The girls poked at their food and did manage to eat a bit while Saiph chastised her husband for spitting on the kids’ snacks. He tried to explain but gave up.
Five minutes after forming their flying V, Mintaka had to pee, and Sera claimed Dad’s spit gave her diarrhea. Juice pointed out that they were dragons and didn’t really need to stop. They could just let loose while flying.
Soon they were resting at the edge of a clearing, waiting for the girls to finish their business. Juice sat with his head bowed at the far side of the meadow submissively listening to Saiph explain proper etiquette. Stavius joked about the similarities between dragon and human families to Janus. And Terra and Urtish huddled together, agreeing that this was why their Earth counterparts never desired to have children of their own.
Stavius made one more attempt to convince Janus to switch partners with him, complaining that he just couldn’t bear being pressed up against Urtish any longer. He swore the fat man’s sweat smelled like day-old boiled cabbage and onions. Janus declined, positing that altering the seating arrangement mid-journey would be disruptive.
✽✽✽
The skies were darkening by the time the travelers landed on a hilltop near their destination. Everyone was miserable from their long, painful journey, but Juice insisted on going in alone first. He said it was unwise for unknown visitors to barge in on a hundred dragons unannounced. The group accepted his warning even though everyone was desperate to get out of the cold. They were all tired, grumpy, and sick of each other’s company.
A half-hour later, the group was still stuck on a mountaintop waiting for Juice to return from the cave. The three dragon children were having fun sliding down a nearby slope. They were in a region with much higher mountains than around the cave valley, and this was the first time the young dragons had experienced a significant snowfall. The snow was six to eight inches deep, and the dragon kids were taking turns diving and sliding down the hill on their bellies.
The humans had built a small shelter and were huddling inside with some heating stones. They had flown over a magical wasteland for most of the day, but this area was rich with magical energy. The shelter and the magical heaters made the temperature bearable. However, Janus caught a strong aroma of day-old boiled cabbage and onions as they huddled together. He felt mildly guilty for not trading riding partners with Stavius. He was, nonetheless, pleased with his decision.
Saiph was alone outside when the dragons erupted out of the cave, but everyone was able to see the spectacle.
Juice raced out of the cave at breakneck speed, followed by two smaller dragons. Juice suddenly stopped a few hundred yards outside the cave entrance, and the dragon behind him crashed into his butt. Juice kicked him hard, launching himself upward while his attacker crashed to the forest floor.
The second dragon was also caught off-guard but managed to veer out of the way. Juice, however, performed a spectacular backward loop and landed on his attacker’s back with his talons extended. The smaller dragon shrieked in pain as Juice drove him to the ground.
The ground shook, and terrible sounds echoed off the hills for several minutes. Occasionally a dragon would attempt to escape, only to be dragged back to the field as Juice’s mouth clamped onto a leg or a wing and pulled him down.
Neither the humans nor Juice’s children had ever seen this sort of violence. The humans could feel the young dragons’ shock and fear as they saw the murderous bloodlust in their father for the first time. They were all captivated by this horrific scene. Thus, no one heard the unknown, giant, old dragon approach. Before any of them knew she was there, the newcomer pinned Saiph to the ground with one of her massive talons clasped around her neck.
Stavius, Nariana, Versera, and Elisa jumped out of their shelter without hesitation to save their friend. The older dragon noticed them for the first time and coughed a fireball in their direction. Stavius easily deflected the dragon fire and returned a powerful blast of his own.
The blast hit the startled dragon squarely on her face and knocked her onto her back. Within seconds, Nari and Sera were pinning the dragon’s wings to the ground while Mintaka was tearing at her throat.
“Stop!” screamed Saiph. “Let her up immediately!”
The confused dragons paused to stare at their mother. Mintaka stepped away from the dragon’s neck but was ready to attack again if needed. Nari and Sera, however, made no move to release the squirming dragon’s wings.
“I said let her up,” commanded Saiph. “I deeply apologize for my children’s behavior, Matriarch. They don’t know any better and were simply trying to protect me.”
The older dragon stood up with disdain after Sera and Nari released her wings.
“How can any dragon not recognize the standard greeting for an uninvited guest?” asked the older dragon. “Even newborns possess the memories of their ancestors.”
“Well, my children don’t have those memories. They bonded with humans,” explained Saiph, before quickly adding, “It’s a long story.”
Matriarch turned to stare at the seven humans and studied them with disgust for a few moments before asking Saiph, “Who are these creatures? How did that human stop my fire and strike me with lightning? And how could a dragon bond with things like these?”
Nariana stepped forward and put her hand on Stavius’ shoulder. She announced, “This is the great Dragon Hunter, Stavius. We are the Prophecy Heroes.”
Stavius added, “We are friends of Juice and have come seeking aid and shelter.”
The travelers swore that Matriarch rolled her eyes in agony before groaning, “I should have expected as much. Betel always did bring home strays. We used to yell at him for playing with his food, but he would insist that they were his pets.”
Matriarch rose up and roared, “Betelgeuse! Get over here!”
Stavius looked at Janus and whispered, “Betelgeuse?”
Janus was still shrugging his shoulders when Matriarch roared, “Betelgeuse, get over here this minute! I’m starting to count.”
“One!”
The ruckus in the valley below stopped.
“Two!”
A blurry shape leaped out of the forest and sped toward them.
“I’m coming, Mother! Please don’t say three! I’m on my way!”
Juice skidded to a stop in a cloud of snow and tried to act nonchalant.
He panted, “Oh, I see you’ve met everyone, Mom.”
“Wait, this is your mother!?” asked Nariana.
“Oh, so the formal introductions haven’t been made yet. Good…” began Juice.
Matriarch interrupted him to say, “You disappear for decades. You don’t visit. You don’t talk to anyone. You leave your mother here worrying about you. For all I know, you could’ve been lying dead in a field. And now you show up for the holidays bringing a group of strays into my home. I don’t know. I just don’t know. Are you really my son?”
“Mom, it’s not like that. These are my friends and this dragon, and her kids are…”
“They’re a disgrace is what they are,” interrupted Matriarch. “OK, so I understand these kids are bonded with humans for some reason. Although I can’t imagine why. Their mother must be a real piece of work. Does she do drugs? Was she in prison? Is that what’s going on here?”
“No, she doesn’t do drugs, but she was, sort of in prison,” began Juice before he was interrupted again.
Matriarch continued, “I thought so, but I’m not one to judge. Still, these kids have to be at least seventy-five years old. That’s plenty of time to learn some sort of appropriate behavior, even if they are bonded to humans. I’m sorry, that just sounds disgusting to me. I can’t imagine the kind of home in which they were raised. You are so sweet to rescue them, but it’s too much, Betel. It’s too much.”
Saiph had heard enough. “Matriarch, with all due respect, my children are only a few months old, and they…”
“A few months old!” shrieked Matriarch. “Great gods, they are going to be
huge! What are you feeding them?”
Juice shouted, “Mom! Stop! These aren’t just any kids. These are my children, and Saiph is my wife.”
Matriarch promptly collapsed on the ground with her mouth silently opening and closing while Saiph grimaced. Saiph’s face always appeared in pain whenever Juice called her his spouse, mate, or wife.
Matriarch stared at Juice, then at Saiph, and finally at the young, frightened, and confused baby dragons.
She finally uttered in the softest voice, imaginable, “These are my granddaughters?”
“Yeah, Mom. Meet Sera, Nari, and Mintaka,” said Juice with a proud grin.
Matriarch squealed, “They are so adorable! Come over here and give your Bubbe a hug!”
Nari, Sera, and Mintaka gave their mother a questioning look and took a tentative step toward Matriarch when Saiph gave a gentle nod.
“We’re sorry we attacked you, Matriarch,” whimpered Sera.
All three were shaking in fear when Matriarch leaped forward and swept them into her wings.
She squeezed them tightly and cried, “You didn’t know our customs and were just trying to protect your mother. That is what any grateful child would do.”
Matriarch gave a quick glare at Juice before continuing, “And don’t you dare call me Matriarch. I’m Bubbe Euryale to you. Come on, let’s get you inside. You’re freezing, and you must be starving. When was the last time you ate?”
Sera sniffled that they hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast except for some frozen beaver that Dad had spit on.
Euryale glared at Juice again and whisked her grandchildren toward the cave.
Juice tried to say, “Mom, it wasn’t like that. I can explain,” but she didn’t seem to hear.
“So, can we go into the cave too?” asked Elisa. “It is freezing out here.”
“Yeah, sure, everything’s cool,” shrugged Juice.
“Wait, but what about the dragons who attacked you?” asked Nariana.
“What do you mean?” asked Juice in surprise.
All seven people pointed at the large, smoldering area of broken trees in the distance.
“Oh, that. Those were my cousins. They were so happy to see me that we began wrestling until Mom yelled at us to go outside to play,” laughed Juice.
“Wait, that was playing?” asked Janus in disbelief.
“More importantly, why you were playing while we were out here, freezing?” screamed Nariana.
“Hey, it’s all part of the dragon greeting ritual,” Juice hastily replied.
Saiph snorted and said, “Let’s continue this in the cave where it’s warm.”
“Just one more thing,” insisted Janus. “Betelgeuse?”
Juice looked uncomfortable and admitted, “Yeah, that’s my full name, but the only person who uses it is Mom … and only when she’s mad.”
Chapter 6
Meet the Family
Juice had described his mother’s home as a big cave, which was absurdly inaccurate. The place was an enormous cavern. The travelers flew through the hundred-foot-wide by thirty-foot tall entrance into a chamber, which seemed to continue forever. The area was so large that flocks of young dragons the size of minivans were flying and fighting inside while their parents shrieked for them to walk while indoors.
The group paused for a moment to survey the surroundings. The ceiling and some boulders appeared to be glowing, and Elisa explained that it was some sort of bioluminescent moss. The moss’ glow permitted them to see their surroundings. However, the human contingent found its eerie, yellow-green light with no shadows unsettling. The overpowering stench of a multitude of dragons living in close quarters was, however, far worse.
Euryale explained that these vast chambers extended for miles under the mountain but that the place was unusually crowded at the moment. Over a hundred dragons had converged upon her home for holidays. Her guests included many who were not invited and some who were unknown to her. Euryale saw their pinched noses and pained expressions. She growled that some of the southern guests disliked the cold and refused to go outside to relieve themselves. Several had taken to peeing in the corners and doing far worse in empty rooms in the far reaches of her home. The tone of disgust in her voice indicated that she shared her son’s penchant for order and cleanliness.
Juice saw his mother’s anguish and offered to give his children a tour of his old home. He wanted to show them his room. However, the nervous dragons remained huddled around their mother and human sisters.
“You should let Betel show you around the place,” Euryale agreed. “We will spend time together later, but the festivities begin tonight, and I have much to do before they start. Everyone seems to be coming to me with problems, and I haven’t even caught the main course for tonight’s feast. That reminds me. What do you eat?”
“We’re all vegetarian, although the older dragons are primarily carnivores, and the babies seem to eat anything,” answered Elisa.
Euryale laughed, “Young dragons are like that. Don’t worry, we have plenty of food for you. Eagons used to all be carnivores when I was young. Now, some are vegetarian, and others are vegan, while some of the meat-eaters demand their food be cooked while others are rawists. These needs make meal planning a lot more difficult than in my mother’s time.”
Stavius thought that Euryale looked exhausted and asked whether there was any way they could help. She responded that she doubted there were any suitable tasks for her unexpected guests. Then she brightened when she realized that Saiph could be enlisted to hunt for dinner.
“I’m sorry, but Saiph was exhausted from our long journey, and Juice took her to his room to rest. She is still recovering from her long imprisonment,” explained Elisa.
Euryale looked startled and groaned, “Oh my, that is not going to end well. I suppose I’d better get going on my hunt.”
“Juice and his cousins seem to have plenty of energy. Why don’t you enlist them to round up dinner?” asked Nariana.
Euryale bellowed a hearty laugh and said, “You have a lot to learn about dragons if you think a male dragon will hunt for dinner! Men are only interested in two things.”
Versera muttered, “My mom says that men are only interested in one thing.”
Euryale laughed again and agreed, “I think I’d like your mother. She’s right, but after a certain age, male dragons’ interests shift away from that. By the time they’re my son’s age, most are only interested in gardening and fighting.”
The heroes stared at her in disbelief. They had assumed that Juice’s interest in gardening was one of his unique personality quirks. None of them had imagined that this was a common dragon trait.
“Wait, Juice is a great hunter. He’s brought vast amounts of food to Saiph and his children when she was recovering,” countered Nariana.
“Yes, men can obviously hunt. They usually live alone with their gardens, after all. However, no self-respecting male dragon would dare hunt for food when other men are around. They would never allow themselves to be disgraced to that level,” Euryale assured them.
“We’ll see about that,” growled Nariana. She glared at Juice, who was racing toward them.
“Mom! Mom! It’s a catastrophe! My room’s been flooded!” shouted the frantic dragon as he slid to a stop in front of them.
“I know, dear. I turned it into a hot tub over forty years ago. It’s wonderful for my arthritis,” replied Euryale.
“You knew about this? You did this? That was my space! What about my stuff? You didn’t look under my nest, did you?” cried Juice in panic.
Euryale laughed, “Your belongings are safely stored somewhere. I’m not sure precisely where they are at the moment, but everything was packed up. Even the objects from under your nest.”
Juice groaned and looked nauseous.
Euryale smiled and gently soothed, “Don’t worry, Dear. I won’t tell anyone. All boys go through that stage. We’ll find all your toys after things calm down from the holidays, but
now your friends have a favor ask. It would be a big help to me.”
“Sure, anything at all, Mom,” Juice cheerfully replied, grateful to change the subject.
“We want you to take your cousins and hunt up some dinner,” said Nariana, with her arms crossed.
“Um, anything but that,” chuckled Juice. “Dragons have stringent social customs. I’ll explain them to you some time.”
“You do that, but first take your friends and bring home some dinner,” insisted Nariana.
The other dragons were now crowding around listening to the conversation, and Juice was clearly becoming embarrassed.
Sensing an impasse, Stavius tried a different tact.
He shouted, “We are the Prophecy Heroes, and we are here seeking your assistance.”
A dragon in the back made a loud raspberry, and someone said, “Prophesize this, hero,” while making a rude gesture with his wing and tail.
The dragons all laughed while Juice whispered, “These guys don’t really care about human prophecies.”
Stavius did not relent. His voice became louder as he said, “I didn’t expect you would care about our prophecy. But I did think you might be interested in helping us destroy Septumcolis.”
There was absolute silence in the cave until one dragon said, “But you can’t destroy Septumcolis. It’s protected by a shield.”
The dragons agreed that destroying the city was impossible, but the other heroes picked up on Stavius’ strategy.
Versera spoke in a softer voice, which somehow carried throughout the silent room. “Of course, there is a shield, but did you not hear us when we said we are the Prophecy Heroes?”
Nariana stepped in with a louder voice to add, “This is the great dragon hunter, Stavius. He and Janus destroyed two of the families’ castles and freed Saiph from a hundred years of captivity by themselves.”
The dragons gasped, and Stavius wasn’t sure whether it was due to their accomplishments or to him being called a dragon hunter. Either way, he now had their attention.
Prophecy Page 7