Ancestral Dragon

Chapter 11

"We're safe," Rory said in the dark cave. "For now."

"Wait!" Jak said as anger boiled to the surface. "Where's Viktor?"

"We need to get going," Rory replied. "Viktor's waiting at the other end. Now that Chiemer has a dragon, he can find the other end of this tunnel if he gets in the air."

"I don't care about Chiemer," Jak said as his nostrils flared.

"Listen here," Rory said as she stepped forward pointing at Jak's chest. "We're risking our lives to protect you. The least you can do is help. So far today, you've done a horrible job of this yourself."

Jak became unnaturally quite as Rory's words sank in. She was right. He had jumped from the safety of the brush to face off against Von Chiemer and his dragon.

"Keep me safe, like you did out there in the smoke?" Jak snapped instead of confessing his own faults. "How the hell did you expect me to recall the dragon? You know I don't know magic!"

Jak and Rory looked at one another with reddened faces and clenched fists. Jak's words seemed to strike a chord in Rory just as much as hers affected him. He wasn't about to take a verbal lashing when not all of the events were his fault.

"I jumped out to help you," Jak said as he avoided eye contact.

Rory's breathing slowed as her glare softened. "Thank you."

Jak met her eyes. He was far from completely letting go of his anger but her appreciation was a step in the right direction. Mistakes were made but they were alive.

"Can we walk while we talk?" Rory asked. Jak nodded and they moved forward. "In the heat of the moment, I forgot that you didn't know how to recall the dragon. The dragon and you have a unique bond. I don't quite understand it because he hasn't marked you yet. When we were in trouble down there, the dragon came to your aid. You're not bonded but the dragon is acting as if you are."

"What do you mean by 'mark'?"

"It's hard to explain to someone who's not an Ohnji. The dragon forms a bond, which can be a painful experience, and a black design appears on your skin. Von Chiemer is another story though. Dragons choose people to bond with, not the other way around, and no dragon would voluntarily choose that man. The twin-headed dragon is not a natural species and must have been forced to partner with him. The scientists in Vivili have been trying for years to figure out how to do this and it seems their research has paid off."

"What was that magic Chiemer used on his dragon?" Jak asked.

"It was a spell that gave it the ability to breathe fire for a short period of time."

"Why would he need to do that? Don't dragons breathe fire already?"

"No." Rory let a moment of silence pass as the light at the end of tunnel came into view. "Dragons haven't naturally breathed fire for thousands of years. Not one species alive today can breathe fire on its own without help from a magic user. That's what makes me think yours is of the ancestral species but I really have no idea. I mean, how can an extinct dragon be alive?"

As they exited the cave, Jak held up his hand to block the bright sunlight. As Jak's eyes adjusted, a tall man with short, black hair and a handsome, clean shaven face stood before them. He wore very drab clothing and next to him, what Jak thought at first part of the terrain, was a dragon. This one was maroon with two hind legs and a pair of wings as forelimbs. It had two horns growing from the back of its head along with two more horns growing from the top of its elongated, beak-like snout.

"It's good to finally meet you," the man said with a wide grin. "I'm Viktor,"

Jak's fingertips skimmed his chin as his attention fixated on Viktor who took on the twin-headed dragon without any help. There didn't seem to be anything particularly special about him. The friendly greeting was very different from the hooded figure who took command on the battlefield. His dragon crooned and brought Jak out of his trance.