Welcome back, Gentle Readers. We last saw our interlocutors atop the hill, in the graveyard, in the night. I shall repeat a little of the last installment so that you might recall what was going on before moving on to the new material.
– The Scrivener

AGNES MEETS A DRAGON (the conclusion)

Ember said, “Do you know he could be terribly annoying? Bumbling around. Getting into situations. Waiting for me to help him out of them. Hoping to get my attention without my knowing that was what he was doing. It was so transparent. And endearing. I miss his bumbling.”

“He loved you a lot,” Agnes replied.

“He....” She looked quickly away from the child, off into the darkness. “We never spoke of such things. I was sometimes even rude to him.” Her gaze returned to meet the girl's. “I never told him that I liked it when he sought me. He never knew how much he meant to me.”

“Oh, Ember.... he knew!”

The dragon's face changed a little, and she looked down at her taloned hands in her lap.

“I'm sorry, Ember. What I said about not being warm. I... I didn't know you cared about him, too.”

They sat quietly for a long time, watching the little fire. Agnes was young but knew enough to understand Ember was momentarily lost in a memory. And perhaps regret.

At last, Ember sighed and broke the silence. “He never received the recognition he deserved. Do you think dragons are rare? Going extinct? Or nearly gone already?”

“You're the only one I've ever seen. Or even heard of except in stories.”

“We're not gone. In fact, our numbers are slowly increasing. My kind perfected the magic that allows us to conceal ourselves as humans. We long had the ability to appear almost human, as I am now. Some used it to lure men to their doom. Since then, we've learned to make the transformation better. Nearly indistinguishable from real humans.”

“Then why do you look like that now?”

“I seldom bother to perfect my disguise. I… like this form. It reminds me of things. My humans accept me in this form. Some even seem to like it, especially the children for some reason. And he liked me this way.”

“You said… your humans?”

“Before he died, he began to find places for my kind, places where people wouldn't fear us. There weren't many of us left then. Most of us live now with humans and we do what we can to help them. They help us keep our secrets and deflect curious strangers. My own village is far north."

“Oh, I thought you meant you owned them.”

“No, we're more like a family. But it's sad that human lives are so short. Even with all I can do to heal them, I have to say the last goodbye too often.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Listen, child. I wish to make you part of my family. If you agree.”

“But I can't leave Momma and...”

“You don't have to. Family can be distant but still family, yes?”

“Well, sure.”

“Will you accept my offer? I’ll need to touch your mind. It will connect you to me. It’ll feel strange when I do, and you may see... dreams. So, I must ask your permission...”

“He was part of your family, wasn't he?”

“Yes. The first human of mine. But this connection will be different. Better.”

“Then, yes, I want to be one of your humans, too.”

“Come sit beside me.” Agnes crept over to Ember and sat near her, but not too close. “Close your eyes, Ignis. I'm going to place a hand on your head.”

Agnes closed her eyes. A cool hand rested on her head, then warmed. She felt the sharp talon tips resting on her forehead. The dim orange of the firelight inside her eyelids turned black and suddenly she seemed to be in a great cavern where several dragon forms moved about in dim light. Some paused and turned to stare at her. Ember's voice came to her, echo-y in the cavern, “Call my name.”

“Ember!”

The hand removed and the dream vanished, replaced again by the wavery orange firelight behind her eyelids. “Open your eyes. Whenever you need me, if you call my name, I’ll hear you, no matter the distance between us. If you call it twice, I’ll come to you. Do not abuse this.”

“I understand.”

“And do not bumble.”

The girl laughed and the dragon, to her relief and surprise, smiled at her for the first time that night. Agnes said, “I used to always want to know what you say when you come here.”

“What do you think I say?”

“You don't say anything. You just remember.”

“Shall we sit and remember together?”

Agnes nodded. Ember did something and the small fire shriveled down into a candle flame. They sat for a very long time. Sometimes one would hear the other sigh deeply. Sometimes they would wipe tears. At last, the candle flame vanished and Ember spoke.

“My time grows short. I must be far away before the sun begins to light the sky. Tonight, you’ve shed new light on my memories and I want to talk with you more. But I must go. Will you resume your little hiding place? Then I needn’t fear harming you when I depart.”

“You won't hurt me but... yes, I'll do it.”

With one hand Ember drew out a length of her long black hair and with her other, drew a talon across it, slicing it off as easily as the keenest knife. “Take this, hold it tightly, and keep it. Now, go hide again.”

Agnes wedged back into her little space with the lock of hair in one hand and closed her eyes. Ember's voice came to her again, “There’s one thing I sometimes say when I come here. I’ll say it to you and he, now.... I will come to you again, my friend.”

Again there was that strange rustling sound and suddenly a disturbance in the air that made Ignis' eardrums thump. The unnatural gust of powerful wind came and went. And then there was silence.

Shortly, she crept back out of her hidey-hole and scanned the sky. A hair-thin sliver of moon was rising, heralding the sunrise that was later to come. Though the moonlight was faint, she thought, or at least hoped, that she saw a small speck against a far cloudbank before the speck disappeared.

Turning to make her way down the hill and to home, her thoughts returned to the dragon gift in her hand. But when she opened it, what lay there was a rounded, flat, shiny black thing, almost like an oval disk. Hard as steel and cold. Dragon scale.