LET THERE BE DRAGONS (COMPLETED)

Chapter Fifty-Three: Mourning

When the wolves finally retreated and withdrew, the mangled, unrecognizable corpse of Took, lying limp and dead on the cold floor of the dark temple was revealed. It was a torture just to look at it, and it was not possible to even imagine the pain Took must have gone through before dying. Everyone averted their eyes. Everyone save Josh, who looked at his dragon-pet, unblinking, still as stone.

As Tiyasha took a few uncertain steps toward Josh, uncertain what she could do to console the kid, The Orb spoke again: "Your sacrifice is accepted. God is pleased. The Shadowblade is yours now."

Shivam dropped the Shadowblade from his hand. The sword fell to the stones with a splashing sound, and then turned to smoke again.

"I don't want this sword," Shivam said, as his armour made up of light and smoke dissolved.

"What?" Arthur said, moving towards the vague shape of a sword made of smoke, that was now lying on the floor.

"Took died for this, for me. I don't want this."

"There's no other way of defeating Blikrot..." Arthur muttered, bending down to touch the grip of the sword.

"Don't touch it," Tiyasha said sharply. She sat beside Josh, hugging him. Josh didn't return the hug.

"But Tiyasha, this is our only chance!" Arthur said, his baritone echoing in the chamber.

"Shivam will take it. He won it, not you!" Tiyasha said.

"I am much better trained in swords than Shivam," Arthur said, a spark of fury lighting up his eyes.

"Shivam is the People's Hope! Take it, Shivam," Tiyasha said firmly.

And reluctantly, Shivam snatched the sword again, making the armour appear again.

"I own this curse. I shall not disavow it. This sword will remind me always of my failure to save Took's life. And I accept the burden," Shivam said.

***

Returning from the Temple of Eclipse took a remarkably short time than going to it had taken. Or perhaps, it was the shock of losing Took that prevented Shivam and his friends from registering the journey back to the Glaciers, mounted on the back of the Winter Dragon.

Before long, they left the Glaciers behind, running with the wind, and reached a landscape sparsely populated by firs. There, they decided to call it a night, dropping to the soft grassy land with heavy hearts. The stars glinted sadly all across the vastness of the skies, and a stealthy breeze moved through the grass like a snake. Josh looked at them, silent. He had not spoken since Took's death, and that troubled Shivam.

Shivam would have sold his soul to the devil for a good sleep at that moment, but he forced himself to stand up, again. He had latched the Shadowblade on his back, the armour had straps at the shoulder for the purpose of carrying the sword.

"Today, we lost not only a dragon, nor someone who was just a friend, or a companion," Shivam said, standing. "We lost someone brutally honest: a rarity in these worlds of backstabbers and corrupt rulers. How do we realize who is ready to lay down his life for us, until he actually does it?" Tears started flowing freely down the cheeks of Shivan. "The answer is too cruel, too simple: We don't. By giving his life for us, Took achieved immortality not only in our minds, but in the Heavens, too...if there is a Heaven somewhere," Shivam said, and took a shuddering breath.

"That...that was beautifully said, Shivam," Tiyasha whispered.

Shivam went to Josh and hugged him, again. "Cry, Josh. Cry. Took deserves it. You deserve it. The cleansing of tears. I am sorry, Josh. I am sorry for all of this..." Shivam whispered in the ears of Josh. Josh neither responded, nor showed any sign of having heard Shivam.

"He's gone into shock...it's a bad sign," Arthur said, voice worried.

"Wh..what?" Tiyasha said, crying silently.

"It's the shock of witnessing a violent death...happens to soldiers at times," Arthur said, eager to explain the thing to Tiyasha.

"Will he get over it?" Shivam asked.

"He will...if his brain allows him to cry and pour the grief. It's what you said it is...tears cleanse our souls," Arthur said.

"Josh doesn't need a cleansing, he never did anything wrong in his life. But I hope he'll allow tears to cleanse him out of this stupor," Shivam said. The breeze picked up strength, rustling through the grass, bringing with it a melancholy scent of unknown, wild flowers.

Time passed, and as the hues of the night deepened across the land and the shadows of the firs stretched and touched the sky, Josh started crying. His mourning could have been heard from afar, for it was the mourning of a father who has lost his favourite son, or that of a young girl who loses her groom on the wedding night. The starlight flinched from his sobs, and the crickets and fireflies didn't fly or sing that night.

We do not know whether Josh's sobs that night reached the God of Darkness, but if it did, it must have shaken his very throne.

***

In the Glaciers, Blikrot and Bakrasur stood amidst the Shrine for the Winter Dragon. A shrine no one visited, a shrine nontheless. Blikrot still held his sword in a threatening position, as if he intended to crush the shrine and scatter it on the snows.

"Do not do it, please, if you destroy the Shrine I will cease to be...it'll be a long time until winter comes again..." The Winter Dragon pleaded, hovering above them.

"Will you take us to the Temple of Eclipse or not?" Blikrot said.

"It won't do you any good for the Shadowblade..." the Dragon tried to explain.

"Will you take us to the Temple of Eclipse or not?" Blikrot repeated, the cape made up of Miracloth fluttering behind him. The foolish woman back in the Weaver's Residence had been adamant about not giving them the Miracloth. Only when Blikrot threatened to kill her little daughter did she yield to their desires.

Of course, Blikrot had intended to kill the daughter anyway. He had no patience for those who dared to oppose his wishes. But for some reason, he had failed. He had raised his sword, intending to slit the child's throat, and something had stopped him.

The memory of his sister.

Weakness, weakness. He couldn't let emotions take command of his decisions.

He swung the sword, and the Dragon shrieked.

"Alright! I'll take you to the Temple of Eclipse!" The might Winter Dragon said.

Blikrot smiled. Everything was power.