Page 29 of Drakhana's Secret
A small spark is all it takes. The gas ignites, engulfing the ice dragons in hot flame. I throw my head back and roar into the sky.
The shaking subsides. We shed our dragons and Branson and the other dragons come running up to me. I stare at my hands.
“What was that?” Branson asks, the awe I feel is in his tone as well.
“I think that’s the power of the earth,” I say even if I’m unsure. “I think our powers are returning to us.”
“Well, whatever that is, it certainly won the fight for us this night.”
I grab Branson’s shoulder and grin at him. “It’s more than that. We finally have a real card in this fight. We can win this now.”
“Then you have to teach us how you did that,” he says. “The more earth dragons who know the better our chances of actually defeating these ice and fire bastards.”
A renewed sense of confidence rises in me. What I thought was next to impossible before is now achievable. The earth dragons can win this fight.
Nineteen
Sapphire
Since the news spread among the remaining villages of the earth dragon clan around Purple Mountain about the powers I had unleashed on the fire dragons that attacked, our numbers have swelled. The last of the earth dragons have left their destroyed villages and have joined us at the camp. Because of our numbers, I thought it best that we start moving.
We need to find a place that is safe for all of us. Away from the eyes of the other clans so that we may start anew. Rebuild our lives and begin living in peace once more.
Let the fire and ice clans take the land that they have already destroyed. There is more for us around the area that we can use to settle in. At the same time, we can start giving the young ones new memories to cling to away from the battle and bloodshed.
Like our Mother Earth, we are resilient. All we need is soil and we will grow once again. That is the hope that I am sharing with my people and they seem to be responding well to it.
Initially, I thought that the other elders from the different villages wouldn’t freely give up the leadership of the dragons under their care to me. But they all welcomed the idea of my taking over. It’s quite a departure from the way we usually did things.
I’m guessing, many of them were just relieved not to have the responsibility anymore. Although, I still retained many of them as advisers. I will not go at this blindly. I ask their opinion before making major decisions.
Like, for example, in which direction we should head. The city is a war zone, so that is out of the question for us. Deeper into the forest surrounding Purple Mountain seemed the best choice.
The challenge became the logistics of moving that many dragons at once. Especially since so many are either really young or in the latter stages of their lives. Good thing the other villages still have many carts intact and horses that can pull them.
Some of the villages still have precious livestock, which is why we left a few dragons to tend them in secret. Once we find a more permanent place to settle down in, we’ll have them brought there. It will be too cumbersome to drive cattle, bring chickens, and herd goats while we wander around without real prospects. It seems the fire and ice dragons don’t need to livestock and leave them be, which is why they are safe for now.
So, after figuring out all the logistics, we loaded up the youngest onto a few of the carts. The elderly that cannot walk for long distances were also given a chance to ride a cart. They said they would take turns—walking for a little bit then riding in the cart.
The injured that still need time to heal were also loaded up on carts. Those who are already able will make the walk but will be closely monitored so that they do not overtax themselves on this journey. I don’t want any of them dying along the way.
All in all, our caravan is a train of thirty carts and several hundred adults and fledglings that will make the walk. One of the elders informed me of old earth dragon settlements in the area that have been long abandoned. There are paths within the forests that look like they haven’t been used in generations.
I sent out scouts to clear the paths for us. It’s not easy moving that many earth dragons in one go, but with everyone’s cooperation, we will manage. I’m just not sure if we will find these settlements that the elder speaks off.
The forest is thick and old. There could be an infinite number of places where those settlements could be. At the same time, we’d like to avoid getting lost at all costs.
The last thing we need is to be wandering around the forest in circles, wasting time and increasing the chances of being found by either the fire or ice dragons. Which is why we have set up markers. A ribbon here. Or a scratch on a tree there. This way, we know if we’ve already passed in that direction or not.
Still, with all the precautions that we’ve taken, we end up walking for days. Only stopping for short breaks and at night. Then we pick up early in the morning and keep going. We don’t even make camp. We sleep where we stop.
By the fourth day, I can see that my brethren are losing morale. They are tired, especially the young and the oldest of us. I ask one of the scouts to go on ahead and search for a clearing that’s big enough to fit all of us.
After about an hour, the scout returns and informs me that there is a glen that we can use right in the middle of a circle of pines. It’s deep enough into the forest that the canopy of trees can mask our camp fires. I inform the group with me about where we were going, which they quickly pass along down the line. Almost instantly, I feel the hopes of the earth dragons rise.
We don’t travel well. Earth dragons are the type who like to settle in one place and make a home. Which is why making camp is so important for everyone.
It turns out the glen isn’t that far. It opens up into a narrow valley with a fresh water river running through. I don’t even have to give the order. As soon as we enter the space, all the able-bodied dragons start making camp.
