The Dragon's Eyes

by Oxford, Rain

  “Really?” I tried harder to see it, but now I couldn’t even see any green. I was interrupted by an irritated bark-like roar and looked over to see the dragon waiting on us impatiently. Dylan and I got in the water, which flowed calmly about waist deep. “Oh, get clean. You smell,” I lied.

  An odd huff was the only warning I got before I was showered with hot droplets of water. I turned to him and wiped my eyes in time to see him gather another mouthful of water and spray it all over me. Dylan fell down, he was laughing so hard. It wasn’t long before the smell of dragon blood was washed away and there was a new smell.

  This was a malicious scent, a hungry scent. Something was watching us and I could smell its anticipation. I narrowed in on the direction the threat was coming from; the dragon and I both turned to watch at the same time. Dylan noticed our hesitation. The creature slowly crawled out of the cover of the ferns.

  It was a hynerpeton; one of the smaller species of amphibians. Like all amphibians, they are carnivorous, fast, and had strong jaws filled with sharp teeth. Large green and black bands covered the slime-coated skin. The poisonous bristles around its neck were flared in warning.

  “If a human saw an axolotl that was two meters long, they would freak out, but this is smaller than any amphibian I have seen in Duran. We should probably go.”

  Shinobu, previously curled up on Dylan’s clothes, hissed, but the beast obviously had no idea what it was dealing with. Unfortunately, when it didn’t run from her, she retreated to the edge of the water, then looked at Dylan as if to ask for advice. Two more hynerpeton came up beside the first one. We couldn’t outrun them and they were very hungry.

  “Go away!” I yelled. I waved my arms up. “I’m bigger and louder than you! Go away!”

  Dylan joined me. “Get back! I gave food poisoning to the last thing that tried to eat me!” he yelled. The hynerpeton stopped, confused.

  I looked at him. “You gave Divina---”

  “Shut up,” Dylan demanded.

  The dragon reared up on his hind legs and let out a deafening roar. He flapped his wings wide and brought his front legs down in a stomp that created large waves. He displayed his tail spike above his head in strike position. Luckily the amphibians must have decided there were easier meals than us, and they sauntered off.

  “Great. Off they go, scampering away from the bigger monsters we have just attracted with the noise,” Dylan said. The dragon was of like mind and quickly disappeared into the forest. We rapidly dressed and followed.

  “So is the dragon strong enough to fly?” I asked.

  We nearly had to run to keep up with the black beast. His wings angled against his back, which made him extremely streamlined. Despite his reptilian-shaped body, he moved more like a mammal, fluently bounding over any objects on the ground.

  “Yeah, but whatever those were that attacked him are still out there. That is weird, though. I’ve never heard of creatures like them. I don’t like it. Why did they attack the dragon?”

  “We need to name the dragon,” I interrupted.

  “Ask him what his name is,” Dylan said.

  “What? I don’t speak dragon.”

  “Then let’s name him Blood. I always wanted a dog named Blood,” Dylan said. While he spoke fluidly in Sudo, he said the name in his mother language.

  “Am I incorrect in my language lessons or does that mean---”

  “Oh, yes. Blood is blood in English. I told you about dogs, right?”

  “Yes, the little canines that are very loyal pets. They look like draxuni. Why in the world would you want to name one of them blood?”

  “It befits a psychic dog who would gladly eat the last woman on Earth.”

  I stopped and grasped his arm. “Please tell me you are referring to your Earth films. I can’t keep up with you when you get like this.”

  “I have not seen a movie in three years. I miss it. Besides; being very confusing is a strong defense mechanism.”

  The dragon gave us a very irritated bark and nudged me in the back, nearly pushing me down. We followed him quickly to another clearing with a small lake. Beyond it was a very beautiful red rock mountain.

  “Um, well, not exactly what one expects to see in the middle of a forest of monsters,” Dylan said. I had to agree.

  The dragon flapped his wings once before shooting up into the air and over the lake. We went around the lake but he took off again, towards the mountain. He waited for us at the mouth of a cave, and when he entered, we followed cautiously. While the entrance of the cave was dry and plain, the deeper we wandered, the more fascinating it became.

  The air and walls became wetter. After the third time I slipped, Dylan made a torch from a random stick and part of his shirt. The walls were dripping and there was definite growth in plant matter, but projecting from the walls were jewels. Red, green, and purple glittering walls made this cave quite appropriate for a dragon to hide out in. Finally, we came to a naturally formed chamber. Cluttered in the middle was a bed of scorched rock.

  The dragon quickly blew fire at the rock and curled up on it for a nap before the fire had completely extinguished.

  “Really?” Dylan asked the dragon. “That’s why we came here? For a nap?”

  The dragon huffed at him and settled down.

  “Stupid dog,” Dylan said.

  I ignored the inaccuracy. “At least we’re safe here. I think we should name him Miyo.”

  The dragon and Dylan both looked at me in outrage. “Absolutely not,” Dylan said. “His name is Blood.”

  The dragon settled his head down.

  Outvoted, I plopped down beside the dragon. The stone was nice and hot. I was watching as Dylan opened his mouth to speak before he collapsed, but I wasn’t able to catch him before he hit the floor. Fearing the worst, I frantically tried to wake him as the dragon watched over my shoulder, but Dylan would not stir. After making sure he was breathing, I settled down to wait.

  Chapter 2

  Dylan

  I wasn’t really awake, and not really asleep. The nearest thing I could compare it to was what I thought death would feel like. I found myself in Divina’s house, but everything was wrong; there was no air from the open window, scent of the incense that was always burning, or even sounds of the forest. It was a very unsettling feeling; one I hoped to never feel again.

  “Hello, Dylan. I am sorry I had to contact you this way, but I need you as my Guardian now.”

  The voice was wrong. It was hers, but not, like a memory of her voice. The words, on the other hand, were very real in my mind. Divina was contacting me in the way the gods do their Guardians.

  “Divina?” I asked. “Where are you?”

  “Away. I have found myself in a very confusing predicament. I need to figure something out. In the meantime, there is trouble on Earth. You must go there and deal with it.

  “What about Kiro?”

  “He is dealing with other Guardian duties.”

  “Is he safe?” I asked.

  “A Guardian is never truly safe.”

  “What am I going to Earth for?”

  “There was a ripple when Vretial was destroyed. Gods are not meant to be killed. Something older than the worlds has found a way in. Something that is not meant to exist has found its way through a tear. And I am sorry. I am so, so sorry. But we cannot defeat it.”

  “The gods cannot kill this thing?!” I exclaimed.

  “It is as old as us. You do have an advantage on your side.”

  “And what is that?”

  “You have a body and magic. This creature is not alive, but it can control any living creature, except a dimensional traveler.”

  “So, because I have traveled to Duran, I am safe?”

  “Not safe, no, but it cannot take over your body. It can still kill you, it just cannot control you.”

  “How am I supposed to kill it?” I asked.

  “You cannot kill it.”

  “Then what am I supposed to do, invite it for tea?”


  “Bring back what was lost.”

  “A weapon?”

  “A child.”

  “Oh, God. So there is some ancient creature on Earth, what killing people? And instead of stopping it, I have to find a kid.”

  “This creature must find a suitable body, but being so powerful, it must assimilate in the body of a child. Not a human child, but a very special one. Only this child is powerful enough to contain this creature, and the creature can only assimilate when the soul is young enough to be killed. You must get this child away from Earth. The creature will have no choice but to return through the crack.”

  “And what if I fail?”

  “Then you will no longer be needed, because there will be no Earth for you to defend. Nor will there be Duran.”

  “So, no pressure or anything. Even the Doctor had companions. Can I get anyone to help me? Are there any Guardians out there who are willing to get in on this?”

  “They will come when they can. Otherwise, you have Mordon.”

  “Mordon? He’s barely an adult! He could get killed!”

  “We all will die if you fail. He is not as he looks. He was given a second life.”

  “His mother? He told me about his mother giving him her magic.”

  “That is not the life I mean. He can help you.”

  “I don’t agree, but I’ll take your word for it. How do I find the child?”

  “Remember the woman you left on Earth?”

  “Vivian?”

  “She is the mother.”

  “What?! Hell...” Of course, I had to worry.

  “You are not the father, you fool. You are not powerful enough to overcome the laws of physics.”

  Finally, I felt something; dread. My woman was angry with me: Not very good for the health when my woman is a god. She never said anything, but I knew she liked me having never been with anyone else.

  “Kiro never told me how to travel worlds.”

  “I can do it for you. It will not be very pleasant. You must first get Mordon to sign his name.”

  “When will I see you again?” I asked.

  “When I am sure.”

  “Sure of what?”

  * * *

  I woke up with a start, back in the cave with Mordon and the dragon. Mordon was lying against the dragon and I was lying on the cool stone ground with my bag being used as a pillow. I moaned as I sat up, my muscles stiff and bones creaky. My sudden movement woke Mordon.

  “Sorry I couldn’t make you more comfortable. You kept moving away from Blood.”

  I shook my head. “It’s the heat. I do the same thing with Divina. I’m on the floor every morning.”

  “Were you speaking with her?” he asked.

  I was about to agree, when I caught myself. “I was speaking with Tiamat,” I said instead. Not a lie, but I hated to mislead my friend. “I have an assignment, and I would like you to go with me.” I explained to him what I had to do.

  “That sounds very dangerous,” he said slowly. Then he grinned. “Do you have a pen?”

  I pulled my book out as well as the pencil Kiro gave me just to use for the book. “Make it good, you can never erase it.” I handed the book to him and there was a crackling as he gently turned the pages, looking for a good spot to sign. He found one and signed his name in Sudo, which I committed to memory. As he handed the book and pencil back to me, he shivered and got a weird look on his face, then pulled up his sleeve to display Earth’s symbol etched in red on his arm. It faded quickly and he sighed. Mordon didn’t like cold.

  Shinobu tried to crawl up my arm, but I pushed her away gently. “You have to stay here, Shinobu. Do you think she’ll be safe in the forest?” I asked Mordon.

  “She is a very dangerous creature. Even the draxuni backed down from her. Unless she tries to eat a draxuni pup, I think she will be perfectly safe.”

  Suddenly there was a tightening of the air. I couldn’t breathe; there was too much pressure on my body and the air was trapped in my lungs. My eyes were forced closed and I felt the falling sensation I had not felt in a long time. Strangely enough, I could hear the dragon screech.

  * * *

  Landing was very disorientating, not because it was solid ground, but because we were about to drown. It was raining, not a simple rain of Anoshi, not even the dreadful rains of Shomodii. This was a rain so fowl I wanted to go home and never return.

  I could barely see Mordon through the water as I grabbed him and pulled him to shelter. The only shelter was the covered outside hallway of a motel, with doors to one side and rain to the other.

  “What do we do?!” Mordon asked. He had to yell to be heard over the rushing water. He was shaking so hard.

  “Wait out the storm!”

  As we shivered there, our clothes started clinging to our skin. It wasn’t like it was drying out, more like there was something wrong with the water. I scrutinized the wall of rushing water. It really was raining that hard. I reached out and let the water cup in my hand, then brought it to my mouth to taste. I quickly spit it out.

  “Something’s wrong with the rain. It’s salty,” I said.

  Ten minutes later, I really thought we were both going to die from the cold. Suddenly there was something burning my hand, so I opened my fingers to find a small key. Just before I dropped it, Mordon took it, but he didn’t seem to mind that it was red-hot. There was a small number etched into the key. Two rooms down had a door with the matching number.

  “Use it to unlock that door!” I said, pointing to the door with a matching number on it. He didn’t waste time. The door opened easily and he set the now cool key on the wooden table beside the door.

  I flipped on the lights, made a beeline for the thermostat, and turned it up. Mordon was disorientated as he headed for one of the bed, not even getting the wet clothes off. I stopped him and helped him get his clothes off, trying hard not to jar him. Even though I was freezing, Mordon was sensitive to the cold and was much more likely to die of hypothermia. I got us both towels out of the bathroom, then dried Mordon’s hair because he wasn’t able to. Once he was dry and under blankets, I was able to dry myself. I searched the drawer under the tiny coffee maker in the bathroom and found a packet of decaf.

  “You are going to hate this,” I said as it brewed. I took the remaining dry towel and held it to the heating vent. Once it was sufficiently warm, I placed it against his neck and chest, then checked his pulse before quickly returning the blanket. His pulse was too slow. “Mordon!” I snapped when his eyes closed.

  He blinked up at me. “I’m awake,” he slurred.

  “You better stay that way, too.” I didn’t know if I should call an ambulance or not. I didn’t know what a doctor might find differently in a sago. “If you turn blue or suddenly stop shivering, I will call a hospital.”

  I curled up in the other bed and tried to get warm under the covers. The motel room was fair sized, but the two beds took up most of it. They were covered with a terrible flowered blanket that sadly matched the walls. The carpet was a dull gray color. Besides the table next to the door, there was a night stand between the beds, a lamp, and a large television across from the beds.

  After a few minutes, Mordon was doing better and the decaf coffee was done. I poured him a cup and brought it to him. After sitting him up, he accepted the cup and went to drink. “You are not going to like the taste,” I warned. “Don’t spit it out.”

  One sip and he stuck his tongue out. “Is this poison?” he asked.

  I laughed. “No, now drink it.”

  “How is your book?” he asked.

  I grabbed my bag off the floor and pulled out my dry book. Not a drop of water wrinkled a page or blemished the black binding. “Completely waterproof. Unlike us. It was nice of Tiamat to give us a motel room.”

  “Your goddess is quite accommodating. We can’t go back out there in the rain,” he said, still shivering.

  “Are you cold blooded?” Not sure if I was joking or not.

&nb
sp; “Possibly,” he answered. “Am I still dying? I feel too light. Or maybe it’s the bed.”

  “No, you are lighter. I told you Earth is smaller than Duran, but they have the same density; the gravity is lighter. I’m not used to it anymore, and I don’t want to get used to it. I don’t want to feel heavy when we get back home.”

  The structure of Earth and Duran was basically identical, but Duran was larger and had two moons. The sun in Duran’s solar system was about the same size as Earth’s sun, but there were six planets orbiting it. Duran was, of course, the only inhabited planet in the system.

  “Would you never want to stay here?” he asked.

  “You mean if it doesn’t work out with Divina and I get tired of Edward? Probably not. I never made anything of myself here, and I abandoned years of college. I didn’t leave anything behind. Duran is home now, with Divina, Shinobu, and Edward. I mean Kiro,” I corrected myself.

  Mordon turned over and looked at me. “Is calling him Edward offensive?” he asked.

  “No. It started out sort of to tease him. That was how he introduced himself to me, trying to appear human. I tried to convince others to call him that, but it sort of became my nickname for him. I don’t want him to think of me as his son, because he doesn’t like his children very much.”

  “But you are not his child.”

  “No, I’m his nephew. But neither of us planned for that, either. He wants me as an apprentice, not a son. He thinks his children are better off without him, but I’m not. He and Divina are all I have on Duran.” And Mordon, of course. Divina was the woman I loved and Edward was the closest thing I had to a father, but Mordon was my best friend.

  “Then why not stay here?” he asked.

  I looked at him. “Because here I have nothing.” Just to blow his mind, not to change the subject or anything, I grabbed the remote off of the bedside table and turned the television on. “Check this out.”

  To be fair, I probably should have lessened the blow, as I nearly gave him a heart attack. Luckily, it was just the news channel.

  “Can they see us?” he whispered as soon as he could talk.