Who are you? I asked. Who's talking to me?
There wasn't an immediate answer. I found the steady beat of the dragon's powerful wings oddly comforting. My first thought was that my sweatshirt was doing a remarkable job of keeping me warm, until I realized that there was a great deal of heat coming from the dragon itself. Like flying beneath the sun.
Finally the deep voice answered me: To answer your question, little one, look no further than above.
Above? The dragon? No....
In that moment, the creature's great triangular head swung down on a surprisingly pliant neck, and I found myself staring straight into those black, bowling ball-sized eyes I had seen earlier. Long, white fangs, each the size of my arm, hung outside its black upper lip. It looked like a dog on steroids. A lot of steroids. Like twin caves of fire, its flared nostrils emanated a red hot glow. Smoke trailed up from its partially opened mouth.
Although easily the most frightening creature I had ever seen or imagined, the dragon had an odd sort of grace to it. I sensed it had seen much, done much, and that it had been around a very, very long time.
And then it did something I was entirely unprepared for.
The dragon winked at me.
Chapter Thirty-nine
The massive head swung back around and pointed forward again.
I continued to hang from its black claws. My hair continued flapping in the wind. Heat continued rolling off the great beast's underbelly.
I wondered again when I would wake up.
Why the heaven would you want to wake up? asked the dragon, as it turned slightly to port, bringing me with it.
I don't know, I answered.
Are you afraid? the dragon asked.
Yes, a little.
Do you think I might eat you?
Yes, I do.
Hmm. I didn't think of that. I wonder how you would taste.
I hoped that was a rhetorical question. Below, pinpoints of lights came and went as we soared from town to town. The air turned colder. And as it did, the heat in the dragon's belly increased, counteracting the cold. My arms were hurting, but not unbearably so.
Don't think about it, said the voice deep within my head.
Easy for you to say, you're not the one hanging five hundred feet above the ground.
The sound of chuckling in my head. We continued flying steadily north.
Thank you, I thought, for keeping me warm.
My pleasure.
Where are you taking me? I asked.
The Council of Elders. They have requested your presence.
Okay, I thought, that means nothing to me.
It soon will.
So you're not going to eat me?
Not this time.
Then why did you attack us earlier?
That was hardly an attack.
Then what was it? I asked.
I was just having some fun. In fact, I haven't raided a village in quite some time. Life should be fun, should it not?
I was beginning to sense a common theme here. I thought: Sure, but you could have killed someone.
Nonsense. I aimed to miss.
You destroyed someone's livelihood, then.
The food vending stand? He was selling processed animal parts. Heavens, even I wouldn't eat that crap. You humans have atrocious eating habits.
I agree, I thought. Which is why I'm a vegetarian.
Well, I wouldn't go that far, said the dragon, chuckling deeply.
We continued due north; the temperature continued to drop. The dragon's belly warmed accordingly.
Where are you from? I asked.
Nearby.
On earth?
Heavens, no. Another world.
But you said nearby.
It is nearby.
Another planet?
Sure, it said. Sort of.
One of those parallel world deals?
That's a little closer to the truth.
So how did you get here?
How do you know I'm really here?
What do you mean?
Perhaps you're dreaming.
I don't think so. For one, my arms are hurting.
Perhaps that is all in your mind. Perhaps you only think your arms should be hurting, and so therefore they are.
So am I dreaming?
Not really. I really am here, and I really am taking you to the Council of Elders.
I remembered something then. The flash of light in my head, just prior to the dragon's appearance.
I was hurt in battle, wasn't I?
Perhaps.
So am I dead?
I don't think so.
So am I in spirit? You know, is my body back in the church?
Perhaps.
If so, couldn't I fly, too?
Indeed. Would you like to try?
Will I fall?
That is up to you, my little friend.
So it is my decision?
Always.
The wind was blowing cold and hard. The lights below had winked out completely, and I suspected we were now in the empty far north. Below, I could see the foaming outline of crashing waves.
Was I dead? I didn't know. Was this really happening to me? I didn't know that either. Did I want to fly?
Oh, yes.
Let go of me, I thought.
The dragon did, and I dropped like a rock.
Chapter Forty
The dragon dropped with me.
It tucked in its massive wings and streaked along by my side. Below, the crashing waves rushed up to meet me, and if I was dreaming, now would be a really good time to wake up.
Choose to fly, said the dragon. Choose to fly now, James!
I choose to fly, I thought. I choose to fly!
Finally, I screamed: "I choose to fly!"
And I stopped falling, instantly. The dragon stopped plummeting as well, swooping forward, flapping its massive wings.
Good boy. Now follow me.
How?
Choose to.
And so I did. I chose to follow him, and soon I was whipping through the air, my arms outstretched. I must have looked like a middle-aged Peter Pan. I hovered beneath the dragon's belly for warmth.
You don't need to fly beneath me for warmth.
But -
Choose warmth.
And so I did. Warmth spread instantly through me, from head to toe. And now I dashed out in front of the dragon, my arms still outstretched, wind blasting my hair. It was raining again, and I seemed to feel each freezing drop on my face.
I found myself laughing. Never had I felt such freedom. I did one big loop, soaring up and over the dragon, and ended up behind it. The dragon continued forward majestically, its impossibly wide wingspan flapping only occasionally.
Having fun?
Oh, yes!
Good. Because we're almost there.
Will I ever see you again? I asked.
There was a pause, and then its deep voice resounded in my head: I expect so, my young friend.
And now the dragon angled up through the clouds, cutting a wide swath, and I followed behind it, temporarily blinded by the thick fog vapor. And when I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing in a great hall, surrounded by five ethereal figures, all watching me expectantly.
The dragon was gone.
Chapter Forty-one
The hall was majestic, stretching as far as the eye could see.