Draco Argenteus

         In the darkness she could hear the voice, only recently had she begun to recognize who spoke. They had never met, yet she knew so much about him from listening to him talk. He was interested in power above all else and had refused several large sums of money for the item in question. She had not yet figured out what the item was but knew it was precious to him. He spoke at length about the item, describing it's rarity, the age, even the color, size and weight.

         Lately there had been a lot of new voices, who all seemed to revere the item. They spoke to the man as if he were some sort of holy leader amongst them. He had them polish the item, ensure that it was at the proper temperature. He sent them on errands of all sorts, bringing candles, food, charms, even magical books about the item. He would often read from some of these books, though they were filled with words she did not know.

         She listened intently now as he spoke to one of the younger men, she knew he was young by the sound of his voice and the way he deferred to the familiar voice. His name was not known to her, they all called him 'Caretaker'. The other voices were referred to as 'believers', 'acolytes', 'brother' and 'sister'.


         “When will the glorious event occur Caretaker?”

         “It will happen very shortly, assemble the believers.”

         “How can you be so sure?”

         “I am the caretaker, I have not taken the position lightly. A great deal of research has revealed the truth of the legends. Only during the full moon of the seventh month when the temperature is kept at two hundred degrees. If these simple conditions are met, only then will we see our god. In just under three hours we will witness his coming for the first time in hundreds of years.”

         “I will assemble our brothers and sisters with great haste, none could bare to miss this blessed event.”

         There were footsteps as the two left and she was alone yet again. She was beginning to get restless. She wanted to go out and see what was happening. She wanted to witness this event they were talking about. It annoyed her that she was stuck in the darkness with an imminent great event.

         In the darkness, she lay wondering who the god was that they were talking about and what the item was that they were so passionately hoarding. It must be something extremely valuable to have turned down such large amounts of money. She decided that once she had found a way out of the darkness that she would claim this item for her own and woe to the ones who stood in her way.

         The hours passed by quickly, she napped for most of it until disturbed by the voices again. The Caretaker was close, she could hear him clearly, while the others stood some distance away. The others were very loud, judging by the volume there must be many of them. Perhaps it would be in her best interests to wait in claiming the item, at least until she measured their strength. The crowd grew louder at the words of the Caretaker.
         
         “My brothers and sisters, the time draws near. We will witness the dawn of a new era of mankind. No longer will we meet in secret, worrying how others think us insane. No longer shall our god be called mythological, no more shall his name be blasphemed by the ignorant for their own profit. Only mere moments from now will we be vindicated.”


         The group of people cheered so loudly, it echoed in her ears. Enough of this nonsense she thought, I'm going to see what all this fuss is about. Stretching her body, a slight crack of light appeared in the darkness. She moved her face up toward it and tried to peer through. She shifted her position and pushed at the crack. It made a quiet noise as the crack grew bigger. It was tough to push but soon she had managed to get her head through it.

         She suddenly realized that the crowd had grown silent. She twisted her long snake-like neck around to have a look. Stretching her back legs and unfolding her wings, the remainder of the shell fell away from her. The Caretaker stood behind her, wearing bright purple robes. A long gold sash hung around his neck with runic markings embroidered in blue thread. His hair was mostly grey with the remnants of black for his youth. His jaw dropped as he gaped at her for a few moments. She knew her kind often had this effect on people, a genetic memory from her mother.

         A smile

evil grin

curled her lips as he immediately dropped to his knees.

         “I am your humble servant my lord.”

         So she was the god they were waiting for, the item must have been her egg. A throaty laugh boiled up from within her. She was not sure how humans had changed since her mother's death, but she knew they hunted her mother. She knew too that they had hunted all of dragon-kind. Now it seemed she was considered a god among them. Looking back around she saw that all of the assembled humans were kneeling reverently.
         
         “Tell me Caretaker, what year is this?”

         “The year is thirty two of nine in the ancient calendar my lord”


         Two thousand years since her mother had passed. She was shocked at how long it had taken for her birthing. She knew from her memories that it should have taken no more than a year. She was angry now, knowing that those who had killed her mother would forever escape justice. Her nostrils flared as she tried to control her rage. She could smell the fear in the crowd, the quivered at the sight of her.

         “What is your name Caretaker?”

         “I am John Redbridge my lord.”

         “I am not a lord Caretaker Redbridge, I am lady Krystal Argenteus.”


         His eyes widened as the last word left her lips. He clearly had never met any of her kind before. She wondered how the world had changed from her mother's time. It piqued her curiosity, she wanted to know how they had become so weak over the centuries. She had many questions but none were more important to her than where she might find food.

         “Have you brought me food Caretaker?”

         “Yes my lady,” he motioned some humans who began opening a large door.


         It was filled with cattle, thirty heads at least. With a quick flap of her wings she hopped over the people and landed neatly in the doorway. The cattle mooed in protest as the predator approached. They tried to escape but there was nowhere for them to go. She opened her jaws and took the first one down, while swatting her tail at one who tried to run past her. Though dragons did not need to eat, the energy they gained from food allowed them to grow faster. This meal would ensure she reached full size within days.

         The feast was over in a matter of minutes and she lay down. The Caretaker finally made his way over to her and kneeled on the blood soaked floor.

         “What can we do to please our goddess?”

         “This stone is hard and uncomfortable, bring me gold that I might make a nest.”

         “It will take some time to acquire the riches you demand, gold is not easy to come by in our world my lady.”

         “I must rest, leave now and return when you have done as I command.”


         He bowed his head and shepherded the people out of the large chamber. She walked nimbly out of the small room and up to the alter where her egg had rested. She swatted the broken bits of shell down the steps where the people had been. Pushing the alter aside she lay down and curled her tail up to her face. She needed rest, the meal had provided her body with the energy to finish the birthing process.

***

         Krystal did not know how much time had passed when she heard the Caretaker return. He stood at the base of the steps, waiting patiently, head bowed.  He had changed his clothes and now wore something made from an unknown material. She sniffed at him, trying to determine what animal's hide he wore.

         “What is it that you wear?”

         “What, these old clothes? Just jeans and a t-shirt.”

         “What manner of animal is skinned to make these clothes?”

         “None my lady, these are man-made fabrics. We do not kill animals for clothing anymore, well most of us don't.”

         “Your words are strange, though I understand your meaning, they sound unusual. No doubt your society has accomplished many great things, bring me a bard that I might hear of your land.”

         “We do not have bards my lady.”

         “How do you pass on knowledge if not by bard?"

         “We have books, computers, tv and movies.”

         “Most fascinating, I would like to hear these computers tell me of the world. Have you brought the gold for me?”

         “Yes my lady, though it was a difficult task we managed to get quite a lot, but I fear we may not have enough, you have grown considerably larger since last we spoke.”

         “I will not grow much larger now, I will grow much more slowly as well. How long have I slept?”

         “Only a week my lady, do you require more rest?”

         “No, bring the gold, then I shall go out and see what your world has to offer.”

         “I beg you my lady, stay in here where it is safe. Dragons are only known in legends now. We have no way of knowing how the people would react.”

         “Then I shall do as my ancestors and hide amongst you.”


         Her form began to glow brightly, as she focused her mind on changing form, soon the light faded and her glistening silver scales were replaced by the dull pink skin of a human. The room seemed so much larger to her, and the Caretaker much bigger. His cheeks went crimson and he turned his head away from her.

         “What disturbs you so Caretaker?”

         “I am not worthy to look at you, my lady, especially when you are naked.”


         Krystal  looked down at herself, examining her body, all pink and fragile. Once again she focused her power and a long chainmail dress materialized, covering most of her body. It was a brilliant shade of silver, similar to her scales.

         “You may look again Caretaker, I have dressed. Now order your acolytes to bring the gold into my chamber here and escort me out to your village.”

         “As you wish my lady.”


         He called to the others and then escorted her out into a hallway. They passed several rooms before reaching a set of stairs. The staircase rose three stories, terminating at a set of double doors.  The doors lead to a small shop that appeared to be a bookstore. Several rows of books lined the shelves to either side of them. At the front he opened a door and held it for her. She stepped out into the stunning cacophony of sights, scents and sounds. Large metal carts flew past at great speeds, without the aid of horses. The smell of cooked meats, human feces, and many more unrecognizable scents were nauseating. She felt feint

Her head spun and stomach lurched

for a moment and clutched at the Caretaker's arm. He held her firmly on her feet until she regained her senses.

         “Are you feeling ill my lady?”

         “Just the stench of this land, it is offensive to my delicate senses.”

         “You get used to it, eventually you won't even notice.”

         “I doubt I can ever get used to it, though I can tolerate it for as long as required.”


         She looked around at the tall towers the humans had built. It rivaled the mountain range of her mother's memory. Loud noises could be heard, making it difficult to pick out single sounds. Krystal was utterly dazed at how the humans could live like this. She yearned for the wide open fields, the thick forests, the long mountain ranges and deep lakes she knew once existed.

         “Are there no more trees? What of the oceans?”

         “They are still out there somewhere my lady. This is just a city, and nature takes up valuable space where people could live.”

         “If you call this living. I do not wish to stay here in this place. I will retire to my den, come let us descend and plan for the future.”

***

         Several hours later, having resumed her natural form, the Caretaker left her resting on her pile of gold. She lay her head down satisfied with the results of their conversation. Krystal rolled slightly on her side, not the most regal of positions but she knew the Caretaker would be gone for at least a few hours given the task she had assigned him. The amount of gold they had obtained was sufficient for a small bed but she had demanded more from the followers. The waiting for things was the only thorn in her side. Everything she demanded required a delay of some sort. If she was a goddess to these humans, then why must she continually suffer their delays? Better to have no servants than to suffer incompetent ones.

         She rolled

  with a wide toothy yawn

onto her back, gold trinkets rattled as she shifted her weight. Yes, it was time to motivate these humans. Since there were none strong enough to challenge her, she would see to it they learned their place. A noise disturbed her thoughts, with a quick thrust from her wings, she righted herself and glared at the intruder.

         “Who dares disturb my rest?” came her angry roar.

         “It is I mistress.”

                   The younger voice she had heard from with the egg. He was kneeling before her with his head bowed, wearing clothing similar to that of the Caretaker. 

         “Why have you entered my chamber little thing? Is my food here? more gold? What have you brought for me?”

         “No mistress, I have come to request a favor. My fiance would like to have you preside over our wedding. Would you do us this great honor?”

         She stood to her full menacing height and snaked her long neck so that her face was inches from his body. Krystal’s head was slightly larger than his entire body. She could smell the fear pouring off him in waves. His fragile limbs trembled violently as her hot breath burst from her nostrils. Steam flowed forth around him from the heat of it.

         “I am not your pet, here to do tricks for you. I am your goddess and you will bend to my desires.”

         "HEAR

Her voice increased to a thunderous bellow.

ME NOW HUMANS! I AM POWER! I AM DEATH!”

          With a quick snap of her giant maw she bit the torso from the young man. His legs fell with a sickening wet thud.  A large group of the believers ran through the door. She spat the torso across the room. It flew into the first few entering men, knocking them sprawling back through the door.

         Deliberately Krystal advanced on the now fleeing believers. Screams echoed through the underground chamber. She pulled the phlegm from the back of her throat and spat. A large fireball streaked into the hallway beyond the door. It exploded in a fiery inferno, engulfing everyone in its path. Burnt flesh filled her nostrils as thick black smoke filled her vision. The very stone of the walls boiled in the unnatural flame.

         A low rumble built until the foundation of the building shuddered. Stone began to crack and pop as the magical fire seeped into the structure. Molten rock dripped from the ceiling as the shudder intensified into a violent shaking. She shrunk away from the doorway, her mother's fire had never been that powerful. The ceiling collapsed and dust filled the chamber. As it cleared she could tell the way to the surface was now gone.

         In the darkness she could hear the voice, only recently had she begun to recognize who spoke. It was the voice of the Caretaker, he would find a way to release her and then they would all suffer. Krystal lay down on the pile of gold and savored the taste of the young man's blood. She would sleep until he came for her.