"Positive," replied Gee Tee. "That's not to say you weren't there though. There were lots of other beings being led off into the darkness, any of which could have been the two of you."
Richie rubbed the tiredness from her eyes, contemplating what the old dragon had said.
"Can I ask why it's so important, little one?" remarked Gee Tee, asking the one question Richie truly dreaded.
A very long and uncomfortable pause punctured the air between the two of them. She didn't want to say anything, but she knew she owed him more than that. In the end, she narrowed it right down to its most basic form.
"It all boils down to a decision, and almost certainly an unpopular one at that. Everything, however I look at it, seems to depend on that one choice. Almost as if the fate of all we do rests on that. I don't know what to do. It makes no sense. In fact, it seems utterly crazy. But I can't get it out of my mind. It won't leave me alone."
Blinking furiously a few times, before leaning his head to one side, the old shopkeeper gave what he'd heard careful consideration.
"Dragons in their entirety have long since lost touch with their feelings. And I'm not talking about love, hate, sadness and joy, if that's what you think. Long ago, each and every dragon learned to trust their feelings, their gut instinct. Over the centuries, that instinct has been lost, waylaid, much to the detriment of our race. If I have one piece of advice for your quandary, it would be to go with what you feel is right. I bet your hunches nearly always pay off... am I correct?"
She nodded a reply.
"Then if I were you, I would go with that. Whatever you have to do, know that you'll be supported by everyone else. It might seem at times like you're alone, but in reality that's very much not the case. We all love you, support you, respect and admire you. When the time comes, we'll all be there to follow you and back you up. That you can count on."
"Thanks... you've been a great help," she just about got out without shedding a few tears, wondering where on earth all that had come from.
Abruptly the old dragon let out a huge, rapturous chortle, startling at least half a dozen other dragons in close proximity from their slumber. That made Richie smile... one that might be her last for a very long time.
4
Ambush Amateurs
"Impregnable! Impregnable! I'll give you impregnable!" screamed the raging Manson, smashing his ornate walking stick into the human shaped naga's stomach, causing him to double over in agony. Now on the floor, the slithering reptile tried desperately to get some words out, but he'd been winded badly, and could achieve nothing comprehensible. He figured he'd have time, time to get up, time to explain, time to fight again. His understanding of the being he'd been reporting to was incomplete to say the least, something he realised a little too late, just, in fact, as the deadly barbed blade that had appeared from nowhere at the bottom of the walking stick, sliced into his chest, and was then dragged down towards his pelvis. The beast's last expression was one of complete shock and horror. Manson turned and walked away, but not before kicking the bloodied corpse in the back for good measure. All the beings gathered knew to stay quiet. All feared his temper, even his very subdued and quiet father, standing off to one side on one of the lower levels of the council building, adjacent to the exit that led to the courtyard and the recently demolished bridge that would have taken them across to the king's private residence.
"Why, oh why, does it have to be so difficult?" muttered Manson, to no one in particular, all the time pacing back and forth. The others, heads bowed, were all too scared to meet his gaze... all but one that is.
"I seem to be continually surrounded by imbeciles," he spluttered, looking for someone else to help express his anger.
"These things happen, my love," whispered Earth, soothingly.
Turning to face her, he mentally ordering the blade at the bottom of his walking stick, to retract... with the tiniest of clicks, it did just that.
"I just want it over, that's all," he uttered, all traces of anger gone from his voice.
"I know," she replied softly. "It will be, and soon. We just need to be patient for a little while longer. We have them right where we want them. They have nowhere to go, and not nearly enough supplies to hold out for any real length of time. We can afford to wait them out if necessary."
Manson glanced over his shoulder in his father's direction. Barely contained fury swirled across the old dragon's face, causing a deep down fear to come bubbling up inside him. His father had always been able to do that to him, for as long as he could remember. In some ways, he was pinning his hopes on his father getting rid of all of his anger, resentment, frustration and despair on the current king of the dragon domain, the knight that so long ago had thwarted his treacherous plans. He hoped that after Troydenn had punished, tortured and ultimately killed the dragon king, it would relieve the burden he was carrying, and would enable him to become much more rounded and less likely to take things out on him. That was his wish anyway.
Turning back to face his soon to be queen, he ran the back of his hand across her purple lined cheek, marvelling at the smooth texture of her skin. Her gaze felt like the warm sun beating down on him. Everything was right in the world when she was with him. They'd been separated for too long. From now on, they'd be together, until the end of time.
Pulling himself away from the almost hypnotic stare of his heart's desire, he barked at the lieutenants of his army that remained.
"Pummel their defences from a distance. I want flying sorties throughout the day and night, at random, unexpected times. Try every form of magic you can think of. Keep them busy, on their toes, on edge, all of the time. I want no let up. But I want our losses kept to a minimum. No huge forces, no all out attacks. Not yet anyway. We'll grind them down, wear them out. Lack of sleep, the constant threat of attack and not knowing what will happen next, will test their loyalty to the dragon they've sworn allegiance to. Make it so!"
The beings, some dragon, one or two naga, zipped off in the direction of the troops under their command, all eager to be away from under the twisted gaze of their soon to be king, some troubled at the thought of failing, given exactly what they'd just seen.
Earth's surface. New Delhi, India.
Day had just turned to dusk, although the stifling heat remained as she wove her way deeper into the throng of people, all out to spot a bargain. Meena Bazaar in the Old Delhi district was one of the busiest in all India, and at this time of day was almost guaranteed to be jam-packed full of people. Unsurprisingly, it was making her journey all the more difficult. The noise didn't help. Customers haggling, merchandise being dragged along the ground, and the squawking, barking and howling of all sorts of exotic animals made it hard for her to focus as a headache like an exploding volcano threatened to burst through her skull. Zigzagging briskly through the swarm of shoppers against the backdrop of vendors selling anything from paintings to all types of clothing, a vast array of bags to every colour imaginable rolls of fabric, she continued to hold the scarf across her face, both to conceal her identity and protect her from the choking smog that had once again enveloped the city and its denizens. Ten days ago this had started, and there seemed little likelihood of it abating any time soon. What harmed the city and its residents had presented her and her kind with an opportunity, one she was eager to capitalise on. Right now, secreted in two small vials, protected by sturdy metallic pockets at the front of her belt, concealed beneath a swathe of clothing, sat a poison so powerful and indiscriminate that it had the potential to bring countries to their knees. She didn't need to do that, or indeed kill the millions that the toxin could do quite easily. Instead she needed to overwhelm. Overwhelm the population, the emergency services, create a situation that the city would struggle to contain, and so in turn spread fear and panic across the rest of the country. That would be enough to leave her deeply satisfied.