The Dragon's Scale (COMPLETE, EDITING)

6.2 || Finding Sanctuary

The man's face broke out into a grin as they approached. "Micah. Joanna. I didn't think I would ever see you two again, especially up here."

"That's probably because we never planned to return, but it's nice to see you, Xander." Josh's mom smiled back, and it seemed genuine despite the tension in her shoulders. The curly-haired woman gave a faint huff, and his mom chuckled. "It's nice to see you, too, Ioana."

Ioana nodded her approval. "Much better."

"Sorry for the late-night arrival," Cale said, drawing Xander's and Ioana's attention to him. "How did you know we had returned?"

The light in Xander's expression dimmed. "Jodas contacted us saying you were under attack."

"Who's Jodas?" Josh asked. Cale had said something about contacting the guy earlier, and if he had gone through the trouble of waking Xander and Ioana, he figured Jodas would be there, but he didn't see anyone else.

Jodas isn't some guy, Boomer snickered.

So Jodas is a girl?

That's not quite what I meant.

At the same time Boomer spoke, Ioana said, "Jodas is the Elder Dragon stationed here."

"The what now?" he asked. "I thought there were only Mighty Dragons and Phoenix Dragons?"

"We didn't get to explain everything," Cale cut in, directing his words to Xander. He twitched when the man looked at him, but his face remained impassive. "Things didn't go as planned."

"I would expect not if you were attacked," Xander said. "I'm just glad everyone is okay." He examined each of them in turn, his eyes finally resting on Josh and Eli. "Hello, by the way. My name is Xander. I'm the leader of the Paladins. And this is my wife, Ioana."

Ioana flicked her wrist in a small wave. "Welcome to the Paladins. I'm also the one who chucks you off a cliff if you get too annoying."

"She's kidding," Josh told Eli, who had flinched at her words. At least, he hoped she was kidding.

Ioana grinned. "Don't worry. The threat is only for those sixteen and older."

Josh chuckled, though the innocent smile unnerved him. Boomer, she's joking, right?

I'll catch you before you splat on the ground, Boomer replied.

Josh had a feeling Boomer was trying to mess with him, but the words sparked a wave of excitement. Maybe falling from—well, being thrown off—a cliff wasn't ideal, but he would get saved by a real dragon.

"Well, we're awake now, and I'm sure your family could use some time to unwind, so how about we go talk about everything in the courtyard?" Xander offered.

"And get some food. I don't know about you guys, but I could use a storytime snack," Ioana added in.

At the mention of food, Josh's stomach grumbled. Eli's hand drifted to his own stomach.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," his mom said.

"Follow me then," Xander said. He and Ioana proceeded into the castle first, Cale right behind them.

Mara glanced at Cale then shot Josh a smile. "Ready to see Sanctuary?"

He smiled back. "You bet I am." He started forward, but Eli didn't budge. "What's wrong?"

Eli looked at their parents with a frown. Josh followed his gaze. His mom stared up at the castle, pain and sadness tainting her features.

His dad reached out and squeezed her hand. Her free hand drifted to her chest as she nodded to some unspoken question.