We Fight Dragons (Volume 2, Chapter 8) "Torquar"
The next day, Tobes was alone as he walked home from school. Recently, he preferred to spend time alone with his thoughts, not realising that they were not really his at all. They were being put there by a powerful Dragon, Nambodius.
Instead of going straight home he had started hanging out in the different garden parks around town, trying to find ways to pass the time. For some reason he couldn’t put his finger on, he’d begun to think of riding his bike with his friends in the afternoon as ‘childish’ and ‘pointless’.
This afternoon he was sitting on a bench eating a bag of crisps when a man and woman in dark suits approached, pointing out the different houses that surrounded the park. When they noticed Tobes, the woman waved and said ‘Hello. Do you live in Blacken Green?’
Tobes wasn’t normally inclined to talk to strangers, but by sheer coincidence the woman had spoken while he was still enjoying his crisps, and he was feeling very relaxed and content. ‘Yeah, I live just down the road.’
‘It’s a beautiful town,’ she said, approaching the bench. ‘What do you like best about it?’
'Well… my friends are okay. I guess. The school is good. And it’s not mental, like the city!’
‘Yes, we can see the appeal,’ said the man, who somehow managed to appeared on Tobes other side without him noticing.
Tobes didn’t mind talking to people, even strangers. However, he was also keenly aware that his father, a Policeman, often urged him to be cautious. ‘Um, I have to get home. It was nice chatting with you.’
‘We understand,’ said the woman serenely. ‘Sorry for intruding. We just wanted to make friends. It’s not every day that we get to meet a Knight, it’s a great honour.’ She smiled genuinely.
Tobes was flummoxed! A Knight! How did they know! ‘Ah… don’t know what you are talking about!’ He wanted to leave, but part of his ego was also flattered.
‘Oh, I understand. It’s a bit of a secret isn’t it? Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us.’
He wanted to believe her. And neither of them had done anything threatening. He was intrigued.
The woman continued. ‘If I understand correctly, that means your father is also a Knight, isn’t that how it works?’
Tobes nodded, but was still cautious. ‘How do you know I’m a Knight?’
‘Because we are just like you.’
‘You’re Knights? But you’re a woman.’
‘That’s right. In our… line of work… Knights can be either men or women. What about you? Clearly you go to school here, but what do your parents do around town?’
‘Mum works as an accountant, mostly online. My dad works for the Police.’ Tobes thought that was all safe information to share. From an early age he had noticed how people monitored their own behaviour more closely when the Police were mentioned. Sometimes having a dad who was a Policeman had unexpected advantages.
‘Well, that would normally be dangerous work. But I suppose he never gets injured, or even sick? Or if he does then he heals super fast?’
Tobes was confused as to why the woman would ask that. ‘No. He gets injured. Sometimes sick. He spent a week in hospital with pneumonia a few years back.’
The man and woman look surprised by the news, and they quickly exchanged glances. ‘Can you wait here a moment, my friend and I need to talk about something.’
Tobes had been planning on leaving, but this conversation was the most interesting thing that had happened to him in weeks. ‘Sure.’ The woman was friendly, and he didn’t mind waiting. He also thought that she was pretty, and she just happened to talk and do things in a way that he really liked.
The man and woman moved out of earshot and had a very earnest and intense discussion. They didn’t look at him, but he could tell they were talking about him. Or about his father getting sick. When they came back to him, he was keen to know what they had to say.
‘Tobias?’ the woman asked. ‘It’s Toby, right? Please call me Elle.’ She sat down next to him on the bench.
Tobes gulped. She had a pretty name too!
‘Has anyone ever explained for you why Knights heal so fast?’
Tobes shook his head. ‘No. I’m not officially a Knight yet.’
‘Ah!’ said Elle, knowingly. ‘There it is.’ She sat uncomfortably, signally that she was about to divulge some uncomfortable news. ‘I don’t know how to tell you this, but if a Knight gets sick or injured, and a Maiden loves them, then she can heal him of almost anything.’
‘Maiden? What is a Maiden?’
‘Indeed, what is a Maiden,’ the woman said cryptically. ‘Your mother should be a Maiden. However, if she was then there is no way your father would have gotten sick like that. She would know it, and she couldn’t help herself from aiding him.’
‘So? What does that mean?’ Tobes had the sense that he didn’t like where the conversation was heading.
‘Well… if your mother isn’t a Maiden… then, and I don’t know how to say this gently, except… that you not a Knight.’ The woman studied him closely for a reaction.
‘What? But they said… they knew…’
The man jumped into the conversation. ‘Who told you that you were a Knight?’ he asked a bit too eagerly. It made Tobes not want to answer him.
The woman shoo’ed the man back with a stern look. ‘My colleague and I just talked about this, and we realise it might be a shock to you.’ Her words were nice, but Tobes could sense they she was not upset by the news. ‘However, not all is lost… do you remember when I said that we were also like Knights?’
Tobes nodded mutely. Maybe he remembered? It didn’t matter now. His world felt rocked. He felt betrayed by his friends.
‘Well… the good news is that anyone can become like us. In fact, anyone except a Knight, so in that way you are even more special than them! But please don’t mention this to them, or they will get insanely jealous.’
Tobes didn’t feel special. He felt sad, and angry. He just wanted to run home. He stood up, half expecting the woman to urge him to stay, but she didn’t. As he grabbed his schoolbag and headed for home, he heard her words cut though his growing sadness and confusion.
‘Think about it. You could be special too…’
And then he remembered the whispers in his head. Was this the opportunity they had told him to look out for? Suddenly, he felt very temped to have his own secrets.