Silence hung in the air like a heavy blanket. The warrior knew he hadn’t answered the question satisfactorily. Worse yet, Kyria knew as well. There was no point in being anything but honest.

Caleb Nazareth sighed and replied candidly. “Nay guardian, I do not.”

Kyria’s voice took on a different tone, yet sounded as eloquent as ever. And why is that?

Again, she knew the answer to that question as well as he did – perhaps better. He continued on as before, talking calmly as though discussions of this nature were an everyday event. He worried not about the dragon as he conversed. Nothing threatened him while the Holy Spirit dwelled within.

“In the beginning,” he began, “this world was created in perfection. Death wasn’t part of the divine plan. But man’s rebellion caused a separation from God. As part of man’s punishment for that sin, God instilled a fear of humans in the creatures of our world.

“Since then, He has given men many animals to domesticate, some for meat, others for clothing. Yet there are some creatures that I feel are nobler than others – whales, eagles, horses and dragons as well. I receive no pleasure from the deaths of these animals.

“Had I the power, I’d prefer to use the Armor of God to battle real evil, just as I have in the past. Dragons have as much right to live as we do. The genocide of an entire species isn’t the right solution.”

You have answered well. Now open your eyes and see what your heavenly Father has sent you.

Caleb opened his eyes and looked up. The paladin quickly stood, nearly losing his balance in the process. He momentarily leaned on his sword for support. The cave entrance was gone. In its place, a huge, golden scaled dragon squatted before him.

The warrior’s heart felt ready to pound out of his chest. He’d seen drakes flying high in the moonlit night, but that shadowy shape couldn’t prepare one for the sheer, intimidating size of a dragon up close. He felt certain that Goliath hadn’t outsized David by this magnitude.

A golden head sat atop an elongated neck. Emerald green eyes peered at him with vertically slit pupils. Twin horns angled back from the rear of the head. Teeth protruded from the sides of its closed mouth as a brief hint of gray smoke wafted upwards from the end of its snout.

The torso, situated between the hind and fore legs, looked big enough to contain a full grown elephant. A long tail, thick as a tree trunk, curved in a taper around the body. Giant, bat-like wings grew above the shoulders and folded against the dragon’s side. The leathery skin of the aerial appendage moved back and forth, in rhythm with the drake’s slow breathing.

For all the intimidating features designed into this massive creature, one peculiarity caught Caleb off guard. It was the very last thing he’d have expected in his encounter with the dragon. His heart sank and he swallowed a lump in his throat as he fought to control his emotions.

The great, golden dragon was crying.

To be continued...