“When did you have time for this, Cage Love?” Brooke asked.
“I’ve spent almost all week working on darkening the pages’ pigment when not entirely focused on training or making love. It was quite easy to do actually, especially when you all slept and I didn’t want to go anywhere while snuggling.”
“You made me proud again. This will save us much time.” Brooke smiled.
Moril came forth and looked at all the dragons standing on the white sandy beach. “Our people do not like to wait when important matters decide the lives that could be saved, even for other tribes not our own. How do you plan we proceed on proving our peoples can prove we are stronger together rather than apart?”
The beige dragon came forward and opened her gigantic maw that could chomp down on a half dozen people and swallow them whole without shedding a single drop of blood. “We shall observe primarily how you can benefit us. The Rare Ones spoke of the time when Ulon and Poli would fight with you two-legs’ and fly into combat. Our suspicions say you are still not ready to be truly sentient in ways of energy manipulation…”
The chief held up a forestalling hand and the general from the southern ice colony paused. “You say observe, but this is not our way. Even our children learn through doing so they understand. If you want to truly understand how we can do things you cannot, might I suggest having a test?”
“Proposition.” She rumbled.
Moril pulled her blade and threw it end over end and the perfect balance and expert throw stabbed the sand between two large talons. “Pick it up.” The female general grabbed a handful of sand along with the knife while raising a confused scaly brow. “No, just my weapon.” Sand sprinkled down into a pile and then slit, light brown eyes considered the mound, her huge hand and then decided on a course of action. The knife rose out of the air alone, without any touching. “And so you made my point for me.”
“Explain.”
Moril came closer and took back her knife and held it out. “You truly could not do this. You dragons are far too large to do the smallest things without your magics. When I was taken as a slave and our tribe having a powerful magic man, I learned that magic can be felt by those able to use it. You had no chance of stealth or sneaking. Your claws are larger than all of us. Our smaller size gives us advantages. Yes you are stronger in body and magic, but if there was a situation you couldn’t use magic and you had to do something vitally important, you would fail. If there was a weapon or trap you had to break that required very tiny hands, you would trigger it if you used magic or be forced to leave it be and still send a human to do what you cannot and if time was short and you didn’t have one of us, you would still fail.” All eight reptiles gave her a considering look. “The same goes for your own weaknesses of the body.”
“We have none.” Xamii the yellow general boasted, stepping forth.
“Again, would you like me to prove it?” Moril challenged. The almost golden dragon nodded. “As chieftain, I have watched closely on what your weakness’ are. As a huntress and warrior I always watch for my prey’s weakness. I’m going to stab you, but only enough to prove you need us.”
“Proceed.”
“Love.” Moril held out a hand and her man passed his spear over. Cage watched as the general sent her power to the weapon, likely searching for poisons and deadly magic. She quickly found it was a simple shaft of wood, forged steel and tight leather bindings held it all together. Just a simple tool, nothing special.
The chief’s expression transformed from calm to determined as she broke into a sprint. Xamii held still, unconcerned. Showing amazing athleticism, Moril jumped on the webbing between the first and middle finger before jumping while putting the spear between her teeth. The solid yellow scales made it easy to gain purchase and climb. It took about a minute before Moril grabbed a spike and swung herself to land right in front of the dragon’s eye. She was barely winded as she held the spear close to the unconcerned eye. “Like all creatures, you have an sensitive eye which causes great pain. I could stab you here and if I caught you asleep you would lose the eye for a time, but this point isn’t what will be worthy.”
Moril withdrew the spear and disappeared as she ran up between the bridge of Xamii eyes and crossed the skull, dodged around one of the spike horns and almost lost her bare footing on her way down the long neck, but the spikes along the length of spine was perfect for climbing or holding on. At the base of the neck she ran around to near where the lower back would be on a human. The general twisted her head around and watched as Moril jabbed a foot between the plated scales and lifted before stabbing the head of her spear deeply through the flesh. Hot blood gushed and the dragon barely flinched as to her it was less than a prick of a needle. The woman stepped aside, leaving the spear deeply imbedded. “Now, try to remove my mate’s weapon and remember this, you are alone and far away from your tribe. You cannot use magic or the weapon will do something that will kill you either with a deadly poison or some spell which will destroy your flesh. You cannot move instantly from one place to another or fly, as I’m told dragons of your size cannot do without the aid of magic.”
The general stretched her long neck, but just before she reached the immovable Moril and weapon, she ran out of neck, ten feet from making it and her tongue extended, also beyond reach. “I must place you elsewhere.” Xamii said and used a simple spell to get the human off her back before shifting her weight and trying to grasp the handle, but it was no use. “The intent is clear.” With a sigh, the female lowered her girth to the ground and Moril climbed back up and firmly grasped the spear before smoothly extracting the gory head and climbing back down. As she washed the crimson liquid in the ocean the general asked “How did you know my extremities could not reach?”
“By watching Poli and Ulon.” Moril answered and heads turned to the beautiful pair. She returned to her people and returned the weapon back to her man. “I’ve noticed Poli loves scratching Ulon’s back, much like I like mine done. I figured he could not reach that point I stabbed you in, several weeks prior. I knew Ulon couldn’t go up to a tree just to scratch his scales or he would destroy too many trees and you hate falling on your back because it would be too easy to break your wings. So Poli’s claws are his favorite relief when he gets an itch where he cannot scratch. And I asked myself, if I wanted to kill him I needed a place he could not swat me away or squash me. Going to stab his eye would get me killed before getting too close. He would smell me and blow fire, but if I got on his back, he would have a harder time feeling me and by the time he would have felt me stab him it would be too late, even if he still killed me. If you did not have wards, it would be that simple. But with us, we can get to places your kind cannot, remove tiny objects of magic and guard that weakness. Besides, our tiny bodies in comparison to yours won’t weigh you down or hinder your movements, but we would still need protection to keep us unharmed if a mistake was made and you accidently stepped on us.” At that the tribe chuckled.
It really wasn’t much of a surprise when Mox spoke. “Again, that tactic has been applied before, but it is good to be reminded we are still very much alive and vulnerable to mistakes. You prove yourselves cunning and resourceful and it is true you can do many thing we cannot on a smaller level our large sizes cannot do. But what you show is not new to us and rarely shall our size be a hindrance.”
“Ah, but can you defend against one of us when we have weapons enchanted that can take down dragons?” Cage proposed.
“What do you mean?” The black dragon asked.
“Answer me this first, how many wars have dragons had against one another?”
Without hesitation the ancient male said “Too many to recount, but we are a predatory species who is challenged and appropriately placed in regards to our power and assertive nature.”
“Use an analogy. Say you are humans compared to what creature on the planet.”
“Cattle. If you two-legs are to be compared to our natural instincts it will be that mostly do
cile creature. What are you leading to?”
“I’m getting there. Now explain to everyone what keeps your people from treating humans as we do cattle.”
“Old magics written in draconian law. Our power is unmatched in magic and our aggressive nature to dominate is tempered by the old magic. We fight our own kind much like I’ve seen this small colony do for mating rights. But yet you love. We are same. We want life and more to challenge our might and intellect. To grow. That is the first law of our kind. The upholder of the law is the Rex, strongest of the colony.”
“And when a planet’s population gets too crowded I know the females all agree to stop bearing eggs till a new planet is either found and is already habitable or is in a good location to be terra-formed. But when you war and populations drop you stop war and make more babies?” Mox nodded. “And how many baby dragons can be born on Raliea before all females must stop breeding?”
“Four thousand.”
“For a species numbered in the tens of trillions around the universe, that is a very small number no?”
“Again, the obvious is stated.” The group of sitting dragons and standing humans kept an eye on the warlock.
“Then let me go further into the obvious. The old laws that has guided all dragons before griffins, humans, Tiaxm and all currently known sentient life even came around, what has happened to those who leave the laws? Has it resulted in death and war?”
“Indeed.”
“And has the majority of those who left the laws your mate and all Rex’s uphold blame the primary reason they did so because of laying eggs? I mean, to you guys, life is the most sacred gift in an otherwise lifeless universe. The law pertaining to population growth must be especially hard on females who especially want to lay millions of eggs before they can do so no longer. Female heirarchy is greater than male. The male dragons fight, but females hold all the power. It is likely why all your Rare Ones are female, why you generals are female. For a race who’s ultimate ambition is to make life, females are the true carriers and therefore outrank men… I know Poli wants her own first baby, but I know that her rank in the overall population isn’t high enough to have a child by the time those four thousand baby dragons hatch. It could be decades, centuries or millennia before she gets a chance. It makes her sad, but she’ll never admit it.” If a dragon could blush, Poli was doing it. “Now here is my point I’ve concluded in my week long respite without interruption or responsibility. I kept asking myself why. Why are the Tiaxm on Raliea? What has the power to control them? Why tamper with those who cannot be fixed? What has the power to bring them here without a nexus? Why was I attacked in Vin’re before Daku could stop everything? What could fool a world with over a billion dragons watching the world’s every move? Why the Rare Ones picked me and Daku to be the heart of all this and why my people are being dragged into a dragon’s conflict? And why the hell they believe the only way to win is by uniting human and dragon kind as a single cohesive force when your laws expressedly forbid that kind of direct contact with a younger species?”
Cage looked at each reptile in his moment of silence. “And then things began to make sense. Daku is a great source of information and I learned more from him than anything from my lone year here on this world. But before I speak what my mind has figured, tell me one thing, how long has the Heedi Rova colony, largest and most populated colony of the long Division Mountains separated themselves from the law and all other colonies of this world? What made the sixth colony leave?”
“Unsure.” Mox revealed, catching on while all others were slowly realizing the horrifying conclusions in their own mind. “It was their time for the challenge of the Rex, as is held once every hundred cycles. The former Rex was slain, but who rules the colony now is uncertain. An emissary from Heedi Rova came to my mate six hundred and ninety three rotations previous this one, declaring their severance of the whole colony.”
“And Daku, before he disappeared from the world more than a thousand years ago, said that to his knowledge, the bulk of the female population of Heedi Rova wanted to abolish and have the right to bare young whenever they wanted and the males wanted to fight for their right to sire those young. Has that changed since he has slept through most of that time?”
“They have only grown more intolerable before all communication was ended and their territory locked to where neither can either side cross.”
“Now do you see where I’m going with this?”
“Indeed.” Mox said grimly.
“I don’t, Dad.” Rena admitted and by judging expression, more than half didn’t get the whole picture.
Cage sighed and said “Heedi Rova’s population of dragons outnumber the other five combined by a ratio of two to one. Likely the coming war the Rare Ones prophesized will be the combined efforts of dragons working in coordination with the Laqura Empire. Only dragons have the raw power necessary to take a Tiaxm and bring it here and I’ve pissed off the empire enough to want me dead. Heedi Rova had no reason to send those scout class Tiaxm to kill me, but the empire did after what happened in Bepop. For six to suddenly show up without any kind of warning means they were teleported from somewhere. I can’t explain how I know I was the main target, but I feel it in my gut. When Daku took me to Twilight we learned the sixth dragon colony separated from the collective, as is their Rex’s right. If a new Rex rules and wants to be free to do what they want the only thing in their way are the five other colonies and in their laws, a planetary war will not be aided by other dragon occupied planets. If Heedi Rova wins against the dragons who value the way we live, they will dominate the planet. Vika will likely attack since her own forces are superior. Combined, we stand no chance apart. And with Tiaxm now in the mix things grow more dangerous. Once they get loose and multiply, they will consume what’s left of this war torn world. And when our allies cannot fight such numbers, they will either fight to the bitter end or simply leave this world. And since none of you can survive Jumping to another planet… well you get the picture.”
The silence was heavy and even the constant sea breeze seemed to take a deep breath.
“Such is a worst case senario, but if anything I’ve said has any slight probability, this world will still be screwed.” Cage stated.
“But devoid of proof there can be no action. If war is coming, we will not draw first blood.” Mox said. “This also does not leave, but Gralla privately came to the exact same conclusion, but not in the same words.”
“Is this true?” Barbav growled in their native tongue when it was translated. Mox’s silence but burning onyx eyes spoke more than enough. “Has my Rex been informed?”
“I suspect it was why you were secretly told to challenge Cage. I’ve known Rex Nattan enough to know it was not your idea to test the power of an elite warlock who’s ascension reached fifteen miles. Rex Nattan would not allow anyone weaker than he to lead any war where our kind might be involved. Gralla likely voiced this as she has had the most time spent with the warlock and Ulon and Poli’s observation of him and of events led her to believe. Only I and the Rex’s know her suspicions. For Cage to speak of this openly should explain that if two completely different beings with less than a full rotation as a whole could reach the same idea, it has merit. I helped train Cage and when he speaks, I learned to listen. His mind is clear and profound for one so young. His power impressed you, but his mind and intellect will likely surpass mine in a thousand cycles. Young One, when we learn what is hidden, you will see the time you spend with these sapiens, you will grow. I suggest you think on what his observations and deductions have made. As General of Fire Mountains, he has warned you of a likely possibility we face. Do not let it influence your decision, but do not forget it either. If we learn war comes from Heedi Rova, you now won’t be unprepared.” Mox said in their language.
She grunted.
“With that out of the way, how do you all want to get started?” Cage said and his people chuckled, now knowing he doesn’t obsess on what cannot be do
ne in the moment.
Ulon stopped acting as translator and said “The generals wished to understand why the Rare Ones wanted Poli and me to sever our colony’s ties and be here, Cage Two-legs. Such has never occurred in our history. They curious… as this word seems to fit… about the time our three energies combined. We learned never have our two kinds mixed mana.”
“Well it wasn’t as if we exchanged it inside ourselves. I’d have a seizure if I took in anyone else’s mana. I don’t want to happen again… Hey, if they want to see it in action I’ve got an idea.” Poli grunted for him to go ahead. “Well actually it was Sean’s idea.”
“Mine?” Sean spoke up.
“Yep. It was when we were bringing Ananna to meet her grandparents for the first time.” His dad said. “You wanted to help Daku and others who couldn’t walk on water by expanding the dock out past the pillars.” Sean realized his idea inspired his dad and grinned from ear to ear. “Poli, Ulon, now that I’ve got two now fully mature dragons as friends, I’m going to use you. Ulon, you’re slightly larger than the average male and weigh more so it will work out well. The pier is actually a modified mangrove as it thrives in salty water and is still very much alive. How about we three widen and extend it out past the pillars so any visitors can land. I’ll widen and grow the dock. Ulon, you figure how to use air to support yours and Poli’s combined weight so the dock won’t sink once the pillars won’t be as effective that far out. Poli, your task is to spin off long, strong, but supple roots that will keep the dock from swaying and allow some movement to ride the waves.”
The silver dragon look at the pier in question and said “It will be seen as a sign of hospitality for those unable to keep from falling in the water. But the modified floating crafts will need a way to pass beneath, a bridge would be possible where roots could support weight nearer to land while being deep enough for your crafts.”
“Or use a gate like what is used in Fire Mountains to divert lava.” Ulon proposed.
Ascension of the Warlock (Book 4 of the Death Incarnate Saga) Page 48