Point of No Returning

If you’re new to The Môrdreigiau Chronicles, welcome! You might find the Glossary helpful for some of these words. Colons indicate the sea dragon’s thought communications.

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Previously, a massive storm hit Caer Morgana, leading Geraint, Sword of the Chosen Court, to look for Llallogan but he finds refuge in Elpis’ arms instead. Meanwhile, her brother Llallogan is lost in a prophetic trance mere feet away (but hidden in the sunken part of the hot springs cave.)

Read Part 1 / All Parts of “They Were Shining” / Part 4 (leads up to what happens next)

:I can kill you in this dream.: The godling spoke coolly, matter-of-fact. :Watch.:

He pointed skyward.

Upside down and pinioned by chains, Llallogan craned his neck to look past his own drooping, feathered tail to the top of the tower.

The pastel blue beacon blocked his view of the tower’s upper ramparts. A tiny black speck appeared, fluttering like a sliver of ash.

The speck resolved into a spiralling draig môr, and by its pale pink and silver scales, Llallogan realised Lydia descended towards them.

The godling headed for her, still in his dwarven form, blond curls bobbing about his face. :Watch, and witness your fate.:

:Lydia!: Llallogan roared. :Turn! Get out of here!: He twisted in his chains to no avail.

:She can’t hear you,: cooed the godling. :She is the one who found me, who brought the others with her. She will be the one who makes the first offering, who will make me stronger …:

The godling reached up, fingers spread. A spume of bubbles concealed Lydia from view, the water roiling.

Llallogan’s tail twitched away from the sudden surging heat. He squinted, trying to make out the twisting form within the foaming water.

The bubbles cleared and a human woman sank towards them. Her pale pink robes and long black hair fluttered behind her as she descended.

Lydia’s eyes were wide, bubbles escaping from her mouth. Her fingers scrabbled at her unmarked throat. Her gills were gone. The godling had made her truly human.

She was drowning.

The godling met her, dragging her face towards his and kissed her. Did he mean to save her after all?

Lydia’s cheeks bulged and she clung to the godling’s shoulders. Ecstasy wreathed her face. Bubbles escaped from their fused lips. Her moans rang in Llallogan’s mind.

He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to drown her out. He didn’t need to see or hear this.

:Watch.: The godling forced open Llallogan’s eyes.

The pair drew even with him. The god’s curls flickered with tiny flames. The longer they kissed, the taller he grew, becoming the same height as Lydia.

Her eyes fluttered shut, her face growing redder and darker. Her cheeks blistered, blackened.

The black streaks spread rapidly, masking her face, flowing down her neck and across her body, darkening her robes. Her ecstasy became agony, her groaning morphed into shrieks.

The godling roared. In anger or delight, Llallogan couldn’t tell.

A host of bubbles concealed them from view.

When the foam cleared, Lydia had resumed her draig môr shape, but not as she had been before. Gone were the pink and silver scales. They’d become black, dripping with luminescent purple goo. She hung limply in the arms of a monster.

The godling at last showed his true form: the golden curls became a crown embedded between the spikes that sprouted instead of hair. The spikes blossomed over his gleaming obsidian body, ice-white veins tracing over muscles. Instead of four limbs, he possessed eight, each ending in long claws.

He released Lydia and she sank like a rock past Llallogan, her body frozen in unhappy surrender, her scales a dull sheen, lacking life.

The godling bellowed. :Mmm, tasty. Are you ready to be next, little dragon?: He turned his baleful eyes, a bruised mottle of weeping red, purple and dark green, to Llallogan.

(Share “Kisses of Fire” video link at bottom)

Ok, story time. If you’ve been here a while, the monster might be sounding a little familiar. Check out his origin story which seemed to be a favourite at the time (written for a writing challenge last year.)

He’s also the monster that infected Panawr, although I don’t think I’ve actually revealed that yet, oops, spoiler, but Lydia’s final state should be a firm enough clue. If you’ve time to read Panawr’s story (I think it’s about 20 parts): binge it here:

And … I chortled aloud when I landed on the title of this story. I might be mean like that. Listen for the story inspiration, stay for the hot pants.

This is a response to the Smogust Story Hoard writing challenge by Bradley Ramsey and The Circus Dragon for the month of August. And yes, as it often happens with these month long challenges (often being precisely once before), it’s going to be a serial.

Read Part 1 / All Parts of “They Were Shining“