“I’m just glad all of you are same and a little upset this was done without me. I would have loved to watch the five of you bond together. But you’re right, we will have the time and I will teach Brooke my offensive spells, Meeka you will become a great healer and Tohka will get a bit of both. We should also learn from Ulon and Poli since they’ve been doing this before any of us were ever born. I’m also modifying your gems as we speak so you can access them yourselves without getting hurt. I can tell you put all your gems in a pile on the nightstand by the bed.”
Brooke nodded and Cage felt her following his mana stream and tried figuring out what he was doing. From the concentrating look on her face she didn’t have a clue.
While he worked he hugged his girls tightly, happy to know they all have great power and have been bound together with dear friends.
Daku finally stepped off sugary white sand and onto gray rock dotted with perfectly circular holes all about ten feet wide and five deep, all lined up in three long rows, filled with seawater and over on a higher level burned a bonfire heating bowling ball size rocks. Daku positively quivered with excitement and began shrinking to the size of a large bull. Those on his back carefully slid off and waited for what to do next. The tribe dismounted from their horses and sent them away. The steeds were all to happy to leave the predators and fled to the thick forest.
Before Daku said anything Rex Gralla laid down and said “Remove the eggs you may at this time.”
The Utala adults all began to move to the carriers. Some climbed with ropes and large sheets of cloth to very carefully lower one fragile egg at a time down to someone else waiting.
“Bring one hot rock to each pool now.” Daku finally voiced. “Bring the water to a boil and place the egg in as soon as the violence of the water settles, but still bubbles.”
“Won’t such heat kill them?” Someone asked.
“No. My kind can only hatch in boiling seawater. Anything less will not work. The dragons will make sure the rocks stay warm till the cubs hatch.”
With Daku’s assurances the tribe began scraping off the wood and ash to reveal the round stones. Then Cage decided it would be quicker to use a bit of magic and lifted the thoroughly hot stones off the neat pile to drop them one at a time in each pool. The water had an immediate reaction as angry bubbles frothed the surface. Steam rose immediately and each person carrying a precious three foot long egg stood in front of a violent pool, keeping a close eye. Daku didn’t leave Cage’s side for obvious reasons, but he did talk and get hugs from Sean and Rena.
In a few minutes the hot saltwater evened out its boiling rate all around and the king of the flock said “Now, place the fat end into the water, but do not burn your feet.”
Cage carefully slid the reddish egg into his pool and Brooke did hers as well right beside his. Every egg also went in. Out of the carriers, only five remained to stand beside the five great Rex’s and Theresa, who also held the observing Zikon.
“What do we do now?” Sean asked as he watched only the very tip of the egg sticking out of the water.
“Wait. It is all we can do. The cubs will begin reacting soon. The heat will make them fight to get out and come into the world.” Daku said as he looked at all the steaming pools.
“It is already working.” Cage said. “I’m sensing their very slow heartbeats picking up. Instead of twenty a minute, it’s jumped to forty… no fifty… now sixty. I can tell their muscles are beginning to twitch… Daku, all of them are reacting now.”
“It will still be a few hours yet.” He chirped.
“Wyvern meat is coming.” Rex Gralla suddenly said.
“I shall bring it.” Rex Nattan said and walked across the water, where most dragons stood to observe without getting in the way. His great gold scales glittering as he moved towards the entrance.
By late in the afternoon Cage, Daku and the dragons were suddenly on alert. Questions were asked till the warlock said “Quiet!” He tilted his head and angled his pointed ears to the still boiling water. “They are hatching!”
“Hurry! Away from the mound of meat.” Rex Nattan said in his avalanche loud voice. “Once the hatchlings smell the blood and flesh they will go to it. Even as cubs you two-legs won’t survive.” The Utala all moved away quick, fast and in a hurry from the small hill of raw food.
Crack. Crack. Crack. Came more and more and more frequently. Soon it became all that could be heard alongside the surf.
Then there was one sound different, a keen cough before a squawk and heads turned to watch a foot long pink creature pull itself out of the dirty yellow looking water. It was obviously weak, but the cry was strong.
Immediately Daku flew over to the first born griffin to hatch in over two millennia. The white king proudly stood in front of it and rumbled an odd sound deep in his chest. The cub clicked it beak and let out a squeak before sniffing the air and sharply looked away before letting out a hungry squeal and awkwardly stumbled with purpose, flapping its small, wrinkled, featherless wings. It learned quick as it began to run and leapt beak first into the dead flesh and began ripping chunks.
More began pulling themselves out of the water, all naked and featherless, but no less that purely beautiful. All the women of the Utala said ‘Awe!’ so many times it was redundant, but no less amazing. Everyone smiled.
Then Cage broke the area of silence to say “Daku, better get your ass over here!”
“What?!” dread crept into the king’s voice and it vanished instantly as two tiny griffin’s crawled out of the hot water and stared at each other, chirped several times and rubbed their heads together. Daku flew straight over. And just as he landed the two obvious female griffins parted and looked up. “Do you know me?”
Right in front of everyone, the two newborns grew to his size and despite their hunger they clearly said “You are mine!” and they both rubbed their heads against his and rumbled, none more loudly than the king of the flock. Even without their individual personalities they knew him as their future mate.
“Go. Eat.” At the sound of food the two females turned to the crawling mound and ran over, not caring if any got in their way, but none were trampled. They dove right in, filling their hollow bellies.
“They talked.” Zikon said as he heard it. “How? they were just born.”
“Only because of memory.” Daku said joyously, trusting the sorcerer with this information. “They have memories from their parents, but have not became who they are. That will come like any other cub. They are beautiful, no?”
“Understatement.” Cage said as he patted his friend’s side. “Do they already have names?”
“They will choose their own one day.”
“Well all the eggs have finally hatched, every last one. You finally have a flock again, My Friend.”
“Thank you for this, Cage. Hope has been given to me again.”
Epilogue
In the throne room of Laqura Castle, Empress Vika sat hidden in the shadows of her throne again. The only sign she was there was one bare milky white leg resting on a fresh skull that had been recently cleaned and she had yet to turn it to gold and add it to her throne. The hall’s doors opened and General Adair and Colm the long horned bull came right in. He ordered her staff “Leave us!” and they didn’t wait to find out if her were mad or not.
Empress Vika allowed him to do so for simple amusement rather than scolding him on who orders her servants and slaves. As the door shut she said “And what have you come to tell me, General?”
Adair went to a knee beside Colm. He did not lift his head. “My Empress, reports on our efforts are ahead of schedule. Supplies are working well and the portal remains secure. The Heedi Rova colony is almost prepared to war and will be ready in one month from today. Our pets have been trained and will be ready to deploy at the same time. We have yet to learn what is happening in the south as all of our spies are either in hiding or their heads are sent to the gate. So far sixty two of our spies are dead and I do not know h
ow they have been found, but something is in the winds. We do know over a thousand dragons neared the boarder, but then left. Our current allies say they are around the warlock’s island. He must have returned from The Deep. Either that or we are being conspired against. But we have confirmed dragons have been visiting both King Skylar and Tate, spotted in their cities. We’ve yet to know why, but both accounts say the kings left the conferences angry. I believe the dragons are warning they are going to war and telling them bad news.”
“Good, if there is dissent between our enemies it will be much better. The world will be mine by winter. You’ve done well, General. So well I’m willing to give you a gift.”
“I only wish to serve you, Empress and to crush the unenlightened.”
“As you should. But this gift is a reward for your loyalty. My cycle of fertility is at last upon me. I am willing to bare another son with you. Give me passion and your seed so we may have yet another enlightened child since our first will kill his traitorous brother very soon. This child’s arrival will be the beginning of a new age under my rule. After our coupling you will send word of our impending war that will no longer offer sanctuary for the enlightened. All in Vlara and Emroc shall be ruled by me and live as slaves. For all time and that of their children’s, children’s children till none will dare oppose me. I will become a goddess, the first and only goddess in the universe.”
General Adair smiled and shrugged out of his robes. “Then allow me to be the first to worship my goddess.”
“Come and fill me, General. None shall have me as you will this day. Then we will make history.”
The conclusion will come to a close in book five:
Empress’s Endgame
Be sure to read other books by this author:
Balancer’s Cycle
Balancer’s Soul
Changer’s Blood
Keeper’s Knowledge
Harmonizer’s Evolution
The Item Trilogy
Untamed Gift
Furion’s Trials
Ra’van
Death Incarnate Saga
The Grin of Prophecy
Familiar’s Ancient Throne
Laugh of Destruction
Ascension of the Warlock
Empress’s Endgame
Spirit Guide Saga (Coming Fall of 2014)
Forgemaster
Wrath of Flames
Atavism of the Ifrit
Star Pirate Legends (Coming Fall of 2015)
The Fey Files (Coming Fall of 2016)
Harsh Realms (Coming Fall on 2017)
Contact me:
http://facebook.com/h.leemorgan
Ascension of the Warlock (Book 4 of the Death Incarnate Saga) Page 56
