by Paul Cude
Richie was just about to tell the group of dragons what she'd decided, when over strode Tank and Flash, looking remarkably well considering what they'd both been through. Even though she couldn't help think it inappropriate, she rushed over to greet them, practically throwing herself into Tank's huge arms. Immediately he returned the embrace. Flash found himself grinning from ear to ear. Up until his... 'accident', from which he still hadn't recovered and didn't know if he ever would, he'd been a loner. It had for all intents and purposes been all that he'd ever known. Having friends, dragons, people he could rely on, trust and share things with, was still relatively new to him. But as he watched Richie and Tank hold each other close, he felt sure that he couldn't be in better company than the small tightly knit group that he'd inexplicably found himself part of. Tank pulled away from his friend.
"Thanks for the save," he whispered. "It's good to have you back."
Richie held up her hand and showed him the ring.
"All thanks to Peter. Did you know?"
Tank shook his head.
"I didn't, no. But if I'm not mistaken, that ring used to belong to Gee Tee. It looks like the two of them have been conspiring again."
Richie smiled.
"Well all I can say is thank goodness they did."
"Anyhow," announced Tank, "I'd better go and revive the old dragon. If it's what I think it is, it shouldn't be too difficult."
Leaning forward, Richie kissed her friend on the cheek.
"I'll see you in a minute then."
Tank nodded and sped off towards the master mantra maker. Flash, meanwhile, thought it best to stay where he was, intrigued to see what was going on and if he could pick up any details about exactly how they'd been rescued.
The small group surrounding Gee Tee all took a step back as Tank arrived, well, all except Janice who much to his surprise, threw her arms around the strapping rugby player and gave him the same sort of hug Richie had only moments earlier. Smiling warmly at her, he noted the fear and panic etched across her face, the same look the other humans all had in varying degrees. As Janice released him, the others stepped forward to shake his hand. He recognised all of them, including Taibul, who he'd only ever spoken to in his restaurant role. Hook in particular was delighted to see his teammate, and gave him a big slap on the shoulder that, to Tank's surprise, resounded throughout the rest of his body. Pleased to see them all, he wanted to catch up with each and every one of them, but there was something important he had to do first. Turning to the dragon healer, he held out his hand in greeting. Grasping it firmly, the dragon healer declared,
"Well done, young one. To survive all that you have, you must have the strength of ten dragons."
"Thank you," replied Tank politely, "but I think it was more about luck, and the extraordinary efforts from my friend and the other healers."
"If you say so... young one."
"Can you tell me what's wrong with him?" asked Tank, motioning towards his aged boss.
"As far as I can determine... NOTHING! Everything appears fine, apart from the fact that we can't wake him. His breathing is regular, albeit a little shallow. I've tried to contact him telepathically, but there seems to be nothing there for me to contact. It's most odd."
Tank smiled to himself, having seen this on more than one occasion. In fact, both of them had put very specific protocols in place for exactly this. Kneeling down, Tank put the old shopkeeper's hand in his, closed his eyes and imagined a very specific image in his head. Holding that image for a count of ten, all the time projecting it in the direction of his employer, the time came for him to speak the name of the image. Using as much telepathic power as he dared, he yelled,
"JAM INFUSED MARSHMALLOWS!"
Instantly the old dragon shot bolt upright. Once there, his eyes opened wide behind his somewhat skewed glasses.
"I had the most horrendous dream," were the first words to leave his lips. Tank waited for what he knew would come next. Painstakingly slowly, Gee Tee gathered his wits about him and took in everything around him, including the group of stunned looking humans. Looking at his former apprentice, he just about managed to stammer,
"It wasn't a dream was it?"
Tank shook his head and laughed.
"Apparently not," he replied. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I could sleep for a hundred years. Oh and by the way, where are my jam infused marshmallows?"
Both the dragon healer and the stunned humans all had the same thought at exactly the same time:
'Why on earth does he want jam infused marshmallows?'
Tank continued to grin.
"I thought it was my best bet to bring you around. Looks like I was right. I think you might have to wait a while for them though."
"Well," said the old shopkeeper, almost back to his normal self, "I will expect some when we get back to the shop."
"And I'll make sure you get them."
Wrapping one of his giant wings around Tank as they both chuckled, the moment was over before it started, with the master mantra maker turning a touch more serious.
"Did we win?"
Tank nodded.
"Thanks to you, by all accounts."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, as you should be well aware. And I'm not going to forget about the marshmallows."
Any worries Tank had about Gee Tee's recovery had completely disappeared. From the look of things, the old shopkeeper was well and truly back to his antagonistic and stubborn self.
In about thirty seconds flat, Richie had bought Flash up to speed on events, despite the fact that the group of local dragons were getting impatient. She thought it important to include the ex-Crimson Guard, because of his experience in unusual matters. He was one of her main assets and she'd already decided in what role he'd be deployed. She only hoped he'd agree when the time came.
Much to the delight of the humans, the old shopkeeper had, one by one, embraced them all, praising their courage, telling them all that he'd been honoured to fight alongside them, even though he'd spent most of the time lying face down. The nervousness on their faces evaporated and they, Tank and the healer joined him as he walked back towards Richie, the group of local dragons and the ever present statue-like Casey.
Stepping forward, Richie enveloped the master mantra maker. In turn, he wrapped his wings around the talented lacrosse star, all the time giving her his best smile.
"I hear we did alright?"
"Slightly better than alright I think."
"Thanks to you," chipped in the old shopkeeper.
"Thanks to us all," ventured Richie.
Gee Tee nodded his agreement.
"So what happens now, little one?"
Swallowing involuntarily, Richie wondered how Tank and the old shopkeeper would react when they found out that she'd been put in charge.
'Still... no time to lose,' she thought, and added out loud,
"Those here have chosen me to lead them, for the time being at least."
Tank was staggered. All he could think was that she wasn't qualified and wasn't really even a dragon at the moment. How on earth had they come to that conclusion? Gee Tee on the other hand, poked his glasses as far up his nose as they would go and pondered what he'd been told. Dragons and humans alike waited for his response. A ringing endorsement arrived.
"Do you think it was just chance that we bumped into each other, little one? I assure you it wasn't. I spent a long time searching for the right dragon, when all the time you were right under my nose, well... above my head. And once it dawned on me, there was never any doubt. I'd gladly put my life in your hands, time and time again. But more importantly, I trusted you with the life of my most valued FRIEND," at which point he motioned towards Tank with his wings. "I think that says it all. You have everything a great leader needs. Just look at what you've achieved here today already. A group of humans, here in the dragon domain... UNHEARD OF! Not only that, but a group of humans coming into the dragon domain to rescue DRAGONS! I truly bel
ieve you're the only individual on the planet who could, and would, have orchestrated that. So believe, little one. Use that much maligned confidence that you possess and follow your instincts. If you do both of these things, I truly believe we have a chance to overturn whatever evil is being perpetrated throughout our kingdom right at this very moment."
A few seconds of silence followed the old dragon's pronouncement. In that short time, everything hung in the balance. That is until the master mantra maker did something extraordinary and completely unheard of, something laced with more cunning and guile than one of Baldrick's plans. Very slowly he dropped down to one knee, not something easily achieved by a dragon of his age, but there he stayed, head bowed.
Tank was convinced he was dreaming. There wasn't a reality in existence in which Gee Tee bowed to anyone, even the dragon king, let alone someone stuck in human form.
Flash was slightly more pragmatic and could see things for what they really were, and had nothing but admiration.
'You crafty old bugger,' he thought, watching a master at work. And not just a master mantra maker. 'By doing that, you give everyone here little choice but to follow. And with that, you give her little choice but to accept the task permanently, and to believe.' As he too dropped to one knee, he couldn't help thinking what a true stroke of genius he'd just witnessed.
As one, the group of local dragons followed suit. They'd been pretty sure she was the right choice before, and Gee Tee's words had only confirmed it.
Janice's head spun from the events of the last few hours. Here she was surrounded by 'real' dragons. Not only that, but she'd fought against 'real' dragons and emerged on the winning side. And now this. She couldn't imagine a day could get any crazier than this. But it had been her choice to follow Richie, who she now knew to be a dragon. In the end, the decision was straight forward. Janice still considered Richie her friend, and realised that she'd follow her again in an instant.
'At least I'm not going to be bored anytime soon,' she thought, dropping down to one knee.
Immediately the other humans followed suit, all in awe of the lacrosse playing dragon in front of them. Hook smiled as he hit the floor, wondering how on earth he was going to stand back up again with the incredibly heavy backpack still strapped firmly to his rear.
Aside from Casey and of course Richie, the only one left standing was Tank. Over a sea of dragon and human heads, the two friends gazed across at each other.
'How did it come to this?' he thought. 'She's my friend and has already been through so much, stripped of her necessary dragon DNA and then hung out to dry by the dragon council in the way that she was, just when she needed them the most. And now she's being asked to lead some sort of force to... to what? To fight? To die? To retake the dragon domain? She's too young. She should be getting on with her life, doing what she does best... playing lacrosse. Not carrying the burden of the entire planet on her shoulders.'
All this flashed through his mind as he locked eyes with his friend. But here, at this very moment... there was something else. Her delicate pale features were the same, stunning and yet innocent at the same time. All except her eyes. Her eyes were... cold, dark, chilling, dangerous. They had the look of... someone who'd do anything to get the job done. It was then that it hit him.
'They're right. She is the perfect one to lead us.' Dropping reluctantly to one knee, all he could think of was the toll this might take on his friend.
So here it was, confirmed by everyone, even Tank. Looking at them all, dragons and humans alike, heads all bowed, was a turning point for her. She hadn't asked for this. It had been unfairly thrust upon her. Maybe this was how it was meant to be. She had doubts of course, but not as many as most would have had. It occurred to her that this must be how the king felt, day in, day out. If it was, she decided there and then that she felt really sorry for him. But now was not the time to feel sorry. Now was the time to take decisive action. And the plan in her was a good one. At least, that's what she thought given all that she knew. That, however, was the problem. All that she knew. She needed every last scrap of information that she could get. And turning her head to look at the monument-like, frozen Casey, an idea formed as to exactly how she could get it.
"All of you stand," she commanded. They did as they were directed. "What we do next probably dictates the course of what we can achieve. It's important to get it right. However, as it stands, we don't know enough about exactly what's going on. I propose to change that," she said ominously, looking at the frozen bully off to her side. "This... thing, has information that we desperately need. He'll never give it up voluntarily, so we need to take it from him."
A ripple of unrest surged throughout the dragons, while the humans struggled to comprehend what was going on.
"And yes I know how extreme what I propose is, before you start. But it could ultimately save lives, and not just a few."
Flash stood and contemplated what Richie was planning to do. He couldn't disagree with it, and was surprised she had the 'scales' to do it. But it was a dreadful deed, something he'd never contemplated even on the gravest of missions as a Crimson Guard. Of course, he knew how, it had after all been part of his training, many decades ago. But it was a game changer in every sense of the word and not just for the victim, but also for the poor soul who had the job to go in and prise the information out.
'Good luck with that,' he thought, as Richie continued ever onwards.
Outlining exactly what she wanted to do, for Richie, it went something like this. Dragon telepathic abilities had been refined over millennia, with the skills they had now having been finely honed. It hadn't always been that way. A very long time ago, in much darker and more savage days, their telepathy had a more sinister purpose. We're talking about a time before man roamed the earth. Well, before intelligent man walked the earth. Humans were about, but not in the kind of numbers they are now, and not possessed of any kind of intellect. They were, then, just another item on the menu. To the dragons of that time though, they were barely just a side dish, with the main course tending to be... other dragons! It's hard to believe now, given how civilised they'd become, how in fact they ruled the planet from their hidden enclaves below the ground, but for a brutal period of their history, little talked about, largely forgotten, they had fought, killed and eaten one another. It was known as the 'age of barbarism', an unseemly and terrifying time to live in for any dragon. There was no cohesion, no cooperation, no teamwork. Individual dragons roamed the planet, fighting each other. Some worked in gangs with mercenary leaders who used their power and supremacy to control others. In the main, it was the physical threat that kept them in charge... but not always. Sometimes it was achieved by telepathy, for then that ability was just another weapon in a dragon's arsenal. And it was by no means pleasant, quite the opposite in fact. Many a dragon had been driven insane by other dragons invading their mind, mentally raping them if you like. Some dragons did this to learn their enemies' secrets. Others did it just because they could. Another long forgotten aspect of this was the belief at the time that by consuming another dragon, you gained their mental strength, adding it to your own. This has never been conclusively proven and is something that few dragons even know. But if you look deep enough into the past, the information is all there in the libraries, little clues dotted about in past issues of the telepathic papers. The whole idea of one dragon invading another dragon's mind is repulsive, repugnant and just downright evil. It is one of the most serious crimes and is punishable in the harshest way. No record exists of any dragon in recent history trying to do it, although the knowledge of how it is achieved remains out there to a certain few. Groups such as Flash's Crimson Guards have a working understanding of how best to carry out such a vile act, along with, no doubt, some other more powerful individuals. It was this knowledge that Richie was now looking for. She pleaded for anyone with the slightest inkling of what to do, to step forward. To say Flash was uncomfortable was something of an understatement.
Tank couldn't believe what he was hearing. Most of all, he couldn't believe anyone would have that kind of knowledge. It was barbaric and totally insane.
'And even if someone did have that kind of knowledge,' he thought, 'what kind of fool would step forward and admit it?'
Gee Tee felt sorry for her, he really did, and knew that it was partly his fault. After all, he'd roped her in, got her to lead the humans after giving them hope and weapons. And although he didn't like what he was hearing, he was proud of her for making what must have been a difficult decision in having to ask. So to his, and everybody else's surprise, particularly that of his former apprentice who was standing right beside him, he stepped forward.
Tank stood aghast, his eyes wide open.
'On reflection,' he thought, 'I should have known.' It felt as though the whole world was turning on its head.
'Humans saving dragons, torture, death, and now this. Where will it all end? With the deaths of us all, probably,' he thought, turning away, too disgusted to stay and watch.
'That's a shock,' she thought, as Gee Tee stepped forward. She'd assumed that Flash or maybe even one of the locals might have had the knowledge she was looking for, but the old shopkeeper? At this point it didn't matter who she obtained it from, only that she had it, and of course was able to use it on Casey.
"Before you get excited youngster," exclaimed the master mantra maker, "I have the knowledge that you're seeking, but as it stands at this very moment, I'm in no condition to help you. And even if I could, there's the question of whether I should."
Anger flared up inside Richie.
"Why bother to even tell me this? It's no help whatsoever. We need to know what he knows, and FAST! The slightest delay could cost us all dear."
The old shopkeeper's head lolled over to one side, his glasses nearly slipping from his nose, as he carefully worded his reply.
"To some degree you're right of course. But about using THAT mantra... you know nothing. Mantras aren't just tools to get the job done. Oh, sometimes that can be the case, but most of the time there are consequences to our actions. Every time a mantra is used, some of the energy is left over. Have you ever wondered what happens to that energy?"
