The Dragon in the Volcano by Kate Klimo

Author:Kate Klimo [Klimo, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-375-89723-8
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2011-05-24T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE RUSTY HOOSEGOW

Emmy lay on the street whimpering, her scales seared black where Malachite had blasted her.

Jesse and Daisy didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t the wounds to her flesh that worried them so much as the damage to her spirit. Not since she was a tiny dragon coiled up in the sock drawer had they seen her in such a state of despair. Their party clothes had vanished, replaced by their jeans and T-shirts, which seemed appropriate. The Fire Ball was over. There would be no more dancing or bubbly tonight.

“We never should have let her stay here,” Jesse said as they followed Opal and Galena, who bore Emmy’s body between them, back to the cottage.

“It’s not that simple,” Daisy said. “She’s older now, Jess. We can’t just boss her around. She has a mind of her own.”

“Yeah, and look where it got her!” Jesse said. “We should have done a better job of protecting her from herself. Isn’t that what our parents do for us?”

“Only if we let them,” Daisy said with a grim smile.

When they got back to the cottage, they tucked Emmy into her crate. At first, she was too shocked to do anything but lie there. But after a while, she began to weep. She tossed about, flinging lava socks everywhere. Tears dripped from her eyes, rolled down her nose, and fell on her chest wounds with a sound like cold rain hitting a hot sidewalk. Daisy ran to the backpack to get a bandanna and the small first aid kit they kept in the side pouch.

“There’s no need to blot the tears,” Galena said softly when she saw what Daisy was up to. “Dragon tears heal wounds.”

“Oh!” said Daisy, staring at Jesse.

Jesse’s eyes were round with wonder. It was good to know that Emmy had the power to heal herself, since there probably wasn’t enough first aid cream in the whole tube to cover even one of the angry red scratches striping her chest and her shoulders, not to mention the burns.

“If she cries enough—and who could blame her?—she’ll be fine by the morning. The tears will work their healing magic. It’s her heart that will be slower to mend,” said Opal.

Opal and Galena, seeing Emmy settled in, took their leave.

“We’re going to look in on Jasper,” they said. “Poor fellow.”

“Jasper!” Daisy said, flaring up. “That two-timing galoot doesn’t deserve your sympathy.”

“Everyone deserves sympathy,” Opal said, “even Jasper.”

“Do you think it’s easy being the mote of Malachite?” Galena said.

The very mention of Malachite sent Emmy into renewed fits of grief and shame.

“Please don’t feel bad,” Daisy said gently, stroking Emmy.

“You’re a beautiful green,” Jesse said. “Not insipid at all.”

“What’s more,” Daisy added, “there are plenty more dragons just as nice as Jasper.”

“Well,” said Jesse, remembering the four-to-one ratio, “one or two, probably, at least.”

“There will never be anyone but Jasper for me!” Emmy wailed.

The cousins took turns watching over Emmy until she fell into a shuddering slumber. They dabbed the surplus tears on the shoulder wounds the tears had missed.

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