LET THERE BE DRAGONS (COMPLETED)

Chapter Forty-Two: The ReRaising Ritual

The moon was shining with a maddening red light.

Clouds were gathereing in the corner of the sky, still faraway, but with definite promises of souldrenching rain late into the night.

The pentagram of blood was drawn, the blood-dried hearts of animals placed around it. The body of Shivam was lying in the centre of the pentagram.

Tiyasha and John sat opposite to each other. Arthur and Bell were also there, sitting quietly, apprehending what was to follow. Took had been instructed to fly above them, in circles, high in the air. He was doing so, without complaint.

John looked up at the moon. Its edge seemed to be blackening.

"Tiyasha. Has it begun?"

Tiyasha looked at the moon too. Yes, it was definitely eclipsing. She nodded. Thunder boomed, its magnitude muffled by distance. Somewhere nearby a strange bird called.

"TOOK!" Tiyasha shouted. Took dived from his position up in the air and landed on Tiyasha's lap. "I'm sorry for this, Took," Tiyasha said, and cut him with a knife. Took started bleeding profusely. He yelped in pain, but soon got his dragon-self under control.

"Go and shed it on Shivam, Dragon," John said. Took flew to Shivam, perched on his chest, shedding his purple blood on his body.

***

The Imoogi jerked its body in surprise, below the surface of the deepeset ocean of Heart. As it did so, fountains of cold water shot up into the air from different places of the ocean, and fell again. Water dragons of different colours, shapes and sizes circled the area, some screeching, some howling their heart out.

The Imoogi rose. Water catapulted down its enormous wings, miniature waterfalls. The dragon jerked its head this was and that, as if it was caught by invisible ropes.

Who was calling it? Who would dare to?

***

"Your turn, lady. May your love be right and your heart be dark," John said.

Tiyasha stood up, knife in hand, and walked to the centre of the pentagram where Shivam's body was lying, soaked in blood. As she cut her left forearm open, she remembered the Summoning of Took. She had taken a sharp stone and cut herself, to offer her blood as a drink to the dragon to be summoned. Shivam had been beside her then, strong and firm. Alive.

Rivulets of her blood soaked Shivam's body further. John began uttering the dark incantations of the ReRaising Ritual, and Arthur and Bell followed suit. As John spoke, he slapped himself as hard as he could, thrashed his chest with his hands and then threw them up in the air, looking at the eclipsing moon. The strange sound of a birdcall echoed around them again.

Tiyasha turned, and began walking back to her earlier position on one side of the blood pentagram.

And she thought she heard Shivam's voice from her behind.

"Don't," it said.

***

Tension burned the scales of the Imoogi. It screeched, its entire body seemingly lit with green fire. Involuntarily, it threw a green jet of flames from its mouth, and it narrowly missed one of the other dragons.

The water dragons fled from the Imoogi, scared and confused, uncomprehending the reason of its pain and rage.

What was happening? Why wasn't the Imoogi in control of itself? The water dragons wondered and feared.

***

The Ritual was done. Shivam's body was absolutely still in the centre of the Pentagram.

Arthur looked at Tiyasha, who was looking at the floor of the rooftop. Had they failed?

"Nobis quae offeramus simplicitate cordis..." a voice spoke amidst them.

Tiyasha jerked her head up. It was Shivam's voice. "Did you...?" Bell asked. Tiyasha gestured him to stop. "What does it mean?" Arthur asked.

"That we may sacrifice with the simplicity of Heart..." Tiyasha muttered. It was the incantation to summon a dragon.

"Si tibi videtur. Draco , surge."

"To make us able, dragon, rise," Tiyasha muttered.

It was definitely Shivam. He was alive! Tiyasha ran to him, thinking why he was uttering the incantation intended for summoning a dragon and how did he learn it.

Tiyasha fell to her knees beside Shivam, who was staring blankly at the reemerging moon.

"Shivam! You alright?" Tiyasha asked with a shaken voice.

Shivam turned his head towards her.

"Who are you?" he said.

***

Thousands of miles apart, the Imoogi crashed into the dark ocean. It felt weak, crumbled. It felt as if it had to go to somewhere, but had failed.

Once again, the Imoogi fell asleep.