Chapter 28-Joint Partnership
A full month passed before Sitedal was asked to join the dragons within the Compound as one of their own. He was honored and rightfully took his place by his mate's side as nearly every dragon walked past and spoke words of encouragement. It felt right for him to be respected for once in his life, a luxury he had never had before until the attack on Verdra changed him. Now he could truly be with his children and watch as they hatched to the dawn of a changing world.
Several weeks after the coordination had taken place, Sitedal lay by his mate and watched their eggs with a practiced eye. She was already asleep but he felt the stirring of a feeling he had never experienced before rise within him and force him to his feet. He walked over to the four eggs and sniffed each, a realization coming from deep in his being what gender each was and how they would appear as dragonets. A brief flash of fear came over him but he dismissed it, thinking nothing about the ability he had -an ability which, if Verdra found out about it, would likely evile him from her life forever.
Yes he had the skillful control that Narssia might have had but his ability was far more dangerous than any of hers could ever be. He snorted and glanced back at his other half, marveling at how she had almost been dead four months ago by the claws of his own brother. What sibling would do that to another? It made no sense but, in the same way, it spoke volumes about Jormundur.
Deciding for himself that he needed time alone, Sitedal slowly slipped out and carefully made his way up to the aboveground, the place that had been his home only until recently. He had no issue with living underground but he worried for his future children and how the darkness would affect them. Pushing the thought from his mind as he threw himself out into the cold, dark forest that concealed the entrance to the Compound, Sitedal flapped his wings and took to the air, breathing in the sweet scent of life around him. The moon was nearly covered completely by clouds but there was enough light for him to make out the leafy tree-tops.
Angling himself so that he would pass straight through without having to risk smashing into an unseen tree, Sitedal folded his wings tight against his body. The change in speed was immediate. He rocked past the trees and soon opened his wings fully to halt his quick climb as he now was beyond the range of any tree branches. Again he took in the smells and sounds of the night and screeched in enjoyment, something he had picked up from Arxa. It bothered him to think of her when he was now happily living his life but the thoughts never seemed to go away. They would always return in some form or another, something to cause him to freeze up and panic. These reactions happened more frequently now, much to his dislike, and yet it was impossible to stop them.
Shaking his head in annoyance, Sitedal snarled angrily at himself. Who was he to be spending his night hours awake when he was supposed to be sleeping beside his mate? She needed his comfort to even close her eyes now, still fearing the return of either Jormundur or Arxa. He couldn't blame her really, the idea scared him as well.
Sitedal closed his eyes as he settled into a steady rhythmical beating of his wings and searched for the tiny part of himself that he hid from most all others. He was not inclined to share his ability with anyone else, fearing the damage it might do to them. Slowly, he opened his jaws and was about to let the skills he possessed come forth when he heard the roar of a dragon. This sound quickly threw him into a panic, disrupting the calm that had been where he was no less than a few minutes ago.
His eyes flickered about wildly as he steeled himself, ready to turn and fly with all his strength if need be. A second roar came minutes later, causing Sitedal to flinch. There were two then. Two outsiders that wanted him dead. He could handle two . . .
A burst of fire suddenly rained on his back and he turned, eyes blazing with anger. HIs earlier actions had been from fright but now he was ready. The faint glow from an area inside the closest tree gace away the location of one of the dragons and Sitedal snarled viciously. From within his throat came the surge of power he had wanted to practice in secret but these troublemakers would be fine targets.
Sitedal threw his weight to his left side and spun around, readying his secret weapon as he did so. When he finished his complete spin, he angled himself so that the brunt of the force would fall upon the dragon in the tree and opened his jaws with a shriek of bone-chilling terror.
The first thing his enemy in the tree would have seen was a blast of red light from the attacking dragon before the light morphed into whatever the foe's deepest fear was. That was Sitedal's secret, his element. Fear was the most unnatural element that a dragon could have, he knew from experience. It was also why he chose to keep the others thinking he was a non-elemental dragon -although those were even more rarer than he.
Finished with the dragon in the tree for the time being, Sitedal turned and readied another blast of his element. He would strike as soon as his foe showed itself in any way.
I'm impressed, Sitedal, came the voice of Makiar as she breathed out a short stream of fire to let him know where she was, having been the target of his Fear Shriek. I always thought you had an element, but I certainly didn't know it was that. She chuckled, staring up at him form within the tree.
You followed me? Sitedal growled, certain she had but wanting to make sure.
Of course not. I waited until you were floating before slipping inot the tree. You impressed me, something most dragons could never do, she hummed, leaping from the tree and joining him in the air.
You still followed me, he corrected smugly.
Makiar growled softly. Fine, I followed you, she snarled harshly before relaxing her tone. Now then, how long are you going to wait to tell Verdra about this. I realize she knows nothing of your element but you have to make it clear to her what you can do . . . before you turn that thing on her.
Sitedal snarled, snapping at her neck and purposely missing by inches. NEVER! He roared, arousing birds from the force of his anger. I would never turn on her or the unhatched ones. Watch your tongue, Makiar.
And you watch yours, she hissed right back, staring straight into his eyes, as if she could see all the way to his soul.
Glaring at him, she flared her wings and soared forward, onlt to screech and dive toward the trees in a manner that almost made it seem like there was an enemy after her. Sitedal snorted, proud of himself as he watched her try to fly away from the invisible thing that chased her. He never felt comfortable using his element but watching Makiar's panic made him pleased with his work for once.
Dhran found himself wide-awake as an urge stirred him from his sleep. He rolled over to snuggle against Aurelia for a moment before sliding away and getting to his feet, wishing he had asked for a warmer place for them to live until the of the child's birth. Despite the cold floor under him, he walked outside the room and started towards where Verdra's eggs remained.
The walk was faster than he expected before he found himself at the entry to the room that would decide his life. Would he become a rider and follow the legacy of his parents? Sweat coated his hands as Dhran gently eased open the door and took a step inside. His gaze flickered about, searching for the eggs, trying to see through the thick veil of darkness that filled the room.
Dhran? The soft voice of Verdra pierced his mind, signaling that she was near and might prevent him from touching the eggs if she felt that he was unworthy. Why have you come so early in the day? Dawn has not risen yet you come to me.
He brushed the probing thought aside and took another step forward. Those eggs called to him and he would not be denied what he came to reveal. She would not rebuke him for touching them, would she? A sharp inhale of air near his left side revealed where Verdra was and he spun to face her, a fervor of madness clearly echoing out from his very soul.
Air rushed into his mouth as Verdra's purple eyes bored straight into him. A low growl rose into the space between the two and Dhran suppressed an involuntary shutter of fear. It had not occurred to him that she mgith see this act in a different light than he, one of destruction rather than hope.
Leave, she hissed as he swallowed and stood straighter, ready to defend himself is the need arose.
"No."
With a roar, the dragoness sprang at him. Dhran slipped under her front claws and ran toward the eggs, sights set on the black one. Hot air scorched the wall beside him as his hands clutched around the egg and he felt the dragonet's consciousness inside enter his mind and search through all that he had been through in his life.
Finally the egg trembled and Dhran squeezed it tighter to his chest. Verdra shrieked before her tail smashed down inches from his right leg, it was clear she was upset over this. A pitiful squeak rose from inside the egg as a large chunk wobbed before breaking off, revealing two emerald green eyes surrounded by pitch-black scales. Between the eyes and what appeared to be two small curved horns, there was a patch of scales that rose above the others to form the shape of a fireball.
Dhran lightly ran a hand over the hatchling's dark grey fireball symbol and, at the same time, he touched minds with the dragonet as it finished freeing itself from the remainder of the egg. He could hear the annoyed snort of Verdra as the hatcling rubbed against his palm, emracing the newfound connection. From what he could gather, the dragonet was female and would, likewise, need a suitable name.
"Seraphina," he whispered, both out loud and within her mind. "This is your name now. Bear it well, little one."
And keep your rider safe, even in the darkest of nights, Verdra added, her earlier anger displaced in favor of rejoicing over the hatching of one of her offspring.
"You're not mad?" Dhran questioned, shielding Seraphina from her mother in case things turned for the worse.
I was originally but realized that she chose you for your heart. Verdra's eyes found his own, pupils shrinking slightly. You carry a legacy of proud riders, Airu. Tronay and Neptune each were bestowed with a dragon, one of which is still alive.
The corners of his mouth lifted in a faint smile. She understood his plight and was familiar with the legacy he had inherited. "He found you, remember?"
I know, Verdra hummed, turning her gaze to her daughter. Could you do me a favor, Dhran? Let Sitedal and I train her, along with the others.
Seraphina squeaked, strugging against Dhran's grasp. He sighed and placed her on the floor, only to watch as she stumbled over to Verdra and started chewing on the scales that she could reach. A little chuckle escaped him and the black dragoness snorted in mock amusement.
"They haven't hatched yet. Why say that you would want to . . ."
Sitedal assured me of the hatching for the others. He will return shortly, although I cannot say I know what he was doing outside. Verdra lifted the leg her daughter was chewing on, growling softly. Stop that, she hissed before nuzzling the dragonet's horns.
No sooner had she spoken than the mentioned dragon stepped into the room, nostrils flaring. His eyes bore a wild look, yet his demeanor suggested calmness. Slowly he lowered his snout and sniffed the hatchling, glaring at Dhran while doing so. Seraphina drew back as he stiffened and lifted his head back to normal height before advancing toward the human who had bonded with her.
Sitedal, Verdra warned, he has done nothing wrong. Don't harm him.
The black male ignored her and halted only when he was before Dhran, smoke billowing from his nostrils. Verdra watched with fear, unsure of the action he would take, as Dhran locked eyes with the dragon that was trying to intimidate him with its size. Sitedal lifted his left foreleg and swiped, making direct contact with the face of the human he now was furious towards. How dare his daughter bond to such a lowlife!
Dhran was sent colliding with the wall behind him from the strike, the entire right side of his face feeling wet with blood. He braced himself with a hand to stand, only to be shoved to the ground by Sitedal, the dragon's ivory claws gleaming with a faint reddish tone. The black beast merely glared at him, pupils shrunken to tiny slits.
Sitedal pressed harder on the frail human's chest as the rage to use his element gripped him. It felt right, felt justified to show his might. He had nearly torn the entire right side of Dhran's face off with the slash from his claws so why not continue the torment. That weakling needed to know the true nature of their kind anyway. With a low growl, he opened his maw, allowing the faint glow of red to shine from within as he powered the blast that would end the petty conflict.
The blast struck with enough force to leave him blind, that much Dhran was sure of as he heard his own scream before white light enfolded him, leaving him wondering if he would be alive afterwards . . .
Verdra screeched in terror and threw herself forward, hoping to ram into her mate to make him end the raves of red light that blazed from his maw. As much as she had loathed Dhran for coming to claim one of the eggs, she knew Sitedal had taken things too far . . .
Seraphina immediately shrunk behind her mother, terrified for both her new partner-of-mind and the warm creature that had shown her love before the evil black-eyed terror dragon had come. She squeaked as her balance was thrown off, caused by the good dragon in front of her to move towards the bad one. It only resulted in her moving against the wall behind her and cowering in absolute fear, scared for the two who had shown her some love . . .
Despite the fact that Amia had rammed the sword into him with enough force to break bones and pierce his skull, Tamli was lucky to be alive and coherent enough to recognize the sound of a man's scream. He lunged toward the mental walls he had put around himself since the attack, intending to give him time to recover and heal from the premanent damage that had been done to only a small part of his brain, with the intent to break free. The damage that had been done even he was unsure of but it failed to concern him with the urgent cry of misery that ran through his mind, filling him with dread.
He felt what were claws grip his shoulder lightly and knew his body must have been trashing around in an attempt to reconnect with his mind. For all he cared the creature trying to help could leave him be and let him handle this on his own. Stubborness would prevent that, he realized with annoyance. Although he had no control over his limbs, instead focusing his mind toward his core to try and keep what he could safe from whatever damage had been done to him by way of Amia's sword, he could sense when any part of his body moved.
Slowly he extended himself to fill every part of his body, regaining control over every muscle and tendon, even those in his brain. The damage done to him dawned on him gradually. For some reason, he could not access his long-term memory, nor recall the names of any individuals he might have ever known. Even his own name escaped him, not to mention the name of the one who had dealt the damage to his mind.
Light momentarily blinded him as he opened his eyes and then shut then, reopening them a moment later. Beside him lay a white dragon . . . he thought it was a dragon at least. Two long horns curved backward over the back of its head and a triangular snout bore two small fangs that showed peeking out from under the beast's top jaw. He wondered why there would be a dragon watched him awaken. Furthermore, why said dragon would be gazing at him with the intent on communicating with him.
Love, why has it taken this long for me to enter your thoughts?
Tamli flinched, dropping his gaze from the beast beside him. It could get into his head! That meant . . . He shook his head. There was no way this dragon was his love or even knew him. Unless, it had a connection to his past, something that could help explain what was going on.
W-who are you? Tamli asked timidly, barely reaching outside of his consciousness to speak with the dragoness.
What's wrong? You know me. Finca paused, eyes narrowing. The wound. The sword struck your brain, impacting the area where memories are kept, it makes sense.
He stiffened as she nudged him lightly, scared of the contact. Her mind felt alien enough so why was he being allowed to be put through this? Finca snorted, placing a clawed forepaw on his leg.
Search my memories. I will not harm you, certainly you know this by now. If I had any ill intent, you would be dead already. She drew back, observing his eyes for any sign of fear. Peace, Tamli Dragonsbane.
The name clicked as soon as he heard it. That was him, but why did he have a last name like he did? It sounded too ancient to be his. Tamli clutched at her scaled foreleg, staring at it intently.
You truly are sad, she chuckled. You want me to move it or are you going to try and use your telekinetic skills on it?
Stop messing with my head, Tamli growled, lunging for her as she lifted the foreleg, realization dawning in his eyes about why she was there and why she had called him her love.
With a web of fear-induced red aura around Dhran, Sitedal stopped his attack and snorted, pleased with his work. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Verdra leap towards him. He sidestepped and she slid to a stop right next to him, rage burning in her usually calm eyes.
What did you do? She hissed, venom lacing her tone.
My element, he growled in response, fearing what Makiar told him for the first time since he had struck her.
Figures. You're the opposite of your brother in temperament, yet possess a skill more deadly than he. I'm surprised Arxa never got your gift.
A low growl escaped him and he slapped his tail on the ground. What does that mean? He snarled, the rage that had prompted him to attack Dhran gripping him once more.
Verdra snorted in mock amusement at such a question, causing Sitedal to lift a rage-induced clawed forepaw towards her. Right now he wasn't thinking clearly at all. Otherwise, he would have stopped right then and begged forgiveness. Unfortunately he didn't and lashed out, slamming her neck to the floor under the weight of his muscular limb.
Get off of me! Verdra snarled, struggling against his weight as anger seethed in her eyes towards him.
He stared down at her, his eyes emotionless. It felt good to let his anger loose for once. Certainly he could have done this to Jormundur on several occasions but it wouldn't have been the proper time and place for such.
Why would I? He inquired, pressing down harder on her neck. It is the legacy of my family to obey the darkness of Corruption.
So what you told me was wrong? You claimed that you wanted to help Ryta find a way to free Narssia. Is that true or has the darkness claimed your very mind?
Despite himself, Sitedal snarled softly at the words. He couldn't answer that question right away. Maybe she was right . . . maybe the darkness of Corruption had found a way to enter into him and control his actions.
His gaze flickered to Seraphina, huddling in the corner with her green eyes wide with terror and fear. Something about her gaze brought a sense of what he was doing back to him. He growled and withdrew his clawed forepaw, letting the power fade from it. What was he thinking? He could have killed her! Makiar was right, he should have listened more closely.
I'm sorry, he whispered as he backed up and lowered his head, the darkness of their cave masking his eyes from Verdra.
Corruption found a way to get to you. Verdra forced herself to her feet, sorrow shining clear in her eyes. Arxa had more of an influence than we realized . . .
Not Arxa, he corrected. Corruption, yes, but not the parasitic-mind invader that took over Narssia. Yet, she never claimed my ability because I never showed it around her. Her empathic nature makes it so she can absorb abilities that she sees working around her, not those that are hidden from her view.
Verdra snorted, beckoning Seraphina over to her. So that means even she doesn't even know what you can do?
I suspect she figures something but I'm not sure what exactly. His gaze softened, watching his daughter slowly walk over, her gaze fearful. I cannot say this enough but I'm sorry . . .
Don't. We understand, Verdra hummed, nuzzling Seraphina as the sound of incoming footsteps signaled another's presence.
Verdra turned and sheltered the hatchling, standing beside him as Makiar entered with a fierce snarl. The ruby dragoness immediately turned its gaze to him and he momentarily let his weakness shine through from beneath his tired irises. With a low growl he reigned himself back in but wondered if Verdra had seen his accidental slip.
Sitedal straightened and faced Makiar with all the energy he had left to spend. He wanted anything other than to confront her right now. It made sense she was mad but couldn't she see that he was trying to mend the wounds he had just dealt to his family. Smoke rose from his nostrils. No, she would never understand. Her only family had been ripped from her by the Great Flood and then, years later, her own offspring and even her mate turned to the darkness. The same darkness that had made Narssia claim Raxmon's life.
What is it? He asked softly, lowering his head as the weight of his behavior impressed itself upon his frame.
Makiar snarled, eyes flickering with unreleased rage. Sitedal thought he saw a trace of Corruption's darkness hidden deep within her unnerving gaze. The thought sadden him to think that even the most powerful dragons could fall prey to the mind-controller that the darkness was.
What is it? Makiar snarled, echoing back his own words with hate-filled venom. You nearly killed her! Nearly killed Dhran! What did you tell me earlier tonight? That you'd control yourself to prevent things like this from happening? Look where that got you!
Enough, Makiar, Verdra snarled, surprising Sitedal by the anger that she suppressed in her words. He is in the process of making peace with his actions. Do not attempt to say that he has no heart when he does. Where is your compassion? Or do you have any?
Seraphina squeaked in agreement and Sitedal felt his emotions lift. His daughter was on his side, together with her mother. They believed in him, trusted in him. How could he deny that level of connection? Verdra took a step forward, leaving the hatchling by his side.
Leave, she hissed. Leave and let us reconnect in peace.
Sitedal flinched upon hearing the venomous tone that her voice had dropped into. He wasn't sure what to make of the way he now heard her. His sweet mate had the nature of her father and mother combined, he knew that much. It still bothered him though to detect so much anger in her normally soft voice.
Fine, Makiar snarled, turning around to leave. I'll take Dhran to get medical attention since neither of you realize that he could bleed to death from the wounds that were so maliciously inflicted on him.
After collecting the injured and unconscious man, taking care to avoid making direct contact with his many wounds, Makiar snarled at them and then left. Sitedal repressed a shutter as her ruby tail left the room, reminding himself that he had dealt those wounds to Dhran. The man was just only now a rider and yet he could die if his injuries were not taken care of in a timely manner.
His gaze dropped to the floor as Verdra relaxed and snorted softly. How could he have gone so far from himself to do what he had done? Dhran had been stricken by the very skill he kept secret, there was no telling what might come of that. Tremors racked his body, small at first but growing swiftly, until his entire frame shook with aguish.
How could I do that? He snarled bitterly at himself. I just tore into him like he had outlived his usefulness and I . . . Why? Roars spilt the air, each reflecting off the walls and bouncing around until the entire chamber echoed with his heart's cry.