The Silver Queen and Other Dragon Tales Page 2

That’s a fair question. I’m only suggesting you let me stick a sharp object in your mouth when we’ve known each other for five minutes. What could go wrong?

  Alexander took a deep breath. If fighting couldn’t get him out of this situation, maybe words could.

  “I’m a training physician. It’s my moral duty to heal the sick and injured. Promise not to kill me and I’ll fix your toothache, give you back your sword, and leave you alone forever. I’ll even tell the people in my village to never bother you again. Deal?”

  The creature stared at him without a word, and for a moment, Alexander feared a fiery answer to his proposal. Then the dragon nodded.

  “Deal.”

  Alexander exhaled a deep sigh as the weight of the massive claws lifted from his chest. While he dropped his bag and reached for the sword, the dragon lowered his head to the ground. The boy’s heart raced as he placed his free hand on the beast’s head and looked into the red eye watching him.

  “No tricks, human,” the dragon growled, and he opened his jaws wide. Alexander nodded.

  “Promise.”

  Sword in hand, the young physician-in-training examined the teeth before him. There were the swollen gums, and beneath them, what looked like a small piece of bone stuck between two of the sharp molars. Alexander eased the blade into the space between the gumline and the bone.

  Here goes nothing.

  He pulled the hilt down, but the sword wouldn’t budge. After several tries, he retracted the blade, his heart sinking. As if he needed one more problem.

  “What is it?”

  Alexander stumbled back a step, startled by the loud voice. He turned back to the red eye.

  “It’s, um… It’s still stuck. I’ll have to dislodge it…” He swallowed. “…from the other side.”

  The eye shot him another piercing glare. “‘Other side’?”

  “It’s lodged too deeply to break from this side. I’m sure I can get it out from the inside, but you’ll have to trust me.”

  The boy held his breath as the dragon considered him for a moment, then exhaled at the nod that followed.

  “Fine. But try anything, human, and I’ll crush you faster than you can blink.”

  The jaws opened wider. With a deep breath, Alexander crouched and sidled his way into the dragon’s gaping maw. He pulled his collar up to shield his nose from the overwhelming stench of brimstone, then looked up at the damaged teeth. This time he could see more of the bone: on this side, it was sticking out at an angle. He slid the blade between the teeth again, trying not to think about the fiery death waiting just out of reach down the dragon’s throat.

  Please work this time. Please, please, please…

  The boy pulled the hilt and the blade jolted down an inch, sending flakes of bone raining down on him. Alexander picked away at the bone several more times, each scrape dislodging it a little bit more. Every now and then, a drop of saliva would trickle down one of the teeth above him and splash onto his lap, but he managed to avoid cringing and kept all his focus on his task.

  After a few minutes, the tongue beneath him trembled and the dragon’s voice echoed out of the darkness.

  “Ah ih yeh?”

  Ignoring the ringing in his ears, Alexander thought for a second what those words were supposed to be. Got it yet?

  “Almost!”

  He smiled. And thanks for not chewing me!

  The boy stuck the sword a little deeper into the space between the teeth. With one final determined pull, the sword jerked and a large saliva-coated piece of deer antler fell on his lap.

  “Got it!”

  Alexander grabbed the bone and slid out of the dragon’s mouth, dropping the sword and antler to the earth. He had never been more thankful to feel grass beneath his hands and feet.

  Kneeling and brushing the saliva from his clothes, the boy looked back to see the dragon sliding his tongue over his teeth.

  “Much better. Your competence surprises me. Good work, human.”

  As the beast started to rise, Alexander looked down to find his bag lying at his side. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

  “Wait!” he cried, and the dragon froze. “I’m not done yet.”

  The boy reached into his bag and pulled out a jar of green salve. The dragon eyed it warily.

  “What is that?”

  “I made it myself from the herbs by the river. It’ll help ease the pain in your mouth while it heals.”

  He held it up for the dragon to see, but the scaly red-eyed face only backed away.

  “It’s not toxic.” Alexander opened the jar. “Look.”

  He dipped his fingers in the green ointment and spread some over his own teeth and tongue. The dragon nodded and opened his mouth again. As Alexander spread the rest of the salve over the swollen gums, he couldn’t help but smile. It had just occurred to him that he was treating his very first patient.

  “There,” he said at last, tucking the empty jar back into his bag. “It should be good as new in a few days. Just try not to eat any more deer until then.”

  As he reached for his bag, Alexander caught the glint of the blade still lying in the grass, and his smile vanished. The dragon rose and met eyes with the boy, who suddenly felt his heart beginning to race again.

  “Our bargain?”

  Alexander could not have counted how many seconds of silence passed, but he would always remember the wave of relief that washed over him when he saw the dragon bow his head.

  “A deal’s a deal. On my honor as a dragon, you may leave in peace.” A strange look flashed across those red eyes that the boy dared to believe was amusement, like a secret smile. Then it was gone. “Now go, before I change my mind.”

  Alexander expressed his thanks and watched as the dragon began to turn away. Then a glint of silver light caught the corner of his eye.

  “Wait!”

  The beast stopped.

  “You forgot your… treasure.”

  The dragon watched the boy pick the sword up, but didn’t move to take it.

  “Keep it. Consider it payment and proof of your virtue. You’ve earned it.”

  Alexander fell silent, speechless. He watched the dragon turn away and spread his wings, but it was when he looked down at the sword in his hands that the thought occurred to him.

  “You know, toothaches are a nasty business. They come back worse if not treated properly. Maybe I can return at the next full moon to check up on you?”

  The dragon looked over his shoulder. There was that smile-gaze again.

  “Come every full moon if you like. Take a piece of treasure each time as payment. Just one,” he added, his red eyes flashing their dangerous glare. “Don’t get greedy.”

  The boy quickly shook his head. “Never.”

  “I should hope so. It isn’t just anyone who can earn the trust of a dragon. Don’t squander it.”

  Are you kidding? The first trust anyone has ever given me? I will cherish it for the rest of my life!

  Alexander bowed, then turned to head back down the mountain, sword in hand. He froze in his tracks, however, when he heard three words he was sure the dragon had never said before.

  “Thank you, human.”

  The boy looked over his shoulder and smiled.

  “Alexander.”

  The dragon stared silently for a moment, then bowed his head.

  “Severoth.”

  Alexander watched Severoth spread his wings and fly back up the mountain. When the dragon’s silhouette vanished, the boy turned on his heel and disappeared into the forest below.

  He knew he would be telling the story of his escape from a dragon’s den for years. The villagers would revere him as a hero, and in a matter of months, he’d have enough gold for his family to live comfortably to the end of their days.

  But for now, the grin on Alexander’s face was reserved solely for the unlikely outcome of his adventure. Already he could hear his future self musing to his peers, to his family, to his future children.

  Hav
e I ever told you the story about the time I befriended a dragon?

  The Silver Queen

  Faye looked past the trees out into the open fields, sighing as she watched the rest of the youth laughing and playing without her. This was life in the enchanted country: every seventh day, when the sun was high, the youngest of the clan would play a game to see who could put on the biggest show of magic. And during every game, Faye watched from afar with a heavy heart. It never mattered who won; she envied every single dragon who wasn’t her.

  All dragons were born with a beautiful coat of iridescent scales that shone brightly in sunlight and served as the source of their magic. All but a rare few. Roughly once a century, a hatchling was born with pure white scales that didn’t so much as glimmer when the sun touched them. Such dragons were dubbed Achromatic, and for their dull scales that left them powerless, they were considered inferior to normal, colorful dragons.

  Faye was one of the unlucky few.

  “Monochrome!”

  “Colorless!”

  “Pale-face!”

  The other drakes’ taunts had eventually driven her to hide in the forest during their magic contests. It didn’t seem fair that she should be excluded, but she understood why the others felt she had no place there. The games were mostly for magic practice, but they were also treated as a test to see who would earn the favor of the elders first when they all came of age. How could an Achromatic have any chance of earning such an honor? Plain white dragons sat at the bottom of the hierarchy, as Faye knew only too well.

  Today, as always, the white drake watched as the others showed off the powers they so often seemed to take for granted, trying to guess who would win this time.

  Probably one of the red dragons. They usually won this game, as their scales easily absorbed enough light to send their fiery breath soaring above the treetops.

  Or maybe one of the blue dragons. They sometimes won with their strong jets of water, which had been known to restore dried-up lakes to their former liveliness.

  Or a yellow dragon? They had won a few times by conjuring up small yet powerful lightning storms.

  It could even be another brown dragon. Faye had seen an earth dragon win once. She later learned it had taken him a month to store enough solar energy in his scales to split that boulder in half.

  It doesn’t matter. The magic competition was essentially the same every week, and today was no different.

  Except for Faye’s plan to change her life.

  * * *

  Two weeks ago, a traveling dwarf had stumbled upon the Crystal Cave that the dragon clan called home. In exchange for shelter for the night, he had shared half the gold in his pack and stories of his travels across the world.

  The youth were especially fascinated by his tales of humans. For as long as they could remember, they had been warned that humans were dangerous and were not to be approached for any reason. They weren’t even allowed outside at night: they couldn’t risk running out of magic when the sun wasn’t up to regenerate it.

  “Humans? Bah!” the dwarf scoffed. “Demons, more like! Tear ya down soon as look at ya! Darn near lost me leg to ‘em last summer. Caught me in a snare and wouldn’t let me go ’til I told ‘em where to find the witch.”

  “Witch?” one of the older scarlet-scaled females whispered.

  “Ay, a folktale from the olden days. The stories change: sometimes she’s a witch, other times an angel. The human children call ‘er a fairy queen.”

  “What does she look like?” said a small yellow male. The dwarf smiled.

  “The most beautiful creature ye ever saw. Dressed in shimmerin’ silver from head to toe, eyes bright as stars, wings that sparkle with all the colors o’ the rainbow!” His smile faded. “But they en’t nothin’ but stories. I told those humans all I’d heard, but I never seen ‘er meself.”

  “How do you find her?” asked a cyan-scaled male. The dwarf leaned in, and the crowd of drakes followed suit.

  “When the moon’s full, find a clearin’ in the heart o’ the woods with a pool o’ crystal clear water. Close yer eyes and make a wish, and if ya believe with all yer heart, the witch’ll appear and make it come true.”

  The mere idea of this event made the young dragons quiver with excitement.

  “Any wish at all?” asked an amber female, her eyes wide. The traveler leaned back and stroked his beard.

  “I s’ppose it could be.” He shook his head. “If she was real. But she en’t! Tried to find ‘er for ages. Traveled all across the land. Been a hundred years since anyone’s seen somethin’ o’ the sort. She just don’t exist! But humans? Those buggers are real. Real as these here scars from the time I fought off three at once!”

  The other drakes listened as the dwarf returned to his stories about humans. But Faye, ever silent in the back of the group, couldn’t take her mind off the tale of the witch.

  That was it: her one chance at a better life. If there were even the slightest possibility that this powerful being did exist, surely she wouldn’t object to such a simple request as coloring the scales of an Achromatic dragon. It was worth a try.

  Since the new moon when the dwarf had passed through, Faye had had two weeks to prepare for her big wish. While the other drakes practiced their magic for the weekly competitions, she spent her days scouring the forest in search of a clearing like the one from the story. It took her several days and multiple dead ends, but at last she found a large clearing with a pool of crystal clear water. Triumphant, the drake marked all the trees on her way back to the dragon cave. All she had to do now was choose a color.

  Unfortunately, hours of watching her peers show off their magic made this choice nearly impossible. Fire, water, lightning, every type of magic appealed to a dragon who had never used it before, and by the time the full moon rose, she still hadn’t reached a decision.

  I’ll figure it out when I get there. The white dragon lay still in the glittering cave, waiting for everyone else to drift off. Maybe the witch will help me decide.

  Faye waited for what felt like an eternity, but at last the rest of the dragons fell asleep. Her heart racing, it was all she could do to keep from shaking as she snuck out of the cave into the quiet forest. Time to change her fate.

  * * *

  The full moon was hidden behind a veil of clouds, but enough of its light shone through to dimly illuminate the forest. Faye took one last look over her shoulder, then approached the nearest tree she had marked. She smiled at the scratches she had left in the roots. Now to find the rest.

  The young dragon followed the marks in the trees all the way to the clearing, pondering her wish more and more with every step. It occurred to her that new colors weren’t enough; she should probably wish for a new form too. Her gossamer wings were as embarrassing as her dull scales. Why couldn’t she have been born with leathery wings, or feathered wings, or even fins? Instead, she looked like an oversized butterfly. Maybe after tonight, she never would again.

  The clearing was even more beautiful than Faye had remembered it in the daylight. She surveyed the open area, then walked up to the clear pool, right where the dwarf had said it would be. Now to close her eyes and make a wish. Simple enough, right? Right?

  No room for doubt, Faye. Believe.

  Faye took one last look at the plain white face staring back at her from the water, then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  “I wish–”

  She paused. Wish for what? To be red and gold? To have feathered wings? To have more magic than all the other dragons combined?

  Don’t overthink, Faye. Wish for what’s in your heart.

  “I wish to be special.”

  A soft breeze blew through the clearing. Had it worked? Was she here? Unable to stand the suspense, Faye opened her eyes.

  She thought she’d be prepared for disappointment. But seeing those same white scales reflected in the pool felt like a sword piercing her heart.

  How could this be? Maybe she hadn’t believ
ed hard enough. Or worse, maybe the dwarf was right and there really was no witch.

  No, there has to be a chance!

  Faye refused to give up hope yet, so she tried again. And again. And again. She tried until she lost count of her wishes, but every time she opened her eyes, there was that same white face in the water, staring back with those ever sadder pale blue eyes that told her she was doomed to be ordinary forever.

  I’ll never be special. A tear rippled the surface of the water. I’ll never be anything but me.

  Heartbroken, the white dragon turned away, ready to head back home in defeat. So much for her last sliver of hope.

  Just then, a noise stopped Faye in her tracks. She snapped her head around to see a shadowy figure standing across the clearing. As the clouds shifted, the bright light of the full moon revealed its face.

  Terror overtook Faye at the sight of the human child: a dark-haired female in a long dress that was torn at the knee. She too had tears in her eyes.

  Seeing the girl staring back at her, the dragon realized it was too late to hide. What now? Humans were dangerous, even little ones. Dragons were taught to scare them away with magic, but that advice wouldn’t help her. Her best chance was to run and hope the human wouldn’t believe ever having seen her.

  Before she could move, however, the girl spoke.

  “Fairy queen?”

  Whatever fear the dragon had felt vanished instantly. Fairy queen? Silly child. She wasn’t a fairy, much less a queen. She was a dragon! A small one, yes, but a dragon nonetheless.

  “Fairy queen! Fairy queen!”

  Now Faye was getting annoyed. To be mocked by the other dragons was bad enough. To be mocked by a human child? Unbearable. She had to prove that she wasn’t a fairy, that she was better than those tiny creatures who wasted their time floating among flowers. She turned her head away, mustering up the loudest, scariest roar she could manage.

  And then she froze.

  The sight that met her eyes was so magnificent that Faye didn’t even recognize it as her own reflection at first. The moonlight had brightened her scales to a shimmering silver, and her translucent wings had come alive in an opalescent display such as she had never seen before. Within a minute, the image in the water started to waver again, and the young dragon realized that fresh tears were falling down her face, this time of joy.