Page 35 of Drakhana's Secret
“We need to make plans that support the idea that we might not get any reinforcements,” I say. “We need to strengthen our grasp of the powers that we have and use them smartly. That’s the only real way that we can fight and win this.”
Branson and Arthur begin to put out suggestions. It’s not always about the number of troops. Of course, that helps, certainly, but if you don’t know how to utilize those troops then you’re just throwing lives away.
We’ve done well with what we have so far. All we need to do is to continue to be smart about our approach. If we plan this carefully, we’ll be able to prevail. I can feel this in my gut.
If we make a mistake now then it doesn’t matter all the strides we’ve made in business and regaining all our finances. We can’t allow the fire and ice clans to succeed in killing us all. There is still always a chance that we will win this.
Twenty-Three
Sapphire
I’m about halfway to the city when I feel a tug. The whispers are calling me back. Not to the settlement, no. I trust that they are safe.
What Mother Earth wants for me is to return to Purple Mountain. In this time of urgency, I can’t be making U-turns. I need to get to Gallant as fast as I can. But the last time I ignored the whispers, we got attacked. Twice.
So, unable to push on without seeing what Mother Earth wants from me, I bank to the right and head back. I just hope that it won’t take long. I don’t want to be delayed more than I already am. Those ice dragons look like they intend to attack the city.
When I was growing up and under the tutelage of Baba, she taught me how to listen to my instincts. As earth dragons, we have the most powerful intuitive forces in our body. It must be because we are made of the earth. That we are a part of the most fundamental aspect of this world that we live in.
The earth is such a powerful element. It’s what gives life. You plant a seed and it will grow and from that plant you can sustain yourself. Without the soil, you basically take away the ability to feed yourself.
The whispers grow steady as I find myself heading in the right direction. At the same time, my sadness deepens the closer I get to the place we once called home. Had the events that pushed us out never happened, we’d all still be there right now.
Along the way, I get a glimpse of the earth dragons that’s driving the remaining flock toward the new settlement. The coast is clear and it doesn’t seem like they are in any imminent danger. I breathe a sigh of relief. That’s one less thing to worry about.
Once I spot the mountain in the distance, I coat myself in a protective shield that will hide me for many fire or ice clan dragons in the area. Not that I can feel any of them in the near vicinity, but I can’t take any chances. I can’t get caught in an attack right now.
The charred villages dot the base of the mountain. Everything is in ruins. What a waste of resources. What could have the ice and fire dragons thinking when they attacked us?
In the back of my mind, I wonder if we’ll ever be able to repopulate the area once again. The wounds are still too raw. The memories still too fresh.
I don’t think the young ones will feel safe if I brought them back here. Even if I cleaned everything up and put everything back the way it was. There will still be that thought in everyone’s minds of an impending attack.
If it happened before then it can happen again. Living in that kind of state isn’t living at all. I can’t subject my people to that paranoia. That’s what ultimately makes me understand Gallant and his reasons for wanting to fight.
At this point, we can’t just be running away anymore. We can’t ignore what’s happening around us. Just look at what happened when we thought the fighting would never reach us.
The once vibrant villages bursting with color and life are now laid to waste. Each and every one of them are black spots within the green landscape. The fires may no longer be burning and the ice has melted, but the land is no longer viable.
It’s like scorched earth. It will take some time to heal and replenish itself. Maybe in a couple of generations, we can entertain the idea of returning to our homes.
My heart feels heavy at the sight. Suddenly, I miss waking up in my hut and walking to the river for some water. Then, after breakfast, I go over to Baba and we start our work for the day. How quickly everything changed.
Being in our village seems like a distant memory now even if it’s only been weeks. The echoes of the laughter of children haunt my ears. If I close my eyes, I’m sure that I can imagine dragons down there, going about their daily lives.
I land and shed my dragon for a moment. I walk over to what’s left of my hut and see if there’s anything that can be salvaged. As I suspected, everything’s been burnt to a crisp. Not even a clean shirt survived.
I wonder what will be left of us once this is all said and done. We will be like the charred remains of this village? Left to be reclaimed by the nature around us? Will Mother Earth welcome us back into her bosom, away from the pains and injustices of this world?
Sometimes I think what would it have been like if we didn’t survive those attacks. Would it have been better? But then I think about the young ones that we saved and how they will get to live their lives. That’s what keeps me fighting.
I want those whelps and fledglings to grow into amazing dragons who will shape the world in their image the way they shaped the new dwellings within our settlement. Their natural talent and skills terrify me. I’m pretty sure there’s several of them that will be more powerful than I am one day.
I mourn my little hut. Then I step away and recall my dragon. I stretch out my wings and give a mighty flap.
I’m propelled to the heavens. I fly to the top of the mountain and settle there. Almost immediately, I’m infused by the powers of Mother Earth. It’s so shocking that I almost fall off like I’ve been hit by lightning.
The whispers almost become one voice that tells me everything that I need to know in that moment. Like all the memories of the ancients that have come before me enters my mind at once. It’s like the mountain is sharing all that knowledge with me.
