Damocles' Choir

            The brisk morning air wrapped around her, cooling her snow-white scales.  She stood still, listening to the silence.  Her blue diamond eyes fixated on the sky.  She turned in a wide arc, spreading her glassy wings.  Excitement filled her bones while she waited for the show to begin.  No one was supposed to see, but how could she resist being here? 

 

            Her heart pounded as the thunderous sound of beating wings moved closer.  The breeze on the crisp morning air grew stronger as they neared.  Dark cumulonimbus clouds rose on the horizon, but they weren’t really clouds.  Hazy, pale yellow fog fell from the heavens just before the first bolt of lightning graced the sky.  She smiled to herself before mumbling, “It’s starting.”

 

            The ground rocked beneath her feet and cracked open.  Large gaps on either side of her exposed the Terrigenae.  Brown, scaly creatures the color of mud and red clay slithered beneath the ground, popping their long necks through the hard soil like it was nothing more than water.  They dove as quickly as the rose.  Each movement left the ground uneven and charred.  Bolts of lightning struck the empty holes around her; she stood perfectly still, smiling as the blue and pink bolts surrounded her.  Electric heat warmed her freezing temperature until her scales turned dusty gray.

 

            The Fotiά, large fire breathing dragons, burst through the chaotic lightning leaving waves of embers in their wake.  Flames licked the ground at her feet.  She blew at the molten dirt by her feet, turning the flames into ice.  They merged with the Kataigida, the false rolling storm clouds�"to create a massive, smoldering crater a few hundred yards away from where she stood.  The Kataigida were dragons born of the atmosphere.  Terrigenae dug up the ground near the crater until a small mote surrounded the sulfuric smoke rising from its center.

 

            A wave of blue, aqua, and white serpents engulfed her.  The cool water dragons soothed her scales back to their brilliant white.  Hissing noises filled her ears along with a soft hum.  It was like a lullaby, and soon after the hum began, more sounds echoed around her ranging from high to low hums and whistles while the hissing backed them.  The wave of serpents, Nerou, doused the flames left behind by the Kataigida, and cooled the ground of the Fotia’s fire.  Their movements were beautiful and horrific like one of the human’s renderings of hell her sister often liked to admire.

 

            She, however, liked to admire this chaos swirled into a perfect order.  Awe and joy were the only emotions she felt as the mote surrounding the crater filled with the Nerou and they filled the land with water.  The flying beasts circled counter clockwise while the grounded beasts took the opposite route.  As they broke apart and fled in every direction, one dragon landed smoothly in front of her.  He was large with black scales coating his back and red scales coating his legs, underbelly, and neck.

 

            “I thought you refused me?” His raucous voice echoed in the newfound silence of the canyon.  She didn’t want to recognize this creature before her, but she couldn’t deny their many conversations.

 

            “I did refuse you.”  Her subdued voice caught the wind, traveling around the canyon and fading into the sky.

 

            “Think of how beautiful The Choir would be with your presence.” He spoke softer now; his voice still sounded just as gruff.

 

            Her head swiveled away from him before moving toward him again.  His black and red scales, long neck and tail alerted anyone who looked at him he was a fire breather, one of the Fotia.  “I said no, Damocles, but that does not mean I would ever stop watching.” 

 

            She turned away from the canyon toward Adonia, the five-towered city where all dragons resided.  Dim blue lights lit the windows of the five giant, midnight towers.  Each dragon clan had their own tower, and they, if in dragon form, had to be inside by nightfall.  The sun would set any minute, and there was someone waiting for her.

 

~~~

 

            She landed with a thud on her windowsill before slipping through the window, crawling behind the glass wall made of ice.  If she thought she wouldn’t be late, she was sadly mistaken.  Her sister, Jura, was already screaming her name.

 

            “Leilani!  Get up!  You swore you wouldn’t back out this time!”  She rattled off in her screeching human voice.  Jura wasn’t blessed with the gift of their father, but she made sure she connected to him.

 

            Leilani growled in her native dragon tongue, knowing Jura couldn’t understand her curses before she threw her head back and let the fire magic each dragon possessed wash over her.  Icy blue sparks fell over her body before she shrank down to her sister’s human size and grew human-like features.  She dressed in her usual clothes; black leather pants, black long-sleeved shirt, a black hood to cover her naturally pointed ears and white blonde hair.  Her skin had to be covered as much as possible to hide the icy tint.  The only thing that never changed was her big, blue diamond eyes.

 

            “My apologies, Sister; I was giving The Choir an audience.” She said as she stepped around the wall.  Her light blue lips sparkled as if she tried to put on make-up, and her thick, dark eyelashes looked more like eyeliner than wisps of hair.  She tucked the dagger lying on the small side table next to the door in her boot before donning her quiver and bow.

 

            “Why do you always bring that unnecessary junk with you when we go out?”  Jura whined as she followed Leilani.

 

            “Because you refuse to tell anyone our whereabouts, and I am not venturing out amongst the humans without something to defend myself.”  She rolled her eyes at her younger sister.  “Do you forget so easily that humans cannot wield dragon magic?”

 

            Jura glared at her older sister for a long moment before she spat.  “You’re icy demeanor is enough to kill an elephant.”

 

            “Shall I stay here, then, Dear Sister?”  Leilani smiled sweetly.  “I wouldn’t want to ruin your good evening, and we both know I loathe being…”  She looked down at her body.  Two arms, two legs, but she missed her giant wings.  Human form always made her feel cramped, and she hated lacking her magic.

 

            “People only talk to me because you come,” Jura retorted.  Her anger melted into sadness as she remembered the month before, sitting around a stale card table while Leilani took the men for all they were worth.  “I got nothing from our father, not even the dragon beauty, while you got the most important part.”

 

            She was wrong; Leilani inherited the worst parts of their father.  Jura was beautiful with her long midnight hair and her green eyes.  Her shoulders and hips were broad while her waist stayed tiny, even when she refused to wear proper corsets.  She had the tanned skin Leilani often dreamed of having.  Jura dressed plainly though.  Her hair always tied in a bun at the base of her neck; she wore unflattering dresses.  Leilani never realize how much Jura resented the attention people gave her, and Jura never realized how much Leilani wished those people would leave her in peace.

 

            “Regardless of the fact that Father and I are the last of the Págos Clan, we both love you; nothing will change that.  How do you think you can sneak in and out of Adonia without being detected,” Leilani said with a sly grin as she tapped her nose.  “There’s not a dragon for miles that can’t smell your humanity; you are under his protection.”

 

             “I’d much rather be like you,” she retorted.

 

            “Come; let us not fight, now, Jura.  Not tonight, when The Choir is resting and Father is away.”  Leilani smiled.  “Borrow one of my dresses and let the humans flock to your beauty tonight.”

 

            Jura glanced sideways at her reflection in the frosty glass.  Tendrils of hair fell around her ears as her bun fell on the nape of her neck.  The boring gray frock dress she wore was too big for her slight figure.  She had to admit there was a pale blue number with sheer skirts, a low cut bust, and jewel crest hemming in Leilani’s close she was dying to try on.  Leilani pulled the dress from the closet and handed it to Jura.  She pulled the pin from her sister’s midnight hair.

 

            “You have something far greater than father’s majestic beauty, my dear sister; you have your mother’s mysterious humanity.”

 

            Leilani pushed Jura into the chair, lined her eyes with charcoal, and her lips with sweet red berries before pinching her cheeks into a pale blush.  She helped Jura with the frail skirts of the dress.  The dragon could see in her sister’s eyes confusion and bliss.

 

            “This isn’t me,” Jura whispered.

 

            “How do you know?” Leilani said as she swung open the doors.  “How do you know who you are until you have experienced the world?”  It was high time Jura was introduced into her own society in the human village, Lynrei; and Leilani planned to do just that.

Author's Note

Edited September 08, 2015

Reviews

[John Alexander McFadyen]

This and is a charming, imaginative and detailed world you reveal in this story. You have a good range of ideas and superb English language skills and you make the piece flow with a mix of dialogue, scene setting and characterisation. A very enjoyable piece even though fantasy is not my genre.

One typo I spotted-fifth last paragraph:
'She had to admit there was a pale blue number with sheer skirts, a low cut bust, and jewel crest hemming in Leilani’s CLOSET she was dying to try on.'

You can write!

[Nikki Richardson]

I cannot believe I missed closet. Thank you so much for pointing that out.

Also, you are too kind! Thank you for reading, I'm glad you liked it (even though fantasy isn't your thing.)

[John Alexander McFadyen]

My pleasure, it reads well so it was not difficult.

[Coyote Poetry]

My god. You are a amazing writer. I read the chapter twice. The characters are interesting and the story line deep, worthwhile and tempting. Thank you Nikki for sharing the outstanding chapter.
Coyote

[Nikki Richardson]

Thank you for reviewing! I actually forgot that I still had this posted. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are very talented and you are welcome. I will read more of your work Nikki.