Dawn Of Prophecy

Chapter 2-2

Fourteen and a half seasons ago Ocelot and Claskan waited outside Ocelot and Emareth’s chambers. They spoke little as the sound of Emareth’s pain filled the halls. “The green dragons will take care of her.” Claskan reassured his friend.

Ocelot’s head rested on his breast as he inspected some point on the ground. He slowly nodded and said nothing. Each of her screams were like metal claws running against a metal surface.

They stayed this way for several hours. Listening to the pain but knowing that everything was still fine because of the screams. It wasn’t until everything went silent that Claskan looked at Ocelot. Pride started filling Ocelot’s face and they rushed to the door.

Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw as the door swung in. The child was silent, but alive. The green dragons lay in heaps as though they were shoved away from the Queen.

The Queen herself was unconscious, her lower half a bloody pulp. Claskan watched as Ocelot screamed in terror, rushing to her side. “NO!” Ocelot shouted over and over, gripping Emareth’s hand, unintentionally crushing the brittle bones within her skin.

Claskan continued watching the scene play out before him as he realized he wasn’t moving. He was frozen to his spot and could not speak or scream like he wanted to. His piercing bright green eyes stared on in rabid disbelief as the King fought to wake the dragon he loved.

Moment after moment he tried to will himself to look away from the pain and suffering and reach a green dragon. He only wanted to wake them from the hell that stood present and accounted for before him. Still, he could not move.

Ocelot shook the Queen feverishly, yelling at Claskan to do something. The pleas fell on deaf ears as a green dragon finally stirred to his left. The dragon rushed to the King, begged him to release her and yelled for his companions to help the Queen.

The others moved as quickly as they could to the Queen causing Claskan to finally stir of his own volition. Never had he frozen in even the most frightening situations. He had been pinned down on Stelladahn, the undead jabbing their swords at him, biting at his flesh as he struggled to push them away from him. Still, he wasn’t frightened.

The Queen laying on what looked like her death bed wrenched at his heart. The bed was crimson, and the once white sheets ruined. He couldn’t believe his eyes as he tried to grab her other hand, only to be shoved away by green dragons trying to do their work. The dragon shoving him away yelled at him in slow motion to Get him out of here and Claskan didn’t know who the dragon was speaking to.

He exited the room, shock still filling his entire being, Claskan fell to his knees. He loved Emareth as a sister and felt the loss Ocelot was likely feeling all the same. Tears fell from Claskan’s eyes as rivers of salty liquid poured down his face. She was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, waahh, aaaaaah.” The infant finally cried out, distracting Claskan from his woeful tears. His eyes grew wide as he realized the child survived. Though tears still fell, he was relieved.

Claskan stood and walked to the door. The child still cried, but a commotion had begun in the room. Someone was yelling, their voice dulled by the thick stone walls and wooden doors that he leaned his head against to try and listen better.

Two people were yelling, one was Ocelot, he could tell by the higher pitched voice. The other was deep and attempting to sooth the King. Claskan turned the latch and pushed the heavy wooden door inward once again.

Ocelot had pulled his sword from its scabbard and held it at his side. His face was red and Claskan figured it was both from anger and grief. The green dragon stood calmly with his back against the wall. Ocelot was pushing the dragon into the wall every time he didn’t get an answer that he wanted.

“What do you mean you can’t help her? You’re a green dragon. Your kind can raise the dead. FIX HER!” Ocelot screamed at the green dragon.

The fat faced dragon stared back at the King, his extra chin jiggling slightly as Ocelot bounced the dragon against the wall. He understood the King’s anger and sadness for the loss of his bond mate. “Sire I swear to you if there was something I, or any of us, could do we would.” He stretched his hand toward the pommel of the King’s sword.

Ocelot moved the sword back slightly, causing the green dragon to retract his own hand. His face was lost in thought for a moment. “Your people can fix her.” He reiterated. Ocelot was fixated on the dragon’s throat in front of him. The look on Ocelot’s face seemed to say he wasn’t seeing the dragon in front of him.

The sword flashed and the dragon at the wall grasped his neck and fell to his knees. His head crashed to the ground as his body remained in its seated position. Claskan rushed to the King, hand stretched out to subdue him. The King quickly turned. The sword was pointed at Claskan’s throat.

“Don’t tempt me.” He said, eyebrows raising in unison. “You!” he yelled at one of the other green dragons who coward on the floor. “Fix her.” His voice fell as his eyes shifted to the dragon.

She cried out as she stood. “I haven’t any other options than he did.”

“AND WHY NOT?” The King screamed out. His face took on a shadow as his body was enveloped in mist.

The green dragon collected herself, smoothing down the dark green dress she wore as she collected her thoughts. “Under normal circumstances we could save her.” She replied while wiping tears from her eyes. They fell to the bloody corpse that lay behind the King as a pool of red formed around the dead dragon.

“Clearly something happened.” Claskan interrupted. “We came into a crazy situation that neither of us have seen before Ocelot.”

“You will address me as Sire.” Ocelot demanded. Spit flew from his mouth. All the while the newborn child cried.

“Sire. We both saw the state of things.” Claskan finished.

“What happened?” Ocelot demanded.

The green dragon again smoothed her dress. It seemed to be the only thing keeping her from crying out and becoming inconsolable. “Everything was proceeding as planned. The Queen had nearly pushed the child out when the child emitted a bright white light.” Her tears fell again as her eyes focused on her former colleague’s body again.

“Gather your wits or I’ll do the same to you.” The sword still hung in the air at Claskan’s throat.

“We were all pushed away by some sort of magical force and fell unconscious. At least I did. You saw the rest of us sire.”

“Explain it to him.” Ocelot growled at her.

She turned her attention to Claskan. “Well, you see sir, we tried to implement our healing magic. We tried each of us individually and then all three at once. Nothing would heal.”

“Nothing? You couldn’t even heal a minor cut on her if there were any?”

“Her body rejected our magic. It’s almost as if there’s something stopping it, a barrier almost.” She began crying again and turned back to Ocelot. “Please don’t kill me.” She begged.

Ocelot smiled. “I won’t kill you.” He claimed as the black mist that covered his body dashed to her.

The mist snaked its way into her mouth and nose and entered her body. Tears stopped falling as she raised a hand to her own throat and gripped tightly.

Claskan watched as the green dragons' eyes began to bulge, and her breath slowed. Not once did she cry out in pain or beg for her life. As the skin of her neck began folding over her own hand and she fell to her knees.

With one final gesture her face turned to Claskan and her bloodshot brown eyes met his own. Her mouth opened slightly as the final signs of life faded and her skin turned a sharp white. Still her body sat there, staring at Claskan, accusing him for not stopping the mad King.

“You didn’t have to do that!” Claskan screamed as the mist left her body. The sword inched closer to his throat as he watched the mist split and disappear into the other two green dragons.

“I have to purge their kind from further damning our people.” Ocelot said quietly. “They rob us of our home. They refuse to save my beloved.”

As the last two green dragons stared in horror at Claskan, life disappearing from within, Claskan realized there was no coming back from this. “Please let them go.” He begged. “Take my life instead. I would rather not live in a world where my friend kills the innocent.”

Ocelot smiled at Claskan. “You will live in a world where your King is your King, and you will do as your told.”

“You trained me to withstand your magic, or have you forgotten?” Claskan asked sharply.

“There are other ways to make you do as your told.” He said as the last two green dragons accusing stares rested upon Claskan. “Send in four of your red dragons. Each of them takes a body to the roof and burns it. No remains are to be left there, simply throw them over the side.”

Claskan stared at his once friend. So much of him was no longer in the vacant stare. His dark grey eyes simply stared through Claskan. His friend was no more, and this incident would be swept under the rug.

Still Claskan nodded, shaking from anger and sadness and backed out of the room. As the door closed before him Ocelot turned toward the Queen, who still lived somewhere within herself, and looked down at the crying child. The door latched with an echoing click and Claskan turned around.

At first it was mourning. Everyone expected Ocelot to mourn his bond-mates passing. At some point it changed from sorrowful mourning to unexplainable anger. Claskan never understood how Ocelot could blame the child for her death, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the child’s birth.