The Eternal War: The Dragon's Valkyrie

The Trials of Blood

The black mouth of Parius's cave threatened to swallow Saidy almost as much as her sorrow. Sam's death replayed over and over in her mind as she felt the weight of every action she'd made under Yrden's edict.

The dragon had been right. She had committed atrocities no one should ever be acquitted of.

You chose this path, and you must atone for the sins you've committed while on it. The dragon's words echoed in her mind. Death, although seemed a sweet relief from the pain plaguing her chest, had not been something Saidy wished for in a long time. How else would she atone for her sins she wondered?

She entered the cave hoping Parius would answer that very question.

Ash hesitated once more, but Saidy dragged him into the darkness once more. The last trip they'd run here out of desperation to escape the monsters that swarmed them. This time, those monsters were nowhere to be found.

Ash resisted more.

"C'mon boy! We have to go in here. This is the only place left for us," Saidy said while struggling to drag the wolf along.

Ash dug his heels into the white-capped stone, but the snow betrayed his footing, and he slipped into the darkness after all. He still protested as Saidy pulled him along, however.

Once they'd entered the cave, Saidy found it wasn't as dark as it was before. There was no storm raging above the mountain this time. Instead, it was around midday and the sun had been pierced by the top of the mountain on their way in.

Saidy could see that very sunlight floating into the cave somewhere inside, and she followed its beckon. Only a few moments later she found herself in a grand chamber. The source of the sunlight drifted down onto the glittering golden scales of the dragon as he slept on an isle in the center of a pool.

Moss lined the bottom of the pool and the isle while a single magnificent tree grew over one of its ledges. The island was bordered mostly by rock that had been cut by the tides of water and time into a smooth face, but a path snaked up to the terrace on which the dragon slept somewhere behind.

The tree captivated Saidy. Its branches draped like spider's silk over the island, nearly kissing the water's mirrored surface. Orange flowers bloomed on these branches like they were a flame licking the bark. Some floated like embers down onto the pool beneath, breaking the perfection it tried to maintain. It looked almost like the water and tree were set aflame.

"Parius!" Saidy shouted. The dragon stirred, and a column of smoke rose from his nostrils. "Parius!" she repeated.

Parius's wings fluttered and he shifted his head. One of his crimson eyes opened as the slit pupil expanded then contracted on Saidy.

"So, you've returned," he grumbled like a low quake in the earth. "Tell me, have you come to try and slay me, or have you finally seen the truth of your actions? By the tear stains on your cheek, I'd guess the latter."

Saidy's head fell to her chest. "Help me fix it... please..."

"What was that?" The dragon's head perked up.

Saidy gritted her teeth: "I could never face my brother with the truth that I was the one who set the curse of my master upon the land." She faced the dragon with pleading eyes. "Help me atone for my sins!"

Saidy brought her hands to her mouth. She hadn't intended to shout so forcefully at Parius.

Parius chuckled, "Your conviction is convincing. Fine. I will help you." Parius rose to his feet and stretched his wings, then legs, and finally, his neck before speaking again. "Saidy Ebonharte—you have been found to have committed atrocities against the world of Tallenheim. The horrors include the genocide of the druids, a most sacred order charged with keeping the balance in the world, and allowing the Black Heart to once again be made whole, then handed over to a being who seeks to use its power to enslave the world."