Chapter 27-Wounds of the Past
Sitedal? Verdra whispered, stirring him from the confines of sleep as they lay beside each other.
An entire day had passed since they had reconnected, choosing to sleep outside under the stars. He had assured her that Arxa's presence could not be felt before she surrendered to sleep, worry causing her much panic and unrest. With a snort, the black dragon lifted his head from where it lay next to hers and stood to stretch.
Morning, Verda, he hummed cheerfully as each stretched to prevent muscle cramps and to stir the blood into motion. Any word from the under-dwellers?
Not that I know. Finca rambled on about something concering my father earlier but nothing of extreme interest. A brief flicker of worry flashed through her eyes, enough to bother Sitedal as both turned to face the other.
Sitedal snorted again and lazily flicked out his twin-pointed tongue, a feature that had been passed down through generations of his ancestors. A gentle breeze stirred his mind far from any thoughts of Arxa or his mother, instead focusing on the image of Verdra before him. Her velvet ivory horns shimmered with almost crystals of light as a single ray of sunshine descended over her, causing her blackened scales to become twisting vapors of darkness. Instantly he blinked, forcing himself away from any comparison he might have concerning his mother and Verdra. She was far greater in stature and kindness than his lying power-seeker parent could ever be.
Ready for hunting? A slight upturn of his edges of Sitedal's jaws signaled a hidden sense of playfulness and Verdra sighed before giving a growl of agreement.
Both unfolded their wings and a rush of black leather-like membrane gave their stature an added boost. Sitedal's wings held a faint silvery sheen to the inside while Verdra had only solid black wings. A soft growl rippled from Verdra's jaws as Sitedal took the lead and lunged into the air, whirling around to pass over her.
Coming, Black One? Sitedal mocked, releasing a torrent of black smoke from his nostrils as Verdra narrowed her eyes before flinging herself into action and rushing toward him on silent wing-tips.
Verdra spat out a quick burst of black-tipped fire before sweeping past the father of her children. A mocking chuckle resounded deep in her chest as Sitedal seemed puzzled for a moment before lunging after her, quickly closing the distance between the two.
He spun into a circle, shadowing her frame as Verdra led the way through the air. He had dreamt of this similar situation since his years as a hatchling, just the sky before him and a mate by his side. Now he had both of those things and life could be no better even if he had tried. Arxa and Jormundur were somewhere out of mental reach -he wasn't sure where- and he could finally live his life with Verdra, a life he had imagined since the attack on her by his brother.
Catch up or be left behind, Verdra snarled softly, brushing her thoughts against his. Sitedal flinched in shock at the contact.
Her thoughts were so clear! It was as if there was nothing separating them from one another, no borders whatsoever, Compared to the mind of his mother . . . Sitedal snarled, reminding himself that he was not to dwell on the negative anymore. Here he was with his chosen love and yet his thoughts were on the one dragon he swore hatred and rage against.
Verdra glanced back at him, concern flickering through her warm eyes. Sitedal sighed and straightened out, hanging just at her left flank, his right wing almost touching her tail. A thought nagged at him as the wind filled him with renewed hope that things would turn around, a fear that he dare not voice to Verdra right now. How could he be a father to any of his offspring when the father figure he had known had been killed by a power-hungry monstrous parasite who had invaded the mind of his mother?
Deep within the swirling mass of white aura that filled the room where once Tamli and Amia had stood, the two were at blows again. Ducking under Amia as the man reached for Tamli, the shape-shifter rammed his shoulder into the now open chest before him. Amia backed up a few steps, the blow having brought tears to his eyes, or was Tamli just imagining them?
"What is it that you wanted to show me?" The guilt-driven former rider asked, wiping at the corners of his eyes.
"How we treated each other over the years," Tamli replied gently, finally allowing his dragonic healing rate to repair the damage that had been done to his arm. "This will be hard to watch . . ."
Get out here! Finca's voice rippled through the vast grey expanse that filled the space between them. You cannot hide in there forever, coward!
Amia smiled. "She's talking about you," he added after a moment of confusion from Tamli.
"I know that," Tamli snapped back, harsher than he should have. "She hates me now for showing her why I was so hesitant to return."
"You? Hesitant? Why Tamli, I'm impressed you would admit that to me after all we've been through."
Tamli frowned. "Save it," he growled, straightening up to fully face Amia."You of all people should be ashamed of what I did, what you had me do, during those years of three minds in one body. Santerous's death only proves my point that you were dealing with greater magic than you realized at the time-"
"So what?" Amia interjected with a scowl on his face, the likes of which Tamli was used to seeing from him. "You had the nerve to ask your own dragon to turn you into a dragon for crying out loud! During that time did you even stop to think about what you were getting yourself into?"
Tamli curled his hands into fists. "Never ask such a question of me," he snapped, trembling with rage.
Instead of backing down as he should have, Amia pressed the issue further. "What's wrong?" He teased. "Scared the beast inside-" he raised a hand to his head "-here is going to get out?"
The look of defeat quickly overshadowed Tamli's gaze. It was without a doubt his deepest fear. If he could kill Nira as quickly as he had, what chance did his mate or any other dragon have being near him? The very thought haunted him of his darkened form from Nira's poisonous bite -the same bite that had sealed his fate as a dragon. From that wound and the darkness that thrived from it, he knew all others would view him as a monster instead of the proud rider he had once been. Change was inevitable because of the one decision that had caused him much misery over the years following the aftermath of the 'night of terror' as he often called it.
"You would never understand my fears. Yes, I fear the trail of darkness that lurks within, but I have come to terms with it. It is a part of who I am, a fragmented piece of a fractured dragon."
" 'A fractured dragon'? Tamli, why say that? I know we have been at the razor-thin edge of rage before but to call yourself fractured, I cannot understand." Amia seemed stunned, more than Tamli had ever seen him.
A sigh escaped him. "I do not expect you to understand," Tamli whispered, locking eyes with the remaining heir of a legacy namesake. "All I ask of you is that you listen. Things may have strained between us but I . . . I have always been a monster in the eyes of those that never knew my heart. What Nira did was bound to happen eventually, I know that without a shadow of a doubt, yet his actions spiraled into a chain of events that led to the deah of your dragon and Nira himself."
"Explain further," Amia commanded, confusion seeping into his tone.
"I was never meant to be a dragon!" Tamli shouted, curling his hands tighter into fists. "My life was never supposed to begin, yet the Great Flood caused my mother to die and her spirit to seek out Mirage. That is what I mean, Amia. Because of the actions of the fractured dragoness spirit, I was born with the same aguish she held." He paused for a moment, collecting himself. "Over time, Finca gave me some peace but the aguish still remained. It was only when you and I were separating that the true reason came to me of why I felt like I did. My mother's actions had been only reflected in my own. Finca turning me, our first clutch nearly dying completely, my own death, everything had a purpose that went back to Szara."
"You mean her actions were directing your own?" Amia asked, interest overshadowing the confusion in his voice.
"Her former actions, yes, but not those since she lost her hold on Finca and finally went to the afterlife." Tamli trembled slightly, wishing for Finca's company. "I question why I came back. Why I did not just stay dead and watch life go on without me? I realize the answer now: my selfish nature. I was the one who wanted Finca to leave the cave with me to hunt, thinking the hatchlings were old enough. Know where that got us? Two innocent dragonets dead and our only son at the time terrified for his very life."
Amia sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "You never knew the truth until it happened, right?" He asked. "I mean, you thought they would be fine and instead a double murder happened while you and Finca hunted as a pair." Tears gleamed in his eyes, a sight Tamli was unfamiliar with from the hardened man. "The feeling is similar. Nor'ac nearly died in a storm during our training years because I did not have enough sense to pull out and rejoin the others. I figured he could outlast it but a bolt of lightning struck both of us from directly above. All I know is that I passed out but from what he told me later, Nor'ac reacted from seeing me fall and dove to catch me, getting struck twice more with lightning bolts . . ."
The question was unavoidable from Tamli's viewpoint. He had to ask. "Did he survive without permanent damage?"
"Not quite," Amia contradicted. "From that point on, he had a slight stiffness to him. Most never saw it but I didn't care since he saved my life. Anway, what was it about Finca that you told me while we were blocking our minds from her?"
"Not about her, about Nethial," Tamli corrected, straining to keep himself as calm as he could.
"Nethial? The one you used to date back during our younger years, that one? Why her?"
Tamli narrowed his eyes. "Because she is Arxa, or rather thinks she is. She has no memory of those years, from what Mirage told me, and sees all as enemies of her twisted goal . . ."
"Corruption's goal." A brief speck of uncertainty swept through Tamli's gaze as Amia continued, "You said hers but I know better. It corrupted her, didn't it?"
"After her death it did. I can only imagine the pain she went through." He shook his head as a burst of light streaked the grey expanse over their heads. "We should go back. Finca was not playing around with that threat, I knew it then and even more now."
Amia smirked. "Well then, lead the way," he instructed, sweeping out a hand.
Tamli felt himself tremble and briefly worried as he gathered his strength to materialize his aura. Certainly it was nothing but he still was hesitant as he forced the fury of his mind outward, allowing a ring of white mist to enfold them. Amia seemed to notice the hesitation.
"What's wrong?" He shouted over the swirl of life energy that poured from Tamli. "I can help, if need be."
A suppressed chuckle rippled from Tamli despite his best attempt to hide it. Amia wanted to help? Ha, he must truly be clueless then . . .
Pain suddenly shot up Tamli's side, causing him to stagger and grip his head. Agony ripped into him as the sounds of dying dragons echoed throughout his mind and tore at his soul. He closed his eyes and slowly lowered his hands away from his head, figuring the pain could be managed by sheer will. Amia's hand gripped his shoulder as Tamli opened his eyes, seeing tiny specks of blood on his open palms.
"Amia . . ." he moaned, squeezing his hands into fists. "Help."
"Tamli, I see nothing wrong." A pause. "Oh."
Tamli blinked as he felt off-balance, like the ground was a slope and he unable to prevent himself from sliding. He shifted his foot, only to lose his balance and land painfully on his knees. Pain flared from the impacted areas and he bit his tongue to keep from screaming. Since when had he felt such pain?
"I'm sorry for what I'm about to do but it is for the best," Amia whispered as Tamli heard the metallic scrape of a sword unsheathing before something struck him in the back of his head and he collapsed . . .