ScalesOfInjusticeDH: Joao: Scales of Injustice For a Deep Child, the perilous heights of Wind’s Corridor were both spectacular and startling. A singular stride away, Joao’s world dropped away into gravity and eddying zephyrs. The winds tugged at his uniform, urging him to take that step. To his back, the solid granite walls of Kolvir rose toward the blue and golden sky. Paths of worn stone slashed across the rock face like giant scratch marks, each offering an unsteady path up the mountain. Joao had followed one of these paths to the rock prominence upon which he now stood. Far below, the lush greens of Garnath stretched toward the western horizon; trees and high grasses rippling like the Rebman seafloor. A line of steel cut across it like an errant pencil mark - the train tracks that had made King Random so proud. Slightly to the north of that, the dead-grey mass of the Scar clung to the valley floor, obscuring it in immutable mist. From this height, the Scar’s true scope could be made out, its razor-straight line stretching away from Amber as far as the eye could see. Joao heard an odd burbling sound behind him like a pot of tea hissing. A rock then tumbled down from above, bounded thrice, and then spun away into the vastness. Joao didn't cry out, although he wanted to. "I must be crazy" Joao said aloud to the wind. "How did I get up here. Why did I come up here??" Father, Joao thought. He *had* to have been a little mad to like this precarious path. And he had let Professor Isolde talk him into going into a completely alien element. And a dangerous one at that. The vertigo was too much. Joao gently lowered himself to one knee, using his hands to balance himself against the ground. He wasn't sure if closing his eyes would help--or hurt. He breathed in and out. If Father could master this, if Professor Isolde thought he could...surely he would rise to the challenge. Running away in fear of this perilous path, never to return, would be cowardly. Mother would not approve. “Indeed,” came a voice like a train engine - all steam and rumbling power. “Why did you come here I wonder?” Joao's ears pricked. Not his imagination. But who, and what? Initially, Joao could not locate the speaker. He appeared completely alone on this precipice. But - as any sea-dweller knew - appearances were dangerously deceptive. As a small mal’chik, he’d been taught to recognize the poisonous stonefish camouflaged amongst the rocks and coral. This education served him now. At first, he noticed the wisps of steam emerging from two fissures in the rock face. He quickly recognized the error of this. They were not fissures, but nostrils, connected to a foot-long snout. The snout connected to a blunt head, which in turn connected to a serpentine neck six or seven feet long. The creature’s main body - a boulder-like mound with an even longer tail - coiled itself up the cliff, thick talons holding it in place. As a cloud’s shadow pass over its scales, they subtly altered their coloration to match the changed lighting - much like an octopus matched its skin to the various sands it hid under. Joao's eyes focused. Realization of what this might be sent adrenaline through his veins. He wanted to swim away, but he had no place to swim, no place to run... The dragon’s eyes blinked, realizing it had been noticed. “So do tell me, Lunch. Are you indeed crazy? I find madness can be most gastronomically displeasing.” Dragons. Joao's mind raced, thinking about them. Greater Primal beings were not yet on his menu of courses, but he knew some things. Primal Beings. Griffins, from their desert fastnesses, were masters of Air and Fire. Dragons were Masters of Earth and Air. Most of them, anyway. If he survived this encounter, Joao thought, an elective on Primal Beings was a must. "Lord of Earth and Air." Joao began politely. Was the dragon female or male? Lord would do in either event, he thought. "I would be prevaricating if I claimed madness for the sole purpose of avoiding being devoured. And surely, a being of your power, majesty and strength of mind would see through such a falsehood." "I merely meant" Joao continued "that a Deep Child finds more than a bit discomfort, in this realm of which you are the magnificent master." “A Deep Child? Here? Hrm. I wonder,” the Dragon considered, its eyes widening curiously. It raised its noble head, testing the air with its long, dark tongue. “Most curious. Yes. You do taste like him. But he has not returned for many years. Despite his promise. “I do not suffer the forsworn well.” Its thick tail curled around the ledge, providing a barrier between Joao and the killing fall behind him. As well as the path back down. He was effectively surrounded by an ouroboros of dragon flesh. “Now, Deep One, tell me who you and your purpose here,” it said. “But with more point and less prattle.” "Da" Joao said aloud. No way out, nothing to help for it. The dragon wanted directness? Courage flowed into his veins from inner reserves that needed to be tapped. Now. Joao stood. He didn't let his fear of the heights, the dragon or his predicament show as he spoke. "Dobrý den. I am Joao Alexei Pyotr Galitzin. Student at Faiella University. First and only son of Beatriz, Baroness of the Vert Reef and Rodion Dmitri Dzerzhinsky. Heir to the Barony of House Galitzin." "I came here, Lord Dragon" Joao continued "in memento mori of my father. I was told by Professor Isolde that he came here often." “So, you are the child of the Forsworn,” the dragon chimed. “I knew I could smell his blood in you. Tattered though it may be, our bond goes deep, he and I.” The dragon stretched its head forward until its sulfurous nostrils hovered only a few feet from Joao. Now, eye-to-eye (so to speak), the creature regarded him with a deep interest that went beyond the culinary. “Choose your next words carefully, Son of Rodion, for I might inflict my grievance upon you in your father’s stead should you lie. “So, you are the child of the Forsworn,” the dragon chimed. “I knew I could smell his blood in you. Tattered though it may be, our bond goes deep, he and I.” The dragon stretched its head forward until its sulfurous nostrils hovered only a few feet from Joao. Now, eye-to-eye (so to speak), the creature regarded him with a deep interest that went beyond the culinary. “Choose your next words carefully, Son of Rodion, for I might inflict my grievance upon you in your father’s stead should you lie. “So, you are the child of the Forsworn,” the dragon chimed. “I knew I could smell his blood in you. Tattered though it may be, our bond goes deep, he and I.” The dragon stretched its head forward until its sulfurous nostrils hovered only a few feet from Joao. Now, eye-to-eye (so to speak), the creature regarded him with a deep interest that went beyond the culinary. “Choose your next words carefully, Son of Rodion, for I might inflict my grievance upon you in your father’s stead should you lie. “I know he lives. So why has he not returned to fulfill our Oath?” Joao was, for a moment, speechless. Father was dead. He knew that. It was just before his 3rd...no, his 4th birthday that his mother had told him the news. His memories of his father were sketchy at best, but his funeral was something he did remember. The procession, a military one, since he had fallen in one of Rebma's wars. Father was dead. Everyone knew that. (Or did they?) This creature didn't think his father was dead. A sudden thought came to him. Was this dragon the reason why Mistress Isolde had set him on this path. Did she know if his father was alive, or suspect? Finally, an eternity and five seconds later, Joao spoke, staring at the eyes of the Dragon as he spoke. "Lord Dragon, forgive me. I was told...all that I knew, was that Rodion, my father, had perished in war and battle. More than 16 years ago. I...have never thought differently, Lord Dragon, though your words and your bond drive my thoughts into new currents." "What Oath and Bond does my father owe you?" Joao added. The dragon shot acrid steam out of its nostrils, narrowing its eyes thoughtfully. With another exhalation, it appeared to relax - if one could say that an earth dragon looked ‘relaxed.’ “Then you leave me with a riddle, Son of Rodion,” it said. “For I can feel the Bond between us still. Faint as it may be, it should have ended upon his death. We forged the Three Cords, but Rodion did not complete the enchantment. By reneging on his Oath, I am now perpetually caught in a tangle of broken magicks.” The dragon settled down into the rock face, sighing in frustration. “Better he was dead. Then I would be free of him and this place.” Joao decided, as the dragon settled, to settle himself. He lowered himself into a lotus position on the path, keeping his eyes focused on the head of the dragon. Once he was seated thusly, he spoke. "Does the faintness of this bond mean that my father is alive, but only far away from this mountain, Lord Dragon?" Joao replied. "And may I ask the nature of this entangled magic that he forged with you, why you two did so, and aught I might do to help? Perhaps not today, but as my father learned magic here at the University, I, too, have started the path to esoteric knowledge." “I had agreed to become his familiar,” the dragon replied. “The bond offered me the opportunity to move about Failla University without causing a terrible stir. I very much desire to read your fascinating books and learn of the world outside Kolvir. Alas, your father disappeared before completing the ritual. Now only death of one or the other might sever the bond. “However, my understanding of the procedure is limited. Such things rarely fall under the dominion of a dragon. So, if you might find some manner in which to break this bond permanently, I shall be indebted to you.” Joao breathed in and out. Now that the encounter had turned from deadly dangerous to only moderately dangerous, he could relax...a little. Thoughts sifted through his mind like casting a handful of sea bottom sand up into the waters. Finally, he nodded. "Da. I have a friend, Lord Dragon, a prodigy at this University, who already has a familiar. It occurs to me that she might be able to help me aid you in ending this binding." He then took a deep breath. Was his sudden thought boldness or stupidity? Before he could change his mind, he spoke. "Or, perhaps, Lord Dragon, she might be able to change the target of the bond and the nature of the binding from my father...to me. You could become *my* familiar, instead. You would still wish to see the University and learn of the greater world, do you not?" The dragon snorted out a puff of sulfurous steam, “I am a dragon, boy. Of course I desire to learn more of the world. Not all treasures glimmer." "Not all treasures are silver and gold." Joao agreed, remembering an old story he had read long ago. “Seek out this woman and bring her to me. She will undo my binding and transfer it to you. Indeed, your blood may ease this transference. Then we shall tie the Three Cords and be as One. You do understand what this means, of course. And enter into the Pact freely?” "The long range consequences of binding ourselves to each other, I suspect, remain to be seen." Joao replied. "I would hear what it all means, from your perspective, if you will tell me. We will share our lives to an extent, da?" “Aye,” the dragon said. “Most importantly, it would allow me to shift into a suitable human form. We would also share emotions and some idiosyncrasies, which be both beneficial and annoying. You may also live longer, as a result. However, the most important aspect would be the sharing of power. Your ability to conjure and cast earth-based spell would be greatly increased. “I, on the other hand, would learn the intricacies of humanity. And have access to your center of learning. This I crave above all else. Except bear-claws. Your father brought me this magical food and I have yearned for them ever since. You will provide me with this food regularly.” It wasn’t not a request, but an order. "Bear claws" Joao repeated. Perhaps Raina or Gillian would be more familiar with them. To cover his ignorance, Joao nodded at the Dragon's command. The dragon's forked tongue flickered and a hungry groan rumbled in its belly like a distant rockslide.
~I’m still trying to process that there’s a dragon only a few feet away. But yes. It would be advantageous. In the extreme.~ Joao was relieved. He didn't know how talkative the other unjoined voices were, but he had always had the feeling that Delwin wasn't much for conversation. One or twice over the last few months, he had even thought that the Voice had gone into remission, as a hermit crab hides in his shell. The fact that Delwin answered was a good thing. The fact that he approved, clinched matters. "It is time for me to return to the realm of classes and books." Joao said. "And so I bid fair depart, lord dragon." A thought occurred to him, and he added. "What usename might I use to address you, when I bring Gillian here to handle the binding?" “I am Etrosk the Fanged, Last of the Nine,” he replied with a deep pride. "Etrosk the Fanged, Last of the Nine." Joao repeated. The name meant nothing, now, but Joao bet that, especially with Gillian's help, he could find out far more about what he was getting into. And just as important--just what his
into, and stopped. But why? Etrosk began to fade into the rock face once again until only his eyes remained visible. “Return with your little mage soon. I may be immortal, but I suffered this limbo long enough, boy.” Another wisp of steam and then his eyes faded as well. "Soon, dragon. I have promised." Joao said to the blank rock face. Slowly, he turned around again. "Now, Delwin" he said to the air, the sky, and the voice in his head. "Now we have to get back down this path and back to solid ground. Better yet, I think a session in the pool after class is a must. I need to reconnect to my element." ~Agreed~ Delwin said, his thoughts like cotton. ~And be wary of that dragon, boy. If what he says is true, which I highly doubt, he is one of the offspring of the Serpent. The Royal Dragon of House Hendrake, if I recall. But what would such a beast be doing in Amber, let alone atop Kolvir?~ He yawned, ~Sis would be impressed. She always had a thing for the draconian types.~ Joao held off his response for a few moments as he set to the task to returning the perilous (especially to a child of the Deep) path back to the College, and safety. ~You bring up solid points, Delwin~ Joao replied, pausing on the path. ~I would ask Miss Baronson to ask Sand directly, but that might lead to more problems, and I want to talk to Miss Talbot first about this. We also need to do more research on dragons, and particular this one. I don't think...I don't think Father would have even contemplated a union with a Serpent lightly, even if he never finished it.~ ~I do wonder~ Joao added. ~What Mistress Isolde knows of this business. She set me on this path. Now, I don't think it was for the dizzying view.~ He could feel Delwin wavering between consciousness and slumber. Still, he had enough energy to offer up a wry laugh. ~Well, of course. She put out the bread crumbs and you gobbled them up like a fat pigeon. That woman is a demoness in the sack and outside the boudoir. She wanted you to find that creature. Not because it lives. Because it knew you father lives.~ "Da" Joao agreed. ~Question is, will you confirm her suspicions?~ ~I am going to have to be very careful in what I tell her~ Joao replied. ~Trying to learn more than what we discover, Prince Delwin, is the key to managing this relationship. She is Rebman, though, Delwin. As you say, a demoness.~ Delwin yawned, struggling to remain present. ~You’re learning, it appears. Well, maybe there is hope for you yet. You may even live long enough to make a difference in this world.~ He chuckled - the sound fading into the back of Joao’s head. "~Go to sleep, Delwin~ Joao said. Joao turned to regard the path he had navigated thus far, and the remainder of the path yet to go before he was safely back on solid ground. To slip and fall, now, would be mortifying. And no one, Mother included, would approve. Still, Joao thought, a dip in the pool was going to be more than welcome, and more than deserved. He had a little time, he thought, before the next class. |
