The Truth

(Part 87 of Eternity’s Eclipse)
(Book 5 of the Fantasian Series)

“You fought with the Blooded One, did you not?”

Gorgon tilted his head slightly. Beneath the blindfold, Sterling could tell he was glancing Crystal’s way. But the blue dragon gave him no direction one way or another. She couldn’t – not without the knight catching on. The gray dragon was on his own.

The blinded dragon gave a dismissive sort of shrug. Seeing no harm in the truth, he turned back to Sterling and answered evenly.

“I did.”

“Where?”

Gorgon stopped. He turned back to Crystal. She seemed ready to crawl out of her scales and slither into a whole somewhere. There was fear in her poise. But there was nothing she could say or do to influence the conversation.

That left the smaller dragon with a dangerous choice: did he refuse to answer and leave things up to the human’s imagination, or did he give Sterling the truth? Lying wasn’t an option. Over the indecisive seconds the knight could tell each time Gorgon considered it, the strain of fabrication playing out over his face and body.

“In… a small village several dozen miles south of the mountain. A human settlement nestled by a lake on the tundra.” He said at length. The words came out as a huff – a defeated sigh.

“Are you the only one here to have encountered the elf?”

“No. Several of the smaller dragons have run into him. Even Talon was said to have crossed paths with him a few weeks back.”

“But he let you live?”

“He didn’t have a choice.”

“Explain.”

It was an open-ended question. That could prove dangerous, letting Gorgon pick and choose the details he deemed “important” enough to share. But it was almost a sort of magic that wound its way through the dragon’s psyche. He seemed compelled not just to share the facts: he was driven to share exactly what the questioner wanted to know.

“The Blooded One is a monster.” Gorgon explained. “He… takes the darkness inside a dragon and uses the power against them.”

“How?”

Gorgon opened his mouth, but quickly closed it again. He stammered for a few moments in a vain attempt to explain. Ultimately unsuccessful, Sterling withdrew the question and urged his informant to continue.

“Most dragons are beaten terribly. They flee from him.”

“But they always escape?”

“There have been no casualties yet.” Gorgon admitted. “But there have also been no victories. Technically.”

“So you ran from him too?”

“No. We ended our… disagreement in a draw. We parted ways and chose to leave each other be.”

“Tell me about your disagreement. Why did he attack you?”

“I…”

Gorgon stopped. Every fiber of his being seemed to fight the inner urge to tell the truth. He looked helplessly to Crystal, who offered him nothing. He turned to each of the chamber’s other occupants in turn, his expression asking – pleading – for them to help. Then he came full circle, and found himself turned back to Sterling.

“I… don’t want to talk about that.”

It seemed to take all of his collective will to deny Sterling the information. But his resolve was weak and weakening further. The truth was water behind Gorgon’s dam of resolve – and that dam was ready to break.

“Answer the question.” Sterling ordered. “Why did Steven attack you?”

“He was protecting the people of the village.”

“From?”

“Me…”

“And what,” the knight asked, temper rising “would you have done to the people in the village?”

“The same thing any other dragon would.” Gorgon sighed, shoulders slumped. He averted his covered eyes, not letting them draw anywhere near Crystal.

“That being?”

“I would have eaten them.”

Sterling collected himself. He had more questions – questions he needed answered. Only then would he allow his rage to break.

“All the other Renegades eat humans?”

“No. Rose has refused to partake. So has Talon. In the time she has been here, Eve also hasn’t eaten humans.”

“But Crystal…”

“… And the Vipers, and Razor, and the smaller dragons have. Yes.”

“So you lied to me?” Sterling demanded, rounding on Crystal.

“I don’t…”

“Not you.” The human snapped at Gorgon. “I’m finished with you.

“But with you? The person I thought was one of my oldest friends? I’m just getting started.”

“You threaten me? Tell me you’ll never forgive me? Then you expect a confession!?” the blue dragon asked incredulously.

“Don’t turn this on me. This isn’t about me. This is about you – you and the hundreds of people you murdered.”

“You make it sound so bad…”

“It is!” he shouted, his voice violently ricocheting off the stone walls. “You founded an entire dragon society in opposition to the Dragon Council. You split your race in half at the exact moment you most needed to be together. And the premise – the foundation – for your rule is that it should be fine to kill my kind?”

She had nothing to say to that. It was just fine: Sterling was far from finished himself.

“How do you think that makes me feel?” he demanded. “How do you think it makes me feel to know that I’m nothing more than food to you? That every man, woman, and child I’ve ever known is nothing more than a meal or two?”

“You aren’t!” Crystal insisted. “And you know good and well I wouldn’t target anyone you cared about – not intentionally…”

“What makes me so different?”

“You’re… Sterling.” She shrugged.

“And you don’t think the people you’re slaughtering have names?” he asked, gesturing angrily towards the mouth of the cave. “You don’t think that the people living in those villages have identities? That they don’t have personalities, or dreams, or aspirations? It isn’t like the humans you know are the only ones that are actual living, sentient creatures. The others are people too, not just some walking temptation to gorge yourself.”

A thought struck him. He paused, reflecting on all that had been said. His mind turned first to the conversation with Steven, then with Gorgon, and finally back to his previous statement.

“It was rigged!”

“I’m… sorry?”

“The hunts – the competitions.” He elaborated, his fury intensifying. “You set them up so that Rose would win! She doesn’t eat people. But you thought if you presented me as some kind of prize that you could… what… give her a taste for human flesh?”

“Of course your safety was taken into account…”

“This isn’t about me!” he fumed. “Though believe me, it hurts even more to know you were using me to kill more people. I can’t believe you would do something like this…”

“We can… change?”

“You’ll say anything to get what you want! You want to kill whenever, whoever, wherever you want, all the while with me being alright with that.”

“Is that so much to ask?”

“Too much. Far, far too much.”

He strode to the cave’s opening and stepped out into the snow. He could see little more than a foot or two in front of him. It was like a white veil had dropped out of the clouds, capable of hiding anyone or anything that crossed beyond its threshold. Sterling welcomed it. He wanted no company. He needed no one – no one but himself. It seemed he was the only one beyond deceit.

“So much makes sense.” He said, so furious he was on the cusp of laughter. “You force Eve to watch me while you take hunting parties to human settlements. You keep me away from anyone who knew too much – even Razor and the Vipers, since they were in on it the whole time. You use me to try to… convert other man-eaters to bolster your regime! And the icing on the cake: this whole time you’ve been serving a goddess that has already tried to have me gruesomely killed at least once!”

“You’re angry now.” Crystal argued. “But just stay here for a few months and everything will seem normal. You’ll get used to it.”

“Stay?” he asked incredulously. “You lied to me. You broke your word – broke my trust. I made you a promise that I’d stay in your territory if you gave me back my wings. But that doesn’t mean I have to stay with you. You make me sick. I wouldn’t be caught a mile from this horrible place.”

“Don’t go out in that!” she exclaimed. “It’s a blizzard! Stay, we’ll talk things over…”

Sterling stepped out into the snow and disappeared. From somewhere amid the blanket of sleet and ice the sound of wings unfurling could be heard, followed by the steady beats of the knight’s retreat.

He was gone. Rightfully so. He’d learned the truth.