A Modern Day Knight Chapter 4.

Hey all you lovely people. So it has been a little since I posted but I've been busy. For those of you who don't know me...you should know me, I am awesome! Whether you like or hate this let me know what you thought below! Cheers!

Chapter 4.

I woke up the next morning on the floor. Pushing my hefty body from the floorboards I groaned.

“Must have fallen out of bed last night.” I muttered, scrub my face with a hand only to stop quickly, hissing a breath through my teeth when the skin burned under my touch. I must have gotten a sunburn coming home yesterday, I thought to myself as I began to shuffle to the bathroom, rubbing the back of my neck tenderly. I halted when my foot caught on something sharp. “Ouch.” I balance on one foot and pulled a shard of glass from the pad of my foot. I frowned at it and then I saw the broken remains of the tank on the floor. Slowly as I stared at them, the events of the previous night trickling back. Grabbing my head I gripped my hair in my fist and bow over as the insanity of the memory came flooding back.

“And he remembers.” I spun to the source of the words and saw the dragon draped over my bed and I was struck by how little of it actually fit on the twin size mattress.

I said the first words that popped into my head. “You stole my bed.” I accused. The dragon laughed.

“I’ve never heard that one before either.” He flicked his tail through the air behind him making abstract shapes. “I find you amusing.” He declared and then paused as though waiting for me to answer. I swallowed.

“Uh, thanks?”

The dragon chuckled and when on. “The problem is -” he paused.

“Griffin.”

He nodded. “The problem is, Griffin, I have to kill you.” I just stared at him and he went on. “I’m not happy about this, I wanted to fight knights, warriors, that was the plan of working with him.” He seemed to be talk more to himself now. “There is no delight in fighting snot-nosed children who can’t see past their own belly.”

I was pretty confused, but had caught enough of what he was saying to be miffed by the belly comment.

“Well, it must be rough to be you.” I jerked a thumb at the door. “If you want I can go train to be a knight and then come back”

The dragon had started to smirk but suddenly seemed lost in thought. I had started to inch towards the door when he sprang onto all fours. His claws tearing into my mattress and springs popping out.

“That’s it.” He shouted, eyes flashing with excitement and smoke beginning to pour from his nostrils.

I had jerked my hand back from the door knob. “What’s it?”

“You training to become a knight. I’ll train you.” He said triumphantly. He went on, pacing in tight circles. “It’s perfect, Droves gave me a three month slot to kill you, and so we will have plenty of time.” He spun to me. “You see.”

I opened my mouth, shut it and then opened it again.

“Actually you lost me right about the part about Drover and three months and there was also something about a knight.” The dragon stared at me with an unreadable expression on his face and I cringed, waiting for the hammer to drop. The dragon voice was flat when he spoke again.

“So basically you didn’t understand a word I said.”

I put my hands together. “Yeah, pretty much.”

The dragon heaved a sigh, blowing sparks. “Okay, let me explain this to you very carefully. Do you remember the catchy little poem you read to me last night, shed thy skin thou beast from hell, blah, blah, blah?” His tone grew more sarcastic as he went on. “Recall that bit about death to have before the third new moon? Well-”

I interrupted him. “It was a death we must have before the third new moon.”

The dragon just looked at me for a second, then waved a claw. “Yeah, yeah, whatever, must have. Anyway, that means we have three months because there is only one new moon per month. Understand now?” He growled annoyed.

I furrowed my brow. “I read the poem to my lizard Bow-Bow. Not you.”

The dragon slapped a clawed hand to his head. “The Edge, you’re dense. I am the lizard.”

I tried to wrap my mind around that and in the process ending up sounding even duller than I felt. “So you're Bow-Bow?” I said slowly.

“Yes, I. am. Bow-Bow.“ The dragon gritted his teeth as though say the very words were painful.

“Then how did you become a dragon, was it the poem I read?” The dragon looked as though he was ready to strangle me.

“I didn’t become a dragon, I was a dragon all along. Droves just turned me into a lizard so you would take me home and FYI, that wasn’t a real poem, it was a spell and yes, it was what turned me into a dragon.”

“How did it turn you into a dragon? I thought you just said that you were a dragon already.”

“I was. Droves just had you read that wizards spell to strip away the disguise spell that he-”

I interrupted him again. “Whoa. Now you’re saying Mr. Droves is a wizard. For real? Just like I drew him?

The skin on the dragons face pulled tight against his cheek bones and aggravation was clear in his tone when he spoke. “Yes, Mr. Droves is a wizard and if the drawing you did of him was anything like the one you did of me, it’s no wonder he wants you dead. Along with a long list of others if they found out about you.”

I didn’t have anything to say to that and the dragon laughed coldly.

“What, no more questions? You don’t like that word, do you?” His long neck snaked around behind me and his head appeared at my right shoulder, “dead,” He whispered with a hiss and I flinched unintentionally, my foot coming down on a shard of glass. Losing my balance I threw out my hands wildly and one of my flailing limbs collided with his scaled snout.Jerking back, his wing caught the end of the shelf where I kept my LEGO collection and knock the support beneath it free. The shelf slanted sharply and I cringed as three of the LEGO sculptures hit the floor, exploding into a billion bits on impact. There was a blur of motion and then the dragon’s tail was supporting the shelf, a robot teetering on the very edge. Leveling the board, the dragon gave me a withering glare and open his mouth, however before he could tell me off, Mom’s voice called up to my room.

“Griff, what are you doing up there?” The dragon and my eyes met with equal panic.

“Uhh, nothing,” I answered, looking at the dragon for help, “getting dressed.” I took a step toward the door and tripped over the dragon’s foot. That's all it took. The LEGO creation on the end of the shelf decide to take a quick trip to the floor. After the crash there was a moment of quiet then I heard footsteps on the stairs. I gave the Dragon a shove, his scaly hide rough yet at the same time smooth under my palms. “Hide” I spat through my teeth.

Mom’s voice was louder when she spoke again, “doesn’t sound like someone who’s getting dressed.” Her footsteps drew nearer and the dragon gave me an unbelieving stare.

“Where exactly do you want me to hide?” he nodded his head at my small room.

“I don’t know, behind the bed or something” I whispered even though I could see there was no way he would fit but still giving him a push in that direction. He rolled his eyes, but moved to it while pulling his tail out from the shelf at the same time. The sixteen remaining LEGO models slammed into the floorboards and I shoot the dragon a poisonous look, before rushing to where they had fall just as Mother pushed open the door.

Her mouth fell open with shock and her eyes swept over the room taking in every detail, the broken glass on the floor, the ruined shelf and the springs sticking from my bed but I watched her eyes sweep over the set of black wings sticking out from behind my bed without even stopping. Her hands when to her hips.

“What is this mess, young man?”

I slowly straightened, the words I had to say coming to my lips.

“ I was looking at Bow-Bow and I dropped his tank.” I hung my head as though feeling sheepish but really I was laden with guilt. “Once he got loose, he went crazy and when I tried to catch him I stepped on a piece of glass.” I lifted up my foot and showed her the still bleeding cut on the bottom of it. Just as I hope her expression had softened. “While try to get my balance I knock loose the shelf.” I finished. There was silence. Then;

“What about the bed?” Mom sounded amused. “Did your lizard do that too?”

I wanted to yell, Yes! but instead I bit my lip and looked down at my big toe. “Uh that’s been like that a while.” I cleared my throat like I was embarrassed. “I did it jumping on it.”

Mom pursed her lips at me before letting out a big sigh. “Clean up this mess and come down for breakfast, I‘ll leave the broom and dust pan at the bottom of the stairs.” She turned back to the door and I was just about to sigh with relief when she spun around again and pointed a finger at me, "and no more jumping on your bed.” With those finally words she left and the dragon unfolded itself from behind the bed and gave me appraising look..

“Looks like I was wrong, you are smarter than you appear.” He stretched out, cat like and popped his neck.

I stared at him. “How come she didn’t see you?”

The dragon growled. “And we’re back to twenty questions. Your mother couldn‘t see me because I was using camo, just like a lizard. Plus,” he added see me about to ask another question. “The room was dark. Your mom’s eyes hadn’t adjusted to the lighting, also she wasn’t looking for a huge winged creature in her son’s room. Where as your eyes had adjusted to the dark and you knew I was there. Which is why you saw me and your mother didn’t.” He folded himself neatly on to my bed. “That answer your question?”

I studied him before asking slowly, “so you didn’t use magic.” At that the dragon burst out laughing.

“Magic. Yeah, sure,” he snorted, “excuse me while I go find my wand.”

I scowled and threw up my hands, “you used magic to turn into a lizard.”

The dragon shook his head, “no, that was Droves’ magic. He’s the wizard. I can’t do magic.”

“None at all?” I scratched my neck, puzzled.

The dragon rolled his eyes. I was beginning to see it was a habit of his. “None at all,” he repeated annoyed. “Now clean up this mess of a room. It disgusts me.”

I wanted to comment that he was the reason for it but stealing a quick glance at him and the thin trail of smoke rising from his nostrils I bit the inside of my lip, holding the words at bay.

The dragon gave me an eerie smile that sent shivers down my spine. “That right boy, watch your step with me. Now go get the broom your mother just set at the foot of the stairs.” I about to ask him how he knew she had when her voice floated up.

“Griff, broom’s on the stairs.”

So my grammar and spelling suck! Like a lot. If you notice it please point it out! I try to catch what I can but my mind auto corrects my own writing so I am blind to my own mess ups. It is frustrating so feel free to point out my bad stuff I know it is there.