Dragon Falls (Indigo Apocalypse Book III)

Chapter Nine: We Learn A Little Of Of Nothing Of Sydney's History

ZAVALA:
    I loped along side my brethren, wings regally extended as Decre and Kneecora loped ahead of us. The desire to fly was so strong that the bone deep dragon formation, the need to prove oneself overruled it. Then, the wings rolled like thunder, lashing through the air with power. We flapped up, each row of dragons rising after the ones ahead took flight. Soon, thousands upon thousands of dragons were flying, climbing the skies, higher higher higher. Every wingbeat rolling like thunder. I saw the great lights roiled high above, roiled like awaiting dragons, sending us off with light and hope. The sun glinted, the dragons in it's center winking goodbye. I just hoped it wasn't for the last time. We cleared the outer edge of the Snow Kingdom Capital, and flew over the quietude of the empty city. The castle a lonely superjacent beast, as if even it was waving goodbye, for a final time. I saw the purple small dragon, Azule, flying close on my flank, as if she was determined to protect Huntor, no matter what. I wanted to snort, but I was still flying on the high of being in an army, a, dracon, army. Thousands upon thousands of dragons, all flying in unison. Myriad flying soldiers, all as one mind. Half of the Molten force racing below us on foot, and half the Snow force racing along side them. Five thousand in the air, five on the ground, both centuries in the making.
    Huntor leaned forward, his arms around his mate as they dug their knees into the chinks in my armor. My wings beat the air, sending messages straight through to my brain. Ahead, the great dragons flew, Kneecora a great beast with her wings in a perfect glide, along with Decre. The skies glowed with the lights Huntor and Sydney created, lighting our way South. I felt Huntor stroke my side affectionately, and I preened under the touch. I flapped a little harder, and the response nearly made me drop out the air. Every dragon behind and to my sides flapped, echoing the prideful lash I had given the air. I flapped again and the thunder of those wings rolled yet again. I wanted to laugh, but of course, I couldn't. We flew overr the castle, and arrowed over the hinterlands beyond the city. Kneecora flapped her wings, a blast of thunder as she climbed the air. We all followed suit, flapping harder and harder until the lands below were a mix of dark greens and browns even to the dragon's eye. I flapped my wings, the dracon army behind me echoing the roll of thunder. The hinterlands behind the superjacent castle rolled onward. Great plains of nothingness, rolling ever Southward. As the day wore on, the Lights glowed almost as brightly as a sun, lighting the way South for hundreds, hundreds of thousands of thousands of miles. Out to my flank, still flying closely, still near, the purple dragon flew, her wings flapping smoothly, her eyes were on Huntor, almost as if she truly were protective of him. Grant it, it wasn't like many of the females didn't either wanna bed Huntor or mate with him, but still, they weren't too discrete about it. Most evinced it in very vexing ways. Kneecora curved slightly, her wings carrying her up and to the right. Decre swerved after her, and I followed, leading the army.
Sydney leaned forward on my back, her hands on my shoulders. "What?" I wanted to ask. I had the feeling that Sydney's forward lean was because of something she saw, or felt. But what, she didn't have dracon vision, and even so, I could barely make out details below. Then her knees tightened, just as Huntor thought, "Zeej, dive." I dove without even asking, and because I had, dodged the near black gigantic bat that flew in on my flank. Azule flew in hard and slammed into it's side. She snapped her jaws around it's wing and the creature screamed in agony. Decre roared as more bats swooped in out of the dark from below. Fire blazed from several dragon mouths, torching several at once. Burning corpses fell to earth as more still swooped up and engaged dragons. I swung my body around and slammed my lower half into a bat. Azule zapped the bat with lightning and it fell, jerking as it was electrocuted. Vello made a sweeping strike, pouring fire from his maw. Kitana swung a long whip of death, lashing it through bats and they fell to earth, dead. Then, Huntor swept off my side and dropped, for a moment, I wanted to roar in fear, but no, he fell for several dozen feet, then, he raised his arms. Storms swirled around him, and the temperature sank several degrees, and ice kissed the air. I looked and saw Sarah on Seeka's back, her palms in the air. Green lightning lashed down from the sky and ice crackled over the bats. Huntor zipped up and landed on my back as lightning zapped the frozen bats as they fell, and shattered into a million shards.
We swooped higher, Kneecora roaring a roar of victory and challenge, a roar that was no doubt heard all across the plains. Hours went by without any more entertainment, and we landed at the banks of the first great river. The river Safineia was huge, a great river in it's name, and as clear as day. I could see straight down to the bedrock three miles below the rushing surface. Huntor and Sydney slid off my back and I shifted back into my humanoid form. Several of the dracons didn't wait to shift before guzzling the clear river water. I stretched my wings, feeling the delicious strain of a long strong flight. Sydney stretched and rubbed her back. Then rubbed her butt. I'm sorry Zavala, but I need a different flight plan, I can't fly with air Zeej again." I grinned. "If you need a massage Syd, I can give you one." Sydney snorted as Huntor ran his fingers through her hair. "Perv, you don't need an excuse to squeeze my ass." Despite her words though, she leaned into his stroking fingers, smiling shyly. Since we were only spending a night, the tents went up but no one unpacked bedding material. Food was caught, and cooked, and everyone was sitting around, eating their fill. I stood on the edge of our camp, my gaze on the rushing water at my feet. The great Safineia, the first of the great rivers. After crossing it, we'd bee in Dodonian territory. After crossing this river, we'd be in Dodona, a territory that may or may not resemble what Audrey remembered reading. A country that was rumored to be filled with oracles and fortunetellers. And, if what I suspected was true, could Brooklyn handle herself? When I came here, came home for the first time, I was so lost, so alone, yet I should've realized I wasn't. I had my brothers, Draco and Raveaque. I had Huntor and Sarah, Wenzi and Seeka, I had people, people I loved. Could Brooklyn handle herself. What if she got there and realized it wasn't what she wanted it to be, hoped it would be.
Dodona was a place I only heard vaguely, and even that was primarily because my brothers didn't know much about it. We only knew it was the next country on the indigo continent, after the hinterlands behind the Snow Kingdom capital. Separated by the Safineia river. As soon as you crossed the river, you were in Dodonian lands. We didn't even know that Dodona was ruled by anyone. Let alone a woman, or, more likely indigo of the name Dione. All these hints to the Greeks that Huntor loved so much. It made me wonder if what he researched to teach the indigo was more fact than he realized. That in the stories he had them study, were there truly more factt to it than theory. Brooklyn was a powerful oracle, not just that, but a warrior. Something that was never heard of. A warrior oracle, with a sword that had it's own power and history. I sighed as I stared across the rushing water. Behind and above, the Northern Lights twinkled high high above, still lighting the night enough to see by. I ran a finger through my loose hair, and remembered the sword that Brooklyn carried. "Katoptris." That was it's name. Audrey had said that before, in the old stories, it was just a dagger, gifted to a woman of the name Helen, of Troy. "Looking Glass." Yet, in the newer stories, it was a blade that told the future. Yet Brooklyn's sword didn't tell the future or have any special powers. Well, as far as anyone knew. Almost as if my thoughts called them over, Huntor stepped up to my side, Brooklyn and Audrey in toe. For a while, we all stared at the distant shores of the Safineia, invisible from this vantage point. "I'm terrified." Whispered Brooklyn. "But, if this is what my mother spoke of, then I have to face it."
Huntor took Brook's hand and said gently, "I can't promise it'll be ok, that would be a lie, but, I can promise we'll make it through this, together." She squeezed his fingers gratefully. Dropping his hand, she ran a finger through the roiling water. "It calls to me." She whispered. "What does?" Audrey asked gently. "The country. I, I can feel it's presence, almost like it has, has a heartbeat, it pulls me, calls to me." "Well then, isn't that ominous." Sighed Audrey, a note of irritation in her voice. "Let me guess, we'll have to deal with another tyrant huh." Brooklyn shifted slightly, her hand in the water. "Maybe." Her voice had deepened, shifted to a dreamy lyrical movement. Huntor stepped toward her. "Brooklyn." Said Huntor warningly. "Step away from the water." "It sings, sings beautifully, beatifically, an incandescent creature, clear of sight, clear of mind. It speaks to me, tells me—"Is this the part where we have to fight something?" Asked Audrey, ever the practical one. Brooklyn's voice deepened yet still, and I knew, just, knew.