A Warrior Made Of Dragon's Blood

Chapter 6

In the morning I wake up and at first am puzzled as to why I'm not at home. Then the previous day's events come back to me. I look over and sure enough the dragon is lying right next to me curled up into a tight golden ball. I look at it puzzled and then realize that it's the dragon and I recall the events of last night. I feel in awe to be so close to something of legend.

I'm hungry and I'm sure the dragon is as well so I run out of the cave and into the forest to set traps. When I return to the cave, the dragon is awake and cleaning its scales.

"Where were you?" he asks.

"I was catching us breakfast," I say, dumping three wild boars onto the floor of the cave. "By the way, what is your name? You didn't tell me it yesterday."

"My name is Nagraja," he responds. "Now, let's eat," he says.

Nagaraja opens his mouth and lets out a short jet of golden flame, just enough to roast, but not burn the boars. I watch in wonder as the flames surround the animals.

While we eat, he asks, "Have you ever learned how to read, write, count or use a weapon?"

Putting down the piece of meat I'm eating, I reply, "No, I don't know how to do a single one of those things."

"Then I will teach you. Those skills will come in handy for rescuing your village and even in life. But to do that, I will need to take you to my main home in the Akan Volcano complex. But we'll only go if you want to."

I already knew that I needed to learn how to use a weapon and I guess learning how to read and write wouldn't hurt.

"Okay, so when do we leave?"

"We can go right now if you want. It will take a day to get there, but if we start flying now we'll be able to start your training tomorrow."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" I cry with excitement.

Nagaraja tilts his head down allowing me to climb up onto his back before spreading his huge wings and rising into the air. I hold onto his two horns as he takes off. The wind is crisp and cool in the morning air. A rush of excitement shoots through me as the wind rustles through my hair. This feels amazing. Around noon Nagaraja swoops down to a lake to take a drink of water. While he is doing so, I catch a few fish and we pause to have lunch. After we eat, the flight continues. We fly until several mountain peaks come into view. The sun is just setting, casting a rusty tinge across the mountains. Flying past a few volcanoes, we land at an entrance to a gigantic cave. It's even bigger than the cave Nagaraja was living in before. Wearily, we enter the cave and immediately Nagaraja falls into a deep sleep. I wander around the cave for a while until I come to a room that is filled to the ceiling with scrolls. I pick one out and open it. Not knowing how to read I have no idea what anything says, but I do enjoy looking at the letters and speculating on what they mean. Walking out of the room, I stride to where Nagaraja is sleeping and lie down next to him. Closing my eyes, I'm instantly asleep.