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Back in Luba the celebrations started. All forty-four dragons, together at
last with their ancestors, rejoiced.
Sindri and Gretel busied themselves preparing foods for the feast.
Claring and Marti repaired the huts.
Quirin sat in the middle of the village waiting for Crispin. The boy went
off by himself and hadn’t been seen since they’d returned. Quirin sensed
the battle going on in the boy’s mind. A tear fell from his eye when he
finally spotted him.
Crispin put Gordinth’s wand in his back pocket and walked toward the
grave.
Quirin stood and followed him, staying hidden from his view.
Crispin leaned against the headstone. “Gordinth, I’m going to let you rest
now. You must have been tired. I will see you each time I see a shooting
star. I will feel you each time a butterfly’s wing caresses my cheek. I
will smell you each time the fragrance of an orchid floats past my
nostrils. Each time one of the dragons sings a lullaby, I will hear your
voice singing with them. Your grave will be a place of honor, where
dragons from now until eternity ends will visit and weep a dragon’s tear
for you. Children will pass by and talk of the hero, Gordinth, who saved
the dragons. I will live to be the man you taught me to be. Good bye,
Gordinth, my hero.” Crispin knelt next to the mound of dirt and dropped a
bouquet of light purple orchids, Gordinth’s favorite, on top.
Quirin couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. His heart swelled with pride
at being in the presence of a boy so grand. He felt a hand on his shoulder
and turned.
“I saw and heard it all,” Marti said. “It’s hard to believe this is the
same lad who broke into my cottage just weeks ago, or was it days? He’s a
good lad and Gretel’s a good girl. We’ve got our five dragonkeepers again,
Quirin; you, Mother, Father, Gretel and me. Darmantha’s gone; Jorna and
Provan should be enjoying their flight over the sea about now, dangling
from the claws of that giant tutu bird. I hope it doesn’t drop them on
their heads too hard. They’ll need all their strength to fight the lions
and tigers when they get to Mount Kilimanjaro.”
Crispin walked over to them, wiping the teardrops from his cheeks.
Quirin took his hand and held it between both of his. “You’re our leader
now, boy, I mean Crispin. You will be our leader with a few more years of
training, you will soon be ready to take charge of the five dragonkeepers
and of the forty-four, plus two dragons.”
Crispin nodded, unable to speak. His lips trembled when he looked at
Marti.
“Good job, Crispin,” Marti said.
“Quirin, I do have one question,” Crispin
hesitated, wondering if it was the right time to ask.
“What would that be?”
“Why are little Jago and Rosenwyn so
important? What is in store for them?”
“I’ve wondered that myself,” Marti said.
“Jago and Rosenwyn were chosen when they were eggs to be King and Queen of
the Dragons. They had a direct bloodline back to the first eggs from the
Springs of Sparma. Right now they are too young. Big Jago and Rosenwyn
will train them. They’re getting old too and know they won’t be around
forever.”
“Dragon king and queen?” Crispin sounded confused.
“Yes. Jago and Rosenwyn are the twin babies of big Jago and Rosenwyn.
Little Jago and Rosenwyn are the only eggs she ever laid. Now that all the
dragons are safe, they can live here with us forever in Luba. Darmantha’s
gone and won’t be coming back. Jorna and Provan will be too afraid to come
back, even if they survive the flight to Africa.”
“Oh,” Crispin said and then smiled. “Africa?”
“I’ll explain it to you another time. There is
a lot about dragons that you’ve yet to learn. Just accept what I say as
truth and you will see in time,” Quirin said.
“Does that mean I have to call them Prince
Jago and Princess Rosenwyn?” Crispin chuckled.
“That might be a wise thing to do. They are royalty after all. One more
thing, Crispin. Gretel will also rule as guardian of the dragons. Gordinth
selected her, along with you. Always remember that. Who knows, you might
end up falling in love with her and marrying her some day.” Quirin joked.
“No way. She’s a girl!”
Marti and Quirin burst out laughing.
“I do have just one more thing to ask,” Crispin said. “What about my
family back home? They’ll be wondering where I am.”
“We’ve thought of that already. I don’t think they’d be too thrilled, or
even be able to comprehend their son being a wizard and leader of the
dragonkeepers, so I have put a spell on them, with your permission,
causing them to forget about your existence.”
Crispin’s head dropped.
“I know that’s a bit harsh. You’ll always remember them and the day you
wish it, you can return their memories to include you once more, but it’s
unfair to make them worry all the time, or to force them to accept all the
responsibility you have now been given. You are permitted to go and see
them any time you wish, but keep your identity hidden until the time seems
right. You will know when. What do you think about that?”
“I suppose it was the only way. I’ll go and visit them now and then as a
passerby. I’ll check on Heidi for you too, Marti.”
“Good lad. We’ll all be here with you, Crispin. We are your family. There
are many great things coming your way.” Quirin tossled Crispin’s hair.
“I’ll be here too,” Marti said.
“You did a lot of cool magic spells. “The boy looked at the wizard. I’ll
have to practice so that I can do them too.”
“There’s a whole word of magic out there, Crispin, just waiting for you to
discover it,” said Quirin.
“Come and get it! Bring the dragons! We’re going to party tonight!” Sindri
shouted so loud she could be heard throughout the entire village.
Crispin ran to get the dragons.
The others gathered round the table while Gretel and Sindri brought plate
after plate piled high with succulent taradak meat, dizban, ugnig, yamitas,
and cardooli bread. Everything their hearts desired sat on the table in
front of them.
“You made all this food, Sindri. You should have just asked Quirin, or
even Crispin, to use their magic and make it for you,” Gretel said.
Sindri smiled at the girl. “I could have done that, but I enjoy cooking.
How many women do you know who get to make dizban and ugnig?”
Gretel shrugged her shoulders.
“That’s right, not many, so think of the recipe books I can write.”
Gretel giggled. “You’re so funny. No wonder I
love you so much.”
“Enough of this blethering. Let’s celebrate!”
The feast continued for hours. The nutui bugs showed up, flickering their
colors all around the dragons, waiting for them to finish eating so they
could have the taradak leftovers. Unfortunately for them, the babies ate
every bit of taradak meat Sindri allowed them to have and even the pieces
Crispin and Gretel ‘accidentally’ dropped. Jago and Rosenwyn enjoyed
watching the babies interacting with the others.
“I’ve got something for you,” Claring said to
his son.
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Close your eyes. I found these in Darmantha’s hut with Jago and Rosenwyn.
Your mother will be thrilled to see them again too. Claring teased his
son.
“What is it, Father? Can I open my eyes?”
“Hold out your hands.” Marti put both hands out in front of them. Claring
placed something familiar in them. “Now, open them.”
Marti held one of the three stolen rainbow lights. “You saved them. Thank
you.”
“It’s the rainbow lights!” Gretel shouted.
Sindri ran over to see. “I’ve not seen those in years. They’re still as
beautiful as the day Gordinth gave them to us.” She held one up and
watched the rainbow colors dance about inside.
“Gordinth gave them to you?” Crispin paid more
attention to them. “Can I hold one?”
Marti took the one he held in his hands and gave it to Crispin. “This one
is yours now, boy. Gordinth would have liked you to have one. Gretel, you
can have one too. We’ll keep the other one with us.” He smiled, looking at
his mother.
“Thank you, Marti. The rainbow’s still shining.” Gretel held it up to her
eyes.
Crispin gazed with fondness at his new family. “Thank you so much. I think
I’ll take it to my hut so I don’t break it. I’ll treasure it always.”
Holding it carefully with both of his hands, he walked into his hut and
laid it down on his bed, along with both of the wands. He felt the amulet
around his neck and clenched it in his fist. A few minutes later he went
outside and stood, quietly looking up at the heavens. The night sky, now
filled with millions of twinkling lights, entranced him. A star shot
across the sky. “Goodnight, Gordinth.” |
