Chapter 21
It was late the following evening that Damion and Tempest took to the sky in search of an isolated place, far from any sort of civilization. He finally had the enormous scarlet dragon settle down in a secluded valley that had been spared from the worst of the swirling snow that continually drifted down from the heavens.
Sliding from Tempest’s broad shoulders, Damion slowly walked around until he was facing her. She watched him in silence as he continued to stare up at her, his face revealing his mixed emotions. Finally, he drew a deep breath and looked away. “You must understand that I must try to consider this situation from every possible aspect.” He spoke quickly, still struggling with the decision that he had to make.” The dragons have been cruelly enslaved for far too long now, and it is time that they are set free.” He frowned. “But we have seen what kind of destruction just one single dragon can reap. Releasing thousands into the world could be a catastrophe.”
The enormous beast remained silent, but continued to watch him intently.
“Since you have been free of Kaviel’s control, you have proven yourself to be an honorable creature, worthy of great respect.” He continued. “And many have told me that legends say the dragons are peaceful creatures, the most vocal of whom being Dar. He’s been searching for a way to release you for four hundred years.”
Tempest smiled. “Dar is a good friend.” She said simply.
Damion nodded, then looked up at her seriously. “If I was to release your kin back into the world, could you guarantee they would never harm another innocent? Can you be sure that there will be no more destruction?”
Tempest lowered her head to Damion’s level. “You can control that yourself. With the gem and sword united, you have full control over the entire race of dragons. Your will is their will. They will do as they are commanded."
Damion knew she was testing him, and shook his head firmly. “I don’t want to control the dragons. I just want the destruction to end. But I also can’t stand by and do nothing as an entire race of innocent creatures remain imprisoned.”
“Alas, I fear my kind will be forever chained by the shackles of the Dragon Sword. It cannot be destroyed, lest we all die. The dragons will forever be controlled by whoever wields the sword.” The scarlet beast sighed heavily, and thick black smoke drifted from her flared nostrils. She suddenly drew herself back, and stared down at Damion. “Your people have nothing to fear from my kind. Even without the sword’s power over us, we would never harm an innocent. The destruction is over. It is now a time for healing.”
Damion slowly nodded, then took several steps back and drew the Dragon Sword from its sheath. It glowed brightly in the growing darkness, and continued to pulsate, seeming to almost take up the rhythm of Damion’s own heartbeat. The hair on his arms was standing on end from the excess waves of power that were emanating from the sword, and every fiber of his being suddenly blazed alive with energy. He held the sword aloft, and the rhythmic pulsating suddenly stopped. The sudden flash of raw power that burst from the Dragon Sword nearly drove Damion to his knees. An enormous beacon of light burst from the tip of the Dragon Sword and exploded into the sky, lighting the entire mountain range, turning night into day. The amount of energy being released from the sword was staggering, and nearly overwhelmed him.
Through sheer force of will, he managed to keep his grip on the sword, and cast his gaze skyward at the pulsing light that had burst from the blade. Hundreds and hundreds of shadowy shapes, filmy and indistinct, moved about inside of the light, never fully coming into view.
“Those are my brethren.” Tempest informed him, her voice filled with sorrow. “The power of the gem prevents them from emerging from the light and back into the world once more, so they remain in a state of constant limbo, desperately hoping for release from their prison.”
Damion watched the shifting shadows for a long moment, then glanced over his shoulder at the great scarlet beast. “It is time for your brethren to be released. For better or worse, the time of the dragons’ imprisonment has come to an end.”
With those words, a deep rumbling began to echo throughout the mountaintops, and the ground began to tremble violently beneath their feet. A thousand piercing shrieks filled the air as the shadowy figures in the light suddenly burst into view in a steady flow of scarlet serpents, each voicing their exhilaration as they reemerged into the world once more. Dragons of every size and shade of red appeared from the pulsating light, joining their brethren in circling the beacon of light high above. After what seemed an eternity, the ground ceased to shudder, and rumbling that echoed through the mountains faded away, then as the last of the shifting shadows emerged from the light, the beacon slowly faded away. The Dragon Sword continued to glow brightly, and Damion could still clearly feel the incredible power that coursed through the weapon.
One by one, each of the dragons began to drop from the sky, coming to a soft landing in the snow before them. Damion was slightly taken aback by the large number of the fearsome creatures. There were thousands of the great beasts, each with their own distinct features and coloration.
Once they had all settled to the ground, Damion carefully climbed atop Tempest’s broad shoulders and stared out over the sea over scarlet serpents. “My friends,” He bellowed in a voice loud enough for all the dragons to hear. “You are free!”
The dragons all began to roar with delight, and many began to spurt great columns of flames high into the air.
“Your kind was wrongly imprisoned long ago, enslaved in this gem, forced to the unwilling slaves of any murderer or cutthroat that possessed it.” He continued as their deafening roars faded. “But that is now at an end!”
Another roar went through the crowd of dragons, and several launched themselves into the air, where they swooped and dove through the air with glee.
“But your freedom comes at a price.” Damion told them with a grave expression. “Though you are free, the dragons shall forever be bound by the power of the Dragon Sword, and the person who wields it.” This was met by a deafening silence. The huge crowd of serpents watched him with wary eyes, their attentions suddenly focused solely on him. “As long as I wield the sword, none shall ever have to feel its horrible shackles. But in turn, you must never harm any innocent. Too many have already lost their lives. It is time to move into a new era, where man and dragon can live together in peace!”
Many of the dragons began to roar in approval once more, although several continued to watch him suspiciously.
Tempest raised her head and looked out upon her follow serpents. “We are free, my brethren! Thanks to Damion, we are free to once again roam skies, and make our own destinies.” Her deep rumbling voice echoed through the valley. “We are bound to him, and he to us, by the power of the Dragon Sword, and by the blood that flows through his veins! Forever will the dragons proudly sing his praise! All hail Damion Omensent, the Lord of the Dragons!”
Almost as one, each of the enormous dragons bowed to him in respect, then, one by one, they launched themselves into the air and disappeared into the night.
Once they were alone again, Damion heaved a great sigh, and slid to the ground.
Tempest watched him with huge eyes as he wearily settled down against a tree and dropped his face into his hands. “You did the right thing.” She told him in a gentle tone. “We have been trapped inside of that cursed gem for far too long. It was time for us to be released back into the world.”
Damion sighed again, and raised his head to stare at her with tired eyes. “I know that it was the right thing to do. I just hope that it won’t be a decision that I end up regretting.”
“You will not regret it.” She assured him. “We dragons are honorable creatures. Few will even know that we have reemerged into the world.”
Damion nodded, then slowly rose to his feet and climbed up onto her shoulders. With a mighty leap, Tempest launched herself into the air, and they slowly began to make their way south to rejoin their companions
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