LET THERE BE DRAGONS (COMPLETED)

Chapter Forty-Nine: Miracloth

The embers in the fireplace were slowly fading. The fingers of a thin smoke spread across Sabrina's living room.

Sabrina, the Weaver, Sylvia's mother, who had granted shelter to Shivam and his companions.

Now most of them slept: Sylvia on her mother's lap, Josh on a chair, Arthur on a sofa, and Tiyasha on another chair. Took slept too, at Josh's feet, growling slightly in his sleep. The night was about to pass, and they would have to leave in the dawn. Time was running out.

Shivam wrapped the blanket made of Miracloth around himself more tightly. The Weavers specialized in making these clothes that refuted any kind of harsh weather--be it hot or cold. Shivam looked at Sabrina, and saw that she was not sleeping. She was looking at the ceiling, as if the patterns of dust on it interested her greatly.

Shivam opened his mouth, hesitated, closed it again. Then he decided he had to know, he had to understand. He had already told the story of his life to Sabrina, he had said how frightening the prospect of being the "People's Hope" was for him. That didn't necessarily entitle him to prude into Sabrina's life, but still. He felt that he had to know, and the question spat out of his mouth: "What happened to your husband?"

Sabrina didn't reply. She didn't even show any sign of having heard Shivam. She kept staring at the ceiling, not blinking, nor flinching. Shivam was about to ask the question again, when she finally spoke.

"My husband was the greatest Weaver in Weaver's Residence. He was also the most modest man Heart has ever known. Whenever someone asked him what he did, he replied that he "tried" to weave Miracloth. He used the word "tried" even though everyone acknowledged that he was the best at it.

From Warriors to Sailors, everyone bought his handiwork. He was respected all across Heart.

One night, a group of Infernos came to our home. They took the best of the Miracloth woven by him, but refused to pay. It led to an argument...and then to a fight. Five against one, he didn't stand a chance. So they broke his fingers, making sure he would never weave a Miracloth again. Then they left, laughing and cracking jokes.

After a few days, my husband left our home, saying he would go to Blikrot's castle, to make a complain, to demand justice. He didn't come back."

Silence pressed Shivam from all sides, and the words of Sabrina echoed in his mind. Failing to cope with the severity of the silence, he said, "But that means...maybe he is..."

"Still living?" Sabrina's voice didn't show any trace of emotion. "Oh no, no. I hope to God that he is dead. That would be better."

Fearing that predatory silence again, Shivam spoke again, just to keep the conversation going. "Why do they do it, Sabrina? Why are all the Infernos so cruel, and so destructive? What do they hope to achieve by it?"

Sabrina finally shifted her haunted vision from the ceiling and looked at Shivam. "Once you begin to believe that you're invincible, you begin to inflict pain on those who are not invincible. For what is the point of invincibility, if you cannot crush the ants beneath your boots? Cruelty is far more easier than morality, Shivam. Cruelty lies at the centre of all worlds. And only the weak can fight it...only those who don't want to fight, must fight it.

One of the reasons why you of all people are the chosen one, Shivam. For what chance do you have against the great Blikrot and his unending army of Infernos? How can you even hope to fight the most skilled warrior of all times, who slays dragons and rides the skies?

None. Amd that is why you might win. And that is why you must win.

You know about Seamstresses, Shivam. You know there are worlds. And this journey of yours will determine the future of all worlds...not just of Heart."

Silence fell again between them as Sabrina concluded what she had to say. And this time, Shivam didn't break it.

***

Wearing grey cloaks made of Miracloth, our adventurers struggled through the snows, surrounded by mountains on all sides, the Glaciers towering above them.

The cloaks made the cold tolerable, but it still froze their blood. The snows seemed to blizzard around them, crashing down on the grey earth. Visibility was low, breathing was difficult, and the shrieking wind made conversation almost impossible.

"How much farther do we have to walk?" Josh shouted, even though he was walking just beside Shivam. Took walked behind him, also wearing a tiny grey cloak around his reptilian body.

"We do not know exactly where we are going," Shivam admitted, making Josh groan.

Suddenly, Tiyasha gripped Shivam's shoulder from behind.

"What?" Shivam asked.

"The...the...mountain ahead is...it's moving!" Tiyasha shouted.

Shivam looked ahead. Indeed, the mountain that waa miles ahead of them seemed to be shifting!

"It's an avalanche," Arthur said.

"No," Took growled. "It's the Winter Dragon."

And indeed, wings formed from the moving mass of snow ahead of them. An unearthly roar slashed through the sound of the wind. And then the snowfall stopped abruptly, and the cold receded.

The Guardian of Winter was here, and he had come for Shivam.