I Dream of Dragons

9. Point of No Return

Ashermoran brushed off the question. "I don't see why I should tell you."

"I heard it!" Ailysia blurted out, unable to contain the secret anymore. "I heard the bell just before I came here—before I met you, the other you. And you told me that all this happened two million years before my time, that it is part of my genetic memory."

The dragon fell silent. Her wings stopped beating and hung still in the rushing air, like a pair of full sails. She still glided through the sky, her momentum showing no sign of slowing, but for the first time, Ailysia sensed hesitation.

In the absence of movement, she could feel the dragon's heartbeat, a powerful rhythm that vibrated through her body, up to the tip of her scales. The pulse was fast, agitated by stress, and perhaps even fear? She tried to imagine what Ashermoran was feeling. What must it be like to meet yourself from the distant future? It must be overwhelming.

Then Ashermoran spoke. "If you are from the future, then tell me. How would this war end?"

Ailysia was taken aback by the question. She remembered the ominous words the dragon had spoken, when they had first met in the water. You are ready to bear witness to our demise.

Should she tell Ashermoran that? She bit her lips nervously. How could she even start? Her silence, however, said it all.

The dragon heaved a heavy sigh. "I see. It's as I feared then." There was a resigned serenity to her voice, and she seemed ready to disengage from the conversation. She started beating her wings again, making steady, powerful flaps that propelled her forward with a single-minded purpose.

"It doesn't have to be this way!" Ailysia cried out, raising her voice above the rushing air. "I'm here. I can help!"

"I'm afraid not, dear sister," said Ashermoran candidly. "I'm sorry I messed up. I made too many mistakes, and now our world is beyond saving. But there is one mistake I can still fix. Those eggs will ensure that you are reborn on another world, get a second chance." She cracked a laugh. "And since you are here, that means I will succeed. I will have done one thing right in my life. Would that redeem me, dear sister?"

Ailysia blinked in surprise. Sister? She had not expected that. "You have a sister?"

"Not one, but four," said the dragon. "And I can't figure out who you might be. From your stubbornness, you seem like Wynneandry. The impulsiveness fits Telemak exactly. The bothersome curiosity is channeling Mutashet. You can't be Pennigram though, because you don't have one tenth of her tact."

"Thank you for the compliments," said Ailysia sarcastically. "You'd be happy to know that I inherited all of these fine qualities from you."

"From me?" Ashermoran sounded genuinely confused.

Ailysia sighed. She had detested the idea, but it seemed to be the only explanation for the memory resurgence she experienced. "I'm not your sister. I am your descendant, your genetic copy, however that works."

In response, the dragon let out a raucous cackle. "And here I thought you could count, dear sister. There are four eggs packed into the capsule. Mine won't be among them."

"Wait, what?" Ailysia sat up straight, and the sudden movement almost caused her to slip off her perch. She scrambled to secure her grip, while Ashermoran explained.

"Even I have a limit to my ego, sister. After so many failings, I don't think I should be born among you again. I'm the last guardian remaining, so I should go down with the planet, don't you think?"

Ailysia felt her head spin with the new revelation. She was so sure that she was descended from Ashermoran. How could that be possible without the egg?