Dragon Dreams

Chapter 23: Fire and Ice (3/3)

Eysri paced back and forth near the fire as the rest of the dragons circled around the clearing. Those carrying drums and other instruments sat behind her, keeping still and seemingly awaiting a signal. As the last of the dragons trickled out of the hall, the shaman silently stopped and bowed deeply before the inferno. The silent crowd could hear every snap and pop that punctuated the roar of the fire. A single drum began a deep, slow pulse in the background. The black dragon's necklaces rustled as she raised her head, fire dancing in her eyes as she stared into the depths of the flames.

"In the beginning, there was fire. Elemental, swirling, never-ending fire." She spoke in a deep, clear voice. From the very first word, the shaman had me transfixed. As the words fell upon me, the flames in the bonfire began to move about strangely, twisting and darting like tentacles. More drums had joined by now, and the other instruments layered in a primal, haunting melody.

Eysri continued, still staring deep into the roiling inferno. "This fire took the form of a huge dragon, whose coiling, flowing body covered the entire world. No life had yet taken hold on this earth, only heat and light were found in this elemental creature." She lifted her gaze up, and suddenly the form of a dragon rose out of the spitting flames. It emerged from the column of smoke and looked almost as big as me.

I gasped audibly at the spectacle, and I wasn't the only one. It was a stunning display of magic. The fire-dragon spread its wings in a shower of sparks, and swooped low around the clearing, radiating warmth on my face as it passed.

The shaman's amber eyes followed the dragon for a few seconds as it flew. "As time passed," she said, "another presence came into the universe. A new dragon entered the world to rival the fire-being."

As the fire-dragon circled above the fire, I saw Uldor step forward from across the circle. He breathed out a white mist, and soon another dragon formed from his breath. It was a dragon made completely from crystals of ice that moved fluidly through the air.

"The ice dragon sought to give the world balance," Eysri intoned. "The opposing forces that occupied this world found themselves in eternal conflict." On cue, the fire and ice dragons collided in midair, resulting in a thunderous hiss that muffled the gasps from the crowd. The clattering crescendo of drums added to the din. Steam and sparks flew as the elemental beasts slashed and clawed at each other high above the ground. Then, a wave of heat washed over me followed by a blast of cold as the two creatures dove and chased each other around the clearing, whipping past my awed face and drawing cheers from the crowd.

The shaman continued, her voice an even presence amidst the visual chaos. "As the forces battled for control of this world, the fire and lava cooled to form the surface on which we dwell today. But the dragons still fight to this day far below us, and their conflict is forever part of this earth. Their battles can shake the mountains and seas, forming and changing these lands over time. Even the changing seasons remind us of this eternal cycle of their opposing natures."

The black dragon stopped, and the magical apparitions melted back into the fire. The music had died out to a single, throbbing drum once more. "Never forget that this duality is part of the very earth that sustains us. The forces that animate every one of us are rooted in inescapable conflicts and opposites. These dragons are battling in each of us. Bravery and fear, love and hate, selflessness and greed. We are subject to these inner dragons, and we must watch over which of them is ruling our actions."

She looked directly at me. "Fire and ice are inside us all."

After the story had concluded, the musicians launched into an energetic number, and the crowd of dragons moved as one to dance around the fire. The ground physically shook with the beating of paws upon the earth to the rhythm of the drums. I quickly got swept up in a circle dance I had no business attempting. Scaly necks and shoulders bumped up against me with increasingly embarrassing frequency. Rofar and the rest of his family were nowhere to be found, and I resigned myself to being stuck.