Chapter 13
Meeting Three
The small cave with the three bowls was awash in light, pouring in through the one doorway. Water fountained up from the glass bowl, flames leaped in great gouts on the metal, and the sand bowl was thrusting spears of stone up, several at a time, shrinking back down only to be replaced with more. A loud boom sounded through the opening, and the sand bowl settled back to flat. Two more booms, and water and fire bowls also calmed. The light from the opening increased.
The opening led to a tunnel, which ended at a great chamber. The chamber was actually an enormous cavern, well-lit but so large the far walls were lost in haze and shadow. The ceiling slowly sloped down in the distance, dripping a smattering of giant stone pillars and pillars to be, stalactites not quite meeting their stalagmite counterpart. Near the tunnel opening, the ceiling glowed white, dimming as it ran into the distance. The floor near the tunnel opening had a central depression, like a small dry lake. Three enormous pillars were spaced evenly around it, creating three sections. Each section was at a slightly different level, with slightly different stone floor. There was not a single stalactite or stalagmite by those sections, and only a few much further back. The reason why was obvious.
At the front of each section was a dragon the size of a city bus. One had silvery scales and his fluid movements were in constant motion, as if dancing to unheard music. The scales of the second were highly polished shades of reddish yellow that flashed and glittered, reflecting the small gouts of flame that shot from her nose at irregular intervals. The third was mostly dark brown, some black and tan. His scales were angular and thick, and didn't overlap quite neatly. While about the same length as the other two, he looked twice as thick and three times as weighty as the others.
The cavern echoed the soft trickle of water. The brown earth dragon spoke mind to mind, to not disturb the quiet. “Three as one, until it is done.”
The silver water dragon echoed immediately, mind to mind. “Three as one, 'til ‘tis done.”
The red fire dragon shot out a gout of flame that filled the room with heat and noise. She waited until the echoes of the flame had finally stopped before repeating, “Three as one, until it’s done.”
Earth and Water dragons blinked at the Fire dragon for a moment. The Fire dragon seemed not to notice and shot two small flames out of its nose. “Earth, you are Head, but let’s dispense with formalities. Water and I have learned that the same human has received Gifts of Return from each of our Clan. Earth, you know what the prophesies say. We must think carefully before we proceed. We must decide how...”
She was cut off by Earth. His voice was as weighty as his body and it immediately doused Flame's. His words would have if his tone hadn't.
“I have also heard my Clan has given a human a Gift of Return. The last Gifting was about ten centuries ago, and this is the first time Earth has Gifted a human. Prophecy, you say? Let mountains move if it wasn’t to the same human as you two.”
Both Fire and Water blinked, then looked at each other. Water made a small move of one claw, and an image of Haylwen appeared. Fire did the same, though much smaller, outlined in fire. The images wavered as an earthquake rattled the boulders around them. The other two dragons just stared as Earth's torso shook. Fire and Water had never heard an Earth dragon laugh in their long lifetimes. The quaking stopped, as a third Haylwen appeared, bigger than the other two.
Fire and Water looked at each other, and then Earth, somewhat askance. “You heard the stories of the Gifting directly? And, like me, you were convinced these were truly Gifts, not interference?” When the others nodded, he continued. “As did I. From what I heard, there was no choice in the matter,” Earth said. “Gifts must be given, the Forms must be followed.”
The other two nodded their heads slowly.
“As I thought. So. The universe sets the stage and we are its players.” His body shook again, and the rumble of another earthquake echoed through the cavern. “So, not the boy the Conclave is watching so closely.”
“I still contend that it must be the boy,” Water's voice was quiet but resolute.
Earth looked at Water, then Fire. “Did either of you Read these humans?”
Fire blinked. “Yes, I Read the girl, of course. Clearly she is a magic user. Could be powerful, as near as I can tell. Very difficult to Read, even for a human. Could be only minimally talented, or could burn out tomorrow, for that matter. She has only just embarked on her Initiation, apparently without any training at all. Why other magic users hadn't at least noticed by now is unknown to me, the girl-child must have been showing signs. Perhaps I could, ah, adopt her, since if she may be that important, we don't want her to burn out when she could avoid it with proper training. There is precedent, though that was long ago...”
Earth glared at Fire. A small rock, the size of a watermelon, fell from the ceiling and hit Fire in the head with a metallic bong. The rock flew back up and stuck into the ceiling again.
Fire roared at Earth and fire erupted around Earth's head, completely encasing it. Earth roared back, and the cavern rumbled. Several boulders rose and flew at Fire. She raised her front legs and the boulders exploded in fire. Earth stomped with one foot and a wave of rolling earth raced at Fire as she shot gouts of fire from her claws.
Water shook his head and scratched the floor in front of him with one claw. A few drops of water fell from the ceiling. Between one rock exploding and the next, the drops became a thunderous downpour. As the other two dragons fought, the cavern quickly filled with water. Fire and Earth finally noticed their attacks were not going anywhere and stopped. They looked at each other, then at Water. He returned their glares with a bland look. They looked at each other, nodded, then looked at Water. Water swirled one claw, and the flood quickly drained away.
Earth scraped one claw along its charred jaw and resumed his glare at Fire. “You were speaking of precedent? You refer to slave laws? That is so far beyond what you know are the prohibitions on human-dragon interactions, I can’t even…” He shook his head, a slow movement with a good deal of grinding and scraping sounds coming from his neck scales. “To the point, Fire. Could she be the One?”
Fire was running her claws over herself, grooming scales, and sending steam rising from her in clouds. “Surely not. Just another human magic user who likely will bury her talents under denial if she doesn't kill herself before then. These are crucible times, groundbreaking times. It would be better for her if she had some training...” Her eyes slid from Earth's face to the stone-studded ceiling, and then quickly back. “Not that it would have to be me, or that I would ever counter the prohibitions, of course.”
Earth rumbled, “You argue old precedent and new times?”
Water smoothly slid in. “I agree, it must be the boy. The prophecies merely say, the One will receive three Gifts, not be Gifted three times. I know my Gift has already been taken from the girl. Is it not likely her brother could receive the others?”
Earth nodded slowly. “Perhaps. And human kings have always been male.”
“Who is the One of Prophecy is irrelevant,” Fire declared. “We can't just let them destroy themselves and the world in the process. We have a duty, a responsibility to all life. To see how they have fouled the environment, that which we share with them, while we hide is just horrible. How are we going to control what happens?”
Earth looked at her defiant face and raked one claw across his blackened chin, scraping a good portion of the ash off. “Yes, control.” He looked at Water, whose face had frozen into stillness. “For now, all we can do is to inform the Conclave. It is not yet time, who is the One is not our concern, and I can certainly understand their interest in dealing with their own kind. This does not change anything. We have survived the past millennium by only interacting with the humans through the Conclave, and I haven't heard anything to make me think otherwise. Humans have only gotten worse; I think we can all agree on that. But all the more reason to stay out of it as
long as we can! Water?”
Water nodded his head, a small quick movement, with humble eyes.
“Fire, do you have any evidence on how further interaction might benefit ALL dragons?”
Fire replied coolly. “Me? No, not me.”
Earth nodded once. “Then it is settled. I will notify the Conclave. As Head, I speak.” He looked at the other two in turn. “You may spread the word, but take no action. Advise your Families to continue to watch, hidden, bound by the Forms, safe in the Ways, watching the Flows. Are we as one?”
The other dragons nodded.
Earth raised his tail, and waited until the others did also. “It is done, Three as one.” With the last word, his tail came down with a crash. The other two dragons’ tails slammed down at the same time, making one great noise.
Fire snorted, a brief flash of flame. “That was productive. Let’s do this again in another couple of centuries,” she said snidely. As she finished, she opened her mouth and let loose a large fireball. The fireball gave its usual roar of fire, which didn’t quite cover a ruder sound. The fireball imploded around the dragon and both disappeared with the same booming sound that had announced her arrival.
Earth looked at Water, who was looking vaguely at where Fire had been. Water looked at Earth, and he couldn’t help one side of his mouth slide from thoughtful into a fox-like smile.
“Just between you and me, one dragon to another, you do not agree?” Earth said. It was not a question, but an invitation.
Water recovered quickly, his eyes widening in mock surprise. “Whatever do you mean?”
Earth's gaze never wavered. “Fire dragons have always been the best scouts, the best Readers, quick and facile thinkers. Not really the best liars, however. Water dragons are clearly the superior schemers and planners, seeing things all interconnected, flowing into one another.”
Water gave a slight tip of his head. “All things are interconnected.”
Earth shook his head, the grinding and grating sounds of its scales somber backdrop to its voice. “If you can see it that way. This Fire, especially, looks far into the future. I would be a fool to doubt her. She was the one who saw and rooted out the vilest treachery in Faustas and saved us all.” His eyes grew distant, lost in the past. “I was so sure he was different, he was the evidence that humans had become people, and to be so wrong, so completely wrong... he had all the soul of a pricklescrinch!” He shivered, a rattling of rocky scales. “But now, we all feel the time is near—does she see the Flows as they are, or as she wants them to be? She speaks of them and us, but I cannot tell anymore.”
Water held up his right front claw, palm up, and gave a little shrug. His face showed uncertainty, but there was a gleam in his eyes Earth did not miss.
Earth shook his head again. “No, you know more than you are telling.” Earth held up one front claw, forestalling Water's attempt at denial. “It is your right, even your nature as Water to do so. Just as it is mine to absorb it all, even what you do not say.” He eyed Water calmly, who had attempted, somewhat successfully, to assume a posture of innocence. “You didn't care what Fire reported from the Reading… though it is odd how unsure she was.”
Water only blinked, but it was enough for Earth.
“You think there was something unsaid about the Reading? About the human?” Earth kept his eyes on Water. “Or there is something off about Fire,” he whispered. “Oh, how very skillfully she avoided talking about the boy!” The cave echoed in rumbles for a moment. “Come now, out! Dragon to dragon, what do you know? I heard you talk to Fire, you could not have known their interaction would result in a Gift of Return. Yet, you prompted the meeting anyway. What are you after?”
Water started to protest, and then just smiled. He swirled his tail in a complex figure, leaving an impression of a Celtic knot on the floor. Water looked at Earth for a moment, smiling with a tilt to his head. “What Gift did your Clan member give the human?” he asked coyly.
Earth didn't smile back. Then again, it was difficult to tell when an Earth dragon did. “What did yours?”
A slippery smile trickled over Water's face. “I am not the only one with hope, then?” He didn’t wait for a reply, but quickly bowed. On the way up, the bow turned into a back flip, then a quickly spinning blur, which finished in Water’s imploding with a musical thunder.
Earth’s mind spoke to the empty space where Water had left. “Hope makes fools, young one.” He paused for a moment, and shook his head in self-defeat. “And it apparently makes hypocrites as well. But I hope not just for me… I wonder if you too have heard the rumors. A hatchling! The first dragon-child since the Apocalypse!” He ground his teeth. “So I must choose between foolish hope and reasoned pessimism, and choose sides in this next human-dragon war!”