Flight of Dragon Flyz
AN: I will preface this with that I'm a child of the '80s. Flight of Dragons was one of my all time favorite movies. I own only Ilona and this cracktastic plot.
Nocturna lounged on one of her many cushions in her small section of the lair. A forgotten spell book sat on her lap and she absently flipped through the pages, half heartedly reading it. She paused a moment upon coming across a spell that intrigued her, especially with the notes written next to it. A dark smile crossed her features as she mused over the implications. If the spell worked the way it was written, then, oh but then, Dreadwing's enemies would be his to command. The only problem she could find with it would be finding a child of that bloodline to cast the spell. She sighed, setting the book aside. It'll be a project for a later date - but for now, she had Dragon Flyz to hunt.
~
~
Ilona's eyes were closed, tears splashing down her cheeks. Her hands were bound behind her, the tip of a blade pointing into her back. She fought the tremble, not wanting to show that she was very much afraid, especially with Dreadwing standing right behind her.
Apex glanced at her siblings, her eyes silvering as she slipped through their barriers, trying to assess the state of her brothers. Peak was crumpled on the ground - blissfully unconcious at the moment. Summit was almost ready to pass out - having been battered by Fryte during their capture. Z'neth was the only one still very much awake and very much painfully alert. /Z? You okay?/ she asked, nudging him gently with her powers.
/No, I am not okay/ he started, his gaze focused on the woman standing with Dreadwing. /Apex? She.. Did she?/
Apex glanced up to see Ilona standing there with Dreadwing and she gently pushed her way in, finding little resistence from the smaller woman. /No, she's still on our side/ she answered. /She's as much a prisoner as we are/
That comforted Z'neth a little - knowing that the woman he had quietly fallen in love with hadn't betrayed them. /Ilona? Can you hear me?/
Ilona's eyes opened slowly, her blue-violet gaze focusing on Z'neth. /Z'neth?/ came the shaky mental response.
/Shh, Ilona, I'm here, I'm here/ he crooned, comforting her. /It'll be okay, Angel, it'll be okay. I promise/
Ilona's shoulders shook as she tried not to weep further. /You can't promise that, Z'neth. You can't. It's not going to be okay, it's not/
/Shh/ he soothed. /We'll get out of this/
Dreadwing moved the blade just a hair, pressing a little further. "Now, Child of Carolinus. Speak the words," he said. "Speak them."
Ilona let out a sob before she began, mental pleas of forgiveness escaping her. "I Call on All Antiquity to give me magic enough.. Car..Carbitrome.. Zuminai.. La..Lavathol...Untombre.." /Forgive me please forgive me please forgive me please please please.../
Z'neth could feel the pull of the weight of the words, the timelessness, the power hidden within those simple words. He glanced at his siblings, watching their bodies react the same way his was. He wanted to tell Ilona to stop, to plead with her, but soon all was lost behind a haze of pain.
"Baristome.. Misincromeaves.." Ilona sobbed out, her body shaking as she cast the spell against her will. "Magliolac... Of all the blazes..." she paused, wanting to stop but knowing at this point she couldn't, not with the glowing green star that had formed before her and was exploding up and out. "CALA!" she screamed, dropping to her knees and sobbing as the spell worked its magic.
Dreadwing smiled as he watched the thorns in his side merged with their captured dragons - just like that spellbook said it would. He reached over and ruffled the hair of the human that had given him such a powerful gift. He pushed the blade that had been resting against the small of her back in, a dark smile crossing his features. He withdrew the blade after a moment, smiling at seeing the blade covered in blood. He brought it up to his mouth and licked it, a dark chuckle escaping him. "Now, there is no chance of your freedom," he said darkly.
~
Z'neth lay in the nesting area, his head resting on his front paws. He didn't know how it had happened, but somehow they had been freed by one of the other Dragon Force teams and brought back. Of course, they didn't know what had happened, and Z'neth was still too exhausted to explain (then again, he wasn't even sure if he was able *to* explain - nothing about the events that took place made any sense to him and he had been a key player in them). He gave an experimental twitch of his tail, trying to get used to the alien sensation of having a tail.
Lilian entered, making her way over to him. "Hey, Riptor," she said, settling down in front of him. "How you feeling, big guy? You missing your daddy?" she asked, stroking his nose. "We'll find him."
Z'neth wondered for a moment about what happened to his father, before he realized that Lilian was calling *him* the daddy, and not his real father - Aaron. This was going to make things awkward. He tilted his head slightly.
"You worrying about Ilona too?" she asked quietly. At the decided nod, Lilian smiled. Seemed that Z'neth wasn't the only one that liked the petite medical officer. "She came out of surgery a little while ago, Riptor. Miriam said she'd be.." she paused, trying to find the words.
Z'neth could feel his stomach sink. What had happened to Ilona that was making it hard for Lilian to find the words to tell him? He tried to seek her out through their bond but it was so hard, to sift through all the layers, the blocks that was keeping her from him.
"She'll be fine, Riptor," Lilian said finally. "She just won't be able to walk."
Z'neth closed his eyes. Was that why he couldn't feel her? Was she blocking herself from him because she didn't feel worthy of his love because of her condition? He didn't care - if he had to spend the rest of his life carrying her in his arms, then damn it he would. He wasn't about to abandon her, just because of what happened to her. He pushed and prodded and forced his way past the barriers that were keeping them apart. He relaxed when he felt her respond to him finally.
~
Ilona settled into the chair, her head tilted back as she lost herself in thought. The incident had left all the dragons in an odd emotional state - almost as if.. No, it wasn't possible. He was supposed to be dead, dead and unable to call forth a flight. She drew herself out of her thoughts when she heard the familiar hum of Aaron's approach. She offered him a wearied smile. "You seem troubled, Sir," she murmured softly.
"I am, Ilona. All the dragons are out of temper," he said. "I don't know the cause. I can understand the situation with Riptor, Sky Fury, Wing Storm, and Apex's dragon given that their riders are missing, but the others."
Ilona closed her eyes. "They... aren't missing," she said finally. She opened her eyes slowly. "Dreadwing called on something far more ancient then you could believe to deal with them."
"If they aren't missing, where are they, Ilona?" Aaron asked, instinctively already dreading the answer.
"I.." she started, her voice trailing off for a moment. "I am a Child of Carolinus," she said finally, allowing that to sink in.
Aaron blinked slowly for a moment. "Carolinus?" he repeated. He knew the name was familiar and he desperately racked his memory for the reason why that name was familiar. Then, then it came to him - the half forgotten memory of having poured over those ancient tomes with Joshua during their youth, igniting a passion within both men for dragons. "The Green Wizard?"
Ilona nodded. "Yes," she confirmed quietly. "Dreadwing forced me to use one of his spells. The spell was complicated, or should have been," she continued. "But Dreadwing prefered the unfortunate variation that he crafted. You see, many centuries ago, a man by the name of Peter Dickenson had been chosen to lead a quest..."
"To capture the Red Crown of Ommadon," Aaron finished. "As a youth, I studied the legends. It was from that came the passion for dragons."
Ilona smiled softly and nodded. "But Ommadon wasn't going to let that happen so easily, so he sent his terrible dragon, Bryagh, to the home of Carolinus to capture Peter, or as he was to be called, Sir Peter."
Aaron settled to listen to the story be told. It was one thing to read it, but it was another to hear it being told. There was something magical in hearing an old story being told, and he could sense that Joshua was just about to join them. He brought a finger to his lips, indicating to Joshua to be silent and let the healer tell the tale.
Joshua nodded and settled near Aaron. Hard to believe that the little waif knew the stories better then they did and they had studied them for years.
"Sir Peter was outside with the Princess Melisande when Bryagh appeared, grabbing him. Melisande screamed, alerting her adoptive father, Carolinus, and Gorbash, their house dragon, to the fact that there was danger outside their door. Melisande quickly informed them that Bryagh had Sir Peter," she continued, her gaze distant.
Z'neth's interest perked and he shifted closer to the small group, wanting to hear the story. Answers to unspoken questions just had to be hidden within what she was telling them. He sent a mental nudge to his siblings, waking them so they could hear the origins of what happened.
"Carolinus suggested that they try a removal spell, to try and bring Sir Peter back. Gorbash disagreed with that, citing that the spell would take too long, that something could happen to Sir Peter in the meantime and he took off, flying to the rescue. Carolinus attempted the spell, but with the belief in magic fading, his magic just wasn't strong enough to begin with." She paused a moment. "He had gotten a few words of the spell out before Melisande spied Bryagh dropping Sir Peter. Gorbash continued to try and catch him. Unfortunately, Carolinus didn't properly complete the spell."
"And by not completing the spell the way the spell should have ended, he crafted a new spell?" Joshua offered. He gazed at the four dragons that had been inching ever closer as the story had been told.
Ilona nodded. "Instead of a removal spell," she began. "He cast a spell that would merge Gorbash *with* Sir Peter."
Aaron glanced at Ilona then at the dragons. "And Dreadwing forced you to repeat the same mistake, didn't he?" he asked softly. At her slight nod, he glanced at the dragons. "Then, my children aren't missing, they're here, merged with their dragons." He glanced over at Joshua. "Well, that explains a few things."
"I always said that Summit had a fiery dragon's temper, I just didn't mean it quite so literally," Joshua said with a light chuckle. He sighed after a moment. "So, what do we do now? Any ideas?"
Ilona leaned over and fished a golden flute out of her chair's pouch. "We do have one thing we can use," she said softly. "The Flute of Healing Sleep."
Aaron boggled for a moment, nearly falling from his self-made telekinetic cushion that allowed him movement. He exchanged glances with Joshua - clearly this Child of Carolinus was of a far more direct line then they had thought. For those ancient texts had been clear on one thing - that the Flute had been given to Sir Peter. For her to be in the possession.. (Bar the reports it had been sold to a pawnbroker - but those could always been repurchased and returned to the family line.)
Joshua cleared his throat. "Healing Sleep?" he asked, prompting her to clarify. He knew what that meant, but still the confirmation would be nice.
Ilona nodded. "It is said that when played, it would lure any fearsome dragon into sleep," she said quietly. She blushed slightly. "I do know the song but I rather not use it now, best to save it for when it is truly needed."
Aaron nodded. "I wish we had the Shield of Saturn as well. That would come in handy if Dreadwing decided he wanted to find another magic user to play with." He glanced back at Ilona when she gave a sheepish laugh. "You possess it?"
She gave a small sheepish nod. "Father gave them to me when he said that I was old enough to..." she paused and glanced away.
Joshua fell silent as he slowly started to put a few things together - for her to come into possession of the Flute and Shield... And for her to be a Child of Carolinus... And now that cryptic comment about her being old enough... "For you to be the Child of Carolinus, his blood would have to flow through your veins," he began. "Now, Carolinus had no biological issue, but he did have an adopted daughter as you stated. And it was oft assumed that he was of her line - hence why no-one fussed when Carolinus adopted the then orphaned princess." He slowly began to pace the floor in front of Riptor's (or rather Z'neth's) nesting area, attempting to work his theory out.
Ilona was quiet, unsure if she should say anything. Still it would be nice to actually have someone understand.
/Ilona?/ Z'neth's voice asked, brushing her mind gently. /Are you all right, my darling?/ He made his way over and gently nuzzled her cheek, trying to be careful with how fragile humans were compared to dragons.
/I'm weary, Z'neth/ she answered softly. /The guilt of what I was forced to do rests heavily on my shoulders/
Z'neth nuzzled her again. /It's not your fault, my darling. Dreadwing used your blood against you. None of us blame you for what he forced you to do. I don't blame you, Ilona/
Ilona smiled up at him, tears sparkling in her eyes, and wrapped her thin arms around his neck. Her tiny frame trembled as she started to finally allow the tears to escape.
"D..Don't cry, 'lona," Peak struggled to get out, startling everyone, himself included. He blinked his eyes and let out a small whoop of delight - only to be further startled when said whoop resulted in the sprinkler system going off to prevent the fire from destroying the habitat.
Joshua shot Peak a withered look. "I think I liked you better when you couldn't speak," he said dryly. "Less property damage. And don't even think of sticking your tongue out." That earned some laughter from the others - and a pout from Peak.
~
~
Z'neth settled on the ground at Ilona's feet. It was decidedly different here - the air felt cleaner, purer. Not to mention the amount of green - and fresh water. He glanced over at his siblings, noting their absence before he allowed his mind to drift to seek them out. He nodded to himself, content knowing that his siblings, though out of his sight, were still close at hand, merely off exploring the area around the cabin.
Ilona sat on the bench, her hand gently stroking the top of Riptor's (Z'neth's) head as she thought. "It feels so different to be home," she said quietly. "A part of me still calls this home, and yet, and yet I find myself longing for your time, your world, Z'neth."
Z'neth felt slightly relieved at that - that she viewed his world as her home. "But Ilona, there you can't walk, and here.." he said quietly.
"My ability to walk notwithstanding but.." she started. "I would still want to join you."
Carolinus stood in the doorway, listening to the children. So much like his Melisande, wanting to join her knight in his world. He glanced up at Gorbash and shook his head. "Must be in the blood," he mused before slipping back inside.
Gorbash just continued to watch. Chances were that he'd have to give lessons - it was only a shame that Srmgal died before they came. He was a far better teacher. He made his way out and began hunting down the other young dragons - he knew he had to teach that young one (Peak, that was what Ilona called him. Silly name for a human, barely a proper name for a dragon) since he had issues with his breathing fire. He found him, staring at the river. He debated a moment and none too gently headbutted him in.
Peak surfaced, spluttering. He glanced over and sighed. "Oh, it's you, Gorbash."
"Come, time to learn how to breath fire properly," he said. "It'll be an interesting lesson to be sure. Now, follow me."
Peak stood and shook himself, trying to dry, before he padded after Gorbash. He wondered exactly how he'd be learning to breath fire.
"Oh, and we'll be learning how to fly as well," Gorbash tossed over his shoulder. "Not this graceful falling you and your siblings do. I've never seen a dragon who could not fly worth a damn." He spotted the dwarf mine and grinned. He shot a tiny puff of flame out. "All right, come out, and bring gems."
"What the hell are we doing?" Peak asked, watching in confusion.
"Robbing a dwarf mine, what does it look like? To quote an old teacher of mine, to fly you need gemstones. To get gemstones, you rob dwarf mines." Another puff of flame soon had the dwarfs emerging with the necessary gemstones. Gorbash smiled slightly, remembering when it had been him (well, Sir Peter was getting the lesson - he had been asleep during the whole incident) getting the lesson. "And don't worry, we won't eat the dwarfs. Too sinewy and hairy. Not worth the effort."
Peak cringed at the thought of eating them and studied the bag of gemstones. "So, now what?"
Gorbash sighed. Clearly they had no idea what it meant to be a dragon (okay, so it was Sir Peter part two [Z'neth], three [Summit], four [Apex], and five [Peak] - but still). "Now, swallow those bags of gems," he said, privately wondering if the next three lessons were going to be anything like this one. He'd have to apologize to those dwarfs later (luckily he had a good understanding with them these days - especially when they heard that Gorbash was now mentoring four baby dragons). "But not all the way. Let them find your craw."
Peak didn't want to state the obvious but it was an entirely odd sensation to have something in his throat and be unable to do anything about them. But the expression on his face told Gorbash exactly what he wasn't saying.
"Never had diamonds in your craw?" he asked.
"I never had a craw before," Peak retorted. And he hoped he never had one again. He did wonder if he should supplement his dragon's diet with gemstones when things were returned to normal - probably should, and especially after this whole mess. Poor Storm.
"Well," Gorbash began, "they help to grind up the white.. wait, what did Sir Peter call the stone.. Ah, yes, limestone." He paused. "Now, stop talking. Eat."
Peak stared at the rock before taking a bite out of it. He listened to Gorbash instruct him to not try to grind it himself but to swallow it whole, so it could combine with the gemstones and get broken up that way. "I feel like a damn bird," he muttered, which earned a booming laugh from Gorbash.
"Sir Peter said the same when he was in the same position," Gorbash said, chuckling lowly. "Now that we've eaten the gemstones and the limestone, your fire in your belly should be well and truly stoked." He nodded to himself. So far so good - and hopefully he wouldn't have to give that scientific lecture about limestone, calcium, and stomach acid.
Peak settled back - trying to remember his basic chemistry lessons (the ones he wasn't quite passing, much to his father's dismay). Thankfully, he had a rough idea and glanced at Gorbash. "So, this fire in the belly causes the lift, thus flight?"
Gorbash nodded. "Praise be given that I didn't have to lecture," he sighed. "Once you get up, the wings flap. To get down, let go of the gas via a flame."
"Right," Peak said, still a little dubious about the whole matter.
~
~
Z'neth settled down to watch his younger brother trip over his own tail. 'Now, what was that all about,' he wondered. He could feel his eyeridge arching as high as it could possibly get as he watched. A girl? Peak was flustered over a girl? That was clearly unlike him - since he never had trouble talking to a female before (if the number of broken hearts was a clear indicator). Now, what was it about this particular.. Oh. Oh! He settled down to watch the fireworks.
Nocturna lounged on one of her many cushions in her small section of the lair. A forgotten spell book sat on her lap and she absently flipped through the pages, half heartedly reading it. She paused a moment upon coming across a spell that intrigued her, especially with the notes written next to it. A dark smile crossed her features as she mused over the implications. If the spell worked the way it was written, then, oh but then, Dreadwing's enemies would be his to command. The only problem she could find with it would be finding a child of that bloodline to cast the spell. She sighed, setting the book aside. It'll be a project for a later date - but for now, she had Dragon Flyz to hunt.
~
~
Ilona's eyes were closed, tears splashing down her cheeks. Her hands were bound behind her, the tip of a blade pointing into her back. She fought the tremble, not wanting to show that she was very much afraid, especially with Dreadwing standing right behind her.
Apex glanced at her siblings, her eyes silvering as she slipped through their barriers, trying to assess the state of her brothers. Peak was crumpled on the ground - blissfully unconcious at the moment. Summit was almost ready to pass out - having been battered by Fryte during their capture. Z'neth was the only one still very much awake and very much painfully alert. /Z? You okay?/ she asked, nudging him gently with her powers.
/No, I am not okay/ he started, his gaze focused on the woman standing with Dreadwing. /Apex? She.. Did she?/
Apex glanced up to see Ilona standing there with Dreadwing and she gently pushed her way in, finding little resistence from the smaller woman. /No, she's still on our side/ she answered. /She's as much a prisoner as we are/
That comforted Z'neth a little - knowing that the woman he had quietly fallen in love with hadn't betrayed them. /Ilona? Can you hear me?/
Ilona's eyes opened slowly, her blue-violet gaze focusing on Z'neth. /Z'neth?/ came the shaky mental response.
/Shh, Ilona, I'm here, I'm here/ he crooned, comforting her. /It'll be okay, Angel, it'll be okay. I promise/
Ilona's shoulders shook as she tried not to weep further. /You can't promise that, Z'neth. You can't. It's not going to be okay, it's not/
/Shh/ he soothed. /We'll get out of this/
Dreadwing moved the blade just a hair, pressing a little further. "Now, Child of Carolinus. Speak the words," he said. "Speak them."
Ilona let out a sob before she began, mental pleas of forgiveness escaping her. "I Call on All Antiquity to give me magic enough.. Car..Carbitrome.. Zuminai.. La..Lavathol...Untombre.." /Forgive me please forgive me please forgive me please please please.../
Z'neth could feel the pull of the weight of the words, the timelessness, the power hidden within those simple words. He glanced at his siblings, watching their bodies react the same way his was. He wanted to tell Ilona to stop, to plead with her, but soon all was lost behind a haze of pain.
"Baristome.. Misincromeaves.." Ilona sobbed out, her body shaking as she cast the spell against her will. "Magliolac... Of all the blazes..." she paused, wanting to stop but knowing at this point she couldn't, not with the glowing green star that had formed before her and was exploding up and out. "CALA!" she screamed, dropping to her knees and sobbing as the spell worked its magic.
Dreadwing smiled as he watched the thorns in his side merged with their captured dragons - just like that spellbook said it would. He reached over and ruffled the hair of the human that had given him such a powerful gift. He pushed the blade that had been resting against the small of her back in, a dark smile crossing his features. He withdrew the blade after a moment, smiling at seeing the blade covered in blood. He brought it up to his mouth and licked it, a dark chuckle escaping him. "Now, there is no chance of your freedom," he said darkly.
~
Z'neth lay in the nesting area, his head resting on his front paws. He didn't know how it had happened, but somehow they had been freed by one of the other Dragon Force teams and brought back. Of course, they didn't know what had happened, and Z'neth was still too exhausted to explain (then again, he wasn't even sure if he was able *to* explain - nothing about the events that took place made any sense to him and he had been a key player in them). He gave an experimental twitch of his tail, trying to get used to the alien sensation of having a tail.
Lilian entered, making her way over to him. "Hey, Riptor," she said, settling down in front of him. "How you feeling, big guy? You missing your daddy?" she asked, stroking his nose. "We'll find him."
Z'neth wondered for a moment about what happened to his father, before he realized that Lilian was calling *him* the daddy, and not his real father - Aaron. This was going to make things awkward. He tilted his head slightly.
"You worrying about Ilona too?" she asked quietly. At the decided nod, Lilian smiled. Seemed that Z'neth wasn't the only one that liked the petite medical officer. "She came out of surgery a little while ago, Riptor. Miriam said she'd be.." she paused, trying to find the words.
Z'neth could feel his stomach sink. What had happened to Ilona that was making it hard for Lilian to find the words to tell him? He tried to seek her out through their bond but it was so hard, to sift through all the layers, the blocks that was keeping her from him.
"She'll be fine, Riptor," Lilian said finally. "She just won't be able to walk."
Z'neth closed his eyes. Was that why he couldn't feel her? Was she blocking herself from him because she didn't feel worthy of his love because of her condition? He didn't care - if he had to spend the rest of his life carrying her in his arms, then damn it he would. He wasn't about to abandon her, just because of what happened to her. He pushed and prodded and forced his way past the barriers that were keeping them apart. He relaxed when he felt her respond to him finally.
~
Ilona settled into the chair, her head tilted back as she lost herself in thought. The incident had left all the dragons in an odd emotional state - almost as if.. No, it wasn't possible. He was supposed to be dead, dead and unable to call forth a flight. She drew herself out of her thoughts when she heard the familiar hum of Aaron's approach. She offered him a wearied smile. "You seem troubled, Sir," she murmured softly.
"I am, Ilona. All the dragons are out of temper," he said. "I don't know the cause. I can understand the situation with Riptor, Sky Fury, Wing Storm, and Apex's dragon given that their riders are missing, but the others."
Ilona closed her eyes. "They... aren't missing," she said finally. She opened her eyes slowly. "Dreadwing called on something far more ancient then you could believe to deal with them."
"If they aren't missing, where are they, Ilona?" Aaron asked, instinctively already dreading the answer.
"I.." she started, her voice trailing off for a moment. "I am a Child of Carolinus," she said finally, allowing that to sink in.
Aaron blinked slowly for a moment. "Carolinus?" he repeated. He knew the name was familiar and he desperately racked his memory for the reason why that name was familiar. Then, then it came to him - the half forgotten memory of having poured over those ancient tomes with Joshua during their youth, igniting a passion within both men for dragons. "The Green Wizard?"
Ilona nodded. "Yes," she confirmed quietly. "Dreadwing forced me to use one of his spells. The spell was complicated, or should have been," she continued. "But Dreadwing prefered the unfortunate variation that he crafted. You see, many centuries ago, a man by the name of Peter Dickenson had been chosen to lead a quest..."
"To capture the Red Crown of Ommadon," Aaron finished. "As a youth, I studied the legends. It was from that came the passion for dragons."
Ilona smiled softly and nodded. "But Ommadon wasn't going to let that happen so easily, so he sent his terrible dragon, Bryagh, to the home of Carolinus to capture Peter, or as he was to be called, Sir Peter."
Aaron settled to listen to the story be told. It was one thing to read it, but it was another to hear it being told. There was something magical in hearing an old story being told, and he could sense that Joshua was just about to join them. He brought a finger to his lips, indicating to Joshua to be silent and let the healer tell the tale.
Joshua nodded and settled near Aaron. Hard to believe that the little waif knew the stories better then they did and they had studied them for years.
"Sir Peter was outside with the Princess Melisande when Bryagh appeared, grabbing him. Melisande screamed, alerting her adoptive father, Carolinus, and Gorbash, their house dragon, to the fact that there was danger outside their door. Melisande quickly informed them that Bryagh had Sir Peter," she continued, her gaze distant.
Z'neth's interest perked and he shifted closer to the small group, wanting to hear the story. Answers to unspoken questions just had to be hidden within what she was telling them. He sent a mental nudge to his siblings, waking them so they could hear the origins of what happened.
"Carolinus suggested that they try a removal spell, to try and bring Sir Peter back. Gorbash disagreed with that, citing that the spell would take too long, that something could happen to Sir Peter in the meantime and he took off, flying to the rescue. Carolinus attempted the spell, but with the belief in magic fading, his magic just wasn't strong enough to begin with." She paused a moment. "He had gotten a few words of the spell out before Melisande spied Bryagh dropping Sir Peter. Gorbash continued to try and catch him. Unfortunately, Carolinus didn't properly complete the spell."
"And by not completing the spell the way the spell should have ended, he crafted a new spell?" Joshua offered. He gazed at the four dragons that had been inching ever closer as the story had been told.
Ilona nodded. "Instead of a removal spell," she began. "He cast a spell that would merge Gorbash *with* Sir Peter."
Aaron glanced at Ilona then at the dragons. "And Dreadwing forced you to repeat the same mistake, didn't he?" he asked softly. At her slight nod, he glanced at the dragons. "Then, my children aren't missing, they're here, merged with their dragons." He glanced over at Joshua. "Well, that explains a few things."
"I always said that Summit had a fiery dragon's temper, I just didn't mean it quite so literally," Joshua said with a light chuckle. He sighed after a moment. "So, what do we do now? Any ideas?"
Ilona leaned over and fished a golden flute out of her chair's pouch. "We do have one thing we can use," she said softly. "The Flute of Healing Sleep."
Aaron boggled for a moment, nearly falling from his self-made telekinetic cushion that allowed him movement. He exchanged glances with Joshua - clearly this Child of Carolinus was of a far more direct line then they had thought. For those ancient texts had been clear on one thing - that the Flute had been given to Sir Peter. For her to be in the possession.. (Bar the reports it had been sold to a pawnbroker - but those could always been repurchased and returned to the family line.)
Joshua cleared his throat. "Healing Sleep?" he asked, prompting her to clarify. He knew what that meant, but still the confirmation would be nice.
Ilona nodded. "It is said that when played, it would lure any fearsome dragon into sleep," she said quietly. She blushed slightly. "I do know the song but I rather not use it now, best to save it for when it is truly needed."
Aaron nodded. "I wish we had the Shield of Saturn as well. That would come in handy if Dreadwing decided he wanted to find another magic user to play with." He glanced back at Ilona when she gave a sheepish laugh. "You possess it?"
She gave a small sheepish nod. "Father gave them to me when he said that I was old enough to..." she paused and glanced away.
Joshua fell silent as he slowly started to put a few things together - for her to come into possession of the Flute and Shield... And for her to be a Child of Carolinus... And now that cryptic comment about her being old enough... "For you to be the Child of Carolinus, his blood would have to flow through your veins," he began. "Now, Carolinus had no biological issue, but he did have an adopted daughter as you stated. And it was oft assumed that he was of her line - hence why no-one fussed when Carolinus adopted the then orphaned princess." He slowly began to pace the floor in front of Riptor's (or rather Z'neth's) nesting area, attempting to work his theory out.
Ilona was quiet, unsure if she should say anything. Still it would be nice to actually have someone understand.
/Ilona?/ Z'neth's voice asked, brushing her mind gently. /Are you all right, my darling?/ He made his way over and gently nuzzled her cheek, trying to be careful with how fragile humans were compared to dragons.
/I'm weary, Z'neth/ she answered softly. /The guilt of what I was forced to do rests heavily on my shoulders/
Z'neth nuzzled her again. /It's not your fault, my darling. Dreadwing used your blood against you. None of us blame you for what he forced you to do. I don't blame you, Ilona/
Ilona smiled up at him, tears sparkling in her eyes, and wrapped her thin arms around his neck. Her tiny frame trembled as she started to finally allow the tears to escape.
"D..Don't cry, 'lona," Peak struggled to get out, startling everyone, himself included. He blinked his eyes and let out a small whoop of delight - only to be further startled when said whoop resulted in the sprinkler system going off to prevent the fire from destroying the habitat.
Joshua shot Peak a withered look. "I think I liked you better when you couldn't speak," he said dryly. "Less property damage. And don't even think of sticking your tongue out." That earned some laughter from the others - and a pout from Peak.
~
~
Z'neth settled on the ground at Ilona's feet. It was decidedly different here - the air felt cleaner, purer. Not to mention the amount of green - and fresh water. He glanced over at his siblings, noting their absence before he allowed his mind to drift to seek them out. He nodded to himself, content knowing that his siblings, though out of his sight, were still close at hand, merely off exploring the area around the cabin.
Ilona sat on the bench, her hand gently stroking the top of Riptor's (Z'neth's) head as she thought. "It feels so different to be home," she said quietly. "A part of me still calls this home, and yet, and yet I find myself longing for your time, your world, Z'neth."
Z'neth felt slightly relieved at that - that she viewed his world as her home. "But Ilona, there you can't walk, and here.." he said quietly.
"My ability to walk notwithstanding but.." she started. "I would still want to join you."
Carolinus stood in the doorway, listening to the children. So much like his Melisande, wanting to join her knight in his world. He glanced up at Gorbash and shook his head. "Must be in the blood," he mused before slipping back inside.
Gorbash just continued to watch. Chances were that he'd have to give lessons - it was only a shame that Srmgal died before they came. He was a far better teacher. He made his way out and began hunting down the other young dragons - he knew he had to teach that young one (Peak, that was what Ilona called him. Silly name for a human, barely a proper name for a dragon) since he had issues with his breathing fire. He found him, staring at the river. He debated a moment and none too gently headbutted him in.
Peak surfaced, spluttering. He glanced over and sighed. "Oh, it's you, Gorbash."
"Come, time to learn how to breath fire properly," he said. "It'll be an interesting lesson to be sure. Now, follow me."
Peak stood and shook himself, trying to dry, before he padded after Gorbash. He wondered exactly how he'd be learning to breath fire.
"Oh, and we'll be learning how to fly as well," Gorbash tossed over his shoulder. "Not this graceful falling you and your siblings do. I've never seen a dragon who could not fly worth a damn." He spotted the dwarf mine and grinned. He shot a tiny puff of flame out. "All right, come out, and bring gems."
"What the hell are we doing?" Peak asked, watching in confusion.
"Robbing a dwarf mine, what does it look like? To quote an old teacher of mine, to fly you need gemstones. To get gemstones, you rob dwarf mines." Another puff of flame soon had the dwarfs emerging with the necessary gemstones. Gorbash smiled slightly, remembering when it had been him (well, Sir Peter was getting the lesson - he had been asleep during the whole incident) getting the lesson. "And don't worry, we won't eat the dwarfs. Too sinewy and hairy. Not worth the effort."
Peak cringed at the thought of eating them and studied the bag of gemstones. "So, now what?"
Gorbash sighed. Clearly they had no idea what it meant to be a dragon (okay, so it was Sir Peter part two [Z'neth], three [Summit], four [Apex], and five [Peak] - but still). "Now, swallow those bags of gems," he said, privately wondering if the next three lessons were going to be anything like this one. He'd have to apologize to those dwarfs later (luckily he had a good understanding with them these days - especially when they heard that Gorbash was now mentoring four baby dragons). "But not all the way. Let them find your craw."
Peak didn't want to state the obvious but it was an entirely odd sensation to have something in his throat and be unable to do anything about them. But the expression on his face told Gorbash exactly what he wasn't saying.
"Never had diamonds in your craw?" he asked.
"I never had a craw before," Peak retorted. And he hoped he never had one again. He did wonder if he should supplement his dragon's diet with gemstones when things were returned to normal - probably should, and especially after this whole mess. Poor Storm.
"Well," Gorbash began, "they help to grind up the white.. wait, what did Sir Peter call the stone.. Ah, yes, limestone." He paused. "Now, stop talking. Eat."
Peak stared at the rock before taking a bite out of it. He listened to Gorbash instruct him to not try to grind it himself but to swallow it whole, so it could combine with the gemstones and get broken up that way. "I feel like a damn bird," he muttered, which earned a booming laugh from Gorbash.
"Sir Peter said the same when he was in the same position," Gorbash said, chuckling lowly. "Now that we've eaten the gemstones and the limestone, your fire in your belly should be well and truly stoked." He nodded to himself. So far so good - and hopefully he wouldn't have to give that scientific lecture about limestone, calcium, and stomach acid.
Peak settled back - trying to remember his basic chemistry lessons (the ones he wasn't quite passing, much to his father's dismay). Thankfully, he had a rough idea and glanced at Gorbash. "So, this fire in the belly causes the lift, thus flight?"
Gorbash nodded. "Praise be given that I didn't have to lecture," he sighed. "Once you get up, the wings flap. To get down, let go of the gas via a flame."
"Right," Peak said, still a little dubious about the whole matter.
~
~
Z'neth settled down to watch his younger brother trip over his own tail. 'Now, what was that all about,' he wondered. He could feel his eyeridge arching as high as it could possibly get as he watched. A girl? Peak was flustered over a girl? That was clearly unlike him - since he never had trouble talking to a female before (if the number of broken hearts was a clear indicator). Now, what was it about this particular.. Oh. Oh! He settled down to watch the fireworks.