by Eden Redd
Climbing at night is dangerous, but the light from the entrance and the many cracks along the surface could make it possible. It might take me another two or three hours to climb up to the entrance.
Nate turned to the star filled sky and saw the edge of the moon begin to rise.
The moon will help me see what I’m doing.
Images of the three dragons caressed his thoughts. The connection between them burned bright. It wasn’t just the time with Izzi that helped him understand why he was here, it was the deeper mystery that pushed him.
I understand the hesitation to just blindly allow me to bond with them, but there is something more. Something left unsaid. They are concerned about what is happening. They didn’t seem terribly shocked about the followers of Hexnia. It seemed like that was well known. There is something else that has them concerned. What could cause mighty dragons to worry?
Nate turned his head and looked up the mountain once again.
For every higher degree of the Body Sphere, I have to push myself harder. It makes no sense to play it safe now when I can easily scale this mountain. I know I haven’t reached the point of pushing to a new degree, but this will help me get closer. I have to try, for myself and the three dragons waiting on me to prove myself.
Nate nodded to himself. He unslung his pack and opened it. He kicked off his boots as his hands rummaged through the pack. He grabbed his leather straps and tucked them into his belt. He picked up his boots and placed them in the pack before closing it and slinging it onto his back. With practiced ease, he wrapped the straps around his palms and secured each one in turn.
Nate looked up again and let out a cleansing sigh. He lifted his large hands, took hold of cracks in the surface and began pulling himself up.
Nate’s body worked like an experienced lizard. Each hand hold was measured and precise. Toes and feet gripped in cracks and along the semi-rough surface. His breathing was even as his powerful arms and legs worked. He planned his route as he made his way up, eyeing cracks and making sure there were others to grab as he ascended. Moonlight painted the mountain in a mystical glow, making it easier to plan his route.
Time slipped away like leaves floating on a gentle stream. Nate continued to climb, his senses alert and his body strong. Night’s cloak filled this part of the world and the small breezes cooled his warm skin.
Nate was nearly lost to the magical evening against his senses when he grabbed the ledge of the entrance and pulled himself up.
The young man made a small huff as he pulled the rest of his body over the edge and he laid on his stomach on the cool stone floor. His muscles burned, but not terribly. The heavy breath eased and he pressed his hands to the floor. With a strong push, he was back onto his bare feet.
Light glowed from deeper in the large, wide corridor. Nate began walking, wondering if the dragons would be waiting at the end.
Crystals glowed with light along the corridor walls. Nate’s body was relaxed as he walked on. He made his way deeper until the corridor opened up into another vast cavern.
Nate froze as he saw fear in Izzi’s eyes.
Shego and Izzi were in their dragon forms. The blue dragon held Izzi by her long neck, a claw touching the underside. Shego’s gaze was hard like granite and her gaze was filled with menace. Izzi let out a small whimper as she tried to struggle. Shego held her tighter and pressed the point of her claw harder against the frost dragon’s scales.
“How dare you take advantage of Izzi! She is now cursed and polluted by your lewd embrace. You were supposed to just come here,” Shego growled.
Nate lifted his hands and took a step closer, “Shego, this is a misunderstanding.”
“Ha!” Shego shouted. “You manipulated her surrender. Now she must be scarred! Know this, it was you who made me do this!”
Nate bent his legs, ready to leap across the distance to defend Izzi. Muscles bunched, ready to propel him when Shego’s claw sliced across Izzi’s neck.
Nate’s eyes widened for barely a moment before they closed half-way in annoyance.
Shego’s claw moved across the white dragon’s neck, but there was no blood. Izzi let out an exaggerated cry and clutched at her neck. Shego pulled back as Izzi flailed and spun on her hind legs.
“My life bleeds away for love!” Izzi shouted and then coughed several times.
Nate stood to his full height and crossed his arms. He watched the display as it continued.
Izzi fell onto all fours and pretended to weakly crawl toward Nate.
“How cruel fate is. I have tasted love and it has damned me!”
Izzi crawled closer and closer. Shego covered her snout, trying to hide her wide smile.
“Nate… don’t weep for my death. You may yet again love. Just… remember me when you stick your cock in many others. Picture my face, scales, and horns. Call out my name when you spill your seed. I will be watching from the heavens, smiling and judging you as you weep from my memory.”
Nate continued to watch the white dragon with un-amused eyes.
Izzi made a louder choking sound and a long gasp. She lifted herself up, turned and fell onto her back. Her wings spread out as she gasped for another breath. With one last look at Nate, her eyes rolled into her head and she lay on the floor. A long exhale wheezed out from her open mouth and hanging tongue before she remained still.
Shego’s scaled shoulders trembled before she let out howling laughter. Nate looked down on Izzi as she pretended to stare at nothing. After a few moments, her eyes moved to look at Nate and then she let out another long exhale as if to reiterate she was dead.
“Whose idea was this?” Nate asked sternly.
Shego pointed a clawed talon to the frost dragon on the floor.
Izzi turned her head, looked up at Nate and blinked with innocent eyes.
“We don’t get much entertainment here. That was fun,” Shego hissed with laughter.
Nate sighed before he looked around. He noticed the immense cavern continued deeper into the mountain. Just like the first mountain, there was a large building-like structure built in the very back of the cavern.
“Where’s Norrah?” Nate asked as he stepped over the dead Izzi.
Shego’s snickering stopped as she watched Nate walk toward her. “She wanted to be alone and have no part in our little play. She is in the dragon home, making it comfortable.”
“Dragon home?” Nate asked.
Shego nodded. “There are many places along the Sapphire Sea where travelling dragons can rest comfortably and safely. Each spire on this island has similar caverns and homes.”
Nate nodded and smiled. “Will we all be sleeping in there?”
Shego’s demeanor shifted into a mischievous look. “Who said we’re sleeping?”
Nate waited as the blue and black dragon seemed to have other plans.
Shego stalked closer on all fours until her head was close to Nate’s head. “You and I need to speak on some things. Norrah has tasked me with educating you on several more aspects of what it means to be our Seer.”
“Let’s get started then,” Nate smiled.
Shego’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, climb onto my back.”
Nate stood still for a long second before glancing at Shego's scaled back. Curved spikes ran down the length of her spine. The longer Nate looked, the more he noticed how spiky her back really was.
“What’s the matter? You wanted to be a Seer. Some spikes shouldn’t deter you,” Shego leered.
Nate smirked. “I’m brave, but not that brave.”
Shego let out a throaty laugh. She then shook her serpent head.
Nate watched as the spikes and scales flattened along her back and shoulders. He marveled on how they interlocked and formed what looked like a smooth groove for him to mount and sit on.
“Were you really going to let me sit on your spikes?”
Shego gave the man a wry smirk. “Maybe.”
Nate chuckled before reaching up and taking hold of the dragon’s
back. He easily climbed on. Nate remembered his horseback riding days and this didn’t feel much different. Considering Shego was the size of a large horse, he thought this should be similar.
Izzi coiled up onto her feet and stepped to the side. The white dragon watched as Nate grew comfortable on Shego’s back.
“Hold on,” Shego laughed.
Nate looked down and raised an eyebrow. “Hold onto what?”
Shego’s body tensed and she burst into a gallop. Her blue wings stayed to her sides as she charged through the corridor. Nate clamped onto her as best he could, the thrill and shock growing. He glanced up to see they were reaching the edge of the mountain entrance, stars in the sky beyond it.
Shego’s body undulated along until she reached the ledge and leapt off.
Nate’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as the pair fell. Shego let out another laugh as Nate clutched to the base of her neck. Her blue wings flashed out and caught the breeze. Gravity shifted and they were airborne.
Wind whipped at Nate’s face as he marveled at the sky, sea, and beach.
I’m doing it! I’m flying on a dragon!
Shego shifted and banked to the side. Nate watched in wonderment as they soared through the night sky. The white foam of the waves glowed from below. Moonlight illuminated the white sand, giving it an ethereal appearance. Trees waved from the breeze and the sea was dark and magical.
“It’s beautiful!” Nate shouted.
Shego craned her head slightly and looked back with an approving eye. The blue dragon banked right and left before flying over the dark sea. Nate looked down at the waters, seeing small points of light and large things moving below the surface.
“The creatures along the bottom like to come up to feed at night,” Shego shouted over the wind.
Nate heard her, but was still lost to the moment. Dreams of flying filled his mind many times as he slept and when he was awake. It never compared to the real thing. The air tasted sweeter. The night glowed with possibilities. Nate’s heart hammered in his chest from pure, distilled excitement.
Shego turned and dived. Nate grabbed onto her neck again as they nose-dived toward the beach. The young man let out a small yell as they didn’t appear to be slowing down.
Shego grinned before her wings caught the wind and her legs swung out. The dragon landed with a hard thud. The momentum was enough for Nate’s hands to slip off smooth dragon scales and he went flying over Shego’s shoulder.
Nate crashed into the sand and tumbled to a stop. He laid on his back and stared up at the perfect sky, his eyes still wide with excitement.
“That was amazing!” Nate shouted and pumped a fist into the air.
Shego stepped closer until she was nearly on top of him. She looked down with amused eyes.
“First time is always the most exhilarating.”
Nate sat up and nodded.
Shego’s body shuddered before a dim blue light engulfed her. Nate watched as the dragon slowly shifted and shape changed right before his eyes. Her bones, muscles, and scales rearranged themselves into a humanoid shape. Her wings folded back and a long tail whipped back and forth. Shego’s face and body were naked as scales moved to the sides of her arms and thighs. Clawed feet dug into the sand as scales ran up from her feet to her knees. Horns graced the top of her head as she stood and looked down on Nate.
Nate couldn’t help but stare. Shego was beautiful. She had high cheekbones and long, dark blue hair. Blue and black scales ran along her forearms and shins. Her skin was smooth like Izzi’s humanoid form, but wasn’t as pale. Nate’s gaze fell to her breasts. They were smaller than Izzi’s, but only a little. They were hand-sized with tiny, light brown nipples.
Shego looked down on Nate and put her hand on her hip. “Izzi said you like our humanoid form.”
“You don’t?” Nate asked as he sat.
Shego shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, as long as your feelings are true.”
“What does that mean?”
Shego ignored the question, turned around and sat beside Nate.
Nate glanced at her behind and saw that it was much rounder than Izzi’s behind. He was about to talk when he remembered his pack and the sudden crash landings. His hand whipped around and grabbed at the straps. He unslung his pack and placed it between his legs and opened the flap.
Nate stared down at the many items, books, bedroll, and bottle of wine he kept in the pack. Everything looked fine and undamaged. He let out a relieved sigh as he closed the flap and placed the pack beside him, away from Shego.
The dragon woman looked over before turning her gaze to the sea. “Your whole life is in that pack?”
“My travelling life, yes. It also holds gifts for the three of you.”
Shego continued to look forward as she talked. “The three of us? You gave me one, but Izzi didn’t tell me of any gift she received. I know you didn’t give anything to Norrah.”
“When the time is right. Besides, who says I don’t have another gift for you?”
Shego gave Nate a sideways glance before shaking her head. “You can’t buy us off with gifts.”
“I’m not trying to buy you off. On my travels, I thought of all three of you and thought maybe you would like some of the things I’ve found along the way.”
Shego gave a small nod. “Maybe.”
“You don’t like the gem I gave you?”
Heat touched the air and Shego looked away. “I’m not giving it back.”
“I didn’t ask for it back. I just asked if you liked it. It seems like you did before.”
Shego let out a small huff and looked forward. “It was fine.”
She’s really bad at hiding her emotions. I have to be careful. She seems like she can snap at the slightest insult or jab.
Shego continued, “Izzi told us what happened. She couldn’t hide it because we smelled you on her and heard her shout from the lake.”
Nate remained silent and simply stared out to the dark sea waters.
Shego glanced over. “Aren’t you going to ask anything?”
“I don’t see why I should. Izzi and I had a moment and we enjoyed ourselves,” Nate said plainly.
Shego let out a huff. “You are irritating.”
“Shego, it was never like this when we dreamed of each other. You were bright and happy. We laughed and explored great halls filled with piles of gold and gems. Did meeting me disappoint you?”
Shego’s stern eyes weakened. She looked away.
“What do you know about the deities of the sea?”
“I know there are several, but the two primal sea gods are Kana and Orrem. Kana is a mother of all sea creatures, storms, and tides. Orrem is the deep-sea god, ruler of the deep dark and the many monsters that lurk there.”
Shego nodded. “What do you know of the first creatures to populate Arith?”
Nate kept his gaze on the small waves crashing on the surf. “I don’t know much about early life, except from fairy tales I was told as a child. The world was barren until great rains lasted for hundreds of years. It created the oceans, but it was dragons, gods, and monsters that crawled onto land. They all grew smaller and, over time, became the people of Arith.”
Shego smiled. “It is truly a fairy tale, but one based in fact. There were many creatures that crawled onto land or fell from the sky, but the first creatures were the ones that dwelled in the seas and oceans.
“Kana is kind, compared to Orrem. Kana has brought much to the world with food and the tides. She was always loved and respected. Orrem was jealous and declared the surface and the skies to be the true enemy of the deep sea. That jealousy has never waned in millions of years.”
Nate looked at Shego as she seemed to organize her thoughts.
Shego looked at Nate, as seriousness in her eyes. “A great war is on the horizon, but some of Orrem’s allies have begun their attacks. Hexnia, Goddess of Lust and Madness has sided with Orrem and few others. Our seers have felt the shift. The time of paradise is comi
ng to an end and a new conflict brews.
“Our elders have looked to the signs and the stars. Across the cosmos, many are taking sides. From deities to the lowest worm must decide which side they are on for whole worlds may be lost.”
Nate raised his brow. “Whole worlds? What is happening? Why must this be?”
Shego closed her eyes and tilted her head forward. “It is the way of the universe. There are calm moments and times of great upheaval, much like the tides and storms. Our elders don’t wish to be caught at a disadvantage. They commanded us to find Seers, so we may grow our bonds between dragons and the peoples of Arith. During these times, many flock to what they know and their small tribes. The elders know we must help each other before we are divided and conquered.”
“You didn’t want a Seer,” Nate said in a low tone.
Shego lifted her head, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “No, I didn’t. I wanted to stay to the isles of my homeland and never see a war in my lifetime. The last great war was the Portal Wars and thankfully we dragons didn’t intervene, but the effects still reached us, even so far to the south.”
“Does Norrah and Izzi know how you feel?” Nate asked.
Shego shrugged. “I think they have an idea, but never said anything to me.”
Nate’s hand glided across the sand and touched Shego’s hand. The dragon woman looked down at his hand, her eyes wide. Her fingers curled into Nate’s hand for a brief moment before she let go and pulled her hand away.
Shego’s expression hardened as she crossed her arms and placed them on her knees.
“This is why I was chosen to tell you. Becoming a true Seer will only lead to pain and war. Izzi didn’t want to tell you. Norrah has expressed her feelings for you. That left me to tell you what it means to become our Seer.”
“Then I will fight at your sides,” Nate smiled.
“You’re a fool!” Shego growled.
“I’ve heard that before, but it never stops me from what I want,” Nate said with subdued confidence.
Shego threw her arms up before she stood up and turned to Nate. Heat came off her body in waves as energy arced along her eyes.
“You don’t know what may come! You don’t know the pain of war!” Shego shouted.
