At the Altar of Dragons

Session 30 | Chapter #

I thought it would feel foreign–meditating again for the first time after learning Goose’s true identity–but as I find a comfortable space in the grass at the foot of a tree, my body calms. The edges of me smooth, the static energy humming just under the surface settles, given over to the act of breathing, sinking deeper and deeper into the trance I’m willing myself into. Without opening my eyes, I sense Lendys come lay beside me, curled next to me with his tail wrapped around my back to brace me, just as Goose always did when he outgrew my lap.

A different energy vibrates along the surface of my skin, sending chills up my arms and down my back. A mental wave hits me across the face, dousing me in a cool sensation, before crashing over my brain and sending me fully into meditation. The coolness grows, a hum in my ears builds and builds until all at once I open my eyes.

Bahamut–the real Bahamut–sits next to me. His eyes are piercing, blond hair unbound and his expression curious. He tilts his head, eyeing me, and asks, “What was..what did you need me for this time?”

His tone is tender, not as annoyed as I expected after everything I’ve learned over the last week. What do I need from him? Did I truly meditate for a purpose or did I meditate simply to prove to myself I can still do it? No matter the reason, I am here now, with a god awaiting an explanation and another asleep on my shoulder.

I hold Bahamut’s gaze and declare the only thing that comes to mind, “He saved me…”

Still quizzically, he replies, “Lendys?”

All I can muster is a nod. Seeing him before me, after everything I have learned and witnessed, shakes me. My body threatens to tremble, threatens to throw myself at his feet and thank him for gracing me once again with his presence. I hold myself rigid though, not wanting to reveal my insecurities, and in truth, not wanting to disturb Lendys.

“Yes,” the god responds matter of factly.

Before my better judgement can stop me, I ask directly, “Why would you punish him for that?”

I blink and in the next instant, daylight envelopes us and Bahamut is standing in front of us as Lendys and I sit at the foot of the same tree from the Feywild. “I punished him,” he begins, “Because he did something he wasn’t supposed to do.”

Quirking my head slightly, I ask, concern lingering in my tone, “He wasn’t supposed to save me?”

“No,” Bahamut says firmly, shaking his head, “He could’ve saved you. He had a multitude of ways, but he bound himself to you. He became…”

The god trails off and I speak, trying to fill in the gaps in my own understanding, “He took it a step too far?”

Bahamut weighs the statement and replies, “He lost his divinity.”

This fact hits me harder than I expected. For someone to lose their godhood based on the rescue of an individual from a cult feels unjust. I shake my head, trying to rattle the words around in my mind to make them make sense. When they don’t come together, I instead ask, “Is there any way for him to get it back?”

Bahamut’s mouth presses into a thin line as he muses, “A long time…”

A long time? So there’s a possibility? Is that something he’d even want? What would that mean for me? Is there any way that this situation ends in anything other than death for both of us? My mind is reeling and it takes me longer than it should to notice that Bahamut hasn’t said anything else and instead is waiting for me to reply. I meet his gaze and confess, “Tiamat…”

Something near annoyance dances across his features for a moment before he inquires, “What about her?”

I break his gaze, looking down at my crossed legs and the grass beneath me. Shame floods my senses as I admit the fact outloud, “My conclave worships her…”

Softly, he confirms, “They did.”

His choice of words brings my gaze back to meet his piercing platinum eyes. “Do?” I ask, needing the confirmation, but dreading it all the same.

“Some do.”

“Some?”

“Yes,” he answers, “Some don’t know that they do.”

A wave of relief floods over me at the thought that maybe a few of my fellow acolytes have held true to Bahamut. But if that’s the case, I still can’t reconcile why I was saved and the rest of the conclave remains. Why in the least the rest of the true followers weren’t removed from the cult? “How…” I begin, “How was I different?”

“You were different, because,” Bahamut pauses momentarily, “While they tried to instill the teachings of Tiamat…” He stops, kneeling down to my level and grabbing my left arm. He pushes back the fabric of the linen shirt I wear in this vision to reveal the runic scars on my inner forearm. The usually raised red marks are instead glowing, bright and golden even in the daylight. “You etched those on yourself,” he continues, “And it did a little bit of warding. Not what you probably intended, but how strong that conviction was…that was noticeable. So, while I didn’t send Lendys to help you, I did send others. Tried to show you a way, but Lendys..” He trails off, looking over to his son laying on my right shoulder.

The weight eases against me as he awakens, lifting himself up to a seated position beside me as he interjects, “I stepped in when I shouldn’t have.”

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

My attention shifts to him and I don’t see the platinum drake I’ve become accustomed to nor the child or even the older man. Instead, there is a young man, approximately the same age as Bahamut standing before us. I blink, taking in the sight of his strong jaw, full curving lips, the set of horns curling out from his skull and angling behind his head. His eyes are the same as his dragon form–the same piercing aquamarine–but there is something unnervingly different about seeing them looking back at me now.

I clear my throat, anything to pull myself away from staring–I’d never hear the end of it if I keep gawking at him like this. What were we talking about before Lendys woke up? Gods why does he look like this right now?

Shaking my head, I turn to Bahamut once more, this god easier to look at for once than the one sitting beside me. “Is the south forest in the same situation? The Grand Maester had the same–” I reach up and lightly cup the platinum pendant of a dragon hanging from my neck.

“I cannot see what they do there–they’ve warded it,” he informs me.

“So that means yes,” I deduce.

Bahamut shakes his head slightly and elaborates, “That entire area is warded from my vision. Whatever they worship–all of them, even the temple to Selune–is blocked by that…Omni.” He pauses briefly before adding, “Something we don’t know about, so I don’t know what’s down there.”

My brow furrows as I listen to him share, “So this whole artificer god thing isn’t just a massive joke?” Hearing Teddy speak earlier today felt like watching the ravings of a mad man just before he declared his god told him to execute himself in the name of salvation. There’s no way this is an actual god with actual motives and teachings.

“No…it’s something,” Bahamut replies.

“Really?” I scowl.

A light smile comes to his mouth, wisdom flickering over his features and seemingly aging him a millennium further in my mind. “Yes–with enough belief anything is something.”

Anything is something.

Like a temple to the Platinum Dragon actually worships the Prime Evil.

Like the draconic spirit I was granted is actually a fallen god.

Like the scars on my body are honorable.

Like I am worthy.

“So tread carefully down there,” I respond, breaking the pattern repeating in my mind, evolving and threatening to shatter my subconsciousness further.

“No, I wouldn’t do that,” Bahamut counters, “I would just keep an eye out for anything fishy.”

I nod, and Bahamut meets my gaze once more. “We don’t sense maliciousness from that area if that’s what you’re wondering. We just can’t see what happens there.”

No maliciousness? This temple is clearly a sister temple to my own and there’s no maliciousness coming from it? Perplexed, I ask, “Well did you sense maliciousness from my conclave?”

Bahamut almost laughs at the apparent absurdity of my question. “Yes! They desecrated in front of my statues. They burned my books.”

Shame floods my senses thinking back to the rituals performed in the main chamber. The stacks and stacks of books and tomes in the Repository filled with gods know what, but clearly not the teachings of the Platinum Dragon. I can’t bring myself to admit the truth in his words aloud, so I nod like a coward and pivot the subject back to the south forest. “But not the south temple really?”

“We can’t see,” Bahamut shakes his head, enunciating the declaration to ensure its meaning is understood.

“I follow now,” I confirm. With that subject exhausted, my mind begins to spin once more. The weight of both gods' presence presses down on me and I whisper, gesturing to Lendys, “I’m starting to be a little less mad about this.”

Is that truly how you feel, Huntress? The Priest’s voice assaults me, catching me unaware and adding to the embarrassment of actually saying the words aloud.

“What? Him?” Bahamut asks, seemingly curious by my words.

Deflate the situation. Preserve your footing.

“I don’t know–I just felt like vocalizing it,” I reply awkwardly. Is this truly how I feel? Lendys has done nothing but upend my understanding of my existence since he was exposed. He has been challenging and difficult, but there have been moments where he’s been helpful, right? His presence is slowly shifting back into the calm familiarity Goose and I shared, and that scares me more than I care to admit. For if I can forgive these transgressions against me so quickly, what does that say about my own morality? Does the fact that he is the god of one of the runes on my arm have anything to do with my quick forgiveness? I sigh–or is it the simple fact that despite his initial deception, he’s been the only one to tell me the truth about my past.

I shake my head and exhale, “Gah, if I was still there worshipping her…”

“You wouldn’t be any the wiser,” Bahamut states and my eyes snap to his, forcing myself to hold the icy platinum gaze.

“I know but that’s kind of messed up,” I retort.

Bahamut smiles lightly and states, “Everything’s messed up sometimes.”

There’s truth in his words, but they’re unsettling nonetheless. I breathe, trying to calm the edges of my being, tempering the nerves that prickle along my skin. “Is it the high priests that know? Everyone below doesn’t?”

“I don’t know, Maire. I can’t tell you that.”

Frustratedly, I declare, “Okay, I’ll figure it out myself.”

“We aren’t allowed to meddle like Lendys has for that reason,” he responds.

I nod, not entirely certain what to say next and feeling that Bahamut isn’t going to divulge the level of detail I’m after about my past. This is something I will have to uncover myself. “Thank you for your time,” I state, assuming the meditation will be concluding any moment. I begin to close my eyes once more, preparing myself for the sudden jolt that comes with slipping out of a meditative trance.

Instead, Bahamut’s voice jolts me back into the vision as he continues, “I haven’t given you what I’m here for.”

“Oh?”

His voice is firm, as close to commanding as I’ve experienced, “You need to center yourself.”

“Center?”

“Your head’s in turmoil,” he states.

“No shit…” I respond, a light blush coming to my cheeks.

Bahamut ignores my quip and continues, “You keep calling to me, trying to get me to speak with you. Lendys was correct. You need to be self-sufficient first. You need to trust in yourself first.”

“Okay,” I murmur.

Bahamut holds my gaze in a vice as he orders, “Seek Markus out.”

“Markus?”

He nods, “You met him earlier today. The man with the drawl who was serving the king. Find him and he will help you.”

Without warning, Bahamut’s form shifts into a spiralling column of light that erupts, returning us to the blackness of night in the Feywild. Stars shine overhead and the low din of the party is in the background. I look to my side and see Lendys as a drake once more laying beside me asleep.