The Legend of the Dragon Child

by Cheryl Rush Cowperthwait

  “Will …” her words choked out, “will you and my family still remember me?” Kaida asked with her hopeful heart.

  Zelspar answered quickly before she thought to ask the other side of the question. “Never shall we forget our little Dragon. You are the best of us. Now, hop up and let’s take a short little ride.”

  “I do like flying as one, Zelspar. Zlemtec and I had so much fun, I miss him so much,” she said touching her special necklace.

  “Here we go. Hold tight!” Zelspar said hurriedly. His heart ached deeply, and he suddenly felt older than time. He had thought this little task would have been easier. He had never thought he would become so attached to a hatchling and to mask her memories… He shook his head to clear his eyes. He thought of the memories of all the time she spent with them. He fought to clear his eyes as the tears splashed down while they flew as one. His heart had already formed a hole. The space this little special Dragon takes with her. It will not be filled again until her return. By all that is Dragon, may I live that long, he thought.

  They landed close to the cluster of trees and took a short walk into the shaded canopy. Zelspar placed Kaida down on a mat of fallen leaves. His yellow-aged eyes collecting her image, engraving it deeply within his mind.

  “Now, my little Dragon. Be very still. Close your eyes and think of a wonderful moment. I have a special magic to give.” Zelspar softly whispered.

  Kaida only nodded with eyes closed. Her hand held tightly onto her beautiful necklace, feeling a special warming from deep inside the stone. Her mind swiftly flew to the moment she flew as one with Zlemtec, soaring above the ground, the wind in her hair. Her face began to glow with the beautiful memory.

  Zelspar raised his staff to the Ancient One. He twirled it backward, once and then again. As he rested his staff on the ground, he gave it a twist. From inside, he removed a packet in a small twined bundle. He let a small flame from his breath ignite it. As it began smoking, he sat it in front of Kaida, gently fanning the smoke towards her. The pungent aroma of herbs and flowers circled around Kaida’s small face. Zelspar noticed Kaida breathing deeply and rhythmically, snared in its magic.

  A sudden movement above the trees startled Zelspar. He engaged his magic to look beyond. Above him flew two Brodokks and a De Dezertico! They were flying together and not battling-- The King of Brodokks was leading the trio, but to do what? Were they preparing to attack the peoples? Why? He knows this is the community where Kaida lives now. Then, as shock registered through his being, his eyes flew open wide. They must be attempting to harm Kaida!

  The King of Brodokks also knows I am here, he thought. It was no secret to the Hails that he would be visiting Kaida. He quickly wove the magic to create a shield around Kaida. Then he wove the magic around himself. He heard the familiar sound of the rustle of wings as they folded shut. They landed at the front of the tree enclosure.

  Zelspar cast the echo of his voice into a cave above them and heard the beat of wings as they pushed off and towards his echo. He took one last look at the gentle face of Kaida, then cast the Protection Magic in the air and went after the traitor and his companions. By all that is Dragon, they will not succeed in their endeavors!

  Zelspar took to the air and landed silently on the ledge outside the cave. As quiet as he was, the King of Brodokks quickly shifted his attention towards the vibration caused by Zelspar’s movements. The Brodokks had highly sensitive hearing. His roar filled the inner chambers of the cave and spilled out. The trio turned and headed back towards the mouth of the cave.

  Zelspar leapt inward blasting a blinding Light flame, catching them off guard. Before the De Dezertico could spew his Flaming rocks, Zelspar cut him down with his Lightning fire. The two Brodokks came charging at him.

  Again, Zelspar cocked his head and blew out a huge Lightning blast that burst through the attacking Brodokks Dragon. The King of Brodokks used that moment to charge at Zelspar, sending him tumbling backwards and off the ledge.

  He regained his balance in flight, rapidly flapping his wings to gain air space. The King of Brodokks roared as he pushed air around his wings. His face was chiseled in pure malice.

  He bellowed to Zelspar, “Where have you hidden the abomination? Give up Kaida and I will spare you!”

  Circling, Zelspar yelled, “You fool! Do you think she would be left in the same place? You traitor!”

  The King’s face registered surprise briefly before his horrific roar split the air. It was all the time Zelspar needed. He took aim. His powerful Lightning blast hit the King of Brodokks dead center. His charred body rocketed to the ground below.

  The noise and quaking overhead shook Kaida, and she ran through the trees to see the Dragons battling above. The Urthe peoples scrambled out, hands clutching bows and arrows, ready to fire. The old White Dragon hovered above for a few wingbeats; eyes fixed on Kaida. The look of fear in her eyes was what he had been seeking-- her memories had been hidden.

  The old, sorrowful Dragon set his aim for home. The journey made longer by the last image he had of Kaida. His bellow rang out, filling the sky with the echoes of heartbreak. This once, he could find no pleasure that his magic had worked.

  The look of fear in Kaida’s eyes remained emblazoned behind his scaled eyelids. A lump welled up inside him. He would rather have had his eyes burned out than to see that image, now it is forever trapped within him. Another sky-splitting roar pushed out from the very center of his soul. His only consolation was that none of the Mursei had witnessed this sight. He would carry that haunting burden alone.

  Meanwhile, the battle-worn Mursei and the Allies prepared to take flight home. All but the King of Mursei. This should have been a time for celebration, but it was not. Every Hail took note of their losses. It was a sullen time. A hard-won, bittersweet victory. For the King of Mursei, it was devastating. If vengeance didn’t purge his heart, his pain would never find release.

  He and Galdean had shared many battles and many more trials. They were two but formed of one mind. Yes, he supposed, they had always felt invincible. They always had each other’s backs. When one found trouble, the other appeared. The sense of grief washed anew through the King. His body heaved and shuddered under its weight.

  The Queen of Mursei found it impossible to reach his sorrow, to pull him free. She too, felt the loss of Galdean, but if sorrow had levels, she would never be able to descend to the depths of desolation her beloved walked.

  She must find a way to reach him, before he became lost in the land of grief. All Dragons knew this was a true place, a place in which one’s inner spirit was pulled in at the time of great loss.

  It first draws the spirit through inner murmurings and the moaning of melancholy music, offering up communal drinks of despair. Once the spirit if fully engaged in the land of grief, the body ceases to fight.

  It loses the will to climb up again, for the spirits of grief hunger for the fresh groanings to add to their many layered musical lures. Newly cast tears are the glue that binds such fresh visitors to the depths only reached through a devastating loss. Rarely can outside voices penetrate the intricately woven snare. There were far too many layers to peel away in order to gain entrance. It takes a powerful magic to break through.

  As Zelspar made his way back home, he suddenly detoured. A powerful Calling turned him back, pushing him to fly high above the clouds. He flew along the mountain ridge, his eyes searching for the one who Called. The initial Calling was so loud, he felt certain he would stumble across his target quickly and yet, hours and much landscape passed by without any answer. The Call became weaker or more distant; which of the two, he didn’t know. He had to find it. He used every essence within him to search.

  At last, he was pulled down from the mountain tops and across the ravaged land. He circled until his spirit grasped the frailest frayed filament of the Call. Dust spilled across the battlefield as his feet touched the ground in the land of the dead. The clouds broke to allow a sunray to touch the scales of a Blue and Gol
d Dragon.

  Zelspar took large strides to reach the flashing colors. Galdean! His arms were folded across his caved in chest. Zelspar searched his eyes. The once flashing vibrant eyes were rolled back and white.

  “Oh!” Zelspar let out a cry. He still felt the Call. There must still be a hope! He worked quickly. He wove ancient symbols into the air, he spun his staff and his voice thundered to the Great White Dragon. His gnarled hands moved quickly up and down and across Galdean’s chest. He held them above his chest until his arms shook, his lips moving rapidly lacing his magic with the vivid imagery of Galdean in his full strength. Sweat poured down his face and collected in his whiskers when his hands finally gave up a white and gold entwined spark. He thrust it swiftly down upon Galdean’s chest.

  He watched intently, then conjured the deepest of his Healing Magic which pulled up even the dust from Galdean’s eyes. A roaring clap burst overhead as surely the Ancients must have been swirling in the skies above the sky, cracking stars with their tails, cascading the dust of Life to rain down upon the Warrior who Called.

  Zelspar collapsed to the ground, every miniscule morsel of his energy spent. His labored breath caught just as the gentle rain of glittering dust fell softly down onto Galdean.

  Zelspar looked on with wide eyes as a quick breath raised Galdean’s chest. The clouds receded to bring light again for the living.

  The King of Mursei sat in despair. He heard the buzzing of activity and words around him. Nothing stirred him. The Queen nudged him, but his body merely moved with the nudge. He had become...separate. He no longer felt connected to this activity surrounding him. He wished they would leave and let him be.

  The Queen took her King by the hands and guided him up to a standing position. He did so without resistance. It was his body moving from a forgotten ability, for his mind was not fixed on the present. All that remained of him was this leathery hide. The Queen clenched her jaws tight and shook her Bonded One, trying desperately to bring him back.

  The King blinked a time or two as his eyes gained a focus to his surroundings. He looked into the eyes of his Queen, a flicker of recognition, before dropping his head.

  “Rynik?” the Queen prodded, “it is time for our journey home.”

  “You go,” he mumbled.

  “No. We cannot go without you,” The Queen replied anxiously.

  “I…” Then, no words could be found within Rynik.

  “Please, Rynik. We must return. Our Hail waits for news. And Zelspar. We need to find out about him and Kaida.”

  “Kaida…” he managed the word. A glimmer of light touched his eyes.

  The Queen pounced upon it with hope. “Yes. Kaida! Zelspar is an old Dragon and we must find out if he safely accomplished his mission and returned to our home.”

  The King was trying to absorb the words. They seem to flit about him disjointed. He did pull a few words from the swirling air. Kaida. Mission. Zelspar.

  The Queen kept working on him. “We must be ready to help, if Zelspar should need us, Rynik. It is our duty.”

  His head lifted, slightly.

  The Queen gently pulled on his arm. “We are ready to fly Rynik. Let us go.”

  “Yes,” was his only reply. No excitement. No flight cry of "Fly fast, Fly direct." No Warrior cries of Victory. Just a Dragon in a leather hide, scarcely at home in his own body.

  On the Queen’s call, “Home!” the weary Dragons took to the air, heading back to their lands, back with a new determination to create a better life for their Hails.

  A small flicker of movement flashed in the rays of the sun, below. The glint roused the King’s dazed mind. He stared below and then it registered. Someone was moving. He dove downward leaving the Queen to quickly maneuver the legions to make an abrupt change of course.

  It was then that Zelspar came into clear view. Zelspar! But why is he here? Alarm filled the Queen. He should have made it home. He wasn’t in the battle, so why is he here now? Endless questions filled her thoughts as they found a place to land.

  The King of Mursei was the first to reach Zelspar.

  Zelspar straightened, then stepped back two steps and said, “I answered a Call; it was Galdean, or more precisely, his spirit Called. Take a look, my friend.”

  The King quickly dropped to the ground and grabbed his friend’s hand. Tears fell like stars from the very upper sky of skies! “Galdean!” he thundered. “By all that is Dragon! You breathe! How... How is this possible?” the King asked, more out of shock than requiring an answer.

  Galdean choked out, “King, my friend.”

  Rynik’s words exploded around Galdean’s ears. “Oh! My friend! I searched for life within you, I thundered your name! I checked for breath. I would never have left had I thought you yet lived. Forgive me, my friend. I have been in despair since I thought you died--”

  “It is all well, my friend.” Galdean’s eyes flashed once more. “Zelspar answered the Call of my spirit.”

  Zelspar glanced from the King to the Queen and answered their unspoken questions. “I will tell you about Kaida later, but now you are confused to how I came to be here.”

  He looked at their concerned faces and said, “I was just leaving Kaida’s new dwelling place and flying homeward when I felt a pressing Call. I was told to turn my course and fly high. I did so, but the Call kept sounding further away, or as it was, weaker. The clouds rolled back enough to let the sun shine upon Galdean. I saw his colors flashing in the light, so I dove down. He was...well, you can imagine. Pain had racked his body to the point his spirit had separated. His spirit Called out for return.”

  Rynik and Starleira’s eyes were wide in amazement. Neither one had ever seen a Dragon’s spirit return to his flesh.

  Zelspar continued, “The Ancients heard his spirit’s plea. They directed me to the Call. I imagine since I am the oldest, thunderous Dragon, they thought I might help.”

  The Queen could see quite plainly that Zelspar was throwing dirt in the air to cover his remarkable magic. That old Dragon! Far too humble for such a great White Dragon, she thought.

  Zelspar cleared his throat and said, “I will tell you it was only through the powers of the Ancients and my knowledge of Healing Magic and the combined focus of both that allowed me to bring the spirit back to Galdean. He is a Warrior to be reckoned with! His spirit continued to fight. He refused to pass gently into the spirit realm.”

  Rynik queried Zelspar, “How long until…”

  Zelspar could not help himself; he bellowed. “The spirit has hardly had time to fit fully within his body and you ask when he can, what? Fly? Move? Return to battle?” His quick response shocked Rynik until he heard that roar of laughter erupt. It was medicine and spread like Dragon flames throughout the assembled Dragons.

  “Ah! Forgive me King. I jest.” Zelspar said. “We are all so weary and worn down by all the trials. I fell to the memory of my own Queen Mother Qyrdrom, how she made light in most every dire situation. She was a remarkable Teacher. She taught we are divided into parts, the Living, the Spirit and the essence of both, the Soul. She would say to me, not all magic works on all three parts, not all symbols would be known by all parts, but the greatest magic is laughter. It pulls them all into one place at one time.”

  “She said do all that you can, weave the symbols and cast the magic, ask the Ancients to help and then, when all has been done, sprinkle a healthy dose of laughter. It unites all. Ah, I still see that special twinkle of her eyes,” Zelspar remarked with a faraway look into the sky.

  The Queen ventured, “How will we get him home, Zelspar?”

  The old White Dragon pulled on his chin whiskers, thinking. After a moment he said, “He is not ready for flight. Before the day kisses the moons’ light, I believe I’ll be able to guide him to one of those caves behind us. I will stay behind to tend to his healing.”

  The King said, “I could stay and help, Zelspar.”

  “You could, yes,” stated Zelspar. “But it is unnecessary. It is best fo
r Galdean to rest and mend. I will be giving him many sessions of Healing Magic. It will exhaust us both. No, King of Mursei, it is better we give every opportunity for Galdean to heal at his own pace.”

  The King gazed again upon his lifelong friend and saw a light in his eyes once more. “Galdean, your health is returning quickly. I have no doubt you will return to our home before too long. Zelspar has accomplished what I never would have thought possible, so I have complete trust under his care. You will join us soon. Rest well, my friend. We have many more adventures ahead!”

  Galdean produced a small laugh, “And troubles too, I imagine.”

  Rynik let out a belly laugh. He gave a gentle pat on Galdean’s shoulder and winked. “You are most likely correct. It does seem to find us wherever we go.”

  As the Queen looked on, her heart swelled with happiness. To see her Rynik return to being hopeful brought her joy. Listening to him and Galdean laughing made water run down from her eyes. Zelspar was right. Laughter is strong medicine. Not only was Galdean healing but her own Rynik had mended. By all that is Dragon, this indeed lifted the inner spirits of all.

  The Queen turned to Zelspar, “Is there anything at all we can do to help, Zelspar?”

  “Now that I think on it, it would be of immense help for someone to scout out a cave close by that would protect Galdean and myself. A bit of food and water also would be helpful.”

  He had hardly closed his jaws when scouts shot off to the caves close by, searching for a temporary home that would be suitable for the two Dragons. Other scouts made quick to secure enough food to last several Dragons enough to eat for many days.

  As the scouts returned, one quickly pointed out a cave to Zelspar which received adequate light with a small pool of fresh water which seeped into the cave along a wall. Zelspar was delighted in the find and even more so that it happened to be close.

  The Queen announced, “It is time to return home. Let us renew our strengths, greet our Hails and rest. We will have much to address as we develop the next steps for our future.”