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DKP 5-13 Questions and mysteries
🕑 Added 2020-05-08 17:58:56 +0000 UTC
Sarah stood by silently as Gersius directed the morning meeting. He laid out plans and expectations for the day, establishing that they would be on the move the next morning. He also addressed a curious matter pertaining to the sword Lady Thayle carried. Other members of the order of Ulustrah were very keen to see the weapon and have it shown before the others. Lady Thayle was at the meeting, of course, and promised to bring the weapon later in the day.
She noted how quickly and carefully Gersius plotted out everything, dealing with logistics and management of the camp with ruthless efficiency. There was one matter that raised concern, that being a large number of the women of Ulustrah wanted to execute the prisoners.
Gersius would not hear of it and flatly refused such a request. Sarah considered that point of view herself. These were men who had failed the order, been redeemed, and then betrayed it. They deserved no second chance or acts of mercy. They were monsters of the worst kind, and if given a chance, would resume their barbarity. She didn't understand why Gersius wanted to avoid their deaths, especially considering he wasn't a priest of Astikar any longer.
Through the whole of the meeting, Lilly stood beside Thayle, grasping her hand firmly. Sarah noted the behavior on many occasions and struggled to understand it. This woman was a dragon, yet these humans were deeply connected to her. She treated them like they were as valuable as her hoard.
The meeting ended with Gersius pulling Sarah aside to mention that they had some questions they thought she could answer. She agreed to speak with them after the evening meal time, another event she found curious.
Lilly ate at every meal, favoring bread over all else. She would practically sit in Thayle's lap and make silly observations about the foods. Sarah could not understand the reasoning behind eating so frequently. Surely Lilly ate far more than she needed to? Why would a dragon indulge in such a frivolous act?
Speaking of Lilly and frivolous acts. There was the mater of training acolytes. It was a mundane task Lilly gladly performed every day. Even when the camp was broken down early, and there was no time, she would walk with them on the road, teaching. Sarah found the whole affair to be ridiculous. Lilly was a young dragon and hardly qualified to teach a faith. She had been a follower of Balisha for an entire week before taking on acolytes to train. Sarah herself had honed her faith in Astikar for a hundred years before offering to teach another. She read every book and spent thousands of hours in meditation. Lilly was an acolyte herself in Sarah's eyes and unqualified to train others.
Gersius was no more experienced than Lilly in the ways of Balisha, but at least he had years of practicing faith. The method and concepts of devotion would easily transfer over. Surely he was better suited to found and grow Balisha's faith. It was clear from the few times she witnessed the two interacting with Balisha's followers that the acolytes adored Lilly. She treated them all like dear friends, calling them by name and gently encouraging them.
That was a matter that also disturbed her, Lilly was, gentle. She could be rough and aggressive, but in most cases, Lilly was soft, gentle, and eager to please. This facet of her nature disturbed Sarah to no end. Surely a dragon should hold themselves above the rest? She should always show her strength and nobility, yet Lilly often mingled with the humans as if born to them. Lilly often wore a smile on her face, and on a number of occasions, Sarah had even heard her laugh. Shadros was far more dragonlike in her estimation. At least he made it clear he was not human, and would not accept standing beside them as equal.
Sarah went back to her room to ponder these concepts in private. It made her head hurt as she tried to puzzle out the mysteries of why Lilly was so different?
She was stirred from her contemplation's an hour later when Lilly entered the ring and disrobed. She quickly changed form and stretched her wings. Sarah watched as Lilly donned the saddle and was joined by her mates. They took to the sky and soared up, flying in great rings about the camp. Sarah wondered what they were looking for and why they hadn’t asked her for help. It dawned on her a moment later that they were not looking for anything, they were simply flying. Lilly took her mates into the sky just to share the experience with them.
It was all too much for her to understand, clearly this was part of the love they shared. Try as she might, the concepts of love were still elusive to her. She might be free of the curse, but she had no basis of understanding for the emotion. More so, it seemed silly for a dragon to love. Surely they were better off being free of such frivolous attachments? Numidel didn't agree, of course, but then he was infected by this love as well. The more she thought about it, the more Shadros seemed the most dragonlike of them all.
An hour was spent in front of a mirror looking at her human reflection. This was what the war was all about, this guise, this form so dragons could learn from humans. Learn what? How to lose themselves in human ways like Lilly? She supposed that if she had to take a human man as a mate, Gersius would be the logical choice. He was strong, noble, and a leader of men. He had self-discipline that was impressive for one of his kind and a very dragonlike view on war and death. He accepted that in battle, people died and was willing the pay the price in deaths to achieve his goals. Still, he only killed to honor the divines he served, walking the path they set before him. If there was no battle to be had, or honor to be served, he would stay his hand. He demonstrated that this morning when he spared the prisoners. Lilly had mentioned that Gersius didn't desire war, or wealth, or personal power. In his heart, he wanted nothing more to do with death and war, but he always did what needed to be done. From what she had heard of it, he would rather be tending a farm, far from the conflicts of faith.
Lilly returned a short while later, landing in the field behind the tent. Sarah watched from the shadows as the dragon did something else she didn’t understand. Curling in a ball with her loved ones inside as if protecting her hoard.
Sarah watched from afar as Lilly lay in the grass, her blue scales contrasting against the green landscape of the field. Gersius lay with his back to her side, and Thayle curled in his lap. His arm was around Thayle, holding her tight while Lilly curled her long neck, laying her head beside them. His free hand rested on her head as the three slumbered.
All of her sensibilities told her this display was improper, a deviation from nature, yet something about it fascinated her. These three shared something unique, something never before seen, and it gave them a power like no other. That was clearly demonstrated in the fact that the humans could use her breath. Sarah wondered why Lilly wasn't alarmed by all of this. From her point of view, the humans were the only ones gaining any benefit from this relationship. Yet, Lilly seemed to have one gift Sarah herself found elusive, Lilly was happy. Was this was a part of the connection they shared that united them one to another? She longed to know the secret of this connection but was afraid to ask.
She scolded herself for daring to consider that she was afraid. She was a red dragon of tremendous power and grace. She was more than three times Lilly’s size and superior in every way. Why then did she feel that Lilly was the one who was better off?
Her eyes searched the scene, and something new stirred inside. What it was she did not understand, but that scene of a dragon and her two humans sleeping as if they were one was the cause of it.
She sought out Numidel and found him in his human form, speaking with Shadros. The black was more to her liking in many ways. He saw things as a dragon should, from a position of power and authority, but he was arrogant and cruel. He saw no value in anyone or anything but himself, and would never submit to the divine. Still, his insistence on being in his dragon form was almost comforting, a reminder of the strength of her kind.
“I need to speak with you,” Sarah said to Numidel as she walked up behind him.
Numidel turned and smiled, his gray-blue beard ringing his face. Shadros reared his scaled head, narrowing his eyes as if annoyed by the interruption.
“We are nearly done,” Numidel said. “I will be with you in a moment.”
“I wish to speak alone, now,” She reiterated.
Numidel nodded and assured Shadros that they would finish this conversation later. Sarah walked off with the old blue dragon, taking him out of the camp and into the hills beyond the sentries. When she was satisfied they were far enough away she turned on him and was blunt.
“Why do they love one another?”
Numidel nodded and scratched at his beard as she waited for an answer. She knew he could be insufferably patient in how he replied, and right now, patience wasn't something she had.
“You are troubled by the love they share,” he said at last.
“I am troubled by the display they put on,” she corrected. “That dragon is nearly always latched on to one of them. She clings to the human Thayle like a dragon holding her last gold coin. Their hands are never far apart, and if she is with the male, she smiles and blushes, leaning against him and whispering.”
Numidel smiled broadly, and she wanted to smack it from his face.
“You do not understand love; if you did, you would understand their behavior.”
“I don’t need to understand love,” Sarah corrected. “We dragons survived for hundreds of thousands of years without it. We have proven to have no need for it.”
“And yet you are troubled by it,” Numidel said. “You see something in it, and it nags at you.”
“Will you stop being evasive,” Sarah hissed. “Why do they feel this way? Why do they behave as if they are one being, sharing three bodies?”
She watched him as he began to pace, taking his time to plan his answer. She waited, certain it would only make her angry.
“Why did you never seek a human?” he asked, diverting the conversation and fueling her anger.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Sarah countered. “I asked you about them.”
He nodded and continued to pace. “And to answer that, you need to understand something you do not. Something that is very hard to put into words. This love humans feel it is a state of being that unites them to another. They are connected in ways that have to be experienced to understand. They behave as if they are one being because through the bind they are, and the love they share is magnified for it.”
“But what purpose does this serve?” Sarah asked. “It only makes them weaker, causing them to behave foolishly or recklessly when one of them is in danger.”
Numidel looked up for a full minute before his gaze came back to her.
“You had a brood, tell me, if I came and threatened your broodlings, how would you respond?”
“Don’t ask pointless questions,” Sarah snapped. “No dragon would ever threaten a brood.”
“Stop insisting things can’t be and answer the question honestly. I know it would never happen, but if it did, how would you feel?”
Sarah took a step back and found it hard to appreciate the question. Why would he or any male threaten her broodlings? Why would anybody threaten her broodlings dragon or man? The more she thought about it, the more her blood began to boil. If anybody threatened her broodlings, she would tear them to shreds and feed the scraps to her young. Her hands clenched into fists, and her face flushed as the anger boiled over.
“I see you have managed to capture the image,” he said, causing her to turn on him.
“What was the point of making me angry?” she growled.
“That is how they feel about each other,” he said. “When one of them is threatened, they respond as you are now, and throw themselves into danger to save them.”
Sarah had to take a few deep breaths to steady her mind. Why would a dragon feel like that for a human? A broodling made sense but a human man and a woman?
“You're trying to make sense of it now,” Numidel interjected.
“Of course I am,” she quipped. “They are of different species and share nothing in common.”
“This is what they have in common,” Numidel said as he held up his hands to indicate his human form. “We share this form, and through it, we can share so much more.”
She felt her mind growing tired, trying to understand it all. Why would it matter that in this form, they looked alike? What did Balisha think dragons had to gain by sharing?
“Why did you love a human woman?” Sarah asked, looking to him.
Numidel took on a sad expression as his eye glossed over briefly, and his hands came together.
“Because she was beautiful and captured my heart,” he said. “She filled my existence with a new experience that I will forever treasure to my dying day.”
“But what good was pairing with a human when you could produce no offspring?”
“You’re thinking like a dragon,” he countered.
“I am a dragon,” she argued. “And I see no reason to mate except to raise a brood.”
Numidel smiled again, but it was a gentler, kinder smile that almost looked as if he was sorry for her.
“Through the act of mating, humans share their love. It is in this moment that love can reach it's highest intensity, uniting them as one. It becomes like a raging river, and when it washes over you, you are forever changed. They crave the experience of this moment, always seeking to renew the love and make it grow.”
Sarah could understand his point but not the context. This emotion changed them and made them desire one another, but it still didn't explain why. Not knowing what love was made this all as big a mystery as the divines themselves. It was like looking at a painting that she could only see in the reflection of moving water. Catching glimpses of detail, but unable to put it all together. She let out a sigh as the frustration grew; maybe it was better to leave this matter alone.
“What has you troubled now?” he asked.
“I still don’t understand, but it is clear the only way I will is to know love for myself. Maybe if there was a man who was as strong as this Gersius, with the same heart, maybe, but...”
“But what?” Numidel asked.
Sarah struggled to articulate her words, not sure if they were right.
“Why does she love the woman?”
Numidels smile broadened again, and he let out a small chuckle.
“Don’t laugh at me. I have seen may humans, they always pair up, male to female, but she has taken one of both.”
“Have you ever thought about asking her?” he suggested.
Sarah was stunned by the suggestion. She couldn't simply ask, what if the matter was delicate and an offense was taken? What if it was another mystery she couldn't understand, and Lilly laughed at her ignorance? No, that was absolutely out of the question.
“No, and I have no intention of doing so,” she said at last.
Numidel nodded and began to pace again, his smile never leaving his face.
“When they came to our temple, I could see she cared for them both. She was already bound to the man Gersius, but there was a connection of heart between the two women. She even introduced her as her consort.”
“What does any of that explain?” Sarah asked.
“I suspect she loves the woman because the woman loves her. Some humans prefer those of there own gender. I suspect Lady Thayle is one of them, and she fell in love with Lilly, just as he did.”
“Then why is Thayle lying in his arms right now?” Sarah asked.
“Sarah, you spent all those years ruling over a small kingdom of men, but you never bothered to learn of them,” Numidel said. “To you, they had their places and their purposes, and what they did in their private time was of no concern to you.”
“Because it wasn't,” Sarah stated with another hiss. “They are humans, not dragons. I gave them my blessing, and they paid me in gifts. I saw no reason to bother with them otherwise.”
“And yet you were offended not to be the dragon of the dragon knight,” Numidel pointed out.
“Because that is a noble title!” she corrected. “A high standing even in the order of dragons, tasked by lord Astikar himself to make right the land. I would be his hand in this world, his champion among all our kind.”
“But you would have to carry a human into battle. A man would ride on your back and guide you.”
“You make it sound like it is no grander a station than being a horse,” she sputtered.
“I am making you consider the full weight of the position. The dragon and the dragon knight are a team, working together and sharing the glory. They need each other to accomplish what must be done, but only one of them can lead.”
Sarah reconsidered her preconceptions about how the arrangement would work. Was Numidel right, would the human ultimately be in charge?
“What is your point?” Sarah asked as her illusions began to shatter.
“My point is you were offended not to be his dragon. You have some need and desire to be the one he rides into battle. This is occupying your mind, making you watch Lilly in a vain attempt to understand why she was chosen instead. You can't understand it because you're missing something in your heart, and you feel it's absence. Until you find what is missing, none of your questions can be answered. You struggle to find some tangible reason for it, but you know it is the secret of the love they share.”
“You're hinting at something,” Sarah growled. “Say it plainly; I have no patience for your games.”
Numidel met her gaze, his smile still wide, and his eyes full of life.
“Maybe they can teach you,” he said.
She stood by, stunned as he turned to walk away. She wanted to argue the point but couldn't think of how to begin. All she could do was watch as he walked back to camp, leaving her to a whirlwind of thoughts.
She spent the next three hours pacing in the field, arguing with herself. No matter how she tried to approach the idea of love, it eluded her. It was just a word that had no meaning or purpose, yet it had meaning to them and gave them purpose.
She grew tired of the struggle and took her dragon form, lumbering back to camp to lay in a sunny field beside the tents letting her mind rest. She needed some time to remember what she was and forget about anything else.
“Sarah?” Lilly called from the side, startling her from the peace her mind sought. She opened her eyes to see Lilly once again in her human form, looking timid but pleasantly happy.
“What are you doing here?” Sarah asked as she raised her head high to look down on the little human.
“You have been lying here for hours, I thought maybe something was wrong,” Lilly replied.
Why would she care if something was wrong? Why did this dragon care so much how other beings felt?
“Nothing is wrong, daughter of the scale. I simply wanted some time to sun.”
Lilly smiled and twisted a little swaying side to side.
“What is this behavior?” Sarah demanded.
“I liked hearing you call me daughter; it reminds me of my mother.”
“I am too old and big to be your mother,” Sarah said.
“Why? My mother is bigger than you,” Lilly said.
Sarah threw her head high in shock and looked down at Lilly with narrow eyes.
“I am one of the oldest dragons in the world,” she said. “I find it hard to believe your mother could be bigger.”
Lilly shrugged as if the argument was pointless, and Sarah felt a sudden desire to discipline the unruly girl. Surely she had the right to put this younger dragon in her place, but Gersius was firm in his stance that Lilly was not to be dominated. She set the urge aside when Lilly stepped forward and spoke again.
“I wanted to talk to you about what you said before.”
“You have to be more specific child. I have said many things.”
“About old dragons and what happens to them. You said you wanted to tell us in private,” Lilly replied.
Sarah remembered the conversation on the road to the bridge and the way it ended. She let out a huff, causing smoke to trail from her nostrils as she looked down on the tiny woman.
“Very well, I will inform you of what I know. To be honest, none of us are sure. Some think the divines call us away when we grow too powerful. Some think we become pure magic, fully consumed by the power we absorb. The most common belief is that ancient dragons go to sleep and slip whole-bodied into the dream, forever leaving this world behind. I myself think this to be the most likely outcome as old dragons sleep whole ages away.”
“But you don’t know for sure?”
“Nobody knows,” Sarah said. “Because none of them are ever seen again to tell us. We know they don't die or fly off; they simply cease to be. Gone as if they never were, leaving empty caves behind.”
“And they might be in the dream?” Lilly asked. “Could you find them there if you looked?”
“You know the dream child. It isn't so easy to find another there. They walk as if in their own worlds, oblivious to each other. It is only at the conjunctions that we meet when a matter of great importance must be decided.”
Lilly looked down and dragged a foot along the ground. Her very demeanor was one of shame, and Sarah lowered her head to question her.
“Why do you behave like this?” she asked. “I told you what I know.”
Lilly took a breath and sighed. “I don’t know how to enter the dream. I hardly know anything about it or how to use it.”
“You don’t?” Sarah barked. “How can you not know how to enter the dream? Do you have any idea how important the dream is to dragons?”
“Please don't be mad at me!” Lilly cried. “I'm sorry, my mother tried to teach me, but I was under the curse, and I didn't care.”
Sarah raised her head, muttering to herself in frustration. Here was a dragon who had lost so much of their culture it was sickening. Her brood would know even less, and the ones to follow would soon forget the dream even existed. How many generations before they were little more than animals?
“I was hoping you could teach Shadros and I. He lost his mother when he was young and never learned.”
Sarah looked down into the wide eyes that pleaded with her for help. She steadied herself and shook her head, knowing what she would need to do. She would, in many ways, be a mother to this dragon, teaching her daughter the thing she should know.
“I already agreed to teach you your history, I suppose I can teach you this as well,” Sarah said. “But I expect you to apply yourself. You are no longer under the curse, and I will not tolerate foolishness, young lady.”
Lilly nodded eagerly and smiled wide.
“Now go and fetch Shadros. I wish to correct this painful lack of knowledge immediately.” She watched as Lilly ran off, practically skipping across the field. Minutes later, she came skipping back with the black dragon stomping along behind her.
“Sit both of you,” Sarah ordered. “I am going to make sure you fully understand your history and the power in your blood. I will not accept this lack of understanding that you two have.”
“It isn't our fault,” Lilly said, but Sarah held up a clawed hand to silence them.
“Be that as it may, it is time to correct it. Now let me begin.”
She spent the next hour explaining the dream only to discover Shadros didn't even know it existed. Lilly at least knew it was there, but he was everything she feared for the future of her kind. She went into great detail explaining the nature of the dream how it mirrored the real world but was much larger. How travelers inside of it often saw their own version except at rare points they called conjunctions. Here the dream was the same for all who were inside it, and dragons would meet to arrange breeding and decide matters of importance.
Lilly and Shadros were enthralled at the notion of dragons gathering for anything. She explained how the dream was eternally summer and how changes made by men in the waking world often didn’t appear in the dream. However, changes made by dragons often did. She said that some of the great cities of old still stood in the dream, empty and silent.
“But if the cities were made by men, why would they be there?” Lilly asked.
“Because we dragons helped build them,” Sarah replied. “The very stone of the cities foundations are infused with our power. Thus the city appears.”
“So, nothing men make appears in the dream?” Shadros asked.
“Some things do, though we know not why. A farmhouse might stand on an empty hill or a road that runs for a handful of miles and then stops. When they cut trees, they often appear cut in the dream.”
“And that’s all?” Lilly asked.
Sarah shook her head. The truth was there was more a lot more, but much of that was not to be spoken of. There were strange events in the dream as well, almost like storms, but neither man or dragon know what they were. Then, of course, there were the forsaken places and thought to warn them.
“There are places built by men that appear in the dream, places where great struggle or suffering suffused them with some portion of the human's energy. These appear in the dream as cursed places, where phantoms walk empty halls. You must never go to these places; they are tainted by the strong emotions of men.”
Lilly looked shocked, and Shadros confused. She was grateful they didn't question her further about these places but asked a wholly different question.
“Can humans enter the dream?” Lilly asked.
“They sometimes do, but for most not of conscious effort. They appear as brief curtains of light, acting out some dream of their own. We see them for but a moment, and then they are gone.”
“For most?” Lilly questioned.
Sarah paused a moment to organize her thoughts and continued.
“Some men knew of the dream and through various means could enter it. I have even seen shapers craft mirrors that allowed a living being to step into the dream itself, ceasing to be here. This is part of the foundation of our belief that Ancient dragons pass over.”
“Humans don't know how to do this anymore?”
“Child, I don't know. I have been isolated for a long time. I do not know what is going on in the far corners of the world. I would assume this secret like all the others was lost when the world fell.”
“But could they enter it the way a dragon does?”
“I suppose they could, but I have never heard of a human who did it, why do you ask?”
Lilly nervously played with a braid of her hair as she explained her desire to Take Gersius and Thayle into the dream to see her valley. Sarah was struck again by Lilly's desire to share and her own lack of understanding concerning love. Why would Lilly want to show the humans where she laired? Why would she want to share the magic of the dream with them? Why was she so angry that she didn't understand?
“Are you alright?” Lilly asked.
“I am fine,” Sarah replied. “I want to say I do not think your wish can come true, but you share a link with your mates that even I don't understand. Perhaps if you can master the technique, you could pull them in too.”
She watched as Lilly clapped her hands in what Sarah could only assume was joy. The little dragon's face lit up, and her smile threatened to eat her ears. What insane hold did this love have over this creature?
“It is possible for dragons to find each other in the dream?” Shadros asked.
“I already told you that you could do so at the conjunctions,” Sarah repeated.
“I mean, besides there. Could we locate one another if we both wanted to find each other?”
Sarah knew it was possible but had never done it herself.
“It can be done, but both of you have to know of a location in the dream to meet that you are both well aware of. You have to be asleep and in the dream at the same time and focused on that exact place. Once you are there, it will be very hard to keep that focus as your two dreams will be overlapping, and pushing at one another.”
“And how do we get in?” Lilly asked.
Sarah looked down at them both as they stared up, eager for the answer.
“Child, all you have to do is go to sleep and keep your mind focused on the place you see as your home. Visualize your cave, and see yourself waking up as if you were there. That is your anchor point to this world and the dream, and it is there you can step over.”
“What if I see a new place as my home?” Lilly asked.
“Then, that is where you will focus your attention. We dragons always say that where your hoard is, so too is the door.”
“I can’t wait for tonight!” Lilly said excitedly. “I have been trying for weeks.”
“I wouldn't get you hopes up,” Sarah said to keep her grounded. “It takes some practice to keep such a focus as one falls asleep. You also must know in your heart where your home is. The place a dragon sees as home gathers to it an energy that weakens the vale between the worlds. When you close your eyes, you drift into the waters of the dream, but if you keep your focus on your home, you will slip across conscious and aware.”
“What if you have no home?” Shadros asked.
“Every being has a home,” Sarah corrected. “There is always someplace they feel apart from when they are away, and they would rather be when times of trial come.”
“Is your home in the temple?” Lilly asked innocently.
Sarah felt a twinge of pain at the question. Her hoard was hidden deep beneath that temple, but it wasn't her home. She thought of the land in the north and the citadel in the mountains that was once her home.
“I'm sorry!” Lilly cried, snapping her out of her contemplation. She looked down on Lilly to see her hands clasped over her mouth with pleading eyes.
“What are you sorry about?” Sarah asked.
“I can see the pain in your aura,” Lilly said. “My question hurt you.”
Sarah snarled for a moment to be accused of weakness but looked into Lilly's eyes, and her anger abated. She let out a smoke-filled sigh as she shook her head in annoyance, even she found Lilly hard to be angry at.
“The place I call home was lost to me long ago. I was just remembering it as it once was.”
“You lost it in the war?” Lilly asked.
Sarah nodded and looked down on them both. “Yes, child. I lost a great deal, as did all dragons who lived in that time. Our kind has never recovered, and you two represent the decay of our history. You don't even know a fraction of what happened in the war.”
“My mother said Solesta was trying to correct the mistake that was made,” Shadros interjected.
“It wasn’t a mistake!” Lilly argued. “She wanted dragons to learn about love.”
“Which was a mistake,” Shadros countered.
“No, it wasn't! I can't express to you how much happier I am now that I know love,” Lilly stated. “My entire life has changed for the better, and I would never give up what I have.”
Shadros argued back, saying that dragons were decimated so Lilly could have her happiness. This made Lilly upset, and the two began to bicker back and forth until Sarah put an end to it.
“Children!” she snapped. “That is enough from both of you. I will not have you behaving like broodlings fighting over a meal.”
“I am not a child,” Shadros responded in a low tone.
“I am great elder,” Sarah replied, lowering her massive head to look him in the eyes. “To me, you are both children, and your lack of education only highlights it! Now show me that you understand the order of scales at least, and mind your tongue.”
Shadros huffed but remained silent as Sarah continued and went on with the lessons, covering how to wander the dream. When the sun was low in the sky, she dismissed them both. Shadros stomped back to the field near the women of Ulustrah. Lilly slowly paced away, lost in thought before stopping and turning to look at her.
“Gersius said you were going to come and answer some questions for us,” she stated with a curious expression.
“I have agreed to meet with you after your evening meal,” Sarah said. “I am sure it has already begun, go and find your mates. I will be there as I promised.”
Lilly nodded and paced away, heading into the tents.
Sarah let out a deep sigh, glad to have a moment alone. Why did talking to the little dragon make her feel strange? Why did she feel a need to teach Lilly and guide her in her path to understanding her dragon ancestry? She also pondered the notion that Lilly's mother could be bigger.
“Impossible,” she said aloud and spread her wings. She took to the sky and landed in the changing tent, barely squeezing inside the confines built for a smaller Lilly. Quickly she changed to the weaker human form and went to the space set aside for her. She spent a few long minutes looking at her naked body in the mirror again.
“What does this form have to offer that she takes it so often?” Sarah asked to the empty tent. “And why am I so bothered that she knows the answer and not me?”
With a sigh, she dug through the clothing they bought in their brief visit to a human city. They reminded her of the struggles she faced trying to acquire the clothing. Numidel was of no help, insisting she pay for everything when the humans refused to gift them to her. Didn't he remember how humans treated dragons, offering gifts and praise? Worse when she did pay the merchants stared at her coins and held them up as if unaware of what gold was. It was the age of her coins, of course, stamped with emblems and faces from kingdoms long since faded from memory. She used the weave of calling to bring the coins to her hand, frightening several of the merchants.
Numidel tried to appease them by claiming she was a weaver from a distant land. That angered Sarah, why not tell them what she really was? Let them know they stand in the presence of a true dragon and tremble at her might.
When one of the merchants asked what land, she pointed to her glowing eyes and asked if that meant nothing to him. The man stared at her eyes and shrugged, saying there was a rumor of weavers with glowing eyes coming from the north with some army.
She put the frustrating memories away and took out a simple red dress with cream trims. It wasn't elegant or befitting of her stature, but it was quick and easy to buy. Numidel pressured her insisting they didn't have days for her to have proper fittings done, and elaborate dresses handcrafted. Still, she had one made regardless of what he wanted and how much he grumbled. Soon they would need to fly back and check on the saddle and pick up the two dresses she secretly paid to have made in her absence.
Donning the simple dress, she made her way into the meeting tent to find the three of them sitting side by side. Lilly was leaning into Gersius while clutching one of Thayle's hands. She looked so alive and at peace, enjoying every moment of their company. There were a dozen other leaders and captains in the tent, all speaking on various topics pertaining to the road ahead.
Sarah made her way to them and announced her presence, causing them to turn.
“Lady Sarah,” Gersius said with a bow. “I am grateful you have come.”
“I said I would be here,” she replied curtly. “Now, what is it you wished to speak to me about?”
Gersius looked to his wives and nodded silently to them. They got up without breaking hands and walked to the private area in the back of the tent. Gersius motioned for her to follow and held the flap open for her to enter the space.
“Shadros knows a little history from his mother,” Gersius said as he let the flap drop. “He told us that the divines crafted items and gifted them to their followers. One of those items was a sword.”
“Yes, and a ring disc and holy emblem,” Sarah added.
“Are you familiar with what some of these items look like?” he asked.
“I have seen many of the divines artifacts,” Sarah replied, not sure where this was going.
Gersius nodded and continued. “We have a sword of unusual design and were wondering if you would recognize it.” He made his way across the small space to a bundle of wrapped furs on a side table. He unwrapped it and walked back, holding it out in his hands.
Sarah felt the power even before she saw it. The metal glistened green and called at her with a hunger she could practically taste.
“Where did you get this?” Sarah asked.
“It was why we went to Shadros's cave,” Gersius said. “We were told to go and find the sword.”
Sarah reached out, wanting to run a finger down the side of the blade. The metal was so rare, and so powerful dragons would fight over a single coin of it. Here was a whole blade of the metal inches from her grasp.
“Who told you where to find it?” she asked more to distract herself than out of any real desire to know.
Gersius recounted the story of the strange man with the cart who gifted them the armor. Thayle and Lilly helped him fill in the holes explaining the cryptic message about the sword.
“And you have no idea who this man is?” Sarah asked.
“I think he is one of the older instructors in the acolyte's schools,” Gersius said.
“You think he is?
She watched as Gersius shook his head. Obviously, he wasn't certain.
“I am sure I have seen him before,” he replied.
“And you didn’t think to ask him who he was?” Sarah asked her annoyance apparent.
Gersius looked even more uncomfortable, brushing his hair back with a single hand as he wen to reply.
“I did ask, but he would not tell me. He said that when the lights of my world were about to go out, I would remember.”
Sarah didn’t like the sound of any of this. It was cryptic and reeked of an unseen hand meddling in greater affairs. Just as an unseen hand was behind the Doan and the Father Abbot, there appeared to be another behind Gersius and his wives. Now she was entangled in this plot being manipulated by those who preferred to hide in shadows.
“Do you recognize the sword?” Lilly asked. “Is it one of the swords the divines made.”
Sarah looked at the weapon and nodded her head. “Silverrain, the blade of tears, extinguisher of fires. Holy weapon of Ulustrah.”
Thayle looked as if she was about to cry, and Gersius handed the blade over to her.
“So this is a relic of Ulustrah,” Thayle said as she held the weapon. “But why was it hidden in Shadros’s cave?”
“What do you mean hidden?” Sarah asked.
Thayle looked up, meeting her gaze and was silent a moment.
“Shadros said his mother was guarding it. It was left there long before he was born, and she watched over it. At some point, an army came to claim it, and his mother drove them off, but died of her wounds later.”
Sarah’s brow creased low as she looked to the sword in Thayle’s hands.
“That weapon was in the hands of a queen from long ago. She was the very presence of Ulustrah in this world, practically an avatar of the Goddess.”
“The stranger said she brought the sword there to slay a dragon and perished. Later his mother took up residence in the cave and watched over it.” Thayle said.
“What color was Shadros’s mother?” Sarah asked.
Thayle looked around the room, and Lilly answered.
“She was blue, and his father was black.”
Sarah shook her head in annoyance. Obviously, his father was black, or he would be another color, a male seldom took the color of the mother. She had heard of it happening only twice among all of dragon kind.
“Did he say what his mother’s name was?” Sarah asked as she considered it.
“Why is that important?” Gersius asked.
Sarah turned on him and pointed to the sword. “That is a blessed weapon of Ulustrah, and I know of one great blue dragon who followed Ulustrah with all her heart. She carried the powers of the Goddess north into the ice, creating an oasis of green in an otherwise inhospitable land. She was known as Oranthantaline, the forest mother. Her lands were destroyed early on, burned by a flight of reds. She fought in several battles and then fled south, never to be seen again.”
“I wonder if it could be her?” Gersius said.
“Oh, if it is, you have to tell Shadros all you know about her. He loves his mother and misses her dearly.”
Sarah smirked at that remark. Loves his mother indeed. Likely he was overjoyed that she died and left the hoard to him.
“It is possible that this queen of Ulustrah took the sword to the dragon to keep it safe until Thayle came to claim it,” Gersius surmised.
“Shadros said she came to kill the dragon that lived there,” Lilly corrected. “And left the sword behind.”
Sarah listened to the exchange a moment and interceded when Lilly was done.
“The sword predates his mother then?”
Lilly nodded but pressed on determined to make a point. “But he said his mother was old even before the war. So old, her title was ancient.”
“Ancient?” Sarah repeated in disbelief. “That would make her as older than I am now. She would have been fifteen to twenty thousand by this age.”
“I still can’t believe dragons can live so long,” Gersius said.
“Time is an affliction of the world,” Sarah said. “Dragons were not made for this world; the world was made for dragons. Only the creatures born of the earth mother feel the bite of time.”
“So this is Ulustrah's sword, given to a queen of old, who carried it into a dragon's lair to slay the dragon. She left the sword behind, protected by a powerful ward, guarded by a dragon of Ulustrah who moved in afterward.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Thayle said. “It was strongly suggested she perished there, and we never got his mother’s name.”
“But what if that was his mother?” Gersius asked. “Later, an army comes to claim the sword, and she dies battling them, leaving the sword to Shadros to guard until we came for it.”
“You make it sound like he let us have it,” Lilly pointed out. “He tried to kill us, remember?”
“But the divines delivered him into our hands instead,” Gersius countered. “The dragon and the sword.”
“So, this was all meant to happen?” Lilly asked.
“It must be,” Gersius insisted.
“Why not deliver the sword to the previous dragon knight?” Thayle said. “Surely, there was somebody who could have used it?”
“He didn’t seem to be as concerned with righting the divine order as we are,” Gersius said.
“Indeed,” Sarah agreed. “He seems to have taken paths that delayed their return. He certainly waited long enough to pursue restoring Balisha's faith. Had he acted sooner, Numidel and I would have been able to help.”
“None of this makes any sense,” Lilly said. “Why not hide the sword inside a vault in one of Ulustrah’s temples?” Lilly asked.
“And why slay a dragon with it first?” Thayle pointed out.
“I would be interested in knowing which dragon was slain,” Sarah said. “There were many beasts of the enemy skulking about, reveling in the destruction they had sown.”
“I wonder if Shadros knows?” Lilly said.
“If his mother is as old as he claims, she may very well have known who laired in those tunnels.”
“It was a dragon temple,” Lilly said. “Built under a mountain.”
Sarah wanted to swat all of them. Every time they opened their mouths, another important detail came out. This whole exercise would be easier if they would speak openly and plainly, leaving out no detail, no matter how small.
“So it was a dragon temple,” she said while swallowing her desire to lash out. “Can you show me where on one of your maps?”
Gersius nodded and pulled a leather case open to dig through a dozen maps. He finally rolled one open and pointed to a row of mountains north and west of them.
“Here,” he said as he tapped his finger.
“The dragon's name was Savrellexus,” Sarah said. “One of Solesta's chief soldiers, and a high priest of Appateros.”
“How do you know this?” Gersius asked.
“I wasn't entombed in that temple right away,” Sarah said. “Also, as I have so informed your wife this very day, we dragons can meet in the dream. Many years ago, he and I faced off in the dream, and he mocked me, saying he now used a temple as a lair. It wasn't hard to use the dream to find him and see where the temple was.”
“I want to be able to use the dream like you do,” Lilly said.
“It will take much practice, child,” Sarah insisted.
“You started teaching her then?” Gersius asked.
“I did,” Sarah replied firmly. “When she explained her lack of understanding of how to enter the dream, I insisted on beginning immediately. I will help them both to appreciate their history and grasp the full extent of their power.”
She watched Gersius as he looked back to the map, lost in thought.
“It is only to our advantage to know Savrellexus is dead,” Sarah said, guessing at his thoughts.
“That is not what I was thinking about. I was still wondering why the sword was brought there,” Gersius said. “Lilly is right; why not guard it in a vault under one of Ulustrah's temples?”
“Perhaps it wasn’t safe there,” Sarah said. “The armor and sword of the dragon knight were kept away as well.”
“No, they were not,” Gersius replied with a sigh.
Sarah wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but thankfully he elaborated.
“They were kept in a vault in Calathen. How this stranger came by them, I do not know, but I am grateful someone was able to smuggle them out.”
“The armor and sword were kept in Calathen?” Sarah asked as the questions began to mount. “It was stolen out from under the orders nose then. This only proves a suspicion of mine that has been growing since we started talking. Unseen hands are manipulating both sides of this conflict for purposes all their own.”
“Astikar and Balisha have both admitted to manipulating events,” Gersius said.
“And Ulustrah told me she was working with them both,” Thayle added.
“But a man delivered the items to you?” Sarah asked to be sure, and all three of them nodded. “Maybe this is another order working for the divines, helping ensure their goals are being met.”
“Why keep them a secret?” Gersius asked. “And if such an order existed, why not use them to help set things right? They could have warned me about a dozen dangers and saved lives.”
Sarah couldn't defy his logic, but something about all this didn't sit well with her. This man not only had the Astikar's sword but knew where to find Ulustrah's holy weapon. Such knowledge could not have been easy to gain, and then protected for hundreds if not thousands of years.
“I don’t know why they are working in the shadows, but I do not trust them,” Sarah said at last. “We would be wise to keep alert for any clue as to who these individuals are.”
“I wonder where Balisha’s sword is?” Lilly said. “It is the only one we’re missing now.”
Sarah felt a shudder to think of Balisha's sword. The fang blade was made to slay dragons and could cut through their scales like they were paper. It changed to fit the size of the dragon who held it, growing in scale and power in a great dragon's hands.
“Let’s hope that sword remains lost,” Sarah said much to a disappointed face on Lilly.
“Then let us move on to the next question,” Gersius said as Thayle took the sword away to wrap it again.
Sarah grew tired from the day's trials and the matter of the sword. She felt a loss to see it carried away, the magic of the metal calling to her to feed. She retook her stance, standing tall and proud as she waited for them to ask the next question.
When Thayle returned, Gersius looked her in the eyes and asked the last thing she imagined.
“Can you teach Lilly how to give her gift others, and how many can she give it to?”
Sarah felt her legs go weak and struggled to keep from wobbling. She was sure her aura was telling them all they needed to know but was determined to maintain a strong face.
“May I ask why you want this?” She had to ask, unable to puzzle out what they could possibly be planning.
“We wonder if we can use the gift to empower the army to march longer with less sleep, and require less feeding.”
There it was, the use of the dragon's blessing to wage war. A hallmark of the first bloody conflict that helped increase the bloodshed to unimaginable levels. Armies were mobilized with the power of dragons to march from the far corners of the world. They arrived by the hundreds of thousands, crashing into one another like waves of water.
“Sarah?” Gersius asked.
She realized her thoughts had gone on too long and quickly cleared her throat.
“I am sorry, you're purpose is logical, but such a thing was done before to horrific effect.”
“We did not mean to put you in a bad position,” Gersius said.
“If it's going to bring up bad memories, you don't have to tell us,” Lilly added.
Sarah turned in surprise. Why would Lilly care what a memory meant to her? Why be more concerned with how she felt about it than the potential weapon such a power represented? Sarah looked into the blue eyes that still softly glowed and felt a strange appreciation.
“I am not in a bad position,” Sarah said. “I only wish to avoid the disasters of the past repeated on any scale.” She paused to collect her thoughts before continuing. “No matter what this war brings, it will never be as bad as the past. There are simply not enough dragons left to make it so. Still, it is clear dragons are taking sides again. I worry how many our enemy has as his disposal already. All we can do is put every advantage we have to use. I will teach you how to give the gift, but how many you can bless is dependent on your age. I doubt Lilly will be able to bless more than a couple of hundred. If she was willing to feed her power with gold, she could do more.”
“Not enough to bless the whole army,” Gersius said as he began to pace. “I don’t suppose you and Numidel would consider helping?”
Sarah knew that question was coming and could give only one response.
“We will help, but that will only get you a few thousand more. You would need Shadros as well, and even then, you would need gold.”
He nodded and continued to pace his eyes lost in contemplation as he solved the problem.
“How long does the blessing last?” Lilly asked.
Sarah smiled slightly at the honest question. Lilly was comparing the blessing to that of a divine. She didn't understand the power that dwelt inside her.
“Child, this blessing lasts forever, so long as you are willing to part with a spark of your strength, it will burn perpetually. You can call the power back if you so wish, but otherwise, so long as you live, it will never fade.”
“We do have significant reserves of gold,” Gersius interjected. “But there are many other purposes I might need it for.”
“We have our food problem solved,” Thayle said. “And with the blessing, we won't even need to feed the army so often. Our food expenses are over.”
Gersius nodded and turned to face her, his face full of worry.
“I am more concerned with the damage that will begin when we enter the empire. Farms, villages, and cities will burn, temples will be lost, and people will be displaced. I was hoping to have the funds to begin immediate repairs and to help the innocent trapped in the middle. No doubt, many temples of Ulustrah will be in need of aid.”
Thayle lowered her head and gave him a slight nod in reply.
“Maybe I could bless my acolytes,” Lilly said. “Or some of the guards, so they don't have to sleep.”
“Without gold to consume, we won't be able to bless the whole of the army,” Sarah said.
“I know,” Lilly replied with bright eyes. “But the more who don't need to eat or sleep, the faster things can get done. Guards won't be tired after a shift at night, the kitchens will have less food to prepare, and in good weather, we will need fewer tents if people don't sleep. We should give it to some of the scouts as well. If they can search day and night, traveling lightly, it will only make them better.”
“She is getting this from you,” Thayle said as she glared at Gersius. “Your constant searching for advantages is rubbing off on her.”
“Lilly is very intelligent,” Gersius said, smiling at her. “I figured that out when she learned six dances in a single night. She has a vast capability to learn quickly, mastering skills with only a little practice.”
Sarah watched the exchange as Lilly smiled in return and looked away as her cheeks turned red. Was this love on display? Why did it make her react as such? Thankfully Gersius turned back and addressed her directly, taking her mind off the display.
“I would like to meet with you and Numidel in the morning then. I will plan who we want to give this blessing to, and how best to make use of them. I do not wish to put a burden on your heart, but if you have any insights from the war, I would appreciate knowing them.
“I will give it some thought. If I think of anything, I will share it,” she replied.
They thanked her for her help and bid her goodnight. She thanked them as well and made her way out. She was grateful to be away, heading back to the tent set aside for her. Once inside, she paced the space lost in spinning thoughts that would give her no rest. From the desire to use the dragon blessing, to the metal of the sword, to the way Lilly was concerned for her feelings, it all echoed in her head.
Her mind kept coming back to the mysterious man who delivered Astikar's sword and led them to Ulustrahs. Surely this man was important and would surface again. Nobody was able to hide in the shadows for long when the divines were at work. Whoever this was would appear again, and then she would get answers.
What bothered her most were the words the strange man left him with. 'When the lights of your world are about to go out, you will remember who I am.' Those words echoed with an ominous threat and hinted at a greater danger ahead. She sorely hoped for Gersius’s sake that this stranger was worth remembering.
Comments
WhiteRabbit
Have to say I really enjoyed this chapter, both Sarah's reactions and the worldbuilding.
I had a LOT of ground to cover here, and there is a ton of information about the story and hints at things to come hidden in here. I was going to make it two chapters but I realized that I have to much to go over in the next few chapters, I can't afford small ones.
