Chapter 45 Now #2
‘Kgosi, what are you doing?!’
‘I am ensuring our souls are safe—and learning the truth of what has occurred. This dragon has broken free. We will finally know the true depravity that this pair have wreaked. Armed with that, I will hunt Carnage, and I will not rest until he bears the full weight of his crimes.’
‘But he’s right there—’
‘This is not vengeance, Donavyn. It is justice. And we cannot punish an offense of which we are ignorant.’
I wanted to pull out my hair. Wanted to scream and swear as Carnage’s silhouette slowly shrank into the distance, still raising the occasional scream.
But then we were down, Kgosi lumbering to a halt as quickly as he was able—and to my surprise, on clear ground.
The herd had scattered from the fight, but were now clustered at the other side of the small valley, all turned to face us, watching.
I hurriedly unwrapped myself from the straps and untied the knots in the safety strap so I’d be free to dismount when Kgosi stopped.
But Kgosi did not stop. The moment he’d found his equilibrium back on solid ground and we were safe, he raised his head and turned, wings still half-extended, head high, and breath huffing through an open mouth as he strode towards the single dragon at the center of the valley floor, now half-obscured in dust and the dissipating smoke.
“Benji?” I called when I heard a sharp cough.
Ignoring me, Kgosi strode up on the male—a young gray, still trimmer than he would be in full maturity, his scales so light they were almost blue.
“Benji? Where are you?!” I shouted.
The young dragon dropped his head and huffed as Kgosi drew close, an attitude of submission, though not necessarily surrender. The dragon acknowledged Kgosi’s power, but didn’t submit as he would to his own Primarch.
‘What’s going on? Where’s Benji?’ I asked Kgosi, who huffed and inhaled.
He and the other dragon arched their necks, flaring nostrils and inhaling each other’s scents as Kgosi slowed his pace, but continued moving into the dragon’s space.
The young male trembled, but didn’t give way.
He was brave. But I was worried. The dust and smoke had mostly cleared, and Benji hadn’t responded to my calls. I looked back to the watching dragon herd and my chest ached. Had he been trampled?
“Benji?!”
‘He’s here, Donavyn. He’s here, and he’s well. He’s very well.’
Surprised by Kgosi’s gentle tone, I looked down to find Benji stumbling out from underneath the young dragon’s belly. He was covered in dirt and scrapes, and his eyes streamed from smoke and dust. But he was on his feet and alive.
“Oh, thank God, what—”
‘Do not move, Donavyn. Do not dismount. I am not certain how this young male will respond.’
I frowned. ‘Respond to what?’
‘He is… sharing his mind with me. And it is a dark place. Please, stay where you are. Don’t startle him.’
I stayed quiet and sat back on Kgosi. Benji staggered out, away from the dragon, his eyes wide, and red, and streaming.
At first, I thought he was in shock. He seemed unfocused and teary. But then he turned to face us and looked up at me on Kgosi’s back.
His chin trembled. “It’s horrible,” he said through his teeth, looking back at the young dragon. “So horrible what they did. These poor dragons.”
“What?” I asked him as kindly as I could, leaning on Kgosi’s withers. “What did they do?”
Benji wiped his eyes on the back of his torn sleeve and shuddered, his face screwing up like he’d tasted something sour.
“They’ve all been… claimed somehow. I don’t understand it.
It’s like the bonds you have. But, they follow because they must. They’ve never known anything else.
They need help!” he pleaded, looking younger than he had just minutes earlier.
“I’m certain Kgosi can help,” I said as kindly as I could. “Are you hurt, Benji? I think you should sit down—”
‘No, Donavyn.’ Kgosi’s tone was grave, and insistent. He raised his head and looked in the direction Carnage had disappeared, then shook. ‘The herd… they have been violated.’
‘Oh, God. What happened?’
The watching dragons had been still, like horses alerted. But now they began to move again, milling, weaving between each other as if they wanted to stay close, but couldn’t remain still.
‘Kgosi… what is it?’
But Kgosi ignored me, whistling, short and sharp. The other dragons startled, then ran. Kgosi took a step towards them, but this time instead of milling around and snorting, they all kicked into gallops and took off, one by one, scaling the hill and launching into the air.
Kgosi began to run, and at first I thought he would launch, but instead he simply galloped to the top of the hillside, then hesitated at the peak.
I gaped. ‘Kgosi, what’s going on?’
Benji yelled behind me, but I couldn’t turn. Ahead and around us, dragons rose in droves. Through trees, from grassy meadows, even on the more distant mountainsides, in clusters, and groups, in singles and pairs, all of them launching into the sky and flying in the same direction.
‘Kgosi, what the hell?’
‘Ruin flees,’ Kgosi spat, his tone leaving no question what he thought of that. ‘Ruin flees… and Carnage calls the wild ones to follow. And they do.’
‘Wait, what?! Where are they going?’
‘I do not know,’ Kgosi rumbled. ‘But I would gamble he returns to Vosgaarde, to overrun my herd and take them from me.’
I frowned. ‘He can’t. You’re alive, and still dominant. He can’t… can he?’
Kgosi turned his head and met my eye over his shoulder. ‘We must follow. Now.’