Page 16 of A Kingdom Restored

“How reassuring,” said Eloise faintly.

Rekavidur looked at her, mildly surprised by that sentiment given the context, but August spoke before he could comment.

“Merletta seemed hopeful that it might be ten or twenty years before the dragons act.”

Rekavidur shook his head slowly from side to side, water flowing pleasantly past his scales.

“That is unlikely, I would say. They may not consider the matter urgent, but it is of grave significance to them.”

August’s tail was swishing slowly back and forth, apparently signifying that he was deep in thought. His eyes passed over Rekavidur’s form.

“Clearly it would be pointless to hope that dragons would be unable to follow us into deep water.”

“Pointless indeed,” Rekavidur agreed.

“And we will not be able to match their force, or injure them sufficiently to stop them,” August said.

The words were not a question, and Rekavidur didn’t bother to respond.

“What do you think is our best chance of survival?” August asked.

Rekavidur considered the matter. “Your best chance of individual survival would probably be to scatter across the ocean. It would then be a long and arduous task for the dragons to track you down, and it is conceivable that some might escape. That is, after all, what the colony believes happened in the purge that occurred long ago.”

The couple exchanged heavy looks.

“That’s not a realistic option,” said August.

Rekavidur gave a rippling shrug. “I do not know what else to suggest. It is hard for me to see a way to preserve your cities from destruction once an entire dragon colony becomes focused on removing them from existence.”

“What about the barrier?” Eloise asked. “We have a magical barrier around our territory. It keeps out dangerous creatures, such as sharks or poisonous jellyfish. We’ve always been taught that it would keep dragons out as well.”

Rekavidur frowned. “I doubt that very much,” he said. “I do not believe such a barrier could be the work of any creatures but dragons. There is a similar one around my own dragon colony. Only humans with magic can cross it—which appears to include you, given that Merletta entered our waters without difficulty when she so foolishly approached the colony.”

“You think dragons created our barrier?” August repeated, stunned. “But our history says it was put in place by our founders.”

“If your founders had such magic, where is it now?” Rekavidur challenged.

August looked at his wife, bemused.

“I suppose…I suppose it died out of the bloodline,” Eloise said.

Rekavidur shook his head. “Magic does not work that way. Certainly not in dragons. And what we are seeing from the human power-wielders of Valoria supports the same conclusion—if anything, the magic is growing stronger with each generation, in spite of so far always coming from only one parent. Once the seed is there in the bloodline, it continues to grow.”

“But why would dragons put a barrier around an underwater area?” August demanded.

Rekavidur gazed into the murky gloom as he pondered the question. “It is curious,” he acknowledged. “No doubt the answer is to be found in the hidden history regarding the origin of your civilization. There is, I suppose, a slim possibility that the dragons of my colony might pause to ask the same question when they come to destroy your cities and sense the barrier for themselves. But I would not pin any hopes on such a course, not without some external and objective evidence of the history of the barrier. They would be more likely to trust the known accounts of elders who were actually present when the sea-dwelling abominations were destroyed. Which,” he added, “given the way your leaders bend and distort history, is not unreasonable.”

“You don’t offer us much hope,” August said grimly.

“I don’t offer you anything,” Rekavidur responded. “You came to seek something from me. And I thought you sought information, not hope.”

“Well, we optimistically thought some hope might linger within the information you provided,” said Eloise, looking weary.

For the first time, Rekavidur wondered how long they’d traveled to reach Valoria.

“I intend to do what I can,” he volunteered. “As does Heath. But how much assistance we can provide is impossible for me to predict. If you wish for my advice, I would say your best hope is to find verifiable information on how your civilization came to be—trusting that it provides an account that will contradict what the elders of my colony have concluded as to your origins.”

“Yes, that’s what my remaining patrol members are currently seeking on Vazula, but so far without success,” said August softly. “I imagine Merletta is looking within the triple kingdoms as well. But to tell the truth…” His voice became heavier. “After the things I’ve learned from Merletta, I don’t know that any record in our entire kingdoms could truly be considered verifiable.”

---