by R. G. Porter
He watched as the young girl shifted her feet. “I don't know. I can't say for sure. We are sworn to secrecy. It's very scary.” Her eyes were wide in fear. Whatever she'd seen had scared her of that there was no doubt, but the fact that she was a ghost and still held the intensity of what she'd seen amazed him. “We were at peace for a long time, I loved living here."
His hand reached out to her but she shrank toward one of the houses. “Don't go child. Tell me what has happened here. I don't understand.” He was about to approach her but thought better of it. She was already close to the house and he felt a distinct need to not go anywhere near the homes. They were a vessel, he could sense it in the way the ghosts were compelled to stay close. Could they be a beacon to draw the restless? It was definitely a possibility. “Wait!"
Her body continued toward the open door but he felt her stop at his call. Gabriel watched as her head tilted in his direction a sad smile on her face. “You are here for a reason Gabriel, never doubt that. If you think about it, maybe your problems and ours are related. You never know.” Before he could ask another question her figure dissipated into the shadows of the house, her soft weeping reaching his ears and marking his soul.
There he stood alone once more. True, the ghosts of those who'd died were close but they were not about to help him out. His gaze drifted back to the center of town and the carved statue that he'd seen before. There was something he couldn't put his finger on. The dark haired woman had mentioned the dragon but that it wasn't the evil being he'd come to believe. How did it tie in with this village? The air around him shifted suddenly and he found the whole area no longer covered in ash but full of life and color. The people he'd felt near before were now wandering around the town, their faces full of happiness. It was overwhelming how content they all seemed, yet he knew this wasn't real, at least not anymore.
"Watch good sir. There is much to be learned.” The same girl from before caught his attention only now she was full of life.
His eyes moved about the area to take in everything he saw. So much life in the little town that he found it hard to believe it was the same one from where he'd just been. Even though he knew they were, the difference in every fiber of the place amazed him. Gabriel couldn't help but wonder why he was here now. “What is everyone doing?” All the people of the town were bustling about the area getting ready for something.
"It's going to be time for the giving. We have to prepare for the celebration. It will soon be time.” There was an excitement in her voice that couldn't be missed. “There over the horizon.” His eyes followed the direction the young girl was pointing. His gaze came to rest on a dark figure that held on the horizon. His stomach knotted. What was it? “Do not fear it."
"What is it?” He turned in her direction but found she was gone. The girl moved faster than he could have imagined. Gabriel returned his gaze back to the horizon and the dark figure that continued to move closer. The dark figure moved in a peculiar pattern. The sway of the directions it continued to take felt deliberate, almost mesmerizing in quality. Gabriel found he couldn't tear his gaze from the dark figure. Those around him never stopped to look in the distance; it was as if they knew what he did not.
"Keep a look out Gabriel. You will see what it is that has been taken from us. Soon you will understand the magnitude of how we were wronged.” A haunting voice drew his attention. Without turning he knew who it was. She'd continued to haunt his dreams with visions. They needed his help and he still didn't fully understand why. Deep down Gabriel knew he would be finding out soon. He just prayed it was before too long or else he feared he would lose his mind. “Watch carefully Gabriel. There is much you will see."
"I don't know what you want me to see.” His eyes strained to see the figure in the distance. It was coming closer and he could feel his stomach knot in anticipation. There was a familiarity in its shape. “Why don't you tell me what you want instead of playing these games?"
Gabriel's body shook in the wake of a cold wind. “I am not playing games with you.” Her voice held strong with a whip of frustration. “You learn as you are suppose to and see nothing more than you need to. Do not assume that just because you can't find out all you want in the time you wish that it isn't real."
He'd upset her, he could hear it in her voice. The air around him began to swirl in the approach of the black mass. It grew in length, longer than he'd first thought. Could it be a swarm of birds? Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. No, the movement alone was too singular. If it was birds or any other kind of flying animal there would still be a variance in their movements. This was exact. Gabriel's body shivered with every minute that passed. No matter how hard he tried Gabriel couldn't tear his focus away from the approach of the unknown creature. His stomach clenched as the outline started to become more defined yet he still couldn't make it out fully. The air thickened in the area as the atmosphere in the village increased in tempo. Men and women stirred around him, their voices raised in jubilation. They were preparing to celebrate something and he could only imagine it had to do with the approaching shadow over the horizon, yet there was no fear present.
"Of course there is no fear, why would there be?” The child was back, her smiling face full of life.
"How?"
"You're thoughts are very loud. Now keep watching, you will be amazed at what you see.” Her joy was contagious and Gabriel found he wanted to share in her amusement of the festivities. “Look, it approaches.” Her fingers directed him to the west once more but this time the figure was larger than before. His eyes took in the creature as it approached.
"No, it can't be.” Gabriel's stomach knotted worse than before. A dragon larger than he'd ever seen was nearing the town. Its wing span alone was nearly fifteen feet in length. Black as could be, his memory of what had happened to Danielle rushed through him. Could it be the same? Fear pooled in his stomach yet none of the people in the village seemed bothered by the creature as it approached. How could that be? He wanted to run but found his legs felt like lead. “Run, can't you see that's a dragon? It will kill you all.” He wanted to warn them. Could this be why they'd perished?
"Wait and learn. You jump to conclusions too quickly.” There was no terror in the young girl's voice. “You will see.” He wanted to grab and hide her before it was too late. He'd seen the destruction that the dragon could do. He didn't want her to experience it even though he knew this was the past he was witnessing.
Gabriel twisted his head in her direction. “You don't understand."
"No, you don't, but you will.” Before he could say more she'd skipped back into the crowd forming near the middle of town.
No matter how hard he tried Gabriel couldn't tear his gaze from the procession. The entire village continued to look up into the sky, their voices raised in song. The melody alone had a sway to it that felt refreshing, invigorating with its beat. The village felt alive with each note that echoed through the air. The melody seemed to call to the dragon, to draw it to them. He could see the beast head in the direction of the town. There was no doubt they were calling to it. Their words alone held a pull that left no questions. Closer and closer the beast approached yet none of the villagers held any terror for the creature. They welcomed it with open arms. This puzzled Gabriel.
"This makes no sense. Why don't you fear the beast?"
The young girl stifled a snicker, her hand held across her lips. “Your fear is of the wrong thing Gabriel. Just watch and learn. Besides, you are too impatient."
"You don't understand what I've been through child.” He could feel his chest tighten in frustration. He wanted to explain but couldn't find the right words. “The beast you are welcoming is the same that haunts me."
"It is not the dragon's fault. Watch and see.” Gabriel wanted to give the girl the benefit of the doubt but found it hard to do. He was torn between wanting to give it a chance and turning away and not watching any of it. He knew he had to watch though, to try and understand what had
happened to this once proud group of people if he ever wanted to find peace again.
A roar drew his gaze from the girl back to the creature. It was so much closer now that it literally blocked out the sun. Shadows trickled across the houses. The outline of the dragon's body covered the buildings in its approach. He could feel the air intensify with every moment that passed. He wanted to move, to run in the opposite direction but found he couldn't. Gabriel's body felt heavy as the dragon landed in the middle of the village, the people gathering around it in a huge circle. Gabriel wanted to scream at them to run, to be weary of the beast. He didn't want them to die at the hands of the creature. He knew all too well the hunger that the beast held.
Then something he never thought he would see happened. The dragon turned and stared at him, its eyes full of compassion. Instead of lashing out at those around it the beast sat and allowed the people to touch it with their hands and dance around in merriment. He could feel their joy lift in the air as if alive. It was contagious and Gabriel wanted to do nothing more but to join in but he held back. There was more to learn, he could feel it. Something pivotal was coming; it always did when the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He knew this time was no different yet nothing looked to be out of place. The sun held high in the sky with no clouds in sight. Everything felt normal, perfect almost, which bothered him. The dragon never once attacked those around him. They all moved about each other as if it understood each others thoughts and meanings.
"I don't understand. How is this possible?” Bewildered, Gabriel searched for some way to answer the questions that plagued his mind. Never had he seen or heard of humans being able to interact with dragons without becoming food for the beast. Yet here he stood watching not only a dragon not attacking but actually being around many humans without lashing out in any way. To say the least he was at a loss for words.
"It's not done yet.” A deep voice startled him from his thoughts. He turned to locate the source but found no one near. It made no sense. Every voice he heard had always had a body with it. Still he found no one. Gabriel turned his attention back to the group that continued to move about the beast, their hands held high in praise. Each voice echoed on the wind the sounds changing in pitch and tone. There was something familiar in their voices. The sounds were changing with every second that passed but he couldn't put his finger on it. One of the men within the group broke from the others and moved out into the open, his body jerking in a rhythm that mimicked the beat of the music. Gabriel couldn't tear his gaze away from the man. His movements were deliberate, like a ritual of sorts. Each step caused the air around him to crack and thicken. Was it a spell of sorts? On and on the man moved. Gabriel was about to move toward him when his body snapped back and his face turned toward him. Deep yellow-gold eyes stared back, eyes that he'd remembered from his nightmares.
"No... it isn't possible.” Before Gabriel could move away the rest of the villagers began to move in the same fashion, their bodies jerked in tempo to the others. Each person one by one made their way out into the field; their bodies flowed with the music that continued to play. The man who'd first broken away now knelt on the ground, his arms stretched out to the sky. Even though Gabriel wasn't close enough he could hear the crack of bone as the man's body began to change and contort into something else. He knew all too well the pain of what the man was going through yet he embraced it. No sound came from his lips. There were no grunts or screams of pain ripped from his lungs. Gabriel couldn't understand how this could be. These people embraced the change as if it was part of their nature. Each person moved one after the other in wave after wave toward the mountains. Their bodies wove in and out of the stones that littered the center of town.
"How do you know they don't embrace the change?” The man's voice was back again but this time there was a body to go with it.
"How can they accept it? The pain is unbearable.” A tall man well over six feet in height stood before him. Midnight black hair tied behind his head and ice blue eyes stared back at him. “Are they cursed?"
"No my friend, they are not cursed. In fact, they are far from it. What you see is how it used to be, the way it should still have been. There never really was a curse, not as you believe it to be. What you have been told is a lie warped by evil.” The man's words drove straight to his soul. Gabriel continued to watch as the rest of the men and women danced around the pillars as they leapt into the air. A deep orange glow surrounded each man and woman, enveloping their bodies in its embrace. From within the light Gabriel heard voices change and distort into muffled growls. Then without warning each drifting orb cracked open and from inside the shell of the humans rose multiple dragons, their wings lifting them high into the deep blue sky. Gabriel couldn't believe his eyes. This couldn't be real. It wasn't possible.
"They are not upset about it? There is no pain? How can that be? I don't understand any of this, it makes no sense.” Pain was all Gabriel could think of when he watched the others change, yet not one looked to feel anything at all. Could there be more than he was aware of? Had something been tainted through the years? Curiosity ran thick in his veins. “What corrupted the dragons?"
"Ah, now you are thinking in the right direction.” The man's head turned in the direction of the mountains. Gabriel's eyes followed in the direction the man was looking. There was a dark cloud in the distance, one he'd not noticed before. Deep in the pit of his stomach he could feel a familiar clenching. “You are beginning to understand."
Gabriel felt a pull to the black mass. “What is that? It's not like the dragon that had approached earlier. This is different.” He could feel the shift in the air. His skin felt clammy, cold, as if death itself had raked across his soul. Whatever was coming wasn't good yet none of the others seemed to notice it. “Why don't they see it? They saw the dragon, how can they not see it?"
"You can see it because of your past Gabriel. Their blood is pure; they don't know what is out there. To them this is a joyous day.” Gabriel hated the idea that he was tainted. Now more than ever he wanted to remove the curse, but he still had no idea how. “Keep watch, some of the answers you seek may be revealed."
"What do you mean?"
"Just watch Gabriel. Remember you cannot change the past. All of this has already occurred.” The moment the words registered he heard screams in the distance. Gabriel's head shot in the direction of the sounds. The darkness that had been so far away moments ago had moved faster than he'd imagined, engulfing the outer edge of the town in its embrace. The moment each of the dragons touched the cloud it shook with a vengeance, its body returned back to its human form with such a force that it rocked the area. Before his eyes the figures of the villagers began to fall to the ground, so many screams of pain that Gabriel soon lost count.
"Save them, why don't you save them?” Even before he heard the man beside him grunt he knew the answer, his words echoing in his mind. This was the past. Everything he witnessed had already occurred. Still, it didn't mean he didn't want to run to their aid. Each yell for help cut through him like a knife. He knew that pain; it was what he faced every rise of the sun. A sickening thought moved through his mind, his eyes searching out the dark cloud. “Please gods tell me it isn't...” His words trailed off as his eyes locked onto the face that had haunted him for months now. Before he could turn away the subject of his inspection turned its attention on him as if it could see him standing there.
"You cannot save them. They are damned for all time.” Innok's voice raked across his skin. With hundreds of feet between him he could hear him as if there was no distance. “Your curse will remain. There is no ending to it unless I deem it necessary. Give up mortal, give up and suffer as I've destined you to do.” Bile rose in Gabriel's throat. He watched in horror as the men and women of the town continued to fall to the ground, their screams deadened against the laughter of the demon.
The swirl of the cloud continued to wrap around each man, woman and child, the sky becoming dark in its embrace. Gabrie
l wanted to turn away, to forget what he was seeing but he knew it was important. There was too much involved now that Innok had appeared. If he was around there was a good chance that his past was tied in some way. Still, he hated that such a thing was happening or had happened to these people. They'd embraced the duality of the dragon, were at one with it. His mind held fast to his last thought.
They were one with it? “They were part of the dragon or the dragon is part of them. That is why it doesn't hurt them to change, isn't it?” He could feel understanding reach out to him yet the man held silent. His head continued to stare out in the direction of the chaos, his brow furrowed in despair. “Am I at least partly correct?” He wanted to grab the man's attention but feared he would vanish as the others had in the past. This man held information he needed, of that he was sure.
"Yes to a point. Their world was a union of the two. Innok came to destroy that for his own reasons."
"But why?"
"Watch Gabriel, it is all I can say."
"But...” The man's hand raised and pointed back into the distance, his skin paled with the passing of the moment. Gabriel's line of vision followed the path the man's finger indicated and came to rest on a tall man standing erect, his face full of control as he faced Innok. Before Gabriel could speak he watched as the man shook his head in defiance to the demon. Whatever Innok wanted the man was not about to agree to. Unfortunately Gabriel knew that could end up deadly for the other person. In the span of his one thought, Gabriel watched as Innok's hand reached out and slashed the man's throat. The man's hand reached up to cover the wound but it was too late, blood had already begun to flow from the wound, drenching the area around them. The blood loss so great the man fell to the ground with a large thud that the earth itself cried out in anguish.
"Don't stop watching Gabriel, this is important.” The man next to him didn't need to tell him. He could sense there was something about this whole scene that he needed to know. Gabriel continued to watch as the man on the ground jerked around. His body shook as his life ran out of his veins and into the dirt. Innok's laughter reached his ears, his enjoyment at the man's pain apparent. He was chanting something as he moved about the man, his lips held in a snarl as he touched the blood that had accumulated on the ground. Was he cursing the man? Deep inside Gabriel knew that wasn't the case, not in the sense that he'd been cursed. No, the moment Innok's voice stopped a large crack of thunder rolled above, the sky darkening with the call of the demon. With each strike he could see a dragon emerge from one of the villagers’ bodies, his muffled screams held quiet by the cloud that had wrapped around them. Disgust rushed through Gabriel as realization hit.