5
Raiya
It was hard work taking care of a hatchling, Raiya wouldn’t lie. Though Denali did most of the work in caring for Priyana, there were times where she would have the others assist her in bathing and oiling the hatchling. When it came to her feeding, however, none of the girls were interested in helping out and thankfully Denali did not force them to.
Raiya didn’t need to telepathically connect with Priyana’s mind to gauge the growing personality. Priyana, as she had come to learn through her observations over the course of weeks, was quite picky and haughty. She very much reminded Raiya of Denali and the girl wondered if a dragon’s personality was based off their flyer’s to some extent. Most Queens were like this supposedly, at least that is what Denali had learned from Ralph in one of her lessons. Raiya had come in to contact with Shegil and Rellerth a handful of times and had to respectfully disagree. Regardless of her own thoughts and conclusions, Raiya was forced to listen as Denali often parroted the knowledge she obtained as if she was the one who had known all along, often a smug note to her tone. Raiya could understand though where the reasoning may have come from whenever she stared at the dragonet the size of a horse now. They were one of the most important out of all the dragons and largest too with only their egos to match their size.
But eventually, through small interactions that were unnoticed by the two, Priyana and Raiya had developed a sort of understanding throughout their weeks together, thanks to the girl’s gift. Their first known mental interaction had startled both of them, Raiya because she had thought she had done her best to avoid having any sort of interaction like that and Priyana because she hadn’t expected any other human to hear her or speak to her in this intimate way.
What had happened was Denali had requested Raiya specifically to help her just this once in feeding the growing hatchling. The unwilling Raiya didn’t need to ask why she was specifically requested. Should she be injured or killed accidentally in the process, she doubted that Denali would shed a single tear. Naturally, Raiya’s unwillingness came from her perpetual fear of being eaten. Priyana had a voracious appetite and ate far more food than Raiya felt could fit in the body. She ate at least five times a day, one to two whole sheep, calf, or doe per meal. Haunted by the images of the Hatching Ceremony, it was only natural that the child was reluctant to do what Denali bid her to, but she had no choice.
So here she was, standing on the balcony connected to Denali’s room, waiting to receive the delivery from one of the flyers. As she stood there sullenly, she heard and felt the movement of air before she saw the dragon, a royal-blue one clutching a sheep in its talons.
“Ho! Make way for Lkyrth, child!” a man’s voice called down to her.
Raiya scrambled back as the dragon awkwardly landed on the balustrade with its hind legs, dropping the sheep down with a heavy thud. Raiya’s eyes caught the blue hue of the dragon’s, an easy gateway to the intricacies of its mind. As she lightly brushed his thoughts, the link was abruptly severed as the dragon rose into the air and took off, the flyer not so much as giving a proper goodbye. She stood there for a second, watching them land in the field further off before turning her attention to the hungry Queen waiting inside.
“Food’s arrived Priyana, come eat,” she called to the Queen. Thanks to Denali’s refusal to take her to the feeding grounds, they had to do it this roundabout troublesome way. Sure, when she was smaller, it was fine to feed her here. But at the size this dragonet was, it was getting increasingly difficult.
Raiya waited a few seconds, but when the Queen did not emerge or utter a single sound in response, she went in to see what the problem was, grumbling all the while. When she re-entered the room, she saw Priyana perched elegantly on her bed, staring calmly at her.
“You’re getting too big to eat here,” she informed the dragonet, her hands on her hips in an imitation of Ashari whenever she was being firm. “You need to get used to being outside and hunting your own food.” Priyana didn’t even twitch, maintaining her steadfast stare. “It’s good exercise and preparation for your mating flight. At least that’s what Sibilla says. Do you want to be known as a lazy she-dragon?”
‘When will she feed me?’
Raiya heard the thought as clear as if it had been spoken aloud, stopping her rant. The voice was young, soft with a musical lilt and it wrapped around her mind easily. She blinked at the dragonet incredulously who continued to calmly stare and blink back. Raiya couldn’t help herself at this point. Knowing that she shouldn’t, especially should Denali find out about it, however she felt quite aggrieved with this creature and needed to communicate that.
‘I called for you! You’re the one sitting here on your butt while your food is outside!’ she responded.
Priyana’s surprise registered in Raiya’s mind, and she winced slightly knowing there was no going back now.
‘You can talk to me? How is that possible?’ Priyana asked curiously, rising up and approaching the girl.
‘You and any other dragon, it’s nothing special. Now can you come and eat before Denali returns and says I’m starving you?’ Raiya responded, gesturing towards the balcony while backing away from the Queen.
She watched as the dragonet paused, tilted her head, and let out weird noises from her throat. It took her a second to realize that Priyana was laughing at her. Raiya huffed in annoyance, crossed her arms, and resisted the urge to stamp her foot. Priyana began moving again, staring at the girl with amusement as she made her way to the balcony. Raiya only sighed in relief once she watched the dragonet tear into the meat, the ferocity with which she did so both awesome and terrifying to behold.
From that moment on, the two would have little conversations here and there whenever Denali was preoccupied, and it was up to the girls to watch over her. After a week had passed since the incident with no repercussions, Raiya had believed that Priyana hadn’t revealed her gift to Denali and felt a great amount of relief. The nervousness she had felt over their secret interactions disappeared, and she was able to work more freely and happily.
Until the day Denali confronted her.
Denali had dismissed everyone except Raiya, not mentioning why. Marigold had given her worried glances as she made her way out the door and Raiya returned them, suspecting why she was being kept behind.
“What sort of trickery are you using? What sorcery is this?” she hissed at the girl as soon as the door closed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Raiya cried out, backing away from the approaching woman, terrified of the deepening scowl on her face.
“You speak to my dragon as if she were your own! Treacherous creature! Let’s see what Chieftess Sibilla will have to say about this!” Denali’s hand moved quickly, grabbing Raiya’s arm tightly before dragging her behind her.
The people they passed watched on silently, not daring to interrupt but curious as to what the commotion was about. When they finally arrived at Sibilla’s chambers, Raiya could no longer feel her arm.
Denali pounded on the door until Sibilla opened it, staring coolly at the angry woman.
“How can I help you this fine evening Dragonlady Denali? Is there a reason you’re dragging Raiya behind you so cruelly?” An icy note crept into Sibilla’s voice at the end, causing both girls to shiver but Denali steeled her nerves.
“Yes, I believe you can. How is it that this girl can talk to Priyana? Is this some sort of plot by Dragonspire Fortress? To undermine the authority of those from other lands? Or is this some sort of punishment solely meant for the east? The Accord did not mention this if that is the case.”
Raiya didn’t fully understand the weight of those accusations, but she knew that what Denali was saying was anything but good.
“First, calm yourself Denali. I will not talk to someone who isn’t in control of their emotions. I would hate for you to lay such enormous accusations at my feet without thinking first. If you choose to continue in this manner despite my warning, I will feel obligated to respond with force in kind.”
Denali hesitated at the returned underlying threat. This was the second time she had been threatened by Sibilla and despite her rise in power thanks to Priyana, in the face of an older and more experienced Queen flyer, Denali felt the need to defer. Taking in a deep breath, the young woman gestured towards the room behind Sibilla before saying, “I apologize for my outburst. I am just surprised at this sudden discovery, naturally. Let us speak inside.”
“Naturally,” Sibilla agreed, stepping aside to allow both girls in. She gave Raiya a reassuring smile, the same smile that always said that she would be okay, Sibilla would take care of her no matter what.
Raiya, who had been standing quietly throughout the exchange, smiled back, rubbing her arm to restore blood flow, and glancing around the room curiously. What had Sibilla been doing before they interrupted? While she pondered over this, Denali on the other hand seemed to be awestruck. Her eyes lit up with both envy and greed, glancing around the large, tastefully decorated chambers. There were no doors blocking off the balcony, just four stone pillars evenly placed. On the large balcony lay Shegil, bathing in the remaining rays of the sun, one glowing sapphire eye fixated on the two arrivals.
Sibilla moved towards her desk, a beautiful dark oaken one with dragons carved into it. She sat down with a heavy sigh, already developing a headache. Rubbing her temples, she gestured for the two to sit before her.
“So, you’ve learned of Raiya’s gift. It was inevitable I suppose.”
“Gift?” Denali asked suspiciously, raising her eyebrow in doubt.
“You know what I mean. She’s like the Speakers.”
“I thought you only had one here, Speaker Julian,” Denali said, narrowing her eyes. “And to the world’s knowledge, he has no acolytes.”
Sibilla sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Are there only one of any? There’s a whole guild dedicated to finding and training people with this gift. Just like there are many other guilds dedicated to finding and training others in the way of their crafts.”
“She’s not being trained though, is she? She’s a servant girl, serving people, serving me. We have no knowledge of this, but you clearly do. This is a great way to spy on other fortresses. She can learn my private conversations with Priyana, she can divulge this information to you…!” Denali trailed off, beginning to realize that what she was saying did not paint Raiya in a bad light but rather her in one.
Sibilla steepled her hands, placing her chin on the tips of her fingers and stared calmly at Denali. “Is there something you’d like to admit Dragonlady Denali?” she asked mildly. “Are you perhaps plotting something that we shouldn’t know about? Does this have anything to do with your father or Rajin Fortress? Or perhaps Khurleigh Keep is acting on its own?”
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“No, of course not. My loyalty is to Dragonspire Fortress as I am a flyer of here now,” Denali quickly said. “I just am a bit rattled at how you’re allowing someone to roam around freely, knowingly with this gift. Should she not receive proper training and education befitting a Speaker? The fortress is not aware of this. The Council, should they find out, will be most displeased with you. All people who have the ability to communicate with dragons should be reported at once when found. Not doing so is a breach of trust between all fortresses.”
Sibilla shrugged aside the threat casually, abruptly changing the topic. “Do you know what a Speaker truly is? Or where they even came from? Aside from the general knowledge and assumption that they act as advisors and spies for fortresses, what do you truly know about a Speaker and their purpose? Do you know how they came to be prominent figures in our history? Do you know about their connections with not just dragons but the native creatures on this planet?”
Denali quietly thought, thinking back to her education, not knowing the answers to most of the questions. There wasn’t much on them aside from their role in serving on the Council, being sent as diplomatic envoys to other fortresses, and of course their unique ability to communicate with all dragons. They also tended to meet grim fates. There were a few notable ones, remembered for their achievements and sacrifices. She said as much to Sibilla and was rewarded with a mocking smile, leaving her both flustered and annoyed as she leaned back against her chair.
Raiya on the other hand found herself leaning forward, eager to learn more about her gift.
“I see Ralph hasn’t gotten around to teaching you about Speakers yet and you have had no prior education beforehand,” she raised a hand here to stifle the beginning protests coming from Denali, “but no matter, I will explain to you both so listen up.“ She checked to see that both girls were giving her their full attention before clearing her throat and launching into her lecture.
In the first years of humanity’s arrival on the planet Geria, they were swept into conflict against the Gerians in a war named after the world and the alien race inhabiting it, the Gerian War. The original dragons of Geria, worshipped as gods by the Gerians, had originally sided with the Gerians, but thanks to one human, they switched sides and helped the humans. This human’s name was unfortunately lost amongst other numerous records during the Age of Calamity. They are only remembered now as the first unofficial Speaker to ever exist. The dragons today are descendants from the dragon gods, only genetically modified to enhance their telepathic abilities and enforce Bonding upon them. There were limitations added in to make the dragons easier to control and less of a threat, such as removing their ability to breathe fire freely. These modified dragons are able to communicate with any human should they wish, but they generally only converse with their Bonded. Most humans could not freely speak to all dragons because they did not have strong, psychic abilities. Only when they were able to Bond with a dragon could they form that intimate mental link, mainly supported by their dragon instead of themselves. Thus, Speakers became prominent figures within the Councils because of their rare ability.
Now, one would think that only humans with psychic talent could therefore Bond with a dragon, but that’s not the case. In some of the texts, it is written that there were a lot of arguments regarding the unfairness of having Speakers participate in the Hatching Ceremony. Ultimately, it was thanks to Chief Malik Massi and Chieftess Sabrina Massi that those arguments were tossed aside as baseless. The Massis wrote about how there were several factors regarding who was able to successfully Bond with a dragon, and little of it had to do with psychic talent. Primarily, if they were strong-willed, there was a greater chance they could override the will of the hatchling easily. If they were kind, honorable, just, and noble, the dragons would be more drawn to them. Then, of course, there are the people born with strong mental fortitude and psychic capabilities. The Massi bloodline for example, and many more lost to history. These people had the ability to communicate with not just dragons, but even the native alien creatures on the planet.
“But there are no further explanations on this. Whatever old records there were of the old times are long gone, either destroyed or hidden away. Even much of Chief Malik’s written texts are gone. Anything before the year five hundred is lost and we must make do with what we have, theorize, and speculate once more. The names of the first Speaker, the first chiefs and chieftesses, and the history of our planet, our people, and our dragons are gone. The knowledge of our psychic abilities and the extent to which they go is gone. The first five hundred years of our history, missing. The rest, scattered and hardly cohesive save for the last two hundred years.” Sibilla sighed, looking out at Shegil. “You can understand how disappointed we must have been in learning this. Can you imagine if we had found out the reason for why certain humans could do this? We could perhaps try to replicate whatever caused it but alas, whatever secrets our forebearers had, they died with. War saw to the rest.”
“Why did you want to replicate it? The personal, intimate Bond shared between a human and dragon is a feeling indescribable. Why wish for anyone to have access to it?” Denali asked, raising an eyebrow. “No one should intrude upon the sacred Bond between flyer and dragon.” Denali glanced at Raiya before repeating, “No one.”
“You mustn’t have been listening if you’re saying this. It is thanks to a Speaker that we even have the ability to Bond with dragons. Do you know how many other wars have happened over the thousand years we’ve been here?” Sibilla asked, cocking an eyebrow in return at Denali. “Three full blown wars, numerous battles and skirmishes, and a rebellion. It was the Speakers who warned the fortresses and the keeps, who helped rebuild the lives of the villages and cities from the ashes of destruction.” Sibilla eyes bore into Denali, not needing to voice aloud what she knew the girl understood. Of the three wars, Ioyari was responsible for starting two, one of them leading to the Age of Calamity. The numerous battles and skirmishes were mostly the Ioyarians raiding against the other continents. “I understand how you feel, Denali. The Bond we share with our dragons is very unique and special. We are lucky to be chosen. But we can no more stop these gifted people from being born as we can turn against nature’s will. Instead, we should be grateful to them for what they can contribute to our society and learn more about them and their unique abilities. The Speaker’s Guild was established for this purpose.”
Denali’s face very clearly said no, she didn’t think that and would never agree with Sibilla’s thoughts.
“Why do we call them Speakers then? What’s their true purpose? Am I from one of those lost bloodlines?” Raiya asked tremulously. Though the information Sibilla had provided answered some questions she had, many others took their place, namely about her connection to one of those bloodlines.
Sibilla finally looked at Raiya, her gaze soft and warm. “Speakers are called so because they can speak to other dragons. It isn’t very creative, but it serves its purpose. Now, do you think having such an incredible gift is only useful for plotting and deceiving? No, Speakers play an important role in keeping the balance of our world in check. It is on their words and wisdom that we thrive. As for your specific bloodline, most of them died out and their names and deeds were lost to history after the Age of Calamity. The only known pure and active bloodline to have latent psychic abilities is the Massi one. Now, could you be from a sub-branch of that bloodline? Yes, that could be so.” Though she projected confidence, even Raiya could hear the uncertainty.
Denali’s face, however, conveyed her own wide range of fleeting emotions. Sibilla didn’t fail to notice the rising interest forming in the young woman’s eyes and noted to keep a closer eye on her. With this newfound information on Raiya, there was little doubt in her mind that Denali would wish to inform Rajin Fortress of this.
“And all of these Speakers can speak to dragons? And native creatures?” Raiya had never thought to speak to any alien creatures but now she was curious to try even though she hadn’t been exposed to any.
Sibilla at first nodded her head then shook it. “Yes, any dragon. Be it Queen or Prince, WarMasters or WarFuries. Specialists and more. As for the native creatures, only those who have Massi blood can do that.”
Raiya was dumbstruck. Such a powerful position existed for those with her gift and here she was, stuck serving the pampered princess sitting next to her! And she had vaguely heard about the Massi bloodline and their infamous birds. She envisioned herself as a Speaker, stopping wars and balancing the fate of the world on her very fingertip.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this? Shouldn’t I become a Speaker too then?” Raiya demanded, sounding very much like a child on the verge of a tantrum.
Sibilla raised her eyebrows in warning at the child. “Well for one, you are still a child Raiya. The strenuous training undertaken by acolytes is not easy and even if you finished it successfully, you wouldn’t stay here. You’d be sent somewhere else. Speaker Julian has many more years of service ahead of him and I doubt he’d relinquish his position for you. There are other factors that Godrick and I had to take into consideration as well…” she trailed off, a guilty look crossing her face.
“What other things?” Raiya demanded to know.
“She means your status,” Denali sneered at her. “You’re a lowborn servant. You think you’d be allowed to move up so easily? That’s not how the world works. No matter how gifted or talented you are, where you come from is more important than anything else. Ever since the rebellion, there has been a clear line drawn between the nobility and the common folk. You're on the bottom end of that line.”
“Oh,” Raiya uttered, the word quietly falling from her lips. She felt an immense pressure suddenly in her eyes and blinked quickly, forcing the tears away. Somehow, hearing those words from Denali had affected her more than anything she had heard regarding her station in life.
Sibilla glared at the smirking young woman, before reaching out and touching Raiya’s hand.
“Life is difficult for those of us who do not have everything handed to us on a silver platter. But it is often more rewarding too. We appreciate things far better. I’ll introduce you to Speaker Julian and ask him to teach you to use your gift. I refuse to stand by and not give you the opportunity to succeed at this point. I would be a failure of a mother if I didn’t try.”
“Won’t you have to discuss this with Chief Ralph and the other Council members?” Denali asked, tilting her head. “I doubt you have the authority to do so without their acknowledgement at the very least.”
Sibilla smiled coolly at the other girl. “You’ll come to find in time, or maybe not should you fail the Enthronement, the true power a chieftess can wield. Now,” she said, turning back to Raiya, “if this happens you must be aware that your gift will be announced to the world. Speakers are very prominent figures in society and the discovery of one must be revealed to all the fortresses. The backlash of having hidden you will be a struggle. There is much that will happen, are you ready for all of that?”
“Yes, I want to!” Raiya spoke without hesitation. To her innocent mind, a Speaker sounded like an amazing hero that worked hard to save people and stop bad things from happening. If nothing else, it would be far better than spending her life as a servant and she’d be very foolish not to take this opportunity!
“Lady Denali, would you mind losing a lady? We can always find you another,” Sibilla said, turning to the young woman.
Denali shrugged and stood up. “I don’t care what she does as long as she doesn’t get in my way. I have no need of any of your servants anyways, I will request for a lady from my land to be sent.” She bowed slightly to Sibilla, standing up and flipping her long, thick black hair over her shoulder before exiting the room. There was no doubt in Raiya’s mind that the awakening Priyana was the reason for her quick departure. If she listened closely, she could hear the dragonet call for her Bonded, but she quickly tuned out the connection. She did not want to infringe upon Denali’s intimacy with Priyana anymore and could very much understand why the young woman had been unhappy with the idea of it happening. If she placed herself in Denali’s shoes, would she not have acted the same way?
Sibilla shook her head ruefully after the door closed behind the young woman before turning back and looking at the child seated before her. “Raiya,” she began, her serious tone immediately causing the girl to sit upright quickly. That was the tone that booked no room for arguments. “There is another reason I didn’t tell you about Speakers. They are…not the luckiest sort, as Denali mentioned earlier. No one likes them because of what they do and so they often are on the receiving end of…terrible accidents. It’s a dangerous profession is what I am trying to tell you. If you are given permission to study, do so with awareness and really think before deciding on actually becoming one.”
“I understand.” Of course, Raiya knew what she was going to choose already, but she could see the concern etched upon her mother’s face. If acting hesitant would ease her worries, then she would behave as if she was truly questioning her choices.
“Good,” Sibilla said, her hand cupping the girl’s face. “You have a keen sense of survival, a good pair of wits, and a sharp mind. Ashari and Godrick also praise those attributes of yours to no end as well. I just want you to remember that the world, life, itself isn’t cruel. The reason many believe it to be so is because those who have the power to make a change sit there instead and do nothing except grow fatter and wealthier off the hard labor of the working class. And those who don’t have that power rage in resentment and pacify themselves with small comforts. If you ever have the power to enact change, do it. Leave this world better than how you found it. The future generations will never thank you, but they will lead better lives for it and that is important for the future of mankind and dragons alike. Greed, enmity, a lack of care for the world. These are things that contributed to our ancestors’ demise and their abandonment of their home planet in search of others, we must be better so that the same doesn’t happen here.”
Raiya felt a deep wave of awe and inspiration flood her mind as Sibilla continued to stare at her fiercely, still cupping her face. How much power would she need to cause change, and would she be able to do it? If Sibilla, a Chieftess of a fortress couldn’t, how could she? But her childish brain couldn’t think too hard on the complex topic, deciding it was something for her future adult self to handle.
Sibilla let go of her cheek, patting it gently before leaning back against her chair. The two continued to speak for a little longer, pleasant generalities regarding life before Raiya was dismissed. As she made her way back to Denali’s chambers, she couldn’t help but feel a lot more hopeful and determined about her future.