Elemental Awakening

Chapter Thirteen

The caves were massive; the dragons could easily navigate them to their perches. The capital of the Dragon clan was housed inside the mountains and the volcanic basin. The capital was a structure much like the Cactus Paw central complex, except the Dragon maw was an open cave with houses and roads built on the floor. Few homes or buildings were built into the wall of the cave for fear of taxing the structural support of the massive cave system. The rest of the city spilled out into the volcanoes, and calderas that comprised the volcanic basin. Many of the volcanoes were extinct others were dormant, and others still were full of geysers, tar pits, and hot springs betraying their activity.

As the elementals walked into the city and were greeted by the occupants; dragons descended to look upon the vessels of the entire power of the elements. The most noticeable dragons to be present for the welcoming were the five queen dragons and their riders. They were glorious Claudagh towered over her rider Chime in all her incandescent splendor with the other queens. The Elementals were introduced to each of the queens in order of rank. Claudagh was first followed by Nix a gold dragon with her rider Sephanie, then Yeasus the color of a garnet with her rider Savanah, Pale Sun was a White dragon with silver tints on her wings and tail, her rider’s name was Summer. The Last and youngest dragon of only twelve years was Vesta she was a metallic blue like the giant tuna that Wendy used to pull out of the ocean with her grandparents, and her rider was Page a young woman of only twenty years.

Wendy was in awe of every little detail of the massive cave complex and the surrounding area. She grew up in the American mid-west and much of the landscape was familiar to her, the mountains looked like the Rockies, and geysers and hot springs reminded her of Yellow Stone National Park, and the massive caves that housed the dragons looked like the Carlsbad Caverns were opened to the sky. Out of place she was starting to feel home sick. The other elementals were setting a better example of adapting to their surroundings and their new home, but Wendy still missed something. At times the Water mistress thought of ways that she might manage to go back to Earth, or whatever you might call it, ‘hell this might be earth.’ She thought about why she was so misplaced in the fabric of reality.

The other elementals noticed that Wendy wasn’t paying much attention during the introductions, and made excuses to be placed in their temporary lodgings. The planning and preparations were scheduled for the following day. For tonight Ashfoot and Avensong would debrief the Queens on the attack that decimated the Cactus Paw people. Dankiyet whom had been at the Dragon Maw for a week now took Wendy to her apartments that she would be sharing with her housemates. Tomorrow more Cactus Paw would be arriving with them her friends.

It was expected that in a week the Nomads would join the rest of the displaced peoples of the dessert. The conferences wouldn’t wait for the advanced party from the Nomads, rather Cafune would come in on dragon back as soon as the rest of the council arrived. Dankiyet knew that Wendy needed some sleep. She would have to get the rest of the elementals ready for the meetings with the Dragons and the Council. Since she had been at the Dragon Maw for a week already she was able to become the liaison between the two tribes. Some people were trickling in daily before now because the Dragons and riders were ferrying the week, young, and elderly to the cave city as they could. Everyone was doing everything that they could to get to this semblance of safety.

“Thank you Dankiyet, and congratulations.” Wendy said as the new Shaman showed her to her new residence. “I know I’m tired, but there is so much going on it’s been getting hard for me to wrap my head around.” She sounded drawn tight, like a rope holding the world together.

“We are all tired my friend.” Dankiyet sighed. “It feels as though the Gods have been hidden from us. I have not felt their voice in my visions since the nightmares began. It feels like my mind has been poisoned. I’m sorry I do not mean to worry you. It feels good to speak with a friend again, and I admit I am taking advantage of your confidence.” The shaman smiled with relief.

“Well you’re going to just make me feel all pathetic with my problems.” Wendy laughed at herself to make Dankiyet feel better, but she didn’t really feel any better. “I’m going to try to sleep until dinner is ready, would you mind sending someone to get me when everyone is ready?” Wendy asked at last.

“Of course.” Dankiyet nodded as she stepped out of the apartments.

 All homes had doors in the Dragon Maw except for the barracks that the young-ling Dragon riders reside in. The young riders slept with their dragons on pallets on the floor so the young dragons could sleep with them. Wendy thought that it would be nice to be so close to another mind. “Oh well, let me see about that nap.” Wendy chose a room near the well, if she could wrap herself in her water cocoon she felt that she could relax. Why is it she only felt safe when she was in an environment that would kill anyone else? ‘Wouldn’t be able to keep a dragon in my crystal ball with me anyway’ she thought.

Seemingly, as soon as the water elemental closed her eyes there was a knock on the door to her room. “Mistress? We are serving dinner.” She could hear shuffling on the other side of the door. Resigning herself to suffer through another social obligation, she crawled out of her water sphere.

“I’ll be there in a bit.” Wendy sighed “Thank you.”

“I’m instructed to take you to the banquet mistress.” The attendant shuffled more in impatience.

“Fine.” It was clear that he wasn’t going to leave until he had his charge in care.

As Wendy opened the door she had a feeling that something was wrong. Her skin began to itch again, she felt nauseous. As she looked at the attendant she noticed that his skin was sallow and his hair had patches in places like he had gotten into a fight with a dog, more strange than his disheveled appearance was his left ear was the source of a trickle of blood.  “I’m sorry Mistress I’ve fought this for so long, I can’t anymore I’m not as strong as you need me to be.” The man was broken Wendy knew he didn’t want to do this, but she had no choice when he raised his weapon. She took her defense, first she cloaked herself in water, then she froze it like Sui taught her. The irregular club crashed into the ice ball. The man had a strength that his body did not possess alone. The ice fractured and splintered away in chunks.

Her shield was failing. Two, three blows and the puppet of the blue moon had a window into the ice that he could reach an arm into and grab her. “I don’t want to hurt you!” she screamed. “If you just let go I won’t have to hurt you!” desperate to protect a damaged life she tried to stall, maybe someone would hear the struggle, maybe someone would come to her aid so she wouldn’t have to kill this man.

No one came, and his twisted hand was wrapped in her hair. In panic she forced all the water out of his hand into his heart, over burdening his frail body, she sensed that the effort to capture her had already damaged his soft organs and cause his bones to splinter against the strain his muscles placed upon them. With the stress his heart exploded blood burst from his nose and mouth, Wendy flinched and reactively kept the ichor from splattering her face through the fracture in her ice stronghold.

As the man’s body crumpled to the floor, Wendy dropped to her knees sobbing. What is her life becoming? She was a monster, she disgusted herself. “Clean I’m not clean.” She brought her water around herself and started scrubbing her arms and face barehanded. She heated the water boiling herself and all uncleanliness away.

“Mistress!” A voice called out in alarm. One that Wendy hadn’t heard before. It alerted her. ‘Danger! I’m still in danger. There are more of them.’ Her ice prison was instantly around her before the new intruder could take her. Layers of ice built up around her an iceberg grew instantly and she was the frozen mammoth.

Muffled voiced filtered through the dense barrier words were indistinguishable, but she could feel the agitation, fear. Was that concern? Were those her friends? Did she have friends? ‘I’ll just go to sleep. This has to be a nightmare, maybe going to sleep will let me wake up.’ Slipping into unconsciousness Wendy’s fortress of ice built up around her thicker and harder than before. Ice filled her room obscuring the body of her would be captor and forcing all others out of her room for fear of being crushed between the wall and the encroaching glacier. As she slept Wendy reflexively built more layers of water and ice the walls in her room strained with the pressure that a force of nature inflicted. The walls groaned in protest. Fissures in the vibrant paint began to appear around the door frame that spread across the walls that divided the space. Finally, silence settled as dust fell from the ceiling.

Wendy was asleep in a deep trance. She was safe there, physically, however she was still fighting for her life. “Come back Wendy.” Sui called to her. The intimate link that the Elementals shared in their minds allowed him to communicate with Wendy.

“I don’t think that I can. I don’t know if I want to.” Melancholy filled her thoughts. Waves of desolation washed from her to Sui.

“I am here with you my friend, we all are.” Warmth fed from Cleo and David as Sui spoke. “We are your family; you are needed little sister.”

“Just leave me alone for a while, I can’t come out right now. There is just too much to face right now.” Wendy’s resolve solidified. She knew that she wasn’t alone, yet she needed to be for a time.

“We don’t have to talk, but we will not leave you.” Cleo said as her arms wrapped around Wendy’s body the ice completely melted around her.

“Okay.” Sleep, real and needed restful sleep pulled Wendy under as her small welcomed family held and cocooned her in place of her ice shield.

…

Dankiyet stood in the center of the expansive Queens’ room of the Dragon Maw. Her council the queens and the Elementals all sat around a her. She shared the central space with a cold fire pit, her lower back was already sore from accommodating her growing weight, adjusting her stance to find a scant piece of comfort she began he recitation. “Locksear is digging in his forces, the attack on Wendy was preemptive, though he thought to catch us off guard so soon after the attack during the nomad range. We believe he may strike again harder, much like the beast did at the Cactus Paw complex. The small focused attack seems to tax him greater than an all-out assault, but we should remain vigilant.” She paused in her assessment of the situation and shifted again, this time her discomfort wasn’t physical, she worried that this last attack would make the people suspicious of one another. “I’m afraid that we shouldn’t tell the people the specifics of what happened though. The knowledge that this attack came from within may tear apart trust and leave the community weaker than before.” Dankiyet shot a pitying look to Wendy before continuing. “Fortunately Wendy completely destroyed any evidence that it was one of our own people.”

“Thank you Dankiyet. And thank you Wendy for allowing my queen to share your mind to clear up this matter. I regret that I have to apologize for the action of one of the Dragon clan.” Sephanie said as she took Dankiyet’s position at the center of the circle, so that she could make her statements. “At this time we have fortified our city, and pulled ever soul into our perimeter that we have been able to. The dragons are stripping the desert of the pungent cactus so that we may douse our walls with the oil. Plans have been made to block the tunnels with sold blocks of stone with the aid of the Earth Elemental so that not even air may pass.” Sephanie’s rigid stance relaxed somewhat as she continued to rattle off her combat report to the expanded councils. eighteen faces looked back at her and absorbed the information.

 For the time being the population would be combined with a three party council system, the Dragon clan, the Cactus Paw, and the Nomads. Cafune Started her own council as the Nomads brought in so many out-laying villages, two of her council of five were mayors of the largest towns that they passed through. Tariel expanded the Council of the cactus paw to fill the position that Cafune left. Ashfoot remained his Bintain and he was still the council leader, Dankiyet assumed the full role of shaman, the new farm magnate was Seraphem and he created a new position because the Nomad chair was no longer needed. Caracasa filled the new position of Crafts Magnate, He was expected to coordinate all the tailors and craftsmen of the Cactus Paw tribe.

The complete council comprised the Cactus Paw’s five members, the Nomad’s five members, and the five dragon queens. The elementals were invited to all the council meetings but weren’t expected to have any input on leading the expanded tribe. More than anything they felt left out, like they were expected to be a weapon or a shield in the upcoming storm. The only connections they had to the rest of the populations were their guides.

Cafune stood to take the speaking position she pulled her airy tan tunic around her to ward off the cold that the expansive chamber held before she began. “The herdsmen of the Nomads have proposed the idea of moving the tribe again, we need to seek the aid of the gold city. I suggest this because they will be a target if we should fall, if they haven’t already felt the wrath of this Locksear.” She pointedly looked at the dragon queens before continuing. “I don’t think that Gold city has been attacked yet, as the patterns that the swarm have demonstrated have been spiraling out from somewhere in the middle of the dessert. We have come across many of the desolated towns and villages, empty homes with clothing scattered in the streets, that were well populated weeks before.” Conversation erupted around Cafune.

One voice rose above the rest, Page’s clear crystal tones mesmerized the room. “the problem that we have with helping the Gold city is that they have historically abused their citizens and paid bandits to attack towns in our province and the Cactus Paw Range. Gold City has coveted the rest of the Abysmal Plane and has been trying to undermine it to be able to seize control through aid.” The young girl looked around the room challenging them to argue against.

“You are right. As soon as we ask for help we forfeit our sovereignty, our own culture and values, and we will be heavily taxed.” Tariel conceded the point. All too well he knew the actions of the Gold City had a heavy price to be paid by all except the court that ruled with a fist of gold. The guards were bought, and they were ruthless.

“We will be safe here while we formulate a plan. We need to let the queens, the shamans and the elementals figure out how to destroy this beast.” Seraphem pushed her opinion forward.

“They have had this long to find a solution! It is clear that this problem is going to need more resources than we are capable of handling.” Cafune still standing at the head of the collective council took back the podium. “We need the great library. We need their mages, and we need their army. We need access to everything that they can provide. We cannot hide in these caves forever. Locksear will fine a hole in our defenses. As soon as we understand that we are not the only people in this war the better. We need allies.” Red in the face Cafune stepped down shaking her head.

Heading nowhere the meeting concluded shortly after Cafune’s statements. Only added matters that were addressed concerned living arrangements, and temporary fortifications. All agreements on these matters seemed forced to find the least amount of strain in the situation. The populations of the three groups would have to share a small space for protection from the beast in the dessert. Forcing so many different people to condense would cause problems. Disease was Dankiyet’s main concern, but the council leaders would be worrying about fighting, theft, and riots.

…

Dragon riders shared their homes with their extended families so that more homes were available for the influx of refugees. Star and Fa gave their room to Fa’s parents, the two smaller guest rooms went to Fa’s sister and husband and their two small children. They slept with their dragons on the warm sands of their perch space in the main room of their apartment. Star’s older brother Lake took in her mother and younger brother. They all lived down one corridor of the perch, because they were senior dragon riders and instructed the youngling riders they had the best perch access.

Fa’s nephews enjoyed the view and spending time with the dragons, but his parents were older and not as nimble as they were when younger. They were unable to complete the regular shopping and climb the two hundred stairs back to the upper floor apartments. Fa’s sister was left with most of the household chores while Fa and Star were riding patrol for the clans. Fa’s brother in law was not very helpful with the household chores, but made sure that the children were well taken care. Life was strained, and everyone was already tired.

“Momma! Hino talked to me!” the oldest nephew Izsak ran into the kitchen squealing with joy after feeling the first mental touch of one of the great creatures.

“Oh, my stars little one you can be a dragon rider in a few years.” His mother Clare replied. Fewer children were born with the ability to speak to dragons every year. Suffering from plague many of the families that hosted dragons had died out completely. Their family were basically nobility because every generation had at least one born that was able to speak to the dragons. Clare herself could hear the dragon’s call, however she was unable to bond any dragons during the hatching she attended. Her life was still comfortable, because her brother had bonded the year after she had failed to. Her husband Daren had bonded a dragon himself that had died two years after when they both had contracted the plague. He was incomplete after his dragon had died.

 Most people pitied Daren, only knowing that losing a dragon was a terrible tragedy. If they bothered to talk to him, to get to know him, they would understand that he was a very strong person to be able to live after a dragon bond. Daren only feared that the other riders would fear him the same way that they feared the beast in the desert. He knew of Locksear and the blight that he brought with him. The difference though is Daren’s dragon was kind and didn’t deserve to die of a horrible disease. He doubted that, that would matter to the greater consensus though. For now, he would be satisfied at his brother-in-law’s home and keep to himself. There were others that he knew of that had lost dragons as well. He knew that their half-life would be even more tenuous to hold onto with the backlash of their own communities.

Shattering glass forced Daren to spring into action. He ran to the kitchen expecting to see a broken bowl or plate and an upset child. What he did find was horrifying. He could not quite comprehend what he was seeing. A dark cloud of fruit flies encapsulated his wife. The hum of millions of wings was a force that pushed against his face and ear drums. The air was hot in the kitchen and heavy, like walking through a running stream he had to wade into the room.

As Daren reached for his wife as his hand came into contact with the cloud of flying filth the flesh began to be ripped away. As his muscle and sinew was exposed, his fingers reached his wife and he realized that she was not there. His skeletal hand brought back bits of fabric and bone. As sinew and bone emerged from the cloud of flies, Clare’s bracelet fell to the floor. A gift from Daren for their betrothal, she had never taken it off. Weeping he fell to the floor as the flies dispersed into the rest of the dragon maw compound.

…

“This attack isn’t going to be the last. This evil will only grow with our fear.” Sephanie stood before the councils once again. “We need to move. We must go to the Gold City and ask for their aid. Their mages and scholars may be able to help us combat this monster.” Every Dragon rider’s house lost at least one member of his or her family. People that could talk to the dragons and children that were waiting for the next clutch. This attack was planned, and methodical. There were now too few candidates available for the next hatching to become riders. Those draglets would die without a rider.  

“Fine, I put my vote forth, at this rate we won’t have enough people to maintain a population to even consider retaking our homes.” Avensong agreed.

The rest of the talks were tense. Decisions had to be made. Would the compound clan of over one hundred thousand people walk south to the Gold City, or would the small population of five-hundred or so dragons have to ferry the souls? Eventually a joint effort exodus would be conducted again. This time by boat.

The dragons harvested every tree from the country side and dedicated men and women worked all day and night building boats. Each vessel would house thirty people comfortably. There were also livestock boats and supply ships that would keep the large population feed in rout to the Gold City. Some families decided that it would be best to walk south to the city, keeping to the shoreline as close as possible, they started as soon as the council reached the decision to move.

Mostly families with older children and a strong constitution made this decision with the advice of the council. They took the remaining herds and carts of supplies and began the journey right away. Nomads, Cactus Paw, and Dragon alike mixed into these families and groups of people. It was thought that moving would prove harder to track than sitting idly waiting for a boat to be constructed for them. The migration by foot would allow the herds to fatten further off the land, some benefits were too tempting to pass up.