see it." Leresy scowled. "Just fly
around, for stars' sake. It won't kill you."
Erry gave the loudest, longest
groan of her life. Eyes rolling, she jumped off the ship, shifted
into a dragon, and flew.
The beating of her wings blasted
the hull, rocking the ship. She flew in circles, scales clattering,
and blew fire upward—just to impress them a little more. She rose
higher, roared to the sky, and swooped toward the ship, claws
outstretched, feigning an attack.
Upon the deck, Leresy—still in
human form—pointed the scope at her, then unscrewed the wooden lid.
The gems inside glowed. Their
light blasted out from the lens, drenching Erry.
Like a tugged tablecloth, her
magic vanished.
Erry returned to human form,
fell through the air, and crashed into the water.
She sputtered, cursed, and swam
back to the ship. When she stood back upon the deck, she shook
herself wildly like a dog, spraying water onto the others.
"That," Leresy said,
"is how we fight the Legions. I've got four scopes full of
these shards. We fly to Requiem. My father's dragons will drop from
the sky like dead flies." He nodded. "I've called my
weapons Leresy Scopes. They will win me the throne."
The others began to growl and
roll their eyes. Before they could object too much, however, a high
voice rose above them.
"Big weapon! Big weapon is
no Leresy Scope. Genesis Shards they are, yes. Bantis knows them!"
Erry looked up and raised her
eyebrows. Crazy old Bantis, still clad in only a loincloth, perched
upon a mast. His white hair billowed in the breeze and he laughed.
Fast as a monkey, he scurried down the mast, landed upon the deck,
and danced a jig.
"Grandpapa!" Miya
said. "Have you been up there all along?"
The old man grinned. "You
cannot hold councils without Old Bantis, no. Foolish boy, give me
that." He reached toward Leresy, grabbed the scope full of
shards, and began tugging, struggling to free it from the younger
man's grip. "Mine. Mine!"
Leresy growled and held the
scope firmly.
"Leresy, let him have it!"
Erry said and kicked his shin.
The prince yelped, his grip
loosened, and Bantis scurried back with his prize.
"These are Genesis Shards,"
the old man repeated. "Yes, that is their name. Bantis has
been seeking them for many years, yes. They have languished
underground for a thousand years. Dragons buried them! They did not
want them found, no." He cackled. "Yet now Bantis has big
weapon. Kills dragons!"
Leresy rubbed his shin. "Bloody
Abyss. Why are they called Genesis Shards?"
Bantis
hopped around on one leg, cawed like a bird, then smiled
mischievously. "Created all life, they did. Ten thousand years
ago, the gods created Animating Stones, big gems—big like chicken eggs!—that raised dust, earth, and water into
men and beasts. Created us Tirans too, they did." He laughed,
head tossed back. "Powerful magic, yes. Powerful enough to
raise matter into life. Powerful enough to cancel out all other
magic around them. Even the magic to become dragons." He
winked. "The old Vir Requis found the gems a thousand years
ago. They feared them. They broke them into tiny shards. They can
no longer create life, no, not broken like this." He laughed
and gave a quick dance. "But they can still cancel dragon
magic. So they buried the shards. Buried them deep in a distant
island. But Old Bantis found them! Old Bantis will take them to
Requiem. And dragons will fall from the sky!"
Bantis himself fell onto his
back, arms and legs splayed out, imitating a fallen dragon. He lay
upon the deck, grinning.
Leresy
began to pout and object, shouting that he had found the shards, and that they were called Leresy Shards. Kaelyn, Erry, and even Miya began to shout him
down—and soon to kick him. Sila howled at everyone to be silent,
and Bantis kept laughing. The council collapsed into chaos, and soon
everyone was yelling above the others.
Only Valien stood silent,
staring across the water, lost in thought. After a long moment, he
nodded and spoke, but
around, for stars' sake. It won't kill you."
Erry gave the loudest, longest
groan of her life. Eyes rolling, she jumped off the ship, shifted
into a dragon, and flew.
The beating of her wings blasted
the hull, rocking the ship. She flew in circles, scales clattering,
and blew fire upward—just to impress them a little more. She rose
higher, roared to the sky, and swooped toward the ship, claws
outstretched, feigning an attack.
Upon the deck, Leresy—still in
human form—pointed the scope at her, then unscrewed the wooden lid.
The gems inside glowed. Their
light blasted out from the lens, drenching Erry.
Like a tugged tablecloth, her
magic vanished.
Erry returned to human form,
fell through the air, and crashed into the water.
She sputtered, cursed, and swam
back to the ship. When she stood back upon the deck, she shook
herself wildly like a dog, spraying water onto the others.
"That," Leresy said,
"is how we fight the Legions. I've got four scopes full of
these shards. We fly to Requiem. My father's dragons will drop from
the sky like dead flies." He nodded. "I've called my
weapons Leresy Scopes. They will win me the throne."
The others began to growl and
roll their eyes. Before they could object too much, however, a high
voice rose above them.
"Big weapon! Big weapon is
no Leresy Scope. Genesis Shards they are, yes. Bantis knows them!"
Erry looked up and raised her
eyebrows. Crazy old Bantis, still clad in only a loincloth, perched
upon a mast. His white hair billowed in the breeze and he laughed.
Fast as a monkey, he scurried down the mast, landed upon the deck,
and danced a jig.
"Grandpapa!" Miya
said. "Have you been up there all along?"
The old man grinned. "You
cannot hold councils without Old Bantis, no. Foolish boy, give me
that." He reached toward Leresy, grabbed the scope full of
shards, and began tugging, struggling to free it from the younger
man's grip. "Mine. Mine!"
Leresy growled and held the
scope firmly.
"Leresy, let him have it!"
Erry said and kicked his shin.
The prince yelped, his grip
loosened, and Bantis scurried back with his prize.
"These are Genesis Shards,"
the old man repeated. "Yes, that is their name. Bantis has
been seeking them for many years, yes. They have languished
underground for a thousand years. Dragons buried them! They did not
want them found, no." He cackled. "Yet now Bantis has big
weapon. Kills dragons!"
Leresy rubbed his shin. "Bloody
Abyss. Why are they called Genesis Shards?"
Bantis
hopped around on one leg, cawed like a bird, then smiled
mischievously. "Created all life, they did. Ten thousand years
ago, the gods created Animating Stones, big gems—big like chicken eggs!—that raised dust, earth, and water into
men and beasts. Created us Tirans too, they did." He laughed,
head tossed back. "Powerful magic, yes. Powerful enough to
raise matter into life. Powerful enough to cancel out all other
magic around them. Even the magic to become dragons." He
winked. "The old Vir Requis found the gems a thousand years
ago. They feared them. They broke them into tiny shards. They can
no longer create life, no, not broken like this." He laughed
and gave a quick dance. "But they can still cancel dragon
magic. So they buried the shards. Buried them deep in a distant
island. But Old Bantis found them! Old Bantis will take them to
Requiem. And dragons will fall from the sky!"
Bantis himself fell onto his
back, arms and legs splayed out, imitating a fallen dragon. He lay
upon the deck, grinning.
Leresy
began to pout and object, shouting that he had found the shards, and that they were called Leresy Shards. Kaelyn, Erry, and even Miya began to shout him
down—and soon to kick him. Sila howled at everyone to be silent,
and Bantis kept laughing. The council collapsed into chaos, and soon
everyone was yelling above the others.
Only Valien stood silent,
staring across the water, lost in thought. After a long moment, he
nodded and spoke, but
Similar Books
