The Dragonus Sacrifice

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. And I sure as hell never wanted to be one. As I lie here, I hear nothing but my shaky breaths and the sound of my own blood pumping out of my body.

My ears are under the water, muting everything but the internal noise of my dying. Half-submerged, staring upwards but seeing nothing. I know. I will die here today.

I will not move from this spot, will not see another day, I lay here and bleed.

The cold water is still, around me, no current or ripples. Everything still, quiet. And, if the searing pain in my side is anything to go by, I am turning the water red with my blood.

It surprises me that I am not scared. I don’t feel much of anything. Only pain and the knowledge that I will die. So, why bother being scared when you can’t fight it?

I had done enough fighting.

And it had killed me.

- 6 weeks ago -

June 30th, my seventeenth birthday. Everything has been weird this past year. And it all started with that damn crystal. I didn’t even really realise it until a few days ago. None of us had. None of us realised that we all had them, how we were all drawn to them, even to each other. Then the first of the powers started to show.

“Mar, come on. We need to keep moving.” Aiden says, packing up what little supplies we could grab before we had to get out.

“I’m coming.” I say, staring at the fire he made, slowly, slowly putting it out.

I’m not sure who figured it out first. Probably Sage, they always had a knack for puzzles. But it wasn't until we were all in the town hall together, alone, that everything came to light. Literal, glowing light.

Dragons. Dragons were real. They were what fed the earth. Well, kind of.

One for each element; Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Air. Their power helped the world thrive. But that power came with a price. And that price was us.

Five teenagers. All looking pretty worse for wear right now. And all having no idea how the hell we got into this situation. Why us? Why now? I don’t know who we can trust. I’m not even sure I can trust them. We have only spent one night on the run, and we all look like sleep is a foreign concept to us and mud is our new best friend. Everything I thought I knew. About the world, about myself came crashing down three days ago and now nothing will ever be the same.

“We need to make a move.” Eris says as we finally gather the last of our belongings and head higher into the hills. I don’t really know where we are going. I don’t think any of us do, not really. Just... away.

The hikes are long, and none of us are wearing the right clothing for the unpredictable weather that is summer in the highlands. But we have to make it work until we come across a village far enough away, that we won’t be recognised.

I couldn’t say how far we have walked. I only know that we keep moving until it is too dark to see, and North seems to be our goal. Despite it all, it's quite calming, for once. Being surrounded by nothing but the sloping, vibrant hills. One thing I loved about where we lived were the hills. They were strong, permanent. The hills couldn’t lie to you. You always knew the time of year based on their colour. From the stark white of winter to the speckling of multi-coloured flowers in the spring.

I can't help but thinking we are all a dark mar on the side of these beautiful hills. I look at the others ahead of me, all in one line as we walk down a narrow path. What happens when the people we are running from finally catch up? Eden is already struggling, having Eris help her walk.

How are we supposed to survive this when all of us are intended to die?