The Secret

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The man who had spoken appeared old, but at the same time he was neither young nor old. He had short, dark hair, piercing hazel eyes, and a tough-looking face. A stern set to the jaw, narrow eyes, almost bushy, but not, eyebrows. “Not until the seven had gathered could your journey begin. Come. We must not speak here.”

The seven young teenagers wisely kept silent and followed. They led him around the market and to a car.

“Ladies first,” Dan said. “Coward.” Callie stuck her tongue out at him, and he glared at her. The three girls entered the car, the four boys following. “I get shotgun!” Ollie jumped into the passenger seat.

“Hurry. We should head to base right after you’re told what you need to know,” the man said. That stopped and joking around and the whole drive to, well, wherever they were going was almost maddening silence.

“You may exit the vehicle.” They all wanted to laugh at the seriousness of his tone but choked it back and ‘exited the vehicle.’ The place was dark. It was past midnight though. It seemed to be a forest, but maybe not. They walked

“Here we will explain. Q?” A middle aged woman stepped out of the darkness next to the man.

“Hello children. I’m Q, you may address me as Q. Might as well being,” she launched into her speech. “As you know, you have been chosen for a very special purpose. I’ll tell you now that this is very dangerous. People are out looking for us, and I need you to know the full extent of the danger before letting you agree to do this. At some point, you will have to risk your life in protecting this creature. We have many enemies who wish to take the dragon, and your role in its protectors, is to protect it with your very life. If you do not wish to take such risks, leave now.” Q paused, but no one moved. “You are just who we were looking for,” she smiled faintly. “Now each of you has a special potential in which will be revealed in time. You will fly to base after this meeting and get acquainted with your new surroundings. Please understand, nothing will make sense. At first. In time you will understand all. You will not see the dragon until the Protector’s Ceremony, which will only take place if all seven make it. Unless, of course, he calls you. But that is a whole different discussion for a later time. Are you all in?”

They nodded numbly. What else could they do? “But another thing,” Q said. “Your communication with the world will be limited.” They looked at each other in confusion. And that means…? But Q would say no more. She smiled at them and shook their hands. “Well get going then. Off to base with you!”

The man led them back to the car and they got in. Dotti, who was last to get it, was stopped by Q. “Guard this closely,” she said, placing a small object in her right palm. When the car started and the drove off to who knows where, Dotti examined the object in pale light from the moon. It was a tiny dragon. Weird…It was made of soft gold, decorated with silver. The eyes, were very detailed and outlined in silver, as where the tips of its wing and feet. Surely, a master created it. But what was it for?