by LJ Davies
Another stand stood between them, its finely crafted wood hidden by the golden shards hovering about it, almost mocking the other attire with its gleaming elegance. Apollo had certainly done an excellent job restoring my armour, removing all evidence of its time in the cold, salty air.
And still it looks so wrong, like it's not supposed to be here. I thought, almost as if the whole room wasn't worthy of its presence.
Finding myself at the far side of the tent, I peered closer into the smooth silver surface of Risha's neatly polished gear. A well of warm thoughts about the magnificent dragoness battled amidst the onslaught of bitterness and guilt as I peered into my blurred reflection.
I need to know if I'm ready to make the same decision Seraphine made millennia ago. I knew I was going to have to do one thing again, and the anticipation was killing me.
I glanced at my golden armour, half-expecting Mordrakk to appear and lecture me on how he believed that was the only reason I ran in the first place. But all I heard were voices and the sound of the tent flap opening as I turned to see Boltock enter.
"Skies! I told her no fire. I mean, who uses fire against a dragon anyway?" he grumbled to himself, stopping abruptly the moment he noticed me.
"O–Oh... You're back!" he exclaimed, and I stepped away from the armour as he continued. "I mean, I didn't doubt you'd come back, especially after what Risha said."
"You shouldn't listen to everything Risha tells you about me," I answered simply.
He paused, a perplexed expression dawning over his face. Even so, I knew that behind his initial confusion, he remembered what had come of blindly following his sister's hope.
"I know she can get carried away, but…" he began, and once again, I stopped him.
"You asked me to keep her safe, to save her from the same pain you felt. The only way I can do that is to deny what she sees in me, because it's wrong," I added.
He was more than a little taken aback by that, but I knew, despite everything, he heard something in them.
"What about you?" he added.
"There's nothing that can save me from this anymore," I admitted solemnly, turning away and dragging my weary body to one of the beds.
He watched, seeming to slowly process my words.
"The only thing she was right about was that I'd never come back knowing what I have to do," I added, jumping into one of the cots.
Boltock glanced about, words seeming on the tip of his muzzle but struggling to escape.
"She never told me that, and if she had..." He paused and straightened, "well, there are some things she says I don't listen to, but I know when someone is wrong," he added with a firm paw stomp.
I withstood his frown for a moment before sinking my head into the straw bed. Even so, he didn't say another word as he moved to his own bed, shaking off what parts of his armour he could, before flopping down.
"You know, for what it's worth, I'm glad you came back," he added, taking his helmet in his foreclaws, "because if this all ends, if we die, at least we'll be together, and I know that means as much to Risha as it does to me."
One of my eyes cracked open as I glanced his way, his words dancing through my mind. As much as I wanted to believe him, I knew it was impossible.
If they die, I'll have to live with that guilt for eternity.
It seemed that Boltock’s training had tired him enough to allow sleep to claim him swiftly, while the sounds of the world beyond the thin red walls died down to the low din of a busy evening. The glow of braziers and torches replaced the winter sun as I drifted between the darkness of sleep and the low light of the world, all the while expecting another cryptic visit from my own dark consciousness.
The sound of the tent flap opening summoned me back from the brink of sleep as Risha entered wearily. She glanced about, slowed her movements and quietly approached the rear of the tent.
"Why didn’t you tell me?" I asked as I lifted my head.
Her head jolted sharply as she froze, holding her position for a moment, as if searching for the right response.
"Didn’t they tell you?" she asked.
"What? About the plan to charge straight into the largest battle of the century?" I spat, the words like hot coals in my muzzle.
"Did they tell you about how I knew you wouldn't come back if you knew?" she corrected. "I'd have told you the moment we found you, but you weren't the same. You weren't the Blaze that promised me he'd come back," she explained, an air of frailty in her voice.
I felt my emotions clash at the sight of her like that, and my resolve began to crumble.
"I'd have never taken any of you into battle at any time," I declared.
Stepping forward, she continued.
"No, you'd simply put yourself in our place a hundred times over."
I leaned back as her declaration struck me, but I wouldn't allow my urge to protect them to fall so easily.
"How long do we have to argue about this?" I asked bluntly.
"Until you give back the Blaze I know and love, because I'll fight for him as hard as he'd fight for me," she proclaimed, before finally sighing. "Because he was the best of us."
"No, you're the best of us, Risha. You always have been," I assured, settling my head down.
She moved over to her own nest, glancing back as she climbed in.
"If that were true, I'd never have lied to you," she stated, her tone saturated with remorse.
"You never did," I muttered under my breath, but in the silence of the tent, only my dark avatar and I were able to hear and feel the heartache of such a sincere belief.
*
After that night, the hours began to blur, more so than they had in the ice. Boltock and Risha had work to attend to, while I was little more than an icon for the rest of the bedraggled soldiers and others occupying the camp. In truth, I failed in that regard as well, hiding away in the cover of the tent most of the time. The looming threat of battle hung heavy over me and I feared the inevitability of a bloody dawn more than I'd ever feared any dark lord.
After days of hiding, I finally made an effort to venture outside, mostly out of an urge to talk with someone other than myself.
Creators know Mordrakk's not the best companion.
As I opened my wings, the golden plates of armour flew into place around me. Apparently, a blank mind was as much a signal for the attire to act as an active one, something I could only assume the enchanted metal had somehow learned from our time alone.
I made no effort to fight off the shards as I stepped outside. The day was gloomy and overcast, a light snowfall mixed in with the cold rain, creating a mass of sludge-filled puddles, whilst making the air smell deceptively fresh. I tried to let my mind go, to pretend I was still home or somewhere that wasn't filled with the fear of war.
The sight of wounded dragons and blooded griffins flying in from their battles made that hope no stronger than a spark in a damp cave. Wherever I looked, there was no escaping the sounds of battle training, dragons my age, younger and older, moulded into soldiers for a cause that may not last the week. As for the smaller ones, I found it hard to watch and think about the things to come; it was only when my eyes fell upon someone familiar that I found the courage to move on.
Neera was still teaching the group I'd seen her with days ago, while Ember watched beside her. Torn between observing the featureless walls of the fortress and the fiery orange dragoness, Boltock stood to the side too.
Well, if there's any set of dragons I'm going to socialise with around here, there they are.
Taking a deep breath and focusing my mind the best I could, I moved over to them. It didn't take long for the young dragons to notice me, and at their shocked expressions, each of my friends turned their attention too.
"I did say that tent was boring," Boltock muttered to Neera, glancing at me as the faldron covered a snigger with her wing.
I could see Ember stiffen; a disapproving look reserved for what she deemed to be inappropriate behaviour shot their
way. Any feeling of insult, embarrassment, happiness or otherwise fell upon me to no avail. All I could visualise were the dragons before me dying on the battlefield. Ember crossed the yard, stopping before me and averting her eyes from Boltock, much to his dismay.
"Are you okay?" she asked, as if she understood something I was struggling to grasp.
What kind of a question is that these days, really?
The others fell silent as I nodded, but she didn't look convinced. The sound of hushed voices behind her served to stifle the conversation, and we all looked back to the trio of young dragons. They all froze, until the red dragoness, Scarlet, as I recalled, shuffled forwards.
"Can we see the fight now?" she asked, and they all glanced at Neera with beaming expressions.
Ember also looked at the faldron as the feathered dragonesse’s amusement faltered.
"Oh right, that," she stammered sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck with a forepaw.
"What did you do?" Ember asked, and Neera glanced between Boltock and I.
"She promised we would get to see the Guardian fight before he wins the battle!" Teal blurted out, and Ember's expression fell flat.
She looked ready to give them all a firm lecture on how serious this was; however, at the sight of the small dragons and my friends, I felt a small part of their determination slip through the net of my dread.
If they're going to get anything before what's coming, the least I can do is give it to them.
"That's fine," I answered, stepping up beside Ember before she could open her muzzle to protest.
The little dragons’ faces were bright as dragonfire, and my friends were just as shocked. Ember turned back to me, an air of uncertainty radiating from her.
"If I'm out here, I might as well do something useful," I added, but her doubts didn't seem to ease.
"Blaze, the fact that you're here is useful, there's no need for pointless games," she stated, turning her signature scowl to Neera and Boltock again.
"Let's do something simple," I suggested.
"You're sure?" she asked, and I nodded.
The idea of fighting any of them terrified me, and yet I couldn't bring myself to say no.
So long as I don't hurt her, it could be fun, right? I thought, craving a break from the torment of my thoughts.
Ember moved to the opposite side of the square, lowered her frame to the gravel, and opened her wings, the black blades on their edges gleaming in the dull sunlight. The eager muttering amidst the young dragons fell silent as she curled her tail like a spring, her claws flexing in the mud. Neera and Boltock watched from behind, the former with anticipation, the latter completely focused upon my fiery adversary.
Ember gave me a subtle nod, leaping forwards before I could even move. I raised my wings clumsily, but without fear of an actual threat, and terrified I may unknowingly harm her, she swiftly swept my legs out from under me with the blunt edge of her tail. A series of gasps escaped from the smaller dragons and Neera laughed, while Ember circled around before placing a forepaw on me.
"One, two, and three... you're out," she counted, with a flick of her tail. "I learned that one from you," she laughed, tail flicking whilst she helped me to my paws.
I shook myself off as the trio of young dragons came bouncing over.
"Ember beat the Guardian... she beat the Guardian!" they all exclaimed.
The armoured dragoness looked slightly unsettled by the praise, but I felt obliged to allow her every bit of joy she deserved.
"Yeah, she did," I admitted, shaking loose dirt from my wings.
"That fight wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I mean, if Ember can beat the Guardian, why can't she just win us the war?" Scarlet questioned.
"Yeah, but I bet if he wanted to, there's like... A hundred percent chance the Guardian could totally kick her tail," Teal countered.
"Now, I'm sure you're all right, but you've seen the fight now," Neera interrupted, cutting off the eager babble as she jumped down and bundled them back with a few waves of her wings.
"But you made it sound like it was going to be epic!" the water dragon protested.
"Plus, they only fought once!" Scarlet added, arching her neck to stare at Neera.
"I promised a fight, I didn’t specify how many or how entertaining," Neera corrected.
"Sorry if I made you look bad. I shouldn’t have. You're everyone’s last hope, not some dragon they need to see put on his tail," Ember apologised, brushing the dust from her wings.
"I know a few dragons who'd like to see me put on my tail," I sighed. "Besides, maybe now they'll listen to you more; just remind them you beat me," I laughed.
"It's not that they don't listen, they're good chicks. It's just... We shouldn't have to teach such young ones how to fight. I only joined at five years because the academy put me into training. But I didn't join the order to teach younglings how to fare in battle. It's not what Pyro would have wanted either," she admitted, returning to the boulder on which she'd been perched.
"Well, if it’s any consolation, you're both good teachers," I assured them, glancing back at Neera as she tended to the young dragons. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all."
She looked cross at the suggestion, and for a moment, I was worried that she might direct her anger at me.
"Teaching orphaned hatchlings to fight isn't desperation," she growled.
What did I expect? This is war? That darkness in my mind wasn't about to let this opportunity go unnoticed, and I could already sense it formulating ways to remind me of it.
"Sorry," I admitted.
"It's not your fault; Aries should have sent soldiers to defend the other settlements. Instead, he just kept us all in the dark while Valadran and Frostwrath burned," she spat resentfully. "That was the real reason I agreed to do this, after Storm told me what happened to him and his brother in Ziliren..." Her voice trailed off as she snarled. "There is no way anyone, dragon or otherwise, should stand by and let this happen."
I've never seen her like this, she's changed. I noted as the sound of paws beside me signalled Boltock's tentative approach.
"I still think you're right; you know?" he told her, his eyes fixing on her for the briefest of moments.
She struggled to return the look as she nodded firmly.
"Thanks," was all the response he got, before an uncertain silence consumed the conversation.
"Hey, Bolty, you want to come lend me a paw?" Neera called, breaking the silence and drawing his attention. "We're going to the dining hall, morning training is over, remember?" she proposed.
Her reminder prompted him to follow, waving a rushed goodbye to Ember and I before disappearing. Even so, I did little more than wait while snowy drizzle settled on my muzzle.
"Well, I should probably get cleaned up before the council tonight," Ember proposed, looking over her armour as she jumped down from her perch.
I don't want to think about the Elders’ council after our last meeting. I inwardly hissed, yet nodded.
"See you later!" she called as she sidled away.
I was alone in the drizzle, and it was some time before I finally looked up at the training grounds. The rain was becoming too heavy for some, the only ones who withstood it were those attempting to teach water elementals how not to get wet.
"There you are!" I recognised the new voice immediately.
Admittedly, she looked rather odd amidst all of the other creatures that passed her by, exchanging strange glances and muttering as they did so. I knew that should bother me far more than it did, but in that moment, I was just glad she was here.
"Spirits above, I've been looking everywhere for you. Did you forget that you and that hawk are the only ones I can talk to around here?" Tarwin asked.
"No, I didn’t forget, I just got distracted," I explained, warding off several scowling dragons with a stern glance.
The fact that such a distraction had been days of wallowing in pity wasn't something I wanted to admi
t, however. So I let her go on.
"Well, if it means anything, I've been tending Yorik for the past few days. Whatever those birds gave him seems to be working, even if all they do is stare at us like children," she explained with a huff. "I’ve been worried about you too, but after that black dragon attacked, you just disappeared," she added.
I nervously flexed my wings and sighed.
"Like I said, I'm not like other dragons, I’m not so easy to kill." She looked horrified that she hadn't asked more about it the first time.
"You do realise how strange all of this is, right?" she asked, placing a hand on my helmet.
"Well, I've known exactly what you were saying since the beginning, so for me it's not that new," I reassured her.
"I'd a feeling that was the case," she confirmed. "Although your voice is strange," she laughed. "And now that we're not being hunted, I have a lot of questions for you, mister."
As much as I wanted to direct her to Apollo, knowing he’d answer every question under the stars, there was no way she'd want anyone other than me to explain about this new and unknown reality.
"I’ve no idea where to start," I stated, looking about as if the sight before me would somehow present the answers.
"You're not doing anything for a while, are you?" she asked, and I shook my head, as she drew her bow. "Good, then we’re going hunting!"
*
Finding a way off the island from the ground wasn't as easy as I'd anticipated, the roads and winding routes were difficult to navigate amidst the mass of tents and bodies. Yet Tarwin's tenacity was a trait she'd not lost, and eventually the long stretch of stone that led back toward the lakeside came into view. A pair of stone stumps that I guess had once been towers sat on either side, and despite the lack of obvious guards, I'd no doubt we were being watched as we moved out from the camp.
Tarwin clearly wasn't worried, and as we finally reached the forest on the opposite side of the lake, I tried to imagine life as it had once been.
Years of hunting in the woods, all that time working together and being the best team in the village. All without speaking a word or having the knowledge of the world about us.