Watching the crystals of ice form on the edge of the mirror, Bahram closed his eyes. His breath had puffed up in smoke before him, this was his chance. It was a dragon. That feeling he had dimly with that dragon before had surfaced and now, he knew. This was what he had trained for. Meeting his luminous cyan blue eyes he nodded to himself. His chance had come. Now the other dragon had no leverage.
There was no rumble. But he knew that the cold was the worst element this dragon could have. Saint George had trained him in the arctic for as many summers as he could remember. He thought that man was crazy but as he ignored the warnings from the teachers and closed the door behind him, he knew that the saint would never wrong him. Glancing back to the door that had sealed shut with ice, Bahram faced his opponent. A boy stood, quivering, not out of the cold but out of fear and confusion. Bahram knew those eyes too well. Taking a step towards the boy, Bahram held their eye contact fast.
His eyes weren’t shimmering. The boy knew nothing about changing between their dragon self and their human self. This boy was inexperienced. Pity would have surfaced within Bahram if it wasn’t for the eerie feeling that had ticked away at Bahram’s self conscious.
“Where’s Saint George?” Bahram finally said after a long pause and seeing ice crystals form in every direction of the boy’s stance.
Frightened, the boy starred. Annoyed, Bahram tried again. “Saint George.” Bahram repeated standing strong. “Where is he?”
Shaking his head, the boy began to twitch. Wide eyed, the boy turned on his heels to run. Erupting from his back sprung wings. Lashing out as he turned was a blue tail with spikes. Letting out a silent roar, carried by the wind and blizzard that had approached, the dragon thrashed about.
Spirit. Bahram thought to himself. He had to conjure up his spirit to bring forth his weapon to kill the dragon. He had summoned it a few times in the arctic but he hadn’t managed it anywhere else. Shaking, out of frustration, Bahram forced himself to sit. The ice wouldn’t hurt him. The blizzard couldn’t kill him, If this dragon were to get away, he would never forgive himself. Focusing all his energy to center himself, a bloody scream breached his senses. Wide eyed, Bahram froze as the outcome engraved into his mind.
Gasping, his hands trembled. In his arms, the boy spazzed with blood seeping from his mouth. Cold expression caressing Bahram’s face, Bahram felt the cold liquid on his fingers. Terrified, he clutched the boy in his arms. Blood. He never imagined killing a dragon to be the same as murdering someone his own age. How did he kill him? Bahram’s heart raced he began to twitch. He had accomplished what was set to be his destiny. To kill his first dragon was to make history. Although, somehow he felt different.
Saint George. Bahram thought. The boy knew nothing about Saint George. Which meant one conclusion, the other dragon knew. However, how could it be possible? At the temperature that the dragon had brought forth with the blizzard, there was no normal human or creature that could stand the ice. Whipping off the blood from his fingers, Bahram watched as it crystallized on contact with iced over grass. Where was he supposed to put the boy? Would it be considered murder? He was a dragon. Holding the boy tight Bahram shook.
“You aren’t fully human. You’re using a human form because that’s how this age works. You’re blending in. So please return to your dragon self so no one thinks that I murdered someone instead of killed my first dragon.” He whispered, taking the boy’s hand in his own. Laying the boy down in the first shelter that Bahram could muster to, he watched as the blizzard began to whistle.
After killing the dragon, the blizzard should have stopped. No one else had the power to control the harsh weather. Shaking his head, Bahram smirked. Saint George always talked about the Gods. There were Gods of many cultures. Looking back at the frozen corpse, Bahram sighed. He didn’t want to sacrifice the dragon/boy but if he didn’t want anyone to witness or explain how he made it through this icy hell of a storm, he had to do something.
Crossing his legs, Bahram sat down next to the body. The boy wore no uniform which meant he either skipped school or this blizzard had been going on since this morning. Either explanation made sense to Bahram. The air compressor might not have been messing up on it’s own. Maybe the weather did something to it.
Focusing his energy all to his center once again, Bahram licked his lips to speak. “I pray to thee, Hindu god Shiva, take this offering and stop the storm.”
Allowing himself to settle in silence, Bahram felt a warmth caress his face. Slowly opening his eyes, Bahram stared, stunned as the corpse erupted into flames. Watching it burn to cinders, Bahram bowed his head speechless. The Gods were real. Though he could never remember which God meant what or the thousands of stories Saint George would tell. Standing, Bahram’s eyes widened.
Feeling his energy begin to focus, Bahram shook his head. This wasn’t what he wanted to be. Where was he? Looking around to find nothing more than empty space, Bahram nodded to the darkness. He had been here before, there was a sense in his familiarness. Calming, Bahram crossed his legs and closed his eyes. As if peering through a glass, Bahram smirked at the figure cross legged before him.
The body was nowhere to be found and the storm was becoming stronger.Facing himself, Bahram smirked. He was shaking. As if reading a book aloud, Bahram began to speak. “One must have peace within to tame the beast, the storms, and to choose his own path.”
Gasping, Bahram grabbed the first threshold he came in contact with. He was no longer in his meditation state. Recollecting his thoughts, Bahram stood, looking down at where the body had been. The blizzard hadn’t stopped. However, there was a new confidence within Bahram, one he had feared to open up to. Looking up at the blurred blizzard sky, Bahram focused his attention to the coldness, the cold that hadn’t breached his mind at all since he had exited the school.
Saint George had made him do something similar to this once before. It was the first time he has seen a iced over dessert. At that time, he thought it was a conscience but now, he knew that there was more the snowflakes, and whistling winds.
Eyes shimmering a darker blue, Bahram slowed his breath. Stepping out from his shelter, he watched as the blizzard slowly began to fade with every step. Saint George would’ve been proud if he had seen him in action, Bahram thought to himself. A dragon’s death, stopping a storm on his own, finding out that Gods actually existed. Pausing, Bahram took a moment to sit and close his eyes to thank the God. Though, he apologized for not remember what the God represented.
Entering back into the school, Bahram walked passed the shocked stares and glances. Hearing the news cast over the intercom, Bahram smiled. Now if only the Saint would tell him where he had gone.
--
Mikey amusingly nodded to himself as the clouds parted. That definitely had nothing to do with mother nature. If there was ever a set mother nature. Feeling the dragon’s presence slip away, Mikey shrugged.
“Looks like I might have ‘jumped the gun’” Dröfn said as she attached herself to his side.
Rolling his eyes, Mikey shrugged. “I don’t think waves can jump.”
Aggravated, Dröfn punched Mikey lightly. “It has to do with that dragon slayer…” She said rubbing her cheek against his arm. “Something happened to him.”
Raising an eyebrow, Mikey looked down at Dröfn. “Your dad said that the dragon slayer was a boy?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Dröfn questioned in confusion. “Why would a woman want to kill someone as sweet as you?”
“I got your dad to trap you, your sisters, and your mother, in jail for like a night.” Mikey laughed to himself. “You call that sweet?”
Frowning, Dröfn crossed her arms. “Well, maybe not everything you do is sweet but you’re a sweet guy. You’ve taken care of some of my boyfriends for me, you’ve cuddled with me, you-”
“Thanks.” Mikey smirked, taking Dröfn by the arms. “But back to what I was asking. Is it a guy?”
Dröfn shrugged. “That’s what I thought.”
“That’s obviously what you thought.” Mikey nodded. “But I guess it would make it easier on me to fight another guy. I can’t imagine having to go up against a girl dragon slayer.” Mikey shook his head. “I wouldn’t want that.”
Looking up at him, Dröfn cocked her head. “Are you saying that you would be weak against a girl dragon slayer?”
“Maybe.” Mikey shrugged. “I don’t like hurting girls.”
“If she’s a dragon slayer I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t be considered ‘hurting a girl’.” Dröfn smirked.
Shrugging, Mikey nodded. “I guess you’re right.”
Smiling, Dröfn grinned. “Of course I’m right. But I am curious how the storm cleared up.” Dröfn smirked. “Daddy said that this storm was personal. But I could hear the news from your necklace, no human could have stood out there. Do you think your dragon slayer might be magical?”
“‘Magical’ would probably not be the word I’d be using.” Mikey shrugged. “But after having to deal with you and the Gods, hearing about Vile and Xeq’s crazy adventures, and seeing that I still haven’t managed to figure out how to stop this drolling acid problem…” Mikey shrugged. “I wouldn’t say I’d put it passed him or her.”
Dröfn frowned. “I hope they’re not but my father said that there was more than one force in this storm.” She sighed. “Which doesn’t make sense because then maybe the slayer started it and someone ended it, or someone started it and they ended it, or maybe they both died and that’s why it cleared up.”
Mikey shook his head. “I don’t think the dragon slayer’s dead.” He smirked. “At least, I wouldn’t hope. I don’t like knowing that people died.”
“But he’s going to come after you if he is alive…” Dröfn sulked.
Shrugging, Mikey pulled Dröfn in for a full hug. “Don’t worry. If I’m not meant to defeat this person then you won’t have to deal with me for the next nine years.”
--
Walking past where he had taken shelter earlier after the fight, Bahram sighed. It was for the better and the Gods… They even helped him. Well, a God helped him. Which meant that he was doing something right. Checking to see if anyone was watching him, Bahram approached the area. Nothing marked that he has been there but something else drew him towards the cover.
Putting his hand on the side of the building, Bahram closed his eyes to listen. Hearing a shuffle he turned towards the noise to meet eyes with a wrinkled human figure. Well, he would have met eyes if the figure had one. To him, the figure almost looked like a naked human except for the fact that it looked genderless, without any sexual orientation for him to pin point.
Standing a good six feet tall, with a hunch, the figure tilted its head at Bahram. Throwing itself forward, its face opened up to scream and show the emptiness within the creature. Eyes widening, Bahram stepped back. Feeling a blood boiling sensation his blood he charged forward, watching as his hands morphed into claws, his torso split from the middle, and ice began to crawl over the cramped space.
Wings breaking into the building, Bahram gasped in his own thoughts. As anger, fear, and confusion arose he felt his own mind slip away. Before him, another dragon, a dark green without a snout but a...was that a beak? Blur shifting to his eyes, Bahram embraced the imbalance, finding himself in the dark.
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