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I listened to the frantic crackle of flames. I lifted my gaze and stared into the amber glow, trying to discern images fromthe leaping fire. Zeke had told me a long time ago that the fire could reveal so many things to us if we were willing to look deeply into it. I held my eyes open until they watered, annoyed at the limits of this soft, mortal flesh. My mind turned to the stories I had heard of our time on Drakon, where we could be dragons all the time. I always felt trapped in this body, but it was the mask we needed to wear for survival.
I held my eyes open for as long as I could, but then the air began to burn, and I had to turn away. I gasped, squeezing them shut. Water trickled out and glistened atop my cheeks. I wiped it away with a quick swipe of my hand, and then I bowed my head again.
The fire had revealed nothing to me.
Behind me I sensed movement. I thought perhaps some other devout souls had returned to pay homage to our deceased leader, but they were flittering about in the shadows, minding their own business. A while later, I heard familiar footsteps. I did not need to look up to know that it was Mason.
“She’s gone,” he sighed.
“I’m mourning,” I replied.
“Did you not hear what I said? Jade has gone, and she means it this time. She’s not coming back.”
“She will come back. They always come back.”
“No, they don’t,” he said. I grimaced, thinking about another friend that was lost in the wild. I closed my eyes. “Don’t you think you’ve been here long enough?”
“Someone has to maintain vigil until the body is ash, or have you forgotten the ways too?” I said, knowing my words would sting.
“That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?”
He did not answer my question with words. Instead, he knelt beside me and mirrored my position. I grunted with satisfaction.
“Just because I don’t follow all the rituals doesn’t mean that I don’t take things seriously. You know I do.”
“I know that the rituals help keep the traditions alive. I know that, without them, we risk losing our way. I know that I stayed with Zeke while you walked away.”
“I didn’t walk away,” he snapped. “I just needed time to think. It’s not easy, you know.”
“I never said it was.”
Mason sighed. “I just can’t believe she left, now, of all times. Doesn’t she understand how much I need her?”
“Did you tell her that?”
“Not in so many words. I thought she would just know.”
“We’re not mind readers. But if she wants to leave then, clearly, she is not made to be with us any longer. If she has lost the faith then she can leave, just like anyone else.”
“I appreciate that you think you’re doing what you need to keep the thunder pure, but if we start turning away anyone who has lost the faith then we might find that it’s only the two of us left.”
I curled my lip. “Then so be it.”
Mason sighed. “Don’t be so obstinate Brett. You know there has to be some give and take here. People are angry. I’m not saying I agree with them, but we do need to do something. Clearly, whatever we’re doing at the moment isn’t working. Now that Jade has left, people might think it’s a viable option. It could lead to a whole migration.”
“Then let them leave,” I said, unsure why we should compromise with people who were too weak to see the truth. Mason just sighed again.
“I wish Zeke could give us one last message, just one more piece of advice to see us through.”
“Maybe if you want to keep the dragons together then you should think about finding his son,” I said wryly.
“Don’t even joke about that. It’s not funny.”
“He should be here.”
“I know he should, but you also know what he’s like. He’s never done what’s expected of him.”
