Chapter 5

Waiting patiently, Riadh wondered if Dale had fallen asleep.

“Start telling me everything you know about dragons,” Dale said. “Because I’m really out to lunch on what is real these days.”

“Dragons are not plentiful.” Riadh began. “At a guess I would say only a few hundred in the world, but they can be incredibly secretive, so I might be wrong.”

“Since there was a distinct lack of flapping wings and writhing tail, I’m guessing they can assume human shape. Or was that just an illusion so she wouldn’t terrify the people in the diner?”

“Your first assumption is correct. A dragon may assume other shapes. Appearing human is a popular choice because of the level of autonomy that shape gives and they like to play with their…” Riadh was uncertain how to complete that thought.

“Food?” Dale asked tentatively.

“Enh, consumption of humans is more of a myth than a reality. A good sized cow has more meat than a person. Maybe the word ‘toys’ is more truthful.”