Discovery
The trio road down the path the next morning. The trial was rocky and the sun rose behind them. Brock drove, Orion sat on the top inspecting his staff, and Ava slept in her cove. After their battle, last night, the three companions decided to leave at dawn. Brock was obviously use to waking early in the morning. Orion was groggy but he dealt with it without complaining. However they both needed to carry Ava to the cart, she had refused to wake up.
The Finger's terrain shitted upwards and became rock. The sea spray was cold in the morning air but they could see the shop. It was a low, brown, building, and looked so rounded that it appeared to have grown out of the rock. It defiantly looked like a rock in the early morning light. Ava had obviously set up some things here, so Orion guessed that what was in the crates would be supplies and merchandise. The front looked like a cottage while the back became higher and rounder. It was a quite interesting building to Orion.
"We're here. Wake the witch, will you?" Orion deadpanned at Brock's attitude while he started to unhook the horses. Orion shook his head and did what he was told.
"Ava," He shook Ava's shoulder urging her to wake. "We're at your shop. It's time to wake." She moaned and shifted onto her side away from Orion. He continued shaking her shoulder. "Ava you need to wake up. We're here."
Orion looked at the shop again and noticed a white stick leaning near the door. He went to grab it and realized this was Ava's walking stick. A piece of whittled drift wood and it was long so that she could feel ahead. Orion walked back to Ava. "Ava. I have your walking stick." That roused her to look at Orion, or at least looked in his direction. He smiled thinking that she had missed her stick and gave it to her.
Ava felt the stick in her hands, caressing it. She visibly relaxed and sighed, "Thank you." Then she started to get out of the cart. Orion helped her but he understood that Ava didn't want to be seen as weak. Ava walked to her door and Orion watched as she did.
"Oi! Sorcerer! Quit gocking and help me!"
Orion yelped and jumped to see Brock standing right behind him. "Brock. You scared me."
Brock smirked looking at his friend. "So I did. Now help me." He then lifted a crate from the cart and held it on his shoulder as if it was a sack of flower. "Fine, fine, I'm helping." He stretched out a hand and started levitating crates one by one.
They moved the crates into the shop. When they started unpacking Ava pointed out what went where. The work was easy with the help of magic. So they enjoyed some cider from Ava's stores. Brock was the one who suggested it and Ava agreed to it.
They all shared stories together. How they grew up, jokes, and debates. They talked late into the day and eventually they came to why Orion came to the Finger.
"You want to go to Blood Lily Island?!" exclaimed Brock. He was shocked hearing this news. Ava seemed just as taken a back from this.
"Yes," Orion spoke calmly. "Just over a week ago, I've had a dream showing me an island of red flowers and in that garden there was a great white jewel. I heard a voice calling me and it was insistent. That is why I left Tora."
"You left because of a dream?" Brock scoffed. "…Safer than the Isle of the Dead I suppose." He took another sip from his goblet.
"So there is something there." Both men looked at Ava surprised. "Orion something will happen soon. Something dark, something sinister. I cannot see it clearly but you must find that jewel. I believe it is going to be important."
"Then I will find it. There is no doubt now." Orion looked down, the points of his hands now touching.
"And you are not going alone." Orion looked over at Brock and blinked. "Don't give me that look." Orion opened his mouth to speak but Brock cut him off. "You're going to need someone who can watch you back. So don't bother arguing." The knight then got out of his chair and held out his hand. "Besides I want to see this great jewel myself."
Orion got out of his seat and smiled. "I suppose I have no choice then." He grasped Brocks arm and both shook. Both of them had satisfied smiles on their faces. Though they had not known each other long, they felt a brotherhood between.
After some silence Ava finally spoke. "Well, this is touching and all but how do plan to come back alive?"
Brock and Orion rowed the boat over the choppy water. Sea spray splashed on their faces, soaking Orion's robes and battering Brocks armor. They had found their boat tied to a peg on the shore and Ava stood overtop them sending them off. The channel was wide, and the work was hard, but they could still see their destination across the orange sea.
They hit the shore with a thud, coming in with the tide. The sun set on the horizon and the companions got out of the boat pushing it further up the thin sand. To be sure that their boat would not retreat with the tide they took the peg, from Ava's shore, and pounded it into the ground. They were careful not to disturb the flowers.
Now sure that they had a secure boat, Orion took out the bottle of citron he had taken with him. He started to rub the liquid onto his boots, hoping that the fleshbanes would be repelled like any other insect. From what he had read, fleshbanes could not fly. So he hopped that the citron would discourage any bug to climb or bite into his boots. Brock used his own bottle, purchased from Ava's shop. They had left their weapons with Ava so they would be kept safe on their ocean journey. Both Orion and Brock didn't want them lost or forgotten. With the repellent applied to their legs and arms, the companions waded into the red garden of Blood Lily Island.
Brock and Orion walked through the lilies, searching for the treasure, and constantly looking down at their legs. It seemed like the citron was working, because after half an hour of walking not one insect had decided to scale their legs. This encouraged them to keep looking without fear of being swarmed.
The island was a small so after an hour's search they both met by the fence like protrusions that were in the middle of the island. Both seemed disheartened to not find the jewel of Orion's dream.
Brock was the first to speak, "Well this sucks." Brock crossed his arms, scowling down at the blood lilies. "Indeed," agreed Orion as he frowned in thought.
Then he looked at the structure which stood beside them. It was interesting to say the least. Multiple protrusions made an arch and the ones more to the middle were taller than the ends. Orion laughed at a thought of this being a skeleton of some grand beast.
A felling of dread spread through his body, looking closer at the arches. "…Brock. Look at these arches for a moment." Brock snapped his head up looking questionably at Orion, but looked just the same. He touched an arch and spoke, "They're smooth, like… bone." Recognition and awe crossed his face, and looked to Orion.
Both shared the same thought. This was a skeleton. Covered by dirt and spreading lilies by the years from when it had slept. Brock and Orion immediately started looking around the sight. The found more bones spanning the length of it. A tail, pelvis, leg bones, and they came to the most amazing part of the skeleton, the skull. The horned skull was what made the skeleton recognizable, what made them know what creature it was. It was a dragon.
And by the snout, Orion saw a shimmering reflection on the ground. Orion knelt to the ground his eyes widening. He dug into the dirt and grasped at what the glimmering object was. It shone like a diamond, and was round like and oval no bigger than his bicep. Brock looked in awe of the stone, but it was no stone. Their diamond was an egg. A dragon's egg.
"…I can't believe it." said Orion staring at their stunning discovery.
"A dragons egg…" Brock was equally amazed, his gaze boring into the glittering shape. Both looked at the skull of the mother.
Orion thought back to his dream, now vision. They had found the egg on Blood Lily Island, and it was almost dark. The sun was just a sliver on the horizon. The he looked to the full moon and frowned. He hadn't seen a moon in his dream. Brock spoke to Orion, "So what now?" Orion lowered his head a looked at the flowers.
Suddenly a golden glow illuminated the dark. The light was coming from his chest. He flinched and fumbled with the egg. Brock had yelled and stumbled back as well. Then a thunderous roar shook the island and you could hear the buzz of retreating insects.
Before them stood a ghostly image. A gigantic ghostly image of a slivery scaled dragon. It stood as tall as the tallest tower in Tora, bat like wings spread out at least twice its size, a horn on its nose and spines traveled down its length. And it was angry.
A strong feminine voice roared. "WHO DARES TAKES MY CHILD FROM ME!?" Orion and Brock fell backwards scrambling backwards wide eyed. "WHO ARE YOU!? EGG NAPPERS!" She stepped forward with her front leg. Rage and righteous anger exhumed from the silver dragon.
Orion was scared and dumbstruck. He couldn't think. Every cell in his body was telling him to run, run for his very existence. Yet he could not move, he could not run from those reptilian, soul piercing eyes. Brock was faring not better. His ancestor may have fought dragons, but not ghosts. This was both, and there was no way he can fight this. Orion was looking franticly trying to avoid those rage filled eyes.
Then he looked under the titanic lizard. She stood over the bones that had remained of dragon skeleton. He controlled his breathing and looked at the egg in his lap. His mind was racing, thoughts jumbled up in his mind, then one sudden thought occurred. This was the mother, the dragon who laid this egg, the spirit of the dragon. The topaz, in his medallion, had opened a door into the spirit world. Collecting himself, Orion steadily stood, his head lowered and holding the egg. He approached shakily, his legs knocking at each other and held out the egg. The dragon growled at his approach then her anger dissipated. She folded her wings and stopped the rumbling in her throat.
Orion steadily looked up at the dead mother. "Great Dragon of the Diamond, forgive us. We did not mean to steal from your nest. Me, and my companion, came here under the guide of a dream. We did not know we would find your egg, or your remains."
A growl emitted from her throat like an angry lion. "Speak Toran. Why are you here?"
Orion gulped but spoke, Brock coming up beside him. "I had a dreamed of a white stone on a sea of red, on an island. A voice, much like yours, called me to find it. I had believed the voice came from the stone, so I journeyed from my home to find it."
The diamond dragon turned her head to Brock. "Why do you travel with a Jalis knight, Toran? They are known to fight my kind and I will not allow my child to be TAKEN by one!" Her voice came to a roar and she hissed looking at Brock.
Now it was Brocks turn to speak. "Diamond mother! I came here to help my friend you fought by me and met, not yesterday. I would have cursed if I had let him come alone to this forbidden place!" Brock was regaining some of his courage back. He looked defiantly at the spectral scales of the great beast. She looked down at him until she blew smoke from her nostrils. "I believe you." Both teens sighed in relief as the phantom lowered into a sitting pose.
"Leave my egg. It is not yours to find. And beware humans, the sun brings a red dawn and there will be blood." The mother lowered her head to lie exactly where her bones were, and the light of the topaz faded. Leaving nothing but bones and an egg behind.
The duo looked at each other than back at the skeleton of the mighty dragon. "What do you suppose she meant?" asked Orion. He looked down at the silvery egg in his arms. Staring like it was some puzzle he could not understand.
"Well, I don't know the last part, but we should put the egg back. I'm not having that thing hunt me like a deer, in the afterlife." Orion nodded and walked back to the giant skull. They place the egg back into the small hole and covered it with dirt, grass, and plant stems. Then he saw that there was something moving on his arm. Orion snapped his fingers, a candle flame lit of his finger.
Orion froze seeing and immediately recognizing the forms on his arm. Fleshbanes, they were small, red, and had large pincers that were chewing on his flesh. He yelled and started tearing at his arms. His sleeves had holes and he was in panic. He yelled at Brock who had looked at looked at him confused. Then he was cursing and swatting at insects crawling on his armor. The citrine had worn off and the dragon was gone so there was no stopping the beetles from going after their fresh meat.
Brock yelled "Too the boat!" and ran having no intention of being the swarm's next meal. Orion flowed conjuring a rope of fire light their way. As they ran they swat and tore at themselves, trying to rid the bugs from their bodies.
They reached the boat. Orion started pushing on the small hull to get them out to sea. Brock pulled on the peg anchoring them to the island. Brock was able to unearth the peg and threw it into the boat and ran with Orion onto their dingy. The salt water stung at their wounds but they started rowing, despite the pain.
The waves rolled as they sailed across the channel. The tide was with them and the pair knew they couldn't stop now. They didn't have time to swat at remaining insects on their limbs. All the men could think about was getting away from that island and its inhabitants.
Surly enough they hit the shore where Ava sat, on a stool, above them. They jumped onto land and scrambled to disrobe. She called out hearing their voices and the chinks of Brocks armor. They called back but quickly ignored her in favor of getting rid of the remaining fleshbanes. Orion took of his robe, shirt, boots, leggings, stamping on it to kill any insects inside while tearing at any he saw on his body. Then he noticed Brock having trouble and helped at the straps on his armor. Once the armor was removed, Brock promptly tore of his clothes and stomped on them too yelling. "I'm never going that accursed island again!" Then started swearing and cursing at the top of his lungs.
The three friends sat in chairs around a fire. They were back in Ava's shop. Ava was tending to the numerous wounds on Orion with a wash cloth, bandage, and ointment. Brock was sitting in his chair looking at the fire. Both teens were in their undergarments but didn't feel too embarrass with Ava. She couldn't see so it wasn't that bad.
Brock had his bandages but there were less bites than what Orion got. The fleshbanes quickly died after landing on the beach, but they had left Orion lightheaded and his clothes having hundreds of holes in them. Brock was luckier wearing his armor, which their pincers couldn't penetrate. But it did not stop them from attacking. Having refused the nursing of Ava, he dressed his wounds himself, hoping the water hadn't weakened him. Jalis never took baths, because they believed bathing caused weakness.
But none of that mattered now. They were safe.
Orion hissed as Ava pressed a wet cloth against his arm. "Quit whining you big baby. This is the only way I can help heal your wounds, so quit squirming."
"Excuse me, if it stings." Orion muttered under his breath. He hissed again squinting his eyes. He knew that touch was deliberate.
"Witch has a point, Rion. Suck it up and let her tend your wounds." Brock smirked at Orion, who had a deadpanned look on his face.
"Like you let her?"
"I know how to clean my wounds." Brock defended. "You don't." He pointed a finger at Orion.
"Point taken." Ava wiped his arm again. "Oh, how that stings!" He clenched his jaw and rolled his eyes up, cursing his bites. Brock laughed at his friend's pain tolerance.
"And this is just one arm. We still have a leg and an arm to go." Ava smiled deviously. Orion had already had his left leg and torso bandaged but he looked at her with dread and disbelief.
"This is going to be a long night." He thought. "Ah! Son of a-"
Alright. I'm writing again. This has been ready for awhile, so forgive me for making you wait. Review!