Chapter 15 – Old problems die hard (1)

"We don't even know your names," Other-Fara says. "Why help us?"

"That is not what is important," the-similar-armour-girl says. "What is important is, you stay strong, when facing threats such as Rahambose. You must fight for yourself. Seize any moment of fight you get, and win it. Even when you face a friend."

Other-Fara seems clueless of what to say.

"One of the aliases I went with is… 'The bird that can fly forever'. Remember me, won't you?"

"I will never forget, I promise."

The-bird-that-can-fly-forever takes the fourth spot around the pillar, and the four of them put their hands towards the gem.

I hear a distant voice of the other person with Other-Fara, but am not able to hear it.

The four nod to each other, and purple lightning appears on their gauntlet, except the girl's, whose yellow lightning turns to dark-violet after a work-around around her gauntlets.

"Just when it was getting interesting."

"I'm sorry. It is my fault."

The lightning(s) leave the gauntlets and hitting the gem, also hits the person across them. With a gleaming light in the scene, the glowing gem turns to a stone, putting a stop to the space tearing apart.

But even the four seem to have turned to stone.

"No… wait… Sam… what happened to them?" Other-Fara asks.

"They seem to have sacrificed themselves," I clearly hear this second person-Sam, this time. "To put an end to Rahambose. That must've been the only way."

We get thrown back to Ashville, in this room, back again.

Fara sighs and picks the knife up, and safely places it on the table, while still eyeing at the stone-gem in Sam's hands. "Where did you get that?"

"Well, Max's uncle was given that, many years ago, by some dragon. He gave it to Max's mom. His mom gave it to him, this morning. And Max to me."

Fara just keeps staring, wordlessly, and finally decides to go closer, to touch it. But her fingers stops, an inch away… flinching, they move away.

"No dragon would just give such a piece, unless for their life. They must've been good friends. Your uncle and the dragon," Aster says.

"Not friend, it's the other case."

"Okay… lovely story. Let us celebrate my sister's birthday now!"

…

We sit at Ashville's canteen, while feeling tired… unknown of what to do, and nothing to talk about.

As I slurp soup, as a start of the breakfast, commotion breaks out, somewhere in the background.

"Finally," Aster says, getting up.

Last night was great. Sam's birthday and all… but in-between the cake getting eaten, we vandalized the room, and dropped Aster's plate, and broke a bottle, which fairly was not differentiable from every other bottle – as they were similar-looking, but Aster claimed it was hers, and was upset.

She was fine really. But silent. So felt a little weird too. As if she was plotting on how to get back at each of us… and being a dragon and all, she was even more scarier now.

We hurry to the lower hall, where a few dragons have transformed, and a lot more had gather around. Being with Aster, we get around to the centre.

"What in the world is happening here?" Aster asks, silencing the commotion.

"A guy. Not our guy. Was found," the red dragon at the centre speaks. "He beat my partner, the blue. And I caught him before he could cause anymore mess, mam."

"How did he get in?"

"It seems that he was brought-in, alongside me and my partner, mam," she hesitates to speak further. "You rescued us three… last night. Your team brought us three."

"So there really were only two."

"Not the time, Fara," Rusty sighs.

"It is one of the military bastards!" someone screams.

"Forties. Muscular," the dragon says, and moves her tail forward, which is holding a guy in a cloth-pouch for a man. The guy curses the dragon to fight him as a man or woman, as he was unsure.

"Put him down," Aster commands.

The cloth gets dropped, and a man gets up, forming a defensive form. Everybody points swords, and gets ready to face-

"Tar?"

"Stand down. That's the uncle," Aster sighs.

"Oh hey Max," Tar loosens up a bit. "I guess you aren't in grave danger, that's great. Then I accept to fight this red dragon to death."

"Guy, you are a pain in my tail," the dragon sighs, transforming back, into a blonde.

"Wow, didn't recognise that beautiful face, between all that," Tar says.

"Neither did I. I must go puke," the girl hurries away.

"So soon…? Oh, well."

"Uncle Tar… you followed us here."

"Hadn't died yet, sadly, so of course,"

Feeling a bit emotional, I go ahead and hug him.

"I'm sorry… to have caused danger to you," I feel tears in my eye.

"Actually, I left you and Sam in danger, and escaped, so I must be apologizing," Tar pats my back. "Now, stop crying, Elena… I'm alive."

I let go of him, and wipe my tears. "Can't be calling me that though."

"Once in a while maybe? How about you, Elena?"

"We are happy that you are safe, Tar. But no…" Sam giggles.

Aster clears her throat, and the people around us: simple start moving away.

We take Tar back to the canteen, to continue eating, after he gets something to eat too.

"Wow, dragons know how to cook. Do you use your gems for this too?" Tar asks, after completing a whole bowl of soup already.

"Please eat it slowly," Aster sighs.

Me and Sam look at each other and laugh.

"So this is the uncle," Aster points again.

"You got a problem with that, Caroline?" Sam asks.

"You had to tell them too, Farr?" Aster sighs.

"Just was making sure with them."

"So, you were-?" Aster gets interrupted by Tar.

"-Introductions first, please."

Tar seems to magically be onto his dessert now, a piece of cake from last night. Where did he get that from? Not like we didn't save any but…

"My name is Rusty, Rustizen Villers."

"My name is Fara… just Fara."

"My name is Aster," she looks at us and sighs. "Caroline Aster."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Tar, Tarragon Tahlsmen."

"So, you escaped the military?" Fara asks.

"Yes, our car activated a land mine, and fell over. I got them out, but the military came sooner. I thought blasting the car would make them go away but… they were not five year olds," Tar sighs.

"You blasted it?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"With a grenade… how else?"

"You had a grenade?!" Sam asks.

"We were about to go to one of the most powerful beings, you guys. Of course I had grenades. Expected a fight until you mentioned that your brother is a dragon," Tar shrugs. "I even tried rescuing them and all, but you guys came-in at the same time and… I got myself between the captives, after learning your area of interest."

"You could have sneaked better last night. Why now?" Aster asks.

"I'd have just done that. Everything was fine above that blue dragon. But then… someone grabbed me in their paws and gave me a ride to… wherever here is. So I fainted. And today morning I tried and… here we are."

"You got any more grenades on you?" I ask.

"Sadly no… none of the captives had belongings. I couldn't have any either. Couldn't even mix mine with your bags."

"Happy that you did not bring that with you," Aster and Fara chorus.

"Are you dragons crazy or what?" Tar gets up.

"What's wrong?"

"Look at that blue dragon, flying towards the window. It can crash," Tar looks straight out the window, as Tony flies towards here.

"She is a blue, best flyer than any. She can carry three people at once, and at high speeds, and balance those at the same rate too," Fara explains.

"Then why did the red one pick me in his paws?"

"He doesn't like to be jobless," Aster mumbles.

"Guys, danger… military incoming," Tony says, stopping right by the window.

"Almost time then," Aster says and looks at Rusty. "Time we finally end it with a truce."

"Thank you to consider that."

"We'll be ready on the ground then. They seem to be coming heavy," Tony says, and Aster nods.

"I can help. Doesn't matter to me if it is a fight or a truce. Maybe use me as a captive," Tar suggests.

"Bad idea… and better for you to stay here," Fara says.

Tar scans Fara. "I don't care about the whole kind thing. All I want is to protect my nephew, his girlfriend, her brother, and their two friends."

"Welcome on board then," Aster says, going towards the door.

"We'll come too," I say.

"No!" all of them say, without missing a beat. And me and Sam: stand there like little kids.

***

Exiting out the huge door, I find dragons already gathered there. Aster seems to make all of them turn back, by asking them to stand down.

And this way, I stand between the dragons, in their human forms. I stand besides their esteemed leader, at the forefront of the field.

Even the red and blue dragons soaring the sky come to our sides: diving in as dragons and transforming in the last moment, showing their skills.

All of us look forward, as planes land, and soldiers get down, pointing their guns straight at us.

Even the dragons hold weapons: swords, spears, and even bows, from above the castle. But they weren't tempted to flinch for the guns.

After the whole scene is set, three people walk forward, without holding any weapons.

"You guys go ahead," Rusty says.

Fara, Aster and I, walk forward too, to them.

According to the name tags… Esterine was at the right-most, Ivor Villers… Rusty and Sam's father? He was at the left-most. And at the centre… Parzival Blesthe, with a careless tag, saying only 'Parzival B'.

Covered from head to toe, the lot.

"You freaks want to talk, I sense," Esterine says.

"You are so welcome to come here, yes," Fara says.

"You think you are funny? I will laugh at your corpse, little girl."

"You know what? Forget what she said, you are NOT welcome here," I say.

"Tarragon, please do not start any of this," Parzival says.

"Technically, you people started this. Why come here though? Didn't you want nothing to do with them?"

"To end your damned kind," Esterine hisses.

"Esterine, please let us talk," Villers says.

"Tarragon, I did not know you are a dragon."

"Well, I totally knew you were a little shit though, Parzival. But your kid belongs here, Villers."

"We did not come here to fight you. Leave him peacefully," Villers says.

"Oh, all those heavy weapons and battleships are just presents? No thanks, we are stronger than your weapons anyway," Fara says.

Wasn't Aster the leader here?

"I just came here for my son… guns for the otherwise," Villers says.

"Not happening. He is a dragon," Aster finally speaks.

"I don't care!" Villers hisses.

"Then we fight to the end," Esterine seems to smile happily, like the psycho she feels like.

"There is more than that guy's kid to stop you."

"We do not need to fight, just stop this," Aster pleads.

"Girl, then let the guy's kid come with us. And we all leave you and your wretched home, alone."

"He belongs here," Fara and Aster say.

"That is not for you to decide!" Parzival says.

"So, it is this way. We go back to our positions, and so do you. And we all shout our battle cries and fight. Winner gets all, simple," Esterine says.

"I already like this one, straight forward."

"Not straight, to my luck," Esterine scoffs.

We start moving away, without exchanging anymore words.

"This is bad… can't define it any other way," Aster whispers.

"Fucked up," I say.

"So, the attack is ready, Esterine?" Parzival asks out loud.

"Of course, my guys are ready to kill each and every one of them."

Show-offs.

But right as we reach towards our side again, I hear something speeding towards the castle, and hear a blast occur somewhere on the castle's edge.

"Max and Sam!"

"Fucked up," Fara grtIts her teeth.

"Commence hell upon them!" Esterine screams over some mic.

All the dragons start transforming, and scattering.

"Don't harm the leaders!" Aster roars, as she transforms into the most beautiful red dragon I have ever seen.

"No, let's kill that one lady," I grit my teeth. "And SOMEBODY GO GET MAX AND SAM!"

I race forward.