Jesse James and the Dragon's Egg

A Blessing and a Curse

Many people were summoned. Men and women with serious faces came and went. Some had curious headdresses, some had strange markings on their faces. Some were so old and frail looking, Jesse was surprised they could support their own weight, while others appeared barely older than he and his friends. One was strikingly reminiscent of Chip Trotman. They all inspected Al and Jesse, making rapid fire comments in their bizarre tongue. They openly poked and prodded the boy, turning his head this way and that, checking behind his ears and carefully examining his scalp. They looked at Al too, but from a distance. They did so with reverence, most not daring to touch the little dragon and those that did were absolutely apologetic about doing so.

People continued to come and go as Inarra walked to the doorway. Her way was quickly barred by two younger men. The elegant woman's eyes flashed an anger so intense that it sent a little chill down Jesse's back. She spoke calmly, almost too calmly, to the two men and they very quickly excused themselves from her path, bowing away from her like scolded puppies as she went to her husband. The two spoke briefly, then she crossed to the children.

"My dears, I know this must be... odd for you, but trust me, there is nothing to worry about here." She tried not to look at Al as she spoke. "These people are here to help sort some very important things out, but you will be done and away from here in no time." She smiled warmly at them, but Jesse couldn't help but notice that it wasn't just Al she was trying not to look at.

The woman left and returned quickly with her two oldest in tow. They carried trays of small cakes and tiny silver cups full of pungent coffee. The fare was accepted graciously by the various men and women in the room.

From one corner of the room there came a flurry of intense, hushed conversation in the strange language which none of the children understood. Arguments erupted shortly thereafter and at one point, a very old gentleman came up to Jesse and began screaming at the boy. He was so agitated that Jag and Khalil had to physically pull him away. There was much more discussion as more people file into the room and heated debate continued to break out sporadically. At one point three men and an elderly woman corner Jag, all yelling and barking at the man who was doing his best to defend himself.

Time passed and debates cooled and an agreement was reached and at the behest of an elder woman, a large carpet was brought in. The beds were all pushed to the sides of the room and the ornate carpet was rolled out into the middle of the floor. Three of the younger men gathered around the elder who had screamed at Jesse. He gave the young men very specific instructions, and they listened studiously. He made careful, intricate hand gestures which the young men imitated, then with a dismissive wave of his hands they were gone, running with a purpose from the room and out of the tent. The elder flashed Jesse a cold look before returning to the group.

The eldest members of the group of men and women and one very young woman took a seat in a circle around the carpet. Meanwhile, a group of four took positions outside the circle, standing in a rough square, each facing out from the circle. They mumbled something under their breath and worked through a series of hand gestures.

"Boy," the elder croaked at Jesse, "bring the beast here." He motioned to the center of the carpet, the center of the circle, the unfortunate center of attention. His heart pounded in his ears as he stood, cradling Al in his arms. He wondered about his chances for making it to the door with Al just as Jag caught his eye from across the room. The man gives him a warm smile and a brief nod.

Jesse felt exposed as he stood where he was bade, holding his quietly growling friend close to his chest. Quiet conversation around the room was beginning to die down and the mumbling of the four standing outside the circle turned to chanting, their volume growing. As Jesse stood in the center of attention, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, the recitation of the four reached a fever pitch and then abruptly ended. And with the sound of the last word, spoken in absolute harmonic unison, the ground shook. One quick, deep rumbling which died like thunder. It was intense enough to have knocked loose items from shelves and endangered unsecured cups of coffee. The group, however, were as unperturbed by this as they were by the fact that the four standing outside the circle were now locked is some sort of trance, and they are glowing.