Chapter 394

394 The Conscience Of A Dragon(Part Five)

***CONTENT WARNING: LANGUAGE AND SLIGHT GORE***

“Skye?! Can you hear me?! Come on, love! Say something to me!” Tidas screamed as he held his unconscious wife in his arms.

Zazzy was hovering above him, listening for her mother’s heartbeat. It was pounding furiously, which was both good and bad. She was alive, but if her heart maintained such a rapid pace for too long: it could stop.

She couldn’t remember the term for it, but Tidas figured that it was most likely cardiac arrest. Skye had been teaching Zazzy about the biology of different species, in small doses. It was hard to make a solid lesson plan with Highlanders begging to play with her at all hours of the day, but she knew enough to recognize what was happening.

As Zazzy watched Skye’s face contort with what looked to be fear, she and Tidas kept calling out to her..

************

‘When did it get so dark? Why is it so cold? Where am I?! The last thing I remember is touchin’ that shard of Marco’s amulet..’

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Skye was bombarded with a rapid array of images. Some made sense, and pertained to her dilemma. But there were many that didn’t make any sense..

The first thing she saw was Eric and Shane heading north with a bunch of the Highlanders. The second was Marco sitting on the throne with blackened eyes. He was smirking like he’d won a prize..

.....

The next flash was of a burned-down town. She thought that she had glimpsed Thistlewood tavern burned to the ground, but it made little sense, since that was in Dragonhorn.. ‘Where did the walls go?’

As the thought crossed her mind, Skye’s thoughts were bombarded with images in a quickening succession. They were simple at first, then they started to show people and places that she had never seen before...

A city surrounded by red dragon bones..

Genie dead on the ground..

Mei crying..

Zazzy torching soldiers..

Sand as far as her eyes could see in every direction..

An ocean in the sky..

A cold, dark room with chains everywhere..

Magnus dressed in his finest clothes while laying on a funeral alter..

Marco smiling with black eyes..

A beautiful woman with red hair reaching out to her..

A giant of a man with ocean-blue eyes, and a strong bloodlust..

Zas crying with a sad smile as he lay on the ground..

Shasta and Lawrence at an alter together in wedding clothes..

People running and screaming in the capital as it burned..

Piles of dead bodies in the background: most being the RMC members that were in the Highlands with her right now. Marco stood facing the burning piles of her loved ones laughing. As he turned and faced her, Skye saw that his eyes were completely black with her golden color for his iris..

The red haired woman from before screaming something while burning..

Her father having his head cut off by the Royal Executioner..

Alfred and Rhea’s limp bodies swinging in the gallows with Murdoc, Petrie, Amara, and many of her other Highlander friends..

The sky filled with dragons at dawn..

A burning ship with Peggy standing on it, smiling sadly at her..

Tidas being pulled apart by four horses..

Shasta being shackled down, and run through..

Skye was nearing her breaking point when an ethereal-looking woman with pointed ears appeared before her. She made Skye feel warm and safe as she smiled gently at her, then spoke as she reached out.

“These are glimpses of your future, Catalyst. Many are set in stone, but a few may yet be changed. Your future is uncertain, but the world will end without you. Are you willing to sacrifice all that you are for the sake of those around you?”

Tears streamed down Skye’s cheeks as she looked at the beautiful Fae. She reminded Skye of Celestia quite a bit, except that she was older, and was the same size as her. As she stretched out her hand to the woman, Skye replied; “Please let me save them.. I canna watch them die..”

The woman’s smile became edged with sadness; “I am sorry, but not all will survive by the time the Calamity comes to pass. The world as a whole will begin to change soon, and you have a chance to help mold it. Will you build it up? Or tear it down?”

Skye wiped her tears away before locking eyes with the woman; “Both..”

The Fae studied her a moment, then beamed at her as she said; “Hmm.. I look forward to seeing you, Catalyst. When you return from the sands, and your powers are on the brink: come and see me. Maevis and Nicolas will guide you..”

As she started to fade away, the woman called out; “Do not allow your grief to be your downfall, Catalyst. If you allow your heart to become numb to the world, it will forget you when you need it most..”

************

“Skye? Come on, love. Don’t do this to me again! Please wake up?” Tidas practically yelled as he held his wife in his arms.

He had moved her into Zazzy’s little house, and was sitting with her as Murdoc, Amara, and several others went to look for a Shaman. He was stroking her cheek as he called to her when she stirred. Zazzy was halfway inside, blocking everyone from gawking when her tail started to happily whip back and forth.

As Skye’s eyes fluttered open, Tidas sighed heavily before saying; “Thank the gods! What happened?!”

Shaking her head, she replied; “I have No fuckin’ clue.. That-that was...intense. I’ll explain later. What’s goin’ on?”

Tidas narrowed his eyes on her; “Umm, no. You’re tellin’ me what happened right now.”

Skye shook her head; “Not now. When we’re alone..”

Right as the words slipped from Skye’s mouth, Zazzy felt someone tap her on her backside. Moving to the side; Amara, Murdoc, and a Shaman that they recognized from the the battlefield came in. Zazzy’s house was large enough to accommodate her size, so five people fit relatively easily inside.

During her mother’s examination, Zazzy seemed more than a little off. Her thoughts were erratic and filled with worry. Knowing what the issue was, Tidas requested that he have a small talk with Skye and Zazzy after Skye was cleared.

After he checked her over, the three left, at Tidas’ request, then Zazzy moved so that the entrance to her house wold be generally covered. Knowing how many Tanks were outside, Tidas spoke low to Zazzy so Skye could hear him as well..

“Alright, my scaly Princess: you need to pay attention because I’m saying this one final time.. It’s not your fault. Richard was taken over by the Ethereal Spear, and you were too. You mustn’t blame yourself.”

As Zazzy shifted her head away from her parents, Skye got up. She wobbled over to Zazzy, and flopped over onto the side of her neck where her spikes didn’t stick out. As she leaned against her sweet young dragon, Skye gently ran her hand up and down in a soothing motion as she spoke..

“Yer the sweetest lass I’ve ever met: we know that ye didna want ta hurt those soldiers, and so does everyone else. Ye mustn’t blame yer self, my sweet. There’s only one person that’s unforgivable in all this..”

As Skye glanced at Tidas, he gave her a subtle nod of agreement the said; “People die in battles, sweetheart. That’s just the way the world works. Every man and woman that went with us knew that they could die. You didn’t do it with intent: that’s what matters.”

Zazzy argued that the family members of the ones who had died might disagree with him, which was slightly accurate. He had known many people to become irrational when confronted with the death of a loved one. Tidas tried to explain that people act rashly when hurting, but she thought that they were right to do so..

“I love ye sweet lass, but yer missin’ the point,” Skye cut in; “The fact that ye suffer over their deaths shows that ye care. A murderer doesna care fer their victims. Yer not a murderer.”

As soon as Zazzy started to protest again, Tidas walked over and petted her while he spoke; “The duel feelings you’re experiencing are the main reason we fight: so others won’t know the horrors of war. If we wouldn’t of come here, how many more Highlanders would’ve died? How long until he discovered the bunkers, and attacked the city? You saved them, sweet girl. Along with those who died..”

“I blame myself for every soldier lost under my command. All their names and faces are still clear as day in my mind, so I understand your guilt and pain. Carry it with you: don’t wallow in it. Let them live on through your actions in life. Because if you give up, they’re lost..”

As Tidas’ words sunk in, Skye added; “We love ya, Zazzy. Yer our first child, and we don’t wanna see ya suffer fer somethin’ that couldna be controlled. It wasna yer fault, ye ken?”

Zazzy looked between her two parents a moment as they grinned softly at her. It was the same cherished expression she’d seen a million times, but edged with worry. As she huffed her acknowledgment, they wrapped their arms around her head..

‘How did I get so lucky? I’m sorry for worrying you two.. I love you both more than anything..’

As they heard her thought and squeezed her, Murdoc started to yell from behind Zazzy; “Oi! Are ye spendin’ the night out here, or are ye comin’ back to the party! Got a whole lotta people askin’ fer the heroes! All three of ye!”

Skye and Tidas shared a smirk while Zazzy looked confused.. ‘Who’s the third?’

The two doting parents beamed at their scaly bairn as they replied at the same time; “You are, goofy.”

As Zazzy backed out of her little house, she was greeted with a sea of Highlanders: all chanting her name. As Murdoc stepped forward to stand next to the three, he called out to the crowds; “Three cheers fer the Saviors of the Highlands!”

As the crowds exploded with their enthusiasm, Zazzy blinked back the tears. She thought that many would hate her, but it was the opposite. A few of the Highlanders that had always turned their noises up, or were scared of her were all screaming her name now.

As a wave of elation flooded Zazzy’s heart, Tidas and Skye clasped hands, and bowed. The sun was setting on their final night in the Highlands, and they planned on enjoying themselves to the fullest. As they rejoined the festivities, an RMC member snuck off to send a report to the capital...