by C D Muller
“Is she going to be all right?” Rahim asked Silver.
Silver immediately glared at him for his mistake in referring to Selena as ‘she’ as Niamh and Maria exchanged glances with one another.
“Err… sorry, I was...”
“It’s fine,” Selena interrupted Rahim in a hoarse voice.
“Andric will live,” Silver whispered and made Selena take another drink.
“That was a scare,” Niamh whispered.
Silver moved the bowl from Selena’s lips, placed it on the bedside table and took a warm, wet towel to place on Selena’s forehead.
“Where is Thor?” she asked. Selena’s head throbbed with pain and her voice was faint. “Where is my dragon?”
“Thor will be fine,” Silver whispered, and looked away, “he was badly injured, but his wounds will heal. His training will have to wait until sometime next week.”
“Training,” Selena said with disgust and turned her gaze from everyone.
“Luckily we followed him. He was acting very strange before he just took off,” Silver whispered.
There was a knock on her door and Ashur came inside.
“Is he all right?” he asked. Silver looked over at him with menacing eyes.
“Fortunately,” Silver said, grabbing the bowl from Selena’s nightstand, not tearing his gaze from Ashur, “we found him in time. If we did not, he would have died from the venom.”
Ashur twitched a little, but he did not move from his spot.
“It appears that Liongod will be in no condition to be part of basic training for a while,” he sneered.
“And so it appears,” Silver said coldly.
“What did you give him?” Ashur asked, lifting his head a little.
Silver nodded to the bowl of soup that Selena drank from.
“Wolf’s bane. Surprisingly, we did not have any in storage here like we normally do,” Silver said with suspicion.
Ashur did not blink, nor did he say anything. Silver waited for a few seconds before he tore his gaze from him and looked back at Selena.
“You are to remain here. I want you to keep drinking your medicine. Everyone leave! Liongod needs to rest,” Silver announced, looking to Ashur once more.
Ashur bowed his head and left the room, motioning for the others to follow him.
“As you wish,” he said in a bit of a growl.
Chapter 19:
For two days, Selena remained inside the infirmary to recover from the snake attack. On the third day, she was able to walk around again. Silver, against Ashur’s wish, allowed Thor to fly to the Imperial District beside the water fountain to see her, and Selena wanted to be sure that she made it outside to greet him. Silver made the argument against Ashur with the Council that Selena should be allowed to see her dragon at least three times a week, as was customary with the other official riders, and they agreed.
When he arrived, she saw that Thor, in comparison to her, had scars all along his leg and near his neck.
I am very sorry. I could hear your cry for help from afar. The reason why I was not able to respond was because Ashur forbade me to even respond to you.
He did what? Why would not he let you?
Thor did not respond at first. She heard him sigh and knew that he felt awful.
He wanted me to focus on my dragon training instead of always worrying about you. When I tried to go to you, Ashur would stop and tell me that it was pointless, since you were not to be disturbed with your training.
That’s rubbish!
When I heard you cry out continuously, Thor began again, I rushed to your aid as soon as I could. That was how Silver was able to find you because I left in such a hurry from the middle of my training. At least he knew something was wrong.
Selena felt her body ache even more than it already did. She knew they were trying to keep her from all that she knew and everyone she loved. It hurt her even more when she came to the conclusion that the Empress was only using her to fight against the Lich.
I’m just a tool. That’s all I’m ever good for.
Do not be so angry with what they have done. I understand why they are doing this.
They are tearing us apart.
They are trying to prepare us in the fight against the Lich. If this is how they are going to do it, then so it shall be.
I’m not happy with how they’re planning it. Even Ashur does not want me to be here anyway, Selena said in a huff.
Please, no more tears. I won’t let anyone take you away from me.
But I know Ashur is trying. I wonder if he suspects us.
If he did, then he would have taken it up with the Council.
I think he’s being sneaky about it. I have a feeling that he was the reason why that snake was chasing after me. It was the same one that he ordered the Oracles to capture that he showed to us last week.
But we don’t have any proof of that. That’s high treason if it were true.
Yes it is, but I think Silver is suspicious of him as well. You should have seen the way he kept glaring at Ashur. I have a feeling that we won’t hear the end of this.
She took note that since their arrival to Alfheim, Thor had had another growth spurt. His height doubled and his wingspan was about three times his size. Each of his claws was long and curved inward like that of a blade of a scythe. He was recently weighed in at about ten tons. Selena could not help but glorify his beauty as a dragon and could not believe how fast he had grown in such a short time.
Thor went over to the water fountain to examine his appearance from his reflection. His horns had grown larger, mainly the two upon his head and the two along the side of his face, connecting to the bone mask that caressed his facial features. The two large horns resting behind his cheekbones curved inward towards his snout and then outward near the tips, similar to goat horns.
He then fanned out his wings and stood boldly on his hind legs.
Selena smiled.
You look like a mighty dragon.
She could not resist looking at her reflection and began to examine herself as well. She did not recognize herself. Her hair was still short but she was going to have to cut it again. Her face was thin and narrow, looking delicate and fragile compared to some of the other soldiers.
Thank you, Thor said, and puffed out some black smoke from his nostrils. He lowered his head to hers and nudged her with his nose. Silver told me this morning that you and I will train together next week after you finish with your morning routine.
That sounds exciting. I cannot wait until tomorrow.
Nor I. I will see you then.
He took flight back towards the training grounds.
She walked towards the library, trying to keep herself thinking positively. It was exciting to know that she was finally allowed to train with Thor.
She walked through the front glass doors of the castle-like structure. Throughout were skeletal replicas of different beasts, arranged in alphabetical order, near some bookshelves that contained thousands of books. White marble staircases spread throughout the front and back, leading to the second floor. A large glass dome rose overhead. Columns helped support the enormous building. Large paintings hung on the wall that portrayed the One Hundred Years’ War, while on the back wall were three depicting the three Divines.
Selena walked over to one of the bookshelves near the skeleton of a griffin. She searched through the different books and scrolls upon the shelves, wondering if perhaps the library had anything about Varathka Gundisalvus.
She smiled when she saw some books that were written either about him or by him. Selena pulled one that was based on his complete works.
She skimmed through it, her happy memories of Helshire Village playing through her mind. However, she put them back on the shelf when she remembered her main reason for coming. She finally had time to herself to find out more about her mark, but she was not sure about where to begin her search.
“Perhaps I could look to see if there is a book that talks a
bout symbols in general, of some sort?” Selena skimmed through the titles to see if there were any that would be remotely close to what she was looking for.
“You again?”
She froze in her spot at the sound of the voice that called her out. She turned her head and was shocked to see Azrael standing in the same aisle she was. He scowled at her.
“Why are you here?” she asked; it was actually more of a demand.
“I saw your battle against the giant snake. I have to say that was a pathetic attempt. You’ll never make it through the Air Force,” he said with a sneer.
Selena gritted her teeth at this.
“What do you mean a pathetic attempt? I was nearly killed!”
Azrael shrugged his shoulders.
“A dragon rider would have been able to defeat a Marcupo without the assistance of their dragon. It looks like I don’t have much to worry about,” he said coolly.
“What do you mean?” she asked in irritation.
“I mean that I don’t have to worry about you trying to rat me out. You’re not even fit to be part of our ranks anyway. More than likely, you will just quit tomorrow morning and it wouldn’t take much for me to hunt you down again,” Azrael said as if he were bored.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
“Just so that you know you don’t stand a chance,” he said.
“How can I be so sure that you didn’t already report me to the Council?” Selena barked at him.
“You can’t be sure of anything anymore. I may not even be your worst enemy. You only see the world from your perspective,” Azrael said once more before he walked away.
Selena turned to face the bookshelf and closed her eyes while taking a deep breath to calm herself down. He was just provoking her.
She stopped and looked up to see a title of a book that interested her.
“Myths and Symbols,” she read out loud, “but why is it here? It’s not in the right section.”
She pulled it off the shelf, figuring that it was accidentally misplaced.
She leaned against the bookshelf and skimmed through, but she could not find the one that matched hers.
“Why is it not in here?”
She searched through the pages several different times to make sure that she did not miss it, but again, her search remained unsuccessful. Most of the symbols etched in the pages were ones that she already knew, such as one in the shape of a dragon-head that was the mark of the Empire, and even Gundisalvus’ signature symbol of a black fox head.
Selena shook her head and put the book back where she found it. However, a few small, folded-up pieces of parchment fell out of the book’s pages and landed near her feet.
With a confused look, Selena bent over to pick it up and unfolded it. The notes were handwritten in cursive that looked more like they were from a journal entry, as they were dated from over two hundred years ago.
“Seventh of Midday, 1375ED,” Selena read from the first page. “That’s over two hundred years ago.”
Her eyes scanned through the pages, learning that it was just a collection of notes that were randomly written down that spoke of fascinating symbols in particular throughout history. On the second page, she saw a few that were hand drawn, including one that was the same that she had on her hand with the words ‘Altessa family crest’ on top and ‘Revelation’ underneath.
“The Altessa family crest?” Selena double-checked that the one on her hand and the one drawn were the same. “Then that means that Silver would know. But what does Revelation, Death’s weapon, have anything to do with this?”
She went to the next page of notes she found to see if there was any other information.
There were randomly written pieces of inconsistent phrases all over. One read, “Revelation shall be the only hope for man.” Another one read, “He’s always watching, but the Lich can’t see me. No one can see me.” Shivers ran down her spine when she read that to herself. She skimmed over and read another one to herself, “Ragnarok, crafted by the dwarves and blessed by the Fire Lion. The one that gives life and power while the other can take it all away and is a soul eater.” One in particular caught her attention.
“The one not born of man will decide the fate of the world,” Selena read to herself.
After turning to the last page of the notes, she came across what appeared to be a journal entry written in dark red ink that talked about Divinity Dragons, and referring to Genesis Altessa’s research of an extraordinary find.
“A Divinity Dragon in existence,” Selena read out loud, “such a beauty! I must keep this secret safe, yes, safe. No one shall know what it bears, but Genesis even proved it to be true! Incubating the chosen one not born of man! Such marvelous discoveries! The Lich will fear for his own existence!”
Selena stopped, unable to say anything.
“It’s not a legend,” she whispered. “Not only did he research Ragnarok, but also on the Oracles’ prophecy. So that’s how…but that can’t be! Gundisalvus looked to Genesis’ research in regards to all of this to try to help the Empire. This is quite remarkable! I would have never thought it was possible! But if that’s the case, then they should have been conceived over two hundred years ago.”
She wanted to share this information with Thor, but after looking at the library’s grandfather clock near the entrance, she knew it was getting late and that she had to be back at the barracks before lights out at eight.
She quickly stuffed the notes in her pockets and quickly ran out of the library in haste, so she did not recognize the Empress walking towards her.
“Salutations, Liongod.”
Selena jumped and quickly turned around, breathless and speechless from complete shock. The Empress smiled a little and Selena found herself bowing before her automatically. The Empress gave a slight chuckle and bowed her head in turn to Selena.
“Good afternoon, my Lady,” Selena whispered. She straightened herself, but she did not wish to speak in fear of what she might say.
“It’s a lovely day,” the Empress said, turning her gaze up towards the sky.
“Yes, it is,” agreed Selena in a low tone, keeping her head low.
“I apologize about the attack,” the Empress whispered, “I wanted to see how you were feeling.”
Selena made no comment. Instead, her eyes swelled. Selena looked up at the Empress through her tears.
“But no matter,” the Empress said, with a smile on her face, “come, walk around Alfheim with me. I want you to tell me what you have learned.”
Selena nodded her head again and clasped her hands together behind her back as the Empress took the lead.
“I’m advancing with my sparring lessons.” She looked off to the side at a few dandelions that appeared in a patch of grass on the side of the road.
The Empress smiled a bit at this, giving Selena the hint that she was satisfied and content with her answer.
“Excellent, my dear. Please tell me what else you’ve learned.”
Selena looked at the Empress, hardly believing that she truly cared about her. She continued on with her walk down the road. She followed behind and looked down at her feet, kicking some pebbles.
“It’s been mostly drills. We are learning about archery and staying on target. Why do you keep asking me this?”
“I suppose that I have kept you long enough. Perhaps our next conversation will be more uplifting. You may go, but before you do, I have something to give you.”
Hidden in her cloak was a scroll that she pulled out and gave to Selena.
“What is this?” Selena asked in puzzlement. She glanced through it and saw that the text was referring to the history of the dwarves.
“It’s a scroll from one of my personal collections,” the Empress said with a smile, “I understand that you love reading. Please consider it as more of a gift and my token of appreciation.”
Selena stood there, appalled by this treasure that the Empress handed to her. Even the Alfheim library
did not have any texts regarding dwarven history.
“Thank you,” she said and bowed before the Empress dismissed her. She stopped in her tracks. “May I ask a question?”
The Empress chuckled slightly.
“You just did,” she said. “You may ask me another.”
“I apologize if this is random. I know that Divinity Dragons are very intriguing beasts,” Selena began, “I also am aware that they may incubate an egg with a human embryo inside while being protected by their magic.”
The Empress did not respond at first; instead, she nodded her head and said, “Please continue.”
Selena tried to choose her words carefully.
“How long can a Divinity Dragon harbor their eggs?”
Once again, the Empress did not respond at first.
“Divinity Dragons are remarkable,” she began, “even with their own, they can keep their eggs for years.”
Selena swallowed hard.
“What about two hundred years?”
“It is possible,” the Empress said quietly.
Selena was not able to offer a response to this. Rather, she bowed to the Empress before dismissing herself from her presence.
“Thank you,” she whispered and walked away, clutching on the scroll she was given earlier.
Selena spent the entire day in thought about the information she learned earlier. Her daily training flew by, as she constantly pondered about Divinity Dragons and with Gundisalvus’ research.
“It’s still an incredible find. I need to see if there is anything more about it. Maybe the person is walking around the Empire at this moment in time. Perhaps I met him or her and didn’t realize it,” Selena said to herself after getting back to her barracks.
It grew darker as the clouds gathered together when evening came. The wind blew through the city as it began to sprinkle. The pleasant, fresh smell of the rain lingered in the air.
She sat down on her bunk with the scroll the Empress gave her earlier that day.
It was old and fragile. She was careful when handling it, as the paper felt as though it would rip upon the slightest touch.
