Chapter 8 The Call #2
Lana giggled and performed a barrel-roll around Eldoron’s big, golden butt. Eldoron lifted its head up and ignored her. Lana giggled some more and playfully flew close to Eldoron’s ignoring head.
I am not happy with you, Lana! Eldoron sniffed.
Aw, Eldoron, don’t be mad! I love you! Just like Xipil does! Lana cried.
Xipil let out a snort. But the Red Dragon did not deny it. Perhaps things had changed.
If these other Dragons finally wake, they will need a leader too, Scylla pointed out.
Scylla was at Raziel’s right. Raziel glanced over at the Blue Dragon who was as easy and unruffled as her human counterpart.
If Chione were here she would say the same thing. Both of you are incorrigible, Raziel muttered.
Raziel then looked down and saw that one of the Dragons was getting up to its feet. It was wobbly, but awake and unsure.
Ah, your new subject. More are waking. We should go down, Scylla suggested.
If the Behemoth comes--
They could be helpful in that fight. Perhaps they wish to take revenge, Scylla interrupted. Besides, we can take it out on the ground or the air as long as we work together.
Raziel snorted, but it began to land. The others arranged themselves behind Raziel, forming the V-formation that they had in the human realm when they’d shown the humans that the war was over.
Raziel lightly touched down, but there was still a thunderous noise.
The others caused the ground to shake. This stirred some of the unbound Dragons to wake.
Those that looked up at them, shifted uneasily, and hung their heads while others tried to act as if they were unimpressed and unashamed.
Raziel surveyed them. There were two titanic Dragons, one a silvery gray and the other a bright yellow.
The silvery gray one had what looked like lightning bolt horns sticking out of its head.
That had been the one to bring the tornadoes.
Xipil bared its teeth at the Dragon when it lifted its wings wide.
Raziel was almost amused. Even with its wings puffed, it was not as big as Mephous who gave out a green puff of smoke and tossed its head in dismissal.
The bright yellow one blinked lazily, looking more like a fat, happy housecat than a Dragon, but it had caused the beams of light that had cut through Raziel’s wings.
It smiled rather eagerly at Lana who blinked back.
Eldoron stepped in front of Lana as if to protect the Turquoise Dragon from the other’s simple eager-puppy gaze.
There was a medium sized dark blue Dragon with white frills, who had steely eyes and a long sinuous neck. Lightning bringer, Raziel thought. It tracked Raziel’s movements, twitching slightly at every flutter of Raziel’s wings. Zephyra let out a thin stream of mist like a coming storm.
Then there was Vozyth. She--one of the few Dragons that took a gender--coiled and uncoiled her tail.
Her gaze never left Mephous. The Green Dragon grinned with evident delight and made movements with its front claws to mimic ripping movements.
Raziel wondered exactly what Mephous had done to the Ruby Dragon.
Vozyth had been the one that had been blocking them from Caden.
So whatever Mephous had done to her was acceptable. She narrowed her eyes.
A light purple small Dragon, almost delicate, with pink undertones curled its tail tight around its compact form, uncurled and took a step towards Evren, then curled up again. Evren stared at it with icy aloofness.
Another medium-sized Dragon with orange-red scales and matching eyes had its wings out and its body lowered to the ground. Its scaly feet were slowly backing away, but it didn’t take its eyes off Raziel.
Finally, there was a sleek sizzling green-colored Dragon with plates of heavy bone at the end of its tail and more around its head. It bared needle-like teeth at them, lips writhing back and quivering. It was more a show of fear than anger.
Raziel surveyed them all. They had been the Behemoth’s slaves and there was no saying that when the Behemoth came back that they would not seek to return to its side or fight with it against them.
Raziel extended its mighty wing span that made even the titanic Dragons look small.
Raziel’s head was lifted high and it regarded the other Dragons from its glowing, sulfurous eyes.
Even those who had sought to look unimpressed hunkered down at this display.
Will you enslave us next? Or simply destroy us once more? Vozyth asked.
You deserve destruction, Mephous hissed. You attacked us!
I attacked none! I was… Vozyth’s eyes grew distant, … dreaming. Dreaming of swimming in an icy lake that cooled my scales and then… Those eyes grew uncertain, the memory slipping from her grasp.
You attempted to kill Valerius, the Black Dragon King! Mephous surprised them all by roaring. You, who are nothing, but a cowardly worm!
Mephous stamped its massive claws and the earth shook. Rocks and soil skittered down the sides of the crater.
Twice the Behemoth has enslaved you, Zephyra spoke. Twice you have given your strength to the Hydra and attacked us, and this time, all of humanity. You stole bodies. You dislodged souls.
Some of whom may never return to the Wheel! It was Evren who added this, likely thinking of Anwar’s lost lover and so many others taken too long ago.
You attacked us! We were weakened! The sizzling green Dragon insisted.
Weakened? Xipil sneered. You are weakness itself! How can you sit here and not feel shame? Shame that you allowed yourself to be used!
Not all of us had the great Raziel to defend us, the silvery gray titanic Dragon intoned, its voice deep and sure.
We were alone when the Behemoth came upon us.
It started with the smallest of us first. Its gaze slid to the light purple Dragon.
And the most foolish. Its gaze went to the bright yellow Dragon.
Lana was peeking around Eldoron to get a better look at the sunny head that was lifting up to see the Turquoise Dragon.
The medium-sized Dragon with orange-red scales added, We thought we were the strongest. We did not heed your call, King Raziel. These others did when the Behemoth came. But we stayed in our territories and thought we were safe.
We were not, the dark blue Dragon with white frills said and lightning crackled over its scales.
You, gray one, claim that the most foolish was taken second, but surely you see that you all were foolish, Scylla said with a trace of Esme’s waspishness. You did not just lose yourselves, but have caused death and destruction on a great scale. You have violated all of our laws.
We were used! Vozyth cried. Against our will! We did not wish to harm the mortals! Why should we?
You took their bodies for your own, Zephyra pointed out coldly. You have caused untold damage by this act!
Evren added, We only have access to the physical world because humans bond with us. It is a choice!
Xipil shocked them all by saying, You took that choice away and we have no idea what results will ripple out from this act!
The other Dragons cowered there. They had potentially put every Spirit’s chance to join with a human at risk. While the Behemoth had been capable of pushing out human souls from bodies, without its power, Raziel did not think that any other Spirit could.
Did you fight? It was surprisingly Eldoron who asked in a relatively small voice. Did you fight against the Behemoth? Did you try to stop it?
With all we had, the silvery gray Dragon sighed. But it was not enough.
That sentiment was echoed throughout the group.
Raziel surveyed this sorry lot. They had once been proud Dragons.
Raziel could easily imagine them ignoring his call, thinking that they were above banding together for safety and defense.
Long had Raziel wanted to believe that such separateness was strength, too.
Raziel believed it had needed no other than.
With its human by its side, Raziel was supreme. But that wasn’t true.
I once thought as you, Raziel finally spoke. Even after my experience fighting the Behemoth together with our kind and ending a war with our united strength, I thought to be alone. My Valerius was enough. I was king and it was good.
Not just the new Dragons, but the familiar friends were listening carefully to Raziel’s words. Like between Valerius and Illarion, some things needed to be said, acknowledged and apologized for.
But without these great beings by my side, I grew blind and deaf and dumb to the Behemoth’s presence in the human realm, Raziel said.
We should have told you what we were seeing, Zephyra offered.
We missed the enormity of what was happening, because we thought it singular, Scylla added.
Mephous’ jaws cracked, but the Green Dragon didn’t say anything to what Zephyra and Scylla had offered.
I felt strife, but looked to the sea for peace, not realizing that it wasn’t the land’s fault it was unruly, but the Behemoth and the many who felt left behind by our ascent, Lana said.
These were solemn words from the Turquoise Dragon who celebrated fun over everything
If these great beings had not joined me, my Valerius would have been lost. I… might have been lost, Raziel admitted.
We need each other, Xipil said, stepping a little towards Raziel with antlered head held high. Metal--cold or hot--is not enough. We need our fellow Dragons to keep the world from falling into chaos.
Raziel nodded at Xipil, acknowledging its words, knowing how hard they were to say.
It was easy to think the deserts surrounding me kept out threats, Evren said. But they just emphasized how alone I was.
Who could survive the ages without seeing my gloriousness? Eldoron murmured. I was wrong to hide myself from you all.
We’re so honored. Xipil rolled its eyes.
Yes, as you should be, Eldoron sighed in contentment.
So far only you, Green Dragon, say nothing of the strength of togetherness, Vozyth pointed out with slitted eyes.
Raziel was about to cut off any comment that Mephous was about to give as it would go against its plan, but Mephous got ahead of Raziel.
There is no greater dishonor than failing kin, Mephous said with a simplicity and straightforwardness that had everyone blinking who knew the Green Dragon.
I fight by my kin’s sides. I hear their calls and I come.
My strength is needed for triumph against our enemies.
To not come, to not fight, is to be nothing.
Raziel shifted its weight as it went from looking at the Green Dragon--who bowed its head at Raziel and Raziel responded in kind--back towards the other Dragons.
The past is the past, Raziel intoned. You cannot undo it. You can only go forward. You are free now to do as you wish. But you have a choice.
You’d let us leave? The light purple Dragon almost looked eager.
You can run away and hide, Mephous said dismissively.
You can leave, Raziel agreed, but none of the Dragons moved. Or you can stay and fight with us. Earn back some of your honor or, Raziel’s red eyes narrowed, get your revenge. Whatever motivates you matters not to us.
But we’ve lost twice! The sunny yellow Dragon moaned. Hurt. Hurt and lost.
But not with us! Lana cried as it came out from around Eldoron’s big butt. If you fight with us, we’ll win!
Can you not do this without us? The blue Dragon with white frills asked.
Raziel tried not to be disappointed at the fact that these Dragons were not jumping at the chance to at least get revenge for their enslavement, but Raziel saw that they had been beaten down. They were afraid. Their confidence had been shattered.
We can, but the Behemoth will rise again and come after you once more. We will be here again once more in time, Raziel answered. But the choice is yours.
There was silence except for wings fluttering and claws tapping on the ground. But that silence was broken when Lana cried, Uhm, guys, we need you to make a choice now! The Behemoth is here!