Chapter 8

Journey to the summit

Waves of heat curled up from the large cracks in the wall. The smell of dried blood lingered in the tunnel and filled Orca's nostrils. A wisp of smoke was ejected from is nose as he snorted.

The chamber must be ahead, he thought. I'll finally discover my destined path in this life…and the next.

Orca was on a journey. From the moment a dragon is born they are trained in the ways of the Aero. Among their early teachings they are told the stories of Orgon the mighty. Orgon was all knowing and all-powerful. He had no physical form and often sent his messengers to live among them. Orgon was the creator of the world, among the race of humans he was simply called The Creator. With the help of Orgon, a hatchling could first break the shell. With the power if Orgon, a single warrior could defeat an entire army, and without Orgon, the world would perish. He had first created the race of dragons, giving them bodies that were strong and suited well to life in the mountaintop homes he blessed upon them. The humans were created next; being blessed with a spirit filled with great power, yet great weakness. Above all they desired power in this world. They had the strength to change the world, but for good or bad, only Orgon knew. Nothing Orgon had created was ugly; all was filled with beauty and purpose. These stories and many more were forever branded into Orca's mind. He was also taught that dragons are complex beings. At the age of five years a dragon hatchling may have wisdom and knowledge equal to that of the human's legendary King Solomon. This may be due to the facts that at five dragons are much older then humans. Orgon spread upon dragons the blessing of longevity. Also, the dragons of the Aero tribe measure time much differently then the race of men. One dragon year equals exactly ten years in our calendars. By the time of a dragon's eighteenth hatching he or she has reached the end of its teachings. At that time a dragon would be exactly one hundred and eighty human years old.

Having reached the end of his studies; the ancient laws of the Aero Dragon tribe, required a dragon to fly to the summit of Mt. Zegula and spend one year in the Cave of Elders. There the Elder himself would teach him, while awaiting a message from Orgon, which would reveal to him his destiny. Early in the morning had he embarked, and after many hours of rough winds and bad flying conditions, he reached the summit. He surveyed the scene before him; the summit of mount Zegula rises several feet above the highest clouds. At the top the rocky sides flatten out into a mile wide rock plateau. Three rock spires curve upward beyond the plain in the appearance of a clenched dragon claw. In the center of the rock flat the mouth of a cave opens revealing a path downward into the mountain. It was this path that Orca followed. The cave was too confined to fly therefore Orca was forced to traverse the tunnel on claw. Bats and other small cave dwelling creatures fled from the figure of the sentinel, which came running through their peaceful home. Many large rocks assailed his progress. He simply unchained the fire from his maw, which after but moments reduced the roadblocks to white hot pebbles.

"Now I know why eighteen yeas must be taking for preparation. The road is long and hazardous,"Orca thought aloud. Now a light at the end of the tunnel could be seen before him. The Dragon put on a surge of speed and burst into the room at the end of the tunnel, taking to his crimson wings. The room sparkled as the light from many firefly lanterns danced off of his deep blue scales. The bright orange crest resting above his slate eyes flared in the light. The chamber rose high above his head. The only way to go is up… Orca rose upward with a burst of speed that aroused the dust on the chamber floor into a massive cloud. He shot upward bathing the walls of the stone chamber in light. Carvings and ancient runes, tokens of some wise dragon's life work, passed by in his upward flight. As he ascended the heat in the chamber grew until Orca's vision became blurred. The heat would have killed human and dragon alike, but he had been trained to protect against extremes such as this. He placed his head underneath of his wing and surged upward. He flew in the tunnel for what seemed like hours. The heat pulsed all around him every second becoming more intense, making it difficult for the dragon to draw breath. It became unbearable as he rose higher.

Must… Reach…top…Orca thought struggling to go further. He for a split second glanced upward through the waves of dangerous heat. A speck, just a speck of white light caught his eye. With the thought of escaping this infernal heat firmly lodged in his mind. Orca put on a final burst of energy and forced his bulk upward once more. He burst through a thin ceiling of slate rock into a large square room. A single firefly lantern bathed the center of the room in a white light, while hiding the far corners in utter darkness. Orca landed with a dull thud allowing his form to crumple on the ground. He was too tired to even fold his wings to his side. He closed his eyes; his forked tongue savored the cool air as it played across his entire body. He had lay thus for a few moments when a deep, gravely voice called his attention to his surroundings.

"You have come far for a hatchling. The heat traps in the chamber should have taken you to Orgon."

Orca aroused himself as best as he could in his weakened state. He could see no one in the light. The voice no doubt hid in the shadows

"You are very strong for one that has broken the shell but eighteen years ago," The voice spoke again.

"Who are you!" Orca shouted at the darkness "Show yourself!" He readied his weapon. All dragons though, are capable of using both sword and bow, prefer to use the weapons Orgon provided them. All dragons are blessed with a utensil at the end of their tails; each is different. Orca possessed a large Iron ball embedded with long sharp spikes, which he most often used as a mace. "Show yourself!" Orca shouted once more into the darkness.

"You are also very brave for one so young," The voice rumbled, filling the entire room. The voice surrounded him and the owner could be behind him or to his side. The shadows hid all. "But would you fight a foe you could not see?" For the first time in his life Orca felt fear. "Fool," the voice taunted him "Age and wisdom, shall always overcome youth and strength." The light was suddenly extinguished. Orca suddenly heard to his left a small sound as if a stone had hit the floor. He glanced to his left for just a second, one second to many. A force larger than him fell upon him biting and scratching. The mighty tail mace of Orca rose and fell on his unseen attacker battering against scales. Pain coursed though every fiber of his being as his attacker's claws sliced through the scales on his back, yet he fought back. The weight of the monster was much greater than Orca's. That being the fact, Orca was at a disadvantage in this confrontation. He had fought many dragons of greater weight then him throughout his eighteen years of training, but the darkness complicated things. Underneath the torrent of blows coming from above, Orca curled his tail underneath his stomach folded his wings close to his body, flattened himself to the floor, and by using his forelegs he spun his body in a circle. The attacker was thrown off by one well-aimed swing of the tail mace, which landed in-between the creature's eyes. Orca was free, and he immediately took to his wings, flying as high as the low ceiling would permit.

"Where are you, my clever friend…"He whispered to himself. Fire flew from his maw, as he lit the room in an attempt to locate his attacker. He spread the light around the room when he saw an enormous mustard yellow dragon twice his size was hurtling across the room towards him. Flames rent the air as Orca assaulted him. The dragon faltered for a moment, but then retorted with a blast of brimstone aimed for Orca's chest. Poorly aimed…thought Orca as he dodged around and surged forward. The two giants collided in mid air, their claws dripping with one another's blood. On the ground his opponent had Orca at his mercy, but here, in the air, Orca was king. How alive he felt when airborne! Because of his bulk, the yellow dragon was bound to be somewhat clumsy in the air. Using a common airborne combat trick, he locked claws with his assailant, and by flying upward, he dragged the other dragon along with him. With his claws immobilized he was reduced to one option. The fire flew from his mouth. Orca had to close his eyes to avoid being blinded for life. At the last possible moment, he forced his foe above him and slammed him into the ceiling. The tactic worked better than he could have hoped. In the impact of dragon and ceiling, a slab of bedrock dislodged itself, and fell on the yellow dragon's head, dazing him. Orca released the claws of his antagonist as he descended to the ground. The former fell to the ground with a loud resounding thud, which echoed around the chamber. Orca alighted on the dusty chamber floor and began to examine his wounds, while keeping an eye on his dazed competitor. Several large gashes were spread across his underside, as were the remnants of the first assault on his back. Orca thanked Orgon that his delicate wings had not been pierced. Though he was bleeding profusely, none of his injuries were deadly and would heal with time.

Orca turned to his dazed opponent.

"You will now answer me! Who are you!" Orca demanded with the air of a king.

"It has been many years since a hatchling has defeated me in battle." The dragon wheezed. He tried to rise to his feet, but Orca raises his tail mace in warning. "Many traps have been set for you, and you have come still," He lifted his bright green eyes to Orca's face. "You, young Orca, have passed them with a fire in your crest I have not seen in many ages," Wonderment engulfed Orca suddenly.

"Traps? Passed? How do you know my name stranger?" He asked with a tone of suspicion.

"I have known you since the day you were born," The yellow dragon replied as he rose to his feet. As he came into the light, Orca could see the signs of age dancing across his face scales like wood sprits on a summer's night. ". I stood close by as you broke your shell. I gave you your name, of which you are so proud," Realization came upon on Orca dragged suddenly by the thought of what he had done to his opponent during the battle.

"You are…" Orca immediately bowed his head in the sign of reverence.

"Rise young hatchling. You need not bow to me. You fight with the fierceness of the hero, Vanir. You have proven yourself worthy of my teachings."

Orca, his crest blazing raised his eyes to meet those of the Elder.

"Master Jaggain, I am here for your wisdom." He spoke in a quiet voice as if anticipating some great miracle.

"No, Orca you are here for Orgon's wisdom." I am here simply to show you his will. Always remember that."

A new fire burned in Orca's eyes

"Yes, Master," he replied.