The Silver Reckoning

Chapter 10: Silver's Resolve

"Who are you?" they were the first words that cam from Silver's mouth as she looked upon this new dragon.

A smile crossed his maw, but he didn't answer the question. Instead he rose to his feet, slowly padding over to her. He was by far the largest mind drake she had ever seen, his pale blue scales almost glowing in the pitch blackness of the room. His eyes held a malevolence that made her lower her head, avoiding eye contact. And there was something else, an intense and hidden power that surrounded him. Something that could only be equilibrium. It washed through the room, making everything else seem insignificant. The dragoness took a small step back, the spike of fear from before seemed to be growing steadily in the pit of her stomach.

"Don't you recognise me, my dear Silver. We were friends," he smirked as he spoke, the voice deep and demanding respect.

"I... I've never seen you before," she stammered, taking another step back and drawing her wings closer to her side.

There was something about this dragon, something beyond the power he so obviously commanded. But she couldn't place it. She felt as though she recognised him, but was quite sure she had never found a dragon of his size. Maybe it was the fact that he was standing freely inside an A.O.D.H base, without a device in his head, or the confident way in which he held himself, or the fact that in his eyes was a sense of genuine admiration. What it was she didn't know, but she didn't like it.

Gathering her own confidence she forced herself to let out a small snarl, "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm offended. Here, let me help you remember," the large dragon's form suddenly convulsed as he shrouded it in illusion.

The transformation was sudden, the elder dragon disappearing within an instant, and becoming something else. The power didn't disappear, nor did the overwhelming sense of dread that came with it. All that happened was the dragon became smaller, slimmer, until he had taken a form that Silver now recognised. She gasped in surprise.

"Merene!" She growled, stunned.

The dragoness she had made friends with smiled slightly, before shaking her head, "Oh, now you recognise me?"

"What...what... is this really you?" Silver said.

"No, this is an illusion I created to fool you and your friends. A very powerful feat if I may say so. It took me a while to master, but once I did, well, look at the outcome," Merene chuckled, her form flickering as she spoke, "But enough of that. Now you have a slight idea of what I am."

The dragoness shimmered and the illusion fell away, leaving the same large dragon standing in her place, with the same smile plastered on his face. Silver growled, lashing her tail out behind her. What was happening? This couldn't be true. It wasn't possible. She had known Merene, she couldn't be this creature.

"You are making a lot of assumptions there," the mind dragon spoke, tilting his head as he read her mind,, "I was the Merene you held so dear, though not anymore. Now that we have you here there really was no reason to hold the illusion, besides the occasional piece of spying. But even that isn't necessary any more. I have my own spy in Sky Mountain."

She growled, refusing to believe it. Merene, the dragon she had made friends with, and had saved her life and mind on multiple occasions, was this... thing standing in front of her. No! It was not true, it couldn't be. But the more Silver thought about it the more likely it seemed. It explained the strangeness of her attitude, the occasional shimmer in battle. The awesome power that had killed Thylo. It explained it all. There was only one question that remained.