“What did they say to you? I asked hesitantly.
Eva turned her eyes to me, a light gold shined from them. They were no longer the usual bright blue I expected them to be. “Are we really the Keeper of Dragons?”
“Yes, it is true. And there is no need for you to worry about my fate.” She gave me a small grin and turned back to our glass view. “Meka had begun to tell me what this all means, but the guards came rushing in.” Her body stiffened. “I had no idea what was happening, I still don’t.”
I didn't know where to start. It took me a few seconds to figure out what I should tell her. I didn't want her to see how scared I was about it all, but before I knew it, I began to explain everything to her, everything about the Queen of the farro’s and how she was able to break through the mahier. I nodded towards Jericho, who was still barking orders to anyone in his ear space. “He’s been like this since the computers came back on.”
Eva watched Jericho as he bounced from one guard to the next. “Has that ever happened before?” Her eyes remained on Jericho.
“I don't think so. Everyone seemed surprised. Rylan was furious. He shifted and took off as soon as we were back online.”
Eva turned my way. I could tell she was struggling to say something. “You know, it will be our jobs to take on the farros. I mean we are the Keeper of Dragons. We are fated to save them all, from all enemies.” She glanced to the ground then back up to me. “Meka showed me the prophecy. The more time we spend with each other, the stronger our powers will become. I don't think it was a coincidence that I moved next door to you when I was ten. I have a feeling our fate has been laid out for us long before we were born.” She paced over to the window and gazed at the clouds in contemplation.
I knew what she said was true, I didn't believe in coincidences. I just wondered what force had brought us together as children, and why. How were we supposed to take on the farros? Lets face it, the farros were not going to wait for Eva and I to complete our training before raging insufferable war on the dragons of Ochana. We would have to figure out a way to defeat them in our lowly dragonic states.
“The Woland guards will back you throughout this journey, and every journey in the future. The farro are only one class of evil that you will face in your life.” Jericho explained as he walked into his office. He stood next to Eva and mirrored her stance. Silently, they both gazed out the window as the clouds drifted by.
Even the calming beauty of the scenery could not comfort me. “How many creatures are out there?” Jericho and Eva continued to observe Ochana through the glass.
“The number is endless, you will defeat one, and more will appear. It is the way of the world, especially the life of a protector. The life of being the Keeper of Dragons.” Jericho never turned in my direction.
“How will we defeat them? We don’t even know what farros are, let alone any of the other creatures.” My mind raced on this endless loop of my imminent life.
“You have dragonic support. We will aid you in your fight.” Jericho turned to face me. “You have the knowledge of the council at your whim, all you need to do is ask and you will have all that you need.” Jericho’s head tilted to the side as he scrutinized me. “Your biggest challenge will be with yourself. You feel as though you are not strong enough for the challenges you will face.” Jericho sighed, “Time will be your proof.” He turned towards Eva, “You have a strong ally in the golden dragon. I can feel the mahier pour from her. You will learn to share the burden with your partner.”
He turned and walked back out to the command center. At least he seemed to be back in control. He was right. I had resources at the tip of my claws. All I needed to do is utilize them. Not to mention Eva. I needed to draw from her strength, and lead by her example. Finally, my confidence began to build up. But then…
“My Prince,” Garrik bowed his head through Jericho’s office doorway. “I need to escort the two of you to the council room. It seems an emergency council meeting has been called. The Keeper of Dragons is needed to discuss our stance with the farro.” He gestured for us to follow him.
Eva and I followed Garrik. The two guards at the door followed, with Jericho taking up the rear. I took a moment to internally appreciate Garrik, who always surprised me with his show of respect. I was just a kid he had just met, and yet he bowed to me as if I had proven to him my worth as his Prince.
The walk to the council room had quickly become familiar. Now, it seemed the only two places I could successfully find on Ochana were the command center and the council room, but only as long as I was in one when going to the other. I really needed to find myself a map.
Just as Garrik said, the entire council was in attendance. I took my designated seat next to Rylan. They were recapping the breach from Queen Tana. Disbelief swept the room. Looks of astonishment crept over the faces of each man and woman.
“How is this possible?” Luka questioned. “Farros are powerful, but not as powerful as us.”
“The fairies have either evolved in strength and supremacy, or they are getting help from an even more powerful creature.”
“Who can be more powerful?” A few dragons murmured in the council.
“Another dragon.” Jericho remarked, astounded by his own speculation.
“Dragon?” Rylan bellowed at Jericho. “Impossible! Who would dare aid a sworn enemy of ours, and place their own kind in danger?” His green eyes inflamed as he examined Jericho closely.
Jericho didn't seemed bothered by Rylan’s fury. “We must investigate all options, my King. If the farros have evolved to this degree, we may have to call in some of our allies.”
“Not yet. Let's wait until we get the reports from the second realm.” Rylan’s glare softened a bit as it shifted my way. “We now have the Keeper of Dragons to help in our fight.” He raised his eyebrows at me with a small smirk.
“Indeed, my King,” Luka answered. “But they have yet to be trained. We must be hesitant about sending them out to fight just yet...”
Jules interrupted him, “They wouldn’t have been sent to us now if they weren’t meant to be used in this war. The Prince and the girl are not here by chance. We must utilize them in the means of which they were created to do so.”
I sensed that Jules was ready to send us off to war in an instant. At the moment, I found myself thankful for Luka, he understood our lack of skills and our need to train. I looked over to Eva. She was lost in thought, I watched her as she scanned the council. Periodically she would stop and hold one’s attention before moving on to the next, until her eyes landed on Allas’s. I realized she was sizing them up.
“What about you?” Eva addressed Allas. “You have stayed quiet through this whole exchange. What do you think we should do?” Eva challenged.
Allas exhaled, “Queen Tana says we are at war. If she wants a war, then I say we give her one. Jules is right. These two Keeper of Dragons were sent to us for a reason. I believe this impending war is that reason. We are at the time of great fear, and a battle is to be fought.” Allas’ green eyes locked with Eva’s golden ones. Tension grew amongst the room.
“We will vote,” Rylan’s declared. “All in favor of sending the Keeper of Dragons out with the Woland guard to the Grove place their insignia in front of the Leslo in Allas’ name. All in favor of keeping the Keepers of Dragons here in Ochana to train, place your insignias in front of the Sien in Luka’s name.”
Rylan and all four councilmen stood. In some kind of ritual, they circled the room and bowed to each founder’s image. They then placed their hand on what looked to be the heart of the dragon. He recited a phrase I could not hear. When he removed his hand from the wall, he left a small symbol imprinted on it. The other three councilmen walked to the Leslo and did the same. Once everyone had voted, they returned to their seats.
“The council has spoken. Once the second realm has verified the farros are at the Grove. The Keeper of Dragons will accompany the Woland guard and defeat the threat of war.” Rylan nodde
d in consent and stood. He looked directly at Eva and I, “The lives of all are now in your hands, Keeper of Dragons.”
No pressure.
Chapter Fourteen
Word came first thing the next morning. The farros were at the Grove. The second realm had stayed to observe their activity. My guess, the farros knew they were there, but were waiting for Eva and I to arrive. Queen Tana had made it clear who she was after, it was us she wanted. The Queen of the farros saw us as a threat, the ones who could defeat her and her wicked tribe, but I knew what our fate would be if she was successful in capturing us. The question was how do we defeat them?
“You seem so sure the Queen considers us a threat.” Eva observed from reading my mind. “She thinks we are the way to defeat all dragons, to use us against our own kind.” Eva contemplated.
“It seems she already has a way to defeat us. Look what happened yesterday.” I still considered what Eva said, did Queen Tana really think we would betray our own?
“I think she has a different plan for us.” Her voice was strong with conviction.
With our guards in tow, we walked to the command center. As we neared the glass building, I could see the high-story walls beaming as they reflected around Ochana. The beautiful sight did nothing to calm my nerves, though. My anxiety rushed as I pondered what would happen after we entered.
As we arrived at the command center, I could see that a hundred extra guards had been called in. In complete soldier mood, they stood back straight, as their eyes remained un-flinched and staring directly ahead. They didn’t move a muscle as we walked past. As Eva and I entered the office, Jericho and Cairo were in a deep conversation, neither of them paused their discussion with our arrival. The two guards left the room to reoccupy their positions at the door. Surprisingly, Jericho seemed calm, in total control. I had expected the smoke-puffed hothead from yesterday.
Finally, they broke conversation, as Cairo acknowledged us. He gestured to the two chairs near Jericho’s desk. We sat in silence as we waited for instruction. Cairo seemed tense, but it was no surprise. The council had voted for two eighteen year old, untrained dragons to defeat a race of malicious fairies. I considered the fact that we didn't even know where the farros lived or what they were capable of.
“Ask your questions, I thought I made this clear yesterday.” Jericho said grimly. No one expects you to know all the answers when we, who have lived hundreds of years do not.”
“How old are you?” Hundreds of years?
Jericho chuckled and shook his head. “Well I wasn't expecting a laugh this morning. I am relatively young at around five hundred.” Jericho put his hands up to pause my next question. “Before you go any further, each dragon is destined to live a different life; however, most live to be well over a thousand.”
That bit of information intrigued me, especially since Rylan had referred to Jericho and the rest of the council as elders when I was first introduced. In reality, Jericho was more middle aged than an actual elder.
“Enough of all that, we need to focus on our mission. Hold your questions about dragons for when you return.” He sighed
“How do we defeat the farros?” Eva interrupted.
Jericho nodded his head. “The farros were the first beings to ever challenge a dragon. They have been around since almost the start.” Jericho paused and picked up a remote, a large hidden monitor came down from the ceiling. “This...” Jericho played with a remote he grabbed off his desk, “Are the farros.”
The monitor came to life with a depiction of what looked to be around a dozen small creatures. Though they mostly had human characteristics, each farro had a head of platinum hair and small silvery flaxen wings that fluttered from their scrawny backs. Sharp, piercing teeth protruded from their thin-lipped mouths, and menacing, pitch black eyes that seemed bottomless. If it weren’t for their razor-edged teeth and sinister eyes, they would have looked just like the fairies children see illustrations of in fairytales. The farros moseyed around a dreadful looking garden that was covered in dead plants, wilted leaves, and broken stems.
“This is the first known picture that we have of the farros. You are right in your thinking. They are directly related to fairies. There is just one main difference,” Jericho paused and looked directly at me. “These fairies are The Fallen.”
“Fairies?” I asked.
“Fallen?” Eva’s query followed mine.
“You are a dragon, you’ve heard the Carnites, and now you are questioning fairies?” Jericho asked.
His point made me feel ridiculous, I would need to get used to the fact that things I didn't believe existed, actually existed.
“Fairies are innately good; however, a select few weren't happy with their role in creating peace in nature. They wanted more, and so, they allowed their greed to consume them. Back then, all creatures were bonded together as a tight, cohesive unit, and a war amongst us never seemed possible.” Jericho shook his head and walked towards the glass wall. “The good fairies banished The Fallen from their home, in belief that they were poisoning their duties.”
“The farros searched for a home of their own. They finally landed in Sikkim, India, it’s where they have been ever since, where you will be going in just a few hours.” Cairo finished Jericho’s story.
“How do we defeat them?” Eva asked, I could see as her wheels turned with possibilities.
“It’s not that easy. Their mere existence is proof we haven't ever been successful in exterminating them. We thought after our last battle they had finally realized they were over matched. That no matter how many times they tried to stop us we would continue to protect all that was true.” Jericho turned from the wall to Eva. “I wish I had a real answer for you. We have been successful in diminishing their numbers, but they are still here, and may never banish for good.”
Cairo interrupted Jericho, “Let's focus on our mission. We need to stop this war. Queen Tana said it was only a start with the Carnites. Which means we need to assume they have commandeered other allies.” Cairo scrunched his brows in thought. “We need to break up these alliances. Together they may be strong, but apart they know we can overpower them, especially now that we have the Keeper of Dragons.”
“Do you know who their other allies are?” Eva asked.
“No. Realm two hasn't seen any other being but the farros at the Grove. Not that I expected it to be that easy. The farros are smart, never underestimate them.” Cairo walked to the door and shut it.
“Thank you Cairo.” Jericho uttered. “We don't know the role you both are going to play in this mission. Mostly, because we aren't sure what the two of you are capable of. But I agree with the council, you were sent to us for a reason, and I believe this was it.” He stated with confidence. “Now, you will be guarded at all times by realm five of the Woland guard. Realm five consists of five highly trained Wolands. They will protect you with their lives. They have already been briefed. They understand the Keeper of Dragons is what the farros want and that we believe the two of you are the only ones who can end this.” Jericho stated.
“We will leave soon, setting us to arrive at nightfall. The farros gave us twenty-four hours to hand the two of you over. Cairo walked towards the door. “Pull yourselves together, let's go meet realm five.”
We walked through the doorway back into the command center. I expected a flurry of activity, but everyone was calm, like today was any other day. The guards looked like they hadn't moved an inch since we last saw them. I was impressed with their discipline. We stopped in front of five imposing Wolands. They towered over Jericho and Cairo, each one held a similar scowl on their face, red eyes burned in my direction.
“Wolands were created for battle, My Prince. Warriors.” Cairo looked at me over his shoulder. “These men here are realm five.”
Each Woland looked in my direction and bowed in respect. I always felt uncomfortable when one showed their respect to me, more so now. These men deserved my respect not the other way around. I could tell
just by the look of them that these Woland had been to war many times and had been victorious.
“It’s an honor to meet you all.” Eva’s strong voice carried to the Wolands, their attention shifted to her.
“The Keeper of Dragons, we devote our lives to you. It is an honor to go to battle with you. Our lives are in your hands now.” The largest Woland of the group addressed us.
“This is Jude, High Guard of realm five. He will be in charge of your safety. You both do as he says.” Jericho looked right at Eva as he spoke.
I wondered why he pegged Eva as the troublemaker, or maybe he just pegged me as the scaredy cat too terrified to step a toe out of line, which I was. Eva always challenged authority, not in a disrespectful way, more in a knowledgeable way. She was quick, able to survey and make sound decision with little problem. She was going to make the perfect golden dragon for Ochana.
“Let's move out. As soon as we land in Sikkim take your positions. Everyone keep your senses open and be prepared. The farros know we’re coming.” Jericho took off toward the door, the Woland guard followed close behind.
Eva and I trailed behind them with realm five. I watched as all the Woland began to shift, Eva elbowed me and gestured for me to follow suit. I inhaled a large breath and began my shift. I couldn't wait for my shifts to become as fluid as everyone else's. By the time I finished my shift to my dragon, I looked up to see that the Wolands and Eva had lifted into the air already. Their wings flapped as they gawked at me to catch up.
I exhaled and pushed off the ground. As I ascended into the aquamarine sky, realm five encircled Eva and I. They were to border us for the entire flight. The sight truly amazed me, a hundred or so Wolands flew through the sky, their red scales shone through the clouds. I prayed everyone's mahier was strong, I couldn't imagine what a human would think of this sight. That thought made me think of the farros. They proved to us that they could control our mahier once, what would happen when we arrived? Would they be able to control it then to?
The Keeper of Dragons: The Prince Returns Page 10
