Two heavy iron clasps were detached with an audible snap as they released their stranglehold on the pages. As the cover creaked away from the yellowed pages a smell of smoke and ash filled my nostrils. The first sheet of thick parchment filling this book only depicted an icon of a dragon, with a name penned at the bottom of the page, "Alet'tholivis, The Fifth Dragon". The beast depicted was completely unlike the statue atop the altar, having frills and long sweeping wings. Juaki wore a look of longing as she surveyed the drawing.
"This book tells of a history that survives only in those who keep it known in their hearts. It is the tale that tells of the birth of our people, and what he once were. For six hundred years this story was told by many, and was known to by all. For two hundred more years, a hunt has been set upon the knowers of this truth. This day there are less than four families that know our past, and it is time that you shall join us in knowing it."
A history preserved for centuries, passed down through the ages in secret. The idea itself was so powerful that it sent shivers all the way to the tip of my tail. I could see similar reactions from the others, who all leaned forward with great interest.
The next page was shown, and my eyes widened in surprise at a detailed illustration of six dragons perched atop glittering snowy mountains. The art seemed to move, and each dragon was positioned and drawn in such a way that you could tell just from a glance what kind of personality they exhibited. Seated at the base of their thrones was a land of plenty, of trees parted by rivers, plains crossing into hills, and valleys rife with towns. The people that lived in these towns were of every fantasy race I could dream of: elves, orcs, dwarves, fairies, trolls, and so many others. It was a land of prosperity, watched over by their draconic protectors.
"The lands were once a place of peace, where all were able to find their way of life. The dragons and their servants would use blade and spell to defend the people of the land from others who were blinded by greed. It was their sworn duty to cultivate that place to be a safe haven."
The page was turned, only to show a scene pulled straight from a nightmare. Atop six mountains were slain dragons, each having arrows and spears driven into them on every side, and all had their throats slit. Rivers of blood cascaded down the mountain, only to join with the blood of the people of the land. Invaders poured into the valley from every side leaving bodies in their wake. They were not strange beasts or evil creatures, but other people from beyond the peaks. The wicked smiles that were drawn showed that they took great satisfaction in their misdeeds.
"The dragons fought to protect their people, only to be overpowered by hordes of enemies. They perished, then their people followed. It was the end of their sanctuary. "
A new image was shown. The valley full of blood gave birth to something new. Legions of kobolds rose from the carnage, weapons in hand and fire in their hands. Of the untold many warriors rising from the crimson lake, six stood taller than the rest. Their eyes were different, and the artworks showed their presence changing beasts into something unholy.
"Our truth is told that the dragons died only in the body. We kobolds were born from the blood spilled by both mortals and dragons. Each dragon took to a new body picked from their strongest kin to wage war. The creatures that drank the blood became monsters under their control.”
The final page was shown. Six mountains, six meteors, and six coffins. The kobolds were marching in droves towards the mountains. On their backs they carried their dead, and some held onto books much the same as the one with us. The six peaks were reshaped: no longer were they thrones, they were tombs. The valley was left in the care of new people, but they were left only ruins and corpses in a land plagued by abominations.
"Their hatred burned the world, until all they had was sadness. Each went back to their mountain and buried their body under a boulder from the sky. They have slept since then. No new bodies. No more wars."
Mother closed the book and relocked the clasps. Her somber expression matched the scarred and beaten look the book had.
Mibata was the first to demand answers.
"This story, our history, is this why we are hounded by the elders?"
Our mother shook her head ruefully.
"It is not so simple as that. Tuleni is a lesser elder, and she is known to be a keeper of our history. If the elders cared for that, she would not be here."
Humey was the next to seek understanding.
"So why are we treated so bad? Why did the ritual almost kill us?"
Juaki looked to Bahruk, who nodded for her to speak.
"Every city of kobold is built on top of where a dragon is buried, both their dragon body and kobold body together. They give their blood from beyond death to keep their kind separate from other cities. If two kobolds mate, and they are from different cities, there will be no hatching from their egg. It was truth, until last moon-rise when you came to be."
Tokols put the pieces together, then shot Bahruk an accusatory stare.
"Wait, dad, you told me you were a traveling trader before settling down. You said this city is your home. Did you really come from somewhere else?”
Dad sighed and nodded.
"Yes. This city, Fifth Dragon city Terokos, is not where I come from. I was hatched and raised in the Second Dragon city Velthii. I traveled here years ago on a caravan route. I fell in love with a certain guardian, and we vowed to stay together even if we never reared any young. It took Tuleni intervening for us to remain together."
Once again Mibata interrogated them.
"You said that eggs formed from a union like yours would not hatch. We are living proof that this is not true. Are we being attacked because of our conception?"
To my surprise, Yabtin was the one to answer.
"Pair like them always make bad egg. Your clutch bad, still hatch. Defy dragon blood. Dragon blood not mix with other blood, kill kobolds. Your blood mix, not right. Only kobold with mix blood die hundred of eight years past."
It took a moment for that to sink in, but Tokols wanted to know more.
"So they are afraid of us because of the mixed blood not killing us. Why did they even let you keep us, even if we wouldn't hatch?"
Tuleni’s deep rumble met him in an answer.
"Old laws. Elders not break. They break, they dead. Blood law strong, dragon made."
Something was nagging at Humey, and he was determined to ease his worried mind.
"Okay, but what about that stuff from the altar? What is it they made us drink? Who's the Undertaker?"
Bahruk and Tuleni looked to Juaki. She gave them his answer, though it seemed that they both knew it as well.
"The Ichor of Dragons is a potion made through magic. Dragon blood, kobold blood, and secret things are mixed to make it work. The Undertaker is another dragon, the Sixth Dragon. Their tomb is cursed. No kobolds, just empty halls and ghosts. I do not know why they say you are brood of that dragon, there are no living kobolds from that place."
The puzzle was slowly coming together, and Mibata was already seeing the big picture.
"Perhaps that explains the ailments we suffered. Visions, dreams, and abnormal reactions to the Ichor. Multiple kinds of dragon blood awakening could have harmful effects, maybe. It still doesn't explain why that elder chose to use Undertaker instead of our lineage. There is something they are working towards that doesn't add up yet. Do you have any insights, Tuleni?"
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The jade kobold shook her head.
"Lesser elder, not know much. Prefer healer work. Elder schemes dangerous, Tuleni never submit."
The conversation lulled, until Tokols brought everyone’s attention to something I was hoping would not be mentioned.
"We know why they're against us, but not what they're after. If we were a threat we'd already be dead. They want something, but we don't know what it is. The red eyed one seems to be oddly focused on…"
I could feel their eyes on me. Before anyone could direct a question at me, Mibata was between me and the rest of them. His voice had that cold and apathetic tone, as if he were threatening them.
"Kayrux is not their objective."
Juaki pressed him, a look of worry in her eyes.
"Son, what do you know that we do not?"
His unyielding resolve would not bend, not even for a concerned mother.
"I cannot tell you, but it is not a part of this discussion. Not even you can sway me on this, Juaki."
Humey took offense to that, as was evident by the sudden spike in temperature. He also wanted to know, and tried to rattle off an accusation.
"Bata, I know you and Kay are close, but maybe-"
A whip crack on the floor silenced him. My defender's scales had pricked up, and I could hear the joints in his hands protesting as he clenched his fists.
"I will not debate upon this. I have vowed to not betray the trust of my sister, even if it strains the bonds of my brothers."
As if by magic, I once again could see something that the others could not. Brother, you aren't just straining those bonds, you're tearing them! The invisible ropes that held them together were being frayed right before my eyes. I have to stop this, he has to back away before it's too late!
The paths were there now. Hundreds of them. Each had consequences beyond my control or understanding, but I had to choose one.
There was only one choice that I would ever make in this scenario: save my brother.
I grabbed his wrist before he said any more, and his eyes turned to me in bewilderment. I handed him the slate, my words already written. His face paled as he read the words, regardless he nodded resolutely and turned to face the others. The slate hung from his hands where I could see it.
"It's okay. You can tell them. I'm ready for them to know."
…
Mibata finished relaying everything I had told him regarding my origin. He sat next to me and out an arm around me, from which I could feel his heart pumping at a rapid pace. I wish I could thank him for speaking in my stead. The slate was returned to me and I clutched it to my chest. The path has been chosen, now I can only see where it leads.
Nobody spoke. It was as though the air had become hazardous to breathe and nobody would risk filling their lungs with poison. I thought I was ready for any response they could give, but their lack of answer, their silence, was something I had no contingency for.
The first to brave the uncertainty was Bahruk.
"Kayrux, my daughter, my little girl, is actually a reborn. I am so…thrilled."
He wasn't lying. When I looked at him, he was beaming with pride. Juaki wore a similar expression, though she hid her eyes under her hands. Tuleni was grinning, which was horrifying for a number of reasons. Even Yabtin had a look of astonishment on his face.
I cautiously wrote a question for them, one which I never thought I would be asking.
"Is being reborn a good thing?"
Nobody had the chance to answer before grandma began belting out a deep and terrible laugh.
"Good thing? No, wonderful! Reborn bring change, this is good. You rare. Last reborn, King Trevor, unite all as one. Remake world. Best elf ever. Friend of dragon. Thousand and hundred three year ago, save world!"
Us young kobolds were stumped. None of us had that sort of context to work upon, so it was clear that the double whammy of information had fried our little brains. I feel like such a dumbass. I could have just asked about reincarnated people before, and would have been wonderfully surprised to find that I was something of a rare treasure. Instead, I just assumed that they’d prop me up on a pyre and burn me like a witch. I introduced my forehead to my writing slab with a hollow thunk.
Mom decided to ask almost the same question that Mibata did earlier.
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
Bata leaned forward, his fingers massaging the sides of his head.
“She and I both lacked the context regarding how valuable they were. We feared that telling you would lead to her being cast out, or put to death.”
Everyone aside from Mibata and myself were appalled by the statement. A cacophony of voices rushed to tell me that such a thing would never happen, or that we were a family and I should trust them more. None of it got through to me. My head was spinning from the influx of information I had to digest, and was only made worse with the revelation that all of my hesitation was just putting me under undue stress. My head and my heart were sore, as though a tightly bound bundle of dense emotional wires that were once locked away had just burst forth, tearing their way through me as the tension was released. I just wanted to disappear and let this hurricane in my head come to an end, but their voices were only giving it more fuel. All I can do is hold onto my writing slate and pray that it ends soon.
Everything went silent as I sensed magic. It wasn’t the same hostile magic that foretold danger and malice one would experience when an elder was present. I had felt magic similar to this, when father would reshape the stone or grandmother healed my wounds, but this one was different from those because it wasn’t focusing on one thing. An area of effect spell, centered on me. The source was adjacent to me, just a couple feet away. Tokols?
Standing from his seat with one hand extended towards me, and the other clenched into a fist at his side. He was speaking with the adults, but the sound of his words didn’t make it to me. I glanced around, and everybody was looking at him in varying states of shock or shame. Even Mibata wore a look of shame. The pale kobold closed his hand, and the natural quiet of the room rushed into my ears. My mind had just enough time to reorient itself before Tok spoke in a gentle voice.
“Kay, you alright?”
I released the death grip I had held on my slate and wrote both a reply and a question for him.
“Not doing good, but will manage. What was that?”
Realization dawned on him as he looked to his own hands.
“I’m not sure. I just…felt that you were in danger, and something happened with my hands. What was it like on your end?”
My reply.
“I felt the magic, and it all went silent. I couldn’t hear anything.”
Tuleni leaned forward with a devious grin. She clapped Tokols’ shoulder hard enough to cause him to flinch.
“Ah, silence spell. Very sneaky magic, you use good way. Killers make self silent, choke magic spell words, hide screams. You protect. Good use, little one.”
Then those beady eyes settled on me.
“You and red boy, make food. Catch pesky thoughts. Tuleni check small boy, see if magics strong. Skinny boy stay too, check him as well. You and I talk later. Go, shoo.”
There was no arguing with her, it seemed. Not that I would, given that she was nearly twice my height and reeked of deep wells of hidden power. Humey and I both got up and went over to the “kitchen”, which was really just the same space I had made the sandwiches before. The mess was still lying there right as I had left it.
My red brother quickly had the mess scraped out of the space and into the waiting rubbish sack. Apprehension got the better of him as he tried to speak, so I initiated our brief chat by signing “hungry?” to him. He smiled, allowing a glimmer of light in those dark eyes to be known.
“Yeah. Uh… hey, um… I wouldn’t have freaked out about that stuff, yaknow? It was a surprise, yeah, but mom and dad are really happy about it, so I’m happy too. Just… thought you should know.”
The inner turmoil subsided for a moment as his words sank in. I elbowed him playfully, and I actually felt a smile on my face. I signed that I loved him before chalking down a question I already knew the answer to.
“Want to learn a new recipe?”
A massive grin spread across that snakey face as a flicker of heat rose from his presence. I had just the recipe in mind, one that was so easy for me that it was practically a genetic memory, er, or it was when I was human but I still remember it in this life: stir fry. I knew just how to make it and what spices and veggies to use from my taste testing earlier.
With a little explanation of what I wanted him to do and what level of heat I needed, I had gotten Humey to be my improvised stove top by heating only the palms of his hands like hot plates. I was sure to check with him and make sure that he was doing alright, but it seems that he’s gotten much better at regulating the power housed within him. He watched with rapt attention as I selected the ingredients, and gasped in delight as I retrieved the secret spice box. I had a notion of what kind of mix I wanted, but I needed a second taste tester to confirm that it was edible. Congratulations Hu, you are hereby promoted from kitchen appliance to sous chef.
Tuleni was right after all. Going back to doing something I found calming was easing my restless thoughts into a more agreeable state. Did she guess that I enjoyed cooking, or was she using some secret ability to probe my mind? One look at her made a third, decidedly truthful option available: she was just hungry. Every few seconds she would steal a glance at us, and her nostrils would flare. Chill out granny, we're working.
Soon enough I was looking at a dish I could be proud of. I call it Not-Korean BBQ Stir Fry, since it only vaguely meets my criteria of being such. As with my sandwich experiment, this dish would only pass a visual inspection if you were color blind and stood a few feet away while squinting. I personally thought it looked awesome with its blend of blues and yellows, also some part of my kobold brain recognized that everything in it was edible. More than once did I have to stop my assistant from taking a sampling of the dish by assuring him that I would add extra "beef" in addition to making more than necessary.
Now that our crash course in kobold history 101 was complete and the family was all on the same page about my past, it was probably time for a discussion regarding magic. That would have to wait until after dinner, which I sensed was going to be chaotic. That was fine, I wouldn't have it any other way.