Esmeralda of Dracosia: Chapter 13 and 14
By: Christina Relich,
Staff Writer
Chapter 13
Pink!
Esmeralda’s eyes flicked open. A small stone laid on the ground right in front of her snout; one she had not seen there before. Suddenly, another stone came sailing into the sleeping chamber, hitting Esmeralda squarely on the nose.
“Ow!” she huffed, sending smoke from her nostrils as she shook her head.
“Who’s there?”
“Esmeralda?” came a whisper. Esmeralda held her breath; it was Orion’s
whisper.
The green dragon walked to the entrance of the cave and peeked downwards. There, directly below her, was indeed Orion. Around him, the Great Tree’s leaves were laden with moonlight, casting intricate shadows on the ground of branches. Between the leaves, stars peeked down at the two dragons.
“Orion, what are you doing? It’s the middle of the night!” Esmeralda whispered to him. “Have you not gotten enough of me since yesterday?”
Orion became greatly interested in the ground. “Ah, um…I…” Orion straightened himself into his familiar “I am the Leader of Dracosia, so listen to me” pose before continuing, “Esmeralda, I want to talk with you. And….I apologize for how sudden I was last evening. Now, come on.” With that, he began to walk away.
“Well, wait!” said Esmeralda, flapping down from her chamber to join him. “What do you mean, ‘come on’? Where are you going?”
Orion turned to her, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “I believe you mean ‘where are we going’, Esmeralda of Green Scales. As for the answer,” he leaned forwards to whisper in her ear, “that’s a secret.” With no further warning,
Orion flung himself into the midnight air. His powerful golden wings propelled him forward, sending him spiraling into the clouds.
Esmeralda waited no longer. She raced to join him, startling a flock of white sparrows who had roosted in the Tree for the night. Without words, the two sliced through the air like arrows, wisps of silver clouds sliding across their wings. Cold air filled their lungs, and they flew as one. Wings stretched out as far as they could go, they raced, dived, spun, and soared, letting the thrill of flying take over. Tonight, at this moment, nothing else mattered. All that existed now were the dragons and the sky; two of the most powerful forces the world could muster. Together they soared, letting out cries of pure joy.
It is said that when a dragon flies, when there is nothing holding it off the ground, nothing to hold it back, it is unstoppable. Shier power and might radiate off its scales, making for an awe-inspiring sight. But even more beautiful, they say, is the occasion in which two dragons dance. The pair twists around each other in complex loops, pairing each and every movement with perfect, mirrored balance. They fly with seemingly effortless grace, smoothly soaring as if they were underwater, instead of hundreds of feet in the air. Yet, there they are, defying gravity and preforming the ultimate show of passion for the other. Then, when none could ever expect anything greater, the pair freeze, and plummet towards the earth. As they spiral downwards, faster and faster, the male will stretch his wings out around the female; a sign of great protection in difficult times. Then, just as they are about to crash, the two pull up, spiral one last time, and let out jets of flame.
This is what happened as Esmeralda and Orion flew. She looked over to him once the dance was complete, and their eyes locked for several seconds. Esmeralda’s heart must have flown even higher than the emerald dragon herself.
* * *
They touched down in a patch of woods, Orion leading the way through the darkness of the shade. “Come,” he said quietly as they made their way through the trees. “It isn’t much further, now.”
Esmeralda was vaguely aware that Orion continued to brush against her as they went along, but, truth be told, she did not mind. She actually fancied it….until Orion bumped into a tree, causing her to bump into him forcefully. “Ow, Orion! Please watch where you’re going!” Esmeralda exclaimed.
“Sorry,” he apologized. “It’s just a bit hard to see in all this shadow. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Um, Esmeralda, if you wouldn’t mind, do you think you could turn up your wings?” Orion asked.
Esmeralda smiled. She lifted her wings, and their golden shine intensified until a bright glow surrounded the two dragons. “There. Now let’s go, Tree Boy,” Esmeralda teased.
Orion stared at her wings in wonder. “Ah…….ok—wait, Tree Boy?”
“I could have called you Sir I Hang My Mouth Open When I Like Someone, but that’s a bit of a mouthful, wouldn’t you agree?” Esmeralda replied, thoroughly enjoying Orion’s expression.
“I do not—oh, we’re wasting time! Come with me, please,” He said, starting off again. Esmeralda gingerly followed him. They walked for a little while longer, until Orion halted abruptly. “Dim your wings, Esmeralda; we’re here,” he whispered.
As soon as Esmeralda’s gold light faded, the whole forest illuminated with bioluminescent light. Flowers shimmered with colors that were nearly unimaginable. Trees shone with beads of light. Blues, purples, whites, greens, and every color in-between; the place was alive with them. A small reflecting pool shimmered with a rainbow of water lilies, and little silver and blue fish swam around just under the crystal clear surface. Willow trees with flickering leaves swayed lazily in the wind, adding to the surreal calmness of the tiny world. Even the moths were illuminated, their flowing wings and feathery antenna sparkling with specks of greens and blues. It was breathtakingly beautiful; perhaps even more so than the Cave of Pearls.
“This is the Pool of the Willows,” explained Orion.
“It’s beautiful!” Esmeralda whispered in awe.
Orion nodded. “Yes, indeed. My….father took me here once. He told me the stories of our past leaders as the sun set, and as the forest lit up the night, he told me that I would be one of them someday. That I would be even mightier than he.” Orion looked down. He sighed before continuing, “He sleeps among the stars, now.”
It was a while before either of them spoke. “My mother Stelleona is with him,” Esmeralda said, softly. “All we can do now is keep moving along. Maybe someday we’ll join them.”
Orion looked at her empathetically. “I agree.” He paused. “Stelleona…..is your mother?”
Esmeralda nodded. “Yes.”
“But that means...all this time—”
“My mother has been speaking with you in dreams.” Esmeralda smiled sadly. “It seems even then our lives have been intertwined.”
Orion stretched his great wing over Esmeralda. “Perhaps it should stay that way,” he murmured, leaning his head closer to her. Esmeralda found herself leaning, too. “There are a great many challenges that still lie ahead,” continued Orion, “and I’m not sure if I can handle them all alone. I’m going to need someone to lean on.”
“Will you let me lean on you, as well?” whispered Esmeralda.
“I think that can be arranged.” Orion closed the gap in-between them, nuzzling Esmeralda with much more passion than he had the first time. Esmeralda returned the motion, smiling as she felt his head press against hers. It was official: her heart had stopped beating normally. But with him here, his wing spread gently over her, their tails twining together, she felt safe. Whatever was about to happen, now they had each other. And nothing was going to change that.
Chapter 14
Esmeralda had never seen the Tree this busy. The Armor Makers were shaping lodes of armor, battle claws, and tail spikes; combat training was twice as difficult; and nearly every other dragon available was on patrol. It seemed like madness—well, that, plus the constant swarm of younger dragons pestering Esmeralda.
“Is he nice?”
“He must be like prince charming!”
“Forget all that, he’s just plain hot!”
“You’re soooooooo lucky, Esmeralda!”
“ENOUGH!” shouted Esmeralda over the noise of their voices. “I am not going to discuss this further. I don’t care what the guards said four days back; it’s none of your business!”
“Awwww…” they all said in unison.
Then, Geal walked up to the crowd of dragons and stood beside Esmeralda. “May I remind all of you that Esmeralda is the only true Magic Wielder at the Tree, and therefore has authority over all of you?” he growled. “Go now. Respect her wishes.” The younger dragons raced off as Geal shot smoke in their direction.
“Thanks,” said Esmeralda, sighing in relief.
“You’re welcome,” Geal nodded. “It helps when you’re intimidating, like me.”
“In your dreams,” smiled Esmeralda.
“Hey!” he shouted defensively. Then he shook his head. “Never mind. The real reason that I came is more important. It’s……….” He trailed off.
“What?”
Geal sighed, and if Esmeralda looked close, there was a tint of fear in his eyes. “Just— come with me. Someone has requested your presence.”
Esmeralda followed the black dragon down towards the base of the tree. There, in-between two of the massive roots, was an entrance way just wide enough for a single dragon to fit through. Two tough looking guards guarded the entrance. Geal nodded to them, and they nodded in response, letting him pass. Soon, they were walking down the dark passage, the tunnel getting darker and darker as they went. Finally, they reached a large chamber laden with bracken. The plants formed prison-like structures on the walls, and behind one of those prisons…
….was the most evil-looking creature Esmeralda had ever laid eyes upon.
“Behold the dragon of power so great,
Tell me, oh, tell me, does she yet know her fate?” hissed the snake-like creature.
“What…what is that thing?” asked Esmeralda in terror.
Geal’s expression was grim. “We know little of them, but we do know that they call themselves Shade Stingers. That, and they intend to destroy us.”
“What?!?”
An eerie laughter filled the chamber, and the creature stared at them with malevolence glinting in his yellow eyes.
“The dragon of black scales indeed speaks the truth:
All will soon fall, be them old; be them youth.
“The war soon approaches, the story it ends,
And nothing can save you, neither power, nor friends.”
Esmeralda felt her hope start to drain from her heart. Maybe it was just the creature’s presence, but a strange sense of foreboding was working its way into her mind. Just what was this creature talking about? “What have you brought me here for, Geal?” Esmeralda managed to say without trembling.
“The Shade Stinger said it had ‘something important to say to the one who holds Magic’. I think that means you,” answered Geal.
Esmeralda looked tentatively at the creature, then shut her eyes. Suck it up, Esmeralda, she told herself. This is not how to deal with fear! Gradually, she stepped towards the cage. With each step, however, the feeling of dread and hopelessness hung thicker and thicker in the air; the aura of the creature. Esmeralda drew in a deep breath. “Who are you? What are you planning?” she said as firmly as she could.
“You wish to know so much, so soon,
But the battle will come at the fullest of moons.
“When the stars are all hiding, when the owls cease their call,
At the peaks of Black Mountains, it begins with Nymaul.
“He will lead us to battle and the shadows will rise,
Engulfing all matter as this land meets demise.
“Tread carefully, dragon, with each move that you make,
For everything crumbles if you make one mistake!”
It took everything in Esmeralda’s willpower not to shake in her scales. What the creature had said about everything hinging on her choices, ‘everything crumbles if you make one mistake’; it was nearly too much. But Esmeralda needed to know more. “This Nymaul is your leader, yes? And he and those like you lie in the Black Mountains?”
“Your mind is sharp, and admirable, too,
But I shan’t tell you more; that’s all I’ll have of you!”
The creature lunged, and had it not been for the steel-enforced bracken, Esmeralda doubted she would still be standing. It hissed as it hit the barrier, but Esmeralda got the message. It was time to leave. “Come on, Geal,” she said. “I have a feeling that Orion would like to hear of this.”