Your butt is big, but it is a beautiful butt! Lana told the Gold Dragon, which just had it narrowing its eyes at her.
Not helping, Lana! Eldoron wailed.
Lana giggled and performed a barrel-roll around Eldoron’s big, golden butt. Eldoron lifted its head up and ignored her. Lana giggled some more and playfully flew close to Eldoron’s ignoring head.
I am not happy with you, Lana! Eldoron sniffed.
Aw, Eldoron, don’t be mad! I love you! Just like Xipil does! Lana cried.
Xipil let out a snort. But the Red Dragon did not deny it. Perhaps things had changed.
If these other Dragons finally wake, they will need a leader too, Scylla pointed out.
Scylla was at Raziel’s right. Raziel glanced over at the Blue Dragon who was as easy and unruffled as her human counterpart.
If Chione were here she would say the same thing. Both of you are incorrigible, Raziel muttered.
Raziel then looked down and saw that one of the Dragons was getting up to its feet. It was wobbly, but awake and unsure.
Ah, your new subject. More are waking. We should go down, Scylla suggested.
If the Behemoth comes--
They could be helpful in that fight. Perhaps they wish to take revenge, Scylla interrupted. Besides, we can take it out on the ground or the air as long as we work together.
Raziel snorted, but it began to land. The others arranged themselves behind Raziel, forming the V-formation that they had in the human realm when they’d shown the humans that the war was over. Raziel lightly touched down, but there was still a thunderous noise. The others caused the ground to shake. This stirred some of the unbound Dragons to wake. Those that looked up at them, shifted uneasily, and hung their heads while others tried to act as if they were unimpressed and unashamed.
Raziel surveyed them. There were two titanic Dragons, one a silvery gray and the other a bright yellow. The silvery gray one had what looked like lightning bolt horns sticking out of its head. That had been the one to bring the tornadoes. Xipil bared its teeth at the Dragon when it lifted its wings wide. Raziel was almost amused. Even with its wings puffed, it was not as big as Mephous who gave out a green puff of smoke and tossed its head in dismissal.
The bright yellow one blinked lazily, looking more like a fat, happy housecat than a Dragon, but it had caused the beams of light that had cut through Raziel’s wings. It smiled rather eagerly at Lana who blinked back. Eldoron stepped in front of Lana as if to protect the Turquoise Dragon from the other’s simple eager-puppy gaze.
There was a medium sized dark blue Dragon with white frills, who had steely eyes and a long sinuous neck. Lightning bringer, Raziel thought. It tracked Raziel’s movements, twitching slightly at every flutter of Raziel’s wings. Zephyra let out a thin stream of mist like a coming storm.
Then there was Vozyth. She--one of the few Dragons that took a gender--coiled and uncoiled her tail. Her gaze never left Mephous. The Green Dragon grinned with evident delight and made movements with its front claws to mimic ripping movements. Raziel wondered exactly what Mephous had done to the Ruby Dragon. Vozyth had been the one that had been blocking them from Caden. So whatever Mephous had done to her was acceptable. She narrowed her eyes.
A light purple small Dragon, almost delicate, with pink undertones curled its tail tight around its compact form, uncurled and took a step towards Evren, then curled up again. Evren stared at it with icy aloofness.
Another medium-sized Dragon with orange-red scales and matching eyes had its wings out and its body lowered to the ground. Its scaly feet were slowly backing away, but it didn’t take its eyes off Raziel.
Finally, there was a sleek sizzling green-colored Dragon with plates of heavy bone at the end of its tail and more around its head. It bared needle-like teeth at them, lips writhing back and quivering. It was more a show of fear than anger.
Raziel surveyed them all. They had been the Behemoth’s slaves and there was no saying that when the Behemoth came back that they would not seek to return to its side or fight with it against them. Raziel extended its mighty wing span that made even the titanic Dragons look small. Raziel’s head was lifted high and it regarded the other Dragons from its glowing, sulfurous eyes. Even those who had sought to look unimpressed hunkered down at this display.
Will you enslave us next? Or simply destroy us once more? Vozyth asked.
You deserve destruction, Mephous hissed. You attacked us!
I attacked none! I was… Vozyth’s eyes grew distant, … dreaming. Dreaming of swimming in an icy lake that cooled my scales and then… Those eyes grew uncertain, the memory slipping from her grasp.
You attempted to kill Valerius, the Black Dragon King! Mephous surprised them all by roaring. You, who are nothing, but a cowardly worm!
Mephous stamped its massive claws and the earth shook. Rocks and soil skittered down the sides of the crater.
Twice the Behemoth has enslaved you, Zephyra spoke. Twice you have given your strength to the Hydra and attacked us, and this time, all of humanity. You stole bodies. You dislodged souls.
Some of whom may never return to the Wheel! It was Evren who added this, likely thinking of Anwar’s lost lover and so many others taken too long ago.
You attacked us! We were weakened! The sizzling green Dragon insisted.
