The Silka
Chapter Fourteen
The dragons had gone on for three days, debating, thinking and finally deciding that most would decide as they wished. Those who stayed, by decision or out of responsibility would do so knowing it meant they'd be caught up in the war they all assumed was coming once the Star Lords breached the Rift.
All of the Siolastre dragons had chosen to stay. And, in a totally unexpected move, four dragons, one from each of the four warrior monk schools, had approached McGee and told him...told him...they were joining him on Ther'lin. Dinah had had an unimpeded view of his face as they did it and beyond him of the First Ones and the images were still occupying her mind as she walked into her quarters on Aaru. McGee had been shocked. The First Ones had looked almost as if...if what, she asked herself silently. As if it was something they were relieved about, she realized. Deeply relieved about.
She closed the door and leaned back for a moment, letting herself relax for the first time in days. When she opened her eyes it was to see Marc, lounging against the door to their bedroom, a smile on his face as he watched her. "Hi," she said softly, her answering smile an automatic one, curving her mouth into a welcoming shape that she gave to him alone.
"I'm thinking Tolkien must have known the dragons, what about you?" is what he said as he walked over to her and placed a hand gently against her cheek.
"Most likely," she said. "They have the same sense of the grand, sweeping epic."
"And deliberate as long as the Ents. I wish I knew what they were thinking."
"I wish I knew what you were thinking," she said.
"You can't tell through the bond?" he teased. "You don't know me well enough to guess?"
"Probably. But I'd rather hear you say it."
"You need to give serious time to looking at those memories that bastard Mac gave you, and I need to do some serious comparison of DNA."
"That bastard?" she echoed, stunned.
"You wanna call him something else, feel free. I'm still not happy he turned up in our bedroom."
"Marc, what's going on?" she asked. "What is it you're angry about?"
Marc sighed. "This is about the whole Heir thing. You're in the middle of it, and I don't like it. At least not without a choice."
She pressed herself against him, her arms around his neck. "We can always leave. Go back to the Refuge."
"You saying you'd do that?" he asked.
"If it's what you want," she said.
Marc eyed her skeptically. "All right. Let's check out the memories, I'll do the DNA checking and then, maybe, we'll go home."
"I want to check out the news and rumors at the Red Limit first," she said. "I want to know what the universe is saying about the dragons disappearing for close to a week. And if there's any other news."
"Sure. We can do that."
"And can you tell me what you're thinking about what's going on or should I take my clothes off and we can communicate on a totally different plane?"
"I'm not sure I can put it into words. It's worrying that all our dragons are staying, that tells me they know something we don't. It's worrying about the Silka and we still don't know how to help them. McGee and Zaf always worry me. What are you thinking?"
"I don't know yet," she said. "There's too much I don't know. But I feel like we're being driven, set up."
"Yeah, which is exactly why I want out."
"I'm not sure there's any exit left," she said. "I have this feeling that whatever this is, we're past the point of being able to walk away. But if it's what you want to do, I'm perfectly willing to try."
"There's always an exit, if you're determined to take it. I am. Are you?"
"If it's what you want," she said. "But why are you so determined to take it?"
"Let's just say I don't like the constraints I feel are closing in on us. I work better when I have lots of options. I don't think if we do what they want we'll have any options."
"We don't even know what they want. And I'm thinking it's time to ask them," Dinah siad.
"And you think they're gonna tell us now? They've had tons of opportunities to share. But sure, let's ask. One. More. Time."
===============
"So," Dinah said, when they were all gathered together. "What's going on?"
Kalie stopped watching Cola's babies play and turned to Dinah and Marc. "Going on?"
"Yes, sweetheart," Dinah said. "Why is it that there are now four dragons on Ther'lin. Why is it that none of you are leaving. Why is it that we were invited to your conclave? And what is so important to you about me being Mac's heir."
All the dragons stilled.
Marc cursed. "Jeezus, Kalie. If you want our help then you have to trust us to some point. Otherwise, we're going home to Earth and saying the hell with it."
Kalie gave vent to a dragon sort of sigh. "Do you tell us everything? And we still trust you."
"What secrets are we keeping from you?" Marc asked. "Cola knows what I know. She's never asked something I haven't answered. Well, except when I didn't know the answer myself."
"Including the prophecies?" Kalie asked.
Marc opened his mouth to respond then shut it. After nearly a minute he finally said, "I don't believe in prophecies, Kalie. I don't talk about them because they're nonsense. Someone's overactive imagination looking for connections that aren't there, or are at best imaginary."
"In this case," she said, her eyes glittering, "they're rather more than that."
"I'm all ears," Marc replied, sitting down and making himself comfortable, pulling Dinah down onto his lap. "If you have secrets that's fine. But explain to me what you think we can do for you, at least. Please."
"Why does it have to be that it's something we need you to do for us? We're staying because a war is coming that humans can not win alone. And retreating to Earth won't keep you out of it," Kalie said.
"And nothing we do can stop it?" Marc asked. "How do we know that?"
"Time is just another dimension, like all the others," Kalie said. "There is always a way to stop what's coming. The question is whether you're willing to pay the price."
"I see," he replied thoughtfully. "I once sacrificed everything for a cause. The difference was it was a cause I signed on for. This one I seem to have been dragooned into."
"Dragooned how?" Kalie asked.
"Dinah was given no choice with regard to being the heir. And now we're being manipulated into things. I'd be glad to help. But I want to understand what I'm helping with and why."
"And if I tell you will you believe me? Like you believe the prophecies?" Kalie asked. "Time is just another dimension and prophecy is just history told early. There is a war coming and we will fight it together. Otherwise we will all lose. You changed history once to save Earth from yourself. This time it's history that must be preserved. Can you not trust us just a little longer?"
Marc met her eyes. "I've always trusted you." He looked around. "All of you."
"We've always trusted you," Kalie said. "We always will. If it helps at all it is almost over."
"That's ominous," Marc muttered.
She snuffled her nose against his head gently. "It needn't be. We're here to watch your backs."
"You just watch this woman's back. If you promise to do that I will help you. With whatever is necessary."
"We'd do that anyway," Kalie said. "We owe you so much. And we love you."
"Then tell me what we need to do."
"Wait and remember how to fight to win, to win the first time so there is never a next time. Then, when the time comes, come to us."
Marc raised an eyebrow. "Is your middle name Tabitha?"
"No. When it's over don't hate us."
"I don't think I can," he replied. "No matter what."
"We love you," Dinah said.
"Doesn't mean we might not get mad at you," Marc warned with a frown. "Because I notice you didn't answer one damn question Dinah asked."
"We're staying because you'll need us and because we're part of this. The dragons on Ther'lin are there to protect McGee and Zaf who also have a part in this. You were invited so you could listen. The last," Kalie finished, "I can't answer. We knew only that she would come and that nothing would be more important than keeping her alive."
"Any more questions, since we've caught Kalie in a chatty mood?" Marc asked Dinah.
"I think maybe not," Dinah said.
All of the Siolastre dragons had chosen to stay. And, in a totally unexpected move, four dragons, one from each of the four warrior monk schools, had approached McGee and told him...told him...they were joining him on Ther'lin. Dinah had had an unimpeded view of his face as they did it and beyond him of the First Ones and the images were still occupying her mind as she walked into her quarters on Aaru. McGee had been shocked. The First Ones had looked almost as if...if what, she asked herself silently. As if it was something they were relieved about, she realized. Deeply relieved about.
She closed the door and leaned back for a moment, letting herself relax for the first time in days. When she opened her eyes it was to see Marc, lounging against the door to their bedroom, a smile on his face as he watched her. "Hi," she said softly, her answering smile an automatic one, curving her mouth into a welcoming shape that she gave to him alone.
"I'm thinking Tolkien must have known the dragons, what about you?" is what he said as he walked over to her and placed a hand gently against her cheek.
"Most likely," she said. "They have the same sense of the grand, sweeping epic."
"And deliberate as long as the Ents. I wish I knew what they were thinking."
"I wish I knew what you were thinking," she said.
"You can't tell through the bond?" he teased. "You don't know me well enough to guess?"
"Probably. But I'd rather hear you say it."
"You need to give serious time to looking at those memories that bastard Mac gave you, and I need to do some serious comparison of DNA."
"That bastard?" she echoed, stunned.
"You wanna call him something else, feel free. I'm still not happy he turned up in our bedroom."
"Marc, what's going on?" she asked. "What is it you're angry about?"
Marc sighed. "This is about the whole Heir thing. You're in the middle of it, and I don't like it. At least not without a choice."
She pressed herself against him, her arms around his neck. "We can always leave. Go back to the Refuge."
"You saying you'd do that?" he asked.
"If it's what you want," she said.
Marc eyed her skeptically. "All right. Let's check out the memories, I'll do the DNA checking and then, maybe, we'll go home."
"I want to check out the news and rumors at the Red Limit first," she said. "I want to know what the universe is saying about the dragons disappearing for close to a week. And if there's any other news."
"Sure. We can do that."
"And can you tell me what you're thinking about what's going on or should I take my clothes off and we can communicate on a totally different plane?"
"I'm not sure I can put it into words. It's worrying that all our dragons are staying, that tells me they know something we don't. It's worrying about the Silka and we still don't know how to help them. McGee and Zaf always worry me. What are you thinking?"
"I don't know yet," she said. "There's too much I don't know. But I feel like we're being driven, set up."
"Yeah, which is exactly why I want out."
"I'm not sure there's any exit left," she said. "I have this feeling that whatever this is, we're past the point of being able to walk away. But if it's what you want to do, I'm perfectly willing to try."
"There's always an exit, if you're determined to take it. I am. Are you?"
"If it's what you want," she said. "But why are you so determined to take it?"
"Let's just say I don't like the constraints I feel are closing in on us. I work better when I have lots of options. I don't think if we do what they want we'll have any options."
"We don't even know what they want. And I'm thinking it's time to ask them," Dinah siad.
"And you think they're gonna tell us now? They've had tons of opportunities to share. But sure, let's ask. One. More. Time."
===============
"So," Dinah said, when they were all gathered together. "What's going on?"
Kalie stopped watching Cola's babies play and turned to Dinah and Marc. "Going on?"
"Yes, sweetheart," Dinah said. "Why is it that there are now four dragons on Ther'lin. Why is it that none of you are leaving. Why is it that we were invited to your conclave? And what is so important to you about me being Mac's heir."
All the dragons stilled.
Marc cursed. "Jeezus, Kalie. If you want our help then you have to trust us to some point. Otherwise, we're going home to Earth and saying the hell with it."
Kalie gave vent to a dragon sort of sigh. "Do you tell us everything? And we still trust you."
"What secrets are we keeping from you?" Marc asked. "Cola knows what I know. She's never asked something I haven't answered. Well, except when I didn't know the answer myself."
"Including the prophecies?" Kalie asked.
Marc opened his mouth to respond then shut it. After nearly a minute he finally said, "I don't believe in prophecies, Kalie. I don't talk about them because they're nonsense. Someone's overactive imagination looking for connections that aren't there, or are at best imaginary."
"In this case," she said, her eyes glittering, "they're rather more than that."
"I'm all ears," Marc replied, sitting down and making himself comfortable, pulling Dinah down onto his lap. "If you have secrets that's fine. But explain to me what you think we can do for you, at least. Please."
"Why does it have to be that it's something we need you to do for us? We're staying because a war is coming that humans can not win alone. And retreating to Earth won't keep you out of it," Kalie said.
"And nothing we do can stop it?" Marc asked. "How do we know that?"
"Time is just another dimension, like all the others," Kalie said. "There is always a way to stop what's coming. The question is whether you're willing to pay the price."
"I see," he replied thoughtfully. "I once sacrificed everything for a cause. The difference was it was a cause I signed on for. This one I seem to have been dragooned into."
"Dragooned how?" Kalie asked.
"Dinah was given no choice with regard to being the heir. And now we're being manipulated into things. I'd be glad to help. But I want to understand what I'm helping with and why."
"And if I tell you will you believe me? Like you believe the prophecies?" Kalie asked. "Time is just another dimension and prophecy is just history told early. There is a war coming and we will fight it together. Otherwise we will all lose. You changed history once to save Earth from yourself. This time it's history that must be preserved. Can you not trust us just a little longer?"
Marc met her eyes. "I've always trusted you." He looked around. "All of you."
"We've always trusted you," Kalie said. "We always will. If it helps at all it is almost over."
"That's ominous," Marc muttered.
She snuffled her nose against his head gently. "It needn't be. We're here to watch your backs."
"You just watch this woman's back. If you promise to do that I will help you. With whatever is necessary."
"We'd do that anyway," Kalie said. "We owe you so much. And we love you."
"Then tell me what we need to do."
"Wait and remember how to fight to win, to win the first time so there is never a next time. Then, when the time comes, come to us."
Marc raised an eyebrow. "Is your middle name Tabitha?"
"No. When it's over don't hate us."
"I don't think I can," he replied. "No matter what."
"We love you," Dinah said.
"Doesn't mean we might not get mad at you," Marc warned with a frown. "Because I notice you didn't answer one damn question Dinah asked."
"We're staying because you'll need us and because we're part of this. The dragons on Ther'lin are there to protect McGee and Zaf who also have a part in this. You were invited so you could listen. The last," Kalie finished, "I can't answer. We knew only that she would come and that nothing would be more important than keeping her alive."
"Any more questions, since we've caught Kalie in a chatty mood?" Marc asked Dinah.
"I think maybe not," Dinah said.
