Chapter 28: Beasts of the East
Kendra and Seth could not believe what they were hearing. And judging from the looks of the rest of their entourage, they could tell that they too shared their feelings.
"You're really going to go along with this?" asked Seth, staring up at the incredible dragon who was peering down before the group.
"That's correct," replied Zavarok. "Not only am I unhappy here, but as it stands now, I am of no use to anyone. I figure that this way, I can at least be of some use to someone."
"You'd really give up your freedom?" asked Bright. "Just like that?"
Zavarok nodded.
"Well, if this is what you really want..." said Warren. "Okay, we'll take you back to Fablehaven, and from there, the fairies will see what they can do about undergoing the whole procedure."
"What do you mean?" asked Zavarok.
"Well, admittedly, we've only theorized that this whole thing might work," said Clover. "See, we did something like this before, only it involved a fairy's essence and one of the instruments of eternal power. But since this involves a demon and a demonic relic... we don't know for sure if we can pull this whole thing off."
"So what if something were to go wrong? What would happen to me?"
Bracken shook his head. "We honestly don't know. This whole thing is going to be one huge risk. So if you are having second thoughts on this, I would understand. Now Zavarok, are you absolutely sure you still want to go along with all of this?"
"Correct. Like I said before, my mind's made up. I don't care what dangers may lay ahead at this point. And I'd prefer it if all of you would stop looking for excuses to talk me out of it."
"We only want what's best for you," said Kendra.
"And why is that?"
"Because we're good people. Because... we care."
Zavarok took in a deep breath, then closed his eyes.
"Zavarok," said Seth. "Are you... okay?"
Without responding, tears suddenly started to flow out from Zavarok's eyes, creating small streams that flowed down the sides of his snout.
"Not many have been kind to me," sobbed Zavarok. "Ever. Thank you."
"THERE YOU ARE!" blared a booming voice from close by. The intensity of the voice was tremendous, carrying the force of a thunderbolt.
Everybody turned over towards the inner part of the dragon sanctuary, and saw a group of dragons flying towards the group, now no more than fifty feet away.
"Oh great," muttered Zavarok.
"Who're they?" asked Ingrid.
"Can we just get out of here?" asked Zavarok, as the dragons came in for a landing no more than twenty feet away from the group.
The group gazed up at the dragons that had landed before them. All of the dragons, of which there appeared to be half a dozen, towered over the group, sporting varying colors and body shapes.
"What are you doing, Zavaork?" asked the dragon at the front of the group. This dragon sported glistening, golden scales, and had glowing, yellow eyes. "Where did those hatchings come from? And what are those humans doing here?"
"Oh... hi Rulong," said Zavarok, speaking in an unenthusiastic voice.
"Answer my questions," said Rulong, whose eyes were now glowing red. "Now."
"These people? Why, they're just visitors. Along with the dragons."
Rulong's eyes suddenly shifted their color to black. "I see."
"Who are you?" asked Seth, staring up at Rulong, who surpassed even Zavarok in size.
"I am Rulong. I am the Alpha Dragon of Balauridge. And I am not pleased to see that humans have set foot in my sanctuary. But what does intrigue me are these dragons who are with you. Step forward, dragons."
"Can't we just bail?" asked Ingrid.
"Better do what he says," said Zavarok, speaking softly.
"I won't hurt any of you," said Rulong. "As long as you follow my orders."
Raxtus, Geminus, Skyfrost and Firesquall all took several steps forward towards Rulong.
"What do we have here?" asked Rulong, as he lowered his head down to the smaller dragons' level, his eyes now illuminating a bright green glow. He sniffed the dragons, then pulled his head back suddenly, nearly crashing his body into the dragons who were standing behind him.
Rulong let out a tremendous roar, causing a lightning bolt to shoot down from the sky and hit the ground, not too far off from where the group was standing.
"Let's get out of here," said Warren, as he pulled out the Translocator.
"No, don't!" blurted Zavarok. "Rulong will destroy you if you defy him!"
"FAIRIES!" blurted Rulong, whose eyes were now an intense red. "These dragons reek of fairies!"
"Well, some of us actually are fairies," said Clover.
"I know that. It's these dragons that are odd."
"Well, Geminus and I are fairy dragons," said Raxtus.
"Fairy dragons, you say?" muttered Rulong. "Dragons and fairies do not mix. And what is wrong with your voice? You sound mature, but possess a tiny body."
"I'm full grown," said Raxtus. "Fairy dragons don't grow big. We stay small, like fairies."
"Stay... small?" asked Rulong, before he suddenly exploded with laughter. "You hear that?" he asked the other dragons. "Fairy dragons stay small! They don't get to grow up at all!"
The rest of the dragons all let out loud, bellowing laughs.
"Don't listen to them, Raxtus," said Kendra, trying to make herself heard over all the laughter. "They're just a bunch of blowhards."
"I know," said Raxtus. "I'm not letting them get to me."
Rulong soon recovered from his fit of laughter, then turned his attention back to the group. "You fairy dragons are pathetic. You're not welcome here! Leave this preserve at once!"
"We were just on our way out!" snapped Geminus. "Come on, let's go already!"
"Not so fast. Would the two wyverns step forward, please?"
Skyfrost and Firesquall exchanged looks with each other, then took several steps forward in unison.
"Hmm," said Rulong, sniffing the air around Skyfrost and Firesquall. "I can detect a feint trace of fairy energy lingering on these two."
"Well, the two fairy dragons are our adoptive parents," said Skyfrost.
"It's probably nothing," noted Firesquall.
"There may be hope for you yet," said Rulong, revealing a wide smile made up of massive teeth, as his eyes glowed green again. "You see, I think that you two have potential."
"Really?" asked Skyfrost.
"Yes. Potential that is being... wasted."
"Wasted?" asked Firesquall. "Potential? What do you mean?"
"Look at me," said Rulong, his eyes now blue. "Look at my pride. We're big. We're strong. We're powerful. Some day, the two of you will grow up to be just like us. Doesn't that sound marvelous?"
"We know," said Skyfrost. "When dragons grow up, they become big and powerful."
"What's your point?" asked Firesquall.
"My point?" asked Rulong. "Can't you put the pieces together yourself? If you two allow those fairy dragons to raise and nurture you, you'll never grow up to be big and strong like us! Staying with them will only stunt your growth! You'll never reach your full potential being around them!"
"Yeah right," said Skyfrost. "What do you know?"
"He speaks the truth," said Raxtus. "I'm the way I am now because I was raised by fairies."
"I knew it," said Rulong. "Do you two really want to grow up like them?"
"Well..." said Firesquall. "We like them. Even though they're not big or powerful. They still care for us."
"So what? They're not your real family! And stunting a dragon's growth by exposing them to fairies is something I just won't stand for it! It's wrong!"
"We don't care what you think, do we, Firesquall?" asked Skyfrost.
"I don't care what you think," growled Rulong, as his eyes turned red. "You two wyverns are staying here! The rest of you leave this place at once!"
"We're not leaving without Skyfrost and Firesquall!" said Geminus.
Rulong began to sniff the air, inhaling furiously to the point where it felt like a gust of air was pulling the group towards the golden dragon. Eventually, the sniffing stopped.
"You!" said Rulong, as he blinked his eyes. In a flash of light, Ingrid suddenly disappeared.
"Ingrid?" gasped Clover.
"Help!" cried Ingrid's voice. The group looked over towards Rulong and saw that the dragon was now holding Ingrid in one of his claws. Compared to Rulong, Ingrid was smaller than even one of his fingers.
"INGRID!" blurted Seth.
"I'll make you folks a deal," said Rulong. "If the wyverns agree to stay, I will release the girl. If not, I'll keep her."
"You can't do that!" shouted Warren. "Leave Ingrid alone! She's done nothing to you!"
"I don't care," said Rulong. "I sniffed your entire group. And out of all of you, this Ingrid is by far the weakest and the least impressive. If Skyfrost and Firesquall really want to remain with you, I'd say you're the ones getting the better deal. This Ingrid is worthless to me."
"Should we stay?" asked Skyfrost.
"We can just sneak out of here when nobody's looking, right?" asked Firesquall.
Raxtus shook his head. "It doesn't work like that here."
"Please!" cried Ingrid. "Let me go!"
"Zavarok, do something!" snapped Kendra.
"I can't..." muttered Zavarok, shaking his head. "I'm scared of him."
"And for good reason too," said Rulong. "I'm the most powerful dragon around. Not to mention the most confident. Everyone who doesn't respect me learns to fear me. The hard way."
"Well guess what?" roared Seth. A scowl formed on his face as he proceeded to walk up towards Rulong. "I don't respect or fear you!"
"Seth, no!" gasped Zavarok.
"What's this?" asked Rulong, whose eyes were now pink. "This puny little human thinks that he doesn't have to abide by me. Hear that, girls?"
The other dragons all erupted in a fit of laughter.
"Get out of here while you still have the chance. Nobody can take me on. Especially a dinky human."
"Just release my sister," grumbled Seth, who could feel a tingly feeling growing within his body. "That's all I want."
"What part of no do you not understand?"asked Rulong, as his pink eyes started to darken into a reddish hue.
"I said put her down. I've dealt with nastier creatures than you, and I'm still alive."
"Seth, stop," said Bright. "He's too powerful!"
"I'm not afraid," said Seth, as he could feel the darkness within his body suddenly grew stronger.
"You'll never be afraid of anything once you're dead!" roared Rulong, as he proceeded to open his massive mouth and aimed it towards Seth.
Before Rulong could so much as exhale his breath, Seth held his hands forwards and suddenly proceeded to blast Rulong with a huge wave of darkness. It was unlike anything any of them had ever seen before. Almost instantaneously, Rulong's entire body had become eclipsed by a thick veil of blackness. But it didn't stop there. The darkness continued onward past Rulong, and quickly engulfed all of the dragons that were accompanying him.
Seth didn't know what had come over him, but after a moment, he could sense the last of the darkness flowing out from his hands, bringing him a feeling of relief.
"Seth," said Kendra. "What did you just... do?"
"I don't know," said Seth, shaking his head. "I mean, I think I know, but..."
"Look," said Geminus, who pointed towards the veil of darkness that was covering Rulong and the other dragons. Everybody watched as the veil fizzled out of existence. Once it was gone, all of the dragons that had been afflicted by it were now completely white, as well as motionless.
"Seth..." said Skyfrost in a cautious tone. "What was that?"
"The dragons," said Warren. "They're all albinos."
"How'd you do that?" asked Firesquall.
"I don't know," said Seth. "He just made me so angry, trying to take Ingrid away... Ingrid! Where is she?"
"Still in Rulong's claw," said Zavarok. "But don't worry, I'll get her."
Zavarok stepped over towards where Rulong was standing, his black scales a stark contrast against the other dragon's white-turned body. He then opened up the catatonic dragon's claw and proceeded to remove Ingrid from it. Next, he placed Ingrid down in front of the group. Now that they could see her properly, Ingrid had also been affected by the darkness, for she too was now a mute albino.
"Ingrid!" cried Seth, grasping his scalp with his hands. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Warren, get the Sands of Sanctity!"
"Uh, let's focus on getting out of here fist," said Warren, holding up the Translocator. Whatever you did to those dragons, it's starting to wear off!"
Looking over at Revlogg, Seth could see that the Alpha Dragon's white scales were now slowly reverting back to their proper golden sheen.
"Seth, do that thing you just did again!" exclaimed Zavarok.
"I can't!" blurted Seth. "It took too much out of me, and those dragons are too resilient! Let's just get out of here. Now!"
At this point, everybody made sure to touch the Translocator in some way. Seth helped Ingrid by making sure to place one of her hands against the artifact. Once the entire group, plus Zavarok, had made contact with the Translocator, Warren twisted it.
In an instant, the group was suddenly hurled through space, vanishing from the grounds of Balauridge, and immediately found themselves standing in the yard back at Fablehaven. As it had been before they initially left, it was daylight back on this side of the Earth.
"That was close," said Zavarok, whose presence loomed over all of his surroundings. With the other dragons gone, Kendra and Seth were once again reminded of just how large Zavarok truly was. "It's nice to be back at a place like Fablehaven."
"Ingrid," said Seth, staring into Ingrid's speechless face. "I'm sorry! I didn't even mean to do this!"
"Relax, Seth," said Warren, placing the Translocator back into his bag. "Let me just grab the Sands of Sanctity and Ingrid'll be all better."
"I know. But knowing that I just did this to Ingrid. I feel awful. I'm so sorry."
Suddenly, Ingrid's skin and hair returned to their proper colors, and a confused look appeared on her face.
"Hey," said Ingrid, sounding befuddled. "What happened? How'd we get back here? Where are all those dragons?"
"Ingrid!" gasped Seth, as he proceeded to give the girl a hug. "You're all right! Thanks, Warren!"
"Uh, Seth," said Bright. "Warren didn't do anything."
Seth looked over at Warren, who was holding the Sands of Sanctity in his hand.
"I didn't even use this," said Warren. "I just pulled it out of my bag, and Ingrid suddenly got better."
"Got better?" asked Ingrid. "What happened to me?"
"Well," said Seth, "I got so fed up at Rulong, that I just... overwhelmed him and his pride with darkness. Which I was unaware I could even do. But regrettably, I also immobilized you. However, it did buy us enough time to get back here."
"But Seth" said Skyfrost, "I still don't understand what you just did."
"I have a theory," said Bracken. "Seth was really angry at Rulong, especially for taking hold of Ingrid. So, possibly due to his power as a shadow charmer, Seth was able to channel his rage into dark energy, which he in turn used against Rulong and those other dragons to turn them albino.
"That sounds awesome and horrific at the same time," said Seth. "But if what Bracken just said is true, then I might not be able to use this ability unless I'm really pushed too far."
"It was pretty useful," said Firesquall. "Even though it doesn't seem to last very long."
"Yeah, unless something is done to stop it, becoming an albino like that is... permanent," said Warren.
"Actually," said Raxtus, "dragons are highly resilient to magic. "I'm amazed Seth's power worked against them as long as it did. Let alone at all."
"I don't know if it really was that strong," said Kendra. "Ingrid recovered only a minute later. And she's a normal human. It's one thing for a dragon to exhibit a resistance to something like this. But not someone like Ingrid."
"I think I know what happened," said Clover, wearing a smile. "You see, Seth cares for Ingrid. He has feelings for her. And, being the source of Ingrid's albinism, Seth may very well possess the ability to withdraw it. And he could've done that by opening his heart."
"You really think so?" asked Seth.
"You're a shadow charmer with a heart," said Zavarok. "There's no telling what you may be capable of."
"Whatever you did, Seth," said Ingrid. "I forgive you. And.. thanks. But, in the future, maybe try not to immobilize me with darkness."
"Come here," said Seth, as he gave Ingrid a hug. "I would never want anything bad to happen to you. You're my friend. And my family."
"Are you two okay?" asked Bright. "I mean, you were just overwhelmed by darkness and turned into an albino, Ingrid. And Seth, you did just channel an excessive amount of dark energy through your body.
Seth shook his head. "I think I'm all right. That feeling I had earlier is gone."
"Me too," said Ingrid, as Grandpa, Grandma, Mr. and Mrs. Sorenson and Dale all came out of the house and walked towards the group.
"Wow," said Grandpa, as he stared up at the massive dragon in awe. "Zavarok. Long time no see."
"I see that your trip was a success," said Dale.
"You'll need to tell us everything," said Grandma. "Let's go to the back patio and we can discuss what happened on your trip. As well as what we need to do next."
Zavarok sighed. "Yes. What needs to be done next."
