CHAPTER FOUR
P’Forge from the Green Meadow Clan of earth dragons was P’Ayzu’s equal in everything but birth – he was also his greatest enemy. They belonged to the same generation of young dragons and were considered the greatest dragon warriors of their respective clans. Just as Ayzu was the pride of every dragon that belonged to the fire dragon clan, Forge was the pride of every dragon that belonged to the earth dragon clan.
Their rivalry and mutual dislike began when the two clans met in order to train their dragon warriors – that’s when they fought with each other for the very first time. As young and ambitious dragons, they were eager to prove themselves and to show that their clan had the best warrior in their midst. Yet they soon discovered that neither could get the upper hand. Ever since then their rivalry and dislike had grown in equal proportions and each new encounter inevitably led to a violent altercation.
Everyone knew how matters stood between them. Aybo couldn’t be ignorant of their rivalry and hatred, which could only mean one thing: he was doing it on purpose. Ayre didn’t understand why Aybo would do such a thing to his own brother – why would he mate Ayzu to someone he clearly couldn’t stand? But then there was a reason why Aybo was often referred to as The Cold One – some even said that he didn’t have a heart and that was why he didn’t have any tender feelings towards his own father or brothers.
Aybo was the first dragon who was not conceived but magically created after a terrible disease had completely wiped out the entire female dragon population and there were persistent whispers that the magic formula used for his creation had been flawed. Looking at his brother’s cruel mouth and vicious eyes, Ayre didn’t doubt that it was so.
He was aware that he was no longer bound to the ground of the cave by Aybo’s horrible spell, but he remained kneeling as Ayzu raved and raged against Aybo’s decision. Ayzu was pacing back and forth, his arms in the air, yelling. Ayre had never seen Ayzu in such a state before.
“I refuse! I will not mate with him nor with anyone else! I will not help you ruin everything our father has built! I will – !”
“You will do as I say.” Aybo spoke slowly and clearly. “Unless, of course, you wish to have your wings clipped and your flesh stripped off every single scale that covers it. Don’t test me, Ayzu. If you dare to disobey me, don’t think that I won’t enjoy seeing you punished and humiliated – just because you are my brother.”
Ayzu came to an abrupt halt and stared at his eldest brother as though he had never seen him before. Ayre had a distinct impression that until that moment Ayzu hadn’t taken Aybo seriously. He obviously hadn’t realised how dangerous and deranged he had become. Or had he always been like that? Ayre had always kept his distance, knowing that Aybo loathed him and wishing to avoid antagonising him with his presence. But it seemed that even Ayzu – clear-sighted and perceptive – had been unaware of Aybo’s true character.
“That’s better,” said Aybo, indicating Ayzu’s frozen attitude. “I have chosen a perfect mate for you and with time you will see that. He is the future head of his clan which happens to have the biggest garrison of highly-trained dragon warriors in the realm second only to that of our own. So when he comes, you will welcome him into our lands with open arms and you will make sure that he is happy here. Do not try to kill him with your glare or start a fight. This alliance is very important. Do you hear me?”
Ayzu jerked his head down.
“Good.” Aybo smiled. “Now,” he said and his expression instantly changed when he looked at Ayre.
Ayzu followed his gaze and frowned. “He is too young to mate,” he said in a bleak manner that smelled strongly of resignation and defeat.
Ayre’s skin crawled under Aybo’s glare and his heart made a violent jolt when he realised that Ayzu wouldn’t really oppose his mating if that was what Aybo had in store for him as well. It appeared that the threat of being publicly clipped and scaled had broken his spirit of resistance. But would getting mated be so very bad? Ayre decided that he really wouldn’t mind having someone other than Aybo around now that Ayzu was getting a mate and starting a new life that wouldn’t include him. The thought that he was on the verge of losing his favourite brother who also happened to be his best friend, closest confidant and biggest supporter horrified him.
“It doesn’t matter,” replied Aybo. “I wouldn’t burden any clan with his presence.”
“Aybo,” said Ayzu with a shake of his head, “Ayre is your brother – ”
“ – a brother I didn’t ask for,” interrupted Aybo. “Everyone knows that our father decided to have him as a companion for you because he thought that the age gap between us was too big to overcome.” His voice was bitter and his eyes were filled with resentment he had been carrying around for years. “Get up, Nong Ayre!” he snapped. “You are no longer under my spell, so stop playing the martyr!”
Keeping his head down and his eyes fixed on the ground, Ayre stood up. Though why did he even bother? It was clear that as long as he was in Aybo’s line of sight, he would provoke his ire and showing respect or humility wouldn’t change anything. Aybo had spent years cultivating anger, jealousy, and hatred towards him and now that their father’s invisible wall of protection around Ayre had fallen it was all spilling out and filling the cave as though with poison. He was surprised that Aybo hadn’t lost his temper and incinerated him yet.
“In order to put my plan into action,” continued Aybo into the tense silence hanging over them, “I need to know as much as possible about the humans who live on the other side of the Mountain of One Hundred Corpses. We haven’t had any contact with them for centuries and it would be foolish to enter their kingdom without knowing precisely what they are about and what they are capable of. I’m sending Ayre down there to collect information about them and their military capabilities. What form of government do they have? What is the state of their warriors and weaponry? What system of fortifications do they use? Are there any hidden entrapments, tunnels or obstacles we should be aware of? Have they truly forgotten about our existence? Are they still using our caves to enrich themselves? I hope that Ayre will prove himself useful.”
Ayre looked wide-eyed at Aybo. It wasn’t happening… He was dreaming, right? Aybo wasn’t really sending him away… beyond the mountain… to spy on humans…
Ayzu cast him a worried look before turning his gaze back to Aybo. “Let me go in his stead,” he pleaded. “Ayre is too young to be sent on such a mission.”
“Not in human years, he is not,” replied Aybo dismissively. “He will do just fine. Maybe he will even enjoy being a human, seeing as how he is barely a dragon.”
“Aybo, that’s enough!”
Aybo laughed. “Yes, I agree. I have had quite enough of you two for one day. Go and make necessary preparations. P’Ayzu brush up on your knowledge of our courting customs and rituals. Nong Ayre, get ready for the journey. I expect you to leave within the next week.”
Ayre and Ayzu left the Silent Cave with their heads bowed and their hands behind their backs, both knowing that there was no arguing or reasoning with Aybo, especially once Khun Pring had draped himself around Aybo’s broad shoulders and started crooning softly in his ear.
Ayre was walking as though in a dream. He was only vaguely aware of his surroundings and didn’t hear Ayzu calling his name until Ayzu slapped the back of his head with his hand.
“Ow!”
“Get a grip, Ayre!” snapped Ayzu. “You are a dragon warrior – not a spineless worm, for fire’s sake!”
Ayre let out an unhappy snort but didn’t say anything. Today he had already been humiliated in all possible ways by Aybo and being compared to a spineless worm was almost a kindness.
“I don’t know anything about humans,” he said dejectedly. “How am I supposed to go and live among them? Spy on them!”
“I read about them when I was younger. I will bring you some of the scrolls I might still have lying around.”
The thought amused Ayre despite his dejection. He wasn’t really surprised to hear that. Ayzu was called The Curious One because he always wanted to know everything and when he wasn’t in the training arena, he usually spent his time in the Cavern of Many Scrolls, where their clan kept all their written records.
Ayre nodded. “Thank you, Phi.”
Ayzu ruffled his carefully arranged hair.
“Hey, you’re ruining it!” yelped Ayre, batting his hand away. He didn’t want to confess how much time he had spent on it or that he had used a mix of natural ingredients as well as a few spells to make it look the way it did and survive during flying and fighting in the training arena. He didn’t want to know what Ayzu would say.
Ayzu laughed. “Come on.”
As they walked along the many cavernous tunnels of their underground compound, Ayre furtively studied Ayzu’s face in the uneven shimmering light coming from lanthorn flies fluttering about, but he could find no signs of distress or even anger. Ayre wondered whether Ayzu had really accepted his fate or whether he was simply shielding him from the truth of how he actually felt.
He was about to ask him about it when they reached the common area with tunnels branching out in all directions like tentacles of a giant squid. Ayzu clapped Ayre cheerfully on the shoulder and dove into one of the tunnels, telling him that he would visit him later with the scrolls.
Ayre watched him disappear with an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach.
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