Home is a Treasure Beyond Price

Chapter 10

"Nick!"
Nick was so surprised to hear a voice that wasn't his own that it took him a moment to recognize it. "Theo?"
A grin spread across his face as he pelted out of the cave. He skidded to a stop when he caught sight of Theo in his car "When did you get back?" Nick asked. His smile dimmed when he noticed the hurried look on Theo's face.
"What's wrong with you?" Nick said. "Get your things! No, never mind. Forget your things. Get in." Theo threw a worried look up at the darkening sky. "I don't know how long that dragon's going to be away."
Nick blinked. "Is this a rescue?"
"Yes! Come on."
He took a step back and shook his head. "I don't need rescuing."
"You don't need—" Theo broke off and glared at him. "I come back to visit and Ma tells me that three weeks ago, Gordon told everyone you were killed by a dragon. Then, you show up a few days later with a purse full of dragon gold and disappear back into the dragon's cave. And now you tell me," Theo said on a rising note, "you don't need rescuing?"
"It wasn't full of g—"
A roar shook the clearing. They instinctively ducked. They both looked up and saw Cadence stooping down towards the clearing from a great height. At the last moment, Cadence's wings snapped open and she landed with a loud rush of sound and a flurry of dried leaves. Theo got out of his car, quickly becoming defensive. Cadence stalked towards them, with wings flared and a cold light in her eyes. All Nick could see were claws and fangs and fury. This was Cadenza, he reminded himself, as his heart tried to climb out of his throat and he struggled not to back away.
Theo took a step forward, putting himself between Nick and Cadence. He drew his revolver.
<You dare to steal from a dragon?>
The words rang in Nick's head, iced over with fury. Theo flinched and his gun wavered as he looked all around. Nick had to do something before Theo ended up dead. He moved in front of Theo and stood his ground, as Cadence continued her steady advance.
"Nick!" Theo hissed and tried to grab at Nick. "Get back here!"
Nick dodged him and held his hands out. "Cadenza. Stop... please."
Cadence's head swiveled towards him. <We had a bargain, Nick.> Her voice was clipped and hard, with sharp edges that cut at Nick's mind.
"He's my friend. He was only trying to help me, he didn't know."
Theo tried to get in front of Nick. Cadence's head swung back to focus on Theo. "Theo," Nick said out of the side of his mouth, not daring to take his eyes off Cadence. "Wait. You can't fight her and win. Let me talk to her."
"Talk?!"
"Cadenza." He put himself in Cadence's line of sight. The knowledge that he was purposely drawing the attention of a dangerous predator to himself made his heart crash against his ribs. "I swear I wasn't going anywhere. I didn't plan this. I wasn't trying to escape."
Cadence looked down at him, neck arched and wings held high, her breath loud as a blacksmith's bellows as smoke curled from her nostrils. Nick made himself edge forward, hands out, until he was close enough to rest his hand on cadence's snout. The skin was hot, much hotter than normal. "I wasn't leaving. I made you a promise."
Slowly, slowly, the tension drained out of Cadence's muscles. Her wings furled and her tail ceased its furious lashing.
<It's never wise to break a promise to a dragon.>
"I don't break my promises, Cadenza."
Cadence's eyes swirled with silver. Nick held his gaze without flinching, hiding nothing, hoping Cadence could read the truth in his eyes.
<I See that you don't.> Without so much as a glance at Theo, Cadence stalked into the cave.
Nick stared after her, jittery with unreleased tension as the scent of iron left too long in the blacksmith's forge hung in the air. It was the first time he'd truly understood what it meant that Cadence; mischievous, whimsical, and kind Cadence; was a dragon. In the course of Nick coming to think of Cadence as something similar to a friend, he'd lost sight of just how deadly she could be.
He startled when Theo laid a hand on his shoulder.
"What was that?" Theo pointed in the direction of the cave. "You're talking to the dragon? That voice in my head—that was the dragon? And what's this promise you were talking about?" He gave Nick a baffled glance. "What in the hells happened while I was away?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story."
"Then I guess you'd better start talking." Theo sheathed his sword and folded his arms. "Because I don't think that dragon of yours is the patient sort."
Nick rubbed the back of his neck. "You didn't meet her under the best circumstances Theo. She's really very nice."
<I can hear you.>
"Gods!"
"What?" Theo whispered, as his hand went to his sword. "What's wrong?"
"She, uh, she can hear us."
"Gods."
Nick nodded.
Theo gave the cave mouth a hunted look, then he shook his head. "So," he said. "The story?"
It took almost ten minutes to tell Theo what happened, because a lot of time was spent waiting for Theo to finish cursing and swearing vengeance on Ruiz and Gomez.
"Don't do anything stupid, Theo. You'll only get into trouble."
"When has that ever stopped you?"
"I don't have family to think of," Nick said. "You do." He watched Theo pace back and forth. "You know Gordon can make things harder for your family if you do anything. Besides," he added, "it's for the best, really."
Theo rounded on him. "You could have died, Nick." He jabbed a finger in the direction of the village. "They meant for you to die."
"I was probably dead anyway," he admitted.
A look of horror crossed Theo's face. "What in the hells does that mean?"
"I don't know if I'd have made it through the winter, Theo." It was hard getting the words out. He'd always been too proud for his own good. "My situation... it wasn't—it wasn't so good."
Ever since new technology had been invented, the meager skills he'd learned from his mother before she'd passed weren't needed anymore. No one would hire him for field work, not when there were able-bodied men around who could work faster and longer than he did. In their small city, there wasn't much use for a man who wasn't really good at anything. The little work that came his way was probably given out of pity, and he refused to accept money from people who had families to feed.
"You—" Theo inhaled long and deep before letting his breath out. "Why didn't you say something."
"You were leaving—" he stopped at the way Theo's face went blank. "I guess I just knew you had to leave." He gave Theo's elbow a brief squeeze. "I didn't think you were coming back."
There was a silence broken only by the creak of metal as Theo squeezed the hilt of his gun. "I nearly didn't," Theo said. "It's better now, but this place for me..." Theo shook his head and looked down.
Theo's grief was a private thing, so he kept quiet while Theo gathered himself. It was a long moment before Theo said, "But Antonio? Chris? You couldn't have told them?"
"You know I couldn't do that, both of them are still apprenticing. They've got enough problems of their own." He continued before Theo could speak, "And harvest was bad this year, so no, I wouldn't have told your parents either."
"So you decided to let the dragon eat you?" The outraged look Theo gave him was one that Nick was very familiar with. "How is that—?" Theo's jaw worked as he struggled for words.
"Theo." Caught by the serious tone in his voice, Theo stilled and looked at him. "I was dead anyway. At least this way, it would've made a difference." He held Theo's frowning gaze, at peace with the choice he'd made.
Theo gave a defeated sigh. "Go on," he said. "Finish your story."
"That's all there is." Nick shrugged. "That's how I ended up here."
Theo's gaze drifted to the cave opening. "Are you happy here?"
He opened his mouth, reconsidered, and closed it again. He nodded instead.
<Answer the man, Nick.>
He shouted in the direction of the cave, "Already did, Cadence."
<Cadence? I am a dragon. Are you going to keep shortening my name? Will I have to put up with the indignity someday of being called Cad?> Cadence's voice dripped with sarcasm and outrage. <And what was your answer?>
"What's so funny?" Theo asked suspiciously. "Was he talking to you in your head? Why couldn't I hear it?"
There was a sniff. <Dragon speech is a fine and subtle tool. I alone decide who is gifted with my words.>
Theo eyed him. "What'd he say," he said in a resigned voice.
"Ahh..." Nick began, then thought better of it and shook his head.
"And did you really just call a dragon 'Cadence'?" Theo asked. "How are you still alive?"
"I—I'm useful to her, I suppose."
<You are more than that, Nick,> She chided.
Emotion surged in Nick's chest and his breath caught.
"Nick? Hey, are you alright?"
< Nick?>
"I'm fine," Nick reassured them both. "I'm fine. Just—" happy, his mind whispered. That's what it was, that light, warm feeling when he heard Cadence's voice in his head—it was happiness. Theo gave him an odd look, like he knew there was more to the conversation than Nick was letting on.
"So you're fine staying here. With a dragon."
"Yes."
Theo shook his head. "Only you, Nick. When Ma told me you went back to the cave, I thought maybe you were scared for your life." Theo snorted. "'Scared for your life'... I don't know what I was thinking."
"Stay for a meal?"
Nick ignored the disdainful snort in his head that followed the invitation.
After a brief hesitation, Theo said, "I don't think I'm quite ready to have dinner with a dragon, Nick. You should come home with me"—here Theo angled his head in the direction of the cave and increased his volume—"for dinner."
<Your friend can be dinner if he continues down this road.>
When Nick choked back a laugh, Theo looked very pleased with himself. "Come on," he said. "Ma misses you. And she's worried."
"Oh. I—" Nick hesitated, he did have a job to attend to.
There was a loud, long-suffering sigh. <You should go. I'm sure I can survive without your hands for one evening.>
A smile crossed his face unbidden at Cadence's words. "I'll come," he said to Theo.
"That's good." Theo rounded the car and started the engine.
"So, you gonna walk or get in the car?"