“And what fate would that be?”He crossed his muscled arms over his burly chest.
“It’s a terrible one, Ali, where the boredom and loneliness plaguing you vanish because you shall go on a grand adventure where you will rediscover a zest for life.Before you whine, there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” he muttered, apparently determined to remain miserable.
Me, though, I’d never felt more excited.“You said Nessie has the gold,” I remarked, jumping into the battle of words between the pair.“I assume it is at the bottom of her loch, making it lost forever.”
“Deep below the surface, yes, but not necessarily lost.With the right incentive, she might be convinced to show it to you.”
“Really?”I couldn’t help but squeak.“What kind of incentive?”
“That part is unclear, but there is a future where I see it splayed at your feet.”
“And the futures where it isn’t?”Alistair interjected.
“Not ones I recommend, if you enjoy being alive.”
I blinked.Had the selkie seen my death?
“What happens to Davina if she doesn’t do something stupid, like visit Nessie?”Alistair inquired.
Astaria giggled.“Oh, she’s going, and as I mentioned, you’ll be joining her.”
“No, I’m not,” he exclaimed with annoyance.“I have better things to do than hare off on a fool’s errand.”
“I wouldn’t want you along, anyhow.With your attitude, Nessie’s Red Caps will murder me for sure.”A comment that earned me a glare.The man did have an impressive scowl, and how did I respond?With a bright smile.
Alistair shook his head.“Once more I am baffled as to how your kind have managed to flourish.”
“If dragons are so much smarter, how come there aren’t more of you?”was my cheeky reply.
“Because we are our own worst enemy.”His lips turned down.“Some became power hungry and turned on each other.However, the true nail in our proverbial coffin came about because the humans hunted us to extinction.”
“You must be the king of hiding then, if you’re still around.”
“Because I know better than to risk my life on foolish endeavors.”He turned from me and headed for his fridge, pulling out a hunk of meat, some potatoes, green onions, and more.Wait, was the dragon about to cook?
“What’s for supper?”I asked.
“As seen in my vision, one of his yummy pot roasts.”Astaria plopped herself onto a stool.
“Should have known that’s why you showed up,” he replied.“But you came a tad bit too early.It will be a few hours before it’s ready.”
Eyeing the amount of food, I imagined it divided in three but remained baffled.“How is a tiny portion like that enough to feed your dragon?”
“It isn’t.It fuels my human shell.When my dragon hungers, I hunt larger prey.”
“Such as?”
He sighed as he began chopping potatoes.“Deer, wild pigs, cows, sheep, goats.”
“Aren’t the latter missed by the farmers?”
“One here and there from a herd is considered the hazard of the profession.I am not so greedy as to massacre an entire stock.”
“What about fish?You live right by the ocean.”
“I’ve been known to partake in sharks and whale, although, if given a choice, my dragon prefers land-based meat.”
