Book of Ellagar

Chapter 14: Revisions

When she awoke, she was back in camp. The Mother Tree canopy above her. The smell of the swamp a welcome embrace both strong and familiar. The warm crackling fire a comforting reminder of life. Ardvek and Verak watched over her with  worried eyes, and Thelara's hand was a cool touch on her forehead. "What happened?" Ellagar croaked, her voice still raspy from the smoke and screams that had filled the dragon's egg chamber.

Thelara's gaze was solemn as she explained how Sageclaw had brought her back, barely alive and clutching the charred bracelet, her staff extinguished. "You faced something down there, something powerful, fiiled with darkness," she said, her hand resting on the staff at her side. "Your bond with Ardvek and the Mother Tree saved you, but it's clear the prophecy runs deeper than we thought."

The camp was silent for a moment, the crackling fire the only sound. Then Verak spoke, his voice low and solemn. "What did you find, Sister Ellagar?"

Ellagar sat up with a wince, the pain from her injuries a stark reminder of the battle she'd just endured. She spoke rapidly of what she had found and the living tapestry. "There were scrolls. So many scrolls and they were mostly versions of the prophecy," she said, her voice still hoarse. "Grandmother has been manipulating us. I saw a future where you...Thelara you..." she trailed off, unable to voice the grim vision that had played out before her eyes.

Thelara's expression grew dark. "I knew she had her own plans," she murmured. "But I had hoped..." Thelara paused thoughtful. "Do you believe the spectre that there are other," she glanced at the younglings and continued, "cards in the game? Other guardians of the game?"

"Grandmother plays with a marked deck. Yet the prophecy is real and it is a living thing," Ellagar interrupted, her voice weak but firm.  "I saw the tapestry of fate - before I destroyed it."  Thelara frowned, and Ellagar quickly spoke to stop any questions. "What we call The Prophecy changes with every decision we make. It is why it must be rewitten again and again. We cannot trust her to dictate our fate. It is why she is always rewriting the words."

Ellagar took a deep breath, feeling the pain from her injuries subside slightly. She looked at the two siblings, her younglings, her heart swelling with love and determination. "I know that Grandmother has not been entirely truthful with us," she said. "The prophecy, the future, is not set in stone. It is a living tapestry that changes with our actions and choices. Yet  I know that her fears are real, as I have glimpsed a part of the real destiny; a future that must be avoided. That is the game Grandmother plays."

She paused, deciding to hold back about the egg-mother until she could speak with Thelara. And Sageclaw too. She looked that the Mother Tree sending, "And you too!"

Ardvek looked down, his grip tightening around the charred remains of the braclet he had made for her. It snapped, burnt fragments falling from his hand. "What does this mean for us?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Ellagar took his hand, the warmth of his touch seeping into her palm. "It means," she said gently, "that we must forge our own destiny. We cannot rely on wistful prophecies or the whims of ancient beings to dictate our path." She paused, her gaze drifting to the horizon where the sun was setting, painting the swamp in hues of gold and red. "We must find a way to control our choices, and not be controlled by the choices of others."

Verak looked at Sister Ellagar, his eyes reflecting the flickering firelight. "Sister, what if the prophecy is actually true, Ellagar? What if we really are just pawns in her game?"

Thelara spoke first, "No prophecy is ever complete or ever set in stone. We still make choices. There will always be futures that can be avoided. Think of fate or destiny as a river. It flows from the mountains to the ocean. It cannot be stopped. But the path can always be changed. 

Ellagar squeezed Thelara's hand, her gaze firm. "Yes. The prophecy is but a guide," she said, her voice a gentle rumble. "It is not our master. Like the river of destiny that you speak of, we can navigate its currents, carve new channels, or build bridges over it. Our choices are ours to make, and it is those choices that will define or create our futures."

The camp was quiet, the weight of their conversation seeping into all of them.  Even the pixies had gathered around the edges, their tiny forms silhouetted against the fading light, their eyes reflecting the flickering fire. It was clear they also sensed the disturbance in the balance. Ellagar knew that the the swamp and surrounding lands would be ablaze with rumors of her confrontation with the black dragon's specter; and she she knew that soon they would have to leave this safe haven. 

Verak suddenly stood his young face a fix of emotions, "This is all my fault. I should never have been born!" Before anyone could speak he had run off into the night. Ardvek scrambled after his brother calling for him to wait. The pixies scattered into the night. 

Weariness fell across Ellagar, and she slumped back. Sliding down. "I'm not doing a very good job of this. I'm really not a very good mother." Verak's outburst had cut through her heart, it was her fault that he was blaming himself." Thelara moved closer, wrapping her in a gentle hug. 

"Shush, my sweet," Thelara murmered. "You have been the best possible clutch-mother those boys could have! Look at them bright and capable. You have give them the skills they need to survive in a cruel world." 

Ellagar let out another sob, and then she winced in pain. Her cracked ribs protesting her deep breaths. Thelara's warm, calm, embrace reminded Ellagar  of her own training. She refocused. Slowed her breathing. "What would I do without you Thelara?" And then she recalled Sageclaws words about an anchor. Ellagar pulled back so she could see Thelara's face filled with tenderness. "Did Sageclaw tell you about... about how those summoned beasts, really kill?" She was unable to say destroy. 

Thelara looked away, a slight flush of color playing across her scales. "He did."

"Tell me, my dearest Thelara, what was the anchor that kept you here?" Ellagar searched her friends eyes. Holding her so she could not pull away. 

The whispered response was almost lost in the chorus of excited frogs. 

"You."

That single word hung between them like a flame, and Ellagar felt her heart lighten. "And you are afraid to tell me that?" asked Ellagar gently taking Thelara's face in hers. Thelara nodded.

"We, we are of different clans. So there is that...whole..." Thelara's voice trailed off because she knew that arguement was false. She continued, "And our kind, we.." Thelara stumbled over the words. "Our kind we partner because of our need to nest, and you and I we cannot ever by clutch-partners."

Ellagar pulled her friend close, and rubbed her nose with her own. "Oh you foolish she-dragon. There you go making choices for me again. you should know by now not even Grandmother gets to do that!" 

Thelara, her eyes moist with emotion, suddenly laughed. Desperately tried to cover her mouth to suppress it. And then raw unbridled laughter flowed from her. Ellagar couldn't help but join her in side-splitting laughter. Her ribs protesting that this was not good for healing.  But it was exactly what they both needed. 

Then they heard Verak's battle growl from across the island.