PART 23

Ardent sipped his tea without being ruffled by Dresden’s outburst. “How long have you maintained a human form Dresden? It has had serious side effects on your mental prowess. As a Dragon you would have fit the pieces together quite cleanly.”
Dresden sat back and reflected on Ardent’s words.
Damn Lazarus! He thought as he sipped his tea.The look in Ardent’s eyes gave away a much more detailed tale than the Dragon was willing to tell.
“It’s been almost 200 years, Ardent.” Dresden answered reluctantly.
Ardents eyebrows lifted. He was unable to conceal his surprise. Dresden felt instantly ashamed. He had forsaken himself, betrayed a very integral part of who he was. He had denied his origins to play at life in another form so the world would accept him. How very shameful for a Dragon.
“I am not judging you my friend.” Ardent broke in quickly, seeing where Dresden’s thoughts were taking him. “I am simply asking because you could not have expected to win a battle against an onslaught of fellow Dragons having neglected your Dragon body and mind for that long.” Ardent gave Dresden time to think about this. He wanted Dresden to feel comfortable with him. He wanted him to feel safe.
“Your wings will work again once you’ve recovered fully. I suggest we just stay here for a few weeks. I will hunt for us. I saw some elk on my way here.” Ardent, sipped from a steaming cup while the two of them rested inside the lavish yurt that Baylin had set up for himself. The interior was blanketed from top to bottom in fine tapestries that buffered the wind from outside. Persian rugs lined the floor and a bed of bear skin fur felt luxurious against Dresden’s sensitive body. He could barely move his limbs, and couldn’t yet stand. He’d tried once, but his legs gave out underneath him and he’d crumpled to the ground. This angered him for being weak and needing to be rescued. Ardent had tried to assure him that the ambush was well planned and that he had managed well considering the conditions he faced. The idea stung Dresden’s pride, reminding him of his age. He was in fact an older Dragon, like Sariahfina and the members of the Council. He was from the original group of twenty who’d come through the portal from Numa to Earth. The rest of the Dragons had been born on the Island of BasNassal and knew nothing else, never having set foot on the Dragon Homeworld. To them it was a myth and a fantasy and some of them felt entitled to roam the Earth. They were bound by strict laws on BasNassal, and a Dragon’s code of honor runs only as deeply as that which they hold most valuable. The older Dragon’s valued order. They understood that there was an order to all aspects of life and it must be respected, for every realm had creatures within it that had a right to live. The younger Dragons valued power, for they had never witnessed the other realms to gain a sense of their place in the Universe. Their sheer size alone, gave them a power that was unmatched in this world. But in other realms, had they gotten the upbringing of a Dragon from Numa, they would have been educated in the smallness of their existence.
Ardent seemed genuinely grateful to be in Dresden’s company. Two Dragons now that valued him for something. He looked down at his fragile state and wondered what the hell they saw in him. He was indeed getting old. In his youth, he would have recovered from such a gruesome battle far better before his exile.
“Your Dragon body is weak because you have not stretched it’s muscles, but your Dragon mind is weaker. If you’ll allow me, I want to work with you in getting your strength back. You have been thinking in a human body. This is a blessing and also a curse my friend. Your Dragon mind is crying out to be heard. You have denied yourself long enough. There is a positive aspect to this that we mustn’t overlook here. You have a rare perspective of the world now that no other Dragon can claim to have. You know what it is to be truly human, and yet you are not one. You are also no longer just a Dragon either.”
Dresden let him speak without interruption. With all the pain he felt, he wasn’t interested in hearing about how he had changed and didn’t have patience for being patronized. He wanted Ardent to leave him alone but would surely die without his help. He thought again about Lazarus. The idea that he had been planning and scheming before he even met with Dresden in the pub bothered him deeply. Lazarus had such confidence in his plan with the Haiute. He had surprising confidence in Dresden and now Dresden had learned that he and Ardent had been together too, planning something else that involved him. How much deeper did this trail go that Lazarus had left behind?
“We can thank Baylin for the lavish accommodations I suppose.” Ardent mused with a grin. Dresden watched Ardent’s long golden hair with two firm braids on each side flick across his shoulders as he peered around the room. He considered Ardent a respectable looking Dragon-man. He was taller than Dresden, but petite in frame and build. His youthful features were almost boyish, with striking blue eyes like glacial chips behind a warm and welcoming face. Dresden paid little attention to his clothes while he rested. He was more concerned with the fact that Ardent was there at all. What were you doing, Lazarus? He asked in his own head. He sighed, but the action felt painful in his ribs. Ardent had some warm cloth that he kept draping over Dresden’s sore parts. When he saw Dresden wince, he set his tea down and fetched some more cloth to replace the ones on his chest.
Dresden closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of the Elvish man he’d seen in the dream. “Ardent, I have to ask you something,” He began while keeping his eyes closed. “There is an Elf, I do not know him, but I dreamt of him last night after the battle. He somehow helped me up the mountain by the means of a strange magical beast that visited me repeatedly.” Ardent finished changing the dressings and covered Dresden back up with the soft furs. He resumed his tea drinking with a slight smirk on his face.
“I can’t tell you much right now Dresden and I won’t. I can say that we call this elf the Alchemist. None of us know his name, only that he and Lazarus worked closely together and he is very involved.” Ardent paused, his face thoughtful and far away as he studied patterns on the tapestries across the room. Dresden threw his empty cup across the yurt suddenly. It hit the fabric covered wall and fell to the ground gently. Ardent just narrowed his eyes at Dresden, but it was not out of anger, simply curiosity. He sighed. “Dresden, I know this is not easy for you. I am being as kind as I can, you must see that. I could scathe you with my words if I thought that approach would have a greater impact on your healing.” With that, he rose to his feet to fetch more tea from the kettle on the tiny fireplace that heated the yurt. He retrieved and filled Dresden’s cup as well, bringing it back to him. Dresden did not take it.
“You need to rest. I keep telling you that. Not just your body, but your mind. You were in Dragon form for a very short time, but it must feel contradictory to what you’ve grown accustomed to. I will leave you now for a while. I have errands to run.”
Ardent left the tea on a night table next to Dresden and left the yurt. Dresden could hear the loud whoosh that Dragon wings make on takeoff. He laid his head back on a rolled up fur that Ardent had given him as a pillow. He inspected his arms. They were bruised so deeply that every movement felt painful. He touched the purple, green and red splotches. He hadn’t seen his body look this terrible since he’d fought ancient warriors to forget his exile. He breathed in deeply and coughed. He would have screamed if he thought he could get away with it without breaking a rib.
“Lazarus.” He whispered. “What have you done?”