The Tour of Dragonvale Falls

"There weren't always dragons in the valley. In fact," the old guide pulled off his rickety spectacles, huffed onto the glass, and rubbed them with a loose fold of his grey robe. "There, that's better," he muttered as he reinstated them on his long nose. "Now where was I?"

"You were telling us about the dragons!" An excited child in the entourage piped up. His mother smiled nervously and hauled him back to her by his collar.

"That's right!" Horaphitus exclaimed with a furtive gesture and a wink. He pushed his spectacles up with a long, wide knuckled finger. "Before them, we had elves." He scrunched his face. The children in the group unanimously cried with disgust, causing a snicker or two from the adults. "That's right, nasty creatures," Horaphitus shuddered. "But the fulminancers guild sorted them out. And if you look out over here you can see the tower where the first dragon was born." He pointed toward the horizon far to their right. The valley splayed out below them from their lookout point on the edge of the escarpment.

"My mum says they come from big eggs." The vocal child had escaped his mothers grasp and tugged at Horaphitus's robe.

"Then she's not wrong," Horaphitus said as he regained ownership of his robe.

"They eat eggs too," someone grumbled. Horaphitus ignored the comment. He tapped the wooden safety rail with his palms.

"If you'll follow me, we can go to the falls and if you're lucky there will be a bather or two." A few people clapped in anticipation. The young boy clamored at his mother asking what the guide had meant. "You might just get to see a real live dragon--this way." The group trundled along the path a few yards back from the long sheer drop of the escarpment. The boy picked up stones and twigs and hurled them over the edge. His mother was too engrossed in conversation to notice. Horaphitus led the group through a wooded area. The sound of the falls, subtle at first, soon made conversation difficult. The river Tay bellowed as it crashed sixty feet below. The guide waved them forward to a wooden platform with walls four feet high. The children ran to the edge to peer over. Adults gasped but Horaphitus assuaged them.

"Let them look, let them look," he leaned on the wall-top. "Well, will you look at that." The adults naturally had a keener sense of danger but even they pushed to see what had caused the reaction from their eccentric guide. Playing on the rocks, diving into the pool, gliding underwater and bursting through the falling water were half a dozen young dragons. They yelped and nipped at each other, some wrestled like writhing tentacles of a submerged beast, their bodies glistening, their colors radiant with the rainbows created by the mist and the spray. Many gasps and calls of elation ensued. Horaphitus pulled off his spectacles and cleaned them again. The boy was up on his elbows, feet off the ground, fully encapsulated.

"Look at that one!" He laughed and pointed. One of the serpents had leaped out of the water, wings pumping fanatically until another twisted itself and lunged grabbing the leaping dragon by the tail. The splash would have been loud but for the constant droning of the waterfall muffling all of the sound.

"What's your name, young man?" Horaphitus squinted down his long nose.

"Tagidus, sir. What stops them from flying up here?"

"These ones aren't strong enough yet."

"There are stronger ones?" Tagidus's eyes bulged.

"Oh of course. These ones are much like you. Quite young."

"I'm ten," Tagidus crossed his arms.

"Ah...I remember ten."

"Do you look after the dragons?"

"No, don't be silly. They look after themselves."

"Can we go down and see them any closer?"

"I think this will do for today," Horaphitus smiled and replaced his spectacles.

"You wouldn't want to be any closer." Tagidus turned to look at the gruff old man who had spoken. "They'd eat you whole."

"You said they ate eggs. I heard you."

"Bright little boy, aren't you?" The old man hesitated, processing whether he should continue. He grimaced and threw caution to the wind. "They ate all the king-crane eggs. That's what used to be here."

"What do you mean?" Tagidus asked. The old man only bit his fingernail in response. Tagidus's curiosity peaked. "What does he mean?" The boy asked them all.

"This valley--when I were your age--the sky was full of 'em." The old man spat out nail debris. "Those trees were full of nests. Beautiful birds, graceful...practically extinct now."

"Now, now," Horaphitus interjected firmly. "We don't need to bring up that--ah--unfortunate side effect."

"Unfortunate side effect?" The man broadened his shoulders. "You warlocks in your damn tower think you have all the answers; think you're above consequences; think justice ain't never gonna-- "

"And where would we be without the fulminancers guild?" Horaphitus interjected, emphasizing the last two words. "Enslaved by elves--need I remind you?"

"Those cranes were far too high a price. There were other ways. I had daughters in the aviary when you let those monsters loose." Sweat beaded on the old man's bald head. He pulled nervously at his beard.

"I see." Horaphitus stood up straight and clasped his hands together within the sleeves of his robe. Tagidus eyes darted between the two men.

"Don't get enamored with those snakes, boy." The old man gripped his beard and his eyes grew moist. "The memory of the crane riders would suffer if you all grow up thinking like that."

"Riders?" Tagidus pulled a confused face and looked at his mother for confirmation. "How big were they?"

"Some stood twenty feet high. Only a few left, now. All the males were killed by those things," the man spit over the rail. "And it's the likes of this villain that made it happen. They made those dragons and had to lure them to a place they could contain them. They couldn't control them, you see."

"Why would you let them do that?" Tagidus asked Horaphitus.

"It was an unfortunate--" Horaphitus didn't get the opportunity to finish his thought. As soon as he looked at Tagidus to answer, the man stepped forward and brusquely heaved the guide over the rail. Most of the crowd gasped, some screamed. Tagidus's face went ashen.

"That was for my daughters, you pompous old git." Even the falling water seemed subdued during the next moment of silent shock.

"As I said," Horaphitus continued. The crowd gasped again. He levitated on a nimbus of blue crackling light formed like a translucent bowl beneath him. The crackling stream emanated from his fingers. He glided up over the rail and back onto the wooden platform. "It was an unfortunate event." The angry man wrestled with disbelief and grief. His revenge had failed and now he feared retribution. He stumbled as he backed away from the fulminancer he had a moment ago been assured was plummeting to his death. The crowd parted. None of them wanted there to be any mistake that the fulminancer might think they were with or assisting this lunatic.

"That's not fair," the grieved man whispered. Then his eyes shifted as the gravity of his predicament came to his awareness. "I'm sorry," he begged profusely. Horaphitus extinguished his blue fire and put his hands on his hips. His frown accentuated his deep wrinkles. He looked at the stunned crowd and his studious gaze found Tagidus. The wrinkles softened and he sighed. He knew if he punished the fool, while completely justified, it would send a message of heartless tyranny. He decided to keep his composure, especially in front of the impressionable lad. Mercy wasn't foreign to the fulminancers, it was just very rare. This was a perfect opportunity. After all, he surmised, what was the purpose of these tours if not to win back the trust and admiration of the people the fulminancers had saved? Even after twelve years the pain was obviously unresolved for many.

"Get up, you fool." The man hesitated. Slowly he got up off his knees. "Since I was never in any danger, we will perceive this as a grief stricken moment of insanity. Perhaps you need some assistance coping with your loss. The fulminancers guild specialize in grief counsel." The man repeatedly babbled his apologies. Mortified by his actions, and mollified by the show of grace, he couldn't look anyone in the eye.

Tagidus had already lost interest in the altercation and leaned over the rail again to watch the dragons play in the water. He squealed with delight and the crowd, eager to be distracted from the previous awkwardness, moved as one to see what Tagidus had seen. A full-sized dragon had slid from the trees and was snarling at the youngsters. It noticed the sudden movement above and craned its neck. Tagidus swore it was staring right at him.

"Look at the size of that one!" It was easily ten times larger than those playing. They now seemed cowed by the adult, but the adult was incensed by the crowd near its babies.

"I believe that is the mother of this brood. It's probably wise to leave before she gets defensive." Horaphitus stated. The adults in the crowd pulled back. Tagidus pointed a stick at the mother dragon and made a crackling sound. She hissed and flared her spines that adorned her back.

"Too late!" Tagidus exclaimed. The dragon leapt. Powerful wings thrust her up, her lithe body undulated as if swimming through the air. A thin trail of smoke streamed from her nostrils. The spray from the waterfall gave a glistening glow; thousands of pinpricks of light danced on her scales. Tagidus stared in awe.

"A little help at the waterfall please," Horaphitus said. A few of the crowd looked at him as if to ask what they could possibly do against such a powerful creature. The mother dragon devoured the distance in a few strokes. Horaphitus put his hands together and then drew them out in a widening circular pattern. The bowl of blue crackling light appeared beneath him and lifted him into the air. The mother dragon arrowed toward him. It formed a malicious grin, its beige teeth wet with anticipation, and a reddish crackling light of its own began to dance between the teeth. Horaphitus made a sudden throwing motion and a single line of blue light cut the air and burst into a shower of purple sparks as it connected with the red light erupting from the dragons maw. The crowd screamed as one. They ducked and ran hoping that the sparks would not slay them. The boy, though, stood dumbstruck. He stared at the dragon. The dragon stared back. Then it howled, a sickening ear-grating sound, as Horaphitus shot it again. It reached forward, splintered the rail like matchsticks, and dug its black talons into the edge of the escarpment to prevent the blast from sending it back down to the valley.

"I said, a little help--" Suddenly four spheres of blue crackling light appeared above the melee. The spheres opened like blooming flowers to reveal four more fulminancers.

"We heard you!" The nearest yelled. "Why would you provoke her?" Horaphitus rolled his eyes at the accusation. The five blue bowl floating fulminancers moved in unison. The light shot out simultaneously. The dragon lost its grip and plummeted. Tagidus's jaw dropped. He ran to the edge, hopping over the wooden detritus. He peered down to see the dragon unfurl its wings and catch the air to swoop away over the water. She let out a shriek and her brood answered in kind and followed her.

The fulminancers landed and conferred as the crowd regained their courage. Tagidus's mother ran to him and fiercely pulled him away from the edge. He protested as she nearly suffocated him with her embrace. She let go and cupped his face, inspecting him for injury.

"Mother?"

"Yes, Tag?"

"I want to be a fulminancer!"

Horaphitus heard the exchange and nodded to himself. The others wanted to know why they had been summoned.

"My apologies, Derifans. I had a troublemaker. You see the bald one with the white beard?"

"Yes," Derifans squinted.

"Feed him to the hatchlings. Only make it discreet. Grief counsel or something or other. Oh, and the boy near the edge."

"Feed him too?"

"No. He's academy material."

"Ahh. Not a bad day then, all things considered. A thanks wouldn't hurt either."

"Of course. Thank you all," Horaphitus nodded to his peers. Three fulminancers encased themselves in blue spheres and then disappeared. Derifans went over to the old man.

"I hear you need assistance. A past grievance, I understand?"

"The guide was most gracious, he said--"

"Yes, yes. We are here to help." Derifans raised his voice for the benefit of the crowd. "You all can trust a fulminancer with your life. We only want to make things better," Derifans grinned with only his mouth. He motioned for the old man to come over. He put his arm around him and began to cocoon them both with blue light. "This won't hurt a bit." They disappeared.

Horaphitus confronted Tagidus and his mother. "I hear you have a certain desire?"

"Oh yes, sir! Please," he hesitated and looked at his mother. She seemed indifferent, but Horaphitus detected a hint of skepticism. He smiled warmly and her defenses seemed to soften. "I want to fight dragons, too!" Tagidus declared.

"Ha ha, fulminancy is much more than fighting dragons, my boy. If your mother agrees, there is room at the academy."

"Agree, mamma, agree!" Tagidus burst. She tried to wipe his hair from his forehead but he was too fidgety for her to succeed. "It's what I want the most in the entire world!"

"He wouldn't be actually fighting dragons, would he?" She asked demurely.

"Of course not. He would need years of training before anything that dangerous. He would receive lodging and food and any other amenities required during his training. It really is a great privilege."

"I'm a widow, sir. I could never afford--"

"Nonsense! We would pay you!" The other parents came closer when they heard that. "Alright everyone. Let's head back to the waystation. We can discuss enrollment back there." Horaphitus ushered the crowd to leave. He leaned over to speak only to Tagidus. The boy's eyes lit up with what he heard. He skipped the entire way back while pretending to blast every rock he saw.