Solar Dragons Need Love, Too! 7: Nightmare Girls Beach Weekend by Virgil Knightley

Author:Virgil Knightley [Knightley, Virgil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eldritch Blade
Published: 2024-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14 - Brock

Istared into the wrinkly, beard-framed face of the squat little wizard as the sounds of the artificial beach just outside lapped gently at the shore surrounding the hut. “Tell me more about that,” I said. “Defying gods, I mean.”

Trigger, who had just perched on a stool that looked far too large for him, waved a hand dismissively, causing a few sand grains we must have tracked in with us to dance in the air. “Ah, Brock—or Solaris, whichever you prefer—when I say ‘defying gods,’ I’m speaking of defying not just deities but the cosmic order, the predestined path set before us like a never-ending highway. It’s all about challenging fate, questioning the very fabric of time that binds us.”

I leaned in, intrigued despite the oddness of this particular conversational gravitas in our current beach hut setting. “And how did you end up on this…journey of defiance?” I asked, genuinely curious. I hadn’t spoken to a lot of wizards in my day, so hearing from the source just how one ended up on their specific path seemed intriguing.

He chuckled, a sound that seemed too hearty for his tiny body. “It all started with sand like this, believe it or not.”

“Sand?” I couldn’t help but arch a brow. “What?”

“Yes, sand!” he exclaimed, pounding one fist into the other in a gesture of seriousness. “You see, on this very beach, I once tried to build a sandcastle. It was pretty good, actually—my three best friends all agreed. I tried to cast some spells of preservation on it, to keep it from succumbing to the march of time, and it endured unchallenged...but eventually the silliness of it overwhelmed me in a moment of clarity.”

“Uh. Do go on,” I grunted, fascinated in the worst kind of way.

“You see, no matter how I tried, one day my spell would end, washing away my efforts, the gods laughing at my vain folly. It was then I realized, it’s not the castle that needs to defy time if I want it to endure, but me.”

I couldn’t suppress a smirk. “So, your grand rebellion against the gods... began with a failed sandcastle?”

He nodded earnestly. “Precisely! Though I resent the implication of failure,” he quickly amended. “If the waves of fate are destined to crash over us, then why not learn to swim, dear boy? Why not craft our own currents, our own tides? That’s what led me away from the more bland, well-traversed corners of the arcane arts, to the mysteries of time and space. I practiced in secret, documenting all my theories and methods before ever attempting them—for when I did, it had to be just right. If I succeeded, I’d be handed a research contract. If I failed and got caught practicing without a license, I might end up in shackles.”

I shook my head, amused yet somehow inspired. “Alright, Trigger. If you can teach me to ‘swim’ against these cosmic currents and hold back the tide that threatens to end my existence, then count me in.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.