The Twenty-Sided Dice

Chapter 7: Hideaway

Maya leapt back, startled by the sight of this young purple dragon crashing out of the undergrowth. The dragon didn't seem to notice the alarmed gazes directed at it, and it simply headed back into the bushes. After a few seconds, it leapt out again, landing in a more heroic-looking pose this time.

"Was that better? The first landing off, but I not really good at flying yet. I not very good at speaking human, either. Can you tell me what I doing wrong so I can try again?" The dragon spoke in a tilted, disjointed tone, as if it wasn't used to speaking at all.

"Umm... young dragon, do we know you? I mean, are we supposed to know you?" Madison smiled at the small creature, trying to make it feel welcome while also trying to figure out where it came from.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot that you not know me yet! My name Misty. What you?" Misty's tiny wings were covered in scars, and her legs had fresh burn wounds as well. Maya decided to try to get some answers out of the tiny dragon, worrying about these clear signs of abuse.

"I'm Maya. Can you tell me where you got those painful-looking cuts on your legs? Maybe I can help treat them." Maya raised her hands, summoning a flicker of her lightning magic, and pressing it on the open wounds, The gashes closed up slightly, although they were still inflamed. Misty stared up at Maya in awe, exhaling a slight puff of smoke.

"You seem trustworthy... well, I guess it not hurt to tell you group about me. I Addison daughter, and dad is Inferno. He really mean dad though, he cut legs and wings when I just a baby. He and Addison terrible people, terrible. Nobody want to help me fight them though, probably because they really powerful. You know about power, do you, Maya? Yes, you do, you know best of all. Can you help me fight evil parents?" Misty walked to Maya's feet and sat there, staring up at her with the most adorable face Maya had ever seen. Next to her, Tanya whispered, "It could be a trick. Don't just trust her immediately, give her a chance to prove herself first." Maya realized that she was right, and stared sternly at the little dragon.

"You can join our group temporarily, but I have a feeling that nobody trusts you. I don't trust you, myself, but I do want to believe that you can be an ally. So, on a trial basis, you are welcome to join us in the fight against Addison." Maya turned with a dramatic flourish, and Madison piped up from behind her.

"So... does that mean Inferno is a shapeshifted dragon too? He would be a red dragon, which explains your... unique purple color." Madison mused out loud, and Misty nodded assertively.

"That right! Inferno red dragon. Make sense, from name, right? Inferno similar to fire, and fire similar to red! It fit together perfect!" Misty exclaimed, hopping up and down.

"It certainly does make sense, Misty. But what I don't get is why you would betray your parents for a group of strangers. I mean, they're your own blood, your kin. Why would you be so confident about betraying your parents, no matter how horrible they are?" Ashley asked inquisitively, trying not to sound rude. Misty turned to face her, an almost comical expression on her face.

"I betray parents because parents betray many other people. Parents hurt many people, and I know personal favor is bad way to decide things. So, I see that betray parents only hurt me and them, and help parents hurt a lot of other people. Which would you choose, Ashley?" Misty's gaze suddenly became deep and powerful, as if the dragon was staring right into Ashley's soul. Ashley had no response, as she knew that she would choose to help her parents without a second thought. This young dragon may not be very smart, but she had an undeniable wisdom and a powerful moral code that Ashley found very admirable.

"Even so, it probably goes against all your instincts to fight your own parents, right?" Erin asked politely, seeing the same powerful wisdom that Ashley saw in the tiny dragon.