Warning: Remainders Of Humanity

Jorseph swooped over the ruble with his eye angled to spot for any injured dragons. The mend flesh spell on page one of his spell book came to mind. But all he found were dismembered bodies. A few ambulances retreated into the city flashing their lights despite silent sirens. He turned to give chase but Lilly tugged on him.

“You’ve no idea how they’re going to react to your size. We can save more people by dealing with the tidal wave.”

The wall of rumbling water angled inward. The ocean pulled up, held back as if by an invisible sheet plastic wrap. The towering water rivaled the height of downtown office buildings. He flew along the edge. The water ramp held back in an unnatural formation in disobedience to gravity.

“How is this even possible? How are we supposed to stop this?”

“Tides are controlled by the moon, and the moon is gravity. But this tide is different. We’ll use gravity to slow it down. I have a spell that manipulates gravity. It creates anchors. If we cast them on the ocean floor at the right time, maybe we can prevent the wave from hitting at full strength?”

“Your friend has enough power to hold back the ocean itself. I’m not so sure playing around with a few gravity spells is going to stop her.”

“No, it should work! I’m thinking. Cast analysis, it’s on page three. Let me get a better idea of how she’s doing this.”

Jorseph flipped past the first two spells and found the next spell she’d summoned to her pages. He took a moment to repeat the mantra as fast as he could without making a mistake. A slight glow surrounded the book, then faded.

“She’s forcing all the water in her area of influence to retreat back and pile up. This is the edge. Once she gets enough piled here, well, I don’t think she’s going to release it gently. But I don’t know what she’s capable of.”

“Do we have enough power to use a gravity spell to hold back the tide? How about a control water spell? Is your friend that much stronger than you already?”

“She’s always been really talented. The gravity spell is on page four. You can use it to cast gravitational orbs at the ocean floor. They should anchor the waves in place. But I don’t know how long they’ll last or if they’ll do any good with Zenobia manipulating the ocean.”

“Then we have to take her out!” Jorseph constricted as his head started to ache. He tensed his claws, “I’m not sure how much longer I can stay this size. I’m going to try the gravity spell so I know how to use it when we need it.”

“Okay, I’ll support you.”

Jorseph chanted. The incantation for the gravity anchor took time due to its complexity and only summoned one. A mistake meant he had to repeat it again. The words on the page glowed for him to read, but they twisted his tongue so with odd sounds that had to read twice.

“This is worse than Brilliance class,” he spat before starting the second reading.

A purple orb formed in his right hand. He could sense it, even command it, so he launched it over the waves. Pumping a high rate of his reserve power into the orb pulled water into the sky. He’d need to control an army of these things, and this one alone tired him. He summoned it back to his side and let its gravitational distortion relax. It didn’t immediately dissipate if he didn’t will it to. But its presence taxed him slightly. He felt himself shrinking as the gravity orb whizzed over his head. With a scrunch of his eyelids, he made it disintegrate.

“I don’t think this plan is going to work Lilly. We haven’t practiced enough. Remember, I wanted to practice. I don’t feel so great. We need another plan.”

“I’ll talk sense into Zenobia. I’ll get her to stop.”

“And turn herself in?”

“I’ll get her to turn herself in peacefully. If she did these crimes than I’ll accept the punishment.”

“Fine, let’s go. I’ll help you take her down.”

Jorseph flew toward the refinery, but his head struck an ethereal scroll shaped barrier.

“No,” Lilly closed in his hands, “This is between Zenobia and myself, you’re not to get directly involved.”

Jorseph flew upward only for another scroll barrier with a violet inky glow to block his ascent. He slammed downward only to have his body compress. He whipped his tail behind him only to slap another scroll. His forehead slammed into the barrier, unable to break through.

“What’s this? I’m your master. Let me out! Dragons are going to die!”

Lilly allowed him to fly in one direction, though they approached the refinery.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that Jorseph. If you’re my master, then I have to protect you.”

“I’m giving you orders! Let me free!”

They passed the tanker wreckage burning on the naked ocean floor. Lilly directed them around the plumes of acrid smoke rising from a burning pool of crude. The wreckage of the terminal showed no signs of survivors.

“No,” Lilly said, “I’m not an object that you can just order around. Even if you’re my master, you’re also my friend. And friends don’t let friends destroy themselves. Zenobia is my friend too, she’s my best friend. Do you understand that? I’m going to save all my friends.”

“If I’m your friend then let me free!” Jorseph opened Lilly to search for a spell to dismiss the barriers, but there remained only four spells he could read, “You’ve only been giving me the spells you want to give me.”

The barrier pulled forward toward Zenobia’s fountain pedestal, “Correct. If you want out so badly, then denounce me as your spellbook. Give up ownership. I’ll make sure you have enough power to fly to safety. But don’t expect me to handle Zen without a wielder.”

The giant dragon twirled around in his invisible cage, “I’m not doing that! I’m not giving you up. You’re not evil. You’re not a dragon slayer.”

“You said yourself that Zen is killing dragons. If that’s even true, which I doubt, then that puts your life at risk. One wrong move and you could be dead. I’m not having your mother experience the same loss that we suffered. Not if I can help it. If you can’t deal with that, then just denounce me already.”

“Jus denounce me awready ngghhh nghh ngghh.”

“Really mature. What are you, seven?”

“I’m fourteen, okay, sorry. This is really crazy. I don’t want any one else to die. As your master, I’m trusting you, so you better save everyone,” Jorseph paused for a moment and looked away mumbling, “If she was your best friend then she can’t be all bad. Maybe she didn’t do any of this.”

A sigh came from the tome, “I hope. But she could have cracked. She could have broken. I almost did. I almost hurt you really badly. It’s hard to say what a person will become after they’ve lost everything. I’m glad it was you who found me.”

“You’re stronger than you think,” Jorseph blushed as he pressed the book tighter to his chest, “I see a creature shaped like you on a water spout. She’s holding a mop. Is that her?”

An inky presence of words formed a silhouette next to Jorseph. It nodded, “Yes, that’s what’s left of my best friend.”