CHAPTER TWELVE

Eighty years ago,” said Mr. Mendizabal, “a great villain came to power in Spain. He was called Generalísimo Francisco Franco, and he banned the traditional Basque laws—our foruak—and even outlawed our beloved language, Euskara.”

“He outlawed your language?!” Uchenna exclaimed.

“Indeed. We were not even allowed to teach our children what it meant to be Basque. I was born during Franco’s rule, so my legal name is Miguel, because to name a child Mitxel, a Basque name, would have been a crime. You take it for granted that you can speak your language and celebrate your heritage. But for two generations, we were not allowed to be Basque. If not for people like my parents, who continued to speak Euskara in secret, it would have vanished forever.

“We Basques, and people all over Spain, fought a war against General Franco and his supporters, the Nazis. My grandfather was in charge of the family steel foundry in Bilbao, where they made military supplies for the Basque troops. One afternoon, my grandfather was driving a truck of these supplies into the mountains when the Nazis began dropping bombs from the sky. The rumble of the explosions rocked the road and shook his truck. They toppled a giant tree, blocking his path.

“He got out of his truck, shook his fist at the Nazi airplanes overhead, and went to push the tree out of the roadway. But as he approached the fallen trunk, it began to stir, and he realized its surface was not covered in bark, but in scales like tiny tortoise shells, shiny and dark, and as thick as a man’s thumb. The scaly body rolled over, and my grandfather was face-to-face with the shining yellow eyes and razor-sharp fangs of the herensuge.

“My grandfather recognized the beast immediately as the dragon from our family legend. And he was terrified. The beast pushed herself up. My grandfather stumbled backward. The dragon shook herself, caught sight of my grandfather, and then raised herself to her hind legs. She extended her leathery brown wings, and suddenly she was as tall and broad as the house we are in right now. My grandfather turned to run.

“But just then, another wave of bombs fell. The ground trembled. The great herensuge fell to the ground. To my grandfather’s astonishment, she was whimpering. She was frightened and disoriented by the falling bombs. At that moment, all fear left my grandfather, and he felt only pity for the mighty beast.

“He remembered that the dragon in the legend loved treasure, so he took out his pocket watch—the shiniest thing he owned. He made soothing sounds and waved the watch in front of the dragon. She was mesmerized.

“My grandfather took a step backward, and the herensuge followed, her eyes locked on the glittering watch. He took two more steps, and the dragon stayed right behind him.

“My grandfather got back into his truck and drove away, dangling the watch out the window the entire time. The herensuge followed my grandfather all the way here, to our ancestral home, then up the mountain to a cave where she could be safe from the war and the falling bombs.

“Since that day, my grandfather kept the dragon safe, and he passed that job down to my father, and my father passed it down to my brother, Íñigo, and me. But Íñigo has never liked taking care of the herensuge. I believe he resents that our father paid so much attention to her. So I look after the herensuge, and he looks after the family business.” Mr. Mendizabal scowled. “I must admit, he is very good at running the company. He is always making new deals. Now our family doesn’t only make steel, but also laboratory equipment and even medicine. But Íñigo doesn’t have much use for things like the dragon that don’t earn him a profit.

“So, I have tended the herensuge by myself. I bring her little trinkets from time to time, and ensure the mountain lake near her cave is stocked with fish. I have grown to know her as well as a person can know the herensuge. I know her favorite fish to eat. I know she would rather collect a simple piece of aluminum foil than the most expensive gold coin. I know that she is afraid of thunderstorms and other loud noises. We lived simply, and until this week, that had been enough. She was safe. I was happy. But now she is gone, and I am a failure.” Mr. Mendizabal let his head fall into his hands. His shoulders shook with silent sobs.

Uchenna stood up. “When are we going to start looking for this dragon?”

Professor Fauna clapped his hands. “You are right! We have spoken long enough! There is a time for learning, and a time for action!”

Uchenna thrust her fist in the air and shouted, “Time for action!”

Mr. Mendizabal sniffed, drew his sleeve across his face, and said. “Yes! Action!”

Elliot raised a finger. “Uh, can I just stay here and continue the learning part?”