‘He is right,’ said the blue dragon. ‘But also, when we are near, you will feel a sense of wholeness you have never known before.’
‘When a dragon has a matching heart with a human, that human names the dragon,’ the red dragon went on. ‘It is the first step in cementing the dragon and human bond. I have had several names in my time. When our humans die, so does the name. It is wiped from my memory and all who have ever spoken it.’
‘We always remember the humans we bond with though,’ said the green dragon, sounding a bit wistful.
‘Such short lifespans,’ said the silver dragon, shaking her head. ‘So easily killed. It is a shame that we cannot bond with stronger creatures.’
‘Ignore her,’ said the green dragon. ‘She’s never appreciated humans.’
‘So who is bonding with who?’ asked Ling-Fei. ‘We have to know that before we can name you, right?’
‘Can’t you feel which of us has a heart to match your own?’ said the blue dragon. ‘I know Billy has.’ Billy stood a little taller, proud he’d already recognized which dragon was his.
Charlotte stepped forward. ‘You,’ she said, pointing at the big red dragon. ‘You’re my dragon.’
The red dragon chuckled. ‘Only a human of extraordinary bravery would dare to claim me.’
‘Well, that sounds like me,’ said Charlotte, standing her ground. She looked the red dragon directly in the eye.
Billy suddenly remembered just how vulnerable he and the others were. These were dragons. With teeth and claws that could strike them down in a second. Billy moved closer to Charlotte, so she would know that he had her back. Even against dragons.
‘I’ll prove my bravery,’ said Charlotte. Her whole body was thrumming with energy, as if she was gearing up for something. ‘I name you Tank,’ she said. Then she took a deep breath and leaped onto his nose, scrambling up until she was sitting on his head. ‘And you are my dragon!’
The red dragon roared and rose to his full height, taking Charlotte with him.
‘Hold on, Charlotte!’ Billy shouted. He felt helpless down on the ground and, even though he wasn’t the one up in the air, his stomach had dropped into his shoes.
But Charlotte had her own plan. ‘I trust you, Tank!’ she said. With a wild yell, she jumped off the top of the red dragon’s head and plummeted towards the cavern floor.
Before any of them could move, the red dragon shot his arm out and caught Charlotte in the pad of his paw. Her long blonde hair dangled between his claws.
‘That was incredibly irresponsible,’ huffed the red dragon, gently tipping Charlotte out on the floor. Then he grinned a little. ‘You have good instincts,’ he said gruffly.
‘I know,’ said Charlotte.
‘Tank,’ mused the red dragon. ‘I suppose that is an acceptable name.’ Beneath his scales, his heart began to glow, and he grew even bigger, until his head brushed the top of the cavern. His scales thickened like armoured plates and his claws and horns lengthened. He closed his eyes and, when they opened, they had turned from red to gold.
‘It’s because you look like a tank,’ said Charlotte. ‘Nothing could stop you.’ She stared up at him. ‘Especially now! What… what just happened?’
‘It’s the bond,’ said Tank. ‘We grow stronger in ability, but also physically. Naming me would have been enough, but I appreciate your show of bravery and trust in me.’
‘It was foolhardy,’ said the silver dragon. ‘My human would never do such a thing.’ She turned to Ling-Fei. ‘You are far too wise for something like that. I can sense it.’
Ling-Fei blushed.
Billy looked back and forth between the silver dragon and Ling-Fei. Ling-Fei had such a kind heart – even after knowing her for only a few days, he could tell that. Was the silver dragon hiding a kind heart beneath her spiky exterior?
‘I’ve been thinking about your name,’ said Ling-Fei. ‘I bet, when you fly in the night sky, not just in a cave, you shine like a star.’
‘It has been a long time since any of us have flown in a sky,’ said the silver dragon.
‘I’d like to see it one day,’ said Ling-Fei.
‘You have a poet’s heart,’ said the silver dragon approvingly. ‘Poets of old have written about us. When we used to show ourselves to the worthy. Perhaps you will be the poet of your time.’
Ling-Fei’s face lit up. ‘I love poetry,’ she admitted. ‘May I give you your name now?’
‘It would be an honour.’
‘Xing,’ said Ling-Fei, pronouncing it like ‘shing’. ‘It’s—’
‘The Mandarin word for star,’ said the silver dragon.
‘Do you like it?’
‘I do.’
And, as Ling-Fei and Xing gazed at each other, a golden light enveloped them. Xing’s scales began to shine like the jewels in her hoard, and her jaw extended. She grinned, showing newly sharpened teeth made of diamonds. Like Tank, her eyes changed to glowing gold.
Xing writhed with pleasure. ‘Oh, to be strong again,’ she said. ‘It feels delicious.’
‘Do stop showing off,’ said the green dragon. ‘It is making me frightfully jealous.’
Dylan stepped forward. ‘No need to be jealous, my friend. You must be my dragon,’ he said.
The green dragon howled with delight. ‘Yes! Yes, I am! I knew as soon as you came into the mountain that you were my human.’ He opened his eyes wide. ‘Do you have a name for me?’
‘What about…’ Dylan grinned, tugged a button off his shirt and held it out as an offering. ‘Buttons?’
Before Billy realized what was happening, the green dragon had reached out with his short arms, clutched Dylan against his big belly and spun round in a circle.
‘Buttons!’ howled the green dragon. ‘It’s perfect!’ A fat tear of happiness rolled out of the corner of his eye. He
