FSE

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Chapter 7

Infinity woke to the shrill screech of the morning trumpet birds with their near thunderous. Ear splitting cry. She swiftly blinked open her emerald eyes, casting away the grogginess of a mind still lulled by sleep's embrace. Her ears pinned back against her head as the bird's head splitting noise wove a dagger under her scales. She groaned, rising to all fours and scattering the dry hay acting as a makeshift bed. She made sure to scrunched herself up, as the stable they had been staying in was far too small to contain her full form spread out. Her eyes narrowed as the dragoness dragged her tail along the ground as she strode out the exit. Her mind didn't even register that the stable door was missing, ripped off its hinges the first night they had stayed there. The morning sun pierced the low hanging clouds making the dragoness squint her eyes before casting her fiery glare at the dog sized birds lurking within the many trees scattered around the makeshift home.

Back to focus

She stomped her way up to the dark brown bark that's surface was marred and worn away by some creature's claws.. By the large chunks that were missing and how high up it was, she figured it was either a dragon a well sized cat. She snorted, too frustrated to giggle at the idea of Grozzo sharpening his claws on a piece of bark like a common house cat.

She rose up onto her hinds and bat at the cream colored winged devils with forceful strikes. They scattered and squawked in anger, scattering into the air as one organized flock. None of them sticked around to attack her like the last time with their little lime green beaks. They had learned their lesson from the first time that failed, and she had feasted well.

Her stomach growled as she watched them leave, urging her to give into her instinct and give chase. She took a calming breath, letting the small pounding of her heart send vibrations through her scales down to her talons. She was about to turn around and head back to the stables when once more one of the birds turned it's beak to let out an obnoxious screech. So, with a flick of her spade tail she launched herself into the air, licking her lips and murderous intent in her eyes.

Wind curled around her snout as her wings easily carried her towards the fleeing birds. It was how things were made to be after all. She was built to be one of the fastest fliers of the dragon race, and these little collections of feathers and beaks didn't stand a chance. Within a manner of wing beats she had overtaken them. One bite was all it took to yank one annoying creature from the sky. It screeched in panic but a violent shake with a sickening snap was all that it took to solve that problem. She landed with a happy rumble, devouring her meal with utmost care, savoring the warm meat slipping down her throat. They may have been annoying little things with wings, but at least they tasted better than most things she had eaten. She burned what remained with a snort, and cleaned her blood drenched snout with a wipe on the grass, painting it a bright crimson. Satisfied, she trotted her way back towards the stables that had been her makeshift home for the last week.

Humans and elves greeted her when she strode towards their little thatch huts. They offered her praises and sweet words about her scales. She didn't really know how to respond to it. She thanked some with warming scales, but always trailed off to the side to keep her distance. Just because she would accept their gratitude didn't mean the collection of mortals didn't make her her heart beat faster, and eyes watch every little movement they made. She held her head high, easily towering over the houses that simply looked to be slapped together with mud and hay. Not like that village near Nigel's tower at all.

. She wrinkled her snout in amazement that someone could live in such worn looking things. Whole sections missing, and rotten wood holding the homes together. It looked like all that it would take would be a forceful gust to take these people's homes from them. Good thing they are leaving then.

She grumbled to herself as the smell of people and animals curled around her snout and attacked her senses. She quickened her strides through the worn dirt covered street, making sure to hold her breath when the scents became too much for her.

They had needed to stay in the village for Lyyreth. Her thoughts darkened as she imagined him back at the stables squirming in pain without her. Instantly she chastised herself for hunting down the bird and simply not waiting for someone to bring her meal. Though she hated the gesture it was a small price to pay for staying by the green's side. Her already quickened walk soon turned into trotting as she ignored the latest batch of smiling mortals as they moved wooden crates and sacks into worn looking carts latched to well-built horses with earth brown fur.

Healers had been tending to the green dragon and use all the knowledge and experience to cure his ailments. Through spells, enchantments, and potions they worked, often chanting to aid their efforts. It was no use though, no matter what they tried he stayed curled up within the stables, squirming and hardly waking into consciousness. She recalled each time they would look to her, concern plastered on their faces as a dark gloom hung in the air.

"Good morning Night Rising." Came the soft, warm voice of a simple brown robe wearing elf with kind chestnut colored eyes. Embrae was her name, and she was one of the many clerics still working on Lyyreth's condition. Her hands were held gently infront of her, just below an amulet of the sun dangling from her neck. Infinity wasn't well versed in the many gods, but this woman had told her it was Celestriiden, the elven god of the sun.

"Morning." Infinity replied flatly, her eyes falling to the patchwork looking stables. The wood beams were scratched and dented, even some portions missing large flakes like they had been battered away with a claw. The ceiling was made of thick clay colored thatch, but with large sections of the roof missing, reminding her of a certain cheese the humans made. Her ears twitched as she eyed the wooden door now laying on the grass a few yards away. She had ripped it off mistakenly thinking they had been captured and locked in the stables. She remembered roaring, and the splintering of wood as she barreled through. She supposed no one put it back on just in case. "How is he?" Her tail swayed over the dirt as she tried to stop the cold thoughts from snaking into her mind. "Have you healed him yet?" Her weight shifted from paw to paw, as the slow cold fingers of worry traced across her scales.

Embrae gave her a sorrowful look. One that tried her best to convey the deep sympathy that she had for the heroic green. She lowered her head and gave a drawn out sigh. "Not yet I'm afraid dragon. Whatever ailment he has is bound tightly within him. We must confess it's nature elludes us. It does not seem to be a poison, disease, or even some wound that we can heal with the limited magics that we have. I have to stress once more that we do not have the strongest of divine or even nature casters her to aid your friend."

"I thought one of your god's domains was healing." She snorted, shifting her weight to the side to hide her worry. "What good is your god when his servant couldn't help one dragon?"

"The gods can't take direct actions Night Rising. I thought I explained this to you the first time we helped. They grant us the power to channel their magics into the world. We just lack the knowledge or experience to do so." Embrae bowed her head, hands clasping together. "You will forgive me. If I had the power to do so. I would have healed your friend."

"Fine." She responded dryly, ducking her head as she led the elven woman inside the smaller structure. She folded her wings tightly against her body, even drooping her spines to avoid them dragging against the ceiling, just in case it was one snag away from collapsing in its entirety. She disliked such comedies but it couldn't be helped. This was the largest place to fit them in this quaint little village. The smell of horses filled her nostrils with each breath until she was beside the padlock they had placed Lyyreth in. They had to shrink him at first to get him in here as he was still unconscious when they did so. She took a few tentative steps towards his pen as those cold sensations that had been swirling around her mind threaten to stab downward into her soul. She tried to steel her nerves, raise a shield around her heart before she set eyes onto the squirming dragon in pain. To her relief, when she poked her head into look, he was sleeping soundly away and curled up into a ball. His frilled tail was resting on his snout, slowly twitching as he took steady breaths.

Her eyes traced every inch of his form, the smooth green scales that gave way to the harder darker coal plates of his chest. She observed his body raise and fall with every breath, admiring how peaceful and serine he looked despite his injury. Her eyes of course came to the wound that had her so concerned in the first place. For near his chest was a dark spot on his viridian scales. It had been there since the incident with Grozzo, and showed no sign of going away. Her paws squirmed as her ears splayed and the cold pulled her deeper..

"At least he's getting a somewhat peaceful sleep. He's been rather restless. I feared he would never recover." Embrae strode next to her, placing a hand on the wooden wall and letting out sigh.

"How long till you have to leave?" The thought had been bugging Infinity since they had agreed to stay within the confines of the village. With the tyrant dead these people were free for the first time in many years, but the purple dragon's words had weighed heavily on their minds. He had allies, some that would not want to find them here. Though they had bested him, Cordenth had wisely told her that they could not protect them from an army. Worse yet teams of dragons could be coming to seek vengeance for their fallen ally. Her nose twitched at the thought. What dragons could call this sorry excuse for a dragon friend?

"Tomorrow." The elven woman said softly, "They agreed with your green friend that we should head east towards the forest of despair. It was there that he said his mother would protect us against any reprisal by our mas.." The elf stalled, catching herself with a cough. "The purple dragon's allies."

Infinity snapped her snout back to the woman, her ears perking up. Did she just hear what she thought she heard? Cordenth just handed these people to his mother? "He did what?" Her spines flared as her voice had devolved into a low snarl. "How could he do that?" When the woman did not reply Infinity tapped her paw against the ground and twirled around as the flickers of anger sprung forth in her chest. She strode her way towards the door as fast as she was able without trying to collapse the stables. Unpleasant memories came to mind of that pompous and arrogant green dragoness. How her purple eyes filled with delight at the prospect of owning even more mortals to her hoard. Infinity was preparing what words to slice into the green when she cleared the door and ran straight into the scarf wearing dragon with a surprised yelp. Scale met scale as the dragons collapsed into a pile of intertwined limbs and necks. "Hey!" She flailed, smacking his scales with the underside of her paw.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Cordenth remarked, smiling as they unwound themselves from each other with little difficulty.

Pushing herself to all fours she dismissed the surprise and tried to capture that simmering anger from moments ago. She thrust a wing out towards the village, narrowing her eyes into an intimidating stare. "Why are they heading to see your mother of all people?" She flicked her tail and accidently smashed it against the stable's door frame. The wood cracked and splintered in that section, but to her and Cordenth's surprise it held. She shook her head back to glare daggers at the composed dragon before her. "You know she will just be another tyrant over them!" She pressed forward, snapping her jaws close to his snout. He eyed her with a brief flicker of concern in those bright yellow spheres. She would have smiled if not for the anger burning a hole in her chest.

"Okay, I admit it's not an ideal choice. Mother does indeed collect mortals as part of her hoard." He glanced away from her hardened stare, his sunflower eyes taking in all the small buildings around them. "But they need somewhere that is safe. Safe from the other dragons and people that wish ill will upon them. That is what she can provide them. Mother may be many things, some that I vastly disagree with, but she doesn't mistreat her subjects. To better make sure things go smoothly I instructed them to tell her that Cordenth sent them."

Infinity's head curled back into an S as surprise suddenly robbed her of thought. "You told them your name?" Her maw opened in shock. The anger that had been fueling her suddenly was cast away as if leaves lost within the wind. Her head cocked to the side, her mind a scattered mess of thoughts. Questions abounded that needed answering but she said the one phrase flooding from her very being. "But they have to earn your name. Every dragon knows that!"

"It surprises you that much?" He laughed with a grin, showing off all his gleaming teeth in the morning light. "Truthfully I figured it would add crediance to their story when my mother asked. For if they knew my name surely they would be telling the truth.

She rolled her eyes with a dismissive snort. "Cause someone couldn't just torture the information out of you right?"

"Didn't seem to work with you did it?" The green's scaley ridge rose. "I think you mentioned that Grozzo's attempts were....Subpar?"

"Thanks for reminding me about various torture attempts on me." She brushed passed Cordenth with a flick of her tail. "You have quite the talent with dragonesses don't you?" She curled her neck to give him an icy glare before settling onto her hinds around a tree and curled her tail. She rose her lips, her voice turning into a threatening growl."Did you come to just poke fun at me and remind me that the purple dragon threatened to rape me and your brother when he was done with us?"

She glared out her fury towards the mountains, unease bubbling beneath her scales like a prepared pot. When Cordenth had told her about that little detail days ago she had been shocked and utterly mortified. Any remorse she had for freezing the purple dragon had scattered like birds before her roar. If she was given the chance she would have killed him a dozen times over.

"N...Nothing like that. I was truthfully coming over to come check on how you and my brother were doing." Cordenth's words were smooth, sweet to listen to as he slunk over, settling down next to her with sigh. "I'm worried about you just as much as him."

"Why worry about me?" She rolled her snout, settling her vision to the tree covered mountains capped with snow. "I've never felt stronger." She lied, dragging a talon through the soft earth below her paws.

"I think more guilt lurks within your bones then you'd care to admit.."

Her movement ceased. The dragon of course had seen through her. Though she couldn't let him know that. "What makes you come to this conclusion?" Her voice came softer as she maintained her vision of the mountains, not finding the courage to look him in the eyes. She hadn't told him that it was her idea to see how the situation would unfold. The thing that had lead to their capture at the claws of Grozzo. "Have you gained the ability to see the future like your mother?" She let out a weakened and forced laugh. "Cause that would be incredibly frustrating."

"Well for starters my black dragoness. You look away each time I mention it. I have a red dragon friend that does the exact same thing." Cordenth rose up, striding infront of her with an aura of confidence. His tail swayed slowly behind him as his eyes lowered and met hers. They were not as hard as she imagined, but kind and filled with concern. "Secondly, you stand guard or nearby each and every day no matter the hour, despite the fact the clerics telling us that there is nothing you can do."

"But he's not well!" She glanced back to the stables, ice shards running down her neck. "If he ever wakes it's for minutes at a time at most, and he just was able to start having nice dreams!"

The green dragon watched her, almost as if studying her every scale as her voice rose. "And thirdly...You are very defensive about him."

"That all?" She scoffed, flicking her ears back to her head as she focused on a lazy floating cloud near the treetops. "Maybe if you were a better brother you'd be in there with me keeping watch over him. You know, instead of making plans to increase your mother's hoard of mortals." She tapped her paw against the grassy field, holding her head high with a snort. Let him taste that little statement. She smacked her tail against the ground.

Cordenth sighed, "I'm trying to keep them safe." He wiggled his haunches before her, his wings opening and then refolding against his back. "He has you here for him right now. I'd rather be proactive in getting this matter handled instead of us both doing nothing."

"I am helping!" She pounded her paw against the earth, crushing a flower foolish enough to be caught below her. Her voice came in like a storm, and a snarl threatened to come next.

Are you trying to convince yourself of your prayers to Bahamut were doing any good? How could I do anything else? He was hurt because of me.....He wasn't the first one after all.

She shook her head to rid herself of the antagonizing voice that threatened to shove despair down her throat and make her feel helpless once more. "So they go to your mother and skip and joyfully sing the entire way there. Is that it?" She narrowed her eyes with a flick of her tail before curling her neck to longfully look at the stables. Her demeanor softened in an instant and was glad that Cordenth seemed to be holding it all together. "So what do we do now? Will he even survive a trip to your mother's forest? Both of you speak how far it is."

"That I am uncertain." Cordenth sighed, glancing to the mountain that contained Grozzo's home. "I was going to check in with Amatae, see if her research through the purple dragon's books yielded any fruit for us to pluck."

"Um...what?" She tilted her head to the side. "She was supposed to be reading books, not collecting fruit to eat."

"Expression." Cordenth frowned. "I still can't believe what that dragon did to her...It was so un-natural. To have that much control over someone's life...I'm glad that he's dead."

"No truer words have ever been spoken." Infinity nodded, ignoring a cool breeze that curled around them and flattered Cordenth's scarf in its wake. She brushed the dragon away with her wings before spinning around to head back to her guard duty. She had been mortified when she learned of Amaae's age. The elf had not been fifty like she had said, but four hundred and fifty years of age. Grozzo in his cruelty had thought her more cute this way and stopped her body from aging. She remembered being concerned that she might have done the same with Axton. She shook her snout with her next step, flinging away the thoughts like droplets of water.

No, you wouldn't have done that...But what if it kept him alive?

"Shut up you." She growled to herself, slinking into the stables as her horns dragged against the wood making her wince.

"Back already?" Embrae smiled, stepping out of Lyyreth's pen as Infinity approached with a swaying tail.

"Yes, unless I decided to send an illusion in here to mess with you instead." She rolled her eyes only making the woman give her an amused grin.

"Well miss illusion, I think you might be a tad thirsty. I could really help quell those nerves of yours that are shocked."

"Hmmph." She snorted, licking her nose. What did this woman know about being shocked? "How do you figure elf?"

"By the look you're giving me right now. Come." The cleric knelt beside a long empty trough made of wood, barren save for a single strand of hay that she plucked out like a bug and flicked to the floor. "Wahel lome" Her voice sounded like a small wind's cry as she drew a rune across the wooden surface in several jagged shapes. When she was finished water suddenly bubbled up from the wood in little droplets. First it appeared as though it was sweating, if one could believe that. Soon though the drops increased until it looked like a phantom river was fueling the trough to fill. When it was done the container was filled to the brim with pristine water. Clear enough to see all the way to the bottom.

Despite her grumbling Infinity slunk herself over and glanced down at her reflection. Tired Emerald spheres looked back at her filled with more concern then she would have liked. She dipped her head and lapped up some of the cool liquid and closed her eyes, letting the chill work its way down her throat with each lap of her tongue. She hated to admit it, but the longer she drank the water, the less and less troubled her mind started to become.

"He'll be alright you know. We just have to pray to the gods that they will give us an answer." Embrae's hand brushed against the side of her neck, making her shiver but not pull away.

"I do not have the optimism. My hope lies within that elven girl." She responded flatly, pulling her snout from the drink as water dripped down in copious amounts to plunk back into the trough. She slunk away from the woman and water with her head drooped before plopping back onto the hay outside Lyyreth's pen with a sigh. "Thanks for the water." She wiggled her tail when the woman gave her a sympathetic look, bowed her head and strode out of the stables without another word. With the woman gone, Infinity perked her head up and stared at Lyyreth's unconscious form.

"I know you can't hear me right now...But I wish you could." Her ears splayed as the guilt wracked at her senses, making her seem much smaller than she really was. "I'm sorry for what happened." Her voice came in an almost whisper, unlikely that anyone would hear her. She dipped her head and rested it on her paws, curling her tail over her snout soon after. She closed her eyes and drifted off into a cold sleep.