PART 7

His gnarled feet were hopeless, the nails still unkempt, but at least he was clean. An acrid smell no longer lingered around the man. He sat at the water's edge in wet sand and meditated for several hours before sunset.
Dresden found a place for himself farther away from the beach in a grassy knoll overlooking it all. Lazarus looked small beside the body of water before him. He didn't watch Lazarus too closely, just gazed past him. Dolphins played in the distance. Seagulls were fishing, while the waves and the sunset offered a glorious show of colors to accentuate the gravity of this moment.
His thoughts turned to Lazarus's plan. How deranged he must have become to allow himself to be so thoroughly defiled in this way. It was nearly unthinkable and yet, it was going to work. A shiver spread over him. Not much in this world had elicited such a reaction, but this Dragon, who had to go through such a fate, disturbed Dresden's peace of mind. He had no love for Lazarus. They had been close once, in a different life, another time, when they were young. This realm had not been kind to either of them, but in Lazarus it had destroyed a once beautiful creature. Dresden would never reveal how he perceived this sacrifice. It would make him appear weak and Lazarus might change his mind.
Sunset faded into darkness, stars glittered above them and serenity filled the air. The nagging presence within the bottle grew louder as the moon rose high into the sky. Dresden trudged through sand in his high boots. He came upon Lazarus sitting like a monk facing the ocean.
"It's time," was all he could say.
Lazarus nodded, rose to his feet and embraced Dresden suddenly, which threw him off balance. He stood woodenly, feeling awkward by the affectionate nature of the exchange. When Lazarus released him there were tears in his eyes. "Call them. I'm ready to leave this world."
Dresden pulled a unique whistle made of bone from a small leather pouch. He faced the ocean and blew into it. The sound could not be described. Serenity turned eerie as the waves sucked into the ocean but did not crash back onto the beach. Damp pebbles and the ocean floor stretched too far now, like a wide road into the depths of hell. They both walked towards the receding water at a relaxed pace, side by side. A groove of raw earth, like a runway, led them deeper into the ocean as the water remained parted on both sides of the men. Lazarus began chanting an ancient clerical hymn. Dresden knew it, so he joined in; to voice the guttural language felt good in his body. He had forgotten how good. He had even forgotten the song until it reached his ears again, six hundred years perhaps since the last time he had heard it. He knew every word.
Figures appeared ahead of them standing at the end of the pathway into the water, backed by sharks swimming back and forth against a glassy water barrier. There was no sun left on the horizon above to provide even filtered sunlight. Lazarus stopped singing and fell to his knees before the pair of creatures. Dresden stood, proudly, stoic in his position. He would show no fear, respect or reverence. All he gave was a level of indifference that bordered on rudeness. They didn't show offense. The pair simply focused on Lazarus and had him stand before them. He took in their fishy gaze. Black, watery eyes returned his stare. They wore very little in the way of clothing and their hair was unnaturally dark against white skin. Their heads were bald, richly freckled over their bleached skin. Their appearance sent goosebumps down Lazarus's neck. He intentionally did not gaze at the Haiute below their shoulders. Their fishy bodies gave him the willies. “Thank you for having me.” He addressed them humbly.
"State your business with us, Lazarus. We are not interested in events that may take place. Why have you summoned us?"
"I wish to die. I wish to see Dresden thrive, and carry with him a legacy that will help humankind take their place in this young world and," he hesitated but finished, "I wish to see Sariahfina's reign over this realm come to an end."
“You have not told us what you want from us. Death comes easily to all beings, even Dragons. You do not need us to oblige you. You require something with more finesse, I can feel it from you.” The masculine figure gestured for Lazarus to come closer to him and meet his gaze. “You will not enjoy the fate you have laid out for yourself.” A nasty grin spread widely across his pale face. “But we will.”
Lazarus stood very straight, very tall, nearly as tall as the Haiute man in front of him. “If I wanted an enjoyable death, I would have sought out other means. Dresden carries with him a curse, a safeguard for Sariahfina, intended to ensure his death. A Zomphius.”
The word sent a ripple through the ocean. Even the sea life on the other side of the water barrier flinched at the mention of its name. Both the Haiute started, straightened and then composed themselves before revealing their ecstasy at the news.
“Tell us more,” the feminine Haiute encouraged, her eyes suddenly gleaming with interest.
“I have agreed to take Dresden’s place as the Dragon who will consume the evil spirit. The reason I have come to you is so that you can remove my soul before it consumes it. Do with it whatever you’d like, I am giving it to you as payment for your service to me. You may then keep the Zomphius within my shell, so long as you have something to feed to it, to keep it alive. It belongs to you. Dresden lives. I die. You get a very powerful demon that you may wield to whatever ends you choose, and the soul of a Dragon. I have one condition only.” The attention of the Haiute was rapt, they hung on his every word, until he said condition, then their body language changed once again to feigned indifference.
“Is that right? What would you dare ask us to promise to you?”
Lazarus looked at Dresden. Dresden made no move or indication that Lazarus was even there. He continued to gaze off into the ocean and its creatures. He was acutely aware of everything being spoken, the tension of this exchange, its tenuous and fragile nature. Lazarus had insisted that he didn’t speak and he had agreed. Although Dresden had the whistle, it was not for him to call upon the Haiute on a whim, they would take his life for such frivolity. Receiving the whistle was no light negotiation as he recalled. He had come with Sariahfina, in another life it seemed, as Dragons to make a pact and a treaty with the Haiute. They were the strangest people/creatures Dresden had ever seen at the time, which was saying much; for he had experienced and interacted with all types of life, from many realms, as Sariahfina’s emissary. It had disturbed him that she let him keep the whistle upon his exile. Perhaps in her determination to get him out of her way, she had overlooked it? Or perhaps she was so assured of her victory that it hadn’t mattered to her.
Lazarus turned again to face the Haiute man. In a strong and clear voice he made his condition known. “Dresden will face a defeat that history cannot change; it will be such a long time from this day that I fear this bargain will be forgotten. At that time, he will need to be subdued. He will require special care that only you are capable of rendering. He will need to hibernate until he can be returned to Numa. If you do not agree to this, I will not bargain with you. His life, his imprisonment and his fate are in your hands. He must walk this realm and nurture humankind into their power. That is his fate, but you must rise up and meet my condition when you are required to. You will know when this is. There will be powerful magic at work and a signaling to do your part.”
Lazarus allowed his words to sink in. He gave them the space they needed to let the ocean determine the truth of his words. He knew what he spoke of. Dresden understood that he believed what he spoke as truth, though it didn’t matter to him. Possible futures could not be determined as Lazarus said. The conviction, however, in this prediction sent chills down Dresden’s spine. Imprisonment. He ran the word over in his mind. Would a day really come when such a future would pass? What would he do to warrant such a fate? The questions arose and then fell away as the Haiute began speaking again, slowly, deliberately allowing the ocean time to take in the words and transform them into an oath.
“We will do what you have requested. The ocean has agreed to hold the record of this arrangement and signal us when the time arrives to take Dresden to his imprisonment. An Elemental has already been contacted by the ocean on behalf of this negotiation and accommodations will be set into place.” The man’s watery gaze met Dresden’s and he addressed him personally this time. “You have a long road ahead of you, Dragon-man. You will no longer need that whistle.” He reached out a hand and Dresden placed it in his pale palm, still saying nothing. The Haiute continued, “Dresden, we will be following your exploits in the human world. Do not look for us, you will not see us. Do not think of us, we do not exist. Do not seek us out, we are not your friends. We understand what is necessary, and this realm will evolve as humans rise up to claim it. Your role in this evolution is integral, as Lazarus says. You will face many challenges, chiefly yourself if you lose your way. Never lose sight of what you love.” The intensity in the Haiute man’s gaze would be frightening to a lesser being. To Dresden it was intense, concerning even.
Dresden had never known the Haiute to speak so much or so openly to anyone. In his meetings with them before, they were a callous lot, neutral to the land dwelling creatures and their lives outside the ocean, cold to worldly affairs. He did not understand their willingness or desire to be so involved with him. Lazarus seemed to understand. His knowing grin told Dresden everything, and nothing. Damn Lazarus. He thought he understood this plan. He thought it was flawless. What the hell was he getting himself into?