Chapter 26
The first thing that Bel wanted to teach me was transformation. I told him I already knew how to transform. He explained that I was not transforming into what I COULD be. I was also not transforming my clothing (or outer skins, as Bel called them). I couldn't believe it. When he mentioned it, I could SEE how to do it.
The second thing was as a Dragon, I was taking a very small body. He insisted that I should be at least his size. It was all a matter of taking the energy I was using to transform, and using more of it, to transform into a much larger dragon.
So started my training, right there on the field next to Landkur castle. First I started gathering energy; gathering, and gathering. Finally, I released it, and I was a dragon. But, I was a very much larger dragon than before.
I was still my green color with silver highlights; but I was, well, HUGE! I was even larger than Bel! He chuckled his dragon chuckle.
"Most impressive. You are perhaps the largest dragon I have seen. Now let us go and hunt," he said, turning and lumbering to the hill and taking off. I was right behind him. As we circled higher and higher, I looked at the castle and saw Fithian watching as we circled.
He nodded, as if he knew I was looking at him, and he probably did. He was a very powerful person. I dipped my wings, and rose still higher, following Bel. It was amazing. Well, maybe not. There was a rising air river right there at the edge of the field by the castle.
From what I was beginning to understand, Vostich had been able to control the weather to a great extent. As a matter of fact, I could feel the weather around me, particularly in my dragon form. It made sense to have a rising air current right here.
<Very good, you are starting to think and feel as the dragon you are, > Bel's voice said in my head!
Bel chuckled, <Surely you had to know we could talk with one another over distances, > he said.
<I had no idea, > I said, humbled.
We climbed higher still. Finally, we set off towards the east. We glided for about twenty minutes. Bel indicated I should observe. I kept a sharp eye how he hunted.
We had been following the coastline of the great inland sea for some time after we left the city. I had seen several large fish in the sea. We circled lower, and lower.
<See there? There is an updraft that we can use after we eat. While you have transfered a lot of energy, you should eat something to stabilize the change, > Bel said to me, the he folded his wings and dove towards the water.
At the last moment, he snapped his wings out full, and reached into the water, pulling up a huge fish. He glided to the shore and landed. He looked at me, then at the sea. I hesitated, then I copied his example. I partially folded my wings, and dove at the sea. My mind was intent on the huge fish I was going to have for lunch!
It was very exhilarating! I caught my fish, and made the way over to where Bel was and watched as he tore into his fish. Now I like fish as well as the next man. Hell, I went fishing a lot, over the years.
Normally I prepared my fish, and cooked them. I looked at Bel and down at my fish. My stomach rumbled. I leaned down and sniffed my fish. Ok, maybe it was the change. It was something to think about, but later. I tore into my fish, and it was GOOD! Another thing you have to understand, this fish was huge! It would feed a family of four easily, for several days. Talk about your fish story!
Thirty minutes later we were winging eastward again. I was beginning to wonder where we were going, when Bel again told me to observe. I watched, amazed, as he drew in power.
<I am going to teleport. Follow me, > Bel told me.
I could feel him concentrate, and then he was gone. I SAW where he went. I teleported, right after him. We were flying a short distance away from Marald's keep!
Well, it would be nice to see him again. We glided our way towards the ocean. Shortly, we left the land behind, and were winging our way towards an island a short distance away.
We were met near the only mountain on the island, by Bel's mate and children. They escorted us to the top of the mountain and I landed, as did Bel.
"Very good, Lord. You have learned much already. You now assimilate your outer skins with your change, you can hunt, and you now have a more appropriate body," Bel said.
"Just how much more do I have to learn?" I hissed curiously at Bel.
He chuckled at me. "Much, Lord. There are the elements that your dragon nature is in command of. Since you are from the egg of the goddess, you will have great power. We need to find what elements you can control and to what extent you control them," Bel hissed to me.
I was about to comment on that when I felt him doing... something. All dragons have an affinity to the air. That seemed a natural thing to me. I felt him reach out into the very air around him, and lower the air pressure. He did other things. Shortly, we were having a nice spring rain, all done very quickly!
This was a handy ability to know!
"You have seen how I started the rain. Now you stop it. It can be a dangerous thing, to work the weather so. This is why I have done it here. I have only affected a small area. Once, long ago, we dragons worked in mass, and took the water from the air, and stopped all rains in a land far to the south. That place is now a desert.
As I have started a gentle spring rain, you must now reverse what I have done," Bel hissed.
I nodded. I hesitantly reached out with my senses and felt the air around me. It was as though I was sinking my claws as well as my will, into my very surroundings.
I touched a line that was attached to me. It was a blue airy line, and while I saw something similar connected to Bel, mine was stronger. While his was a faint string of a connection, mine was more like a thick rope.
It took me a few minutes to get the hang of it, but I finally exerted my will, and the rain slowed, then stopped. I could see that we were almost within a bubble that existed within the weather pattern.
I extended my senses farther, and I could see the weather pattern for miles around. What we had done was not going to affect the global weather pattern at all, but I could SEE that it was possible! Damn, this was a dangerous thing. Messing with the weather pattern could have serious consequences.
Bel, who had apparently been following my thoughts, hissed his pleasure at me.
"Yesss," he hissed in a pleased tone, "You begin to understand. It usually takes the younger ones long years to learn what you have grasped so quickly. Weather is dangerous to work with," he finished with a breathy sigh.
"Well, I have seen the results of weather changes in that other land of mine. They have and teach 'weather understanding' to people. They just can't affect it," I told him.
I started to get an itchy feeling. Now what the hell was that? I cast around with my senses. I noticed that Bel was also looking around. Finally, I knew what it was. We were being watched!
I fumbled around trying to discover a way to either counter this, or establish a connection. I heard an amused laugh and felt the presence of the goddess. I felt warmth and love coming from her.
She showed me how to do what I wanted to do, and I locked onto the watcher, and forced open communication with my watcher. Although I had never met this person before, I knew instantly who it was. I had seen his portrait at Landkur Palace. It was Salvadi Minturi!
He appeared startled that I had, or was capable of, making this connection. I could now see him. He was dressed in black, sitting on a high backed chair. He was looking down into something, because I was looking up, from my perspective.
"Greetings, Dragon Lord," he said to me. Bel hissed in anger.
"Greetings to you too, Salvadi. How may I be of assistance to you this fine day?" I asked politely.
"I was merely curious. I wanted to see who it was that broke the treaty between our lands," he said lightly.
I looked him over, closely. He appeared to be a man of indeterminate years, with dark brown hair, and brown eyes that seemed to smolder with a banked fire of some sort. They were almost hypnotic.
"Strange. My understanding is that your father broke the treaty, but with the death of your father and my great grandfather, that particular treaty is no longer totally valid," I said politely.
He leaned forward, scowling at me. "Impudent one! Do not presume to tell me what is and is not. You will learn to abase yourself to your betters!" he said angrily gesturing at me, and I felt something rush at me.
Ever jab your funny bone? You know that tingling pain you get when you do it? Well, he hit me with something. When he did, first communication was broken totally, and second I was writhing in pain!
Lord, but it hurt! I also found myself changing involuntarily back to human form! Shit! The power of this man! To be able to affect me so severely through a communications, and we so far apart.
I finally stopped gasping, and was able to get control of my muscles. Not only had I felt that funny bone feeling, but I felt like all my muscles had cramped up at once. A total body 'charlie horse'! Every muscle had been affected, or so it seemed to me.
"What the hell happened?" I gasped out to Bel finally.
"He cast a spell at you. Most magic does not affect us, but the divine have special abilities most don't. He is the son of a demigod, as is your great grandfather, Fithian. Therefore he can do what most cannot. Be careful of that one. He was ever an enemy to dragons," Bel hissed angrily to me.
A calming hand seemed to pass over me. I could feel sorrow and regret that this had happened to me. I also felt that it was important that I had learned this.
The Goddess was making herself felt, much to my relief! I sighed in pleasure as the last of the pain diminished, and I got total control of my body back. I stood up from where I had fallen in my agony.
"I hate to cut this short Bel, but I have to get back, and report what has happened. I am not sure what it means, but Fithian and my sister have to know what has just transpired," I finished.
"I understand. We will continue training at a later time. Do not put it off for too long. There is still much to learn, young Dragon Lord," Bel hissed pleasantly to me.
I reached up, and scratched the base of one of the horns protruding from his head, and his eyes closed in pleasure at this. Somehow I knew that this was a 'sweet spot' for a dragon.
I didn't want to change back to dragon and fly back to Landkur. I would hate to be thousands of feet in the air, and get hit with that particularly nasty spell, again. I doubted I would recover in time to prevent a crash that would definitely kill me.
I reached out and gathered power to myself. When I felt like I was bursting with it, I finally willed myself back to Landkur castle, and I was there! My longest teleport to date! I filled with pride at this accomplishment.
I felt a PRESENCE, and looked behind me. Fithian was standing there. I turned and bowed.
"Grandfather, I have news to report," I began, and I briefed Fithian on what had transpired with me since I had left this place in the form of a dragon.
Edited by TeNderLoin