Dragon Dreams

Chapter 31: A New Teacher (2/2)

Some time later that night, I was roused from my sleep by Senga's prodding. I reluctantly stumbled to my feet and shuffled out of the cave after him to find the entire group assembling before Ares and Grall. The copper dragon was carrying a leather satchel over her shoulder.

"Brothers and sisters," he called his usual greeting, "it is time."

Cold air swirled, whispering, restless. My enhanced eyes still struggled to make out details in the darkness; the clouds blotted out most of the stars. A yawn stretched my jaws wide as I crowded together with the other dragons. A faint scent of excitement danced on my tongue.

Ares continued, "We will show our strength once again this night. We will command forces of nature like dragonkind has not seen for millennia!" Growls of approval emanated from the gathering.

"There is a mountain not far from here. A volcano where the fire beneath the earth roils close to the surface. Tonight, we will join together, call forth our earth magic, and bring this fire up from the depths. I know it is possible. In fact, a select group of us accomplished this feat just a short time ago on a smaller scale. Now we conduct the true test." The leader scanned his assembled followers with pride in his eyes.

I flashed back to the volcanic eruption I had seen on the news at Wes's house. Involuntary anger seethed in me when I thought of the boy; I quelled it. But now it was clear: the Vrost had been responsible for the event. The black clouds of ash spewed once more in my memory. Before I would have considered it an impossible feat of magic. Not anymore.

The black dragon's white teeth flashed. "Follow me. Tonight marks the beginning of our revolution. We will not be subjugated. We are the New Dawn!" The end of the speech dissolved into a roar. Gold glinted as Ares raised his wings and spun, taking flight in a flourish.

Dragons all around clamored to join him. I was surprised to hear a bellow issue from my throat, the words awakening a passion in me. The dragon-calls mixed with the thunder of beating wings as we collectively took to the sky.

Soon I was lost in the swarm of dragons, all beating the night air into chaotic drafts as we flew.

A short time later, I touched down on the barren shoulder of a mountain ridge. Dragons milled around, waiting for the last of the landings. I scanned the darkened landscape, following the ridge up and noting the jagged profile of the volcano's peak looming. A lake's inky surface stretched out far below on one side, ringed with trees. Patches of snow dotted the rocky slope on which we stood; even higher elevations were covered completely.

"Assemble." The command from the leader drew us all in close. Ares' breath formed a smoky plume with each exhale. "The unmarked will all receive a stone from Grall," he said with rushed excitement. "Use the earth magic to find the flowing rock below us. Then I will give a signal to begin bringing forth the eruption. Now spread out and prepare yourselves."

A small crowd formed around the copper dragon as she emptied the satchel, flat stones tumbling out. I approached and picked one for myself, turning it over to observe the organic lines of the rune. I had worked with this one before, just not like this.

"Hey," a voice whispered at my shoulder. Senga looked at me with a resolute gaze.

I nodded to return the greeting. "Want to do this together?"

He held up his carved stone. "Yes. I got mine so let's find a place to stand."

Freeing my paws by placing the stone between my teeth, I led us away from the crowd. We trotted over to a nearby stretch of ground devoid of snow. Small rocks crunched as I dug in my hind legs, keeping my head up to look around. I removed the tile from my jaws, seeing other clusters of dragons in every direction.