Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Soon as I saw Malone, I didn’t like him, although I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. He appeared polite and pleasant enough, smiling as he shook Apollo’s hand and apologizing for showing up unannounced.
“I’d initially planned to do a stay-at-home vacation, but once I got your message, it occurred to me that my findings were best explained in person,” Dr. Malone stated.
“And here I expected you to call me crazy when I contacted you about those videos,” Apollo replied with a smile.
“Never,” Malone exclaimed. “I’ve had that word thrown at me too often to ever apply it to someone curious about inexplicable phenomena.”
“Why don’t you come inside and we can discuss what you think you’ve found.” Apollo led the way to the living room, where I cast a quick glance for Tigger. He’d been peeved I’d sent him away, and I didn’t put it past him to disobey my caution. His rash behavior proved why dragons went extinct.
“Have a seat while I grab us some snacks and refreshments.” Apollo hit the kitchen, leaving me alone with the doctor.
“We haven’t been introduced. I’m Dr. Barry Malone, and you are?”
I blanked. Girlfriend sounded juvenile and presumptuous. Explaining I was doing custom work for Apollo wouldn’t explain why I was present. I stuck to, “I’m Iolana, a friend of Apollo’s.”
“And what do you think of the dragon sightings?”
“I think that it’s very easy to fake. Just look at all the supposed Bigfoot videos.”
“Ah yes, there are quite a few, none of them real.”
“You’ve investigated them?”
“Each and every one. While larger, hairier humanoids did at one time exist, something wiped them out. And before you ask, I have seen proof. Remains have been recovered that, while sharing some human DNA, are different enough to class them as a different species.”
“I’ve never heard of anyone finding a Bigfoot body.”
“Things of that nature tend to be closely guarded secrets.”
“Why?” I blurted out.
“Because people are predictable beasts. Look at the gold rush years. One person finds a nugget and hundreds rush thinking they’ll do the same. Can you imagine the mountains full of inexperienced Bigfoot seekers, how it would tax search-and-rescue resources?”
“Hadn’t thought of it that way,” I murmured. “What other mythical creatures have you been able to confirm actually exist?” I asked just as Apollo returned with a large tray holding a pitcher of lemonade, glasses, and a plate with crab cakes, crackers, and dip.
“Bigfoot is real. Unicorns did, at one time, also walk the Earth, until they were driven extinct by people who hunted them for their horns.”
“What about dragons?” Apollo got straight to the point.
“Ah yes, the reason for my visit.” Before the doctor could answer Apollo, my grandfather lumbered in, minus Tigger, but that didn’t ease my ire. Who knew what trouble the little bugger would cause left to his own devices.
“Grandfather, I thought you were sunbathing on the roof.” I didn’t temper my irritation.
“It’s too hot. Ooh, are those crab cakes?”
Trust my Tutu to follow his nose to food. I sighed. “Sorry, Dr. Malone. Please continue.”
“The interesting thing about dragons is how prevalent they are in lore. Stories of them appear around the world. It’s why I took such an interest, because how could so many different cultures, separated in some cases by oceans, all have tales featuring the same beast?
It seemed more than logical to assume because dragons did indeed exist and, given their ability to fly, could spread themselves across many continents. ”
“If they existed, how come no one’s ever found their remains?” I asked.
“Oh, some have been discovered and, in many cases, misclassified as dinosaurs.”
“You’re talking about pterodactyls,” Apollo surmised.
“Actually, no. Their bones are very different from that of a dragon, much more birdlike in that they are hollow to minimize their weight. Despite having wings, dragons are very much solid, and heavy. They defy the usual laws when it comes to animal flight.”
“What makes you think some dinosaur bones were, in fact, dragons?” Apollo had sat beside me on the couch and strung his arm casually behind me. Claiming me, and I didn’t mind.
“Because of their age. According to carbon dating and the data that’s been collected, we know dinosaurs died out millions of years ago. However, about a decade ago, an anthropologist unearthed a supposed dinosaur that was less than a thousand years old.”
“Could be they managed to survive,” I interjected.
“Those remains have other baffling characteristics. Horns and claws not comprised of keratin but some unknown substance. Skulls that don’t match any other recorded instances. And then there are the presence of wings. The discoveries were never made public, as they defied everything academia knew.”
“Then how do you know about them?” Apollo drawled.
“Because I was the anthropologist. When I presented my findings and opined that I’d found proof of dragons, I was ridiculed. However, I knew I was onto something and have since made it my life’s work to prove the existence of dragons, hence why the shift in my career to cryptozoologist.”
“A what?” I asked.
“Someone who studies and seeks out proof of mythical creatures.”
“Speaking of mythical…” Apollo leaned forward. “Those videos, you implied they might be authentic.”
“Not implying at all. They are real.”
“Why would you say that? The footage wasn’t exactly stellar.”
“Before I get into that, first, a little lesson on how dragons are born.” Malone cleared his throat. “They hatch from eggs. However, unlike common reptiles, their time in the shell is much longer. Hundreds, even thousands of years.”
I snorted. “Wouldn’t they go rotten?”
“Dragons aren’t like other creatures. Their eggs not only can remain dormant for extended periods of time, but they also require extreme heat to cure.
The kind of heat only found in volcanoes.
After a female dragon has her clutch fertilized, she will drop the eggs into dormant volcanoes around the world. ”
“Why dormant?” Apollo interrupted.
“Because dragons are very territorial. A female dragon doesn’t see its hatchlings as children, but as competition.”
“I’m surprised they have babies at all then,” I murmured.
“Every species is driven to procreate, even those that don’t like to share land. So by scattering a clutch, the female ensures the hatchings are staggered so her progeny aren’t competing for territory.”
“But you said she dropped them in dead volcanoes. Wouldn’t that mean they’d never be born?”
“Dormant, not dead,” Malone corrected. “Volcanoes are sporadic. Just look at Mount Marapi in India. Its sudden eruption took everyone by surprise.”
“There’s been several eruptions around the world since I was born, some in Hawaii. None of them produced a dragon,” I pointed out.
“Are you sure of that?” A sly query from Malone that pursed my lips. “Dragons are very intelligent creatures with an instinct to survive.”
Knowing Tigger, I would have begged to differ.
“Intelligent how?” Apollo asked.
“Well, that depends on the legend you want to believe. Some say they can speak. That they are born with inherited memories. There are claims they have magic.”
“Like fire breathing.”
“That is physical,” Malone corrected. “Magic in the sense they can cajole people into serving them or hide their presence, despite being in plain sight.”
“They can be invisible?” I didn’t stop my dubious note.
“That is one possibility. Some legends have them able to change shape.”
The very idea had me laughing. “No way.”
“I’ll agree that seems farfetched, but then again, much about them seems impossible, like the fact they can fly. Scientifically speaking, their weight alone should keep them grounded.” Malone shrugged. “And yet, every single story has them taking to the skies.”
I might not like Malone, but thus far, everything he said seemed to match up with what Tigger had told me. “What will you do if you find a dragon?”
“Study it, of course. Protect it. These are magnificent creatures, and it would be incredible for the world if they were to return.”
“Not incredible for the people they eat,” Apollo stated.
“Dragons don’t eat humans. They prefer cattle and sheep.”
I stiffened slightly. Was he lying on purpose, or did he truly not know the dragon’s diet?
“We keep getting off track. You said you knew the dragons in the videos were real.”
“They are, and I will further add they depicted three different dragons.”
“How can you tell?”
“While it’s not easy to see, the scales are different hues. Another fact, the locations where each video was taken have something in common. They all had recent and unexpected volcanic eruptions.”
“Grainy footage and mountains blowing their top don’t seem like concrete proof to me.” Apollo took a sip of his lemonade.
“Analysis of the videos shows no tampering. No use of AI or CGI.”
“You still have copies?”
“Of course. Why?”
“Because not long after I sent my message they got scrubbed from the internet. Not sure why they bothered. The supposed dragons were specks in the videos and, when enlarged, became even more indistinct.”
A tic jumped under Malone’s eye. “Would it help if I said I’ve spoken to eyewitnesses that swear by what they saw?”
“People claim all kinds of things. Still not proof.”
“Hence why I’m here. With a bit of funding, I can—”
Apollo sliced his hand through the air. “Before you launch into the sales pitch, I’m going to say, while everything you’ve mentioned is intriguing, I’m not convinced dragons exist.”
“Then why reach out in the first place?” Malone’s smooth composure slipped for a second.
“Call it boredom. Initially, it seemed interesting, but I’m not sure I want to invest in a wild goose or, in this case, wild dragon chase.”
“Dragons are real,” Malone insisted.
“Prove it. I want to see this body of the one you uncovered.”
“I can’t show it to you.”
“Why not?”
“Because I ran into a bit of a situation and lost access to the lab with the remains.”
“What kind of situation?”
Malone stood abruptly. “I can see this meeting is a waste of time. Sorry to have bothered.”
As the doctor strode for the front door, Apollo followed, but I remained seated. I glanced at my grandfather.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“The man is slime, and he’s not telling us everything.” Keanu popped the last crab cake into his mouth.
“Yeah, he definitely held back on some stuff,” I murmured.
Apollo returned, shaking his head. “Well, that was weird. I expected him to try harder to get my money.”
“I think you mean my money.” Tigger slithered from a potted plant and waddled into the room.
“I told you to stay on the roof,” I chided.
“And I chose to not listen.” Tigger craned to see the platter on the table before huffing. “You didn’t leave me one?”
“I was hungry.” Keanu didn’t apologize.
“So am I. Feed me!” Tigger demanded, and my grandfather actually didn’t tell him to bugger off. Off the pair went to raid the fridge.
Apollo sighed. “I’d better order more groceries.”
“Sorry they’re eating all your food.”
“Don’t be. I can afford it. Although, I’m going to mention you’ve seen the extent of my cooking skills at this point. Either we’re going to be ordering in a lot, or we might have to let Francine in on the secret. Before you ask, I trust her.”
“What about Malone?” I countered.
“Not one bit.” He didn’t hesitate. “I get the impression the man was looking for something.”
“Money.”
“Not just that. Did you notice how he kept scanning the room?”
I frowned. “I hadn’t actually.” Or I’d just played it off as him being impressed. The house was really nice. “There’s no way he knows about Tigger.”
“Don’t be so sure. Someone sent those thugs to your house.”
“You think the doctor hired someone?”
“I think it’s a really big coincidence that the man who believes in dragons happens to show up the day after the break-in. A break-in we know is connected to Tigger, given what they took.”
“All because my grandfather and my little orange rascal couldn’t keep their mouths shut.” I paused. “So what next?”
“Amping up my security for starters. Ordering in dinner—”
“Now? It’s not even four.”
“Given how much I plan to have delivered, they’ll need time to prepare. I am also going to do a deeper dive on Malone.”
“Meaning what?”
“What has he been up to? Where has he been? What happened to the supposed dragon bones?”
“Sounds like you’re going to be busy. How can I help?”
“By saying you’ll spend the night with me again.”
“If I must,” I uttered with a dramatic sigh, which turned to giggles as he dragged me against him.
The day didn’t drag as badly this time, at least. Blame the fact every time I ran into Apollo, which happened often, we smooched. By the time we’d finished dinner—which Tigger declared would make a good victory feast once he became ruler of the world—I was more than ready for bed. But not sleep.
Thankfully, a tired little dragon didn’t argue about going to bed alone.
My grandfather also retired to his room, which had satellite television, a treat.
As for me, a single look at Apollo toiling in his office and I was chased up the stairs to his bedroom.
The night we spent? Even more glorious than the last.