Dragon Guide

Chapter 4: Surprises

Surprises

Nova

It's now been three days since Rivia fell into a deep sleep. I'm starting to get worried because this entire time I have been funneling all my reserve energy into her, trying desperately to revive her. Usually, all it takes is a day. This time, though, that clearly is not the case. Gram has been kind enough to take over surveillance duties for the time being. Praise be that none of the babies have woken early. If that were to happen, we would run the risk of waking up all the whelps. Normally, that wouldn't be that big of a deal with Rivia there to calm them down. This time, well, it’s different. Rivia is out for the count.

I got up from the recliner beside Rivia's bed. I've taken to sleeping here for the past 2 days. I want to be here when she wakes up. All of a sudden, I hear the alarm blaring and the adrenaline fumes pulse through the vents in the cottage. This is an emergency measure we installed for a situation like this. Of course, when we thought of this situation, we had all expected it would be needed on the first day after the imprinting ritual and not three days later! This potent blend is not designed for mages of my lower level. I can go into cardiac arrest if I inhale too much, and so I quickly engulf my body in mana and filter out the gas in the air. I looked down at Rivia on the bed and I could see her stirring a little. I breathed a sigh of relief as she opened her eyes and looked at me, a bit disoriented. She seemed disoriented and then I saw the moment the alarm registered in her mind.

Rivia

I opened my eyes and I immediately felt a surge of anxiety course over me. A sense of urgency pumps through my veins and as I register these concerns. As I looked up, I lay eyes on Nova and watched her in confusion, as if waiting for her to tell me something, then I heard it. The high priority alarm system is active. I hurriedly sat up in the bed and threw my legs over the edge, quickly getting to my feet. I grab hold of Nova's hand as my head swings, my balance is so off! I breathed deeply and started to pull her along, making my way outside the little cabin and into the nearby woods.

"How is it that they are already up! It's just been a day! They should at least sleep for two weeks! And where is Gram?! Did he go ahead?!" I huff to Nova who in turn watches me sceptically.

"What's the matter with you?" I ask her a little defensively.

"Well Rivia, you see the thing is... you've been comatose for three days now and I was just on the verge of calling in backup," replied Nova.

"No that won't be necessary" I quickly cut her off. That's the last thing I need to happen right now. "I'm just surprised that they are awake so soon that's all".

"Yeah, I know what you mean", she replied in exasperation.

Just at that moment, I pass through the entrance of the cavern and head toward the back where all the subsections split off from the main area. When I round the corner to get into the central switchboard room I stop in my tracks and stare in surprise at the monitors all along the wall. My jaw dropped open I'm pretty sure it could touch the floor.

What I see in front of me is pure mayhem! The volume is cut off from the switchboard but I don't need it to know that the screaming inside is turbulent. I look up and see that Armin is gliding around the chamber and setting ablaze all his siblings. He is waking them one by one and shrieking at the top of his lungs. The others join in and soon there is a frenzy of fluttering wings and loud cries. Just as I am about to turn away from the monitor, I catch sight of him in the corner of my eyes, I watch in horror as Gerald grabs a hold of Raven's wings and starts to drag her down mid-air.

I don't even know when my body started to move on its own, but by the time I reached the entrance to the chambers I feel my head smash into an invisible wall. I smell the metallic scent in the air and I feel the warm liquid pour down my face and past my clavicle. s**t! I forgot about the barrier! I quickly gather my strength and pour my mana into the palms of my hands. I lay them flat against the invisible wall and push. The invisible doors swing open just enough for me to slip through and then close once again behind me.

I quickly move to the centre of the room where Gerald and Raven are in full battle mode and as I approach, they both quickly separate and snarl at me, on guard as their defensive instincts kick in. I begin to radiate dominance over everyone in the room and one by one they all land and back away into the darkness of the corners. I let out a feral snarl and engulf myself in flames that I then cast outwards in a threatening manner. I must get them under control, this cannot happen again.

Slowly I let my flames die down and then I send out a warm inviting feel into the air. Armin gracefully glides over to me and slithers up my limbs, tenderly resting his head over my injury, I forgot about that for a moment there. Tentatively he nudges the spot that is still bleeding. The exertion wasted to get them under control did not help to lessen the bleeding by any stretch of the imagination. One by one all the others follow behind and I lay down on the tablet again.

I don't really need to lay here anymore; the ritual is done but it is more convenient than laying down on the bare dirt floor. I feel so drained, I've done this before, hatch whelps, but this is the first time that I've had a flock so large. The past five times I've done so I only ever had three whelps at most. This is more than triple the highest number I've had before and even then, three seemed like a lot.

I sit up and scan the group, looking for Raven. I want to check her wing to see what kind of damage was done. I see her nestled under my arm. As I lay my hand on her back, I hear her whimper and pull back from my touch. She must be hurting a lot. I submerge her in a shower of calm and security, and at the same time, I put my hands under her belly and lift her gently. I move Ryuu off my lap and gently place Raven in his place. She burrows her head into my stomach as I gingerly reach for her left-wing. I feel a warmth on my hand and as I pull it away, I see the thick blood coating all my fingers and my palm.