“That remains to be seen.”
Emery stepped forward, slowly and deliberately, arms akimbo, until he faced the dragon directly. The beast responded by lowering its head nearly down to his, peering at him over nostrils bigger than Jeep headlights, exhaling soft rumbling breaths that smelled of blood and felt like jungle steam.
“You’re doing something to this place,” said Emery.
“We breathe our world into yours,” said the dragon. “We sing our world into yours. It’s only yours for another few turnings.”
“We could have stopped you.”
“Yes.” The dragon clicked its teeth together, making a noise like a hundred swords rattling in scabbards. “With care. And pain.”
“I’m old,” whispered Emery. “I’ve been broken and I’ve been tired and I’ve been sore and confused, but tonight I feel old for the first time, and I don’t understand how any of this got so bad.”
“Little killer. You and your . . . pack stood your ground too long, for people who gave you nothing in return.”
“They act like they don’t need the same air. Like they can lock themselves away and command us not to believe what we see with our own eyes. The indifference, the arrogance, and the world is just . . . folding up around them!”
“Your people could have fought us for everything, and presented it to your children with proud and bloody hands. What did you fight for, in the end? Another few turnings to sleep.” The dragon raised a single claw, slowly, almost tenderly, and tapped Emery’s shoulder. “I have breathed the memories of this place, the violence you have done, and I return to you the riddle you didn’t realize you were asking. Humans . . . the fuck is your problem?”
“I sorely wish I knew,” whispered Emery.
“And now?” said the dragon.
“Would it make any difference?” Emery rested a hand on the butt of his gun. “If I tried, if I won?”
“No,” said the dragon with a sigh. “No, little killer, the time is past, and it would change nothing. I’m old, too, on a different scale, but I’m no more crucial to the change than you are.”
Emery stood there, hand on weapon, and the dragon never broke his stare. It rose, though, with alarming smoothness, and backed off roughly ten man-sized paces.
“I believe this is traditional. It will alleviate something of your disadvantage, at least. The weapon you carry might be powerful enough to make this fair. Are you resolved that we should do this?”
“I thought I would be,” said Emery. “I really thought it was all I could do. Come up here and let someone or something else just decide it all, for Christ’s sake.”
“And what have you learned?”
“You’re not at all like the piece of work I had that riddling contest with.”
“A rather grandiose description of the affair.”
“Sonofabitch never answered my last question, did he?”
“What have you learned, Sheriff Emery Blackburn?”
“I’m old. Sure, I’m old. But suddenly I feel like I’ve still got an adjustment or two left in me. Maybe you do, too. Fuck shooting. Come back to town with me.”
“What?”
“As my guest. Accept my hospitality and protection. Meet everybody. Have some beer and chat awhile.”
“To what end?”
“I lost count of how many of you I’ve killed over the years, and it hasn’t done a damn thing. You’re apparently inheriting the planet, and my whole country’s dissolved and left us to fend for ourselves, so what’s stopping us? Come to town. Tell us about yourself. Tell us how to get along with your friends. We could build you houses. You could run for mayor. Who cares? Adjust. Like we maybe should have done years ago.”
For the second time, a dragon smiled at Emery Blackburn.
For the first time, he smiled back.