Six Weeks (Dragonfly #4)

The Ancient's Answer

Everyone started talking at once. The noise became to much for me and I slipped out. Nobody noticed me as I headed for the tree takeoff. Then smooth, cool, earthy, ground changed into warm, old, wood. I had an idea, only one place could give me the answer I needed. I flexed my wings and shot off into the air. I groaned as my underused wings were pushed to the limit, I hadn't flown in days.

I soon spotted my destination ahead, a small clearing, with the oldest trees I've ever seen before and since. Only known as the Ancients, these trees recorded the history of Coniurantum. I landed right in the middle of the lush grass, it grew up past my knees.

"Hello?" I called "I need your help!"

A crackling and a snapping was heard as the regular old trees turned into older, wizened, faces. A pang of guilt struck me as I saw a cleared away path of trees right into the outside world, along with the jagged remains of an Ancient's stump.

"Royal one, have you discovered your inheritance?" Chimed the large one.

"You mean how I'm the heir? I know that, but I came to ask you about the night of the fourteenth Blood Moon, I need to see the very end again, please?"

He nodded slowly up and down "If you wish to dwell in the past, you must first see a bit of the future,"

"What do you mean?" I was confused, this didn't happen last time.

"Suka herself came down from the heavens, she told us you would come, she wishes for you to see a bit of the time to come," he said.

"Suka? The Great Beast?" I asked in awe.

He nodded again very slowly, and the rhythmic chanting started up again. I began to feel dizzy and swayed on my paws. Drowsily, my eyes closed and the haunting music stopped. I opened my eyes to see a large clearing in a forest I didn't recognize. It was all very unfamiliar and confusing.

A shadow suddenly passed over me and I looked up and gasped. There was a huge animal flying overhead, something furry! I started running after after it and spread my wings, now in flight I saw it was a wolf? A giant winged wolf!

"Fuerige!" Someone called, before my vision changed and I slammed into a stone wall.

"What the?!" I gasped, and shook my head, the wolf was gone. I was in a rather small stone cavern, I heard a sound behind me and turned.

My heart leaped and I chocked on my breath. It was her, I dashed forward, but cried out in frustration as I sailed right through her apparition.

Zara was staring determinedly right through me at the stone wall. I noticed two other behind her, Arroyo and I think his name was Ostend?

"Come on guys, there is a way out of here, I know it!" She said.

A tear sprung to my eyes, that's my sister all right. I felt so happy, this meant, in the future she was alive.

"Give up! There is no getting out of here! We're going to die in this stinking mud hole!" Cried Ostend.

"No! My brother is coming for me, even if it means bringing all of Coniurantum with him!" She exclaimed.

"I will," I whispered, my heart aching horribly. "I will find you,"

"How do you know?" Croaked Arroyo.

Zara seemed to stare right at me, I felt like crying, she was so close, yet so far.

"Because he's my brother, and since he's my brother, he got my message," she insisted.

I sniffed as the worked changed sharply again. I was no longer with my sister, but facing complete darkness. I couldn't see anything.

Voices started swirling around my head. I couldn't pick any of it out though. It was all doubting whisper and confusing shushes. Then suddenly it all became silent, and one, clear voice rang out.

"He's dead!"

I recoiled at this statement, it didn't seem true. Who was the thing in question though?

My eyes snapped open and I fell down, I was back in the clearing with the Ancients. Spitting dust from my mouth I turned back to the Sequoia King.

"You have seem much, many terrible things are going to happen, along with good things," he said.

"Where is my sister, and who was that wolf, who dies in the future?" I questioned hoping for some answers.

"That is for you to find out, now, onto the past,"

And with that, the chanting and the humming started up again.