A Dragon's Retribution [Book 3 in Rising Dragons]

Chapter 4: Azrael II

"That is something that will take time to explain, so first we will introduce ourselves," one of the kinboks told us.

"A smart idea," another kinbok said. "I'm Nkruma of the Thema dragoon. Burchard, who we all call Bur, is kinbok of the Adal dragoon – he's the dragon with maroon scales. Pamphilos is kinbok of the Alke dragoon." The dragon in question, Pamphilos, smiled at us and stretched his wings.

"I'm Natalia of the Stea dragoon," the purple dragon continued. "Andrea is kinbok of the Alba dragoon – he's the red dragon. And last, but not least, is Seisyll of the Cathasach dragoon."

"I am Azrael, with me are Seeryath and Thirak," I said, and finally introductions were out of the way.

It was Bur who started explaining, speaking with his feathered wings tucked to his sides, yellow eyes watching us evenly. "Dov always have a power, no matter what breed of dov they are. This power is known as diiv."

"I thought dov meant dragons only?" Seeryath asked. Seisyll, with his green-blue scales, growled under his breath.

"Not quite," Nkruma started explaining. "The direct translation of dov to English is dragon or dragons. However, the word itself is a noun referencing dragon-kind, dragon, wyrm – essentially, the race of dragons. Thus, the connotation of the word is that it refers to the race of dragons as a whole, not specific individuals or multiple dragons. Dov is similar to diiv, but diiv refers to the power and spirit of the dov. It's also a noun and it means dragon-kind, the collective spirit and embodiment of dragon-kind."

"What is this... this diiv you speak of?" I asked. I hadn't ever heard of anything like this – not dov or diiv. I knew nothing of powers held by dragons. Thankfully, the kinboks were willing to expand on the topic and explain it all.

The kinbok of the Alke dragoon, Pamphilos, shifted his two sets of wings before speaking. "Dov have a close connection with our spiritual energy," he explained in a quiet tone. "Because of this, we have a large reserve of magic to call on. This reservoir of magic is what we use in order to use our power. Generally, this magic manifests as a power often specific to that dragon. We don't know what influences a dragon to have a specific power, but it's believed that the ancestor spirits bless a dragon with a power that will aid us in our lives."

"And that is what diiv is – the power specific to that dragon?" I asked, and Pamphilos nods his head. "How do you know what power you have though? Does it suddenly manifest or do you always have it?"

"I'll take this one Philos," Natalia said, and Philos shrugged in response. "As you grow," she explained, looking directly at me, "you tend to realise that something is off. However, this is harder for powers that are passive and active subconsciously."

"What do you mean by passive powers?" Thirak asked curiously.

"Powers can be passive or active. Active powers are those that the user can actively use. It isn't always on purpose, but when it happens the dragon in question is aware of it. The power is something that is consciously controlled from the moment the dragon realises its existence. Passive powers, on the other hand, are those that generally can't be used in a battle or a fight unless the dragon trains with them. Passive powers are usually harder to control as they are normally used on a subconscious level, and so it takes some serious work, effort, and practise to determine how they work and be able to use them consciously."

"But how do you know whether your power is passive or active?" I asked.

"If you're asking that question because you don't know your own power, it's probably a passive power. Some dragon breeds tend to have passive powers. I'd say you, Azrael, would have a passive power bestowed on you from your ancestors," Natalia answered.