Of Disappearances and Dragons - Complete

Part 11

He pulled the cord over his head and peered at it through the semi darkness. Now what? Just as he was considering throwing it at the dragon to see if that did any damage he heard a very familiar voice.

"Finn, is that you?"

"Archie!" he said, dropping the Dragonstone in surprise. Thankfully he felt it land on his lap.

"Yes I'm here," Archie said. "Come out, I promise I won't burn you."

"I can't come out there's a great big-" Finn stopped abruptly as he realised what Archie had just said. "No! You're not- You can't be!"

"Yes," said Archie glumly.

Finn slowly got to his hands and knees, keeping the Dragonstone clasped in his hand just in case, and peered round the boulder. There in front of him, wings tucked into his body, vicious talons glinting in the light from outside the cave, was a dragon.

The visceral terror that Finn felt at the sight of it soon vanished when the dragon lifted one of its' front paws and waved forlornly at him. And that was it for Finn. He burst into loud peals of laughter that echoed through the cave. Every time it seemed to be winding down he'd look back at Archie and start all over again. Archie rolled his eyes and gave a huff which saw sparks shooting from his nose but gradually a smile appeared on his face.

"Alright," he said eventually. "If you've quite finished I need your help."

"Finn," came Jarrold's voice from the entrance of the cave. "Are you alright?"

"You can come in you two. It's alright," replied Finn. "I'd like to introduce you to my brother."

Jarrold and Eila came into the cave and then stopped suddenly at the sight of Archie. For once they both seemed speechless.

Still chuckling slightly Finn said, "So what do you need me to help with. And how did all this even happen?"

"Take this off and I'll explain."

Archie gestured to his neck with a taloned claw and, looking closer, Finn realised there was a thin chain tight about his neck and the scales that it touched were red raw and sore looking. After a moment he recognised it as the pendant Archie always wore, a good luck charm their mother had given him when he was a boy.

Finn reached up to it and then stopped and eyed Archie suspiciously.

"Hang on a minute," he said. "We've been hearing all sorts of rumours of dragon attacks lately. Was that you? Have you... killed people?"

"No," Archie cried releasing a jet of flames that Jarrold had to jump out of the way off.

Archie's expression turned sheepish, quite an achievement for a dragon that reached 6 feet high when sat down.

"Sorry about that. I've still not quite got the hang of the whole fire thing. And of course the few times I ventured out of the cave to try and find help I accidentally shot fire everywhere so everyone thought I was coming to get them. Not to mention figuring out how to use the wings."

He shook one out slightly and the draft it made sent all three of them stumbling back slightly.

"I accidentally flew into someone's barn. Knocked it right over, caused quite a kerfuffle with all the animals. And of course everyone thought I was trying to eat them so then they started throwing pitchforks at me. After that I decided it was safer to stay in here and wait for you."

Finn considered him for a moment and then said, "Alright. Turn around and we'll get this off you."

It took quite a bit of fiddling, the clasp had become embedded in some very tender flesh under one of Archie's scales and every attempt of Finn's to get it undone resulted in sparks and fire from Archie. Not to mention the fact that Finn was shaking from suppressed laughter. But eventually Finn had the clasp opened and the chain off of Archie's neck.

Archie gave a great stretch of relief that saw the top of his scaled head brush the roof of the cavern and then suddenly there was a small pop and Archie the human was standing before them in the tattered rags that had been his clothes before the transformation.

The two brothers embraced, clapping each other on the back as they did so.

Once introductions had been made they settled themselves on the sandy beach outside, Archie in Finn's borrowed cloak, and waited for Archie to explain how he'd ended up there.

"It was a silly mistake really," Archie sighed. "I sneezed during my incantation for ever hot tea and ended up a dragon by the sea, and believe me, if there's any creature that's ever hot it is a dragon. Quite unbearable it was, like having constant heartburn all over. I can see why dragons turn to lives of anger and tyranny suffering as they do."

"Still not quite sure why I had to trek all this way to help you though," said Finn. "Why couldn't you have just magicked yourself out of it? That's the point of magic isn't it?"

"The pendant's made of Heathstone and it affected me as if I really were a dragon. Completely blocked my magic. A most unnatural feeling. Glad it's back now. And I'm very grateful you came big brother but I must say I'd be even more grateful if there's food in your pack."

Finn laughed and threw his pack over to Archie who quickly began rummaging through it.

"And what are you two going to do now?" Finn asked, turning to Jarrold and Eila. "I'd definitely say you've paid me back for saving your hat."

Jarrold patted his purple top hat which didn't seem any the worse for wear after its' adventures in the tree and almost being lost in the River Malley after their encounter with the Cerrog.

"And you've seen your dragon," Finn said to Eila.

Eila grinned back at him in a way that instantly filled Finn with foreboding but it was Jarrold who answered his question, so excited he was almost bouncing up and down on the rock he was sat on.

"We were talking about that actually," he said. "And we've decided we're going to stay with you. Neither of us has ever left Arys Isle and now seems to be the perfect time to do so."

Before Finn could formulate any sort of response to that, although deep down, very deep down he was actually quite pleased he wasn't going to be saying goodbye to the strange pair just yet, Archie let out a cry.

Glaring at Finn, the map of Arys Isle in his hand, he cried, "You ripped pages out of one of my book!"

The End

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If you've reached this far thanks so much for reading my little story and I'd love to know what you think of it.