Dragon's Presence (63)

“I knew I could catch you here when I learned She had called you for the same purpose as the Council.” Burdish stated panting.

      “Both wish us to investigate a problem?” Sert asked. The merriment of leaving Atlantis on a grand adventure oozed in every word he spoke

      “A dragon was spotted multiple times near a human colony and they have requested assistance to remove the beast from their lands.” Burdish informed me half ignoring Sert.

       “But Atlantis does not believe in killing dragons unless they have gone fully rogue.” I retorted.

       “Agreed, which explains why Her Holiness summons Her most trusted hand to deal with it properly.” he replied with a quick bow. “The Council can only use the wording the request states.” he added quickly and quietly.

       “I speak with Her Holiness Annianka to discover where she sides on this issue if that is what she calls me for.” I returned calmly.

      “Let me know your stance before leaving so the Council can back it if the human ask for an account of our actions in this matter.” he told me quickly. He stood to one side holding the door open for us to enter. “I do expect a complete report from you even if only half of what actually happened is being revealed to the Council.” he added. He ushered us in with a wave of his hand. I rushed in with Sert close behind me.

      “Have you ever felt the Council pushing us to do what is right even if that is not what is being request by the humans?” Sert asked before we reached the doors to Annianka's private garden. During the long time that passed, Annianka was returned into her solitary confinement during many of my voyages away from Atlantis. Small oddness had begun occurring around her more often and half seemed indirectly to come from Her Holiness the Heart of Atlantis. “Sir?” Sert interjected when I did not answer him.

      “Whatever the story is here, we will soon know what is expect of us from both the Heart and the Council” I answered calmly. “Then we do what we want depending what is the most honourable path for us to follow.”

      “Never allow others to dictate honourable conduct?” Sert commented.

      “A person's honour can never truly be judged by others.” I remarked softly. My hand rose to knock at the door to the garden “It is the same thing as judging the value of a person while they lay in their crib.” I explained. “Unless they have survived a godly attack, it is pointless to label the life we hold dear.”

      “I doubt Her Holiness will order us to dispatch the dragon unless it is a threat to the human colonist.” he stated to me. My hand stopped shy of touching the wood of her inner door.

      “A dragon can eat fields of growing plants or meat daily?” I remarked. “They are a threat in the world just appeasable or controllable.” I continued. “If it has enough land to feed itself, then we can ask they avoid being seen.” I explained. “If it lacks land we find them land or play the extinction game.”

      “That is not reassuring considering how difficult it is to kill a dragon.” he remarked softly. I nodded then knock soundly on the garden door. It swung open before us soundlessly.

      “She is expecting you.” miss Hope growled. She was not visible in the garden like always.

      “I thank you.” I stated quickly. I strode forward following the traces in my mind to find Annianka deep in this vast constantly changing maze of plants she tended to. Sert followed quickly at my heels without truly fearing getting lost in this perpetual confusion. This was not how she had been when I first arrived. Once a month had become once a week and continued shortening until it became nearly an hourly changing pattern in Annianka's garden. Path were rewritten causing visitor to rarely step in the same section they had used when entering this maze, in the middle was Annianka like Minos' Minotaur or a spider queen in the heart of her web.

      “Sir!” Sert called suddenly. My foot hung in the empty air where ground sat during my last visit. Empty chasm sat there now as I stood with one foot dangling over the precipice, I slowly pulled my leg back staring around me to find the newly created path. “This seems so unnatural for Atlantis.” he whispered at my back.

      “This is simply Her Holiness proving She is the word of the gods.” I stated calmly. I continued searching for a new path finding nothing but going straight down the sheer edge and climbing up the other. “This makes me think Loki is speaking through her presently.” I added in a very subtle whisper.

       “I must unfortunately agree that the trickster is at work here.” Sert replied. With a mental flick, the rock under our feet lifted us across the chasm to land safely a few feet away from Her Holy despotedness. She nearly cackled like a magpie at us as we landed.

“I am here sweetness.” I stated under my breath and mentally at her. “End this folly and tell me why you need me as your Hand and as Envoy for Atlantis.” I told her.

      “You really do not understand fun love.” she returned petulantly at me. She waved her hand and the chasm closed like a hungry mouth while the ground only trembled lightly under us. “It was something you would never find on Atlantian soil.” she continued. “I was testing it to see if it might be good to create it on a grander scale for the populace to witness and marvel over.” she explained. “Placing it around the Council Hall was my thought to keep them out of harms way for a bit.” she added with a wicked chuckle.

       “I think that would be excessive and pointless since the Earth manipulators would be refilling it as quickly as you create it dear.” I remarked offhandedly. “You requested my presence at the same time the Council called upon me.” I continued slower. “Burdish already filled us in from the human request to make a dragon go away but they are unwilling to push for the dragon's demise.” I told her. “Is this the same purpose for your request?”

       “We cannot indiscriminately murder dragons now can we?” she retorted. “Best accessing the situation especially since no attacks are mentioned.” she continued. “It is a human colony so you may have to lie to them about how you made the dragon go away.” she explained. “Get to it while I think of something else to keep the Council from being a distraction to my people.” she ordered before drifting away into the moving foliage.

       “Was that as odd to you as it appeared to me?” I whispered to Sert. He nodded in silence back to me.

      “She has been having a few moments like this lately.” miss Hope purred at my side. “It passes soon enough.” she added softly.

      “Keep me abreast of any more changes like this in her behaviour.” I whispered to the feline. “Best we be off to save the human from what appears a non-violent dragon.” I stated out loud.

      “Right away Sir.” Sert replied quickly. With a quick bow to miss Hope, we vacated Annianka's garden and tower. Burdish waited impatiently outside for us.

      “And no attacks from that dragon reported?” I ask him directly.

      “No attacks or direct contact, only sightings of the dragon in flight.” he replied quickly. “We believe it is only one dragon but the humans are not convinced.” he added.

      “We stop to collect out travel gear and will be at the harbour to board the Herald directly.” I stated to him. “Have the reports they sent waiting on board for us to review during the trip there.” I ordered calmly. He nodded to us before rushing off.

      “Why did you not ask him to hand you the reports directly?” Sert asked. “I do believe he was carrying them with him.” he hazarded softly.

      “Because neither of us can afford extra things in our hands while boarding the ship.” I answered calmly. “We rush to collect Meli and be off within the half hour.” I informed him. We rushed back to our residence to find Meli with our bags in hand waiting for our return. Word did not need to be spoken as we rushed to the harbour, bags in hand, ready to be off once more. Little did I know as we departed that what they would discover was something so rare as to even cause me mild awe.

       The sail was swift and quiet while we spend most of it reading through the reports from the small coastal village calling for our assistance. The reports covered the last month with multiple sightings daily causing them to fear for the safety of their children and themselves. The Atlantian documentation added to it did not cite a dragon nest or non-human colony that might have a dragon visiting it.

      “This is odd that no crops or animals are reported missing.” I commented.

      “Even a young dragon needs a considerable amount of food to maintain their health.” Meli reported. “The forest might be it's source of food or they dine on fishes from the sea.” she explained. “The description alludes to a lone dragon still very young.”

      “Not enough details in their description to be assured that we face a single dragon but it is what I feel is right.” Sert remarked.

      “One lone, possibly childish, dragon recently moved into the area would be a true oddity.” Meli returned. “But that is what we seems to be told.”

      “We will understand it more once we speak to the witnesses directly and possibly see this dragon in flight.” I told them. “If it is a lone dragon with an established hunting ground, we can ask that it used other flight paths when moving around the colony.”

      “The descriptions do not give enough detail to define the dragon type either.” Meli remarked. “Very general description with sizes that does not help define its type or age.”

      “But we can discount a fire dragon, earth dragon, or spirit dragon because of the colouration stated of dark greens, dark blues, blacks, and greys.” Sert commented. I grunted my agreement.

      “And no Spirit dragon would ever venture away from Atlantian soil.” I continued. “And no satellites close enough for one of them to mistakenly cross over into human territories.” I added.

      “So nothing can be decided until we land, speak to the witnesses, and see this dragon for ourselves.” Meli sighed.

      “Could your little thunder be an extra set of eyes for us?” Sert asked suddenly. I nodded to him with a small smile. One quick mental command sent him winging ahead of us. “I believe his eyes might give us better description, its flight pattern, and possibly its nesting place.”

      “I have sent him ahead to scout the dragon out for us.” I declared to them. “He will meet us upon landing to give us any extra information to help us make a logical judgement in this matter.” With this decided we review the reports in silence marking notes that we added to the individual reports before passing them off. I spent the last night on the ship with the stack of notes turning into a list of a dozen questions. We made landfall the next morning finding a small group waiting at the dock for our arrival.

       “We are overwhelmed with gratitude that Atlantis has sent us assistance.” an old man stated as he approached. From the behaviour of the others, I could tell this was the headman for this village. “Our latest witnesses have also seen an odd blackish bird following the dragons.” he continued. My arm stretched skyward as the bird they spoke of came to land upon it.

      “I sent my aerial eyes before us to search for details we will need to deal with the dragon.” I reported to him. A shocked murmur ran through the crowd.

      “You must mean dragons since there must be more than one for the sheer number of people that have seen them.” the headman returned.

      “From your reports, it appears to be the same dragon they have all seen.” I told them quickly. Little thunder squawked his agreement at it being a lone dragon. “Which has just been confirmed to me.” I added. I absently scratched my bird's neck as it sat on my shoulder flashing images into my mind of the dragon.

       “Any one you speak to can tell you what they have witness.” the headman stated. “From the youngest child to the oldest elder of our village has seen the beast flying in our skies.” he informed me. I could not hide my jaw dropping at this announcement. A reaction I shared with my two companions. It was unheard of that a dragon alone or in a group would show themselves that clearly to onlookers. Most of the dragon races from the beginnings of their creation long ago all shared a shyness that kept them a secret from most of the other races.

      “This changes matters greatly.” Sert commented. “Does little thunder know where it's lair is located?” he asked in Atlantian.

      “I will verify with him now.” I replied in common. I scanned the images in the memory of my bird. I must have paled considerably as the image of a boy greeting the dragon at it's cave. They moved closer to me as I spoke. “Has a child gone missing since the dragon was spotted in your skies?” The villagers stared at each other slowly as they shock their heads in negation. “What about a new boy child floating around the village?” Another ring of negation came from the crowd.

      “Not that we know of.” the elder answered for the group. “You may speak to the other children.” he continued slowly. “Young eyes can sometimes see things that adult eyes overlook.”

      “We have a great oddity in place here.” I told all of them. “A boy seems to be living with the dragon.” I stated in Atlantian. They hide the shock of my revelation well. “I thank you.” I told the elder quickly. “We wish to speak with your villagers as we move to hunt down the dragon's lair.”

      “As you wish.” the headman returned slowly. “We have arranged living spaces for you and your Atlantian team sir!” he reminded us. I could read in his mind that he believed we would waste a day settling in before talking to his villagers.

      “The sooner we begin, the faster we can resolve your dragon problem.” I said calmly.

      “Would the child be in danger?” Meli whispered in Atlantian. “It would explain your rush.” she added.

      “I do not believe so.” I answered in common. “I believe the mysterious child is the key to this issue.” I explained in Atlantian. “Can the children who may have seen a new boy in town come forth during our walk through the village.” I proclaimed loudly. I knew all heard my words as I reinforced them with my mental gifts considering how small the village actually was.

      “What is your thoughts about this child?” Sert asked softly. “Similar to the trio with the broken waggon we met long ago?” he suggested. The subtleness of his comment made this reference a secret to prying ears without stated in Atlantian.

      “It is a possibility.” I returned in a slow pensive fashion. “But this feels very different.”

      “He may be from another race that appears childlike.” Meli commented in Atlantian. “The children around should help us discern that fact.” she continued in the musical tongue of Atlantis. I nodded slowly to her while in my mind another solution formed regarding the boy I saw greeting the dragon.

      It was a grand stretch of the imagination since a draconic link was a rare oddity in itself. It had happened in the past with non-humans whose territories touched or overlapped with dragons. Even a handful of Atlantian linked with their spirit dragons to maintain peace between the two that share the mystic islands. Never in history had a human bounded in such a way with a dragon even when their lands mutually overlapped. This felt like the only possible answer considering what I had viewed from little thunder's memories and surmised properly about the dragon's age. A young orphaned dragon barely passed the age of flight could form a draconic link with a child trapped in a similar situation. The circumstances would need to be very precise for such an event to take place but not truly impossible.

       I mused on this as we walked while Sert and Meli asked most of the selected questions to the villagers around us. I only half listened to the answers they received strengthening the convictions we agreed upon including my newest theory. The more they gleaned from the villagers, the more I believed with dealt with a young dragon linked to the boy I had seen through my kestrel's eyes. From the corner of my eye, I saw a boy dragging a younger girl behind him. He seemed to speak harshly to her as I sensed he pleaded with her. I barely needed to hear their words feeling his frustration and her desperate fear. They had information we needed to make all of this situation as clear as the finest Atlantian crystals. I stopped to slowly turn to faced them as the boy continued trying to pull the girl closer to me.

      “If you wish to speak in private with us, it can be arranged easily.” I called to them. The two children froze looking fearfully at the crowd of adults around us. “Or we can walk ahead of them?” I suggested calmly. The boy clenched harder to the girl's arm as she tried harder to pull away from him and the group of adults. I sighed to myself as I moved to stand with them. “Head to the edge of the village.” I ordered in Atlantian without looking back. With a shrug of my one shoulder, I sent little thunder winging ahead of them. “He will lead the way once you are there.” I added.

      “As you command Sir!” Sert replied. He and Meli rushed the adults forward forcibly to give me time alone with the children.

      “You have meet the boy that resides with the dragon?” I asked casually. I kept my voice quiet while mentally weaving a circle of silence around us. “We mean him no harm.” I continued softly. “Only to understand what is truly happening here.”

      “Are you sure they cannot hear us?” the boy returned in a whisper. I nodded causing him to relax more. “Tell him sis!” he ordered bluntly but quietly. “I think he can help Arry and the dragon.” he added pleadingly. The girl eyed me suspiciously at first. I crouched down to be closer to their heights hoping it would calm their fears.

      “Since the dragon has not harmed anyone, I do not see any need to harm him or your friend Arry.” I told her softly. “And Arry might be able to tell us why the dragon is here.” I continued calmly. “Atlantis is not known for killing dragons because we have our own living peacefully with us.” I explained. “Like what Arry's dragon is doing with this village.”

      “Really?” the boy exclaimed. He glanced around to notice no one reacted to his sudden outburst.

      “None but our ears can hear what we speak of.” I stated at a normal volume. I sensed the doubts of these two hammering as loud as their heart beat to my ears. “Fire!” I screamed out. They jumped casting worried looks around us. No reaction to my shout occurred as a deep chuckle escaped me. “Is that proof of my words?”