Dragon Dreams

Chapter 7: Lessons by the Lake (1/2)

The familiar dreamscape formed around me like it was sculpted out of solidifying mist. The lake of smooth, silky blue stretched out in front of me. I stood on the brightly lit shore still in my dragon form. The tiny pebbles were warm between my toes and I stretched out my wings to soak up the midday sun. I closed my eyes and relaxed for a few breaths. The dreams had not gone away; they still provided a welcome interlude for me to take a break from the anxiety that awaited me back in reality.

A soft rustle from the nearby trees stirred me from my reverie. I hastily folded my wings against my back and turned to see Rofar emerging from the forest. He inclined his head and smiled at me. The blue dragon made his way over to my spot near the water and sat down next to me, facing the lake. I turned back around and sat in a similar manner. Rofar looked thoughtful, like he was forming a soon-to-be-spoken statement, so I waited.

"Ayreth," he began, still staring out over the water that matched his eyes, "you have likely returned with many questions. These will be addressed shortly. However, I would like to commence with a few overdue explanations that may elucidate the state of affairs." The other dragon glanced down briefly before raising his eyes to meet mine. "You are not alone. There are other dragons that inhabit your world, and I am one of them."

He continued, "Communication in dreams is one of my abilities. So after I found you, I reached out to you hoping help to you awaken, at which you succeeded splendidly, I might add. Which brings us to this moment, when I can officially say this: welcome, Ayreth, to our clan of dragons."

"This is amazing," I said, my wings flaring out slightly and my tail giving a flick of excitement, "I'm not alone! I was worried that you just existed inside my head. So, you said 'our clan,' does that mean there are lots of others besides you? Where are they?"

"In here, in your dreams, it is just you and me. The others in our clan live in places much like you see around us. It is a life of solitude and seclusion, which is all we hope for. It is not our plan to intrude into the lives of humans or especially the other way around. Maybe one day you can meet the rest of us."

"I hope so," I said. Everything he said was still bouncing around in my head. The fact that there were other dragons in the world all along was still sinking in. I was still feeling overjoyed at finding out that Rofar was real and not simply another one of my lifeless drawings. It made me feel a little less crazy, if only just a little. "But, really, I just want to know, how did this happen to me? Talking to you in dreams, waking up one morning as a dragon, what could possibly explain that?"

"The simple answer is magic," he replied. "Though how things came to be this way is a long story. I can sense that you are curious, however. Perhaps I could teach you a little about the history of our race."

I was eager to learn more from the older dragon. A history lesson about magic and dragons was one that I was actually interested in. "Oh yes, please," I said. "Tell me about this magic."

"Very well," Rofar began. "We dragons are ancient creatures, our species was already highly evolved when the global catastrophe arrived and killed off our cousins, the dinosaurs. My ancestors had discovered magic, which was the key to their survival in those harsh times. Many perished nonetheless, but some colonies survived, using magic to adapt and find resources despite the ravaged surroundings.

"So the dragons lived on. Our knowledge of magic grew even stronger over the ages. Many arcane secrets were forgotten, however, including the origins of the dragon spirits. Nonetheless, I will relate to you what I know, which is only a legend that has been passed down for millennia." Rofar paused, fluttering his wings slightly as he adjusted his stance, then continued.

"When humans were still new on this earth, they were of no concern to the dragons. They were even hunted. Over time, however, the intelligence of that species became apparent. The dragon population was still small in number, and they could foresee that humans were on a path to conquer the globe. The dragons of old sought to ensure their survival by allying with humans. The details have been lost to time, but the ancient dragons used magic to bond their spirit to certain humans. Every once in a while—it is not known how they are chosen—a human is born with this dragon-spirit within them. That way, as long as humans remained, so too would the dragons.

"Now, some dragons, like myself, were born to dragon parents. But our numbers are strengthened by those, like yourself, who were born human before their spirit awakened. Despite this bond between our spirits, humans and dragons have remained separate for most of recorded history. That suits us just fine; we enjoy a mostly peaceful and remote existence. We have receded into human legend. Legends that, as you now know, are based in some truth. My mission now is to guide and mentor you as you learn what it means to be a dragon. But the path you take is ultimately up to you."

"So I'm a dragon forever?" I asked.

"Indeed, you are," Rofar said. "Now that you have undergone the transformation, you will remain in your true form. But I hope you will find that being a dragon has many advantages."

"Living a normal life isn't one of them, that's for sure," I thought to myself. But all this talk of magic made me curious. "Can I use magic too? Can you teach me?" I said, excitement creeping into my voice.

"Have patience, young one. I can teach you magic, but only if you understand that this will be a rather long process. Magic is not something that can be learned in an instant. And true mastery, like any skill, takes much longer. But we shall start with some basics if you would like. Such as breathing fire, which is usually the most natural type of magic for a dragon to use."

"Alright, let's do this. I can't wait!" I said, rising back up on all fours. The other dragon's plea for patience was overshadowed by my eagerness. I was practically dancing back and forth as thoughts of breathing fire and casting spells filled my distracted mind.

"Such enthusiasm," Rofar said with a soft chuckle as he too stood up, still facing the water. "Simply calm yourself and you will be conjuring your own fire in due course, trust me. The key to using magic is control over your will. If you can exercise the right mental control and will yourself to breathe fire, you can do just that. It helps to imagine a ball of energy forming in your open mouth and then breathe out steadily. Do not force anything—that will only make it harder. Watch me."

He stretched his neck forward and opened his jaws. An impressive stream of flames flew skyward with a low roaring sound. They arced through the air and landed in the lake with a loud hiss of steam. Rofar then closed his mouth and abruptly ended the incendiary torrent. Turning back to me with a smile, he said, "I wish you could see your face, young one. Seeing magic like this for the first time can leave quite the impression, but I promise you this is considered elementary. Now, I want you to try and find your own spark. Remember what I said about mental control and not trying too hard."

The concept sounded like a simple one: visualize the fire and will it to appear. However, I found it was more difficult than that when I tried the first time. I faced the mountain lake and opened my mouth, trying to copy Rofar. Then, I imagined the ball of energy he talked about. However, when I started breathing out, no flames emerged. It just felt as if I was standing there like an idiot with my big maw gaping open. I closed my mouth and hung my head slightly, not knowing what I did wrong. I just knew that I obviously wasn't getting it.

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