13
The large group was led down the mountainside to the Riders Hall. Their bags and possessions were lined up against the wall, and they were all beckoned to the center. There was a huge boulder in the center and it appeared to have been sheared in half; it was used as a great table.
After everyone was in the Hall, Daniel stepped forward and began speaking, “We welcome you all here to Dragons Hill. We here are a small but growing force whose purpose is to put an end to the horror that has engulfed our world.” As he spoke, the Riders and their Dragons came into the huge hall. They stood by their dragons and listened to Daniel. The students all stared in amazement at the size of the beasts filling the Hall.
“You have all been chosen, just as we were, to be a part of that force.” Daniel walked around them as he spoke. “Let me introduce you to our Riders and their Dragons,” he said with a wave of his arm towards the riders and dragons behind him. As he called out their names, each Rider stepped before his or her Dragon. The students listened intently to his every word.
“You have already met Kate, rider of Jake, First of the Ancients. I am Daniel, rider of Queenie, consort to Jake.
“Over here is Michael, whom you already met, rider of Lady Jennie, mate to Rah.” Michael bowed and winked at the girls; several giggled.
“This is Lady Sally, rider of Rah, First Wing to Jake. She is also Michael’s mate.” There were a lot of ‘ohs and ahs’ at the sight of Rah. He was pleased that his presence impressed them so. He nodded his massive head to them.
“Over here we have Steve, rider of Lady Elzbeth, mate to Daowyn. Steve is our demolitions expert.” Steve waved to them and Lady Elzbeth nodded.
“Next is Lady Ashley, mate to Steve, rider of Daowyn. You all witnessed today what he is capable of doing.” Lady Ashley smiled at them, and Daowyn bent his head in a nod of acknowledgement.
“Over here we have Jerry, rider of Lady Olivia, mate to Rhontin. Jerry is our engineer.
“This is Lady Beth, mate to Jerry, rider of Rhontin.” He walked over to the other side of the large table.
“This is Collin, rider of Lady Maya, mate to Jared. He has the sight, so don’t ever lie to him, he’ll call you on it.” Collin waved at them.
“Next to him is Lady Becky, mate to Collin, and rider of Jared the Blue.” Becky waved, and Jared nodded.
He went to the center, “and this is Master Jeffery, our advisor, and strategist. He has a great deal of knowledge at his disposal. So if you have need of any information at all, speak to him.”
“Don’t try to remember all this; it will come to you when you need it. Down below is our main camp, and the people we protect. We will be going there shortly.”
There was much whispering among the students. Each was staring intently at the dragons and their riders.
Just then the two tabby cats jumped up on the table and looked all around. The dragons all started purring as one. The cats seemed to be pleased; there was no fear of the mighty beasts that surrounded them. All the students looked on in amazement. As if on cue, Oreo pranced into the Hall and sauntered up to the table. Purring loudly she nuzzled the two cats almost knocking them over. She then threw herself down and engaged in ‘kitten play’.
“What is that? That’s not really a cat, is it? Look at the size of the thing!” The kids were unabashed and very vocal. The Riders all laughed at their response to Oreo.
It was Sally who stepped forward and spoke, “that is my cat, Oreo. She’s still just a kitten. She’s an enhanced kitten, but still a kitten. She will be happy to have some new friends.” There was laughter all around the Hall.
Daniel stepped forward, “You must have a lot of questions, and we will answer them all tomorrow. For now, let us descend to the Great Hall and have some dinner. Come and follow.” Kate came to his side and she beckoned Alex and John to the front of the line with them. They made quite a sight as they all began the descent.
They came out of the last opening and started down the pathway and they all got their first view of the camp. Many people were entering a huge cave. They followed and went inside and down the long passageway. They were stunned at the size of the cave as they entered the main chamber.
Sam had arranged a small feast and a cheery welcome for them. As they came into the cave there was a mighty shout “Welcome to Dragons Hill!” He stepped forward and announced to them all, “We welcome you to your new home. I’m Sam, and this is Lucy, my wife. We have prepared a feast in your honor. Come, please, sit yourselves down.”
Two long tables were placed together and the children all found seats. They were wide eyed and smiling, and looking all about. Several large platters of food were placed on the table and drinks were brought forward.
“Look, they have cokes!” It was Andrew who spoke first. “Look at this food, chicken, and steaks, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob! Hot damn, we must be in heaven!”
“Andrew,” it was Alex who admonished him, “watch your language.”
“Hell Alex,” John chimed in, “the kid is right, this must be heaven.”
“John, we are not going to forget our manners. You all know what to do,” she admonished them.
They all rose as one, took each other’s hand, and began to recite a prayer. “We thank you Lord for our lives. Thank you for this bounty you have set before us. Thank you for the protection you have sent us. May we be deserving of your gifts.”
Daniel and Kate looked at each other. They had been trained well by John and Alex. There were shouts of “Hear, hear” from the people in the Hall.
They all quickly sat and began stuffing their faces. Their food had been limited, and so their portions had been small. To see a feast like this set before them was more than they could bear. They ate to their full, some going back for seconds; they drank gallons of sweet tea, and biscuits with honey disappeared as soon as they were brought to the table.
Alex leaned over and spoke to Kate, “we have not had such good food in a very long time. I am most grateful that you do us honor in this way.”
“Alex, this is how we eat all the time. We found a warehouse center and it is powered by solar energy. We have all the food we could possibly want. And there is also a clothing center; you all look like you could use new clothing. We can go to town for new clothes in a day or two; we are very excited that you are all here at last.” She patted her hand, reassuring her.
“I am so overwhelmed, Kate. There is something here, so positive, you can almost touch it. I can see that you care deeply for the other,” she gestured around the table.
“It’s not a secret Alex, we love each other, and respect each other; we are all family. Jake showed us how easy it is when you care and respect your fellow man. Everyone who comes here is engulfed by it. We live in true peace and harmony. No man betters himself over another. We all help each other, and in doing that, we all grow spiritually. Jake has taught us just by example. We see him and the other dragons and how they behave towards each other. We will explain more tomorrow at the meeting.”
“Jake was able to do all this?” She shook her head, “I do admit that he is most impressive. But to allow him to run your lives…”
“Oh no, you have it all wrong,” Kate quickly interjected. “Think about your children, how did you manage to turn out such intelligent and intuitive ones? You taught them, and allowed them to make their own choices, right? You and John set an example for them to follow. It’s the same thing. Jake showed us what we could do, and let us decide for our selves. I had shut myself off to the possibility of finding love and happiness. Jake showed me that it was possible, and Daniel did the rest. Each of us found our soul mate, and we are indeed very happy.” Just then Daniel leaned over and whispered something to her and kissed her on the cheek.
Alex smiled, “He is very attentive. And I notice that all of you are quite beautiful, you seen to glow. Is it the food or something? I have never seen such lovely women and such handsome men. What ever it is, it agrees with you all.”
“It comes from the Dragons. We’ll explain tomorrow at the meeting above. Do you love John?” she asked very nonchalantly.
“Yes, yes I do. Over the years I have come to love him very much. And I believe he feels the same for me.” She answered a little defensively.
“Well, the longer you are here, you and he will find that your love will grow to something more. You will develop a higher level of understanding, a more profound feeling towards each other. It is a very spiritual, physical thing. It happens quite unexpectedly, one day you will look at each other, and you will simply know.”
“Oh, this is just too much to take in at one time.” Alex was really overwhelmed by everything going on, “I do believe that the children are in heaven. Their dreams have been vindicated.”
Alex was looking at all of them as a mother looks with pride on her children. Loud noises and protests were coming from the table where the children were seated. Some of the riders had sat down amid them, and they were being hammered by questions. They were so happy, she was very glad that they were adjusting so well. She and John had done the right thing in staying and caring for them. Whatever the future holds, she knew it would be good for them. And that was her only concern.
She and John had been careful over the years to teach them the right things, to give them a good foundation to live by. Seeing them now like this, she was pleased.
The Hall suddenly got very quiet as a large yellow Lab came limping into the Hall. There were loud shouts of “Well done! Go Tabs!” The children all stared at this huge animal with bandages wrapped about his legs and torso. It took him a bit longer than usual, but he went straight to Michael. Michael bent over and hugged him and gently patted his massive head lovingly; he fed him a small amount of meat and placed a bowl of water before him. Andrew stared at the large dog as if in a trance. He got up and went over to him, kneeling down he patted Tabs head.
“You are the biggest Lab I’ve ever seen. I have two friends who will like you very much. I hope you get well soon.” He stared into the big dogs eyes and there was an immediate connection between them. Suddenly tears streamed down Andrews cheeks. He blurted out, “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Tabs gave him a big lick and almost knocked him over.
Lady Jennie told Michael; the little one has a gift, My Michael. He feels the sorrow in Tabs heart.
Michael stared at Andrew with new eyes.
After another hour Daniel stood up, “May I have your attention please? You have all had a pretty big day; now is the time to rest. If you will all follow us, we will get you squared away in a temporary shelter we have prepared for you. Your things have been taken there already. Oh, and your animals have been fed and are waiting for you.” There were loud protests but in the end they all got up and followed Daniel and Kate.
They led them up the side of the other mountain and into a huge cave. There were cots lined up in two rows, and their animals were waiting for them. “Get a good nights rest and we will meet for breakfast in the morning. You can find your way down to the Hall I am sure. The Dragons fly watch during the night, so you will all be safe here.”
Kate went to Alexandria and John and wished them a good night. Then she and Daniel left them and went down the mountain and decided to turn in early themselves.
John and Alex watched Kate and Daniel leave and then turned to face their charges. “Well, you guys have certainly had a big day. All your conjecture and guesses were laid out right there for you to see. Now begins a new future for us all. I am proud of all of you.” He was beaming with pride as a father would.
Andrew spoke up, “I wonder what happened to Michael’s dog. Maybe I’ll ask and find out tomorrow.”
Susie and Darla spoke together, “and what’s with that cat?”
“I think that we need to get some rest,” Jason said. “We are here, and we all know now that we are to be Dragon Riders, like them. Let’s wait till tomorrow and see what happens at the meeting.”
Alex chimed in, “I agree. Everybody pick a cot and go to sleep.”
Up above, in their cave Kate was asking, “What do you think Daniel?”
“I think we have a good batch of riders. But tomorrow will tell for sure Kate. After we tell them what it all entails. I don’t think John and Alex are going to go for them suddenly being all grown up after their eggs hatch.”
He was undressing, and he stopped to watch her. She had undone the braid he had made for her that morning, and was brushing her hair out in long strokes. He still hadn’t gotten used to seeing her undress and do the little things like this. The sight of her sometimes took his breath away. He came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. He gently kissed her on the neck. She responded with a deep husky “Daniel,” and she turned and faced him. He took her in his arms and kissed her softly at first, and then more passionately.
“Have I told you today that I love you woman?’ He lifted her in his arms and laid her on their bed, and began unbuttoning her shirt while caressing her neck.
“You are impossible! Oh Daniel …stop! …Daniel, …oh yes!”
They spent the better part of the next hour making love, and pleasuring each other. As they lay there afterwards, Daniel contemplated how his life had changed. This is what it is all about, caring and loving someone, being loved in return; watching out for each other, helping your fellow man, trying to make a difference. He fell asleep happy that he had followed his dreams and found this joy.
High above, Jake purred and keened. Our future sleeps below; we will be ready.