Hi all
I finally had some time to work on Fledgling and it feels good to be working on the story again.
I hope you all enjoy the return of a well-known character!
“See a pretty girl?”
Instead of answering his question, Fledge scrambled to his feet and ran to where he had last seen the woman and Heavenly. Frantically he looked around, dreading having lost this chance to finally face her once more. He sprinted and dodged between people, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pair. Panic gripped him and he had to stop to control his breathing. He was used to these panic attacks; they were nothing new. He quickly found a seat to rest in, concentrating on taking deep breaths.
“Ah, you must be Fledge! Just the man we were looking for.” Came the familiar voice of Matta.
Fledge’s head shot up and found Matta bending down to look him in the face. He was sure that he looked like a mess in his panic state. He couldn’t even return a greeting as he suddenly caught the sight of the tall woman next to the Heavenly. He knew who she was, knew what she was, and now understood why he was awake. As a fledgling Fell Dragon, he instinctually knew who she was. She didn’t need to advertise her power; she radiated it without trying. The eyes that had been on him earlier were now on her. Everyone knew who she was.
Saita, the Fell Dragon.
Fledge doubled over in a bow and Matta immediately pulled him up.
“She’s only just accepted; she isn’t a fully-fledged Dragon yet.”
Fledge was confused. He knew that one day she would appear here. It was why he had agreed to be a fledgling, but the timing seemed wrong, yet it made sense. She had disappeared before Fledge had started his transition, this wasn’t Saita the Fell Dragon, this was just Saita. He wondered how far along she was in her timeline. That thought angered him, but he bit down on his back molars. He was so close now, he could ask her all the questions he had held onto for centuries, but if he asked the wrong questions at the wrong time, he could change vital milestones in her story.
He desperately wanted some of those milestones to change, but he needed to know who she was at that moment. He took one last deep breath and got to his feet. He was only slightly shorter than her but could still look into her eye all the same. Nothing on her face gave away any recognition.
Young, likely still in her first century of life.
Fledge knew that there were times when Saita Fell Dragon would make an appearance, but this wasn’t her, this one was far too young.
“That’s right, you’ll know who she is, but she won’t know you.” Matta immediately turned to Saita and indicated the fledgling before them. “Saita, I’d like you to meet Fledge. He’s one of the fledgling Fell Dragons I told you about. The one I was told to seek out in hopes that he could help us.”
Saita frowned deeply. She hated the need for fledgling Dragons. Despite it being more than two centuries since Sellious butchered her, she still woke screaming some nights. The dreams had steadily gotten worse after Bolx had died. While the fledgling Dragons didn’t go through what she did, some of it was similar. She still hated that they were forced to exist.
After Kay’s destruction of multiple timelines, the universe started collapsing. The Heavenly had spared Saita the fate of a Champion who defeated a Fell Dragon, but it had left a vacuum, and the universe was still struggling to righten itself. Fledgling Dragons were created to keep the universe from collapsing completely, but they didn’t have the power that Saita had within her and never could, it was the only way to save them from insanity. There were several of them, each taking turns being awake to bring balance where they could. While there were those who cursed the Fell Dragon not stepping up, they all knew the history and how Saita and Kay had broken the cycle.
Matta had tried to explain the reasoning behind the creation of the fledglings. Saita had listened and hadn’t liked what had had to be done because she had wanted a life. She felt guilty. She looked Fledge up and down. He had short hair, long enough to tell the colour closely resembled hers, but short enough for it to stand straight up. He was dressed in short training clothing and seemed to have just stepped from his exercise. He was well built but was more on the lithe side. His grey eyes viewed her with a little distrust, but they never wavered from their stare directly into hers.
Saita put a hand forward and waited for Fledge to do the same before she gripped it. Fledge gripped her hand tightly and asked, “What is it you want from me, Matta?”
“We’re looking for a way to locate Aidan and Bolx.”
“Before I fought Kay, she sent a Wolven by the name of Red-Eye to kill my son when he was ten.” Explained Saita.
Wait, is she younger than a century? Can’t be. Oh! That’s right, they did disappear before she faced the Fell Dragon of her era. Didn’t they reappear about six months after they disappeared?
Fledge stopped her there, “But they came back. What’s the problem?”
“I didn’t realise my history was that well known.” She seemed shocked.
“Sometimes we need to learn from mistakes.”
Saita was taken aback by the remark but let it go. She sighed and continued, “My son had half a favour when it happened. I thought they were dead, so I thought nothing of it when I wished for them back while I gave birth to my twins. They only managed to come back because a wish with similar intent was made at the same time. Bolx and Aidan later told me that Matta and I helped them achieve this, but never explained much more than that. Matta believes that you can help us.”
“That would mean interfering with your direct timeline. You allowed this Matta?”
“Not yet.”
Fledge frowned and looked the Heavenly up and down. He knew the species could never cross the path of their future or past selves and he wondered how much this one knew about him. Matta seemed to pick up on this. The Heavenly tilted his head and said, “I know that this means you may have an influence on your direct timeline.”
“You know then?”
“I know enough to come to ask you for your assistance, though I am surprised you are awake, and I didn’t have to request it.”
And Saita joins Fledge, hoping that he can find a way to find her missing husband and son.
For those who don't remember: In the last book of Fell Dragon, it was believed that Aidan and Bolx were killed by Red-Eye, but they weren't. I don't want to to give too many spoilers, as more will be uncovered in the following weeks!
For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, Book 6 here, Book 7 here, and Book 8 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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Haven't read the other parts yet? Follow these handy links:
Part 2>>You are Here>>Part 4
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