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Wynter was five years old and the dragon displayed on his back took my breath away. Abeloth would come forward and peer at him and every time Wynter’s eyes would turn yellow it scared me. He was too young to handle the power of a dragon.
“Daddy?” Wynter asked as he woke up after his merging.
“Do you remember what happened yesterday?” I asked him.
“Something jumped into me,” he said his eyes flashing yellow.
“You merged with your dragon,” I said to him.
“Like Abeloth?” he asked me with wide eyes.
“Yes, do you think we can go outside so I can meet him?” I asked.
“Okay,” he said smiling.
I picked him up and we headed downstairs. Megan was starting breakfast and she kissed Wynter on the forehead when I put him down. “We’ll be outside for a bit.” I said and opened the kitchen door.
Abeloth separated from me and lowered his head towards Wynter as he called on his dragon. “Come out thing,” Wynter said out loud.
“He doesn’t know how to come out,” Wynter said.
“Come forth child of mine,” Abeloth said.
Wynter arched his back slightly as the little dragon separated from him and stumbled over his own legs and fell down on the grass. “You’re so silly,” Wynter said.
“He’s beautiful Abeloth,” I said.
“This is Echo,” Abeloth said and the dragon stood up straight with his head in the air. He was the same height Wynter was and he looked almost black.
Echo hiccupped and a puff of smoke escaped from his mouth as he sat down and then flopped on his side as he yawned. Abeloth picked him up and nestled him against his chest as Kaida bumped him with her head. Megan stood on the porch steps and watched us with interest and laughed when Echo yawned and closed his eyes.
“He’s very cute,” she said.
“He’s going to be trouble,” I said.
“How can you say that?” she asked me as she stroked the scales on his face.
“He’s got the same maturity level as Wynter,” I said and Abeloth glared at me.
“He’ll be a strong warrior,” Kaida said.
“I didn’t say he wouldn’t be, let him merge with his host, Echo needs to sleep and Wynter needs to eat,” I said.
“Go rest little one, tomorrow we’ll teach you to fly,” Abeloth whispered and closed his eyes as Echo merged with Wynter.
“That tickles,” Wynter giggled.
We ate breakfast and Wynter seemed like himself. Echo slept a lot and Abeloth said that’s what baby dragons needed to do, they grew when they slept. I had called the Elders of Florida to inform them that Wynter had merged with his dragon and they outright laughed at me.
During the course of the next week, Echo learnt to fly and merge by himself. He was a quick learner just like Wynter and the two of them would spend hours in the pond or in the trees. Usually by the time it got dark I had to go look for Wynter to come inside.
“Chief Ryder, the Florida Elders will arrive in two minutes,” Max said as he popped his head into the kitchen.
“Thanks Max, I’ll go meet them,” I said.
“Probably here to laugh at you some more,” Felix said.
“Let’s see how much they’re laughing when they see Echo,” I said.
“I still can’t wrap my head around it, your family’s defeating all the odds of dragonkin,” he said.
“Just because my dad had twins?” I asked him.
“Well it started when he got the first gray dragon, then the twins, your refusal to die in combat, having the King’s ear and now your son has merged at the age of five. Come on Ryder, even you have to admit that’s pretty impressive,” he said.
“Maybe but so’s Milo. He’s running almost as fast as you can,” I said.
“Our children are prodigies,” he said and emptied his coffee cup.
“Prodigies my ass, the other day when I smacked Wynter’s ass Echo tried to bite me,” I said as Felix started to laugh.
“Call me next time, I’ll film it,” he said as we walked down the porch steps and we went our separate ways.
I waited as their boat neared the dock and while they took their time to get out of the boat. They looked even more relaxed this time and we all shook hands. “Chief Grey, so nice to see you again,” Elder Charles said.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked as we all walked towards the cabin.
“We’ve convened about your report of your boy merging with his dragon and decided that we needed to see this for ourselves, to see the validity of your claim,” Elder Jackson said.
“You came sooner than I thought,” I said.
I offered them chairs on the porch and offered them iced tea and poured their drinks. I went off to find Wynter once they'd settled in. As I suspected he was on the other side of the pond playing hide and seek with Echo.
“But we’re still playing,” Wynter complained.
“The Elders need to be introduced to Echo, merge and when the Elder asks you questions answer them honestly and then you and Echo can continue your game,” I said as I threw him over my shoulder and started walking back to the cabin.
“Elders, this is my son, Wynter,” I said.
“Good day Elders,” Wynter said and bowed his head respectfully.
“It’s nice to meet you young man,” Elder Neil said and smiled at him.
“Can you tell us how old you are?”
“Five,” Wynter replied.
“And how did you merge with your dragon?”
“He fell from the sky, he chased me and then he jumped into me,” Wynter said.
“Without ceremony and not in the dragon realm?”
“Huh?” Wynter said.
“Did someone make the dragon mark on your back?”
Wynter rarely wore a shirt and especially never on the island. His dragon was on display for all to see and I gave the Elders a look as they asked him that question.
“Are you calling me a liar?” Echo said through Wynter as his eyes shone yellow.
“Magnificent,” Elder Jackson said.
“This is truly incredible,” Elder Charles murmured.
“Separate Echo,” I said.
The Elders gasped as the dragon that was now a head taller than Wynter separated from him and growled at the Elders. Elder Neil actually chuckled at that and I had to smile as Abeloth rolled his eyes.
“This is Echo, Wynter’s dragon,” I said.
“He looks nearly black, except for the white on his chest,” Elder Neil remarked.
“Megan’s dragon is white, not sure if that could be the cause,” I said.
“A dragoness?” Elder Charles asked as he sat up straight.
“Yes,” I said feeling a bit uneasy.
“What a sight! Can we meet her?” Elder Neil asked.
“Megan went to visit her mother for a few days, maybe next time Elders,” I said.
“Such a pity, well this afternoon surely was informative,” Elder Jackson said.
I watched them as they exchanged looks with one another and immediately regretted ever telling them about Wynter and Megan. Doubt and uneasiness crept into my heart and I couldn’t get rid of it. I would be doubling security around the mainland for the foreseeable future.
“The Elders are there to protect people like us,” Megan said to me that night as we lay in bed.
“I don’t know Megan, I lied to them about where you were, something told me to shut up,” I said.
“We’ll all be fine, relax,” Megan said as she kissed me.
Another two weeks went by before they finally came for me. I had suspected that something would happen and one look told Felix to back off as I recognized the Royal seal on the envelope that the man handed to me.
“The King’s dead?” I asked him as he bowed his head.
“King Florin requests your urgent assistance at the summer castle in France. Late King Rex has also left some things behind some of which has been allocated to you Mr Grey,” the man said.
“What assistance?” I asked him.
“We are not at liberty to discuss that,” he said.
“Whatever the King wanted me to have can be sent to me,” I said.
“I must insist that you accompany us back to France,” the man said.
“Fine, give me a few minutes,” I said and started down the dock as both men followed me into the cabin.
“King Florin speaks highly of you, says that his father was friendly with you,” the man commented once I came downstairs with a duffel bag across my shoulder.
“Yeah, we were friends, the King will be missed,” I said.
“Ryder, what’s going on?” Megan asked me as she came in from outside.
“Keep Wynter away, double the warriors on the mainland,” I whispered and kissed her cheek. “King Rex has passed away and I’ve been summoned to France by King Florin.”
“Oh, I see,” Megan said as she hugged me. “We’ll be okay.”
“I love you Megan,” I said and kissed her goodbye.
“Love you,” she said as I broke the embrace and walked down the dock flanked by the two men who for some reason didn’t want me out of their sight.
“Can I ask how King Rex died?” I asked the man.
“That is confidential Mr Grey,” he replied and escorted me to a waiting car.
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