by Jordan Baker
Vale hugged her arms around herself and took in a deep breath, then she rose to her feet and made her way out of the cave, pushing away the tangle of thoughts and emotions that whirled deep within her. She wondered how it was that she could not have bonded with him, that the flame of her power had not driven away his madness, even though his energy had taken hold within her. And yet, when she had touched this strange queen, it had happened so easily. Vale knew it as surely as she now knew the life of this queen called Ariana, she had received the wisdom of the Akandra, and given to her the wisdom of the Aledra. As far as she knew, it was something that had never happened before. As the knowledge and memories of the lines slowly became a part of her, Vale also knew that she and Ariana were now bonded as surely as any queen had ever bonded a mate, except their bond was shared and both thoughts and emotions flowed freely between them as queens. Vale did her best to push away the emotions that came to her from Ariana, burning hot with passion in her thoughts and she took comfort in knowing that the Akandar was saved. At least he would live, for the madness was gone from him, and Vale was truly glad of it, for his sake and for the sake of the flames of his passion that burned warmly inside of her.
A dragon once more, she emerged from the mouth of the cavern to see her mother standing guard, no longer sending powerful threats to the dragons circling the sky, who had turned and left, when the madness had ceased. Vale nodded to her mother, who looked over her shoulder at her approach, and Storm, a new vassal to the strange unexpected queen bowed his head at her, in deference as though she commanded his power.
"It seems the Akandra queen has calmed the beast within young Borrican," Vana said.
"That she has," Vale told her. "A strange power is that of the Akandra."
"It is not part of our wisdom," Vana said. "The wisdom of other lines, vestiges of the ancients, claim that the Akandra are the oldest, the first of dragonkind."
"I now know the truth of it," Vale told her and then she leapt into the air, taking to her wings, putting distance between herself and the flood of emotions she cold not banish. She felt a presence following her and somehow knew who it was even though his thoughts were guarded. "Storm, why do you follow me?"
"You are my queen," he said. "I do not know how this is true, but I know this, and it is my duty to guard your honor."
"I do not need to be guarded," Vale told him, tempted to send him away, but also glad of his company.
"Perhaps you do not," Storm said. "But it is better that you are not alone, and I have yet to be bonded."
"I cannot bond with you, Storm," Vale said. "Not yet."
"Then I will wait," he said.
"As you wish," Vale told him, flying higher and heading away from the dragon valleys and out toward the distant flows, where she could be alone.
"As you command," Storm replied, keeping respectful distance, yet curious that he had become a vassal twice this day. There was much he wished to learn, but he knew that only a bonding would give him such wisdom. In the meantime, he would fulfill his duty, and ensure that his queen would find him worthy of the bond, for the madness he had felt coming from the Akandar already tugged at his mind, as it did every drake who would become a dragon.
"Come then, vassal, be my guard," Vale said, looking over her shoulder at him and then further back where four sets of wings followed them. "And tell the others not to bother me for a time."
"Of course, my queen."
****
Vana heard the call of the elders summoning her to the mountain and she was not surprised. Every dragon had felt the power of the Akandra and knew that something was different. Rarely had a bonding been attempted so late, when the madness was so close to being complete, and that alone would be of interest to the elders. The strange power of the young woman, who bore the wisdom of the Akandra line had caused an even greater stir, for though she was human in her looks and her thoughts, her elven nature became clear in the scent of her power when the bonding had occurred. It was almost unthinkable that the blood and power of such rival races would come together in such a way, and the very idea of it would be troubling to most of the dragons, if not downright scandalous. Vana could sense the depths of power of the young queen called Ariana, and the frightening strength of her Akandra mate and she was not worried for their safety, not yet anyway. The elders would have many questions, and Vana did not doubt that many of them would condemn the match, and she decided that it might be time for her to share a portion of the wisdom that had been passed down from generation to generation among the Aledra, secret knowledge that was known only the wyverns of her line.
Vana leapt into the air and beat her powerful wings, climbing into the sky and angling her flight in the direction of the great mountain where the elders awaited her. She caught a hint of her daughter, flying away in the opposite direction and disappearing from her senses and she hoped that Vale would find her balance. She was still a young wyvern, a new queen barely ready to take vassals and begin bonding, and the wisdom of her line was still emerging in her thoughts, which was difficult enough. Somehow, Vale had gained a second wisdom, and Vana wondered how it might affect her, but whatever happened, the last thing her daughter or the Akandra needed now was the elders meddling with something they would not understand, a truth that those of her line had always known.
CHAPTER SIX
"Why do you want me to change into such a thing?" Lexi asked Ashan. "I want to be like everyone else."
"What do you mean like everyone else?" the old Ansari asked her.
"Like you and Aaron and Tash and Kasha," Lexi said.
"What about me?" Stavros asked.
"I don't want to be an old man with a grey beard," Lexi said.
"Oh?" Stavros chuckled. "And what's wrong with being old and grey with a beard?"
"There's nothing wrong for you," Lexi said, scowling. "I'm not an old man."
"And what are you, Lexi?" Ashan asked.
"It doesn't matter what I am," she said. "You said I could be what I chose, that is Ansari."
"Yes," Ashan replied. "But you are not Ansari."
"Why is Tash Ansari?" Lexi asked. "Why can't I be Ansari?"
"Perhaps you may come to know Ansari," Ashan told her. "In my many years I have learned that there is little in all of existence that is truly impossible, but if you wish to learn, then you must first learn who and what you are."
"I don't want to be such a creature," Lexi said. "They are stupid, unthinking, killing beasts."
Tash skipped alongside her friend and the old Ansari as they walked down a trail through densely forested hills toward the grassy plains at the edge of the desert lands ahead, and she listened to the things Ashan was teaching Lexi. Trying to help, she leapt into the air and transformed into a flying lizard with little feathered wings that were far too small to keep her aloft, despite flapping them as quickly as she could.
"I can still think even when I'm a dragon," she said.
A moment later, Tash landed on the ground with a thud, then she scrambled to her feet and began to stalk along beside them, her growls sounding a lot like the mewlings of a cat despite her being the shape of a fat lizard with wings.
"See I'm a dragon. I am fierce."
"That is not a dragon, Tash," Lexi said.
"Why isn't it a dragon?" Tash asked. "Is my tail too short? Maybe my wings aren't big enough. Dragons can fly. I need better wings."
Tash looked over her shoulder at the little wings that stuck out of her back, then she was suddenly distracted by her tail twitching behind her. Her eyes narrowed and she began to chase it, spinning around in circles until she fell over on the ground.
"How do you know what a dragon is, Lexi?" Ashan asked. "Have you ever seen one?"
"No," she said, sullenly looking away from him.
"And yet you know that this form that young Tash has taken is not that of a dragon. I can tell that you know this, but how do you know?"
"I don't know," Lexi said. "Maybe I don't."
&nbs
p; "Or maybe you do," Ashan countered. " I know that you do. It is a form that is part of you. If you are to know Ansari, you must learn the truth of yourself."
"My mother is like the others, mostly."
"And are you your mother?" Ashan asked.
"No," Lexi said, baring her pointed teeth with a hint of anger. "I am not like her."
"But you want to be like her?"
"I don't," Lexi insisted and she frowned. "I just want to look like her. I hate her, but she is beautiful."
"Why do you say that?" Ashan asked.
"Everyone says it, and even when they don't say it, they think it," Lexi told him. "I know it is true. She is terrible and cruel, but she is beautiful. I could smell the desire on every man who ever was in her presence." She frowned. "No, that is not true. There was one who did not want her, only one who did not want to mate with her."
"And who was he?" Stavros asked.
"One of the mages in black robes," Lexi said. "He was not important, but he was nice to me and taught me things about the world."
"And you learned much from this mage," Ashan continued.
"I learned many things, yes," Lexi said. "I learned other things by myself too."
"And is it good to learn things?"
"Sometimes it is," Lexi said. "Not always."
"Did I get it right?" Tash asked as she flapped along on large, colorful wings that made her look like an overgrown butterfly, but with the body of a lizard and a much longer tail this time.
"No," Lexi said.
"What's a dragon, then?" Tash asked as she flitted along. "I'm going to ask Aaron and Kasha. They will tell me."
Tash flapped her colored wings and flew up ahead, leaving Ashan and Lexi together, with Stavros following along behind them. With her big butterfly wings, she flew up behind Aaron and Kasha as quietly as she could and then she let out her best roar, which sounded more like the squeak of a kitten. They both turned their heads and stared at her over their shoulders, but Tash wondered that neither of them seemed particularly scared, and then they started to laugh.
"Why aren't you scared?" she asked.
"We were a little scared," Kasha said, biting her lip. "You surprised us."
"Only a little scared?" Tash was really disappointed. "I am a dragon. You should be a lot scared. Dragons are fierce."
"You're not a dragon, Tash," Kasha said.
"That's not true," Tash said. "I am a dragon. Dragons are fierce."
She let out the loudest roar she could, but it still sounded like a cat and barely more than a kitten.
"Fierce," she said again.
Kasha could not help but laugh and Tash started to get angry.
"Tell her, Aaron," she said. "I'm a dragon."
"Tash," Aaron said, pausing for a moment as he thought of the best way to word the truth. "Is this the first time you have tried to be a dragon?"
"It is," Tash said.
"Then it is very good," Aaron said, taking a breath before continuing. "But, dragons are a little bit different."
"Different? How?"
"Well, I think dragons are bigger."
"I can't be bigger yet," Tash said. "I can only be little things until I get stronger. That's what Ashan says, so I am a little dragon."
Aaron nodded.
"Dragons also have horns," Aaron told her.
"Really?" Tash flitted ahead of him and Kasha on her butterfly wings.
"I think so," Aaron said. "And they have claws and long, sharp teeth, and their wings are leathery like those of a bat."
"Ew," Tash said. "They sound scary."
"They do," Aaron said. "Dragons are legendary for being fearsome."
"Yes, they are fierce," Tash said, and she landed on the ground. "How do you know what dragons look like?"
"I'm not sure," Aaron said, trying to remember where he would learned about them. "I think I have seen pictures of them in books." He also remembered there was a dragon in the Kandaran coat of arms. "A friend of mine has a dragon in his family crest."
"What else did I get wrong, besides the horns and claws and teeth and wings of a bat?" Tash asked.
"Try making your roar lower, like a growl," Kasha suggested.
"Okay," Tash said. "Don't look. I'm going to surprise you again. See if you get scared."
"You want us to pretend that we don't know you're going to try to scare us?"
Tash squinted an eye at the, then she flapped her wings, turning around and she flew off through the trees.
"I'll be back," she said. "You better be scared."
"Tash is very determined," Aaron said, smiling at the antics of the young girl who had been adopted by the Ansari.
"She is," Kasha said. "That is why she is worthy of Ansari."
"And how will she live among your people?" Aaron asked.
"Ansari are your people now, husband," Kasha said. "Though you are not Ansari, you are proven among them."
"I don't understand what that means," Aaron said. "I don't even know what you mean by saying we are married."
"We are not married," Kasha said. "We are mated. It is different."
"I don't understand," Aaron repeated.
"Perhaps it is best that you don't," Kasha said with a smile.
"What about Tash?" Aaron asked. "How will she live?"
"As Ansari," Kasha replied, giving him another answer that explained nothing, as though the truth of things was somehow obvious.
"Tell me, Kasha, why do Ansari answer questions about Ansari by saying Ansari?" Aaron asked.
"It is our way," she said.
"Yes, I know that," Aaron replied, even more frustrated. "I would like to understand."
"One does not understand Ansari," Kasha told him. "To know Ansari is to be Ansari and you know our ways, perhaps more than you think you do."
"That's what Ashan says," Aaron replied.
"Ashan is very wise," she said. "He sees many things."
"And yet he also says there are things that he might not see and things he might never know."
"Perhaps that is what makes him wise."
Aaron pondered what she had said as they continued along the trail, wondering if there were things he could not see, or if it was possible to learn anything if a person put one's mind to it, with enough time and effort. Certainly, that was what mages believed, that learning was about uncovering knowledge and mysteries though instruction and experiments, but the Ansari way was less about exploring the world, and more about knowing oneself, and they seemed content with that. While they were very different in their ways, Aaron had the impression that they were no less powerful.
What confounded him most was that the mages and the Ansari agreed that he had abilities like both a mage and Ansari, yet at the same time he was different somehow, and to make things even more frustrating, there were things they knew that they would not tell him. It was irritating, for it was as though they did not trust him because he was different, but Aaron knew it mostly had to do with the shadow, that they must keep certain things from him, guarding against the possibility that the dark god might learn things from him through the shadow. Stroma had said as much, but as much as Aaron understood the importance of keeping things from Kenra, he did not like being kept in the dark, especially about things that concerned him. So lost was he in such thoughts and his conversation with Kasha, that Aaron almost completely forgot about Tash and her plan to sneak up on them as a dragon. He had intentionally tried not to think about her scheme it in the hope that she would genuinely surprise him, but after a while, Aaron began to have a nagging feeling about her, wondering where she might be and why she was taking so long to return.
Out in the forest, a short distance from the trail, Tash hid under a fallen log among some dense brush, keeping as quiet as possible. All around her were strange lizard creatures, not like the dragons she had imagined at all, but more like Lexi, though they were larger and many of them had wings. They were armed and many of them wore gleaming armor, and Tash could sense the dange
rous malevolence emanating from them. As soon as she had transformed into the new form, her best idea of what a dragon might be, she had immediately sensed the predatory nature of these creatures, approaching silently through the forest. Her strange new instincts told her to challenge them to fight, but she knew she would stand little chance against them for their power far outstripped her own. She forced herself to hide and waited quietly for them to pass by so she could sneak away and warn Aaron and the rest of the group. When she finally emerged from her hiding place, she realized that the lizard men had probably almost caught up with her friends and there would be no way to reach them, even in her new dragon shape, which she was sure had better wings but had not yet tried flying with them. Tash took a deep breath and did the only thing she could think of, hoping it would be enough.
A piercing shriek, guttural, rasping and ominous echoed through the forest, alerting everyone on the trail. Aaron was surprised at the chilling sound of it but he was impressed at how much an improvement it was over the previous attempts Tash had made, but something about it bothered him. It appeared to bother Kasha as well and she stopped and turned in the direction from which the sound had come, somewhere back along the trail and off in the trees. Again the growling shriek echoed through the trees, bloodcurdling and terrible it was. Ashan, Stavros and Lexi, who had been walking a few paces behind them, turned around as well.
"What is that sound?" Stavros asked.
"That is Tash," Kasha said with a look of deep concern. "Something is wrong."
"Let's find her," Aaron said. "She might be hurt."
"No," Lexi said, tilting her head as the terrible shriek sounded again. "There are enemies coming."
"All the more reason to find Tash," Aaron said, drawing his sword.
"She is warning us," Lexi told him. "They are coming now."
Kasha drew her sword and stood ready, watching the trees for any sign of movement and Aaron felt Stavros begin to gather his power.
"There," Ashan said, pointing.
A short ways behind them, five large figures emerged from the trees, fearsome looking creatures, reptilian in their features but walking upright, and there was no question what they were.
