This one is about double the length of my usual chapters for this story. We're taking a little break from the current goings on to learn some more of the history Bill has with the dragons and why they generally don't view him as a threat or bad person like the rest of the multiverse does.
July 11th
The past couple of days were nuts. We were hanging out in that old brown barn with Teeth and Crusade when, suddenly, this weird portal opened up in the sky and two dragons flew out from it. Their names were Cupid and Icarus, and they're apparently the sons of the great dragon Ouroboros.
Icarus –
Almost completely covered with brown and white feathers.
Has four wings.
Hooked claws like eagle talons.
Fights with a sword and shield instead of fangs and claws. The shield has a sun carved onto it. Interesting…
Kind of looks like what you would get if you combined a dragon with an eagle.
Cupid –
Stout and shorter than Icarus, Bill, and Crusade, but only by three or four feet.
White with golden horns and spikes. The only feathers on him are his wings.
Wings look a little short for him, but he seems to do fine with them.
Round and soft-looking.
Has a magic golden bow that shoots magic whistling arrows.
Overall, kind of cute for a big dragon.
According to Crusade, Icarus takes it upon himself to go around passing judgment on others. Cupid usually helps, but he's far more reasonable it seems. Icarus goes by actions while Cupid goes by the reasons and truth.
Somehow, Icarus forced Crusade and Bill to turn into their dragon forms against their will just by slamming his tail on the ground. Ghost showed up pretty quickly to "claim" Crusade, so Icarus let him off the hook. But Bill, on the other hand, got a magic pillar of light impaled through one of his wings to hold him down.
Icarus fully intended to kill him I think, but his sword was stopped by a magic barrier that Amy put up. He looked shocked and really angry when she protected Bill like that. Then, he went to attack her too! But Ghost stepped in to save her and he and Icarus ended up in a fight up in the air. Watching dragons fight is amazing and terrifying all at the same time!
While they fought, Cupid just stayed where he was and kept looking between Bill and Ghost and Icarus. Eventually, being faster, Icarus managed to clip Ghost's wing and send him crashing into the ground. As Icarus went to strike a final blow, Cupid released Bill and Bill attacked Icarus before he got to Ghost.
Last thing I remember, Cupid drew a bow and shot an arrow up in the sky that exploded with a flash of bright light. And suddenly we were all scattered and in completely different places around Telmak.
Mabel, Teeth, and I ended up in this dense jungle called Telarrk full of giant trees with massive roots. There were also bogs of quicksand… Thank goodness Teeth was there to get us out. We had no idea where we were going, but Mabel insisted that we go her way. Luckily, Teeth is super nice and let us ride on his back the whole time. The plants were so dense in there that we might have gotten separated otherwise.
We ended up stuck in that jungle overnight and slept under a giant arched tree root that was covered with long hanging moss. But the sounds! I swear there was a jaguar stalking us all night! If it wasn't for Teeth being so big and scary-looking and curled up around us, we probably would have gotten eaten by something. I'm so glad he's our friend now.
Grunkle Stan and Ford ended up in a desert with Dionysus called the Dry Sea. Amy and Bill were in a canyon on a giant sky island that was part of a group of floating islands called the Great Cliffs, and Ghost and Crusade just appeared in Flora's house. Lucky them…
By the next afternoon, we managed to reach the end of the jungle and found the ocean. Teeth was telling us about an old friend of his that he hadn't seen in a long time when we met a water dragon called Serene. She and her husband let us stay in their home that night. They even gave us fish stew to eat and it was amazing!
Finally, the next day, we followed their directions to a portal and we ran into Stan, Ford, and Dionysus. We all went through the portal together to get to the Great Plains, which is the giant open field of grass and flowers that surrounds Telmak's tether tree. We knew exactly where to go then because that tree is massive. Amy and Bill had just gotten there by the time we reached it.
It was exhausting, but at least it all turned out okay. Gaia mentioned that Ouroboros would be highly displeased with his sons for what they did and would set them straight. So, I guess we won't have to worry about them coming back.
…
Amy stood outside with Bill beside her; around them sat Ghost, Crusade, Dionysus, and Flora. "So, what do you guys think?" she asked them. The afternoon after the day they had all returned from their surprise vacations, she had gathered them all together in the clearing to discuss the idea and story of the Amaranths.
Ghost, Crusade, Dionysus, and Flora all exchanged glances. "It is true that the dragons used the combined magic of all the Amaranths to defeat the shadows," Ghost said. "But Ragnarok is much more than a mere shadow."
"Yes," Flora said. "But…most of his size and strength comes from the shadows…not just those he stole it from. The Amaranths are…offspring of the tether trees… A very powerful magic."
"Yeah," Crusade rolled his eyes. "A powerful magic that he's been stealing for himself!"
"Over a course of several millennia," Dionysus added.
Flora shook her head. "This is different… It would be a combination…of many tethers' powers. It may at least…drain most of his power."
"You saying it would bring him down to our size?" Crusade leaned forward.
"It may cleave his power in half… and bring him…to his original size and strength." She made a worried face. "Which would still be…very dangerous."
"Better than fighting a mountain," Crusade huffed.
Ghost thought for a moment. "True. I do not wish to waste time on fruitless efforts, but if there is a chance it could help…"
"We don't even know how much time we have left!" Dionysus said.
"There are ten flowers," Flora said. "Amy has three. I could easily obtain…a Common Amaranth…then we would have four."
Amy spoke up. "What about the Nightshade Amaranth? None of us can mess with it."
"As long as it is kept…with the Blood Amaranth…its effect will be nullified."
"For now," Ghost said, "just keep it locked up where it is."
"Too bad Nightshades wouldn't work on Ragnarok," Crusade huffed. "We'd need a whole mountain of them and they don't grow in mass quantities. Maybe we could distract him with them and make him sneeze."
Ghost ignored his brother's comment. "There is only one Amaranth that will be certain to cause problems getting to. The Crystal Amaranth only grows in Necronire."
"That's definitely a problem…" Amy made a face.
"We should focus on one flower at a time," Ghost said. "We don't all want to be far away at the same time in case anything else happens."
The others nodded in agreement.
…
"So, which one are you going to look for first?" Mabel asked.
Amy had just finished explaining the plan she had discussed with the dragons to the Pines. She leaned back in her armchair and crossed her arms.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "Ghost and Crusade have gone to mention the idea to Gaia and look for a Sky Amaranth. Flora should be back tomorrow with a Common Amaranth. Let's see…" She tilted her head in thought. "Most of the Amaranths grow in Telmak. The Sirensong Amaranth grows in Telmak's ocean."
"The ocean?" Dipper echoed. He turned to his sister. "Hey, maybe Serene and Duncan know where we can find one of those."
"Yeah!" Mabel beamed. "And they're super nice, so I bet they'll help us out."
"Those water dragons you met in Telmak?" Dionysus asked from the sofa. "Well, it's highly likely they know exactly where to find one. Good idea, kid."
Amy nodded. "We can go tomorrow morning. The sooner we gather up all the Amaranths, the better. According to Gaia and Ghost, Ragnarok's return is growing nearer. Swiftly. We have no idea exactly when he'll manage to break through, but they're convinced that it'll be sometime before this summer is over."
There was an uncomfortable, tense silence throughout the living room as everyone exchanged serious and uneasy glances.
"Do you think we'll be okay?" Mabel asked after a long silence.
Amy only shrugged; she wasn't looking at her. Instead, she was staring intently ahead of herself at nothing in particular, as if lost in thought. After a minute or two, she said, "Yeah. We'll be fine."
"How do you know?" Dipper asked curiously.
"Because I think the Amaranths will help. They'll blow away all that shadow magic he has stored up, leaving him far less powerful than he currently is."
"But wasn't he always extremely powerful anyway? I mean," he lowered his voice in case Bill might hear him; they did not know where he currently was, "look what he did to Bill. And to Valor. And that was all before he had gathered up all that power."
"Yes," Amy said. "But the only ones who have ever tried to challenge Ragnarok did so as individuals. Ghost and I, for a few years now, have been gathering up allies just for this."
"You have?" He was surprised.
She nodded and pointed at Dionysus. "Why do you think I traveled all the way to Africa to find that dummy. He's a crazy drunkard most of the time, but he's strong and has a good heart."
"Aw," Dionysus smiled. "I love backhanded compliments."
"In fact," Amy continued. "Most of my traveling was to find and ask for help from different people. If they haven't already, they should be gathering in Telmak soon."
"So," Ford spoke now, "you have known all about this for a while now?"
"About Ragnarok and his inevitable return? Yes."
"Is that why you made the deal with Bill? Do you intend to use your end of the deal to make him fight?"
Amy looked appalled by his question. "What? Of course not!"
"Really? Wouldn't it be a good idea? For the sake of, oh, I don't know, everything?"
She shook her head as if trying to forget some disturbing image. "No! What is wrong with you? I would never force him, or anyone, to risk their life! Asking for help is one thing, I still don't like having to ask that much of people, but forcing them? That's something that Ragnarok himself would do."
"That was never your intention?"
"No, of course not!"
He seemed a bit agitated now. "Then what was? Why did you make the deal Amy?"
She scoffed and rolled her eyes as she looked away from him.
"Amy."
She did not respond right away, but before he could say anything else, she began to speak. "A few years ago, when I was visiting him, Ghost told me something weird. He said it was a message from Gaia and she said that, one day, I would encounter a stranger in the woods that would need my help. Someone that had done terrible things and was known to be extremely dangerous. And then I was told that when I do encounter them, I should help them anyway. She said I would know who he was when I met him.
Honestly, I thought it was crazy and stupid, her telling me to help someone dangerous or even evil. It was bizarre to me that she would even suggest it. But… Since it's Gaia, I figured there must be a good reason, right?" Amy shrugged.
"Well, turns out it was Bill. And once I realized, I decided to do what Gaia told me to do and help him. I have no idea why she wanted me to. I don't know if there's some greater plan or if she just felt bad for him. Whatever the reason, I decided, on my own, to trust her and help him. And, quite frankly, I don't regret it either. Despite who he is, or was, or whatever, he's funny and fun to have around. And, believe it or not, he can be very genuinely kind at times. So, there you go Ford. That's why."
"He could have left by now, you know," Dionysus said, attracting Ford's attention. "If he had enough power stored up to transform into a dragon then he could have left a while ago now."
"Then why hasn't he?" Stan asked.
"Because he obviously wants something," Ford told him. "He's plotting something, I'm sure. He's a monster. A liar, a cheater, and a psychopath. He can't be trusted!"
"Hey now," Dionysus said. "Teeth is a monster, but that doesn't make him bad, now does it?"
"Monster or not, Bill is still all those other things!"
"Meh, true." He shrugged.
"I understand that he had apparently gone through a lot in the past and growing up," Ford said carefully, "but that does not excuse anything he's done. He's far too afraid of Ragnarok to go against him. He couldn't have changed so easily."
Dionysus cocked his head to the side. "Who said it was easy?"
"What?"
"Ah forget it. Hey, that reminds me! Why don't you have the Enchiridion show you the whole thing with Bill and the Shadow War in Telmak? You've been curious about why dragons like and respect him so much, right? Well?"
Ford eyed him closely for a moment before turning to Dipper and asking for him to place the book on the coffee table. Once it was placed, before any of them could ask it anything, it flung itself open, flipped through many of its pages, then settled and began to produce three-dimensional scenes for them.
…
Rose sprinted through the forest as fast as she could run, weaving her way around trees and over obstacles with incredible agility in her attempt to outrun the shadows chasing her. If she tried to fly, they would surely catch her; she was faster on land, but she could hear them catching up to her. For unlike her, they could never tire or feel fatigued.
The sounds of the winged shadows pelting after her, snarling and growling like wolves hunting down prey, grew closer. Finally, she burst from the forest but only to find herself on a tall, steep cliff beside the ocean.
Breathing heavily, she stared down at it. She was not a very good swimmer, but if she had to… The pack of shadows sprung from the trees and spread out around her like a pincer. She quickly turned to face them and stepped back, gasping as her hindleg momentarily slipped off the edge of the cliff. The shadows drew nearer, baring fangs in anticipation. Rose glanced over her shoulder at the water below. At least she stood a chance with the ocean…
But before she could make the move to jump, a large white blur swooped down and knocked more than half of the pack of shadows off the side of the cliff. They fell to the water below with horrid howls and screeches. The remaining shadows backed together to face the white dragon that had landed before them.
Ghost reared up with a roar and blasted green flames from his mouth. The shadows screeched as the fire engulfed them and burned them away into wisps that vanished upon the wind.
Rose breathed relief. "Ghost…"
He brought his forepaws back down to the earth and turned to look at her. "Are you injured?"
She shook her head. "No. I was waiting for you like you told me, but they came from the caverns."
"As long as you are all right. We should get going. The Thunder Bird has been spotted in this area."
As if on cue, they heard a loud eagle-like screech that rolled over the trees like reverberating thunder. Then, something black and yellow flew over their heads followed closely by a much larger bird-like shadow. The bird was dark green and brown with gray, jagged, rocky armor on its chest, shoulders, legs, and long pointed beak. As it flew over them, its size and speed whipped up a gust that shook the trees and nearly knocked the two dragons off the cliff.
"Who is that dragon it is chasing?" Rose turned to watch them fly farther out over the water. "I have never seen him before."
As the Thunder Bird neared its prey, it stretched its stone talons out in preparation to snag him, but the dragon managed to twist in the air and avoid it just as its talons clanged together loudly. It screeched furiously as it righted itself and the dragon swooped down, around, and over it, spewing blue fire that struck the bird in the back of the neck and head.
Ghost and Rose watched intently from the cliff, Ghost narrowing his eyes. "That is no dragon," he growled. "That is merely a disguise."
"Disguise?" Rose glanced at him briefly but the fight quickly stole her attention back.
"That is the demon who calls himself Cipher."
"Bill Cipher?" Rose fully looked at Ghost now. "The monster that serves as Ragnarok's beta now?"
"Precisely," Ghost growled.
"Why is the Thunder Bird attacking him then?"
"The shadows are not like the spirits. You know this. They are pure malice and evil. Dark magic incarnate. They do not have souls. They do not feel emotions. They do not think. They only feed on negativity and attack whatever moves. These are all things you know, Rose."
"Yes, but why are they attacking him? Ragnarok can control them, so why would he have them attack his own beta?"
"He can only control them when he is around them," Ghost told her. "He is not here, so they merely run rampant and attack indiscriminately. I am sure that was his intention. Whatever reason Cipher is here for, it's nothing good, so it serves him right to be attacked by the shadows. We have enough problems already. There are so many shadows in Telmak that Gaia is going to seal all the portals any moment now. We need to leave and get back to the Great Plains as soon as possible."
The Thunder Bird suddenly let out a sound like a screech and a roar combined, and let loose a great bolt of green lightning from its beak that struck the yellow dragon and stunned him. Before gravity could claim him, the bird dove at him and tore its stony beak through his side. The dragon fell a great distance and into the ocean with a big splash. The Thunder Bird tilted itself to fly in a wide circle as it eyed the spot where the dragon had gone under. Crimson was tainting the deep blue. After deciding that its prey must be dead, the bird flapped its broad wings and soared away back in the direction it had come.
"Ghost," Rose gasped, "you have to go help him!"
He looked offended by the idea. "I will not! Don't you remember who that is and what he's done!?"
"That's no reason not to help him," she said.
"It is all the reason!"
"He'll die, Ghost!"
"Good!" he snapped. "He deserves it! He had no good intentions coming here anyway, I can guarantee it!"
"No one deserves to die."
"I beg to differ," he growled.
"Fine," she snorted. "I'll go myself!"
"You will not!"
But she had already leapt down from the cliff towards the ocean.
"Rose!" Ghost snarled angrily then launched himself into the water after her.
Beneath the waves, he found Rose struggling to fight against the current. She looked at him and he gestured with his snout for her to head for the surface before he dove deeper after the crimson trail in the water. Ghost was not accustomed to swimming himself, but he was strong enough to swim against the harsh waves and dive deep enough to find the sinking dragon. He thrust his head down and used his teeth to grab him by the nape of the neck then pulled him up and began to kick and push himself towards the surface with the yellow dragon in tow.
Breaking through the surface, Ghost gasped for air through his clenched teeth and started kicking with the current to head towards the shore, careful to keep the unconscious dragon's head above the water. He could see Rose pulling herself free of the water at the shore ahead of them and turning back to watch.
Finally, he reached the shallow water and the shore. He dragged Bill over towards the dry sand a way before dropping him and walking a few steps further before flopping down to catch his breath.
Rose was swiftly upon them. Quickly determining that Ghost was only exhausted and not injured, she went to examine Bill. The Thunder Bird's lightning had rendered him unconscious, but not dead. Though he had a bleeding gash in his side from the bird's jagged beak, it was not deep but would need to be cleaned before it was healed with magic. The problem right now was that he was not breathing.
She lifted herself onto her haunches and roughly pressed her forepaws down on his back in a quick motion that caused him to hack out a significant amount of water. She sat back and watched him as he awoke, trying to lift himself while coughing and vomiting saltwater onto the sand.
Finally, the water stopped and he could breathe. He stood there, panting and gasping as he processed what had happened. He had never experienced the sensation of drowning before, nor of choking, and he now came to the conclusion that he severely disliked both.
"You're okay!" Rose said delightedly.
"What?" Bill looked at her, stunned. He had not actually noticed her sitting there beside him.
"You nearly drowned," she told him, "after the Thunder Bird struck you down."
"If only he would have," Ghost muttered.
"Ghost," Rose said scoldingly.
"We should have let him die, Rose."
"Ghost!"
He turned to Bill now, looking down at him with obvious contempt. "How did you get into Telmak from Necronire? What are you doing here?"
Bill narrowed his eye at him. "Most of the time I need to be summoned by some ignorant fool, but I found I could slip into this world on my own if I find just the right spot. I only came to see how things were going. You know…making sure those dumb shadows are doing their job."
"You see, Rose? He only wished to observe our struggles." Ghost snorted green flames from his nostrils. "He likely even intends to do some damage himself. Why are you in that form? It is insulting…"
"It was a gift," Bill returned his growl.
Before Bill could realize, pale blue magic had surrounded him and formed solid chains around his wrists and neck that tightened with a loud clang. He snarled and reared onto his hindlegs, clutching his claws at the magic collar around his neck.
"What is this?!"
"You're just in time," Ghost told him. "Gaia has sealed all entrances and exits to and from Telmak and all portals within it. Which means you are stuck here until this shadow problem is sorted out. But since we cannot trust you or let you do as you please, I have placed a special sealing spell upon you." Though his face did not show it, his tail curled with amusement at Bill's struggling to remove the collar and chains. "You will not be able to use magic while those chains are locked. That includes breathing fire."
"Do you have any idea who I am!?"
"Yes, and that is exactly why you are in chains now! You have foolishly underestimated what dragons are capable of!" He glanced at Rose, who shook her head, then he snorted and turned back to Bill. "Fine then. We will take you to Gaia and let her decide what to do with you. Let's go."
"He is injured," Rose said.
Bill was so furious that he had forgotten about the stinging pain in his side. He glanced down at the open wound torn into his carapace. That damn, stupid shadow.
"I do not care!" Ghost snarled and kept walking. "We are leaving before that shadow comes back!"
Rose huffed but did not continue to argue with him. Instead, she told Bill, "We should clean the wound before I use magic to heal it. Otherwise, it may seal up an infection. Come along. There should be some proper herbs once we reach the forest."
"We're going to walk?"
She formed magic insect-like wings of light upon her back and spread them open. "I cannot fly swiftly or for long intervals. Walking will be better for speed, but we're risking shadows finding us more often." Her wings faded away.
"In other words," Ghost stopped to say, "yes. We are walking. Now move! We have a long way to go to get to the Great Plains."
Bill did not like being told what to do, but he followed anyway. "Even without my magic, I could still tear you apart. What makes you think you can turn your back on me?"
Ghost almost let out a mocking laugh but held it in and scoffed instead. "You are not even used to that form and you think you can challenge a real dragon? I could tell by the way you fly and how you try not to stumble as you walk on all fours. That form was the only way for you to be physical in this world, wasn't it?"
Bill leered at him from behind. His lack of a response was all Ghost needed.
"As I thought. You should not bother healing him, Rose. Ragnarok's little pet," he spat the word, "would not do the same for you."
"It does not matter," she replied calmly.
Bill bared his teeth at the insult. "You have no idea what Ragnarok is capable of."
Ghost turned on him and raised himself up tall. "I was Ragnarok's beta before you! I am fully aware of what he is capable of! That is why I chose to leave!"
"You got lucky," Bill retaliated. "I don't get a choice!"
"We all have a choice."
Before Ghost could say anything else, Rose slipped between them and forced him to back off. "All right now," she said. "That is enough. Ghost, you are acting like a child."
"You are not my mother," he growled.
"I shouldn't have to be!"
"If you want to mother something so badly then mother him, not me! Besides, you clearly think he is worth protecting!" He turned and stomped ahead.
She inhaled deeply and watched him go. After breathing out, she looked at Bill over her shoulder and gestured for him to follow as she continued as well.
Bill snorted. "What is that, your husband?"
"Oh, dear no," Rose replied. "We are only close friends. I have no king as of yet."
"I know," he muttered. "I was just joking."
"Really? How do you know such a thing?"
"I know lots of things. I can even see some things in the future."
"Like what?"
"Like your exact time and date of death," he said rather bluntly.
Rose only looked mildly curious. "Is that so?"
"Yeah. And it ain't pretty."
"Do not heed what he tells you, Rose," Ghost said from the front of the group. "It is true that he can see such things for most, but it is also true that he is a known liar." He did not feel comfortable with the idea that Rose, an immortal, had a date of death marked for her. No. Surely Cipher was lying and attempting to either frighten or entrance them.
"I see," Rose mused.
Bill glanced at her curiously. "…Aren't you at all bothered by knowing that you'll die? Or do you not believe me like he doesn't?"
"I am not sure if I believe you," she admitted. "But if it is true…" She thought for a moment. "Tell me then, will I have a child before I die?"
He stared blankly at her. "Yes. But what does that matter? You just want to pass on your genetics before you're gone?"
She giggled. "No, child. That is not why."
He looked offended. "I am not a child! I am older than most universes!"
"Really? Well, you certainly seem like a child to me."
He was stunned by her audacity.
She smirked then continued. "The reason is just that I have always wanted a dragonling of my own. If I would at least get to see them before I am to die, then I would at least die happy."
He seemed to have recovered from his shock and annoyance. "Then you'll be leaving an orphan behind. You're happy with that?"
"Ah, so the father will die as well? Hm… Ghost? If I am truly to die, then will you raise my offspring for me?"
"Stop humoring him, Rose!"
She smiled back at Bill. "That's a yes."
As they continued, they made a wide arch and entered a nearby forest. Smaller shadows tended to linger in packs and hide around dark places like forests and caves, but with the powerful Thunder Bird patrolling the skies nearby, the forest was a safer bet. A pack of smaller shadows not yet fed by negativity would be much easier to fend off than one giant shadow that had obtained so much power it learned to harness an element. The larger shadows were notorious for being the most devastating.
Upon entering the forest, Rose began gathering up certain herbs and plants to treat Bill's wound. Once she had decided that she had all she needed, she insisted that they stop for a few minutes, despite Ghost's complaints. She took a rounded stone and used it to grind some of the plants together on a thick, broad leaf until they had formed into a yellowish pulp. Then, she took one herb and burnt it to ash, then mixed the ashes into the pulp and it began to give off a smell like burning cedar.
"All right," she said as she brought the poultice over to Bill. "It will sting at first."
He stared down at it, keeping his wound guarded from her. "I'm supposed to just let you put some mysterious goop into my wound? How do I know you're not trying to make it worse?"
"I thought you could see into the future?" she teased.
He snorted. "I said I know lots of things, not everything."
"Oh please." She rolled her eyes. "You really are a child."
"Stop calling me that!"
"Then stop acting like one!"
He flinched.
"Now," she said. "Turn and let me apply this medicine so it does not become infected. We've already waited long enough."
He eyed her for a long moment before grudgingly turning to expose the wound. As soon as she had placed the poultice into the wound, an unpleasant tingling, stinging sensation coursed through his side like thousands of tiny needles jabbing into him. He clenched his teeth and tensed, sinking his claws into the soil but enduring the uncomfortable feeling without a sound. He had felt far worse before. Besides, it had only lasted a few seconds before the feeling was replaced by a comfortable coolness.
"Good," Rose said as she discarded the leaf. She touched the tip of her tail to the wound's edge and began to heal it, carapace and all. "That will take care of any potential infection so long as it did not go too deep. Now we'll just close it up. Since the chitin is not as thick right here, I can heal it without leaving any trace of a wound."
"Hurry up," Ghost demanded from several yards away. "We need to reach the ravine at the edge of the Dry Sea before night."
"Do not rush me!" Rose snapped and he fell silent.
"You've got moxie, lady," Bill said. "I like it."
"There." She removed her tail and stood up. "Now we may go."
Ghost only snorted and got up to lead the way.
…
The Enchiridion flipped a page, skipping ahead.
…
It was dark out now and the three dragons had taken shelter in a cave carved into the side of a large ravine. Ghost was sitting guard at the entrance while Rose lay beside an orange fire watching Bill trying to work out how to escape his magical bindings.
"Is it true," she asked after a while, "that you destroyed your home dimension?"
"Yeah," he replied without looking up from what he was doing. "What of it?"
"You managed to do that all on your own?"
"Yes," he said firmly. "I didn't need any help. I don't need anyone."
Rose tilted her head to the side, confused by that additional statement. "All right. But why?"
He stopped and looked at her. "Huh?"
"Why did you slaughter your kind and destroy your home?"
"Oh that… Because those bastards deserved it, that's why!"
She flinched at his sudden shouting. "Did they now? How so?"
He snarled and turned back to messing with the magical chains on his wrists. "That whole place and all its people were one big shitshow. In that world, if you were born with or showed even the tiniest shred of empathy, you were attacked and treated worse than dirt! And guess what I had, lucky me."
"A pet duck?"
"Very funny," he growled.
"It sounds like an awful place," Rose sympathized.
"Yeah. Sure. If you consider your own family treating you like shit and attacking you for fun awful, then yeah."
"So you sought and obtained power so you could make up for what you lacked and destroy it all," she mused.
"That's right!"
"Then, are you happy now?"
"Happy!? No, I'm not happy!" he spat. "All of that suffering and work only to end up stuck under the foot of that big bastard everyone calls Ragnarok! And more suffering!"
"You are not the only one suffering under Ragnarok."
"Yeah, well I don't care about anyone else." He finally gave up on the chains and plopped himself onto the cave floor with a huff. "Caring about or trusting others only gets you hurt worse. It just leads to more trouble. Love, friendship, family… Ha! It's all a lie. A big joke!"
"A lack of love and caring is what caused Ragnarok to become who he is today," Rose said absently. "…I wonder if he is too far gone to reach?" She seemed to be thinking out loud to herself now.
"Too much love and caring are what gets you killed."
"A meaningful demise in my eyes," she replied.
"Pfft." He laid his head down on the cold stone floor and turned away from her.
Sometime in the early morning light, Bill lifted his head at the sound of a faint song echoing from somewhere deeper in the cave. He looked at Ghost sitting at the entrance, then looked back at the cave behind him. The fire had gone out and Rose was not anywhere to be seen. He sat there for a minute, debating, before lifting himself and moving quietly further into the darkness.
Luckily, he could see in the dark. He ended up locating a network of caverns that trailed out in different directions. Perhaps some earth element dragons had once called this place home, or maybe some other large tunneling creature of Telmak? He listened and followed the trailing voice, knowing he was going the right way as it grew nearer.
Finally, he found himself in a big, round room at the end of the tunnel where Rose was sitting in a shaft of morning light peaking in through the cracked ceiling. He stopped in mid step and stared at her, listening.
"Hush nowww, my little one, close your eyes and dream. Waltzing through waves, of starliiit seas. The stars are shining bright. There's no nee-eed to cry, while spirits whisper words, of a sweet ollld lullaby.
Hush nowww, my little one, all may not be gold. But there's nooo need to hide, from shadowwws in the cold. For I aaam by your side. And when the oceaaan meets the sky, and the waves beeecome the wind, you'll hear thiiis lullaby.
When darkness begins to lie, there's a light that will ca-atch your eye. And just know that this light, shining bright in-n the night, it's true, is me looking aa-after you. The light in the dark, is my aching heart, sending all of my lo-ove to you.
Hush nowww, my little one, all may not be gold. But there's nooo need to hide, from shadowwws in the cold. For I aaam by your side. And when the oceaaan meets the sky, and the waves beeecome the wind. you'll hear thiiis lullaby.
Yes, you'll hear my lull-labyyyyy…"
"Oh," Rose glanced over her shoulder as Bill placed his paw down. "Good morning to you."
"Never heard that song before," he said.
"Neither have I. I just made it up, after all. Ah, we should be getting back. Ghost will want to leave soon."
…
The book flipped another page.
…
The trio of dragons had been making their way through the ravine, around and over carved out ledges and boulders, for likely a few hours now. Ghost halted suddenly and lifted his head.
"What's wrong?" Rose asked.
"We are not alone," he said.
They heard the sounds of creaking stones above them and looked up to see a large dark mass pushing against something on a ledge high above them. Ghost reacted quickly and shouldered Rose out of the way as an avalanche of huge boulders and debris tumbled loudly down upon them.
"Ghost!" Rose called through the dust and coughed.
"I'm fine but…" he called back from the other side of the blockade. He growled. "My wing is crushed and I cannot get out!"
"We'll come to you!"
Before she could step foot upon the rubble, a huge dark beast jumped down from the ledge above and landed hard on its hooves atop the pile of boulders. It straightened itself up and leered down at them with glowing yellow eyes.
The shadow had taken the appearance of a large minotaur with an armored head and a pair of thick, curled horns like a ram. It had no cheeks, leaving its teeth exposed, and a row of large pointed spines was protruding from its back. It bellowed a roar at them.
Rose gasped and ran out of the way as it jumped down in an attempt to crush her with its hoofed feet.
The shadow watched her run off and up a slope, then it turned to the yellow dragon standing before it. With the bellow of an angry bull, it charged at him, head lowered.
Bill went to blast fire at it only to be reminded that his chains prevented him from doing so. He was too close to the incoming shadow to dodge it, so he braced himself for the impact. After the shadow had rammed and thrown him, Bill scrambled to his paws and flapped his wings hard, lifting himself high above the Minotaur before it could reach him again.
The shadow stared up at him, shaking its head and snorting angrily at the loss of its prey. Then, it turned to where the pink dragon was crawling over boulders along the opposite ledge and began to make its way over to her instead.
Bill landed at the top of the ravine and peered down to watch. The shadow was big and burly but could move surprisingly quick. It had nearly caught up to Rose already but was slowed a bit by the boulders it had to knock out of its way in its pursuit. Rose had formed her wings and was beginning to take off when the Minotaur used its horns to throw a boulder that knocked her off the side of the ledge.
The shadow skidded to a halt at the edge and stared down at her. Upon realizing that she was still alive as she struggled to her paws, it determined that it could jump down to her without injuring itself and did just that. The Minotaur leapt from the ledge and landed behind her. Its weight caused the ground to crack a little under its hooves.
Bill gritted his teeth. Why were fairy dragons cursed with that stupid passiveness? Thinking it over quickly, he flapped his wings once and launched himself from the top of the ravine.
The shadow was so focused on Rose that it was completely caught off guard when Bill tackled it. With a surprised roar, it lost its balance and fell backwards, hitting its back hard against the rock wall of the ravine. Hardly bothered by this, it grabbed the dragon with its hands and tried to wrestle the flailing beast to the ground. But Bill was more equipped with natural weaponry and used all four paws and the hooked thumb claws on his wings to tear into the Minotaur's shadowy hide.
The shadow bellowed and roared loudly at him as it tried to get a proper hold on him. It grabbed him by the throat like one would restrain a serpent and stomped its foot down on his lashing tail. Unfortunately for it, it did not have enough limbs to prevent Bill kicking and clawing. And it did not have enough armor to protect its torso from the deep gashes it was receiving.
Desperate and furious, the shadow lifted the dragon and slammed him down on the rocky ground, but Bill's chitin scales protected him from the impact so he merely felt a bit of pressure rather than actual pain. He wasn't even winded. In this position, he managed to twist himself onto his paws and thrust himself up so that the triangular spikes along his spine pierced into the shadow. Then, he pulled himself forward and ripped the spikes through the shadow's body as he escaped it.
Having sustained so much physical damage, the shadow fell over, its body torn and shredded. Bill turned on it and brought his teeth down on its neck. With a bull-like roar and crunching sound, the shadow jerked, went stiff, then faded away into wisps.
"Stupid thing," Bill muttered darkly.
"Bill."
"What?" He snapped but relaxed after realizing that it was only Rose.
"You saved me," she said. "Thank you."
"Yeah, well… Don't mention it."
"Are you injured?"
"No."
"Good." She hurried away to where Ghost was waiting. "Please come help me free Ghost!"
It was apparent that Ghost had been struggling to pull his wing free of the boulders. His left wing was twisted, torn, and bleeding. "What happened?" he demanded.
"Bill destroyed the shadow," Rose told him. "He saved me."
"What? Are you hurt?"
"A bit sore from being hit by a boulder and falling down a ledge, but I'll be fine. I've experienced worse pain. Bill," she gestured for him to come over.
Without a word, Bill pressed his shoulder against the rubble and hefted it as much as he could. It was just enough for Ghost to pull himself free before they had to jump out of the way as the boulders shifted.
Rose looked over Ghost's wing. "Let me fix your wing first. Then we can look for water before heading into that desert."
"Fine by me," he breathed.
They found a small source of fresh water trickling out from a thin crack at the base of the wall. The water had collected into a hole in the ground that appeared as if something had scooped out a chunk of the rock a long time ago.
"I thought you did not care about others," Rose said as Ghost bent down to drink from the tiny pool. She looked at Bill. "So, why did you help me?"
He snorted. "Didn't I tell you not to mention it?"
"You have no right to speak to me that way, child," she retaliated firmly.
He snarled and shot her a glare. "Stop calling me that!"
"Then stop acting like it! You want to be treated like an adult and respected, then behave in a manner that warrants it. Now stop baring your fangs at me!"
He lashed his tail angrily but forced himself to stop snarling.
Ghost lifted his mouth from the water to speak. "You could have just left the two of us to die and saved yourself the trouble. If I would have died, the spell would have been broken and you would no longer be bound."
"I know that!"
"Well then?" Rose tilted her head.
He growled and turned away from them. "I don't know why!"
Neither of them pestered him any further about it. Instead, Ghost looked to Rose and said, "It will take the better part of two days to get through the Dry Sea. We should reach the Great Plains by evening tomorrow."
…
The Enchiridion flipped through a couple of pages again.
…
"So," Gaia said as she towered over the trio, "you are the one who calls himself Cipher?"
"Well, I don't normally look like this, but yeah. That's me."
She was sitting tall in her throne carved into the tether tree's base. Perched on and all around the exposed roots were many different types of dragons. All of which watched Bill closely, some curious while others leered contemptuously.
"Ragnarok's beta…" Gaia mused aloud.
All of the watching dragons hissed and whispered amongst themselves but did not look away. They did not trust him, even with his bindings. They fell silent again as Ghost spoke up to Gaia.
"Mother Gaia. We witnessed him struck down by the Thunder Bird over at the south-western coast. I intended to leave him perish, but Rose insisted otherwise… So, we have brought him to you for your judgment."
"Ghost," she said calmly. "I am in no right to judge an outsider who does not live by our laws."
His tail twitched. "But he came to Telmak with ill intent. If he is released, he will most certainly make our situation worse!" Several onlookers called out their agreement. "You have every right to judge anyone who enters this world with foul intent. We should kill him!"
"Hey," Bill growled. "If it wasn't for me, then your precious friend here would be a plant by now!"
"Be silent," Ghost hissed.
"I won't be silent when you're discussing killing me!"
"Ghost," Gaia interrupted. "Is this true?"
Ghost did not reply, so Rose stepped forward instead. "Yes, Mother Gaia. It is true. The Minotaur shadow had apparently made its way into the ravine just outside of the Dry Sea. It attacked us. Ghost was trapped under a rockslide it had caused, and I had been stricken out of the air. I am certain that I would have perished if Bill had not stepped in and destroyed the Minotaur."
A rush of surprised whispers picked up around them from the onlooking dragons. Gaia stared down at the trio carefully, displaying no visible emotion as she thought it through. "I see," she said at last. "Cipher is free to go –" an uproar began but was swiftly quelled when Gaia spread her wings and yelled, "Quiet! He is free to go after this war with the shadows is resolved, as I cannot risk opening any portals with so many shadows about. In the meantime," she set her piercing gaze upon Bill, "he will remain bound by Ghost's seal and under supervision during his stay."
"I don't need a babysitter!" he said.
She ignored his remark. "No one is to harm, or attempt to harm him unless he openly attacks one of our own or causes trouble. Do I make myself clear?"
There was silence. No one protested, though it was clear by their expressions that many wanted to.
"Good," Gaia said firmly. "Rose. Since you are the one who chose to defend him, you will be the one responsible for him and any actions he may take. Understood?"
She bowed. "Yes, Mother Gaia."
"Flora. You will act as an additional supervisor. Ulric. You will remain with them to protect Rose and Flora and to enforce my will upon Cipher if necessary."
Flora joined by Rose's side along with a large male dragon. He was almost completely covered with thick, fur-like gray feathers, but his face and underbelly were all covered with snowy scales. He had a wolfish face and pointed ears to match. His top fangs were long and stuck out from his mouth. Bill had expected the male to be contemptuous like the rest but was a bit surprised when the dragon nodded in polite greeting to him.
"Rose, Flora, Ulric," Gaia said. "I need you all to go to the village northeast of here. Check for survivors and bring them here."
The three dragons bowed before turning to leave. As he passed Bill, Ulric gestured with his tail for him to follow.
…
"Why doesn't she go herself?" Bill muttered. "I mean, sure, I would make others do everything for me too if I didn't enjoy getting to do it myself. But seriously."
"Mother Gaia…must remain at the tether tree," Flora told him as they walked. "It is the target of the shadows…it seems. So, she remains there…using her magic…to hold a barrier and protect the tree. But…it will not hold forever."
"As more dragons die," Rose took over, "Telmak loses more and more of its magic. Gaia is directly connected to Telmak via the tree. So, as Telmak grows weaker, so does she."
"Necronire is growing weaker," he said. "It's dying. But Ragnarok only gets stronger, not weaker."
"That is a very different situation."
"Really? How so?"
"We're 'ere," Ulric called from the front.
They joined him at the top of the hill and peered down at the little village in the valley below. It did not appear to have any occupants and the buildings were looking very dilapidated and destroyed.
"Let's go down." Ulric led the way down the hill towards the village. "Careful yeh don' wander too far. Might still 'ave shadows about."
"There are so many new plants…" Flora said sadly.
The homes were burned and collapsed but nearly completely covered with overgrowth. From large patches of flowers to multiple species of trees. The diversity of plant species and locations of growth were clearly not intentionally placed.
Bill stopped to peer into a house that was nearly intact, though it was blackened with ash. A large shady oak tree was centered inside and seemed to have burst out through the roof. At its base, hiding beneath its shade, were two random lilies growing close together. He lowered head to duck under a fallen beam and entered the home. A mother dragon and her two offspring, it seemed.
As he was about to turn and leave, he heard a quiet sniffling sound and stepped carefully around the tree to find a tiny dragonling curled up behind it. It must have been only a yearling at most.
Upon noticing him, the dragonling bounded over to him and pressed itself against his arm. He stared down at it, surprised, then realized that it must believe him to be another dragon. He seemed unsure of what to do as he stood there and stared down at it, head tilted slightly to the side with mild curiosity.
"Cipher! Where are yeh?" Ulric called from somewhere outside.
Bill stepped out of the house and rejoined the others.
"Oh," Ulric said. "There yeh are. What were yeh –" He stopped and stared in surprise at the tiny green dragonling huddled between Bill's forepaws. "Ah. I see."
"Hello there, little one," Rose said softly.
Bill gently pressed the back of one of his forepaws against the dragonling's backside and slid him over to Rose. "Here. You take him."
She curled her tail around the baby as he nestled himself against her flank. "Poor little thing. You're not alone anymore."
"I could not find…any others," Flora reported as she rejoined the group.
Suddenly, a loud screech echoed through the valley and the dragonling squealed with fright and huddled closer to Rose. A giant shadow passed over them and they looked up to see the Thunder Bird.
"Not that bastard again…" Bill grunted.
"Got a bone to pick wit' that one, yeah?" Ulric asked.
Bill looked at him.
"Well then, think we stand a chance if we have a go at 'im?"
Bill glanced up at the giant bird as it turned in the air to head for them. He grinned with a growl. "Yeah… Let's tear it apart."
The two male dragons took off in the air to meet the Thunder Bird while Rose and Flora quickly ushered the dragonling to safety. As they neared it, the shadow screeched and shot a bolt of lightning from its beak at them. They dodged away from it in opposite directions and the bird passed them with a woosh. The Thunder Bird flew up in an arch and turned to chase after Bill.
"Recognize me, huh you bastard?"
Bill caught sight of a gray blur off to the side and quickly changed direction to fly towards it. Too big to turn on a dime like him, the bird had to catch itself in the air and flap its wings several times to right itself as it turned after him. Bill glanced back to see the distance between them and grinned as it got closer and closer to him.
Suddenly, the gray blur had returned and Ulric had swooped past them in the opposite direction. As he passed the bird, he breathed out a powerful frost that stiffened and froze the feathers on its left wing, causing the shadow to lose its balance. As it began flapping its wings to stay in the air, Bill flew up and around and divebombed it in the back of its neck with all the force he could muster. The bird bellowed and jerked downward, then fell as Ulric copied Bill's action and landed between the shadow's shoulders.
Stunned and half frozen solid, the Thunder Bird fell to the earth and landed with a loud crash that threw dirt and chunks of ground into the air. The two dragons landed lightly on the ground in front of it, several yards away.
As it tried to lift itself up, green sparks began to dance along its beak and it stared at them with wild fury. As it went to send the bolt out, a giant pointed pillar of ice fell from the sky and pierced the bird's back. With a screech, it threw its head back and began to electrocute itself violently for a long time until it fell limp and faded away, leaving only the ice and a very large bird-shaped impression in the soil.
…
The book flipped several more pages.
…
"This is all of them, Great Mother," a dragon said to Gaia.
She stared down at the nine Amaranths lying before her. The bubble-like barrier around the area had significantly decreased in size and hundreds, maybe thousands of shadows were fighting dragons outside of it.
"It won't work without all ten," Rose said from Gaia's side. "We need a Crystal Amaranth to complete the collection and summon the power of light."
"How are we supposed to get one?" another fairy dragon asked. "They only grow in Necronire and we cannot access that place. At least, not without risking letting Ragnarok through."
"Mother Gaia!" Ghost came rushing over. "Sullivan and Ulric have just fallen!"
Gaia closed her eyes and breathed in slowly.
Bill turned to look at them from where he was sitting, perched atop a large root and watching the battle taking place. "None of you can get there," he said, "but I can."
They looked at him.
"Well, I mean, I could." He tapped a claw to the collar around his neck. "But not without my magic."
"You?" Ghost eyed him.
"Yeah. I could get there, nab one of those flowers, then get back here real quick and easy like."
"We're supposed to trust you?" Another dragon snarled. "How do we know you won't just abandon us. Or worse! You could bring more trouble or even Ragnarok!"
"Relax tough guy. I got here through the tether trees' connected roots using a special kind of magic that only my kind has. Well, only I have, I mean. I couldn't bring anyone with me if I wanted to, but a flower? That's easy."
"We can't trust him, Mother Gaia!"
"Looks like you don't have much of a choice," Bill said with a shrug.
"For what it's worth, Great Mother," Rose said, "I trust him."
"As do I," Ghost said.
Bill looked surprised.
"With your permission, Gaia?"
She nodded and Ghost went over to Bill. With a flash of his emerald eyes, the magical bindings on Bill's neck and wrists shattered and disappeared. There was a long moment where Bill and Ghost stared at each other with unreadable expressions before Bill stood up.
"All right then. I'll be back soon." He vanished in the blink of an eye.
When Bill returned sometime later, he was sporting a deep bleeding gash torn into his chitin chest and his wings were torn to bloody shreds. He placed the prism-like flower down with the other Amaranths then limped over to lay beside one of the tether tree's roots.
"What happened to you?" Rose hurried over to him, looking incredibly worried.
"The Master isn't too pleased with me right now," he huffed. "But I'll be fine…"
As she set to healing his wounds, Gaia took the Amaranths and used her magic on them. They floated up into the air, forming a circle, and began to spin faster and faster as a rainbow of light engulfed them and surrounded Gaia. The barrier vanished and at the very same moment, the light burst out in all directions, burning away the shadows and passing harmlessly over the dragons.
…
The Enchiridion flipped pages once more.
…
"Are you really going to return to Necronire?" Rose asked. "Right now?"
"I have to go back sometime," Bill replied.
"No. You could stay here in Telmak. You would be treated so much better. And the dragons view you as a hero."
He laughed. "I'm far from that! …If I don't go back then he'll send more trouble to this world to look for me. Thanks for the offer, but I've got plans anyway."
"I see… Well then, perhaps one day you might meet my offspring. Then the two of you could be friends."
"I doubt that." He turned to leave but paused a moment and said, "But if I do meet them… I'll be sure to at least try."
She smiled softly. "Goodbye, Bill. I do not think you and I will ever meet again."
"No. We won't. Goodbye, Rose, and…thanks."
…
Bill sat in his usual spot at the big round window in Amy's room. The light in the room was off but the increasing nighttime darkness did nothing to stop the soft glow of the Full Moon Amaranth sitting high up in the paper dragon's mouth.
Bill had gone downstairs earlier but stopped halfway upon hearing Ford questioning Amy about her reasons behind agreeing to the deal. Bill himself had been expecting her to have been using him or have some kind of ulterior motive but her reaction to the idea when Ford mentioned it had surprised him. He felt odd about it. Something he had never felt before and he couldn't figure out what exactly it was. It made him feel almost anxious, relieved, and excited all at the same time. When Dionysus had brought up the idea of using the Enchiridion to see Bill help the dragons all those years ago, he decided to go back upstairs without a word. He had never actually told Amy that he knew her mother.
The door opened and he looked over at Amy as she entered the room, yawning.
"You're up late," he muttered.
"Not for long," she said and made her way over to the bed. "Why didn't you ever tell me you knew my mom?"
"…It never came up."
"Mm." She climbed into bed and, to his surprise, did not ask any more questions.
After a few minutes, he got up and went over to the bed, leaning forward to look at her in the dark. She had already fallen asleep. He thought of entering her dreams just because he wanted to hear her talk more but decided against it. Instead, he quietly climbed into the bed with her and laid down beside her to watch her sleep.
He had never had to try very hard to get along with Amy, though sometimes they had their disagreements. He suddenly found himself wondering what Rose would think of his inner thoughts about Amy… She'd probably be delighted.
To be continued…
Man that was a long one! Much longer than I usually do lol. Yeah! We got to learn a little bit more about Bill and his inner conflict. A later chapter explains more on this. We also got to see more of Amy's mom, Rose, and what kind of person she was!