Legend of the Great Dragon by J. F. Jenkins Page A

smiled all the same. What a confusing reaction. Ichi would never be able to understand women fully.
    She touched the plaque for a moment longer. “My great-grandfather,” she whispered. “This must be for him. I had heard the story before, about his death, and how my other grandfather was involved. From the few family gatherings I remember from my youth, I noticed there was always a tension between Grandpa Matthias and Grandpa Darien.” She laughed. “I asked my mother about it and she explained how Matthias had done a very bad thing once. It wasn't until after she died that I was told what that bad thing was.”
    Ichi nodded, wanting to be encouraging to her. “Sounds complicated.”
    â€œMy family is and always will be complicated. I think that's part of being a dragon in general,” she said. “My two grandfathers hated each other. We didn't have a lot of large family gatherings because of it. Still, when they had to be together, they tolerated one another. I remember seeing them talking while smiling. Matthias died when I was about eight, so my memories of him are limited. They're enough for me to remember how much I loved him. We spent a lot of time at his house when I was little. I think that hurt my other grandfather. For some reason there was a lot of animosity between him and my parents.”
    For a moment, he processed her words, chewing on his lower lip as he did so. “Do you think it's important to know why? I mean, in the grand scheme of things, is that information necessary? Because that could be a really nasty can of worms to open to discover the truth.”
    Mikko laughed. “I've wondered the same thing, but I'm also starting to put a few pieces together. If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh at me or think I'm crazy?”
    â€œPromise,” he said. Are you going to tell me you feel a connection between us two? Because I would never think that crazy in the slightest. Okay, maybe I would think it a little bit weird, but isn't that what love is supposed to be? Completely illogical? Dad always told me love made him do the most stupid things ever, but they were also the most rewarding.
    She took in a couple of deep breaths and then exhaled through her nose. “My family seems to believe that I am the Great Dragon.”
    â€œW h -what?” Ichi was at a complete loss for words. That was nowhere near his expectations of what he thought she would tell him. “Don't laugh at me, but what exactly is the Great Dragon?”
    â€œThe Holy Book speaks of the Great Dragon as the savior of the world,” she whispered. Her gaze went down to her hands as she picked at her nail polish. “For whatever reason, my family seems to think that I am such an important religious figure. As I look back on all of my memories and the relationships I had with different members of my family, I wonder if that was a big part of the drama.”
    Ichi frowned. “I suppose it's a possibility. Religion can make people weird, I've noticed. In Aero, I've seen people give away entire crops of food as a sacrifice to a dragon because they think it'll give them immeasurable favor with God. I've seen parents abandon their children for similar reasons. Sometimes people get ideas in their head and go off the deep end.”
    â€œI've seen weird things done for religious reasons too,” she mumbled. “But I think they might be on to something.”
    â€œYou believe them? That you're the Great Dragon?”
    She nodded and glanced at him. “If you laugh at me, I promise I will punch you in the nose.”
    â€œI'm not even smiling,” he said and circled his face with an index finger. His gaze met hers, and he couldn't help but crack a small smile at the sight of her. “Okay, so a tiny smile, but not because of what you're telling me.”
    â€œSo why the grin?” She raised an eyebrow.
    â€œLet's stay focused,” he said