The Son of the Mountain

The amber leaves covered the forest in a canvas of warm colors.

An old dragon clambered through the dense trees. Emerald-green scales stretched across his form like a collection of jewels. His talons, each sharpened over the years, sank into the mud below. A row of triangle, honed spikes ran from the base of the dragon’s head to the end of his tail. Above sullen, blue eyes, two horns raised from his head.

Raieck passed beneath trees that grazed the bottoms of the clouds. Even as the dragon tucked in his wings, he still brushed against their sides. Thousands of leaves swallowed his every step. Boulders emerged from the ground like stepping stones across an autumn sea.

Raieck stopped and plucked a leaf from his snout. With a single flick of a talon, it soared through the air and settled onto the forest floor. A crisp smell of rain followed each of the dragon's breaths.

Just past the river and a few more tree lines. Raieck recited a collection of familiar images from his memories. I’m almost there.

Raieck held little love for the North. The uneven landscape made for a more difficult journey than he remembered. Hidden stones often made the dragon stumble and stub his talons. His green scales lost their beauty beneath splashes of mud from awaiting puddles.

After a few strides past a cliffside, Raieck raised to the songbirds of the trees. He followed their feathery forms to a wave of enormous, dark clouds.

As if on cue, a clap of thunder bellowed from above and deafened the chatters of the forest. Birds fled from the trees and scattered across the branches. The air fizzled with a touch of energy.

I should hurry. Northern thunderstorms are no place for dragons, nor any being of Esserian.

Urged by more echoes of the storm, Raieck continued onward. Another stretch of crowded trees passed the dragon. Whispers of rippling water sounded from afar. Soon, he stepped onto the muddy shore of a river. In an instant, it matched that of his memories.

Rapids raced down a series of falls and vanished beneath a flurry of bubbles. Leaves drifted on top of the river’s transparent surface. Shadows of fish twirled in an endless dance atop of submerged and weathered rocks.

Across, Raieck caught the shape of three jagged marks etched into the base of the trees.

There you are.

The dragon crossed the river with little effort and entered a row of crowded trees. More marks appeared. Each aligned with those in his mind.

Their numbers soon dwindled and led him around an enormous boulder. From there, Raieck stepped into a peaceful clearing.

The soft ripples of a close lake provided a natural lullaby to the scenery. Only a few leaves lay scattered across the dirt ground as a circle of trees raised to the skies. In the center rested a bed of stacked rocks.

Raieck started into the clearing with small steps. Shallow, quick breaths followed each. Once at the foot of the pile, the dragon paused and folded his wings. He tucked in his tail and lowered to the patted, soft ground.

“I wanted to see you, my son,” Raieck said aloud. “It may be a long time before I return again. There are rumors of bad things stirring in the North. The trees whisper of it. I know little of them. Only tall-tales spun by scouts of the Western Colony."

Raieck let out a harsh chuckle and shifted his wings. "You would enjoy them. They talk of prophecies, wars to come, and the return of the Ennumira. Ha! I think they forgot those fabled magic-users perished centuries ago. Though, a part of me can’t help but be intrigued."

“I’m sorry I don’t have a story for you this time." The dragon flashed a wounded smile. "Don’t worry. I will bring a great one another day. When there is more time, and the North has eased. One of elves, strange beasts of the forests, and epic clashes of men from distant lands. Maybe, it’ll even have dragonriders. Dragonriders! Can you imagine that?”

Raieck let his gaze wander across the tree branches and delicate leaves. “These forests are truly beautiful around this time. Your mother would’ve loved to see these. Before the Age of Cerian, these lands were burnt to a smoldering crisp. Battles between the northern and southern colonies raged here, along with the human kingdoms of the East. Blood was shed. The forest; scorched to mere piles of ash. It took centuries for the land to heal. Some of the trees are even believed to have been possessed by the spirits of those that fell. That is why they grow so tall and withstand the storms."

The dragon sighed. “Forgive me. I’ve told you that old legend many times. Grant me the favor of one more. An old soul holds but few wishes for his son. You always loved those fables. How I'd awake to find you huddled beside a dwindling candle and that old scroll in your talons. Even as the moon rose and fell, there you’d be, and there you’d stay.”

“To see the excitement on your face, Igirun, as another story unfolded before your eyes. I would give everything. My duties to the colony. The West. My honor..."

A single tear fell brushed against Raieck's cheek.

"I'd forget it all."

Snap.

Raieck's head spun to the shadows between the trees. A quick, dark outline caught the his eye. It vanished behind a trunk with more broken twigs.

“Who dares intrude on these grounds?” Raieck growled and sank his talons into the forest floor. “Now, during my time of grief?! Show yourself at once!”

Not a sound emerged. Moments passed, and with each Raieck's temper grew into an uncontrollable flame. Mellow touches of the dragon's fire pricked at the edges of his tongue. He hissed as it continued to build into a blistering heat.

A strange smell brushed his nostrils. Not the twisting curls of smoke from his fire, nor the touch of the autumn air. Rather, a scent foreign to the dragon.

“My patience grows thin,” Raieck warned, "and you tread along it perilously."

A stir of leaves echoed from behind the tree. Scratches against the bark followed. Then, a soft whimper.

What in the spirits could it-

A human toddler emerged from the shadows.

Raieck recoiled backwards as his eyes widened. His heart stopped. The dragon consumed his fire. Smoke poured from the gaps in his fangs.

The small, human boy stumbled forward. Tattered pieces of blue clothes wrapped around the child’s body. Draped furs of foxes and deer clung from his shoulders.

A human in the North? Impossible. None have lived near these woods for generations.

Golden strings of hair bounced atop the human’s head. An innocence brimmed along the boy’s small nose and plump cheeks.

The child collapsed against the dragon's side. He raised a single, fleshy hand and braced himself. A warmth like no other grazed against Raieck's scales. Not the flesh-scorching heat of dragonfire. But a subtle, indescribable touch.

Raieck loomed over the toddler with a powerful glare. Does such a little creature have no fear?

“Who are you?” Raieck questioned. Part of him knew the child did not understand dragontounge. “What brings you of all beings here? To the North?”

A flicker sparked in the depths of the toddler’s almond eyes.

“Where are your mother and father?” Raieck asked. “Surely they brought you here?”

The dragon merely received a tiny smile in response.

Raieck snorted. A cackle of flames brushed the edges of his nostrils. “Fine. If you wish to be silent, then remain so. I will not have these last moments wasted by some lost, little human.”

More clouds rolled past and the calls of thunder neared. Whispers of the lake’s waves grew in newfound strength. A flash of lightning drew the dragon’s eyes to the farthest reaches of the storm.

The child sat still with his hand against the Raieck's scales. In those moments together, the guilt, the memories of his son’s death; all ceased beneath the touch of a human. With fingers small enough to pluck the food from between his teeth, the dragon no longer felt alone.

From the depths of the forest, the echoes of talonsteps broke through their silence.

Raieck’s head snapped to the commotion. From behind the cover of trees, hushed voices slipped through. Leaves rustled and the ground shook like faint, rapid heartbeats. Shadows of birds scurried into a panicked flight. Words poked from beneath the noise. Each wove into the threads of a common tongue Raieck knew all too well.

Dragons.

Raieck’s mind screamed with thoughts of the Inferno Accords: established laws long ago that separated the lives of dragons and mankind as a result of a great war. One, that lasted centuries and tore apart the lands of Esserian beneath fire, scales, and blood. Punishments for breaking such accords treated both sides with fair and dangerous fates. For a dragon to be seen in the company of a human child…

Without a second thought, Raieck swept his wing over the boy. The boy squeaked and poked at the cover with a finger. Whispering a silent prayer, he awaited the nearing talonsteps.

Two dragons surfaced from the trees a mere second later.

The shorter one turned with blood-red eyes to Raieck’s form. His sharp face carried a trace of adolescence along the rounder edges of his snout. Red, overlapping scales like rubies beneath the sun stretched across his form. Under his wings, lighter shades showed. Sharpened spikes ran from the end of his tail to two, spiraling horns at the top of the dragon’s head.

To his side, the other’s amethyst scales glittered. Save for beneath her folded wings, they covered all of her form. A strange elegance braced the dragon’s cheekbones beneath heavy, violet eyes. Her spikes, shorter than most at her age, curled inwards at the ends followed the length of her spine.

Two dragonets. I can’t fight them both. Together, they could tear me apart.

Another barrage of thunder echoed from the clouds above. Raieck raised and released a deep breath as they drifted closer.

Maybe, I won’t have to.

The purple dragonet followed her company’s shocked gaze. The three of them lingered on one another with speculative glares. Not a word came from either party.

After a moment of hesitation, the red dragonet spoke first.

“Who are you?" He asked. "State your business in the Forests of Labilan.”

Not a scale shifted across Raieck's snout. The dragon refused to cower beneath their heavy glares. He straightened his shoulders and raised his head.

“I am no stranger to these trees, for they know my name well,” Raieck said. “These grounds recognize the shape of my talons, and the water the taste of my scales.”

The red dragonet flashed a row of pale, dagger-like teeth. A deep, guttural snarl crept from his snout.

Stepping forward, the purple dragonet flashed an apologetic smile. “I apologize for my friend's behavior. These are dangerous times and the winds are tense. I am Sairma, Protector of Nevra."

Sairma tipped her snout to her side. “This is Gydra, Champion of the Brave.”

Gydra scowled at the dragon. He snorted as smoke curls slipped from his nostrils and teeth.

Sairma fixed her gaze onto Raieck’s. The dragonet’s eyes glowed with an uncanny interest. “And you? What is your name?”

The green dragon held onto his tongue. After a moment of hesitation and a long exhale, he spoke.

“Raieck, Wanderer of Trees."

Gydra took a second-glance at the dragon. The edges of his face narrowed and his jaw tightened. Sairma pulled back her gaze and stared at the forest floor lost, as if in deep thought.

A few gentle pokes at the underside of Raieck's wing tightened the knots in his chest. The dragon refused to shift his eyes and held steady in his posture.

Not now, child.

“You don’t happen to be the Raieck, correct?" Sairma asked. “Leader of the West? Lord of the Mountain?”

Beside her, Gydra fastened his talons into the dirt.

Raieck shifted his tail. "Many years have gone by since I’ve heard those names.”

“You’re a long flight from where you belong,” Gydra snarled.

“Those times are behind us,” Raieck said. “This is a new age of peace, is it not?”

Gydra swept his tail across the ground and scattered leaves to the side. Glints of orange flames glowed from beyond his razor maw. The red dragonet stepped forward and met an open wing from Sairma.

"The war is long over, my friend.” The purple dragonet pleaded with radiant eyes at her company. “The wounds have healed. The scars have faded."

Another poke pressed against Raieck’s wing. He clung to his breath and held still.

Sairma turned and let her eyes wander across his form. "Is something ill with your wing?"

Raieck hid his concern behind narrow eyes. “Not a thing. I’m only stretching it for the moment.”

The purple dragonet tipped her head to the side as if unsatisfied with his answer. Not a scale across the Raieck’s face stirred. He watched as Sairma turned and studied the bed of rocks.

“We’re on patrol through these forests,” Gydra said. He reared his head upwards and stuck out his chest. “If you truly are who you say you are, these lands are not kind to your history. You are not welcome here."

Raieck’s glare tightened. "Unlike some of us, I am not tempted by the past. As your friend said, the war is over. I am nothing more than an old soul, exploring the wonders of the forests. I do not seek to cause trouble here."

“Though, I can't help but wonder why two dragonets such as yourselves wouldn’t fly above the trees?” Raieck questioned. “I assume you both are on patrol, no?"

“Our responsibilities are none of your concern,” Gydra snapped.

A faint smile crossed the green dragon’s snout. "Why? Do the storms scare you, dragonet?"

"You dare insult me?"

"Is it an insult if not the truth?"

"Another word and I'll have your head."

"I'd like to see you try-"

“It’s a grave, isn’t it?”

Raieck’s blood froze. He raised to Sairma’s fixed, endless stare.

“It’s his grave," she said. A weight tugged on the edges of the dragonet’s face.

Raieck’s chest tightened with the force of a dozen boulders. His breathing grew shallow. His jaw bound itself to his snout. Yet, he held his composure. Not a blink of the dragon’s eye nor a twitch of his scales showed.

Sairma’s head inched forward. “His name was Igirun. The Son of the Mountain.”

A sense of revelation sparked in Gydra's pupils. On the dragonet’s snout, a large, toothy grin stretched across his scales.

“The Battle of the Isles.” Sairma’s eyes flickered for a moment. “Time has treated its history well. I take it you buried him here instead of the remains of Labilan. Why?”

“It’s a peaceful forest,” Raieck replied and swept his gaze to the grave. “He doesn't deserve to be near that… place.”

“And your home?” Sairma's brow furrowed. “The West?”

Raieck flared his nostrils. The scales across his snout hardened into a harsh scowl. An immense rage boiled within him. A large plume of smoke drifted from the dragon’s nostrils as he quenched the building fire in his throat.

“Careful, dragonet,” he warned. “You tread along dangerous grounds, and I grow tired of your questions.”

“I’ve read about that battle," Gydra added, unphased. He raised a single, curved talon and stabbed it in Raieck’s direction. "I know what part you played in it. My father fought for the North. He spoke of your name and your son’s all too well."

Sairma flashed a puzzled glance in the dragonet’s direction. Gydra’s smile spread farther as he turned to her.

"Oh, do you not know of the legend?” The red dragonet asked. “Everyone in the North knows of Igirun, The Son of the Mountain. How they sing in the streets of his fall from the heavens in a ball of fire and melted scales.”

Gydra shifted and met the green dragon’s stare. “Tell me, have you heard of it?"

Raieck clenched the dirt between his talons. His fangs stirred against each other. If the dragon attacked now, they would discover the child. Whatever danger awaited both of them, a clash of talons and fire would only hasten it. A pit of fear enveloped his stomach at the thought.

Why do I care about some lost, human boy? Raieck chided himself.

Gydra laughed and revealed more of his sharpened maw. "My father would love to pick at his rotting scales. What a shame his honor has been reduced to a lullaby for the hatchlings.”

“I know the real reason you didn’t bury him in the West.” The red dragonet lowered his snout to the grave. "Your king doesn’t take too kindly to failure. What was it again? Banishment, if I remember? A fitting punishment for a dragon as worthless as you."

Gydra sneered behind squinted eyes. "How is it? To be exiled from everything you sacrificed and bled for? I can imagine it’s a bit disheartening, no?”

A roar of thunder rattled the air between the dragons. Sheets of rain descended from above and splattered onto the forest leaves. All the while, Raieck burrowed his rage into the ground. He restrained himself from lunging at the Gydra and tearing him apart scale by scale.

“Come,” Sairma said at last. A small flash of pity softened the edges of her snout. “Let the lonely dragon live in the company of spirits. We have no business here, and the storm beckons."

The purple dragonet drifted to the trees behind them. Shadows crept along her form and submerged her in a cloak of darkness. Gydra followed in her steps as the rain struck his scales. He turned once and flashed his maw of sharpened teeth.

“Goodbye Lord of the Mountain. May the storm drown you in…”

The human stepped from beneath Raieck’s wing and into the lingering light.

Gydra froze in place. The dragonet’s jaw dropped and revealed his forked tongue. His eyes widened as a reflection of the child showed in their red pupils.

The boy raised his cupped palms like a chalice to a fountain of wine. Rain spilled into his hands and onto his clothes. An amused smile grew across the child’s lips as he drank from his hands.

“Could it be?” Gydra muttered.

Sairma turned with an annoyed look. Her sweeping gaze fell to the toddler. Like her friend, an incredible awe brimmed on the dragonet's face. She fastened her talons into the ground.

"Pay the child no mind," Raieck spat out. He swept his wing back over the boy. The toddler squeaked in protest. "I discovered him when I first arrived here. I have no quarrel with the humans. I am merely a victim of chance. I honor the Inferno Accords as any dragon would."

Sairma stepped forward as Gydra stared behind lifeless eyes.

“If you give us the human,” Sairma said, “we’ll tell no one about what happened here. Not a soul will know of this place or of your son’s grave. I swear it on the spirits above and below.”

Gydra settled and the awe once plastered across his face eased into a deep resolution. His features aligned and his muzzle hardened. Below, the dragonet's talons stirred with energy.

"We only want the child.”

Something’s wrong here. Raieck's heart thumped against his chest. His blood grew warm. Something very, very wrong. Is this why they were on patrol? For some human child?

With each splatter of rain against the leaves below, the dragonets drew nearer.

“This is your last chance,” Sairma threatened. A bundle of leaves a wingspan's length away separated Raieck and the boy from a certain fate. “Leave the child. Flee, and forget what you saw.”

The way they look at the human; there's something special here I’m not seeing. The colony would want to hear about this. Maybe, I'd finally be given an audience.

Raieck released a deep breath. The dragon’s thoughts settled, and he affirmed his decision. No matter if it meant life or death, the future held the reigns of his fate now.

The spirits have given me a second chance.

Better not to dwell on it.

In a flash of scales, Raieck flared his wings open and scooped the human between his talons. He lunged from the forest floor in a shower of leaves and raindrops. Rain struck against his scales like miniature needles. Echoes of the dragonet's wing beats behind him signaled their pursuit.

Vicious winds tore at Raieck’s sides and yanked on the dragon’s wings as he entered open air. He dipped, rose, and twisted in every direction. The orange trees blurred together as rain spilled into his eyes.

Far off into the distance, Raieck glimpsed the jagged outlines of the rocky shoreline. Enormous cracks of thunder shook the air. The dragon caught glances of lightning bolts among the clouds. They flickered and glowed in the darkness.

Raieck lowered to his talons. Wrapped around his largest one, the toddler clung for his life with a hand. Another rested by the human’s ear and shielded it from the barrage of noises all around. The two met for a second before the toddler tapped against his scales.

Behind him, two shapes parted the clouds.

Gydra appeared at the dragon’s side with talons raised and his face stretched into a horrible scowl. The dragonet roared and lunged for his throat. Raieck tucked his wings and dropped as talons brushed against the rows of spikes on his back.

A violent pain erupted from his underside, forcing a rageful roar. Raieck lowered to Sairma's shadowed form below adorned with strawberry-red talons. Across his stomach, three bloody wounds took the place of the dragon’s once emerald scales.

Raieck searched for his fire and incinerated the raindrops before him in an orange blaze. Sairma ducked as the blast singed the tops of her horns.

Gydra passed over him once more and latched onto the Raieck’s spikes. The dragonet flared his wings outward and beat them in the opposite direction. Together, they slowed to a complete halt as the rain poured onto their forms.

A glitter of purple scales snatched Raieck’s attention away from Gydra. Sairma’s shape reappeared from the darkness. Another flicker of lightning highlighted her bloody talons. The child tapped against the dragon's leg once more.

Raieck shook against his captor and twisted his neck. A quick blast of fire erupted from his mouth and consumed the side of Gydra’s face. The dragonet screamed out into the rain and released his talons. Trails of smoke followed his retreating form. Glimpses of melted, red scales poked between his claws.

Free of Gydra’s hold, Raieck turned his attention to Sairma. The dragon's heart sank as Sairma extended her wings and reared backwards. Her maw stretched open and revealed flickers of dragonfire.

Raieck froze beneath his certain demise. The toddler pounded with little strength it had against his talons.

In a brilliant flash, the world became white. The rain, thunder, trees; all disappeared beneath a pale curtain. The dragon’s scales rattled and the air tingled with immense energy. An enormous roar of thunder sounded from above.

Moments passed before the colors of Raieck’s surroundings returned. He watched as Sairma's lifeless form descended from where she once hovered. Smoke followed the dragonet’s blackened scales and her crooked wings. She slipped beneath the treetops and vanished from sight.

Raieck blinked through the rain and shivered. He pushed any thoughts of what remained of the dragonet back into the shadows of his mind. He lowered once to check on the toddler. The small human met the dragon’s gaze, neither joyous nor worried anymore.

They continued toward the lightless horizon. Trees soon vanished as the white-capped waves of the ocean filled the land beneath them. Enormous rocks erupted from water like dragon fangs.

Shelter. Raieck winced and glanced down to the wounds across his scales. Trails of blood stained his green stomach. Need to find... shelter.

A furious cry pierced through the dragon’s thoughts. Raieck turned too late as an incredible force slammed into his side. His breath slipped from his snout. Bones cracked somewhere along his ribs. Sharp, dagger-like objects sank beneath his scales.

Raieck roared into the storm in a fit of anguish. A soft weight left his talons. He lowered and glimpsed the child descending to the waves below. His heart sank into the depths of his chest.

The dragon rose to his attacker and found a hideous, disfigured image of Gydra returning his gaze. Half of his face still held onto the rich, red color of his scales. The other consisted of exposed and bloody flesh. Twisted strands of sinew held onto the shape of the dragonet’s once sharp jaw. Through a small hole, Raieck saw Gydra’s scorched tongue beyond.

Trapped beneath the dragonet’s talons, the two descended through the air in a mess of limbs and scales. Raieck beat his wings and tried for any control. He swiped at Gydra's throat to no avail.

“This is for Labilan,” Gydra bellowed. The dragonet tightened his hold and forced another loud howl from Raieck. "I will be celebrated as a hero of the North for killing you. My name will become legend among the colony."

Gydra's maw peeled open. Raieck's chest tightened at the glow of building flames.

In a fleet of panic, the green dragon whipped his neck to the side as a blast of dragonfire sizzled past him. His shoulder cried out with a thousand flares. Caught off-balance, Raieck reared his talons back and closed the distance between them. With a single swipe, he tore into the Gydra’s wings and sliced through their shallow skin.

The dragonet bellowed and released his hold. Gydra tumbled through the winds in a violent descent as he flapped his torn wings. He gained incredible speed and soon passed the small shape of the toddler. Shrieks of panic spilled from Gydra’s snout.

Raieck tucked his wings to his side and surrendered to the pull of the ground. Wind howled in his ears as the churns of the storm tugged on his form. The waves clashed and dark depths grew closer. The dragon winced at his underside and the slashed scales across his sides.

Faster. I have to fly faster.

Gydra relinquished a final scream before he crashed into the water. His red scales disappeared beneath the waves as the ocean consumed him. The toddler neared a similar demise with each second.

Spirits above and below, help me now.

Another roar of thunder made him flinch. Lightning danced all around him. Raieck’s body winced beneath the pain once more. Still, he held his gaze on the human.

Forget the colony. Forget my honor.

Raieck stretched his talons to their limit. His heart raced faster than ever. His breaths quickened. The ocean widened to engulf the two like an enormous beast.

There, as the boy neared the water, he raised a single hand. Reaching. Hoping.

Please, let me have this chance. Let me save him.

An inch separated the two. Raieck roared with all of his might.

Let me save my son.