Chapter 3: Precious Cargo

Umbris gets help... poor guy

The storm was raging by the time Margret drove to pick up Emmet and Esther. Emmet waited under the porch of the school with Esther, better than getting soaking wet. He smiled at his sister, knowing that she hadn’t sent Nym for him the whole day. He couldn’t be prouder, and he had promised to make her a Fog Rhubarb Tart for dessert.

“You don’t have to,” Esther said, but her eyes were clearly begging. “Oh Yes please!!”

Emmet chuckled. “Hey, Dr. Evens did tell you to celebrate every success right?” He asked. “It’s doctors orders that I spoil you.”

Esther laughed. “I don’t think that's what she meant Emmet.”

“It's what I got.” Emmet teased, then he shrugged. “But If you don’t want Fog Rhubarb Tart, I won’t bother. Here I thought that was your favorite desert.”

“It is!” Esther said. “I didn’t say to not make it, I definitely would eat it if you made Fog Rhubarb Tart.”

Emmet laughed and put a hand on his sister's shoulder. “Okay okay… I’ll make you some. Relax.”

The two laughed at each other, Nym climbing up onto Emmet’s shoulders for a moment. He smiled at the happy feeling that the small dragon sent him. Something he had to learn about the Siberian Psychic, was that she didn’t speak like Granite, but she spoke in a way. With pictures and feelings. He had to learn what word matched a feeling. Like what a greeting feeling felt like, or ‘I’m worried.’ felt like. It was a unique experience for both siblings. 

At that moment, Nym was giving a report on how Esther did that day. though as usual, the dragoness didn’t use words, but this was what he deciphered; “Esther braves today. Didn’t speak much until friends came. Played some tag before the weather turned bad. Got nervous once, but Nym and friends help.”

Emmet smiled and pet the Siberian. Nym happily arched her back and gave a mewling purr, as well as a wave of peace, and a pleasant warmth. 

“Nymnym,” Esther called, bringing Nym back to her arms and onto her shoulders. 

“Still, kid, I’m very proud of you. And mom will be too.” Emmet said.

Honk! Honk!

Speaking of whom, the two looked up to see their mother drive up in an old station wagon. Emmet didn’t know how old it was, but he was glad for the car when the weather was too nasty to ride Granite.

“Race ya.” Emmet encouraged. “looser cleans dishes.”

Esther gave him a rye smile before tucking Nym into her coat. “You’re on!”

“Alrighty, ready..” Emmet said, crouching slightly. 

Esther copied him. 

“Go!” he called, taking off towards the car, holding up an arm to feebly shield himself from the downpour. 

Esther laughed as she followed suit. Running as hard as she could, through the rain. Though she gave it her all, they both hit the car and yelled “Safe!” In unison, proving they would both be doing dishes that night.

Once they were in the car and driving home, Margret looked at their soaked clothes and shook her head. “I take it it was a good day you two?”

“School is school ma,” Emmet said, relaxing in the seat of the car. “But yeah, it was okay.”

“What about you Esther?” Margret asked, looking in the rear view at her daughter. 

Esther looked back and nodded. “It was good. I hung out with Katie and Jasmine again. No one in my class had ever met a Siberian Psychic before, so I got a lot of questions about Nym. Kind of an early show-and-tell day.”

“That's great honey!” Margret said with a smile. “I told you school wouldn’t be that bad.”

“I promised I’d make her a Fog Rhubarb Tart for dessert.” Emmet said. “After all, Dr. Evans did say to celebrate every success. So I’d guess this is something to celebrate.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Margret said. “I’ve been needing to stop at the store, so we can grab what we need real quick before getting home.”

The rest of the trip was uneventful, though Emmet did tease Esther about not needing to make the tart, but after giving his a sour pout, a cross between a scowl and a pout making it look like the person had sucked on a lemon before scowling, Emmet laughed and finally stopped.

As they got home, Emmet was helping his mother carry in the groceries while Esther took both the book bags, Nym happily sleeping in Esther's bag to hide from the rain.

She set the bags down and let Nym out, but noticed the small dragon was alert about something. Esther sat down and looked at her dragon before asking. “What is it?” 

Nym looked at Esther and gave a chittering row before crawling into the girl's lap and offering a glimpse to what she was sensing. 

Hurt.. hurt everywhere… can barely move… 

They’re not hurt… they’re safe for now… 

But hurting… all up along my wings… and down to my claws…

Esther had to pull herself away to get out of the thoughts. She held her head, feeling the painful aches as if they were her own. She bit her lip as Nym gently offered a sense of security and peace. Esther gladly accepted the healing emotions, but she had a feeling that someone was hurt on their property. 

She picked up the bags again and took them upstairs, setting her bag at the door to her room before knocking on Emmet’s door. 

“A sec!” He called.

“Okay..” Esther answered, holding Nym close as she waited for her brother to open the door. Once he did, he noticed right away that something was wrong. “Essy?” He asked. “Whats wrong?”

Esther let herself in and closed the door. 

“Whoa, easy Rebel,” Emmet said, watching his sister. His room was a typical boys room; bean bag chair in the corner and clothes in places that the hamper wasn’t. But instead of a bed, he had a hammock with a folded blanket for warmth at night. He had a few posters up, mostly of rock bands that rang with air dragons, using their sonic booms as the base of their songs. 

“Nym’s sensing something,” Esther told him. “I didn’t want to scare mom…”

Emmet rubbed his chin a moment with his index finger, raising an eyebrow at Nym. “What’s she sensing?” He asked. “And how can you tell?”

“She showed me,” Esther said. “And I thought… since you’ll be feeding the livestock soon and seeing Granite, maybe you guys can check it out?”

Emmet sat at his desk, looking at his little sister curiously. She always had a soft spot for anyone in need, and it was good to see that want to help again, but not with her looking so scared. 

“Alright,” Emmet said. “I’ll check it out, but mind if Nym shows me what she showed you? So I see what we’ll be walking into?”

Esther nodded and gently gave Nym to Emmet. 

Emmet looked at the small furry dragon and tilted his head. He wasn’t as good at communicating to Nym as Esther was, but he was okay with it.

He hoped he sent the message right, giving a sense of wrong with a feeling of curiosity.

Nym pressed against him and they closed their eyes. Instantly Emmet could sense the others thoughts, almost like he was laying in the mud on his side, everything hurting from his wing tips to his claws. The rain was pounding around him, making an ambient buzz around him. But through the pain, he felt relief and a small sense of joy. Emmet took a ragged breath with whoever he felt, but it was more of a tired sigh rather than one of the last breaths. Then there was a stab of knowing and Emmet felt his scales rise and rattle slightly.

“Who’s there!”

Emmet opened his eyes at the voice ringing through his head and took a few breaths. He looked at Nym, and the knowing in her eyes was enough to know that she understood that he got the message. 

“Yeah, someone's hurt out there,” Emmet answered. “A dragon by how that felt. I’ll get Granite out for a ride right away. I think your tart is gonna have to wait, though.”

“I’ll cover for you,” Esther said. 

Emmet smiled and gave a nod. “Thanks. I’ll be back soon.”

With that he gave Nym back to Esther and rushed downstairs, throwing on a heavy rain coat and his wide-brimmed hat. 

“Where you off to?” Margret asked from the kitchen.

“Feeding the livestock early tonight,” Emmet answered. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

“Alright, just be careful out there,” Margret called back.

“When am I not careful?” Emmet asked, smiling at his mother and slipped outside to the stables.

* * *

“So, let me get this straight.” Granite said, as he grudgingly walked through the rain and soft soil. “There's a dragon out here that’s hurt,”

“Yep,” Emmet said, on Granites back, holding a flashlight in his hand and an electric lantern tied to the saddle. With it was a dragon's first aid kit.

“And you only know this because Nym connected you to him?” Granite continued.

“Right so far,” Emmet answered. 

“And you didn’t tell your mother about this?” Granite asked.

“Nope,” Emmet answered.

Granite sighed but was quiet as he continued to walk. He was uneasy about being out in a storm like this. It was nasty like this the day he lost his rider. He snorted, steam coming from his nostrils, but the snort gave him something. He paused and lifted his head, smelling the air.

“Sup Granite?” Emmet asked.

“Blood…” Granite answered. “Definitely dragon.” 

With that, the earth dragon moved a little more quickly. He followed his nose to the glades, where he stopped dead in his tracks and gave a low growl as he saw the breed of dragon it was. 

Emmet raised his flashlight and gave a small gasp at the sight of the downed Shadow Dragon. He could see it was breathing heavily, and in the light of the flashlight, its muscles quivered under its scales.

The Shadow Dragon must have smelled them, or heard Granite growl, because it stirred and dragged its head from under its wings and looked at them, snarling back.

Emmet had never seen a Shadow dragon… but he was sure a sight to see. He had more of a lupine head, the horn-like scales along the back of his head looking like raised fur around the four pale horns that crowned him. His body was lean with muscles that allowed speed and silence in flight and running, and his claws showed he was more dexterous than most other breeds. But Emmet could also see that his left wing was charred and looked stiff as it laid over him. He was covered in cuts and gashes as he lay in a low crater. He crashed, which was a rare sight for any dragon, let alone living a crash. 

Emmet knew that Shadow Dragons were often hired by the royals, both dragon, and human, to act as silent and hidden protectors… assassins, and paired with riders. But he also knew that they were the favored dragon of the Slayers…

“This is my territory.” Granite snarled, turning his side to the Shadow dragon to show his size and that his colors claimed him as the dominate drake of the territory, a show of Dominance to the intruder. “What is your business here?? And where is your rider?”

Emmet blinked, flashing his light back at the shadows dragons back, now seeing the crushed saddle still tied to his back.

“I crashed, rock for brains!…” The shadow dragon replied, his voice deep, but there was a hint of a youth to it. “Why else would I be laying in the muck?!- RAH!!!..” He had started to lift his head, but then gave a small roar of pain and laid down again. 

“Will you let me look you over?..” Emmet asked. 

The dragon snarled, baring all his teeth. Emmet’s father had taught him everything he knew about dragons, including body language, and that understanding their body language was the base of their communication. And the snarl the dragon was giving more out of fear than aggression. He was hurt, and at Emmets and Granites mercy… and he knew this very well.

“I promise we won’t hurt you.” Emmet tried, getting a look from Granite.

“He could be a traitor.” The earth dragon snarled. “One with the Slayers!”

“Would it ease you to know I once was?..” The shadow dragon answered, earning a long snarling hiss from Granite, the earth dragon raising his back aggressively. “Once!. I’m not anymore… I left my Holder!…”

Granite was still growling, but he relaxed his stance slightly, showing that he was listening and he was curious. But the Shadow dragon had gone quiet again, releasing a groan of discomfort.

Emmet pressed his lips together and carefully dismounted. 

“Emmet!” Granite growled in warning. 

“He needs help, Granite,” Emmet said. “Even if he’s a Slayers Dragon.” He looked back at the shadow dragon. “But how can we trust that you did leave the Slayers? And that this isn’t an in to attack us?”

The dragon gave a huff and looked at Emmet with violet eyes. He regarded the boy for a long time before answering. “The Slayers don’t care about small communities. They attack to make people fear them, so larger communities and cities are more threat than you… and they would kill me on sight after what I’ve done… though I’m sure anyone would at this point…”

“Why do you say that?” Emmet asked.

The dragon was silent for a very long time, and at first, Emmet thought that he had given into his pain, but he answered a moment later. “My holder forced me to commit a step down from the ultimate crime… and I foiled the Slayers plans… How would I know you won’t kill me if I said?”

“We live by the Code Laws.” Granite told him, approaching to protectively stand by Emmet. “We fight when it's fair.. not when a dragon is at a disadvantage. And seeing as you can barely move, you’re at disadvantage. You won’t be slain this night. That is unless you hurt my human, then I will forget about the Code Laws.”

Usually, one would be insulted when referred that they belong to someone, but Emmet felt honor in what Granite said. It was more like when a father claimed a kid as his child. The humans of Sunny Glades Farm were all part of Granite's pride, so hearing Granite confirm this gave Emmet a warmth in his chest.

There was another long silence before the shadow dragon gave a pained groan and carefully lifted his injured wing. He didn’t lift it far, but the smell Granite caught made him gasp and lift his head in shock. Emmet could see something white and round near the shadow dragons middle and shined his flashlight at it. He gasped in shock as well as he saw the royal colors… this dragon had a royals egg! No wonder he was fearing for his life. Stealing an egg was punishable by imprisonment or death, depends on the reasons for the act. But to steal a Royals egg… that was instant death to the thief. How he managed to get the egg this far away from the City of Shivery, the Capital of the four Kingdoms, was astounding!

“It's not healthy for it to be in weather like this…” The dragon said. 

Emmet carefully walked forward, now seeing that the dragon had used his other wing to shield the egg from the mud and encased it in warmth. but he was right, cold could seep through the wings and affect the hatchling inside, making hatching difficult if not kept safe and warm. 

Granite snorted as he thought over the situation. Sometimes being the alpha wasn’t easy… but he couldn’t leave the dragon and egg out here… Especially royals! He gave another snort before looking at the Shadow Dragon. “And what do you plan on doing with this?” 

“I want to return it..” The dragon said. “To atone for my sin… and if Queen Allure wishes, she can kill me or let me live… at least the youth would be back where it belongs.”

Granite watched the dragon’s face, neither snarling anymore. Then Granite stood. “You’ll have to stay in our barns for a while. To let yourself heal. My humans are skilled in carrying for Eggs, the young ruler will be well cared for in that time.” Granite then suddenly pounced, pressing a paw on the shadow dragons neck, just behind the head.

Emmet stepped back, knowing this wasn’t a fight, just another show of Dominance. To show the intruder that if any line was crossed, Granite would not tolerate it one bit. “But if my family is harmed in any way… I will slay you myself and keep your wings as trophies!”

The shadow dragon stiffened and his eyes widened, but didn’t bare any teeth, and eventually looked down, showing submission to the Earth Dragon. “Understood…” He answered.

Granite gave a nod and got off the shadow dragons neck before looking at Emmet. “You’ll have to carry the egg and walk. I’ll need to support this guy back tot he barn. There's no way he can walk like this.”

Author's Note

XD I had this scene playing in my head all day and couldn't write a word of it! So I stayed up late to write it out. Hope you guys like it and let me know in the comments on what I can do ti edit it.