DragonFire

Chapter 13 - Seth

Seth grinned as another bowl of fruit was placed onto the table. He reached forward, and seized a little red ball. He closed his eyes, and tasted the warm, spiced juice as it rolled over his tongue.

I could definitely get used to this.

"No you couldn't" cub said.

Seth rolled his eyes and leaned back into his wooden throne. He admired the craftsmanship. Through means of magic or years of controlled growth, the throne was made from living branches. The Throne of thorns, the people called it.

Arches of golden wood stretched across the sky. They were shrouded in a soft golden light, and covered in a foliage of deep green leaves. Little glowing bugs floated lazily in the air, they illuminated the tree city like bright little lights.

The air was cool and thin, from his throne he could see the sun burning with a few other stars against a dark sky. It reminded him of home.

Home. He was already beginning to miss the soft, warm snow, and the huge animals. He missed his bed, and his hut. He missed his friends and family, but he knew this was a one way trip. There was no going back.

A girl with pointed long ears came rushing before his throne. She had beautiful blond hair that fell past her bright blue eyes. She had high cheekbones and a strong jaw. Traits that seemed common to these people. Her skin was soft and golden, and she talked in a sing song voice that was enchanting to listen to. He could not understand her.

"How long are you going to sit there playing god?" Cub asked. "We must leave this place and continue our quest to Earth."

"Earth can wait." He said. "Eric can wait."

"You cannot possibly know that."

"Have a little faith in the guy, enjoy being spoiled for a while. Earth isn't going anywhere. It's not every day we are treated like royalty by aliens who live in trees."

The girl threw her hands forward and began chanting something. More of the people joined in, and soon there was an entire room full of chanting people. They all reached towards him with open arms.

"I think they are praying to you." Cub said.

"I think they see me as a god." He replied.

Seth stood from his throne and touched the girl on her crown. She fainted and fell backwards. Her people caught her before her head hit the floor. Seth walked through the crowd, making sure to touch everyone he passed. As he did, smiles erupted on the people's faces, and soon they began to cheer for him.

He sat back down on his throne, and watched as the mood turned festive. Servants rushed to collect firewood, and others began preparing food. Music started as someone began playing a rhythm on some drums along with a rustic and primitive flute. It sounded surprisingly calming.

Suddenly, his vision clouded. He felt as if he was falling into his mind, unbound to his physical body. Around him was swirling nothingness, dark and bleak.

"Cub?" He called.

"I am here."

"Are you getting this?"

"Yes."

Before him was a scene of fire. A white city lay burning, people were buried in the rubble. Ash drifted on the wind, and settled on the fresh carcasses which littered the streets. He watched in fascination as a white light emerged from the body of a nearby human. It climbed into the air, high above Seth's head, where it joined hundreds of other little white lights. Then they began to move. They sped across the city and wove between buildings, where they were drawn into a staff as black as night. A man stood alone, laughing in the wreckage of the city with the staff in hand. An old man with dark, maleficent eyes.

Seth woke to find that his hands and feet were bound. He lay before a great fire on the floor of the forest. It was much darker down here.

"Cub?" He called. "What just happened?"

"I do not know. But if what I suspect is true, you should defiantly leave."

"What's going on?"

A man stepped forward. He was carrying a wicked looking knife, poised to kill. He approached slowly, mumbling something in his language.

"I vote we phase and run along out of here?" Seth asked.

"I couldn't agree more."

The air around Seth's began to shimmer, when suddenly Cub's massive body broke through the restraints. Cub stood tall on his hind legs, and let out a challenging roar. The tree people cowered in fear.

He felt too powerful. He beat the ground with his massive paws, and ran in the direction of the next silver tree. It wasn't far, he had seen it's distinctive blue foliage from his court.

The people began firing arrows from the tree tops. They were painful, but did not cause serious harm. Cub tensed as he felt the crackle of lightning pass over head.

"Seth, neutralize their spells."

Cub could feel Seth working his magic, and soon they were clear from the tree city, and cub was running through open forest.

"What do you think the vision was about?" Seth asked.

"I believe we were looking at the future for Earth if we fail our mission. It does not look good."

"Did you see the staff?" He asked. "The staff that the man was holding. That thing did not look natural, it made my skin crawl."

"I think Eric needs as much help as he can get."

The all too familiar silver tree with glowing runes loomed out of the forest. Wasting no time Seth channeling his energy, causing the roots to stir, tearing holes in space and time. Then they were one step closer to Earth.