Minglings - Book 3 chapter 34: Losses

"How long are you going to remain here?"

Mason sighed, staring out at the distant depths of the desert. Faelina sat beside him, as she had ever since he'd sat down over a day earlier.

"I don't know yet," Mason finally said. "I've gotta get rid of these red scales before I get as crazy as Clankrin."

It was quiet, and he looked up to see Faelina staring at him, examining his body.

"I've never seen someone change their scales… Is that normal for where you are from?"

Mason let out a snorted laughter before he shook his head. "I have no idea what is normal, but it seems to be for me. When I reached the desert months ago, I was roughly this red, and after I left it, I was more a pale gold, like what you saw.

"So what are you going to do?" Faelina muttered.

"Remain in the desert until most of my red scales turned back," Mason said with a shrug.

"That is going to take a really long time, isn't it?"

"Probably," Mason agreed as Jake's face popped into his mind, and he gritted his teeth. Then, a deep, nearly overpowering sensation came from the ruins far behind him. With it came what almost felt like a whispered promise, and Mason gritted his teeth, shaking his head to clear the influence.

With a sigh, he got up, staring at the desert.

"It's still trying to influence you?"

"Yeah. Don't you feel it?" Mason asked, examining her mostly brown body. She had some red and grey streaks but nothing extreme.

"I sense it, but it's weak. But Drayana and Roisille?They went ballistic when you and Clankrin fought. They tried to attack you, and when we tried to stop them, they fought as if they were crazy," Faelina said." Only when we finished with Roisille did Drayana finally flee.

Mason noticed there was no hint of remorse in her voice as if killing the others was perfectly acceptable.

"Where did she go?" he asked, recalling the missing dragon, who had also been largely red.

"Drayana managed to escape, but Baudron wounded her gravely. I'm pretty sure she fled up and away because I heard her wings."

Yeah… I wonder, Mason thought as he recalled the overpowering sensation he'd felt after his scales had almost completely turned red.

"I'll be heading deeper into the desert," he said. "Can you ask Praxton to come and see me? I need to have a word with him."

Faelina watched him, then the desert, and he could almost see her think.

"I won't leave before you return," he said with a wide grin.

Faelina nodded, but she didn't seem completely convinced as she turned and, with a slight run, leaped into the air to fly away. Siobahn had been lying nearby and looked up but remained where she was.

Mason watched Faelina fly off, but as soon as his gaze rested on the distant jungle and that which was hidden inside, he shivered and turned.

"Fantastic this," he muttered.

After a short wait, he heard the flapping of wings, and he risked a quick glance to see Faelina and Praxton approach.

When the larger, dark-purple dragon landed beside him with surprising grace, he saw a curious gleam in the other's eyes.

"You wanted to talk?"

Mason nodded as he stared off into the desert.

"The way you spoke before about researching this place, runes, and other things; were you a sorcerer?" he asked as he turned to Praxton and watched the other.

Praxton's dark purple eyes widened, radiating surprise. Then he took a step back, frowning, and Mason saw him tense up.

"Don't worry," he said, sniffing. "I don't care if you are. It'd be better if you actually were because I have questions I have the feeling only sorcerers might be able to answer."

Praxton visibly relaxed, but he remained a slight distance away.

"What kind of questions?"

Mason snorted. "How do I learn magic? What are those mana-lits? Who is that thing down in the volcano and why is it there? Why do my scales change from red to golden-white... Probably a lot more, but those would be the first," he said before recalling something equally important. "Right, and how do I find another dragon, blue and silver?"

Praxton looked back, and his jaw dropped, pale teeth blinking in the rising sun.

"Okay… Well, I might be able to answer some of those," he finally said. "But in return, I want you to help me with something."

Of course you do, Mason thought, but all he did was turn his head slightly and raise a scaly eyebrow.

"Nothing dangerous! Just… help me investigate this city, the ruins, then find a way to permanently block that entrance," Praxton said hastily.

Mason was about to agree, then he hesitated. "Any idea how long all of that will take?"

Praxton shook his head. "No. Why? Do you need to be somewhere?" he asked curiously.

Mason thought about Jake and Sandra, and he nodded. "Something like that, but I'll need to fix my current problem first."

"The scales?" Praxton asked, nodding knowingly. "Yeah, I've heard about that, but it's the first time I've seen it. Probably the first time anyone has seen it…"

"Then let's start there. Why don't my scales stay one type?"

"Does this mean we have a deal?" Praxton asked.

"I can stay and help, but it depends on how long it takes for my scales to change back," Mason retorted.

Praxton hestated, then moved closer and sat beside him, inspecting his scales.

"Alright, but do remember that all I have is theoretical knowledge about these things," Praxon said as he looked at the ground, seemingly sorting his thoughts. "Everyone does, I guess. Anyway, I will also have to tell you some related things," he continued, almost seeming to speak more to himself than to Mason.

Mason did not respond, quietly waiting.

"Alright, so, among kobolds, there are none that are single elementers. Legend says there used to be, but from what I have found, that seems highly unlikely. The highest purity, if you can excuse me for using the word, are those with red scales. My research so far indicates the cause is the thing that is locked in the volcano," Praxton said, tapping his claws on his tail.

Single elementers? Mason pondered.

So, did that mean that scale color indicated an element? He'd guessed as much but with the odd colors of purple and black added. Which elements would those be? Also, did that mean only kobolds and dragons had elemental magic? That seemed… unlikely with what he knew.

"From what I have been able to gather over the last few years, it seems to be the same with dragons, although there is more cause to believe there used to be single-colour dragons. Now, as you likely know, the scale color matches the elements you have, which in turn matches the type of magic you can learn. The intensity indicates the strength."

Mason nodded, not at all surprised but slightly surprised at the in-depth knowledge Praxton had. It strengthened him even more in his idea that the other was a sorcerer, or sorcerer apprentice, or something.

"Now, some of the ancient tomes and records I perused said that long ago, some dragons who weren't one element could slowly change their types into a single one. I have no idea how, but from what I saw you do, it seems that it has to do with the type of mana-lit you can absorb. I don't want to be too nosy, but could you tell me which types you can see?"

How is that nosy? Mason thought. Was there some rule about not telling others what type of mana-lits you saw?

"Red and gold," he said.

Praxton looked at him, and something about his gaze gave Mason the idea he didn't believe him.

"Ah! Interesting, and… if you don't mind me asking, where does the golden type come from?"

"From the sun, mostly," Mason said. "Though in the desert, the mana-lits do hover around. My guess is that it lingers there because there's nothing else around."

Praxton was quiet again, then nodded. "Interesting."

"Is something odd about that?" Mason asked.

"What? No, no! It's just… Well, I have never heard about any kobold with pale golden scales. Yellow, yes, but not… that," he said, waving at some of Mason's remaining golden scales." Perhaps it's because you are a drake- ah, dragon!"

Mason was surprised at the sudden reference to drakes. So far, Praxton had called them dragons, and now that he thought about that, it was weird. Besides Sandra and the dragons with her, everyone else here called them drakes.

"Sorry, it's hard to get rid of ingrained preconceptions," Praxton said, grinning.

"No problem," Mason said, waiting quietly, deciding not to get sidetracked.

Praxton scraped his throat before continuing.

"Right, well, this should answer your question?"

"I need to know how I can speed up this progress," Mason said, ignoring the other's remark for now.

Praxton shrugged. "I'd say that the more mana-lits you absorb, the faster it goes. But that's conjecture."

Mason sighed, staring at the desert. "Great… that means I'll need to hang around there for months or longer before my scales return to enough gold for me to resist the constant nagging."

He was about to decide what to do when he noticed Praxton stare at him oddly.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing! I was just thinking you should just hunt other creatures with sun mana-lits, then realizing there probably aren't any," Praxton said.

Mason blinked, staring back at the desert. How did he forget that? He'd bloody just killed another dragon, which was the cause of this. Memories of how he'd ended Clankrin played through his mind, and he quickly pushed them away.

Instead, he focused on what he recalled of his long time in the desert. He'd hunted many things, but after finding the Etags, he had usually stuck with those due to their nice taste. But… had he ever found something that gave off golden mana-lits?

It took him a while to recall a long golden-scaled centipede that had managed to escape into the desert before he could grab it. Could that have been one? He'd killed and eaten centipedes before. Then he thought of something else.

"Why don't all things eject mana-lits when you kill them?"

Praxon blinked in surprise. "Only if the being has been holding onto a lot of mana-lits do they expel it like that. Otherwise, it suffuses the flesh, and the only way to get to it is by eating your kill."

That makes a lot of sense, Mason thought as he recalled those few things he'd killed that actually had mana-lits hovering above them.

"Alright. That means I'll need to set out and hunt in the desert. I can't stay here, the pressure is just-," he said grunted, hoping some distance would mute the incessant desire to turn and rush back to the ruins.

"And our deal?" Praxon asked, a purple eyebrow raised.

"After I return, I'll help you close that tunnel," Mason said. "Or the entire ruins if we have to. Perhaps you can start looking for a way to-" he fell quiet as Praxton shook his head.

"Let me go with you! I've been alone, without other dragons for… well, for years now."

Mason frowned, then looked at Faelina while thinking about Baudron.

"What about that tunnel?" he asked. "Someone might go in and try to release the thing you still haven't told me about."

"Those two friends of yours, they are largely earth dragons. They should enjoy being below the ground," Praxton said.

Mason grunted.

"Listen, if I come with you, I can teach you a lot of things!" Praxton said.

Mason hesitated. That was true. Then again… could he just leave Baudron and Maru behind? That felt wrong somehow.

"What do you think?" he asked, looking at Faelina.

Faelina looked at him for a while, seemingly wanting to say something. Then she looked at her arm, raised it, and tapped on one of the tiny golden scales, almost freckles.

Mason stared at them stupidly, the realization of what their presence meant hitting him like a hammer.

If she has them, does that mean she's like me?

He turned to Praxton excitedly, only to see the purplish dragon lean forward, his gaze focused on the few golden scales.

"How…"

"It's not just me," Faelina said as she looked up. "Baudron has some too. I didn't see any on Maru or Siobahn, but-"

"How the hell did I forget this?" Mason shouted, getting up and spraying sand around. He felt his tail flick around agitatedly, but he ignored it.

"They began appearing after we went into the desert," Faelina said.

"Was it the first time you saw them? The first time you were in the desert?" Mason asked, guessing it had to be. How could he have forgotten this?

He wanted to get Baudron here, curious what his friend knew about them when Faelina's reply stunned him into silence.

"No. I have been in the desert for most of my dragon life, and this is the first time this has happened," she said.

"Interesting," Praxton said, and something in his voice made Mason look up. The purple dragon was standing on his hind legs; arms crossed in a pose that looked odd on a dragon.

"Do you have some idea what is going on?" Mason asked.

"There are… legends. One of them is why I was here," Praxton said slowly. "They are vague but speak of some dragons that are Foci."

Mason frowned. "Foci? Like something that focuses something? A lens?"

"I have no idea. It's one of the many mysteries in the tomes that I wanted to try and find out more about," Praxton said.

Ideas played through Mason's mind, but none made much sense. After a moment, he turned to Faelina, deciding it actually didn't change that much.

"So. What do you think?"

"I heard what he said about changing scales. If being around you changes my scales, I want to see what happens. So, I think we should leave Praxton, Maru, and Siobahn here to protect the entrance while you, me, and Baudron go into the desert."

"Hey, but-" Praxton began, but Faelina continued.

"Then, we can come back every week for a day, and he can teach us magic," she finished.

Us? Mason thought before nodding.

It was hard to keep his mind clear with the constant pull from behind, and this would give him time to calm down.

"Alright, I like it," he said, as he turned to Praxton.

The purple dragon sighed, then nodded. "Well, I guess it's not that bad. It will give me some time to talk with the others, and I can continue my investigation of the ruins."

"Good, that's settled," Mason said as he turned to Faelina. "Can you ask Siobahn and tell her to explain things to Baudron?"

Faelina smirked. "I can send her over, but I think it's best if Praxton explains things. Thinking isn't Siobahn's strong suit," she whispered.

Mason laughed, and after a short goodby and reassurance that they would be back in seven days, Siobahn and Praxton left.

"Do you trust him?" Faelina asked.

Mason hesitated, then sighed. "It's hard to think straight right now. He seems pleasant and honest enough, but let's just be careful while giving him the benefit of the doubt."

They waited for a lot longer than Mason would have thought the flying would take when Baudron finally headed towards them. As his friend landed, he saw the downcast look on his face.

"What's wrong, big man?" Mason asked automatically, grimacing as he saw Baudron's surprised look.

"I don't like going too far from Maru," Baudron rumbled. "Do we have to go?"

Mason smiled sadly. Perhaps he should just let Baudron stay here.

"You don't want to come?" he asked.

"Are you going?"

"Yes."

“Then I will come,” Baudron rumbled. "Maru can't come?"

"I prefer having a few dragons there that we can trust for sure," Mason said.

"You think Praxton is going to do something bad?" Baudron asked, looking worried.

"No, but it's impossible to be sure," Mason said.

Baudron hesitated, then sighed. "Alright, let's head back into the desert then."

As sad as he felt for his friend, Mason couldn't keep back a sigh of relief.

"Let's go," he said, walking a few steps before jumping in the air.

As his powerful wings pushed him up and forward, he looked at the distant sparkling sand.

Let's hope we can find something to increase the speed.

–

"Two behind you Midnight," Sandra screamed as two red dragons barrelled around one of the city's many ruined buildings, heading straight for the large dragon, already holding four more at bay.

She had no time to see if the massive black dragon would react in time as she dodged the attacks of three smaller, mostly red dragons. Lashing out with her tail, she caught one on the side of the head, flinging it aside, before jumping claws first on the other. Their moments seemed slow to her, and when she wrapped her clawed hands behind the dragon's head, she almost effortlessly snapped its neck.

Thunderous roars of anger and gouts of flame exploded all around her, dragons of all kinds fighting each other in a crazed frenzy. The city she had been rebuilding, the dragons she had freed to start something; everything was being destroyed! All her hard work!

Sandra felt her bloodlust ramp up to dangerous levels, and it took all her self-control to keep her from jumping into the fray.

It would be so easy to kill them! Weak, puny-

She dragged her thoughts away, focusing on what remained of her mental discipline.

"Sandra, up!"

Sandra snapped her gaze up in time to see a shadowy host of winged creatures burst into the massive cave system.

It's those filthy things, she thought, grinding her teeth. She barely caught herself from speeding up to attack them.

A deafening roar caused her to shiver, and Sandra looked up in a panic. Clarissu, her usually kind and gentle face warped in a look of pure rage, was shooting up, her massive wings, larger than any besides those of Midnight, beating the air in a frenzy.

"Clarissu, get back here!" Sandra roared.

Either Clarissu didn't hear her, or she wasn't able to act because she continued up, straight at the mass of massive bats swirling down.

A clawed hand, larger than her head, pulled Sandra back, and she only then realized she'd jumped up to fly after Clarissu.

"You can't help her nor stop her," Midnight boomed, his eyes cold as the night. "We need to flee and bring as many as we can."

Sandra gritted her teeth, looking around. The battle was a chaotic mess, as many dragons had lost themselves when the whispers began. To her surprise, she saw Salvo dash through the air nearby, slamming into a dragon to knock it down before heading to the next.

"Salvo, we need to leave!" Sandra roared.

The smaller dragon looked up at her, and she saw pain and horror in his eyes. Still, he turned and came towards her.

"We need to reach one of the cavern exits first," Midnight said as he pulled her along.

Dozens of raged battles stood or flew between them, but most moved away when Midnight approached. Sandra knocked out any insane dragon she could, and when they reached the exit, half a dozen dragons were surrounding her.

A look back showed that many dragons were now on the ground, either unmoving or unable to fly. More worrisome were those who were flying below the cloud of bats, seemingly calm and flying in ordained circles. There was no sight of Clarissu, which worried her almost as much as she trusted the large old dragon.

As she glared at the bats, a horribly familiar feeling settled around her. It took her only a moment to recognize it. As long ago as it had been, she could still recall that horrible Fiend.

They took control of their minds!

"We need to do something," she hissed, her mind running a thousand miles an hour, before turning to Midnight.

"Can you roar to snap them out of it?" she asked, recalling what Mason had done.

"No," Midnight said. "There's too many of those filthy bats around."

Sandra wanted to roar in fury, and she hesitated. "If we leave them here, they will all die!"

"I'll do what I can," Midnight said with a sigh. "Get ready to flee."

He took a step back and took a deep breath.

"Everyone that is still awake; follow us! We must flee!"

Midnight's voice erupted like an exploding volcano.

Sandra felt as if she was standing next to the world's largest subwoofer with sound waves blasting against her.

Behind them, there was an immediate response as she saw dozens of dragons disengage and head their way.

"We have to leave," Midnight boomed, pulling her along.

Sandra wanted to tell him to stop so they could wait for the others. Then she saw the cloud of bats churn and head towards them.

"Damn it all!" she roared as she turned and dashed into the tunnel.

As the others followed her, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen to those they were leaving behind.

-- End of book 3 --