Omnixius
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DKP 6-10 To face the enemy
🕑 Added 2020-12-25 21:11:09 +0000 UTCThe day's march went unopposed as his army traveled into the empire. As expected, the enemy put all his strength at the river and had nothing left to throw at them. The few towns and villages they crossed were all made to pay the tithe and grow his war chest. One wagon was already being used exclusively to carry the treasure, something that made the men of Astikar unhappy.
Gersius called an assembly to speak to them as men. He assured them that no harm was meant to the local populations, and the gold was sorely needed to help set things right. They would understand when they saw the changes it brought and the quick resolution to the war.
If it had any impact, he wasn't sure but thought it odd that only the men of Astikar were upset. The women of Ulustrah hardly seemed to care. Any price that brought them quickly to Calathen and the end of this terrible war was worth paying. They took the gold collection even further, freely blessing the people but asking for a donation to aid in the war. They also went to great lengths to acknowledge that by the light of truth, Gersius was established. For the terrible lies the Father Abbot had spread, Ulustrah herself was offended. She ordered the women to march and wage war on the father of lies. This had some impact on the people, but many accused the women of being tainted by Gersius's dragon curse.
One group that had more luck were the priests of Vellis. They purged sickness healed injuries assuring the land that they only marched to the aid of one who was just. Vellis being a god known for peace, and health gave his priests leverage the people couldn't deny. Where they went, minds changed, and people began to think.
At the very least, the Father Abbot's lies were thrown into doubt, and many questions were raised. Though towns were taxed, they were left in good health and with blessed fields and fertile livestock. They would quickly recover and be wealthier than before he passed.
Numidel and Sarah flew out during the day searching for Jessivel and the missing second company. Numidel came back with reports of a strange storm in the south, with dark clouds that thundered in anger. He admitted that there was something amiss with the storm and did not dare fly through it.
It was an ominous portent of the nature of this conflict that grew darker with every passing day. Already Ayawa carried reports of women of Ulustrah fighting for the other side. Thus far, it had been only one priestess, but who knew how many more waited ahead. Still, such news, combined with the darkness to the south and the missing armies, put the camp on edge. Something was happening, and he was blind to it, a state he was eager to correct.
Ayawa and her family went out again, with the tribesmen, hunting to the south. Gersius knew that if Jessivel or Alayse were alive, they would be across the river and approaching from that direction. With any luck, they would find them even when the dragons could not.
Now they marched with him and Thayle riding on Lilly's back, leading the army inexorably to a terrible conflict.
“You feel tense,” Thayle said as her hands came over his shoulders. “You can't spend every moment of your time dwelling on the mysteries.”
Gersius looked up as Lilly's long graceful neck curled around, and her head came before them both. Despite being a dragon, her visage seemed soft and caring, a gift learned from hours spent with her.
“She is right,” Lilly added. “I hate to see you so upset.”
“We are missing a large part of my plan for Calathen. I must know where those two forces are,” Gersius replied as Lilly came close enough for him to feel her breath.
“Ayawa will find them,” she insisted. “The divines didn’t bring us this far to fail.”
Gersius was proud of her for that statement. When he first met her, she laughed at the idea of worshiping a divine. Now she praised them and took care of their flock. She was slowly becoming a sort of mother figure to the followers of Balisha, who looked on her in awe.
“I am not,” Lilly replied as she read his thoughts. “I just worry about how fragile our faith is. The first dragon knight failed because he waited too long. We started early, but every member of our faith is right here, in danger of being wiped out.”
“We will not be wiped out,” Gersius said in a firm voice meant to carry a tone of assurance. “I know how to end this war, and the one beyond it.”
“I am glad somebody does,” Thayle said from where she sat in the saddle behind him. “So many in my camp don’t realize the war doesn’t end at Calathen.”
“You were not tasked with fighting the Doan,” Gersius countered as Thayle rubbed at his neck.
“You know as well as I do the Father Abbot is a pawn of something larger, and that something is behind the Doan. The armies of Ulustrah will keep going until the truth is brought to light, and a full accounting has been made.”
He was grateful to hear that. The armies of Ulustrah were vast, and their strength would aid him greatly when it came time to confront the original foe.
“What I am more worried about what Sarah plans to do tonight,” Thayle added. “I don’t like this idea of calling out a rival dragon where we can do nothing to help.”
“She wont even let me come,” Lilly grumbled. “I can enter the dream reliably now. I should be thereif they need me.”
Gersius didn't like this plan either, but Sarah was sure of it and believed with Numidel's help, they could challenge this foe. Sarah refused to allow Lilly to aid them because of some danger she didn't want to speak of. All of that sat poorly in his stomach, adding to the list of things he worried about.
“We do not know for certain it is a dragon,” Gersius suggested but, in truth, didn't believe that himself. “If it is, then Sarah hopes to assert the authority of her age to bring an end to the conflict.”
“Do you honestly believe that is going to work?” Thayle asked with a sharp tone to her voice. “This plan has been in motion for many years. It isn't going to stop now because Sarah scolded our enemy.”
“She has a very sharp tongue sometimes,” Gersius joked but failed to find any mirth in his wives. “I do not believe it will change anything,” he agreed when the silence had gone on too long. “But it may shed some valuable insight into some of our mysteries.”
“What if something happens to her?” Lilly asked.
“Do you know of any dangers in the dream?” Thayle questioned as Lilly lifted her head to think.
“My mother said there were dangers, but Sarah told us that there were places where high emotion left a scar and things still lurked there. I don't know what that means, but what if she plans to go to one of those places?”
“We have to trust her,” Gersius said. “She was older than you are now when the world was shattered. We have to trust she knows what she is doing.”
“I hate the fact that she doesn’t want us using the power of the bind to watch what she is doing,” Thayle said. “At least we would know what was happening.”
“I am concerned about that myself,” Gersius agreed. Sarah planned to go outside the campto limit what they would feel from the bind. She didn’t want them to become anxious and feel their emotions in return. She worried it would distract her from the concentration needed to go where she was planning to go. All they could do was let Sarah complete her task and pray it worked.
As the sun lowered in the sky, Gersius set a camp just outside a forest while sending scouts in every direction to ensure no enemy lurked nearby. Sarah and Numidel returned an hour later with reports that the distant storm was moving away from them, heading steadily south against the wind.
Gersius tried to speak to her about how that could be possible, but she didn't want to discuss it. Instead, she was focused on the task ahead as she paced in the meeting tent with a scowl on her face.
“What if this dragon refuses the status of your age?” Thayle asked.
“That would be his or her right to do,” Sarah replied. “But at least we will know we are dealing with a dragon. Then we can use the dream to locate its lair and potentially confront it.”
“What if the lair is hidden by a weave?” Lilly asked, her blue eyes big and bright.
“I don’t know how a dragon would hide their lair from the dream,” Sarah scoffed.
“My mother said her lair was hidden even from the divines,” Lilly replied, but Sarah gave her a look of pure disbelief.
“Child, I am sure your mother went to great lengths to locate her lair someplace nobody would find and placed the usual wards around it to keep it safe, but nobody hides from the divines.”
Lilly shrugged, and Sarah resumed pacing as Gersius ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
“Will you need gold to ensure your safety?”
“For what? Sarah asked. “Do you think I would burn gold just to confront this enemy?”
“I am not even sure you can draw on the power of gold from inside the dream, but if you can, perhaps you should have some on hand.”
Sarah smiled and shook her head. “I would never waste gold in so petty a fashion.”
Gersius folded his arms as his temper began to rise. He stared at Sarah with a bit of confusion, not understanding why they couldn't part with even a little gold.
“Because we can't,” Sarah snapped, her anger apparent. “You try being a dragon who feeds primarily on the magic of the metals and tell me how easily you can part with it.”
“What if it is a dragon equivalent to your age?” he asked. “What if he is willing to use his gold to gain the upper hand?”
Sarah tossed her head, trying not to laugh. He could feel that she thought the idea absurd. No dragon would waste gold in such a fashion.
“It really is frustrating,” Thayle said as she listened in and felt the exchange. “You dragons would rather sell a breeding than spend your gold to gain something from a male.”
“No male is worth the gold,” Lilly and Sarah said in unison, causing Thayle to throw her head back in frustration.
“Fine,” Thayle said with a wave of her hand. “But know this, I am in love with you, Sutherisa, and if you don't come back to me, I will never be happy again.”
Sarah paused in her pacing to look at Thayle with a confused expression. “Why would you say that about me?”
Thayle got up and walked right up to Sarah, tipping her head back to look into the tall woman’s eyes. She took one of Sarah’s hands and began to play with her fingers as tears started to form.
“We all wanted you,” Thayle whispered. “You're beautiful, graceful, and powerful. I love it when you wrap your arms around me and make me feel safe, or when you brush my hair. I need you just as much as I need the others because we are all one.”
Sarah nodded and pulled Thayle into an embrace as tears began to roll. She took a deep breath and looked up to Gersius as he nodded in agreement with Thayle’s words.
“Never in my long years have I ever had to make a decision while also considering how it affected others. I have never been in a moment like this where somebody else was hurting over what I planned to do.” She paused and stroked the back of Thayle's head. “Please, don't cry. I will be perfectly safe. This other dragon can do little more than threaten us. At the worst, we will be forced to wake up, and it will all be over.” She kissed the top of Thayle's head and closed her own eyes as a pain welled up deep inside.
“Are you alright?” Lilly asked as Sarah’s eyes began to water.
“Is this more of the pain you warned me about?” Sarah asked. “That somebody worries about me is causing something to move inside. I can’t explain it. I feel something I have never felt before.”
“I’m sorry, but this is part of love,” Lilly said. “Once you know the extremes of happiness, you must also experience the extremes of sorrow. You can’t have one without the other.”
Sarah nodded and held Thayle firmly, allowing the woman to cry silently to her chest.
“What have I done?” Sarah asked. “What will become of me, now that I know?”
“You will become something better,” Gersius replied. “Like Lilly, you will reach a new height, and others will look on you and wish they too could have what you have.”
Sarah smiled and rubbed Thayle’s long dark hair. “Child, I love you. Please don’t be so afraid for me. This is just a challenge to dialog. I am in no danger. I promise I will come back to you.”
“You had better,” Thayle cried and pulled away. “It would be so much easier to accept if you would at least allow us to be there.”
“I don’t need your emotions clouding mine,” Sarah said. “The dream reacts to emotion. We all saw what our husband was capable of when his emotions were aroused. I can’t afford to feel you over the bind and have your influence affecting me. Please, it has to be this way. Look at how badly you are affecting me now.”
Thayle nodded as Gersius stood behind her, wrapping her up in a warm embrace.
“How long will this take?” he asked as Thayle clung to his chest.
Sarah met his gaze as she wiped her eyes. “Hopefully, no more than a couple of hours. It all depends on how quickly our foe can slip into the dream and reply. If no reply comes after a few hours, we will give up.”
Gersius handed Thayle off to Lilly before taking one of Sarah's hands and walking with her to the changing ring. He had a lot on his mind and, despite her assurances, felt he needed to say them.
“I love you,” he said as she cleared her throat. “I fought against bringing you into our relationship because I worried I would never be able to honor the love you deserve.”
“I am well aware of how thinly stretched you are,” Sarah said. “I would have understood.”
Gersius stopped and turned her to face him as he leaned forward, his lips hovering just above hers.
“I was wrong. I should have come for you the moment I realized the truth.”
“What truth?” Sarah asked, the power of the moment, weighing down on her.
“You stir my heart like no other. I see in you the fire I always sought in a woman but failed to find in any human. Only you can match me, and in many ways, surpass me. I am honored to be named your husband.”
“But what of Lilly and Thayle?” Sarah whispered back.
“Those two are great treasures and inseparable of my love. Each of them brings a badly needed strength of heart to our relationship, but you are the balance, the counter to us all, able to act as wife and mother to your family.”
Sarah nodded as another feeling stirred in her heart, surging forward until of her own volition, she pressed her lips to his. The kiss went on for many moments until she finally pulled away and took a deep breath.
“Fool husband, you have heart stirring with pain at the thought of being away from you. What has happened to me?”
“You have discovered what it is like to be loved,” he replied. “Don’t be away long. I will miss you every moment.”
Gersius watched as she nodded and hurried away to join Numidel in the ring. He knew she would be alright, but somehow this felt like an important moment. The face of their enemy might potentially be revealed, and dialog had between them. He turned and went back to Lilly and Thayle, feeling their unrest over the bind. For the next few hours, none of them would be able to rest until Sarah was safely back in their arms.
Sarah nodded and hurried away, her mind swirling with thoughts that never occurred to her before. She rushed into the ring and began to undress, struggling to clear her mind.
“How am I ever going to get a hold of this?” she grumbled. “Just seeing how he looks at me causes a weakness, and those girls, I long to hold them.” She paused and took a deep breath. “No, you must focus. You have a chore tonight, and it is too important to be distracted.”
With eyes closed, black smoke began to pour from her skin, becoming a cloud of swirling blackness. It grew to proportions that nearly consumed the tent before flashing with bright light. The smoke began to drift away as great red wings reached out and took to the sky, almost buckling the tent in the sudden gust of air. Sarah headed for a hill in the forest where Numidel waited with fifty carefully selected guards led by Mingfe and Shadros. They would stand watch and protect the two while they were deep in the dream.
The hill was lit by torches and surrounded by patrols of armed men and women. Shadros stood at the top with Mingfe conversing with Numidel. Sarah settled down, her bulk shaking the ground and raising a cloud of dust before folding her wings and moving to join them.
“I am not at all comfortable with this,” Mingfe argued. “How will I know if you are in trouble?”
“You won't,” Sarah replied.
“Then why did you not bring one of your bind with you?” Mingfe questioned with a gaze that reflected her worry.
Sarah sighed and lowered her head to address the angry woman, tired of defending herself.
“I have already had this discussion with them. I cannot have them close enough that I will feel their worry. I have to be clear enough to concentrate on the task at hand.”
“So all I can do is stand here and hope you wake up?” Mingfe asked.
Sarah threw her head high, the frustration mounting. “Why do you humans not trust what I say? We will be fine, this is only a meeting, and even if the other is hostile, all they can do is drive us away.”
“Thayle says you told Lilly it was too dangerous for her to accompany you. Now you say it is perfectly safe?”
Sarah growled and shook her head. “There are dangers, but Numidel and I are sufficiently powerful to navigate them. Lilly would be a weight on our shoulders and make this far more difficult to do.”
“And nothing can harm you in this dream?” Mingfe pressed.
“Nothing short of a divine can cause lasting harm,” Sarah insisted. “Were a rival dragon to surprise me and put a sword through my heart, I would wake up, my link to the dream severed.”
“I see the truth in our aura, but I do not like it,” Mingfe replied as Shadros stepped closer.
“And what is my role in this?” Shadros asked, his black scales reflecting the firelight.
“You are here to patrol the skies and keep an eye out,” Mingfe replied. “We must protect them while they are asleep.”
“This sounds like foolishness,” he laughed. “No dragon would gather men together to wage war on other men. You are wasting your time.”
“And you are wasting mine,” Sarah snarled. “Have you learned nothing from what I have taught you of the past? How many times have dragons led humans to war? I myself led a kingdom of men, never to war, but the choice to do so was mine.”
“Sarah,” Numidel interrupted. “Do not be so angry. The humans are merely showing concern for your well being. Shadros, too is concerned but is showing it in an awkward way.”
Sarah turned to Numidel and gazed into his blazing blue eyes. Why did she immediately think of Lilly and long to hold her close?”
“We need to begin,” she said with a toss of her head. “Let us see if we are right and get back.”
Numidel bowed in agreement and turned in a circle, curling up on the hilltop laying down. Sarah joined him by dropping down before turning her long neck around to lay by her side. She began to breathe deeply as she focused on a point of light, seeing it as if a tunnel drawing her focus and attention away. As her breathing became shallow, the light began to waiver, and her focus shifted.
The skies were blue as the sun shone down on the mountain peaks. Sarah stood on a rocky precipice looking over a land that only existed in the dream. A moment later, Numidel was at her side, his blue scales glistening in the sunlight as he looked over the ancient land.
“I remember when it was all like this,” he said in a rumbling voice that echoed with power. “When everything was wild, and dragons reigned supreme.”
“It was never like this,” Sarah replied. “Even when I was born, men dominated the land. Any dragon who saw the world as it truly was died long before the sun ever rose on our scales.”
“I was speaking of the north,” he countered as he turned his head. “Do you not remember the age before the giants?”
Sarah sighed with a slight nod. “I remember. How beautiful the land was. How terrible to think the earth mother turned on us and sought to wipe us out.”
“We turned on her,” Numidel argued. “The humans are important to her, and we were slaughtering them.”
“Not us,” Sarah replied as a single eye fell on him. “The divines caused this war and fought it through us. We are as much the victims as men are, but we're not here to talk about this.”
Numidel looked away as his wings stretched wide. “Then let us fly, at least as far as the gates.”
Sarah smiled and stretched her wings as well, taking to the air beside him as they traversed the ancient landscape.
“So how are you finding your new life?” he asked as she settled in beside him.
Sarah didn’t bother to look at him as she thought through her answer carefully.
“I am full of doubt and confusion,” she dared to admit. “If not for the love of that little blue flower, I would not be able to manage this.”
“Surely you aren’t unhappy?” he asked, concern apparent in his voice and the way he turned his head to look at her.
Sarah tossed her head high as the anguish took over. “No, I am happier than I have ever been. Happier than I ever thought possible, and that is the problem. How did I ever believe I was happy before, and why do I deserve it now?”
Numidel was silent a moment before turning to her as she struggled not to cry.
“Never doubt that you deserve this happiness. You paid a terrible price to achieve this moment, and the divines know you are worthy.”
“It was too long,” Sarah said, her voice starting to crack. “Even in dragon years, that was too long. Few dragons live to be our age, and fewer still go on much longer. Now at the wane of my life, am I finally shown true happiness and purpose. In a way, I feel I have been cheated again.”
“You do not know how long you will live,” Numidel argued. “You know the ancient elders lived to be nearly twenty thousand. By that measure, you still have more than half your life ahead of you.”
“Maybe,” Sarah said, finally turning her head to look at him. “But what about them? How long will the two humans who bring me this happiness live?”
Numidel was silent, turning to look ahead as she waited for her answer.
“The short lives of men is very tragic,” he said at last. “But what they accomplish in that time is a miracle to behold, and their works last for centuries.”
“I don't want memories,” Sarah cried, her pain very real even in the dream. “I want them with me forever. I want to hold that raven-haired beauty to my chest every night and watch her beautiful dreams. I want to see the way he looks at me and feel the power of his love.”
“Lilly will be with you for many years to come,” he offered.
“Lilly will be devastated, a shell of who she is now. Her heart is so tightly bound to them that I can scarcely imagine her without Thayle or Gersius at her side. When they pass, a part of her will pass with them. She will never heal from the pain as her long years go on, wishing she could hold them one more time.”
Numidel closed his eyes and flew in silence. Sarah knew he was searching for something to say that would ease the burden in her heart. The only hope she could cling to was the dragon blessing and the bind. An average man lived to be fifty to seventy years, but a man blessed by a dragon might see as many as a hundred and forty. The bind seemed to magnify the blessing allowing them to reach heights of power she'd never before seen in men. Would it be possible they could live to be five hundred, or even a little more? Would having two dragons granting them blessings double the time? She didn't have any answers, and there was no way to know except to let the time pass.
“Is this why you won’t take another?” Sarah asked. “You don’t want to feel the pain of her loss?”
Numidel glanced over and nodded. “I saw the years on her face. I knew she would live longer than most men, thanks to my blessing, but just a day as we measure time. I loved her, and I still miss having her in my arms.”
“So you will never take another, even though you know the warmth of love firsthand?”
Numidel sighed and glanced her way. “There is one in camp, I fancy. A young woman of the order of Ulustrah. She is a friend of Lilly's, and she occasionally brings her to talk to me.”
“You are talking about Taylin,” Sarah said. “She is a bit of a flower as well. Why haven't you spoken to her?”
“Lilly appears to be rather fond of her. I assume she will be a part of your family soon.”
“You are referring to Taylin,” Sarah laughed. “Trust me, Gersius will not allow it. He only took me because the prophecy said he had to; otherwise, he would have waited until the end of the war. No, Lilly is simply being Lilly and openly friendly to anyone friendly to her. I will have to speak to her about being so open and carefree. She must learn to temper that nature and place boundaries. “
“Perhaps you should reconsider that,” Numidel countered. “You love Lilly for who she is, do not be so quick to change that nature. You might find you did more harm than good.”
“Regardless, if you have any interest in Taylin, do not let Lilly’s exuberance stay your hand.”
“I will consider it,” Numidel replied as dark clouds loomed ahead. “Sadly, we are nearly there.”
Sarah fixed her eyes on the dark shape ahead as a sense of dread crawled up her spine. “Land before the gates. We will walk from there.”
Lightning flashed in the distant sky, revealing the object hidden in the clouds. It was a mountain peak soaring into the heavens, its base magically held aloft so that even its lowest portion was above the clouds. A plaza of ornate stone showing the sun moon emblem of the twin goddess circled the base in a ring miles long.
At one place was a massive gate wide enough for the largest of dragons to enter ten abreast. There were no doors, only an arch of white stone highlighted with gold plates and artwork. Despite the grandeur, the place was cloaked in shadows, as dark clouds obscured the once grand temple from sight. The wind's constant drone blew in their ears mixed with the sound of falling stones or rumbling rock. The place looked like a ruin with cracks, holes, and piles of debris, the damage done in the final hours of fighting.
They landed on the plaza, the gusts of their wings scattering dust and gravel. Their burning eyes swept the surrounding shadows, searching for hints of movement.
“To think of the wonders men and dragons once built,” Numidel said as they looked around.
“This age is long past,” Sarah countered as she stalked toward the gate. “Only it’s echo remains in the dream.” She looked up at the soaring archway decorated with a ring of colored stones at the peak. One color to symbolize the twelve dragons around a golden sun and silver moon. “Comm on, we need to be quick about this.”
“We don’t dare attempt to fly to the top,” Numidel suggested.
“I am aware of the danger. We are going to walk from here,” she hissed and led the way. Behind the archway was a roadway that slowly wound its way around the mountain base. It was made of polished bricks laid in a mosaic of circles and stars. Every so often, it passed a carved niche in the mountainside, revealing a statue to a long lost dragon.
“Men built all of this for us,” Numidel sighed. “To think of how close men and dragons were before the fall.”
“We built much of this ourselves. Men simply provided the creativity and design.”
Numidel glanced at her as he flared his nostrils, frost chilling the air before him. “You have trouble giving men credit for our past.”
“We were first,” she snapped with a glance back. “I admit that men helped turn our caves into grand lairs, but we certainly didn't need it.”
“No, but we appreciated it,” he said with a nod of his head. “We dragons considered a barren mountain top a temple. Standing on a broken rock while we praised the divine. Men took those mountain tops and made things like this, turning our broken rocks into monuments of faith.”
“They were only able to survive being on those mountain tops because we gave them our blessing. Not to mention it was we dragons who did most of the heavy lifting and carving.”
“As I said, look what we accomplished together,” Numidel sighed.
Sarah looked away as they rounded a bend in the road, her frustration causing confusion in her mind. She was well aware that dragons and men seemed to compliment one another, providing what the other was missing. Her dragon nature urged her to refuse it and deny that men had any role in their lives. Then she saw Gersius's face and the way he looked at her. She felt the sensation of being in his arms and his bed. She smelled the lilac scent that Thayle wore as she nestled to Sarah's chest and felt the gentle kiss of Lilly. Another nature rose up, one that seemed deeper and more powerful. It challenged the dragon, decrying its need to hate.
“Are you troubled?” Numidel asked as Sarah began to mumbled.
“No. I was simply considering your point of view,” she replied. “My willingness to see the value of humans in our lives has shifted of late.”
“You had humans in your life before. You enjoyed your rule over a small kingdom.”
“I did,” Sarah replied. “But this is very different. When I ruled, I believed that my blood was all that mattered. I was a dragon, and I was far greater and more powerful than any man, so of course, I ruled. Now, I see a human man I feel is far more fit to rule than I ever was. He balances mercy and punishment with a sense of duty, knowing when to use one or the other. He sees goodness in people even when they raise a sword against him and cares about the repercussions of his actions.”
“He is a leader of men,” Numidel agreed.
“He is a leader of hearts,” Sarah replied. “Because the hearts of both men and dragon hear his call.”
“He is the model of the priest of Astikar,” Numidel pointed out as he considered a point. “I wonder why Astikar chose to let him go?”
“I was meant to be his reward, but Astikar took me away,” Sarah said. “Until recently, I didn't understand why, but Lilly helped me see it last night. She needed to come first to prepare the way so that I could have this relationship. If I had come first, he would have had an arrogant dragon who saw him as inferior for a mount. There would be no bind to share our emotion and no Thayle to help us come together. Perhaps this was why Astikar had to withhold me. He needed time for Lilly to prepare a much better reward?”
“I am proud of you,” Numidel said with a tip of his head. “You have grown much already. You are beginning to see the good that can often come from struggle.”
Sarah looked ahead as his words echoed in her heart, but sudden movement caught her attention.
“Look ahead,” she said, coming to a stop. “We are not alone.”
Numidel glared ahead and began a low raising one hand as a hammer of Astikar formed. Radiant light filled the area, driving away the shadows and a shifting image of blackness.
“Wraiths,” Sarah growled as she glared ahead.
“They were dragons and men once,” Numidel replied.
“Once, but no more,” Sarah agreed as she looked to the summit still very far away. “We must move more quickly.”
“We have all night,” he replied.
Sarah lowered her head as if in shame before replying. “My family will worry if I take too long. They were upset that I would not allow them to be nearby.”
“There is no shame in being a part of a family,” he offered. “You should relish knowing that they worry about you.”
Sarah nodded and looked ahead. “I am not ashamed, just confused. Come, we must press on; the wraiths will respect the power divine.”
They rushed ahead, holding a hammer out to use its light to banish the shadow. Several times they heard hissing, and gravel tumbled from above, but nothing impeded their passage. Around the mountain base, they traveled, ascending past relics of the past. There were several temple complexes dedicated to the lesser divines, but it was near the summit they needed to go. Despite the height, there was no trace of snow to be found, the whole of the mountain long ago warded from the cold.
As the summit drew near, they passed through another gate, its arch long ago fallen to the ground. Here the shadows moved in clouds of darkness, forcing Sarah to summon a hammer herself to add her light to Numidels.
“They cluster near the summit,” Numidel said.
“Here is where it happened,” Sarah replied. “Solesta’s blood fell on this temple as Balisha killed her twin.”
“It was Solesta who attacked Balisha,” he pointed out.
“Does it matter who attacked who?” Sarah asked. “All that matters is the terrible aftermath. Despite the happiness I have found in Balisha's sacrifice, I still wonder if it was worth all this.”
As if to highlight her point, they arrived through another gate into a plaza on the mountainside. Here were the bones of long-dead dragons, frozen in time as their emotional pain imprinted on the dream. Dozens were strewn about the space, some with ancient weapons pinning ribcages to the stone.
“What a horrible sight,” Sarah remarked. “To think I did the same thing to my daughter.”
“Enough,” Numidel growled and turned to face her. “You must let that go. Not only can you not carry such a pain here, but you shouldn’t carry it in the waking world.”
“How do you just set such a pain aside?” Sarah asked incredulously.
“Sutharisa, you are struggling with new emotions and questioning everything about who you are and what you believe. Now is not the time to have such strong feelings. You know they can manifest in this place.”
Sarah nodded and cleared her mind, focusing on the dragon and the task.
“I am ready to continue,” she said. “The past can’t hurt me anymore.”
They made their way across the plaza to a series of five steps made for the feet of a large dragon. Up they went to a circular stone with the shattered remains of marble pillars. The wind howled as if cursing them for being here as they walked to the very center.
“If I am right, he will hear us,” Sarah said.
“If you are right, they will all hear you.”
Sarah stood tall; her long neck stretched high as she looked into the swirling blackness that surrounded the mountain.
“Aye salize ho arie Gorro’ mo goth!” she shouted to the wind using the dual power of her voice.
Distant thunder rolled as lighting barely caused a flash in the dark sky. A red light appeared in the distance, followed by a deep blue from the other side.
“Astikar is here,” Sarah said as she marveled at the light.
“So is Vellis,” Numidel added before looking down.
Green plants began to grow out of the cracks in the stone, the only color in the once dead landscape.
“Ulustrah is nearby,” Sarah whispered as something screeched behind her. She turned to see the darkness of the wraiths rolling in anger beyond the radius of their light. There was a terrible low growl, and the clouds that were once men and dragon screeched again and began to flee. All around, the green plants suddenly wilted, turning brown before crumbling to dust as the ground started to shake.
“What is happening?” Sarah asked with a glance to Numidel as he held his hammer high as if to shed more light into the dark sky. The hammer began to crack and, in a moment, exploded in a hail of glowing fragments that quickly faded away. Sarah's followed suit a moment later, leaving them in the dim light of the forsaken mountain. Astikars red light was subsumed by blackness, as was Vellis, while a burst of deep laughter rumbled the ground.
“We should flee,” Numidel said, taking a step back. “This being has driven the divines from its sight.”
“We have to know our enemy's face,” Sarah said defiantly as the wind roared around them.
“Sutherisa, you are being reckless. Remember those who wait for you to return!” he shouted back, but before either of them could move, the clouds before them parted, and a wall of fire that consumed the sky rolled forward. It reached the edge of the plaza, filling the whole side of the mountain in blazing light.
“You have called to me, so I have come,” a voice boomed out. “I give you one minute to honor the ancient traditions. Then I will kill you both.”
Sarah stood defiantly before the wall of flames as she steadied her heart. Never had she imagined a being of such power behind their enemies. Her heart went faint as she struggled not to wonder if she would ever feel Lilly’s embrace again.
“We are two of the oldest dragons in the world,” Sarah roared back. “We demand to know why you have brought war to the land again. Why do you cause dragons to die when we are already practically extinct.”
The wall of fire shimmered as a laugh echoed from the mountain. “Do not seek to use your age as a weapon here! You are but a child to me, daughter of the scale. I was older than you are now when this mountain was untouched by men.”
“It is a dragon,” Sarah stammered.
“One so old we are but children in comparison,” Numidel added.
“That's impossible,” Sarah protested, but the fire roared created a wind that blasted them back.
“Nothing is impossible to me, foolish child. I have seen the truth of the divine, and I will break the yoke of their curse on our kind. You think you fight with the dragon knight to set things right, but it is you who perpetuate the curse. Solesta was our champion, seeing the danger and risking all to save us. Balisha is the one who cursed our kind, weakening our blood and denying us our place in the heavens. I will break her hold and strip her curse from our kind once and for all. No longer will you walk in the weak form of men, or mingle your essence with theirs.”
“You want to take the human form away from dragons?” Sarah yelled.
“I wish to remove that which opens the door to our destruction. You have chosen to stand against me, and I see your essence is already mixed with inferiority. You have chosen the folly of men, and their chain hangs around your neck.”
Sarah felt anger burning up at those words as her eyes flared with rage.
“Do not call those I share my soul with inferior!” she howled. “Those three are the greatest beings that walk this land, and I am honored to be counted among them!”
The laughter returned as the fire intensified, the roar of flames nearly deafening as it echoed about the mountain.
“Come with me, children of the scale,” the voice enticed. “Come with me, and I will break these chains from you and burn the taint of men away.”
“You can’t win a war against all of humankind,” Numidel shouted.
“I have no desire to win such a war,” the fire retorted. “I simply wish to restore dragons to their rightful place, free of the chains of men. I give you one last chance, join me and see dragon kind restored to its glory.”
“I would never abandon those I love,” Sarah replied as fear gripped her heart. “I would rather die than betray their trust in me.”
“So be it,” the voice said as arms of fire raced out. Sarah was thrown back by a blow like a thunderbolt. She dug claws into the stone and called on her god, hurling a hammer into the flames. If it had any effect, she couldn't see it as another tendril of fire lashed the ground beside her. She struggled to raise a shield, but the arm easily shattered it and one of her arms, tossing her back to the ground. Numidel did no better, hurling two hammers before taking a blow that left him staggering, a wing bent fully back. He Stumbled toward her and turned about, raising a shield blessing as if to protect her.
“Go, I will slow him down,” Numidel said as Sarah limped to three legs. A lash of flame swept them both, shattering the shield and hurling them into the mountainside. They crumpled like paper laying in a heap as snow began to fall.
Sarah looked around in confusion as cold air pressed against the heat of the flame, and very ground beneath their feet went white with frost and ice.
“Who dares!” the fire roared as a dragon's claw of white mist formed around Sarah and Numidel. So massive was its hand that both dragons were swept up and pulled away, carried from the wall of flames as a growl as deep as the earth called them fools.
Mingfe paced nervously beside the sleeping dragons as Shadros flew high overhead. There was a strange vibration as frost spread across the ground and the very air chilled so that her breath could be seen. A moment later, the ground shook violently, and she was thrown from her feet. The dragons pressed into the ground then seemed to bounce as if being thrown down. As she struggled to her feet, they were both awake, Sarah stumbling on two broken legs before collapsing again.
“Gersius, I must warn Gersius,” she groaned as blood began to trickle from her mouth.
“Healers!” Mingfe shouted and pointed to the dragons. She looked up and thanked the goddess that Shadros had the common sense to investigate the disturbance and land nearby.
“What happened?” he asked as women ran in groups to the crippled dragons.
“No time for that, fly to the camp, tell them we need the priests of Vellis and that Gersius and his wives must come. Hurry, we are not capable healers.” Shadros nodded and took to the air heading for the distant camp as Mingfe joined the effort to keep the dragons alive. With a prayer to the goddess, she placed her hands and hoped help would soon arrive.
Comments
Sam4005
Like the incarnation of her on a dragon maybe... Ummmm should reread parts about it and the prophecy
Sam4005
Idk who it is if we already know. I would like to say its solesta herself but its feel masculine idk ty for chapy
All fixed, thank you for pointing these out. =)
WhiteRabbit
should be their -> there world was shattered. “We -no quote mark here the came-> camp He started-> stared ornately stone-> ornate Common-> come on no ashamed-> not Solestas-> 's
