Chapter Nine: The Toad and the Witch
"It is only a gentle rain today..." Lexi says relieved, riding on Iymp. The rains have been hard in the past few weeks. Slowing everyone down as the path has now become muddy and slippery.
The weather when they left Aquarius City was overcast but no rain. The rains had to return eventually. Everyone wearing special thick coats where the water slides off. Yet keeps the body heat in. Iolene insists to make sure everyone is healthy. Much to her own bad luck that she caught a cold. Sitting in the carriage as she sneezes and sniffles. Her nose is red from her handkerchief as it felt as if she is wiping with sandpaper. Her eyes are red and puffy as they watered, feeling as if she has been crying constantly.
"Ugh..." She moans as she blows her nose again. "Please pass me the whisky." Iolene croaks as Mali pours her a cup. Relieving her sore throat as she chugs it quickly. She leans onto the side as she tries to rest, even though it is a challenge since the carriage rocks side to side.
"Lei it is cold out here go back inside the carriage," Lexi says. Her body is always warm as her body has phoenix blood inside her. Ever since having it she has never had an illness or a cold, much to her relief. But the others have not been so lucky... Even the old priests had the sniffles at some points throughout their journey.
"I'd prefer to stay away from the one who already has the illness." Lei jokes as Iolene can be heard sneezing from inside.
Aaron chuckles. "Give her a few days she'll be alright." He pats Beau's neck as the gold dragon struggles to walk normally.
The dragons now must wear special gear, so the bottoms of their feet don't slip. Claws extended as it digs into the dirt. With a pad of spiked grips on the bottom of their feet. Beau trying his hardest to get used to them. Raising his legs high as the gear felt heavy on his feet. He despised it... But he knows it is useful. Trudging through the northern mountains was dangerous enough without such gear to help. But it is heavy and felt strange. Iymp struggles alongside Beau while Ponderrah and Duryss are used to it.
Ponderrah being blind is ridden by Lei. He shrieks happily as he loves the rain on his scales. He chirps and squeaks. Lei rubs Ponderrahs' forehead and purrs sweetly in reply.
Duryss is forever confused about the strange blue dwarf dragon. Describing the creature as a freak. Beau and Iymp cannot even understand him. His chirps and squeaks mean nothing in dragon tongue. His white eyes disturbed the green dragon. But at least the little one is harmless.
"He is so happy!" Lexi says as she smiles at the chirpy Ponderrah. While the blue dragon tippy taps, like a little dance.
"It has been a while since we have ridden like this," Lei says. "Stein says there is a way for the blind to navigate. He calls it the draconium vision. Where the rider of the dragon senses draconium in everything around them. Becoming one being as the rider and dragon share mind and soul. I have never heard of it before. Stein said he can help, now that he has free time. He will help Ponderrah."
"Oh please... He is stupid. How can he learn?" Duryss said annoyed. "Dragons are meant to be strong and powerful. Ponderrah is not and gives dragons a bad name... Beau even told him that dragons in the wild kill the weak ones so the herds can easily move on."
"He is not stupid Duryss. He may not speak well, but he is sweet and adorable."
"I wholeheartedly agree!" Aaron says as he and Beau get close so Aaron can rub the blue dragon's head. His lightning bonemark glows with power as lightning can be seen in the distance.
"City of Rivain!" The driver shouts as everyone sighs with relief. Iolene especially as she wished for a bed.
"Please make haste to an inn..." Iolene yells to the driver croaky and sniffling. Dreaming of a normal bed that doesn't rock side to side. Craving her favourite meal chicken soup, which is easy on a sick belly.
"The Toad and the Witch?" Mali questions looking at the sign of the inn. It is small but decent enough, having room shared of four each. Aaron, Lexi, Lei, and Fred share a room. Where Mali, Stein, and Iolene sleep in the other. The driver and two of the guards can sleep in the carriage, which it has fold-out bunks. Mali rents a room for everyone as the dragons stay in the stables outside.
Aaron sits on the end of Iolenes bed patting her feet playfully. Hoping to cheer her up he decided to speak of the tale. He and Mali asked about the name of the inn. "You know this inn is called the Toad and the Witch. Do you want to know why?"
Iolene sniffles and sneezes. "Why?" said with a croaky voice.
"There apparently is an old witch who lived in the bog not far from here. Hundreds of years old she needed to seek shelter, because of a horrific storm that hit the region. The old king allowed her to stay. But due to her ugliness he made her a jester as people laughed and threw food at her."
Aaron leans forward as he tells the next part of the story. "The witch became angry. But the folks did not know she is a witch. She cursed the king and transformed him into a toad. People feared her as she warned the people if they laugh at her again. Their fate will be the same. Once the storm ended, she took the toad and left for the bog."
"Good on her!" She laughed as a cough overtook it. She snuggles trying to make herself comfortable. Aaron hates seeing her unwell and decides to leave her to rest.
Him joining the rest of the crew downstairs. Lexi is looking at the various paintings of the witch. Varying from green skin with boils, to over-exaggerated facial features, making her look cartoonish. Aaron stands next to Lexi as she looks at one that got her particular attention. The painting on the furthest right is the most normal out of all of them. Even the frame is solid gold and massive. The witch looks as if she is in her late forties or early fifties. Light wrinkles with long silver hair Done in an elegant bun. Grey eyes that look unique, in the painting she looked noble. Wearing a gold and ruby necklace, a dark blue dress with a matching feather headpiece.
"I have seen her face before," Lexi whispers to Aaron. "There is a painting of her in the Vulkania temple library. Her name was Lady Ashi. A powerful priestess... I kind of admire her after hearing this story. But there must be more to it."
"Lady Ashi? Who is she?" Aaron asks.
"The person who gave this painting must suspect that Lady Ashi is the witch. If I tell you more, will you please refrain from speaking of this to anyone else?" Lexi changes to a serious tone.
"Yes, of course." Aaron wondered with a sudden serious tone. Who or what is this lady Ashi? Lexi said priestess so she must have been a big deal in history.
"Lady Ashi was an ancient gold priestess of Gaia. Powerful and influential she was the elder priestess in the old gold country. She helped advise the royal family and lived in the Gold Palace. However, she wanted more power and began to rebel against the priesthood's value and power. She began a new movement away from Gaia and Maia. The return to the old human gods, before the meteor. She was surprisingly successful with her new movement. Many gold dragons and people began to follow her. Eventually, a priest civil war began. It lasted a year, with Ashi losing to the power of the Gold Empire. And Empress Arina the Third sent all the priests into exile. Their reputations were tarnished... As for Ashi she did not die, Empress Arina cursed her and what was left of her followers... And this led to..."
"Led to what?" Aaron asks as Lexi hesitated.
"Grey." She says straightforwardly.
"Grey?" Aaron repeats. He thought grey draconium was only a story
"Grey, the first draconium mutation ever discovered. They changed, physically and mentally. The whole group was exiled with this curse. They cannot die by old age..."
"Cursed? Exiled? Cannot die by old age? How?" Aaron says with disbelief.
"There are ways to avoid death in this world, Aaron. The Shadow Emperor and Lady Ashi are proof of this. They however keep the secret close to the chest." Lexi learned from Kenneth that the impossible can be possible with much sacrifice. Lexi remembers she gained her strength and fire abilities with both a death sacrifice and phoenix blood. But as Kenneth told her it is not an elixir for eternal life. Her life is still like an average human, she can still die from normal circumstances such as being old, impaled, or drowned. But the question has lingered in Kenneth's mind. Can Phoenix blood be a life elixir if he could experiment? But will it reawaken the sleeping titan? He chose not to for the risks are far too great. He is not the first red priest to see if it can be done and he will not be the last.
"How?! How can you cheat death?" Aaron could not fathom how they managed such a feat.
"I have no idea..." Lexi admits. "The only thing I really know is that the curse hasn't been used in at least a thousand years. And only the Emperor or Empress of the Gold Empire could perform it. It is classified as dark magic and they did not share those secrets. The shadow Emperor must have done a ritual similar. But no one can say for sure..."
Aaron's mind focuses on the shadow Emperor. Can he be killed, if he has lived for thousands of years? Aaron did not know that Iolenes enemy is ancient. He thought of the Shadow Emperor as some evil dictator who took over her home. Which he is no doubt. The fact that he has found a way to live through the years and not die. But if he has lived so long, why did he attack back then? Thousands of years of weak spots for a new power to take over.
He stares at the painting intently, wanting to change the subject. "Do they walk among us?"
"It is rare when you see an accursed member in civilisation. But my sect has had communications from them in the past. Kenneth didn't speak much of it though. Business with them only dealt with monarchs and elder priests. To help keep themselves hidden. But as far as I know, they live alone without other country interference. Their last rumoured location was in the Incognito Forest."
"Incognito forest?" Aaron asks. He is unfamiliar with some landmarks of other lands. Seeing it on the map located on the other side of the world. While also thinking of the word, Incognito means people and dragons disappear, to hide their intentions and identity.
"The land that is owned by no Empire. No man's land... Or so the governments agreed. It was believed to be unliveable. I have read tales of the forest. The plants are strange and unrelenting with mirages, magic, mazes, and monsters. Very few have survived to speak of their ordeals. Gold Emperors have been found dead in the outskirts of the forest."
"Sounds pleasant... A perfect place to hide..." Aaron smiles at Lexi as she nods in agreement.
Aaron faces the painting again. For a split second, he swears, that he sees the painting wink him as he quickly decides to walk away from it. As Lexi continues to stare at the picture. Enamoured with the fanciful Lady Ashi.