Let There Be Dragons
Lexy broke the
silence by saying, “I didn’t know about the plot to make you a Dragon. I understand
why it had to be done but, I didn’t know beforehand.”
Lexy wasn’t
one to sugar-coat things. She would have told her if she’d known and chosen to
keep her mouth shut about it. Kayn met Lexy’s eyes as she disclosed,
“I knew we had to kill our enemies during the Testing but when he slit my
throat…I guess on some level, I never believed he’d be able to do it. When I woke up, I felt nothing but all-encompassing
rage. I killed everyone that crossed my path until I caught up with him. I’ll never
be able to forget the expression on his face as I embraced the hollow sensation
within myself and slit his throat. I was lost for a while after that and my
memory of that time is sketchy, to say the least.
All I can recall is the warmth of the blood as it sprayed on my skin and
how good it felt. I fought and died over and
over until the pain didn’t matter anymore. When Kevin coldly tossed me into
a room full of demons, I was eaten alive and that was the moment I understood
we were both gone.”
There
was a long drawn out silence before Lexy clarified, “You’re not gone. Your
perception of everything has been altered.
All you have to do is embrace the change and accept the new version of
yourself.”
“How do I do that? I used to imagine myself
as a noble creature, a golden stallion or perhaps a lion. I know better now. I’m
a hurricane, a plague, I’m an apocalypse. I am a Dragon. I’m a method of
destruction.” Kayn knew Lexy understood what she was saying because she was
also meant to be a method of destruction.
Lexy pointed to the lush landscape before them and exclaimed, “We can burn this
field to ash if you want to. My instinct has always been to burn it. Even
though you are meant to be a warrior, you will always have a choice. We choose
to work with the Clan, instead of against them. We choose right over
wrong. We choose when to be a lion and when to be a Dragon. We choose to
be warriors instead of methods of destruction. You’re still the same person.
You just need time to sort through what happened to you during the Testing.
Some of the dark things you’ve done will stay with you always, those acts are important. You now know that you
can survive the darkest of times. You will always know you led your Clan
through that dark place and came out on the other side. You found your
way back to the light because you’re a survivor. You can choose to be a lion. My
attachment to Grey allows my Dragon to
sleep. I know having Zach as your Handler, might be complicated. It takes time
and it’s not always easy. You’ll both make mistakes while you’re manoeuvring
through this situation you’ve found yourself in.”
Kayn felt a tickle and noticed a tiny red ladybug walking across her barefoot.
She had the urge to step on one foot with the other but didn’t. Baby steps. She glanced up at Lexy.
Her fellow Dragon teased, “Is that big bad
ladybug bothering you?”
It
was bothering her. It was a reminder that she’d changed on the inside. She’d
been happy with who she was as a person. She was funny and dorky and a little
bit strange and now she was just angry. She was enraged by the beautiful colours
in the sky. She was furious that the bumblebees hadn’t heeded her warning and
settled back down in the flowers around her. Their buzzing had once been a soothing song and now it was as irritating as
someone methodically scraping their nails down a chalkboard. Once
again, she fought the urge to stomp on the tiny insect. It remained there,
taunting her as it continued its ticklish stroll across her foot. Lexy playfully
shoved her and the ladybug spread its tiny wings and flew away. Now, she wanted to punch Lexy right in the
face.
Lexy winked and teased, “I wouldn’t try it.
You can’t take me, Brighton.”
She
wasn’t sure about that anymore. She’d never felt stronger. Lexy had obviously hitched a ride on her train
of thought again. She was grinning at her and shaking her head as they
continued their stroll into the scenic backdrop of the in-between.
They wandered aimlessly for quite a while
in silence before Lexy continued her, it’s good to be a Dragon speech, “Being a
Dragon isn’t a bad thing. The good and the light need Dragons to do what they
can’t. They don’t want to step into the dark. Not even to do what’s right. It’s
not always light outside when it’s time to make a stand for what is right. Dragons can be beautiful things
when properly attended to. I love my Dragon and occasionally, I let it
out to play. My Dragon enjoys the kill. My Dragon’s a warrior and that’s what
warriors do.”
She’d
enjoyed the kill. She heard the rustling of footsteps in the grass. Kayn
spun around, it was Grey. She saw the
apology in his eyes before he attempted to speak.
Grey shook his head and confessed, “We
didn’t know about what Kevin had been asked to do, until after the three of you
were already in the Testing. They were right not to tell us.”
It
wasn’t an apology. With his concerned expression, she knew he hadn’t known of
the Clans plans beforehand. Kayn didn’t want to talk to anyone else right
now nor was she feeling like a, ‘you just need to take time to smell the roses’
speech from Grey. The talk with Lexy about
Dragons had helped but right now she needed to be angry. The fury within her
made her feel strong. Grey
cautiously inched closer. Kayn scowled at him. Her furrowed brow, a silent
suggestion that she still required personal space.
He paused, gave her one of his overly
charming grins and disclosed, “Kevin was ordered to kill you. It was a means to
an end. You know I liked the kid. In destroying you, he more than likely
destroyed himself. He was asked to do this to help you evolve into what you
needed to become to survive. Your survival outweighs the trauma you went
through, in the long run. You don’t see it now, but someday you will. The plan
was set in motion so the three of you could make it back home. People tend to
lose their marbles in the Testing. It could be that Kevin lost his while trying
to do what was best for you.”
He was ordered to kill me. Kevin had said the words but she hadn’t
believed him capable of doing it. She’d been lying to herself about so many
things.
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