Otherworld 3: Tala
Chapter 16 - The Awakening
"Why haven't you awaken him already?" One of the brothers asked the sorceress.
"It took me many months to find the Dragon. There are many paths into the mountain and all but one are dead ends. And I will not awake a sleeping Dragon until I am sure that I can control him. There are spells and powers that I can use, similar to the spell that Jodah had over the Black Dragon Rhu, but these take time to prepare. And there are many factors to consider. Each part of the spell can only be done on the night of certain phases of the moon, so a spell this complex can takes months of preparation," Jaal patiently explained.
"How much more time before the spell is complete?"
"I have almost completed the spells and I can awaken the Dragon on the next full moon, in two weeks time, if I can find the one thing that I am missing -- I need the Dragon's full name. I have gathered all the scrolls and books that I could find about the Great Dragons looking for the Blue Dragon's name. It must start with "Byakko," the name of this land, for Byakko means Blue Dragon. The ancient peoples who named this country must have known there was a Blue Dragon under it, and they must have written down his name in their histories; we just need to find it. You two can help me look for it."
"And if we can't find it?"
"Then I will not awaken him. It is too dangerous."
"How come Kyo woke without a spell? He is not causing any one harm."
"It was his time to wake and he did it on his own. There is a great difference between a Dragon coming awake and being awoken."
Letting the sleeping Dragon lie, they returned to the Black Tower and went down a short flight of stairs; not the dangerous ones in the center of the Tower, but ones along the side walls which had been hidden from their sight by the dark. The next level was a huge room filled with musty tomes and ancient scrolls. Roll after roll and book after book filled the entire room. Both brothers sighed in unison.
"I have gone through those over there," Jaal said, pointed to the left wall and the jumble of papers piled from floor to ceiling. "We need to go through these." This time she indicated a huge pile of books on their right. "You don't have to read each word -- just skim each page to see if it speaks of the Dragons. Unfortunately looking for the word "Byakko" won't help since that refers to the country itself."
For many days and nights, the trio poured through the books, some with pages so brittle with age that they were almost impossible to open. Food was minimal and eaten only when absolutely necessary. The brothers found that there was a small kitchen in the lower level, with a store of vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and the like. The cold climate had preserved them, although not in a very fresh state. There was a little salt pork and their main staple was a stew of vegetables flavored with salt pork, which filled the stomach and did little else. There was a stream of clear water in the cavern near the sleeping dragon and a quite a few bottles of wine. But they drank those sparingly; not wanting to take the chance of missing that one vital name because of a foggy brain.
Ten days passed and still no name. If they missed the full moon, they would have no choice but to wait another month for the next one. Tala 1 was buried in a boring book about an ancient clan that had once lived at the root of the mountains. His head was sinking lower and lower as the tedious tome was putting him to sleep. He kept reading the same page over and over, none of the words sinking in.
"And the elder of the tribe named his son Maru after the Great Dragon that slept under the mountain, Byakkogeromaru."
Suddenly, he came wide-awake -- there it was!!!! The dragon's name! "I found it!!!"
Jaal and his brother rushed to his side to look over his shoulder. It was the name they were looking for. Four nights from now, Jaal would finish her spell and wake the Blue Dragon.
On the fourth night, Jaal stood at the door leading to the cavern, wearing a long, voluminous black robe. "I must do this alone," she said to the brothers.
"But we want to be there when the Dragon wakes up."
She turned to them, her eyes fierce, "Don't you understand? One part of the spell will wake him but the second part, the most important part, will enslave him to me, just like the Black Dragon Rhu was enslaved to my father. I must be alone for this part of the spell to work. If it doesn't work perfectly, then we will face a very angry, deadly Dragon, and none of us will survive that encounter."
Jaal went through the door of the Black Tower, locking it behind her. As she walked down the passage to the cavern where the Blue Dragon lie sleeping, she chanted the words to the Waking Spell softly, her hands making the corresponding signs in the air. The long dolman sleeves of her black robe swung with the movement of her hands. As she neared the Dragon, her voice grew louder, until she was nearly shouting. Jaal stopped abruptly and stood silent, watching the sleeping Dragon carefully.
After a few moments, the very tip of a blue tail twitched and then a claw scraped across the rock. Slowly, dragging himself up through centuries of sleep, the Great Dragon began to awake. Two huge dark blue wings stretched for the first time in a thousand years and cramped muscles came alive. Two large eyes opened and the Dragon looked directly at the tiny figure robed in black who stood only a few feet in front of him. A fire began to burn in those golden eyes and when he lifted his head, wisps of smoke escaped from his nostrils.
Jaal began to softly chant the second spell and the Dragon's massive head began to sway like a cobra's head before its strike. He exhaled noisily, never taking his eyes off of the sorceress.
She slowly removed the robe revealing a voluptuous nude body covered with a complex drawing of a dragon and many other runes and symbols. Silver adornments and pearls had been fastened to her body with tree sap; their purpose to draw his eye to her body and the spells painted on it. She had spent many hours drawing those paintings on herself with the use of mirrors and paints mixed with her own blood and more private fluids.
For nearly an hour she chanted, and the Dragon never stopped his swaying head nor did he take his eyes off of her. Finally the Dragon's form blurred and he changed into his human form. In place of the huge Blue Dragon that had filled the cavern was a tall blond man with deep blue eyes. His nude body was fair and his yellow hair reached a little past his shoulders. He smiled at the beauty of her body and then he used his power to mesmerize her.
That was what she had been waiting for. Jaal's spell was designed to turn his own power against him and the Dragon was enchanted instead of her. She moved to him and around him, still chanting, touching him as she circled, moving her hands over him. She lightly touched his arms, his shoulders, then slid her hands over his back and over his chest. Her hands went lower on the third turn, touching his rear, his hips, and his sex. His eyes followed her, just beginning to glaze. Each touch, each caress deepened the spell she was weaving, and soon a tiny whimper escaped his lips.
"You are mine," she said, speaking to him for the first time in the long night, "My name is Jaal. Do you understand?"
The Dragon nodded, unable to tear his eyes from her. He reached for her body, aching for her touch. He would ache for her the rest of her life or until the spell broke. If it ever did break, her death would not be kind. The Dragon would never forgive her for enslaving him.
Jaal moved out of his reach and picked up her robe, covering herself once again. He gave a little moan of despair. "What do you wish to be called?"
"Bya." came his tortured whisper.
"Very well, Bya. Follow me. We have much to do and far places to travel to."
After leading Bya through the mountain passage, Jaal opened the locked door to the Black Tower and walked out with the Dragon in his human form behind her. The Tala's jumped to their feet.
"Brothers, meet Bya, the Blue Dragon."