An Oath of Brothers by Morgan Rice Page A

eyes with Thorgrin and walked right up to him. He stood but a few feet away, and his translucent green eyes felt as if they burned right through him. “To think of my brother.”
    “Your brother?” Thor asked, confused.
    The man nodded back.
    “Argon.”
    Thor gaped at the man, shocked.
    “Argon!?” Thor said. “Your brother?” he added, barely able to get the words out.
    The man nodded back, examining him, and Thor felt as if he were seeing into his very soul.
    “Ragon is my name,” he said. “I am Argon’s twin. Although of course, we don’t look much alike. I believe I am the more handsome one,” he added with a smile.
    Thor stared, speechless. He did not know where to begin; he’d had no idea that Argon had a brother.
    Slowly, it all began to make sense.
    “You brought us here,” Thor said, processing it all. “Those currents, this island, those ropes… You planned for us to come here.” Thor pieced it all together. “You’ve been watching us.”
    Ragon nodded back.
    “Indeed I have,” he said. “And I am very proud of you. I did control the tides here—it was my way of extending hospitality. Those who arrive here, on this isle, can only arrive because they deserve it. Being here is a reward: a reward to those who have displayed great valor. And you— all of you—have passed the test.”
    Thor suddenly heard the loud, definitive screech of a dragon—he was certain this time—and he looked up and was in awe to see a baby dragon, its wingspan hardly ten feet, diving down low, circling. It screeched, a young dragon’s screech, and extended its wings as it flew in broad circles; then finally it landed, setting down just a few feet beside Ragon.
    It sat there, facing Thor and the others, and lowered its wings, still and calm, staring back proudly.
    Thor stared back in wonder.
    “It can’t be,” he whispered, breathless, examining it. It was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. It looked positively ancient. “I saw the last of the dragons die. It saw it myself.”
    “But you did not see the egg,” Ragon said.
    Thor looked at him, puzzled.
    “The egg?”
    Ragon nodded.
    “Of Mycoples and Ralibar. Their child. A girl.”
    Thor’s mouth fell open in shock, and he felt tears well up as he examined the dragon in a whole new light, as he realized, for the first time, how much she resembled Mycoples. He knew there was something familiar about her.
    “She’s beautiful,” Thorgrin said.
    “You can pet her,” Ragon said. “In fact, she has been looking forward to meeting you, very much. She knows all about what you did for her mother. She’s been waiting for this day.”
    Thorgrin stepped forward, one step at a time, wary of her, yet anxious to meet her. She stared back at him proudly, unblinking, with light-red scales and glowing green eyes, and stood perhaps ten feet tall. He could not tell if she liked him or not, and he felt an intense energy radiating off of her.
    As he approached, Thor raised a hand and gently stroked the side of her face, his palm touching her long scales. She purred contentedly as he did, lifted her chin as if to acknowledge him, and then suddenly lowered her head and, to Thor’s delight, brushed it against his chest. With her long, scratchy tongue, she licked Thor’s face.
    It scratched the side of Thor’s cheek, but he didn’t mind. He knew it was a sign of affection, and he leaned down and kissed her on the head. Her scales were strong and smooth, young, still needing to be formed, softer than her parents’ were. Seeing her brought back all his memories, made him realize how much he’d missed Mycoples—and made him feel as if he had her back again.
    “I loved your mother,” Thor said softly to her. “And I shall love you just as much.”
    The dragon purred again.
    “You’ve made her quite happy, Thorgrin,” Ragon said. “The only thing she needs now is a name.”
    Thor looked at him questioningly.
    “Are you asking me to name her?”
    Ragon