already. Are you hungry, my young friend?”
I nodded, and he grinned. “Good. I accidently
bought enough sushi for two. Do you like sushi?”
I nodded, then amended my affirmation. “Well, as
long as it’s not brains, or something.”
To my delight, Sai laughed. “Do not fear. I have
not turned zombie on you.” Then, he bit his lip, as if he wanted to say
something. To my dismay, he kept silent.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You might want to put your dragon in your lap.”
That was not what I was asking, but there was
nothing for it. I complied, and Sai handed me a pair of chopsticks and a plate
of sushi.
As I failed miserably at feeding myself with
chopsticks, Sai and I chatted about school. I asked him a few questions about some
physics points I didn’t understand. The man seemed delighted, and answered all
of my questions eagerly. He also seemed to know how I think, so he was able to
explain it so it made sense.
I soon began to realize that my sushi was
disappearing faster than I was eating it. Without really knowing why, I pushed
my plate away from the edge of the table and watched the area it had been in. A
long red tail flicked out, apparently looking for my sushi. I grabbed the
dragon around the middle—he was smaller than an iguana—and held him up. “What
do you think you are doing?”
I honestly didn’t expect it to answer. “I’m hungry,
human. Put me down, or I will roast you alive!”
“Sorry, but I don’t really think the whole scary
dragon thing is working for you.”
In response, he set my hair on fire. Dropping him,
I quickly put it out with a dose of magic water. As I was bemoaning the state
of my hair, the confounded dragon ate the rest of my sushi.
He licked his claws. “More, please.”
Sai indulged him, setting a plate of leftovers in
front of him. He grinned at me when I groaned.
“Rule number one: dragon fledglings are always hungry. Feed them every
time you eat.” He patted the dragon’s head. “Though, my young scaly friend, you
should be old enough to hunt rodents on your own.”
He devoured Sai’s leftovers. To my horror, he
burped and asked for more. There was no way I could take care of this dragon.
Thanks, Tyren. Just what I needed—a smart-aleck bottomless pit.
“Sai, I can’t keep a dragon!”
He unfurled his wings. With a great flap, the
dragon shot off the counter and landed on my head. Leaning down to look in my
eyes, he said, “Well, you’re stuck with me. My guardian gave me to you. That
means we’re partners, now. And call me Noddah. That’s my name.”
Sai smiled. “You know, the dragon king gave the
young mage who stopped the Demon King a dragon. Celeste and her dragon, Torin,
did many a great thing together.”
-----
Hey, all!
So, I've been reading this to my siblings. They love it, haha!
Nice to have some good feedback, you know. Their favorite characters are Tyren, Sai, M.C., and Tatiana.
Fun fact: The dragon is named after my seven year-old brother. It's his name spelled backwards.
Have an awesome week!
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