Chapter 64: Preparation
Fenn looked out over the assembled dragons in the council room. This was the first times they had ever really needed to use it. The whole clan had made it out, save for Thorburn and Querida. The wildclaw had not yet returned from her visit with Quartz, and her parents were getting antsy. Nobody had seen scale or tooth of Thorburn since Juliette had fallen out with him, which was unusual because he could usually be found skulking around somewhere. Nevertheless, they would have to continue without them.
"Alright everyone, settle down, it is time for our meeting to commence." Fenn called the room to attention and the last murmurs of noise fell to a hush. Everyone had heard rumors about why the meeting had been called, and they were desperate to know how much danger they were in.
"As you all have probably heard by now, a battle is coming to Windkeep Tower. The fight is not our own, but rather, we are being caught up in the middle of a war between Quartz and an enemy of his." Fenn announced. Murmurs swept through the room as they realized the rumored danger was real. She allowed enough time for them to take in what she had said before continuing. "Plagueheart and Pyrite have some information about the threat coming our way."
"Thank you Fenn." Plagueheart said quietly. She seemed a bit nervous surrounded by the dragons she had grown up around, but had not seen for so long. There were others too that she would not have met yet. It was clear she was not used to public speaking. "Um, well, you see-"
"An army is coming, made up of dragons Quartz has taken prisoner." Pyrite spoke out. As he did not know these dragons particularly well, he had no trouble speaking up in front of them. He looked at Plagueheart encouragingly.
"Yes. A guardian named Daisy Mae has taken over the prison and has weaponized this army. She has trained them stronger, and fed their vendettas against Quartz. They are hungry and desperate, and will likely stop at nothing to gain their revenge and try to earn their freedom." Plagueheart explained. "Pyrite, Querida and I were lucky enough to escape a couple days before they started their march. It will not be long now until they arrive. I do not know Daisy Mae well enough to know how much harm she means Windkeep Tower, but I do know she will not let the presence of a nearby clan stop her from seeking her revenge so we must be prepared to defend ourselves."
"There were also rumors of a beast while we were prisoners." Pyrite added. "We never saw it, but sometimes we heard its roars. It sounded draconic, so we were never sure what it was or if it was even real, but she does have something more powerful she is hiding."
"And that's all we know." Plagueheart concluded.
Silence had fallen over the room. It was clear that with a threat looming so big over their heads, they were wondering what their chances of survival were. They had warriors, but not enough to take on an army. If Daisy Mae decided to attack Windkeep Tower itself, it would not go well for them.
Suddenly, a small, quivering voice spoke up.
"If I may..." Normally such a voice would be lost in the noise of a chatty room, but in the stunned silence, it was as loud as a thunderclap. Everyone turned to face Carmen, who was nervously trying not to be noticed by anyone.
"As I was saying..." Carmen tried again. Fenn gave her a nod of encouragement and she seemed to gain more confidence. "I know what sort of dragons Quartz and Daisy Mae are. I used to work for their mentor, Mercer. I was his mate actually, but all that is in the past. I was present during their training. These dragons are selfish, and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Daisy Mae and Quartz have always been at each other's necks, vying to best the other. Mercer encouraged it because it had great results in their training. Unfortunately, Mercer got overconfident and set a test that turned Daisy Mae away from him forever. As a test of loyalty, he tracked down her charge, and commanded his two apprentices to kill her. Daisy Mae, of course, refused, for what guardian can deny their charge? Quartz however would do anything to climb further, and completed the deed. Daisy Mae left that night, and we never saw her again. It appears she's been planning her revenge ever since."
Carmen took a shaky breath. Talking about the past she wanted to forget was taking its toll on her, but she knew this was their best chance of survival, so she kept going.
"The downfall of these dragons is despite their connections and abilities, they get arrogant and overconfident in their abilities. We need to find those gaps, and make use of them." Camen took another deep breath. "I wanted to leave this all behind me when I escaped Mercer and his black market, but it appears that if I am to be truly free of my demons, I must fight them on last time. I will stand for this clan, and the haven it is for so many. I don't like to use my powers, but Mercer trained me well as well. if I can take down either Quartz or Daisy Mae, maybe I can bring the battle to an end faster."
"Thank you Carmen. Windkeep Tower honours your bravery and courage." Fenn turned to the other assembled. "I am not going to force you all to fight. Some of you may not have the abilities to join the battle, and it is against my beliefs to force dragons into a fight they may not want to fight, but I implore you, if any of you can do anything to help on any front, please help us keep Windkeep Tower standing. Many of us have lost too many things in our lifetimes already, I don't want us to lose our home. if you wish to help but don't know how, come talk to Elric, Nymph or myself. We will find something that suits your abilities and talents. You may all go-"
But before Fenn could finish, the door swung open, and Querida walked in, dragging a nervous Quartz between her and Tess. Behind them, Thorburn slunk in, looking like he would very much like to be somewhere else. He glanced around the room, avoiding Juliette and India's gaze.
"Quartz?" Fenn asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Tell them." Querida spat, glaring at the fancy coatl.
"I need help. I can't fight Daisy Mae on my own." Quartz admitted. "I need protection. I have some skills I can offer to you. I am skilled with shield charms. I could cast a shield around the tower, and it would protect all those inside its barrier. All I ask in return is that you fight on my side."
"And why should we help you?" Fenn asked. It was not a a bitter question, just simply awaiting an answer, without judgement. "Windkeep Tower thanks you for your generous donations every year, but you have brought danger upon us and you have hurt our townspeople for no reason but your own greed. Windkeep Tower is a place of forgiveness, but we are not foolish. Why should we sacrifice our lives for you? Why shouldn't we cast you out to take your battle elsewhere."
"Like I said, I would be willing to shield those who are too young or unskilled or unwilling to fight, provided they stay in or near the tower. That is a safety that would not be otherwise guaranteed." Quartz reminded her. "As for your other accusations, yes, it is true I brought danger upon you. It's true I have used dragons as chess pieces in my own game of life, but doing so has brought me nothing but ruin. I lost my daughter as a result of my calloused and controlling heart. I can change. Querida has shown that to me. Not only that, but I want to change. I'm tired of losing, I'm tired of fighting to keep everything I've earned." He caught Querida's glare. "Everything I've stolen. I want to make things right."
Fenn surveyed the coatl for a moment, feeling the eyes of her whole clan on them. Some were staring with anger towards the dragon who had brought this trouble on their beloved home. Others had a softer look in their eyes, a glimmer of hope.
"All those in favour of giving Quartz a second chance?" Fenn called out. A number of dragons raised their wings or talons. She counted them out, it was more than half. With a satisfied grin, she turned to Quartz.
"We accept your offer, on two other conditions." Fenn told him. "One, you teach us everything you know that will help us in our fight against Daisy Mae, and two, if anything you do brings any harm to
any of the members of Windkeep Tower, and I mean any, you will be cast out immediately."
"Thank you." Relief shone in Quartz's blue eyes. "I swear I will not harm a scale on anyone's back. I am ready to try things a different way, anything to survive."
Fenn simply nodded. "Oh, and one other thing. We will not kill for you. Our end goal is not to see Daisy Mae or her army slaughtered, it is to ensure the safety of Windkeep Tower. We will target only those on Daisy Mae's side, but we will not kill for you. That is not our way, and most of those prisoners are here against their will to begin with."
"I understand." Quartz nodded.
"Good." Fenn said, with narrowed eyes. "You have been very kind to us, Quartz, and it would be a shame to see such a partnership die because of your own foolishness."
"I agree." Quartz nodded. "I will make my mansion visible tomorrow morning, if anyone wishes to have additional training, I will be there. Fenn, you are more than welcome to come along or send protection if you do not trust me."
With that, the meeting came to a close. The dragons gathered began to leave or break off into groups to talk about what had occurred that evening. Quartz made to go when Querida caught up with him.
"You better have meant it, about changing, because I think you bring nothing but trouble wherever you go." She told him. "And if you break our trust in any way, I will personally see that you pay for your crimes, no matter what Fenn says."
"Your warning is noted." The two dragons held each other's gaze unblinkingly, unwilling to break first. Querida felt her heart pounding harder and harder, and she felt certain that with the binding of the hearts, they were beating as one. Then Quartz tore away and made his way down the corridor, leaving Querida to watch him go with a triumphant look on her face.
Over the next few days, everyone did nothing but prepare for the battle. Quartz came by the next morning to cast the barrier over the tower, where it sat like a large pink bubble. He then cast a pink rune on everyone in the tower, promising them that only those with the rune could pass in and out of the barrier, and that he would refresh the spell every 12 hours.
Training sessions were run almost constantly, Nymph training those in need to physical fighting skills, and Quartz partnering with Lin to teach those with magical abilities. Zolean made sure he was stocked up on medical supplies, and hired a couple of doctors to stay until the battle was done in case the injuries grew to an alarming rate. India and Juliette were busy warning travelers of the incoming battle and ensuring those who wished to stay in the safety of the tower were comfortable. They also prepared extra rooms for any prisoners of Daisy Mae's who might need a place to stay and recover if they got their freedom.
Querida, meanwhile, was asking everyone she could about her children, desperate to know their whereabouts. It was difficult to come to terms with like post-prison, and she wanted nothing more but to make up for lost time.
"We were wondering if he might have been yours." Amberlyn said with a sad smile. "Why didn't you say anything? Rammus is a wonderful young fellow and you could have come to visit."
"I couldn't risk Quartz finding out about him. I knew he wanted to train our child to be a secret weapon, and I didn't want that to happen to more hatchlings than it had to." Querida explained. "I faked a one egg nest and sent the other two to those I knew I could trust to raise them and give them a normal life."
"Oh Querida, on Sornieth, there is no such thing as a normal life." Amberlyn said with a sad smile. "But of course a mother wants what's best for her children. Rammus is safe, he's happy. He's just out on a pilgrimage to the Cloudsong. He wanted to see some of the world and get the Windsinger's Blessing. I'm sure he'll return safe and sound after the battle, and you can see him again."
She got less reassuring answers from India and Juliette.
"I saw Ruby before she left Windkeep Tower. She was escaping Quartz with another coatl, what was his name? Rhowen? It must have been Rhowen. They didn't say where they were going, only that they had to leave as quickly as they could." Juliette explained sadly. "Oh, if only I had known Runeclaw was yours! I sent him with them, to make sure they got to safety okay. I don't know how far they were planning on traveling, or where they went Querida, I'm sorry."
"She took good care of your daughter though, in the brief period she was under our roof." India said, looking proudly at her niece. "And Runeclaw was such a big help to me. He's a great kid, a little bit of trouble, but all the best ones are. I'm sure he will be back someday, and he'd be very happy meet you."
"Thank you so much for looking after him so long. I'm so sorry I disappeared the way I did. You were both so kind to me when I first came to Windkeep Tower, I'm afraid I haven't been as good a friend in return." Querida sighed.
"Everyone must tread their own path." India said wisely. "You're here now, that says more than you think."
One morning, before the sun had even risen, the first wave hit. Nymph, who had been on watch, sounded the alarm. The battle had begun.
So, it is beginning. I knew this chapter would be long because there was a lot I needed to fit into it, so I didn't end up writing it yesterday as I was busy most of the day.
