Or, at least for the time being…
CHAPTER 24
AFTER THE BATTLE, FASO APPLIED some special balm made of secicao and aloe vera to Velos’ tail, which seemed to have magical healing abilities. And as soon as he was fit to fly again, we decided to take Velos ahead so we could report to Gerhaun as immediately as possible. Of course, Velos didn’t carry the cannon all the way to the Southlands. Everyone agreed that there would unlikely be any need for it on the journey.
General Sako insisted on coming with Faso, Taka and I, and he sat in the middle with his grandson seated on his lap. Somehow, despite the heavy turbulence, both Taka and his grandfather slept most of the journey, and General Sako’s snores were quite audible, even above the roar of the wind. Of course, we had to wake them to remind them to put their gas masks on once we hit the secicao clouds in The Southlands. Then, they both just moaned, reached down for the masks, placed them over their faces and were very shortly afterwards fast back asleep.
Faso was also incredibly quiet on his journey. Probably musing over what the old men had told him about his heritage. I hadn’t sensed them in the covey of dragons that Alsie had brought over from the volcano or the ones that had followed me to the Saye explorer. So, I had a feeling that they’d perished during the eruption.
The first people to greet us when we arrived were my parents. They waited standing on the courtyard and just as we were about to land, I caught sight of their pale faces and the huge bags they sported underneath their eyes. They looked as if they hadn’t slept for a month. We touched down quickly and Velos let out a light roar to greet my parents. I immediately scrambled down Velos’ ladder and ran into my father’s arms.
“Pontopa,” he said. “You look like you aged years.”
I laughed. “Such a sweet thing to say to your only daughter.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just. I can’t get over how much you’ve grown in the last few years. And there’s something different about you. In your eyes…”
I smiled and then I embraced my mother with a hug. “What happened out there, dear?” she asked. “You seem like you’ve endured a lot.”
Wellies, why did parents have to be so perceptive. “I’ll explain later. For now, I need to talk to Gerhaun. Is she awake?”
Papo smiled. “I believe so,” he said. “And she has news.”
So it sounded like Cadigan wasn’t the only place things had happened. “What?” I asked.
“I think she’ll like to explain this herself,” she said. Mamo looked up at Velos. “But it’s quite exciting.”
“Dragonheats,” I said. And I stormed through the corridors so fast that my parents or General Sako couldn’t keep up with me. The double doors to Gerhaun’s treasure chamber were open and it looked sparkling clean.
You didn’t announce your visit, Gerhaun said in the collective unconscious.
But I ignored her slight objection. Gerhaun, I said. My parents tell me you have the news.
Later Dragonseer… There’s something different about you. Gerhaun furrowed her great golden brow. Finesia… You took Exalmpora.
I felt my heart leap in my chest, and I wanted to cry. It was forced upon me. Colas shot me in the stomach, and I had no choice but to take it otherwise I’d die.
And then, it all came out it a flurry of tears and words. I told Gerhaun about the storm, and the tribespeople we’d met in the jungle and how Colas had converted them to his cause. I told her about the academics and their theories — something which Gerhaun admitted to already knowing a lot about. I then told her about Colas and how he’d incited a volcanic eruption, and how his nefarious plan had managed to birth thousands of dragonmen and dragonwomen from the soil. And how he’d shot me in the stomach and I’d almost died. And when teetering over the abyss of death I’d managed to transgress the collective unconscious and become something else entirely. And how I had no choice but to take the Exalmpora down my throat, as Taka still needed saving and it wasn’t time to die. Finally, I told her about Charth. How he’d lost himself to Finesia. That, it seemed, he’d never help us again.
There was only one thing that I held back telling her, and that was about the vision I’d had in the jungle when I’d become the Tree Immortal and destroyed the world. It terrified me and I was also terrified of how Gerhaun would react if she knew about it. She might cast me out, or worse tear me to shreds on the spot once she learned what a threat I was to this world.
After I’d finished speaking, there was a long pause as I waited for Gerhaun to digest the words. Eventually, she nodded and looked down upon me with her wise eyes. If you kept Finesia out, then you’ve not lost yourself yet.
I looked over at the gleaming pile of treasures. I’m a dragonwoman, I said. Just like Charth.
No, Gerhaun replied. You’re not like Charth at all.
I shook my head. Gerhaun what happened to Charth? Why did you throw him out?
And that caused her to sink her head and let out a low and sad growl. First, I need to know, Pontopa. Did you ever call on Finesia, or use her powers?
Never, I said. And I told Taka not to let her in.
Gerhaun nodded. Then keep it that way. You see, Charth turned on us when we least expected it. He returned to us after what his father had done to him in the palace, and continued to work for us, while his brother travelled the world wooing women and Alsie decided to try and create a life of her own in the palace. But King Cini II kept sending automatons to the Southlands and Charth felt he needed to use his abilities to destroy the king’s operations. I told him he shouldn’t call on Finesia. That the power she gave him was dangerous, but he wouldn’t listen.
One day, he went out with a task force and he turned into a black dragon to fight the king’s airships. But in doing so, he lost his will and he ended up massacring our own men. After that, I had no option but to cast him out.
He said he was sorry. He vouched never to turn again. But I could see that it was only a matter of time until he became lost to Finesia will. He didn’t have the strength inside to resist.
I felt a tear well at the corner of my eye. Charth works for Alsie now.
Yes, Gerhaun replied. Because, Finesia kept exploiting that weakness, much as she’ll try to exploit your own.
I clenched my fists by my sides. I won’t let her, I said. I’ll be strong.
You need more then strength. Gerhaun said and he she looked down at me with her yellow knowing eyes. You need patience Dragonseer Wells. You need to accept you can’t have everything at once. It will take time to become who you want to be.
And with those words the tear dropped from my cheek. That’s what I’d found so hard to accept.
We lost so much out there. The dragons. The fleet. East Cadigan island is now a wasteland and Alsie tells me that it’s been prepared for secicao.
The world is changing, Gerhaun said. And we must be strong to face it.
A gust of wind came from the chimney and I smelt the egginess of the secicao fumes trying to close in through the collective unconscious.
Gerhaun, I said. There’s something else.
Tell me.
I took a deep breath. No, I had to tell Gerhaun. Maybe she’d help me understand. Or at least, perhaps she could give me the courage to face up to what I was becoming.
I had a vision, I explained. The first time Exalmpora was forced on me in the jungle, I saw myself in battle against Alsie. I beat her and I became the Tree Immortal, Gerhaun, and I… I caused secicao to grow across the world and I couldn’t stop it. I was the catalyst, Gerhaun… I destroyed this world.
Gerhaun’s lips folded downwards but her response wasn’t one of anger or fear as I’d feared but instead compassion. Do not let Finesia in, she said. She wants you to believe that you’re not in control of your own destiny. She wants you to think that you’re a servant to her will.
But you said there’s a prophecy.
Yes, one where we’ll rise with free will and decide what the fate of this world will be. You have t
o believe, Dragonseer Wells. And you have to have patience to hold on to those beliefs, even in the darkest of times.
I see that now, I said. Thank you Gerhaun.
No, thank you, she said. You’ve done great things for us all.
But Wiggea? I asked. Will he have a funeral. And, again, a tinge of sadness rose up to me as I remembered him holding my chin and the warm kiss he placed upon my lips.
Lieutenant Rastano Wiggea had done nothing to deserve this. He’d been a humble servant of dragonseers all his life and had already witnessed the death of two of them, the first being his wife. And now, he’d been forced to join the side that he’d fought so hard to protect the dragonseers from.
And that thought caused me to hate Finesia even more.
But Lieutenant Wiggea’s not dead yet, is he? Gerhaun said.
We lost him to Finesia.
No, Gerhaun said. We must believe there’s a way back for him, just as there is for you. But for the rest of the men and the dragons who died, there will be a great period of mourning. And then we’ll need to rally the dragon queens. We’ve not had to call a council since the dragonheats. But times a getting dark once again.
I understand, I said. But tell me… I need to hear the good news amidst all this darkness.
Very well, Gerhaun said. There is something you’ll be pleased to hear.
Tell me.
Well, something good has come out of all of this. I had to sleep long before you went because I was about to give birth.
Another egg? I asked.
Not just any egg, Gerhaun replied. But the next dragon queen.
And for the first time in a while, elation rose in my chest. And, as if he also felt my feelings and knew what had happened, I heard Velos let out a distant roar. This roar, I imagined, passed through the courtyard and the corridors of Fortress Gerhaun and over the parapets.
I imagined it even echoed out into the secicao cloud and over the thorny secicao where Finesia heard its intent.
No, Velos’ roar seemed to say. We have a will. And, Finesia, you shall not have dominion. For the good and the collective unconscious shall prevail overall.
THANK YOU FOR READING
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU for purchasing this book. I hope you enjoyed it and that it added value to your everyday life.
If possible, would you consider leaving a review? Just a few words can help other fellow readers discover the kind of books that they love to read. The following links lead you straight to the book pages where you can leave a review.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XZN3NJH/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XZN3NJH/
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07XZN3NJH/
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Thank you in advance and I wish you all the best in your future success.
SUKINA’S STORY
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT Sukina? You can download a full-length novel about how she came to be a dragonseer by signing up to my email list.
I send emails approximately twice a month. You can subscribe at http://chrisbehrsin.com/sukina/.
If, at any time, you want to shoot me an email, you can reach me at: [email protected].
DRAGONSEERS AND AUTOMATONS
As you read this, the work on Dragonseers and Automatons, the next book in this series, will have already started. It’s set for release on February 14th 2020 on Amazon Kindle and probably Kindle Unlimited.
You can pre-order it at mybook.to/dragonseersautomatons.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Firstly, I’d like to thank my good friend, Patch Willis for all the writing sessions and motivation. And a big shout out for all the members of NaNoWriMo Vietnam this month (November 2019). I’ll start sprinting with you guys soon.
And to all the fantastic people at Miblart for your wonderful cover.
Also, to my father who has read a lot of my work and given me the verbal encouragement I needed to keep going. And to my mother, for giving me emotional support through those difficult career times.
And finally, thank you most of all to my dear wife, Ola for the support a husband and writer can ask for.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHRIS BEHRSIN IS A BRITISH fiction writer who is pursuing the digital nomad lifestyle, hopping from pond to pond and working remotely he goes. Fiction-wise, he writes in multiple genres, but mainly science fiction and fantasy.
He’s also a working freelance copywriter and he co-runs the Being a Nomad (beinganomad.com) travel blog with his wife. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and playing the piano, whenever he has access to one.
He’s travelled extensively, having lived in France, South Korea, Poland, China, Spain, and Vietnam. He has a passion for exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations and infusing pieces of them in his work.
Dragonseers and Bloodlines: The Steampunk Fantasy Adventure Continues (Secicao Blight Book 2) Page 29