Esmeralda of Dracosia: Chapter 21
Chapter 21
The more Esmeralda came closer to him, the more Nymaul looked like a thunderous volcano. Fire erupted from his maw, distilling into the air and filling it with bits of grey ash. Every time he flapped his four wings or stomped his feet, the landscape shook in a small earthquake that disoriented dragons left and right. His massive, clubbed tail swung dangerously and threatened to overturn the rock spires around him. A group of Shade Stingers suddenly tumbled from a mountain face. Nymaul swiveled his massive black head in their direction, and Esmeralda could see his eyes glowing red with something that was either rage or glee. Both were equally frightening.
Aurora flew to Esmeralda’s side, wheezing out some of the thick ash that spiraled around them and stung their eyes. As the Wyvern struggled against the wind, Esmeralda began to see just how old her teacher was. Even with the pearl-colored magic that clung to Aurora’s wings, the elder seemed more fragile with each passing moment. The torrents of heat that radiated in the air did not help either.
“Aurora?” called Esmeralda, one eye on the Nightmare Dragon.
“I’m fine!” the elder snapped. Her expression showed pure determination. “Do not concern yourself with me, young one. You should be finding a plan—or at least something remotely similar to one.”
“I—I’ve got a plan!” Esmeralda lied.
Aurora gave her an ‘I know you better than that’ look, smiling softly. However, Esmeralda noticed something else in the old dragon’s eyes.
“Aurora, I—“
“Left!”
Esmeralda instinctively swerved, and nearly ran into a Shade Stinger.
“Must I even say it?”
“Yes, yes, my other left!” Esmeralda huffed, smiling despite herself.
“I do worry for your future in following cardinal directions,” laughed Aurora.
However, the strange, almost regretful look returned to her usually bright eyes, dimming them slightly.
They flew in an uncomfortable silence for a time, the great expanse of Nymaul’s shadowy form nearly upon them. Esmeralda wanted to say something, anything, to her mentor, but the words had escaped her ash-dry throat. Aurora seemed to have the same problem, opening her mouth and then closing it again as if she was about to speak. Finally, however, the reddish brown dragon broke the silence.
“Esmeralda?” Aurora asked in a surprisingly quiet voice.
Esmeralda nodded for her to continue.
“I…good luck, my friend,” Aurora said, not making eye contact. “Be strong, as you always are. I have faith in you.”
As Aurora turned to smile once more at Esmeralda, the younger dragon thought for a moment that the words sounded almost like…a goodbye. But before she had time to dwell on it, her attention was snapped to Nymaul.
His unfaltering stare bore into them as his mouth slowly grew into a toothy smile.
The black dragon gave a short chuckle of amusement, spreading his huge wings into the sky. Patches of light filtered through numerous holes worn into the ancient membrane.
“Well, well, if it isn’t our old playmate,” he crooned. “You overlooked my advice, I see. For shame.”
“I am not alone this time, Nymaul!” retorted Esmeralda.
Nymaul humphed. “Oh, yes. We mustn’t forget the old tortoise. Such strong reinforcements; I’m so scared.”
“And you have every right to be,” growled Aurora.
“Yes….well, I’m sure that you want to make one last futile attempt at saving yourselves,” Nymaul sighed. “I’ll tell you what, how about I give you a head start?” With that, Nymaul spread his wings farther, nearly blotting out the sky. “Your move, Magic Wielders.”
Never had Esmeralda felt so small. She and Aurora were dwarfed in comparison to the wall of shadow that was Nymaul. The more she stared, the more Esmeralda wished she had never left her island. She couldn’t do this. Great Dragon, what had she been thinking?
In her moment of stalling, she hadn’t noticed Aurora shoot forward until it was too late. In an impressive burst of white energy, the Wyvern’s wings alighted in a blinding spell. Nymaul hissed and shook his head, obviously not expecting that much power. Aurora was just beginning, however. White-hot fire roared from her mouth as she spiraled up and down with angelic grace. Tinges of blue, green, purple and gold shimmered off the magic of her wings, sparking into flame that smoldered towards Nymaul. His massive jaws snapped just meters away from the elder’s tail, but his jagged teeth always missed their target. Aurora darted over his black scales like a dragonfly skimming over water. One can see them, but never touch them.
The Nightmare Dragon’s form was large, but slow; a weakness, realized Esmeralda. A weakness. He wasn’t invincible. There was still a chance.
The attack by Aurora showed centuries of practiced ease, but one thing worried Esmeralda. Aurora was attacking with too much force. Why she was making such a careless mistake, Esmeralda did not know, but the younger dragon had to do something immediately. Snapping out of her shock, she rushed forward. Her wings beating as fast as possible, Esmeralda had to warn her teacher before—
SMACK!
Esmeralda’s heart stopped.
Aurora’s limp body hurtled towards the jagged ground, only to be swallowed by churning waves of shadow-mist.
“NO!”
Her own shout was deft to her ears.
Nymaul shook his head as if to get rid of a fly. He coughed out a cloud of thick smoke before his glowing eyes slid open once more.
“You see?” his growl shook the ground. “I admit you are formidable. But in the end, even the great must fall. Loved ones lie. Trust evaporates. The ones closest to you are never there when you need them most. You aspire to stop me? To fight for a lost cause? As did my brother, once long ago. He never understood anything. I was the one destined to be leader. I was to rule Dracosia! And he and my father robbed me of that dream. Now you are alone, hovering in solitude above a sea of shade as your friends fall all around you. The disappointment and struggling that once filled me now is apparent in you. And as for your teacher….well. She won’t be helping you any longer.”
Esmeralda clenched her teeth as tears welled in her eyes. She would not accept this. Aurora could not be gone; Esmeralda wouldn’t allow it. As thunder cracked in the dull sky, the emerald dragon’s pupils silted and she let out a fearsome roar that rivaled Orion’s. Anger and denial caused her wings to ignite in an inferno of gold fire. Her emotions blinded her as she dove towards the depths of Nymaul’s shadowy form. The giant’s eyes grew even brighter as fire began to light in his throat. In a gigantic explosion, the flame jetted from his mouth straight towards Esmeralda. The young dragon closed her eyes as the heat engulfed her.
* * *
A soft breeze woke Esmeralda.
She sneezed a small cloud of smoke, shaking her head and looking around. To her surprise, a grey tinted forest surrounded her. The unique smell of rain blew through the rustling trees, the cloudy sky providing shade to life below. The grass was cool beneath her feet; a comforting feeling in contrast to the inferno she had just faced. However, something wasn’t right. The trees, plants, everything was far too tall. Esmeralda herself felt strange; her heart beat faster, her head could not keep a coherent thought for long, and she felt smaller than ever.
“H-hello?” she called, then froze. Her voice had come out in a small chirp, a sound only chicks made. Eyes widening, she scrambled to a nearby stream and gazed into the rippling water. She gasped. She was a chick. But, that was impossible. She was a full-grown dragon, wasn’t she? Doubt filled her little head. I…was. She tried to convince herself. I was older. I could fight. I…..had friends. Right? Right? The little emerald chick sniffled, pulling her wings in tight. That couldn’t have been her. Little Esmeralda was too small to do anything useful. The version of herself that she had dreamed of was just that: a fantasy. A whole adventure; a whole life of who she could have been; how could she have even believed for a second that it was real? She wasn’t a hero. She didn’t even have friends, other than—
“Esmeralda?”
Her mother.
“Mother!” the little chick chirped. “I just had the coolest dream!”
“Did you, now?” smiled Stelleona, nuzzling her daughter as Esmeralda snuggled against her warm white scales.
“Yes! I had a bunch of friends, and I knew magic! And I could fight, and breathe fire, and do loop-de-loops, and and and…” Esmeralda rambled on as she hopped alongside her mother.
They walked on for a while, the clouds getting thicker in the sky. Esmeralda jumped as thunder rumbled in the distance. “Are we there yeeeet?” she whined, scuttling closer to her mother.
Stelleona looked around quickly, worry hinted in her features. “Almost, my sweet.
Almost.”
Stelleona hadn’t told Esmeralda why they were constantly moving, other than “It’s safer this way”. But the little chick had shrugged it off. What could get them out here? And besides, Stelleona had said that they were going to live on an island. What fun!
Suddenly, a great cracking filled the air, and Esmeralda was blinded by a wall of white scales. After a few moments of terror, Stelleona gradually stopped shielding Esmeralda with her wings. A large tree had fallen right in their path, flattening the grass. The little dragon gasped.
“Woah.”
Stelleona was breathing heavily. She quickly looked down at her daughter, then at the tree, then at the surrounding forest.
Esmeralda cocked her head. “Mother?”
Stelleona didn’t seem to hear her. The white dragon’s sky-blue eyes flickered across each and every shadow, until something caught her eye. She froze.
“Mother?” Esmeralda repeated, worry painting her words.
“Esmeralda, Love, you must get out of here.”
“Why?”
“Go.”
“Mother—”
Stelleona grabbed Esmeralda by the scruff of her neck and tossed her gently over the tree. The chick landed with an “oof!”
Over the great oaken trunk, Esmeralda could make out Stelleona’s angular head swiveling around, teeth bared in a snarl. All jovial thoughts were instantly swept from Esmeralda’s mind.
The trees rustled again, and at first Esmeralda believed it to just be wind. Until something moved in the shadows.
Stelleona roared, sending a blaze of fire over the attackers. Esmeralda squeaked and huddled by the tree. She made herself as small as possible, hoping to blend with the grass beneath her as her mother fought whatever was attacking. It had to be some sort of monster or other creature. A bear, maybe? Stelleona always warned Esmeralda of the large furry creatures that ate misbehaving chicks in one gulp. It had to be a bear.
A sharp cry of pain sailed over the trunk of the tree. Esmeralda held her breath, but the cry soon returned. The cry of her mother.
Something slammed against the other end of the tree. Fearing the worst, the little dragon made a desperate chirp for her mother. No replay other than low hissing came. She chirped again.
“Go….” came the raspy voice of Stelleona.
Terror began to fill Esmeralda as the wind rustled the trees around her.
“Flee to the island, my sweet! GO!”
“MOTHER!”
The hissing drowned out all other sounds. Esmeralda looked around and around, turning in circles as she tumbled through the forest. She was so confused that her thoughts became incoherent. Her instincts took hold, sights and sounds blurring into a flurry of sensations.
Flying, falling, tumbling and running.
Fear, confusion, sadness, loss.
Trees. Thunder. Rain.
Darkness.
Esmeralda let out a cry as the ground gave way under her. Wind whistled past her, and in the distance something like continuous thunder rumbled. The ocean. She had run off a cliff. Pupils slitting, Esmeralda beat her small wings furiously as the ground grew closer still. She had to fly. She had to be like the dragon from her dream. With a labored roar, the little chick pulled upwards with all her force.
Wind and rain hit her full an as she just barely missed the sea. The storm tossed her high into the air and flung her down again, as if she were a leaf-plaything. Over the grey ocean grumbling below her, Esmeralda tediously made her way to the island. Go too low and she would drown. Go to high, the lightning would get her. Heart pounded in her chest, she became so distracted by these thoughts that she did not notice the giant storm cloud ahead until it was too late.
Water vapor surrounded Esmeralda as her vision disappeared. To her horror, she felt her body begin to bend in strange ways. She roared as her limbs stretched out and her horns and claws grew to points. Her body became agile with toned features. Her neck and tail stretched longer as her muscles filled out. The emerald dragon roared again, revealing growing adult teeth. Even Esmeralda’s scales darkened from a light forest green to a deep, powerful emerald color. She tumbled from the cloud a grown dragon.
Swallowing hard, the disoriented dragon tried to make sense of her surroundings once more. A soupy mixture of soft colors surrounded her. Silver-green grass blew gently at her feet, cool mist creating dew droplets on the blades. A feeling of serenity hung in the air that Esmeralda breathed, and finally, her thoughts became clearer.
“I….this isn’t real…” she muttered aloud.
“Well, not by your standards,” came a soft voice.
Esmeralda looked up to see the starry form of her mother walking towards her. The white dragon’s movements were slow but graceful, as if she moved through honey.
“That was a memory, wasn’t it?” Esmeralda said, glancing behind her own shoulder. “Everything that happened, the battle, Nymaul……Aurora……it’s still happening?”
Stelleona nodded. “Yes.”
Esmeralda studied her mother with regret. The older dragon’s scales were slightly transparent, and small specks of light flickered off the rims of her wings. It was almost as if her spirit had a silver lining. She was beautiful; a picture of what used to be; but she should not have met a fate such as this. If only Esmeralda had just turned and fought…..
“You know that’s not what would have happened, my sweet,” said the shimmering dragon, reading her daughter’s thoughts.
“But I left you!” Esmeralda protested. “And now I’ve left them. Where am I? What happened?” Realization dawned on the emerald dragon. “Am I dead?”
Stelleona chuckled. “No. Right now you rest at a crossroad. Nymaul will win if you continue to lose yourself in emotion, and that is what he wants you to do. To become so frustrated that you become careless. Not only that, but he wants someone to share his feeling of betrayal. You do not feel like this, of course?”
Esmeralda’s eyes widened. “Of course not! It’s just…why did Aurora do something so foolish? She could be d—hurt. She could be hurt. And, Nymaul was right when he said loved ones can’t always be there.”
Stelleona stared deep into her daughter’s amber eyes. “Esmeralda,” she began. “Loved ones can’t always be there physically. We know that. This is why it is our duty to make sure that you are prepared for when you must go off on your own. Inevitably everything dies. But before then, we are here to guide you and help you to see what is true. Aurora was trying to buy you time before...” The white dragon looked down.
“Before what?” Esmeralda pressed.
Stelleona sighed. “The point, my love, is that neither I nor Aurora have betrayed you, nor can we take your responsibility into our own claws. You must be the one to choose the outcome of this day. Use what you have learned, Esmeralda and know this; I will never abandon you.”
“You’ve been here all this time,” whispered the emerald dragon, “but I still don’t know how I can do this.”
“Nymaul will wreck this land, Esmeralda. In time, I’m sure you’ll know what to do. I love you.” With that, the white dragon faded into the landscape, leaving Esmeralda alone.
“Wait!” she called. “What do I do now? I—” Suddenly, something dawned on her.
Oh, her clever mother.
Esmeralda took a deep breath of the sweet scented air, and spoke into the mist, “I’m ready.”
* * *
Heat blasted below her as Nymaul’s flames roared past. The black dragon’s eyes widened slightly as noticed Esmeralda appear out of nowhere, but he soon recovered.
“Teleportation is an interesting trick, but I doubt it will save your friends,” he said, his deep voice oddly smooth.
“Then it’s a good thing that it’s not my plan!” Esmeralda retorted back. Her wings grew brighter as she ascended into the ashen sky. “You know, your dream self doesn’t do you justice. You’re a bit of a letdown, face-to-face.”
“WHAT!?!” he roared in anger. His eyes glowed dangerously.
“You heard me!” Esmeralda taunted. “But of course, you’re all talk, no fight.”
“You infernal—”
“If you think you’re so great, come and get me!” Esmeralda wasn’t quite sure where her courage had come from, but she did know one thing: her friends were in danger. She had to help them with everything she had. Besides, she wasn’t alone in facing Nymaul anymore. In fact, she had never truly been alone in the first place. Ever since she was a little chick fleeing for her life, the spirit of her mother had always been beside her, silently guiding her through her life. Now, it was her turn to be the guardian. Even if she didn’t make it out of this alive, she had to stop the shadows before her friends met a terrible fate.
The whole ground shook as Nymaul spread his wings to their full extent. Mountain spires crumbled around his feet. Half of a giant mountain fell in an avalanche as his tail swung and bashed it. The behemoth made an ear-splitting roar, shaking the land as he leapt into the air. His four giant wings beat in unison, propelling him into the air with the unstoppable momentum of a glacier. The entire army below fell under his shadow.
“I knew you were foolish, Magic Wielder,” he growled. “I didn’t know that you were mad!”
Esmeralda responded by hurtling a giant ball of magic at Nymaul. He easily deflected it with a powerful blast of his wings. The Nightmare Dragon went on the offensive next, sending tendrils of dark smog whistling towards the smaller dragon. Esmeralda locked her wings together and focused. Just as the tendrils were about to hit her, a force field of her energy surrounded her to repel the smoke. Nymaul blew another bout of fire, but Esmeralda spiraled out of the way and charged at the black dragon once more. This time, however, she flew over his head and lashed above his eyes.
“GGGAAAHHH!” he shouted in frustration.
Esmeralda continued to fly over his back, avoiding spikes and delivering blows when she could. Her confidence grew with each strike that angered the Nightmare Dragon. However, Esmeralda’s attack suddenly stalled as she looked ahead. Nymaul’s tail whipped upwards into the sky, spikes turned straight towards the magic wielder. “No no no, can’t stop, can’t stop!” Esmeralda muttered as her momentum changed from an ally to a curse. Her mind grasped for what she could do, until a memory came rushing back. With all her might, Esmeralda swung herself away from the mass of black scales, shouting triumphantly, “OTHER LEFT!”
Nymaul whirled around, snarling as another of Esmeralda’s golden flame balls smacked him in the face. Esmeralda maneuvered in the air to prepare for another attack, but something ice cold grabbed her from behind. Esmeralda felt her limbs being covered with slick black tendrils as one of Nymaul’s magic bursts tried to engulf her. Desperate, Esmeralda let herself freefall to the ground as the dark magic crept all around her body and under her armor. Esmeralda zeroed in on the point of a sharp peak below, and forced her own magic energy into her armor. The emerald dragon counted down in her head as the spike grew ever-closer.
5, 4, 3, 2, NOW!
Esmeralda flipped upwards as the spire tore part of her armor from her chest, causing it to clatter to the ground. Some of the shadow mist followed it, while the rest shattered along with the rest of Esmeralda’s armor. Pain flared from where Esmeralda had magically destroyed her armor, but she knew it had been her only choice. So far as she could gather, the tendrils had been attracted to her magic, which she had collected in the silver metal.
As Esmeralda felt her energy growing weaker, she shot back into the sky. This was it. She had delayed and taunted for long enough. Great Dragon, let this not be the end, she prayed as she yet again faced Nymaul.
The black dragon hissed at her. “Honestly!” he roared in exasperation. “How many times must I say this? There is no hope. You have no way to victory. All you have done is anger me; nothing more. The shadows will take this land and turn others into dust. I will finally have Dracosia under my control. It. Is. OVER!”
“And that could not be farther from the truth!” Esmeralda roared in reply. “It took me far too long to realize that your words are manipulations. You believe that your family betrayed you by doing what was fair and best for the safety of Dracosia. I believe that mine have guided me even in times of confusion and unfairness. Your father was just trying to prepare you for the responsibility of being Leader, and because you failed—”
“I DID NOT FAIL!” Nymaul shrieked furiously, sparks dancing just inside his mouth. He beat his wings faster as he advanced on Esmeralda, failing to notice the strange distortion of air forming around them. “He told me winner took all, altering the rules for is precious younger son when he knew that I was stronger! Focused! Determined!”
“Did it even occur to you to help those dragons as Arulam did?”
“My brother,” spat Nymaul, “if I should even give him such a title, was soft; easily distracted by their phony cries for help. None of them cared about me, and why should they have? ‘Love’ and ‘family’ are words I no longer know. Those pathetic dragons couldn’t see the real power they were snuffing until it was too late!”
“Those shining lights can help shape who we are, Nymaul! They prepare us for the day we must part and care for us even if you are too blinded by your own selfishness to see it. I was a fool to have listened to you.”
“At least that we can agree on.”
With that, Nymaul ushered a torrent of shadow mist up and around him, until his form grew so large that it nearly surrounded Esmeralda. But little known to Nymaul, was that Esmeralda was surrounding him. A bubble of nearly translucent gold energy had been forming around the two dragons ever since Esmeralda had returned. Now, it lay fortified like the outer case of a geode. There was only one more step, now. Esmeralda closed her eyes and centered herself, slowing the beating of her heart and wings.
The words of Stelleona washed over her clearing mind: “In time, I’m sure you’ll know what to do”.
Time.
Her first and most powerful spell.
Esmeralda listened to the steady roar of battle around her, as well as the thunder in the sky. She toned her ears, finding the heartbeat of nature existing around her. She murmured,
“Nature’s rhythm clears a way,
From the snowflake’s fractals to the wind-blown rain.
Find this rhythm in Thou heart,
And Thou will be the same!”
Esmeralda’s eyes snapped open, glowing gold with her wings and her bubble of magic. Nymaul’s form moved slower and slower, his jaws wide and his teeth only meters away from Esmeralda’s body. With one final grunt, Esmeralda flapped her wings inward, and the bubble began to implode.
“You and me, Nymaul,” her voice echoed.
“To the end.”
* * *
Author’s Note:
Oh, Great Dragon, we’re almost to the finish! One more chapter after this :). You can find the previous chapters of this story by checking out the iGlobe Archive at the top of the screen. Once there, you can either click on the “O” beside my name for chapters 1—12, or click directly on my name for chapters 13—current. Thank you!
~Christina Relich