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My inclination is to tell him that I don’t care about his assessment of my plan. That’s the urgency of the situation. “Nonetheless,” I say, “I will see him.” Will? Iwillsee him? I realize I am speaking with the authority of Aiden or another of his family. Those who live at the estate and see me acting in a legal capacity have seen this authority in my manner. Petyr has seen me use this authority when discussing contracts and implementations of contracts.
Again, his expression betrays surprise. For me to speak this way in reference to a discovered mineral deposit in Zaire or a fishing fleet in the South Pacific makes sense. For me to speak this way in relation to the Ancient One makes no sense at all. I can see him attempting to determine the appropriate response. I say softly, “The world is in danger, Petyr, and only Valentia can offer me the knowledge I seek to help Aiden fight that danger. I don’t come here and make this request lightly.”
He nods and steps to the side. I walk in and he says, “I worry for your safety, Miss Fischer.”
“Valentia will not harm me.”
“There are no dragons here who would carry you to him,” he says. “I fear for your safety as you try to find him beneath the caverns.”
That actually makes sense. Still, I need to find a way to see him. I don’t have a choice.
“I can bring you down there, but…” He shakes his head. “What can I give you more than a flashlight and how can a flashlight do more than reveal how hopeless things will be?”
“Valentia will find me, Petyr,” I say. I don’t know what Aiden has said to him regarding the Chosen One prophecy and the Chosen One’s Mate. I speak with confidence, of course, but I don’t feel the confidence I express, not really anyway. I say the words adamantly but they represent hope and not any certainty.
He nods curtly and leads me to a storeroom where he gets a large, boxy flashlight. He checks that it works. Although the storeroom is well-lit, when he turns it on, the flashlight illuminates the room as though it were a stoplight. He nods, turns it off, and hands it to me. “We have handguns,” he says.
“Valentia will not harm me,” I say. Then, I smile, “and if he choses to harm me, what handgun can even inconvenience him?”
Petyr smiles and then sighs. “You are unlike any woman I have ever met, Miss Fischer. Aiden has always been a man to respect, a man of great power but great insight. I don’t use the word man lightly, either. He values the human side of his nature and I have not only loved him from the time he was a child but I have respected him as well.”
“I’m sure he values your friendship, Petyr.”
“Thank you but I’m not finished. He is a great man and a great dragon, perhaps the greatest. He calls to mind stories of the greatest heroes, heroes of man and heroes of wyrm.” I smile and then he says something that floors me. “And I have watched him over the last year. I have watched as Aiden has transformed into twice the man and twice the dragon he was before. You have transformed him from remarkable to…” He can’t finish, and I see a tear rolling from the corner of his eye.
I step close and kiss his cheek softly. “Valentia will not harm me,” I say, “and I go to see the Ancient One because all of what you have seen has led to this moment.”
He nods and says, “I cannot help you once you enter the caverns. There is no help available.”
I smile softly and say, “Valentia will be my help.” I don’t think my words give him any real reassurance but I do think my confidence comforts him slightly. That’s good because my confidence is all bluster and not real. Oh, I don’t know that I’m afraid Valentia wishes me harm. Nonetheless, there is something about even the sight of him that filled me with trepidation at the sight of him, an imposing nature that, I’m sure, is a human reaction to the sight of such a creature. Perhaps it is not just the human reaction. Perhaps a dragon, too, would tremble in awe at the sight of him.
We step into an elevator and after a moment, I realize it is descending quite far. “Where are we going, Petyr?” I ask.
“Miss Fischer,” he says, “there are only two ways to reach the Ancient One. You must either fly to the cave some distance away or descend into the caverns here.” Suddenly I understand his fear for me. The distance I will need to travel beneath the ground is significant. He can see on my face the realization. He says, “We can ascend and perhaps you can all Prince Aiden.”
“No,” I say, “this cannot wait.”
Of course, if I am lost in a cave that extends for at least two or three miles (and that’s just one direction) hundreds of feet below the ground, there will be waiting regardless.
* * *
Aiden
Sedatives and the like don’t work well on dragons. Like alcohol, they have a very short lifespan. When I feel the needle in me, I react but the short lifespan is all it takes for me to lose consciousness and Brantley and Amelie are ready for that. When I wake—and it can’t be more than four minutes or so—I have manacles on my arms and legs.
I should say right now that if I shift, the manacles will be destroyed. It’s an easy escape when dealing with humans but with dragons, it’s an altogether different idea. The reality is physical confrontations with dragons, even weak dragons, are so deadly that it’s not only a last resort but, for the most part, an unthinkable resort.
It isn’t talked about much these days but dragons have long memories. There is a geopolitical theory that was quite important from the 1950s until about 1990 when the Berlin Wall came down. MAD. That stands for Mutually-Assured Destruction. MAD emerged during the Cold War, primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union. It refers to the strategic balance achieved through possessing nuclear weapons capable of inflicting catastrophic damage on each other. Under this concept, both sides understand that any attack would result in their own annihilation, creating a powerful deterrent against initiating a nuclear conflict. Many political theorists believe that’s the only reason there wasn’t a nuclear war. Both the Soviet Union and the United States knew a nuclear war would result in the destruction of both sides.
During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union engaged in a tense arms race as they sought to secure their positions as superpowers. This rivalry fueled the development and deployment of more destructive nuclear weapons and delivery systems. The introduction of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and bomber aircraft increased the range, accuracy, and flexibility of nuclear arsenals. As a result, MAD became a central tenet of nuclear strategy.
The reasoning behind MAD is rooted in the assumption that both sides are rational actors, acting in their self-interest. It rests on the belief that the catastrophic consequences of a nuclear conflict would outweigh any perceived benefit of initiating an attack. In essence, it suggests that an aggressor nation would face an assured response, which would inflict unacceptable harm on its territory and population.
To reinforce MAD, both parties needed a survivable nuclear arsenal, ensuring that even after a devastating attack, they could retaliate. This led to the development of second-strike capabilities, such as submarines that operate silently and undetected underwater. The doctrine of mutually assured destruction relies on the idea that deterrence stems from the fear of escalation and an understanding that no side can emerge victorious from a nuclear war. The concept of MAD had a significant impact on international relations during the Cold War. It set the stage for strategic stability by creating an equilibrium of power, preventing either side from seeking a decisive advantage. While fierce competition persisted, the recognition that a nuclear battle would lead to mutual devastation introduced a cautious restraint on both parties.
Although the Cold War era has ended, MAD continues to shape global geopolitics. The concept has been extended to other nations that have developed nuclear capabilities, such as China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. These countries are now part of the MAD framework, creating a complex web of deterrent relationships. Consequently, the continued adherence to MAD principles serves as a crucial factor in preventing the use of nuclear weapons in the present day. MAD continues to shape international relations and plays a vital role in preventing nuclear conflict.
We dragons have lived with the concept of mutually assured destruction for millennia. There is no question in my mind that I could kill Brantley and Amelie. I could kill both of them together. Nonetheless, were I to do that, I would very likely be mortally wounded. In ancient wars, an army of dragons would win a decisive victory against another army of dragons but the losses for the victor would always be staggering.
