Free Plight of the Dragon by Debra Kristi Page B

crackling and sizzling with dots of fire. The waft of metallic air weighed heavily upon Sebastian, as did something else…the carnival herself, pressing into him? It was as if he were being pushed to the ground and spun around, the desire to hurl overwhelming. And then it was still. The carnival had moved them, and fast. To where, yet unclear. In a dizzy haze, Sebastian toppled onto his side and knocked into something ungiving, painful, and cold.  
    Next to him sat the red, weather-worn, wooden bench by the lake. The one in which Zeke could usually be found. The soft lapping of the water eased Sebastian’s quickened heart, and the smell of Zeke’s cherry tobacco gave him a sense of hope. He hoped Zeke would have a better answer than what the carousel had presented.  
    With a sigh, Sebastian rolled off his side and checked the perimeter. No Reapers nearby. Thank you, Mystic’s . His muscles relaxed, but his heart still ached a thousand dragon jabs to its core.  
    “You gonna come up here and talk to me, or sit on the grass all day?” Zeke said, nudging Sebastian with the end of his cane.  
    After Sebastian’s run-in with his father, Zeke was a welcome relief. Sebastian let out a soft laugh, a touch of madness evident in the refrain, and stood. “I’m getting there, old man. Don’t have a blowdown.” Acting confident and assured on the surface, Sebastian took a seat beside Zeke, but inside, it was as if Sebastian’s tents had been blown down, and he had no clue how to repair the damage, or if it was even repairable.  
    A snort. A cough. Then Zeke elbowed Sebastian. “You don’t need to pretend with me. I know your heart, and it doesn’t match the show you’re puttin’ on.”  
    Crossing his arms across his chest, Sebastian pressed into his chest with the heel of his palm. Pressed hard where his heart should be, only it had been clawed out by Kalrapura, or possibly gnawed up and devoured.
    Not to be deterred by the silence, Zeke dropped his hand upon Sebastian’s leg and delivered a firm pat. “You’re hurting, son. Shall we talk about why?” He tilted his ear to better hear Sebastian’s answer.  
    Sebastian presumed that was why the carnival had brought him here, to talk to Zeke. He was searching for a magical resolution, and he prayed Zeke would be the key. The one to deliver a miracle. But now that he was here, with the ravaged mess laid out before him, he had no words. His throat squeezed tight. Sebastian shook his head and scratched his neck. “I don’t even know where to start.”
    With a nod and a comforting grin, Zeke sat back and placed both hands on the handle of his cane. “When one is overwhelmed or confused, sometimes starting at the beginning is the best.”
    Sebastian peered down and nodded, and then began, spilling forth every detail of his adventure since Zeke had charged him with the deed of finding Bolsvck and the dagger. Plus a few earlier events he’d neglected to mention before, but now thought may be of significance. He told Zeke about the deal he’d made with the Gatekeeper, and the horrid things Marcus had done. He talked about Davies’s company of soldiers, and the death of the man’s daughters. He even mentioned the visit he’d had from the Mara. He talked until his throat was dry and body, numb. So much information poured forth, he could have talked for days, but in actuality it was probably more in the minutes range.  
    Sebastian sighed and leaned over his knees. “And now I have Kyra’s dragon inside of me, and I need to figure out how to get her back to Kyra.” He stared at his clasped hands, played a thumb war.  
    “But you already know the how, don’t you?” Zeke said and stared with his blind eyes out at the carnival entrance.  
    Sebastian cradled his face in his hands. If he could have sunk any lower, he just might have. “If I am to believe what the carousel showed me, yes,” he said, his tone morose and full of bitterness.
    “No reason exists