WREN Book Three Prince of Dragons

Pontus

I struggled in the darkness. A face came towards me through the murky water. The elongated body of a dragon. It's sickly green color illuminated the space I was in. It's face was longer than those I was used to seeing. It had whiskers that looked like a Fu Manchu mustache above its lip.

He roared out bubbles forming between us. My air was almost gone as he head butted me. It lifted me up, he rammed into me. It wasn't painful, but he pushed me back through a rocky entrance that was behind me. Ramming his head against my bottom, he shoved me above the water level of the cave. I drew in air gratefully.

Clawing at the slippery rock, I was able to pull myself up out of the water. He floated behind me in the water, just his eyes and the very top of his head were above the surface. He watched me with a keen intelligence.

'Greetings, great sea dragon.' I offered as politely as I could.

I don't know why I used my mental voice first. It may have been due to me still trying to get enough air to satisfy my lungs. It may have been due to how he kept his mouth below the surface of the water. I watched as his eye ridge rose. It was such a human like expression that I chuckled.

'You are he?' his voice was gruff but wispy. I cocked my head.

'I'm not sure what you have heard, but...' I was cut off.

'You are her son.' He clarified.

I drew back to find a more comfortable sitting position. Of course. My mother hadn't been talking to mer folk. She had been friends with a dragon. Not just any dragon, but a legacy one. Her life so mirrored my own in many ways. I shivered as I thought about it. How would we have gotten along?

'Yes.' This confirmation slipped from me softly. He rose up.

Climbing toward me he pulled the upper half of his body out of the water. I could tell that this cave wouldn't be large enough for him to bring his entire body in here. He was very long indeed. What I took as a sickly color flourished here. It was brighter than what the dark of the water made it seem. His golden eye pierced me as he took in everything he could.

I wanted to laugh seeing how his mustache twitched as he sniffed my leg. The whiskers on it, tickled my ankle where my pants had risen up. I didn't move to fix anything. Instead I suffered for his curiosity. His eye fixed me back in place.

'My kind have heard of humans like you. I can sense that you have gathered two of the others faith.' He muttered.

'Quincy was a friend.' I whispered. My hand clutched the shirt over my heart.

Unbidden images of our years spent together crossed the barrier in our minds. He rested his chin on the rocks before me. His eyes going slightly out of focus as he watched my recollection of my trusted friend. She gave her life so that I could rise above and help her brethren. Our breathers.

The last thought came to me as I watched the memories as well. I wasn't a child of man. I wasn't related to the king upon the throne. I was more animal than man. I had always been. Maybe that was what the knights saw in me. Not a small pathetic human, but a dirty animal. I shivered at the images flooded me.

This dragon was powerful, but I didn't try to stop him as he searched my memories. I needed his trust. I wouldn't have days to build it or another dragon nearby to show their faith in me. Here, it was just the two of us. He would have to make up his own mind about me.

'My I ask your name?' I inquired.

'It is apparent you know dragons don't often have names.' He stated. So he had learned what my first language was. I lowered my head. An image rose up in my mind. It wasn't of him, it was the wry. My old home. My heart ached to see it again. It was were I had learned love, had been given my freedom.