True Dragon

Rather than fight, Hanna fell to the ground and pressed her face to the dirt. She made her body as small as possible to avoid Edjer's maw.

The dragon's teeth hit the ground on either side of the Fate's body and then shut. The lady was finished.

Except...

Instead of digging into Hanna's skin, the dragon delicately took hold of her tunic with his teeth. Lifting her off of the ground, Edjer toted the Fate like a lost kitten.

He set her on one of the hills and then planted himself on the ground. Now they were able to converse eye to eye.

A soft chuckle came from the dragon. "I believe I scared you." Edjer shook his head.

"You did look poised to turn me into a snack," Hanna brushed at her soiled gown.

"And I still might. But I have learned that acting rashly does not end well. So I shall give you a chance to explain yourself." Edjer situated himself next to the hole and wrapped his tail around his bottom. The wound inflicted by the ant's spike was still fresh and oozing. 

"I can look at your wounds if you like," the Fate offered. "I may be able to get you some help." 

"Not until I know I can trust you. Why have you and your kind cut us off from the water?" Edjer growled as he spoke. 

"We did not cut you off." Hanna took a step back after feeling the dragon's hot breath. It might not have fire in it, but the air was still sweltering. 

"Then who shut the mouth of the waterfall?" the Dragon King demanded to know.

"No one. It just stopped. Corruption happened, and the waterfall ceased flowing. I can assure you the Fates want the water back as much as everyone else," Hanna dipped her head. 

Backing up, Edjer snorted. He returned to the hole and continued to dig.

"What are you doing?" The Fate slowly descended the hill to try and peer into the crater that was forming. 

"I am trying to reach the reservoir. It must be here." Edjer continued to claw at the ground. 

Slowly but surely, a little bit of water began to puddle in the dirt. Then a little more. It wasn't much, but it did exist. 

"It will have to do..." The Dragon King let out a low call. 

From the trees, the rest of the dragons lifted and flew into the clearing. Deragona had a smaller creature on her back. It was still larger than Hanna, but it looked tiny compared to its mother. 

When the Queen landed, her husband took the baby by the nape of the neck. The child seemed sapped.

"It is the time of Smokey's fire ceremony but he has no energy to complete it. Without the magic, he can never become a true dragon." Edjer brought the youngling to the water's edge. "Drink," he ordered his son.

Smokey whined softly but lowered his head and dipped it into the tiny pool.

"Is he sick?" Hanna asked Edjer when his head came near hers.

"I am not sure. Sickness is not a thing among my kind. But he is usually so energetic, I know something is very wrong."

Hanna nodded slowly. She was also feeling drained of energy. How much more would a child who was used to boundless reserves suffer in the same circumstances?

"I hope we can all feel better soon." Hanna tried to sound hopeful.

Edjer pulled his head away without answering. He watched his son drink slowly at first, but then the baby gulped greedily until the pool was empty.

Smokey puffed a few times and then tucked his tail. His forlorn expression faded as he focused intently.

Then, his nostrils flared and his belly began to glow softly. The young dragon spread his wings wide.

Hanna held her breath.

A small column of fire burst from Smokey's mouth. It was not impressive in size, but the rainbow of color in the small flame was dazzling.

Edjer and the rest of the dragons roared in unison.

The thunderous cry forced Hanna to cover her ears. It took everything in the Fate not to fall to her knees from the pressure. She smiled widely.

"Behold! My son has breathed his first True Flame. He is this day… a dragon!" Edjer spoke the words in the Ancient Tongue proudly.

He was met with the flapping of wings. Each dragon circled around the child once hissing their approval of the event.

When the ceremony was complete, Edjer turned and dipped his head to the Fate. "We will be gone now."

"No!" Hanna cried. "Please do not leave!"

"Why would we stay in this field of death? I came for one purpose, to make my son a Dragon. Now that I have succeeded, I will depart." Edjer spread his wings.

"I need your help." Hanna bowed her head. "Please."

The Dragon King shifted his gaze. "If you are wanting me to get rid of the humans over there, I will not agree. One of them helped me defeat my enemy. I will not repay that kindness by destroying them."

"Destroy the humans? No! They are helping me as well. I am a protector of humanity." Hanna wanted to scold Edjer that he knew this, but part of her wondered if he was just trying to confuse her.

"How can the humans help you?" Edjer continued to stare toward the woods. 

"They are helping all of us revive the Magic, but more immediately, they want to help me get my kin down from the Mystic Spires." Hanna looked upward.

There was at least one face in the hole where the Palace White should fit. It was most likely Asha keeping watch. 

"Why do they not fly to the ground?" Edjer raised the scaly skin above his eyes. 

Hanna tipped one side of her mouth. Now she knew he was trying to tease. "Unlike the mighty dragons, we can only fly with magic." 

Edjer chuckled. It was a husky laugh and the ground rumbled in response. "Ah, I see. The Maker was most generous to give us wings for such a time as magic can no longer sustain us. For the sake of the lanky human who helped me grant my son his first True Fire, I will do as you say and help the Fates to the ground. There is only one problem."

Hanna pulled her face away from the scene overhead and gave Edjer her full attention. "What is that?" 

"The only way I was able to reach the Mystic Spires before was by using my magic to combat the forces wanting to keep me away. While the Magic may be dead as you say, those forces up there are still very much alive. I had initially come to speak to the Fates when I saw the ant had done so much damage. I couldn't reach the Spires so I dealt with the monster instead." Edjer tilted his head toward the carnage nearby. "He needed to be stopped."

"If you cannot get up there, how are you proposing the Fates get down?" Hanna began to pace. Part of her had feared this development, but she had also hoped it wasn't true. 

Edjer snorted. "We will fly as high as we can and then the Fates will have to figure out how to reach us. I suggest they grow wings..." the dragon king paused, "or learn how to jump."