The Protector's Call - A Short Story

Authors Note: I'm experimenting with another perspective of The Awakening and its prequel Birth of the Chosen

“Zhedah, awaken!” a melodic choir called in the distance.

“Zhedah, you are needed.”

Hearing her name, Zhedah’s consciousness snapped awake in the cool, calm, darkness that cradled her.

A dream? Did someone call my name? No, the Ancients, there was urgency in their voice, they need me.

Still bound tightly in the comfort of her cocoon, she reached out and searched for the essence ... and found it in droves! A flood of warmth, awareness, and strength filled her.

Where am I? So much essence, how can this be?

And so she “pulled” on the essence, drinking it in and willing it to feed her body, to form her body, to grow her body. Her granite shell cracked around her and a flood of cool air; no, much heavier than air… water engulfed her. Cool refreshing water surrounded her tiny figure and pushed the shards of her shell further away. Thousands of glowing threads weaved around those shards and lifted her exposed form out of the cocoon.

Pulling harder now, more by instinct than by will, the glowing lines cascaded towards her from all directions, stitching sinew to crystalline bone, muscle to sinew, skin to muscle. In just a few short moments her body was formed from the tiny pupa to a stunning majestic creature. The essence had adapter her to the element she was born into, water. She felt gills open behind her head, and she inhaled the sweet, cool waters as she stretched her new limbs for the first time. They felt strong and supple. Zhedah had never been born to water before. She was once born to lava and twice to the deep soil, but never to water. It felt free, light and peaceful.

A soft light wavered from above and she glanced upward to see the surface of the water. Through the glimmering refraction, she could see the night sky illuminated by the twin moons, and the silhouette of a small boat hovered above her. She heard the fish darting in excitement. They were in a frenzied courtship under the moons. And she heard something else. A muted drumming cadence echoed across the basin floor. It took a moment to recognize its source because she had no experience with sounds under the water. But she soon recognized it for what it was. It was the sound of many hooves striking the ground on the shore.

“Zhedah hurry! There is no time, protect the child!”

A flood of images and memories crashed into her mind, showing her a child, the slaughter of a family, a Seeker, a young woman whisking the child away on horseback. She sensed the anguish of the parents. She felt their life-force quenched. She sensed the fear of the young woman and the determination of their pursuers.

“Zhedah!” The urgency in the frantic plea quickened her pulse and heightened her senses.

A powerful push with her tail thrust her sleek body forward in the water with tremendous speed. The stone floor of the basin became a blur as fish and rocks streaked by her. It was almost like the sensation of flying but with much less effort. Another flick of her tail and push with her webbed feet sent her rocketing toward the coastline even faster.

It’s so effortless, my body is built for this!

Arching her head upwards and angling her tail back, she exploded out of the cool water and into the warm night air. Time froze for her and she hovered for a brief moment as she took in the scene below. To her left, a horse and rider hid behind a small mound of stones. And something else, yes - it only took a moment to sense, but it was unmistakable. The rider carried a newborn and it was endowed with the essence! It enveloped the child. To Zhedah’s eyes, it was like a translucent tapestry of soft glowing threads, cradling the baby. In all of her lifetimes, Zhedah had never seen something so beautiful. In contrast, the darkness to her right held a large group of armed men on horseback. She sensed their intent. They wore armor bearing a crest Zhedah did not recognize. Their horses were not war horses, they were a smaller breed, built for speed, not battle.

Time resumed its pace and Zhedah dropped her powerful body to the ground between the rider and her pursuers. The crash was so heavy it shook the stone floor and her muscles protested under the sudden weight. She rocked back on her haunches and for the first time, spread her great wings. Water rolled down her scales and shed from her wings as she fanned them, drenching the ground below.

Fixing her gaze on the armed men she bellowed “You .. may .. not .. have .. her!” The sound of her voice shocked her. It had been so long since she had spoken and this body was still very new. Her first words felt strained in her throat. Hard to articulate.

Were the words right? Yes - yes they were right, but no matter, these men were not here to talk.

Many of the horses reared in fear, one throwing its rider. However, these men were well trained and they held good command over their beasts. They subdued their horses quickly, and one of the men rode in front of the group lifting his spear above his head.

“Run it through!” the man commanded, and he spurred his horse, leading the charge against Zhedah.

They must be fools. Have they never seen one of my kind before?

Dropping low to the ground, she lowered her head to meet the oncoming charge. Zhedah felt the Breath swell in her chest. She knew of this body’s Breath, she had seen it used by another water born in a previous life. Quite different from the fire of her last form. The water lance burst from her mouth in a tight powerful stream. Sweeping her head from side to side she watched as the blade of water sliced through stone, horse, and man. The first wave of men cried out and fell before her as she exhausted her breath. Through the warm mist of water and blood, Zhedah could see the second wave of spearmen charging. Pulling on essence from the stone mound behind her, she felt her scales harden just before the first wave of spears struck. They snapped against her armored skin like straw against stone. Arrows rained on her from above but bounced harmlessly to the ground. The thrill of battle engulfed her. It quickened her pulse and heightened her awareness. The feeling was incredible!

Pulling on more essence, Zhedah pounced on one of the riders with blurring speed. She swept her right wing to knock two more off their mounts. The tip of her tail sliced under two horses breaking their legs and flipping them onto their riders. Bones snapped in her powerful jaws and the salty warm taste of blood flooded her mouth. Zhedah spun and twisted in a flurry of motion, her attackers seemed nearly motionless as the essence fueled her speed. In the blink of an eye, all was still around her. She heard hooves fleeing in the distance and looked to see the rest of the group retreating over the hillside. Still filled with battle lust she swept her head to a subtle noise coming from the lake. A small rowboat floated there with an old man and a small child. They looked terrified.

No, they are no threat.

Releasing the essence back to the stone, she felt her skin soften, her heartbeat slow. The battle lust quenched and peace filled her. She turned to face the rider who had dismounted and was now walking from behind the mound. Looking at the young girl’s eyes, she could see tears and pain. This girl was hurt. Her cloak and leggings were stained with fresh blood. She lowered her head to meet the young human and whispered - “I will help you. You are safe now.”

With the baby swaddled tightly to her chest the young girl reached up and brushed Zhedah’s cheek with her hand.

“Thank you.”

The girl walked back to Zhedah’s shoulders and winced in pain as she crawled onto her back. Zhedah felt the girl’s feet tuck under the scales on her neck, and hug her tightly.

With one great flap of her wings and a powerful jump, she felt the ground drop away from them. Another flap gained purchase and carried them higher into the sky, the small rowboat now just a speck on the lake. This felt familiar. She remembered now that she loved flying. Once again the Ancient’s whispered to her and she felt her body pulled to the North. The choir of voices now with a peaceful tone making one more request of her - “Please bring them to us.”

Thank you for reading this short story. This one was an experiment to tell the same tale as The Awakening but from a different perspective, and exploring the "essence", the magic that powers this world. Let me know what you think in the comments.
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