The Spirit of Jade (2)

The jade dragon named Jade was sound asleep with her tail tucked under her ginormous and beefy hind legs. She sure changed a lot from the last week Clara had seen her. Now, her size grew, reaching half the height of the dimly lit cave. Within the short span of days, her wings became more majestic and defined. Her horns elongated to a full meter, as well as the limbs, neck, and tail. Those beautiful dragon scales embossing her body was more like an enchanting decoration that gleamed like a magnificent green gemstone—an imperial jade.

Startled by Jade’s sudden shift in movement, Clara flinched and nearly jumped up to the highest point of the cave’s ceiling. She watched in bated breath as the dragon breathed cloudy puffs of smoke. The crackling of the green fire at the far corner intensified, sending sputters of jewel-like embers.

“Duke, are you sure Jade wants us to be here?” 

Before she could even stop him, Duke ran and whined at the undisturbed sleeping dragon. He nudged her beastly snout, poking the latter with his cute and tiny horns.

“Not very quiet, are you?” A loud female voice boomed and moaned as if waking up from a deep sleep. It sounded like it came from the deepest part of the earth.

“Are you not going to apologize for ruining my sleep?” Jade continued. 

Clara stiffened as she eyed the dragon’s colossal shadow stirring. Jade sat up and opened her piercing golden eyes, wearing an obvious sneer. The naughty Giloo caught her attention by doing wild movements as he bounced like a ball near the dragon’s foot, and Clara was afraid that Jade would trample him.

“Stupid, filthy creature,” Jade spat insultingly, making Duke growl in anger. “Pathetic. Would you call that a growl?”

The dragon rolled her eyes as Duke rammed at her in a failed attempt. And then, she thoughtlessly breathed a smoldering green fire at the poor little creature. Nothing was left on Duke’s spot but soot and burn. 

Clara shrieked, leaning against the cave wall as she lost her balance.

“Oh, Your Highness, calm yourself down. What do you want? Should I go back to sleep or wake up blowing flames, roaring like a non-domesticated dragon? Here, here. What about this?” The dragon began to roar but pretty much sounded sarcastic.

Clara calmed her nerves when her brain realized that this dragon didn’t intend to cook or eat Duke like a fine meal.

“Where’s Duke? Where did you take him to?” Clara walked straight to the dragon. If other people saw her near the beast, the whole kingdom would rip their hearts out in panic. But this was Jade. Nothing would go wrong unless she did something to piss her off.

“Do not fret. He is well and alive.” Jade rose to her full height. She could squash Clara into a pulp if she wanted to. “The fire has taken that filth into someplace where he cannot bother me.” The dragon pointed a claw and poked Clara on her chest. “But that leads to the question: What are you doing here?” Her tone went from calm to irritated.

“But I thought you wanted to see me.”

“Ha! You were fooled. I have never trusted any small creatures. Tiny beings do cause troubles bigger than themselves.”

She pushed Jade’s claw aside and strolled past her with grace, clutching the uniform’s skirt. “You never change. Your head is still as hot as a burning pit of lava.”

Clara climbed and perched on her tail. Her scales were glossy and smooth but were free of jagged edges; it wouldn’t break the skin. It was cold under Clara’s palms. “Your temper sure did not change, but you did become huge. How did you grow up so fast?”

The dragon was still a tiny lizard (a name Jade so hated to hear) encased in an emerald-crystal shell when Clara found her in the garden’s deep crater.

Jade lay flat on her stomach and craned her long neck to face Clara. “Dragons do age differently. You don’t expect me to remain so little like a baby, do you?” She huffed and squinted her yellow eyes at the princess, seeing through her disguise. “Your father wouldn't like you here with the dragon who might have the ability to destroy half of the kingdom.”

“No need to worry. My father will eventually come around and see the benefit of keeping you here.”

Jade’s golden eyes drew in an almost thin line. “You plan on turning me into a valuable weapon for the kingdom."

Clara’s smile was instantly wiped off like a speck of dust. “T-That’s not what I meant. You are not a mere instrument. You’re my friend!”

“I refuse to believe. Never underestimate the wisdom of a king, princess. Your father knows, without a doubt, what a Jade dragon is capable of. It will only be a logical decision to get me to the kingdom’s side, perhaps an accessory to the battle when war comes.”

Seeing her confusion, Jade shifted in her position and breathed out a burning fire, lighting a space in front of them. For a few moments, Clara had to shield her face from the heat.

The fire periodically crackled with lightning streaks of red and yellow. They pulsed ash white. No matter how long Clara looked, there was no making out what was so special about it. But despite being close, it remained warm, like a soothing touch instead of a burning sensation.

Each tongue of flame seemed to resemble akin to a spirit within. It materialized into figures of people and scenes in a series of flashed memories with emotions in every wave of green.

Clara looked up at the dragon, baffled. “What are you showing me?”

With eyes never leaving the marvelous flame, Jade responded in a serious tone, “Watch.”

And so, she did. Every bit of the flame spread like wildfire until it formed a circular wall around them. The fire grew into a raging inferno in the eyes. The dancing blaze consumed everything in her sight until it was all Clara could see—a brief eternity, a timeless trance.

“You see, princess, as a Jade dragon, I have the power to see memories of the land I chanced my wings upon. I know every little thing, the darkest secrets, your beloved land holds.”

Two figures, still in the form of a blaze, took shape. Another four followed and materialized into an outline of a human. The flame swirled along with the disappearing figures, the image shifting. The six figures appeared to be in what seemed like a buzzing town surrounded by busy people and market-goers.

And then a horrifying scene flashed before her. Splashes of blood, pools of dead bodies, agonizing wails, and calls for help tore her ears. As tears threatened to spill, Clara clamped her eyes shut, but she failed to block the broken screams of help from the poor, lost souls.

“Stop.” The words flew out softly. She doubted anybody could hear. “Please. Stop it, Jade!” This time it came louder and desperate. But when she fluttered her eyes open, she realized she was alone. Clara’s heart pounded like a drum at the thought of having to watch whatever horridness the fire might show.

A dreadful, popping noise caught her attention. The six figures had been slaughtering people like pigs. And then, emerging from the scene were men and women, forming a line to barricade escape routes. Clara tried to make out the emblems engraved in their battle armors, but the image was distorted.

Soon, battle cries pierced the melancholy air. Elements of fire, water, earth, air, and ice clashed against an unknown element. And it appeared that all empires had joined hands to take down their enemies.

The battle cries turned to screams of pain, but before Clara could see more of the battle’s outcome, the fire was extinguished, and she was back in the dimly lit cave, feeling the cold scales of Jade once more.

She snapped out of her trance and averted her gaze to the damp ground, processing what she saw. “What was that? What happened at the end of the battle? Did the warriors win? And did it… actually happen?”

“That, my dearest princess, has a price to pay. My knowledge is valuable, and you must pay for it. Every information I keep is of substance. I do not just give it to anyone who asks for it. You have to possess a soul as pure as light.”

“So you’re saying I’m… bad.” A tinge of hurt entwined with her words.

“No. Trust me, princess. You are the purest among the people who set foot on the Ethereal Earth. All I ask for is a payment, and you shall have what you seek.”

“For a week’s old dragon, you seem to know a lot,” Clara commented.

“Trust me, I have known better. I am a valuable weapon, you see. And the king knows that.”

Clara searched herself for anything she could use to pay Jade when her fingers grazed at the necklace around her neck. For twelve years, she kept it close, only for her heart to be filled with bitterness. She couldn’t fathom remembering the memory of that person. He was long gone in her life. As if it was the only way to let go, she unfastened the hook and lifted it for Jade to see. “Here. I will pay you for this. I figured dragons like to keep and guard treasures. And friends do this kind of thing. I would like to put it that way.”

“Princess, what is it that friends do, if I may ask?” Jade inquired. The dragon took a closer look at the necklace.

“Friends give each other presents. Here, take this. It is not a payment. Just take it as a gift.” Clara grinned from ear to ear.

“Ah, I see.” Minutes passed, and Clara watched as Jade stared at the necklace on her webbed palm; not once had she taken her eyes off it. “Then, I shall give you something in return.”

“Absolutely. About the question I had. I want to know about the memory you have shown me in the fire.”

But instead, Jade started making weird noises, grunting as if she was in pain. Clara stood in horror, afraid that something might be wrong; her friend was hurting. The dragon squirmed violently until something came out of her mouth. A ball of wispy green fire hovered right in front of her face.

“Open your mouth,” Jade commanded as if nothing happened. “Just do it and do not ask anything.”

Clara opened her mouth and choked as the ball entered her mouth down to her throat. She did not have a choice but to swallow it. Clara sent a death glare at the sly dragon.

“There, there. That is my gift to you, princess. I humbly give you a part of my soul.”

Clara had a lot of questions, but none had found their way out of her lips. Jade’s words still rang in her ears. “Giving you my soul means I will always be with you. No matter where you are, no matter where your soul goes, you shall never be alone.”