Take Flight

Chapter Four

Lector sighed, shifting the bucket of raw meat to his right shoulder. “Most kids hide kittens or puppies in their back yard. Trust my sister to hide a dragon hatchling.”

Jenna smiled. “Not many kids have my backyard. Besides, you like dragons just as much as I do.”

“I wouldn’t say that, but I do think they’re beautiful. How do you keep her hidden though?”

She shrugged. “The servants won’t tell Father; they steer clear of him too. Besides, there are old stables and secret corridors even the King doesn’t know about.”

They came out of the dark tunnel, into the blinding sunlight. This was the oldest part of the Royal Estate. There were abandoned stables, a barn and a greenhouse with a variety of plants.

It was a social hub for servants. They came here to take a break, eat lunch and meet friends. Lector and Jenna slipped through the crowd with ease.

Here, the servants greeted them with smiles and nods, not curtsies and downcast eyes. Jenna led the way to the barn, weaving through servants, fountains and shrubs.

She unlocked the red wooden doors, shoving them open. The floor was covered in straw. Jenna shuffled forward. “Sila, it’s me. We brought food.”

Lector heard a squawk and saw a purple head snaking out from behind a crate. She had big nostrils and large, intuitive violet eyes. Her head was covered in leathery skin and a thin line of scales ran down her snout.

Lector dropped his bucket to the floor, the raw meat spilling onto the straw. Sila cocked her head and eyed him with caution.

Jenna smiled. “It’s okay, Sila; Lector is my brother. He would love to meet you.” She turned to him. “Say something.”

“Okay-er- Hey, Sila. I-er-brought you some food. I carried it for a long way just so I could come see you.”

Sila’s mouth opened in a strange smile. Jenna giggled. “She says she likes you.”

The dragon came out, her reptile-like body moving easily on four solid legs with claws at the ends. Her long tail dragged on the floor as she walked and her wings were folded against her back. She was the size of a healthy bull. She ate the meat eagerly, black claws and white fangs tearing into red.

Lector regarded her with awe. “You understand her?”

“Of course I do. She can understand us too. Dragons are private creatures; they don’t open up immediately. So, after a while, I suppose she’ll talk to you too.”

“How long has she known you?”

“Since she hatched a week ago. I was the first thing she saw, making me her keeper and, in time, her rider. I think she sees me as her mother.”

He chuckled and sat down in the straw. “Never thought I’d be a dragon’s uncle. I thought dragons were fully grown from the moment they hatch?”

She shook her head. “That is only possible when a certain Ceremony, using magic, is performed. Sila hatched naturally, so she will grow progressively, like all creatures.”

“So that’s the only difference between Sila and the elves’ dragons?”

“No. After the Ceremony, dragons are masters of sorcery and they know everything about their riders before speaking a word to them. Sila only knows what I tell her.”

The dragon licked her chops and Jenna giggled. “What did she say?” Lector asked.

“That she’ll get all the information she needs out of me without the Ceremony. And she says thank you for the meat.”