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Gradeon the Great

The making of the red dragon

By Leilah MoodleyPublished about a year ago 10 min read
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Gradeon the Great
Photo by MontyLov on Unsplash

Gradeon the Great

The Rubesco dragon named Gradeon soared through the dark sky. Dusky pink, with huge feathered wings, she was a sight to behold as she flew over Monoceros Valley, past the Great Lake of Serpentona, east over the rolling blue hills of Scythia. It was the furthest she had flown in months, and the night wind was cool and glorious on her scales, as if each one was being kissed by the icy lips of a lover. She was high up, where the stars glittered big, and bright. She flew in circles, spreading her great, feathered wings to their full span, allowing herself to enjoy this rare moment of being completely alone. Exhilaration transcended through to her core and she felt a jolt of joy course through her. As she approached the forest where Grandmaster Fa had told her to head, she saw the soft glint of water and longed for the biting relief of fresh-water, so unlike the tempered hot springs of where she had travelled from. Gradeon started to descend, glad she had seen no-one so far on this flight, trusting Grandmaster Fa and his insistence that she left this night, the darkest since he had had his vision.

She saw the lake- star shaped to indicate it had been made by the fairy folk, and descended towards it. Her huge scaled feet touched the ground delicately in spite of their size. Just a quick drink, she thought and then she would go to the clearing, as instructed. She walked to the lake and suddenly the was a squawk. Gradeon froze momentarily- there wasn’t meant to be anyone here at this time. She lay her head on the ground and listened, opened her scales slightly, trying to decipher what had made the noise. It came again, and it was like no other sound she had heard, no animal, no creature. The squawk turned into a cry, rhythmic and forlorn. The sound pierced through Gradeon, and she felt a swell of emotion, the distant memory of something dear.

A child emerged from the trees by the lake. Gradeon didn’t have much experience of humans- she knew the Grandmasters of course, and they were part human. They were part dragon too, though, born from the women dragon riders who drank the blood of the Purpura dragons, and lay in their claws for ten months. In Prenth they were kept away from them, she knew there were groups that worked for the Rubrum dragons, at least she thought they did - she had never known much about how it all operated. She had seen many humans, of course, but never known any. This one was about three feet tall, and with such tiny hands- she watched it as it moved towards the lake, tottering slightly. As the child approached the lake, it turned and Gradeon saw blood, coming from a deep gash on its leg.

She waited, as still as if she were a huge rock, to see if the child was alone. The child got to the edge of the lake and fell, splashed into the lake and with a scream disappeared beneath it. Gradeon rushed over and plunged her great head into the icy water. She saw the child- for she could see both in dark and in water- flailing, its tiny hands grasping the water in panic. Gradeon picked the child up in her claw, fishing it out, and brought it up to her face. It looked up at her and she could she it was a girl, with deep blue almond shaped eyes. Gradeon felt the most curious shock of recognition, as if she knew this being, despite how absurd that was.

The girl did not seem afraid, but shivered with the cold from the lake. Who are you? Gradeon asked, in the common tongue, but the girl merely blinked at her, freezing but completely at ease in her palm. Then Gradeon heard a sound that made her heart freeze and her bones tense. The huge roar of the Rubrum dragon echoed furiously around them. Gradeon remembered the sound all too well- the specific call of the dragons that circled Prenth on the look out for trespassers. Gradeons scales flattened against her, sensing danger and her huge dragon heart pounded furiously. If she were to be caught, they would know that they had survived, they would find the others- and they would not kill them, but something far far worse- hot molten lava on their skin, teeth pulled out, tails poked through with iron rods. The Rubrum dragons were known for their insatiable cruelty,

As these images raced through Gradeons mind, the grandmasters insistent words tugged at her “it is imperative you go to the forest- what will save us is there”. She knew how important it was, how much they needed this, and did not want to return empty handed, but the Rubrum dragon roared again, monstrous and blood- curdling. Gradeon shot into the air, in her haste she clamped her claw down encasing the child in her palm and flew straight up towards where the moon shone- a perfect circle in the sky.

Just as she left, a huge Rubrum dragon with two heads burst into the clearing. It was four times the size of Gradeon, and where she was pink, sleek and feathered, it was the deepest, muddiest red with uneven scales and open wounds on its back. One of the heads was snake-like, fanged with two slits for eyes, almost blind- its tongue darted in and out of its mouth as it tasted the air. The other head was bigger, dinosaur like, with an enormous mouth which it opened wide to reveal huge, sharp teeth, to roar again. It smelt the scent of both Gradeon and the child, which enraged it, and it flew up into the air, intent on finding them.

Gradeon however, was faster. Her smaller stature and streamlined wings allowed her to shoot through the air, back West, to the Heartlands. As she flew, thought of Grandmaster Fa, how he had told none of the other council masters of his vision, the one he had shared with her: that in the deepest forest lay something special, something they needed. He knew that they would advise against it, this flight, so far, at such a perilous time. Gradone imagined what the Grandmaster Echo would have said, his long, delicate fingers jabbing the air as he exclaimed it was too dangerous, that they could all be found, be exposed, be killed if even a rumour started that her distinct pale pink hue was spotted, alive and flying. She wondered if no-one else ever had to know, considering only her and Grandmaster Fa knew she had taken this flight. The thought of disappointing him deeply saddened her, for it was he that had planned their escape, lead them to the Heartlands, to safety. Now, they felt far away enough from Prenth that they all could relax, breathe again. And she had ruined it. If the Rubrum had spotted her, identified her scent, they could all be in trouble. Grandmaster Fa had chosen her for she had the kindest heart of all the Rubesco dragons, and now her heart felt heavy.

It was heavy with the memory of Prenth, ruled by the Rubrum dragons. Where the Rubesco dragons’ gift for healing had meant they were kept them hidden in the underground caves, to tend to the Rubrum when they came back from battle, which was often. Gradeon remembered working mercilessly, with the help of the Grandmasters to develop new and faster methods to heal, to use the natural ointment in their veins in ever more creative ways to repair the Rubrum dragons, strengthen them. How depleted it had made them, how subservient and weak- she shuddered at the memory.

And now she had risked it all, had defied the council, the collection of Grandmasters who had done so well to keep them safe. She would have to tell them now, she realised, so they could prepare for what may come. Maybe they would even have to move. But to where? Though the Heartlands had started to wilt around them, the beautiful bright flowers fading, the long grass shrinking, they had been unable to find anywhere else. That is why it had been so important she went to the forest tonight.

There was a sudden squawk again and she gasped. The child! She was now aware of it, wiggling in her palm. There was no time to stop. She flew on.

When she reached the Heartlands, Gradeon flew down and immediately went to Grandmaster Fa’s cave, near the hot springs. He was outside, smoking his Mapacho pipe, blowing circles of smoke into the air. She flopped down in front of him, and said “I’m so sorry, I…” But he put his finger up to his mouth to shush her and pointed at her closed fist. She opened it, and out fell the child, still damp, onto the grass floor. She looked up at Grandmaster Fa, and then to Gradeon and broke into a huge dimpled smile. Grandmaster Fa smiled back, and he looked up to Gradeon, “Well done,”

“But I didn’t…. They saw me… They could be coming for us,”

“This child has a message for us,”

Grandmaster Fa beckoned the child, who limped unsteadily towards him. He examined the graze on her leg, and nodded. “Gradeon, you must heal her, in the old way,”

Gradeon plucked one of the feathers from her left wing, for it was connected to her heart and covered the wound with it, then opened her mouth wide and breathed onto it. The cut began to heal, the skin started to seal back together, just as it had done with the Rubrum dragons in Prenth.

“ I can heal humans?”

Grandmaster Fa nodded, and the child squawked in delight, she turned to Gradeon and placed her tiny hands on her feet. Gradeon felt a surge of pleasure, a warmth spread through her skin, and down her feathered wings. The child then placed her hands on the grass, and where it had been sparse and yellow, it began to turn green again, become lush and plentiful.

Grandmaster Fa clapped his hands. “I think she can save us, too” The child took off her shoe, and took out a piece of paper, what looked like a letter and handed it to Grandmaster Fa. He looked shocked, his old lined face frowning as he opened it. His frown deepened as he read the paper, and his brown, earthy skin paled. Grandmaster Fa was the oldest of the Grandmasters, and he was always calm and measured, but now Gradeon saw fear cloud his lined face.

“Its worse than I imagined,” he whispered

“What?” Implored Gradeon, “What is it?”

“When we left Prenth, we thought it was for the best.. and it was.. for us….” He trailed off, a tear running down his cheek, as he looked at the child

“We had to leave!”

“The Rubrum just replaced you.. with human children, like this one. They heal the Rubrum now, and its killing them,”

“What? But how?”

Even as she said it, Gradeon knew they would have to save them, would have to return to Prenth, and some how try and defeat the Rubrum. She felt fear prick at her, but she couldn’t let such a thing continue. She looked at the precious, tiny face of the child and her heart filled with a fresh hatred for the Rubrum.

“But how?”

Grandmaster Fa looked at her, “It must be you Gradeon, you must go back to Prenth,”

The child looked at her then, and reached out for her, and Gradeon lifted her up so she was by her ear, the child placed its palms on her earlobe. Gradeon felt such a rush of strength and determination, something in her felt illuminated. She felt the old her, the one that had cowered at the feet of Rubrum, shrink and then she began to grow. She felt power surging through her as she became ten, then twenty times her size. Her pink hue deepened to a bold red, and as she opened her mouth, fire came out, fire that was white and hot. The child smiled again, and watched as Gradeon flew off, back to Prenth, to save the rest of them.

Adventure
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