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She narrowed her eyes. “You’re a fool Mason, blinded by your loyalty. You need to open your eyes and look to the future.”
“And I ask you again, what would you have me do? It is easy to complain, but yet, I do not hear you offering any suggestions.”
Jade lifted her head, looking down her nose towards me. She wore a haughty, prideful expression. I had thought her beautiful once, but no longer.
“We could finally mend the schism that has torn our people apart. We could speak to the others.”
I wore an incredulous look, and the disdain was evident on my face. The suggestion was so ridiculous that I barked a laugh. “You have truly lost your mind if you think that is even an option. You know they do not share the same values as us.”
“But they share the same blood,” she stepped towards me and gasped a plea. She clasped her hands together and held them towards me. “We are the same people. We have just been divided by time. Surely it is time to bring the dragons together again and make us whole. Together we could accomplish anything.”
“We have no need of them,” I said harshly. “They made their choice a long time ago to leave us, and there’s no reason to see them return. I will not parlay with them.”
Jade’s arms fell limply by her side and her head hung down. She sighed heavily. “You know, Mason, if you’re not willing to embrace something new then you’re never going to move forward in life. You’re just going to be rooted to the groundlike a tree, and us dragons were never meant to stay in one place. We’re meant to fly and fly free, but you wish to keep us tethered here like Zeke.” She flung an arm back in the direction of the settlement. “People back there are going to expect a new beginning. I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but people were getting tired of Zeke. If he hadn’t died, then people would be calling for a change in leadership anyway. You can be that leader, Mason. You just need to open your eyes and stop being beholden to the past.”
I bristled at the lack of respect shown to Zeke.
“If you had any ounce of dignity, you would understand what it is to be a dragon and why we hold the values we do. You would know why we have taken this place in the world. I can’t believe that I need to explain it to you of all people. You were supposed to be my mate, Jade. You were supposed to stand beside me and lead our thunder into the future.”
She rolled her shoulders and averted her gaze. “And what’s the point Mason? There is no future for us. You’ve just decided that, because you’re not willing to look at any other options. You don’t have to explain anything to me. I’ve heard all the same stories as you have, but I’m just tired. I’m tired of hiding. I’m tired of living this way. I’m tired of having to call this empty rock home. We’re uninvited, we’re intruders. How can this be our home when the land does not sing to us?”
“The skies do,” I muttered.
“You’ve created a song that you hear. But these are not our skies,” she pointed to the stars. “You have heard the stories of Drakon, of the twin suns that burn with heat. This is not our land, and we should not have to put up with it any longer. There is another way out there.”
“And you’re going to find it? Is that what this is about Jade? Are you telling me that you’re going to betray us and live with the other dragons?” My eyes flashed with fury.
“I don’t know yet. I haven’t decided. I’m just going to fly around for a while. Maybe I’ll try living as a mortal.”
I laughed again, a dry, cracked sound that had no humor whatsoever. “How could you live among people you despise?”
“From what I’ve learned they despise each other, so I think I’ll fit right in. The problem is that I don’t have much choice, do I? I have to try and pick the best option for me, but whatever that ends up being, I can’t stay with you.”
“Then leave,” I flung my arms out towards the sky. “I don’t know what you’re waiting for, but I can guarantee you that you’re not going to find it easy out there. You’re going to end up regretting this, and when you come crawling back, you had better hope that I’m in a merciful mood because, otherwise, I’ll turn my back on you and you won’t have anywhere to belong.”
Jade stared at me as though I was a stranger. This was a woman I had taken to my bed and in my arms, a woman I had shared everything with, yet now there was a chasm between us. “I really thought I could get through to you Mason. I really thought…” she trailed away and shook her head, as though I was the one who had disappointed her. She stepped towards the edge of the cliff, and then walked off. She disappeared as she plummeted down. Moments later there was a rush of air as she swept up, her wings outstretched, the deep green of her scales looking black under the pale light of the moon. I watched as she flew away, and I wasn’t tempted to go after her at all. What was the use? She had made her decision and I could do nothing about it.
Instead, I turned back and kicked a divot into the ground. I gritted my teeth and I growled, and I tried to hold this burning hatred inside me. Everything used to be so easy, but the older I got the more complicated it became, and there were never any easy answers that presented themselves. I sighed and looked at the moon. The worst thing was that, deep down, I knew Jadewas right. This place wasn’t our home. It could never be Drakon, but we had to try and make it work because there weren’t any alternatives.
Chapter Three
Brett
I watched the pyre burn. The flames took hold of the body, embracing it, taking back the life it had given. The scent of burning flesh was in the air, mixed with the sweet scent of the herbs that had been placed around the body, as well as the clothes in which the body had been wrapped. The fire was bright and blazing, a proud fire. The heat warmed the air and it felt nice on my skin. I remained bowed, the last of the servants to watch over Zeke. He had been a proud man, a great man. He had been the best of us, and now it was down to those left to carry on his life’s work. There was an unbroken chain that ran from our ancestors through to us. We were just more links, and some would follow us in the future. We had to keep the traditions and the beliefs alive so that we might pass them down to our children.
I did not know whether I was capable.
I tried to think about what Zeke would have told me. He always had reassuring words. I remember when I first went to him as a troubled child. He had told me that I had greatness within me. All I had to do was listen hard and it would find me.
It had not revealed itself to me yet. There was a point when I had truly believed him, but now I thought it was just something he said to placate a worried child. Were any of us special? I wasn’t sure. The more time passed, the more I wondered if we were simply cursed. It didn’t seem fair that we had to suffer the scars of the past, so how could we be blessed? And now Zeke was gone. The world was plunged into uncertainty. I heard the whispers of others. If anyone wanted to leave, then they had the opportunity now. Mason had already gone into the wildernessto think, followed by Jade. No doubt they were going to argue again. We should have been united. We should have been together, facing the strife of the world in the only way that we could succeed, as a group.
Instead, we were scattered. People mourned by themselves, wondering what was going to change. The funeral had been a time to grieve, but I had looked into their eyes, and I had seen their worry. I had hoped Zeke’s death would galvanize us and bring the community together, but it felt like we were being ripped apart at the seams. There was only so much that people could take, and we had almost reached the breaking point.
It did not change things for me though. I knew my place. I would carry on the duties that had been bestowed upon me by Zeke. I would drag this chain through time and bear the weight of our sins on my back, alone if it was necessary. The others could forsake our ancestors if they wanted. They were tired, exhausted, and I knew they did not wish to be in this place any longer. They had been promised change a long time ago and it had never arrived. It was always difficult to maintain hope when a promise had gone unfulfilled. I searched my mind for answers, feeling as though it was my responsibility to bring them together. I wished I had Zeke’s way with words, his flair and his charisma. He could always enchant people and get them to follow him to the ends of the earth. He had a way about him that was so hard to replicate, and that I could never hope to achieve. He was one of a kind and I was his humble servant, and I wished that I had died in his place.
It would have been better for the thunder if that had been the case.
Zeke was the best of us, and now he was dead.
