Theo took a few more days to wander by herself.
At one point, she found herself being bombarded by phoenixes. Just like during her previous experience, the blue throated ones dove for her eyes while the others gathered around in the shedding trees.
Theo gave in to what they wanted. With a livid roar, she unleashed furious fire upon them, turning their bodies ashen grey. It actually helped her to let loose all the stress of grief and injustice that she’d been forced to trudge through recently.
It did not take long for the phoenixes to disperse just as the flames disappeared, and Theo found herself completely alone once again.
Eventually, she was unable to bear the thought of the lost, mind-wrecked hatchlings and pupils she’d left behind. She knew exactly who to tell, and soon found Sky with her pupils at the waterfall.
“River!” Sky exclaimed as she saw Theo in her battered state. “What’s happened?”
Plover stared at her, amazed. Chestnut howled joyously, diving from the cliffs, oblivious of everyone else.
“Sky,” Theo said in a daze, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
Sky’s eyes grew wider with each word that Theo spoke. By the time Theo told her about the loose young ones, Sky was already starting to leave for the mountains, telling her pupils to stay behind.
“I can’t allow those little ones to stay uncared for,” she told Theo, beckoning her with a flick of her head. “You’re going to bring me to this place you speak of and I will mentor every last one of them if that’s the way it has to be.”
“Alright,” said Theo, catching up to her friend’s side. Sky’s statement was quite strong, but it helped Theo to finally address the problem.
The deeper they went into the mountains, the tenser Theo became. It was like walking into a memory trap, except she wasn’t completely sure of which way to go. After all the things she’d gone through, the map in her head was rather vague.
In time, they found the Golden Dragon’s old hideaway where the six dead dragons, five adults and one striker, lay as rotting corpses. These, Sky had no problem looking past, only able to focus in on the younglings.
Theo guessed that about half of them had left since she’d been there, but at least a dozen still crept around the perimeter.
Three pupils climbed the Golden Dragon’s hoard, batting each other so that they tumbled down the shiny slope, showered by jingling coins when they hit the bottom. They stopped in their rough-housing to stare at Sky approaching the middle of the clearing, her eyes dilating as she took in the big picture.
“Oh…” she moaned when Theo joined her. “Oh, how awful.”
Theo didn’t say anything. She noticed that none of the young ones paid any mind to the dead bodies encircled by dry, bloodstained dirt. It was as though they had grown accustomed to such horrors long ago.
“Little dragons,” Sky spoke softly, but all seemed to hear her. “Won’t you come with me?”
None of the younglings gave any audible response at first, but they appeared interested in her, coming out and flopping their heads to one side in curiosity.
“Where?” one of the playmates sitting in treasures finally asked.
“To someplace where it is safe,” Sky answered lovingly, bowing her head as she approached him.
“This place is safe,” he replied. “All the bad ones are gone.”
“Yes, but there is someplace better- out of these mountains,” Sky tried to tell him, but his attention was waning and he nipped playfully at his friend slinking down the mountain of gold and silver.
“Young one,” she asked for him to look at her. He ignored her, having lost all interest. Desperately, Sky circled around to another, asking her if she would come.
“Where?” the youngling repeated the first one’s question, but Sky readily answered it again.
“Will you come?” Sky pressed ever so gently.
Watching this, Theo felt sick to her stomach. She could feel Sky tying down her anguish inside herself, clearly not wanting to alarm the little ones, desperate not to lose her one chance of interacting with them.
“I will come,” one dragon offered and another joined in as well.
“Wonderful, wonderful,” Sky cooed. “Come on, who else?”
Sky was relentless in her persuasion, yet she’d only gained five younglings by the time Theo decided it was best to stop her.
“Take what you have,” Theo whispered when Sky begged her to give her more time. “The others aren’t interested.”
Sky’s lips quivered and her eyes glistened in remorse of those who would not follow, but she did as Theo advised. The seven of them made their way out of the mountains to join the Colony, where the pupils could fit themselves in.
. . .
“Have you noticed how low the water’s been, lately?” Theo overheard Whinchat ask Cedar as she passed them by in Camp.
“Yeah. It’s strange, isn’t it?” Cedar replied. “I’ve never seen the creek so drained.”
Theo thought little of it. It had been days since she and Sky returned with the few younglings from the mountains.
I’m glad none of them chose me as their mentor, Theo mulled over. Sure, I’ve been a dragon now for almost two years, but still…
Theo halted when she saw Egret scratching into the ground again, with Jay watching over her shoulder. I wonder what she’s drawing now.
“Oh.” She smiled as she approached and Egret looked up from her picture. “You’re drawing Jay. How sweet.”
“Hello, River,” Jay greeted her without stammering.
That’s an improvement, Theo noted.
“Hold on a moment…” Theo grinned, looking at the two of them standing comfortably close. “You two are courting, aren’t you?”
Egret cocked her head. “What’s courting?” she asked quietly.
Ugh! Can I not have one, simple conversation with this dragon?
“Um, let’s see…” Theo strived for the word. “Pairing, isn’t that what you call it?”
Egret and Jay looked at each other. “We’re not pairing,” Egret said and Jay shook his head in agreement.
“Oh, they’re pairing, River. They just haven’t realized it yet!” Whinchat yelled from a distance. She turned her head to rub chins with Cedar, who closed his eyes happily.
Egret and Jay lowered their eyes to the ground. They really do make a suitable pair, Theo considered. She was just trying to think of a way to escape the awkwardness when Jacinth joined them.
“Jacinth,” Theo said, “did you see Egret’s sketch of Jay?”
Jacinth scrunched her muzzle. “Sketch?” she echoed.
“See?” Theo put a claw on the drawing at their feet.
“I…” Jacinth narrowed her eyes at it. “Hmm…”
“Pigeon!” Cobalt called out loudly and they all looked up to see him. He was standing up, watching as Pigeon walked away from him. “Don’t leave me!”
“They’re still pairing?” Jacinth asked. “I thought that was just Cobalt’s quick escape out of Wolfe’s advances.”
“Maybe Wolfe kept coming,” Theo suggested as they watched Pigeon turn around to face Cobalt.
“Pidge, you’ve made me feel something unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” he was telling her. “Now you’ve matured faster than I could get my eyes straight and you want to leave me. I know how I’ve been, but please…I love you, Pigeon.”
A hush ran over the crowds and Pigeon took a sidelong glance at them all.
“Cobalt…” she said, bowing her head, “if you want to have a real conversation with me, pick someplace where there isn’t an audience.” And with that, she exited Camp, leaving Cobalt staring after her, stunned.
“That…” Jacinth processed, “was actually quite well done on her part. I think I can have more respect for her now.”
Theo looked at Cobalt, who still stood in the shock of rejection. “I can almost pity him, though,” she said.
“Him?” Jacinth inquired incredulously. “Do
n’t. He doesn’t deserve a lover.”
“That’s a bit harsh,” Jay mulled. “He at least tried.”
“He put her on the spot in front of everyone,” Egret opposed softly.
“Yes! Thank you, Egret,” Jacinth exclaimed, looking surprised but happy to have her support. “If his feelings were genuine, he’d have talked to her privately.”
. . .
At the beginning of winter, wandering close to Camp, Theo heard shouts in the distance, followed by the panicked voices of many. What’s going on? She became alarmed, quickening her stride to find out.
She saw numerous dragons, their stares pivoted towards Adder. Many had their mouths wordlessly open, while others prattled anxiously.
“What’s happened?” Theo asked the dragon nearest to her.
“The humans killed the Maelstrom.” Wycker was suddenly behind her. Theo turned to face him as he told her, “Follow me. We have some things to discuss.”
Theo let him lead her to an isolated place. Next, Adder joined them, face full of sadness. Theo was reminded that the Maelstrom was his brother.
“You said the humans killed the Maelstrom?” Theo queried Wycker.
“Your brother’s army,” Wycker clarified spitefully.
Theo was shocked into silence. Chadwick slew a dragon…
“How?” she breathed aloud.
“You know they’ve been training since your disappearance,” Wycker growled. “Turns out they had the skill after all. But how could I be surprised, knowing all the things you humans can accomplish in your tyranny.”
The scales on Theo’s back rose and she bore her eyes into him with hatred, but held herself back.
“Wycker, please,” Adder rasped emptily. “Spare us your insults.”
“The Maelstrom was the only thing keeping Wystil out of our territory,” Wycker rumbled on, speaking directly to Theo. “Now that they’ve found no evidence of you at the Cragerian ruins, they’re looking towards our land for answers.”
“And they have the Narrow Valley to get here,” Theo realized aloud. This doesn’t bode well.
“And they still know about the Archway. Soon there will be scouts,” Wycker snarled. “I’ll be guarding the Narrow Valley and I’ll post a guard at the Archway. In the meantime, I suggest you figure out a solution before we decide to fight back.” Wycker whisked away.
“Adder…” Theo spoke up, thinking of the Maelstrom. “I’m so sorry.”
Adder nodded his head subtly. “He was a danger to everyone,” he replied. “It’s probably best he’s gone now.”
“What are we going to do?”
Adder shook his head. “Nothing’s changed. We already knew your brother was a threat- it’s just that he’s finally proved it. But until something new comes up, the most we can do is try to keep him out.”
. . .
Later, that night, Theo had a dream. She was trapped in a deep hole in the ground, in human form, feeling the walls with her hands.
When she looked up, she drew her breath in sharply to see a dragon above. It stood with claws on edge as it gazed down at her.
There was a loud noise that rose from the distance and the beast turned its head to see what was out of Theo’s view.
Slash!
The dragon collapsed, falling into the pit with Theo. She saw that its throat was cut open, blood filling the bottom of the pit in the ground. She recoiled.
The dragon was her, River.
Commotion broke out overhead. Cries of man and beast filled Theo’s ears. Bodies of both tumbled in, smothering her under a heap of lifeless beings. Her vision was overcome by the color of the firesap flower, and-
She awoke with a start, panting in terror, heart galloping.
What did it mean?
. . .
Some dragons had a new fear seeded into their hearts; others didn’t show how they felt. But Theo knew that all of their perspectives regarding the humans had changed. Now, they all had the humans in mind.
Theo didn’t feel scared. Just as Adder had said, nothing had changed concerning the problem they’d faced since Theo took on the form of a dragon. Only, time was running out and all Theo could do was wait for a miracle.
Theo overheard Oriole weeping as she confessed, “I accepted the firesap. I was too afraid to do it before, but now, with all that’s happening…I thought I might need it…”
“Weren’t you the last adult dragon who didn’t breathe fire?” Oriole’s listener asked.
“Yes,” Oriole blubbered. “I’ve checked with everyone in the Colony. I was the only one left.”
Theo narrowed her eyes at the two. That leaves last year’s and this year’s young as the only ones without the firesap.
. . .
The first snow of the season came down heavily, making Theo’s vision a blur of white.
It must be time for this year’s pupils to receive the Gift of Fire, Theo connected, seeing many dragons gather into Camp. She eyed all of the pupils as they came and went. There aren’t very many of them…
She saw Sky proudly offer her pupils a chance to accept the firesap, and they did so with much excitement.
She seems to have gotten over what happened in the mountains by now, Theo observed. None of the young ones from Laurel’s lair had chosen Sky as their mentor, but Theo assumed it was just as well.
Then, through the cover of snowflakes, she saw the Colonists make way as a number of unfamiliar dragons pompously walked their pupils to the firesap plants. Theo could see by their eyes that they were just waiting to be challenged, but no one got in their way.
“Rogue dragons?” Theo assumed.
“Yeah, I guess they got a couple pupils this year,” Jacinth replied, then muttered, “Glad to see they haven’t been murdered yet.”
Theo watched as the rogues finished with the firesap and left, strutting out of Camp. She almost thought she recognized one of them as a pupil that had stayed behind, one who’d been playing on the hoard. She hoped Sky did not notice, wherever she was.
“I can’t think of a single dragon-of-age that doesn’t breathe fire now,” Jacinth whispered to Theo. “With every generation, more dragons want to commit.”
“Maybe a pupil doesn’t want to be the odd one out,” Theo suggested.
“What do you mean?” Jacinth asked.
“I mean, a pupil might be scared that if he doesn’t accept the firesap, he’d be the only one,” Theo explained. “So a pupil gives in, not wanting to risk being the only one left not breathing fire.”
“Interesting, I’ve never thought of that,” Jacinth replied. “You might be right.”
. . .
It was early morning when Theo noticed Damara sitting in Camp with her hands in her lap.
Theo was alerted when she saw that the one dragon keeping an eye on the little girl was Chasm.
He stood behind her, quite near, looking over her shoulder at something held loosely in her hands.
“I know you,” he was telling her in cool, hushed tones. “You watch your friends come and go, growing beyond you so quickly you can’t even hold on to them. You can’t even play with them properly, else you get hurt. You want to be like us. And this can do just that for you.”
Theo’s eyes widened in anger as she caught on, for in Damara’s hands was a firesap fruit.
“You snake!” she shrieked. “Trying to deceive a child!”
Dragons all around looked at them. Chasm stiffened, watching her stalk close to confront him.
“Who left you with her?” Theo demanded.
Chasm lifted his head to meet hers, their muzzles inches away from each other. Between them, Damara gazed up at them with an expression of wonder.
“She was left alone,” Chasm answered slyly. “She was left vulnerable, and I sought to fix that by making her a stronger individual.”
“Xander prefers she stay just the way she is and it’s not your right to try and change that,” Theo growled.
“Xander,” Chasm counte
red, “is but a child himself. He and his sister would be better off as dragons.”
Theo’s lip curled as she stared him down to say, “Leave.”
He stayed put for only a moment, smirking as he assessed her eyes. “Some Colonist you are,” he remarked, and turned away to disappear.
“Damara?” Xander showed up on the scene, watching with a puzzled look as Chasm left. He knelt down to her level and spotted the firesap fruit. “Damara, what are you doing with this?” Concerned, he picked it up and tossed it away.
Theo observed the two of them. Damara’s head rested on her brother’s shoulder as he hugged her, but she stared only at where the firesap fruit had landed.
“Is it true?” she asked him in her small voice. “Could the fire-fruit make me more like my friends?”
“Sapling…” Xander hushed, holding her out to look at her. He took a moment, as though trying to decide what to say. “Promise me you won’t eat it,” he replied, hugging her again. “Don’t ever eat it.”
“But Xander-” she began.
“Shush,” he interrupted her.
“But Chasm said-” she tried again.
“No!” he shouted, making her jump. “Don’t argue! I don’t want you to be like them! You’re all I have!”
Damara started to cry and he let go of her, dismayed.
Jacinth and Sky drew close to comfort them both with soft words. As Damara ceased crying, Xander relaxed.
Behind her, Theo heard dragons murmuring amongst themselves. They were debating whether or not it was good to stop the girl from committing to a dragon form.
She almost fell into my own situation, Theo thought. Except it would have been her own choice to eat the firesap fruit. Damon saved my life with that fruit, but who’s to say it would be best for Damara?
She smiled as she watched Damara begin to stroke her brother’s head forgivingly.
She truly is an adorable child.
Chapter 24