The Journey To Orillion

Chapter 3: Answers

     "When, if ever, were you going to tell me about this?" she asked first.
     Terence stepped into the conversation. "Your mother - I'm sorry, Elisha - and I had assumed you would never find out, considering only one person from your family remains. But your aunt lives all the way in Ireland, and I don't think she knows you were ever born," he said straightforwardly. Esmeralda felt something inside her drop. Elisha, noticing the change in mentality, jabbed her elbow into his ribs and gave Esmeralda a loving smile. "We were going to tell you on your 21st birthday, and by then we had hoped you would have a family of your own and discard the thought of chasing after your father's influence," Terence concluded.
      Esmeralda thought about her next question. "What was his dragon's name, and what did she look like?"
      Elisha looked at the ceiling and thought. "I believe her name was Hedrira, and she was a beautiful dragon." Elisha pulled out a photo album from the shelf beside Esmeralda's bed.
       "Wait. Were those pictures of the family of dragons this entire time? I thought that you gave them to me to admire and imagine! I didn't know they were real!" Esmeralda said excitedly. Elisha slipped out the photo of a magnificent blue, ice-cold dragon, showing Esmeralda this:

    "As I've said, this is Hedrira. The ex-girlfriend of Grayin, who is this beautiful but terrifying dragon here," Elisha pulled out another photo of a dragon, but this dragon was almost the exact opposite of Hedrira:

    "I will never understand why Hedrira liked him. He was mean to her, and they always seemed to be arguing or fighting. But when Hedrira died in battle, your father, Jumin, knew he had nothing left. In the middle of a war between humans and dragons, he felt in his heart the dragons won, and with the satisfaction of victory, he let himself die. A vicious poison dragon bit his hip and left him on the field to writhe in agony as the poison made its way to his heart, making it beat no more,"
    Esmeralda's brain stirred. "What happened to my mother?" she asked an angry tone in her voice, but sadness outweighing.
     Elisha exhaled a long sigh. One of not relief, but of the loss of recognition of Gail's adventures.
     "Your mother, Gail, was known by everyone. But before her fame, she was my best friend, and I could count on her with my life." Esmeralda saw a deep depression in Elisha where Gail's presence used to stand.
     "Gail and I met in a kindergarten classroom of 1976. I was a new student, having moved from Iowa to Kentucky. Gail and I hit it off pretty quickly, and soon, there wasn't anyone in the world who could separate us. But one day, Gail acquired a large sum of money from her grandfather, who had just retired and wished to help his granddaughter through high school and college. Gail used the money to travel and explore, but instead of taking me, she took her boyfriend, who became your father. Of course, I felt betrayed by her, but seeing how her actions affected the future, if she had asked me instead, I would have pleaded for her to take Jumin."
     Esmeralda waited patiently for Elisha to finish her mother's story.
     Elisha saw the gentle face of her adopted child and continued solemnly. "Your mother first took to the ocean. She sailed all over Earth, fighting through every storm and loving the calm waves and rocking of the boat," Terence then put a hand on Cami's shoulder, silently giving a request to be excused. Elisha, acknowledging the movement behind her, waited for Cami and Terence to exit.
     "After she sailed all the Earth's waters, she took to the skies," Elisha flipped through a couple of pages in her photo album, stopping on one of the female dragons. 
      Elisha studied the picture of the dragon; Esmeralda pushed down her curiosity and asked politely, "Did my mother have a dragon?" Esmeralda received a confused expression.
      "None of us know if Gail was a champion or not, but we do know she had a flying beast of some kind," Elisha answered truthfully. She then handed over the picture of what was thought to be of a dragon but was really an indescribable monstrosity:

    Esmeralda studied the picture for a few seconds, looking at every detail carefully.
    "Every picture we took came out like this," Elisha said.
    "Did you ask my mother what her..." Esmeralda couldn't think of a way to describe it. What she thought it was became a question to herself. "...light dragon's name was?"
     "Of course, but Gail never told us," Elisha said, slightly annoyed at the mystery.
     "Us?" Esmeralda asked.
     "Your father and I," she responded easily. "But it was not a light dragon your mother possessed. Some people believed it was a hybrid between a dragon and a Phoenix," Elisha stopped suddenly.
     "Before I answer any more questions, I want you to tell me... How did you suddenly know all of this?"
      Esmeralda looked at her adoptive mother with little hesitation for her words. "I met Adracia," she said truthfully. "In my dream."
      "In your dream?" Elisha asked uncertainly. "If it was only a dream, why couldn't you be shaken from your slumber?"
      Esmeralda thought for a little bit. "I'm not sure. I believe Adracia said it wasn't an ordinary dream either. She couldn't tell me why though; she had to wake me before it was too late."
      "Where did you find her?" Elisha asked.
      "She was in an underground cavern, with a clear pool in the back. I do not know the exact location," Esmeralda said, not daring to lie.
      "To be honest, I had thought, since her mother died in battle and her father didn't care much for her, that she had been deceased by now."
      Esmeralda shook her head, disagreeing.
      Elisha's face suddenly went pale. "Esmeralda, have you bonded with Adracia?" she asked hastily, gripping onto Esmeralda's shoulders.
      "How do you bond with a dragon?" asked Esmeralda curiously, ignoring the hard hands gripping her tightly.
      "Did her eyes change to an almost raging fire, but contained within her pupils?" Elisha asked anxiously. Esmeralda tried to recall her memory of the encounter. Esmeralda nodded her head solemnly.
       "What did she say?"
       Esmeralda thought for a moment, once again trying to remember her fading dream. "I think that was when she explained to me the situation of my parents. She said that I came from magical ancestry," Do I have any magical abilities? she asked herself, wondering about the answer. "Did my mother or father possess magic of their own, or did they sprout magic after bonding with their dragon? Did they have magic at all?"
       Elisha sighed once more. "Esmeralda, they had possessed magical abilities at the age of 15..." Esmeralda went back to her earlier question. "...and their powers only increased after meeting their dragons."
       "How do dragons know who to bond with?" Esmeralda asked. "Do their champions have a certain scent?"
       "Exactly," Elisha replied.
       Esmeralda thought for a while, and after, for what she thought was, understanding, she asked her last questions:
       "Where can I find Adracia, and, for when I sprout, a place to help me control my magic?"
       "For that, my dear, you will need Cami's help," She said, enjoying the feeling of the loss of the burden. Esmeralda wasted no time moving out from under the blankets and stepping lightly on the soft carpet. She nodded to Elisha, saying a silent thank you as she left through her well-oiled door. Esmeralda walked steadily down the stairs to the kitchen, where she found the cooks making the family's lunch. They bowed to Esmeralda, greeting her politely. She equally politely replied to them. She then walked out the white door to the large living room, finding Terence sitting on the leather rocking chair; Cami was sitting across from him, chatting to him from the matching leather couch, her back turned from Esmeralda. They stopped their conversation upon hearing her walk into the room, silent with anticipation. Esmeralda broke the strained silence by asking simply,
       "Cami, I request your assistance." Cami froze, looked at Terence for assistance, but he shrugged, not really knowing what to do. She then rose from her seat and came to stand in front of Esmeralda standing the exact height of her.
       "Esmeralda, what can I help you with?" fear and worry creeping in the edge of her voice.