Chapter 11 Jane #2
I couldn’t help but recall the few times in my childhood when I’d lie on grassy hills, staring up at the clouds, searching for comfort in the shapes that floated by. Maybe, just maybe, I could tap into that innocent wonder now. With a deep breath, I focused on the sky, allowing my mind to wander.
Ever so slowly, an enormous, velvety cloud morphed before my eyes, its edges rounding into the shape of a ship. I giggled to myself. “Okay, I see one,” I noted, pointing eagerly at the figure.
Glade squinted, focusing on the one I indicated. “What is it?”
I shot him an incredulous look and chuckled. “It’s obviously a boat!”
He shook his head. “That is not a boat. That is a tree.”
The tone of my voice raised an octave. “What are you talking about? That is clearly a boat!”
Glade leaned in closer, still laughing to himself. “No, a tree. Look, there are the branches, and there’s even a stump.”
A rumbling roar shattered the stillness of the meadow, jolting me upright on my forearms in a blind panic. My eyes darted to the sky, heart racing.
A massive creature shot past us like a jetliner, its leathery scales shimmering in the sunlight.
Wings the length of school buses unfurled in a powerful display, casting an enormous shadow over the field.
I barely caught a glimpse of its face before it soared overhead, tail thrashing behind it like a whip.
In that heart-stopping moment, I recognized the creature for what it was. I had seen it countless times in movies, read about it in books, been told it was a mere myth, a figment of imagination. But here, on Ornath, the legendary beast was very much alive and breathing.
“A dragon,” I whispered in awe, my voice barely escaping my lips as I remained transfixed, unwilling to look away from the sky. Shouldn’t I have been terrified, fleeing for my life? Absolutely. Yet the overwhelming temptation to observe this extraordinary being held me captive.
Glade remained still and relaxed, utterly unbothered, as if he had seen such an event countless times before. “Yes?”
I couldn’t contain my excitement. Desperate to catch another glimpse of the dragon as it vanished behind the distant mountains, I sprang to my feet and spun in a dizzying circle. “That was a fucking dragon!”
Finally, Glade shifted, propping himself up on his forearms, a bemused expression on his face. “Yes, Jane. That is a dragon.” He looked around, as if checking to see if anyone had witnessed the lunacy before him.
“They’re real,” I breathed, setting my fingertips over my heart, disbelief washing over me in waves. “They’re actually real.”
“What do you mean, ‘they’re real’? Does Earth not home any dragons?” Glade tilted his head in curiosity.
Struggling to find the words to convey my astonishment, I only shook my head, my gaze lingering on the far-off distance.
He hummed softly, his lower lip protruding, as if contemplating the very existence of my world compared to his own.
A small tear slipped down my cheek, and I wiped it away, hoping Glade didn’t notice. The air hung thick, both of us lost in our own thoughts.
After a few moments of silence, Glade startled me from my reverie with an unexpected question.
“Would you like to take a closer look?”
I spun around to face him. “Wha—what?” I stammered. Surely, he didn’t mean we could follow it, let alone get close to such a fearsome creature.
Glade jumped to his feet and stepped closer, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.
A radiant smile broke across his face, lighting up his features in a way I hadn’t seen before.
I noticed a small dimple carved into his left cheek, a detail that made him appear more human than ever.
“Would you like to go and meet her?” he slowly and carefully enunciated.
I glanced dreamily over my shoulder at the towering mountains, then back at Glade’s jubilant grin. “But…but isn’t that dangerous?”
“I told you I would fight to the death to keep you safe, remember?” He winked, his beaming smile never faltering. Then, without waiting for a response, he pushed past me, already advancing toward the mountains.
“Are you coming?” he called over his shoulder.
A wave of hesitation washed over me, my fear threatened to paralyze me, but I banished the doubts from my mind, gripping the hem of my skirt as tenacity and courage ignited within me.
“Uh, yeah!” I shouted back, my voice much steadier than I felt. With a burst of energy, I jogged through the blossoms until I caught up with him.
After an hour of hiking across the grasslands, threading through a small forest, and climbing a quarter of the way up the mountain path, we finally began to approach the dragon’s resting place.
Glade’s presence was reassuring as he urged me to stay close.
The air turned a bit cooler at this altitude, but the refreshing breeze felt invigorating after the exertion of our journey.
In the centre of a vast clearing made of flattened rock, the dragon lay curled in a sleeping ball, nestled among enormous boulders and scattered pebbles.
She was a spectacular sight. Her dark rust-coloured scales gleamed brilliantly in the dappled sunlight, while rows of silver spikes ran down her spine, glistering like polished titanium.
I couldn’t help but notice that her claws resembled daggers, a terrifying reminder of what we were encountering.
The last thing I wanted was to find myself on the receiving end of those lethal talons.
As Glade stepped into the plateau, I grabbed his bicep with both hands. “Glade, what are you doing?” I whispered urgently, the sound of my voice barely above a breath.
I had envisioned admiring the dragon from a safe distance, not facing her within fire-breathing range. I wasn’t interested in becoming a human barbecue.
Glade patted my hand in reassurance. “Relax, Jane. It’s just Mir.”
With that, he freed my grip from his arm and stepped boldly into the dragon’s lair.
The moment he landed, Mir’s soft snoring ceased, and I ducked behind a large boulder, peering out cautiously to witness the disaster that was sure to unfold. What the fuck was he thinking? He might have been the bravest or dumbest person on the planet.
Mir stirred, snorting as she cleared her airways, her massive head lifting from its resting place.
With a grand shake and an enormous yawn that revealed rows of dazzlingly sharp teeth, she blinked her glowing yellow eyes open and focused them on Glade.
She remained motionless, her piercing gaze following him as he approached.
Her tail, however, began to swish rhythmically, a sign of her interest… or her irritation.
“Hello, beautiful!” Glade gleefully called out, unafraid as he drew closer to the beast.
A deep, guttural purring noise rumbled from Mir’s throat, reverberating through the clearing. To my utter disbelief, she extended her long neck and nuzzled against Glade’s abdomen.
This magnificent animal, a creature of legend, was responding to him as if he were an old friend. My heart raced—not from fear, but from shock and fascination.
“I am sorry, my darling, I did not bring any meat today. My visit was a last-minute decision,” Glade revealed, shifting his gaze toward me, still hiding behind the boulder.
As he did, Mir’s purring faded, and she turned her massive head to inspect me more closely.
Though she had just lovingly nuzzled Glade, the dragon was still the most terrifying creature I had ever encountered. Her jaw was so large that one bite could swallow me whole. I could only hope she might like me, too.
Glade waved his hand, beckoning me to come closer. Though every instinct in me screamed to run, I trekked into the clearing. With each step I took, my legs wobbled uncontrollably.
Mir’s head tilted to one side as she watched me approach, her monstrous eyes peering through my soul with curiosity. She sniffed deeply, inhaling my scent, and I choked back my anxiety, silently pleading for her approval to continue.
To my amazement, she nudged her face forward, pressing her snout against my belly in invitation.
A hysterical laugh escaped my lips, and with trembling fingers, I reached out to touch the space between her eyes.
Glade remained beside her, cuddling her gargantuan head and rubbing his face affectionately against hers.
“She’s lovely,” I breathed.
As if she could understand my confession, Mir let out a profound, lumbering purr, reminiscent of a drumroll, that vibrated throughout the clearing.
“She truly is,” Glade quietly agreed.
As I stroked Mir’s snout, a thought struck me, and I asked, “Why doesn’t she want to eat us? Does she not like the taste of humans?”
In response, Mir’s head snapped up, her magnificent neon-yellow eyes gaping wide with concern as she peered toward Glade.
He chuckled under his breath, his hand patting her head comfortingly. “We’re not on the menu, thankfully. Dragons are brilliant, sentient beings, and in many ways, just as conscious as humans. You have nothing to worry about…unless you’re a sheep.”
To my surprise, Mir wiggled her neck in a manner that almost resembled a nod before burrowing against us again. I couldn’t help but cup her face in my hands, staring deep into her expressive eyes.
“Can she understand us?” I wondered aloud, the question more directed at Mir than Glade.