Omnixius
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DKP 6-18 I just wanted to be alone
🕑 Added 2021-02-20 01:59:35 +0000 UTCHe stood before the grand throne of marble and gold as his thoughts went to dark places. He was the dragon knight, appointed by the Father Abbot and given the support of the order of Astikar. He proclaimed the new emperor in a lavish ceremony that only proved how little power he had. Nearly half the land's nobility failed to appear for his ascension, and some openly opposed it. His so-called empire was fractured and fighting a war on two fronts, and the army sent to crush Gersius had failed. Many said it was proof he didn't have the power to rule and would soon be swept aside. Many others praised his name, fearful of retaliation from the raven guard.
What he nor the Father Abbot anticipated was the event spoken only in hushed voices. An event that proved once and for all the divines supported Gersius. The Father Abbot dismissed it as futile. They already knew the divines supported Gersius, and as such, their plans hadn't changed. Dellain wasn't so sure this event could be cast aside so easily, and thankfully he had an eye witness to what transpired.
“You saw this display yourself?” Dellain asked as Mathius stood behind him in silence.
“I saw everything,” Mathius replied in a dire tone. “The divines made it clear to the whole army that they support him and guide his steps.”
Dellain nodded and turned away from the throne, unwilling to look at it. So long as Gersius lived, he would not be able to rule, but that problem was about to resolve itself. T
“Has she received the payment and the letter?” Dellain asked.
“Yes, my lord. I delivered both myself. She thinks it will be done in a day or two.”
“And she told you that when?” Dellain asked.
“Two days ago,” Mathius said with a tone that lacked any conviction.
Dellain glanced at him as he walked across the room to where the servants had left a tray of wine. It was the one indulgence as emperor he was willing to allow himself. Mathius was wise not to put his faith in others, especially Zhadain, but she had proven effective in infiltrating Gersius's camp. She and her forces were shadowing him, looking for any opportunity to strike. Dellain had just given her the key to just such an opportunity, thanks to the dragon in the yard below. Thanks to him, he understood the nature of Gersius's relationship to his dragon and how to exploit it. Now Zahdain knew and was paid a handsome sum in advance to do just that.
“What if she fails?” Mathius asked, further souring Dellain’s mood.
He took a deep sigh as he poured a glass of wine and took a moment to savor a sip before replying. “Then he dies at the walls,” he replied. “The raven guard has grown in number and is ready to repel him. Our infantry has been trained and equipped so that even if he could open the gates, he will find the inner yard well defended.”
“And what of his dragons?” Mathius asked with a hint of worry. “They number four now, and two are of great power.”
“We have more dragons than Gersius, and all of his added together can’t match the might of the Gorromogoth,” Dellain said in a strained tone, his worry showing.
Mathius nodded but walked to the table to join him in a glass. He took a bottle and poured it deeply before shooting Dellain a glance.
“What about the people? This news of Gersius being chosen of the divines is spreading. They are not going to follow you if they have him to hold on to.”
“That is why we sent that letter to Zhadain,” Dellain replied. “Relax, Mathius, our road is a troubled one, but one way or another, it will soon be over.”
Mathius nodded and took a sip savoring the flavor before replying. “I do not trust the dragons or the Father Abbot.”
“Then you are wiser than most of our order,” Dellain replied. “They are both serpents and speak with a forked tongue.”
“Don’t you worry they are using you in their plans?” Mathius asked. “They don’t even invite you to their council meetings anymore.”
Dellain met his gaze with a concerned one of his own. Long ago, Dellain compared what was going to a game of chess, but Mathius rightly pointed out that he might be a pawn on the board. Whatever the dragon's motives, Dellain would not be used and cast away, or worse, sacrificed for the king. He believed in the power of the Gorromogoth, but that power failed to protect Prime Yarvine, and it failed to keep the divines from revealing themselves. Now the days were numbered, and Gersius was coming. Soon his power would be put to the test, and they would finally know who should be emperor.
“I am the master of my destiny,” Dellain replied. “Soon, the Doan will march, and the Father Abbot will help these dragons with their final plans. Then I will beat them back and look like the empire's savior, uniting the people under my banner. No one will question my right to rule, and these dragons had better deliver on the promises they made.”
“What about her?” Mathius asked.
Dellain smiled and began to laugh, setting his wine down to keep from spilling it.
“Mathius, I have ever valued your ability to cut right to the important questions, but this is the one thing I trust those dragons to do. They need her dead just as badly as well do. No matter what happens, Balisha's star will never rise again.”
“And Solesta?” Mathius asked.
Dellain nodded. “May her light rise again and forever grace the night sky.”
Lilly sat on a log looking at the stars for the one Gersius saw in his dreams. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts and went out beyond the sentries to find a quiet place to sit and pray. Gersius would be cross if he knew where she was, but there was no way to be alone in the camp. People were crawling all over the place, and being near her loved ones meant sharing every thought and feeling. Now she sat and pondered what it all meant and why dragons were doomed to such terrible wastes of life. To think they could live to be twenty thousand, and in all that time, they would accomplish less than a human did in a year.
She looked to the silver moon and spoke a little prayer, asking Balisha to show her how to free the dragons from the curse that chained their hearts. She would do anything to save them and give them a chance to know love as she did. She sat in silence with her heart open to Balisha, waiting for a reply.
The moment went on for many long minutes until she felt a presence growing in the bind as Thayle approached. Lilly sighed as her isolation was broken. No doubt Thayle was following the pull of Lilly’s love in the one heart they shared.
“Lilly?” Thayle called from behind as she came close enough to see her. “Sweetheart, what are you doing out here alone?”
Lilly looked down and tried to banish the pain in her heart, but she knew Thayle already felt it. The bind was a wonderful gift, but it forbid them to have a private emotion or thought. She sniffed when Thayle’s hands came around her shoulders and began to rub at her neck, gently soothing away the pain.
“I can tell you want to be alone. Do you want to talk about it?” Thayle asked as she worked.
“What's there to talk about? Aren't you reading my mind?” Lilly asked. She heard Thayle laugh and felt those gentle hands gently rubbing at her neck. Thayle was so good at massage that Lilly often begged her to do it. Now, however, she wanted to be alone to think and pray.
“You know I don’t read your thoughts like that,” Thayle said. “But I can tell when somebody wants a little privacy. I will go back to camp but don't stay out here long. Gersius will come looking for you eventually.”
Lilly nodded as Thayle released her neck but bent over to kiss her on the head.
“I love you, sweetheart,” Thayle whispered. “My beautiful blue dragon.” She released Lilly and headed back to camp, restoring her isolation.
Though Thayle's words were sweet, they only intensified the pain that churned in her heart. No other dragon would know this kind of joy or love, save those few like Sarah and Shadros. She couldn’t invite every dragon to their love, and binding another like Shadros would be rare. Even if Balisha returned, the curse would remain, and the dragons will slowly fade away.
She wasn't sure how long she lingered in the moonlight singing her song, but she knew the time had come to return. With one last look to the sky where the missing start should be, she turned back and headed for camp. She felt sleepy for a change, a strange sensation for a dragon who regularly slept with her loved ones.
Once inside the camp, she found her way to the meeting tent, feeling the pull of Sarah over the bind. She returned just that morning at the head of a massive column of women freed from the terrible camps. Many were undernourished and dressed in clothes they had worn for weeks, but all were glad to be liberated. Gersius and Thayle had food cooked and waiting for them and hundreds of volunteers ready to deal with cleaning, clothing, and sheltering the women as best they could.
Now the camp was massive and growing as word of the divines favoring Gersius spread. Groups of people were arriving almost continuously and keeping Gersius busy with their needs. Some were volunteers, soldiers willing to fight, or just local people bringing a cart or wagon of donations to the camp. The gold wagons were swelling, as were supply wagons with tents, clothes, tack, and supplies.
The militia was growing so quickly they had to dig into the weapons captured in the river and city battle to arm them, but even so, armor was in short supply. He was busily reaching out to every camp member and surrounding towns to get supplies of the most basic armors. Lilly wasn't very familiar with armor outside of what the priests wore, but now one made of cloth was becoming common in the camp. Gersius called it gambeson, but a lot of the people who wore it called it padded. Whatever the case, it was easy to produce, and masses of the camp's labor were busily sewing.
Thayle filled the fourth company and had to form a fifth, appointing another woman to the title of Governess Commander. Her role was to organize the new women who wanted to fight into a poorly equipped unit that would primarily be used for defense due to lack of weapons.
One bright light was the dove shields who came fully equipped and ready to fight. They were outraged to have been deceived and used as sacrificial lambs in the Father Abbot's evil campaign. Even more, many of the men slain in the city were fathers, husbands, brothers, and even a few sons. They were enraged and eager to seek vengeance on the one they saw as the cause of it all.
Gersius made a tremendous impact on their morale when his forces went to great lengths to heal and save those soldiers and not just his own men. This brought hundreds of them to his side as well, swelling the number of highly trained professional soldiers in his ranks. The city was their first proper holding in enemy land, and as word spread, the surrounding towns and villages were quickly joining them.
This presented new problems, of course. Gersius felt responsible for protecting these people from reprisals and was even now talking about forming a garrison unit. Lilly was present for the meeting, where he and his commanders argued over numbers, supplies, and logistics. It all sounded important, but Lilly hardly understood any of it. She was grateful Gersius knew how it worked and was able to lay out a plan to support both armies once they began marching again.
They learned from the influx of local peoples that Dellain was now the emperor of the dragon empire. He already promised to defeat Gersius and the Doan, and there were rumors that several dragons flew over his banner. This was the reason Lilly was so upset about the curse and the state of the dragons. They were likely going to have to kill these dragons to restore Balisha, forever denying them the chance to find love.
Her heart began to hurt again to think of such a loss as she approached the meeting tent. She took a moment to yawn and then cleared her mind, shoving the worry aside. Sarah was inside and would feel Lilly’s emotions if she dwelt on them too long, and unlike Thayle, Sarah would demand an explanation. She entered to find the tent empty except for Sarah and Numidel standing near the middle debating the details of the march. As she entered, Sarah looked away from her conversation and smiled ever so slightly.
“Child, where have you been?” Sarah asked as Lilly wandered in with a yawn.
“I wanted to be alone to sing to Balisha,” Lilly admitted. “I went out beyond the guards to the trees so nobody would hear me.”
Sarah glared at her with narrow eyes before shaking her head in disapproval. “You know it’s dangerous to go outside the camp. Despite the recent change of heart of the local people, these lands belong to our enemies. You have to understand they almost assuredly have eyes watching and waiting for a chance to strike.”
“I needed to be alone,” Lilly repeated. “I can't get a moment to think by myself when you're all so close. I think the bind grew stronger when you joined it. I can feel your emotions from much further away.”
Sarah sighed and looked to Numidel, who urged her to understand.
“I suppose I feel the same way sometimes,” Sarah admitted. “I was just mentioning to Numidel earlier that I sometimes can't tell my thoughts from the others.”
Lilly smiled and moved closer, expressing how she felt the same way. She explained how Gersius and Thayle seemed able to block the feelings out when they needed to, but she hadn't mastered the technique.
“I will have to ask him about it when he has more time,” Sarah said with a yawn. “Goodness, I feel tired for some reason.”
“I do too,” Lilly agreed. “I feel like I haven’t slept in years.” She accentuated the point with a yawn of her own.
“You both look rather tired,” Numidel agreed as he moved closer to study them. “How odd you would need to sleep so soon after such a long rest.”
“This has never happened to me before,” Sarah said. “You have been awake longer than I have, and you don't appear tired.”
“I am perfectly fine and should not require sleep for many months,” Numidel agreed but with some concern in his voice. “Perhaps this is a side effect of your binding. You may be sharing the human’s need for frequent sleep.”
“I have been sleeping,” Sarah replied and hid another yawn with her hand. “I sleep with them almost every night. It is impossible not to embrace sleep when you have one of these beauties in your arms.”
Lilly smiled as Sarah shook away the fatigue and resumed her noble appearance. “Well, whatever the case, I am glad you are here now. You and Shadros need a lesson on how to draw on your dragon strength while in this form. Would you please go fetch him and bring him here.”
Lilly nodded and headed out as Sarah turned back to her discussion with Numidel. She headed into the vast camp, making her way unerringly to the section set aside for the women of Ulustrah. She was greeted by many of those she passed and even saw a few of her followers bowing white or blue-haired heads her way. She found Shadros in his dragon form at the edge of the camp, laying on a small pile of gold. Lilly had arranged for Shadros to have a tiny bit of gold from their stores to make him happy. Gersius went a bit further and allowed him to have a bit more from the gold collected as tithes. It did wonders for his mood, but he still argued about why dragons and humans should cooperate.
“Shadros,” she called to get his attention as he lay on the pile. A single eye opened and quickly focused on Lilly as she walked right up to bend over and stare into it.
“Sarah wants you to come with me so she can teach you how to use your dragon strength in human form.”
“Why?” he replied. “I can use my strength just fine in my true form.”
“You might need it one day,” Lilly insisted. “I wish I had been able to do it several times.”
His head lifted high as he let out a deep sigh. “I suppose if I do not come, she will come for me herself. Tell her I will be there in a moment,” he replied.
“Don’t forget to change,” Lilly said. “You need to be in human form to practice.”
“I do not understand why you value that human form so much?” he mocked.
Lilly wanted to laugh as his aura revealed his statement was a lie. He knew full well the value of the human form and the pleasures it could bring. It was a huge change, and thanks to Mingfe, who was tirelessly trying to entice him with food and a little more, he was growing. She wondered how long it would be before they could share the bind and gain the full power of their love.
“Just hurry up and come to the meeting tent,” Lilly insisted rather than engaging him in an argument. She hurried back, pausing only to yawn several more times before arriving at the tent where Sarah and Numidel waited. She explained that Shadros was coming soon and settled in to wait as Sarah debated the cause of her tiredness with Shadros.
“What else could it be?” Numidel asked as he rubbed at his blue beard. “It must be the human half of your bind.”
“I don't know,” Sarah admitted. But there will be time to sleep later. Too much is put off because of the pace of the march, and Lilly might need this knowledge in the near future.”
They sat and talked for a few minutes until Shadros arrived dressed in a simple shirt and pants but wearing a miserable face.
“Come here, child,” Sarah said to him and motioned him to join Lilly as she and Numidel waited. When he was with them, Sarah explained the details of what they were about to learn. A dragon's strength came as much from its store of power as it did from sheer muscle. As such, they should be able to draw on that power even in the human form, making them stronger than any man.
She and Numidel then spent the better part of an hour going over exercises to focus inward and draw on this reserve of power. They worked with Lilly and Shadros to help them make the connection, but it was slow going.
Shadros was his usual cheery self, arguing that he hated to take this weak inferior form. Sarah was quick to scold him and point out that she already knew he was using his human form more often. She explained that even if he chose no to use anymore, it would be to his discredit as a dragon not to know how to tap into his power. True strength was in discipline and knowledge, and she and Numidel were prepared to give him both if he would let them. With a grumbling sigh, he relented and practiced the technique, but an hour later, nothing had changed.
“I can't do it,” Lilly sighed, finally giving up out of all frustration.
“Don't be so quick to admit defeat,” Sarah said. “All dragons can draw on this power. You simply have to learn how to make the connection.”
“I can’t do it either,” Shadros admitted with a hint of shame in his voice. “I do not feel this connection you are describing.”
Sarah sighed and paced as she considered the problem and tried to think of a solution. She turned to Numidel, who suggested they must not be practiced enough in reaching for their solus. Sarah nodded to agree and turned on Lilly and Shadros with a stern countenance.
“You are doing the focus exactly as we told you to?” Sarah asked.
“Yes,” Lilly replied. “I am looking inward to my solus and concentrating on believing I am still as strong as a dragon. I try to feel the power and draw on it, but I don't feel anything, and besides, I am very tired.”
Sarah nodded and looked to Shadros, who claimed to be doing the same thing.
“I don't understand,” Sarah said. “This is something most dragons learn in an hour. There must be something complicating your connection to your solus.”
“It is probably this cursed binding,” Shadros said. “It has given control of my solus to another.”
Sarah considered the point as she began to pace again. “Perhaps, but Thayle and Gersius can draw on her strength, so she should be able to do it too. In fact,” she added and came right up to Lilly. “You should be able to draw on my strength.”
“How?” Lilly asked. “I am doing it exactly as you told me, but nothing happens. I can’t feel this power no matter how hard I try.”
Sarah took a moment to consider it then sat them down to meditate. She walked them through the point of light technique and sat with Lilly whispering in her ear.
“Now feel the source of your power, and reach to that which is the center of your being. Feel its fire reaching back and draw on it until it floods your body.”
Lilly tried with all her might, but there was nothing to feel and certainly nothing reaching back. She threw her head back in frustration and looked to where Numidel was doing the same for Shadros. The dark-skinned dragon suddenly opened his eyes and held out his arms.
“I can feel it!” he cried. “I feel the strength flowing!” He jumped up and went to a heavy wooden table that normally took four men to carry. Shadros lifted the end with ease, using only one hand.
“You see,” Sarah said as Lilly looked away in shame. “Child, don't lose heart. You have all the same ability to access your power as he does. You only need a little more practice.”
“Maybe it’s because I am so tired,” Lilly said and put a hand over her mouth again.
“Perhaps we should try again after she has rested,” Numidel suggested. “She looks exhausted, as do you, I might add.”
“I am fine,” Sarah lied and reached a hand down to help Lilly up. “That is enough for now. You can practice the technique later.”
Lilly nodded with another yawn and smiled in a daze. “I need to sleep.” She looked around with a smile and closed her eyes, reaching out over the bind. Someplace in the camp was her dragon treasure, and she wanted to sleep on her hoard for a change. She opened her senses to the bind and looked for Thayle, only to have her smile fade as the panic set in.
“Child, what is wrong,” Sarah said in alarm as Lilly’s panic flooded over the bind.
“Thayle! I can’t feel Thayle!” Lilly cried and began to spin around. “Thayle!” she screamed as Sarah came to her side.
“Lilly, please calm down,” Sarah insisted and closed her eyes to reach out and look for the missing woman. Her sensation was there but distant, weak, and growing weaker by the second. A moment later, she flared with anger as her scream over the bind brought Gersius running.
“He burst into the tent with a dozen guards all ready for a fight as Sarah held a crying Lilly in her arms. The look on his face was one of concern as he came right to them to find out what was wrong.
“Thayle is dead!” Lilly cried as Sarah tried to comfort her.
Gersius looked up in shock as Sarah explained they could no longer feel her, and Lilly was assuming the worst. Gersius tried to locate her himself, but he too couldn't find her presence and began to share in Lilly's concern.
“When was the last time anyone saw her?” he asked.
“I saw her a few hours ago,” Lilly sobbed.
“Where?” Gersius asked, coming to her side to hold her with both arms. He looked into her eyes as she sobbed and explained she had slipped outside the camp to pray alone, and Thayle came to check on her. She left a few minutes later, and that was the last Lilly saw of her.
The look in his eyes made her feel terrible inside, but he said nothing, instead turning to the men at his side. He led them out to organize a search of the area as Sarah turned to Lilly and pulled her to her chest.
“Child, I need you to be strong,” Sarah whispered.
“This is all my fault,” Lilly cried. “I didn't mean to get Thayle hurt. I just wanted to pray alone.”
Sarah sighed and rubbed Lilly’s back to soothe her. “Lilly, we need to search for Thayle. I need you to be strong enough to take your dragon form and fly out with Numidel and I. We will scour the land with our dragon sight and find her, I promise.”
“But I can’t feel her,” Lilly cried. “She must already be dead.”
“No,” Sarah urged. “I don’t know how a bind like this works, but I do know if Thayle was dead, there would be a void where she was. Try again, child, and feel for her place in our bind. Her connection is still there, but it is somehow being suppressed. Somebody is trying to hide her from us.”
Lilly nodded and reached out, looking to the center of their being as fresh tears poured to see Thayle was still there.
“I can't feel anything of her, though,” Lilly said. “It's like she is a thousand miles away.”
Sarah turned to Numidel and urged him to help with the search before telling Lilly to change and join them.
“I feel so tired,” Lilly said. “I don’t know how long I can fly.”
“I feel tired as well, but we have to find our wife,” Sarah urged. “Come, child, we cannot afford to lose more time.”
Lilly nodded and ran with Sarah to the changing ring as her heart was burdened with despair. Minutes later, they took to the sky and began a desperate search, praying her love would be found.
