The Silver Reckoning

Chapter 4: The Machine

"So... that's what has happened," Silver sighed, laying her head down on her paws.

"Oh," Blaze replied, sitting down on his haunches next to her.

For the passed hour the dragoness had been catching her brother up on everything that had happened since they were separated, from the farm to her capture. It was a little strange, telling her story, like she was reliving all that happened. It seemed like so long ago that she had landed at the farm, exhausted and starving, when in reality it was only two years ago. To a dragon, two years was little to nothing.

"So father really is... gone," Blaze lowered his head slightly, looking at the ground, his wings drooping by his side.

Silver nodded slowly, a well of sadness running up inside her. It had been a while since she had thought about his death. Like everything else, it had sort of... faded into the background. Always there, but avoided. The two of them were silent for a moment. She hadn't realised that Blaze didn't know about their father's death, but A.O.D.H wouldn't have exactly told him.

"I suspected something," he said eventually, "When he was... still here, we saw each other occasionally, and talked, and tried to be father and son, but it was difficult. When he stopped coming all together, I suspected... I suspected something, but I hadn't allowed myself to believe he was... he was gone."

She nodded, understanding him, "Raize and I took it quite badly, Raize more then me, though he seemed to have mostly recovered now."

The fire drake took a deep breath, then forced a strained smile, changing the direction of the conversation, "So it seems our little brother has become the strongest out of us three now."

Silver snorted, glad for the change, "He hatched before me, so I wouldn't say he's my little brother."

"He's smaller then you though," Blaze pointed out, "At least, he was last time I saw him."

"Yeah... he hasn't grown too much," she said, "Well, at least not compared to us two."

Her brother laughed, a hardhearted, strange laugh, but a laugh all the same, "I always knew he would be the smallest."

"You didn't pick him out to be the most powerful though."

"No, not at all."

The two of them lapsed into silence, both fading into their own worlds. It seemed A.O.D.H had also changed Blaze a bit as well. He attitude was more toned down, less controlled by raging emotions. In the valley, he had always been a rather prideful drake, and always was the first to pick a fight. But, like many dragons caught by A.O.D.H, he seemed almost wary, and dulled.

"So..." Blaze spoke eventually, "What do you think you're going to choose?"

Silver hesitated, she had told him about her discussion with The Admiral, and the choices he had presented her. She hadn't decided yet, but the more she thought about it the more she knew which way she was going towards. It seemed the best option out of the two.

"I'm unsure," she replied with a small sigh, "What do you think?"

"Aah..." he hesitated, "Well, I don't like the idea of a strange dragon and you, well, you know. But if you go the other way then I won't see you as often."

She chuckled slightly, "I agree with you on both points. I only wish I knew what the machine they are building is."

"Could be something that allows them to capture more dragons," he suggested.