Dragon Wings -- Ch. 30

Chapter Thirty

"Here."

Cial looked up dully as one of the guards thrust a dead deer towards him. "The Commander ordered this taken to you," The guard explained unhappily, then turned and exited the small cave.

Cial hadn't eaten since the day before, so he should have been hungry. He stared dully at the meat, his stomach turning at the thought of food. He didn't want to eat. He wanted to curl up in a corner and forget who he was, and what was going on, and every rebellious emotion that was making his chest ache with each heartbeat.

There was a flurry of conversation at the front of Cial's cell, and he stiffened. He sighed in relief as Lilac walked inside, ducking under the cave's low entrance and coming to sit beside him.

"Sorry," She murmured as she sat down. "I tried to tell them to let you out of here, but they're still convinced that you're dangerous."

Cial grunted in response.

Lilac sat in silence for a few moments, then turned to him. "…Are you doing okay?"

He heaved a sigh, not wanting Lilac to see how upset he really was. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. It's just… scary, you know?"

"Yeah." She agreed softly. They sat in silence for a few minutes, alone in their thoughts. "You should eat," She finally advised him, motioning towards the deer. Cial took a few reluctant bites.

Still feeling sick, he sat back up and licked his mouth clean. "I can't believe this. Kohari was wrong."

Lilac shook her head. "No, he wasn't. He might not have known about the whole Dark Leader thing, Cial, but I still think he was right. He believed that you are a good dragon, and that you are here to help us… I think so too."

Cial managed a smile. "Thanks, but I'm not sure Garen believes us."

"He better." Said Lilac, her eyes hardening. "We really need these dragons in the Army."

"Mmm." Cial stared blankly at the cave's wall, without quite seeing it. "There's some things I don't understand, though… who is Exaiyen's master? And who was that dragon in the Fleet of Rock Lakes? Garen explained some things, but I don't think we have the whole picture here."

"Maybe that dragon who died was from here," Lilac suggested thoughtfully.

"I don't know. He was obviously able to do incredible magic, when he stopped himself from bleeding. These guys are good fighters, but I could sense that none of them were magicians." Cial sighed. "I still don't know what's going on."

"Hey, it's okay." Lilac said, moving closer to him. "We never knew what was going on before. We just have to keep doing the right thing, and hope it works out in the end."

Cial looked up to reply, but he suddenly forgot his words as he realized how close Lilac was. He blushed suddenly, and looked away to hide it. "I… I…"

"Hey!" A voice suddenly called, and Cial jumped away from Lilac. One of the guards stuck his head into the cave. "You two are wanted by Leader Garen. I believe the council has come to their decision."

Still blushing, Cial waited until both Lilac and the guard had exited before he followed suit. The sun was sinking beyond the mountains, and the sky had turned pink and gray to mark it's descent. It had taken Garen's council the whole day to debate the issue, and Cial was conscious of all the time that was passing. If the Fleet of Fighters had decided to help them, they would have to leave as soon as possible. Otherwise they wouldn't arrive in time.

Garen was in the center of the Clearing to meet them, with a small group of elderly dragons behind him.

"We have come to a decision!" Garen called, silencing the already quiet crowd. Cial looked around at all the dragons, most of them strong and battle-scarred, each one of them staring with rapt attention at their Leader. "I have discussed the issue at great length with the trusted dragons of the council, and we have decided that, in the light of past occurrences, we will not be aiding Cial's army."

"What!?" Cial yelled, but the rest of the Fleet was murmuring in agreement. "How can you do this? It's not just me you're ignoring, it's five other Fleets of dragons! By refusing to help, you kill them all!"

"The decision is final," Garen said unsympathetically. "I'm sorry, Cial, but we cannot help you."

The ground seemed to fall away under Cial's feet. Kohari had been wrong again! "But… but…"

"Garen, please!" Lilac called out. "If not for Cial, then for me! We really need-"

"You will be escorted out of the territory tomorrow morning." The Leader told them. "And you will be guarded during the night, so please don't try anything."

Cial could only stare in dismay as Garen turned away. Was that it? Could this really be over?

"I have something to say," A frail, rasping voice spoke up from behind Garen. One of the elders limped forward, surveying the crowd with heavy-lidded red eyes. His scales bore many ancient scars, and almost all the colour had faded from them, leaving his form drab and colourless before the orange-gold of Garen's scales.

But Garen bowed to the old dragon, and took several steps back. Cial tentatively stretched out his consciousness and felt a stab of pure, fiery power coming from the elder. He stared. Magic!

"With all due respect," The elder began, "The Fleet of Fighters does not speak for me and my organization. I believe that our council may have a different opinion than what has been decided here."

Garen seemed dumbfounded. "Sir… I thought that the Protectors had even more reason to distrust this dragon. He-"

"Though you pretend," The elder rumbled angrily, "You do not know everything that is going on here, Garen. Trust me when I say, we have as much reason to believe Jalen then we do to disbelieve him."

Cial flinched as the old dragon openly insulted the Leader. Wasn't Garen going to do something?

"Of course, sir. I didn't mean to undermine your organization. You may do as you wish." Garen's apology was tinged with nervousness, and Cial thought he saw a glint of fear in his acid-green eyes as he bowed once again. Cial shifted his gaze back to the strange elder, wondering who he could be. He was startled to find that the elder was staring directly at him.

"I will notify some of our members through magic about this development." The elder announced, his voice ringing with authority as he turned away from Cial. "Then, Jalen and his friend shall be escorted to our base. Do you have a problem with that, Leader Garen?"

"N-no." The mighty leader shook his head.

"Very well." The elder stared into the distance for a moment, concentrating. Cial felt a huge burst of magic explode from his aura, disappearing into the distance like a shockwave. Using magic that great would have left Cial senseless, but the elder showed no signs of exhaustion. "It is done." He said. "Our escort should be here shortly."

The great crowd of Fighters was starting to look nervous, and Garen stood taller. "The meeting is adjourned!" He announced, watching as the great crowd slowly dissipated.

Cial could not take his eyes off of the strange elder. How could he use such incredible magic? He doubted even Kohari could do something like that without collapsing. He was reminded of the dying dragon, the one in the Fleet of Stone Lakes. He had been able to use amazing magic as well. Were the two events connected somehow?

"Lilac," He whispered, but she seemed to be in deep conversation with one of the other elders from the council. Lilac was edging away, but the elder was going on and on about how revered the Seers were, and how fortunate he was to meet one.

Cial was about to turn back and return to his cave, when he noticed that the powerful elder was coming right towards him. Cial's assigned guards normally warned off anyone who came too close, but they parted for the elder, almost unconsciously. The old dragon was by no means physically impressive, but he gave off an incredible aura of power, something it seemed that even ordinary dragons could sense.

"Greetings, Jalen." The elder rasped. "My name is Zahur. It is an honour that you have finally returned to us."

Cial dipped his head, then looked up curiously at Zahur. "What do you mean? This is the first time I've been here."

Zahur stared at him. "Not the first time. Come along, and bring your Seer friend. We should wait at the territory's edge."

With that cryptic statement, Zahur turned and began to wade through the thinning masses of dragons. Cial called Lilac, and followed the elder until the three of them were standing at the edge of the grassy clearing.

Cial breathed in, relishing the crisp mountain air. It was purer than the air he was used to; these mountains were so much rockier and taller than the ones he had grown up around. The mountains themselves were spread out before them like gigantic, filled-out evergreen trees. Lilac, too, was enjoying the scenery, though it's beauty seemed lost on Zahur, who simply stared with a blank, disinterested expression.

Maybe twenty minutes had passed before Cial could pick out the tiny shapes of dragons in the distance. They arrived quickly, and swooped down for a landing. Cial was again shocked by the quantity of power seeping forth from them, though none of their auras were a match for Zahur's.

"Greetings, friends." Zahur offered. The others returned his greeting, shooting curious glances at Cial and Lilac as they did. Cial looked away, hoping desperately that none of them would notice who he was. Would they react the same way as the Fleet of Fighters? Furthermore, who were these dragons?

"Let us go." Zahur stepped forward and spread his wings, which were surprisingly muscular for a dragon his age. "Oh, and Cylan, please help out our wingless friend here."

Cylan looked up, his aura spiking with power. Cial suddenly gasped as his body became weightless, and he floated about a tail-length above the ground. He scrabbled at the air with his claws, trying to get a balance, and yelping as he started to drift to the side.

The other dragons didn't seem particularly concerned about his welfare, though Lilac was eying him with worry. Feeling embarrassed, Cial took a deep breath and pushed forward with his legs, like he was swimming. He glided forward, his stomach lurching at the strange sensation. If this was what it was like to fly, he preferred running!

Zahur took the lead, and the little squad leapt into the air. Cial followed as best he could, feeling ridiculous as he paddled at the air. Luckily, he was soon able to find a good technique, and fell into a constant rhythm. He swallowed as the ground dropped away below him. Keep your eyes ahead of you… He told himself, focusing on the blue-scaled tail of the dragon in front of him.

The flight was only about fifteen minutes long, but it seemed like an eternity before they finally touched down on hard earth. Cial let out a relieved sigh as he felt the magic lift away from him.

Their flight had taken them through many of the mountains, and they now stood near the edge of a huge canyon. Cial peered forward, but couldn't see the bottom from his current position. He probably didn't want to.

"This way, Cial!" Lilac called to him. He turned the other way to see that the group of dragons was disappearing into a nearby cave, hidden at the base of one of the mountains. Cial shot the cliff one last apprehensive look, then hurried to follow the others.

The passageway was long and winding, but very well lit. Cial looked around for a light source before he realized that magic was creating the sunlight, much like it had in the Fleet of Diamond Tears' waterfall hideout. The faint tingle of magic in the air was evidence enough of that. Cial's curiosity grew more and more unbearable as they progressed downward, and he struggled to derive anything from the dragons Zahur had summoned. They looked normal enough, aside from their magical power, and seemed to be pretty young.

The tunnel suddenly ended, and Cial gasped at what was revealed. They were standing on a cliff-side that overlooked a huge valley. The valley was filled with green, broad-leafed trees, long grass, and ponds… It was so filled with life, it seemed bright and overbearing after only seeing stone for so long. There were a lot of dragons flying around as well. Cial could tell that this Fleet, if it was a Fleet, was not very big, but they had the most beautiful Clearing he had ever seen.

"What is this place?" Lilac murmured, looking out over the valley.

"This is our base," One of the younger dragons in their group boasted. "The base of the Protectors. It is-"

Zahur silenced him with a red-eyed glare. "… I had meant to explain everything gradually, but yes, we are the group of dragons known as the Protectors. We are linked to the Fleet of Fighters, but we are a separate entity with our own will."

"The Protectors?" Cial repeated. "What does that mean? Are you a Fleet?"

Zahur shook his head, and began to descend from the cliff. Cial looked closer and discovered a long, winding trail of rock, that had likely been carved out with magic. "We are not a Fleet." The elder explained as they walked. "We are the guardians of the Fleets, their Protectors. It is our job to observe them and help them when they are in trouble. By what Garen has told us about your predicament, the western Fleets seem to be in trouble right now." Zahur's voice remained impassive throughout the entire speech, but his words sent a thrill of hope through Cial. Maybe they would be able to get some Fighters! There weren't many Protectors, but they all had such incredible auras of power that Cial had no doubt that they would be an excellent addition to the Great Army.

"What did you mean when you said that I'd been here before?" Cial asked absentmindedly as they reached the bottom of the ramp, and he picked his way through the sticks and rocks that littered the ground.

Several of the dragons in their group exchanged glances, but Zahur seemed willing enough to talk about it. "You wouldn't remember it, of course. You only spent your time in the egg as well as a few weeks of your life here."

Cial blinked. "What? I was born here?" But that would mean…

"Yes, your parents were Protectors. Well, your father was at least." Cial looked around, surveying the area with new eyes. His parents had lived here! But why had they left? What had lead to the terrible murder in the mountains to the far west, to the attack that had been the loss of his wings? Cial's pulse sped up with anger as he remembered that it was Exaiyen who had done it. But that was only a dream, wasn't it? He hadn't really thought about it until now, only accepted Exaiyen's guilt as truth… could he really have relived a memory from when he was only a hatchling today, in his dreams?

Cial opened his mouth, questions bubbling to the top of his mind, but Zahur cut him off. "Don't worry. All of your questions will be answered soon enough. There is someone I wish for you to meet…"