Jack Of All Trades ✓ | steampunk, dragons, trickery

Chapter 18.1: Hazel the Lormink's Good Deed

Jack turned toward Fairwicken. A gust of wind brought heat from the direction of the castle. The sky turned orange, dark red, and then black. Now it was like nighttime had arrived too soon. Scents of burnt wood filled his nose. Red silhouettes of dragons appeared to merge into one. 

With each merge, yellow sparks burst from the one massive red silhouette. Twenty, thirty, so many dragons joined to become the one red dragon. Espin grunted.

"The Enchantress is calling out to all existing dragons. It's hard to resist this," he said, biting his lip. His long purple hair fell over his shoulder as he doubled over. "I can't do it. I can't." He began to cry.

Oh, for the shit's sakes, what is this wimpy dragon fairy? Jack grimaced and lay a hand on Espin's shoulder. "If you are bound to me, you should be just as stubborn. I thought you were."

"I'm a big old wimp inside still. I try not to be." Espin straightened his back and sighed. He wouldn't meet Jack's eyes, looking away. Jack pursed his lips. Did he have to do everything himself around here?

"Can you make yourself my height?"

"W-Why?" Espin sniffled.

"Do it."

Espin shrunk in size until he was the same size as Jack. With that, Jack wrapped his arms around Espin, pulling him into a hug. He felt the dragon fairy tense up in his arms and then relax. Espin lay his head on Jack's shoulder and hugged him back.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Jack shrugged and stayed there for a moment, letting the hug sink in. Somewhere in his mind, a thought blossomed.

Some people have huggable body shapes. He chuckled and squeezed harder just to feel the perfect 'huggability'.

Espin jerked. "It's not funny," he mumbled.

"What's not funny?"

"I know you noticed."

"Noticed what?" Jack had no idea what this idiot was talking about.

"Don't play innocent, Jack, my ears are red, I know it!"

Jack released the hug and noticed for the first time that, indeed, Espin's blush had traveled everywhere a blush could travel. "Well, look at you, you like me, don't you?" He teased with a grin. Espin let out a squeak and turned his back, crossing his arms.

"I'm a dragon fairy, flimsy mortal," he said with a huff. "I don't like you."

Jack laughed. Espin was horrible at lying. And how flattering it was that a beautiful dragon fairy would start to fall for a knave like Jack? It deserved to be played with.

"From the moment I met you," Jack began, "I thought you were the most beautiful being I had ever met. True story. What do you say to that? Still don't like me?" he said with a tease in his voice and grin spreading across his lips. Espin didn't respond, but his hair began to shimmer in purple and orange, creating a ring of light around them.

Enough stalling, they had to get to Fairwicken and there was no time to figure out magick. Maybe there was still an airship intact in Birdbury and if not there, neighboring Belvinshire might just do as well. "So how about we go to Birdbury—"

Trees rustled and crashed behind them. Branches snapped. The ground trembled as something huge thundered through the forest and up the hill. Jack and Espin faced the slope. Something seemed to be slithering across the ground. It sounded like a giant snake.

"Shine a light," Espin said, and Jack imagined a lavender light illuminating the area and it did.

The stone head of a dragon emerged and a snakish body followed. The eyes were closed shut, but puffs of gray smoke emerged from the nostrils. A long white beard stretched from the sides of the nose and on the chin. The silvery furs dragged against the ground. The wingless dragon stopped just before them.

"Shine a light," Jack said as he recognized the parts of the body as the ones they passed earlier.

"That's what I said," Espin whispered.

"It's also slang," Jack whispered back.

"Hazel!" Espin pointed, spotting the Lormink coming slithering off the head of the Ancient One. She came up to Jack and squeaked and her fur began to shimmer in lavender light, imitating the way the light shone on the ground.

"I don't know how she did it, but the Lormink wakened the Ancients," Espin whispered, "Unbelievable."

The dragon in the front roared and the ground shook. Espin sucked in his breath and turned to Jack.

"He says he will take us to Fairwicken to save dragonkind, but he needs to know your reasons for fighting. Humans haven't always been good to dragons."

This dragon was going to help them? Jack stared up at the Ancient One. The rock that covered the eyes crumbled to the ground and striking orange eyes stared right back at him. The white whiskers curled, and a puff of smoke came from the nostrils.

"Ancient One," Jack addressed him, "I used to go by several names, but I am Jack Ovaultrades, Prince of Endil. I am not my father. I don't wish ill on the peasantry or want to control the land under tyranny. I always wished to change that. Right now, the Enchantress, Serena Mary, is trying to destroy Endil and dragons. She's my aunt, but not one I follow. I need your help to get to Fairwicken, to save Endil and dragonkind. To save Dragon's Wood and revive the bond humans have with dragons. I promise you. I will reform the system."

Good speech. He gave himself a mental pat on the back.

The dragon turned his head slowly and let out grunts to the other ancient dragons behind. Then he turned back to Jack and bowed his head.

"He accepted you," Espin said.

"Thank you. I won't let you down." Jack climbed onto the dragon and Espin turned into a dragon fairy and rode on Jack's shoulder. Hazel slithered up to sit on Jack's lap. Then, somehow, the wingless dragon lifted its body to the sky. 

The rock crumbled away as it ascended, and Jack had to move out of the way as the rocks fell to the ground. A forest green light seeped through remaining rock, cracking it into pieces until the entire body of the dragon was an iridescent green. Golden horns emerged atop its head and Jack stood at the base of the horns, holding on as the dragon slithered across the sky.

From all around crows and other birds called out, joining the entourage. Below, woodland creatures could be seen running as if they wanted to join the battle, too.

"Dragon's Wood gives happiness and life to many," Espin said as more and more animals joined regardless of predator or prey.

Jack touched the tough scales of the Ancient One and kept his eyes peeled on Fairwicken. It was pitch black and not even the red dragon could be found, but as they neared, the breeze carried the cries and shouts of people, guns shooting, swords clanking, and dragons roaring or crying out in pain. He hoped Jett and Eli weren't killed already. He had to make it up to them.

Please, be okay still. Please. He didn't know what or who to pray to, so he sent his wishes to the spinel stone, and the magick within him was growing. 

It could be that they were just getting closer to the Enchantress and her power was amplifying his somehow, but it could also be that Jack knew what he had to do, and he knew who he was. There was no question. Since the speech to the Ancient One, he decided one hundred percent, he was going to take the throne.

And I'll kill my father if I have to! He made a fist and grinned as adrenaline shooed away any exhaustion or on-coming defeat he might have felt. He could feel it. This was the start of his new life. It was a literal leap of faith into the darkness to fight an evil that plagued the land. Maybe they would even call him a hero by the end of this?

No, be humble, he told himself, but he just couldn't help a bit of arrogance. It tickled him. And how arrogant he was feeling now! He was flying through the air on an ancient dragon to save lives. It was the most princely thing he had done in a long while.