9
“Most of what I told you when you arrived was true; but I left out a few items. Like we all had these very vivid dreams…all of us! They were all the same to some degree; some of us were riding dragons and fighting other dragons. The dreams were extremely vivid, the noise was deafening. We would wake up at the same time, huffing and puffing, and covered in sweat. We discussed it a lot at first, then after a time we simply accepted them as visions of future events. Always we felt comforted by some unseen force.
“There was one thing that was different from the others, and I kept it to myself. In my dreams - I spoke to my dragon. We were friends, only more. And there was someone flying on my right. It was you Daniel. That’s why when you walked into camp and I got a good look at you, it stopped me in my tracks. I asked Jake about it right away, and all he would say was that ‘… things were coming along nicely...’
“As to my wonderful friend and companion, Jake, we met under different circumstances. I am going to make this quick and clean.” She took a deep breath and continued. “I had left the camp to do some exploring; I guess this was about four years ago. I had decided to go west of the town and look around. I just wanted to see what was out there, and if any more people survived. I was on one of the Arabian horses, no one was in sight; I took a chance. We were galloping along at a pretty fast pace when I came around a curve in the road and ran smack into a band of marauders. I wasn’t prepared at all; I never stood a chance. They were all over me before I could raise any defense. They took the horse, killed it and ate it. They questioned me as to where I came from, and how many there were of us. I made sure they believed that I was alone, just looking for others to join. They tied me up and brought me to their camp; there were no women there at all. They tied me to a stake and then they had a go at me, one and then two at a time. I prefer not to remember anymore of those days than is necessary.” He could see that she was visibly shaking.
He reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, “it’s over woman; they can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Thank you for your understanding Daniel,” she said softly. Then she continued, “They threw me in the back of a wagon they had and began a journey to another camp. I figured they would kill me when they got tired of me. I was so filled with guilt Daniel; I had been so stupid. I had let my guard down.”
“After about three days on the road something happened. As near as I can figure out, they ran smack dab into 2 dragons. One was in the air but the other one was on the ground. I had never heard of that before. Right away these clowns started firing their weapons, and throwing grenades, they even had an RPG. The dragon in the air got really pissed and started to burn the bastards. I have to admit I enjoyed watching them light up. While all this was going on, I slid out of the back of the wagon and into some bushes nearby. I crawled along them and made my way to a rocky area and eventually to a series of rocky caves. I can tell you I took no time getting into one of them. The burning and gunfire went on for a long time; then all was quiet.
Inside the cave I was trying to adjust my eyes to the dark when I heard the dragons outside sniffing at all the caves. They found two of the men hiding in one cave; there was a lot of yelling and screaming. They were coming closer to where I was so I moved towards the back of the cave. I tripped and fell face down in a puddle of what I thought was water. The smell of ammonia told me that it was dragon piss. There was an opening at the rear of the cave and I squeezed into it with all my might.
One of the foul creatures stuck its head into the cave and sniffed. I held my breath hoping it would not pick up my scent. It didn’t, thank God! I squeezed thru the opening into another area and turned around to see where this had led me. I froze on the spot, my heart in my mouth.
Laid out before me was a hatching chamber. There were eggs everywhere, in all sizes and shapes. From gelatinous tiny little footballs to hard shelled giants. And the small ones were different colors; deep purple, dark blue, several dark shades of brown. It looked like some of them had been eaten or maybe just smashed for some reason. As my eyes focused better I could see there was a dragon caring for two rather large eggs that seemed to be cracking. Some of the eggshell had fallen near by; it covered the spot where I was. Two little dragons were screeching and hissing loudly. As they emerged the large female dragon looked them over. She screeched at them and they spread their wet little wings and flapped about for a bit. She then reached down for something and came up with one of those men in her mouth. He was still alive, poor bastard; screaming and flaying around like a madman. She threw him to the baby dragons. They tore him to pieces in seconds. Then she took them out thru the large opening at the other end of the cavern.
I was so scared Daniel, I just wanted to get out of there. I started to move and stopped in my tracks, there was another female lying on the ground right in front of me! I hadn’t even seen her. She rose up and turned her back to the eggs and raised her butt in the air. She then proceeded to lay about 20 eggs. The smell was disgusting. I had to hold my hand over my mouth to keep from vomiting. She finally finished and bounded out of the cave. When I was sure she was gone and there were no more of them around, I vomited all over the place. I was on my knees throwing up my guts when I heard ‘him’ for the first time.
It was a little boy’s voice that asked… Hello… is somebody there?
I don’t have to tell you that my heart did a flip. It sounded like a little kid. Oh my God, I thought, a child was trapped in here somewhere. Daniel, his voice was pathetic, so vulnerable. I squatted down close to the ground and tried to look around, I couldn’t see anyone, but then I heard him again.
Please? I know you are there, please help me. He pleaded piteously. Don’t leave me here!
It was as tho’ I was hearing it in my mind. I was looking for him all over the place; I was sure there was a small boy somewhere in the cavern. I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to leave him to those monsters. And then I thought to myself…’where the hell are you kid? I can’t see you anywhere!’
Just as quickly he answered, I’m over here, he was crying. I can see some light and shadows.
I’m going to raise my hand, tell me if you can see it. I stood and waved my hand about.
I am not sure, but I think I saw some shadowy movement. Please hurry, they will come back and I do not want to be like them. His little voice told me he was very frightened. If you do not take me with you I will become one of them. Please... I do not want that to happen.
He was getting a hysterical pitch in his voice. Calm down little one, I am not leaving here without you; you got that? I will find you. I promised him. Now, exactly where are you? I am on my hands and knees and I’m moving forward to where I think you are. Can you see me yet? I kept moving forward, all around the eggs. I began to move the egg shells about making a pathway thru the other eggs.
And then he said, Wait! There is a very large dark shape right above me.
I looked down and below me was a small gray gelatinous egg, I could see movement inside. As I stared at the small egg, one of the dreams broke and suddenly I remembered everything. This was a dragon meant for me and me alone!
Oh My God! I thought, this is impossible, this can’t be happening! This egg can’t be talking to me.
Yes, yes I am, he quickly said. Please, you cannot leave me here; you know you are my rider. I dreamt all about you. Remember how we flew together?
This little voice was pleading with me for his life. Sanity said to run away from all of it, and I would have until I heard him say that. I looked at this little thing, wondering. Everything that had happened during the last four years had changed my way of thinking about everything. What if all of it was a preparation for just this moment? I reached down and picked him up and was immediately hit with an electric shock so big it knocked me down. Something passed between us, something so intense, so wonderful… it defied explanation. And then this warm feeling of love engulfed my mind. I can’t explain it. That was when I knew!
He spoke to me in my head; Dragons were made to be companions to humans, and to have human riders. If they can’t find their rider they go insane. They will fly into a rage and kill everything they find. I do not want hat to happen to me. You know I am telling the truth.
Just then I heard one of the females coming back into the cavern. I looked down at him and without really understanding why; I stuffed him under my shirt next to my skin. I remember he was warm against my body. I tied him in and closed my jacket and zipped it up. I squeezed back thru the opening and I ran, and ran. When we got outside it was dark, a very dangerous time to be traveling with dragons in the area. I had to find some shelter.
And then he was directing me out of harms way. Ease your way around to the right side of this mountain. There will be a large boulder there and you can slide behind it into a ditch. His voice now took on an authoritative tone. The ditch will lead you to a culvert. We can rest there till dawn. They can’t see too well at sunrise and it will buy us time to get away. We will have a chance to follow the ditch for a few miles and by then we will be safe.
I did as he suggested and by God he was right! There was a boulder and the ditch beneath it. I slipped thru the opening and dropped into the ditch. I hugged the ground and slowly made my way to the culvert. Once there we settled in and waited for dawn.
Thank you; thank you so much for saving me. He was so grateful and happy to be free of the cave and most certain death. You are so kind.
Shh…hush…there, there. Stop crying, it’s all right now. I was actually patting the little egg and stroking it to calm him. You’re going to be fine; I won’t let them get you. I don’t know what we are going to do with you, but we’ll work it out. Right now we have to be very quiet.
We stayed there not moving a muscle till dawn. Believe it or not I had the best rest during those hours. I awoke feeling full of energy, and ready to get going. It began to get lighter and I could see the sun was beginning to climb over the mountaintop.
Now! He urged me, we must move quickly along the ditch. They will not be looking in this direction for the sunrise will blind them. We have to hurry and cover as much distance as possible.
I took off running as fast as my legs would carry me. You know you suddenly seem to know an awful lot about the lay of the land around here, I told him.
“He chuckled,” she looked at Daniel and smiled at the memory, “he actually chuckled.”
Dragons are born with all knowledge; they can call upon that knowledge when they require it. They lose it when they fail to find a rider, and go mad instead. Somehow, over the centuries, man has lost the knowledge of what to do.
I thought for a moment and then asked, so their re-emergence in the world, and the dreams people are having, one way or another this is all part of some plan? To remind the human race that once, long ago, they worked together as a team!
I do not know all the whys of this, not yet at least. All I know for now is that we have been called again to serve and protect. I think we can relax now; it appears that we are out of their range. I believe there is a ranch house a few miles from here. You must bathe and change your clothing, you smell like one of them. The ‘Twins’ will never let you get close to your camp if you smell like dragon!
He startled me when he said that, so you know of the Twins?
His voice chuckled and took on a whimsical tone, Of course! Michael will go and get his own egg four days after you arrive back and tell him of me. His will be a female; he will also tell you that the chamber was smashed to bits. He will become a great force in the battle against the Insane Ones. And there will be others too! But for now we must get you back, and I must grow so that I can hatch and we can finally meet. Oh I am so tired. It felt like he was yawning, May I sleep for a while My Lady?
Of course little one, rest and sleep. I continued along the path, I have plenty to go over in my mind; and I would like to be alone to do that if you have no objections?
He was asleep; I could feel it. I remember thinking that this put everything on a new level. Telling the others was going to be difficult. It felt ok to me, mind you, but the others would take some convincing. Maybe they would have dreamt all this, I thought, and an explanation wouldn’t be necessary. I kept going till I found the ranch house the little guy had spoke about. There was no one around. I went inside and laid him on the bed in the master bedroom, and proceeded to strip off all my clothes. I took a shower to end all showers. I scrubbed my body like crazy; I wanted to wash more than dragon piss off of me.
I found clothing in what was once a teenage girl’s room; jeans, t-shirt, undies, socks & sneakers. There was even a real nice leather jacket in her closet. I pulled the sheet off the twin size bed, ripped it in half and made a sort of sling. I placed it over my head and right shoulder and made a pouch inside it where I gently slipped the egg. I said a silent prayer for the teenager and her family, and we left that place.
We began our journey back home. I kept the heading east northeast. I remembered that we were on roads the whole time I was in that van. So I had a pretty good idea of how to backtrack and get home. Plus I’m sure that the little guy would be able to tell if I was off track. He slept the rest of the day, and began to stir close to sundown. We traveled the rest of the night and into the next day. Then far into the distance I could see the outline of the misty mountains. It was a wonderful sight - my mountains! I quickened my pace and made it to the town by nightfall. I knew I would be able to rest here safely and find some food and drink. That’s when I went into this house for the first time. He told me I could sleep here as long as I wanted, that this was my house. Michael would find me here in two days. He had given him a dream so he would know I was safe and also where to find me.
Sure enough two days later I watched as Michael and Sam came out of the woods with the ‘twins’ and made straight for the house. There was a lot of hugging, and a lot of ‘I missed-you’, and ‘I-never-gave-up-hope’. It was wonderful to see them again.
“Lord woman, ‘till Michael had that dream night before last we weren’t sure you were alive.” Sam was excited, “what happened to you, where were you?”
I told them what happened. How I protected the camp and told them nothing. And then I told them about the cave and finding the little guy. Sam took longer to convince than Michael. Michael believed me right away, and he asked to see the egg. I took them both upstairs and showed it to them. Sam wanted to destroy it right away.
“Ya can’t trust them, do you know what you’re doing girl!” There was panic in his voice.
“Not all of them are like that, not all of them are killers,” I told him. Then I asked him if he would believe me if he could hear the little guy. He said that I was in shock because of what I had been thru; that I had imagined all of it.
I asked the little guy to say something to Sam. He told me he couldn’t, not without Sam’s permission. That seemed to carry some weight with Sam, so he gave it.
You don’t have to be afraid of me Sam; I would not harm you or Lucy. Sam’s eyes flew wide open and he was white as a ghost. I am here to protect you all. And together we will save this world of ours.
For a moment I thought that Sam was going to faint.
“My God,” exclaimed Sam, “what is to become of us?”
Michael answered him immediately, “We’re going to be just fine Sam. We’re going to fight back. We’re gonna kick ass and take names; about damn time!” Sam and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.
I told them what I had learned from the little guy. I told them that I was going to follow his instructions and I was going to hatch him. I trusted him; when I decided that I don’t exactly know. I just knew it was true. We headed back to the camp, and on the way I saw the caves in the upper part of the mountain. I told them that I would take him there, and I would keep him away from the others till I was sure they wouldn’t harm him. We agreed that we wouldn’t say anything to the others about him just yet. So, I made my place in the upper caves and settled there with him. He was with me all the time, hidden under my coat while I worked in the fields. It was getting close to winter and it was cool out so wearing my coat was no problem for the time being. We even slept together at night. But about a month and a half later he was too big for me to carry around any more. I had to leave him in the cave during the day. But we kept in touch telepathically. His shell hardened and then he really started to grow in size.
Sure enough, four days after we returned Michael went and got his own egg. He told me that he found the chamber all but destroyed. He found his egg quite by accident. He literally tripped and fell on her. She was so weak that he wouldn’t have heard her had he not been right on top of her. He was very excited about it. He loved the idea that he had a friend he could talk to, and who accepted him for himself. He followed my instructions, and even got some of his own.
During all this time my little guy was very busy. Everyone was having dreams about riding dragons. And they all felt good about it. Each persons dream was different, engineered for just them, but they all had the same effect. I realized what he was doing; paving the way for when I told them about him. I began to think that for such a little thing, he was very powerful. I began to pray for guidance as to how to handle all this and what to do. Was he good? Was he an agent of the devil? All kinds of thoughts came and went in my mind. Finally I decided to just ask him outright about all that had happened; and about how God fit into all of this; and the thoughts that I had.
She looked at Daniel and said in a soft voice, “this is what he told me, Daniel: It is not for us to guess what the Creator has in mind for man. We only follow His instructions in all things. We were called here to protect and serve once again; and so we shall.
That settled the matter for me. I asked a lot of questions and learned a lot about the origins of the dragons. Ages ago man and dragon were a team on this planet. Who do you think kept the dinosaurs at bay? They protected us and cared for us. The farmers would pay them in a portion of their crops at harvest time each year. There would be a large feast, and all the dragon riders would come and mingle with the people. Then there was some kind of a terrible cataclysm. The human race had to start all over again. The knowledge of dragons died out, but their legend lived on in folklore. Any hatching ground that survived would have gone into hibernation till the time was right again. Someone stumbling about would accidentally start the process again. That’s all it would take, one touch. It seems that the touch of a human will bring the egg awake. And then the dragon searches for his telepathic link. If he can’t find it, well, you know the rest.
Five months went by and everything seemed to be going well. The egg was huge, about 20 feet tall as near as I could figure. My guy said it was getting very cramped inside and it wouldn’t be too much longer before he would hatch. I noticed that his ‘voice’ had changed. It sounded older, more mature. Sam wanted to be at the hatching in case anything went wrong. He was worried that the little guy would eat me. You know, that thought never entered my mind. He was my friend, I trusted him.
And then one day while I was working in the fields he called out to me. He told me I should hurry and come to the cave. It was time, and I must be the first thing he sees when he emerges. I didn’t tell Sam, I just casually left and headed towards the cave. I was very excited, and a little scared all at the same time.
When I entered the cave I could see parts of the shell lying on the ground. It was very dark and I had to let my eyes adjust. I called out to him with my mind and asked if he was all right, if he needed my help. Then I heard him chuckling behind me. I spun around, and as my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit cave I saw an awesome sight. Oh God Daniel, the human mind is just not prepared for such a sight.
Before me stood the most magnificent creature you could imagine. A huge dragon, he was 23 feet at least. He was the blackest-black you can imagine, all glistening in the light. Except for his head, it was a lighter shade of black, and the front of it had some silver and purple on the ridges around his eyes and along side his nose. His eyes - oh my, they were two of biggest, blackest eyes I have ever seen - swimming in a sea of gold. And they were intelligent eyes, totally aware! We stood there facing each other, eyes locked for I don’t know how long.
Good God! I thought to myself, you… you are magnificent!
Something passed between us so strong, you could almost touch it. It was like a beam of energy that went from his head and heart to mine. I could feel myself rising up in the air. He wrapped his massive wings around me. My mind was suddenly flooded with images of all kinds; I was suddenly aware, Daniel, totally aware. Everything made sense. That’s when I saw you for the first time. After a bit, he gently placed me back on the ground. He stood his full height and threw his head back and up, and then he bent forward spreading his wings and laying his massive head close to the ground at my feet, as though he were kneeling.
I am the First of the Ancients – Jake – the Healer. We have returned to man; we are here to serve and protect. You were chosen for me, and I for you. You are my companion, my rider and my friend. We will return the world to peace again. Together, My Lady, we shall prevail.
My whole body was shaking; I was so overcome with emotion, tears were streaming down my face. I bent down and stroked the ridges around his eyes. I was crying and smiling all at the same time telling him; you are so magnificent! I can feel so much love coming from you… love…real love. I was bursting with happiness. Oh Jake, whatever fate has in store for us, we will face it together.
I can’t explain the feeling of knowing this wonderful living creature. It is so personal, so intense. I don’t think there are words to describe it. He would never judge me, he would always accept me, and he would never betray me. I could trust him completely!
Daniel was very moved as he watched her relaying all this. Tears streamed down her face at the memory of this momentous occasion.
You are most beautiful, My Lady, as I knew you would be. He told me in a voice of absolute love. And you shall become even more beautiful when we take our first ride together and the enhancement takes place.
What do you mean Jake? What enhancement? I was curious about this statement.
Have you not looked into the mirror since our return, have you not seen the changes slowly taking place. You have lost your aged appearance. Your hair is no longer silver and gold. Your face no longer has those lines on it; and your body has regained the vitality of youth. One of the benefits of Dragon & Rider is that the aging process slows. Each rider and dragon is enhanced to his or her full potential. It is the one gift we can bestow on each other. I believe that Michael will be the one that all the others will notice right away. For he is a child of ten years now and when he rides for the first time; he will return a man. That is enough for now my friend, we shall talk more later. Then he stretched his wings; oh I believe this room is too small for me. I shall go to the top of this mountain and stretch my cramped legs and wings. There is a pathway leading to the top from inside this cave. Go towards the back and you will see it. I shall meet you up there.
He went to entrance of the cave and extending his wings he took to the air. I stood there for a moment and then turned and went towards the back of the cave as Jake instructed. I was following the pathway up to the top of the mountain, and thinking of how I could provide food for Jake, we didn’t have much in the size he would require. When I reached the top he was waiting for me.
I shall provide my own food My Lady, do not worry. There is a herd of deer and moose about forty minutes flying time to the north. I shall indulge my hunger there, and return in several days.
With that he spread his massive wings and leapt into the air and he was gone in a matter of minutes. My God what a sight! I stood there for a long time watching him fly off. I was so overcome that it took me awhile to get control of myself again.
I went down the pathway to the cave and just sat there for a time. There was so much to think about. I remembered what he said, so I went to my things and rummaged around looking for a mirror. I found a small compact and opened it and took a look at myself. I mean really looked. Where was the old lady? I looked like I did when I was in my forties… amazing! I could only see a bit at a time, the mirror was so small. I secretly wanted a full-length mirror to inspect my body. Apparently the change had taken place gradually over the last 4 months, so no one really noticed. My hair had become full and luxurious again, and I noticed that I didn’t really need my glasses any more. My breasts were firm again, and my butt seemed to be ‘perky’ again.
Whoa, this was great I thought to myself! I couldn’t even imagine what the change would be like when we flew for the first time. I pulled myself together and got ready to go down to the Hall and tell Sam what happened. Michael… I had to tell Michael first.
Michael met me on the pathway and told me that thru his dragon he was aware that Jake had hatched.
Then he told me I looked great. So much younger, it was amazing. He was looking forward to his dragon hatching soon also. He was so excited for me and for the possibilities for himself.
I went down to the meeting hall and pulled Sam aside and told him what had happened. “Have you looked at yourself lately girl? My God, you’re younger than me now! You look wonderful!” He was grateful that I was still alive. I told him that I had to tell the others. There was no way we could hide the fact that a dragon was in the area, and I didn’t want them firing on Jake. Sam still thought that everything was happening too fast. He was always on his guard. He was just worried about all of us. Jake would soon put his mind to rest.
Later that night at dinner, I called them to attention and told them what I had done, and how long it had been going on, and that Jake had hatched. There was stunned silence. Then all kinds of questions were flying at me. I answered as best I could. In the end, they seemed to accept it. Most were saying that their dreams had prepared them for this situation. They believed it was a sign of things to come.