The Dragon King's Heart

In the cover of darkness, she would not have been able to see the occupants who were hiding. But before she stepped foot through the door, she could sense their presence. There was more than one. Maybe ten or more.

But what surprised Laina more, was the fact that all of them were children. Most of them looked to be under the age of twelve. But a few of them looked to be in their teens. The flickering flames she summoned lit up the room.

It revealed each and every one of their faces for her to see. But Laina was greeted with silence.

"Good evening," she made a second attempt to break the awkward silence with little success.

All of them were staring at Laina in silence. None of them dare to speak.

She folded her arms, "Well that's rude. When someone greets you, it's only right to reciprocate a greeting, don't you think?"

"Good evening," someone muttered from the back of the room.

"Thank you," Laina said with a smile.

She scanned the room, looking at each and every one of them. She tried to find the leader amongst the group. Laina could tell the roles most of them played in the group from a glance. She soon spotted a group of boys and girls who seemed protective over a slightly taller young man.

"Are you the leader?" she asked as she looked directly at him.

The young man looked like he was in his early teens. At first, he was surprised that Laina had singled him out from the group. Furthermore, she knew he was the leader of the group.

The young man shook his head, hoping Laina would be deterred or turn her attention to someone else instead. But his response only confirmed her suspicions.

"Is that so?" Laina wondered out loud, "Lying to me is not going to do you any good, boy."

The young man clenched his jaw. Calling him a 'boy' was an insult to him.  Laina could see the look on his face from where she stood. She grinned. She was certain he was the leader.

Laina put up both of her hands, "I am not here to cause you any harm. I-"

"You're here to kick us out, aren't you?" a girl mustered the courage to speak up.

"You'll never be able to get rid of us!" another boy added, while the others piped in.

"Who said anything about throwing you out?" Laina asked in confusion as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"What?" one of the children gasped, "You're not?"

Laina shook her head, "I would like to negotiate with you. Hopefully, we can reach an agreement that would keep all of us happy."

The young man walked up to Laina. The other children, who were previously trying to protect him, urged him to stay where he was. But he did not listen to them. Under the flickering spheres of light, Laina could see the features of the young man with greater clarity.

He was covered in dirt and grime, but his personality shone through. From the look in his eyes, Laina knew he was not about to back down without a fight.

"What could you possibly offer us that we would want?" he asked.

Laina smiled, "Before we proceed, I think it would be best if we got to know one another a little better. My name is Laina. What's your name?"

She held out her hand to shake his. The young man was hesitant at first. Laina could tell he was being cautious. She reassured him that she was not hiding anything.

Finally, the young man relented and shook her hand, "Neil."

Most people Neil had encountered in the past would not even consider getting to know him. He had lived on the streets of Luzernia long enough to know that all the adults viewed him and his friends as a nuisance. Sometimes, they don't even see them as humans.

Yet despite how he looked, Laina did not recoil in disgust. She even offered to shake his hand.

"It's great to meet you, Neil."

"Cut the pleasantries. What can you offer us," Neil spat as he folded his arms.

Laina thought for a short while before answering, "I can offer all of you another place to-"

"No, we're not going anywhere. This is our home. We're not leaving," he was adamant about it.

"But-"

"No exceptions."

"This is your home. I understand," she still had a plan, "How about I renovate this shophouse. That way, it would be more comfortable for all of you to live in, maybe built an additional floor or two to the building."

The young man looked up at Laina, surprised by her offer. Neil had half expected Laina to be like most of the other businessmen who had tried to take the shophouse from them.

They offered them money to move, threatened to burn the place to the ground. Someone even tried to get rid of them by force. But no one had ever offered them what Laina offered.

"What do you want in return?" Neil asked.

If her demands were plausible, he just might give it some thought.

"I just need the shopfront space and perhaps a space in the basement to store products and supplies," she replied without skipping a beat.

"That's it?' Neil asked, "Nothing else?"

She paused in thought for a moment before shaking her head, "That's all."

From the look of the place, Laina knew they were living in terrible conditions. The building had not been well maintained for years. At the very least, she hoped to give them an environment they could comfortably live in.

"But..."

Neil bit his lip. He knew it. There was always a catch. The deal was too good to be true, but what could Laina want from him and the rest of the children? They were just children after all.

Laina walked to the side of the space. She looked at the walls, assessing it as she went.

"If we're to do renovations to the place, it would not be livable for some time. So I would like to invite all of you to come and stay with me. Until the work here is done."

"Stay with you? How do we know if we can trust you?" Neil asked as he arched his eyebrow.

They barely knew one another, and the young lady was already offering her home to them? Something did not sit right with Neil.

"If you're not comfortable with the arrangement, I can purchase another property for all of you to live in first," Laina reassured them.

For some of the children, it was hard to believe anything Laina said. They were all too familiar with empty promises. Who was to say she would not take the shophouse as her own after she moved them out of there.

What if she broke the promise?