Chapter 5 Stories from the Past

Phuro scoffed. "I have no idea what that stone says," she said defensively.

"Watch your tone, Child," Mithi cautioned, her piercing emerald eyes narrowing ever so slightly. The wise N'kara didn't need to shout or bare her teeth to get her point across. No, Mithi was calculated in her commands, purposeful in her speech, and unwavering in her facial expressions.

"Forgive me," Phuro apologized in a hushed tone and averted her eyes from Mithi's. "I didn't mean to offend, Mithi, but why do you think I can read that?"

The elderly N'kara's face shifted effortlessly from a stern look to one of amusement, and she let out a gentle laugh that shook her shoulders. "But can you blame yourself? You spent more time with me than your mother, for good reason."

Mithi's fingertips rustled against the cold stone floor as they sifted through a stack of parchment that seemed older than Mithi herself. Without looking away from Phuro, she pulled out the page she was searching for and held it towards the younger N'kara without hesitation. "Does this not ring a bell?" Mithi inquired.

Phuro slowly raised her head and shifted her eyes toward the ancient parchment. She hesitated before saying, "I remember bits and pieces."

"Phuro," Mithi scolded with a narrowing of her eyes.

"Fine," Phuro conceded, letting out a sigh. "I do remember it, but what does that page have to..." Her words trailed off as the realization finally hit her.

Mithi's smile was just as unsettling as her stern gaze. "Excellent." The elderly N'kara creaked and groaned as she stood up from her cushion. "A majority of the inscription may be lost, but you can decipher what is still legible, correct?"

For a moment, Phuro's eyes lingered on the parchment, studying N'karan translations of the intricate curves and lines of Dragon Script. She traced her fingers over the beautiful curves and lines, whispering "Tear" to herself. She looked up at Mithi and, with more determination, repeated, "Tear."

"Good," Mithi said.

Although Mithi strongly believed in her conviction, Phuro still couldn't fully comprehend why. She had listened to her stories about their people's history and legends, but she couldn't help but see them as whimsical and possibly unrealistic.

During her conversations with Mithi, she had listened when he mentioned Dragon Script, a written language that few dared to use nowadays. The elders denounced it as heresy, while others believed it was disrespectful to write using the language of their ancestors. Regardless, Phuro found it a stunning written form, and Mithi eagerly shared its secrets with her.

While she made her way across the room, Mithi softly spoke of a story surrounding a dragon's tear. She headed towards a bookshelf carved into the wall near the doorway.

Books and literature were of little interest to most N'kara, but Mithi was different. Her small chamber was filled with shelves, each packed with texts often older than she was, much like the parchment covering the floor. Despite their age, the pages were still filled with timeless knowledge, though they were yellowed and frayed around the edges.

The N'kara's aged hands brushed over the spines of numerous books on the fourth shelf. Each was bound in a luxurious brown leather and adorned with gold lettering. Her gnarled finger paused on the last book, hooked onto its top edge, and carefully pulled it from its place. "When they left," Mithi began, her voice distant and wistful, "it was said that they left behind a gift. The most revered N'kara believed it to be a tear, while others thought it may have been a stone or orb."

"How is that related to the writing on the stone?" Phuro inquired, walking over to stand next to Mithi by the bookshelf.

Mithi hesitated before opening the book. "It's hard to say," she admitted. "It could be a rendition of the legend passed down by our dragon ancestors or ancient N'kara. Or it might be a map."

Phuro let out a frustrated sigh. "This doesn't appear to be a piece of a map, Mithi. It's just a broken shard of stone with Dragon Script etched onto it. Most likely nothing more than an infuriating clue about why they abandoned us or some curse they placed upon our people."

Mithi shrugged as she turned pages. "Could be."

It was well-known that most dragon ancestors held a deep hatred towards the N'kara, just as the elves did. Mithi had mentioned this several times, cautioning that most dragons would enjoy destroying what they saw as monstrous creations.

"Moreover," Phuro persisted, unbothered by Mithi's concurrence, "why would they abandon a map to a present rumored to provide the N'kara with the ability to locate dragons and equalize our standing with humans? If they truly loathed us, it wouldn't matter to them how humans treated us."

"Correct," Mithi agreed.

Phuro glared at Mithi, clearly exasperated. "Could you please stop that?"

"Why should I?" Mithi asked with a mischievous smile, still focused on the book.

"Mithi, it's irritating. The whole point of our conversation was for you to enlighten me, not just nod and agree with every contradictory statement I make," Phuro exclaimed.

The book slammed into Phuro's chest, causing her to gasp for air. Mithi's expression turned stern as she scolded, "Your disrespect is becoming quite bothersome, Child. I never imagined you would take after your mother, but it seems to me that's exactly what's happening." She released her grasp on the book and backed away from Phuro.

With a disgusted look, Phuro snatched the book before it slipped from her grasp. As it tumbled down, a few pages flipped over, and she quickly located the one that Mithi had been reading earlier.

At the top of the page, in an ancient N'karan dialect, was written 'Amber Tear of the Emerald'. Below, the myth was detailed, believed to have been passed on by a dragon before it fled the world.

"For it fell from her eye,

Before she left this world.

From it, N'karan salvation comes,

A blessing upon this world.

In the ground it lies,

Warm in its subtle light,

Beautiful in its amber splendor.

A tear of water and

Stone, filled with the breath,

Of a dragon who loved

The offspring of two species."

"Mithi, I'm well aware of the myth," Phuro groaned, slamming the book shut. "You've told it to me countless times. But what does it have to do with the word 'tear' on the stone?"

"Find the rest, Child," Mithi said, "and you will see."