The Prophecy

The Prophecy

By Robert Adauto III

Searching for prey used to be easy, but searching for it while your kind was facing extinction was another matter altogether. Time had run out for the humans and was quickly drawing to a close for the dragons. It seemed their time had come to an end–but not yet.

With a graceful arc, Velez swooped under a huge, dark cloud full to bursting, threatening to release endless torrents of rain. Delicate fingers of electricity trailed across his lean frame and snapped and popped across his wide, leathery wings. His lightning blue eyes glittered and roved back and forth over the maze of dark forest below. The tendrils of electricity raced along his thick, blue scales as he glided between towering thunderheads. Despite his impressive size, Velez was but a gnat against the towering, the thick, towering clouds.

Craning his long neck, he squinted at something far below, something small with a quick heartbeat. Seeing sound was an ability all dragons were born with, but few had paid much attention to, since their meals were practically handed to them in the form of tribute. But it had been a long time since the humans had paid their tribute, and only a handful of dragons in Velez’s tribe were hunters–or rather, what was left of his tribe. Without dwelling on the purge of his kind, he shifted his weight and let his wing dip. His body gently tilted and he sank through the sky.

“You found something?” Mysmer said. Her soothing voice thrummed through the round, opalescent crystal that hung around Velez’s neck. Although dragons were by nature the apex predators, they were also adept engineers and crafty when needed. The tether-crystal acted as a communications device, allowing dragons to speak to one another across hundreds of miles. Hearing Mysmer’s voice brought his focus back to the importance of this mission and through the frozen chill of the sky, his heart warmed and a small smile spread across his wide mouth.

“Its steady, quick rhythm reminds me of a small child,” Velez said.

“And you’re sure this is a human child and not a bunny rabbit? Remember at the Falls of Dereanthe?”

Despite the jab to his hardened pride, Velez’s smile widened. “As a token of my thanks, I gave you the rabbit as a gift, remember?”

“Little Deren,” she said. “I do remember. He got out of his pen and chewed through our root vegetables. I had to release him before the others discovered his gluttony.”

The others, Velez thought to himself.

There were so few of them left. The ravages of the Mage Wars, followed by the creation of the wyrgen-an abominable mixture of human and dragon-brought about the near extinction of the dragons and the genocide for their human creators. That was nearly a decade ago and since then, the deadly wyrgen had hunted humans down to the last few survivors. Indeed, it had been years since Velez had found any trace of humankind, save for a vast library he had discovered, full of hidden magical tomes. Protected by magic from the wyrgen’s slitted, lizard-like eyes, the library contained a mixture of ancient history and one book of prophecies. In it, Velez discovered a prophecy that kindled hope within him. It foretold the scourge of humans and dragons–and how to end this scourge. Velez tried to tell the others that this scourge was the wyrgen and that they must act in accordance with the prophecy. He was ridiculed. But he refused to abide by the haughty codes of the dragons and followed his gut. Whether that decision would lead to his fate or a new hope for his kind, he soared across the land, searching for a child that would bring about a better future.

“Those were wonderful times, Mysmer,” he said. “I miss them.” With wings spread wide, he floated across the lush forest, searching the spaces between tree limbs and leaves for the prize.

“These are much more serious times.”

“Indeed.”

“After you abruptly left, I knew you heard something worth leaving the safety of the perch.”

“It was a child’s cry, I’m sure of it.”

“Drenzic doesn’t think so, but you know how he doubts you so.”

“I do, and I don’t care what he thinks about me. We must find this human child if we are to have any chance at survival.”

“You know I’m with you to the very end, Velez. Which is why you and I are searching the enemy's territory, The Hooded Forest.”

“You and I–I thought you were going to attend Drenzic’s meet.”

“He doesn’t believe in you. I do.”

“But he’s already threatened to banish anyone who holds my beliefs in the human savior. Mysmer, I can’t allow you–”

“Stop.”

“Mysmer, you are my world. Please don’t follow me out here.”

“And you are my world. I’m closer to you than I am to Drenzic, in more ways than one.”

Paralyzing fear crept in and despite his pounding heart, Velez knew she wouldn't listen. When did she ever follow orders or a decision by the tribe council? And if she wasn’t going to listen to them, she wasn’t going to listen to him. Not out here. Not with their world at stake.

Thank Gowldun, she’s stubborn.

If there was anyone he would pick for a helpmate, it was Mysmer. Her radiant orange skin shimmered with heat, and her deep, red eyes were both a delight to stare at and terrifying when she was angry–which was often. He was glad to have made friends with her when their separate tribes had been decimated. And now that their dragon-kind neared being a distant memory, he was especially glad she was out here with him.

Thunder heralded the arrival of lightning and rain. Although he was high above, he could hear the torrential downpour of the storm pelting the forest below. Velez’ skin rippled with electricity, absorbing and channeling it into the weapon pods along his neck. In a white, hot flash, a wide stroke of lightning found him. He shivered with delight as his scaled skin absorbed the strike. He chuffed, sending tendrils of lightning through his teeth and out of his mouth. Firing lightning from his mouth brought a rush of needed adrenaline. With his enhanced vision, he caught a single red heartbeat far below. It was what he had been searching for all these months.

Finally!

“I found her,” Velez said, circling the lone human child. Catching glimpses of her through the forest trees, he gauged her status. “She’s in tatters. Cold. Alone. Leaning against a tall pine for shelter.”

“I’ll be there soon,” Mysmer said.

“We’ll have to be quick,” Velez said. “The others are closing in.”

“How many are there?”

“More than five.”

Mysmer remained silent. From experience, they knew a single dragon would not be able to fight off that many wyrgen. Dragon’s breath of any type could slow them down, but rarely killed them. They were covered in bony spikes that punctured dragons hide and coiled their way into muscle, rendering a dragon useless in a matter of hours unless treated. Thinking flight would keep them safe, the dragons soon discovered wyrgen could summon undead flying creatures to follow and attack in the air. To make matters worse, they used a dark magic called shadowflame, able to melt skin off of bone and capable of shattering a dragon’s mind and turning them into creatures of chaos. With the wyrgen’s hatred for any other intelligent beings, the past few years had been one of watching his friends die and watching their old enemies, the humans, get slaughtered. Velez’ own skin was covered in scars from skirmishes with the vile wyrgen.

And now, this was their chance to save this human and hopefully fulfill the prophecy that Drenzic and the others scoffed at. And all Velez had to do was rescue this child and get her to safety.

“Velez,” Mysmer said. “Don’t do anything until I get there.”

“No time. I must get her before she’s killed.”

“Velez, no!”

Ignoring her pleas, he folded his wings and sank to the dark canopy like a stone. Crashing through the upper branches, he spread his wings only at the last moment and landed gracefully onto the soft earth. The little human girl was there, just in front of him. No older than three, she stumbled backward against the tree and cried out. Knowing how terrifying this must be, he approached her as slowly and calmly as possible. He glanced around them. Eight wyrgen were closing in. Three shadowflame casters and five warriors. They crashed through the wood, slicing apart the trees and bushes and anything else in their way. He had to hurry.

“There, there, little one,” he said. “I need to take you away.”

With a primal howl, the wyrgen leader declared their prize. The little girl looked to her left and darted. Velez took one step and stretched his neck. With a single movement, he opened his mouth and took her into the relative safety of his mouth.

“Velez, what’s happening?” Mysmer said.

“I have her,” Velez said. “But she’s a toddler and won’t be able to hold on to me.”

“So you put her…where?”

“My mouth.”

“Oh, the irony. Rescuing mankind by putting her in your mouth full of teeth.”

Crouching down, Velez lept just as the wyrgen arrived en masse. Roaring and gnashing their teeth, they swung their weapons. The forest acted as a soft barrier as the wyrgen cast shadowflame bolts and their bony spikes at Velez. Two smoking balls of purple and green shadowflame caught a wing and Velez winced in pain. At the wound, his thick leathery skin blistered black and purple before disappearing in a bubbling hiss.

“Come quickly,” Velez said. “My wing. It’s dissolving.”

The child crawled in his mouth, gripping onto the huge, ivory teeth, but slipping through the wet mouth. Using his tongue, he kept the child from going into the recess of his throat. He never did like the taste of manflesh.

“I see you,” Mysmer said.

“I see you as well.”

“Fly to me, quickly!”

Without hesitation, Velez shot toward Mysmer. As he flew, he looked back. His heart sank. Giant undead birds carried the wyrgen aloft–and they were flying his way. Though he was slower because of the wounded wing, he was still agile. Ducking a shadowflame bolt, Velez swerved through the rain, intent on getting the child to safety.

“Don’t look back,” Mysmer said. Her graceful, orange form became larger by the second.

“And how am I going to duck these shadowflame bolts?”

“Is that what that was? By Gowldun’s beard, these creatures are horrid. Oh my–fly up!”

Like a hunter’s arrow, Velez shot up. A huge, writhing mass of shadow energy screeched underneath him, leaving cold, dark energy near his tail.

“What was that?” Velez said.

“Something awful. Unnatural. Evil. See that thunderhead in front of you? Meet me inside.”

“You have something?”

“I’m buying you some time.”

With the wyrgen hot on his trail, Velez swooped up into the storm cloud. No longer frightened, the child clapped her hands and cooed. He kept her warm with his mouth, shielding her from the icy cold of the clouds. He sank into the dark cloud. Icy droplets covered his skin, but he was burning hot from adrenaline. Pushing himself harder, he fought for control and speed as his injured wing plowed through the air. The howls of the wyrgen followed. Glancing behind, he moved his head just in time as a dark shadowflame bolt sizzling past.

“Mysmer, where are you?” he said

“Duck.”

Lowering his head first, he shifted his body and pushed himself down. She was headed right for him. Bright gold flames scoured his back as Mysmer flew inches above him in the opposite direciton. He looked back in time to see two wyrgen alight in her flames. The undead birds dropped out of the sky, fully engulfed.

Six left.

Mysmer snapped her jaws and crushed a wygren that was too close. A burst of flame burned away the bony spikes in her mouth. Twisting her body, she used her powerful hand to crush a caster. The wyrgen exploded in a cloud of shadowflame. She whimpered.

“Mysmer!”

“Not to worry, I have three more hands.”

“I’ll fly back–”

“No. Spend your time escaping, not coming to my rescue like a typical male.”

“I can help you.” He swung back around. Using Mysmer’s diversion, he attacked from above, smashing through another caster. Its flying host disintegrated in a cloud of bone dust. One of the wyrgen wasn’t fooled, however, and threw a series of bony spikes towards him. Most flew past, but some of the spikes struck just under his wing. Agonizing pain shot through his body as the spikes slowly coiled their way through his tissue. Mysmer’s fiery breath caught the attacker and it howled in a ball of flame.

“Leave!” Mysmer said. “You have the child.”

Velez turned and weaved his way through the clouds, away from the battle in the sky. Fire and shadowflame crossed paths through streaks of lightning. He knew she could take care of herself, but this was a deadly battle and he didn’t want to lose her. With the chaos of the battle becoming a din among tremendous thunder, he flew towards the safety of the perch, still miles away. All he had to do was keep flying as the child cooed safely within her cage of protective teeth.

“Mysmer,” he said.

There was no answer.

“Mysmer, don’t make me come back there.” He slowed and turned. Nothing but lightning and thunder answered his call. “Mysmer, so help me…”

“I’m above you,” she said.

“Why didn’t you answer?” His heart leapt and the knowledge that she was safe flooded his body with warmth.

“They ripped off my tether-crystal. Wait for a second, can we talk about your complete lack of situational awareness? I was flying above you for the past mile or so.”

“I was–I’m in kind of a situation here. It’s very stressful.”

“You panicked.” With a warm smile, she glided down next to him.

“I do not panic. I get concerned. I get very concerned. There’s a big difference.”

“Oh, stop. I’ve cleared away the last of them and it will be a longtime before they’ve recovered–Velez!”

The shock of her voice matched the shock of the shadowflame bolt crashing into the back of his skull. Blinding pain coursed through his head and Velez roared. Thousands of dark tendrils poured into his thick skin, obliterating skin and tissue. His thick horns bubbled and melted on the side of his head.

***

Mysmer shot a quick blast of molten glass and the wyrgen caught fire and folded in half. It fell off Velez and fell into the sky.

“You have to take her,” Velez said. I’m going to fall into madness.”

“No, we can get you to safety, just hold on.”

“It’s happening already. Can you hear them? The whispers of the darkness?”

“No, Velez. Stop. We’ll both take her to our perch.”

“Already the shadowflame affects my mind. Dark thoughts are whispering from beyond the gates of chaos. They’re so close. So loud. You have to end me. Don’t let the madness take me, please. Here take the child, quickly.”

“Don’t say that, Velez.” They slowed to a soft flutter in the sky, hovering in the clouds. No matter what she wanted, she could see the shadowflame taking root in her friend’s mind. His bright, lightening eyes darkened. If she didn't take the child now, all hope would be lost. She reached out, took the child, and backed away.

“You were right, of course.” He shook his head. “Situational awareness. I have a… a lack of it. That wyrgen was so sly wasn’t he? Just crawled across my skin like an ant. An ant in the.. sky.”

“Velez, I love you.”

“My wings, they won’t let me fly away.”

“You were right, Velez. This is the savior child, and you were its savior.”

“I was. Wasn’t… I? Wait. I want it… I want it back. Give me… give me the child. No. Stop. You have to… you have to end me. Hurry. Quickly. I’ve no time left.”

With lightning flashing in the sky, Velez convulsed and arched his back. Purple, jagged lines developed around his deadened eyes. A dark mist enshrouded him and she could hear the whisper of the gates of chaos. That’s when Mysmer knew what had to happen. He was her world, they had a future together. But this wasn’t it. Tears poured from her eyes. There was no more world with him, no more future. This wasn’t Velez. This was goodbye.

He snarled and stretched out his hands.

With a cry of anguish, she poured out her golden blaze. Velez was bathed in the sanctifying wash of flames and she turned away, not wishing to see his graceful form plummeting into the still lake below.

Back at her perch, she landed quiet and still. Nursing her painfully wounded hand and holding the child in the other, she stepped into the wide, cozy cavern. A noisy waterfall nearby applauded her return and she headed to the back of the cave, where the impenetrable stone was smooth and polished from the constant movement of their bodies.

My world. My future.

The nest would be warm and safe in the cool, dark cave. Being extra careful, she placed the child inside the hollow of the nest and listened to it gurgle and coo. Smiling, she pursed her lips and lit the nearby brazer for light and warmth. Looking back into the nest, she watched the little girl smile back and clap her hands. The other side of the nest bloomed with sound and the girl turned to see the other child: a boy.

“Now the prophesy is fulfilled,” Mysmer said. “There are two of you, a boy and girl. The future. The world.”

The two children stumbled toward each other and babbled. Tears fell from her eyes. Mysmer smiled.