“I think it’s more fitting if we leave them here. They were always seeking new worlds, always looked to explore the unknown. I think if they had a choice, they’d rather their remains be left in the wild on a deserted island far from home rather than buried under the country of their birth,” I said. Bobby nodded his acknowledgment and I spent a moment saying a silent goodbye to my parents.
“I’ll be back soon,” I whispered, for my future was going to be as inextricably linked to Dragon Island as my past had been.
Bobby and I returned to the beach where the brothers had changed, and I too took a change of clothes, using the jungle to put on a fresh outfit. I looked down at my stained, torn clothes and thought of how much they had been through during this brief sojourn on the island. I had been through a lot too and had changed in immeasurable ways. Before all this, I had been unsure of myself as a professional archaeologist. I knew what I wanted to do, but only insofar as finishing the work my parents had started. I didn’t really realize it, but now I had aspirations of my own, and I could begin my own legacy rather than carrying on my parents’.
The same was true of Thomas and William. We boarded the plane and I sat between them both. We strapped in as the pilot revved the engine and Bobby called the base on a satellite phone, declaring that we had been found. Thomas and William had stepped out of the shadows of their past just as I had stepped out of the shadows of mine, and our futures were bright.
The plane turned around on the beach and drove along the sandy shore, increasing its pace before it lifted off the ground and jerked in the air. After spending time riding on the backs of dragons I was now aware how clumsy the act of flying in a plane was.
“This must be hell for you guys,” I said in a low voice. The brothers smirked. I looked at them and wondered how this truth was going to affect the dragon society. There was going to be much upheaval and they had a lot to contend with, but I would be by their side at every step of the way, because we were going to help each other through life. I squeezed their hands and smiled at them. We then gazed out of the window and watched as Dragon Island receded into the distance. I remembered the awe I had felt when I first saw the island, and the maelstrom that followed as I almost died. Now, it seemed so peaceful, and yet I was aware we had only begun to scratch the surface of the secrets it held.
The plane soared through the sky and flew through the air, avoiding the storm. I was eager to find out what was going to happen next, but I was also enjoying the personal growth I had experienced, and the thrill of loving my two dragons. I leaned back in the chair, glad that we had succeeded in surviving Dragon Island. I thought about how this place had endured for years, and how the echoes of the tragedy that befell the original inhabitants had rippled through time to affect the present day. I thought about my parents, and how they must have felt walking through the jungle, never knowing that they were so close to knowing the truth. Did they ever think that one day I would walk in their footsteps and learn the truth about Dragon Island? Part of me hoped that they did; that they had enough faith in me to know that I would never let them be forgotten.
I couldn’t wait to return to Dragon Island and eventually present my findings. I was already putting together my team, imagining how we could peel away the layers of secrecy the island and bring back knowledge of dragons. But more than that, I couldn’t wait to be alone with Thomas and William again. I had a thirst to be with them, to enjoy the feeling of our bodies pressed together. It was something I didn’t think I would ever grow tired of, and I would always look back fondly on the few days we spent alone together on Dragon Island.
The plane sped across the ocean, its shadow rippling along the sheet of blue. It seemed so peaceful, and I was forced to admit that it was hard to believe everything that happened had really happened. It would have been easy to believe it was a dream, but it wasn’t. Dragon Island was just a dot now, lonely and isolated in a remote part of the world, but soon it would become one of the most talked about locations in history. It was like finding Atlantis, and I was about to share it with the world.
But there were still some secrets that needed to be kept. Although I was going to share Dragon Island, I wasn’t going to share my dragons. I would take their secret to my grave if I needed to, but the island was another matter. I watched it disappear into the distance and although I was leaving I knew I would return. This wasn’t the end of my time on Dragon Island, it was only the beginning.
*****
THE END