Page 1 of Drakhana's Secret
One
Sapphire
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We are from Mother Earth and we shall return to Mother Earth when our time comes. The soil is what feeds us. The sun is what nourishes us.
Everything is interconnected. What might be happening in one part of the world may have a significant effect on another. You may be living a quiet like then boom! Something unexpected happens just because a butterfly flaps its wings on an island somewhere.
It’s a good thing that all I really crave is to live a simple life among my brethren. Earth dragons are peaceful and content to live within small communities like the one I call home at the base of Purple Mountain. There’s a small village of us here of about fifty individuals, some of them are a family group.
We live in simple huts that lead into caves inside the mountain. It’s how we remain connected with our Mother Earth. It’s also a way for us to hide from what ails the world. As much as possible, we avoid confrontation when we can.
Beneath and within the mountain is an intricate network of interconnected tunnels. What you see on the surface is just a sliver of our real dwelling place. We like to keep our real homes a secret since it’s our oasis. Our place of refuge.
We only really venture out into the city if we need something that our natural surrounding is unable to provide. And that’s a rare occasion since we live primarily off the forest and the land. The city has very little for us to desire. Why people think it’s a joy to live there escapes me.
I love to be one with earth. The breeze is my friend. The plants and shrubs are my allies. Birdsong is the only music I listen to.
My version of rest involves lying in the sun and soaking up its delicious rays. Then I jump into the lake and swim the afternoon away. At night, I watch the stars and tell stories by the fire. How can anyone want anything more?
In a summer dress and bare feet, a basket on my hip, I gather up the herbs I need to help Baba Dragon to mix up her famous tonics and salves. Natural medicine is always best. It doesn’t have all those toxic chemicals that end up making you sicker than you should be.
Earth dragons hardly get sick anyway since we draw our strength from Mother Earth, but once in a while we do get some aches and pains too. Which is why I’m making a salve today that will cure just that. I gather some ginger root and arnica flowers from the community garden before heading back into Baba’s hut.
She’s already hard at work on several healing tonics. We must always keep our supplies at the ready since you never know what you’ll need. Always be prepared is what she keeps telling me.
“Will you hand me that bottle of elderberry extract, my dear,” she says without taking her attention away from the caldron that’s already over a fire.
Baba is already ninety and yet she still looks better than the dragons half her age. She has glass beads woven into her white hair that reaches her waist. She still stands tall with shoulders straight and chin like chiseled marble.
She wears a white tunic tucked into a flowy skirt bursting with color. A stack of gold bangles jingle on her wrist and feathers dangle off her ears. She’s also barefoot like I am. Better to commune with our Mother.
The work we do is important for our community. A great service. I can only wish that I’ll be half the woman Baba is when I reach her age. I hand over the bottle and take a deep breath.
The smells of mint, tarragon, and cayenne pepper tell me exactly what she’s concocting. Baba’s Prevention Tonic. It’s known in our community as a highly effective herbal elixir that wards off any respiratory illnesses. We usually give it to the children when the weather changes to boost their immune system.
“Did you get all that you need?” she asks, adding the elderberry extract into her brew and mixing it with a wooden spoon.
“Yes, Baba,” I say, lifting the basket to show her.
She doesn’t need to turn around to see. She trusts that I’m telling her the truth. “Then get to work on the salve. Our men have been asking for pots of the stuff.”
Without another word, I turn toward my workstation. It’s facing out a window, which allows me to look out into the forest ahead. Nothing more relaxing than staring at the green of leaves.
I set the basket aside and begin putting together my ingredients for the salve that cures any muscle aches and pains. In a small metal stove beside me, there’s already a hearty fire going, which I stoked before going out. A pot of almond oil is already boiling.
I add in beeswax, which will solidify the salve when we place it into the pot. Then I mix in cayenne pepper powder, turmeric powder, and arnica flowers. While that’s all boiling, I peel and chop the ginger root before adding it in.
Bending down, I lower the flames by closing the grate. The mixture will have to simmer for about an hour so that everything infuses with the oil. The cayenne pepper in this recipe gives the salve the bit of heat required to heat up your muscles and give them the desired relief. Perfect after a day of hard labor in the fields or in the caves.
A bell tolls, signaling that the meeting is about to begin. Baba and I secure all the fires so that nothing burns before we leave the hut. All the earth dragons gather at the largest hut that sits at the center of our village.
I pick a bench at the front and watch Baba join the elders at the main table that’s facing the rest of the dragons who are now taking their seats. Our spies from the different clans have returned recently with the news of battles happening, specifically with the fire and ice clans going at it. As someone who loves peace, I’m horrified and disturbed by the news.
How could dragons intrinsically want to kill each other? For what? Land? We are all on this earth temporarily. When our Mother calls upon us to come home, there is nothing that we can take with us, not even the flesh on our bones. All that useless fighting for nothing.
Today, we meet to watch the elders cast a vote on whether to act. I understand where this concern is coming from because it could mean that the battles might reach our communities one day if we ignore what’s happening. Yet, I also know that no fighting will happen here because the earth dragons are too sensible. We know what our priorities are. Fighting isn’t one of them.
There are five elders in our community and every one of them is highly respected by all the earth dragons. Unlike the other clans, we earth dragons’ rule by majority vote. The elders might be strict with their rules, but we all know that they are for our own good. No one challenges their decision making because they are always toward what is best for our community.
