The Dragon of Time: Gods and Dragons (27 page)

Only breaths resounded. Thoughts were driven
from the mind. Scar’s men were alone with the emptiest feelings of
shame, betrayal, fear, hatred, and defeat. Such a silence prevailed
for moments.

“I wet myself,” Delton finally volunteered in
a faltering tone.

“Don’t feel bad,” Marlayne heaved. “You’re
not alone.”

She took a few awkward steps before
collapsing onto her seat, her head in her hands. None of them
wanted to look at one another. There was little to say, and none of
them really knew how to begin.

“Ylithia,” Scar whispered. “You saw this once
before?”

“Yes,” she whispered back. “When I first
arrived and chased out the others, I ventured in here to have a
look. Mekosh had commanded it, not that I needed any further proof
of who the Gods were and who the Dragons were, but…I thought that
maybe I should let others see. Mekosh said no, that anyone else
would say it was magic, and that they would destroy the only
remaining memory of Alduheim just to hide themselves from the
terrible truth.

“Then he told me to wait for you, and to kill
you, and that it would be the only road to salvation for humanity.”
They looked upon one another by faltering torchlight. “I waited for
so long. Hungry and tired, only my faith kept me going. Now that’s
gone…I don’t know how much longer I can last like this.”

Scar looked around. Borta had sat to console
Marlayne. Shamara held Hija to her breast. N’Giwah just remained
stoic. The rest either paced nervously or stood completely still in
despondency.

“Is there more?” Scar asked.

“Not like this,” Ylithia replied. “Just books
and pictures, but you’ve all seen that already.”

“Listen,” Lortho started and almost
immediately petered out. Scar looked at him with a sort of sad
smile. He coaxed the shieldman with a motion of the eyebrows to
continue. Jayna rubbed the plates over her friend’s shoulder, and
he finally spoke up. “I, I know I’m probably not speaking for
everyone, but all that proves, if it is real, is that Dragons
existed. I mean….”

“What are you saying?” Scar accosted. “They
clearly announced their names.”

“No, I heard it too,” Lortho said. “But we
don’t know what else they were saying.”

“They were saying that the Gods had taught
them how to defeat the Dragons, and Drac claimed that men could
never kill them,” Scar clarified. “Then they announced the coming
of Naga, the water Dragon and Mireu, the wind Dragon.”

“You know the Dragons’ words?” N’Giwah asked.
“Who are you?”

Scar frowned and shook his head before
looking to Ylithia as if she might provide some insight. Of course
she did not know any more than he himself. She tried to comfort him
with a smile that never fully materialized.

“Well…let’s get out of here and regroup on
the surface. I assume we can start a full exploration after some
rest,” Scar suggested.

“Yes,” N’Giwah replied. “Besides, we will
want to show this to the others…and then maybe…who knows?”

“Hold,” Delton said. “Please.” They all gave
him their attention. “If you speak the truth, if you both speak the
truth, what does it mean? Gilgamesh has lied to us?
Kulshedra…Kulshedra is a Dragon?”

Scar vacillated and turned his lips inward
for a second before saying, “I don’t know. This display was as much
a shock to me.”

“We should move before it starts up again,”
Ylithia claimed.

Scar nodded and helped to escort the others
out. Ezlo’s torch smoldered and died, so Jayna lit one from her
travel pack. The fresh light radiated over the stone figures of
Gods. She glanced at the eight statues, and then they all made
their way back to the corridor. Of all of them, Marlayne and Hija
looked the worse for wear.

During the hike back, while passing the
storage rooms again, several questions began formulating in Scar’s
head. It was certainly strange enough that he understood the
language of Alduheim, and that did seem to coincide with
Gilgamesh’s claim regarding his origin, but there was no
discernable reason for comprehending Drac’s threat, or what it
meant.
You can never kill Dragons…that stone, though, I’ll bet
that was a Dragon gem.

“Everyone,” Scar asked for their attention
while they strode along. “We should take a moment to talk this out.
What we’ve just witnessed cannot be cast aside as a strange
occurrence, though that is what it was, certainly. I mean, I’m as
shaken by all of this, believe it or not. Seeing such a thing,
understanding their words, the Dragon’s words, I am more confused
than ever of who I am, of what this actually implies…so many new
questions have come to reveal themselves.”

The group said nothing. They had all been
lost in their own ruminations. Some traded glances of awe and
astonishment, others looked at their boots or the ground. N’Giwah
glanced at the mercenary. Shamara approached him and took his
enormous hand.

“You carry a strange burden, King of
Alduheim,” Shamara said empathizing with the warrior. “Do not let
that sight overwhelm you. I have been around many, many years, and
I can offer only this piece of advice; mold your own path. Listen
to your heart. Do what you will.”

Scar smiled at the wise old woman and said,
“You are right. I will certainly have to make my own way in
life.”

His words, while lost on the group for the
moment, sounded as though he had a clear goal in mind. In reality,
Scar was wondering about other implications.
If I can understand
the Dragons then perhaps I have no memory because of some intimate
ties to them.
Marlayne stopped in the hallway to catch a little
rest. Ylithia approached her and made eye contact for an
uncomfortably long time.

“Fafnirian and Tiamatish are known for their
concord in times of war,” the fallen paladin said. “Our tribe is
especially known for its logic. What do you make of these Dragons
now?”

Marlayne looked at Ylithia, her mouth agape.
For a second, she was unable to find the proper words. The memory
of Alduheim coupled with the arduous excursion left her ready to
collapse.

Shaking the mist from her mind, Marlayne
said, “I figure this means one of two things; Longinus and his
father have either lied to us all, or they do not know of such
things, which means Fafnir, and all the Dragons have betrayed
mankind and portrayed themselves as Gods. What are we to do in such
a situation?” Her tone was rhetorical. “This has been an
overwhelming experience.”

“It is your God that is real after all,”
Borta scoffed. He was trying to laugh away his own foolishness, the
disbelief that Dragons posed as Gods. Simultaneously, he was
reasoning out a plan for the future. “All these long years,
paladins have tried unsuccessfully to teach the error of our ways,
and yet, what can we do? We are but a meager group. Our kin will
never believe us. I can scarcely believe it.”

Quietude prevailed for another moment. Eyes
turned to the former paladin.

“I’d certainly like to advise you all,”
Ylithia sighed. “What you do with your newfound knowledge is your
business. I…I.” She shut her eyes tightly. Scar knew she was
holding back tears. “My fight is over.”

The pale warrior approached her. In a
placating tone he told her that in time things would turn out for
the best. She feigned a smile.

“A sound plan is sure to come, but not so
long as we remain here,” N’Giwah affirmed. “We must exit this place
now, and gather with the others, show them this nightmare has faces
laden with scales, and gather strength. I believe some of our
tribes’ leaders may be willing to suspend their beliefs until after
having witnessed the memory of Alduheim…it is after all what they
have sent us here to discover. Now, I think, we must consolidate
under the banner of Alduheim, a new coalition of men bearing the
burden of fact- that Dragons still hold power.”

Scar raised an eyebrow acknowledging
N’Giwah’s belief that some people might already be open to the
truth. Gilgamesh did send them to find the hidden knowledge of
Alduheim, and they did find it.
Perhaps he is right to be
optimistic. Gilgamesh and some of the others will certainly want to
see these memories. Hopefully that will persuade more to join
forces. Kings can make plans from there, but I,
he looked at
Ylithia, who was receiving some food and water from Marlayne.
I
have no desire to unite these people under my banner. I want no
more to do with these damned Dragons.

“Let us make haste,” Scar stated. “We’ll
reorganize at the surface and rest there.”

They nodded in agreement and resumed
following the Tiamatish explorers. N’Giwah kept the lead. Moments
later, they were moving through the study. At that time, Hija
apologized to N’Giwah for doubting his leadership during Scar’s
fight with Ylithia. He consoled her by explaining what he had seen
and subsequently come to believe from observing the relics within
the keep as well as having heard Scar’s story of Silwen.

“I also believe there is the possibility that
Longinus, Sirokai, Gilgamesh, and Jagongo hold some knowledge on
the matter,” he added. “Perhaps their combined efforts orchestrated
the joining of our groups as a means to bring this light into the
world.”

The Kulshedrans especially appreciated
N’Giwah’s positive attitude. Without him, they were sure to fall
into depression and believe they had been betrayed, and possibly
that their king, too, was betrayed. It was too great an impact to
believe their respective leaders were purposefully misleading their
people. Gilgamesh was nothing if not fair and loyal.

They had to believe that the rulers
handpicked a few warriors to stumble across the truth and present
it. A king suddenly forsaking his God and calling it a Dragon in
the face of the masses was certain to find himself dead on his
throne for such heresy, but having foolproof evidence for everyone
in the world to see was a different matter.

“When did you start to believe to the story
of the Gods?” Pater asked Scar after proceeding through more rooms
and corridors towards the exit. “When you saw Silwen?”

The mercenary kept cadence with them and
without breaking stride replied, “I have had burning questions
since Labolas Sulas introduced me to the history of the Dragon
wars. There were thirteen Dragons, and now there are thirteen Gods;
an odd coincidence, no? When I pressed him and Draco siblings for
answers, there was nothing anyone could provide to suffice, plus I
had already fought Lovenhaad. My meeting with Silwen simply
clinched it for me.”

“Wow, I can only wonder what you have
forgotten,” Jayna interrupted. “Somehow, you must have known all
along. Even with our knowledge of the proposed eight Gods, none of
us have ever considered the Dragons posing as Gods a possibility…we
have been raised since time immemorial to believe that Kulshedra is
the God of truth, and that other tribes, well, that they are
confused.”

“We are all mystified,” Borta added. “Now is
the time to plan carefully.”

“Agreed,” Pater said as N’Giwah led them back
to the roughly hewn cavern just under the surface of Alduheim. “We
should all keep silent until Brandt reports back to Gilgamesh. Then
we will have a clear idea of what to do.”

Scar remained quiet on that topic and instead
engaged Ylithia in conversation asking after her state. The food
and water had helped her immensely and he openly volunteered that
he, too, did not require sustenance to his knowledge, but only
enjoyed it from time to time.

“I require food,” she corrected. “But Mekosh
had temporarily blessed me in order to accomplish his task. Now
that I’ve failed, my blessing is removed.
I
am human…maybe
you are more than you appear to be.”

“Please,” Scar’s chuckle betrayed a tinge of
fright. “What am I if not human?”

She shrugged, adding, “No matter to me.”

“I assure you, I am human,” he snorted. “To
boot, Silwen has blessed me in such a way that I dare not look at
another woman so long as I live,” he added in a joking tone. “I’m
certainly all man.”

Ylithia managed a laugh and squinted her eyes
at him. In the torchlight, she was a gorgeous woman of fine
features, and her fighting prowess was a boon. Whatever spell the
Goddess of Love had cast on the mercenary was ineffable.

“I am glad you fawn over me, Scar,” she
revealed ambivalently. “But I wonder where this life will lead
us.”

“It will lead us where we see fit. Each of us
now has all they need to make their own decision, and I have
already chosen a path.” Scar glanced at the rest of the crew. Some
of them nodded to him. He then added in a whisper. “I hope only
that you understand my decision once I reveal it.”

Ylithia maintained eye contact for a moment.
“I wonder if the Gods indeed had a plan in mind all along. Mekosh
certainly said he did, and Silwen certainly seems to, but I have
failed my part.”

She smiled at Scar and he returned that
smile, saying, “Don’t be so certain.”

Ylithia frowned and shrugged. “I am at a
loss, yet to travel with a group of strangers bent on revealing the
Dragons to the world is a valorous quest, for sure. I should,
however, advise you all that it will not be easy. Informing the
world of the Dragons’ lies is paramount, yes, but this whole mess
has me on edge; if the Dragons were defeated here at Alduheim, how
are they influencing the masses?”

Scar and some of the others were awestruck.
They had not made that connection and certainly wondered after a
similar fashion. Stopping briefly, they considered what little they
knew, or whether what they had been taught was even accurate.

“Silwen says the Dragons are controlling the
tribal leaders. Perhaps those Dragon gems are to blame.” Scar’s
comment frightened the group. Just a minute before, they were
optimistic that maybe their kings new something, but if Silwen
suggested they were being controlled, that posed a problem.