SWNOVELS Chapter 4: Lisandra
“My name is Lisandersterna Forbrandermedlis, you can call me Lisandra. I am the askaldenfirst, daughter of the Firsts!” the true Lisandra said.
“And I am Aelarnal Ilfelkeer DelRaddik,” said the king of arqilun, “ruler of the glorious and prosperous Eileenelia, your askaldenmajesty.”
“No need to make up a polite address, Your Majesty,” Lisandra said calmly. “I know that the arqilunians revered dragons more than anyone else in Ermir, but knowledge is not eternal, and some names are replaced by others, as some stars begin to shine, while others fade away. Truth is giving way to lies. And the truth is hidden in the fragments, which no one can put together. You do not need to know who I am, what my past is and what the truth is, because the past is forgotten, and the truth is distorted, lost in time, it simply disappears. Askaldenfirsts! As I said, we are the daughters of the Firsts! But it’s not important now, because the most important thing is to stop my children, the dragons!”
“Yes, your children. Frestavisdalor has already shared with us the knowledge of your role and participation in the formation of the dragon race,” the king formulated the thought, - we do not need to know more, you are right. And yes, we need your help, together with the renegade dragons, whom we have pardoned for unimaginable destruction and murders…”
“Don’t try, Your Majesty,” Lisandra interrupted him, “to bargain for a better deal.” She smiled. “We’d better focus on the main problem,” Silenta’s beam touched Lisandra’s scar and disappeared into the trees, “we need to find as many askaldenfirsts as possible. And all of them are outside the Wall of Ghosts, known to you as the Belt of Twilight. But beware of false askaldenfirsts, they are called falsalvgudinas. They look like us, the daughters of the Firsts, and may take other forms. Arqilunians can fly to the Belt of Twilight on argiphones and dragons, which you have called renegades. And then you will have to overcome the mountains on foot.”
“Dear Lisandra, is there any other way to persuade your... dragon relatives who want to burn Ermir, that it is not necessary and we are ready to allocate airspace for flights and hunting grounds to live in peace and prosperity?” the king smiled.
“They are waiting for something on the Larmar Islands, but I cannot understand what they are waiting for,” Lisandra replied. “I sense the presence of dragons, I think there are seventy-two of them, awakened. Four renegades are here with us, for a total of sixty-eight dragons are waiting for something, and then they can attack Ermir, and bring fire, death and ash. I alone will not be able to convince them to retreat; the mothers of many of them are needed and needed now. Falsalvgudina will violently turn the dragons against me, using lies and manipulation. Dragons are highly intelligent, but they can also make mistakes, especially when they worship a false mother. I had to kill one of my sister’s son, and my scars will be an eternal reminder of that. Only the daughters of the Firsts, mothers of dragons, are the only ones capable to stop the war.”
“Well,” the king agreed, “how many search teams would you suggest?”
“I suggest forming ten teams of five or six arqilunians each, so that Your Majesty may prepare for war,” Lisandra replied.
“You surprise me! I thought that at least ten thousand warriors would be needed. The Belt of Twilight is a place of mystery and tragedy, I can’t even imagine how fifty or sixty forest elves will survive in the cold and dark mountains, especially when they are scattered and divided into small groups.”
“As Your Majesty will command, but I have made a decision based on your concern. Dragons can indeed attack Eileenelia while we look for the daughters of the Firsts…” She hesitated. “Oh, no! I can feel them! Something is happening. They seem to have left the Larmar Islands.” Lisandra turned to the dragons who were listening and not interrupting her while she spoke to the king. “Erbalartalanjir, Delmirbirznaaks, Frestavisdalor, Beniktomonis, the time has come to meet your brothers!”
And Lisandra, quickly boarding her little snow argiphone, took off first, the four dragons following her. They flew over Eileenelia, and Silenta falling over the horizon, throwing its last rays at the flying little white argiphone and the dragons.