The Legend of the Dragon Child

by Cheryl Rush Cowperthwait

  As the King closed up his wings, Galdean took his first look at Zlemtec’s injuries. His left shoulder had been hit, close to his wing. It was bad, but the King had quickly rubbed the poison off before it could eat away more of his flesh. Zlemtec would not be able to fly home, not like this.

  The King broke in on Galdean’s thoughts. “Friend, please search for Kaida. I will stay with Zlemtec. I will make sure no more Jodrugs touch him. Go back. Search the valley for Kaida. All he could tell me is that they were near the mountains where the river flowed out and down into the valley. They followed the river when they began to see Urthe peoples. Kaida wanted to get closer. Zlemtec flew low by some trees and bushes when he was hit. They were caught by surprise. You must go back to find her, Galdean.”

  Galdean reached out to touch his friend’s shoulder and said, “I will go now. I will search all the land for her. I will return to you when I find her.”

  The King could only nod. His heart had not felt that kind of grief since the Queen had left Urthe to go to Verlaunde. He did not know a Dragon could hold so much sadness. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to keep his eyes open. It hurt to think. To think--he let his body move with the stricken sobs that overtook him like an avalanche. How could he return to tell his Queen? His emptiness continued to tear at him, gouging out chucks of his insides.

  Each time he tried to look upon Zlemtec, his grief doubled.

  Zlemtec was hunched over, his left wing splayed to the side, his neck extended along the rough ground. His body shook with tears. The King knew there was no consolation he could offer. They needed Kaida. She would bring an end to their internal pain. He gently laid his head next to Zlemtec, opened his wing to cover him and waited for news.

  Galdean hid his colors as he came closer to the area inhabited by the peoples of Urthe. He squinted his eyes to peer through the foliage for any hint of little Kaida. And then he spotted something shimmering. A flash of blue and gold! He flew faster to where the sun had touched the object. He was at the edge of the forest when he thought he saw her. He hovered above to see little Kaida curled around a Dragon scale. She must have torn a scale from Zlemtec as she fell.

  He began his descent when he saw three of the Urthe peoples stumbled upon her. His mind screamed, “Nooooo!” He readied for attack, to take back their hatchling, their Kaida, as he saw them gather her small body and carry her into one of their out-dwellings. He flew in rapid circles, going higher above them. His mind threatened to implode.

  He didn’t know what to do. They took her! And then he halted mid-air and hovered. Chills filled his body. The wind whispered, “It is the Legend. Let it begin.”

  He slowly circled, fighting the noise in the wind, fighting the thoughts of his heart, even though he knew he could not fight what was Legend. He flew above them in slow circles, watching.

  More Urthe peoples fluttered around the out-dwelling, some dashing in to look at her and quickly running out to tell others. A young male shouted, “Molakei, Molakei! You must come.” He quickly made his way to an Elder male and guided him towards the building.

  Next to Galdean, a white cloud shaped like a Dragon grew larger, and then larger still. Galdean’s eyes flew wide open in wonder. It was the Old White One, the Ancestor of all Dragons, that was next to him. The wind uttered the Ancestor’s words, “Yes. The new Guardian comes. It is well.”

  The Dragon cloud lowered and drifted over the building. Urthe peoples pointed and nudged others to look up. “An omen!” one shouted. Others ran to buildings and caves, in fear. Molakei looked up and lifted his staff to the cloud, then bowed his head in reverence. The changing of the Guard had taken place. The cloud drifted away, dispersing as it went.

  Galdean was left with the burden of returning to King of Mursei and Zlemtec, alone. He knew his words would bring no comfort to them, even as he knew this was the way for Kaida now. He uttered all he knew to say. “Fly fast, Fly direct our Kaida!” Dragon tears pelted the ground as he made his way back to the King.

  This must be the longest flight I’ve ever made, thought Galdean. He could not make his wings beat faster. He had no will for it. His mind screamed out at him, if I only reached her a breath of the wind sooner! Each thought made his wings grow even more weary. The thought of returning to the King of Mursei without Kaida left him feeling utterly distraught. This was an enormous loss to all the Hails, but more so to those closest to Kaida. She was indeed their hatchling. Born and raised with the Mursei. Galdean’s roar filled the sky as he flew to his King.

  The King heard the roar off in the distance and sat up, his skin prickling with alarm. He studied the sky overhead, looking for who was causing the bellowing sound. The sound grew closer. He at last recognized it to be Galdean. By all that is Dragon, he pleaded, please don’t let them be chased by the Jodrugs! It only took a few minutes longer for Galdean to move the leaves, as his wings opened a path.

  Relief flooded through the King. He leapt up to meet Galdean. “My friend! You return. Then, you must have found her?” the King was saying as he made his way over to Galdean.

  Galdean landed heavily, his eyes only focused on the ground beneath him.

  He answered slowly, “Yes. I found Kaida.”

  The King looked all around and over Galdean. “Kaida? Kaida, come here.” His voice was filled to the brim with sweet emotion.

  Hearing this, Zlemtec joined in, calling “Kaida! Kaida, you made it!”

  Galdean’s head still hung low. “King, Zlemtec, please sit. I have news to give.”

  The King knew the sound of this voice. It cut him as deep as any Dragon claw would. “No!” the King managed to say. “Where is she? Is she...alive?”

  Galdean started by saying, “She is alive. I saw her through the trees, she was tucked by a big bush holding what I guess would be a scale from Zlemtec.”

  “Yes!” shouted Zlemtec. “As she was slipping off, she took hold of my scale for better grip. I tried to grab her and only caught her skin. She tore my scale off when she fell. We were very low, so it was only a short fall. I pushed her down in the bush and told her to stay, and that I would come back after I lead the Red Dragons away from her. Why didn’t you bring her? Would she not ride with you?”

  “King, Zlemtec please. I need to say all of this.” Galdean implored.

  The King said, “Yes, Galdean. Tell us all of it. We need to know. Everything.”

  Galdean knelt close to the two of them, recounting the story. He paused when they cried out, for he too was reliving every moment, every detail of losing her. The three sat close together for what seemed like days and nights; no one could be sure of the passage of time. Time became lost as they became lost in grief. Zlemtec finally asked, “Could we go to where she is? I only need to see her.”

  The King answered. “Zlemtec, she must live with the Urthe peoples now. It is what she was born to do. She will long for us; we are her family. But it is not the time to see her. We must first return and give the news to the Queen and talk to Zelspar. I need to discuss how we will be able to help Kaida adjust to the Urthe peoples. We have not given her the magic of hiding her memories yet. This happened before any of us could prepare. If we went to her now, we all know she would do whatever she could to come back with us. The Old White One said she is where she should be.”

  Zlemtec cried out, “I don’t want her to stay! She has a part of me and now it’s missing,” he whimpered. “I understand about the Legend but, but...she is still a hatchling. She needs more time!”

  They let him vent. He didn’t say anything the two of them did not think themselves. In the deepest recesses of his heart, the King knew this day would come at some point. But he never imagined it to be so abrupt. It felt like Kaida had been ripped from his being. He had imagined a smoother transition. He gathered his thoughts and said, “I understand your pain, Zlemtec. What is done, we cannot change. You have made a deep bond with Kaida. That bond will survive any separation, I’m sure of it. Now we must focus on our return to our Hail. Can you s
tand, Zlemtec?”

  He nodded and stood. “Yes, but my wing is injured.” he said as he showed the wing, unable to fully extend.

  “I want you to climb onto my back and hold on tight. I’ll carry you home,” the King said.

  Galdean looked at his friend with doubt in his eyes.

  Galdean had an idea. “I’ll cinch him on with some vines so he will not slip as we fly.”

  “Good idea,” replied the King.

  Zlemtec simply did as he was told. He was too lost in his thoughts to care. His mind had already started assessing a way to find Kaida. Unbeknownst to the King and Galdean, he was memorizing every detail of where they were and where Kaida was, every detail that might guide him back to her.

  “Are you ready to climb up, Zlemtec?” the King asked.

  “What? Oh, yes. I’m ready, I guess.” Zlemtec replied.

  He positioned himself up high by the King’s shoulder blades to avoid the spines that protruded down his back. Galdean used the vines he had found to cinch Zlemtec tightly onto the King’s back and wrapped it again under the King’s neck a few times to provide a tether for Zlemtec to hold onto during flight.

  They lifted off and started the slow journey towards home. Zlemtec leaned over and casually asked the King, “Could we at least fly past where Kaida was found? I was attacked there; I sort of want to see how I made myself a target. I don’t want to repeat my mistake.”

  The King felt a small tinge of hope. Good, Zlemtec. Thinking of the future and how to prepare for battles. “Yes, Zlemtec. That is wise. We must always review and learn. We will pass that way. Just keep in mind, we won’t show our colors or go to Kaida.”

  “I understand,” he replied. Sitting high on the King’s back, a faint smile creased his face, unseen by either the King or Galdean. Without having to fly, he was able to absorb the landscape fully and anything that might be a landmark. He may not get to talk to her, but maybe he could come sometimes, just to make sure she was alright. His heart ached a pinch less as he thought of seeing her again.

  Zlemtec watched as they made their way back to where he left Kaida. In the rush to get the Jodrugs away from her, he had made a zig-zag pattern to where the King had found him. He shivered just thinking of what could have happened had the King not come looking for them. Those Red Dragons were nasty beasts. He had hoped they all had returned to Verlaunde. Narrowing his eyes, he vowed he would pay them back for what they did. Legend or not, it was their fault he had to leave Kaida behind. That makes it their fault she was taken in by the peoples of Urthe.

  He cleared his thoughts as the King and Galdean started veering towards the east. He looked below and saw an unusual outcropping of rocks, looking somewhat like a shape of a Sea Dragon.

  The rocks made a large smooth hump and trailed down to a tail shape split up the middle with a stand of tall trees at the center of it. Out from the trees ran a winding stream and scattered along the stream were various outbuildings. As he looked below, he saw it, the cluster of tall thick bushes just outside a group of trees. That is it! Galdean and the King made a slow circle around the area.

  “Zlemtec, look over this area well. This is where Kaida was, and so this is where the Jodrugs must have attacked you,” Galdean replied as they circled. “You can see here,” he pointed down to the rock outcroppings, “they could have been hiding behind the cover of the rocks or the trees over there. It looks like they may have been preparing to attack the peoples living here. We may need to send some reinforcements over here, to protect them, especially now that Kaida lives amongst them.”

  Zlemtec engraved the landscape into his mind. He would never forget this place. He nodded but concentrated all of his effort into remembering the exact way back home. When he and Kaida flew, they darted here and there, looking at anything interesting. They really didn’t pay close attention for the direct route home. Him and Kaida.... now when he thought of those words, an anger welled up inside. He knew Galdean got rid of the two that were after him and Kaida, but still.... he had developed an absolute hatred for the Jodrugs. Every last one of them.

  The hours flew by, as did the landscape below. Up ahead, shimmering in the late afternoon sun, was home. There was no excitement in the return, only the knowledge that when they retold the story, they would all have to relive the pain of losing her.

  As they landed in front of the cave, Zelspar led the Queen of Mursei out. They already looked horribly distraught. The King held his ground as Galdean helped Zlemtec down.

  Zelspar was the first to talk. “We know. The Queen asked me to open your transmissions of flight Galdean so she could make sure all were well and to send more help if needed. We...we saw everything. We know Kaida is with the Urthe peoples.”

  “Zlemtec,” Zelspar continued, “this is no one’s fault. It is important you realize this fact. I was coming in to tell the Queen and King about the Visions I had and the visit of the Old White One when everyone realized you and Kaida were gone. It was time for her to go to the Urthe ones. I agree, none of us were prepared for her leaving, and it was never in our plans she would leave in this manner. It doesn’t change the fact it was her time to go. The Ancient One saw an opportunity to place her where she needed to be and helped her along.”

  The Queen looked devastated. They all had learned that look. She spoke to all three, “As hard as it was watching the transmission, it helped me understand the situation. I saw when the Old White One came to you, Galdean. I knew how you wanted to go pluck her away from the peoples. Instead, you listened to the words of the Wise One, the Old White Dragon. It is good. We cannot alter her destiny or the Legend. None of us can afford that mistake.”

  “My Queen,” the King opened his arms and embraced his Bonded One, providing a haven to lean into with her sadness. She welcomed his comfort for a brief time before turning to address the Dragons.

  “Dragons All, listen well. We will prepare to go into battle tomorrow eve. Tonight, we welcome home the King of Mursei, Galdean and Zlemtec. We—we are devastated for losing our Kaida so soon, but know this, she is where the Ancestor has seen and approved. It is part of the journey for her, and indeed, for all of us. There is a bountiful table set out in the gathering room. We shall all go and dine together,” announced the Queen. “I want everyone to come. The old, the young, everyone. This will be the last time we can all be together...for a time. Let’s do our best to enjoy the companionship of our Hails.”

  She left much unsaid, but the Dragons understood. Any type of Air Battle would mean some would die. One could never know if this would be the last battle they would fight. No one ever knew if they would return. They only knew that this must be done to eliminate the threat of the Jodrugs and De Dezertico Hails, for themselves and the peoples of Urthe.

  “Excuse me, Starleira. I would like to speak a few moments with Rynik. I want to reassure him of what we spoke about earlier.” Zelspar said, leaning in close to her.

  “Yes, do so Zelspar. It might help him relax some for the evening. I know it helped me when you suggested it,” the Queen said as she rested her hand across his.

  “King of Mursei, a moment please?” Zelspar asked.

  “Yes, Zelspar. Let’s go to my Lair; it will be quieter there.”

  The two of them made their way towards the Lair as others noisily headed to the gathering room for food and companionship. Neither one noticed Zlemtec slipping in behind them, heading towards the Lair. He kept himself back several paces and only moved forward when their voices dimmed. He had to hear what Zelspar was going to say. If it had anything to do with Kaida, he wanted to know.

  The King led the way into the Lair and waited for Zelspar to be seated. “What is on your mind, Zelspar?” he asked.

  “It’s about Kaida.” Zelspar began, “She was taken from us before we had time to hide her memories, as you know. She is in a strange place with different customs and other ways than she has known. I’m sure some of it will come to her by her mother’s bloodline but it has to be a shock to h
er young system. You must head to Battle with the others tomorrow eve. I suggested to the Queen that I could fly as far as where Kaida is and wait for an opportunity to get her alone. She will need to have her memories hidden from her time with us or she will never develop the Urthe peoples’ ways. She must have the balance of the two in her before she can be a benefit to all. More importantly, at this point, it weighs heavily on me that she might think, well, that she was abandoned. None of us want that for her. Am I right?”

  The King replied in a pained voice, “I have thought of that also. How alone she must feel, even as all the peoples surround her. How curious they must be of her and how different it must make her feel. As much as all of us hurt by losing her to them, I could never have her memory hidden in me. But I know this is the right thing to do for her. So yes, Zelspar, I agree with your proposal. Since you will be coming with us that far, we can make sure it is safe from the Jodrugs.”

  He became quiet, thinking of the days ahead. He added, “I will need for you to help Zlemtec as much as you can while we are gone. I believe, if it is possible, his pain is even deeper than ours. There is something very special between those two. I feel Kaida chose him right from birth to be hers. Her what, I do not know. I am certain, however, that somehow he will continue to be an important part to her and perhaps, even the Legend itself.”

  Zelspar answered, “I have not been able to see ahead in her journey, yet. The Visions did show me the mighty battle you are heading towards, but I haven’t had another vision since you left to find Zlemtec and Kaida. That said, I am sure when she comes of the age to remember, she will seek him and us. It is in her nature now. I feel better having discussed this with you, Rynik. Let’s return to the others.”

  As they made ready to leave, Zlemtec hurried away before he could be seen. He only had until tomorrow’s eve. To do something… Now to figure out what he could do. He had to find a way to, to...That's it! Yes, he thought, that is how I can do it. His mind was racing as he saw Galdean motioning for him to join the others. He turned and wove his way through the room to sit beside Galdean, Zelspar and the Queen and King of Mursei. The room was almost as loud as his mind. He was glad for it. It let him think.