by CC Hogan
Chapter 23 – A Friend in Need
“Mummy, Mummy, Mummy! My dragon has come to fly me!”
Melini looked up from behind the table where she was cleaning up after breakfast at the bouncing little girl. “Silvi, what do you mean?”
“My dragon, mummy. You know my dragon. She is here! Quick Mummy!”
Melini sighed. All they had heard about for the last few weeks was how the girl’s dragon would be coming back to take her flying. But Melini knew that it was pretty unlikely the sea dragon had lived, so terrible had been her injuries, and if she even knew that the little girl had wanted to go flying, it would be, well, incredible.
“Come on Mummy! Now! And she has brought her friend to see us!”
“What friend?” Melini stood up. She was becoming aware of some sort of commotion outside in the village. “Silvi, what is going on?”
“I told you, mummy,” the little girl said with her hands firmly on her hips. “My dragon has come to see me. Now come on!” The girl turned tail and rushed out of the door.
“Silvi?” Melini took off her apron in annoyance and followed to see what on earth was going on outside in the village. Walking around the corner into the square, she stopped dead in her tracks. There, surrounded by most of the village and her grinning husband was Fren-Eirol, standing up tall and proud, and another huge dragon standing next to her. The big sea dragon looked at Melini, closed her eyes and bowed low in greeting.
“You are alright,” Melini said in a near whisper, and then shouted it out. “You are alright!” And rushed to the dragon and hugged her head.
“Yes, Melini, I am alright, thanks to you and everyone else. This is Be-Elin and we are on our way to find our friends.”
Melini’s smile dropped. “And the girls?”
“They were rescued, but the story is far from over and I fear they might be in trouble.”
“Why have you come to see us then? You should go.”
“I have something very important to do first,” the dragon said in a warm voice. And she whisked her head around to Silvi, who shrieked in surprise. The dragon lowered her head right down to the ground so her nose was nearly touching the little girl’s tiny face. “Silvi,” she said very seriously.
“Yes, Eirol?” the small girl said in a shaky voice, chewing her knuckle.
“I believe I promised to take you flying.”