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DKP 8-2 A sky has fallen
🕑 Added 2022-03-18 19:39:56 +0000 UTC“Where is he?” Ayawa asked with a sharp tone as they fought their way through the undergrowth.
“He is probably flying well ahead,” Tavis replied and held his hat to avoid it being swept off.
“He should have been back twice already,” Ayawa grumbled as she struggled with a branch.
“I could use my blessings to clear the way,” Gedris offered to ease their passage.
“And it would leave an obvious trail,” Ayawa replied. “We were ambushed once before because of that, remember?”
“But who is going to ambush us out here?” Gedris argued. “The Doan are nowhere to be found.”
“There are far worse things than the Doan in the northern wilds,” Tavis said.
“Far worse things,” Ayawa agreed and pressed on.
“So all the stories about the Earthmother cursing the land are true?” Gedris asked.
“All of it,” Ayawa sighed. “She drove men out of the north and south, then seeded the land with entirely new creations.”
“And some of them have societies and cultures?” Gedris pressed as she stumbled over a root.
“If you can call cannibalism a culture,” Tavis replied. “There are at least five savage cultures in the north, those orocs we killed in the mountains being one of them.”
“And then you have the trolls, bandersooks, Dulloch, terroks, and even worse,” Ayawa grumbled. “There are even rumors that natural animals can grow to gigantic proportions up here.”
“Like that snake that bit Lilly,” Gedris said as she remembered the story.
“Exactly like that,” Ayawa said. “I am surprised those fools survived such a journey. By all accounts, they were very far north.”
“They were being led by the divines. They must have protected them,” Tavis suggested.
“They got lucky,” Ayawa countered. “If Thayle hadn't had those vials of holy water, they would have been trapped against that canyon by the trolls.”
“It was clever of them to create a bridge and then coat it in ice so the trolls would fall,” Tavis said as he ducked under a branch. “Besides, Lilly traveled the whole distance in her dragon form.”
“And nearly died to a strangler vine,” Ayawa pointed out.
“Only because it got lucky and caught hold of her neck before she could freeze it,” Tavis countered.
“Those things are horrible,” Gedris groaned. “What a terrible way to die. Paralyzed and slowly dissolved over weeks by a weak acid.”
“Another gift of the Earthmother,” Ayawa grumbled.
“To think that Thayle turned blessing to save them,” Gedris sighed. “She must really love them.”
“Desperate situations provoke desperate actions,” Tavis commented and met Ayawa's glance as they shared a painful memory when he had committed such an act. It was a painful memory and the moment when he decided to abandon the use of fire. Since then, he had resorted to simple fire weaves but didn't dare embrace the power like he once had. Ayawa encouraged him to leave it all behind, but now something had changed. Sarah had given him her dragon blessing, and he was now very resistant to the devastating touch of fire.
“You won't be immune to it,” he remembered Sarah saying as she finished her task. “But you won't find the oppressive heat and choking smoke near as discomforting. You can probably survive a modest flame for a good twenty seconds, but anything more intense will reduce the time drastically.” She paused and looked him firmly in the eyes, cautioning not to test it against a dragon's fire. She assured him the gift would not suppress such terrible heat, even for a moment.
He already tested it once in camp, holding his hand to a campfire for just over ten seconds and feeling nothing but a slowly building heat. Ayawa was incensed by the gift and accused Sarah of pressuring him into taking a risk better left untouched. Thankfully her bitter words were said in a remote camp and not where Sarah could hear them, but he questioned what might be said the next time those two women met. For now, all that mattered was the hunt for their missing companion and the growing concern that something had gone terribly wrong.
They had been scouting the wildlands north of the mountains as part of a spearhead to detect the missing Doan army. Ayawa was in charge of the whole operation and had nearly a hundred others working in teams to cover a large swath of ground. So far, they had skirted the mountains, not daring to go too far north for fear of disturbing something better left alone. Numidel was assigned to their efforts, flying over the mountains to expand their range. It was assumed the Doan would be skirting the mountains or perhaps using some hidden passage through them. However, weeks of searching proved this wasn't the case and suggested the Doan army was much farther north.
Tavis was the first to suggest it and earned a great deal of argument from Ayawa. She couldn't believe an army would risk trying such a maneuver. They would have to clear a road and then battle their way through armies of beasts. Likely they would suffer such attrition as to be almost depleted by the time they emerged to attack the empire.
Tavis was in complete agreement but could think of no other possibility. Early scouts placed the third Doan army moving north around the border and into the wilds. A dozen sources confirmed it, all of whom refused to follow the army into this forsaken place. By all accounts, the army was massive, over a hundred thousand strong and dragging an enormous supply column with it. Ayawa was right. Not only would they need a road, but they would also need bridges and the clearing of obstacles. It was a task that would take years under such harsh conditions, but everyone knew that wasn't their plan.
Gersius was in a difficult position, facing attacks from four directions but only had the army to meet two. He needed to know where this army had gone before committing to a course of action. With the mountains scouted, it only made sense to expand the search north, so he asked Numidel to do it to protect human lives. The great blue dragon could safely soar above the dangers that lurked on the ground, his sharp dragon sight easily spotting so massive a formation. Tavis brought the orders with him when he returned from Calathen, and Numidel flew out the next morning. That was five days ago, and the dragon hadn’t been seen since.
Ayawa grew concerned the first night he failed to report and immediately sent scouts to look for him. A dozen large teams were sent into the northern wilds and told to watch the skies for the missing dragon. One of the teams was wiped out by trolls, and another was badly mauled in a battle with some kind of two-headed giant cat. Despite this, they pushed ahead, searching the area he was meant to cover, but he was nowhere to be found. Ayawa was leading her own search, taking her family into the wilds at significant risk while praying they came back out again.
“We’re two days into the wilds,” Ayawa grumbled, drawing Tavis from his contemplation. “He should have been back by now.”
Tavis wanted to argue the point, but he understood the concern. Still, there was some hope that he had been delayed by something important. The plan was for the dragon to fly for a full day into the north, then fly right back to report. This meant he would return every two days to report and should have been back twice by now. His absence became ominous and led to a great deal of grumbling among the scouts about what dangers lurked in the far north. Some of them suggested it might be giants as they were mortal enemies of the dragons, but what giant could kill Numidel? It would have taken twenty of them to bring down a dragon of his size, assuming they could reach him. Numidel had promised to stay just below the clouds, well out of reach of nearly any weapon.
Tavis was hoping the old dragon had spotted something that warranted closer inspection. Perhaps an old city or dragon temple where he was even now studying an important mystery. Certainly, the revelation that there were old lunar temples where magic even as powerful as the binding could be manipulated lent some credence to his theory. Still, it didn't explain why he was gone so long, and every passing day only made the situation more dire. The north was hiding its secrets, and time was starting to feel precious. An entire army along with its supplies and logistics had vanished and now so too did a mighty dragon.
Ayawa was feeling the pressure as Gersius waited for a report, sending Shadros and Mingfe to check the base camp daily and ask for updates. Tavis was surprised by how cooperative Shadros was becoming. The dragon had bonded to Mingfe and, although still arrogant and hot-tempered, was willing to work with them. He was considered a hero by the dove shields he saved on the causeway and for how he helped break the inner gates. Now he even allowed others to ride on his back, having carried Tavis back days ago to report on the Carigarra debacle.
He wanted to laugh as he remembered how incensed Ayawa became. She called them all fools for playing games of the heart when enemies were conspiring all around them. Obviously, they would use such a weakness to their advantage, and it nearly cost them dearly. Tavis tried to downplay the recklessness of their actions and pointed out that she had been tested a dozen times. Not only had she passed, but her performance was by all accounts perfect. She pretended to be a pleasant human woman as if born to the culture. She even spoke about family readily and easily, as if all of it were true.
“So what?” Ayawa balked. “I have heard some of the stories you created on the spot and could hardly believe they were lies.”
Tavis had to give her that. He was a creative liar when it suited him, but this Carigarra was under such close scrutiny. Thayle, Alayse, Mingfe, and Jessivel scrutinized everything she said while trying to follow up and verify the details. It helped that she was so well protected by weaves that even the divine warning sense of Astikar was blocked. Thankfully he was called in and, by luck, hired a man to spy on them and quite by accident learned the woman's true identity.
The revelation was terrifying on many levels and helped to make them all aware of just how much danger they were in. Not only were dragons aiding their enemies, but they were willing to go to great lengths to influence the outcome. They possessed ancient knowledge of weaves and shaping that allowed them to deny even the power of the divine. It shocked the leadership, who now had to contend with the enemy having superiority in the number of men, dragons, and magical capability. The only thing Gersuis had was the support of the divines, but they were forbidden to interfere directly. He would have to trust in his skill as a commander and tenacity as a warrior to see him through. To this end, he wanted to begin the march, but that meant they had to find the Doan.
“Maybe he’s gone back already?” Gedris offered as they rounded an ancient tree.
“We would have seen him,” Ayawa commented and pointed skyward. “Somebody would have seen a dragon of that size.”
“It’s possible he flew a circular route,” Gedries argued. “Maybe he didn’t come back the way he left.”
“Maybe,” Ayawa sighed. “But that doesn't explain why he's three days late.”
“No, I suppose it doesn't,” Gedris agreed and looked to Tavis, who could only shrug. “I wonder what could keep a dragon-like Numidel from coming back?” she added and looked to the sky. “I hate to think there is something even more dangerous than a dragon up there.”
“Fortunately, the Earth mother seems to have limited the horrors to crawling on or under the earth,” Ayawa said. “With the exception of terroks, I don't know of any others that fly.”
“But Terroks are smaller than humans,” Gedris interjected. “I doubt even a group of a hundred could have pulled Numidel down.”
“A thousand, maybe,” Ayawa replied and checked the sky herself as if expecting to see a cloud of the vile beasts. “Thankfully, they hunt in packs of a dozen or less,” she added more to comfort herself than the others.
“When I was little, my mother told me a story about how humans were meant to reconquer the land,” Gedris said as they picked their way through another dense tangle. “She said that we would reclaim the north one day, and the world would be set right again.”
“My lands had similar stories,” Tavis agreed. “But Ayawa’s people see it very differently.”
“I am aware of some that,” Gedris said as she recounted her failed attempt to help spread the worship of Ulustrah to Ayawa’s people. “It all comes back to the Earthmother.”
“Everything does,” Ayawa remarked. “She is the creator of the world and everything that lives in it. She even created the divines to watch over her creation while she slept from her labors.”
“And the divines nearly shattered that creation,” Tavis sighed. “I still find it hard to believe.”
“You have all heard what Sarah said,” Ayawa reminded. “She was there to see it fall and the bloody mess those two dragon goddesses created.”
“To think the divines were killing one another,” Gedris said as a chill ran down her spine. “Ulustrah killed one of the divines herself.”
“Let’s not talk about that,” Ayawa interjected. “I am pretty sure that was that battle that devastated my homelands.”
“I am so sorry,” Gedris offered and looked down mournfully. “But getting back to the Earthmother, do you think she will ever forgive us?”
“It’s the only way to restore balance,” Ayawa replied. “She created us to live in harmony, but when we chose war and chaos instead, she punished us for it. We won't return to balance unless we pay for it in blood and then seek her forgiveness.”
“But your people don’t know how to talk to her anymore,” Gedris replied. “How do you ask for forgiveness when you can’t speak?”
“I don't know,” Ayawa replied with a downcast face. “But somehow, we have to figure it out.”
Tavis was proud of Gedris when the woman came up behind Ayawa and wrapped her in a firm hug. He wondered if it was a gift of the women of Ulustrah to show such affection when somebody needed it. Ayawa responded with a smile and turned around to share the hug, pulling Gedris in tightly. Though Gedris might have been a burden to them initially, she was a welcomed addition now. Ayawa enjoyed her company and loved having somebody she could teach the old ways. Tavis was rather fond of her company as well, if for more base reasons. When a branch swung back and nearly hit him in the face, he wondered if his wives could read his thoughts as Gersius's did.
They searched for another five hours while watching the sky and hoping for some sign. At one point, they had to avoid a battle with a creature known as trillithis as it lumbered through the brush, its three horns easily pushing the growth aside. It was larger than a cow, with a leathery hide shaded in dark blues and grays. Ayawa was careful to give it a wide area, not wanting to risk causing the beast to charge. Once they were safely away, they resumed talking and watching the sky, finally spotting the smoke.
Ayawa had taught all the scouts how to use smoke to signal the others, and after a few moments of watching, they were certain this was a call. Hopefully, the scouts found something, and they followed the distant plume. It took them an hour to find the source, which turned out to be another scouting team. The men were rattled and reported that they had discovered something over a ridge just ahead. None of them wanted to say what it was, insisting they had to see it for themselves. One of them was brave enough to lead the way, so Ayawa and the others set off to see this curiosity for themselves. The trip took another twenty minutes as they climbed a still ridge to its peak and then looked over a misty valley that stretched for miles.
The scene was one of unmatched beauty were it not for the obvious source of the men’s distress. All three of them looked down in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing.
“It can’t be,” Gedris said as her eyes went wide. “How could this have happened?”
“I don't know,” Tavis said as he held her shoulders. “But the truth is there before us.”
“We need to report this immediately,” Ayawa growled and turned on the other scouts. “Keep that fire going and call in the other teams, then send them back with haste. None of you will discuss what you have seen here until Gersius decides what to do.”
“What are we going to do?” Tavis asked as Ayawa started to search the cliff face.
“We have to get closer and learn more. Gersius and Sarah will want to know everything they can,” she replied and headed off to find a way down.
Tavis looked at Gedris with mournful eyes and followed Ayawa into the growth. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be a good report.
Gersius sat troubled by the paper in his hand, wondering how he was going to tell Sarah. Lilly was with him when it was delivered, and the moment he understood the contents, he sent her to fetch his wives. Now he could feel them growing closer, the tension mounting as they wondered what was so important. They arrived together, silently sweeping into the room and meeting his steel-eyed gaze. There was a silent exchange of dread, amplified by the bind as Sarah took the lead and came to stand before him.
“Well, what has you so upset that you needed to summon us away from our tasks?” Sarah asked as she took a pose of regal grace.
“We have gotten a report from Ayawa,” Gersius said and waved the letter. “I am afraid it is not good news.”
“They found the army?” Thayle asked in confusion. “Is it bigger than we anticipated?”
Gersius shook his head and handed the letter to Sarah, who folded it open and began to read out loud.
“We have sent parties to search for him as he has been gone too long. I regret that after three days of searching, we finally know why. We found his body in the trees.” Sarah stopped and covered her mouth as tears started to fill her eyes. She looked to Gersius, who could only nod that the letter was true as her aura filled with torment and pain. Then, in the most uncharacteristic act, Sarah dropped the letter and ran from the room, leaving his other two wives stunned.”
“What happened?” Thayle gasped as Gersius bent down to pick up the letter.
He took a moment to clear his throat and then picked up where Sarah had left off.
“We approached to ascertain what had happened, and I am terrified to report he looks torn and mangled with wounds larger than his own claws down one side. As I know of no other creature capable of such an act, we can only assume he was killed by a much larger dragon.”
“Who was killed?” Thayle asked as she looked from face to face.
“Numidel,” Gersius replied as he closed the letter. “According to the date stamp, Ayawa found him three days ago.”
“Numidel is dead?” Lilly asked in shock. “But he was such a powerful dragon.”
“Not powerful enough,” Gersius replied and sat on his throne with a tired sigh. “I sent him over the wilds to look for the Doan, and something found him instead.”
“Ayawa thinks it was another dragon?” Thayle asked, the shock still clouding her thoughts.
“She doesn’t know what else it could be,” Gersius said.
“But why would another dragon attack him?” Lilly asked. “We don’t typically fight.”
“Unless you are a part of this conflict,” Gersius added.
“So, you suspect he met a rival dragon working for our enemy?” Thayle asked.
“How else would you explain the wounds?” Gersius asked. “And Ayawa was clear that the wounds were very large. It had to be a dragon far older than even Sarah.”
“But that can’t be,” Lilly stammered. “Sarah searched the dream for thousands of years and never found another dragon of her age.”
“She also never found your mother,” Gersius pointed out. “You have told us many times she is older than Sarah.”
“She is, but it still doesn’t make sense,” Lilly pressed and began to pace. “Nothing makes sense where my mother is concerned.”
“I hate to interrupt this, but right now, our wife is suffering terribly,” Thayle pointed out. “I can feel her anguish over the bind.”
“No doubt she developed a bond with Numidel after all those years of being trapped with him,” Gersius said. “I am sure she will take this loss deeply to heart.”
“I am going to comfort her,” Lilly said and looked to Thayle. “Will you come with me?”
“We should all go,” Thayle said, but Gersius was already getting up to follow.
They followed her pull over the bind, the feelings of pain and anguish growing with every step closer. Gersius began to wonder if perhaps she would prefer to be alone, citing that she wouldn't have run away if she wanted company. Thayle was sure this was the right thing to do but stressed that he needed to be her rock in this storm. Lilly could be the loving arms of comfort, offering Sarah a reminder that she was loved and cherished.
When they finally found her, she was in the dragon ring, leaning against the far wall with tears falling from her eyes. Lilly ran to her immediately, sweeping her into a hug and silently holding her through the pain. Thayle approached next, assuring Sarah that there was no shame in crying, despite the tormented dragon arguing she was too old to do so. She eventually got Sarah to move to a nearby bench and sit down where Lilly and Thayle could hold her.
Gersius paced nearby as his analytical mind began to piece together a possible reason. He moved further away to avoid his wives listening to his thoughts, but they were too preoccupied to notice. There were many mysteries around the motivations of his enemies, but one thing was starting to come clear. They had an objective that wasn't purely about war and conquest. There was something much larger going on that required secret societies, hidden agents, and carefully laid traps to ensure its outcome. That a dragon was willing to pretend to be human and slip into their trust only proved something unseen was happening. More so, that they tried to rescue Lilly showed that they held values that they were not willing to break. There was in some odd way a code of honor being used to guide their efforts, and their hidden enemy was playing by rules.
“But what game are you playing?” he muttered as Thayle reached over the bind.
“You’re needed,” she said.
He looked up and hurried to Sarah, who had her head down as tears continued to rain from her face. Kneeling before his wounded wife, he put a hand on her knee and silently offered his support.
“I never had a chance to tell him he was right,” Sarah sobbed. “He always said that love was special.”
“I am sure he knew,” Gersius said and squeezed her knee.
“You were sharing our bed after all,” Thayle added. “I have no doubt he was well aware you had found love.”
“But you have said it yourself,” Sarah replied with a sniff. “It’s one thing to know it, but another to say it. I just wanted the chance to tell him he was right, and I was happy.”
“Oh, Sarah,” Thayle cried and laid her hand on the woman's shoulder. “I am so sorry this happened to you.”
“But why am I crying?” Sarah asked as she shook her head. “I am an ancient dragon. Why am I hurting so much inside?”
“I cry,” Lilly said softly as she clung to Sarah’s arm. “It’s all part of having strong emotions. Sometimes they get so strong you want to run away from them, but as Ayawa once said to me, you can’t run away from the truth.”
“And who could blame you for having a strong connection to Numidel,” Gersius added. “He was by your side for all those years, doing his best to prepare you to join this family. He played a role in how you began to wonder about love and deserves our thanks for the wonderful woman you are.”
“Well said,” Thayle replied with a smile and rubbed Sarah's back. “You see, we all understand why you are hurting so deeply, and none of us blames you for it.”
“I still wish I could have told him,” she replied.
“Sarah, he knows,” Thayle urged. “All he ever wanted was for you to be happy, and he saw that change after you joined our family.”
“But why didn't he get to be happy?” Sarah asked. “He was so close to letting in that woman of Ulustrah.”
“Taylin,” Thayle said and let out a deep sigh. “She's going to be devastated when she hears about it. I have seen their light when they are together. She loves him with all her heart.”
“And now, he's gone,” Sarah said and looked up. “It could just as easily have been one of you. I nearly lost all of you barely a week ago.”
“You can not think like that,” Gersius said as gently as possible. “We know we walk a dangerous path, but so long as our bind is strong, no man can topple us.”
“But can a dragon do it?” Sarah asked.
Gersius wanted to argue that nothing could but in light of recent circumstances, he had little room to argue. A great blow had been struck, and the empire would reel from the news. For now, all he could do was comfort his wife and prepare to adapt to a new plan of attack. If his theory was right, the nature of the war had just changed, and everything was about to get bloody.
Comments
Sam4005
now im sad 😢 ty for chapy
