Free The Dragon' Son by Kathryn Fogleman Page A

back to his mind. His stomach lurched when he remembered the terrifying and horrid events of the day before. In fact, he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to hold the meat that he had just eaten.
     
    Pharrgon made a sort of humming noise in his throat that caused Keegan to look up at the dragon. He thought the hum sounded compassionate, and it helped to calm his feelings. It made the glowing feeling in his chest swell for some reason, and that brought comfort to him.
     
    “Come and rinse off under the water. It is refreshing and quieting and even helps to settle hot stomachs and feelings,” Pharrgon said as he walked toward the waterfall. He stepped into the pool with a loud splash, and each time he moved in the water, it was like a giant whirlpool swirling around him.
     
    Keegan followed the dragon carefully into the pool. The water at first just came to his knees as it had when he had waded through it the night before, but, the further he went, the higher it got until finally it was up to his chest. Keegan looked down at his feet through the crystal clear water, surprised that the water was deeper than it had been last night. It didn’t look like it would be much deeper, so he took another step and slipped on a loose stone. He went under. The pool was suddenly very deep, but his body began to rise to the surface, and he knew how to swim well, so it was of little concern to him. Just then, a water reed caught hold of his leg and would not come loose. Keegan frantically began tugging at his leg and tried to swim upward but to no avail. He reached for his dagger to cut himself loose.
     
    The water began to swirl all around him. He felt something grab the back of his shirt and begin to pull him out. A gigantic talon cut the reed loose from his leg, and he came catapulting out of the water, gasping as he came into the air.
     
    Pharrgon had Keegan by the back of the shirt in his giant ivory teeth and walked toward the mouth of the cave and the waterfall. Keegan held his breath as they both went through the waterfall, but he almost screamed when the falling, icy water washed through his clothes, hair, and all over his skin.
     
    Once past the waterfall, he just dangled from Pharrgon’s mouth with the dragon's hot breath blowing all around him, drying out his hair. He was filled with utter fascination, hanging from a real dragon's mouth but also with a slight bit of trepidation. It was a most uncomfortable predicament to be caught fast in a dragon’s teeth, even though Keegan was certain now that he and this creature were friends.
     
    Pharrgon finally placed Keegan gently on the riverbank then shook the water from his scales. Keegan covered his face as water fell all over him. As soon as the dragon was done shaking, he shook himself and began to wring the water from his clothes.
     
    “The water was not that deep last night,” Keegan noted aloud as he wrung the water from his clothes. He also noticed that his stomach was no longer upset and hot.
     
    “The water was not deep because you took the shallow way around the pool,” Pharrgon said. “However, if you would have veered more toward the middle, you would have done the same thing as you just did now, except that I might not have pulled you out then.”
     
    “I thank you for doing so. However, I was getting ready to pull my dagger out and cut the foul reed,” Keegan replied.
     
    “No, you would have tried but would have been unsuccessful,” the dragon stated gravely. “Only adult dragons can tear away those reeds.”
     
    Keegan wanted to ask why, but the urge to go and see what was left in the village overpowered his curiosity. “It can wait for another time,” he said to himself. He then paused and wondered what made him think that there would be another time? No, he didn’t have the time nor the patience to answer that question. “Let us go,” he said hastily. “Well, that is if you are ready, er, Pharrgon,” he added. 
     
    “I am