Chapter 25
Premonition
"Wh-What?" Moon heard herself say.
"Miss, Kratos and the rest of the HarroWings have been dead for over five thousand years," Nasir said. "Extinct, gone, forgotten."
"But how is that possible? It doesn't make sense."
"Look, when Darkstalker came along, he took over our history. You're holding the last, and only remaining record of the HarroWings."
"No, this can't be happening."
"What are you talking about?"
"He must have used Animus Magic to make himself immortal."
"Who? Kratos? I mean, of course he had Animus Magic, like every other tribe. But what does that have to do with immortality? I don't understand what you mean."
Moon stared at the pages, her heart beating out of her chest. There was Kratos, king of the HarroWings, still alive even after all these years. It didn't make sense, nothing made sense anymore. Staring into the eyes of that monster felt as if he himself were staring back at her. A great fear struck Moon's soul, and the book slipped out of her hands. The spine snapped, and the pages scattered.
"What is wrong with you?" Nasir demanded after a moment of shock.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Moon said, and ran off.
"Get back here!"
Ignoring his roar, Moon soared out the door, shooting past the sea monsters, and heading towards Pyrrhia. She clutched her head, breathing heavily, her mind spiraling in all directions. Kratos is dead, Kratos is dead, she repeated. This couldn't be happening, this was all one big nightmare. She needed to wake up, and when she did she would be back home, back at the Academy. Her friends would be there, waiting for her, happy and alive. That's all she wanted, that's all she asked for. Forget Kratos, forget the murders, forget all of this ever happened.
Moon screamed at a stinging pain she hadn't felt in a long time. It stayed in place, like an arrow driven through her skull, causing her ears to ring. She lost control of her body, and started falling. There was the beach below, coming to meet her as images flashed. She flapped her wings, and at least they broke her fall. Moon was convulsing, shaking like a leaf in a storm, her eyes rolling backwards, foaming at the mouth. The images came faster, then voices were heard, growing louder by the second.
Moon gasped, and was transported to a mountain pass. She was on the ground, panting, digging her claws into the dirt. The air was drenched in ashes, embers taking flight high above, and screaming pounded in her ears. She lifted her head, and there was a dragon, at least what was left of him. His eyes were wide in terror, reaching an arm forward while weeping in agony. A long trail of blood followed behind, because he was bleeding from an open torso. His wings, and body from the chest down were clawed off, a trail of innards spilling with every movement.
Moon yelped and backed up against the dirt. Before she knew it, a spear drove into the dragon's head. With blood pooling from his mouth, the dragon fell in defeat. Moon gazed up in horror at a HarroWing. His eyes were purple and wore silver armor; his claws and chest were painted with blood, with veins and bones between his teeth, and organs wrapped around his neck like a sick necklace.
When his eyes fell on Moon's, she couldn't help but cry out and beg.
A bellowing roar rose in the air, echoing throughout the land, causing everything to fall silent. Moon craned her neck, finding the setting sun shining down on a dragon, standing atop the hill with his arms folded. An army's wail reached the clouds, and following the sound, Moon saw SkyWings, SandWings, Night and Ice, standing beside one another, all led by their respective queens.
The Queen of the SkyWings stepped forward and announced, "Kratos the Pitiless, we will no longer stand for your tyranny. Surrender your kingdom, and blood will not have to be drawn."
Kratos stood firm, half of his army gazing at him, the other half swinging organs to mock their enemy. The king pointed a claw, and the army roared. They charged as fast as they could, clashing with the enemy before they had time to react. Kratos leaped from the hill and landed with a boom. He walked forward, his golden crown glistening in the sunlight. His strikes were quick and unexpected, with no sign of hesitation. His attacks were unpredictable, using different attacks with every soldier he came across. His fire was red, and scourged every scale and burned through every armor it touched.
Before long the battlefield was ablaze, and Moon took flight to avoid the fire. She found Kratos confronting the SkyWing Queen. She was no match, and Kratos threw blood to the dirt in less than a minute. The Queen of the NightWings aided her, raining fire down on the HarroWing. With the flames holding Kratos down, a few soldiers were able to attack the king. They threw everything they had, claws, spears, talons, all their training pitted against this one dragon.
To Kratos' surprise, he found himself on the ground, burning alive. His cape was a wildfire, his crown was melting on his head, and for once the king of the HarroWings let out a wail of agony.
No time was wasted when Kratos' army fought off the soldiers, and helped their king to take flight. The retreat caused a few HarroWings to follow suit, leaving the rest of the army to fight back. Even with their profound strength, they fell to the ground in defeat - no one was left alive.
Moon followed Kratos and his men back to the mountains, diving into a cave. They soared through darkness, then they came across torches, presenting a room of carnage. Bones and rotted corpses lay at every step, with flies relentlessly feasting on whatever was left.
"The treasury, open it," Kratos ordered, and a soldier unlocked a door.
Stepping inside was as if Moon walked into the sun. Mountains of gold lay on either side, but ahead of her was the grand prize. A boulder lay in the center of the room, with dark blue crystals encrusted around.
"Sire, the enemy has found us," a soldier informed. "We need to evacuate."
"No," Kratos said, stepping forward. He was grunting, limping, fighting against the crown that was liquefying on his head. "We must fight back, the future of the kingdom depends on it." He touched the crystal, and fell to his knees.
"Your Majesty, we don't have time," said the general. "Forget the crystals, we need to-"
Before the general could finish, Kratos spun, driving his claw into his stomach. The soldiers gasped and jumped back. Moon nearly screamed, and watched Kratos tear the stomach out of the general. He fell to the ground, soundless and bleeding.
"None of you will question my authority," Kratos snarled. "This is my kingdom, my power. Ever since this meteorite hit Jade Mountain, we have never been so powerful."
"Animus Magic has brought us nothing more than pain and dismay," a young soldier pleaded.
"Silence," Kratos roared. "If you wish to keep your head, I suggest you do as I say. These crystals may take a piece of our soul, but there is no gift greater than this." He pulled a crystal from the rock, and they ran out.
They met eyes with the Night and IceWing queens, their soldiers standing behind.
"On my mark," said the Queen of NightWings.
The dragons raised their spears, built fire in their mouths, the room going quiet.
Moon stood by, watching the battle unfold, and heard Kratos say, "You may take this power, and you may take this kingdom, but you will never take my soul."
He opened his mouth, and ate the crystal, right as the queen gave the order. The room erupted in fire and screams; through the smoke, a spear was driven through Kratos' chest. The last thing Moon saw was the painting of him, and his wife above the doorway.
The smoke engulfed the noise, surrounding Moon in a sulfuric fog. A slight breeze brushed past her scales, taking the smoke with it. Moon found herself in a hut, well crafted and built to perfection. Looking out the window she could see the ocean. Moon turned her head to find Kratos sitting at the table. He displayed no emotion on his face, staring at the briefcase sitting before him, tapping his claws against the wood. He looked out the window, then back at the table.
Suddenly, wing beats were heard. Shuffling outside, then the door creaked open. Jerboa stepped inside, and gasped, dropping the net of fish on the floor.
Kratos glanced at the flailing bodies, then said with a wave of his claw, "Have a seat, 'sister.'"
Moon was equally surprised. Seeing as she couldn't do anything however, she sat down, watching the conversation unfold.
Hesitantly, Jerboa sat down at the table, meeting eyes with the HarroWing.
"It doesn't matter to me if you do not recognize my face," Kratos said. "You and I both know how terrible the first attempt went."
Jerboa gulped, her eyes going wide. "Three moons, how are you here?"
"I remembered."
"What?"
"Did you honestly think my memory would be erased? That I would live for one hundred years, convincing myself this new personality is the face of my soul? Once you enchanted that scroll to bring your memories back, it brought mine back. I found it."
"Found what?"
"My cave, my kingdom, it's still there after all these years." Kratos leaned forward, resting his arm on the table. "I found the bones, the gold, all except for me."
Jerboa looked him up and down. "You're crazy. What are you even talking about?"
"Your mother wanted to keep you but get rid of me, is that why she brought me back to life?"
Jerboa stared at him, glancing at the briefcase.
Moon didn't realize her heart was racing. She took a deep breath, attempting to accept all of this.
"I guess so," Jerboa replied with a sigh. "She could do anything she ever wanted, give me whatever I wanted."
"Because your creation was successful?" Kratos asked. "That's the thing about dragons, they all want power, control. Don't forget, Jerboa, my tribe was the first to hold that magic. Parents want the same thing. They love to fantasize about having dragonets, except I was a failed attempt, that is why she brought you to life."
"Because she thought using an ostrich egg was better than bringing someone back from the dead. She always destroyed me, and built me from the ground up again and again, but not with you."
"Oh, but Jerboa, she did. She erased my memory, pulled my soul out of Fate's grasp, transformed me into a SandWing, and told me I was adopted. I'm sure you are familiar with living your life more than once, but to be brainwashed into someone else, that is where the evil lies. When the magic started to wear off, and I changed back into a HarroWing, she sold me, because Fate refused to take me back."
Jerboa glared, not taking her eyes off the briefcase. "Maybe it was for the better."
"You could say that same thing about yourself," Kratos said.
They locked eyes, silence overtaking the hut. Moon wrapped her tail around herself, taking deep breath after deep breath.
Jerboa looked around, her eyes frantic.
"You seem troubled," Kratos said.
"Where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"The scroll, what did you do with it?"
Kratos stared at her, then rolled in the code on his briefcase. He paused for a moment, staring at the name, then unlocked the case. "Tell me something," Kratos said, "when you remembered everything your mother did to you, were you happy to retrieve your memory?"
Jerboa was taken aback. "What kind of question is that? My mother was a monster. I have lived through death hundreds of times before, what difference does it make that you kill me?"
"Because you all take life for granted, you take magic for granted. Every tribe strives to be the strongest, the superior, but we HarroWings appreciate what we have, even with our malicious nature. I did not come here to kill you, I came here to thank you."
Jerboa and Moon shared the same confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
Kratos removed the scroll from the case. "I find it baffling, rather impossible, that you could enchant a candleholder to house every form of Animus Magic in the world, then ultimately get rid of it by shattering the object. However, I cannot have this scroll in the claws of another dragon. Yet, my rage towards your mother still burns."
"Well, you're too late, she's dead."
Kratos placed a claw on the table. "I know, and you cannot live with the revelation either."
Jerboa paused, the air going still.
Moon was frozen, confusion and terror running inside her mind.
Kratos held the scroll to her, presenting the writing, When I snap this in half, Jerboa III will reveal her true self - this spell is irreversible.
Kratos held the scroll in both hands, and snapped it in two.
A sudden pain drove into Jerboa, causing her to lurch forward and lose her breath. She started convulsing, putting a hand to her chest, and screamed. She looked at Kratos with shock, who stared back at her with patience. Jerboa stood, and tried to thrash a claw, but the agony made her fall.
"Stop," Moon screamed, even though it wouldn't do her any good.
Jerboa was shaking like a leaf, and before her eyes, Moon watched her scales peel from her body. Her torso had lost scales from the neck down to the right leg; the left foot was gone; all of her claws had been sliced off; a piece of her horn popped off; her face lost its scales and muscle, revealing the skull with a missing eye.
Jerboa turned on her side, gazing up at Kratos. Moon watched in horror as the SandWing convulsed, and after a long moment, was motionless.
Moon watched Kratos tear the scroll into pieces, and make his way to the door. He rested his arm on the doorway, then noticed the faulty wooden beams.
Before she saw it coming, a gust of wind blew in Moon's face. She woke up with a gasp, sitting up and panting. She found herself on the beach, the evening sun glaring in her eyes. She stood, eyes painted with dread. She stared at her claws, breathing through her snout, replacing her fear with bravery.
Gazing out to the landscape, Moon saw the division taking place, and knew what she had to do.