Page 122 of Balance

“Yes,” was his short reply. “Sort of.”

I blinked at him, dropping out of my stance.

What the fuck did that mean? Either it was a dragon, or it wasn’t.

And shouldn’t he, out of anyone, be able to tell the difference?

Titus had no chance to elaborate, because the object of his attention—something both reptilian and strange—had taken that moment to tear its way through the trees. It uncurled its furiously imposing form.

So, it was a dragon. Kind of…

The creature was sage green and as large as Titus’s transformed size. It was honestly the strangest thing—having the body of a brachiosaurus—with a much shorter neck—and proportionally tiny wings.

It was nothing like any dragon I’d ever seen.

And unlike Titus, who was pretty damn elegant, this creature was awkward. It was actually a little bit sad to watch. It stumbled ungracefully forward as it crossed into the clearing, trying to balance. It seemed difficult for it to walk without stabbing itself with its, very obviously, over-long claws.

As it drew near, its facial features became clear. Where a traditional dragon had a snout and powerful jaws, this creature had a bright orange, duck-like beak.

It was the most bizarre thing I’d ever encountered.

But despite all the above, there wasstillone more disturbing thing about this… beast.

“What’s wrong with it?” Julian tilted his head, straightening to his full height as he, too, lowered his guard. Now that it was here, our wariness and caution had dissipated.

I wondered the same thing myself.

Thisthing—the Snallygaster—had one eye. Considering some of the things we’d seen in our lives, this wasn’t all that unusual. However, the orb was large—mostly white—with no visible eyelid, and it was focused on us, unblinking, in the most unnerving manner.

It almost seemed angry, and a tiny bit afraid, as if it was defending something. My theory was further validated as the creature moved into a defensive position, rising onto its hind legs and letting out a tremendous roar.

But now that it was here, the sound was no longer threatening.

“Why, it’s a googly eye,” Julian pointed out. He tentatively stepped forward. “Do you suppose it can actually see? I’ve never thought a dragon could look like this.”

“You keep staring at itseye.” I frowned at him, noticing the way Titus seemed to bristle at Julian’s statement. “Are you planning on dissecting it?”

Julian didn’t answer—his focus remaining on the dragon-like creature—but his mouth quirked in response.

Yes, he was going to dissect it. Go figure.

It roared again, waving long claws in front of him. Anyone else, I suppose, might have been scared.

But we had anactualdragon on our side. So…

“Don’t kill it,” I ordered, the last of my defenses falling. It was such an ugly thing that I felt bad for it. Something akin to pity stirred in me, and my chest warmed with newfound purpose.

It needed help.Myhelp.

What if it could be tamed? It might make a decent pet.

With one of these around, nobody woulddaretrespass on my lawn again.

“I know that look.” Julian pulled up his sword, pointing it to the beast as it continued to posture in front of us. “We are not bringing this thing home with us.”

“It’s kind of cute.” How couldn’t he see it? Its appeal grew stronger the longer you looked.

“It’s far from cute, and the neighbors would definitely notice. Besides, we already have a dragon.”