by Darren Lewis
“Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude.” She felt her cheeks burning red with embarrassment. Eridan blinked and repeated his question.
“Why did you bring this one,” Eridan indicated Malachite, “if he is so dangerous?”
Ellie stood and walked to the slumbering dragon. She placed a hand gently on his head.
“He is a danger to my people. He's been planning revenge and war for countless years. The memories you place inside him will drive him mad.”
Ellie paused. As much as Malachite hated her she now felt nothing but pity for him. She continued. “It's not his fault he is this way. I thought perhaps you could see his memories of the future and take them from him?” Ellie had thought long and hard about this, not only would it prove what Cole had been telling the dragons but it might help Malachite.
Eridan turned and quietly spoke to his partner and several other dragons. Cole wandered over and nuzzled Ellie's hand.
This is the easy part. Cole thought. Ellie nodded. Eridan turned to face them and walked slowly to where they stood with Malachite. The black dragon took a deep breath and placed his front paw on Malachite's head. After a few seconds Eridan's head twitched, his breathing increased. Ellie heard him whimpering softly then he began to weep. Celestine had come up beside her partner quietly and lifted his paw from the green dragon. Eridan's eyes shot open as if coming awake from a nightmare and he leaned in against the golden dragon for comfort. Ellie heard someone clearing their throat in discomfort and she looked down.
“Hello.” Malachite said shyly. “Who are you?”
Ellie smiled warmly. “A friend, I hope.”
Malachite smiled and two other green dragons came and led him away. Eridan had recovered enough to speak. “His memories are terrible.” Eridan shook his head in pain and disbelief. “But at least he will be alright now. What can be done to change what I have seen?”
Ellie lifted the orange orb, created in the future by the dragons that stood before her.
“We can use this.” She replied. “But it's not an easy decision.”
*
“Are you just going to fly straight at him?” Rox screamed. Eridan responded by beating his wings even harder, aiming straight for Corvus.
“The humans have a game!” Eridan shouted back. “It's called `chicken.' It's a stupid game of who will flinch first!”
“It's stupid? And we're playing it?”
“Yeah!” Eridan roared.
Rox held on with one paw to Eridan's shoulder and tucked into a small furry ball. She couldn't watch. These dragons are all crazy, she thought.
Closer and closer, the two black dragons sped towards each other. Corvus had no idea of what Eridan was planning and was infuriated enough to have not seen the large piece of train track Eridan held in his grasp. Closer still until Eridan grinned at his brother. Corvus screamed in frustration and veered sharply off to Eridan's left. In a quick movement Eridan brought the track up and swung it at Corvus' behind. It caught him hard and Corvus went tumbling end over end towards the ground. He tried to extend his wings to right his body but Corvus was caught in the spin. Down he went and as luck would have it he landed with a might crash back in the pit he had crawled out of. Rox heard Eridan laugh and opened her eyes, surprised at still being alive.
“That was a good shot, wasn't it?” Eridan asked excitedly.
“I had my eyes shut.” Rox replied.
“Typical.” Eridan tutted.
Rox rolled her eyes at the silliness of males everywhere. Then she heard a dreadful noise from behind and above her. She snapped her head around.
“Eridan!” she cried. Just as Eridan peered around, the three dragons that had caused so much destruction to the land crashed into them.
Chapter 9
Eridan had explained to Ellie and Cole that he and his partner had made the orb so they could leave this world. They would be transformed and travel the stars. It took tremendous energy and it was that energy that Celestine had given her life for. Ellie now proposed this to the dragons of the past. A way to avoid a future that held destruction for both races. She wished they could stay and live in peace but it seemed mankind wasn't ready for that.
Maybe one day we'll be ready, she thought. It seemed unfair that the choice and sacrifice had to be on the part of the dragons alone but Ellie couldn't think of any other plan.
And so the dragons talked, queried, questioned, argued, pondered and wondered. Ellie and Cole just hoped.
It was a few hours later when Eridan and Celestine returned.
“It is decided.” Eridan told them in a low tone. His face and body looked weary but his eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“The sacrifice is great. Many believed we could avoid such a future, so we shared Malachite's memories. That was enough, Corvus and the others saw what they would become and the decision was made.”
Ellie held her breath.
“We shall leave, as you suggest.”
*
Rox crawled out from under Eridan's broken wing. The black dragon had suffered greatly from the impact of the three dragons. He had spiralled out of control and crashed into the temple. She limped to the dragon's head and saw the incredible pain on his face.
“Sorry.” He whispered.
There were three loud thuds as the dragons landed a short distance away, followed by two eruptions from the burning woods. The two dragons the rabbits had caught had broken free. Rox strode out in front of Eridan, ready to defend the helpless dragon.
*
Ellie watched as the dragons split into two groups, male and female. Eridan now held the orange orb and his face was full of wonder as he communicated with it. When he was done he strode to Ellie and Cole and gave them both a very direct, serious look.
“Tell me, how do you two get home again?”
For the first time since she had thought of this plan Ellie now considered the future. As tears welled in her eyes and Cole leaned against her she bravely answered the black dragon.
“We don't. If this works then there won't be a home for us anymore.”
Eridan shook his head.
“But your family?”
“Will be safe.” Ellie answered quickly. She looked around the valley and into the blue sky. “This will be our home.” She whispered.
Eridan seemed lost for words and he turned to walk back to his own family. He then paused and looked back at the brave young girl and her dragon.
“Thank you.”
*
There were now five very angry dragons facing one rabbit and an injured black dragon.
“Rox.” Eridan croaked. “Run!”
Rox simply shook her head. She set her jaw, determination etched onto her beautiful black face. She growled at the advancing dragons. Unsurprisingly they did not stop. Rox looked into the dragon's faces and thought about Plume, Cast and Ellie, that wonderfully brave girl and Rox felt peaceful and proud.
The dragons flexed their claws to charge when there came a loud shout from the bottom of the hill.
“Hey, you ugly lizards! Don't forget about me!”
Each dragon looked sharply and Rox was able to see what was making the noise. She gasped. Standing at the burnt tree line was Plume. He looked battered, one of his ears was torn and bleeding and he was leaning heavily to one side, but he looked angry. The dragons snorted their contempt and were about to start their advance on Rox and Eridan when Plume shouted once again.
“Now!”
Rabbits from the warren burst from the woods. They had travelled through the ash and smoke so each seemed to run with a vast streak of dust behind them. Rox saw nearly every rabbit from her home come rushing towards the dragons. Rox looked at Plume and wanted to hug him tightly and then whack him on the shoulder for making her worry. That could come later, if they had a later. The rabbits surrounded the dragons and came to a stop.
*
The orange glow from the orb filled the valley. Ellie and Cole had moved back down the beach but could clear
ly see the light on this sunny day. There was no sound but the air itself felt like it would pop if stabbed with something sharp. As the glow dimmed two bright lights shot into the sky. They circled one another and then seemed to start chasing each other. They slowed and hovered in the air above the valley and to Ellie's shock they began to pulse and blink at each other. She had seen that before with Rox, millions of years ago. Ellie and Cole had just witnessed the dragons transforming into the White and the Grey!
*
Where are we?
Who are we?
Why are we here?
To learn! Experience. Live. Help.
Then where shall we go?
Go back to the beginning! See it happen!
Yes, yes, yes, the beginning!
*
The lights circled each other faster and faster until they became a blur that seemed to create one circle of light. Then with a loud pop, they were gone.
The orb created by Eridan and Celestine lay grey and lifeless on the valley floor.
*
The dragons charged, the rabbits charged. Plume attempted to make his way to Rox. Rox stood fast in front of Eridan and faced down the five dragons. The rabbits started to jump onto the dragon's backs and they responded by shooting fire at their enemies. Rox screamed in anger as a dragon launched at her.
Then a massive white explosion blinded them all and blew them down.
Then nothing.
Chapter 10
Two lights popped into the darkness. They detected a seething, swirling mass of energy around them that was moving at incredible speed. It would be a while before there was any light as the first stars would not be born for a long time. But they could wait. The universe wasn't going anywhere and neither were they.
*
Rox woke and stretched out on the hillside. It was a gorgeous day. She still felt a bit tired, as if her dream of fighting and running had been real. She rose and walked to the human temple, and sat on its steps. She heard a noise behind her.
“Hi, Plume. Put your staff down and come and sit with me.”
*
Ellie and Dad stood in the back garden looking at the house beyond the black gate. They could see it clearly as the trees and bushes had been tamed. The garden looked idyllic. The house itself looked pristine. It had been painted a happy yellow and it was surrounded by rose bushes. There was a young lady in the garden tending those bushes. She had seen them and waved.
“Why do we remember?” Dad asked.
“I don't know.” Ellie replied. She grinned. “Magic?”
Dad smiled and stroked her hair, but then he frowned.
“Hang on. If Rox and the other rabbits are real then they're still out there?”
Ellie nodded. Dad kneeled down to whisper into his daughter's ear.
“Well, why don't we go and see them?”
*
Mum looked out of Ellie's bedroom window at Ellie laughing and sighed in relief that her daughter was happy again. Then she heard a noise from Ellie's bed.
“Come on, Grace, out of there.”
Epilogue
A young woman raced along the cliff top. Her long hair trailed behind her and she whooped with joy. Up ahead the cliff had collapsed leaving a steep and perilous drop to the sea and rocks below but the woman didn't stop. She leaned forward and ran harder, a large smile on her face. She reached the edge of the cliff and jumped. There was a whoosh and a large, red, beautiful dragon caught her in his claws and hoisted her onto his back.
Where shall we go next?
Hmmm, America?
America? Has that been discovered yet?
I don't think humans have discovered fire yet!
Ha ha! Very funny.
Let's go then.
I love you, Ellie.
I love you too, Cole.
The red dragon tilted his wings and they turned towards the sunrise.
*
This is the end of the Seren Trilogy
But Ellie's adventures are just beginning.
* * *
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