Chapter 76-Wrath of the Fallen
Nethial could hear Ilma crying from the small wooden crib Aurelia's soon-to-be husband had made for her daughter shortly after the birth of the hybrid baby. Wearing in a short blue dress she had also acquired from the healer as a present, she tried to ignore the aching in her feet as the high-heel shoes she had gotten were a couple sizes too small for her still swollen feet. It had only been a month since her daughter had entered the world and yet she was busy helping with the preparations for Dhran to be made the new leader of the Compound. She personally loathed the idea of a human ruling over dragons - it reminded her too much of the way their society had crumbled under Vanz - but she was willing to put on a good face for the woman who had saved her life during her painful delivery.
Running a brush through her shoulder-length hair, she caught herself staring at the necklace from Tanui she still wore in the mirror of the bathroom she had begun to go into labor nearly a month prior. Other than the small sink with a mirror over it and toilet that took up space, a walk-in shower was also present and had been shoved up against one of the corners of the room. It bothered her as to why she had never thought to take off the piece of jewelry but it looked right on her as the sleeveless dress hung low on small silver straps and revealed much of her collarbone, clinging to her frame in several spots it shouldn't have. Sighing in annoyance as she tried to reposition her outfit to make it appear less noticeable, she heard Ilma cry again and took one last look at herself before going to her child. The dress was mostly held by her upper body and still enlarged abdomen with the front sweeping into a v-shape to show only a slight bit of cleavage she would have rather hidden. Silver embroidery along the edges of the fabric did little to mask her displeasure but she had nothing fancy to wear and knew better than to refuse a gift that was useful.
Walking into the main chamber, she picked up her daughter and cradled Ilma, hoping the loving contact would calm the fussy baby down. It wasn't normal for her child to cry so much but she reasoned that it was a sign of possible hunger, if her swollen breasts were any indication. She wasn't thrilled about breast-feeding but she had done it for Raoul when he had been a baby and he had turned out to be just as capable as his father in certain aspects. As she started to rock her newborn, Nethial heard a gentle voice enter her thoughts and ask her lightly to turn around to face the door to the room.
Doing as the voice had asked, Nethial was taken aback by the ghost-like, glowing form of Mirage as he softly growled in warmth at seeing her. Shock first threatened to consume her but she held tight to Ilma and took several slow breaths before addressing the dragon she had not seen for thousands of years.
"Why are you here, O Great One?" She asked, bowing slightly to show the old leader of the dragons further respect.
'You may drop the formality, Nethial,' Mirage assured her as she straightened back up and winced as her back ached from being on her feet for several hours already to start the day and it was still early morning. 'While I wish this visit could have come on more pleasant circumstances, I came with a warning for you, among other things. I see my son made true to his promise and restored your legs to their pristine state as they were prior to the acidic attack by the poison-user Ladetis. It also warms my heart to see you have embraced your daughter with such loving care. Tamli told me about her but I felt it best to see her with my own eyes . . .'
"I mean no offensive but can you hurry up and tell me what you came here for. I expect to have a busy day and we both know you always were long-winded," Nethial remarked as she ran a hand along her baby's white hair.
Ilma had grown much already since her birth, looking more along the lines of a child nearing its first birthday than a barely month-old baby girl. Her white hair was a soft dense covering of the back of her head and it always made Nethial smile to know her daughter had been born with a full head of hair. Other than the raised red, scaley spots on her arms and legs that revealed her hybrid nature, her baby was perfectly normal.
'Very well, I will make this short. What do you know on the subject of wraiths?'
"Why do you ask? I know that they're the souls of deceased dragons and humans that become so filled with rage and anger after their death that they become a sort of magnet for malice and can manifest into our world in certain locations," Nethial rattled off, glad she had listened when Gregal had told her about the subject of wraiths when she had been given her second pair of metal legs.
'I ask because last night, I watched as Finca became a wraith right in front of Tamli and myself. She blamed me for not caring about her and raged at her mate for how he never listened to her before it became too much for her to handle all at once and she just . . . snapped. To make things worse, her new form looks very much like the dragonic forme of the clone hybrid Tanui, who I understand died recently of self-electrocution,' Mirage informed her as Nethial turned pale at the mention of what Finca looked like.
"And Tamli was with you? That must have terrified him to see her become that, especially once he realized the colors were identical to Tanui. He never really forgave himself for not being able to get to Finca in time to save her or prevent his clone from its painful demise. I wouldn't be surprised if he had lingering fears about those very subjects and what happened last night probably brought them up to the surface of his mind." It was shock that drove Nethial to answer as she did before she was snapped back to reality by Ilma who chose to ball up a fist and express her hunger by pounding against one of her mother's breasts.
A muffled half-cry tore from her lips as Nethial readjusted Ilma's position and she glared at her daughter before remembering she was in the room with the dragonic version of royalty. Putting on a brave face to mask the pain that she felt radiate from the spot she had been hit, she resisted the urge to mutter a few curses under her breath. It was still difficult for her to accept that her newborn possessed the strength of a human-dragon hybrid when she had rarely seen Tamli exhibit any extraordinary acts of power or endurance when they had been young and in love.
'I see your daughter wants us to hurry this along,' Mirage cheerfully commented as he softly chuckled. 'With Finca now being controlled by her anger, I suspect you will be the first one she visits. I wanted to see you as soon as I could to warn you and give you time to prepare. To my best guess, I would say Ilma is safe from her but I am not completely sure. She may find it easy to hurt you through hurting your daughter and I could never stand having that guilt pressing down on me if she did and I had ignored the idea of it happening.'
"Thank you again for the warning, Mirage. I was just about to feed Ilma when you showed up and she's unusually fussy for it being as early as it is in the morning. Dhran's coronation as leader of the Compound is later this afternoon and Aurelia wanted me to help her prepare for it. I can't rightfully say no when she helped me deliver Ilma and then gave me resources to care for my baby," Nethial confessed as she braced the inner crook of her elbow against the back of her daughter's head and used her other arm to brace and support the lower back of the newborn that looked much older than she actually was.
'I know this will seem odd but can I see her, Nethial?' Mirage inquired, taking a step towards her in eagerness to hear her answer.
"Of course you can, Master dragon," she respectively whispered, holding out Ilma to the wise old scale-flier who lifted the infant from her arms telekinetically. Spinning the baby around slowly, Mirage seemed content with his evaluation of her and safely returned her to Nethial's arms.
Mirage glanced over the young child before sighing and retreating a step, muttering, 'I was never able to watch Tamli grow up as I would have liked. By the time I first met him, he was ten years of age and already looking to be much older than he truly was. An effect of his mixed blood, I presume, but a very welcome one. You and him were always meant to be together, Nethial, even though Finca took it upon herself to distance herself from Attor as much as she could. I saw the signs of Amia's curious mind and tried to stop my son from agreeing to the twisted ideas but he ignored me and became lost to us both when he chose to save his dragon from the rage of Nor'ac. . .'
"I am aware of the events of the past, Mirage," Nethial informed him as she pulled her daughter close to her and turned around. "Now if there is nothing else, please leave us in peace so I can get Ilma satisfied before I must meet Aurelia."
Worry plagued her heart as she heard Mirage sigh and then felt him pass between the living realm and the afterlife as a rush of cool wind blew through the room. Having been dead herself at one point, she knew the energy required to briefly visit the living world and suspected the dragon had used more than he had intended to with talking to her. She appreciated the warning but she was more than prepared to face Finca when the time came. The weapon that was gifted to her daughter was waiting for the moment the twisted dragoness-turned-wraith decided to rear her ugly head.
"Standing before you shortly is the new leader of our kind! He may not be a dragon but he possesses the inner strength which made our ancestors such formidable opponents," Sitedal growled as the mass of dragons that had gathered in one of the large lower chambers turned to face a small risen platform where they would greet the new ruler of the Compound.
Even with the fear-user practically singing praises about him as he listened from behind a black curtain that Aurelia had put up to hide him until the time was right, Dhran still felt panic rise within him as his hands nervously shook and he fumbled with the golden clasp that held a purple robe over his shoulders. The love of his life had dressed him in the finest clothes she could find and he softly smiled as he remembered the tender kiss she had given him before slipping out to watch the ceremony from the front row. It had been Nethial's idea to have Sitedal say something before he went out but he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand to wait as he pressed his clammy palms together and took several deep breaths to calm himself. Besides the royal purple cloak draped over his shoulders and held by a gold clasp around his neck, he had been fitted with a crisp white tunic and pants. His silver hair had been trimmed as short as it could be for the occasion and he loathed the idea of not being able to hide the pointed tips of his ears as well as the black eyepatch he wore to limit questions about the deep and lasting damage to the right side of his face. There was nothing he could do to hide the vicious acid-like scaring that covered much of the area around his missing eye but he could hide the fact that he now saw the world different because of his situation.
"It is with a glad heart that I now present our new leader. Would you join me in welcoming Dhran Airu Ricata?" That was his cue to move but Dhran hesitated, hands quivering as he debated whether to back down and not go out into the mass of dragons where he would be examined from every angle for fault.
A quiet rustling of cloth startled him and he blinked, realizing Seraphina had sensed his unease and come to his side behind the curtain. Her emerald irises glanced him over as she nudged him softly, encouraging Dhran to place a hand on her snout. It calmed him to know that she was looking for him and he suspected she knew of his dislike over having her father speak such kind words about him. Sitedal had apologized for his actions but the damage done would never fully heal and Airu knew that was the price he must pay for being bonded to her.
"You will be fine," Seraphina remarked as she crouched to give him more room, the tip of her tail pressing up against his heels. "Aurelia is watching out for you and so am I, Dhran. Father has no more ill will against you and only wishes us the best . . ."
Dhran ignored her as he mentally readied himself and moved through the black curtain into the large area. He heard a hush fall over the massive crowd but focused on finding Aurelia first so he would be grounded. Seraphina soon moved to stand beside her father who had taken up a stop near the outer rim of the raised stage and Airu dimly acknowledged the fear dragon before raising his arms to attract the attention of those in attendance.
"My fellow brethren, whether you be human or dragon, allow me to welcome you with open arms. Let me be the first to say that this is a time in the life of our race where we can make a difference and leave a lasting impression on further generations. As welcome as this celebration is, may I admit some sorrowful information not to damper the mood but to remind us all of what we have lost recently. Like many of you, I was equally shocked when I received the news of Uria's death and even more moved when it was revealed that Tamli had been given too great of injuries during his fight with the clone hybrid Tanui to remain with us any longer. This sorrow, friends, is not light but we mst turn it around into something better . . ."
A subtle chill had started to be felt as he spoke but, as he paused to think of what he would say next, Dhran saw a brief shadow dart across the back wall of the chamber with a design similar to that of a dragon. Choosing to ignore the distraction, he motioned for Aurelia to rise and join him up on the stage. He knew this had not been planned beforehand so she would be confused but he had a good reason for why he was breaking from the outline Nethial had suggested. The love of his life was still his fiancee but he hoped to change that by the end of the service.
"Now I'm sure many of you are wondering why I just asked that my fiancee come up on stage with me," Dhran continued as he helped Aurelia up to stand beside him. "This is not a part of the program but I felt it would further extend my wish for this to be an era of rebirth and recovery by doing something I should have done months before. I have already asked for her hand in marriage but I ask one more time . . . Aurelia Zara, will you be my wife?"
Dhran bent on one knee as he repeated the proposal he had asked of her when he had discovered her pregnancy with Nathan, giving her an encouraging smile as she seemed confused by his actions. He was trusting that things would hold out long enough for Nethial to contact either Mirage or Tamli to preform the ceremony to wed them. It was up to a woman he knew Aurelia trusted to ensure his plan went smoothly enough to mark his new title as leader as an important event in the history of the Compound.
"I already did promise my love to you," Aurelia whispered before confirming his request, glancing down at the ring on her finger.
Rising back up to give her a hug, Dhran softly muttered in her ear to be patient and go along with him before seeing the shadow again dart across the back wall more frantically this time, as if searching for someone in particular. Due to a warning from Nethial before the event about what Mirage had told her, Airu had given her permission to miss and requested that she watch Nathan and Ilma out of precaution that Finca might appear to attack. Giving Aurelia's hand a gentle squeeze as he reached for her to signify their unity, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight as a strange black mist suddenly started to creep in from the walls around them.
"Master?" Seraphina's terrified voice reminded him that Dhran had forgotten to tell her about the idea of marrying Aurelia on stage and he gripped the hand he held tighter in unease.
"Seraphina, listen to me, I need you to stay calm. We know why she's here . . . and I promise you, nothing bad will happen."
The mist gradually solidified into the shape of a dragon and once Finca opened her eyes, the entire room had fallen into complete silence brought on by fear and shock. Although she had formed right next to where Seraphina and Sitedal were at, Dhran pulled Aurelia to the side as the wraith advanced to stand directly in front of the massive crowd. From the information Nethial had told him, Airu realized she had been right about the new appearance of the former dragoness to be identical to that of the recently deceased clone Tanui.
"Now this is the sound I have been waiting to hear for nearly ten thousand years," Finca chuckled as her footsteps made the only noise in the room, her newfound dark powers preventing the gathered crowd from moving as mist swarmed the area. "There is no cheering for my return? Does my royal heritage no longer have meaning since I was declared dead?"
Driven by a need to protect his lover and his dragon, Dhran took a step towards Finca, clearing his throat as he kept a steady grip on Aurelia's hand. "We know who you are and why you're here, Finca. Search all you like, you won't find her in the mass of individuals here."
"Well, if it isn't the brash son of Tronay who received his middle name by her traitorous dragon Uria. I see you found happiness . . . a joy I have no problem taking away from you if you refuse to tell me where she is." Sweeping her attention to the group as a whole, Finca continued, "You see, I came here today for one particular individual. Perhaps you know her? Nethial Asburo, the one who recently gave birth to a hybrid daughter that almost killed her in the process. I have a score to settle with her and all help would be welcome in finding her."
"They don't know where she is," Dhran corrected Finca as the wraith turned to stare him down. "Nor does Seraphina and Sitedal. We were ready for you after the warning your father gave us."
"That old fool!" Finca hissed in unrestrained rage before controlling herself and realizing he was deeply scarred. "You hide behind false lies, Airu. Trying to act so perfect all the time when you know you're not must be hard. Even your dear dragon can't help you move past the guilt you feel for having her see you everyday as a terrible reminder of what has happened because her father has anger issues . . ."
Finca was getting under his skin and it was working, much to Dhran's dislike as he clenched his hands tightly. Mirage's words had been true about her now darkened state, he realized as a shiver ran down his spine. The area covered by the thin fabric of cloth he had managed to find and fashion into an eyepatch itched subtly and he huffed, determining that the wraith was trying her hardest to lure him into giving her the information she required about Nethial.
"Dhran . . . Dhran, please . . . Please let go. You're crushing my hand. Don't listen to Finca, I beg you. Release your grip on me, please," Aurelia pleaded through sobs as she tried to pull her hand away from his own; the lack of concentration and intensity of emotions he was consumed with causing him to squeeze her hand tightly.
It was only after Aurelia began crying and trying to pull away that he realized he was crushing her hand and it startled him as he jerked away, staring at the shriveled form of the petite hand he had nearly broken. His strength normally wasn't that great but it bothered him as he glanced down at his own quivering hands in fright. The circumstances reminded him too much of the brutal wounds he had suffered because of Sitedal and he trembled.
"What kind of a monster am I?" Dhran whispered, half in fright of his own abilities as Finca chuckled darkly in amusement.
"So you were never told, how ironic. Your mother had dragon blood in her, although not nearly enough to classify her as a true hybrid, and that genetic mixture was passed onto you when she gave birth to you prior to her death. Uria had feared you would start to express dragonic traits but he never lived long enough to see it happen due to the conflict Amia began when he created the clones of Tamli." A raspy growl rose from her throat at something only she knew and Dhran cringed at suspecting what it might be she was dwelling on. "Your curse, if you choose to call it that, is the strength of not a full grown dragon but that of a hatchling. It is still far more powerful than the mere feebleness of human strength but you know that already by looking at what you just did to Aurelia. Pity you were going to marry her today . . ."
"What? Dhran, were you really . . . ?" Aurelia's soft voice brought him back to the fact that only he knew where exactly Nethial was located and he sighed, nodding to her before taking a step closer to Finca.
"Those in attendance know not where Nethial is located, Finca. Only I stand between you and the object of your obsession. Rip me apart if you wish but it will get you no closer to discovering her whereabouts." Dhran closed his eyes as he spread his arms to shield Aurelia, determined to hold true to the promise he made to Seraphina that at least she would be safe.
"You expect me to act like a brute?" Finca scoffed, mildly amused by the idea as her spined tail slid around to rest against her right hind leg. "Since my father decided to inform you of the act of my transformation, I suppose I can satisfy your curiosity. This change has made me stronger in every aspect possible. I am the perfect union between life and death, able to exist in both plains without injury. My fate is now my own, for the first time in centuries! All those that oppose me will soon quiver in fear at the very mention of my name."
"There will be no fear in relation to your name, fallen one." The strength in Sitedal's rough tone surprised Dhran at first as he opened his eyes to see the fear-user advance towards Finca with Seraphina at his heels. "You were once respected during your father's time of-"
"My father was nothing more than a hatchling chosen to lead before he had time to experience the world!" Finca snapped back in anger, stamping a foreleg against the stage floor as black mist swirled around her intimating frame. "Nor'ac knew nothing when he put Mirage as the ruler of our kind. Even my own mother saw it when she attempted to rebel and was quieted by him, thrown into a dark underground isolated part of the Guardian Chamber to rot until he had fixed the errors she had made. That is the kind of being I grew up under! He was not the merciful leader our delusional race claimed him to be and I should know firsthand how he ruined everything!"
"What could he have done so badly to make you hate him this much, Finca? Surely a part of you must still have love for him," Seraphina growled worriedly as Dhran tensed at fearing what the wraith would do to her for asking such a question.
"Silence! Both of you," Finca seethed, lifting her tail and slashing it down against Dhran's face, cutting into his right shoulder before moving it away to rest behind her once more.
Even though the attack had left his shoulder bleeding and open, Dhran still couldn't hold back a scream as he felt the swipe of her tail cut through the thin strap that held the eyepatch in place to mask his missing eye. The cloth fluttered to the ground, his fingers searching the open air before him in hopes he could snatch it, as the crowd assembled began to pick up on the revealing sight before them. As he realized what was going on, Airu couldn't stop the rising mockery that started to come from those assembled towards his missing eye and deeply scarred right side of his face.
"Ah, yes, even the masses know to see you as you truly are and look past the mask you have hid behind," Finca taunted as she spread her wings wide and pushed Dhran closer to her. Whispering to him alone, she added, "You have one last chance to tell me where Nethial is before I make an example of you in front of all these innocent souls."
"Do your worst, vile beast!" Dhran ordered as he realized her making an example of him meant his death was soon to come.
Finca gave no indication of the moment when she lifted her tail and moved it to spear him directly through the heart, leaving him to grunt in agony as he slid backwards off the now bloody appendage and fell to the stage's wooden floor. The large hole in his chest made it hard to breathe and Dhran knew his life was draining out of him as he heard Aurelia gasp in shock. Her warm hands soon caressed his left shoulder as she knelt next to him and kissed him as Seraphina mournfully growled before shrieking in anger and rage at the wraith for what she had just done.
"You monster!" Seraphina screamed as she bared her teeth and crouched beside his body after joining Aurelia by his side. "You sick, twisted-"
"Seraphina . . ." he wheezed in protest, coughing as he tried to raise a hand to stop her. "Don't . . ."
Aurelia gripped his half-risen hand with one of her own and smiled sadly at him before speaking up. "Now is not the time Seraphina. She is not worth your effort. Come and be with Dhran in his final moments. I assure you that we will hunt her down and make her pay for his death when the time comes."
"But she-" Seraphina had now gone to pleading, Dhran noticed as he found it more difficult to get each breath and knew he wouldn't be alive for much longer considering the damage he had received.
"Seraphina, listen to me," Dhran coughed, hearing his own labored breathing wheeze painfully with each rise and fall of his bleeding chest. "Aurelia is right. I need you to be here with me right now instead of going after Finca for the heartache she is causing you. Can you promise me you will look after Aurelia and Nathan and keep them safe?"
Tears glimmered in the young she-dragon's eyes as she lowered her head and pressed it against his side, her voice soft as she replied, "I promise you, Master."
Dhran was certain Finca took the liberty to slip out as he closed his eyes, unable to keep them open as he wondered why the attack hadn't killed him instantly. Maybe there was some truth to what the wraith had said about him having some measure of dragon blood in his body? Whatever the reason, he could feel himself slipping away as darkness swarmed over him . . .