LET THERE BE DRAGONS (COMPLETED)

Chapter Sixteen: The Summoning

One of the Infernos' greyhounds locked eyes with Shivam.

None of the Infernos had noticed them yet for they were still hidden behind the pines, but they didn't have much time. They had to escape quickly. But where? With so many greyhounds the Infernos would easily track them down.

They needed some different plan, an alternative way out.

Before the greyhound which had seen Shivam crouching behind a tree could bark or run or draw the attention of its master in any other manner, Shivam controlled its mind.

"Take your master away from this spot. As far away as possible," Shivam spoke to it with the telepathic ability that he had. Immediately, the greyhound began tugging at its leash with force, making it obvious that it wanted to run in the opposite direction.

"Looks like this dog has sensed something," the Inferno holding its leash shouted, and ran away with it. But the other Infernos still remained behind.

Shivam closed his eyes and focused. He had to reach out to the other hounds all at once. And he had to do it as fast as possible.

"If you dogs don't want to become my dragon's food, take your masters away from this spot! And never come back!" Shivam commanded the hounds with his thoughts. He did this with conviction--for a moment there he actually believed he could summon a dragon if he wanted to.

His commanding had the desired effect. The greyhounds tugged at their leashes impatiently, and soon they were gone, along with their masters. Little did the Infernos know how their pets had been manipulated by their enemy.

Shivam and his friends heaved sighs of relief. Tiyasha dropped down on the ground and asked Shivam: "How did you do it?"

"Well...I am Raiser, amn't I?" Shivam said.

"What do we do now?" Josh asked. "Do we make a run for it?"

"No, I don't think there's any point in running now. They'll be looking everywhere but here, I think. They have already checked our shack--"

"Our cottage," Josh corrected.

"Yeah, whatever, they have already checked this place and the chance of their coming back is very slim," Shivam said. "And if they do come back, Tiyasha can just turn them into stone..."

"It's not that easy!" Tiyasha snapped. "Execuing the WRATH OF MEDUSA is very difficult and time consuming. A lot of pent up rage is needed to execute it."

"It's okay, Tiyasha. They won't come back here," Shivam said.

"Hmm, I think so too. So, a Raiser, huh? Your abilites are remarkable," Tiyasha said.

"Yeah, he's fucking awesome, isn't he!" Josh exclaimed in his wheezing voice.

"Don't use that word, Josh," Tiyasha scolded.

"Sorry," Josh mumbled shamefully. Shivam hoped he would be able to check his tongue in front of Tiyasha. He didn't want to offend her in any way.

"So...if you are a Raiser and I am a Witch..." Tiyasha said, thoughtful.

"We should get married?" Shivam offered, his expression comical.

"Don't let your dragon girlfriend hear that. I don't want to be eaten alive. Anyway, as I was saying, if you are a Raiser and I am a witch, maybe there's a slim chance that we could be able to summon a dragon," Tiyasha said.

"But..but...dragons are frightening! Don't do it, Tiyasha," Josh said in a panicked voice.

"A dragon never harms anyone without a reason. Or at least that's what I have heard. We gotto try. Shivam tried to save my life and more importantly, my pride last night...I will help him," Tiyasha said, decided.

"Fine. Let's do this," Shivam said, his stomach doing funny summersaults. The prospect of seeing another dragon wasn't all that appealing. Looking at a special effects dragon on a movie screen was another thing; they seemed to be charming, even. But when all of a sudden your girlfriend turned into one...you began to fear them then, weighed down by an apprehension of all the terrific secrets the universe held.

"We can't do it now. I'm a witch...my powers are sharpest in the night. We have to wait."

"I am so not sure about this..." Josh worried.

"Don't worry, Josh. If the dragon is pissed off, we will offer it all your share of the bar-be-qued fish," Shivam said, and rolled his tongue out. Josh made as if to grab his throat, then laughed.

"Speaking of offerings, we better start getting ready. We will need to make a bowl and a small glass--we can use the mud from the river's shore for that. We will need small pebbles to make a fairly large triangle--well, usually a pentagram is formed but since we are only three people, a triangle will have to do. We will need meat and a drink. For meat we have got fish, but for drink...I'll think about that later," Tiyasha said. "What you guys are waiting for? Come on let's get to work!"

So they began working--Josh and Shivam began collecting pebbles for the triangle, while Tiyasha went to collect mud for the bowl and glass, claiming she was good at it. After working for some time they ate the fish they had caught earlier, not talking much, each of them anxious about what they were about to do.

After eating they went back to work again. When Shivam and Josh had collected enough pebbles, Josh went to catch some more fish for offering to the dragon. Tiyasha eventually finished working on the bowl and the glass--the bowl looked like a bowl, and the glass looked like a bowl, too.

"Ooooh," Shivam teased, "You really are an expert of crafting glasses out of mud, I'll tell you that!" Tiyasha chucked some loose mud at him, and it smacked right across his face. "Ug," he said.

"Shut up," Tiyasha advised.

By the time moonlight began rippling on the river, they were tired, but ready. The triangle had been formed, the fish had been placed on the bowl in its centre. But the glass (or the other bowl, in reality,) was still empty.

"What about the drink?" Josh asked.

With a sharp pebble in her hand, Tiyasha walked to the glass, and slashed her forearm open. A fair amount of her blood collected on the glass.

"Blood?" Josh said, disgusted. "What if the dragon develops a liking for it?"

"Well, don't tell me you have red wine in that shack of yours," Tiyasha said, chewing a healium leaf.

"Couldn't we have offered water? Does it hurt?" Shivam asked.

"Oops. Why didn't I think of that," Tiyasha said, and dumbly looked down at her hand.

"Anyways. Let's begin this," Shivam said, nervous, but willing to go on with what they had started.

So the trio sat themselves at each end of the triangle, and Tiyasha began chanting a surreal incantation, slowly so that Josh and Shivam could hear and repeat it.

None of them could have guessed what happened next.

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Try and guess what happens next!

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