Monday, October 10, 2005

   Chapter 11: Fifth (part 4) and Chapter 12: Black Tears (part 1)
“Hello,” he said cheerfully, meeting four pairs of eyes. “Is it okay if I join your group?”
He was like no other; his appearance was just as surprising to Pen as the horse’s had been, although in a very different way. It took all of them a moment to look him over, registering his eccentic features. He had platinum silver hair, with bangs that fell over and to the side of his eyes. In contrast to his light hair were his black robes. His wings revealed that he wasn’t an elf, although he wasn’t an angel either.
One of his wings was normal and white, but the other was black, and it was the wing of a dragon.

Chapter 12: Black Tears
“Of course,” Lucifer was the first to answer. “We still have room on our boat.”
“Great!” the boy exclaimed, coming toward them. “I’m Raine. It’s nice to meet you.”
Lucifer was quick to open up to the strange boy, leading him down to where their boat was pulled up on the shore. He introduced them all as they returned to their lunches. Yatii and Ed were a little slower in getting accustumed to Raine, but within a few minutes, they also warmed up to him.
“You must be a half-dragon,” Yatii said, trying to contain his curiousity. “I had heard stories that some dragons got attracted by our people during the war, but I was never really sure about their accuracy.”
“It’s true,” Raine confirmed. “My father is a tiger dragon who fought in the Continental War. My mother was a dragon-healer.” He shrugged. “You can probably guess how they met.”
“A tiger dragon?” Yatii asked, scratching his head. “It sounds familiar…”
Pen didn’t know anything about them, but he wasn’t about to ask. It was Ed who finally did. “I’ve never heard of any tiger dragons before,” he said.
“They’re pretty rare,” Raine explained. “Even more now because so many died in the war.”
“That must mean that they’re metallic dragons,” Yatii put in. “They must have very powerful magic in order for them to take on an angel form.”
“Yeah. The reason that they were so valuable in the war was exactly because they had power-destruction magic in their fire. With just one blast, they could blow apart physical, magical, and demonic flesh alike. Of course, they have to be in their dragon form to do so.”
“Do you know your father?” Ed questioned, almost tentively.
“We live just inside the border of Imdaar, at the edge of my father’s mountain. He watched over us, coming to visit whenever he felt that he had enough power to spare to take on his angel form. He taught me many things about the power-destruction draconic magic in my blood.”
“But, if you’re only half-dragon,” Yatii pointed out, “that means that you must also have your mother’s healing magic in your blood, too.”
The boy’s hand strayed to the covered hilt of his sword, hesitating for a moment before he drew it out. It was slender and slightly curved; it was a good weapon, Pen knew. But it was as unusual as its wielder, because its blade was half white and half black, split down the middle.
“This is Judgement,” Raine said. “My father and my mother made it for me. They said that it would help me to control the two magics inside me, once I better learn how to use it.”
“It’s a good sword,” Pen said, speaking to him for the first time. “You won’t need any other.”
Raine and Pen locked eyes for a second, each unsure whether they faced a friend or foe. Then, Raine smiled. “I like her, too.” He slid the weapon away again. “What about your sword?”
Pen shrugged. “I still have to figure her out,” he stated honestly.
“Okay, it’s time to keep moving!” Sharp’s voice rang over the camp. This time, Yatii and Ed took over the paddles for the stretch of river before nightfall. The five boys spoke of the past and of the future, sharing their similarities and recognizing their differences. Pen listened more than he talked, but even he—with Lucifer at his side—opened his mouth once in a while. The boys respected his silence and did not force him to join the conversation, and Pen finally had to admit that some kids weren’t as stupid as they might appear.
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