Chapter 5

Sre sat up suddenly, panting. For a moment, the only thing she could hear was the pounding of her heart in her chest. Then, a clicking sound came to her ears. She looked down at Roscrow sleeping peacefully next to her. It wasn't coming from him. She heard the clicking again and a quiet rumble.

Throwing the covers off, she fumbled for a tunic. It was only midthigh, but she figured she'd only be outside for a moment to tell Hero to go back into his stall. As soon as she opened the door, though, she felt Hero's hand paw wrap around her waist gingerly. "Hero! What are you doing?" she hissed at him as he lifted her carefully.

He awkwardly walked away from the house, looking up into the black sky. "Voice tell me."

She looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"Voice tell me come. Come ah-ah." He spread his wings. Sre's heart jumped, having only flown a few times and not in this manner.

"Wait! Hero, no! Put me down!" She squirmed against him, but his strength was far more than a human could contend with. Without any heed to her orders, he beat his powerful wings. Sre felt faint as the world suddenly rushed away from her, Hero's hand squeezing her a little as he concentrated on gaining altitude. Once he was in the air, high over the houses, he relaxed his grip. He winged quickly toward the giant mountain fortess, both an acedemy and the military stronghold of the Szuporu Territories, as Sre had quickly discovered.

Without hesitation, Hero flew into the moutain, through the giant hole that had been melted and blasted out of its side. He moved with a singular purpose, like something had possessed him. The mountain was nearly empty but for a few guards. They hardly even saw the blck beast that silently glided into another tunnel, then another, and then another. Sre was soon enough lost, but Hero seemed to know exactly where he was going.

Soon, they came to an abandoned shaft, a cavern in the mountains far from the main portion that had been carved out and then left. The tunnel in was far narrower than the others, and it seemed to drop off into darkness. There were no lights here. Sre felt a bit of panic as Hero dove down. She suddenly felt very hot, so close to Hero's chest. She heard the hissing sound as he spat out a ball of fire down into the darkness. It struck the ground not 30 ft below them and Hero beat his wings hard, landing as gently as he could with only 3 legs. With nothing to burn, the fire quickly died, leaving them in darkness.

Then the ground shook. Sre gasped, feeling the earth beneath Hero's paws shudder. She had the sensation they were sinking into a discord of creaks and groans and whirs. She then realized they were on a platform and it was descending. She looked up to Hero, or at least where she thought his head would be, and called to him. "Hero! Where are you taking us?"

"Voice tell me come. Ah-Ah come. Ah-Ah safe." He rumbled, his voice sounding hollow, like it wasn't really him talking.

A light suddenly blinded them. The platform arrived to its destination, shuddering to a halt at the entrance to a long, well lit tunnel. Without hesitation, Hero dropped Sre gently onto the ground and headed down the tunnel that was just barely big enough for him. Sre had to run to catch up to him, shivering in the cold air of the underground. She knew Hero must be in some trance. The same voice that spoke to her must be speaking to him as well, calling him. She could only hope whatever it was that called was friendly.

Then Hero stopped. Sre hurried to catch up and see what he saw. When she peered between his long legs, she stopped dead in her tracks. Before them was an immense serpent. Its hornless head swung back and forth in the giant cavern it occupied. Its scales were smaller and smoother than a dragon's. Its maw was huge, large enough to bite Hero in half, even though it was shortened. A ridge of spiny scales grew along the eyebrows, but that was the most distinguishing feature of the smooth, grey, lengthy beast.

The serpent lifted its head into the air, which was when Sre saw the legs. They were very short, but ended in claws that looked more like shovels. The beast drew in a breath and opened its eyes. Bright orange orbs stared down at Sre, standing behind Hero's leg.

"uld Morthar. You finally come. Though it took the aide of your dragon to bring you." The deep, rumbling voice made Sre cringe back. It was even more inhuman than Hero's. As he spoke, Hero seemed to come out of his trance. He glanced around, peering up at the giant.

"You no hurt ah-ah!" he suddenly cried, pouncing toward the serpent.

"I have no intentions of harm to any creature. And that is why I brought you here. It is good that all my efforts were not in vain. There is much I need to tell you before my passing, uld Morhtar. Much you must know, even more you must do." The serpent rocked his head back and forth again as he spoke, though his eyes never left Sre.

"Who are you?" was all Sre could think to ask.

"I am known as Du'un. I am the last of the Toraal, and soon, I shall be gone as well, and then no one will be able to control the beasts the humans have created." There seemed to be a great sadness in his voice.

"What beasts?" Sre peered up at the serpent curiously. It was obvious enough that the monster had no hostile intentions.

"The dragons, like Hero. I shall have to start at the beginning of the history that I know.

"You see, the dragons of this world lived in relative peace. Each kind had a niche, a place on this world. The 'Scouters' would often fly for days, landing only to rest once in a great while. In this way, they avoided the 'Wars, '" Du'un spat the word like it had a bad taste, "who controled the lower skies and open plains, deserts, oceans. That was the reason for their myriad of colors, for they are the most adaptable. In the forests, swamps, and lake lands, were the Spindles. Small, agile, with the ability to breathe fire to protect themselves from the far larger dragons, such as the Wars and the Tunk'ta. These massive green beasts rule the ground for they can no longer fly, their wings but useless stubs. Easily able to out muscle any other dragon breed, these grew hardened scales, like the Spindle to protect themselves from the fires the Spindles often would start. And far below the ground, observing, carving, creating, were the Toraal. In our travels under the surface, we came across powerful crystals, enriched with the magic of the very Earth itself. With them, we were able to see into the future, the many many paths that one may take. We became telepathic to a small degree, though it takes much of our strength, and a mind must be open to our incursion, which is usually in the sleep state."

"That's why I had those strange dreams. What did it all mean?" Sre still shivered, her bare feet almost numb from the cold.

Du'un lifted a paw, waving it in the air. He rumbled in a language Sre didn't understand. But before her was suddenly a fire, its warmth inviting. Sre quickly knelt before it. "Thank you!"

As if nothing had happened between his breathes of telling his tale, Du'un continued. "On the surface, there was a young humanoid race that had evolved alongside the dragons. In exchange for peaceful lives, the humanoids would craft things for the dragons. Jewelry and armor. The War dragons- though despite how I dispise the name, it does suit them- wished to be covered in armor with which to better fight each other. The Spindles wanted jewelry to better appeal to a mate. The Scouters wanted flags and clothing to stay warmer and to signal each other. For the Toraal, the humanoids gave us friendship and knowledge, music, art. Despite living underground, the crystals gave us immense thirst for knowledge, and many of us saw that in the eons to come, the humanoids would be great allies.

"But, a virus ravaged them. They died out too fast for anyone to help them. Soon, only a few remained, somehow surviving, but with a great loss to their overall health. They withered before us, no magic able to aide them. It was then the humans came from above. They came down on their star ships. It did not take long before they discovered the dying race, the 'Ancient Ones.' The humans did everything in their power to save the remaining survivors, but they too, sadly perished." Du'un's head was rocking back and forth again, his voice full of sadness.

Sre stared up at him from where she sat by the fire. "They were your friends, weren't they?"

"Indeed. I had come to admire them. Long ago, when the magic in this world was much stronger- when I was much stronger- I could transform myself into one of them for short times. There was ... a female. But she died with the first of them." He took a deep breath, gathering himself from the memory. "In the few years the humans had been on the planet, they had learned the 'Ancient Tongue.'"

"Isn't that the language they use to control the dragons?"

"Soon, you will know.

"Among these humans were faternal twins, a brother and sister. They were powerful mages, the likes of which we had never seen. They had learned their art from a race they called the Mishapel, apparently heralded as the most powerful magic users in the galaxy. The brother, he is your direct ansestor, both uld Morthar. In the years to follow, the humans stayed. They lived in relative peace. The Wars did not like them, and so attacked them often. The Tunk'ta thought themselves mighty, and often destroyed the towns they made. The Spindles hid from them, and the Scouters stayed far too high to care. It was us they befriended. Or, at least we thought.

"The uld Morthar twins were the ones who ruled everything, it seemed. They were the ones who spoke to us, in the tongue of our dead friends. In our sadness, we took them in, treated them as we had treated the Ancient Ones. And that was our mistake. It did not take long before the twins learned of our crystals. They manipulated my brethren to bring them some of our crystals. Then, in the darkness, behind closed doors, they worked their magic. Long it took them to infuse our tongue with their vile sorcery. But in the end, before we could scry our futures, we were trapped. They had tamed the mighty dragons of Tyliss 3. No matter our rage, no matter our strength, or power of will, could we refuse their calling. The very language itself had become a curse to us!" Du'un's voice rose, his claws scraping the hard earth beneath them, his body shaking and rolling.

Hero leapt to his paws. He had been as mesmorized by the tale as Sre, but now he backed away, unsure of this. Sre quickly stood. "I'm sorry!" Du'un suddenly stopped and looked down at her, puzzlement on his face. "I'm sorry my ancestors did that to you. Did that to all the dragons."

Taking another deep breath, Du'un settled back, calmed. "This was long before your birth, there is no reason to be sorry, though it is a thoughtful gesture." He made a booming, wheezing sound. Sre had never heard a dragon cough, and never wanted to again. "I must hurry with my tale. I fear that you do not have much time. I don't want the Dragon Masters knowing you spoke with me.

"Now, after the uld Morthar twins had called down two War dragons from the sky, they claimed them as their own. At first, they treated their new pets more as allies. But you see, the brother, Tolvar, to him, the dragons soon became beasts. Sandra, the sister, she did not see the dragons as anything but friends. What she had done, she did for the safety of all. She had wept that the humans had to kill the dragons to stay alive. Tolvar had no such care. He saw the power of the dragons as a way to gain political power. Somehow, in their infusement of the Ancient Tongue, the uld Morthar lost the ability to speak it. Instead, by their very will they could control the dragons around them. Their will overpowered the Ancient Tongue.

"The Tolaar, we looked into the future and saw what would happen if he continued his path. Out of desperation, we spoke with Sandra, told her what we saw. At first, she did not believe us. Out of love of her brother, she doomed us. She saw his coruption too late. We were the only dragons the Ancient Tongue could not control because we could counter the magic using our crystals. And Tolvar came after us. He commanded the dragons to dig after us, draw us out, slaughter us. We knew he wanted more of the crystals. He wanted more control. It was Sandra who helped us destroy all the crystals, for they were what focused the magic of the Tongue, made the magic even work at all. As long as there was even a tiny sliver remaining, there would be a focus for that magic.

"But it was too late for my race. In her anger at her brother, Sandra took her dragons, and the people who chose to follow her, and fled high into the mountains.

"Sre, there is a small nation, in those moutains, and in the desert behind them. You must go there."

"Wait!" Sre leapt to her feet. "You didn't finish. If you destroyed all the crystals, why does the Ancient Tongue still work?"

Du'un sighed, reaching to his chest. He pulled one of the thick belly scales up and slid something out into his paw. "I was not the only one to remain. There were a few others who, out of fear, pledged their allegiance to Tolvar. We saved a few pieces of the crystals. But the others grew ill. Tolvar and those after him, kept us down here, kept us secret, and used us to gain power over the other people. As each one of us died, we destroyed our crystals as a final act of vengance. But you see, the humans could not take away our crystals, for then we could not scry for them." Du'un held up a small, tear shaped crystal. It was an icy blue on the inside, almost opaque. He tilted his paw and let it slide to the ground before Sre. She reached down and picked it up. It was heavier than it looked. "I give this to you, Sre. If I destroy it, the dragons will be free of the binding magic. At first, one would think this to be a blessing. But after the ages, the years, I have watched the world change, the dragons change, and the people change, and I have come to see that should the dragons no longer have the leash of this, they would likely destroy the humans, and then each other."

"But ... what happened to them? Why can't they talk anymore?" Sre looked up from the cyrstal in her hand.

"After so many years of being treated as beasts, they have become beasts. But through the ages, since the twins called down their first mounts, a bond was made between an uld Morthar and his or her dragon. A bond greater than that of any other. I watched your father go mad. I begged him to understand. But he shut me from his mind after his beloved Moonlily was poisoned. It was his father who had done the act. He was a Dragon Master and he discovered that not only did Bladen know of my existance, a knowledge only the Masters are allowed to possess, but that his dragon could speak. He did not understand the bond an uld Morthar shares with his dragon, even though his wife had killed herself after her dragon died in battle. She was beautiful, that Moonlily. As pale as a white lily in moonlight, with a blue sheen when the light hit her right. She was everything to him. She used to tell you stories, when you were a child. She was the kindest dragon I had ever known. She believed that the human race could and would change for the better, and it would happen with you."

Sre looked up at Du'un. She was trembling. A tear dripped down her cheek. "I ... I don't remember. But ... I suppose ... if I lost Hero as my father lost ... Moonlily, I think I'd go mad, too."

Hero rumbled behind her and drew closer to her. He bowed his head to her. "No cry. Me here. Not dead."

Sre had to smile at Hero. She patted his nose lovingly. "Why can he talk?"

"He is learning to. And he is learning fast, faster than most I have seen. Because you speak to him as an equal. As all the uld Morthar do. The rest, they consider the dragons animals. More like pets. The uld Morthar dragons learned to stay quiet once the new government was in place. In order to keep their places, they destroyed any dragon that dared to rise against them, or show the ability to. The uld Morthar family became a legend that was swept under the rug. Proud, powerful, the family overcame all trials placed before them for generations. They were great warriors, but that's all they became." Again, Du'um boomed and wheezed.

"I am dying so I can no longer peer forward. I used the last of my strength to call to you, to bring you here and tell you that you must go northeast. You must fly to the tallest peaks of the world. You must climb over them and head down into the cold deserts there, where only a few make their living amongst the sands. You must come down into the shadow of the tallest peak at midnight. There, a dragon will attack you. Subdue him, speak to him. There is another uld Morthar. But with time, coruption has changed hands. I fear her power grows stronger. While the two larger nations battled, she bid her time. And she knows I am dying. She's counting on it, because she expects me to destroy the crystal when I die. Then no other voice would be able to the control them but her own ... and yours. Now go, you must make this journey soon. The dawn is coming, and you must make it to the point I told you by midnight of the day after this. Only then will you find the dragon with the runes. Only then can you go into her court and speak with her. Maybe, though I did not see such path available, she will listen to reason. A dying dragon can only hope."

"Is there nothing I can do?" Sre took a step toward the dragon. His orange eyes began to glow and she suddenly felt as if a wall had struck her, throwing her backwards, along with Hero. He scrambled to his paws, quickly making sure Sre was alright. By the time he turned back to the serpent beast, the platform whirred to life and started to rise.

"Tell no one of your going. Not even alt Szizander. He will be needed later." It was the last thing she heard from Du'un as the platform rose up. Sre huddled close to Hero as they went up. She held the crystal in her hand tightly, not about to let it go.

When the platform halted in the cold darkness, Sre could feel Hero shake. He was obviously just as confused as she was. "We go home?"

"No, Hero. We can't go home. Not until we do what needs to be done." She opened her hand and was surprised that the crystal glowed a faint blue in the darkness. She sighed. "But we should go get a little bit more sleep. And eat. We can't go on any journey without rest and food. And somehow, I'm going to have to put a saddle on you. We'll figure that out in a little while."

She heard the clicking of Hero's scales as he acknowledged her words and gently picked her up. This time, he wasn't as driven and was able to make the ride back much more comfortable. Again, they somehow slipped past any guards and made it back to the house as the sky was beginning to grey.

Hero landed as quietly as he could manage and gently placed Sre to the ground. "Now go in your stall and act like nothing hap..."

"Sre!" Both human and dragon jumped, Hero's scales clicking in surprise. Sre turned to Roscrow. "Where the hell have you been? I was about to call for the guard!" Roscrow's voice was hushed but strained. He'd obviously been worried.

"I, uh ... Hero was restless. He wanted to fly." She clutched the crystal in a hand which she put down to her side, hoping Roscrow wouldn't notice.

"For better or for worse, you're not a good liar." Roscrow grabbed Sre's arm. "Come inside before you freeze. And you're gonna tell me where you went." He pulled her after him.

As he dragged Sre toward the door, she tried to think up something, anything, to avoid telling him what had happened. "Just ... wait ... I ... Ow, stop pulling me!" She planted her feet in the cold, moist grass, making him stop and turn to her.

His black, reflective eyes turned to her, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Before he could open his mouth, Hero growled, taking a step forward, craning his long neck, his copper eyes narrowed. His nostrils flared as his long head came down, trying to place himself between them, teeth bared. No one hurt his ah-ah, no matter what. He had learned simply by his size he could scare away just about any threat. And sure enough, Roscrow let go of Sre and backed away, though not out of fear. In his training, Roscrow stared back at Hero, his voice suddenly causing a piercing pain through Hero's limbs. He spoke to Hero in that magical language, ordering him to back away. Instead, though, much to Roscrow's intense surprise, Hero stepped toward him, the air getting warm, shimmers of heat rising around Hero's torso in the chilly air.

And then, as Roscrow stumbled back, Hero growled out, "Leave her alone. My ah-ah."

"No! Hero..." Sre groaned. It just had to go so badly. She had been hoping Roscrow would still be asleep. She would have slipped back into bed and no one would have been the wiser.

Roscrow blinked. He stood there staring at Hero. The dragon stared back, his gaze as piercing as his father's. Hero felt Sre tug at his neck, trying to pull his head away from the human. "Hero, you weren't suppose to talk. You know that."

"So it's true." Sre looked up at Roscrow in surprise. "Ascended dragons. I never thought I'd meet one. I had a suspicion..." He then looked down at Sre. "Come inside before you get sick. Please."

She looked up to Hero. She pulled at him again. "Come on, Hero, let's put you in your stall. Don't worry. He won't hurt me. C'mon."

The dragon snorted before turning and following Sre into his stall. Granger stared out at them, but he had not moved, watching quietly. Once Sre was just out of Roscrow's view, she held up her hand to Hero. "Hero, you have to hide this. I don't care where, in your mouth or under a scale, something. Just do not lose it, don't let anyone see it." Hero looked down at the faintly glowing crystal. With care, he slid out his tongue and licked it up, slipping it under. He would find a better place for it later. She patted him. "Don't you dare say another word to anyone!" She looked very seriously at him before turning away going back to Roscrow. He put his arm around her, leading her into the house.

As soon as he had closed the door, he grabbed a blanket and wrapped Sre in it, sitting her on the couch. He got to making a cup of tea for her to warm her up. All the while Sre thought of what to say. Ascended dragons? What did he know of this? She didn't know about the term. Would Roscrow tell on Hero? She wouldn't let anyone hurt her dragon.

Roscrow came to her and handed her a mug of strong, steaming tea. She opened her mouth, but he held up his hand. "I think I already know. I was hoping I was wrong. You were called, weren't you? That was the headache. He told you to come to him."

Sre stared at him with wide eyes. "I..."

"Us simple folk aren't suppose to know about the Tolaar. They were suppose to be lost with the past. Lost and forgotten in ancient tombs buried in the library. And yet they still live, bound under powerful magicks and fear of their lives." He sat beside her, a memory in his eyes. "He called to me, once, years ago. Back when I was restless, reckless, thought myself mighty. He told me that in his scrying, he saw that I had only two paths. Either I continued as I was and died. Or, I could change, and I would change the history of this world. Then he sent me away before I could question him. So secretly, I went to the library and learned of their past. I came across a very old scroll, scribbled in faded ink to the point it was nearly unintelligible. But it spoke of a time when dragons could speak. They were known as Ascended Dragons. Apparently, they still existed in secret. I had the suspicion..." Then Roscrow looked up to Sre. "What did he tell you?"

Trying to come up with something, Sre quickly took a few sips of her now cool tea. "Um ... he-he told me of my past. He told me Hero was special. And he told me a little about my father." She nodded, hoping that would be enough for him. However, Roscrow set her with a stare that told her he was not convinced. Letting out a sigh, Sre looked out the window as the sun started coming up. "He told me I have to leave this place."

"What?!" Roscrow fairly lunged to his feet in shock. "Where? You go nowhere without me!"

"Please, Roscrow. He told me I had to go alone. There's something I have to do. And only Hero and I can do it, I guess. I wasn't even suppose to tell you about leaving." She looked down to her cup.

Snorting, Roscrow knelt down in front of her. "Whatever danger that dragon thinks there is out there, I will face them with you. I won't lose you again." He ran his fingers through her hair.

Looking up into his eyes, Sre knew there was no arguing with him. He was much too strong willed. But perhaps she could use this to her advantage. Glancing back at her hands, Sre sighed. "The only problem is getting Hero ready to leave."

"If we hurry, we can get Hero ready to take a saddle. Before the Dragon Masters get here. Otherwise, it'll be an all day event." They could hear a roar of wings overhead. Roscrow stood, glancing out the window. "Good. The feeders are coming. While Hero's distracted with food, we can make the cuts to his wing membranes." They could hear Granger snort and groan happily, trotting out into the yard as there was the thud of a skinned cow body. Another thud and then the hovering dragon took off again to go pick up another pair of corpses.

As Sre got better dressed, Roscrow went out to the shed next to the dragon stalls where he kept things like the saddle and brushes to polish Granger's scales and other dragon care items. While he was gone, she snatched some scones that were on the counter, choking them down as fast as she could. All the while she thought about what she knew she had to do, though not entirely sure how she would pull it off. Du'un had told her Roscrow could not come. He was stubborn person, and she knew he wouldn't just let her leave without a fight.

She went over to the window, watching Roscrow. The word "Atlas" caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She grabbed the book off the shelf and flipped through the pages. Near the end was exactly what she needed. Du'un had told her the general direction, but that was it. She had no clue how far away this nation was, where it was, or even what mountain he had spoken of. Looking over the map, she realized she would need a few things and grabbed a small satchel, stuffing a change of clothes and couple of wrapped scones along with a cateen of water into it. She tore the page from the book, thoughtlessly tossing it onto the table as she rolled up the map, stuffing that in her pack as well.

She dropped the pack near the door as she went over to Roscrow. He held a thin, curved knife. She patted Hero as he gorged himself on the cow, hunched next to Granger. "He's going to cut away some of your wing. Don't worry, it shouldn't hurt. There's no veins or nerves right there. Just keep eating. You need your strength." She nodded back to Roscrow as he got under Hero's wings. It didn't take him long, cutting a long, thin strip of skin next to the body.

"There. He should be able to take a saddle now. Although because he's never worn one, it might feel strange for him." Roscrow patted Hero on the shoulder.

"How about if we try? Would you like to try on a saddle?" Sre looked up at Hero. His copper eyes turned to look at her. She gave the slightest nod to him.

"Try saddle," he rumbled, laying down onto the ground.

Shrugging, figuring it was best to get him used to a saddle as soon as possible, Roscrow brought Granger's saddle. As he tossed the saddle onto Hero's back, Sre turned to pet Granger. He looked at her before she could say a word. "I would never hurt your rider, Granger. But sometimes, we all gotta do things in our lives we don't like to. So do you. Do not take him anywhere after I'm gone. Not for a day. No matter what he tells you, do not obey his commands to leave the ground, or follow me for a whole day," she whispered to him, stroking the peach fuzz scales. "Hopefully soon you'll see that you aren't just a beast of labor, that you can chose for yourself. You were once a proud people." She patted his shoulder as he groaned. Unlike Hero, his scales hissed rather than clicked.

"Looks like he takes saddles and bridles well." Roscrow was entirely unaware of Sre speaking to Granger. She came over and hugged his waist.

"It looks good on him," she smiled.

"Let me toss this out. It always creeps me out to hold chunks of flesh like this. Sometimes Granger's wings regrow ... What's this?" He bent down to pick up the pack Sre had dropped next to the door. As he stood straight, he didn't have time to turn as he saw a shadow come down, barely feeling the spade of the shovel against the back of his head.

Sre felt like she was about to cry as she stepped over his unconscious body, grabbing her pack. "I'm sorry. He told me you can't come." She stroked his silky hair before standing, tossing the shovel back against the side of the house where it had been carelessly left to begin with. As she walked to Hero who quickly woofed down the last bit of his cow, Granger snarled at her. But she didn't even look at him, feeling his hot breath, those fangs clicking together right next to her. He couldn't touch her, he could only obey her.