The Luck Dragon

Chapter 1With a last look behind him to make sure no one from the house was watching him, Ryland scrambled through the gap in the old wall and began his jog to the nearby woods. As an only child, living in a remote area, there were no other children to play with. Except for Shiloh. Ryland wasn’t scared of the forest, as dark and as ancient as it was. In fact, he felt more at home there than in the house. It’s darker back there, and sometimes it’s like I can’t breathe. Not like here where I’m so free. And then there’s Shiloh, too. He’s not scared to be here. Trying to keep out of his mind the punishment he’d receive if his father ever found out he’d not only snuck out of the house, but gone into the forest, Ryland kept running. In the clearing ahead, he caught a glimpse of Shiloh and waved wildly. A bright smile lit up his friend’s face and he returned the gesture. A moment later and they were hugging and laughing together. “I wasn’t sure I could make it.” Ryland was still breathless. “My father’s at home. I’d best not stay too long.” “All right. We’ll be careful. I brought the bow and arrows my father made.” Shiloh pointed to the circle of flowers in which he always waited for Ryland. “We can be Robin Hood’s men. Chasing away the wicked sheriff.” Ryland was already inventing their adventure as Shiloh retrieved the toys. “Your father has a gift for carving.” Ryland turned the bow over in his hands, admiring the intricate decorations carved into it. “Yes. He likes it, but he only takes the dead wood. Branches that have fallen when creating toys.” Shiloh ran his fingers over his own bow. Ryland touched his medallion through his shirt. “Did he make this, too?” “No. My mother made that. She said it’s a luck dragon and no matter how far apart we may be, when the time is right, the luck dragon will bring us together again.” “Together again?” Ryland dashed to his friend, hugging him hard. “I won’t ever leave you, Shiloh.” “Things happen, Ryland. That’s what Mother says. Things we may not want to happen. The key is working a way around the unpleasant things to reach those we want. Those we love.” Shiloh smiled as he looked into Ryland’s eyes. “Now, what are we playing today?” “We can be on the trail of airship pirates, and we can scupper their ship with our bows and arrows.” “A great idea.” Shiloh nodded enthusiastically. Soon they were lost in their adventures and Ryland failed to notice time passing. It was only when he heard an all-too familiar voice bellow his name that he stopped, his heart threatening to burst from his chest. “Father!” The solidly built man strode toward him, almost dragging his mother alongside him. She was crying and pleading with his father, but he neither slowed down nor released her. Not until he reached the clearing in which Ryland still stood as if rooted to the spot. “You stay there, Persephone.” Shoving Ryland’s mother to the ground, he turned to Ryland. “He’s a child, Jabez. Please, please don’t harm him.” “He’s my son, Persephone, and I intend to teach him to never disobey me again. And as for that—” His father’s pointing finger was directly at Shiloh and, for the first time, fury, along with fear, built and boiled over in Ryland. “I won’t let you hurt him. He’s my friend.” Ryland stood between his father and Shiloh and raised his bow. “Leave him alone.” “Well, it seems the pup has teeth after all. You’re willing to defend him, then. You and it are lucky you’re nothing more than infants.” Jabez raised both hands toward Shiloh. “I bind you once that you stay away from Ryland. I bind you twice that you can never speak to him. I bind you thrice that until the day he remembers you and calls you by name, you and he can never be together. Go back to your realm and stay away from what’s mine.” Wind whipped around Ryland, making it impossible for him to keep his bow aimed. He turned in time to see Shiloh battling to reach him while losing ground against the wind. “Ryland! Don’t forget me.” Shiloh yelled. “Never. I’ll never forget you.” Tears blinded Ryland as leaves and small twigs whipped around him, and Shiloh was forced back into the flower ring where he always waited for Ryland. Then he was gone, and the flowers slowly wilted and died. Ryland ran to the tree, but there was nothing of Shiloh to be seen. However, there was a hole in the tree that Ryland hadn’t noticed before and, on impulse, he shoved his bow and arrows inside in an effort to at least keep them safe. “Come here, boy.” His father’s voice boomed and Ryland, head down, shuffled back, ready to accept the beating he knew would come. “Wife, go home. Pack cases for you and the boy. We leave here tonight. I’ll bring Ryland, and I give you my word, I won’t beat him for his disobedience.” “I will hold you to it, Jabez, for I have your name.” For a moment, there was a flash of defiance in his mother’s eyes that shocked Ryland, then she turned and walked away. Jabez grabbed hold of Ryland, pushing him hard up against the tree and leaned down so close that Ryland could smell his father’s whisky-scented breath. He’d expected to receive the belt, but Jabez seemed intent on studying Ryland’s face. “No, no belt. I see it in your eyes you thought that would be your punishment. No,” Jabez smiled, the movement of his lips was devoid of humour and more chilling than if he’d remained scowling, and Ryland’s blood turned to ice in his veins. “Wh…what then?” Ryland’s voice was a bare whisper and Jabez’s smile grew. “You will forget this place. You will forget Shiloh. You will always have a nostalgic feeling for something you feel you have lost, but can never get back. Shiloh’s name will be buried in this place, and he will be no more than a distant memory of an imaginary friend. Just as I bound him, so I bind you, Ryland. I bind you once to forget. I bind you twice this will just be a dream. I bind you thrice that until you speak his name, Shiloh can never enter the mortal world. As I will, so mote it be.” There was a flash of lightning and a boom of thunder that Ryland felt into his bones. For a moment, he saw a vision of a boy reaching for him, Ryland’s name on his lips, then it was gone, and Ryland’s world went black.