The Frozen Flame
Belthore the Bringer-of-Ashes
Rodrakath sensed Delania's confusion as he flew farther down the mountain pass. Gah! I can't leave her behind to fend off the bone rattling nightmares in the wood. She's too young. He let a growl rip through his body with frustration as he turned around to go back. A ping of sheer panic stabbed through his body as Delania's scream floated on the air towards him. NO! the sun's not yet set, the Bramble Nymphs are at rest still and the Oberon Ice Creatures are in the marsh lands for the season. What's gotten her this time? As if to answer his question, a bronze streak flashed under the tree tops.
Rodrakath tipped his wings and pointed his tale in a crashing decent through the tree tops in pursuit of the creature. Weaving in and out of trees and folding in his wings to avoid having his wings ripped off as he neared Delania's captor. This is no Nymph or Goblin, it's too fast and too big. The unknown creature made a sharp turn for the sky, hurtling through the tree tops and into the open sky. Rodrakath followed, breaking through the tree tops and soaring straight up into the captor, for the captor had stopped in mid flight to stair down at the woodland creatures who were running for sanctuary in the small caves where the river and the mountains merged into one.
"Rooodraaakaaath!" the bronze dragon's yell fell to the ground.
"I should have known it was you! You she demon of a dragon!" Rodrakath roared at the crumpled dragon lying on the ground. "Tell me Aranarth, what were you attempting to accomplish by stealing Delania?" His voice rumbled as he landed lightly on the ground beside the recovering dragon.
"I was summoned and ordered to capture the one who holds the Blood Stone stolen from time. She is to be trained in the old ways, Rodrakath. You know the prophecy, you knew her fate the moment she was born. You can not save her." Aranarth looked him in the eye, she was right, there was nothing he could do. He made her fate when he didn't let her die in the cave.
"There must be something I can do, I could take her to the other world where the prophecy can't touch her. You could forget you ever found her or something." Rodrakath pleaded.
Aranarth stepped towards Delania, who was lying unconscious, stone still in hand. "I could do that, but then our world would parish forever and the Bringer-of-Ashes will rise to power. No dragon or human would be free from a life of devastating servitude. One life for all the others is a more acceptable price than your happy ever after Rodrakath, You know this."
"Then let me come with you, I want to be with her for the entire journey." Rodrakath morphed into his human form and walked over to Delania, despair filled his violet eyes, the only subtle feature that he was a dragon. Brushing aside Delania's brown curls to heal the cut on her forehead, he now wished he had let her die, and that he had died along with her. The venture afoot would be worse than death itself.
"Does she know you look at her like that?" Aranarth mused.
"Like what Aranarth? Like I care weather she lives or dies?" Rodrakath countered.
"Like you love her, you can't love her. You know you'll lose your dragon abilities and be nothing more than a human."
"Some things in life are more important than living forever with magical powers Aranarth. Someday you'll know that, you are still young and have an infinite amount to learn."
The sky was darkening, a red stormy blanket covered the sky, ashes fell to the ground as night fell. "Belthore is awake, he will be searching to destroy her." Aranarth morphed into human form, her bronze eyes burning behind her gold hair as she looked towards the sky. "We must move Rodrakath, we must find shelter for the night." She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Come along."
His cold eyes seethed pain through his long black hair covering his face. With his hair still hanging in his eyes, he stood with Delania in his arms and followed Aranarth into the nearest cave where they would spend the night.
The sun seemed not to rise the next morning, a red glow fell over the ash blanketed land. Belthore the Bringer-of-Ashes was indeed awake after his one thousand year slumber, and he was indeed mad.
Rodrakath tipped his wings and pointed his tale in a crashing decent through the tree tops in pursuit of the creature. Weaving in and out of trees and folding in his wings to avoid having his wings ripped off as he neared Delania's captor. This is no Nymph or Goblin, it's too fast and too big. The unknown creature made a sharp turn for the sky, hurtling through the tree tops and into the open sky. Rodrakath followed, breaking through the tree tops and soaring straight up into the captor, for the captor had stopped in mid flight to stair down at the woodland creatures who were running for sanctuary in the small caves where the river and the mountains merged into one.
"Rooodraaakaaath!" the bronze dragon's yell fell to the ground.
"I should have known it was you! You she demon of a dragon!" Rodrakath roared at the crumpled dragon lying on the ground. "Tell me Aranarth, what were you attempting to accomplish by stealing Delania?" His voice rumbled as he landed lightly on the ground beside the recovering dragon.
"I was summoned and ordered to capture the one who holds the Blood Stone stolen from time. She is to be trained in the old ways, Rodrakath. You know the prophecy, you knew her fate the moment she was born. You can not save her." Aranarth looked him in the eye, she was right, there was nothing he could do. He made her fate when he didn't let her die in the cave.
"There must be something I can do, I could take her to the other world where the prophecy can't touch her. You could forget you ever found her or something." Rodrakath pleaded.
Aranarth stepped towards Delania, who was lying unconscious, stone still in hand. "I could do that, but then our world would parish forever and the Bringer-of-Ashes will rise to power. No dragon or human would be free from a life of devastating servitude. One life for all the others is a more acceptable price than your happy ever after Rodrakath, You know this."
"Then let me come with you, I want to be with her for the entire journey." Rodrakath morphed into his human form and walked over to Delania, despair filled his violet eyes, the only subtle feature that he was a dragon. Brushing aside Delania's brown curls to heal the cut on her forehead, he now wished he had let her die, and that he had died along with her. The venture afoot would be worse than death itself.
"Does she know you look at her like that?" Aranarth mused.
"Like what Aranarth? Like I care weather she lives or dies?" Rodrakath countered.
"Like you love her, you can't love her. You know you'll lose your dragon abilities and be nothing more than a human."
"Some things in life are more important than living forever with magical powers Aranarth. Someday you'll know that, you are still young and have an infinite amount to learn."
The sky was darkening, a red stormy blanket covered the sky, ashes fell to the ground as night fell. "Belthore is awake, he will be searching to destroy her." Aranarth morphed into human form, her bronze eyes burning behind her gold hair as she looked towards the sky. "We must move Rodrakath, we must find shelter for the night." She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Come along."
His cold eyes seethed pain through his long black hair covering his face. With his hair still hanging in his eyes, he stood with Delania in his arms and followed Aranarth into the nearest cave where they would spend the night.
The sun seemed not to rise the next morning, a red glow fell over the ash blanketed land. Belthore the Bringer-of-Ashes was indeed awake after his one thousand year slumber, and he was indeed mad.