Page 87 of Taloned Heart

“Ah, my son.” Abraxas walked up to him and gave a little tug on his beard. “We cannot stop what has already happened. All we can do is continue to move forward. Do the trees know where the dragons have hidden the crystals here? We flirt with danger if we stay too long.”

Hyperion nodded, but the frown was still on his face. He still lingered in that hatred that could easily spread like poison.

Abraxas knew that Hyperion would have fought against the humans at that time. He would have guarded the forest with a ferocity that only the emerald dragons had over such places, and he would have lost. The humans had been deadly and certain that they were doing the right thing. As all creatures were when they saw their future threatened and made a choice.

But he had known, even then, that nothing would stop the rising wave of mortals that would soon overthrow everything. And he had known as well to not interfere any more than he had to.

Time would come for the humans, and it had. Now they suffered as well.

Hyperion drew them deep into the heart of the forest. And there, the trees began to pull up their roots. These young trees were not meant to move yet. Some of the saplings would lose their lives to show them the crystals hidden in their roots.

He remained silent as his son moaned with the trees that pulled themselves out of the earth for him. They gave their lives willingly for the dragons of old, the dragons who would soon come and change the realm. But it did not make their sacrifice any more terrible or heart-rending.

The last of the roots snapped out of the ground, the sound echoing through the forest like the breaking of a neck. It fell to the side, pulling out the last remnants of the earth with it and revealing the long emerald crystals that grew jagged beneath them.

They were not for Abraxas. He knew that. Their whispers were tempting, though, even though the memories would be of no use to him.

But his son? Ah, his boy’s bright green eyes flashed with a certainty that he’d never seen before. Deep inside Hyperion’s heart, he knew his boy had heard the calls of his ancestors. Of all the emerald dragons who had come before him and now whispered that they could help.

Hyperion glanced over at him. “So I just...”

“Touch them,” Abraxas said quietly. “Tanis said it’ll all happen rather quickly after that, but if you feel any discomfort, you make a noise and I’ll pull you away from them.”

“And it won’t hurt?”

There was his boy. His young man who hadn’t been given the time to develop the strength and courage that he would need. And here Abraxas was, shoving him into being an adult before he was ready.

Before he knew what he was doing, he lurched forward and pressed both his hands to Hyperion’s snout. “If you don’t want to do this, we will find another way. You do not need to grow old so quickly, my son. You can be as you are, whole and untouched and unchanged, and I will love you no less. Your bravery is not being tested by whether or not you do this. You know that?”

Hyperion nodded, then nudged him back. “But I want to help. I want to make a difference and I don’t want to see what happened to these trees happen again. Father, I will do this for the kingdom and for you.”

His heart broke. No child should have to make a decision like this. It was wrong. He’d pushed Hyperion into growing too quickly, and he’d made them into little adults far too soon. He was pulling out of this plan, and Tanis could be angry all she wanted. He refused to make his son suffer through a single more moment of his.

But his boy had already moved forward and dropped his head on top of the crystals. And those emerald eyes that were always so bright and filled with mischief closed as he sank into the memories that the emerald dragons had to share with him.

In the end, this wasn’t Abraxas’s choice. Because he was blessed with a child who had the heart of a hero and no matter what he did, he couldn’t change that.

Rubbing at the sudden moisture in his eyes, Abraxas settled onto the ground and waited for the crystals to share whatever they had to share. No matter how long it took, he would be right here when Hyperion woke.

It took until the next morning. Abraxas almost interrupted the exchange multiple times. Hyperion’s eyes fluttered beneath his closed lids, and a few times he’d moaned. Abraxas wanted to shred the world every time it sounded like his son was in pain, but he hadn’t... couldn’t... Ah, the world had shattered around them and no matter what he did, he’d never be able to piece it back together for his boy. Not any longer.

Finally, Hyperion pulled himself out of the memories and sat up straight. His head weaved a bit like he was drunk, his eyes not quite seeing Abraxas until they focused on him.

“It is done,” Hyperion said, his voice rough and gravely as though he’d been screaming. “We can go.”

But he tried to take a step and almost immediately fell on his face. Abraxas stepped out of the way, watching his boy try hard to stand up straight. “You cannot fly like this.”

“I can.”

“You cannot.” Abraxas stepped forward, placing his hand on Hyperion’s cheek and forcing his son to look at him. “I will carry you. You will fly on my back, as your mother does. Now change.”

“I don’t...” Hyperion winced. “I don’t know if I can.”

“You are stronger than this, son. Discomfort is bound to happen, remember? That’s what Tanis said. So you are going to change and I will take care of you.”

“Shouldn’t I...” A loud click echoed as Hyperion swallowed. “Tell you?”

Oh, Abraxas didn’t know if he would survive it. He could already see the shadows in Hyperion’s eyes and the horror that lingered there. He’d seen darkness in those memories, likely more than he’d seen light.

---