Tail of the Dragon

by Timothy Reihm

  Chapter 37

  'You're trying too hard,' Gadreel said, motioning for him to relax.

  They had decided to ride to their first year residence early, to get a little extra time alone. The conversation wasn't as easy as he had hoped, and so Gadreel suggested he show Ariel some of the additional skills he had mastered. Perhaps if his friend could see how beneficial these capabilities were, he might stop giving him the disapproving look.

  Once again he placed the image in the mind of the little bird and it came down and rested on his finger.

  'You just have to think of something that you want it to do and then push the picture at your subject.'

  He thought of the creature flying to the ground, rolling on to its back and putting its little claws straight up into the air. The brown, feathered wren immediately followed through on the impulse.

  'Once you get the hang of it, it is really easy to practice this on lower life forms. More intelligent animals require more effort,' Gadreel explained.

  'So you have tried this on sentient creatures?' Ariel asked.

  'We practice on each other a bit. It is difficult with other arella, but I have actually become quite good at it.'

  He imagined Ariel spinning around on one foot. He pictured his friend rotating on an axis and spinning, spinning, spinning...

  'Don't do that!' Ariel said sharply. 'Don't ever try that on me.'

  He shuddered visibly as an icy finger ran his spine. His face flushed and anger burned in his eyes. Gadreel was a bit surprised at the vehemence of his response. They practiced this type of thing so often, he forgot how uncomfortable the initial sensation could be.

  'I'm sorry,' he said earnestly. 'I was just trying to show you something new.'

  'I really can't understand what possible use any of this can be.'

  He pointed to the small bird, still lying frozen on its back between them.

  'You all talk a lot about free will, but how does this in any way resemble free will? What good can come from you manipulating other creatures, especially rational beings? How do you all manage to justify this?' Ariel asked with evident contempt in his voice.

  'In your specialty this might seem useless, but I am training to be a planetary emissary and I assure you this is a useful skill to have. We have a number of experienced emissaries in our group and they are extremely excited about adding this to their repertoire. It will help us better protect those under our supervision. This isn't something meant to harm, but to help. Perhaps it wouldn't help you to be a better starherder, but it will help me to be better at my job. And it's not like I'm possessing anyone,' he trailed off, realizing he had said too much.

  'What do you know about possession?' Ariel asked.

  'Theoretically, it allows the possessor to take control of another beings actions, while giving access to their memories and a better understanding of their motivations,' Gadreel answered.

  'And do you practice this at your meetings?'

  'I do not,' he answered, carefully.

  Gratefully, Ariel didn't push the matter. Possession was something some arella did attempt, using a variety of animals as subjects. No one, that he was aware of, tried it on other arella, although Helel was so good at psychic manipulation it sometimes seemed he was able to take total control over others. But possession made Gadreel uncomfortable, and he felt no inclination to try. He decided to change the subject.

  'Here they come. Do you want to play a trick on them?'

  Ariel smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically. 'What did you have in mind?'

   

  Gabriel, Pharzel and Harah walked toward the entrance, down the same path they had taken on their creation day. They paused to look at their former home. Each was quiet, caught up in his own thoughts. They looked up and waved at Gadreel and Ariel, who stood out on one of the balconies, watching them approach.

  'Hello twins. Seeing you two up there makes me feel like a first year all over again,' Harah called up to them.

  Suddenly, the world spun upside down and they began to plummet upwards toward the sky. Pharzel let out a loud yell as the acceleration clenched his stomach violently. Harah grabbed Gabriel's arm frantically. They fell up, passing the landing where Gadreel and Ariel stood. Then everything went black. Pharzel's yell became a shriek of fear.

  Gadreel doubled over with laughter as the group shot past them. Ariel smiled appreciatively as the three were wrapped in an inky blanket. They shot up above the surrounding tree tops, slowed, and began to fall, rapidly, back toward the ground.

  Suddenly the black covering disappeared and the group's plummet eased into a crawl. As they passed Gadreel and Ariel, Gabriel looked at them, shaking his head.

  'It took me a minute to figure out what was going on. That was a pretty clever trick, Gadreel,' he said.

  'How do you know it was me?' Gadreel responded, attempting to sound innocent.

  'No offense to Ariel, but he isn’t good enough to pull that off. And you are.'

  The trio came to rest on the ground. A sudden solid gust from behind shoved the two, would be pranksters, off of the balcony above into a free fall. Gadreel allowed himself to enjoy the rush for a brief moment, before thickening the air below he and Ariel and bringing them to a gentle landing beside their three former housemates. He punched Gabriel playfully, who grabbed his arm and pulled him in close for an embrace. Soon the five old friends were taking turns hugging each other and laughing.

  'Where is Raphael?' Harah asked.

  'I'm right here.'

  Raphael stood with a large basket in each hand. Hanging over the edges were a variety of breads, cheeses and vegetables. He was smiling, looking at the group.

  'I assume Helel isn't attending?' he said, directing his comment toward Gadreel.

  'He had some important business and sent his regrets, but no, he won't be joining us. And by the looks of it he is missing out,' Gadreel answered, stepping forward to help Raphael with the food.

  They congregated in the kitchen, following Raphael's instructions. His extra duty at the estate was working in the large kitchen and he was quite adept at coordinating a group in preparing large meals. He divided them up into different teams. Gadreel and Ariel were placed in charge of ingredient prep and were busily chopping leeks, cambiers, mushrooms, some tuber they couldn't identify, and a large purple orb with a spongy texture.

  'Do you all remember the first meal Raphy made in this kitchen?' Ariel asked.

  They all laughed and began recounting their versions of the colossal mess that Raphael had created. Gadreel remembered catching Ariel, when his friend slipped in the purple glaze coating the floor. He smiled and patted Ariel's back affectionately. The friendly gesture was greeted with a chuckle and a broad smile. It was good to be back together with the group.

  The thought made him think of Helel. He was not really been surprised at his refusal to come. Since Gabriel left the group, Helel would have nothing to do with him. He avoided Gabriel and when they did happen to run into each other, Helel would just stare coldly at his old friend. Eventually, Gabriel gave up trying to talk with Helel and the two simply pretended the other didn't exist. Helel seemed to do this fairly easily, but it Gabriel struggled during the encounters.

  In some ways it was a relief Helel had stayed away. He really wanted to try to make peace with Ariel and having Helel around would complicate things, since Ariel refused to let go of his paranoid delusions. And although he missed Helel's company, he was able to relax more in his absence.

  Gabriel led the group in prayer as they gathered around the incredible looking meal. Platters of sauteed vegetables, creamy sauces, mounds of manteil, spicy purees, and thick slabs of rich, dark bread sat on the table, their smells swirling and blending into a tantalizing perfume.

  They tore into the food with enthusiasm. Gadreel moaned with every new dish  he tried. Raphael was a true artisan in the kitchen. Everything was seasoned and cooked to perfection. Sweet, spicy and sour tastes were balanced in a perfect comb
ination that, for a time, silenced everyone, beyond the occasional grunt of pleasure.

  Harah raised a glass filled with a fizzy juice nectar and gave a toast, ‘To Raphael, for the best meal I have had, well, honestly, ever!’

  They all took a drink and sat in contented camaraderie.

  ‘To all of you. I had nearly forgotten what a wonderful group I was created with. It has been great to get together with all of you before we all go our separate ways for our preceptorships,’ Ariel said, looking around affectionately.

  They sat at the table for some time, contented to talk casually. Eventually, they began the clean up, careful to leave the place spotless for the new group that would be moving in. There was a sense of sadness in the air as they said their goodbyes. It was a fitting close to this chapter of their lives, but the knowledge that they would all soon head in different directions gave a serious tone to the farewell even as they all sought desperately to keep it light.

  ‘You better watch your back. I owe you one,’ joked Gabriel as he said his goodbyes to Gadreel. ‘Ariel, watch out for this one.’

  The duo stood waving as the rest of their friends departed. They were more relaxed toward each other and neither were eager to end their time together.

  ‘So, are you out of the estate?’ Gadreel asked.

  ‘Yeah, I moved my stuff yesterday. I took a room at Araton’s place. You have to come and visit. I think you will like the location. From the front porch you can look down into the valley and see part of the Rainbow River.’

  ‘I will, Ariel. I found a place outside of the city, pretty close to the Treetop Path. You will have to come and play some bocket one of these days.’

  ‘ I am probably a bit rusty, but after witnessing that debacle at the championship, I think I might give you a good match,’ he said laughing.

  ‘I don’t doubt it, Ariel. Where are you headed on your first assignment?’

  ‘We are in the final stages of preparation for a special creation later this year. There are two sister planets we are seeding. The first one is going to be called Gaia and it will be the home of the first creations in the universe that resemble us.’

  ‘Where is it located?’

  ‘In the Milky Way Galaxy. I am really excited to get started. I'm not sure what the second planet is to be called, but that one comes later. And what about you?’

  ‘I am spending this year in the communications ministry, handling the diplomatic reports from some of the outer systems. This assignment is a good opportunity to learn about the issues that I will be addressing when I am assigned off world.’

  Ariel’s face grew serious expression Gadreel waited expectantly, but his friend remained silent.

  ‘Ariel. There is something that you want to say to me. I suspect that I know what it is, but I would ask you not to.’

  ‘I’m sorry, but I have to. I should have said this long ago, but I was afraid of damaging our friendship, but I don’t say anything to you, I’m not a friend worth having. Please quit attending those meetings! I beg you!’

  Although he expected this, it still angered him. Ariel didn't understand what they were doing. He was so judgmental of the whole thing and had never even participated. Gadreel swallowed and forced his voice to stay calm.

  ‘Ariel, I understand you mean well, but you really don’t get it. We are working to protect the interests of all arella, your interests, and too many of you act like we are the enemies. We are not rebels; we are merely standing up for what is right. Helel is a great leader, a great arella, and he understands how important our work is.’

  ‘Helel is dangerous. I wish I could make you understand how dangerous he is. It was he who attacked me at the preserve. If it wasn’t for the Kings’ protection in sending Shadow to rescue me, who knows what might have happened. He has been out to get me ever since I first confronted him.’

  ‘Ariel, Helel wanted be your friend, but you have always had some twisted paranoia about him. You convinced yourself he tried to sabotage us on that first day of class and you’ve never been able to get over it. I think that you're jealous of him.’

  Ariel stood, seeming unsure what to say. He looked sad and angry. For a moment it appeared as if he would walk away, but he stood his ground and continued.

  ‘We have free will, Gadreel. You can choose to do as you wish, but I hope you understand that your choice in this will have consequences. You can still walk away, or you can continue to follow Helel on a path leading to a bad ending. I don’t know what that ending is, but I believe it is my duty to warn you to change your course. Helel is dangerous and if you are too blind to see it, you will pay a price for your ignorance.’

  ‘You talk to me about ignorance. You, who attack things you don’t even understand! You, who attack others who only want to be your friend! You, who cheat to get what you want!’ he broke off, knowing he had gone too far.

  But it was too late. Ariel was already walking away, looking hurt and confused.