I know not what into my ear;
~Walter Savage Landor~
The dragon came down with his mouth wide open and his leathery tongue hanging out to the side desirously. Zoe at the last minute dashed to the side doing a full roll and ended up on his back again. The dragon’s face crashed into the pile of gold before him. Zoe was in fear for his life as the five dragons all started fighting amongst themselves. He took the opportunity and made haste into a dwelling that was half broken down.
The door to the abode was half burnt and open upon its hinges. Zoe rushed in and was surprised to see before him a myriad of weapons. His mind raced and realized that the structure must have formally been an armory or blacksmith’s place of business. Either way, Zoe thought that his fortune was possibly going good for him for a change. He wandered around the small room in mild pain and distress given the damage that was done to his left shoulder and the knowledge that the dragons were not far off.
On the far wall Zoe found a rack of eleven swords that had special engravings on them. He wondered what they were. He went over to look at them. They were by far the most beautiful swords he had ever seen in all of his life. He reached up and touched the blade and saw that the steel had not lost its edge and was sharp enough to carry any nobleman into battle.
Thanatos had made his way down the slope toward the five beasts as they had not been able to do what he now meant to do himself, kill Zoe. He approached them with arrogance and spite. The fight between the dragons had ceased as they were a bit overwhelmed by the young boy’s boldness. The silver and gold dragon was most curious, “And might this be the same boy? No, he looks similar, but I sense a darkness in this one unmatched with any I have ever seen before.”
“Silence!” Thanatos shot out. “What is your name?”
The dragon had two internal responses. The first was outrage and utter anger. The dragon wanted to send flames shooting down upon him and end his miserable little existence, but something else was at work with the boy. A power that the dragon had never encountered, a dark power that was greater than his own magic. The dragon became like a little school child as a foolish fear swept over the silver and gold scales. “I am called Ei-rene , for I bring peace,” the dragon let out against her will.
Thanatos walked up to her and looked over her strength, “I have no place for peace nor do I have place for you. Be gone or I will destroy you!” He waved his hand as one shoos away a fly. The dragon tried to fight the dark power that the boy possessed, but was unable and had to obey. The dragon flew away, leaving all gold and companions without choice. The other four dragons did not feel the strength of Thanatos’ wickedness as of yet and could not understand how the fellow dragon would obey a human.
“Do you have power over me as well?” The golden sunset red dragon spoke. “You say go and a dragon mightier than all other beasts of the land, flees before you full of fear. I will kill you with one step and end this masquerade!”
“Will you?” A wicked smile spread on his face, “Do you suppose I could command your other friends to leave?”
The golden sunset red dragon looked at the demeanor of the others and saw rage and hatred in their eyes. He turned his attention to Thanatos, “I believe you think yourself capable of much, but when you command them, they will eat your rotten flesh for your foolishness.”
“Go, shoo you little bugs that irritate me, be gone.” His voice was a little whisper barely heard by the dragon himself. The dragon laughed in mockery feeling the boy had lost his mind. Then without reason the three dragons fled from before Thanatos. The internal struggle was fierce, but they had no choice and had to obey. “Now do you laugh?”
The dragon was bewildered and beside himself, “What dark magic is this? The power over a dragon, not possible!”
“Not possible? See for yourself.” Thanatos spoke to him. Turning to all other dragons in the area, “Dragons off all the land,” he yelled out, “Flee from this place, leave my presence at this very moment.” In an amazing display of evil force hundreds of dragons took flight, young and old. Each one tried to fight against the will of Thanatos, but none had the power to match the evil that he wielded so carelessly.
Thanatos fell to the ground having spent much of his own strength, “Now for you who would not believe my power, be gone!” The golden sunset red dragon flew off as all the others did, but as he turned to go, he used his powerful tail and swung it with full force into Thanatos. The blow was powerful, sending him sprawling into a far pile of gold. The dragon then took flight as commanded and left the place in search of a new home.
Zoe had been watching the end of the display of magic having heard Thanatos yell out to all the dragons of the land. He had promptly gotten down from the stool that he had climbed to reach the majestic swords and ran to see what was happening with sword in hand. He reached the door just in time to see Thanatos sent flying through the air.
He quickly used this as his advantage and ran over to the fallen foe. Zoe took his sword and put it to the throat of Thanatos who was just now starting to sit up. Zoe stared at his brother trying to understand him, deciding what was to be done. Thanatos fell back to the ground with the sword at his throat, “Ah brother, now you have the advantage. What an unfortunate turn of events for me, here I am ready to be killed.”
“Yes,” Zoe responded, “here you are ready to die. You think I am not capable of killing you, but you are wrong!” Zoe took the sword and moved it to the wrist of the boy where he saw an odd looking bracelet. He now understood where the power came from. “You won’t need this anymore my brother.” Zoe used the sword and cut the bracelet from his wrist revealing a huge burn. “The power has marked you and your black heart. You use power to your own destruction.”
Thanatos sat up slightly looking around him and had a glimmer of hope revive as he saw a means of escape. He looked to his brother whom had just placed the sword at his throat again. “Now brother there was no need to destroy a precious little toy. I know that you hate me, but understand that I only am doing as the wizards have trained me. I am a puppet of the gods. Do you expect me to be otherwise?”
“We are all responsible for our own actions brother, and your actions are wicked.”
“And yours?”
“Mine have been wicked as well, but I am willing to lay down my evil and do what is right.”
“Do you not believe that I can do the same? Or, brother, are you the only one capable of such change?”
Zoe knew what his brother was about when he saw Thanatos’ eyes rested upon a spear nearby. Yet Zoe was ready to let himself be in the hands of fate and of the gods completely. He released himself and his own will by taking the sword away from his brother and turning his back on evil. Zoe spoke over his shoulder to his brother, “Thanatos, I now understand what the gods would have me do. I fear, but I feel free for the first time. I have control over my fear to do as the gods ask of me—to lay down my life and my will, to sacrifice myself for you. I lay down my life for my enemy!”
Thanatos didn’t hear much of what Zoe had said as he quickly moved to the spear picking it up in his hand. He took four steps toward Zoe and thrust it through Zoe’s back with force as the spear shot all the way through coming out the other side. Thanatos was overwhelmed with excitement and joy, “Now fair brother die! You shall not rule over many. Today, death comes for you, and the only thing you shall rule over is the dead!”
Zoe hunched over and then fell to his side. He was gasping for air as he felt excruciating pain. He looked up sideways and saw his brothers face. A slight smile came on Zoe’s face as he called out in a low raspy voice, “My brother stands above me, whispering low words, I know not what into my ear. Brother, be free from your evil and…” Zoe coughed and throbbed with pain. A cold sheet of pain swept over him as he started to shiver and lose vision of his surroundings. Darkness flowed over him as he uttered his last words, “I feel cold…” His head bent to the side and he gave up his spirit and was dead.
Tha
natos gave a slight kick to Zoe’s body to assure himself that his brother was dead. As no response came from the corpse that was before him, he smiled and spoke to his brother, “Ah, dear Zoe king of none, I shall rule in your stead and have power. You see Zoe, those that are truly strong use their power as an advantage, those that are weak let people like me do as I have done. Notice the outcome my dear brother, notice the outcome!” He turned and headed to the east where he would start his empire.
Chapter 52
O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?
~St. Paul~
Three days in the grave, rotting flesh upon the ground. Zoe had been dead now for three passing of the two suns and his body began to decay. Upon noon day of the third day, the gray dull dragon had found flight and returned for his fortunes. The dragon had sensed evil to have left and peace to have returned to the place of the dragons and owls. The dragon landed with a thunderous sound upon the ground next to the body of Zoe. The powerful beast sniffed around sensing something that it had not felt in some time. The dragon looked at the body of the young boy and cocked his head sideways to gain a deeper understanding.
“Do you see anything my old friend,” a familiar voice sounded out.
The dragon turned to the side to see his creator, Hagious. “I don’t know.” The dragon put its huge face close to Zoe, sniffed and gave the body a slight nudge. “I smell…”
“Purity?”
“Yes, I sense it, but I don’t understand how. He is dead, and yet he has life.” The dragon was perplexed.
Hagious looked at his old friend, “Yes, you sense rightly that the boy is dead, but his last act while alive was a selfless act, an act of self denial. He died to himself while still alive. He died yet lives on as you can sense him.”
“But he is dead.”
“I know, I saw him die.”
“How did he die?” The dragon became curious.
Hagious came close to Zoe’s body and bent down by him and removed the spear. “See this here?” pointing to his side.
“Yes, it is a wound.”
“His brother did this.”
“His brother! But why would his brother do such a thing?”
Hagious looked longingly at the dragon wishing that the dragon could truly understand the burden the gods have, “His brother was jealous because I favored him. Because I was to make him ruler over eleven cities. He could not, would not be content with being a ruler over one.”
“But how did the boy act selflessly?”
“Zoe, for that is the boy’s name, let his brother kill him. He allowed him to take his life, knowing that he could be ruler over eleven cities, rather he chose to show his brother mercy by not taking his life.”
“I would offer my blood,” the dragon spoke with sadness in his voice. “If he were near death, if I were here when death came close to him, I would have offered my blood to such a one.”
Hagious stood and patted the snout of the beast, “Ah yes the blood of a dragon, the cure of all sickness and wounds, but not death!”
The dragon was filled with pity and compassion for the boy as he realized through all of his travels he had not met a human with such love and care for an enemy not even for his own blood. The dragon started to tear up and sniffle.
Hagious looked at the dragon, “There, there, my friend. All must die, it is a part of being alive, even you shall die some day.”
Through the sniffles, “Yes, but to find a soul that is pure of heart and then to have it taken early in life brings sadness to my heart.”
A lone tear fell from his eye. Hagious standing right below in position caught the tear in his cupped hands. A smile spread on Hagious’ face as he looked at the dragon, “Your blood cannot save the boy as he is dead, but a dragon’s tear is more powerful than his blood!” Hagious placed his hands directly over the body of Zoe and let the lone tear fall from his hand. When the tear hit the body, a wave went out blowing a mighty wind blowing in all directions from Zoe’s body being the epicenter. Hagious spoke to the corpse, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? The boy was dead, but behold now he is alive!”
Zoe’s body started to twitch, his fingers flexing and felling. A tingling sensation passed all though the boy’s body until only numbness was felt. Then brigtht lights all around, so bright that Zoe could not open his eyes. His arms would not respond, so he closed his eyes in attempt to block out the light, but nothing seemed to help. He could hear nothing substantial, but heard mumbled voices.
“Now go, take your riches and head to your new home, the new home of the dragons.” The dragon smiled took two huge talons full of gold and flew off to the south.
Hagious turned his attention to the body that lay upon the ground. Raising his hand over the body he spoke, “Be restored! Zoe, arise and walk!”
Zoe opened his eyes and was perplexed as he thought he heard a voice close by, but saw no one. He sat up a little stiff. He looked up at the ridge where he had fallen and saw a figure coming down. Extreme excitement filled Zoe as he saw a figure approaching, his good friend Mikael.
Chapter 53
Life has taught me one supreme lesson.
This is that we must—
if we are really to live at all,
if we are to enjoy the life more abundant
promised by the Sages of Wisdom—
we must put our convictions into action.
~Margaret Sanger~
Zoe stood to greet his friend and found that he was very weak. His body had not fully recovered. He almost fell over, but maintained his balance once standing. A huge smile spread on his face. He wanted to walk toward his friend, but was still not very stable, so he awaited his companion. He saw as the wizard approached that he had his carrying sack once again. A bigger smile spread on his face.
The wizard gave it a slight swing as it hit the ground next to the boy. “You left this…I am guessing you left in a hurry.” Mikael smiled.
“Oh, Mikael it is so good to see you again!” He stepped forward and embraced the wizard.
At first Mikael held the boy up, but after a short time, the wizard returned the embrace. “Zoe, what of the owls and dragons? Where did they go?”
“Thanatos…Oh, yes, where is he?”
Mikael looked around, “I believe he has gone to his kingdom.”
Zoe needed to rest, he motioned to sit down. Mikael helped him to a sitting position, and he rested for a moment. He tried to think through things the last moment of seeing his brother. “I remember turning my back on Thanatos…”
“You shouldn’t have done that!”
“No, it was ok, it was the right thing to do, but then I was hit hard by something here. He looked down at his body and saw a scar, but no wound. I remember! He hit me here and I fell. I fell Mikael. I…I died, Mikael.”
“It is as I saw then.”
“What?”
“I saw your death, but strangely I saw life as well. I didn’t understand it before, but now I do. You were dead once, but now you are alive, born anew!”
“I was dead, it was cold and fearful. I was alone, I suppose all who die, when they die are alone, they must embrace death alone; how very dreadful!”
“Yes, death is dreadful.”
Zoe sat for a moment before speaking, “I learned something Mikael.”
Intrigued, “And what have you learned?”
“If we want to live life to the fullest, if we want to enjoy everything the gods have given us, we must live according to what we believe, deep down. There is a place inside of me that has always believed that I must be kind and loving to others, but I fought it, now I know that the Sages of old, spoke rightly when they spoke their wisdom:
Life to take is life to give; living is not in getting, but in giving. Give of your life, pour it out upon the ground and find that your cup will be restored to give all the more.
I think I understand. I have given of my life that Thanatos might li
ve and I feel full of life again!”
Mikael smiled as the words were his own in a long forgotten time. He nodded in response but gave a word of caution, “Yes, but next time I don’t know that the gods will restore you if you turn your back on Thanatos.”
Zoe smiled, “I hope there is never a next time!”
“Sure enough my king, true enough.”
“Mikael, you said my king?”
A smile produced itself, “Indeed! You are the rightful king of the eleven kingdoms. You shall unite them all. You didn’t think that the gods brought you to life to restore you for your peasant life?” Mikael knelt down in a posture of homage and burst out with a thunderous voice, “Hail king Zoe! Hail king Zoe, Long live the king!”
Appendix A
Notes from the Author
This is a long tale that gives life and hope to the readers. Hope that good will overcome evil and hope that there are powers that are here to give us a helpful hand. As I believe we are not alone, so I believe we should walk circumspectly and walk as we were meant to, with peace and kindness toward our fellow humans and all that dwells on the land.
Zoe is only thirteen, but he has learned that we must love others, not just our friends. Our enemies are to be loved. In our war torn past, it is very important to understand that we share this planet and must make the best possible life we can for all. We are stewards and as such we must be responsible for what we have been given. Take care of our brothers and sisters; take care of our mothers and fathers; take care of our sons and daughters. Take care of one another.
There are points in the story that are symbolic, but do not think that the story is allegorical. There are many Christian symbols, but not everything is meant to be religious, some things are just meant to be enjoyed! Hope you enjoyed reading this tale of heroes and villains.
Appendix B
Where Dragons Haunt (The Diaspora Book 1) Page 25