I expected him to be naked when he shifted, but to my surprise, he was fully clothed. Druid allies, maybe? If we were in the Velsara Wilds, the thought would be more than plausible. Both the South Tribe and several druid villages resided in these woods.
“State your business here, Human,” the dragon ordered, his word drenched in a thick accent more commonly found in the southern wetlands on the west side of the Larkian Mountain rage.
“I thought red dragons were supposed to be friendly,” I commented to Raikidan. “Did he not get the memo, or did someone spit on his deer carcass this morning?”
Raikidan chuckled and several of the dragons around us also found my words amusing.
The red dragon in front of us growled. “I said state your business, Human.”
I jerked my head at Raikidan. “Ask him. He’s the one dragging me to the gods knows where.”
“I’m asking you, not the half-color,” he growled.
Pulling an ember from my lips, I pushed Raikidan aside and threw a ball of fire at the dragon. He jumped out of the way and glared at me.
“Insult him like that again, and next time I’ll actually try to hit you,” I threatened.
Raikidan chuckled. “For your sake, Zaith, I wouldn’t piss her off. Now, let us pass and pay our respects.”
“Rogue shaman,” Zaith muttered. “My answer is still no. Now leave my colony’s territory.”
Pay our respects? Now I really wanted to know what was going on, and since Raikidan was being so secretive I was going to have to figure it out on my own. He had dragged me south, and he obviously came into this colony’s territory on purpose. Raikidan never did things on accident, or at least, I didn’t think he did.
But the biggest factor was this paying respects topic Raikidan brought up. Paying respects was for the dead. That’s it! Turning to face Raikidan, I snatched my bag from him and headed in the direction we had been walking.
“Eira?” Raikidan asked.
Zaith stepped into my path in an attempt to stop me, but I wasn’t having it. I twisted his arm and tripped him. He howled in pain, making Raikidan laugh and I continued on.
Raikidan began to follow, but he stopped a few steps later to speak to Zaith. “I warned you. Never get in her way or piss her off. You’re lucky she’s in a nice mood today.”
Zaith growled at Raikidan and Raikidan was happy to oblige with a similar comeback before following me. The trees thinned more as we walked, and I was very aware of the dragons following us. They kept their distance, but that didn’t stop Raikidan from being uneasy and walking too close to me. No matter how many times I pushed him away and reminded him about my personal space, he’d come right back.
I stopped walking when we reached a large clearing. In the center of the clearing rested a large pile of bones, but they weren’t just any bones. These were the bones of a fully-intact dragon skeleton. Peacekeeper Pyralis…
I made my way over to the skeleton. Kneeling down in front of the skull, I placed my bag by my side and brought my hand up to my face to pay my respects. Raikidan knelt down next to me, but instead of paying his respects he watched me. Ignoring him, I continued my attempt to pay my respects, but I couldn’t think of what to say. I didn’t know the best way to go about this. I knew the stories and I knew what he had done for everyone, but no words seemed good enough.
I sighed. Words would never be good enough for me. I needed something that would show how grateful I was for what he had done. Allowing my hand to fall, I turned and reached for my bag. I rummaged around and tried to find the large bag buried under all the other supplies. Finally finding both bags of the same size, I looked at the individual hemmed embroidery on each bag to figure out which one I wanted.
Pulling the small bag out, I handed the pack to Raikidan. “You’re going to want to back up.”
“What are you—Eira, where did you get that?” he demanded to know as I pulled out the red dragon’s eye from its leather bag.
“It’s mine,” I said. “Now back up so I have room.”
Raikidan backed up but kept a careful eye on me. Collecting myself and then taking a deep breath, I tossed the gem high into the air. The afternoon sun sparkled against the surface of the gem. Unclasping my cloak, I tossed it aside and released the veil from my hair clip, making sure my body cloth and hair didn’t come loose in the process.
Taking a deep breath to keep me calm, I pulled a few embers from my lips and willed them to grow in my hands. Swirling the fire around me, I moved my body in a slow dance-like motion. The gem finally reached its zenith and began to fall, and when it came back within reach I snatched it. The fire in my hand engulfed the gem, illuminating and reflecting light all around me.
Using all my will and power, I took the gem and slammed it into the forehead of the skeleton. The skeleton cracked and several dragons reacted with anger. Ignoring them and their potential to attack me, I focused on tapping into the crystal’s power. Forcing more fire and some spirit energy into the crystal, it began to glow. It glowed so brightly I had to close my eyes, but I didn’t pull away. This was my tribute and I wouldn’t back down.
I stepped back when the skeleton moved. I watched as it came to life and repositioned. As it moved, the gem I had planted into the skull distorted and formed over the bones. Taking a deep breath, I forced my body to move and willed the skeleton into a shape I wanted. I needed to make sure this gem wasn’t wasted and this tribute wasn’t messed up.
The skeleton reared up on its back legs and its mouth opened as if it were breathing fire. The gem continued to engulf the skeleton and as it finished at the feet, it reached across the ground. The gem-like matter shot skyward creating the image of a man with a sword in his hands, thrusting its blade down into the ground.
Weakness flooded over me and I fell to one knee, my breath coming out in heavy bursts. I took in the statue I had created and was a bit disappointed with myself. In creating the human version of Pyralis, I had accidently made him a nu-human. I was so sure I was thinking of him correctly. Guess I really can’t do anything right…
Then I noticed something peculiar behind the statue. Just a few feet away, stood two gravestones. Raikidan had said they didn’t bury the dead; Pyralis’ bones were proof of that, so what were two gravestones doing in a place like this? It was possible they buried baby dragons if they didn’t make it, but their kind didn’t come across as the type to create gravestones. I could only guess some humans had died here once before the dragons claimed the area as their territory. It made the most sense, as the stones appeared rather old.
“Eira?” Raikidan asked hesitantly, pulling me from my questioning.
I looked back and smirked. “You look pale, Raikidan. Something the matter?”
“I, uh, can you now tell me where you got that gem?”
“It was a gift.”
He glared at me. “That’s your answer for everything.”
I chuckled. “That’s because that’s how I get all of my stuff.”
“No one just gives something that valuable to someone,” he argued.
I shrugged. “It’s how I got the green dragon’s eye.”
Raikidan stared at me in disbelief. “You have two of the three?”
“Had,” I corrected as I looked up at the new statue. “I had two.”
Raikidan took a stand by my side. “I can’t believe you knew how to use it.”
“I didn’t,” I admitted. “I just went with a gut instinct.”
“That’s not like you,” he commented. “You always think things out before you act.”
I laughed. “You really don’t know me at all then.”
Raikidan looked at me funny and then at the statue. “Could you really not be okay with just saying something? Did you have to use such a rare gem?”
“You know me and words. We
don’t get along.”
Raikidan chuckled in response. I glanced at the red dragons that watched us from the safety of the tree line.
“They don’t know what to make of you,” Raikidan said. “They’re impressed with what you’ve done. They never thought such a tribute was possible. Being dragons, they would have hoarded the gem for themselves, but you chose to do something nice with it. They expected a human to want to try to tap into the gem’s power for their own gain, but you’ve done the complete opposite.”
“I have no use for it,” I replied with a shrug. “Zaith, or whatever his name is, doesn’t look impressed with what I’ve done.”
Raikidan chuckled. “He’s still dealing with his damaged pride.”
“Well the buttercup can suck it up,” I said. “It’s his damned fault for getting in the way.”
A masculine voice chuckled close by and I looked at Raikidan only to find him as confused as me.
“Eira, you were always rough with the males,” the voice said. “No wonder they were always afraid of you.”
Raikidan took a step back. “Pyralis.”
I blinked when Raikidan said the dead dragon’s name and chose to look in the direction he was staring. I was startled to see an incredibly tall man with short, unnatural-red hair, and emerald green eyes standing before us. He looked identical to the crystal man that stood beneath the crystal dragon statue, right down to the nu-human ears. He was translucent, making me aware of his nonliving state.
I dipped my head respectfully. “Sir.”
Pyralis grunted. “This is why I’ve always hated soldiers. You’re all too formal. Well, ex-soldier in your case.”
“Great, now everyone is uneasy now that they know you’re an ex-soldier,” Raikidan muttered.
I snorted and continued to look at Pyralis. “That has to be the stupidest reason I’ve heard for someone to hate me.”
Pyralis laughed and walked around his new memorial. “Impressive work. You really knew what you wanted to do. Thank you for this, but words would have worked as well.”
“You obviously don’t know me if you thought words would suffice.”
Pyralis chuckled and faced me. “Yes, words don’t come easy for do they, Eira? It’s because of that you don’t fit in with your own.”
I took a step back. I didn’t like how he said that. It didn’t feel good.
Raikidan, seeing my unease, took a step forward. “Watch it.”
Pyralis held up his hands. “I apologize. I didn’t mean for it to come off in that way.” He walked closer to me. “You look tired, Eira. You should rest.”
“I’m fine,” I replied, still wary of him.
Pyralis smiled and then faded from view. I spun around when I sensed a spiritual presence behind me, to find Pyralis had appeared there.
“It takes a lot of elemental and spiritual power to use the dragon’s eye gems,” he said. “You’re very good at hiding how weak you’re really feeling. You need your rest after the wonderful job you’ve done.”
“I said I’m—”
I didn’t get a chance to finish. Pyralis reached out and touched my forehead with two fingers. My vision faded and I lost all feeling in my body. The last thing I heard was Raikidan yelling my name as I collapsed.
Chapter 33
The breeze was light and the afternoon sun’s rays filtered through the think canopy, casting dancing light spots across the forest floor. Songbirds sung happily as if there were no evil in the world.
I stood in the shadows of a large tree, unsure where I was. Nothing looked familiar, but that didn’t worry me at the moment. I was too preoccupied with watching a tiny black dragon playing all by himself. I didn’t understand why he was alone. Shouldn’t he be playing with other dragons his age? Brothers or sisters; cousins or clan friends even?
He seemed oblivious to the fact he was alone. I watched him circle a flower and then pounce on the unfortunate plant. He looked at the trampled plant triumphantly and then was distracted by a violet butterfly. An Amaranthine? I expected the little dragon to reach out and attack the poor insect, but he followed it with curiosity instead. Intrigued by the dragon’s actions, I followed him.
The little dragon hopped around happily as it followed the fluttering creature. I remembered Raikidan telling me black dragons didn’t care much for any life but their own but watching this dragon it was hard to believe that was true. If they weren’t born with that attitude, what made them think that way later on?
The little dragon put his front legs on a tree when the Amaranthine landed on the trunk. He looked up at it and whimpered. The more he whimpered the more I felt bad for him. He really like this butterfly and it was just out of reach for him.
The little dragon placed his front legs back on the ground and walked in a tight circle a few times before looking back up at the butterfly and whimpering again. The butterfly fluttered off and the dragon happily tried to follow it but stopped. He turned around and jumped a few times before scurrying off in the new direction he was looking.
I watched as a large red dragon moved into sight and bent its head down. The little dragon squealed with delight and touched his nose with the larger dragon. I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t giggle. The sound was cute, but I couldn’t figure out what a red dragon was doing with a baby black dragon. From what I could tell dragons weren’t the adopting types, at least not cross color. Their bad relations with each other would deter that. But this red dragon didn’t care and I wasn’t sure if it was male or female.
The wind picked up, shaking the canopy leaves and scattering more light over the floor. That’s when I noticed something on the baby Dragon. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and I blinked to make sure I wasn’t crazy. The little Dragon had a small red stripe down the center of his back that started near his eyes.
Raikidan? I shook my head of the thought. It couldn’t be him. Could it? Was the stripe he had unique, or did all black-red dragons have them? Whatever the case was, if this was in fact Raikidan, that would make this red dragon his mother.
The red dragon turned and headed farther into the woods. The little dragon started to follow, but stopped and looked back to where the butterfly had disappeared. The red dragon turned her head and called to the little dragon and he reluctantly followed after a few moments of hesitation.
Curiosity tugged me to follow, but as I did the world around me blurred and when it stopped I was at the edge of a clearing next to a large cliff. The red dragon and small black-red dragon came out of the forest near me and started to climb a small path that led up the cliff. The two stopped when the sounds of loud growls and roars irrupted from the top.
Above them, two black dragons thundered out of a cave onto the crag ledge. They acted aggressively, but as I watched them neither inflicted any wounds on the other. It occurred to me these two were arguing and one of them wasn’t a full black dragon at all. As he moved, I noticed red scales in a stripe-like pattern all along his body. That indicated half-colors did have unique patterns; that also meant this little dragon I’d been watching was, in fact, Raikidan. But I didn’t understand why I was seeing all of this. What was the purpose?
The black-red dragon roared at the black dragon and then took to the skies. As he did, Raikidan scampered up to the top of the cliff and ran to the ledge where the other black dragon stood. Raikidan called out to the fleeing dragon, but his small cry went unheard.
Raikidan hung his head and retreat into the cave the two older dragons had come out of. My feet moved on their own and climbed the path to the cave entrance. Peering inside, I watched little Raikidan glare at a cave cricket as he lay facing a cave wall. I half expected him to snap at it when it hopped too close but he continued to glare.
I looked around the cave. There were no other dragons in here. It didn’t make sense. Why was Raikidan the only baby he
re? Raikidan sighed and fell over on his side. He no longer looked mad. I knew the look on his face. He was sad and alone. He wasn’t oblivious to the lack of other baby dragons around him. He just made the best of it because he had to.
Kneeling down next to him, I couldn’t help but reach out and touch his head. I blinked when a strange sensation rushed through me.
“Why did he have to break the promise he made to his brother?”
I looked up when the feminine voice penetrated my mind. It was rough, as if it were partially growling. I watched the red and black dragon and they sat next to each other. The black dragon had his neck draped over the red dragon’s neck and his head rested on her shoulder. I recognized that posture. Raikidan had done the human equivalent at the club.
“He has never been good with keeping promises,” the black dragon stated.
I blinked. I could understand them. That must have been what that weird rush had been.
The red dragon sighed. “But now Raikidan is alone.”
“He has Corliss,” the black dragon said.
“But they do not come over often, thanks to you fighting with your brother,” she accused.
I looked down at baby Raikidan. He had told me about Corliss once, but he had said he was a friend. I wondered why he didn’t say Corliss was his cousin.
The black dragon sighed. “We are going to have to manage. You had insisted on keeping his egg warm for a century and a half longer, knowing full well this would happen.”
I blinked. A century and a half longer? How long did these guys stay in their shells?
“Hush!” she hissed. “You make it sound like we should not have done it, and he can hear you.”
“I am not saying that,” the black dragon growled. “I am merely saying we knew what would happen if we kept hoping. His siblings grew up without him. That is the simple truth.”
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