The nursery maids brought the hatchlings to an outcropping of rocks to continue their flight lessons. Most were still too young for flight, or so the nursery maids thought. A gust of wind hit as Zlemtec leapt from the rocks, his eyes looking for his landing as his blue and gold wings flapped for balance when, Whoosh! up and up he lifted, spinning for a moment before instinct took over.
“Look! I’m flying Kaida!” Zlemtec called out.
“Oh! Oh!” Kaida exclaimed as she pointed up to her friend. “I want to fly too. Lift me!” Astonishing to all but Kaida, she began to lift and hover above the ground, slowly until she at last, reached Zlemtec.
“Look, Zlemtec, I can fly too!” The sun sparkled in her eyes.
Although Kaida was airborne, she wasn’t actually flying but rather hovering. She was able to lift herself but couldn’t move in regular flight. The nursery maids stared in shocked surprise. It was peculiar that Zlemtec should be able to fly so young but completely bewildering to watch the human hatchling rise from off the ground.
“Kaida, try to get on my back. Let me see if I can carry you,” said Zlemtec. Whilst on the ground he had carried Kaida on his back so often, it seemed a natural to him. But, little did he know that this simple act would go down in Dragon history.
With a bit of maneuvering by both, they were able to accomplish this first flight together of a Dragon with a rider. Sounds of excited laughter circled in the air as the companions darted over the heads of the nursery maids and sent one darting inside the cave yelling, “Queen, King, come. Hurry, you must see what has happened!”
The King and Queen had been speaking to a group of the allies when the nursery maid rushed into the cave. The mixture of alarm and surprise they saw on her face caused them to quickly run out of the cave.
The first thing they saw were the heads of all the Dragons gazing up, the second thing caused their jaws click open wide.
The Queen could gather no words to speak. She had never witnessed or had the slightest idea what had brought this about. Surprise gave way to amazement. The young hatchling Zlemtec was flying, years before it was custom and Kaida....Kaida! She was perched upon his back as if it were a perfectly normal thing to do. The Queen and King joined in the eerie silence from the ground as all watching Dragons looked on, only able to point and gesture at the surprise darting about overhead.
“How?” The Queen tried to ask. The nursery maid explained how a gust of wind aided Zlemtec as he jumped from the rocks and suddenly went into flight but Kaida had simply yelled “Lift me” and she rose.
The Queen, with a look of pleasant astonishment, softly said, “It looks as if Kaida, our little Dragon, has found her Dragon magic.”
She looked on and still wondered what made Kaida and Zlemtec fly as one. She could not deny the look of sheer happiness the two displayed as they flew above their heads. Visions filled her head of Dragons with riders, a sky full of such things when the King broke through her thoughts.
“My Queen,” he murmured, “we are witnessing many changes. I do wonder how much of it is our new home and how much of it is the Legend....”
Before the Queen could respond, Zlemtec showed signs of tiring and slowly made his first descent. Safely on the ground, he lowered his neck and Kaida grabbed hold, slid underneath his neck and dropped to the ground merely feet in front of the Queen and King.
“Sipta, Sipta! Did you see us? We can fly! Zlemtec and I flew all around. It’s so fun, Sipta!” Kaida exclaimed, enthusiastically.
Zlemtec chimed in, “Oh, it was so sudden, I didn’t even expect to fly and then, there I was, up in the air. I thought I would have to wait years before I could fly. Then, Kaida joined me in the air and we flew. It sure beats lumbering along the ground all the time,” he said with his face lit up by his newly found accomplishment.
The King could not resist the chance to ask, “How is it that Kaida flew?”
“Well, when she saw me flying, she pointed and said, ‘Lift me.’ I thought she was asking me to lift her up as she always does, but then, she floated up to me. I was worried she might suddenly fall because she has no wings. I asked her to see if she could get on my back and she did. We had so much fun in the air!”
His matter-of-fact way tone dazed both the Queen and King momentarily. It seemed absolutely normal to them, this flight of two.
The Queen responded to both Zlemtec and Kaida, “I saw. Wasn’t that fun? One never forgets their first flight. I’m thrilled we were here to see it. Now, you must be hungry, why don’t you head inside and get something to eat?”
The Queen and King exchanged looks and decided they should head inside also. They were met with questioning stares. I must find Zelspar, he will know what to say to our Allies and the Mursei on this subject, the Queen thought. Her eyes searched the cave.
Zelspar sat up against the cave wall, his hands clasped over his twisted cane, silently observing the comings and goings of the great mass of Dragons. Most of the Dragons had their dwellings dotted all along the mountains. However, the Mursei cave was the favored gathering place. He spotted Queen of Mursei looking around the cave anxiously. It only took her a few moments to spot him.
“Zelspar, there you are. We may have a slight dilemma to address,” the Queen said as soon as she stood in front of her old friend.
“Dilemma? How so? It seems that all the Hail Queens and Kings are in agreement with our discussion so far.” Zelspar rubbed his chin hairs in thought.
“This is a new...situation. One of the nursery maids called us out earlier to look at what was happening. Let me tell you this Zelspar, never in all my days have I seen so many Dragons speechless at a sight. It was Zlemtec and Kaida. They were flying and....”
Zelspar broke into her speech to interject, “Flying? That is absurd! Zlemtec is still far too young to fly and... wait...what are you saying?”
The King had caught up to them. He could tell by the agitated look on Zelspar’s face that he had been briefed on the current situation.
“Kaida was flying by riding on the back of Zlemtec,” the King stated.
If the old White dragon could have turned any paler than he already was, he would have done so. His eyes grew wide and stared deeply into the King’s face before commenting.
“Do either of you have an explanation?” he asked.
The Queen began again, “What I was saying about them flying is this. Zlemtec quite by accident began to fly after a gust of wind caught him up in it. I know it’s extremely early but that isn’t all. When Kaida saw him up in the air, she wanted to fly also. We were told that all she did was point to Zlemtec and say, ‘Lift me’ and she, well Zelspar, she levitated up to him. As unlikely as that may seem, it only touches the surface the situation. Zlemtec was afraid she might fall, as he stated because she has no wings, so he asked her to climb up onto his back. They were flying, as one.”
Even Zelspar, the very old and very wise dragon was found without words. He simply continued to stare at the Queen. It was several moments before he found his words.
“Starleira. What in the name of Dragons is going on here? A Dragon being ridden? Kaida levitating just by saying words? Could she actually have strong Dragon magic? And many Dragons held witness to this... this flying as one? Did you correct them?” Zelspar questioned in rapid fire.
“Correct them? Correct them! How in the name of Dragons could I do that? They had logical reasons for their flight. What should I say? Do not do that again because it has never been done? How are we to know what all is involved with her Legend? We only know how she would come to us and how we must train her in all things Dragon. Flying is most certainly amongst all things, my dear Zelspar,” the Queen replied huffily.
The King added, “We are in new territory, both in location and now we have this little hatchling, born by a human and raised by Dragons. Of course, some things will be different. She is the Dragon Child; we must not forget she will be unique amongst all. Zlemtec did not do anything so odd if you consider how often he
carries her while on the ground. It is because she is so small and very slow to catch up. I would also state that most Dragons are not in the habit of carrying around a small human and it never seemed to bother anyone seeing him do that. I believe this is a natural progression. She can’t very well run on the ground to follow Zlemtec; she would be left far behind. There is no need of correcting either of them. What is needed is a meeting with the allies to bring them into understanding that there will be new ways. No shame will be cast upon the two for doing something that has never been done. I will,” he finished by saying as he looked towards his Queen, we will not tolerate any Dragon talk in regard to these two.”
Zelspar listened to every word, absorbing them. He let them come to rest in his mind and then said, “Everything you have said is true. New ideas, new ways often rattle even the best of Dragons. We are old creatures of habit. We have lived generation after generation, doing and acting primarily the same way as we always have. I agree with you that the two should develop in this new land with their new ways. I will quickly council the other Hails and set a meeting for this discussion.”
The Queen reached out and placed her hand over Zelspar’s. “Thank you, my friend.” Her eyes were soft and misty as she looked at him. He made a small coughing sound and got up to start making his visits.
Zelspar gathered the all heads of the Hails into a neighboring cave in Mount Lebranza, close enough to the Mursei Hail but separated by tons of rock.
He said, “Welcome all Dragons. The Queen and King of Mursei have requested this brief meeting to review this, our new home, and some differences from our ancestral home of Verlaunde. They will be joining us shortly. I do formally request each to state your Hail and who represents your Hail today. I shall keep this meeting in our Dragon journal. I will go first.”
“Qyrdrom Hail, Zelspar, the Elder of the White Dragons.”
“Brodokks Hail, King Brodokks of the Brown and Orange Dragons.”
“Svendelar Hail, Queen and King Svendelar of the Green Dragons.”
“Xternuk Hail, Queen and King Xternuk of the Grey and Yellow Dragons.”
“Tendryl Hail, Queen Tendryl of the Purple and Blue Dragons.”
“Cygorgz Hail, the Elderess of the Amaranth Pink Dragons.”
“Mursei Hail, Queen and King of Mursei of the Blue and Gold Dragons.”
The Queen of Mursei added quickly as she and King Mursei stepped into the well-lit cave.
“Thank you Zelspar, thank you all for attending this quick unscheduled meeting. So much has happened in a short amount of time.”
“For many of the Dragons,” the Queen continued, “this is the first time you’ve left Verlaunde. There are many differences here, on Urthe. Many other differences... or modifications we are only now becoming aware of. For instance, our new Mursei hatchlings have developed faster than the hatchlings on Verlaunde. They have already shown they can fly. This is a remarkable change. They would still be years away from flight on Verlaunde. We cannot be sure of the reason, but we speculate it is the purer air we breathe now. We may find changes in our capabilities and magic also; only time shall show us.”
The Queen looked out of all assembled. “Oh, and another difference here, on Urthe is the Dragon Child flies with Zlemtec, her hatchling friend. Since she was born without wings, she flies as one with Zlemtec. Remarkably, she is showing signs of Dragon magic. We all do ask for your complete cooperation in allowing the Dragon Child to grow and develop to her full potential while she lives amongst us.”
“Queen of Mursei,” asked King Brodokks, “could you explain what you meant when you said the Dragon Child flies as one with this other hatchling, Zlemlok?”
“Zlemtec is her hatchling friend’s name.” the Queen corrected and added, “She rides upon Zlemtec’s back, he is in essence, her wings.”
“Have you seen this...this thing you say?” the King of Brodokks questioned boisterously.
“I have,” the Queen of Mursei answered immediately. “It is quite. . . remarkable. I do understand it is not something we have ever seen before, but our ancestors may have, at one time. We have heard of a time on Verlaunde when it was a peaceful paradise, when Dragons and others lived in peace. We don’t know all of our history, so much has been lostin our constant battles. We also do not know all of our future. But this we do know. The Legend of the Dragon Child is now. By the Legend passed down to us, we also know she is paramount to our future.”
“Yes, I understand all you say," the King of Brodokks offered, “I just have never considered an alien creature attaching itself to a Dragon!”
The Queen of Mursei let out a gentle laugh saying, “I imagine that depends on with whom you might talk. Aren’t we all aliens here? I mean to say, our Dragon Hails? Perhaps the Urthe peoples have ridden as one with many species, and to them, this could not only be common but a form of bonding. Not the bonding of two souls mind you, but of working together. Like we all worked together in the battle on Verlaunde.”
The room began to slightly buzz with quiet conversations, head nods and at last, the look of understanding and even a form of acceptance.
“What are we to call this new way of flying?” interjected the King of Brodokks.
The Queen of Mursei tilted her head to the side and replied, “I’m not sure it has a name. Zlemtec and Kaida fly as one. If the Urthe peoples would see, perhaps they would see a Dragon rider, and if so, that would only be good for us. They would stop seeing us as destroyers. When they stop fearing us, they will start learning about us and that is how we can build a better life for all. Is there any reason left why this would not be acceptable?”
A quick look around the room let her know the allies were not going to pose any problems with this new development.
“Then, if I have each of your agreement on this development, I ask you to return to your Hails and instruct your Dragons of all we went over today. If there are no further questions in this regard, we shall close this subject. Our next meeting will be held in a few days. We will be forming a new Council of Dragons from those who returned with us to Urthe. Besides those of us who lead our Hails, you must also select another Dragon from within your Hail. Be thinking, and we will let you know when the meeting will take place. Thank you again for your help and willingness to work together in our new home, Urthe."
As all the Dragons made their way out of the cave, Zelspar lagged behind to speak to the Queen and King. He touched the Queen’s shoulder and said, “Starleira, I must confess that went off far better than anticipated. I saw the King of Brodokks speaking with some of the nursery maids before we all assembled. By their animated movements while speaking, I could only imagine what sort of Dragon talk was going on. You were quick in taking control of his line of questioning. I believe you have nicely averted any posed complaints.”
“Thank you, my friend. We certainly could not have achieved what we did today without your help,” remarked the Queen.
The King spotted Kaida dangling her feet in a pool of water with Zlemtec curled up close to her side. She began splashing her small feet in the cool water when Zlemtec remarked, “I thought you said you were going to catch fish? You have scared them with all that splashing.”
Kaida huffed and threw her tiny arms onto her hips. “I can still catch fish,” she boasted to her friend, narrowing her eyes and staring him down.
“How are you going to catch them? Swim down to the bottom and grab them?” he prodded her arm with a finger.
“No, I’ll tell them to come.” Kaida answered with a flash of anger twinkling in her blue eyes.
“It’s okay Kaida. We don’t have to catch fish. There is still plenty to eat back in the meeting area,” he said, mostly to quiet Kaida’s growing temper.
“Come on, let’s go get something,” he urged.
“Wait a minute and be quiet... I’m going to get us some fish.” Kaida stared down at the pool, then clapped her hands hard above the water. “Fish, come.” She started giggling as the fish popped o
ut of the water and hit Zlemtec, slapping him across his side and tail.
The King of Mursei hurried over as Zlemtec got to his feet, his jaws dangling and eyes wide. “Kaida!” the King and Zlemtec said in unison.
Her little blue eyes looked up at their faces as her forehead began to furrow. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
The King responded “Kaida, did you just call the fish to you?”
“Yes. Did I do wrong?” Her voice faltered and her lip quivered.
“Oh no, Kaida. You didn’t do anything wrong. I have never seen fish caught in that way. It was only a surprise that made me ask. How did you do it?” His interest calmed Kaida’s worries.
“I stared at the fish down below and thought about them coming to me. Then I called them out. This is the first time I’ve called fish out, Simpta King,” she told her Daddy King. “I can call many things. Sometimes, I hear the cries of the Nightbird. He sounds so lonely; I call him down from the trees and he lands on my arm. I heard him say he lost his mate in an air battle. I told him I would search for a new Nightbird to keep him company. That made him feel better.”
The King stood there trying to absorb all Kaida told him. She was gaining magic so rapidly; he was caught off guard. He said to Kaida, “You have learned well, little dragon. Does Zelspar know all you can do?”
“Oh, I don’t think so Simpta King. He has been very busy. He said we would have more lessons in a few days.”
“That is good Kaida. Zlemtec, have you and Kaida been flying today?”
“No,” he answered, “I was worried that I might drop Kaida and I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
“You silly Dragon!” Kaida said. “Don’t you know that if I slipped off, all I would have to do is say ‘put me down’ and I would float back to the ground?”
“You would?” He said, surprised.
“Is that why you didn’t want to fly today? I thought maybe you didn’t like flying as one. I didn’t know why because I couldn’t feel much heavier than a feather on your back.” Relief flooded her heart.
The Legend of the Dragon Child Page 4
