Chapter 7
The long swim took us underneath a dark cavern with only Flashness' glowing body our source of direction. Fortunately, there were pockets of air formed by sections of the cavern that were raised from the water surface. Although these pockets were small and cramp, it was large enough for us to stick our snouts through- one at a time- and inhale the precious oxygen within it.
It took us three pauses for air before finally reaching the open waters, away from the claustrophobic darkness of the underwater cavern. The moonlight shone brightly through the dark waters as we swam towards the surface.
Ahhh, fresh air, my mind spoke with relief as I gasped heavily for air after the long swim; our last gulps of air was almost ten minutes ago.
I realised we were in the middle of a lake, or rather a sea as Flashness revealed to us after scanning his surroundings.
:Is everyone here?: Anima checked.
:Here,: Schumacher acknowledged.
:Here,: Flashness followed with a nod.
:Here,: came my reply. :And Sonya?:
Anima raised Sonya's bubble pod firmly in her grasp as it floated gently on the water surface. :Here.:
:Where to now?: Schumacher asked.
:To the shore,: Anima replied swiftly. :We have to move quickly. I won't be surprised if there are dragons following behind us.:
Once again, we carried on swimming towards the nearest shore with Anima leading the way.
Looks like Flashness' right. This seems more like a sea than a lake, I thought as we swam on for what seemed like an hour.
Eventually, through the darkness, I saw a dark mass looming ahead of us and realised they were mountain ranges, which meant dry land was close by. Within minutes, our feet felt the soft sandy sea bed and we were soon wading out of the water.
:We'd better find a place to hide, in case we're being tracked down,: Flashness suggested, shaking his wings about as water rained down on the sandy shore.
Anima nodded. :Agreed. And I know of one potentially good spot.: The water-elemental Raikoo turned her sights toward the dark mountains.
We remained silent throughout the time, sitting as still as a rock as we awaited for the all-clear signal.
:The coast is clear,: Flashness confirmed as he approached us, a beam of light gleamed from the top of his forehead. :But regardless, I'm not letting my guard down yet.:
:You're right,: Anima acknowledged as she proceeded to remove the collar from my neck, using her ice spear to break through it. :Someone has to act as sentinel for the night in case we were ambushed.:
:I can start off first for the night,: Flashness volunteered. :We'll take shifts from then on until dawn breaks.:
:I agree,: Schumacher added in. :I'll be your replacement when the time comes, and so forth for the rest of us.:
Both me and Anima nodded in agreement.
:But before that, what's our next move?: I asked softly, not wanting to wake a still sleeping Sonya who was resting nicely against my warm chest. :Where do we head next from here?:
Schumacher spoke up first. :I say we flee as far away as possible from here, somewhere the Master will not find us.:
:'Somewhere the Master will not find us'?: Anima questioned back at the phrase. :Considering there are four Raikoos betraying him now, he'll scour the whole world if he have to for our heads.:
:Well, that's just a suggestion.:
Flashness sighed. :Even if we're fugitives, we can't keep running forever. However,: he eyed in my direction, :both I and Edea had a little chat before this and looking back at that conversation, I propose we rebel against our 'dear' Master.:
My eyes bulged upon hearing that suggestion.
:Brilliant idea, Flashness,: Schumacher remarked. :But there's one little problem; there's four of us, but there are still thousands of them.:
Anima pondered a moment before stating, :Flashness may have a point there. Rebellion could be the only way for us, and I don't think running away would be a preferable option for me anyway.:
:But the numbers-:
:I know, Schumacher. I know.: Anima became silent as she pondered their next move.
I felt a stirring on my chest and, looking down, I saw Sonya waking up from her long, deep slumber.
"Uhh...where am I?" she wondered as she rubbed her eyes clear.
:Sonya! Thank goodness you're all right!:
Looking up into my eyes was enough to rouse her sleepy senses as she staggered to her feet. "Raikoo? Is that you?"
I nodded with a smirk. :It's Edea now. Or rather, your father.:
Sonya chuckled as she sat back against my chest. "It's good to be by your side again,...Edea."
:Well, how about that. Father and daughter back in each other's side again,: Schumacher said with a grin. :Though the father-daughter thing felt a little weird to me given the...differences they had.:
Sonya and I exchanged glances. "I'm sure you'll get used to this eventually...uhm..."
:That is Schumacher you're talking to, child,: Anima pointed out. :The bright one is Flashness and I'm Anima, leader of the Raikoos.:
"The Raikoos? You mean there's more than one besides him?"
Anima nodded. :We're a class of our own, different from the others.:
Returning to our earlier conversation, I suggested to Anima, :About the numbers game that concerned Schumacher, I propose we join up with the humans and aid them in their fight against the Master.:
:But will they accept us? I will not be surprise if they prefer hurling lead at us than a warm welcome,: Flashness pondered.
:They will. Sonya can help persuade them, and I trust she can.:
:I'm not sure if this is a good idea,: Schumacher expressed his concern.
:If there's one easy place to begin with, I suggest we head straight for Sonya's hometown. However,-: I glanced down at Sonya with a very concerned look, :-thinking about this, I now began to fear for their safety.:
"What are you saying, Edea?"
Sighing loudly, I revealed to her, :Taka is a traitor. He's the one who led us to the ambush.:
Sonya gasped, placing her hand to her lips. "No...if he sent us to our capture, he may lead the enemy into the town. Everyone's lives will be in danger!" Looking up at me, she pleaded, "We have to warn Elder Yuriko and Captain Akira!"
:I understand your worry, Sonya, but to make things complicated we don't know where we are now,: I explained, feeling guilty and helpless to do anything for her. :We could end up flying in blind circles instead.
:I'm sorry, Sonya. I truly am.:
:There's nothing to be sorry about, Edea,: Anima said with sympathy. Looking at Sonya, she offered, :We will help your way to your town.:
:Mi'lady, are you sure about this?: Schumacher asked.
:Yes,: she said bluntly. :We may be labeled traitors, but in reality, they are the real traitors. The last thing I want is for others to suffer a similar fate as us.:
:When do we leave then?: Flashness asked.
Seeing a relieved smile on Sonya's face, Anima answered, :Now.:
In the cover of night, we flew as quietly as possible...save for my pantings in beating my wings just to stay in touch with the others.
An hour of flying later, we reached a familiar ground that echoed bad memories in my head.
This is where the ambush started, I thought as we passed over the dark gorge; the river below us completely shrouded in darkness.
:Remember this place?: Anima asked as I caught up close to her.
:Who wouldn't?:
The white-and-blue Raikoo then replied, :You know the way from here then?:
:Shouldn't be a problem.:
:Good, now it's your turn to lead us.:
:Are you really this slow?: Schumacher complained as dawn began to rise.
:Was I?: I checked back between pants.
:Everyone land now,: Anima ordered.
:But we're still-:
:I said land!: She cut me off as I obliged hesitantly, landing in a wide clearing amidst the green forest.
While catching my breath, Anima approached me with haste and asked sternly, :Is something wrong with your wings?:
I shook my head. :No, nothing.:
:Then why in Rikyu are you flying as slow as a goose?:
"Slow?" Sonya barged in. "This is how he flies all the time."
Schumacher suddenly burst out laughing while Flashness hid his amusement with a silent mirth.
I soon realised what she meant.
Dropping her head, Anima shook her head in disbelief. :Do you know we Raikoos have something we called 'afterburners'?:
:Hush, guys! Cut it off!: I waved off to the others in embarassment before getting back to the topic. :Yes I do, mi'lady. It's just that...:
:Well?:
I sighed. :It's just that I don't have the stamina to sustain it for long periods of time. I've tried that before, almost passed out mid-flight.:
:And you think flapping your wings could help improve the situation?:
:Well...: More chuckles erupted from the duo of Schumacher and Flashness as my face went red with embarassment.
Shaking her head again, she pointed, :If you're a standard dragon, that is normal. But if you're of a Raikoo variant, you'll look like a moron.:
"But, Anima, I saw him practice with it during the early hours," Sonya jumped in to my defence. "He tried his best to get used to it."
:Is that so?: she inquired, raising a brow. :In that case, I think I know how to help him with that.:
This will not bide well with me.
With sheer determination, I transferred every ounce of my energy into my wing thrusters as I sped off like a bullet.
:You're not doing fast enough, Edea!:
A slow bullet, at that.
I heard Anima hurling more remarks at me as I felt the sharp and annoying jab of her spear against my hindquarters. That jab was good enough a motivation for me to channel more power into my wings, distancing myself away from her as she gave chase mercilessly.
I'm gonna die of embarassment than of fatigue if this goes on, I thought absurdly, considering Sonya was watching the whole spectacle from the safety of Anima's head.
But on the bright side our journey towards the town was back on track, led unceremoniously by 'me'.
Half an hour (and multiple jabs) later, I spotted several faint plumes of smoke rising up from a distance in the direction of the town.
This is not good. Disregarding the building fatigue, I increased my speed and head off as fast as I can.
My worst fears came true.
The town was a complete wreck; most of the buildings were either smouldering, badly damaged or has collapsed. But perhaps the worst of all were the dead bodies strewn across the streets.
We were too late...
We flew over the sacked town and landed at the town center, careful to avoid stepping on the corpses.
I was totally mute at the sight, and I believe Sonya was too.
:Looks like the attack happened days ago,: Anima said as she observed the ruined town.
:I should've been here when the attack began,: I said with deep remorse. :I felt nothing but guilt now.:
:Even if you're here, I don't think you can do much,: Flashness replied. :Not when you're on your own.:
:At least I could've done something than nothing.: I picked up a small doll that was lying on the blackened road, miraculously undamaged. :If only we're here days earlier...:
A faint sob caught my ear as I turned towards the fountain at the center. The once beautifully-crafted fountain was now just a gaping black hole, and kneeling before it was Sonya, crying her heart out at the destruction of her beloved home.
I gently approached her and touched the tip of my snout on her left shoulder. :I'm sorry, Sonya. Deeply sorry for all this.:
I could feel wetness growing around my eyes as a trail began pouring down my face, my jaws clenched tightly in anguish.
"Don't blame yourself," Sonya spoke between sobs as she turned to face me with her tear-strewn face. "This is beyond our control. What happened to the town is inevitable, not even your strength can save it."
:At least I can try to save more.:
Sonya suddenly stood up from her kneeling position. "Elder Yuriko! We must see if she's escaped!"
Wiping the tears from my face, I grasped Sonya in my hands and flew off in the direction of the Elder's home a short distance to the south. Our hearts sank like a sinking rock when we saw the house was devastated as well; parts of the top floor was ripped apart. I landed near the exposed section of the building and placed Sonya inside.
She immediately stumbled upon someone.
"Elder Yuriko! She's buried under the rubble!"
I peered inside the room as Sonya did her best to remove the timber from the elder's back but to no avail. She was suddenly startled by a hand touching her leg and jumped back.
"No...please...stop...," the elder moaned weakly, her eyes fading by the second.
"Hold on, elder. I'll get you out. E-"
"No...no more. There's nothing you can do...to save a dying woman."
"Don't say that, elder."
"Listen, young child," she paused for a long time before speaking, "Our town may be lost...but as long as there are survivors...our names will live on."
:Survivors? Could she mean some of them escaped?:
"Where did they went?"
Coughing painfully, she revealed, "Westward...towards the capital city. Captain Akira is with them...Go...find...them..." Her head dropped to the floor, silent forever.
This was a double blow for Sonya as tears welled up in her eyes again.
:Come on. We have to move fast and find the survivors before they were found by the enemy.:
She remained still.
:Sonya, please. There is nothing we can do. Even if we did pull her out, her injuries could still kill her eventually.:
She looked at me with more tears filling her eyes. "You're right, Edea." She stood up and climbed on my head. "Let's head back to the others."
We flew back to the town center, our eyes scanned for possible survivors amidst the ruins but found none.
:Found anyone?: Schumacher asked as he flew next to me.
I shook my head. :None.:
:Tried my luck at that but found none either,: he said solemnly. :This place is now one big grave.:
:That's enough, Schumacher. I don't want to think about this anymore,: I hushed him up sternly.
We arrived back to where Anima and Flashness were and I immediately reported back what Elder Yuriko said about the survivors.
:So you're saying some of the humans managed to escape the onslaught?: Anima queried back to confirm and I nodded.
:Then we have to search for them before they were being hunted down,: Flashness suggested.
:For all we know, they could be hunted down right now,: Schumacher hinted, and received an elbow from Anima.
:Stop being negative for once,: she scolded. :Our fate and the human's are no different to me right now.:
"Huh?" All three of us- plus Sonya- looked at her with a confused look.
:I'll explain as we search.: Anima then turned to me and said, :If you know where they're heading to, then lead the way.:
Without delay, I extended my wings and blasted off into the sky, with the other Raikoos following suit.
Taking one final look at the town, my heart spoke determinedly, Justice will be done, I shall made sure of that.
End of Chapter 7
