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“Some have said that an ancient dragon went down there to die and that his heart lies at the center of the Earth, which iswhy the temperature of the planet has been rising all these years. I don’t really believe that myself. There are other stories though, including one that says there’s an egg waiting to hatch in there, and that as soon as the volcano becomes active again it will heat up and the egg will hatch. I can remember another one that says a river of fire runs through the earth from the Needle to a point on the other side of the globe, and you can sail it all the way through. That must be why Ilvar wants to go there. He knows that it leads right to the core of the Earth.”
Mason wore a troubled look on his face. “There’s still one thing I don’t understand about this,” he said. “It’s all well and good Ilvar bringing up the fire of the planet, but how exactly is this going to lead the dragons to leave? I mean, doesn’t he need a ship? The one we arrived on was lost a long time ago.”
Kadie’s eyes went wide. “Didn’t I tell you? He found that already. It was sunk in the sea. He’s going to make it rise and then he’s going to power it using heat from the Earth’s core, and then the rest of the dragons are going to blast away leaving the rest of us behind in a cloud of debris.”
“Then we have to get back. We’re going to have to rally the other dragons. We’ll need them all if we’re going to stop Ilvar,” I said. There was no time to talk otherwise. We shifted into dragons, spread our wings, and then soared back home.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mason
Zeke had always feared this day would come. He hated the idea that the other dragons would find the means to leave Earth, for he feared it would end in Earth’s destruction. All the odds were against us, and it was going to be a thankless task; even if we succeeded it wasn’t as though the humans would ever thank us for saving them. If we did things properly then they would never know.
We approached the ruins. As we did so, we each let out a flare of fire as well as a roar, which alerted the others that danger was approaching. They all gathered outside, rising from the depths of the Earth. Buck, Brett, Kadie, and I landed and shifted back into our human forms. The other dragons looked at us expectantly. I had told them about Kadie and the news she had brought us. Their faces were etched with worry.
“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” I began. “We went back to Kadie’s thunder, and she knows where Ilvar is. He’s already found the ship upon which we arrived. He’s going to use the molten heat of the Earth to power the ship, and if we don’t stop him then this entire planet is going to be destroyed.” Silence fell among the gathered crowd. They looked to each other for answers, but nobody had any. I turned to Buck, hoping that he would take this moment to step forward and accept his destiny. He was Zeke’s son, and it was his role to fulfil. The opening was there, all he had to do was take it.
Yet he remained silent. He hung back with Kadie, trying to remain in the shadows. Perhaps I had been wrong about him all along.
Perhaps Zeke had as well.
And with nobody else willing to step up to say what needed to be said, I realized it was left to me. I was the one who had made the announcement after all, the one who had delivered the news, and now I was going to have to be the one to rally the spirit of these dragons. I looked hard and deep into myself, trying to remember all the speeches Zeke had given. I tried to think about what he would have said. I spoke slowly at first, my voice faltering, but the more I spoke, the more confident I became, and soon enough my words were flowing like a thick, rushing stream.
“I know that we do not think of ourselves as warriors, but we are descended from that ilk. We have sworn to a humble life, a life spent in the shadows, a life spent where we keep our secrets close, and we do not interfere with the human world. We have been called cowards because of this. We have been insulted and decried, and sometimes we have even been killed. But we survived. And if I know one thing, it’s that it takes strength to endure all these things. Our loved ones have grown impatient and frustrated. They have left, but we remain. We hold true to the traditions, and we cling to the belief that has been passed down from heart to heart. We know what it takes to survive on this world. We honor the past without trying to recreate it. We have sought a better way and, although we are not perfect, I believe we have succeeded. But a dark day has arrived for us all. There is a threat not only to us, but to the entire planet. We cannot stand by and allow this threat to continue. We cannot stand by and let it happen without doing anything about it. We hide not because we are weak, but because we are strong. But the time for hiding is over. We are the last line of defense this planet has. Our ancestors lost one home. We will make sure that history does not repeat itself.”
My voice reached a crescendo that rippled across the crowd. I felt my words ringing in my ears and my heartbeatthundered. My blood rushed with excitement, and I didn’t think I had ever felt anything like it before. Then I grew somber.
“I know that this may extract a heavy toll. Any dragon who joins us is putting their life at risk, but if we do nothing, then our lives are going to be forfeit anyway. I promise that the dead shall be honored, and I promise that all the great deeds shall be remembered. No matter what happens we shall survive, because that is what we do. That is what we are good at, and woe betide anyone who tries to tell us differently,” I said.
There were nods and a clamor rose as people clasped hands and celebrated my words. My throat was raw, and my mind was dazed with emotion. I looked around at Brett, Buck, and Kadie. They were all clapping and looked proud. I stood a little straighter, puffed my chest out more. I hadn’t realized that I could feel this way. It felt good.
I told the other dragons to get their things ready. We were going to leave as soon as possible.
*
“So, it’s really happening then. We’re really going to do this,” Buck said. I was standing outside the ruins at the cliff edge, waiting for the other dragons to join us. I nodded as I stared at the stars.
“It seems that way. I wish it didn’t have to be so, but I suppose if this had never happened, Kadie wouldn’t have left her thunder and you wouldn’t have come back here.”
“No, I guess not,” he admitted. “At least you’ve found your leader.”
I looked at him, confused. “What are you talking about?” I asked.
Before he could answer, Kadie approached as well in all her splendor. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a flowing dress. She looked amazing. My breath caught in my throat.
“That was a really great speech, Mason. I think everyone appreciated it. I know I did,” she said.
I blushed and smiled my thanks. “I appreciate your kind words.”
“I was just telling him the same thing. I think he’ll make a good leader,” Buck said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“What?” I asked.
“Oh definitely,” Kadie said. “In fact, I don’t think there’s a better choice.”
“What are you two talking about? I’m not a leader. I only said those things because somebody had to. I couldn’t let everyone wallow in silence, could I?” I protested.
“That’s what a leader does,” Buck said. “They stand up when other people need them to stand up. They say the right words when people need them to speak. They rise to the occasion, just like you’re doing. You had it in you all along, Mason.”
