Fate of the Fallen Read online

  *

  Cole awoke to a cry of terror that was hidden in the mist.

  Ellie!

  The answer he received from her mind was overwhelmed with fear at whatever she'd found in the darkness.

  Eyes, yellow eyes! Dragon! Cole its Malachite!

  Cole sprung up and charged in the direction of Ellie's scream preparing to launch a burst of flame. It wouldn't hurt the other dragon but it might distract him long enough for them to escape.

  Ellie! Where are you? Shout don't think!

  “Here! Over….oh!” Ellie's voice dropped dramatically to a surprised tone. Cole altered his charge slightly and saw Ellie standing not far away very close to a pair of huge yellow eyes. “It's okay, Cole. It's okay.” As he slowed Cole saw something incredible. Malachite, the dragon who wanted Ellie and Cole dead before his memories were emptied, was shedding huge tears as Ellie stroked his cheek. “Shush, now.” Ellie whispered to the green dragon. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  *

  Once Malachite's tears had stopped flowing the truth took their place.

  “Eridan asked me to stay and watch over you.” Malachite explained, his voice hitching slightly with sadness. “He said the two of you were very important and should be protected.” Ellie gave Cole a quick look. Eridan was his father and he obviously hadn't believed Ellie when she'd told him they would both be fine left here alone. “I don't mind.” Malachite continued. “But, but, I felt so alone. I never want to be alone!” Fresh tears filled the large dragon's eyes and Ellie once again stroked Malachite's cheek.

  We can't leave him all alone, Cole. We'd be as bad as the dragons who made him.

  Agreed and you wouldn't be who you are if you'd said anything else.

  Cole came closer and looked the green dragon straight in the eye.

  “Listen to me, Malachite.” Cole said softly. “Ellie and I thought we were alone here but now there's three of us.”

  Ellie smiled at the green dragon and then at Cole.

  “If we stay together we're going to be alright.” Then Ellie pursed her lips. “Though I guess we need to keep out of the history books.”

  “The what?” Malachite asked.

  32,000 B.C.E.

  The painter ran as quickly as he dared up the steep mountain trail. The air was frozen and the ground hard under foot. Ice remained hidden from his view amongst the rock, mud and shale of the slope until he was almost upon them. His reactions were lightning fast as he jumped and lunged over these treacherous patches, lest he be treated to a violent, rapid descent back down the mountain side.

  As he ascended higher the painter tried to keep what he'd seen as clearly in his mind as possible. Normally this was a skill that came second nature to a painter possessed of his talent but the image was so fantastic and different he worried he might recall it wrong or not at all.

  As he jumped a loose rock shale the painter became aware the forest seemed wrong. He slowed slightly to mark his bearings. It was not wise to become lost in the trees alone on a strange path. He breathed easier as he recognised a rock ahead shaped like a wild boar, a sign he was on the right trail but the wrongness of the world about him was there. A sharp glance around and the painter was convinced something else had entered the canopy of the trees and it now stalked him. Maybe the very creature he'd seen. He could not conceive of any weapon that would help him bar speed so he let loose all caution and ran at full speed up the mountain, his neck tingling and legs weak with the fear of being hunted.

  In the valley far below he heard the call to hunt from his tribe. The long blast of the horn now sounded more like the call of a wild beast hunting humans rather than his tribe hunting for meat. The painter cursed. He was meant to be with the hunting party this day, studying their prey for their cave. They would seek him out shortly but he must commit the likeness of the creature he'd seen so his tribe could marvel at it. Not to hunt or trap, simply to wonder. He wanted others to experience what he had encountered that day.

  A small slip brought him out of his reverie sharply and the painter crashed to his knees before being flung forward face first into the dirt. Nose and mouth throbbing he pushed himself back up to his hands and knees with a groan. A sharp crack from the trees behind him was enough to overcome the stiffness he felt in his legs and he thrust forward, seeing he was so close to the cave entrance. He reached out a grazed hand and stopped his momentum on the sharp rocks near the entrance and looked about. Back in the dark forest he fancied he saw movement. Should he stay for one more look or retreat now to the safety and darkness of the cave? He wondered. The forest elicited nothing more and the painter shook his head at his cowardly behaviour. A dark shadow passed overhead blocking the dreary light of the day, and the creature he'd seen earlier swooped low over the forest. He gasped, all thoughts of acting the coward wiped from his mind as he turned and plunged into the dark tunnel.

  *

  Where did he go?

  I don't know. This mountain is quite large. Probably why it's called a mountain!

  Stop it, you two!

  Well, Malachite, you let him see you. Now what?

  I could eat him?

  It's at times like this I'm really glad we all learned to talk like this. It makes stupid comments that much easier to make.

  Enough!

  Yes, Ellie.

  Yes, Ellie.

  Did either of you see where he went?

  No.

  No.

  Great.

  *

  The painter said quick prayers to the spirits that dwelt in the cave, begging their forgiveness for his sacred words spoken in haste. He promised them that when he painted what he'd seen they would understand. Lighting a small torch the painter moved confidently in the gloom to the rear of the cave. When the torch light touched the walls animals leapt and ran. The undulating, curved walls of the cave granted movement and life to the painter's exquisite replications of the world he saw. The painter could only hear the sound of his own breathing and the steady tap of water falling from above to the rock floor below but with each animal he passed he heard their roars and calls, begging him to stop and bring them to life with his light. But on he went deeper into the blackness. Four horses reared to his right, the sound of their hooves clattering in the darkness beyond, the torch moved on silencing them.

  The rear of the cave came into view and the painter gave his thanks to the spirits. He bent and lowered his torch to several depressions in the floor that housed small piles of charcoal. The light was still faint but more than enough to work by. The painter laid the torch down and slowly, reverentially laid his hands upon the cold walls of the cave. He closed his eyes and pictured the creature he intended to bring to life here in the darkness. He heard whispers in the dark and knew the spirits were pleased.

  Long life

  “Shouldn't you be dead by now?” Malachite asked innocently.

  Cole spluttered and choked down by the lake he was attempting to drink from.

  “Malachite!” He said between gasps and coughs.

  Ellie's eyes were almost completely round as she thought about Malachite's question and stopped her stroll around the lake with the green dragon. Not only was it incredibly rude, but that was Malachite's way inoffensive but offensive, but it was a very good question.

  “I guess.” Ellie responded slowly. “How long are dragons supposed to live for?”

  Malachite and Cole exchanged embarrassed looks.

  “Quite a long time, judging from the memories I have. You should know that, you have the memories as well.” Cole answered.

  Ellie nodded. Cole was right of course. When she and Cole had bonded so long ago all his memories and therefore the memories of his ancestors were also hers. It wasn't something she used a great deal. Sometimes it was like having a stranger's house living in your head and you had to open all the doors to see what was in each room.

  “Your father must've asked the orb to do something to me or us.”

  Mention of t
he orb caused Ellie's hand to drop to the leather pouch she wore about her waist. Though it was drained of all the energy it contained Ellie couldn't abandon such an incredible artefact.

  “How old am I?” Ellie asked incredulously. “And how come I've never thought about it before?”

  Malachite squinted his yellow eyes at her.

  “Maybe you're getting more stupid.”

  Ellie turned a cold expression on the green dragon and found no malice in his expression. She sighed and rolled her eyes at Cole.

  “Perhaps.” She conceded. “If I carry on breathing long enough maybe I'll get to go to school again before my brain liquefies.”

  Malachite laughed and nudged Ellie with his snout, causing her to stumble to her knees.

  “That's the spirit!”

  Ellie straightened up, brushing dirt from her clothes and looked thoughtfully at her two friends.

  “But maybe we should be doing more. I mean, we've explored the world time and time again. What if we could do something to help?”

  Cole and Malachite studied their human friend. Cole knew Ellie better than anything in this world, including himself, and he knew that though Ellie had promised to stay away from the human world for as long as possible she craved contact with her own species.

  “I'm sure there's something we could do that won't completely mess up human history. But whatever we do Malachite and I can't help you directly.”

  “But it's not history to us. It's just now.” Malachite observed. His simple view of life offering Ellie a profound revelation.

  Ellie nodded at her green friend and rubbed his large shoulder.

  “Very good, Malachite. Very good.”

  Grim reality

  Ellie shoved, pushed and threatened her way down the muddy road of the village. Some pushed back causing Ellie to bounce and then be pushed on further but most were too caught up in the righteous act of justice being acted out to notice her as she passed them by, mistaking her for another seeker of justice, beseeching an end to the village's misery and misfortune.

  Being a child of the modern age of mobile phones, touchscreen laptops and Wi-Fi, Ellie would be the first to admit she really had no appreciation for how big the world really was. Her time was the time of information. Nearly everyone who had access to a phone line could find out anything, within reason, or find out what was going on just down the road or halfway around the world if needs be. Therein lay the problem. Ellie, Cole and Malachite had developed a grand plan based on helping those accused of witchcraft. Ellie vaguely recalled details about witch-hunts from her limited history lessons so it was Cole who was able to provide the most information on them.

  Cole's lessons were heart-breaking. From tales of locals accusing another of witchcraft simply because they were different or weren't liked or maybe even when they tried to help to the systematic fervour created in the Middle Ages resulting in thousands of executions. From this Ellie saw a way to involve herself without disrupting history too much. If she could disappear these people, women in the main, without suspicion then maybe her long life could be used well.

  For years now the three friends had travelled constantly around the globe. Visiting as many villages and towns as possible. Ellie would learn as many languages as possible allowing her to assimilate into a local community where she would determine if anyone was in danger. Thankfully, most of the time, she left with no problems apparent in the village or towns. But Ellie could not shake the feeling of 'what if?' What if they were too late? What if they were too early? Never had the decision to leave the present for the past seemed such a fruitless venture with such a lack of information about the land in which they travelled. So it was more luck than any of Ellie's judgement that put her right in the middle of an attempted execution.

  As Ellie struggled to gain purchase within the mob in an attempt to move in front of them, Cole and Malachite hovered high above the village. Both dragons were preparing their beds for the foreseeable future while Ellie integrated herself into the local community, but were stopped short by Ellie's cry for help. Cole and Malachite launched, attaining great height quickly, and their keen eyesight sought their friend on the ground.

  Are you up there yet? Ellie screamed at them.

  YES! They both responded.

  How far away am I from the girl?

  Cole shifted his gaze to the front of the angry mob. From this height the seething mass reminded him of watching earthworms wriggling along the ground. He spotted the two men hauling a third person between them. The body was limp and its feet dragged in the mud, causing small furrows. Cole banked sharply and picked up Ellie's position within the huddle of swarming people.

  There's about twenty people in front of you. Even if you get to the front, what are you going to do?

  And there's another interesting problem. Malachite interrupted. They're heading for a very big tree which has some rope already swinging on it!

  Ellie felt her blood freeze and she looked around her at the faces that screamed with vicious fury for a person's life to be taken. Her anger rose and she questioned the humanity of those here. The answer came quickly to her. Growling, she began shouldering, punching and elbowing her way forward. Cries of pain and shock mixed with the cries of the mob. With a ruthless disregard for those she encountered, Ellie's progress forward was now swift and only for the second time that morning did she see, from the rear, the victim of the day's events.

  When Ellie had first appeared on the outskirts of the little village in the early morning many were about. This in itself was not unusual but Ellie could see the tension in the faces and bodies of each person she saw. They were waiting for something to happen. Ellie considered calling her two friends then to patrol the area but decided to wait a few minutes longer, and she wasn't disappointed in her instincts. From the northern edge of the village near a treeline, a small group of men appeared, dragging a girl no older then fifteen by her hair. If she fell she was kicked until she got up. When she fell once again closer to the village the kicking began but this time she did not get up and two men moved forward and picked up an arm each. Ellie was temporarily blindsided. All the perfect planning, the want and need to do some good became as dust in the presence of actual violence. Time slowed for Ellie as if it had suddenly come alive just for her and was allowing her to react. Moving was painful, her feet made of stone and the air of clay. Each breath felt like it would let loose a torrent of ignored tears upon the world in the midst of such mindless cruelty.

  Move, Ellie.

  The words released her from her prison and she had sprinted forward towards the mob.

  The girl's blond hair was matted with blood, so much that Ellie feared there would be no live body for these people to execute. The broad backs of two men blocked her way, both armed with wooden cudgels. She matched their height but not their width.

  Okay. I need a distraction, now!

  The low cloud made for quite a spectacular display as both dragons unleashed a burst of fire. The resulting screams of terror and mad dashes for cover gave Ellie the opportunity to run to the girl. The two men who'd been dragging her had run for their lives and watched the skies with fearful eyes. Ellie skidded to a halt next to the girl who had been left face down in the thick mud. Ellie, as gently as she could, rolled the girl over and desperately looked for signs of life. Blood trickled from the girl's ear and her chest was still. Ellie pressed her fingers to the girl's neck but couldn't feel a pulse. Ellie's hands shook and her vision swam. She clenched her lips together.

  Ellie, come on. There's nothing more to be done here. Cole advised sadly from his high vantage point. Ellie dashed the tears from her eyes and looked around. The mob's bravery had returned and they were edging closer and closer towards Ellie and the girl.

  Cole, Malachite. Come down here. Elle instructed.

  Ellie! We agreed, no direct contact with me and Malachite. Cole objected.

  NOW! Ellie roared at them both in the confines of their minds.

&nb
sp; Ellie bent and lifted the girl's small frame into her arms. The mob became louder, a gross indicator of any mob's mentality before violence. Ellie calmly studied every single one of them present. Men, women and children. As the two men who'd dragged the girl started to advance, Ellie heard one of her friends land with a ground-shaking thump and whoosh of air to her rear. The mob screamed as Malachite unleashed yet another torrent of fire into the air. They turned almost as one to seek escape only to find Cole hovering at the other end of the village. Ellie let the screaming continue for a little while.

  “Silence!” She shouted. The people jumped and fixed frightened eyes upon her. “For the punishment of murder you are all condemned to death!” Men and women wailed in protest and children cried. One of the women called out.

  “But she cast spells upon us! Our crops were ruined! She was wicked!”

  Ellie walked forward towards the woman the cold look never leaving her face.