Dragon Airways

by Brian Rathbone

  * * *

  Only once more did Berigor land before they reached the shallows. Emmet barely remembered the stop, having spent most of it in a sleepy fog. When the shallows came into view, however, he was awake and alert. The first things he noticed were the missing pillars. From the mighty circle where Dashiq had once hovered, two pillars had fallen and one stood at an odd angle, leaning away from the others. The landscape was completely surreal. Deep blue waters ended at a shelf of land topped with white beaches, scrublands and a not-so-distant mountain. The shallow waters now contained jagged, luminous rifts, some of which emitted bubbling gasses. Emmet wondered if the damage had been done by the meteorites, but it seemed unlikely given how far they were from the impact craters—one on land and one in the shallow waters farther inland.

  Dashiq uncoiled herself before they reached land and soared free. For a short time, she enjoyed the act of flying, turning in lazy circles over the sun-drenched landscape and bathing in reflected warmth. The land had magic of its own, and here that power was more prevalent than anywhere else Emmet had been. He was happy to be back in spite of the circumstances.

  Berigor soared to where Dashiq had once hovered, and his partially lidded eye gave the impression of bliss. Dashiq landed near their previous campsite, and Emmet was surprised to realize someone else had been there since. It was strange to know they shared this place with others. The Zjhon had been in the area, but it did not look like a force of that size had made camp there. The evidence spoke of a small group. This place was so remote, it was difficult for him to reconcile. It also made him anxious about anyone who might return.

  Barabas climbed down, remaining standing by virtue of his walking stick. Emmet made it down on his own, not needing the assistance Barabas might otherwise have offered. Though his ribs still hurt if he moved the wrong way or coughed, he and Keldon were the healthiest among them.

  "The trees," Emmet said, pointing, and Barabas nodded. He made no move toward the water. Emmet was on his own. Walking to the shoreline, he reminded himself of the dangers he faced. Saltbark leaf was precious and did not come without risk. Wading into chest-deep water, he had second thoughts. Perhaps it would be better if Keldon went after the leaves. Still, the trees called to him like old friends, and he could not resist. The current pulled more strongly than the last time, tugging at him, relentless and persistent, ready to drag him out to seas where monsters waited to swallow him whole. Emmet shivered at the thought of being forced into the deep, frigid waters beyond the pillars. A fallen pillar blocked part of the way, torn by unyielding currents. Wandering vortices swirled in the waters around it, making loud sucking noises.

  Even if the waters were not terribly deep, Emmet wanted nothing to do with those whirlpools. Fish scattered closer to the far bank where the saltbark trees grew. Keldon, now shirtless, waded toward him. It gave Emmet some comfort to know the man was close by. What crushed his hopes, though, was the state of the trees; they had been picked nearly clean.

  Only a fool would treat such a precious tree this way, and Emmet was outraged. Now he hoped the fools did return so he could tell them what he thought of this practice. Even so, he was tempted to take at least a couple of leaves since the need was so great. How was he any better than they? he asked himself. It was the kind of question his sister would have asked, and the thought of her made his heart ache. Life did not always offer fair choices. Sometimes every option available was terrible in its own way. It was something that troubled him deeply but about which he could do nothing. The feeling of powerlessness was all too familiar.

  Keldon shook his head when he saw. It meant they would have to take their search farther inland. Before they did, though, Emmet had something he needed to do.

  "Friends," he said. It was then he noticed the slender tendril of new growth along the shoreline farther inland, at the place where he had planted a new tree. Knowing he had helped bring a new life into existence thrilled him, and for a time, his heart soared. Even amid all the sorrow, anxiety, and fear, he'd been able to do something good in this world. That made him feel more like a hero than anything else he'd done. Mostly he felt like a scared little boy, but that was beginning to change.

  Wrapping his hands around the tree that had previously given him a seed, Emmet did the opposite of what he'd come to do. He'd come to ask more of the land, to take, as humans always did. Now he wanted only to give back, to lend these trees the energy they had been deprived of when stripped of leaves. He felt the need and yearning for the sun's energy. Without the surface area of those green leaves converting light into nourishment, the trees would slowly starve. Using all his might, Emmet connected with the tree and let his life force flow into it. He had no idea how long he'd been connected to the tree, but he felt a hand on his shoulder, which gently pushed him away. Emmet opened his eyes, confused. When he looked to Keldon, the man stood out of arm's reach at a respectful distance. Emmet looked back to the tree but saw no one there. What he did see, however, were dozens of tiny green buds now springing from where leaves had once been. When he pulled his hands away, three brown-and-white-striped seeds rested in his palms, though he'd not felt them being placed there.

  Keldon stared in silent amazement, appearing content to watch whatever it was Emmet chose to do.

  "Friends," Emmet said, pointing inland.

  Keldon grabbed him and hoisted him up onto his shoulders. Together they moved against the current. The far coast was covered in low, twisted scrub that would not allow for easy traversal, and the channel grew wider and more difficult to cross farther inland. Keldon stayed close to the far shore, where the current was not so strong, though the water did sometimes become deep. Emmet remained above water most of the time, but Keldon needed to swim for it on two occasions. What troubled Emmet even more were fevers of giant manta rays floating past and terrifying eels darting in and out of holes in the seafloor.

  Along the way, Emmet felt urges to drop seeds in specific places, and he did so in the hopes of repaying the trees for their kindness. They had healed his friends at their own expense and had been abused by others. He could only hope to make up for the damage done.

  When they next encountered a tree that had not been picked bare, it was surrounded by tangled vines. No wonder the careless people had ignored this one; it was all but impossible to get to. Keldon almost passed it by, knowing he would have difficulty getting through the branches.

  "I can fit," Emmet said. Dashiq, Barabas, and Berigor all needed healing, and it was worth whatever he had to do to get it.

  "It's dangerous in there," Keldon said. "Be careful."

  Slipping back into the water, Emmet grabbed the vines and pulled himself into their tangled web. Slick and slimy under water, they were coarse and prickly above, but Emmet endured. Sparkling leaves waited within, and he forced himself deeper into the foliage. Reaching forward, he sucked in a sharp breath when a hand grabbed his wrist. Involuntarily he drew a sucking breath and pulled away, now seeing a snake coiled on the branch he'd been about to grab. A woman more beautiful than any he'd ever seen waded within the foliage. She glittered with sparkling facets that covered her skin. Her warm smile made Emmet feel protected and loved. Considering she had saved him from a potential snakebite, he instantly trusted this strange woman. She held a finger to her lips.

  "Are you all right in there," Keldon asked.

  "Fine," Emmet said.

  The woman smiled and silently giggled.

  For a moment the two regarded one another, each one looking as if they had found the greatest treasure. The woman cupped Emmet's cheek for a moment, longingly. Aching loneliness flowed through the bond, and Emmet promised to visit again if he could. A tear slid down the woman's smiling face, and she squeezed Emmet's hands. When she pulled away, Emmet's palms filled with sparkling green leaves.

  With great reluctance, Emmet left the woman behind and forced his way back out to where Keldon waited. He did not encounter any snakes on the way out, but he was far more watchful.
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  Not long after he emerged, Barabas shouted across the water. "Hurry! We're losing her!"

  Keldon hoisted Emmet back to his shoulders and walked out toward the center of the channel. A pair of rays split and passed them on either side. Keldon was close enough to reach out and touch them, but Emmet was glad he didn't. He hoped they didn't encounter many more. Seeing such massive sea creatures was terrifying. He would make but a morsel for such monsters. Keldon had a plan, though. In deep water he treaded, and they were pulled swiftly back toward the pillars by the current. Before they reached the downed pillar, Keldon swam toward the shoreline, still being pulled out to sea. Emmet feared the current might be too much, but Keldon was a strong swimmer. Still, he was breathing hard when they gained the shoreline.

  Emmet ran to Dashiq and held his hands out to Barabas. The dragon's breathing was labored, and she barely responded to Emmet's presence on his return. Berigor now rested nearby and whined while looking over to Dashiq.

  "Thank you," Barabas said with overwhelming gratitude. Taking two of the larger leaves from Emmet's palms, he walked to Dashiq's head. She accepted the first leaf on her tongue and closed her mighty jaws. Barabas tried to give her more, but she refused, keeping her jaws shut and nudging him back toward Berigor. The big dragon was hesitant but accepted the five leaves Barabas offered him before curling up and settling in for a nap.

  Emmet ran his hands along Dashiq's flank and began removing the saddle. Dashiq stopped him, nudging him from behind and lifting him up. He swung a leg over the saddle and wrapped his arms around her. The dragon issued a contented woof then dragged herself to the shoreline. Like a giant crocodile, she slid into the water, flattening a wide swath of brush.

  With serpentine movements, she swam to the pillars. Once there, she spread her wings, gradually ascending until she hovered just above the rushing current. Emmet let the sun warm him, the water evaporating from his clothes. Below him the amber statuette still glowed; no one had dared disturb it. No longer did Dashiq have the magic of Azzakkan's Eye, but power still emanated from the land beneath them, and Emmet did his best to tap into it. While the saddle held precious little magic, it conducted natural energy flowing from the land. Emmet couldn't be certain, but he suspected the energy here could replenish the magic in the saddle given time. Even the sunlight itself held power, though it was far less potent. Perhaps, with patience, he would find power anew.

  Providing comfort and empathy, Emmet communed with the dragon. Dashiq had done so much for him and all of them. He understood perhaps better than any other that the dragon had remained alive mostly for the sake of Barabas. Without her, the man would have had very little for which to continue living, and she refused to allow that to happen. In some way she communicated this to Emmet without words or sound, he simply knew. Squeezing her tighter, he told her he didn't ever want her to go away. There was sadness and truth and empathy and hope. All of it flowed into him and Emmet cried.

  The dragon nudged him then, breaking into his meditation. She stared at him with one eye and an empty metal socket. It made him sad. He had never seen her in the prime of her life, but he could imagine it and he did. That was how he wanted to remember her. In his mind he fashioned a vision of her when she was younger with Azzakkan's Eye, wearing the sparkling saddle with Barabas and Tuck aboard. Never had they all come together in that way, but it did not matter. Emmet fixed the vision in his mind forever. When he inspected the saddle, he thought the stones might have just a bit more luster.

  I must go now.

  Sadness and acceptance overcame him. It was the closest anything or anyone had ever come to speaking in his mind, and the words were physically painful. Time compressed. The light blinded. Sound overwhelmed. Putting his hands over his ears, Emmet rocked forward and back in the saddle. She touched him then, sliding her muzzle under his hand, which glided across the scales and came in contact with metal. A spark leaped to meet his finger, and her magic connected with him once more.

  Soon.

  She broke the contact, and Emmet was left to guess what she meant. Time stretched back out, and he pulled his hands from aching ears. Dashiq turned and headed in the opposite direction of the campsite. On the far shoreline, she landed and nudged Emmet out of the saddle. Once he was on the ground, she hauled herself through the trees. In the distance, he could hear something else crashing through the brush. Climbing the tallest tree he could find, Emmet looked out across the mostly flat landscape to the east. Trees and bushes shook, giving evidence of Dashiq's passage. In the distance, a far larger swath of vegetation moved, and Emmet lost his breath when a mighty serpent reared up, towering above the trees. It let out a terrifying roar then continued.

  Across the channel, Barabas and Keldon made their way toward him. He probably should have gone back to them, but something drew him on. After climbing back down from the tree, he followed the trail of downed foliage Dashiq had left in her wake. The closer he came, the louder the dragons grew. What sounded like a terrible battle erupted up ahead, and Emmet froze in place. Barabas and Keldon shouted his name as they crossed the water. The world otherwise grew still, and Emmet moved forward with a sense of dread anticipation.

  When he reached a place where a giant clearing had been created from all the brush getting knocked down, he found Dashiq at its center, curled into a ball but with her wings extended forward, forming a small tent. Slowly lifting her head, she looked him in the eye. Sadness and acceptance were conveyed but also hope and a sense of fulfillment.

  The dragon did something unexpected then. Snake quick, she struck out at him. Magic built up within the metalwork. Fire danced as Dashiq tapped into the saddle she still wore. Time stretched, her attack slowing, but he did not move. He could have run all the way back to the shoreline before she finished her thrust, but he did not fear her.

  Time compressed.

  Dashiq's closed maw slammed into his breastbone—hard. Pain erupted, running far deeper than flesh and bone, as if his being had been rung like a bell. The frequency at which he vibrated changed as a result. He felt strange and even more disconnected than he had his entire life, but now the rate at which time moved felt . . . constant, stable. Something foundational within him had changed, but still the world was far away. He felt like a piece of the background, unable to fully engage with reality.

  Dashiq pulled her head back, the magic building into a blazing inferno drawn from the saddle, the air, the land, and the dragon's own life force. All his life he'd yearned for magic but had never known exactly why, now the dragon's maw raced toward him, glowing and pulsing with blue plasma.

  No longer could he stretch time, which left him no way to get out of her path. Whatever her intent, it was too late to protest, too late to reconsider. Her choice was made, and she slammed into Emmet, knocking him backward. His world exploded, feeling as if his spirit had been knocked free from his body. The frequency at which he vibrated remained the same, but he could see it now. He existed as waves, with crests and troughs. The world around him was the same, except his waves were out of synchronization, his crests lining up with everything else's troughs. He vibrated at the same frequency but was ever so slightly out of time. It was the force that had defined his life, but never had he been able to see it so clearly. Dashiq's second blow knocked Emmet back into rhythm with time and space. A resounding click shook his very soul. It was deep, fundamental, and permanent. He felt it in his bones.

  An overwhelming sense of rightness filling him, his knees buckled from the enormity of it. Never would he sense the world in the exact same way his sister and others did, but Emmet Pickette was, for the first time, truly connected to the world around him.

  Still reeling from the change in his reality, Emmet watched Barabas approach, speechless. Dashiq's sides heaved; even at the very end, she waited for him. Keldon was a step behind, but the dragon never even glanced at him. Her one eye was focused on Barabas and Barabas alone. He opened his arms, tears running down his cheeks. Whining, she nuzzled him.
After a long sigh, her head dropped to the matted brush.

  Barabas wept.