Chapter 19

19

EIRIAN

I stood in the center of the Great Hall, my mind reeling as I watched the scene unfold before me. The ancient Stone Sentinels, guardians of Dracaria for millennia, had crumbled to dust. In their place, tiny dragons fluttered and chirped, their scales shimmering in the light of Dracarian stone.

This was not what I had expected. This was not what any of us had expected.

The Seer's vision had been correct in one sense - dragons had indeed been awakened. But these... these were not the majestic beasts of legend. These were infants, newly hatched and barely larger than a baby.

How were these diminutive creatures supposed to fight the Void? The very thought was absurd. We needed the power of fully grown dragons, their ancient wisdom and formidable strength. Instead, we had a nursery of flying lizards.

I watched as the earthlings - Aria, Christopher, Zephyr, and the others - fawned over their new companions. Their faces were alight with wonder and joy, completely oblivious to the catastrophe that had just occurred.

Aria's dragon, a shimmering white creature with iridescent scales, nuzzled against her cheek. She laughed, the sound echoing off the cavernous walls of the hall. It was a beautiful moment, I had to admit. But beauty would not save us from the encroaching darkness.

My mind raced, trying to make sense of what had happened. The prophecies had spoken of awakening the dragons, yes. But we had all assumed... no, we had been certain that it meant the return of the ancient ones. The giant beasts whose very breath could reshape landscapes, whose wings could stir hurricanes.

Not these... these hatchlings.

I felt a headache building behind my eyes. What would I tell the council? How could I explain that our last, best hope against the Void was now a clutch of newborns?

The tiny dragons were growing bolder, testing their wings. They fluttered through the air, chasing each other in playful loops and spirals. The earthlings watched with delight, completely entranced by the aerial display.

I, on the other hand, could only see the potential for disaster. These creatures had no control over their abilities, no understanding of the power they wielded. It was only a matter of time before-

A bright flash caught my eye. Two of the dragons, one a deep sapphire blue and the other a burnished copper, had begun to tussle in midair. Sparks flew from their clashing claws, growing brighter and more intense with each passing second.

Suddenly, a bolt of electricity arced between them. It was wild, uncontrolled - and headed straight for Aria.

Time seemed to slow. I saw Aria, still focused on her own dragon, completely unaware of the danger hurtling towards her. I saw the looks of horror dawning on the faces of her companions as they realized what was happening.

I didn't think. I acted.

In an instant, I shifted. My body elongated, scales erupting across my skin. Wings unfurled from my back as I launched myself across the hall.

I reached Aria just as the bolt was about to strike. I threw myself between her and the oncoming attack, and the electricity slammed into my side. Pain seared through me, but I gritted my teeth, focusing on absorbing the energy with my own magic.

The hall fell silent. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I slowly straightened, my scales still smoking slightly from the impact.

Aria stared up at me, her brown eyes wide with shock and... was that gratitude? Her white dragon chirped anxiously in her arms.

I wanted to ask if she was alright, but in my dragon form, speech was impossible. Instead, I lowered my head, meeting her gaze with what I hoped was a reassuring look.

Concentrating, I began to shift back to my human form. My scales receded and my wings folded back into my body. As the transformation completed, I stood before Aria, completely naked.

Aria's cheeks flushed a deep red, and she quickly averted her gaze. I barely noticed, unconcerned with my nudity. What did concern me was the confusing swirl of emotions I was experiencing.

Why had I reacted so instinctively to protect her? Yes, I was responsible for the safety of all the earthlings, but this... this had felt different. More urgent. More personal.

"Are you alright?" I finally managed to ask, my voice rough.

She nodded, still not meeting my eyes. "Yes, thanks to you," she said softly. "You saved me."

Her words stirred something in me, a warmth I wasn't accustomed to feeling. It was... unsettling. Was this one human, this tainted one, somehow getting under my skin?

As soon as I'd thought the words ‘tainted one', guilt hit me. I'd been with them often, helping them train, watching them grow, seeing them interact and even chatted with them.

And there'd always been an odd fascination with Aria, the weakest of the bunch, and yet she always tried her hardest despite being a human. She'd also been the first to feel the dragon calling to her, to her ancient blood. Why was she so… intriguing?

I pushed the thought aside, focusing on the more pressing matters at hand. "We need to get these dragons under control," I said, my tone more brusque than I'd intended.

As if on cue, one of the Dracarians rushed forward with a robe, which I donned quickly. Aria seemed to relax slightly once I was covered, finally looking up at me fully.

The gratitude in her eyes was unmistakable, and for a moment, I found myself at a loss for words. This was not how I had expected this day to go, in more ways than one.

I noticed the werewolf she spent much time with rushing to her side with his dragon perched on his shoulder, asking her in hushed tones if she was truly okay.

Clearing my throat, I turned to address the entire group. "The Trial of the Stone Sentinels is concluded," I announced. "But our work is far from over. We must now learn to work with these... unexpected arrivals."

As I spoke, I couldn't help but glance at Aria once more. The way she cradled her dragon, the fierce protectiveness in her eyes - it stirred something in me. A feeling I couldn't quite name, and wasn't sure I wanted to examine too closely.

The other earthlings gathered around, their baby dragons perched on shoulders or cradled in arms. Christopher, the werewolf, stood protectively close to Aria, his own earth-toned dragon mimicking its bonded's stance. I felt an irrational flicker of annoyance at his proximity to her.

Zephyr, the fae, approached with his silver dragon fluttering around his head like a living halo. "What does this mean for the war?" he asked.

I sighed as I glanced around at the baby dragons. "I don't know," I admitted. "This is... unprecedented. We'll need to consult the Seer."

"But they're so small," Lydia, the shifter, said softly. Her water dragon was curled around her neck like a living necklace. "How can they possibly help us fight the Void?"

It was the question we were all thinking, the one I'd been grappling with since the moment these hatchlings emerged. "I don't have an answer for that," I said, hating the uncertainty in my voice. "But they are dragons, regardless of their size. There must be a reason they've appeared in this form."

At least, I could only hope.

As if to punctuate my words, Aria's white dragon let out a tiny roar once more. It was more of a squeak really, but the sound reverberated through the hall with unexpected power. The other dragons responded, their voices joining in a chorus that seemed to make the very air vibrate with potential.

For a moment, I allowed myself to hope. Perhaps there was more to these creatures than met the eye. Perhaps their small size belied a greater power, one that would reveal itself in time.

But hope was a luxury we could ill afford. The Void was encroaching, and we needed solutions, not maybes.

"We'll need to adjust our training regimen," I said, my mind already racing with plans and contingencies. "You'll need to learn to work with your dragons, to understand and harness their abilities."

"And what of the Void?" Ossian, the vampire, spoke up. His black dragon was perched on his shoulder, watching quietly with its head low. "We can't simply wait for these hatchlings to grow up."

He was right, of course. We were running out of time, and now our timeline had been thrown into complete disarray.

"We'll continue with our original plans as best we can," I said, trying to project a confidence I didn't entirely feel. "Your elemental training will continue. And we'll work on integrating the dragons into our strategies."

As I spoke, I noticed Aria's dragon watching me intently. For a moment, I felt as though I was being measured, judged by this tiny creature.

The sensation was unsettling, to say the least.

"For now," I continued, shaking off the strange feeling, "we need to get these dragons settled. They may be small, but they're still powerful beings. We can't risk any more... accidents."

As if on cue, one of the dragons - a fiery red one bonded to one of the others - sneezed, sending a small fireball careening across the hall. It dissipated harmlessly against one of the stone walls, but the message was clear. These creatures were dangerous, even in their infant state.

"We'll set up a nursery of sorts perhaps," I considered. "A safe place where you can bond with your dragons without risking damage to the Keep or yourselves. Or maybe we'll organize magic to dampen their own," I mused. "For now, you will remain here with your dragons, I will send more Dracarians down to help manage their magic and elements while we figure this out." It sounded like a better option to use magic than trying to put together a nursery and somehow stop them from burning the Keep down.

As the group focused on their new dragons while I contemplated our next step, I found myself once again drawn to Aria. She was speaking softly to her dragon, her fingers gently stroking its iridescent scales.

I approached, careful to maintain a respectful distance. "How are you feeling?" I asked, surprising myself with the gentleness in my tone.

She looked up, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Overwhelmed," she admitted. "But... excited too. I never imagined I'd be caring for a baby dragon."

I nodded, understanding the sentiment. None of us had imagined this outcome. "It's a great responsibility," I said. "These creatures... they're unlike anything you've seen before. The bond you share with them could be the key to everything."

"I never thought we'd actually be bonded with them. I can feel it, in some strange way, like we're connected." Aria's smile widened, and I felt that strange warmth in my chest again.

"We had our suspicions that you would become bonded with them, but we weren't sure," I admitted. "Now, I need to go speak with our Council. I will come back once I know what our next move is."

"Okay." She nodded and turned away, entirely focused on the little beast in her arms.

As she walked away, I found myself watching her go. The way she moved, the quiet strength in her bearing - it was captivating in a way I hadn't expected.

I shook my head, trying to clear these confusing thoughts. I had more important things to focus on. The future of Dracaria hung in the balance, and these infant dragons, miraculous as they might be, were still not the solution we had hoped for.

My gaze moved to Elowen nearby, who looked up from inspecting a small green dragon with one of the earthlings. She arched a brow at me, having noticed my moment with Aria, clearly.

Not that it was anything she'd really care about. We knew where our loyalties lied, and how our lives were set once this war was over. If we survived.

"Stay with them, make sure no one gets horrendously injured. I'll speak with the Council."

She nodded, not arguing about her presence being needed at the Council.

"They're awakened, we need to focus on that and stay hopeful," she said, and I sighed.

And yet, as I turned to leave the Great Hall, I couldn't shake the feeling that something fundamental had changed. Not just in our plans, not just in the nature of our fight against the Void, but in me as well.

Whatever lay ahead, one thing was certain - nothing would be as we had planned. The dragons had been reborn, not awakened, and with them, the future of Dracaria had been irrevocably changed.

For better or worse remained to be seen. And my unexpected reaction to Aria... well, that was another mystery to be unraveled.