Page 27 of Drakhana's Secret
When I land, they seem relieved to see me. I tell them about what happened to us and get their stories of what happened to them. I make sure that they know I am the current leader of the clan along with Gallant.
They seem skeptical at first, but when I start giving them guidance and I help them mend their wounded, they begin to warm up to me. I tell them about the camp we’ve made and that they are welcome to join us. There is always greater safety in numbers.
When I finish with one village, I move on to the next. The cycle of storytelling and news giving continues. Followed by the giving of advice and the tending of the injured.
All day this is what I do. I fly from one village to another. I’ve come to discover that there are so many of us living around the Purple Mountains. I take comfort in the knowledge that our camp is not the last of us.
It’s a tiring day. Moving up and down the line of dragons. I almost forgot to eat. Only when I land in the next village and my stomach rumbles do I take a moment to dine with the villagers.
We speak of the unfortunate events that befell all of us during the meal. The desolation on my people’s faces break my heart. I make a silent vow that we will rise again, better and more prepared than before.
I’m about to assess the needs of the wounded when one of the scouts runs screaming into the village. He talks about five fire dragons coming our way. They are about to attack again.
Anger at their brutality and tyranny is what brings me to stand to take them on. The men of the village urge me not to fight, but I hear the words of Gallant in my head. I need to protect my people.
With my bare feet planted firmly on the soil, I call upon the powers Mother Earth has promised my kind. I accept the whispers of offering me great abilities. There is no holding myself back now. This is for my people.
As soon as the fire dragons land, I call on my dragon. As if I can see outside of myself, I become bigger than I have ever been. The fire dragons look up at me in awe, their maws agape.
Before they can recover, I stomp one of my claws on the ground. The earth opens up beneath them. The two that don’t move fast enough are swallowed by the chasm that I created. With a flick of my claw, the seam closes, burying the dragons alive.
The three that are left begin calling upon their own powers, but I don’t allow them to get anywhere close to finishing their attack. I flick my tail and three large boulders lift up off the ground. They fly toward the three dragons and crush them beneath the weight. Their blood stains the ground.
I’m panting by the time I shed my dragon. It’s a gradual process since she is so big. I’m shaking, but not from fatigue. I’m shaking out of fear.
I never knew the powers of the earth could be so great. I only had an inkling of them before. What I did was just a taste of what can be done when the energy of Mother Earth is fully harnessed.
When I turn around, it’s to the earth dragons kneeling down and looking up at me as if I were some dragon god that’s descended from the heavens. They bow and genuflect. Even the elders are on their knees.
I hide as much of my fear as I can. I don’t want them to know about the effect of what I’d done. This kind of power is too much. It’s strange and has plunged me into unknown territory.
Am I worthy of this great responsibility? Will I be able to handle the powers bestowed upon me? My ancestors once failed. Who is to say that I will succeed?
I beg them to stand, but they do not. They continue to worship me. Only when I add a command to my voice do they do my bidding.
The elders send out scouts to the other villages, telling them to spread the word about what I have accomplished here. I couldn’t even stop them. My people are too excited about the developments.
I have kept them safe, yes. But at what personal cost to me? What am I sacrificing for my people? My knees shake at the thought.
With each step that I take, I can feel my powers growing. It’s as if I have opened a tap, and now, I don’t know how to close it. Can my body hold all that energy?
What do I do if I cannot? My knowledge about the histories isn’t complete. I don’t know how the ancients shed their powers of the earth.
Spontaneous celebration breaks out in the village I’m in. I wish I can feel the same way the other earth dragons are feeling. I’m even more conflicted now than I ever was.
What does it mean that I am now able to access these powers? Does it mean that other earth dragons could access it too? Like Gallant?
I don’t know if that is necessarily for the best. But if it will mean that it will keep my people safe from harm then I must share the knowledge, right?
I feel like I must talk to Baba about this. Get her guidance. But how will she react? Will she shun me or embrace me?
As I am asked to sit in a place of honor with the elders, I’m left to wonder what the events of today all means. Are the earth dragons finally regaining their powers the same way ice and fire are? What could this spell for the world that we live in?
Eighteen
Gallant
Night falls by the time we reach the city limits. The fire and ice dragons are deeper in the city last time that I checked where the strange weather phenomena have been happening. The battle is still raging on between the clans.
