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The Scales of Splendor

This war is for healing

By Skyler SaundersPublished 2 years ago Updated about a year ago 11 min read
17
The Scales of Splendor
Photo by Ilse Orsel on Unsplash

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. They had arrived like meteorites; they plummeted from space in pods in the Chinese Year of the Dragon, 2024. Their place to live on the earth was actually part of the Delaware Valley in Wilmington, Delaware, United States of America. As they awoke across the land, they remained untamed and wild.

It took several years for them to be trained and contained. With the power of their fiery breath, they scorched the earth of the tiny state. Yet, they carried with them something of value to the Delawareans. Their beauty, their arresting grandeur lay in their scales. Each of them healed the maladies of humankind. The Costerly Clan and the Hest Family drew blood against each other over the scales. In yet another battle over preserving the dragons for their own sake, or for the advancement of humanity, the two factions warred without remorse. The former wished to harvest the scales to use and sell on the market, while the Hests wanted to protect the dragons from being hunted down, and their scales shredded from their bodies.

Gesta Costerly, in regal gold and red attire sat on the board as CEO of the Wilmington Business Complex. Her husband, co-CEO Knock Costerly, sat next to her but spoke no words during the proceedings. He had no impediments, he just spoke very little.

“We are all in this. It is business. Those Hests have no clue what business is. They must be blocked from every angle. We are supposed to take in these dragons, not as creatures that just lay around and spit fire. No. We ought to use them for our own ends.” Applause throughout the room was like a bomb bursting.

At the Newark City Council meeting across town, The Hest figureheads, Mother Demmings and Father Flinden traded words. There was no police force or National Guard left in the state after an upheaval no one likes to talk about. All matters came into the hands of civilians, not police officers or soldiers. The US government just provided funding and armament.

“They’re a menace,” she said.

“They’re like the black stuff on the sidewalk. They are a worthless lot that must be suppressed,” Father Flinden announced. The room offered an inspired “Yes!”

The dragons in the city had been cut down from about three thousand to a few hundred. It so happened that when the scales were ripped off, the dragons soon perished. The issue remained that the restorative, healing, and curative powers of the dragons needed to be preserved.

“What we must do,” Gesta said, “is foster an environment for these dragons to be cared for, nurtured, and bred. If you want to have more paper, you cut down trees. But you also plant more trees to make up for the loss. It's the same with chickens, salmon, or any other organism to suit the needs of humans. We may be having trouble breeding them, but that does not mean we throw up our hands and quit. Within the confines of private property, to hell with those who threaten what is ours.”

The room kept quiet. No one said a thing but they all understood.

“Our fight is not with the dragons. We must battle with the Hests. They have become a terror that is beyond the confines of proper deportment.”

Spirited applause followed.

“So we do this. We go to war to fight against not just the Hests, but the idea that nature shouldn’t serve man. The reverse is true. These dragons aren’t a blessing from God or from the State. They are just here to be a benefit to us. We must never lose sight of that. Thank you.” Uproarious applause followed. Knock Costerly clapped his hands, and leaned over as his wife came in for a kiss.

Leola Costerly, Gesta and Knock’s twenty-year old daughter, journeyed to the place where the dragons ate and slept. She had braided hair that ran down her armor-covered back and glistened in the light of the dragon lair. With one look at Jupita, the youngest dragon in the family, she knew that she could look into the gold shimmering in Jupita’s eye. The breath was like a mix of lilac and mint.

Leola ran her fingers down the scales of the creature that was about the size of a minivan.

“You’re our grasp on reality,” Leola told Jupita. Leola had been diagnosed with a rare disease that had a scientific name with twenty-seven characters. It was so rare that it had been called Leola Costerly’s Disease. The dragons had arrived in time to see that the scales would be used to preserve Leola’s life. Jupita’s grandfather had died for her. She grew strength.

“I want you to know that your forefather saved my life, and you will save the lives of anyone afflicted with sickness.”

She heard bombs explode.

A battle brewed. Laser-printed anti-tank weapons, rifles and pistols, hand grenades and body armor all became part of the arsenal the Costerlys used against the Hests to do battle. The strife would keep both sides on edge against the forces that kept them apart.

It was a Friday when the wind blew just right for the change to take effect in Newark. The dawn made the sky turn red. It was like a blushing cherub with flecks of purple and blue at the edges of the firmament. The Hests came prepared with their tanks made and abandoned by the local government police. But the Costerly’s used anti-tank weaponry. The Costerly leaders met with the Hests. They were about seven feet apart on the battlefield, with factions of fighters flanking them and behind them.

“This must continue,” Gesta acknowledged.

“It must,” Knock Costerly finally intoned.

Eyes raised at this utterance on both sides.

“Then we will do this,” Demmings said.

A tank came roaring from the slowly rising sun. A Costerly missile struck the side of it, dismantling the tread. Both sides found respective bunkers on opposite sides of the landscape. A great flame burst from beneath the wreckage. Bullets flew like lead birds, tearing through vests and flesh. The Costerly’s armament allowed for the rifles and machine guns to tear through the government grade weapons. In reality, their weapons were more advanced than the Hests’ weapons provided by the State.

The firearms the Costerlys used had not been approved by the State, and had better functionality and capabilities. The Hests could only use the weapons issued to them, which lacked in almost every way.

During this turmoil, Leola had stayed back in the Costerly home with the dragons. She unleashed Jupita’s father, Aranand.

The battle seemed like a surreal painting; scenes of utter carnage underneath a beautiful sky filled the mind with awe. The power of the rifles on the Costerly side still met with a might that presented a formidable foe. The green grass was stained with blood. The fight kept on churning. Leola adorned herself in battle gear, except her attire held sapphire, garnet and gold necklaces amongst the body armor. She donned a helmet of shimmering emeralds and garnets.

The clash of one Costerly rifle destroyed five people with one shot. Now, the sky was a blaze of azure and yellow. As the blood flowed on both sides, the Costerly and Hest parents looked on from opposite sides in bunkers. The sound of the machine gun was like a snare drum, thrumming a vicious beat.

Mortars and small weapons fire allowed for the Costerlys to gain even more ground against the Hests. The rolling of the warriors allowed for the columns to shift. Each and every breath was matched with a way for them to fight even harder, smarter.

“I don’t like this,” Demmings said. She slumped in the barricaded bunker. She held onto a device that tracked the amount of casualties on the Hest side.

“Don’t become discouraged, dear wife,” Flinden Hest said.

“There’s a turn in the fighting. We are like a thousand rhinos, ready to strike,” Demmings said, straightening. Her face was filled with a delicious glee. She relished the fact that she could continue within her space, safe from the strife.

“Demi, we ought to deploy the nuclear bomb,” Flinden remarked. Demmings shot a glance at her husband and her eyes glowed.

“I’d say do that, but we’d wipe ourselves out at the same time.”

As the Hests continued to be slaughtered by weapons never used before, but proven to be more capable of defending the user, the Costerlys pushed them back.

The battle raged deep into the afternoon. With the sun wheeling overhead, the fighters all gave their strength and resolve in the conflict of a lifetime. What sustained the battlers moved each of the leaders of the two families.

“We must keep our warriors ready for sustaining injuries and deaths. Some of them are fighting for the first time. They are still like babes sprung from the womb,” Gesta reminded her husband.

“Yes, it will all be well,” Knock Costerly reassured.

Gesta peered at the device like the Hests held. It showed her stats on how many had been lost, what the Costerly family damaged or destroyed. Each of the fallen had flashed across the screen. Gesta’s mind reeled. She already prepared her speech to address the families of the fallen. She envisioned wearing colonial blue and buff veils and lifting up the heroes who had fallen on behalf of the Costerly name.

“We have sustained the least amount of casualties but this fight is not over. As we fight, we must remember that it is the dragons that we must consider. Our lives have been revolutionized by them. Our daughter.…” her voice cracked. She recovered quickly. “I know that we have to defeat the Hests and make them into our allies in regard to the scales. There is a way for us to figure out the best way to defeat our opponents. We must stand with our troops to let them know that what they’re doing is righteous. Our Leola…she wouldn’t be here without those scales. It’s a pity that the collection of the scales leads to dragon death. The Hests haven’t a clue. it’s complete malice, to put the beasts before man. They hate humanity, progress, achievement, so they seek to heap their feelings on everyone else. They must be vanquished.”

Rounds continued to fly in the evening air. The rifles sounded and the incessant explosions rocked the battlefield. So much firepower on behalf of the Costerlys attacked the Hests, but only to an extent. The smell of carbon hung in that air and the warriors continued their advances, despite fatigue and injuries. Then, something flying in the sky arrested the fighters. They silenced their weapons. They looked up and saw the shimmer of gold, sapphire, garnet and emerald. Leola graced Aranand over the battlefield. She hovered down between the fighters. Gesta and Knock shot to their feet.

“My baby,” Gesta sighed. Knock clutched his wife tighter and caressed her face.

Leola circled. “We must end this fighting. I am well because a dragon restored my life. If you Hests cannot see that, then damn you for that. Laws ought to be developed in a world where man and dragons can exist. Their powers healed me and they can do the same for you. I know that we can all benefit from these beautiful creatures. They represent what makes us human. We use our minds to oversee the fauna and flora of those living things on this earth. We are more than stewards, we are rational beings capable of protecting and at the same time utilizing dragons to promote our own lives. My joy rests in the reality that man rules nature, not the reverse. Let us stop, for now and rest on that thought.”

Leola turned to the Costerlys. The warriors saluted. She smiled at the combatants with a knowing smirk and returned the salute. It was stern, though, filled with honor and admiration. To the Hests, who had bowed to the dragon, Leola’s scorn burned in their minds like Aranand’s flames. She offered a scowl and mannerisms of rebuke. Leola instructed Aranand to take to the sky. The dragon responded to the command. In his gold eyes, the fires on the battlefield burned with great intensity. Next, a shot rang out from the field, shattering the brief silence of the weapons. A single drop of blood fell from the sky like a ruby twinkling amongst the fires. Did it strike the young woman warrior, aligned with the powerful clan, or the beast with the precious plates?

Fantasy
17

About the Creator

Skyler Saunders

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PayPal: paypal.me/SkylerSaunders

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Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

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Comments (7)

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  • Scott Wasilewski (SW Author)9 months ago

    Ah I remember entering this contest. This is a very good story that went at a gripping pace. Well done

  • Anfas Mohammedabout a year ago

    Very Nice

  • Misty Rae2 years ago

    Very nice, it left me wanting more, which is what a first chapter should do. Well done. Looking forward to reading more of your work.

  • A great take on the challenge. Well done

  • Mariann Carroll2 years ago

    Enjoy the read

  • Very well written. Will there be a part 2?

  • Very well written tale. I enjoyed the time and detail you put into it.

  • This comment has been deleted

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