“I am Drago,” he rumbled. “King of the Isle of the Dragons. Who are you—and where did you come from?”
Phoenix’s dragon huffed in her head, Oh great. Intimidate the poor visitor, why don’t you?
With a flash of searing orange and red, Phoenix shifted, the flames dancing along her skin like playful spirits before dying down. She silently groaned at her dragon’s flamboyant display.
Really? Did you have to show off? What part of blending in did you miss? she growled silently at her dragon, who snickered at her irritation.
Shoving her hands deep into her hoodie pockets, she gave Drago a crooked, uneasy smile. “Hi. I’m—uh—Phoenix. Phoenix Reykill… from… Valdier.” She winced at the squeak in her voice.
Drago’s gaze narrowed, and his sapphire eyes gleamed with amusement. “Phoenix— Something tells me you are not supposed to be here.”
“Y-Yeah. Yes, sir. About that….” she muttered, toeing the ground as her voice faded on a guilty note.
Laughter snickered from the two soldiers flanking Drago. Phoenix’s face burned, but the sound cut off sharply when Drago growled low in warning.
“Come,” he ordered. “This might best be discussed in private.”
With that, he turned and strode toward the massive gates carved directly into the cliff side. The dragons shifted back into human form, falling in behind them.
Phoenix trailed close behind, wide-eyed as they passed through the towering gates. The stone walls loomed around her, every inch carved with intricate runes and reliefs of dragons soaring through the skies, breathing fire, fighting great beasts.
Beyond the gates, the world opened up—and her breath caught. The marketplace bustled with life. Stone streets wound through a sea of colorful tents and wooden stalls. Merchants called out, hawking wares—gleaming weapons, bright fabrics, baskets overflowing with fruit that smelled like honey and spice. The air thrummed with the roar of forges, the hiss of fire, the sound of music, and the laughter of children weaving between towering dragon shifters.
Everywhere, dragons in human and beast form mingled—scales glinting in sunlight, varying shades of colorful eyes glowing. The air shimmered faintly with magic, thick enough Phoenix swore she could taste it—smoky, metallic, and sweet.
Before they could reach the castle steps, three small dragons shot out of the sky like comets, scales flashing in the sun. The two boys landed first, shifting mid-air and tumbling into human form—barefoot, wild-haired, laughing.
“Dad! Did you see the fire dragon?!” the tallest boy—Drago Jr., DJ—blurted, his sapphire eyes wide, nearly the spitting image of his father.
“Yeah!” his younger brother, Stone, added, tugging on Drago’s sleeve. “It was awesome! Its body was on fire! I want to light my wings and tail on fire!”
“Absolutely not!” Drago growled, scowling down at the younger boy. “Don’t even think about it, Stone. Your mother would roast my—never mind. Your wings and tail aren’t made for fire.”
“Aw, Dad. You take the fun out of everything,” Stone grumbled, kicking at a loose stone.
Phoenix bit her lip with amusement, and Drago knelt in front of the boy and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You can do a lot of things, son, but lighting your wings and tail on fire are not one of them.”
“Yeah, Stone. We already tried that, remember? All it did was catch the curtains on fire and mom got mad at us,” the other boy said.
“When did that happen?” Drago demanded, glaring at his oldest son.
Phoenix grinned despite herself. Her heart clenched at the boys’ exuberance. The boys reminded her so much of Zohar, Roam, Balint, and Jabir—rambunctious, brave, and fearless.
Before Drago could reply, a third dragon landed with a soft thud. A little girl, no older than five, with long dark hair streaked in copper and gold and wide golden eyes that glowed with curiosity, hurried over to Phoenix. She skipped over, ignoring everyone else, and cupped her small hands around her mouth as she leaned forward and whispered in a loud voice, “Are you the fire dragon?”
Phoenix crouched, giving her a crooked grin. “I might be. My name’s Phoenix.”
The girl’s eyes rounded with delight. “Like the bird that goes poof? I think Auntie Nali has some of those. They aren’t like the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds just make our hair stand up.”
“Sort of, only I don’t go completely poof.” Phoenix winked.
“Roo, come here,” Drago growled, but the little girl ignored him.
“She’s my bestest new friend, Daddy!” Roo declared, spinning and wrapping her arms around Phoenix’s waist. “She’s like Auntie Nali’s poofy birds, only better.”
Drago sighed, running a hand over his face. The mighty King of Dragons, undone by a daughter’s pleading eyes. “Roo…”
“Please, Daddy. She’s mine ‘cause I touched her first.” Roo stuck out her tongue at her brothers when they grumbled that it wasn’t fair that Roo got to keep the fire dragon.
