* * * *
“Thank you for guiding us here! Though, how did you know where it was?” I asked. Bishop Buryan scratched his head.
“I was actually conducting my own investigations.” He waved his hands around. “This was the only part heavily guarded around the clock, with little mention of why in the official books. Though if you ask me, the vault’s secrecy is its own best protection. It looks like any other part of the basement.”
He was right, though exploring the foundations of the church was a marvelous delight. Instead of normal building materials, brilliant white crystals held the structure together, scattering the light like my eyes did.
Mother definitely made this place. The entire lower chamber was made from the strange material while being quite spacious, which allowed me to end most resistance via dragon. What few hagglers remained either ran off or were met by Ashe’s arcane weapon.
“You know, if it’s so well hidden, what’s the point of placing guards everywhere? Seems like a waste, if you ask me.” She twirled her strange blade. It was a vicious dagger tied to her wrist by a thin metal chain that she kept hidden in her sleeve most of the time.
Once she had spotted the enemy, it would dance to her command, seeking opponents past even the reach of a halberd. Despite its fascinating properties, I noticed its limitations quite quickly. It could only move one direction at a time, and even her minimal use had drained some blood out of the barrel she was carrying.
“Because regular people might get the wrong idea. It’s the reason why we throw you apprentices on rotating duty for the front desk.” Sebastian stared at the almost non-existent entrance before turning his attention to the bishop.
“We’ll keep watch. You should get going if you don’t want to get caught, unless you’re thinking that sticking with us will give you better odds.” Sebastian pointed at Buryan with no hint of sarcasm. The priest tried to defuse the tension with a nervous laugh.
“Sadly I am not blessed with the power of dragons like you three are. Thus, I will take my chances here. To some extent, my mission has already been fulfilled thanks to Aria.” Buryan continued chatting with the arch mage as I watched the door slide open.
They would later report that I had disappeared into the wall, not a trace to be seen.
* * * *
When my eyes opened, I had stepped into the frozen echoes of a past world. Mother’s world. The vault was a collection of physical memories, objects lost to the world during Mother’s time. It was a time capsule of a place to which I felt intrinsically tied, yet it was so foreign.
A dragon’s trove from the ancient times when dragons still kept such things. Lost knowledge and coins from forgotten lands all conjured together in one pile of accumulated wealth. All that was forgotten by the true prize waiting for me.
She stood in the center of the room.
It was Cestra. Mother.
She had scales like mine. Eyes like mine. While I had managed to live most of my life in relative safety, I could tell that she was a dragon of conflict. Chipped scales and patches of battered silver plates surrounded her form, but not so much that it took away from her majesty. Two beautiful spiral horns adorned her head, only a single scratch tainting their pristine nature.
There were no words between the two of us. No words were needed as she nuzzled me. From that moment on an impossibly fast series of flashes zipped through my mind. I saw our world through her eyes, far bigger than the three tiny kingdoms that made up our world. Instead, there was a massive expanse of dragons, humans, and more. An entire ocean which one could fly across. She showed me her magic, which jutted out and protected her wingmates. The soul.
Her magic was the soul. My magic was the soul.
I felt it now, a wild pulsing in my heart as she nodded in approval. The same magic that made the castle. The same magic that made the royal dragons.
She showed me the previous world in conflict, and how the Trinity came together to forge a world where dragons and humans stood side by side. Each of us would make the other stronger instead of the other way around. She showed the plans of a grand barrier that would ensure that such a friendship could develop without other dragons interfering.
I gasped. She’d sacrificed herself to make it possible.
She’d died and passed her line onto us, the humans, so that we may have rulers that could match her stride.
She left me with a parting thought.
::If you believe the humans in our care do well in such a place, then I give you permission to live out your life as a human with the peace and security I have gifted to you. Your brothers and sisters will rule, and my legacy can be forgotten.::
I felt a soft claw on my shoulders. A phantom claw of a mother that I knew wasn’t there.
::However, if you believe that the world you see here ought to return, then take the crown. Your people will stand with you, my daughter, as will I. Lead them into the world that I knew and prove my fellow dragons wrong.
::I leave this in your capable claws, my child.::
I stood there, tears in my eyes as I returned to the vault, filled with forgotten secrets and dusty scrolls. Only the soft, pale glow of blue crystals surrounded me, my mother nowhere to be seen. The only thing that remained was the soft tingle in my breast, of a presence I had never felt. It was as if I could feel the tiny sparks in the air, little ribbons of natural magic sticking to me, all too happy to see me.
I wiped away the tears with a smile. I knew what I had to do.
* * * *
I desperately wanted to fall asleep. There were only so many times you could read Myrtle’s books without getting bored of them, especially since I had a real dragon to get excited about. Waiting for Aria made me anxious. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her to take care of herself, it was more that I wanted to be sure she was doing all right.
I heard a sound of knuckles against wood, causing me to jump up in anticipation. Then another. I rushed over to the door and flung it open.
Standing in front of me was Aria, with Sebastian flanking her like a disinterested bodyguard. She had abandoned her church robes for a sleek black cloak with a halo of white fur adorning her neck.
What caught my eye the most was a beautiful sapphire dress that accentuated her figure perfectly. They dropped all the way to the floor, giving glimpses of her legs. I blushed a little, too used to seeing her in baggy clothes that didn’t fit her. With an outfit like that, she did indeed look like a noble coming into her own.
Her eyes radiated an excited warmth as she tackled me, giving me a long kiss that I was woefully unprepared for. Still, it made the reunion all that much more meaningful. I didn’t even care that we were kissing right there in the doorway, because her enthusiasm was infectious.
Finally, when we separated, I could see a hopeful smile on her beautiful face, staring up at me. Her eyes glittered in the soft firelight, sparkling like diamonds in the light.
“Charlotte, I have to make this quick, but I’m going to take back my throne!”
“Ya! That’s the spirit!” I cheered as I realized I might’ve woken up the entire house. Whoops.
“I need you to stay hidden a little longer, okay?”
