He said, “If we don’t do this now, we may never meet again.”
“I don’t understand,” Kerri said with tears now falling down her face; the air warming up by the second.
Gaby, who had been looking anxious, said, “If you calm down, I will tell you what you want to know.” Kerri was breathing quickly, the air growing hot. “But you have to calm down. The temperature can’t keep rising. Please.”
Those last words distracted her enough. Without thinking it, she willed herself to cool down and the air did, too. Did that mean she had some kind of magic as well? “Are we sorceresses?”
Brian only closed his eyes; Kerri felt his sadness. It couldn’t be. She couldn’t be what they were thinking, she-
It was then that Gaby began to speak.
She spoke with her same childish voice, but low and clear. The words came one after the other and she didn’t stop until everything was said and done. Until the truth was revealed and the story over.
Kerri took a deep breath and listened.
“A long time ago, there lived a dragon in peace on this earth and in peace, it ruled the world. And everything was harmony and nature was in balance. The dragon was alone, but it needed nothing to feel content. With nature as its partner, it was happy.
“It was suddenly that the time of men came and the dragon saw that they disturbed its world in a way that was unnatural. Soon, men began to destroy everything the dragon held dear, they became invaders in the perfect balanced world the dragon maintained.
“For a while the dragon watched, but it didn’t take long for its anger to rise, for it saw the destruction men left in their path.
“Enraged, yet ever wise, the dragon threatened the human race, which was now great in numbers and divided across the land.
“Ignoring the warning, humans only saw the danger the dragon brought and, thinking it would kill them in the end, they struck a war with it.
“The race of men then began making weapons of war, training for a war the dragon had been trying to avoid. Foreseeing the ruin that would come out of this war, the dragon decided it was a battle it would not fight. Instead, in order to protect the earth, it disappeared where humanity could not find it.
“The first volcano erupted as the dragon collided with it looking for a place to hide. Once surrounded by heat and lava, it hoped men would forget it ever existed; perhaps then they would find peace. It thought it was the only way Earth would not suffer because of its existence.
“And so many years passed until the tale of dragon became legend; a memory in the minds of men.
“When the dragon felt the Earth at peace, it ventured out of its hiding place at last. Although, this time, with the use of its magic, it chose not to look like a dragon at all.
“Instead, a beautiful young maiden descended from the mountain where she had slept for so long. Quietly, the maiden watched the world from a different point of view. It saw humanity like she had never seen it before.
“Then one day she stopped at a village and there she found what she never thought possible.
“Love.
“The man was young and strong. He was kind and gentle. She began to have eyes only for him and he only for her.
“Days turned into weeks, weeks to months and, months to years. For a moment, even the maiden forgot what she really was. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Only the life she now had with this one man. She had found a piece of her she had always been missing.
“But the life they created together didn’t last long, for the kingdom soon went into war, as human kingdoms often did, and the king ordered more soldiers be recruited to fight his cause.
“It was then that they came for him and the maiden, heartbroken and confused, lost her visage.
“The villagers and everyone around her attacked the dragon then, all but her lover and five other men, his brothers, protected her. Seeing that the crazed mob meant to kill her and her protectors, the dragon bestowed upon her only allies the greatest magic.
“The six men began to change, quickly losing their human form. Next to the dragon, six newly born dragons stood wild. The dragons quickly used their new power to protect their queen, although by doing so, forgetting they had once been men.
“And so it was that the queen watched in horror as everyone in the village was burned to a cinder and then the six dragons she had created flew away to wreak destruction someplace else.
“Their queen tried to stop them, but they could not see reason. They were blinded by power and new instincts. No magic she tried reverted their shape back to human form. The only magic that she had finally be able to successfully cast turned them into stone with the light of day. Only during the night would they be unstoppable.
“But, how to turn them into men? It took time for the queen to realize that her very presence fed their transformation. If she stayed away long enough, the dragons could not feed off her power and would return to their original form. When they were near, they drew their power from her.
“When the dragon learned this, she was heartbroken. If she ever went back together with the man she loved he would sooner or later absorb her magic, turning into a monster of destruction and death.
“That could not be.
“This is why the dragon found a mortal woman to keep her loved ones safe. This woman would care for them, keep them from harm, those now immortal men cursed until the end of time. When the time came, this woman would keep them apart.
“And so it has been,” Gaby finished, “that every few decades, the cycle repeats. Every few years you come back until they take as much as they can take without losing their humanity.”
Kerri, remembering everything once more, understood. Not able to stop her tears, she looked up at Gaby and cursed her for opening her eyes to the truth as if she was solely responsible for her fate.
“Now you understand why you must leave,” Gaby added. “You are that dragon, Kerri… and Brian will soon have enough energy to turn into the dragon of destruction that you created long ago. They all will.”
“I-I can’t be that dragon.” Kerri felt like dying again and again. Turning to Brian, she found tears in his eyes, as well. She knew the truth. She knew what must be done.
“It was good to see you again,” Brian told her.
“If I am… I-I should be able to stop this, I—” Kerri looked from one face to the next, hopeful. “Tell me how!” Nobody moved an inch at her demand. If she didn’t know what to do, neither would they. She sobbed, “Please, I don’t want to leave. Not again. There must be a way to break the spell!”
“You have tried,” Gaby reminded her finally, she looked sad. “There has never been anything you can do. Unless you decide never to see him again, this cycle will continue until the end of time.”
It was unfair. It was too late. Feeling her back changing, she let out her wings, the green scales glimmering with the artificial light. Slowly, the woman that had once been, took another shape. The claws, the tail, the sharp teeth. Soon, the queen dragon emerged out of the human shell once again.
As a dragon, everything looked different, but there was something that would always remain unchanged: her love for Brian. She would love him until time stopped.
Almost as if he had read her mind, Brian gave a step forward, his arm raised until it touched her muzzle’s scales.
“I will always love you, my love,” he said, “and I will be waiting, until next time.”
Suddenly, Brian grunted in pain. In unison, the six men arched their backs, felt their bones snap. The proximity to the dragon’s true form had begun their transformation.
“Leave!” Gaby urged; panic in her voice. “We cannot let them out like this out into the world. Leave. Now!”
Brian looked at Kerri, his eyes now yellow and fierce, “Goodbye...”
Kerri knew what she should do. Without wasting any more time, she flew straight up through the ceiling and into the sky. She flew in tears until she reached her old mountain, the mountain
she would use to mourn into forgetfulness… until the next time.
Until next time.
The End
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Claudia Silva is the author of the North American Vampire Secret Agency series and other dark fantasy tales. You can find her online home at www.claudia-silva.com.
You can also connect with Claudia on Twitter @csilvaauthor, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/claudiasilvaauthor and you can always email her at [email protected].
ALSO BY CLAUDIA SILVA
Have you read the North American Vampire Secret Agency Series?
The North American Vampire Secret Agency (NAVSA) series follows the adventures of Rebecca Sawyer as she joins werewolf hunter Dylan Torrence in battling werewolves and other supernatural threats that terrorize mankind.
Book 1: The Recruit
Book 2: Werewolf Phenomenon
Book 3: The Fall of Witchcraft
Book 4 - 6 to be released soon
Find the series on Amazon
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