Something in Common with a Dragon

By Kristianne Hassman

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

The raspy dragon voice nearly makes me jump. Galaspian. As it happens, I knock over a golden goblet overflowing with sparkling jewels, which rolls down the cave floor, disappearing into a chasm far below.

Pull yourself together, Kytt.

The dragon blinks. “Not jussst a bad thief, but a clumsssy one too.”

“Well, you’re not a very good dragon.” Snorting derisively, I point to the measly pile of gold in the middle of the cave. “You call that a dragon’s hoard?”

Galaspian’s nose flares, and suddenly I remember what he is. Hand on my sword, I carefully position myself so that the mound of gold is between me and the dragon. “I don’t want any trouble. I may be a thief, but I’m honorable. I’ll just take one teeny tiny thing from this pile and be on my way.”

Galaspian lifts one eyebrow, and a rumble emits from his belly. Is he laughing at me?

“Honorable, you sssay?  Give me one good reassson why I should let you run off with my gold.”

“It’s for my city.” I toss my hair out of my spectacles. “If I don’t find the missing crown of Zerynia, my people will be at war.”

I blink innocently. Hopefully, Galaspian is naïve enough to believe me. The truth is, I was banished from the city for compulsive stealing. And the only way to get back into my brother’s good graces is to find the crown—before he arrives. Hence the perilous journey to the heart of a dragon lair.

Galaspian flicks his tail. “The crown of Zzzerynia. That sssounds familiar.” His eyes widen. “Ah, it was in that ssstash I found in the bottom of a ravine. It should be here sssomewhere.”

“You mean you didn’t torch someone’s castle to get it?”

Galaspian swivels his horned head toward me, yellow eyes gleaming. “It turns out it’s hard to sssteal gold when you’re not very ssscary.” He peers at me. “Wait a minute. Do you… have two different colored eyes?”

Ignoring his last comment, I sidestep gold necklaces and coins that scatter under his claws. “Why aren’t you like other dragons?”

Galaspian shrugs. “Never cared much for all the fire-breathing and dessstruction. Too much work. All it leaves behind is cccinders.” He shakes his head. “How are you supposed to rule a mountain when everything’s charred to ash?”

“Fair point.” I tap my chin. “So why do you still have a dragon’s lair?”

“Family pressure.” Galaspian shoves aside an empty gold box and claws through a pile of sparkling jewels. “I was too old to be leeching off their gold sssupply, they sssaid. Ssso I had to go find my own. You know, make the old lizards proud.”

My chest twinges. Am I feeling sorry for a dragon?

“I know a little something about that…”

“Oh?”

I hoist myself up onto a boulder and swing my legs. “My brother’s a high-profile criminal. Big shoes to fill. Never really had a choice.” I keep my voice light. “Besides, the only time he notices me is when I’m stealing. I guess that’s why I do it… I’ve only ever wanted to please him.”

Galaspian cocks his head. “It ssseems we’re both trapped. Aha!” He holds up a gold circlet sporting a giant red ruby. On his giant scaly claw, it looks more like a ring. “Found it.”

I adjust my spectacles to look at it. “That’s the crown, all right.” The old me would snatch it and run, but I hesitate. “I don’t usually do this, but what can I offer you for it?”

“Hmm.” His eyes light up. “It’s a bit unconventional, but could you spread the rumor that I’m a terrifying dragon? Tell whatever ssstory you want, but make sure I sound really ssscary and fire-breathing.” He ducks his head. “You know, ssso Mom and Dad will be proud of me at leassst.”

I raise an eyebrow. That’s it? “Scary fire-breathing dragon… don’t cross him… got it.”

The dragon holds out the crown. “Well, I guesss you’ll be wanting to be on your way… uh… Misss…”

“Kytt,” I clarify.

“Right, Kytt.”

He drops the crown into my hands, and I tuck it into my satchel.

“Goodbye, Kytt.”

“Goodbye, Galaspian.”

I turn to walk away and then stop. “This is silly. Why are we letting things like dragon hoarding and thieving rule our entire lives when it’s not even what we want?”

The dragon tips his head. “What do you sssuggest?”

“For one, stop hoarding and thieving.” I finger my satchel. “Secondly, follow our own dreams. I’ve always wanted to have a little farm in the mountains. What’s yours?”

Galaspian scratches his ear. “I’ve always dreamed of flying north to sssee the fjords.”

I pull out the ruby crown. “I don’t think we need this.”

Galaspian snorts a puff of smoke. “What about your people?”

I look down. “That…. was a lie. I needed it for my brother.”

Galaspian slowly nods. “Then I think you’re right.”

I hold it out over the chasm and let it go.

A scuffling by the mouth of the cave has us both whirling. I recognize the figure as my brother. “Stephan.”

“Kytt?” He frowns. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to scout out the cave for you.” I spread out my hands innocently. “It’s nowhere to be found, I’m afraid. I’ve searched high and low, thanks to Galaspian’s help.”

Stephan stares between me and the dragon, momentarily speechless. Then his face darkens. “If you’ve ruined my mission again, sister, I’ll—”

“Lucky for you, I was just on my way out,” I interrupt, snapping my satchel shut. “So you won’t be seeing me anymore.” As I pass the gold pile, I snag a jewel-studded tome that caught my eye earlier. “Just a souvenir,” I explain sheepishly. “You coming, Galaspian?”

Galaspian grins and flexes his wings. “You bet I am.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristianne Hassman grew up exploring the mountains of South Africa as a third culture kid, which fed her love for books–and adventure–from a young age. She writes historically-inspired stories, infused with themes of hope and belonging, about young heroines discovering their place in the world. When she’s not writing, you can find her getting distracted by some new classical music, drinking copious amounts of chai tea, or satisfying her wanderlust on her next global expedition.

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