I landed in the dark entrance to the cave at the top of the volcano. Here, Dragon Father claimed my father was waiting for me. 

I lowered my head and Dragon Little and Dragon Father jumped to the ground. 

The entrance was big enough for me to walk through, but it was dark and the cave turned left so we could not see the inside. 

I had joined their adventure without being asked or summoned because I needed to make sure that Dragon Father did not teach Dragon Little false things about dragons. Dragons were not creatures of his dream and if he convinced her otherwise, then when the day came and she left her father’s dream, when the day came and she met my former enslavers, she would be equipped with the wrong knowledge. 

It was my task to teach her the truth about dragons. Well.. some of it. At least at this young age. 

“Lead the way,” I said. 

He had insisted that my father, my actual ‘dragon father’, would be inside. I needed him to learn how wrong he was. Dragon Father could not summon dragons. 

Dragon Father went in first. Dragon Little put her arms on the scales of one of my feet, wanting us to go in together. 

I began to walk slowly, at her pace. 

“Come in, Red!” Dragon Father yelled from inside. “Your father’s waiting for you!” 

We went in. 

It was a short walk around the bend. We came into a huge chamber, big enough to house three dragons easily. Holes between the craggy mountain rocks allowed light from the suns to come in and light the room. 

And in the middle of the room stood a dragon! A red dragon!

“Ah, my son!” The other red dragon said.

I stumbled backwards and fell. A dreamer has summoned a dragon! It was impossible!

I recall now how horrified I was at the sight of a dragon. I had lost the ability to use my muscles, to speak, to even think for a few seconds. I recall those emotions now and I am afraid I am reliving them. 

I must wait and gather myself before I tell you what I did next.

—Told by The Red Dragon