Dragon-Song

Chapter One

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Then one day hundreds of dragon eggs appeared, seemingly overnight. They were spaced along the soft, green grass, each at least three feet apart from one another. Not even Amazon logistics could have pulled this one off. Especially not in this small town, where Prime Shipping took over two weeks. This was something else. Cassie Edwards knew they were special.

Upon arrival, Cassie was one of the first to approach the mysterious spheres. Tall for fourteen, she stood next to an egg that was only a few inches shorter than she was. Composed of a purple-green gradient and some dotted blue spots at the apex, the shell astonished her with its beauty. She couldn’t help but reach out to touch its canvas.

“Stop!” a man’s voice shouted. Cassie looked up to see Tutone City’s mayor scrambling down the hill, clutching his pristine and superficial cowboy hat. “Don’t touch it. We don’t know the harm that could befall you.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. Befall me? Why did the mayor seem more foreign than these eggs?

By the time Mayor Flynn Winstead clumsily orchestrated his footing next to Cassie, he found her hand flat against the egg; she shrugged her shoulders as if to say: Oops.

Cassie didn’t have any family left. Mayor Flynn had taken her in eight years ago, after her father tragically murdered her mother and unborn brother. There was some comfort in the mayor’s comedic handling of his duties, or the way he regarded an encounter down the lush, green Valley the way a regular person would the Grand Canyon. Flynn was the opposite of her father, who was currently serving a double life-sentence in prison, and the sort of whimsical distraction she needed. Not that he couldn’t annoy her at times, like at the present moment, but that’s just part of the teenager-authority-figure dynamic.

“Wow!” Cassie’s friend Raven skipped past the mayor. “This. Is. INCREDIBLE!”

“Now, be careful, young ladies. We don’t know where these came from or what they are.”

“That’s right,” Jimmy Larsons chimed in, cocking his double-barrel shotgun. With his long trucker beard and sleeveless jean jacket, Jimmy was frightening even when he wasn’t carrying a loaded weapon.

“Hold it there, Jimmy. We have kids down here.” The mayor had to tilt his head back inordinately to see Jimmy atop the hill, due to the range of his cowboy hat. There were townsfolk showing up from all parts of the city. Flynn grabbed the tips of his giant belt and leaned his boot against one of the eggs.

“Here we go,” Cassie whispered to Raven. “Time for a Flynn-on-fire moment.”

“Listen up, people!” Flynn started his speech, still holding his belt, as if it granted him some kind of hypnotic persuasion over the crowd. “We must not panic. We are a family. These strange things that are among us cannot divide us. Science will prevail.”

“Is he just cutting and pasting a bunch of movie quotes together or what?” Raven snickered back to Cassie. But something in Flynn’s words actually got Cassie thinking. We are a family.

Where was the mother of the eggs? Did they have a family?

As she thought harder about what kind of mother would leave babies unattended, she felt a humid breeze unlike anything she’d ever felt before. It wasn’t just humidity. It was like a warm, damp towel wrapping itself around her entire body and squeezing. It was affecting Flynn too, who had pausing his speech to fan himself with his hat, apologized to the crowd. It was the most useful purpose Cassie had ever seen out of the hat.

“Ahem, now where was I…” Flynn continued.

Cassie tuned him and everything out, gliding in the direction of the hot wind, as if it was pulling her in, like a moth to a flame. She weaved past the rows of eggs, until she came to a bend in the valley where the Rogue River channeled through. She almost didn’t see it at first; it blended in so well with the reflection of the water and the green foliage beyond the river. Not until another hot blast hit her face did she realize there was a long, orange dragon lying flat on its stomach.

Cassie nearly fainted as the enormous dragon rose up to greet her, it’s head blocking out the entire sun. It was over one-hundred feet tall, with thick, scaly skin, spiked yellow wings, rounded horns, and a set of daggers for teeth. It snorted smoke out of it’s nostrils.

Do not fear, child. I am not going to hurt you. Cassie heard a voice in her head.

“You can t-t-t-talk?” Cassie stood stupefied.

In a way. We can communicate directly with the mind. I can sense that you have an inquisitive, but gentle nature about you.

Cassie nodded, unsure of what to say. “Can you read my thoughts?”

No. I can only get a glimpse into your emotions. I could train you to send messages to me with your mind, but we do not have the time. There are more of your people coming. I fear they may not be as welcoming as you.

Cassie glanced back; Raven was trotting toward them with eyes as wide as the full moon. The mayor and townspeople wouldn’t be too far behind.

“Can’t you hide?”

What will happen next is inevitable and any aggression on my part will negatively impact the livelihood of the hatchlings. I need you to promise me something.

“What?”

Keep these eggs safe. They are from our Mother Dragons back home. We are from another realm, amidst a great war. The eggs were not safe so we brought them here. I have warmed them enough with my breath. They will be hatching soon.

“Another realm? What war? What is inevitable?” Cassie’s mind raced with so many questions, as frenzied murmurs grew in volume behind her.

My death. The dragon craned its neck high.

“Can’t you go back to the other realm?” Cassie asked desperately.

The link is broken. Something must have happened on the other side. It’s possible we may be trapped here forever. That is why it is up to you to protect the hatchlings.

“How will I know when they hatch?”

The Dragon-Song, of course. Each dragon hums the lullaby of their ancestors just before they break free.

“But they might never get the chance. What can I do against the whole town?” Cassie was panic-stricken. The voices were overpowering now. Women screaming. Men shouting orders. “I am just a young girl.”

Where I am from, the females are the strongest. I believe in you.

Those were the dragons last words: I believe in you.

It didn’t fight. It didn’t struggle. It didn’t harm a single human. Flynn scooped up a screaming, kicking Cassie. Jimmy and company dispelled of the dragon with their arsenal of weapons. Heavy machine guns, automatic assault rifles, and military-grade shotguns. Until the dragon, Cassie wasn’t sure what use those guns could have ever served.

As she watched the horrifying event take place, she couldn’t help but flash back to eight years ago. Her parents had been arguing more and more frequently, which kept Cassie up most nights. Sometimes he would hit and slap her, but then apologize and it would get quiet again. But that night the only silence came after a loud gunshot and Cassie lay frozen in her bed. She couldn’t move. She was paralyzed with fear. She still felt shame to this day, always wondering if different actions, or any action, could have changed the outcome. If she would have been brave enough to get out of her bed, maybe she could have saved them. Flynn told her over and over again that it wasn’t her fault, and that she might be gone too if she had gotten up. He challenged her to let the guilt stay where it belonged. In prison-cell 32B.

When Cassie snapped back to reality, she realized Jimmy and his crew were already regrouping to carry out their next attack. This time on the defenseless eggs.

“No!” Cassie roared. “You can’t kill the baby dragons.”

“Like heck we can’t,” Jimmy snorted, throwing a string of ammunition around his neck.

Cassie clenched her fist as she watched them load their guns. Every twist, pop, or click of one of their rifles, she squeezed her fist harder. “The Unborn Victims Act of 2044!” she screamed.

“Huh?” Jimmy scratched his head. Clearly, law wasn’t his forte. The only laws he concerned himself with were the ones that allowed him to carry bigger and more powerful weapons.

“The Unborn Victims Act! When my dad killed my unborn brother, it was a separate life sentence. An embryo or fetus is a legal victim.”

“I am no scholar,” Jimmy admitted, “but I am pretty sure that law is for human beings. Not dragons. Come on, boys. Let’s go hunt us some monsters.”

“Wrong!” Cassie screamed. “After abortion was banned in 2044, the Unborn Victims Act was amended to include abortion victims. The original Act from 2004 was rewritten and rushed into legislation, leaving behind a critical delineation, where a ‘child in utero’ is defined as a member of the species Homo sapien.”

Jimmy, dumbfounded, blinked at her for several seconds. “Huh?”

Flynn regarded Cassie with a mixture between proud and flabbergasted. “Uh…. I think we need to take a recess into the….umm…..egg hunt…..to research this some more. Let’s meet at town-hall at 9:00AM tomorrow morning.”

Cassie laughed. Again, Flynn, with his lighthearted touch, had just made a species-genocide sound like an Easter Sunday activity.

“But it’s a mother’s choice to kill the fetus!” a female's voice shouted from the crowd.

“Are you the dragons’ mother?” Cassie asked snidely.

"Let's not jump into a political debate here," the mayor said. "Everyone, please return to their homes.

The crowd, groaning, slowly began to disperse. Jimmy was the last to leave, and his searing glare lingered long after, as did his warning to Cassie.

“Even if your little law pans out, we’ll just wait until the dragons come out of their shells. No laws against killing dragons, I reckon. Might even be make things more interesting. A more enticing target practice. More blood. Maybe I ‘ought to thank you.”

Raven remained behind with Cassie in the Valley, as Cassie shivered at the thought of Jimmy killing a hundred baby dragons. Why was a dragon’s life any different than the life of a tiger or lion? People weren’t allowed to go killing those whenever they pleased. Especially not the baby cubs. She threw herself into a ball and racked her brain.

As she rocked back and forth, trying to conjure up a solution, she and Raven both heard music. First, it was like a single, soft lullaby, then it turned into a wonderful symphony that surrounded them, and the eggs began to glow. Almost as if they were weakening, Cassie could see the outline of the dragons. It wouldn’t be long before they hatched.

“There’s got to be a way to save them,” Cassie screamed.

“I already have a plan for that,” Raven announced casually.

“You do?”

“Mmm-hmm. I was just waiting for it to get dark enough.”

Cassie looked around. The stars were out. The crickets were chirping. The stage was set. “Are you going to clue me in or what?”

“I thought maybe you had Dragon-Sense after your cordial little chat earlier.”

“It doesn’t work that way. I barely got through to her. I think it was a her. I heard a female voice in my head, anyway. But I suppose if they have direct control over what I hear, they could control the pitch and tone too.”

“Okay, okay, stop!” Raven ordered. “You are way overcomplicating this. Which is why you would have never thought of this simple, brute-force strategy.” Raven pointed to the large dam situated high above the Valley. “We blow it up. The water will flood down and carry the eggs safely into the river. From there, they flow into Zukey Lake. When they wash ashore, we hide them in Athena’s Caverns. Let’s just hope dragon eggs float.”

Cassie nodded. “That’s a big hope. And not even the biggest obstacle. How are we going to blow up the dam?”

Raven pulled out a stick of dynamite from behind her back. “Swiped it out of Jimmy’s truck.”

Cassie hugged Raven, laughing. “I knew you were my best friend for a reason.”

***************************************************************

KA-BOOM!

There was no way the explosion didn’t stir awake a few people, Cassie thought watching the dam break apart. Water gushed into the Valley, sweeping the eggs up in the current. So far, so good. The eggs bobbed up and down, and bumped into one another, but they didn’t sink or break. Cassie, waiting on the other side of the lake, cradled in each egg as they sailed to shore, and dragged them onto the sandy beach. It was perfect timing, as the eggs began cracking open.

Perfect timing always seems to get followed by imperfect timing; bright headlights and loud engines pulled up the road. Cassie quickened her pace, ushering in the eggs, and soon found herself surrounded by a dozen baby dragons.

Jimmy jumped out of his truck, holding two M16’s. “Time to get this show on the road. Let’s go, boys!”

Before Jimmy or his possy could get a shot off, a bright blue light illuminated the sky and three dragons, each one significantly larger than the orange one Cassie had met earlier in the day, emerged. The center dragon, a fierce purple, spit out a stream of fire in front of Jimmy. The bottom of his pants set ablaze, sending him into a stomping frenzy.

Drop your weapons. Now!

Jimmy dropped both rifles and himself to the ground, in an attempt to roll out the flames.

The dragon quickly surveyed the scene, including Cassie, who was still guiding some of the eggs onto shore.

Thank you, young one. She tipped her head at Cassie. Turning back to Jimmy and the other armed vehicles in the parking lot the dragon added, Nobody will touch the hatchlings, or they will answer to me.

Jimmy gulped and nodded from the ground. He scurried to his feet, scrambled into his truck then peeled out of the parking lot, leaving smoking rubber in his wake.

Cassie was once again alone with a dragon -- this time multiple.

I think I already know, but what has become of Tali? the leader asked.

“She died protecting the eggs,” Cassie answered somberly.

The dragon nodded. And you have done well in aiding us. We cannot thank you enough. However, we must ask you to continue watching over them. Raise them until they reach adulthood.

“What? I don’t know anything about raising dragons. When is adulthood?”

We will send help when we can. You won’t be alone. Just until they are strong enough. Our world is too perilous. They would not survive.

“Why didn’t you send help earlier?” Cassie sounded frustrated. “Tali might still be alive. We wouldn’t have had to blow up the dam.”

The link was destroyed by our enemy. The coordinates lost. We couldn’t find you.

“Then how are you here now?”

The Dragon-Song, of course.

"Of course. That seems to be the answer to everything." Cassie thought she saw the dragon smile, but it was very hard to tell with how jagged their jaw lines were, and how sharp and abundant their teeth.

“I suppose I don’t have much of a choice in this,” Cassie said. “I’ve officially become a full-time dragon-babysitter.”

You always have a choice, Cassie.

The dragon smiled. This time Cassie was sure of it. And with that they disappeared through the portal, which closed promptly behind them.

Cassie heard footsteps splashing through the shallow water.

“What did I miss?” Raven said, bent over on her knees huffing for air.

Cassie raised her eyebrows, taking in all the dragons scattered along the beach, some still poking out their heads into the world for the first time. “A lot!”

****************************************************************

Do you think they suspected anything? the purple dragon asked one of its comrades.

I don’t think so, the blue dragon said sternly. I think our secret is safe. The humans cannot imagine a world where they do not reign supreme. They will never realize that the great war we are fighting..... is against them.