The Gift of Charms by Julia Suzuki Page A

is an ancient place of importance, from long ago in Surion times, and it is said secrets lie there. Kinga allowed him the spot permanently, and ordered the cave to be constructed to his needs. No one knows quite what he does up there. Kinga believes what he does is for the best, and that is answer enough for most dragons.’
    Ketu fell silent for a while, and something stopped Yoshiko from asking more questions.
    ‘Come now, Yoshiko,’ Ketu said suddenly, veering left instead of heading in the direction of their home cave. ‘Red Seventh Moon approaches. I want you to visit the Dragor Burial with me.’
    It was the month when the dragons celebrated the passing of their clan ancestors. They would fly out to the deserted part of Dragor where the bones of their long-dead relations lay. Some dragons liked to rumour that the mystical Burial Ground made the spirits of the dragons rise up above it each year, and it was said that any dragon who might witness the ghosts armed with magical weapons would be rendered invincible. So every Red Seventh Moon the young hopefuls would descend on the Burial Ground to honour theirancestors, hoping to be granted the power. Each clan would bring flowers of their own colour that the Mida clan farmers had grown. During the evening, as the moon rose in the summer sky, a big colourful party was thrown to bless the dead.
    Yoshiko and Ketu flew side by side, and as the wind dropped Ketu announced, ‘I have something important that it is time to show you.’
    The dragon clan villages grew small beneath them and the sounds of life quietened. Yoshiko flew close to his elder as they headed deep into the dragons’ Burial Ground.
    They landed on a barren-looking stretch of land, and Yoshiko felt an eerie energy around him. He had the strangest feeling that eyes were upon him but as he looked around could see no sight of anyone, yet he felt that they weren’t alone.
    Ketu saw the concern on Yoshiko’s face. ‘Have no fear, there are not really any ghouls around here,’ he said trying to cheer him.
    They sat for a moment, taking in the hush of the Burial Ground. Then Ketu spoke.
    ‘I have been proud of you these last seasons. You look like a young warrior now because of all your efforts.’
    Yoshiko looked down modestly.
    ‘But there is something I have never told you. Something about when you were born.’
    Ketu looked down guiltily as Yoshiko’s face showed alarm. The elder dragon began scratching at the dusty ground where he sat, his sharp talons digging deep; he then stood suddenly and Yoshiko looked into the hole Ketu had made. Something glittered at the bottom of it.
    ‘I see… strange-coloured shell!’ Yoshiko announced hardly able to breathe.
    Ketu nodded as he continued pushing away at the earth with his claws.
    ‘It is the egg you were born from. We told the Hudrah that the whirl of colours was just the reflection of the firelight. But that wasn’t true. Your egg was different, Yoshiko.
    ‘Kiara and I took the pieces of the shell and buried them here,’ said Ketu. ‘We didn’t want any other dragon to see them.’
    Ketu reached down and pulled out a glittering fragment.
    ‘This is where you came from,’ he said. ‘We tried to burn the eggshell to ash. But no matter how much firewe breathed on to it the pieces of the shell did not even get hot. They were indestructible. So we covered them in earth and left them here.’
    Tears had collected in Ketu’s eyes.
    ‘We deeply wished we could keep the pieces as other elders did, in a gilded box for you to marvel at when you were growing up. But we could not for fear of others seeing it. But you need to know this, Yoshiko. Kiara and I thought your egg the most incredible thing we had ever seen.’
    Yoshiko looked at the colourful pieces of shell and then back again at Ketu. He remembered Igorr’s words about his strange egg.
    ‘What does it mean?’ he asked.
    ‘I do not know exactly, Yoshiko, though I have asked the same question