An Angel’s Road to Hell

Viyara Nameless

“A day, two at the most,” Ignus’ voice rumbled through my thoughts like an avalanche. “They’re already on their way and they can travel fast.”

“But…” and then it clicked. Of course the damned scale was more than just a device to communicate. “Have you been spying on me?” I tried to sound indignant but I didn’t believe I actually managed to pull it off. For one it was pretty difficult to hide the rush of contentment, surging through me every time I moved and felt Aurelia’s warm skin brush against mine, and two, dragons were control freaks. My father would have done much more and I could hardly fault my gramps for keeping an eye, or rather a scale, on me. Especially after he had already confessed how invested he was in my decisions.

“Course I have. Doesn’t really work when you’re close to your guardian angel, even her aura is starting to suppress magic around her, but when you’re… say more than a few hundred metres away, I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on around you. Also… don’t moan. You’re going to like them. They’re both young, not even three centuries old, and unbound. Who knows, maybe you’re even going to fawn over them, once you’ll have gotten to know them better.” His presence wavered when he tried to make sense of the blurry stream of impressions, meandering through my mind, and sighed. “Or not. You really have a thing for different species, don’t you?”

Aurelia and I were cozied up in the tree, Anna and Faelan still sleeping the sleep of the just on a neighbouring branch, but the little wooden alcove we were in we had all to ourselves. Consequentially we weren’t exactly dressed for a formal occasion. I’m not going to indulge you with a detailed description but I am going to say that the vampire really was breathtaking, with or without her gowns.

I made sure Aurelia wasn’t listening in, but her eyes were still closed, her breathing deep and regular, before I replied: “just one, I think. Somehow I’m drawn to immortals like a moth to the flame. Hardly surprising, is it? I’m becoming more like them with every passing day.” I caught a glimpse of him spreading his wings, a sure sign that he wasn’t enamoured with the topic at hand. Despite his age, the colourful menagerie of angels and demons I was surrounded by gave him the creeps and I wasn’t shy to rub his snout in it, every once in a while. He could use the reminder that he wasn’t the only one whom I could turn to in a pinch. Not even the most scary one.

“Be that as it may,” he barked in a brave attempt to cover up his unease, “Narros and Quenda have left the north a day ago. I reckon they’ll be knocking on your door tomorrow or the day after. I told them to disguise themselves once they’re close. They’ll probably arrive during the night and take on a human skin. I’m sure they’re not going to fool your friends but they won’t be recognised by anyone else. Maybe another dragon but since there are none in Free Land…”

“Right, about that…” he groaned exasperatedly but didn’t interrupt. “See, I’ve met Cassy’s grandmother. I think you might have heard of her. Does the name Sera ring a bell? Gargantuan, sleek, golden, close to twice your size with a pretty nasty temper when it comes to protecting the kitsune? She might have killed an ancient Red and Blue a few years ago. A decade or two, I’d say…”

“By all the flames in all the hells,” he finally erupted. “Of course I know of her. There aren’t many places where our people don’t dare venture and her little island is one of them. Are you honestly telling me that flying menace is a transformed kitsune and… living with you?”

“Yes and no… rather the kitsune you’ve met are younger, smaller version of that flying menace. The legends about the Pendragons… I know them to be true. I’ve speculated and so have you, but by now I’m certain. Also, she’s pretty tame, once you get to know her.”

“Do you mean to tell me that I’ve insulted our gods damned queen,” he mumbled and I could practically feel the shudders racing along his tail.

“I’m not so sure there, I just can bring myself to see Sera as the head of the Pendragon family, but… wait. Insulted? What did you do?” He was probably coiling in around himself if the hazy echoes of his emotions were any indication.

“Nothing much. I… look, I tried to court her, decades ago. It didn’t exactly go as planned and she may have chased me off, quite literally. I wasn’t the only one, though,” he quickly explained defensively. “A golden dragoness the size of a small island with enough magic to raise one from the depths of the ocean, all by herself? Yes, I tried my luck and I might have been… a little too insistent.” Almost as an afterthought he added: “did she mention me?” I snorted loudly, which made Aurelia complain softly in her sleep. I ran my fingers through her silky mane and she immediately settled down again, snuggling up against my stomach.

“No, no she hasn’t. And that might just be a stroke of luck. If she had, it wouldn’t have been a warm, glowing reminiscence about the dashing dragon she met, once upon a time. Truth be told, I don’t think she likes us much. She… I should probably tell you the whole story, but I don’t think it’s my place. Do you want me to ask her?”

“By the eternal flame, no,” he immediately snapped. “We’ll meet sooner or later, anyways. No need to rouse the sleeping dragoness, is there. Still… maybe you should talk to her, at the very least about the two younglings I’ve sent. It wouldn’t do if she was to see them the first time and immediately rip their heads off. Come to think of it… maybe I should call them back. As far as they know they’re to keep an eye on my granddaughter. I haven’t told them anything about the Pendragons or the immortals you associate with. But then again, knowing them, they’d have wanted to go even more. I don’t see Cassandra or Ahri killing them before they’ve had a chance to explain but Sera is another matter. If she thinks they’re there for her, she might just burn them to hell and back and deal with the fallout later.” Now it was my time to shiver, the image of the towering, golden serpent, tearing off wings and feasting on my kin’s flesh, a nightmare I could too easily see becoming real.

“You’re right, but you haven’t told me much except for their names. What can I expect?”

“Young dragons… which come to think of it might not have been the stroke of genius inspiration I thought it was. Quenda and Narros are siblings from the same clutch. They’re Silvers and I know their mother pretty well. A few decades back, when they attended their Naming, I helped them out. Their… I guess the term bastard would be a suitable one here, but it doesn’t have the same meaning for us. Depending on the circumstances it’s not that unusual for a dragoness to sent the sire packing after they mated, but it also means the clutch can only count upon their mother’s influence. Nytha…” he sighed deeply. “She’s small. Clever and cunning but still small. That might not sound bad, but it is. Our strength, arcane and mundane is determined by our size and a few other things. Simply put your carbuncle stores your energy but your body provides it and the smaller it is, the less it can generate. Sure, what you call your own, your hoard, your influence, your family, it all bolsters your strength, quite literally, but a dragon who’s smaller will always be at a disadvantage. One of the reason why golden dragons are usually unopposed. We grow faster than almost every other race, but I digress. Nytha didn’t have the standing nor the power to provide her clutch with the opportunities she wanted them to have, so I helped out. Consequentially they owe me and I thought this might be a good chance for them to get rid off the mark and grow at the same time. I mean, you’ve turned into a Crystalline barely an hour after you met Cassandra. Just being close to two angels might give them the boost they need.”

“That’s interesting and explains a lot, but what I actually meant is: who are they,” I interrupted impatiently, the lecture on draconic society entirely lost on me. They weren’t my people anymore.

“They’re… arrogant, boastful, think they’re on top of the world, confrontative, but they’re also kind, curious, interested in different races and determined to make their name grow and finally start amassing a hoard. In short, they’re young and not that different from kitsune or human adolescents. Still, since they’re about 25 metres long, their tantrums tend to be on the more serious side.”

“And you thought it a good idea to send them here?” My thoughts were brimming with incredulity. He was right, the angels wouldn’t harm them, but the the others? My mind immediately conjured up a scene where the two newcomers became enamoured with Xorlosh’s baubles and tried to help themselves to some dwarven possessions. Never mind Sera, they’d end up as a bed rug or a new drum, if they rubbed the dwarfs the wrong way.

“I might have suffered from a lapse of judgement there,” he admitted embarrassedly. “Like I said, maybe I should try to call them back but I doubt they’ll listen. Curious, remember?”

“Perfect,” I groaned. “So, basically, instead of help you’ve sent me two troublemakers I have to keep in line?” His thoughts were racing and even though I couldn’t follow, I realised that he had known all of this beforehand, except for Sera, but had still decided that the risks were worth it.

“Worth what, exactly,” I asked scathingly.

“Viyara… I’ve talked to quite a few of our people in recent days. Once you reveal yourself you’ll need more than strength, you’ll need allies, draconic allies. Those two… they can become valuable, to you, to your angels and to your cause. They’re… well liked among the younger generation and they’re already taller than their mother. Sure, they might become a headache but I think they’ll also make up for it in the long run. Just… give them a chance, will you?”

“And by giving them a chance you mean I should make sure they survive the first week?”

“More or less. I don’t think they’re dumb enough to challenge Cassandra, Ahri or Sera but…”

“I see. Great. Why would they even listen to me? In their eyes I must be a toddler, a small toddler with a running nose. What am I even supposed to do? Ask nicely?”

“Show them they’re wrong,” he replied, more of a question than an answer, really. “If all else fails… show them what you are or ask your angels. I’m sure they can scare them straight.” As if. Once you got to know them, they were about as threatening as a friendly uncle with a bad temper. I could only hope it’d take the dragons longer to realise than it would take them to make a mess.

“You still have me,” Aurelia whispered throatily, her voice vibrating against my skin, sending goosebumps down my spine. “I’ve dealt with lizards before, as Sarai’s pet. If push comes to shove I know what I have to say and I can also put on a show. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

“Since when have you been listening in,” I asked, looking down to see her smouldering eyes staring at me.

“Oh, I haven’t been asleep in the first place, but I didn’t want to get up. It’s been… I can’t even remember the last time I was this comfortable. Maybe I never was.” Every time she made a nonchalant comment about her scarring past I wasn’t quite sure if I should hug her or abuse Sarai in every language I knew. This time I opted for a chaste kiss which of course prompted my grandfather to comment.

“Could you at least introduce us before I’m forced to listen to this?” A few weeks ago I might have been embarrassed but now I could only take it as a compliment. Aurelia apparently shared my view, since she immediately used our connection to insert herself into the conversation:

“Is that really necessary,” she asked. “I’ve heard a few stories about you already and I’m sure you’ve already picked everything essential from Viyara’s mind. Still, it’s a pleasure to, well, not meet you, but at least talk to you directly. My name is Aurelia, I’m an ancient vampire who’s spent most of her life on a leash, held by an angel, and now I’m one of your granddaughter’s friends.”

“A bit more than a friend,” I added, smiling, and kissed the top of her head again.

“Thanks for clarifying,” Ignus grunted, “I’d never have guessed. The pleasure is all mine. When I first got a glimpse of what you are, I have to admit, I thought you’d be much less…”

“Cuddly,” Aurelia interrupted jokingly.

“Civilised, but it might come down to the same thing. I’m glad Viyara has found someone she can’t trust, she can rely on, even though I can’t say I’m thrilled that she’s apparently surrounded by living legends on all sides.”

“That ship has probably sailed when I became one myself,” I mumbled, half in jest and half seriously. “Immortals are walking among us… again, from everything I’ve heard. We can’t resist them either way, we have to adapt and play the hand we’ve been dealt, otherwise we won’t survive. I know that’s a hard pill to swallow for our… for your people, but there really isn’t much leeway.” I felt him bristle when I referred to dragons as his people but he didn’t contradict me. “Which reminds me, how’s it going on your end? You mentioned before that you’ve talked to some dragons but you didn’t go into detail.” He sighed and I again received an image of him fanning out his wings.

“There isn’t that much to tell, yet. We’re… time has a different meaning for us than it does for the short lived races. I wasn’t stupid enough to kick in the door and spill the beans right from the start, but there are hopeful signs. For one, your exploits haven’t gone unnoticed. A few days ago someone, I assume it was Cassandra, released a spell that covered a good chunk of the surrounding islands. It was strong enough that even the dragons, holed up in their hoards, felt it. It got them curious, especially the older ones who were able to gauge the power behind it.” My stomach tightened up, a cold wave of anxiety rushing through me. If they were curious, they’d come looking, wouldn’t they?

“No need to fret. The ones who realised aren’t stupid enough to volunteer their wings for a clipping and come snooping around but their curiosity is something I can use. At the very least it makes them listen. Still, once you get to meet them, you’ll have to live up to their expectations.”

“And why’s that,” Aurelia wanted to know. “Shouldn’t it be enough for Cassandra to acknowledge her?”

“If Viyara was just another dragon, probably. But she isn’t. Look, from their… from our point of view, she’s a treasure, a treasure that has been stolen from us. Once the two of you, or the two angels you travel with, have proven what you are, it won’t matter too much. Nobody is going to risk incurring your or their wrath easily, but that’s not what you want, is it? You want them to help, to help protect a continent that’s much too large for you to be everywhere at once. For that… you’ll have to show them that you still care about your people… no, that’s not it, you’ll have to show them that they stand to gain something from siding with you. Your allure might be enough but for that to happen they’ll have to see your worth. That’s easier said than done, but I think you’re doing good. That Sera has suddenly appeared out of the blue and apparently shares the blood of the family you intend to join doesn’t hurt, either. When the time comes…” he paused, his thoughts racing. “Maybe I should hear the whole story, after all. Is she close by?”