Choice

by Gary Stringer

  Her words resounded for a time until they were absorbed into the stunned silence. Then the strangest thing happened - Toli began to clap. An act taken up by Rochelle, then two more and another, until the study room - indeed the whole of Shakaran Castle it seemed - rang with the sound of applause. Like an audience giving a standing ovation at the end of a play, or an army preparing for battle after a rousing speech from their general. Unused to such attention, the asocial Eilidh felt a surge of panic rise up within her, but she kept herself together long enough to step down from her perch with dignity.

  Heading for the door, she said, “I'm going to freshen up. I'll be back shortly and by that time I expect this room to be tidied up, table back upright with the books replaced neatly on top. We will then work together to find a solution to the problem before us with the minimum of fuss and frivolity.” Pointing to an openmouthed Kismet on her way, she ordered, “You come with me.”

  Her tone brooked no argument. Even his mock salute died halfway through its execution and he obediently followed.

  Chapter 6

  “Swimming is very similar to flying,” Air told Loric as they perched on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. “The same sorts of techniques apply and a good flyer should not have to adjust his rhythm at all. The main difference, of course, is that we can't breathe under water.”

  Aquatic dragons' bodies were adapted with gills as well as lungs, making them naturally amphibious. Still, other dragons could hold their breath for an extended time, allowing them long periods of freedom underwater. So long as a dragon could come up for air from time to time or in the case of Loric and Air, make it to the aquatic kingdom, they'd be fine. The main city had extensive dry areas for trade and relations with the dry land world.

  The main city had extensive dry areas for trade and relations with the dry land world.

  “I can feel a force pulling at me,” Loric told his companion, “to make me go down into the water. It's just like when I was flying over the area where you were with the Knights.”

  “That's right, it's the Penta Drauka magic guiding you and pulling you on to the next stage of your challenge,” she reminded him.

  Now that he knew what it was, that made things a lot easier. It had been really disorientating getting practically pulled out of the sky at the Knights’ encampment.

  “Now obviously, we can't talk underwater,” Air reminded her charge, “but there should be no need. Just keep following the pull of the magic - or just follow me and we'll be there in just about half an hour.”

  Loric nodded. Without further discourse, the two dragons launched themselves from the cliff tops, powerful wing strokes sending up a cloud of dirt and dust. The onshore air currents were strong and Loric soon found an easy rhythm. He followed Air's lead, flying straight out to sea until Air knew the waters were deep enough to enter. Aquatic dragons had a knack of hitting the water vertically, but any misjudgement could cause severe damage to the leading edge of a forest dragon's more delicate wing membranes. Therefore, Air executed a somewhat safer manoeuvre. Extending her wing flaps, she was able to slow her airspeed and achieve an angle of decent of forty-five degrees to the plane of the ocean's surface. In the water's reflection, she noted with satisfaction that her student was matching her very well indeed, for one so inexperienced. He was a couple of degrees out, but at least he had the sense to err on the shallow side.

  Air closed her double eyelids, to protect her vision, flying the last few dragon lengths on feel, using her myriad techniques to maintain the perfect trajectory. Counting in her head, she calculated the optimum moment at which to tuck her wings against her body. She took a final, deep breath as she stretched herself lengthways to enter like a knife, with practically no disturbance to the water.

  Loric forgot to close his wings until four or five dragon lengths too late. He stalled, which completely threw off the angle he had been so proud of a moment ago, hitting the surface with them at some midway point, he generated a splashback akin to that which might be produced by a small meteorite. The pain on his sensitive underside caused him to involuntarily exhale a bit, leaving him with a less than perfect, but still perfectly adequate air supply for their swim down to the aquatic kingdoms.

  Air anticipated the concussive force and managed to position her body to minimise its impact and maintain her course, undisturbed.

  Loric recovered his composure as best he could, trying to apply his fledgling flying skills to this alien environment. Schools of fish of every size, shape, colour and hue swam hastily away from these big, brutish intruders. Membranous jellyfish bobbed along, and both dragons took care to avoid the tentacles, because while a jellyfish sting would not be lethal to a dragon, it would hurt quite considerably. Aquatic dragons were immune thanks to both natural and magical selection. Nature had guided their evolution to include a springy, resilient texture to the aquatic dragons' scaly hide. This tended to absorb sharp impacts, making it highly unlikely that the jellyfish spring-loaded venom tube glands would penetrate. In addition, just as firebreathing dragons were impervious to fire, so too the aquatic dragons were immune to all known poisons. Their breath weapon was a toxic gas, which underwater formed into efficient, magic-guided toxic bubbles. For obvious reasons, fire would not be effective underwater, and given the highly conductive properties of water, Air dreaded to think what mass devastation she might cause with her lightning bolts. Cold climate or `winter dragons` as they were called, might flash freeze segments of the oceanic waters, but it was difficult to see what offensive or defensive application that might have. Loric might have some success with spitting acid - it would be diluted, but at close range, the magic might be able to maintain a cohesive bubble before the forces of nature took control. But it was clear which dragons held the advantage in this environment. And so, Air and Loric - strong and powerful dragons both - gave the delicate invertebrate creatures a healthy respect and a wide berth. In this hostile environment, it was wise not to take risks.

  Air had grown quite fond of her watery counterpart during her time in this body. His love of swimming was a match for her joy of flight. They had shared many friendly contests, both aerial and aquatic. Some would view these contests as pointless, for the outcome was always the same: Air was undisputed mistress of the sky, while he was unrivalled lord of the sea. But as Air had pointed out to Loric, the two disciplines were not all that different, so they each found their closest rival in the other. That fact served to keep them both in peak condition, constantly striving to improve their techniques. After all, Air was certain she would die of shame were her aerobatics ever to be matched by an aquatic.

  But swimming wasn't why the magic of the Penta Drauka was leading Loric into the murky depths of the ocean. This segment was more magically inclined. This was about healing. This was not the magical healing that humans and elves and others could teach at the druid temples. Although the top three tiers of dragons could use the magic of the Life Secrets, dragon magic was less structured and followed its own rules. Dragons were more closely linked to the power of Majaos and unlike mortal Life magic, dragon magic could be performed completely solo. It wasn't that they didn't need Catalysts, but rather, in essence, dragons were their own Catalysts. Indeed, dragons were the inspiration for the magical revolution that those Ancient magicologists brought about so long ago. Those first Catalysts had had to make certain modifications to the technique, simply to take mortality into account. Draconic methods of magic conversion came with an inherent ageing effect. Of course, the dragons, with their indefinite life spans, did not need to worry about such things. Hence also their unique shape changing abilities.

  Air was certain the Elder Dragon of Water would help Loric's friend Callie - so long as he passed the healing tests, of course. Otherwise, Loric would be expelled from the aquatic kingdom with no memory of the Penta Drauka training. In that event, Callie would surely die.

  And I would lose a very promising student, she thought to herself as she observed her charge, who was gain
ing in confidence and technique with every stroke. And that would be a shame. They were about halfway to their destination when Loric began to feel a strange tingling, prickling sensation. At first he dismissed it as a touch of light-headedness, due to lack of oxygen, but that wasn't it; he could hold his breath comfortably for a good while yet. The sensation grew in intensity until Loric recognised it as part of his Fire Rage. But what could he possibly be angry about down here? He was, in point of fact, enjoying himself immensely, albeit with a slight nervousness about the rapidly approaching third segment of the Penta Drauka. But the Fire Rage wasn't just anger. The Elder Dragon of Fire had been quite clear about that. Just as flying technique was something that continued to improve after passing the test, he supposed, why shouldn't the Fire Rage also develop further? Perhaps it developed according to need? That made a kind of sense, Loric decided. Fire Rage was inextricably linked to battle, and besides the actual fighting, what else was important in a fight? Awareness. Wariness. The ability to sense danger. Yes, that was what the sensation was: a warning. Something was coming their way. Something that intended harm.

  But what possible danger could there be to a pair of dragons down here? Loric wondered. Not possessing Loric's Fire sense, Air's first clue that something was wrong lay in her observation of the fish. Their behaviour had changed, suddenly. The question was, why? She had been down here many times before and her Water Dragon friend had schooled her in some of the marine life, as she had discussed birds and insects on their forest flights. On none of those previous occasions, though, had she ever seen the fish behave so oddly. They were clearly agitated about something, but it wasn't the two dragons. In fact, some of them seemed to be deliberately staying close to them, as if seeking protection. Protection from what? Sharks shot past them in terror, and there wasn't much in these waters that could scare those most efficient of seaborne predators. There were dangerous green-scaled aquatic dragons, of course, but she suspected that dragons were not the answer; otherwise the fish would be just as terrified of Loric and herself. No, this was something different. Air slowed to allow Loric to swim alongside her. They couldn't talk, but one glance at Loric's alert body language told her he was as aware of the danger as she was, and equally mystified as to what the cause could be.

  They could not see very much down in the murky depths, but out of that darkness shot a pair of large sea serpents at least twice Loric's size. Their long, thick bodies writhed and wriggled through the water, like giant eels, their fins used primarily for steering. Their massive jaws were filled with a double row of spikes designed to strip flesh from bone, and their jaws were hinged like those of a snake, with that same serpentine ability to open their mouths unnaturally wide. Given half a chance, a sea serpent could sever all the blood vessels in a dragon's neck with a single devastating bite.

  If Air had been alone, she could have cast a Haste spell to outrun the creatures, but she could only cast it on herself, and she would not leave her charge. She just hoped that Loric's Fire Rage had developed as quickly as his flying skills. They were going to need it.

  Loric felt like an explosion had just gone off inside him. He no longer sensed the chill of the water on his scales, in fact he felt as if his Fire Rage could boil off the water around him. He felt fear, but that only further fuelled the fire. He hovered in the water for a moment, gathering himself and then without warning, he shot forward like a coiled spring ripping into the serpents. For once, Air was left floundering, caught completely by surprise by the speed of his reaction. She wasn't the only one. Loric was so fast and so deadly; he had taken a chunk out of one of their hides before it knew what hit it. Then something strange happened.

  Loric's forward momentum was such that he literally tore straight through the serpent's body and out the other side, continuing unimpeded to attack its partner. Air rushed over to examine the carnage Loric had created. The two halves of the creature began to sink, and she instantly knew it was impossible. Fire Rage or not, there was no way a dragon could pass straight through a sea serpent like that. Skin, yes; soft tissue, maybe; tough muscle, at a push; but what about the skeleton? She looked again at the two halves of the dead sea serpent, confused. Where were the bones? This creature had had no bones. Moreover, there was no blood, no muscle, and no internal organs. It was just a bag of uniform flesh. This creature was not a sea serpent.

  As Loric continued to battle the other one, which was putting up more of a fight, the two halves of the dead one flexed, pulsated, grew and reformed into two new serpentine creatures that headed straight for Air. If this battle had been in the open air, the Elder Dragon would have needed all of her flight skills to avoid them. Down in the sea, she slightly mistimed her acrobatics and received a claw down her left flank as punishment. Pulling away, she managed to stall and twist and attack the creature's back. It was the safest place to strike at a sea serpent; she had no idea about these things. Meanwhile, Loric had despatched the second original creature and it, too, was reforming into something new. They were very strange, these new creatures. Unlike the two originals, no-one would ever mistake them for sea serpents. One eye was too far to one side, fins were in the wrong place and the bodies flexed in ways no muscles could ever achieve. One had two tails and one seemed to have insufficient flesh to fill its body, so it undulated like a sausage balloon partially filled with water. Another had lower teeth sticking through its upper jaw to skewer its own flattened nose, though it didn't seem to be in pain as a result. Each of them appeared to be some kind of hideous parody of a sea serpent.

  Loric continued the fight, undaunted, Fire Rage giving him a single-minded purpose to destroy his enemies, but Air was thinking more clearly. They could not stay here and fight indefinitely. Before too long, they were going to need to breathe. The surface was a long way away now, even if they could fight their way past these monsters. Loric, the fabled Black Dragon of Avidon, was a fighter - Air was not. She had to play to her own strengths...but it meant abandoning him. Suppose he fought his way out of it - would he forgive her? Could she forgive herself if he was killed? He had become more than just a charge to her, but this was way above and beyond her duty as an Elder Dragon of the Penta Drauka. Indeed, she realised, this was surely crossing a line into `interference` but maybe she needed to. Maybe they all did. Maybe if they'd all interfered a little before, then perhaps...

  But there was no time to think about that now. She had to act fast, but did she have the right? Steeling herself against her conflicting emotions, she made her choice. Without another thought, she cast a Haste spell and accelerated onwards and downwards, leaving Loric to fend for himself.

  * * * * *

  Eilidh closed the door firmly behind her without slamming it.

  “Walk with me,” she commanded Kismet who followed sheepishly, looking for all the world like a naughty schoolboy dreading the consequences of having been caught getting up to mischief. Finding an empty lounge room, the Catalyst ushered Kismet inside. After closing the door, Eilidh gestured for him to sit down on the sofa. There followed a deathly silence during which Eilidh remained standing, hands clasped calmly in front of her, channelling her Master Gamaliel.

  “Well?” she prompted after several minutes had passed. “Do you want to tell me what game you think you're playing?”

  Kismet pulled a face. “And then you go and spoil it with the question,” he remarked. “Excuse me?” “For a while there,” he explained, “you were doing quite the Enforcer impression. You'd got me here on the sofa, while you were standing there all silent-and-deadly, ready to wait as long as took for your `suspect` to crack and start talking. In fact, it put me in mind of an incident - ooh, a while ago now– of Prime Magus Gamaliel interviewing a young asocial Catalyst for a quest of vital importance to King and Country. I wonder what happened to that girl.”

  “You know full well that was me,” Eilidh said, irritably.

  “Really?” Kismet crossed his legs and leaned back into the corner of the sofa, perfectly relaxed while
studying her.

  Eilidh was suddenly very cognisant of the fact that he seemed to have turned the tables on her. Now she felt like it was she who had been called to the headmaster's office. She self-consciously folded her arms.

  Kismet pulled a face again. “Egad! Defensive body posture! Silly girl! Now you've really blown it as an Enforcer!”

  She unfolded her arms and held them rigidly at her sides, clenching her fists. “I'm not an Enforcer, dammit, I'm a Catalyst!”

  The trademark orange silk appeared in Kismet's hand and he held it up to his face in mock horror, as he gasped, “I say, do watch the language, there's a good girl.”

  Eilidh flushed, “Will you stop patronising me?”

  “Sink me, dear girl, but if a bit of name calling injures you so much, I dread to think how you're going to cope when people start really attacking you.” Eilidh arched her eyebrows, regaining her composure. “What do you mean, `start `? They're already really attacking me and I think I've handled it pretty well so far, all things considered. Anyway, you still haven't answered my question: what have you been up to since you started playing dead?”

  Kismet smiled. The orange silk vanished. “That's better. More like your old self. In fact more like yourself.”

  “What's that supposed to mean?”

  “I mean your little tantrum back there and then marching me in here to account for myself.”

  “That wasn't a tantrum. I was just trying to get everyone's attention after your theatrics.”

  “By creating some theatrics of your own,” Kismet pointed out. “Never fight fire with fire unless your fire's bigger! Same thing with Niltsiar. You've got to play to your own strengths.”