From a distance, he watched the thunderbird skimming over the waves toward a small island several miles from shore. When the thunderbird circled, Alex thought it was turning for another attack, but instead the bird simply landed on the island, as if waiting for him. Alex was puzzled but not worried. If the thunderbird wanted to face him on an island, that was fine; he would destroy it just as easily one way or the other.

As he circled the island, Alex saw that the thunderbird was sitting on its nest. Alex had been correct. The bird had laid an egg and had come back to that egg in a last, desperate hope of protecting it. Alex knew he could destroy the bird and its egg easily, but for some reason he did not attack. He circled the island once more and then brought his own massive armored body to rest not too far from the thunderbird’s nest.

“Change back,” the thunderbird called out in a strange voice. “Take back your natural form.”

It was a spell meant to change him. Once again Alex felt like laughing; the thunderbird was trying to change him into something he was not. He was a dragon, a dragon with impenetrable true-silver armor, claws that could crush the hardest stone like soft dirt, and a whiplike tail that could shatter the best defenses of any enemy he faced. This was the only form he needed, and the only one he wanted.

“You waste your time,” Alex said to the thunderbird. “This is my natural form.”

“You are two,” the bird said in surprise. “You are both man and dragon.”

“Dragon is enough,” Alex answered.

“No, you must be both or neither,” answered the bird. “You cannot be whole unless you accept both of your true shapes.”

The bird’s words reminded Alex of Salinor’s words. The dragon’s voice suddenly filled his mind, telling him that the bird spoke the truth. He was confused and hesitated, trying to understand, trying to remember what he was before he had become a dragon. The sunlight sparkled on the waves around him, and in an instant, he remembered everything.

“Yes, I must be both or neither,” said Alex.

“Will you destroy me now, dragon?” the thunderbird questioned.

“I do not wish to,” Alex answered. “But I can’t allow you to attack my friends.”

“You attacked me. You tried to bind me to the earth,” the bird said in a fierce tone.

“And you destroyed the city of dwarfs that once lived in the mountain,” Alex answered.

“Only for food,” said the thunderbird. “I killed only for food, not for sport.”

“Was there nothing else for you to eat? Nothing but dwarfs?”

“At first the sea was full and many wild herds of animals covered the plain. But soon the sea grew empty, and the herds fled from the plain.”

“And you had to feed your young,” Alex said, noticing for the first time the baby thunderbird tucked under its mother’s wing.

“The dwarfs were nearly gone when the egg hatched. I’ve had to hunt farther and farther away, and my child is always hungry.”

“Perhaps I can help you,” said Alex. “I can fill the sea with life once more, but I will require a price.”

“What price?” the thunderbird questioned. “Why would you help me? You have nearly destroyed me.”

“You are not evil—you did only what you had to do,” Alex said. “I will change the rocks into great fish and seals and whales. But you must promise never to fly north of this place again. Neither you nor any member of your race must ever fly north.”

“You would fill the seas for me?”

“Do you promise?”

“Yes, I give my sacred word that it shall be as you ask,” the thunderbird answered.

“Very well, I accept,” said Alex.

The thunderbird bowed its golden head, and Alex turned to look out at the sea. He took a deep breath of the salty air and considered what he would do. He moved to the shore of the island, looking for what he needed as he went. The shore was rocky, and there were dozens of large, broken boulders just offshore. He thought about what would be needed, then he magically looked into the sea and saw that everything was already there. The thunderbird had eaten the large fish—the whales and the sea mammals—but nothing smaller.

Focusing his thoughts, Alex worked the magic, changing the dozens of offshore rocks into great whales. He knew that many of them would die to feed the thunderbird and its chick, but some would live, enough to ensure that there would always be whales here. Pleased with his work, he changed the rocks along the shore into a vast herd of sea lions. Their noise filled the air as they scattered into the sea. Finally, he changed another group of rocks into giant sea turtles—bigger than any sea turtles he had ever seen—and the last group of rocks into large fish. When he was done working his magic, he turned back to the thunderbird.

“You are more than I imagined, and for your kindness, my clan will always be in your debt,” the thunderbird said, bowing its head again. “You have my promise, great one.”

“Live well,” said Alex. “Take what is needed and nothing more. Remember your promise, and warn your clan not to go north of this place or I will return and destroy them.”

“It will be as you say,” the thunderbird answered.

Alex rose from the island and skimmed across the sea, looking down at his own reflection in the waters. It was both strange and wonderful to see his own blue-green eyes looking back at him from the face of an enormous dragon of true silver. The dragon form was truly his own now, and he laughed at the thought that he had been so afraid to take such a wondrous shape.

Thank you, Salinor,Alex thought as he flew back toward the mountain. Thank you for explaining what I am.

I didn’t do that,Salinor’s voice replied inside his mind. I only showed you what you might become.

Alex laughed at Salinor’s words, and he could hear Salinor laughing as well. He knew that Salinor understood exactly what he was feeling, so he simply flew on, enjoying himself as any dragon would.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Dragon Returns

When Alex returned to the ruined gates of the dwarf city, his friends were nowhere to be seen. He dropped down to the ground and changed back into his human form. He felt wonderful—better than he could ever remember—and he knew the power of the dragon would be with him always.

Alex wondered why he had been so afraid to take the dragon form, but then he heard his friends talking in the darkness. It was obvious they hadn’t heard him return, and he paused to listen to them.

“He is a danger to himself and to us,” Barnabus said.

“He did not attack us when he returned with Thrain,” said Arconn in a reasonable tone. “He brought Thrain back, shaken but unhurt.”

“Yet he did not reply to our calls,” Nellus countered. “He acted as if he couldn’t hear us at all.”

“And then he flew off after the thunderbird,” Thrang added. “He was hot to continue the battle.”

“You’re sure that thing was Alex?” Thrain questioned in a shaky voice.

“It was Alex,” Kat said calmly.

“Was,”Barnabus said loudly. “The longer he remains a dragon, the less of our friend will remain. Arconn, you know more about such things than any of us. How long can Alex keep that shape and not lose himself?”

“That depends on how strong he is,” Arconn answered. “I’ve known wizards to take different shapes for days and even weeks, but I must admit, it is often difficult for them to return to themselves. And the dragon shape is the most dangerous form there is for a wizard.”

“Alex has been gone for almost an hour,” Barnabus said. “I begin to doubt he will ever return to us.”

“He will return,” Kat said in a confident tone.

“You seem so sure,” Thrang said to Kat, his own voice shaking slightly. “Did you foresee this change? Do you know why he chose to become a dragon?”