Remy

  "We're supposed to do what?" Basil stared at me, stunned. His light blond hair stood out from his head, as it always did, while he fixed me with his orange eyes. He and Renan were both light blondes. Narcisse, who had returned to the mountains, had dark hair. Bck and long. An illusion, of course. They could not choose their human appearance completely, even in human form they had a true face, but they had a lot of leeway. Age, clothes... The only thing they couldn't do was change the gender.

  I sat in front of them with my arms crossed. In my parents' living room. Renan yawned and looked at me skeptically. "It's just a small request", I kept trying.

  “It's not!" Renan immediately contradicted me. "You're asking us to py pet!"

  "We’re not pets!" Basil let out a loud growl.

  I poured myself a cup of tea, the fourth, and took a cookie. Danielle had brought tea and biscuits into the living room. Originally to share this with her friends, but now that my dragons stayed longer, she visited the other two girls instead. Two sisters. Their names had escaped me. "I'm not asking you to py pet. I ask you to make a friend happy." The cursed boy! What should he do with joy? I heard he isn’t allowed to be happy", grumbled Basil. "You humans are weird. Is he cursed? Or are people exaggerating? I wouldn't be surprised."

  "I don't think he's cursed. He's a friend. And he's important to me." In fact, Lou was more of a brother to me, but they probably wouldn't approve of that. The promise to the dragons was more important than family. In Lou's case, I would cssify both as equal. "You're going to like him."

  "And the wise men? The guards? You can’t meet him anymore", Renan objected.

  "And what are they supposed to do? If you two come with me?" I raised my eyebrows and threw a pillow at him, grinning. Renan smirked.

  "True!", he agreed, throwing the pillow back. He missed me a bit and hit the teacup instead, which fell off the table and broke. I grimaced.

  "I guess I should mop that up!", I grumbled annoyed.

  "Oops!" Renan sighed. "I'll do it! Excuse me." And he got up and went to get a broom and a rag.

  "You're asking us to be petted!", hissed Basil. "You pet pets. No dragons!"

  "And then what do I do all the time? If you're in dragon form?" I often stroked their soft scales.

  "That's something else! But the boy. You're asking for a lot! Too much."

  "I know." I nodded. "You're going to like Lou. That's a promise."

  Basil crossed his arms. "All right. I'll accompany you. But I'm not going to mime the cuddly pet. What about Narcisse?"

  "He promised to spend time with his little sister." I shook my head. "He will not accompany us." His sister Nour was fourteen and adored her big brother. And he was equally infatuated with his sister.

  Renan came back. "I've heard everything and I refuse. I don't let myself be petted! And... You don't want to scare your friend, do you? Two dragons might be a bit much." He began to clean up the mess.

  "You're right." I hadn't thought of that. Would Lou be afraid? And... In the slums, Basil was not supposed to take the form of a dragon. That would cause a commotion. And if we left the city? But he didn't want to be petted. "Good. Basil accompanies me. After all."

  "But I won't let him ride on my back!", he grumbled. "And I remain in human form. I don't want to be petted. I'm just getting to know your friend! No stroking, no flying! Not a dragon form."

  Somewhat disappointed, I agreed. "Thank you."

  "No pet fuss!", he growled again.

  "I wouldn't do that either", Renan agreed. "I'm flying back."

  "Sure? If you are both in human form... Although, no. You’re right. Even if he's not afraid of two dragons, it might be too many people for him." Lou was very anxious and not used to visitors. I didn't want to overwhelm him. As much as I wished him friends. "Wait until you know him!"

  Why were dragons so terribly dramatic? What was so bad about letting a weak boy stroke your scales? Lou was nothing but skin and bones! And I had to check if he was okay. But I didn't want the guards to recognize me. This could have consequences for Lou. So I put on one of my father's old coats and covered my face. Basil blinked.

  "I don't want to cause trouble for Lou."

  "Oh. Well then!" Basil's face, too, was now lightly covered by a cloth. "Better?"

  "Absolutely! Let's go." Hopefully, the guards hadn't caught him! I could never forgive myself if he had been hurt because of me. But I couldn't stay away either. Who would take care of him then?

  We walked through the streets and alleys of the city. Silently. No one bothered us. No one paid any attention to us. That was good. Nevertheless. I was nervous. And Basil was in a bad mood. Wonderful. I looked at him questioningly, but he just frowned, pouting. At least he came along. I guess I couldn't expect more.

  When we reached the slum, the ungracious smell of poverty awaited us. It always stank here. The roads were dirty, the houses old and broken. The people here had long since given up and lift a miserable life. To end up here meant to fight for survival.

  "Hey! You!", an elderly dy suddenly spoke to me. She wore only an undergarment made of dirty fabric. Her face was full of peeling, red paint. "Young man! You! Don't go that way! You will be cursed! Bck shadows lurk there! They want to destroy us all!" She pointed to the city wall, which we were walking towards. There, at the old city gate, stood Lou's hut. I had never seen it before, even though I knew where it was. It was marked on one of the maps of the temple. It said "The Cursed" in capital letters.

  "It's all good. I have something to discuss with the boy", I replied in a disguised voice. Basil chuckled softly. I must have been doing a bad job.

  "He's going to curse you too!" The old woman grabbed my arm. Her gzed eyes sparkled with madness. She smelled strong. After urine, bad breath, and sweat. "Don't do it!"

  Now Basil let out a low rumble, which frightened the old woman.

  "Dragon!" She hurried away with a pale face.

  "You may have just revealed us", I grumbled.

  Basil shrugged. "She was rude."

  I sighed. "No. Just worried. And crazy, I think. Come on, let's move on. Hopefully, she thinks you're the dragon that's been spotted. Harper. That's what Narcisse called him. Right?"

  "She didn't recognize you. Harper is a stubborn boy." Basil put an arm over my shoulders. "He wanted to help someone. Someone named Vivi. Narcisse will take care of it. The boy won’t come here anymore. And the old woman didn't recognize you."

  I wasn't so sure. But she was insane. Crazy. "I don't think anyone would believe her." The young dragon, Harper, had stormed into the house and asked for anything possible to treat wounds. I hadn't seen him. But Danielle did. After that, she had been beside herself. He must have frightened her. Who the dragon had helped...

  We arrived at the small hut that was part of the city walls. Old rags served as front walls. Basil sniffed and let out a rumble. "The person inside is injured."

  "What? Injured? Badly?"

  "Possibly!" murmured Basil. I hurried to the hut. Had the guards caught him? What had happened? I pushed aside the curtains of rags and stumbled in. "Lou!" Basil followed me cautiously. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and wiped his hands on his clothes as if he could wipe them off the dirt of the rags. Lou y crying on an old mat. He had curled up and buried his face in his bandaged knees. The new clothes y folded up next to the mat. He was still wearing the rags. "Lou?"

  Startled, he sat up but then flinched. Apparently, from pain. "What? Who?... Remy?" He blinked and stared palely in my direction. His fine features looked tense.

  I quickly knelt in front of him. "Yes. It’s me! What happened?" I leaned close to his face so he could recognize me.

  Lou looked at me with reddened eyes. His light brown hair hung stringy and tangled. Sand and dirt clung to his delicate, bony body. But he didn't stink. Did he wash himself? "The guards... I wasn't fast enough. But... Why are you here?"

  "Did they hurt you?" My hands began to shake with rage.

  Lou nodded. "I deserve it. I'm not allowed to see you anymore. You have to go."

  "No. I don't have to." But the guards! They would atone! "Shall I take care of the wounds?"

  Immediately, Lou shook his head. "They're taken care of." Wait? Had Harper helped him? No. Impossible. Presumably, his mother had brought him food and then tended to the wounds. Or did he? What were the chances that a young dragon would pick out Lou? For what? As a friend? But Lou's name was Lou. And Basil said the boy had wanted to help someone named Vivi. Basil hadn't said anything yet. "I want to introduce you to a friend!" I turned to him and beckoned him to us. Until now, he had been sullenly leaning against one of the old stone walls. Now he sat down next to me. "This is Basil. He's a dragon."

  Lou's gaze wandered to the dragon. But Basil was still too far away. Lou wouldn't be able to see much of him. So I tugged at his sleeve. "Bend over to him. So he can see your face. Please. Lou's eyesight is bad."

  "I can see colors well", Lou said quietly. He trembled slightly. "Unless it's dark. I'm gd to meet you, Basil. I'm Lou." His gaze wandered back to me. "You should go. The guards..." He shook his head and pulled his legs towards him. His whole body was shaking very badly now. He was so thin. I would have hugged him if I didn't know he didn't like this.

  "If that's what you want", I replied.

  Lou nodded.

  "Good. But what the guards did was wrong. I'll fix that, Lou. I keep my promise. The one from back then. Do you remember?" I grabbed the new clothes and moved them closer to him. Right next to his bare feet. "The clothes are there to be worn. Louise would be disappointed if you didn't put them on. Need help?" Lou shook his head. "I don't need any, thanks. Go now. I'm not allowed to see you anymore!"

  "I'll fix that, Lou." Sighing, I stood up. "I see you soon. I promise! And then the guards won't punish you for it!" I sadly left his little hut. Basil followed me.

  "Remy?" He looked back to the hut.

  "Yes?"

  “The boy..."

  I frowned. "Yes?"

  "I couldn't smell a curse. He smells normal." Basil grimaced. "He's not cursed. I'm sure of it! If he had been, I would’ve smelled evil magic."

  I nodded. "We're going to change this city from the ground up! You, me! And, of course, Renan and Narcisse."

  Basil snorted in amusement. "You say that all the time. But you don't do anything."

  "I'm pnning, Basil. Quietly and silently. I will soon."

  "And will you let us in on your pns?"

  "Of course!" Smiling, I left the slum together with my dragon.