The air resounded with a great humming. All of the dragons took to the air and circled around and around the lake. The lake began to swirl around and around, faster and faster. Everyone was watching the lake and did not see that Algamight had grabbed Steven and transformed into the green dragon. When they realized that Steven was gone, they also realized that Azual and Tusk were gone as well.
While everyone looked to the sky, light started to appear above the lake. Roberto suddenly realized that the sun was rising. “Hurry, Sofia. We must take the child inside the ship. The light will burn his skin. He cannot be outside during daylight.”
“Do not worry Roberto – just watch. The sun will no longer harm you or Vincent. The dragons and this planet have seen to your needs. Your body will no longer suffer from the light.” Just as Sofia finished talking, the light from the sun reached down to the beach and touched Roberto on the face. He closed his eyes expecting to feel the great pain he had always felt before. He covered the child in Sofia’s arms. “It is ok husband. See – the light does not hurt you any longer. See – our son: he is happy to greet the sun rise on his birthday!”
* * * * *
Chapter 48:
Roberto was looking at his wife and child. He paid no attention to the dragons as they were circling the lake. Faster and faster, the dragons soared round. The lake was spinning along with them.
Ely and Wisteria noticed the water turning. “Everyone get back! Something is happening. Stay back away from the water edge.”
The water turned a foamy green color. A light shone from the center of the lake, faint at first but, the faster the dragons spun, the brighter the light became. The ground started to shake once again. “Let’s get back to the ship. The force field can protect us from whatever is happening inside the lake.”
Everyone on the beach turned toward their two ships. But the ships were not there. Roberto asked in a trembling voice. “Mesquil…Ely? Where are the ships? What has happened to them?”
Looking about, Mesquil answered. “We are trapped down here. We cannot reach the main ship without the other shuttles.”
The water around the lake pulled inward faster and faster into a large funnel. Roberto called out. “Let’s go to the top of the ridge, away from the lake.” He picked up Sofia and Vincent and ran up the ledge. Everyone followed him.
From the top of the ledge, they watched the lake when, suddenly, the dragons stopped spinning around: each held their position in the sky. The golden dragon, Azual, was clearly visible beside the bright green of Algamight. Tusk and Steven were with them.
The lake seemed to open up and a large silver ship emerged from inside. It floated slowly higher and higher up into the sky. The other two smaller ships came from the sides and each flew closer and closer to the new ship. As the ships grew closer together you could see a film forming around them, as if the ships were bonding together.
Sofia remembered seeing something like this when they were small children on their home planet, Armis. The ships that did this only carried the royal families in them. The bonded ships could somehow communicate with the royal family. “This cannot be. Ely, do you see what is happening?”
Ely remembered as well. “Yes, Sofia, I see it. I do not believe my own eyes! This is not supposed to happen. Only Armis can do this with our ships. I do not understand what is happening.”
* * * * *
Chapter 49:
Roberto sensed there was something not quit right. “Sofia? Ely? What is wrong? You both have that worried look on your faces. I have been through enough worry over the past few days.”
Sofia explained. “Roberto we do not know what is happening. Our home planet is said to have the ability to create and bond our flying crafts together. It is how our species travels among the stars. It is written that when the planet requires us to move to another place it creates the transport ship out of its own entity so that we may travel. It is only done under the most dire of circumstances.”
“So what you are saying, Sofia, is that this planet is like your home planet, Armis. It is creating a new transport ship?”
“I’m not sure. Ely and I were but small children when we left our home planet. We were at war and our parents had sent many of the children away from our home land so that we could be safe from our attackers.”
The ships merged into a larger ship and rose higher and higher up into the sky. The surface of the lake settled back down and, one by one, the dragons dropped down out of the sky and landed all around the lake.
As Algamight and Azual brought Tusk and Steven up to the rock edge with the others, Sofia asked: “Azual, do you know what just happened?”
“Yes, Sofia, we have been protecting that ship since we have existed on this planet. We arrived on that ship a very long time ago. We are from Armis. The ship from the lake carries many of your family within it. They have been held in the lake, frozen in their time fragments until such a time as we could bring them out and back onto their journey.”
“We were told that you would come with your child in your belly. His birth would bring forth the energy needed to summon and release the old ship from the lake. If possible, they can now return back to Armis.”
Sofia felt confused. “But that is my journey. We set forth a long time ago to find my home planet. That second ship up in orbit was sent by my family in search of me. They only just found us 50 years ago on Roberto’s home planet.”
“I know, Sofia. We sent the other ship out for you a long time ago. It was thought that your ship was lost to us. Our planet is like a sister to your Armis. She knew some time ago that you were still alive so she sent the other ship to bring you here.”
Azual continued. “Sofia it is hard for me to explain this to you, but this planet…it is now your home.” She paused. “Armis was your parent’s home, not yours. You are of this place. You and Ely were brought here as small children during the time of the Great War on your planet. Your parents would often visit back and forth as this was a safe haven during the time of the great battle. When you were old enough it was decided by your parents and all the elders to send you and many of the other children away from here. It was a hard decision to make because each of your parents had to give up their children.”
Azual pointed to Vincent. “Now that you are holding your son in your arms, do you understand what your parents must have felt sending you away on such a long journey into space? It was the only way they could protect you.”
“Not long after they sent you away, the witch arrived on this planet. We barely had enough time to put all the rest of the Armis people into their deep sleep and send the ship to the bottom of the lake. We bent time around the lake and have held them there hoping for your return home. We have been at battle with this witch for a very long time. She never knew about our people, or the ship that lay at the bottom of the lake. Each dragon gave of their acorn a piece of themselves to keep the ship hidden. We used our magic to ensure that the witch never located the ship or the people who were frozen in time on that ship. For many long years we have battled to win our war with this witch. With the last of my strength I sent a part of the planet and your ship back to you.”
“Do you understand Sofia? Ely? This is your home! Can you hear the planet calling to you? Do you feel her now that she is free from the witch?”
Ely and Sofia walked over to the edge of the rocks. “I do feel something, sister.” Sofia nodded. “As do I, brother. I’m not sure what it is but there is a connection here.”
Abruptly, Sofia had a hopeful thought. “Azual…the people…our people…in that ship… Were our parents among them?”
* * * * *
Chapter 50:
“You will have your answer soon enough. Look up; what do you see now?” Azual drew their attention to the sky.
Above them a new ship was coming through the clouds. It was much larger than the one that they had left Roberto’s home planet on. It was as i
f all the ships had combined together. It slowly landed on the other side of the great lake.
“Climb up on our backs. We will take all of you to the ships – I think it will be faster to fly and I’m sure you are all in a hurry to reunite with your families.”
Roberto held Sofia and Vincent in his arms. They all climbed upon the back of Algamight. Azual took many of the others with her.
Roberto hesitated. “Sofia - are you sure about all of this? It seems to be a lot to take in. Everything is different than what you both were expecting.”
“I know Roberto. I do not know what to expect. For the first time in my life I do not see into the future. I do not know what is going to happen.”
Roberto raised an eyebrow. “Welcome to my world. Most of us do not always know what to expect; we have to take things as they come along.”
“I’m not sure I like this feeling, husband.”
“You will get used to it trust me. I like that you are become more normal; all that predictive stuff was driving me insane.”
Algamight and Azual dropped off their riders and transformed into their human forms. They all stood at the door of the ship, which sat still and silent.
Roberto cleared his throat. “Mesquil, I think we should take a party into the ship when the doors are released – just to make sure we don’t have any more surprises.”
Azual shook her head. “That will not be necessary. The ship is waking the crew up now. Remember how you felt after only sleeping 50 years in the Kyro tubes? Well this group has been sleeping much longer than that.”
She paused as the silence continued. “It will take some time for them to emerge. I will have tents and sleeping materials brought to you here. Food and other supplies are already en route. You will stay here for the next few nights and let the ship wake its crew.” She smiled at Sofia. “Soon you will meet your families.”
Azual transformed and, picking up Tusk, flew back toward the castle.
Vincent started to cry quietly in Sofia’s arms. “Our son is tired and hungry, husband. I think Azual is right: we all need to rest.”
“Sofia we have been staying at this lake now for two nights.” Roberto gazed towards the rising sun. “It is becoming like home to me.”
Sofia gave a start. “What do you mean a second night? I was only inside the egg with Algamight for a few minutes.”
Roberto chuckled. “No Sofia you were not. An entire day passed out here. We waited an entire cycle of the sun for you to emerge from that egg; it was hell for me. It has now been 3 days time since we left our ship and came down to this planet.”
Sofia giggled as she gazed down at Vincent. “What do you find so funny again wife?”
“It is as I predicated husband that 3 days time would pass and our son would be in our arms.”
Azual flew back with many of the other dragons and they helped build some tents and other structures along the edge of the lake in front of the ship.
Roberto took Sofia and Vincent into their tent for the night. “Husband, do you like this planet? Could you make a life here now that our son has been born?”
“I’m not sure, Sofia. Our primary reason for leaving my home world was to locate your planet and investigate the reason why you were having fearful dreams of that place. If we start thinking of this place as our home – what will become of your planet? You strongly felt that you needed to return in order to save the planet from something.”
“Yes, I do remember having those feelings. But feelings are not thoughts. Now I wonder were those feelings for my home planet Armis or this sister planet. We did arrive in time to rescue the dragons and free the planet from the witch. Perhaps that was what I was required to do. Azual told us that they foresaw our arrival and the birth of our son. Those events helped the dragons and the planet regain their freedom. This was a battle that needed all of us, including my brother and his son.”
Vincent was starting to get fussy again. “Husband, I think that we will have to decide another time whether to make this our home. Our son is hungry once again and I’m tired after all the past few days’ events.”
Roberto put his hand on her shoulder. “Let me have a look at my son. You have been holding him and I have not yet got to hold him.”
But Sofia shook her head. “He is hungry husband. I’m not sure he wishes for his father’s company now.”
Roberto sighed. “Then feed him wife.”
As Sofia took Vincent to her breast Roberto noticed something along the side of Vincent’s back leg. “Sofia have you noticed this mark since our son was born?”
“What mark? He was perfect when I came out of the egg – except for his father’s teeth, that is.” She grinned at him.
“Look along his leg: there are white marks.”
“I’m looking. Roberto, remember your eyes are better than mine. I see only his little leg nothing more.”
They remained quiet while she nursed. After an extended pause, Roberto whispered “Perhaps it is a trick of the light within the tent.”
“He looks perfect to me and, now that he has his belly full, he is sleeping once again.” She adjusted her blouse and shifted the baby’s weight.
“Our ship has landed just across the lake and we now know that some of our original families from Armis are also in the new section of the ship. Let us wait until we have time to rest and talk with those elders that emerge from the ship in the next few days. Perhaps we can stay here and send others to travel back to Armis as it was in the past. If my family has indeed survived after all these years, we may just have a chance to gain the freedom of our home planet now as well.”
Roberto yawned. “Sofia, I too am tired. We have not had much time together. I must say that being frozen in those tubes again does not appeal to me. Look at this place. We have fresh air, water and endless lands to be used for hunting grounds. I’m sure we could raise our son here in peace and safety.”
Roberto picked up his wife and son and carried them to their makeshift sleeping area. Sofia laid Vincent nearby on his own bed. Roberto lay next to Sofia. He touched her face and kissed her lips. “It is good to be able to lie next to you again, wife.”
Sofia smiled up at him. “Yes I find that I also am enjoying being able to lay next to my husband once again as well.”
“Rest wife – you have had a long day bringing our son into this world. His birth was not what you were expecting; am I correct?”
“Yes husband. You have seen our birth process when Steven was born. That is what I expected to happen when our son was born. Algamight and I were inside the egg and she knew what do to in order to help the birth. The magic from inside the egg held us within our wisp realm while we brought Vincent into this time fragment. I’m still not sure why his birth had to happen that way, but it was much easier on all those involved. Ely was very concerned for me and the baby while we were on the ship. As my brother, he would have the primary task of helping me with the child under normal conditions. I think he was relieved - to say the least - that Algamight had to assume that task.”
“As was I, wife. You are also aware of how the women brought my species’ children into this world. I carried a fear with me since you told me you were with child. I did not wish to take a chance and see you die during our child’s birth.”
“Everything has a purpose Roberto. Ours was to travel here and now we must wait and see what the next stage of our journey involves.”
“Perhaps you are correct and we will stay here while others travel back to Armis. Only time will tell.”
“Kiss me again husband and let us rest before Vincent wakes us up hungry again.”
Roberto looked at his Sofia. “Your eyes are clear and strong today.” Roberto kissed her forehead and snuggled next to his wife for the night.
* * * * *
Chapter 51:
Azual and Tusk flew back to their hidden grassy area to be alone. “Tusk, I am sorry that so many years ago I did not tell you of my ability to chan
ge into the dragon. It was our way to wait until after our marriage to tell of our abilities. This way the love would bond us together and there would be less risk of hating what our second body is like.”
“Azual, I think we should change that rule from now on. I’m not sure we actually have a choice now. Many of our friends and family have seen you and Algamight change between both forms now. It will be assumed that if the woman is of this planet or from Armis that she will have some type of ability. Perhaps not all will transform into great dragons like you can but they will have special abilities none the less.”
Azual looked at Tusk hopefully. “Tusk, do you still wish to take me as your wife? I know much time has passed. I’m sure that you have many questions and concerns about my dragon form.”
Tusk smiled at her. “Azual your face was in my dreams all those years I was imprisoned by the witch. I thought you lost to me but still I loved you. The beauty of your dragon form only makes me love you all the more.”
“But I would ask you, Azual, the same question. I’m older now and many years have passed us by. You have given me back my youthful body but…the years between us…did they change your feelings for me?”
Azual shook her head. “No, Tusk. I could see you often, if only as a dragon. I watched you grow old knowing that I might not be able to save you. I did not risk changing forms because I did not want the witch to learn of our abilities. My dragons helped keep the ship frozen below the lake. I could not risk the lives of all those I had sworn to protect.”