The Ember of Life

Chapter 2

He sprang into the air with a whoosh of his wings. Flapping hard and fast, he dodged through the trees, speeding to somewhere far away from all the accusing stares. He planned on returning to the village to collect his belongings before Obsidian's deadline ended, but for now he simply had to fly out his rage and pain. He flew for what must have been an hour before he collapsed limply on a branch, shuddering, his sides shaking.

I can't believe this is real. It has to be a nightmare, he thought. Sighing at his own foolishness, he pricked his side with a claw. He waited for a moment. Nothing. This IS real. With a long sigh, Ebony paused, letting it sink in. This was the lowest moment of his life. But he was not the type to stay down for long. So the very people he had helped now cast him out. So they turned their backs on him because of a single failure. So what?

Ebony gritted his long fangs. There was no point wallowing in grief and rage. As tempting as biting into Obsidian's sneering face sounded, violence was not the way to resolve this. He would prove himself to the Charred by finding Dertharion, and tearing their treasure from his grasp. A plan began to construct itself in the depths of his mind. It was still mid-morning. He would not wait to be thrown from his own village. No, better to pursue Dertharion while the trail remained fresh. He slid smoothly from his perch and began winging his way back to the village. The cool air felt good against his face as he flew. Ebony had always loved the habitat of their home. When he had led the Charred from Saliss' domain, they encountered a long, deadly stretch of desert with heat enough to dry out a dragon. After flying for a day, with no sign of life or water, the Charred had wanted to turn back. But Ebony had felt that there was something better waiting for them on the other side of that desert. He had known it, somehow. He and his people had fled an evil regime, and Ebony simply knew that they would be provided for. The Charred were more difficult to convince, of course, but finally his pleading bought him another day's flight. And then, just when he thought his wings would give out - there it was. A beautiful edge of jungle lay in front of his eyes, its trees and bushes straying out onto the sand in broken lines to greet them. Miracle Jungle, they called it.

Ebony sighed, folding his wings and dropping from the air onto the branch outside of his home. And there they had lived in tranquility ever since...until Dertharion arrived. He shoved the thought from his mind. There would be time for that later. For now I will enjoy the last shreds of my life, he thought, glancing at his home. At the sight of it, Ebony couldn't resist a smile of bitter pride. They'd done good work in the year they'd lived in the jungle. His house was sturdily constructed out of a oval framework of thick branches, covered completely with vines and leaves. It sat neatly in a crotch of the tree, where it would be safe from all but the strongest winds.

He ducked inside, poking his head through the woven mat that hung in the entrance. The bitter smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by a real one as he caught sight of Jet.

"My love!" She bounded to meet him, licking his face and ears. "Are you all right?" she asked. Ebony wrapped his forelegs about her shoulders tenderly. "I will be fine, beloved."

Stepping back, he realized she looked tired and worn, and reproached himself for leaving her alone with Obsidian and the rest. "Are you all right?"

"I will be fine," she imitated him. Dissatisfied, Ebony was going to press her when she turned her head to look at the other side of the hut. "And she is fine as well."

Ebony followed her gaze, his face softening with love. Their egg sat, gleaming a soft white in the dusky interior of the small hut. Unconsciously, he approached and sat beside it, cupping it in his claws gently. If he focused hard, he could see faint, twisting motion close to the surface of the eggshell.

"She is so close to hatching," he whispered, drawing Jet beside him and into his embrace.

Jet's eyes were full, and she brushed a shining drop away. "But what will we do? They will throw us out...how can we raise her properly?"

"They are going to throw you out along with me?" Ebony asked, stiffening as his blood began to boil.

"No, no," Jet said, "Obsidian said I could stay, but of course I will not - I cannot, with you gone!"

Ebony clutched the precious egg tighter to his chest, and he clutched his wife closer to him, but he knew what had to be done. "No, beloved. Our child must not be raised as I must now live, on the run," he said sadly. "You must stay here and raise her."

Jet's jaw dropped. "Without you?? Me, stay here?"

"My love, my love, we cannot risk our unborn child to the heat of the desert and the fury of Saliss that awaits me out there," Ebony pleaded, though the thought of travelling without his wife and child sank into his breast like lead.

"But," Jet began, then stopped.

Ebony took her claws in his gently. "I cannot risk you either, love. You are not fit for the cruelty of the desert. I risked you once to bring you here and I never shall again. Our child shall not be without her father for long, I promise that as far as it is in my power. I will come back for you both as quickly as I can...and when I return...I pray that I may be carrying the ember," he finished quietly.

"And that wretch Dertharion, by the scruff of his ear!" the normally gentle Jet snarled. "How I would like to get my claws into him!"

Ebony sighed as the outburst served only to remind him of his situation. How had his life of many years been broken completely by the events of a few days?

The hopeful part of his brain pointed out, "If it was broken in a few days, it can be fixed in a few days!"

The pessimistic side of his brain replied with a snort.

Ebony shook himself out of his mental argument, glancing outside the hut. The morning sunlight was already deepening into afternoon colors. It was time to say goodbye. He looked from the egg to Jet, and Jet to the egg, fixing their images in his mind. Please, let this be the right decision...he pleaded.

Jet saw the look in his eyes and lunged at him, resting her head on his chest. "I know you have to go," she mumbled into his scales, "but I can't bear it." Then, suddenly, she drew back, raising her chin. "No. I have to bear it."

She looked at him. Though her eyes were moist, they were full of determination. "Goodbye, my love."

He hugged her to him one last time. "Goodbye. Please give my farewells to my- Obsidian's people. Tell them that I will reclaim what I lost." Regretfully, he set the egg down, and, with one last stroke of its smooth shell, he went to the opening.

"I will tell them," Jet said, her voice strong. "And I will take care of our baby." Ebony glanced back at her, but his vision turned strangely dim, and he could only see her silhouette. "I love you, Jet." With that, he slid from the house and flapped away as fast as he could. He headed for the forest edge, branches snapping and twisting from the force of his mad rush. It seemed as if the speed should ease his pain, but his heart still ached no matter how hard he pumped his wings. Calm down, he said to himself, this isn't going to be fixed in an instant. He slowed down, weaving with more care through the webs of vines and tree limbs. Ahead of him, the jungle stretched, and, beyond that, a vast desert awaited him.