Page 14 of Escaping my Dragon

“I like to keep an open mind.”

“Do you honestly think this is anything other than a mountain?”

“No, but looking around,”—I swept an arm—“I can see why the stories started. Who knows what’s buried beneath the ice and snow.”

“I blame Encino Man for starting this,” he grumbled.

The reference to the old 1990’s movie with Brendan Fraser had me grinning. “What, you don’t think there could be cavemen immortalized by a sudden freeze, waiting for us to thaw them back to life?”

He snorted. “I am not dignifying that with an answer.” But I did spot an amused curve of his lips.

As we flew back to the station, I found myself staring at the Transantarctic Mountain, a staggering two-thousand-mile expanse that formed a jagged line separating the continent. It had nothing that made it stand out, other than its length, and yet I couldn’t help but scan it for I had a nagging sense it featured in my recurring dream. As I studied, I also chastised myself for wondering if a mighty beast did indeed slumber inside.

Chapter Five

Almost there…

It had been several days of flying that involved exiting Canada then traversing the United States and Mexico, a journey that Shamash could have accomplished in half the time. However, my stamina did not yet match his. The bigger dragon always seemed to sense when my energy waned and would suddenly swoop for a niche that would keep us hidden during the day while we slept. Keep me hidden, to be precise. My sire could move without notice amongst the humans and it proved hard to rein in the jealousy. How freeing would it be to have such power? A power Shamash hinted could be stolen.

While we did speak during our flight, conversing via thoughts rather than aloud, I never outright asked how Shamash had acquired all his abilities. Had they come with age or had he taken them from another? The latter worried for, in a fight, he would vastly outmatch me. At the same time, he did nothing untoward. I went to sleep and woke each time, alive and unharmed.

I found myself intrigued by our kind’s history, a past chock full of violence, and not just by humans against dragons.

It seemed the inherited memories from my maternal progenitor hadn’t all been false. Dragons did used to go to war with each other, seeking to expand their territory, to become more powerful.

“It is a wonder our kind managed to procreate, given the power struggles,” I noted as we flew ever southward.

“Oddly enough, even the thirstiest for dominance end up eventually struck with an urgent desire to have heirs. As if it were engrained in our DNA.”

“You didn’t,” I pointed out. “At least, not intentionally.”

“Why do you think I met with your mother?”

“You rejected Tiamat, though. Did you ever seek out any other dragonesses?”

“I might have, had there been other dragonesses. However, between Tiamat’s quest for power and humanity’s rebellion against our kind, none remained.”

“Not true. There was Nessie.” A rare twin to Tiamat, who’d had her wings torn off by her sister and ended up exiling herself to Loch Ness to live out her days.

“The urge to procreate together never occurred. I think, after all we’d witnessed, we thought it might be best if our kind died out.”

It might have happened too, if not for Tiamat’s sly theft of Shamash’s seed and then the machinations of Malone to ensure those fertilized eggs hatched. Dragons once more walked the Earth, but would we suffer the same fate as our ancestors?

We wouldn’t be in as much danger if we could blend in with the population, I thought as I stared at my father’s broad back and expansive wings. Did I dare try to steal that gift from Shamash? If I failed, which seemed likely given our disparity in size and strength, I wouldn’t live long enough to regret it. Not to mention, I didn’t actually want my father dead. Could there be a different way for him to share the gift with his progeny? One that didn’t require consuming his dead flesh?

I hated that I thought of Malone in that moment. The mad scientist who would have gleefully sought a way.

The thrill of flight brought also the exhilaration of discovery. While Canada possessed wide open spaces and excellent hunting, South America exhibited a lushness that immediately pleased. The moisture in the air hydrated the membranes of my wings. The wildlife, running in the open provided excellent snacks. A territory worth possessing, only that would mean removing the lovely dragoness who’d laid claim.

As if reading my mind, Shamash murmured, “Remember this trip is about strengthening our alliance with the other hatchlings, not coveting what they have.” I almost grumbled until Shamash added. “Have I ever told you about Typhon and Echidna? A mated pair who ruled side by side over most of Europe until their demise?”

Wait, a male and female sharing territory? What a concept, although… With me already laying claim to Canada, and Pollita South America, it wouldn’t be far-fetched for us to command the Western Hemisphere.

We would be the most powerful couple with the most land and wealth. And the hatchlings we would produce would be beyond compare.

An idea to mull that would also depend on Pollita. Thus far, we’d only ever spoken—and flirted—via video conference. Soon—too soon—we’d meet in dragon, and Pollita would be exposed to my great and majestic presence. Hopefully, she could handle it. I needed a strong mate, not one too intimidated by my grandeur. Although, a little bit of awe wouldn’t be amiss.

To not alarm possibly trigger-happy servants, I left Shamash gliding above to watch for threats while I landed in a clearing a short distance away from the coordinates for Pollita’s cavern palace. I bugled a cry to draw Pollita’s attention.