A/N: Two things in two days? What is this madness, eh? Anyway, here is the overdue next chapter. This is actually the first one I wrote for Shadow of the Blight, back during the writer's blockade in Retribution. It's a long one, so enjoy!
The group had been trekking through the ash wastes for almost four days. They drank their water sparingly, and supplemented it with the fruit Matt had bought from the nomadic humans. Nothing had attacked them as of yet, but they'd seen the skeletons of animals and monsters that had been picked clean. Each of them figured that meant there was some sort of predator living in the wastes, but Anna hadn't been able to find anything aside from a few errant claw marks.
"Dragons, maybe?" Natalie suggested as they settled down for sleep one evening.
Matt shrugged, "Maybe, but I don't know why a dragon would be hunting around here. They have a river valley on the other side of the volcano with tons of prey—better quality prey, too, I bet."
Anna was nibbling on a slice of bread with some cheese stuck on top of it. "Do light dragons ever have to hunt in less than optimal locations?"
Matt tensed slightly at the question, and shot Anna a sharp look that she met with steady, if slightly challenging eyes. The half-wood-elf had been pressing for information about light dragons for days since he'd saved her from the Phikao spider. He had the sneaking suspicion that she knew what he was, and was trying to confirm her theory. He never said anything to confirm one way or another, but the constant prodding was making him anxious. He almost wished she would simply ask him outright so that he could get the rejection over with.
"All creatures can find themselves in a situation where they have to hunt in bad locations," Matt finally coolly replied. "But I know for a fact that the fire dragons have prime hunting land, so there isn't any reason for them to hunt here."
Anna flinched slightly at his less than friendly tone. She mumbled an apology, and avoided Natalie's confused glance. The rest of the night passed in near-silence.
Things had smoothed over by the next morning, and Matt was back to his normal, cheerful self. Natalie was flourishing in her water and earth magic under Anna's tutelage, and all three of them were discovering that Anna's nature magic could be used for faster recovery. The half-wood-elf couldn't heal wounds like Natalie and Matt could, but she could coax an injury to heal more quickly, which was a fascination to Matt. It took much longer to do—almost four times as long as even Natalie's slowest and weakest healing spell—but it was much faster than waiting for the wound to heal on its own. Matt had carefully tracked Anna's mana as she healed a narrow slice to her palm, and shook his head in confused amazement.
"No light magic; that's weird," Matt murmured. "I wonder if Lenth has ever heard of that…"
"Who's Lenth?" Natalie asked as she clambered up a small cliff.
"One of the light dragons who taught me healing magic," Matt replied as he followed Natalie up and reached down to help Anna up.
Once all of them were standing beside each other, they looked across the landscape. But instead of the normal flat, gray landscape with the occasional lava pool, they now saw long rivers of lava and colorful pools of steaming liquid. Sharp spires had formed in many places, and the ground randomly jutted up in small plateaus with narrow passes through them. The air was incredibly hot, and dry anywhere not immediately beside the pools of liquid. It only took a quick whiff for them to know that whatever was in the pools wasn't drinkable. The three exchanged glances and set off once more. It was when they were walking alongside a sluggish lava river with a cliff to their other side that they finally encountered something alive aside from them.
"Well, this is an unusual group of trespassers."
The three travelers stiffened and twisted to look up. In the flickering orange light of the nearby lava river, they saw a young man with red hair and eyes, and pale skin. His pupils were slitted, like a reptile's. He wore a dark red shirt and long, black pants, but no shoes of any kind—and he didn't shift at all from the hot ground against his bare skin. The newcomer glared down at them from the rock he was standing on, with his arms crossed over his chest. They wondered how the heck they had missed him—he was hardly blending in with the obsidian surroundings, after all.
Matt reached back for the hilt of his sword. The man had no weapons that could be seen, but it was very obvious that he wasn't friendly. With a furrowed brow, Matt realized that he couldn't tell if the person above them was a dragon or a drakeling. He had the hair and eyes of a full-dragon right down to the slit pupils. His mana was fairly powerful, too, but he seemed a little short. But it was obvious that even if he wasn't a full-dragon, he was strong; not that that surprised Matt at all.
"We're just passing through," Anna said calmly.
Natalie nodded, "Yes, we're sorry for intruding and we promise to be through as quickly as possible."
The man arched a single brow and flatly said, "The only place through here is the fire dragon's volcano, Fal'ratharn. What could a ragtag bunch of misfits like you possibly need to do there?"
Anna puffed up, "'Misfits?' Come down here and say that to our faces!"
With a snort the man replied, "Why should I come down? You obviously heard me just fine. Besides, you are a bunch of misfits. Half-elves and a drakeling traveling together? That's a group of outcasts if ever I saw one."
Matt stiffened and the two girls looked puzzled.
"Drakeling? Where's the drakeling?" Natalie asked fearfully.
"The blond guy standing next to you, duh," the man impatiently replied.
Natalie whirled to look at Matt with wide eyes, "You're a drakeling?"
Matt released a resigned sigh and nodded. "Yes. Light, on my father's side," he quietly admitted. He winced as they fearfully backed away from him. Even Anna, though she looked far less surprised than Natalie did. He shifted his gaze to the man above them with a challenging glare in his eyes, "I am Matt, son of Luthradax, son of Lumen. What is your name, dragonkin?"
"Oo, he know how to greet another dragon properly," the man sneered. He met Matt's glare with one of his own, "Fine, my name is Lance, son of Fardraath, son of Felrenn." Lance watched the two inching away from Matt with detached scorn, "You hid it from them?"
That settled one question; Lance was a drakeling. Matt's fists clenched. "Of course I did," he spat. He gestured at the pair beside him and watched sorrowfully as they flinched, "I'm sure you know how others always react to us. I thought I could have some friends for once; ones who didn't think I was going to go ballistic, tear them apart, and eat them, or something equally stupid. I thought they could be people who didn't spit on me when I passed because I'm not a purebred dragon." His voice fell, "I'd planned to tell them before we went to talk to the Elder Fire Wyrm. I thought they might not… react… like they are right now. I- I guess I was wrong."
Anna glanced up at the man above them with wide eyes, "You're a drakeling, too?"
"Well, of course. Didn't you pick that up from our little discussion?" the man replied in a scathing tone. He stared the two women with hard eyes before shrugging, "If you three are so dead-set on going to Fal'ratharn, then you should turn around and take the other road. If you value your lives, that is."
"No can do. We-" Matt broke off and he glanced at the two half-elves beside him. The pair flinched again and refused to meet his eyes. He shook his head and went on, "I need to talk to the Elder Fire Wyrm as soon as possible. Bye, Anna, Natz, thanks for your help up to now. Good hunting to you, Lance."
Matt didn't wait for a reply before turning and briskly walking off. Anna and Natalie made no move to follow him, watching his back until it vanished into the smoke of the caldera. There was silence for a few seconds and then the man above them snorted.
"You two are just going to let him walk off?" Lance asked.
Natalie hesitated before giving a slight nod. "How can I trust something like him? Drakelings killed my family, and he knew it. He still didn't tell me the truth; he let me believe that he didn't know what his father was."
Anna frowned and nodded, "Besides, we've all heard the stories of drakelings tearing other creatures apart and devouring them. Sure, he's been nice during our travels, but that could change at any time."
"Well, I suppose a couple of elves such as yourselves would know that, huh? You've been welcomed into your people's libraries and read the history, right? Oh, wait, my mistake; you're half-elves, hardly welcome in the gutters of your streets, much less indoors. After all, if you were allowed inside the libraries, you'd lose control of your magic and burn the places to the ground," Lance spat, disgust clear in his voice. He eyed the two women with disdain for a few moments before continuing. "I've heard stories of your kind, as well. How often does a half-elf actually lose control? Not often, if ever; not unless you are provoked, right? It's the same for drakelings. We don't have some kind of sleeping monster inside us that we constantly struggle to control. The story you've heard was of a drakeling that humans kept chained and alone in the dark for weeks. They didn't feed him, didn't speak to him, and when they finally opened the door, he was insane and he killed them, brutally, and ate them—like any predator that's been starved. Elves shun you for your spirit and supposed lack of control; humans hunt you for your blood to use in their medicine and alchemy. Dragons cast us out of the nests to fend for ourselves as soon as we can walk, disgusted with our impurity—if they even keep us that long. Every day we live in fear that a group of humans will find us and kill us. They seek our blood as well; to quell their fears and cure their illnesses. We're no different from you; keep that in mind next time you condemn someone based on their birth and blood."
Anna and Natalie flinched, but didn't say anything. Guilt shone in their eyes as they glanced to where Matt had gone.
Lance snorted and a puff of smoke curled from his nostrils. "Figures that you didn't even consider any of that. If you actually feel guilty, you should go find him; sooner rather than later."
Natalie swallowed, "You're right, we need to catch up to Matt and apologize. Will you guide us? Matt was the one who knew where we were going."
"No, I will not," Lance replied with a raised brow, "I happen to value my life, regardless of what the rest of the world thinks of it. It's a straight path, anyway."
Anna bowed to Lance, "Thank you for setting us straight, both on our trail and in our views." She turned and snagged Natalie's arm, leading her through the smoke and out of sight.
Lance stared after them with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Well, well, I wasn't expecting that," he murmured.
An elf, even a half-elf, bowing to a person they viewed with hatred and fear? It was more or less unheard of. Still, even if they were a strange bunch, they weren't going to be for much longer; wyverns lived in the canyon they planned to hike through. Lance sighed and stared after them, debating on whether he should chase after them to stop their foolhardy, suicide march. It seemed a shame to let a group of slightly-less-bigoted idiots get eaten by a bunch of dragon wannabies.
But ultimately, Lance heaved another sigh and turned away. He had already warned them, and Matt had insisted on going through. There wasn't much else he could do to help them. Still, he glanced over his shoulder at where the trio had gone before diving into the lava river below.
OOOOOO
Matt walked along the canyon with his shoulders slumped. Even if he had expected the rejection, he'd hoped that it would never happen. Natalie had really seemed to like him, as had Anna, and they had both been so open to differences. He had really hoped that when they finally learned of his dragon blood they would weigh what they knew of him against what they had only heard of and realize that he wasn't like that, not abhor and fear him out of hand. Granted, Natalie had a reason to fear drakelings, but still: weren't the number of times he had helped her worth anything? Apparently not; or at least they weren't enough to outweigh the death of her father.
"Maybe the next people I find will accept me," Matt murmured to himself. He felt a twinge of hopelessness, and thought, "Or maybe I should just finally accept that people will never trust drakelings, and give up on it."
A scraping sound came from overhead, distracting him from his dismal thoughts, but when Matt looked up, he saw nothing. Still, he kept one hand over his shoulder and on his sword hilt. A patter of footsteps from behind him had him whipping around, sword drawn. He froze and lowered his weapon a little in shock when he saw Anna and Natalie running towards him. Matt shook his head and raised his sword again. The pair froze a few feet away and stared at him and the weapon he had raised against them.
Matt warily eyed them as he said, "Look, I get that you think I'm a rabid monster—you aren't the first to think that and you won't be the last—but if you think I'm going to let you kill me over some insane idea that eating my heart will grant you invincibility, or that my blood and bones can cure any illness, think again."
Anna's jaw dropped in mock-amazement and she jokingly said, "Wait, eating a dragon's heart makes you invincible? Can I try?"
Natalie nervously eyed the sudden cold and deadly gleam in Matt's eyes, though she also saw a flash of fear. Obviously, he had missed the humor in Anna's voice. "Not funny, Anna; that's a serious concern for him," Natalie warned, before turning her full attention back to Matt. "She doesn't mean it, Matt. We aren't here to kill you or anything of the sort, we promise," the girl said.
For a few moments, Matt's expression and stance didn't change and the two half-elves wondered if he planned to attack them anyway, just to be safe. Finally, Matt spoke.
"If you aren't here for that, then why are you here?" he coldly asked. His sword was still held in front of him and his hands tightened on the grip as he added, "I know the looks you gave me earlier. You don't trust me; you were wondering how many times I had managed to avoid the temptation to kill and eat you."
"Would you believe us if we said we wanted to apologize for how we reacted?" Anna hopefully asked.
Natalie nodded, "And that we want to keep traveling with you?"
Matt's sword fell to his side in shock. He stared at the two in front of him for a long moment before his face suddenly split into a disbelieving smile. "Seriously?" he asked with hope in his eyes and voice.
"Seriously," Anna assured. She waved a hand in the direction they had just come from, "Lance gave us a verbal smack, and he was right. I'm sorry for how I reacted—it was wrong. Now then, don't we have a message to deliver? Onwards to the Fire Wyrm!"
Natalie grinned, "What she said. You didn't kill my dad and I know you won't hurt me. I trust you, Matt; you're my friend."
Matt gaped at them, hardly able to believe his ears. Anna gave a small cough and made a vague gesture with her hand. Matt snapped his mouth shut with a flush, but still beamed at them as he waved them closer. Natalie and Anna moved to stand next to him with no fear or hesitation in their eyes or movements. His smile widened and he turned to keep walking only to freeze as an eerie screech echoed in the canyon.
"Oh, no," he muttered, staring upwards.
Natalie inched closer to him, tightly gripping her staff. "What was that?"
"Big and angry, that's what," Anna replied as she brought her bow around.
"Wyverns. They say they're hungry, and that trespassers make good snacks," Matt informed them.
Anna stared at him, "Wait, you speak wyvern?"
"Unimportant, Anna," Natalie snapped, "We need to get out to wider ground. It's too cramped in here for most spells."
They turned and began to run, only to skid to halt after a few paces when a large, red and orange creature landed in front of them. It had a face that was somewhere between a bird and a lizard with gleaming green eyes. Its neck and chest were covered in red and orange feathers, while the rest of its body was red, leathery skin. It had a long, serpentine tail it used to balance itself on two muscular hind legs that ended in massive feet with gleaming talons. Its wings were bat-like and a translucent orange with three clawed fingers at the joint of each of them. The wyvern's beak cracked wide to let out another screech. Dozens of cries answered it and the silhouettes of many more wyverns appeared against the sky.
Matt slashed at the creature's neck only to curse when it took flight. He backed closer to Natalie and Anna. With a twang, Anna released an arrow that sailed through the air and into a wyvern's chest. The creature let out a shriek of pain that choked off, and plummeted to the ground, landing with a dull thud. Natalie murmured a short spell and a powerful gust swept down the canyon, intended to blow them away or into the narrow walls. But a screech from the wyverns answered the spell and the wind suddenly died. Natalie made a confused sound and pressed against her two friends' backs as the wyverns swooped closer, some coming to land.
"Wyverns are wind creatures," Matt distractedly explained, eyes fixed on the swarm. "Try ice; the colors of their feathers aren't actually an indication of their element, only their area of roosting. Lightning will probably work, too."
Anna grunted, "Can't you tell them we need to pass through?"
Matt shook his head, "No, they won't listen to a drakeling; much less a strange drakeling."
Natalie frowned and unleashed a blast of ice on the group of wyverns in front of her. The creatures pulled away with hisses of displeasure. They didn't stay back for long, though. One lunged at the mage, only to collapse dead as Matt's sword found its neck. The three travelers inched even closer to each other as the wyverns pressed closer.
Suddenly, a ring of crimson fire sprang up around them, startling the three it protected as much as it did the wyverns. The creatures sprang back with displeased shrieks and hisses, their heads twisting as they searched for the source of the fire. When nothing appeared, but the fire remained burning, several wyverns stood upright, bracing themselves with their tails, and began to flap their wings. A gust of powerful wind slammed into the fire and blew it out. Matt rammed his sword into the ground to brace himself and grunted when Natalie slammed into him, blown back by the wind.
Anna wasn't so lucky. Screeches of triumph rang out as the half-elf flew straight into the clutches of a large wyvern. Immediately, the wyvern took off with its prey's arm clutched in its beak. Anna let out a scream as she was carried off. The rest of the wyverns screeched and took off as well. Natalie launched an ice spell, but in fear of accidentally hitting Anna, it was too small to do much. Matt helplessly stared after their friend as she was carried higher and higher, above the walls of the canyon.
A mighty roar thundered from nearby and a red dragon appeared on the cliff top, streaking after the swarm. The wyverns scattered with panicked cries, but stopped to hover nearby when the dragon ignored most of them. Its glaring red eyes were fixed on one wyvern; specifically, that wyvern's prey. There was a brief tangle as the two creatures met in midair. Blood flew and the wyvern dropped like a stone. Anna fell from the dead creature's beak with a scream. The red dragon twisted in midair and dove after her only to be intercepted by a group of wyverns. More blood flew and there were several pained roars and cries.
Matt and Natalie watched with wide eyes as Anna plummeted, unable to do anything to help her.
"Can you cast a spell to slow her fall?" Matt desperately asked Natalie, watching Anna's small shape continue to fall with increasing speed.
Natalie shook her head in despair, "No, I don't have fine enough control for that. I'd send her careening into a wall or shred her."
Suddenly, the red dragon broke free of the swarm. It tucked its wings and legs in and dove, ignoring the wyverns that flew after it and the multitude of streaming cuts that covered it body. The pair on the ground watched with their hearts in their throats as the dragon plummeted towards Anna at an alarming speed. Matt flinched as he realized that there was no way the dragon would catch up to her in time, and even if it did, they would both crash into the stones. The red dragon cracked its jaws wide and sent a thin blast of fire just past Anna to blast the ground below. White-hot flames roared against the stone and a heated wind blasted down the valley.
Natalie gasped, "Brilliant! The hot air from the fire will slow Anna's fall and give the dragon's wings an updraft when it spreads them!"
Matt swallowed, "Maybe, but it's going to be close. Plus those wyverns are still there. If he doesn't deal with them, they'll shred his wings."
The dragon didn't seem to think the same, instead tucking its limbs in even tighter to fall faster. It snatched Anna out of the air with one clawed limb and tucked her close to its chest. In the same moment, it spread its wings wide. They snapped taut and the dragon pulled flat just before they smashed into the flames still burning on the ground. The wyverns weren't so lucky, most were unable to pull up in time and dashed against the stone with sickening crunches. Those that didn't die from the impact were burned alive by the fire. The dragon didn't even glance back as it swooped to the end of the valley. With a back-flick of its wings, it came to a thundering landing on three legs. Shortly after, it collapsed sideways.
Matt and Natalie sprinted out of the canyon in time to see Anna squirm free of the dragon's claws. She looked terrified, but mostly unharmed as she tumbled to the ground. She was nursing a burn on one leg, and blood was running from where the wyvern had bitten her, but she didn't seem to notice either wound as she stared up at the dragon that had saved her. The dragon looked a lot worse. Blood ran from many cuts on its body, and its sides heaved from exertion with every wheezing breath. Natalie inched a little closer only to freeze when one large, crimson eye cracked open to glare at her. Its jaws parted with a low snarl, a warning clear in the sound.
Matt's jaw dropped, "Lance?!" He flinched as the dragon gave a hissing laugh that broke off into a rasping cough. "Not cool! I didn't even know it was possible," Matt protested. He suddenly shook his head, "Never mind, that's not important. What is important is that you're going to bleed to death. Natalie, can you heal him? You're better with lacerations than me."
The half-elf jerked up from where she had been checking Anna. She glanced at Lance fearfully, "I-I guess I can try?"
"Good enough. Lance, you need to change back. It will be easier for her to heal smaller wounds," Matt ordered.
There was a snort and a flash of red light, and where once there had been a wounded dragon, there now lay a wounded man. Lance panted and his body was covered with vicious, bloody claw marks that stained through his clothing. He hissed at Natalie as she approached him with one hand raised. The half-elf flinched from the mistrustful sound and fearful look in his red eyes. Still, she persevered, and knelt beside him to hold her hand over his chest. A soft white light flowed over the injured drakeling's body, and the wounds sealed off, leaving behind smooth skin.
Lance's eyes widened in amazement at the effect and he sat up. He placed one hand on his side where there had been a particularly nasty slash, wondering at the smooth skin. Natalie had rapidly shuffled back as soon as he started moving. She now sat beside Anna, watching Lance with wide eyes. Matt held a hand out to the sitting drakeling and hauled him to his feet.
"Thank you for saving Anna. You were amazing," Matt said with a grin.
Anna nodded, "Yes, definitely thank you for that. I'm a little confused as to why you did, though."
Lance shrugged, looking mildly uncomfortable with the praise. He glanced around at them and mumbled, "A stupid sense of honor wouldn't let me just let you guys die without trying to help, is all. I kind of wish I hadn't; those wyvern claws sting."
Natalie blinked in surprise at the reply. She hesitated and asked, "You're a drakeling, right? How can you turn into a full-grown dragon?"
Matt shook his head, "His dragon form is only about a quarter of the size of an average full-grown dragon. I have no idea how he did it, though."
Lance smirked, "Anyone with dragon blood can transform into a dragon form. Of course, it's easier if the lineage is more powerful. We're always much smaller than a full dragon, but usually more than big enough for most things that attack us. I'm a little shocked that you can't manage it. You're a grandson of the elder light wyrm, right?"
Natalie's head whipped around to stare at Matt, "Wait, really? So are you some kind of dragon nobility?"
Matt snorted bitterly, "Hardly. Have you ever heard of a half-anything getting any kind of noble status? I'm a disgrace to the family as far as he's concerned, when he even recognizes that I exist at all. The reason he agreed to choose me for the quest is because he's hoping I'll get killed. On the other hand, I'm strong enough that there's a possibility for success, so it's a real, win-win for him. Anyway, dragons rule by strength, not strictly by family lines."
"Oh, right. Sorry," Natalie mumbled with a wince. She turned her attention back to Lance, "Are you feeling okay now?"
Lance nodded, "Yes, thank you. I've never seen healing magic before—it was impressive."
Anna finally stood up and glanced at Matt, "So now what? Go back and head around?"
Matt glanced down the canyon with a sigh, "I guess so. This way is faster, but not if we're going to get attacked every time we step inside."
"Why do you guys need to talk the Elder Fire Wyrm so badly? And what makes you think he'll even see you?" Lance asked, bemused.
The three exchanged glances and nods. Anna turned to face Lance, "We need a special treasure from each of the major tribes to stop the Blight, and the fire dragons are the ones with the dragons' artefact."
Lance's jaw dropped, "You want to stop the Blight? Is that even possible?"
With a shrug Natalie replied, "In theory, yes. No one has ever really tried before, though. They contain it, sure, but eradicate? You have to be at the source to do that, and next to no one are willing to get that close. Matt wants to try, though. He thinks he can do it, and I think so, too."
Matt shifted under the skeptical look Lance gave him, and cleared his throat. "Anyway, thanks for your help. We should get going."
The three nodded to Lance and started to head off.
The drakeling left behind shook off his amazement and called, "Wait!"
They paused and glanced back. "What's up?" Matt asked in confusion.
Lance looked mildly embarrassed as he asked, "Can I… go with you?"
Anna stared at him. "Why would you want to do that? We're basically on a suicide quest here." She mock-innocently grinned at the put-out looks Natalie and Matt gave her, "What? It's true!"
Lance shuffled his feet and mumbled, "It's quiet around here. And I want to help."
Inwardly, Lance hoped that maybe they would be his friends as well. The two half-elves had accepted Matt, so it was possible they'd let him tag along, too. Living alone had its perks, but it was depressing. He never had anyone to talk to or hunt with, he had been alone for a long time, and there was safety in numbers; almost all creatures craved company, and he was no different. The drakeling turned his red eyes on Matt, and felt an anxious twinge as he saw the frown on the blonde's face.
Matt frowned, "I dunno. You could get killed, you know." He stared into Lance's eyes and saw the hidden hope in them. With a grin, he added, "Although I guess you nearly got killed even without the Blight. I'm okay with you tagging along. What do you girls think?"
Anna shrugged, "I'm fine with it. The more help the better, after all; besides, we 'misfits' need to stick together." She grinned at the look of hopeful disbelief that overtook Lance's face.
Natalie eyed Lance with a mistrustful glare, "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this." Her glare faded when Lance flinched and looked crushed. She heaved a sigh, "Although, I guess I can't just write him off right away for something someone else did, and he did just save our lives. Sure, you can come along. Don't make me regret it." The corners of her lips quirked upwards at the sudden smile that spread over Lance's face
Turning to Lance with a grin, Matt held out his hand, "Welcome to Team Misfit, Lance!"
Lance stared at the offered hand with a dazed look in his eyes. He blinked to clear his gaze and shook Matt's hand with a grin, "Not sure how I feel about the name, but thanks. Now let's see about stopping an ancient evil and not dying in the process. Maybe I can teach you to transform along the way, Matt."
The other drakeling beamed. "Really? Sweet! Let's start that right away! I want to fly!"
"Maybe," Lance emphasized. "I've never tried teaching anyone before, and it's more of a natural instinct than a skill. I might not be able to help you at all."
Matt's grin faltered some, but he shrugged and said, "True, but there's always the possibility that you can teach me. Explain it on the way, and we'll see if I get it or not."
Lance nodded and fell into step beside Matt. Anna and Natalie walked behind them, listening to Lance explain transforming to the best of his ability. He started by asking Matt what kinds of skills and abilities he could already use, and was stunned by how much Matt already knew. The two half-elves exchanged glances of surprise as well. They had never seen or known of several the things Matt said he could do.
"Wait, you can breathe fire?" Natalie asked in amazement.
"And can speak any language? Anna added.
Matt shrugged, "I can understand any language, but I only speak human, draconic, and some forms of elvish and dwarvish. Understanding and speaking any language is a dragon trait. It's easier for drakelings to learn other languages, but knowing them already isn't an inherent gift like it is for dragons. As for the fire, I avoided doing anything around you that could have revealed my being a drakeling."
Anna and Natalie winced, catching the unspoken message. He had avoided it because he had feared their reactions. It was a sobering thought that he had never trusted them completely, though they thought they understood it to some degree. Both hoped that maybe he would begin to trust him now that they knew the truth and accepted him.
"Breathing fire and speaking other languages is pretty standard for dragons and drakelings. I'm more interested in some of the other things he listed. Where and how did you learn to manipulate light magic well enough to manifest it for extended periods of time?" Lance asked. "And how the hell did you learn to heal others? That's something that can go very wrong, very easily."
"My dad taught me," Matt replied. "Another council member helped a little, too, but mostly it was my dad."
Lance stared at him, "You actually had training with full-dragons?"
Matt nodded, "From when I was thirteen up to when I left on this quest. Your father never taught you?" He was honestly curious. Drakelings were rare, so he'd never met another one before Lance. To his surprise, Lance's face darkened as he turned away.
"My father likes to pretend that I don't exist most of the time. No reason to train a mistake, after all," the fire-drakeling said in a bitter voice. "I taught myself everything I know."
Matt felt a growing suspicion. He hesitated and then asked, "How long have you been on your own, Lance?"
Lance shot him a glare and said in a tight voice, "Let's get back to working on transforming." He held Matt's concerned look until the light-drakeling nodded, an understanding look in his eyes. Lance returned the nod with a completely blank face. "Good. Now I want you to focus on whatever makes you feel like a dragon. Pull that sensation to the front of your mind and try to shift."
Anna and Natalie watched the exchange in confusion. Something had clearly been bothering Lance, but now he looked completely impassive. Natalie shivered as she felt barely suppressed mana emanating from the fire-drakeling. Despite his blank face, whatever he was still thinking of made him very angry, and she wasn't sure she liked the idea of an angry drakeling being nearby. Still, she held her tongue as Matt shut his eyes and concentrated. A second later, and he tripped over a rock, falling flat on the ground. The angry energy flickering from and around Lance vanished as he burst out laughing.
"I think maybe we should wait until we've stopped before concentrating," he chuckled.
Matt sat up with a groan and rubbed his head. "Yeah, I like that plan a bit more," he agreed. "How many days do you think it will take to get to Fal'ratharn going around?"
Lance shrugged, "Not too many, if we don't run into trouble. I'd say three, maybe four days."
Anna pouted, "We have to walk across a caldera for four days? I'm going to go crazy if I don't see any plants."
Lance shot her a glance, "There are plants here, too, you know."
"Wait, really?" the Anna asked. She glanced around as if she had somehow missed a splash of green.
"Sure, you need plants to have any life. Fire dragons wouldn't have laid claim to this land if there was no food," Lance explained with a shrug. "It's mostly scrub brush around this part of the caldera, though."
Natalie tilted her head as a thought occurred to her. "This is near your territory, right? Why'd you choose to live where there's practically no food?" she asked.
Almost instantly, she wished she hadn't said anything. Matt winced and shook his head from behind Lance. Anna glanced at the fire-drakeling as he scowled at Natalie. The half-elf mage flinched back from the look she received.
"I didn't choose to live around here," Lance told her in a tight voice. "Dragons would never let a drakeling live on good land, and it's the safest place from humans I can get."
Anna frowned, "That's stupid. I doubt you can eat enough to be an actual problem."
Matt glanced at her and said, "It's more a matter of they hate drakelings, than a matter of not enough food, Anna. I had similar problems when I was little."
"Wait, I thought your dad trained you," Lance said in confusion. "If he was doing that, then he must have been feeding you, too."
"Only from when I was thirteen and on," Matt reminded with a shrug. "Before that, I was on my own for seven years. It wasn't a nice time, either, and it isn't like most people treat me well now."
Lance grimaced, "I'm sure I can guess."
Anna cut in to ask, "Is there any place we can get some water? I'm really thirsty."
Lance hesitated for a long moment before offering, "We're pretty close to my den; do you want to stop there for the night? There's water inside."
The other three nodded and followed behind Lance as he turned right and clambered over a rock. They hiked in near silence; the only words that were spoken were when Lance told them to stop. Each time he did, a steam vent would shoot out a scalding cloud, or a spurt of lava would fly up. He never explained how he knew when and where it would happen, but they figured it was an innate sense to fire creatures.
They passed more pools of steaming liquid that stank of sulfur, and strange pits of bubbling mud until finally, they stopped beside an ordinary boulder beside a cliff, just one of many. Lance tilted his head and glanced around before nodding to himself. He shoved against the boulder and with a grunt, pushed it aside to reveal a small cave. He waved the other three through. Matt ducked inside with a grin and vanished from sight. Lance waved Natalie in next, but frowned when she hesitated.
"Go on, it's my den," Lance said in an impatient voice. "Don't tell me you're claustrophobic?"
Natalie frowned, and said, "I… don't think I want to go in there."
Lance scowled and turned away, "Still don't trust me, huh? Fine, whatever." He slipped into the cave without looking back.
Anna turned a sour look on Natalie, "Look, Natz, you need to let go of this drakeling grudge. He didn't do anything to you, or your family."
Natalie glared back at her, "You've never had someone close to you murdered in front of your eyes, have you? It isn't that simple."
"So, what, you're going to act like this around him all the time?" Anna asked with an arched brow. "That isn't fair to him. Matt got a chance, so why shouldn't Lance get one, too?"
"I didn't even know what Matt was," Natalie protested.
"Does that change the fact that he turned out to be a good guy?" Anna challenged. "I think that makes it more impressive. He hid something vital, despite how I'm sure it hurt him, to make sure we knew he was safe to be around. I bet Lance will be the same. He'll probably have things he does that irritate you, but overall, he'll be a good person. You can't just dismiss him like you are—it makes you no better than all the people who have ever mistreated us and them!"
Natalie opened her mouth to reply, but paused and thought about what Anna said. Was she really just perpetuating a cycle of racism? It only took a moment to realize that yes, she was, and a wave of shame swept over her. With a guilty glance at the cave entrance, she wondered if she could put her hatred aside. It would be hard; she had hated drakelings for so long, and they still scared her. A small voice in the back of her head quietly pointed out a small detail that had been bugging her since earlier—something she was afraid to consider.
Lance had made a very good point when he had said half-elves only lose control when they were provoked. If drakelings were the same, then that might mean her father had done something to warrant being killed. Before, she would never have considered it, but some of the things she had learned that day shed new light on the matter. Now, she was afraid of the implications, given what her father's occupation had been.
Anna pointedly clearing her throat broke Natalie out of her thoughts. Before she could respond, though, Matt poked his head out of the cave. He didn't quite meet their eyes as he asked what the holdup was. Natalie winced as she figured he must have already guessed why they were still outside. Looking at the uncertain and sad look on Matt's face firmed Natalie's resolve. She couldn't hate all drakelings and be Matt's friend. And if anyone deserved a friend and helping hand, it was Matt. She couldn't go on this quest with him and be of actual use if she constantly feared the two drakelings.
Natalie shook her head and gave Matt a reassuring smile, "Nothing now, Matt. Anna just wanted to make something clear to me, is all. Sorry for making you wait."
Matt carefully scanned her face, and offered in a quiet voice, "If… If we're too much, we can escort you back to Arthrena. I bet the elves drama will have calmed down by now." The look on his own face showed that he would do it, if that was what Natalie wanted, even if doing so would seriously hurt him.
"No. I said I would give him a chance, so that's what I'm going to do," Natalie said in a determined voice. "Besides, you're my friend Matt, regardless of your blood. I want to help you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Now I just need to hit that point with Lance." She decided that the brilliant smile Matt gave her was worth the stress she knew she'd have to deal with over the next few weeks.
Anna released a sigh of relief, "Good to know. Now to go apologize to Lance and hope he'll let us have some water. I'd kill for a drink that doesn't taste like old leather right now."
Matt grinned and ducked back into the cave. He lit a small ball of light for the two half-elves and led the way to a large stone chamber. Lance sat beside a small spring at the far end with a frown on his face, absently tossing pebbles into the water and watching the ripples that formed. He glanced up and around at the three as they entered, and stood up. Without a word, he backed away from the water, and nodded for them to have some. Silently, he ducked out of sight down another small tunnel. Matt caught Natalie's arm when she tried to follow him.
"It's his treasure store," Matt told her. "Never go into a dragon's store without their express permission. You risk your life and more if you do. Some older more and powerful dragons will have wards and protective spells defending their treasure. Lance might be able to set spells, or he might not, but either way, he'll attack you if you go in now."
Natalie glanced at the cave and nodded. She resolved to apologize as soon as Lance came back out, and turned to join Anna by the water. Matt settled down against the wall nearby, watching them. His eyes drifted over to the cave Lance had vanished into, and he frowned. Though the fire-drakeling hadn't said anything when he'd come in earlier, Matt could guess what the problem had been. Natalie had likely said or done something that displayed her mistrust of drakelings, and though she seemed resolved to work past it, Lance didn't know that. He hoped Lance would still come with them, for more reasons than just helping him unlock his dragon form—he could probably figure that out on his own now that he knew it was an option.
Lance obviously craved company, and had likely been alone for most of his life. Matt knew what that was like, and he didn't want to leave someone to that fate. The fire-drakeling needed a friend, and desperately if he was willing to reveal his haven to them. Natalie and Anna might not have understood the implications of Lance showing them to his den, but Matt did. It meant revealing the one place of safety he had to near-complete strangers, who could give that information to others. It had been a huge show of trust on the fire-drakeling's part, and he was likely regretting that decision now.
Lance had made a desperate move to try and gain their trust, and for Natalie to reject it—even if only temporarily—would be terrifying to him. Matt was willing to bet that Lance had located the only source of drinkable water around, and had made his den here for that reason. If the fire-drakeling thought that they were going to reveal his den to others, then he was likely wondering how long he could hold out. He might even have resigned himself to death and was merely waiting for them to leave him here.
Matt stood up with a determined look, and walked over to the cave that Lance had headed through. He ignored the confused and concerned looks the two women gave him. They needed to sort this out now. There was no point making Lance worry for nothing, and the sooner they settled the issue, the sooner they could begin forming bonds of trust and friendship. Matt stood before the cave and glanced back at the two women watching him. He turned back to the opening and spoke in a strange, snarling tongue, one he was certain Anna and Natalie wouldn't know. Behind him, the two half-elves jumped in surprise.
"Lance, can you come out here?" Matt called. He frowned at the wordless snarl he got in response. "Please?" he asked, "We need to talk. I still want you to come along, and I'm sure you still want to go."
There was a long moment of silence.
"I'm sure Natalie would be much happier if I stayed away from her," Lance finally said in the same language. "You guys can rest up here for the night, if you want, though."
"And will you be coming with us tomorrow?" Matt asked. He frowned at the derisive snort he got in return. "Come on, Lance. I know what it's like to be alone for a long time, and I know Natalie will come around. She's already started on it, too," Matt pleaded. He let out a grin as he heard soft footsteps come down the tunnel.
Lance stopped as soon as Matt came into view, and eyed him. He could hear Anna and Natalie mumbling to each other in confused tones, but they didn't sound the least bit frightened. Matt met his eyes and gestured him forwards.
"It's your cave, you shouldn't need my permission to go around it," Matt said with a grin. "Speaking of, explaining your intentions with revealing it to us would probably go a long way in gaining their trust. They don't know what letting us in here means."
Lance cracked a half-smile with a relieved look in his eyes, "At least you got it, though."
Matt laughed and slipped back into the human language, "I should hope so. Now come on—I think Natalie has something she'd like to say to you."
Lance hesitated for a moment longer, but followed Matt when the light-drakeling turned to the water pool. Natalie and Anna looked up with welcoming smiles when Lance came out of the tunnel. The fire-drakeling gave them an uncertain smile in return and sat down not far away from them, though still too far to really be considered friendly. Natalie swallowed and met his eyes.
"I… I'm sorry for how I reacted, Lance. I said I can't judge you for something someone else did, but I ended up doing it, anyway. Thank you for letting us stay in your den, and I hope you still want to travel with us. I'm going to try my best to move past my hatred. It might take some time, but I promise I'll try," she said in a quiet voice. "Anna said some things to me that really put my behavior in perspective. I hope you can forgive me and are willing to give me a chance to change."
Lance looked taken aback at the sincere apology. His face heated some and he awkwardly glanced to the side. "Honestly, I was a little worried when you didn't want to come in that you had changed your mind about me," he admitted. "Being let into a dragon's—and even more so, a drakeling's—den is a major display of trust. I thought maybe if I opened the board first, you'd be more likely to trust me. I… kind of figured it had backfired, though."
Anna tilted her head to the side, "I know in elven culture, welcoming someone into your home means you consider them friends, but it doesn't count as a sign of trust."
Matt shot her a glance and explained in a quiet voice, "Of all the half-creatures, drakelings are the most uncommon, and the most hated. Dragons don't often mix with humans for a number of reasons: they live for far longer, they often have more feral and violent of natures, and children born from their union are detested. We're hunted by more people than any other half-creature for a multitude of reasons, and that leads to drakelings living in remote, hidden locations. Lance letting us in here, especially given his territory conditions, is the biggest display of trust you will likely ever get from anyone in your entire life."
"But why?" Anna asked. "I mean, I'm glad you want us to trust you so much that you would lead us here, but I don't get why it's a display of trust."
"You now know where I sleep, where I retreat to when I need a safe haven, where you could trap me," Lance explained in a soft voice. "On top of that, if you decided you couldn't trust me, then you could reveal this location to others. Many, many, many people would trade much for the location of a drakeling. I can't just pick up and move elsewhere in the caldera, either. That pool of water there is the only drinkable water around, and leaving the caldera to find a new place to live would be very dangerous. I would be more or less doomed if hunters came for me here."
Natalie's and Anna's jaws dropped and they shot a look at Matt. The light-drakeling merely shrugged and looked completely unsurprised by Lance's thinking, though there was a distressed light in his eyes. Clearly, he didn't like the thought that Lance had even considered the idea that they would sell him out, but also understood why he had thought that way. Natalie swallowed and shook her head, not entirely sure she wanted to know what Matt had experienced to gain that sort of empathy. She turned her eyes back to Lance.
"I would never, ever direct people to kill someone; not even if that someone is a drakeling. Generally, my thoughts have always been I'd rather stay far away from all dragon kind, not I want to see them eradicated. Of course, you wouldn't have known that, though," she assured Lance in a level voice.
Anna nodded, "I've never hated drakelings. Feared them? Yes, until you set me straight on that point. But I have never, nor will ever even consider tipping people off to come hunt an innocent creature. I will never purposefully try to bring harm to you, Lance; not without reason, anyway. And it would have to be a very good reason. I owe you my life, and I take that kind of thing very seriously."
Lance's eyes shut and he slumped with relief, letting out a shuddering sigh. "Gods, I am so glad to hear that," he murmured.
The drakeling opened his eyes again and there was a new light and fire in them that hadn't been there before. He looked determined, having been given something far greater than any material object. He'd been given a chance to have true friends. Matt smiled and beckoned Lance to sit a little closer. His smile widened when the fire-drakeling glanced at the two half-elves for permission and they both nodded.
"So, judging by how skinny you are, I doubt you have any food here," Matt said. "Are you hungry?"
Lance stiffened and shook his head, "I'm hungry, but you're right that I don't have any food. I probably won't have any for another four days, at least. I can do some hunting once we're out of dragon territory."
Anna's jaw dropped, "Won't you be too weak to hunt by that point?"
Matt shot her a glance, "Dragons and drakelings only need to eat once every month or so, depending on the size of their last meal. We like to eat more often than that, though." He turned his attention back t Lance and added, "But you don't need to wait until we're in free territory. We have plenty of provisions we can share with you."
"You don't have to do that," Lance protested as Matt began digging through his pouch.
Natalie smiled over at him, "No, I suppose we don't, but we will. We have food to share. You're hungry, a teammate, and a friend, that means you get some of the food."
Lance looked unconvinced, "But I just met you, you shouldn't be counting me as a friend." He reluctantly accepted the meat and bread Matt handed him, but didn't start eating.
"For the love of…" Anna sighed. "Look, we count you as a friend now. You saved our lives, brought us to your home, and will be traveling with us. Now eat the damn food."
Matt chuckled, "She's right. Come on, Lance, it's tasty." He stuffed his share in his mouth, chewed and swallowed. "You'll feel and fight better on a full stomach, you know," He grinned when Lance finally nodded and began to eat his share, devouring it in seconds.
Natalie laughed and tossed another chunk of bread over. Lance looked stunned at the second helping, but didn't question as he ate it as well. Already he'd had more food in this one sitting then he'd had all month. He wondered if they always ate this well. None of them seem particularly surprised by the amount of food laid out, after all. In fact, Matt had begun pulling bits of bread off to toss up and catch in his mouth. Anna was pulling out another roll to eat, though the fact that she ate slowly indicated she was nearly full. The casual use of food suggested they normally ate well, and none of them were as skinny as he was.
Lance finally smiled, "Thanks, guys. It was good."
"No problem," Matt replied as he leaned back on his hands, "We'll be eating breakfast, too, so don't be shocked and refuse it come morning."
Lance chuckled, "I'll do my best. Now, why don't you try transforming again?"
Matt sat up, "Is this cave big enough for that?"
"Sure, I can fit in here twice over in my dragon form, and I doubt yours will end up bigger than mine. At least, not by much," Lance said.
The light-drakeling nodded and began trying to shift. He focused on moments when he lost himself in a fight, trying to capture the feral intensity that tended to drive his attacks. Deep in his being, he could feel a flicker of power, but when he reached for it, it danced out of reach. Matt opened his eyes again after several minutes trying and failing.
"I can feel it there, but I can't grasp it," he said in a dejected voice.
Lance shrugged, "It can be hard the first few times. I heard back in the nest that some drakelings need to be motivated by some external reason before they shift."
Natalie tilted her head, "Like what?"
Lance shrugged again, "Sometimes there will be moments when we're closer to our dragon halves and that can make the shift easier, too. I don't really remember why I first shifted, and it comes naturally to me now."
Matt sighed, "Well, I guess now that I know the feeling to look for, I can start focusing on it. Hopefully I'll manage it soon."
"You'll get it," Lance assured him as he stood up again. "Let's get some sleep. I'm guessing that we'll leave early?"
"As soon as the sun comes up," Matt agreed.
He dug into his pouch and pulled out a worn, but thick blanket and wrapped himself in it, and lied down on his side. Natalie and Anna pulled their cloaks tighter about themselves and curled up a little ways away from Matt, back to back, falling asleep almost immediately. Lance hesitated before silently slipping away to his store, not yet comfortable with sleeping near them, yet. He didn't see one of Matt's eyes crack open to watch him vanish. The light-drakeling blew out a sigh through his nose, and shut his eye again, vowing to speak with Lance about the importance of staying nearby in the field. He fell asleep shortly after.
A/N: And Lance has been added to the team! Yay! I think I patched up any plot holes from being the pilot chapter, but let me know if something seems confusing or had no previous mention, but seems to be an established fact. Leave me a review and I'll be back someday—no promises on when, though! XD
Responses to Guest reviewers:
Gamer: I love EBF, too! Obviously, since I've written so much on it. :P I've been thinking about self-publishing my own, original story through Amazon, actually (obviously, I'd find errors and fix them—I see so many, re-reading my works, and they all bug me. A lot). But I have no social media presence, which is how self-published authors advertise, no professional writing courses under my belt, and an on-going college major in accounting. So, yeah, not a lot of free time, and I'm not sure my writing is good enough for professional, selling purposes, anyway. It's a fun hobby, and writing here on FF has certainly helped me improve, but I'm not sure my works would sell well. Plus, I haven't developed the discipline really needed or writing as a profession. I let my mind and fingers stray every which way, so everything takes a long time to get done. My entirely original story isn't very far along, either, and I doubt I'll finish it anytime soon with college and my stories here needing attention. I refuse to drop any works short of unexpected death on my part. :P Maybe in the future, though. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll pretty this story up, change a few things with the characters and sell it. It's a nice thought.
AdmiralAnonymous: I know you have an actual FF account, but it's easier for my lazy self to reply to your latest comment here. XD Lance definitely has a hoard. It's a fairly sizeable one, too. As for LancexAnna, it is my OTP forever, so that'll definitely be happening later on, if I pair them off. MattxNatalie is obviously happening, but I'm not sure about LancexAnna, yet.
Guest: That would be like giving a grizzly bear rights, which, as far as I know, hasn't seriously happened. The Phikao Spiders have animal sentience, but not human-like sentience. But now that you've mentioned it, would there be taxes on what they catch in their webs? How would that even be managed? o_O
Little Follower: Back in action again, only to vanish for several more weeks, I'm sure. :P Aysu, the ghost authoress. She comes swinging in every little while with a few thousand words, then vanishes for weeks on end once more. Clearly, she needs a schedule that she adheres to. :P
I'm glad you liked the spider fight. I thought it was a hint of brilliance on my part: combines plot, action, and a hint of foreshadowing of sorts about Matt's drakeling status to his teammates.*Pats self on back* Good Aysu.
Yup, the brand is a small part of a larger arc. It won't be dealt with for quite some time, but it will be handled eventually in its own side arc thing. That part is actually already written, but it's so far in the future plot-wise, so don't hold your breath for it.
FOR ALL READERS: I have a few things I've written for Transformed. They're side things that I wrote, but never made it in, as well as different directions I considered takin the plot. Should I toss that up in The Epic Tales, or add it on as a bonus chapter for Transformed? I honestly have no idea how to really handle them, but I figured you all would like to read them, so give me your opinions!
See you all next update!