Page 40 of Dragonbound

Finally, he saw the Others were there, standing to the far side of the cavern. They must have a separate entrance, he thought distractedly. They stood sullen and quiet. Many of them also seemed to be dripping red blood, just as the one he’d rescued from the pool. He recognised them. They were all here, or so he thought, aside from the one who’d fallen into the pool, and the one who’d dragged them away. There were four of them. He wanted them to do something, but instead they watched him expectantly. Were they waiting for him to do something? To order them about? He didn’t know what to do.

A part of him suddenly worried for his family. Had the tremor been bad enough to cause a rock fall in the caverns? But no. It seemed that was no longer his concern. He gazed at the Speaker, wishing he’d communicate with him, but it was impossible. The giant green eyes slowly closed, and he dropped his head in sorrow.

The Others continued to watch him. He sensed their interest. They must be waiting for his orders. But he didn’t know what they were. He hadn’t been taught this. He should have been. He wrenched his eyes away from the dead drekki, seeking clarity now he was Speaker, now he was Skald Drekki.

He’d expected something very different to this. Some sort of official ceremony. Some sort of acknowledgement of his new position. But no, a Speaker became Speaker on the death of the previous Speaker.

Still, his training was incomplete. He’d received no teachings, no advice, no words, from the Speaker. Until now, he hadn’t even known what he looked like, except that he’d possess the same glowing green eyes. All he knew was that he’d been bequeathed a legacy he knew nothing about. He should’ve had rotations to learn his role from the current Speaker. As soon as the Speaker knew his time was coming to an end, he should have allowed him deep within the Archives. He should have offered advice and guidance.

The fact he hadn’t meant… It could only mean… The Speaker’s death hadn’t been foretold. But how was that possible?

He shook his giant head, confused and fearful.

How was he to guide his kind now?

26

SKALD DREKKI

He stood there, grief searing his chest. His claws gripped the stony floor as though the mountain had started shaking again.

What was he meant to do now?

He could feel rage building inside him, a torrent of wrath bursting to get out. His heart pounded. He wanted to smash the rock that had killed the previous Speaker. How could this have happened? His wings unfolded, as he drew himself up to his fullest height, thinking to batter the rock aside with his wings. Thinking to knock the glowing green stone from its position in the centre of the cavern.

A thread of green light pushed through his fury, emanating from the stone at the heart of the cavern. It wrapped around him, soothing him, his wings folding once more with a sharp snap. Come. Come. Fresh tendrils of light blossomed along the path he’d taken to get here.

Come.

The Others forgotten about, he followed the lights, his tail high, back through the tunnel to the Archive.

He slipped once more into the pool. Look.

He looked, leaning his head against the edge of the pool. The images swirled on the smooth rock above his head. For a moment, he watched without seeing.

The pictures had always been the same before. They played on an endless, soothing loop. He knew them by heart. There were views of his home within rún-ketill. There were scenes of his kind feeding from the heart of the mountain. Of his kind flying through the caverns. Of his kind together, sharing their knowledge and skills. And some of the Others outside, living their lives on the frozen landscape. Some of the images were of the stars and planets. Some he recognised. Many he didn’t.

Watch.

Now the pictures changed. The scene he was watching was new. Before, this must have been denied him. Now, he was Speaker. Now he was to be told.

Listen. I am Naer-Vera, Speaker of drekkikind. I bequeath the knowledge of those who have gone before to you, Skald Drekki.

Naer-Vera entered his mind, whispered the stories of the scenes, explaining all he saw, telling him what to do.

They played in the same sequence three times, telling and retelling his destiny.

For some days, Skald Drekki, or Skaldi as he now thought of himself, returned to his pool from the cave that was now his. He did not return home. Somehow, his family must know what had happened. The Others had seen to the removal of the body of his predecessor, the scent of the funeral pyre coming to him late one night. They’d even managed to move the rock that caused the previous Speaker’s death. Idly, he wondered where the huge rock had gone. Had it been flung from the ledge? He didn’t know. He didn’t question. There was too much to learn.

Each time he returned to the pool, the visions overhead were new. Naer-Vera told him what they meant and how to interpret their stories. All of the instructions from Naer-Vera taught him how to be Skald Drekki, the Speaker.

He was now the most powerful among his kind. With the responsibility of keeping his kind safe from the Others came freedoms he could never have imagined. He could leave the sanctuary of rún-ketill. He could soar high above the clouds that clung to the mountain side. He was duty-bound to fly the length and breadth of the large, cold land over which he presided from his mountain-side ledge. With each flight, he must examine the ice and mountain face for irregularities. He would pass over the Others’ settlements to ensure they didn’t expand beyond the boundaries agreed centuries before. But he must only fly when it was light. If it was dark, he must stay within rún-ketill.

He must ensure the light barrier between drekkikind and the Others stayed in place. It protected their existence from the Others who’d not been initiated into rún-ketill. If any Others came within the light barrier, they could be able to see the drekki, if they were imbued with the same knowledge the Others within rún-ketill possessed. Aside from that, the Others shouldn’t ever be able to see him as he flew above their land. Naer-Vera implied further instructions would be forthcoming, if and when repairs were needed to the light barrier. Skaldi hadn’t known about the wall before he saw it depicted on the ceiling above the pool. He marvelled at it. How had it come to be there? How did it function? Who had created it? He wished he knew the answer.

There were images of the Others’ settlements, so he knew those that were allowed. Naer-Vera warned him drekkikind should mix only with those who resided within rún-ketill. He repeatedly queried why his kind lived separate from all those outside rún-ketill and why their existence was a closely guarded secret from the rest. Eventually, Naer-Vera explained when he refused to absorb any more information until he had an answer.

It hadn’t always been, but the Others were ruthless killers, intent only on murdering as many of his kind as they could. His kind had retreated into rún-ketill, and built a wall of light to shield them, to keep themselves safe. Images showed scores of dead drekkis being trampled over by the Others and robbed for their shining eyes and glittering scales. The images made him feel nauseous. How could such small creatures cause so much harm to something as huge as him?