Day 342 (320)

Day 342 (320):

Hard pounding on the door bolted us out of bed. Anna barely had the door open when Sarkin, Corina, and Eelly stormed into the room.

"He's coming!" Sarkin shouted, "He's on his way here, now. Our rider popped back only a moment ago. Konfotuta accepted the message calmly and allowed the rider and dragon to stay while he read it. He was calm until he reached the part about the Soul of the Sea. Konfotuta destroyed the message. The dragon heard him say 'They die now!' before Konfotuta swam off at top speed. They popped back, but it seems he must swim here."

"He's never been here before," I told them, "He can only pop to where he has been before. That is the major weakness with kirlan. After a dragon has been somewhere, they can pop there at will."

"Then, we must go out to intercept him," Eelly barked, "Keep him away from Arvocan."
"It is worth a shot," Lisa said, "Have all riders and dragons, sea and terrestrial, go out to hold him back. The lightning the dragons can produce won't kill him, but it may persuade him to wait until he has thought out his actions."

"Yes, good, excellent," Eelly stammered.

We magicked on our clothes and led them out to the dragons and riders. Having passed on our plan mentally, the riders were saddled and waiting, both aquatic and terrestrial. Extra places were waiting for Eelly and the seven of us. We took off above and in the water.

Konfotuta's rage was a beacon and let us home in on him. We intercepted him on the shore side of the coral barrier. He had paused to vent some of his wrath on the guards.

"KONFOTUTA!!" roared a combined mental and vocal shout.

He stopped in mid-attack to see who or what had called to him. He growled and dropped his prey. 

"Insects! I read your lies. A pathetic attempt to stop me. I will not be denied my destiny!"
"Konfotuta," I sent mentally, "look at me. As one seer to another, look at me and know the truth."

Sarkin and Riptide took me close to him. He swung his head to regard me with one massive eye. I looked into it and fed him everything I had received from the "Soul". When he got it all, Rip moved us back to the others. Konfotuta leaned back to absorb the information. He shook his huge head when he was done.

"I accept this as true. However, my mission is still the same. Brother dragons! Cast off these insects and take your rightful place as masters of this world! Binding yourself to these soft creatures makes you as weak as they!"

The other dragons were speechless. They could not believe what he had said. From nowhere, the three riderless sea dragons charged at Konfotuta, assaulting him with breath weapons, magic, and their physical bodies. He roared at them and fought back. Soon, the trio were gravely wounded and Konfotuta was marked in several places.

"Fools! I could have been your savior! Now, I will be your destroyer! DIE!"

Before he could unleash his power on us, fourteen lightning dragons let loose with all of their might. Konfotuta roared in pain. Cracks appeared in his hide, bleeding into the water around him. Scales fell to splash and sink. When they exhausted their weapons, he looked very beat up, but still able to move.

"How... how is this ... possible?" he panted, "Nothing ... can ... harm me. This ... I must ... there has to be a way."

Kirlan opened and Konfotuta popped back to the saurguin city.

There was no cheering. We converged upon the injured trio. Great cuts, ice burns, missing scales, and other wounds marred their bodies. Their breathing was ragged. Sarah moved to heal them, but we held her back.

"No, Sister, let them go. They deserve their final rest," Eelly told her.

We all stayed with the trio until they breathed their last. Where it came from, I am not sure, but a song came to me and I could do nothing but sing. If anyone joined me, I did not hear them. Before my eyes, spirit forms of the trio rose above the water. Beside them, spectral forms of their riders appeared. Taking their riding positions, riders and sea dragons ascended and vanished into the morning sky. The song left me. In silence, we returned to Arvocan.

Some tried to report the trio's actions, but Eelly told them he already knew. Breakfast was quiet as we all dealt with our emotions. Varlan and the others who had stayed behind waited upon us to fill them in on our activity. We were shown a shrine for deceased riders and dragons. The three pairs' names were being added to a wall that was full of other names.

After lunch, we were ready to focus on our plans to defeat Konfotuta.

"What puzzles me," Sarah piped, "is why he thinks he can't be harmed? Sky cut him days ago. Did he not notice or just ignored it?"

"He may not have associated the cut with Sky. Also, if he heals faster than regular sea dragons, it may have healed before he really noticed," I speculated.

"He noticed that attack," Eelly commented, "Looked a quarter dead when he left."

"Imagine him once the Clapper gets a hold of him," someone said off-handed.

"Do not look for his quick death," I warmed, "Desire can lend great strength."

"Still," Eelly commented, "it is our best option. If he survives, we will jolt him again."

This was agreed upon by the whole assembly.

With that resolved, we went back to waling through our plans.

Mid-afternoon, a saurguin was escorted by two riders and dragons to our location. He radiated fear. Without speaking, he handed Eelly a water-logged board, obviously from a sunken ship. On it was carved Konfotuta's reply to our calling him out. Eelly read it aloud:

"Insects and traitors, your display this morning was fruitless. The electrical attacks proved my power and your weakness. When we meet at the place you suggested, you will see your true weaknesses and fears. You will fail."

The saurguin and his escort were allowed to leave. Many of our assembly muttered curses in response to Konfotuta's words. Most could not believe his arrogance. However, it made those who were not fully committed vow their full heart to his defeat and/or death.

We parted for dinner. Konfotuta's message was the talk of the room. Eelly passed it around so no misinformation clouded it. Many had to be stopped from breaking the board in anger. As we were to meet him at mid-day tomorrow, many not going with us wished us well in our mission. We headed to our room and went through Sloth's exercise to purge this morning's grief and the day's anger to prepare for tomorrow.