Revaramek the Resplendent - Chapter One Hundred Twenty One (Patreon)

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Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One

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Revaramek awoke when the sun was but a crimson sliver casting fire across the golden horizon. He lifted his head slowly, not wanting to wake Nyra. She had tossed and turned early in the night, only to sleep deep and deathly still all night long afterward. Even now her breathing was slow and steady. The twitch of her tail’s tip hinted at the grasp of dreams upon her mind. Revaramek eased his wing away from her back, uncurled from around her, and pushed himself to his feet.

The dragons had spent the night on the edge of the urd’thin village, alongside the oasis. Ekki had done her best through Mirelle’s translation to explain that the medicinal tea they made for Nyra would hit her hard, so they did not want the dragons to go too far away to sleep. Revaramek suspected that was why she had slept so soundly, once it finally kicked in. He could only hope it would have as noticeable an impact on her health. Revaramek sighed, and fought the urge to give her a long, loving lick across her muzzle. No sense waking her now.

Forcing himself to turn away, the dragon padded towards the water, looking around. Mirelle had taken up an offer to spend the night in one of the urd’thin’s buildings. Revaramek wasn’t sure she really wanted too, but to turn down such an offer might have offensive to the urd’thin. She was probably still asleep, anyway. The village was already buzzing with activity. Urd’thin were tending cooking fires for breakfast, pulping fruits to make juices, setting off into the deserts to hunt, and dragging nets into the oasis for fish.

Revaramek pushed through reeds and out into the cool water. He lowered his muzzle and drank his fill, and then waded out until the water was deep enough for him to swim in. Revaramek submerged himself to rinse his body, and then worked sand into his scales to scrub away dirt and grime. The dragon scrubbed and rinsed a few more times until he was clean, and then explored the depths of the oasis for a little while. The pond was much deeper than he expected, and filled with a great variety of life. He doubted it was completely natural. It was more likely the urd’thin used their shaping to expand an existing oasis and connect it with the water table, and other oases so it would always stay full.

While he swam, Revaramek hunted breakfast. There were larger creatures lurking in the deeper waters, some with great, overlapping scales and plates, others with thick hides. Tempted as he was see how such beasts tasted, with his luck he would share one with Nyra only to find out they were consuming the urd’thin tribes great sacred beasts. He stuck to fish, instead. He hunted a half dozen larger fish for himself and Nyra to share, and though it would not be quite enough to fill them up, he did not want to overhunt the waters that the urd’thin relied upon. He caught a few more fish to bring to the tribe as gifts.

By the time he returned from delivering the fish to the urd’thin in charge of the tribe’s morning meal, Nyramyn was just waking up. She stretched her forelegs and lifted her head, muzzle split wide with a yawn. Revaramek smiled at the way her pink tongue curled in her green muzzle. As her yawn ended and she sat up, he padded over and nuzzled at her neck.

“You’re adorable.” Revaramek gave her cheek a lick.

“And you smell like fish.” Nyra smiled, returning both the nuzzle and the lick. “Wish I hope means breakfast, because whatever they made me drink last night has left me terribly hungry.”

“Being hungry is good.” Revaramek led her to the freshly hunted fish awaiting her nearby, then settled onto his belly alongside his mate to share breakfast. “You’re getting used to being well-fed again. It’ll help you put some weight back on.”

Nyra chuckled and nipped at his cheek. “Don’t get your hopes up, but it’s a nice thought.”

“My hopes are always up for you, my love.”

“Oh?” Nyra cocked her head, and then curled her tail across his own. “Always up for me? I thought that was your-”

“Not with the urd’thin around, it isn’t.”

“And here I thought you’d savor a chance to finally feel like the most impressive male around.”

“Keep it up, Nyra, and you’re going to be hunting your own fish.”

Nyra only smiled at him, her frills splayed in smug amusement. “I can catch bigger fish than you, anyway.”

Revaramek heaved a playful sigh, using his scales to de-scale one of the fish. “Yes, dear, of course you can.”

“What, no argument today?”

“It’s entirely too early to have you talk circles around me.”

Nyramyn huffed, and then sunk her claws into the fish Revaramek was about to eat. “You’re no fun. Just for that, I’m taking this.”

Revaramek offered a smile. “I was going to give it to you anyway.”

“Liar.”

“Yes, Nyra. Whatever you say, Nyra.” Revaramek tried to fight his smile back as he scaled another fish for himself.

Nyramyn gave him a wary look, her ears back. “I’m not sure I trust you when you’re so quick to agree. Usually the only thing you’re quick to do is-”

“How’d you sleep, Love?” Revaramek took a large bite of fish, crunching up little bones.

“Oh, I see how it is. This is your new way of getting the best of me, is it? By preventing any argument?”

Revaramek only smiled and shrugged his wings.

Nyra laughed, and ate some fish, answering his earlier question between bites. “I slept quite deeply, after a while. That horrible thing they made me drink last night left me feeling ill, for a little while, but then once I was out, I don’t remember much of anything until I woke up a little while ago.” She tilted her head, licking her muzzle. “Think I was dreaming, but…I can’t remember what, anymore.”

Revaramek sliced a hunk of meat off with his claws, and offered it to her. “How do you feel now?”

Nyramyn delicately took the offered morsel, considering the question. “A little strange. My head’s sort of…well, it’s like there’s a fog there, but as it’s dissipating, things are even clearer than they were before.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad. That urd’thin priestess told Mirelle you might feel a little funny, for a while. At least, I think that’s what she said. Mirelle’s not as good at translating as I am, so I hope she’s getting things right. They’re going to make more of the tea mixture for us to take with, so that you can have some for a few more nights while we’re deeper in the desert.”

“Eeecchh.” Nyramyn scrunched up her muzzle. “Must I? It’s bitter and unpleasant. It tastes like something that would kill you, back in the swamp.”

“Everything would kill you back in the swamp, Love.” Revaramek chuckled, and finished off his fish, then began scaling another. He paused to wave his claws at his mate. “And yes, you must. They think it will slow the poison’s cumulative effects, and keep your body stronger for…well, stronger.”

Nyramyn nudged at Revaramek’s neck. “It’s okay, Rev. You can say it.”

A cold vice squeezed Revaramek’s heart, and he turned his head away. The sunrise glittered on the oasis, golden fire rolling against the shore in tiny waves. “I’d rather not.”

“They think it will help me stay stronger while my days grow shorter.”

Revaramek sighed, his ears drooping. “Something like that.”

“I know, Rev.” Nyramyn put her paw over his, nuzzling along his neck. “I don’t have to understand them to understand your conversation with them last night. They don’t have anything that will save me, but they might be able to keep me stronger and healthier than I would otherwise be, even as my body gives out.”

“Must you put it that way?” Revaramek glanced back at her again, blinking back sudden tears. He swallowed against his tightening throat.

“How else shall I put it?” Nyramyn’s smile warmed his heart, even as her words left his blood cold. “I’m dying, Rev. We both know it. I think we both know this…” She waved her other paw at the desert. “This adventure you brought me on, is as much about us spending time together as it is any kind of…” Nyramyn tossed her head. “Cure. There’s…there’s no cure to find, love. There’s no poison left inside me, there’s only the damage left in its wake. And that’s…That’s alright.” Nyramyn’s smile only broke his heart. “That’s alright. I’ve come to terms with that, and I want to help you do the same. What good does it do you to dance around the subject, to speak of it in flowery terms? You knowthe truth, Rev, as well as I do. But if their tea will let me better enjoy my last years with you, and with Korakos? Then I’ll gag down every drop they give me, and go on every adventure I can.” She laid her head across the back of his neck. “We should take him next time. He’d love to go on an adventure with us.”

Revaramek swallowed a few more times, trying to quell the growling lump in his throat. He wiped his eyes, and managed a small laugh. “If it was safe for a hatchling, it would hardly be an adventure.”

“Oh, it won’t be a real adventure. Not like this. I certainly don’t want him near any angry sand-gods.” Nyramyn chuckled, stroking Revaramek’s scales. “But we’ll take him somewhere safe. Let him see the mountains, perhaps. Or some of those other villages your friend owns.”

“Enora? She owns taverns in them, not villages.”

“Human society is complicated.” Nyramyn snorted. “Doesn’t matter, though. Everything’s an adventure at his age. He’d be happy just to spend time with both of us.” She pulled her head back from his neck, them bumped her muzzle against his cheek. “As would I.”

“I like that idea.” Revaramek turned his head to press his muzzle to hers, kissing her a moment. “As soon as we’re home, and you’re rested again.” He held up a paw. “Which is non-negotiable. We’ll take Korakos on some hatchling-friendly adventures.”

“Very well.” Nyramyn licked his nose then turned her attention to the last of the fish. She pulled one over and quickly scaled it. “How do you think he’s doing? This is the longest he’s ever gone without one of us around.” Nyramyn frowned, flattening her ears. “It’s the longest I’ve ever gone without having him around, since he hatched. I hope he’s alright.” Worry crept into her voice. “Do you think he’s alright? Do you think he misses us? Oh, I hope he’s not causing too much trouble…”

Revaramek gave her paw a comforting squeeze. “I’m sure he’s fine, Nyra. I have no doubts that Kurekka, Chir’raal and Enora are taking wonderful care of him.”

Nyramyn managed a smile. “Yes, but who will take care of them? He’s an awful lot of energy in him, after all. He’s taxing on you, let alone an old human and some elderly gryphons.”

“Elderly?” Revaramek lifted his head, cackling.

“Are they not?” Nyramyn cocked her head. “But one of them’s all gray…”

“That’s his natural color!” Revaramek laughed harder, slapping his tail against the sand. “They’re no older than we are! Oooh, I’m telling him you said that! I can’t wait to see the look on his feathery face, he’s going to get so fluffed and indignant!”

“Don’t tell them I said that if it’s not true!” Nyramyn hissed at him.

“Oh, but it is true, you did say that!”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“I’m going to teach Korakos to start calling him grandfather!” Revaramek sat up, clapping his forepaws. “No, Grandpa! It sounds older! Old, creaky, Grandpa Chir’raal.” He cackled again, shaking his head. “Oh, Nyra, thank you! I needed that laugh.”

“You’re welcome.” Nyramyn snorted, and thumped at him with her wing. “But don’t tell him that.”

“Oh, I have too! This is going to be even funnier than when I told him you thought he was hideous!”

“Well, he has a beak.” Nyramyn growled under her breath, and then shoved a chunk of fish into Revaramek’s muzzle, muffling any reply. “Besides, I told you he wasn’t hideous, at least not the way you made him out to be.”

Revaramek chewed up the fish, and then swallowed it. “I told you they were four legged creatures, with feathers and beaks. Which they are!”

“Yes, but I imagined something like…a malformed dragon, with patches of feathers everywhere, and a twisted beak where its muzzle should be.”

“Why the hell would you think that?”

“If they came from the swamp, that’s how they’d have looked.”

“Fair point, but still. I suppose I’ll never understand half of what drifts through your mind, but I’m ever so glad you share them with me.” Revaramek pushed himself up to his feet, and shook the sand from his scales. “I’m going to go see if Mirelle’s up and about while you finish breakfast.”

Revaramek padded away from his mate and towards the village proper while Nyramyn finished eating. He passed pens with livestock both familiar and foreign, along with a few urd’thin herders tending them. The urd’thin paused to stare at the dragon. Even though they’d all seen Revaramek and Nyramyn up close now, the dragons proved a source of endless fascination for the smaller, furrier people. Revaramek supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Even back in Refuge, the humans and other bipeds often stared at the dragons. Though in that case, he usually wrote it off as due to his own resplendence. When they visited other villages that did not have dragons living among them, they’d get even more looks and stares.

Still, it felt a little different walking amongst the desert urd’thin than it did the people of the cities back home. Probably because these urd’thin weren’t supposed to be here, he thought. He scrunched his muzzle and shook his head. That wasn’t the right way to put it. Obviously the urd’thin had as much right to live here as anyone else did. But wasn’t this desert thought to be empty? Then again, just how long had it been since Enora had been there with Asterbury and Aylaryl? Assuming it wasn’t some aspect of Asterbury’s powers hiding things from her, this part of the desert might well have been completely empty when she was here. These urd’thin could have colonized this particular oasis within the last few decades.

They had to have some from somewhere, though. Revaramek glanced towards the statue garden. Had they come through the gate buried there? Ekki seemed surprised and confused when they ran away from it, but at the same time, she yelled at Nyra for scratching at the stone. Revaramek wasn’t sure she realized just what was buried halfway in the sand, but maybe that wasn’t it at all. Maybe Ekki knew exactly what was there, and her confusion stemmed from something else entirely. If they urd’thin or their direct ancestors came here through a gate, could such gateways just seem like a normal part of life to them? Maybe she just didn’t understand why the so-called gods beasts feared something all the urd’thin saw as normal.

The dragon snorted. Far be it from Asterbury to lead him anywhere that wasn’t confusing. Revaramek gazed over his wings at Nyra as she finished off the fish. Despite his conversations with her and Mirelle, Revaramek refused to admit he could not save her. As strange as it felt to imagine himself trusting Asterbury, a chance to keep a family together seemed like the one thing he could take the wicked urd’thin’s word for.

As he pushed deeper into the villages, a few more urd’thin began to surround him. At first it was pups, who ran around the dragon, chatting at him. Revaramek wished he could understand a word they said. Some of them tugged at his tail webbing, a few ran their hands over his scales. As long as they didn’t do anything uncomfortable, he was willing to let them touch and marvel at him all they wanted. Their parents followed them, some dragging their pups away, others joining them in touching the dragon.

“Yes, hello, it’s nice to see you all again.” Revaramek watched his footing, and stepped cautiously, making sure no urd’thin ended up caught underfoot.

“Rev!” Mirelle’s familiar voice rose above the clamor of excited urd’thin. “I’m over here, Rev!”

Revaramek swiveled his ears towards the sound, and soon spotted her amongst the urd’thin preparing breakfast for the tribe. Mirelle’s back hair hung in damp strands around her olive face. She must have had her morning bath already. Mirelle wore a cream-colored blouse, a better fit for the heat than something dark, and some loose-fitting breeches. She was using her knife to peel fruit, surrounded by a crowd of urd’thin who were either complimenting her technique, or telling her how poor a job she was doing.

“Hello, Mirelle.” Revaramek approached her, gently nudging a few of the urd’thin aside. “Give me a moment to wade through this sea of fur.”

Mirelle laughed and waved her knife. “They do seem eager to have guests. I offered to help them, seemed like the reasonable thing to do. They’ve got me on fruit prep, and…” She glanced back and forth between a pile of red fruits and discarded rinds. “Honestly I can’t tell if I’m doing it right or not. They keep saying, ‘good’, but half the time she takes my fruit and peels off more little bits.” Mirelle inclined her head towards an older female with black fur starting to go gray. “I think maybe they’re just being polite.”

“I’m sure they appreciate the effort, anyway.” Revaramek found a spot near Mirelle, and eased back onto his haunches after using his tail to push any lingering urd’thin out of the way. “Nyra and I have eaten, so after you’ve had breakfast, we should be on our way. Where’s Ekki?”

“Out in the dunes.” Mirelle pointed back the way they’d first approached the village. “She has a morning ritual, communing with the stars or the sun, asking for the gods’ blessing.”

“Let’s hope the gods are feeling favorable to us, then. Cause the only one I’ve met out here told us specifically not to do what we’re about to do.”

Mirelle glanced up at the dragon, scowling. “He did say we could come here, though, right?”

“Yes.” Revaramek reached for a fruit, looking at the urd’thin. When they beckoned for him to take it, he speared it with a claw, and popped it into his muzzle. The sweet juices across his tongue left him murmuring in delight. “But he also said, no further than that.”

Mirelle peeled another fruit, and set the rind in the pile. “If the village says we can go further, hopefully the god will understand.”

“That’s about the best we have to hope for right now.”

“It’s a place to start, anyway.” Mirelle pointed with her knife. “Try that juice, it’s wonderful.” She spoke to the urd’thin in their tongue, and soon they were pouring fruit juice into a large wooden bowl. “You’re going to love this, Rev.”

The urd’thin brought the bowl to Revaramek, and lowered it to the sandy ground in front of him. He dropped his muzzle, sniffed the juice, and then rumbled. “It smells divine.” The dragon lapped up a few mouthfuls, and found it tasted even better. Juice was a fairly rare treat for him, if only because most of time he ate fruit around the marsh, he just ate it whole. And the fruits the urd’thin village harvested were vastly different than those back home. When the bowl was empty, he licked his muzzle clean, smiling at the urd’thin. “Tell them I loved it, and thank them for me, will you?”

While Mirelle translated, Revaramek gazed around. Though it was still early, it looked as if the whole village was awake now. Everyone but the pups seemed to have a job to do. Many were focused on hunting prey or harvesting more crops, or tending to foods being smoked and dried. Others ventured out into stations set up in the desert for the unpleasant task of tanning animal hides, likely to make clothing and for their buildings. Another group of them soon set to work on lashing together a wooden framework for a new house they were building, while others collected reeds to stripped down for fibers. Groups of pups chased each between homes, and wrestled on stretches of sand.

“They’ve got everything figured out.” Revaramek flattened his ears back in thought.

“Hrrmm?” Mirelle glanced up at him.

“It looks like they’ve been living here for generations. Or…living like this, at least. There’s no sense that any of this is new to them, or that there’s anything about living here they’re still figuring out.”

Mirelle sliced away a few swathes of rind, then paused to look around. “Yeah. I noticed that, too. They’ve got culture and traditions, and they’ve all got their roles. They know all they need to about living here. It’s almost like…” Mirelle shook her head and trailed off.

“Like your village, right?” Revaramek arched his neck, gazing down at her. “It’s a city now, but even when it was smaller, and younger…everyone knew what to do. Because by the time the storytellers brought civilians there to live, they knew exactly what needs they had, and what kind of people would fit that role. This place?” He swept his wing out across the desert village, sending a few urd’thin stumbling out of the way. “It’s the same thing. Everyone who came here, knew just how to live in a place like this. Probably came from a desert tribe, that lived the same way…on a desert just like this.” He tilted his head towards the statues watching over the half-buried. “Came here through that. Or, their parents or grandparents, maybe. I bet some of them are just like you were, before all this.”

Mirelle passed the peeled fruit to an urd’thin, and started working through the rind of another. “What do you mean?”

“They don’t even know they’re colonists.” Revaramek shifted around to watch Ekki make her way down from the dunes, heading back towards the village. “She does, I’d wager, but I wonder how many others know? Someone brought them here, to colonize this empty desert.”

“And you think that someone was…” Mirelle went quiet, and set her knife down. She peeled the rest of the fruit with her hands, and popped a bite into her mouth. She spoke around. “I’d better not say his name, but let’s call him Mr. Asshole. Now that this world is finally peaceful, you think he brought them here, somehow?”

Revaramek chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t know. Maybe. But that only brings up a lot more questions. If it was him, then whendid he do that? Last I saw him, he couldn’t open gates on his own. Even if he’s figured it out, since then, that’s less than ten years ago. This tribe looks like it’s been here for decades, at least.”

“True.” Mirelle turned around to lean up against the dragon while she ate her fruit. She scanned the village, wiping her sticky fingers on Revaramek’s scales. Revaramek snorted but ignored her. “But he did come here decades earlier, right? With Enora, and Aylaryl, She said he built an oasis, didn’t she?”

Revaramek nodded once, staring at the fruit Mirelle was eating. “Called it a big lake in the desert. Said he grew hand fruit trees and everything.”

“Well?” Mirelle held up the rest of her snack, and then gestured with it towards the body of water lapping at the nearby shore. “Exhibits A, and B.”

“I know, I know. But Enora also said the desert was empty, and it made him feel…lonely.”

“So maybe returned later with Aylaryl, or even on his own, and decided to fill that emptiness with urd’thin.”

“It’s possible. But I don’t know he would have. He can’t…or at least he couldn’t, open the gates. Not back then, anyway. That’s why he needed me.”

Mirelle finished her fruit and wiped both her hands on the dragon. “So perhaps he--”

“Quit that!” Revaramek snarled at her, though he kept the sound soft and playful. “Wipe your fruit juice hands on my scales again and I’ll toss you into the lake.”

“Sorry.” Mirelle laughed, and poured a little drinking water from a pitcher, into an empty basin. She rinsed her hands in it, glancing back at the dragon. “Anyway, didn’t he…well…Vakaal. Didn’t you find out he basically…built his family? From the sand?”

“I don’t think Ast…Mr. Asshole ever specifically told me that, but…I sort of pieced it together, yeah.”

“If they were essentially the gods of that world, if they built its people…” Mirelle gazed across all the desert urd’thin, busy with their morning routines. “What would have stopped him from doing it again, when the desert felt so empty to him?”

“Vakaal.” Revaramek flattened back his ears. “Vakaal, or…whatever piece of him was trapped in Mr. Asshole’s head, kept him from knowing the truth. I couldn’t tell if Vakaal was actually…in there, as a separate entity, or if he was just…” Revaramek stretched a foreleg up towards the sky, growing deeper blue with every passing moment. “Reaching across existence. I think his father did something to him, in their last moments together. As if he was partitioning the innocent pup away from the monster that was coming. Maybe he...” Revaramek growled a frustrated sigh. “Well, I don’t know Mirelle, maybe he made a new body and put the innocent pup part of Vakaal into it, and let the monster have the old one. They’re gods, I don’t know how they work.”

“Exactly. So for all you know, when Asterbury-” Mirelle caught herself, but she’d already said the name. The urd’thin around them all fell silent. “Whoops.”

For a few long moments, all the urd’thin who overheard stared at her. Some of them gaped, jaws hanging open. A few flattened back their ears, or bared their fangs. Then one of the older females started yelling at her, waggling her claws in chastising gesture. Mirelle held her hands up, bowed her head, and spent a few moments apologizing until the worst of the urd’thins’ uneasiness about the name passed.

“Good work, Mirelle.”

“Shut up, Rev.”

Once the urd’thin had returned to their food preparations, Revaramek cocked his head. “What were you going to say?”

“I was just thinking that, for all we know, when…he…came here first, it might have…woken some dormant need, or desire in Vakaal. Maybe he came back later, and…” She waved her hand at the village. “Built a world from the sand.”

“Got the monster to build his people anew, and then hid all the memories away.” Revaramek rubbed his wings against his sides, considering it. “It’s possible. Especially if he knew the monster was going to end the storyteller presence, here. And wanted his people to have a chance to try again.”

Mirelle poked the dragon’s chest. “Especially if he knew he’d find a hero here.”

“Two heroes, Mirelle.”

Mirelle smiled at him. “Aw, thanks, Rev, I did what I could.”

Revaramek grinned back her, innocent as could be. “I was talking about Jekk.”

“Oh, shove it under your tail.”

“Think that’s more the gryphons’ thing, than mine.” Revaramek tossed his head. “Anyway, Vakaal told me that…there’s a lot of things the monster can never know. That it would be too dangerous if he did. As if once the monster realized he was a god, he’d be unstoppable, and there’d be no more bringing him back. Building a new tribe in this desert would certainly qualify as that sort of information, I’d think.”

“Suppose we should try and ask Ekki?” Mirelle pointed to the urd’thin priestess who was just now making her way through the village, towards the gathering area. “She already said that…a star brought their people to life, so…”

Revaramek cocked his head. “So you want to use your limited knowledge of her language to attempt to ask her to differentiate between her people being brought to life here in this desert a few decades ago by one particular star, and her people bring brought to life hundreds of years ago, in a totally different desert, possibly the same star or a different star, only for another star to them lead them through a gate and into this desert?”

“It sounds confusing when you put it that way.”

“Exactly! So I’m looking forward to seeing your attempts to explain those concepts to her, and then get a clear answer.”

“Yeah, maybe we’d better skip that step.”

“We’ve probably learned about all we can from her, until we’ve bettered our understanding of the specifics of her language.”

“You mean until I’ve bettered my understanding.” Mirelle poked the dragon’s shoulder. “You haven’t even started to learn it.”

“I’m sorry!” Revaramek arched his neck, and put a paw over his chest plates. “I’m afraid I was too busy saving the world to attend regular language studies.”

“Oh, please, that was years ago! Before Nyra and Korakos made it here, the only thing you were busy doing was playing with your-”

“Mirelle!” Revaramek snapped his teeth. “Not in front of the urd’thin.”

“I should hope you’d not play with it in front of anyone.”

Revaramek couldn’t help but laugh, flexing his wings. “Alright, that’s not bad Mirelle.”

By then, Ekki had nearly reached them. Revaramek bowed his head to her, his muzzle nearly touching the sand. Since he could not really speak her language, he had to let Mirelle do the talking for both of them, such as it was. But the bow was a recognizable gesture, as was the way he waved his paw. Ekki smiled and spoke, and waved back to him.

Ekki gathered a few pieces of fruit for herself, and as she ate them, Mirelle spoke with her. There was a lot of gesturing and a lot of repeated phrases, and Revaramek could only hope Mirelle was actually getting somewhere. He gazed beyond the village, and saw that Nyra was swimming in the oasis now, surrounded by a few curious pups. One of them soon grew brave enough to climb atop the female dragon, only to jump from her and into the oasis, using her as a springboard. The sight of it and the sound of Nyra’s ensuring laughter brought a warm smile to the dragon’s muzzle. He hoped that someday they could bring Korakos here, and let him play with the urd’thin pups.

“So, I tried to ask Ekki if her people’s star created them here, or if they were created in another world, and traveled here, and I think I only confused her.” Mirelle folded her arms while Ekki went to the central plaza, to stand atop the large flat stones. “She’s going to offer a pray for their breakfast, now. I think.”

“So you did exactly what we thought you would, if you broached the subject.”

“Basically, yes.” Mirelle gave a sheepish laugh, shrugging. “Though, I think I did get across the idea of a colony, and…she seemed to agree. So…I think they came from somewhere else.”

“Fantastic work, Mirelle. You’ve circled us right back around to our starting point.”

“Or…she came from somewhere else, to teach the others how to live here. I’m not exactly sure.”

Revaramek licked his nose. “So Ast…Vakaal, or whoever, may have created some of them here, then brought others from another world to teach them how to live?”

“It’s possible.”

“That would mean that there’s a desert tribe out there, somewhere, that wasn’t destroyed by the storytellers, or the poison floods.” Revaramek rubbed around the broken base of a missing horn, scrunching his muzzle. “Which raises all sorts of other questions.”

“It would mean one of those stories survived, right?” Mirelle wiped fruit juice off her knife, and then sheathed it. “One of the books about Vakaal?”

“Maybe.” Revaramek sighed and set his paw back down in the sand. “It’s damn near impossible to say. There could be a version of that world that never got invaded, or another where one of them dies, and the other kills all the storytellers, then…puts the world back together.” He twisted his neck around, gazing back towards the dunes. “Or…maybe his father never died, and just…went to a new world to start over without him.”

“You don’t think…”

“I’m not sure what I think right now, Mirelle.” Revaramek flattened his frills back. “Whoever I met up there, there was something…off about him. I think it was the father but…I’m not sure if it was the same father. Or maybe he’s just as broken now as the monster is.” The thought sent a shudder through him, his scales rattling. “Let’s hope that’s not the case.” He unsheathed his claws, and traced little sigils in the sand. “Maybe you and Nyra should wait here. I don’t think he’d harm you, if you’re the only one who breaks his rules.”

“Not going to happen, Rev.”

“I could leave you behind, to keep you safe.” A hint of a smile crept across the dragon’s muzzle.

“No, you couldn’t.” Mirelle folded her arms, grinning right back at him. “Nyra would follow you, and I’d ride on her back. And we both know she can out fly you.”

“I’d got better stamina than her, though. I can fly for longer.”

“And she’d fly herself until she crashed if that’s what it took to catch up with you.”

Revaramek rumbled, gazing across the glittering water at his mate. Already her natural joy had overwhelmed her nervousness around so many unfamiliar creatures. Now she was laughing and dunking urd’thin in the water. “That she would.”

Mirelle came forward and set her hand on the dragon’s shoulders, stroking his scales. “Whatever we’re going to face, we’ll face it together.”

Revaramek lowered his neck to brush his muzzle against her cheek, smiling. “I appreciate the sentiment, Mirelle, if not the frightening reality.”

“Don’t worry Rev.” Mirelle rubbed his jawline. “If it all goes wrong, at least we’ve got you to blame.”

“Yes, and what great comfort that is.” The dragon chuckled, and his breath blew strands of black hair around. “If things go wonderfully, you’ll take all the credit, and if we all end up getting killed, I’ll get stuck with all the blame.”

“You’re the dragon! You’ve read enough stories to know your kind always get the blame.” Laughing, Mirelle raised her hand to rub him between the nubs of his horns. “We’ll just have to make sure everything goes right so I can take all the credit.”

“Mhmm.” Revaramek leaned into her touch, growling a rough purr. “I suppose you should gather your things. I’ll collect Nyra, and get our cargo harnesses ready to go.”

“Alright.” Mirelle pulled back, and nodded towards the priestess. “I’ll let Ekki know we’ll be leaving soon. And with any luck, we’ll return soon, too. I’ll make sure all our canteens are filled up again. I’m also going to show Ekki our maps, and see if she can help pinpoint just where we’re headed. Might help if we know about how long the trip there and back will be.”

“Good idea, Mirelle.” Revaramek glanced over the low tables laden with fruit, and licked his muzzle. “Will you ask them if they’ll pour some of that juice in something I can carry? I’d like to give it to Nyra.”

“Sure.” Mirelle translated, and after a few moments, the urd’thin filled a heavy water skin with fruit juice. The water skin had a strap, so Mirelle buckled it around Revaramek’s neck to make it easier for him to carry. “There you go. I’ll meet you over by Nyra after I gather up my things and talk to Ekki.”

“Very well.”

Revaramek waded through the crowds of urd’thin that had filled the plaza both for breakfast, and to see their strange visitors. None of them got underfoot, but he did have to shoo a few of them out of the way when they seemed more interested in gaping at the green and copper dragon than moving out of his path. A few of the bravest urd’thin even clambered up his tail, scaling it like a tree, and soon had settled at the base of his neck. Given that those who tried were older pups and younger adults, he suspected they were probably trying to impress those they fancied.

By the time he neared the place where he spent the night with Nyramyn, most of the crowd had fallen back to watch from a distance. The dragon gave himself a gentle shake, and the last of the urd’thin still clinging to him slipped off and gave him a bit of space, albeit with a few chattering complaints. Once he was free of passengers and slightly away from onlookers, he waded to the water’s edge.

Nyramyn was still swimming and playing with a few other young urd’thin, but she looked towards the shore when she saw her mate approaching. “Hello, Rev!”

“Hello, Nyra. Having fun?”

“Yes, actually!” Nyramyn laughed, and then lifted a forepaw. A soaked urd’thin clung to her front leg, hanging from it. He kicked his feet a few times, laughing, and then let go to fall back into the water. “I think they’re having even more fun, though!”

“I’m glad to hear that! Alas…” He bowed his head in formal draconic apology. “I have come to put an end to your games.”

“You villain!” Nyramyn slapped her paw against the surface, sending waves crashing over the nearest urd’thin. She glanced at them, ears flat. “Oh, sorry.”

Revaramek laughed, settling on the shoreline. “You can play with your new friends a little longer, while Mirelle gets ready to leave. But then we’ve got to go.” His laughter faded, and he turned his gaze towards the horizon, shining a fiery gold beneath the rising sun. “If we’re going to make a god angry, we may as well get it over with.”