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Chapter 7
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I lay snuggled against Yrog, my poncho spread over me to ward off the chill. I watched the stars disappear and the sky begin to lighten. Last night had been terrifying and incredible. I still did not quite believe I’d beat a dragon at chess. I’d been losing badly when I baited Tarx-Wargle’s rook off his back rank by sacrificing my queen, then I checkmated him with my remaining rook. Yrog had laughed so hard she nearly collapsed, but, to my relief, flatly denied Tarx’s demands for a rematch.
After the game, Yrog carried me to the snack bar. It was stacked with meats and fruits I didn’t recognize. An orc sliced portions of sashimi for us off of a primordial looking, six finned fish that could have fit me in its mouth. Once we’d eaten, Yrog set me down on the dance floor. An ogre offered me a dance, and Yrog took that moment to slip away. I danced with a bunch of different dragons in myriad forms before Yrog found me again, now under guise of a dire teddy bear.
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Light illuminated the land below us, a maze of canyons and shadows in bas-relief. Color slowly returned to the world and mists rose in the valleys as the terminator crept across the land.
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I danced my last dance with Yrog, then she picked me up and carried me over to the quiet alcove where dragons were playing games. She found an open table, and I curled up in Yrog’s lap while she settled down to a game of wist. I sipped chamomile tea while Yrog played, and eventually fell asleep in her lap.
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Eventually, the sun rose above the horizon, its dazzling rays still blocked from us by the mountain summit. Yrog stirred and opened an eye.
“Good morning, little one.”
I stretched and yawned. “Good morning.”
“Ready to go see your parents?”
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I glided down the Lonelarch Valley, following a lazy, meandering stream. I circled twice over a small collection of stone huts and watched with amusement as the human serfs ran and hid in panic.
“So,” I asked Sarah, “which house is yours?”
“The one with the sheep pen, on the upstream side of the village,” Sarah replied.
I flew five minutes upstream, then swooped low and flew back to the village at tree-top height. Some of the men had just emerged from their homes. I landed in front of Sarah’s house, my back to the man who had ventured forth. I set down the Pet Pod™ and turned to face the terrified human, my head looming directly over his.
“You are Sarah’s father, I presume?”
The man stammered.
“That being the case, we need to discuss your daughter.”
About this time, Sarah, wearing her princess dress, ran past me and hugged her father.
“Dad!”
When the man failed to respond, Sarah let him go and turned to face me, standing by her father’s side.
“Yrog!” She glared up at me. “Quit scaring my father!”
A portly woman poked her head out of the hovel’s door to observe the commotion. Upon seeing Sarah, she hurried in front of her husband and daughter. The woman gave me an awkward curtsy.
“Lord Dragon, thank you for bringing our daughter home. I hope she has not been too much trouble.”
I laughed and slouched to one side.
“Now I see where my pet got her moxie. But you misunderstand, I’m not here to return your daughter, I’m here to collect you. Sarah beat Tarxy at a round of dragons’ chess, so you’re my serfs now.
“Tell you what, I’m going to go grab a snack while you get reacquainted. Sarah, write them a letter of introduction to Todd.” I dug out a writing case from storage and hand it to her. “I’ll proofread it when I return.” I stand up, “Oh yes, and it might behoove you to start a fire.”
I fly away, leaving Sarah to her happy reunion.
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As soon as Yrog left, my Mom turned around and bear hugged me. My siblings all piled out of the house. My little sister pressed close and put a hand on the bodice of my dress, mesmerized. My brothers clustered around, equally agog, but more reserved. "Welcome home," my Dad changed places with my Mom and gave me a hug. "Seems like you had an adventure."
