The Silver Dragon Chronicles Chapter 4

“What the heck are you talking about?” I asked flatly.
         “The dragon,” she said earnestly, pointing to my hand.
         I was instantly on the defensive. “What, this? It’s just a ring!” Ugh. There was no possible way she would believe that.
         She didn’t. “Yeah, right. That’s a Dragon Spirit if I ever saw one. And I have. I’m a dragon bond too.”
         She moved her hand and I realized there was a golden charm bracelet clasped around her wrist. The center focus of the bracelet was a tiny silver dragon charm, an Asian-style, wingless reptile, maybe two and a half inches long. It wasn’t unlike the two figurines I’d placed in the display case the day before. As I watched, the charm animated itself, slithering off the bracelet and into the girl’s palm.
         “See?” the girl said, smiling still. “This is Isis. My name’s Alina. What about you and your dragon?”
         “Um, I’m Lily and this is Taiya,” I stammered.
         “Nice to meet you both,” Alina said conversationally. “So when was it?”
         I knew exactly what she was talking about. “Yesterday. I was organizing a display case, and Taiya’s eyes- it was the weirdest thing.”
         “I know what you mean,” said Alina. “What color were they?”
         I looked from her to Taiya, completely confused. “Uh, green. Can’t you see?”
         “Actually, no. I thought as much, but my sight isn’t quite that developed yet.”
         “What?”
         “Right,” Alina started to clarify, “you wouldn’t have heard about that. See, a dragon bond- that’s the person in a bond- develops the ability to see the colors of dragons over time. It starts with the eyes of the dragon you’re supposed to bond with, then it spreads out. Pretty soon you’ll be able to see the rest of Taiya’s colors, and then awhile after you’ll start to see the colors of other dragons. It’s pretty cool, actually.”
         I could feel myself, as well as Taiya, hanging on to every word. I realized that I actually wanted to know this stuff, not just out of self-preservation, but out of pure interest. And the way Alina talked… it wasn’t degrading. She didn’t make a person feel inferior because they didn’t know something. She just explained it, like a really good teacher does.
         “Come on,” Alina urged me on, running toward the back of the store. “You need to see the Realm.”
         “The what?”
         Broken record much, Lily?
         No comments from the peanut gallery, please.
         “The Realm,” she repeated. “Where did you think dragons come from?”
         “Hey, I’ve been more worried about getting Taiya around my parents.”
         “Fair enough,” Alina said. “So, anyway, the Realm is an entire world, hidden from most people on the surface. The biggest thing about the Realm is that outside a few specific spots it’s very shadowy and undefined- and sometimes dangerous. There are a few towns and one larger capital city. Other than that, it’s a wild world out there.
         “The dragons have been around for as long as anyone can remember and then some. They used to fight with the people of the Realm, but a few thousand years back they created an alliance and started working together in bonded pairs. Eventually they adapted so that the dragons would only come to life once they found the person they wanted to bond with. Most dragon bonds are Realm people. You’re actually one of a very select few surface dragon bonds- regular people who find one of the Realm’s footholds on the surface. And this doesn’t happen by accident. Have you noticed how there has never been an actual customer in Hollis’s store?”
         I nodded. Taiya was rendered speechless, completely enraptured by Alina's tales.
         “That’s because the shop is invisible to most surface people. It’s hidden in Realm magic because of all the dragon statues around. Even though this place doesn’t look like much, it’s actually really important. The places on the surface where the Realm has influence are meant to draw people with a lot of potential but normally wouldn’t have any idea of the Realm’s existence. The magic attracts people with special abilities who would make naturally good dragon bonds. Some of the best dragon bonds in history have been surface people who stumbled in on the Realm.”
         “Seriously?”
         “Yup.  You guys want to come with me?”
         I was a little surprised, and Taiya was following the same line. “Come with you? To this Realm place?”
         “That’s the idea.” Alina smiled.
         What do you think, Taiya?  It was strange how reliant I’d become on her instinctual judgment in the past twenty-four hours.
         I think this is the best lead we’ve ever had. Go for it!
         “We’re in.”
         “Are you sure?” Alina was suddenly hesitant. “I don’t want to force you into doing anything. It’s just that… once you get into the thick of things, it’s hard to get back out.”
         “I don’t go back on my word,” I replied confidently. “Something like that isn’t going to stop us.”
         “Okay. If you’re sure.” Alina opened the door to the back office- another off-limits part of the store.
         At least I’d thought it was the back office.
         As Alina forced the heavy oak door open, I realized it wasn’t an office. At all. The room was actually about four feet square, very plain and almost empty. The only thing in it was a shadowy curtain-like thing near the far wall, anchored to nothing and floating in midair.
         “Are you sure you’re ready?” Alina repeated. She couldn’t seem to make eye contact with me or Taiya, preferring instead to fiddle with her charm-bracelet dragon. She shifted her foot, making a clacking sound on the polished floor with one of her ballet flats.
         Do you think she’s hiding something? Taiya’s suspicion and anxiety flowed smoothly into me.
         Not sure. But if we don’t go with her, we’ll never find anything out. It’s a chance we have to take. But still, what could she have to hide?          
                  Taiya slowly acknowledged the truth in my point. I guess you’re right. She relaxed and curled back around my finger, but a grain of distrust lingered in her thoughts.
         “We’re coming, no doubt about it,” I said again.
         Alina nodded wordlessly. She stepped into the dark curtain, let the smooth folds brush her shoulders, and her form flickered and vanished.
         Creepy. Really creepy.
         No kidding. My thought-voice was triply layered with sarcasm. What now?
         Simple. We follow.
         I stepped through the curtain of shadows.