Hecate

The air roiled with tension.

The battles had been long and tedious. The wind dragons had stood up to them for far longer than anticipated. They were a vast community, with hundreds of dragons to fight for them, many of which wielded magic almost as powerful as hers. Almost, but not quite. They had put up a decent fight, and she was impressed. But with a single flick of a tail from her leader, she could wipe them out. Obliterate them and their clanmates, and secure victory for her clan. But not yet. First, they would gather the bounty of the surrounding land. Then, what all the fighting of the past moons had led to would come.

She soared silently in the shadows, watching patiently. Blood shimmered in the open platforms of the Cloudsong, and the wind whistled gently in her ears. Many dragons patrolled the area, making sure that any movement from the limp figures resting on the slashed walkways were silenced. Others were digging through the clan’s produce, gathering the choice picks and letting the rest fall to the ground. Eventually, the signal came. She closed her eyes and focused, gathering the thrumming energy in her mind. A blinding flash illuminated the plains and when the light faded, the only things left were barren, burning wood; a few scattered red stains; and a lonely, night-colored wildclaw.

---

This was it. The finale. Afterwards, she could return to her nest and rest. There would be no need for her service for a few moons. She growled, narrowing her eyes as she aimed her gaze at the slim buildings resting on the edge of the floating kite. Gliding soundlessly through the clouds, Hecate smiled grimly. This would be an easy feat. The Cloudsong was fragile, and even though it was one of the few times she had had to attack alone, there wouldn’t be any challenges.

She focused her gaze on a lavishly decorated section of the kite. Wind chimes and bird feeders hung scattered around the terrace. Various silks fluttered airly in the breeze. Stalks of bamboo made soft clicking sounds as they bumped against each other. It was untroubled, serene. Yet the next second, in a blinding pink flash, the entire section had disappeared. Bits of wood and fabric plummeted to the ground from thousands of feet in the air, and a dozen shocked cries arose into the air. Vivid flames burned through the Cloudsong, and many panicked dragons fled the scene. Hecate alighted on a fragment of unscorched wood, and looked around. It was mostly destruction. The scents of fear, fire, and burning scales met her nose. The crackle of her magic still laced the air as an echo, and an odd feeling of emptiness filled her heart. But her work was done. She had won this war for her clan. There was nothing left to do.

Hecate was about to leave when movement caught her eye. Though it could very well have been a section of the floor collapsing or a map crumpling in the flames, Hecate paused and looked over. When she did, a pair of terrified, pale green eyes met hers, before disappearing with the dragon they belonged to over the edge of the Cloudsong. Hecate leaped through the fuchsia flames and followed the strange dragon, not wanting to leave her mission unfinished. Though the dragon flew somewhat erratically, their wingbeats were easy to discern, and Hecate deftly tracked her to a small alcove in the face of a cliff. She stepped inside, and within the crevice there was a green spiral, ash choking the metallic sheen of her scales. Her eyes widened when she saw Hecate, and her jaws flapped as if she were trying to say something. Her voice wavered as she whispered an appeal.

“Please.”

Hecate stepped closer. Perhaps she could end this quickly. A bite to her carotid artery would finish the job. But as a tiny sob escaped the spiral, Hecate found herself unable to attack. Something held her back, even though she knew that she would be in massive trouble if her clan found out that she had let their enemy survive. She looked around the cave, suddenly feeling paranoid, but the only things she could see were herself and the weeping spiral, who’s fragile frame was shaking in terror and misery.

She couldn’t. She could’ve, would’ve, should’ve. But she couldn’t.

And though fear pounded through her blood at the thought of betraying the only dragons she’d ever known, a calming sensation of fulfillment coursed through her mind.

“Can you move?” she asked softly, not wanting to startle the dragon. Guilt threaded its way in between her other warring emotions as she heard the cheers and celebrations of the clanmates rise above the blazing inferno she’d created. Thankfully, relief crept into the spiral’s features amidst the confusion.

“Y-yeah…” she answered, her voice raspy and breathing ragged. She coughed lightly. “What are you going to do to me?”

Hecate didn’t answer, and instead turned around and cast her eyes to the sky, where wild flashes of pink were being blotted out by warring figures in the sky. She could tell her clan was having trouble winning against the surviving dragons without her to help them. “I don’t know…” she murmured. The fight above her head began to blur, and it almost appeared like a painting. Devastating, yet strangely beautiful. Full of both death and life. The realization hit her like a rock to the head, and she dropped to the ground, suddenly unable to stand straight.

“I can’t do this anymore…” she mumbled, closing her eyes. For the first time, the sting of the smoke pricked at her eyes and nostrils. It was a strange, painful, but not unwelcome sensation. It was like a tether, grounding her in reality. It was her fault that dozens of dragons had died. It was her fault that hundreds of dragons had been displaced or injured. It was her fault that the dragon in front of her was cowering from the fire that consumed her past. Hecate sighed. She couldn’t change what she had already done, but maybe she could prevent causing more pain in the future. “Let’s go.”

“Huh?” the strange dragon stared at Hecate, clearly baffled.

“Would you rather stay here?” Hecate questioned, cringing when she heard her name being called by someone from her clan.

The spiral stood up in an odd manner. It was probably her elongated anatomy. “Well, no.”

Hecate wandered to the crevice’s entrance and peered outside. Her clanmates were being bound by some sort of rope, and the fire was slowly being smothered. A waste of time, Hecate thought, as her magic would keep it burning for at least a few hours. She sighed again, and nodded to the spiral before stepping out of the cave and running into the cover of some nearby bushes. The spiral followed, but Hecate couldn’t bring herself to meet her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she recited the words repeating in her head. “I didn’t realize that I was doing… all of this. I never stayed around to find out what happened after my- my magic.”

The spiral looked at her cautiously, but didn’t respond.

“I’m Hecate,” Hecate added, as the silence pressed in around them.

“My name is Thicket,” the spiral replied.

Hecate nodded, and they kept walking. Neither spoke for a while, both listening for the sound of approaching wingbeats or the smell of ignited foliage. Then a voice from behind them startled them both. “Thicket?”

Hecate whirled around to find two dragons standing behind them, looking at her quizzically. One was a warmly-dressed pearlcatcher with maps inked on his wings, and the other was a mysterious-looking coatl. The coatl’s feathers reminded Hecate of the yesterday, when she had used magic to erase any evidence of the small town’s existence. They seemed to know Thicket, as they explained to her why they had come looking for her. The three settled down in the underbrush and Hecate followed suit as they began exchanging stories. Humiliation danced through her as Thicket revived the story of her escape and meeting with Hecate. Eventually, everyone was caught up with each other’s stories.

“What will you do now?” the coatl - Anubus - queried, eyes calm despite the intensity of the situation.

Thicket didn’t speak, and after a few moments of silence, the softly dozing pearlcatcher spoke. “How about you come with us for now?”

Anubis nodded, and glanced briefly at Hecate before looking back at Thicket. She hesitated, but whispered, “Okay,” a smile dancing on the edge of her mouth. She then watched the Cloudsong burning, and appeared to be contemplating her future. As the sparks gradually began to disappear from the sky, the stars began to shine again. By now, Hecate’s clan had probably been captured and imprisoned. She turned her head to the ground, wondering what she was going to do now.

Anubis and Rival, the pearlcatcher, stood up and began walking away from where they sat. Thicket got up and began to follow them, then stopped. She looked at Hecate, then at Anubis and Rival, then back to Hecate. “You too, Hecate,” she murmured. Hecate looked up, surprised, but glad. She slowly stood up and followed Thicket away into the night, ready to begin her life anew.

---

They didn’t fly. They couldn’t fly. Though it certainly would’ve made the journey much shorter and easier, with some of Hecate’s clanmates escaped and seeking her trail, it would be a minacious choice. Even though they kept to the cover of the leaves, and even though none of their colors stood out in the darkness, Hecate could feel several pairs of incisive eyes scarring her back with their scrutiny. It wasn’t until the distinctive odor of the plague domain reached them that she was able to unwind her nerves a bit. Already a sizable distance from the Cloudsong, the four spread their wings and flew over the Reedcleft Ascent and headed northwest, following Anubis as he led them away from Hecate’s carnage.

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