Legends of Calvernia: Dragons

   Perched on a ledge in the mountains, the beast looked down through the clouds at the land below. The dragon’s talons cut deep grooves into the rock, scales of amethyst shining in the sun. It was a dumb beast, controlled by instinct, thoughts only for its primitive needs. All it felt was the heat in its blood and the hunger in its belly.

   It heaved itself into the sky, catching the air in its wings and propelling into flight. Slowly dropping down through the clouds, its eager eyes scanned the ground in search of a feast. The sound of its beating wings must have scared all the animals away, as the land seemed void of all life. No, wait. There was movement. A scrawny looking thing that walked on two legs, but a meal was a meal.

   A loud roar rolled from its mouth as  it swooped down, plucking the creature from the ground as easily as a child pick up a toy. The human struggled uselessly against the might of the dragon’s jaws, frustrating the already enraged beast. Too hungry to relish the fight, it went in for the quick kill, flicking its prey into the air, and snapping it up. As its teeth bit through the body, it crunched and the juices squirted into the beast’s mouth. Within seconds, its meal was over, the human devoured with not even bones left behind.

   Tipping into a turn, it headed back towards the mountains. But as it flew it began to feel things. Things it hadn’t felt before. The wind on its back suddenly felt good, and emotions flooded its mind and body. As it touched down in the mountains, it began to develop a sense of who it was, and an intelligence it had never experienced. And more than that, there was now some kind of empathy for its fellow intelligent beings.

   With a churning heart, it remembered the human being that was, even at that very moment, festering in the pits of its stomach.

   ‘Oh gods,’ was its first conscious thought, ‘what have I done?’

*

   The dragon slept undisturbed, but it didn’t sleep soundly. Guilt consumed it, filling its every thought. Twisting, it tried to let it go, but just found itself leaning on a sharp rock.

   “Help!” A shrill, but plainly male, cry pierced its thoughts. But it didn’t come from the air, that much it knew. This came from inside its own head, like a cry from the inside. Is this what insanity was?

   “Where am I? I can’t see anything.”

   The dragon shook its head, as if it would dislodge the voice. But it didn’t work.

   ‘What is this?’ it thought.

   “What? Who said that?”

   Gods, this voice could hear the beast’s thoughts. Maybe this could be used to figure out what it was. Cautiously, it ventured its thoughts forward.

   ‘Hello?’

   “Hello? Who is this? Do you know where I am?”

   ‘I think the better question is who are you? And how did you get inside my head?’

   “Listen, I don’t know what you mean by ‘inside your head’, but my name’s Orell. I’m a fourteen-year-old shepherd.  Or at least I used to be. I’m not sure, but I think I might be dead.”

   ‘Dead?’

   “Yeah. ‘Cause the last thing I remember is being attacked by a dragon.”

   ‘Oh gods.’

   “I know.”

   ‘No, not that. It’s just that… I think I was that dragon.’

   “What? Then what’s going on?”

   ‘I don’t know.’

   Silence ensued. The boy didn’t say anything, and the dragon simply didn’t know what to say. This awkward silence persisted for a few moments, until the beast had an idea.

   ‘Orell, do you know where we could find a mage?’

   “Of course. There’s one near our village, about a league out. Why?”

   ‘If there’s anyone who knows what’s going on. Anyone who can fix it, it’ll be him.’

   “Her,” Orell corrected the animal. He waited a few moments, before he continued. “You know, I don’t know your name.”

   ‘That is because I do not have one.’

   “Really? How come?”

   ‘Before this afternoon, I was just a primitive animal. Dumb beasts have no need for names.’

   “Well then, I’ll just have to think of something to call you. Are you a boy or a girl?”

   ‘I am a male.’

   “Hmmm. In that case, I shall call you Felzar. It was my grandfather’s name. Is that okay with you?”

   ‘That should be fine.’

*

   The sun had barely risen above the hills when Felzar approached the edge of the mountain.

   “Whoa,” Orell’s voice sounded in the back of his mind, “it sure is high up here.”

   ‘This is nothing.’

   He plunged into the air and headed for the village, trying to ignore the sound of Orell’s screaming.

   “How come I can see through your eyes?”

   ‘I don’t know. But surely this mage will. What’s her name?’

   “Erm, I think it’s Jecia, but I’ve only really met her once or twice. I don’t think she’ll even remember me.”

   A journey that would usually have taken days on foot, took mere hours in the air, and before even midday, a small house on a hill came into view. They landed outside with a thump, and a middle-aged woman came running out of the house.

   “What, in all of Calvernia, is going on out here?!”

   She stopped when she saw Felzar, but didn’t see to be afraid. On the contrary, she was intrigued.

   “Are you Jecia?” Felzar asked, trying to speak for the first time.

   “Yes. Yes I am. And who are you?”

   “I have recently been given the name Felzar. You may call me that.”

   “Very well. But why are you here?”

   Felzar told the mage exactly what had happened, passing on any messages that Orell gave him. Jecia listened intently, but didn’t interrupt until they’d finished.

   “Well,” she said, “I am sorry to hear of poor Orell’s demise. I know his family well - it will be hard to have to tell them. But, tell me. Do you share all of Felzar’s  senses?”

   “No. Only sight and sound.” Felzar repeated it to Jecia.

   “I see. Well in that case, it’s nothing unusual. You see, when a dragon eats a human being, it consumes their soul and turns them from a dumb beast, to creatures of vast intelligence. And the human… I guess you could say they inhabit the dragon. They cannot control the body, but they can see through the eyes, and hear through the ears. It’s like they live in the dragon’s body.”

   “Is there any way for Orell to escape?”

   “I’m afraid not. Without a body left to go to his soul would dissolve, and that‘s even if he could get out of yours.”

   “But what of the Great Haven?”

   “Souls have, what I can only describe as a time limit, to get to the Great Haven. The spirits of the world did it to make sure ghosts couldn’t concentrate on the living plains as they do in other worlds.”

   Felzar sighed. Was this going to be how the rest of his life went?

   ‘Now what do we do?’ he asked Orell.

   “I guess we’re just going to have to live with it. I feel like I’ve been imprisoned.”

   ‘I’m sorry.’

   “It’s not your fault. You were just following your instincts.”

   ‘I guess.’

   “Listen, I have a request.”

   ‘What is it?’

   “Could you fly over the village? I’d like to be able to see my family one last time.”

   ‘Of course.’

   He launched himself into the air, and headed for the village. He was careful to keep out of sight, although it was difficult - but he was fairly sure people would panic if they saw a dragon. As the village came into sight, he slowed almost to a halt.

   ‘Whereabouts would they be?’  

   “I think they’d be in the fields.”

   They flew over the ocean of corn, and Felzar scanned every inch of it, just so Orell could get a good look.

   “They’re not here!”

   ‘Are you sure?’

   “Yes! Maybe we should try the actual village.”

   He twisted and turned, and flew high over the village. They were close enough to see the people, but far enough away so he wasn’t seen. It was quite large for a village, with lots of citizens, yet it was still reasonably small.

   “There they are!”

   Three people were stood at the edge of the village, looking out to the countryside.

   “That’s my mum and dad. And my older sister. They’re waiting for me. What am I going to do? They won’t even find my body. For closure, I mean.”

   ‘Who are they?’ Felzar asked, looking towards a group of men sneaking towards Orell’s family.

   “No! They’re muggers! Please, Felzar, stop them.”

   He swooped, but the muggers got to the group first. A woman’s scream could be heard, and Felzar countered it, adding his own roar. They all seemed shocked at his sudden appearance, especially when he picked one of the thieves up, and threw him so hard against a wall, his skull cracked and his back broke, killing him instantly. Showing their true colours, the cowards ran. Felzar turned to the family, who were plainly filled with fear. He expected Orell to say something, or ask him to do something, but he stayed silent. Instead, he found there was only one thing to say.

   “I’m sorry.”

   They didn’t understand now, but they would. Before he could cause any more anguish, he took flight. He could only imagine what it was like for Orell, but there was nothing he could do. One day, they might tell Orell’s family, but until then he’d just have to cope. They both would.