Viyara Nameless
I stared after the two angels when they took off, only half listening to Ignus when he narrated why he had come here. Ever since he had arrived, I had felt… lost. I didn’t understand why, after all I had found someone else who seemed to care for me, who knew my family, my past, even the secrets that had led to my birth. I should have been thrilled, excited, but I wasn’t. I had thought, that I’d been done with dragons and their greed, at least for a while, but when I had heard his roar, I had known how wrong I had been. There was a silver lining, though: I didn’t have to rely on a grandfather I had only ever met as a slave, no, I had friends, a new family, people who looked out for me.
Maybe that was why I was feeling so glum. I hadn’t wanted to deal with any of it, neither my legacy nor draconic society, I had been prepared to live a new life, far away from the smouldering ruins of my home and this, all of it, felt like a step back. A step away from the people I had chosen, I had begun to form bonds with. Not that I could do much about it, turning a blind eye would only make it worse in the long run. No matter how difficult it might turn out to be, I’d have to convince my relatives that I wasn’t going to go back. Not ever. I didn’t even know if I could, even if I wanted to. The magic that connected Cassandra and me was becoming stronger, a pulsing spark of warmth deep within, that pulled me in her direction, whichever way I turned. When she had agreed to either carry my name or allow me to become a part of hers, I had felt relieved, happy.
I didn’t mind our bond, I honestly enjoyed it. There were comfort and security in knowing where you belonged, especially if you had lost everything you ever knew before. I just wished we could have had some time together, without rushing from one life or world threatening catastrophe to the next. From a protected, shrinking violet and kidnapped trophy to an aspiring crystalline dragon at the heart of what seemed to become the next Great War on this continent in a few days… no wonder I was feeling lost.
“… listen to me?” No, I hadn’t. Ignus was talking to me telepathically and the small gathering around us was dispersing. I hadn’t even realised that they had stopped talking. Mephisto was cradling the jewel with Shassa’s soul in his hands, a not very nice smile on his face.
“Sorry, what did you say?” He rolled his eyes, an impressive sight as the huge, golden spheres nearly vanished into his skull.
“Come with me. Now that I have met mostly everyone of importance, I want to have another word with you. And with so many mages around, our telepathy might not be as private as I’d like.”
He immediately unfurled his wings, billowing sails under the sun, and took to the air without giving me a chance to reply. The defiant part of me was tempted to let him and his patronising attitude leave, he’d return soon enough. But probably in a much worse mood and with a long curtain sermon prepared…
I had no trouble keeping up with him, despite the difference in size. Each movement of my snake like body propelled me forwards with more force than I had expected. I didn’t even have to work my magic to influence the currents of air around me, they seemed to willingly carry me along, faster and faster as if I was falling, instead of flying. I felt a faint stirring of power, tiny tendrils of energy that raced from my carbuncle and flushed my muscles with a vibrant force before I accelerated even further.
With the rushing wind in my face, a myriad of smells from the island and our camp in my nostrils and the sun behind me, I could let go for a minute or two. I felt free, unbound by bloodlines and legacies, free like a bird who was beheld to nothing but the vast expanse of blue all around. I closed my eyes and followed the airstreams, effortlessly circling around the golden behemoth who appeared to move as slowly as if he was trying to fly through honey. My tongue darted out and I tasted the burning fires below and the faint hint of electricity on the air, a first sign of a brewing storm. When I turned westwards and opened my eyes again, I clearly saw the towering clouds coming together, black giants that slowly moved along the horizon.
“That should be far enough,” Ignus telepathic voice, old and rumbling like a spitting volcano, brought me out of my reverie as we settled into a rhythm, circling high above the island.
“You’re unimaginably lucky, you know that? That you’ve found people who took care of you and didn’t sell you for your hide or carbuncle… and then they were even able to help and not merely die by your side. Which makes this all the more difficult… are you really sure that you want to stay here? No, listen and let me finish. I like them, well most of them, but Viyara, pardon the metaphor, you’re a human who has decided to play with dragons. I know it doesn’t mean much to you, but three of those creatures down there are living legends, even among our kind. Fiery Skies, I’ll deny ever having said it, but what Mephisto knows about magic is frightening. And that’s just knowledge. I don’t even want to imagine what Cassandra or Ahri might turn into when they come to understand and control their powers. You’re lucky enough that they’d allow you to go, even though you’re already bound to one of them. Think twice before you stay. I don’t know much about the wider cosmos, at least compared to those three, but I can tell you that you’re heading into a life of strive, hardship and battles, the likes of which even the oldest dragons can’t fathom. Think about the last days, are you really sure that this is what you want? Once you’re headed down that path, there will be no turning back.” That sounded almost humble and consequentially scared the living hell out of me. He was truly worried, otherwise he wouldn’t have talked like that.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” I replied after I had taken a moment to truly think about his question. “I know that… they… Cassandra healed me, she fought an ancient Black for me… she saved me. I feel safe around her, protected and then there’s her magic… we’re connected and I know that the magic is pulling me to her… also, I like her, very much so, maybe more than I should. Even without everything that has happened, even if I didn’t owe her, just from what I know of her, from what I’ve seen, I think I’d like to stay with her, stay with them and help… So… for better or worse, I think that ship has already flown away. But I don’t regret it, not one bit. Like you said, I got really lucky with the people I flew into.” He sighed.
“Probably, even though… You do know she is taken, right? I can’t imagine that you’ll ever be a part of her life in that way. Can you live with that?”
“Is it that obvious?” I didn’t really expect an answer, I knew it was. I sighed and steeled myself for a rather unpleasant conversation. “I’m not a child, not anymore. I might be infatuated but I’m not a moron. I’m not even sure I truly see her like that. I do have trouble with taking my eyes off her, if she’s near, and I think about her more than I should, I admit, but it’s more like… I think I’m projecting most of what she’s done for me and what her magic is doing to me into something I can understand more easily. Sooner or later that won’t be necessary. If I can’t get her out of my head by then, I might be in trouble.” He seemed genuinely impressed, his thoughts flickering through half remembered images and feelings from his past.
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“I wish I had been this wise when I was your age, or even a few centuries older. As your grandfather, little as the title might mean, allow me to say that I’m proud of you. I expected to find a broken husk of a dragoness, kidnapped and fallen to despair but instead… it would have been an honour to share my name with you. Whatever else he has done, my son raised you right.”
It felt strange, receiving a heartfelt compliment from someone who was practically a stranger but I knew he was being honest, I could see it in his thoughts, he had meant every word.
“I want you to know, should you ever need me, I’ll gladly be there for you,” he continued. “Me and all of mine. You’re… it’s been a pleasure to see you again, Viyara and I’m looking forward to what you’ll become in the future.”
“Thanks. After everything… sometimes it feels like what happened to my family is my fault. I know it’s not true, but still…” I couldn’t suppress a wave of guilt and grief from welling up, colouring my thoughts in grey and black. “I… it’s good to know that not every dragon sees me as prey… or a means to an end. For a grumpy, ancient lizard you’re not too bad yourself. But why does this feel like a farewell?”
“Because it is. I’m not going to stay for longer. My presence, it can easily be detected and I don’t intend to bring other dragons down on you before you want to face them. I’ll travel far and wide in the coming moons, I’ll meet with old acquaintances and even older friends and try to prepare the forging ceremony. I’ll be in touch once I’m done. In case you don’t hear from me in the next two months, something went wrong. I’d advise you to stay clear of our people, should that happen.” I was decently sure, that wouldn’t fly. If he was in trouble, I’d go looking for him and I’d bet my carbuncle that there were going to be two angles and a demon who’d join me, no matter what he said now. In him, Mephisto had found the first mortal creature he truly liked, since Barzuk. Even if I wouldn’t be the one to push, he wouldn’t leave Ignus hanging.
“I don’t expect you to do so,” pretty wise, “but I do want you to know that I’d prefer you far away, if that came to pass. You’ve already proven that you’re willing to risk your life for others and while I appreciate the sentiment and what it says about you, you’d do well to not make a habit of it.”
“Thanks for your words of wisdom, gramps, but I don’t think you’re right. From what I’ve seen in the last days… a willingness to sacrifice for others, it’s not a weakness… it’s strength.”
“Maybe, but you’re still the one I want to protect. Which reminds me…” I felt his magic rise, a golden nimbus in his mind that turned into iridescent sparks, dancing around one of his scales. It popped lose and slowly drifted towards me, a glowing rune slowly forming on its surface. I recognised the basic form, something that’d roughly translate to “connect”, but the adjacent embellishment and intricate expansions were far beyond me. When the scale was close, I carefully plugged it from the air, his magic dispersing the moment I felt it between my claws. Under the sunlight, a diamond shaped piece of gold shone brightly, vibrating with energy.
“This will allow you to contact me. Just project your thoughts through it and I’ll hear them. It’s an extension of your telepathy, if you so will. But please, don’t lose it. I don’t want to have to listen to the ravings of whichever idiot might find it, or even worse, the digestive track of some animal. Having a flatulent goat in your ear can drive you nuts within a few hours, let me tell you…”
I chuckled mentally. “Thanks, but I could have done without that image. I’ll keep it save, don’t worry. Don’t you want to say goodbye to the others?”
“Not really, Mephisto knows I’m leaving and I don’t want to get involved with a dwarven burial. Those little guys are creepy, mark my words,” he added with a visible shudder. “Try to stay on their good side, otherwise even your angels might not be able to keep your head on your shoulders. Take care, little one, and don’t hesitate to call for me, if you need to.”
“I won’t. Goodbye, Ignus, it’s been… thank you, for all you have done and for what you’re going to do.” He circled closer and sent a warm stream of air washing over me as he laughed.
“Don’t thank me, I’m doing this as much for me as I’m doing it to for you. Besides, I have a reputation as functioning sociopath to uphold, don’t I?” What.. Cassy had said that when we had talked about the future. Had he been listening in? Before I could ask he turned around and winged away, a slowly diminishing, golden colossus on its way to the horizon. I was tempted to follow, to satisfy my curiosity but I would only be disappointed. If I had learned one thing, it was that grumpy old men liked their secrets more than even dwarven mead.
A few minutes later, I landed close to one of the larger tents, where I hoped to find a fresh set of clothes, unfortunately I wasn’t yet able to conjure them from thin air, a spell much more complex than anything I could handle. Internally debating how I might get my paws on a set without being seen or at least called out and consequentially avoiding a rather one sided conversation about material costs and the wastefulness of someone who had never had to work for a living, I was seriously startled when I suddenly felt a small hand against my foreleg. The tiny, red furred vixen, Reia was standing there, a bundle of what I assumed to be pants and a shirt in her hands and a rather shy smile on her face.
“Here,” she said. “I thought you might need these and… and I was wondering if I… that is, me and some friends of mine, we wanted to talk to you. Would you… can you come with me? We have a tent to ourselves, you’ll have some privacy for your transformation as well.”
I could either roar or snarl at her, so I answered telepathically. Her mind felt fresh, vibrant and full of energy, like a sunny morning in the spring. “Sure, so you aren’t afraid that I’m going to eat you anymore? You were on the ship when I crash landed, weren’t you?”
She blushed and nodded. “Yes, but I never thought that you’d eat us, that was Archy. He’s a bit of a wuss. You aren’t mad, are you?” I laughed but she seemed to mistake the sound for something else since she took a step back and turned white like a ghost. I hurriedly said:
“Of course not. It’s pretty smart to be afraid of a flying, fire breathing snake. Go on then, lead the way… or, if you want to, I could also carry you.” I bent my forelegs and offered her my neck to climb up. To her credit, she only hesitated for the fraction of a second before curiosity and excitement drowned out the growing spark of fear I smelled in her. She nimbly jumped from my claws to my shoulder and balanced along my back, her tail swishing from left to right to keep her balanced.
I rose and trotted off, the images I saw in Reia’s undisciplined, chaotic mind more than enough to guide me. If I had wanted to, I would easily have been able to sift through her memories until I knew what this was all about, but I didn’t. She’d tell me soon enough, anyways, but I couldn’t stop the occasional thought from reaching me, when they fluttered through her consciousness.
She was nervous and I was decently sure she was the one who had come up with the idea to include me in whatever scheme they were planning, worried as she was how I might react. Which made me very curious, indeed. I hadn’t spent much time with the kids up until now, partly because they were still somewhat intimidated by me and partly because I was… well, I wasn’t too keen on interacting with them in my human form because I looked just about their age, maybe a smidgen older. I didn’t want to be treated like a child and consequentially had avoided them for the most part. Combined with everything that had happened, I had barely exchanged a word with any of them, Archy being the only exception. Ahri had told me that he had been the one to keep me alive with his magic when I had been poisoned. I had thanked him rather awkwardly when I had found out and the few words he had replied had convinced that Reia was right: he was a wuss. Well mannered and friendly but also shy and easily spooked. When his image drifted to the front of Reia’s mind, I wondered how she had convinced him to become a part of her plans, again.