“Please, make sure her Teacher understands their importance, especially for Kaida. Perhaps, he too, might make use of her tears as Protection. I only know deep inside, Kaida must carry one. Don’t give me that look, Zlemtec. I see no danger nor have been given a Vision of pending danger. It is only something I feel deep in my bones. Will you be able to convince them of this, for this old Dragon?”
“You certainly may count to me! I’ll take them at first light and wait for them to show up. It could take some time....” Zlemtec replied, his head ducked down low so Zelspar might not see the bright sparkle in his eyes.
“Very well, Zlemtec. I knew I could count on you to sacrifice your time,” Zelspar said, his smile showing.
Zlemtec’s head bobbed up quickly, and he was discovered. Zelspar let out a chuckle so deep, it vibrated the ground. He had Zlemtec chuckling in a blink of an eye.
Zlemtec said, “Since I have an early morning mission to take care of, I believe I’ll head to my nest straightaway. I will not disappoint you Zelspar.”
Zelspar could hardly reel in his laughter as he watched Zlemtec burst through the crowd and out towards his sleeping space. He shook his head, smiling as the last traces of Zlemtec disappeared.
He worked hard through the night. He needed to be ready as the light of the new day met the cave. Zlemtec held the prepared chain between his fingers, hoping it would work well with Kaida’s Stone Tear. He had worked on it using one of his as an example. He only had to have a few minutes to drill an opening in the top to secure it to his loop to hold it fast to the chain. He placed it gently on the ledge before racing to meet with Zelspar.
“I’m here, Zelspar.” He announced several steps before reaching Zelspar’s lair.
“As I knew you would be. Eager to start your day?” Zelspar chided.
“Yes. I know the importance of getting the packet back to Kaida. I’ve been awake for hours.”
The old White Dragon fought back a grin. “Important indeed. I see you have made a neck chain to wear yours, very nicely done.”
“Thank you, Zelspar,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “It gave me something to do as I waited for the sun to kiss the moonlight away.”
“Here you go,” Zelspar said as carefully handed Zlemtec the small packet. “Take care with this packet. Now, get about your business.”
Zlemtec nodded and hollered back as he hurried out, “I will take great care of them, Zelspar. No need to worry.”
The old Dragon’s eyes grew soft. No need to worry, he thought. No need, indeed. He knew Zlemtec would fight to his last breath to protect them and Kaida.
Zlemtec carefully opened Kaida’s packet when he returned to his sleeping space. His eyes focused on the radiant beauty inside the packet and one tear out shone all the others. It was as if it captured a piece of the rainbow itself into the shimmering stone. This is the one, he thought. It must have captured most of the magic, just look at it!
He carefully drilled a tiny hole near the top and fastened it securely. He caught his breath as it glimmered in the light. He used great caution as he placed her neck chain inside and resealed the packet and put it into his side bag. He made quick his way to the cave’s ledge and joined the pale-yellow streamers of the early morning sky.
It was still early as he took up his perch by the meeting place. Dew sparkled as the sun tickled the tops of the grasses, bent over by their weight. His keen eyesight caught a movement far below. He narrowed his eyes to pull the vision in sharper. The familiar voice of Kaida rang through the trees, making the leaves dance upon her approach.
He pushed aside the scraping branches and found her and Molakei just as they entered into the sheltered meeting area. Enthusiastic greetings were exchanged between all before they settled down to a nice morning conversation.
The two wolf pups made themselves comfortable next to Kaida. “Zlemtec, what a handsome stone you wear around your neck. Where did you find it?” Kaida wanted to know.
“It’s a long story that I’ll share with you later, but first.... I wanted you to have this one.”
He extracted the neck chain he made for her and held it up to catch the shifting light through the trees. He handed it over for Kaida’s inspection.
“How does it do that?” she exclaimed. “It has such a special glow. I have never seen anything like this. Oh, thank you Zlemtec,” she said and then hugged him fiercely.
His eyes captured a rainbow’s glow from her embrace. “Here Molakei. I brought you a packet of the very same stones.” He said as he winked with the special knowledge the two shared. “Kaida. I must tell you this. It is much more than a pretty Stone. The White Dragon made a special Cleansing ceremony and great Magic turned these Stones to the beauty you see, but it also gave them power. Each one has the power to Protect the owner. Our great White Dragon thinks a great Change is upon us. Will you wear this for your Protection, always?”
“Yes, Zlemtec. I will and tell your White Dragon this girl thanks him for the Stone.”
“It will make him very happy Kaida.” Zlemtec said, smiling softly at her.
“Molakei, he also said you might make use of the Stones in the packet. Since they are the same as Kaida wears, they should also give you and those you share the Stones with, Protection from what is in the Changes coming.”
“I and our peoples will be honored of the gifts you have brought to us. We will also make a way for the wearing of the Stones. You are a great friend, Zlemtec,” Molakei said as he took the packet and added it to his bag.
Molakei looked up at Zlemtec. “I would like to learn more of your White Dragon. You speak highly of him.”
“He is the best. Much as I would think your peoples think of you. I call him a Teacher, the same as I think of you. The name means so much more than the mere instructions or explanations that a Teacher gives. They are the ones who shape our understanding of life. Zelspar is also a great Healer. Another trait the two of you share. Whenever something affects one of us, he is quickly there to find the cure. He carries the Ancestral knowledge of healing and magic. Isn’t that the same as you, Molakei?”
Molakei thought. “Similar. I do teach our peoples of our history and know plants to treat most of their problems. I speak with the Ancestors of our peoples for added help in certain situations or wait for a Vision.”
Zlemtec said, “I thought both of our ways were the same.” Zlemtec smiled. “We may look different, but we are more similar than we would appear by just the seeing of our flesh.”
“I think that our speaking together and learning the similarities will do great things for all of us,” replied Molakei.
“Zelspar...sounds familiar. I can almost see an image of an old White Dragon,” Kaida added.
“Tell more Kaida. What do you remember...that is to say, what image do you have?” asked Zlemtec, becoming intrigued.
“Not much, Zlemtec. I picture him very old, white like you have said, but his white has faded to grey in tones with a yellowing to his hide and, and... I see him with white hair all around his face. He has the eyes that can be both soft and fierce. I think I would like this old Dragon.”
Zlemtec had to catch his words. By all that is Dragon! I believe her memories are returning. I must tell Zelspar. I wonder if it is all right for her to start her memories.
“I think you would be very fond of him, Kaida. I’m sure he would feel the same towards you. And you also, Molakei. It will be wonderful when we can all sit around a fire pit and share ideas and knowledge.” Zlemtec sighed a soft puff of hope.
“Yes, my friend. I believe it will be great. I hope to gain enough knowledge that I can teach the peoples. The fear we have had makes us blind. We have come to feel threatened by the things we do not yet know. Through learning, we release fear and gain the insight to common ground. I look forward when all Dragons and peoples will come together as we have done.
Kaida was about to suggest to Zlemtec they should fly for a time to enjoy the warmth of the sun when she looked up in th
e sky. Far above them, a fireball was hurtling, streaming a tail of fire. She gasped and pointed.
Molakei and Zlemtec stared up in awe. “I have seen small fireballs before, but none as bright as this one.”
“What is it Molakei?” Zlemtec asked.
He chuckled softly and said, “Forgive me Zlemtec, for I once told children it was angry Dragons that would eat them up if they disobeyed their parents.” He looked at Zlemtec, embarrassed. After Zlemtec recovered from his shock, he fell into a fit of laughter that brought him down to the ground.
“You are a funny one Molakei. I haven’t seen those before. Our nursery maids would frequently tell us if we didn’t like our food, they would start feeding us peoples. No one wanted that, we presumed peoples would taste like tree rats, very unappealing to a Dragon.” The three of them rolled in laughter--just before the explosion.
The sky filled with flaming rocks and ash, soon to rain down upon them.
Molakei yelled, “Fly Zlemtec! Go home or find a cave. Fire stones are coming!” He grabbed Kaida by the arm and swiftly plowed through the bushes and trees, trying to get home in time to warn the others to take cover.
Each branch pulled and tried to hold them in their snares. The thickets took on a menacing glow as if they held demons within them. Kaida turned to look up and was grabbed by a gnarly branch. As she tried to pull away, her hair snagged, causing tears to stream down her face.
Heart racing, Molakei stooped and threw Kaida over his shoulder as he continued battling through the trees. Rumbles quaked overhead, and the sky was filled with smoke. The first fireballs pelted down, shaking the ground under his feet.
Zlemtec flew with all his power. His wings ached as he pushed at the wind. He kept his eyes searching above and ahead as he saw the first fireballs breaking through the skies, searching for their target. He veered towards the mountains as one sheared the top of the ridge, sending boulders rolling down. Thunderous clashes assaulted his ears as he kept his head in sleek alignment. Like an arrow sprung from the bow, he launched forward. His nostrils flared with the acrid smell of the fireballs’ exhaust. They began to break ground, as blazing raindrops ahead of the storm.
He dodged from side to side as more tore through the sky. Ahead he saw his home and the Hails quickly flying inwards. An unnatural power slung him forward at a breakneck speed. His talons searched for a grip at the ledge of the cave, one of his talon’s snagged and tore away in the process.
He joined the commotion inside. All were talking loudly about the fireballs. The noise level shook the dust from the rocks as the Queen of Mursei called for attention.
“All seek the deepest inner caves of your domain. Now! Everyone seek safety. Move your eggs. Guard your hatchlings. Be quick. We do not know the length of this fireball storm. All Mursei, follow me! Zelspar, take the Qyrdrom Hail far below my Lair, we will be safe there.”
Dragons scattered with a whirling energy. All rushed to get their Hails far below, safe in the deepest recesses of their tunnels and caves. Loud explosions reverberated within the caves. The fireballs were yelling at them, thundering a warning of great terror. Dragons roared in answer. Ash and dirt vomited upwards from the Urthe’s belly, as the fireballs charged the ground.
Safe, deep inside the mountain, Zlemtec held onto his neck chain and muttered a chant to keep Kaida safe as the terror of flaming rocks shook him to his core. Guards took turns exhaling their pure air to choke off the ash and dust seeping downward.
The Queen looked around at her group. Terror is an unmistakable manifestation and it was worn by all she encountered. She spoke softly and the loudness of the interior chaos subsided.
“Dragons all, we have weathered similar storms on Verlaunde. Its volcanoes threw rocks at us continually. We will weather this storm also. We will wait it out--we stay safely, inside. When the noise dies away, we will send the Scouts out to check for safety. Until then, just remember. We are Dragons. We survive and thrive.” The Queen looked around and saw the beginning of acceptance taking hold where chaos once reigned. She found an inner strength and pushed forth a gentle smile, easing the shoulders of her Dragons as she passed.
Molakei yelled to his peoples as he ran through the cluster of out-dwellings.
“Head to the caves now! Fireballs are raining down.”
He hurried into their dwelling and let Kaida loose. Flower Bird ran over to them when she saw his alarm.
“Father, what is it?’ she asked.
“It is fireballs. A great explosion came from the sky above skies. It showed a large flaming tail and now sends fireballs at us. We must remain inside until the anger leaves us. Quickly, grab our baskets of medicines. Kaida, take up our sleeping pelts and follow the tunnel with Flower Bird. I will come soon. I need to gather food and bags to hold water.”
Flower Bird and Kaida felt their way along the tunnel to the deepest part of the cave. Kaida dropped the pelts and waited for Flower Bird to prepare the fire pit. She held the torch watching the tendrils of smoke dance towards the ceiling when she saw the chamber for the first time. Above her were gleaming fingers that reached out of the mountain itself. There were pools of water that overflowed to a stream disappearing through a tunnel at the bottom of the wall.
“Flower Bird, what is this place? It is beautiful.” Kaida asked in a hushed voice of awe.
“We think it must be a sacred place where our Ancestors held ceremonies. When we found our home, we explored and found this inner chamber where the water flows. We call the chamber River of Life. It gives us the cold water we enjoy from inside the cave and outside, as it joins the water falling from the mountain’s shoulders. See this firepit and the black caught up on the fingers? This shows our Ancestors used this chamber. We rarely use it but keep it for our descendants so they too may walk the footprints of their Ancestors.”
Kaida unfolded her legs and eased over to the side of the cave where the fingers hung low. Her hand reached out and caught a droplet of water on her fingertips, which brought a smile to her tanned face.
Molakei arrived with his arms full of supplies. Kaida ran to help take the burden and placed them on the ground. Inside the chamber they could still hear the shudders the fireballs sent down.
“How long will this last, Molakei?" Kaida asked.
“I do not know. The large flaming streak in the sky caused it. I do not know how many fireballs it has to throw at us.” he replied.
Fire Bird said quietly, “The peoples say the Dragons are to blame. They say they are battling again high above our sky, in the sky above skies. They are afraid, father.”
“This is not from Dragon wars,” he replied.
He continued to explain to both Flower Bird and Kaida, “I think a torch in the sky collided with another and is falling down upon us. There are multiple torches that give us tender light when the sun sleeps, so many, that once in a while they must bump into the next one. We will be fine. We’ll stay inside until they stop. We have plenty of dried meats and fruit Flower Bird has made. We will eat, then rest. We may need our energy after the fireballs stop.”
They shared their meal by the fireside, watching sparkles glimmer above their heads. An occasional loud rumble would jar them from their thoughts and fade away.
Kaida thought of Zlemtec and gave a silent thank-you for his new stone he brought. She was sure it would bring her Protection from such a wild force.
She couldn’t help but worry for his safety and wished he were there, in their cave. Her mind wondered about his way of life. Could it be much different than hers? Why do the peoples fear Dragons so much? True, they are bigger and shoot flames, but the peoples make arrows that fly fire too. Her hands clung to her neck chains and sent thoughts of safety to him, wherever he was.
No one was left outside to watch as the last fireballs stopped raining. However, that would not be the last of the terror they all faced. The Urthe had suffered a great and mighty blow which had only begun.
The sky had lost its second moon. Verlaunde w
as no more. Urthe had begun to grieve, and thunderous shakes split wide gaps across the ground. Mountains spewed fire rocks back into the sky in an offering that fell empty to the smoldering land. Oceans gave up their dead in huge waves which ate away chunks of the terrain in its frothy maw.
The Great Season of Change had arrived.
The End
The Legend Of The Dragon Child
Book 2 The Legend: Revealed
Preview
Low grumblings still came from the belly of Urthe. Molakei, the old Warrior and Elder of the peoples, ventured out from the inner hidden chamber filled with dangling crystals. He looked at his daughter, Flower Bird and then to Kaida, the young child who was found alone in the forest, curled around a Dragon’s scale of Blue and Gold. His warrior’s heart pounded heavily against his bones. He had to ensure their safety.
“Stay here. I will make sure it is safe to return to the upper chamber. It sounds like the fireballs from the sky have stopped. Wait for my return.”
The smell of smoke and ash burned his nostrils as he cautiously made his way up through the winding tunnel. Peering into their cave, he saw it had been hit with a from shaking. Scattered across the floor were the contents of their broken storage pottery and baskets thrown down from their niches. He gingerly picked a path through the strewn shards and stepped outside.
He held his tunic over his nose to filter out the smell of the smoke. The sight in front of him caused his hand to drop and his jaw followed suit. Giant splinters fanned out in odd directions. The downed trees that once towered close to the mountain, now lay prostrate against the broken back of the ones in front of them. Out-dwellings were still smoldering, their blackened corpses dotting the edge of the stream. Tears trickled silently down his face. So much destruction-- Ash continued to drift down, making it hard to breathe. His ears filled with the death cries from the beasts of the ground that echoed across their valley.
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