by Bill Albert
“I hear music,” he said as he dismounted his horse and walked forward. Luvin jumped to the ground to follow him and after a few paces he could also hear something.
“It’s not just music,” Luvin realized. “It’s singing.”
“Yes,” Jakobus agreed. “But with all this in the air I can’t tell from where.”
They left the horses behind and took a few steps without making a sound and listened again. They paused several times until they were sure they were headed in the direction of the source. They wanted to continue but rocks and boulders had created an impenetrable wall.
“I really don’t think we should go up,” Jakobus said trying to see any sign of a peak in the rocks.
“It’d be impossible,” Luvin said without relief. “Even on a clear day it would be rough, and night will fall in a few hours. Let’s back track a bit to that junction we passed, it’s barely a mile.
It was Jakobus’ turn to be disappointed but he knew Luvin was right. He also knew Luvin’s reason for wanting to move in her direction. He had to admit he was more than slightly curious as to why she would head for the capital city. It was obvious something had happened inside the mountain that he did not know about, but he trusted Gallif would let him know when she felt it necessary. He also suspected Luvin would not tell him without her approval.
As they walked back to their horses he scanned the area so he could return to the same exact spot someday. Once they were riding again they returned to the junction quickly and turned southwest.
***
The further southwest they went the clearer the air got and by the next day they were able to head in the direction of Spring Field. There were occasional pockets of dark and dusty air, but they travelled quickly. Things had gone so well, and they had soon so few signs of any other life they were unprepared for the attack when it came.
“Do you think she’s in Spring Field by now?” Luvin had asked after they dismounted. They had found a spot of open grass with fairly clear air several yards from the main road. Jakobus used his skills to quickly build a small fire and Luvin pulled a log over for them to sit against.
“If anyone could make it that far that fast it’d be her,” Luvin said as he debated whether he should catch and cook supper or eat some of the dried food in one of his saddle packs. “If she’s not there now she will be soon,” he said as he walked to his horse. He retrieved a sack and offered some of the beef to Luvin. Luvin accepted it and they ate quietly.
Afterwards Jakobus excused himself and walked several feet away to concentrate and say his prayers. Luvin was staring into the orange of the flames when he heard a thin twig on the limb snap. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something coming towards him. He leapt forward just as the aquilus’ hammer came crashing down at him. He moved quickly enough that the main face of the weapon missed him, but an edge glanced off his shoulder. He rolled away as fast as he could and reached for his weapon of choice. Despite the brutal pain in his left shoulder he would still be able to fight with the cast hammer in his right hand. He had found it in the mountain and the casting gave it extra strength and power while being lighter and easier to use. It was a perfect weapon for his talents, but as he saw he was outnumbered nine to one he was worried it may not be enough.
One of the aquilus barked and growled at him and he easily countered its attack. Luvin struck back and hit once, but the aquilus died from two mighty strikes from the casting. The attacker’s hammer flew off wild into the night. Well aware that he was outnumbered Luvin kept moving to prevent them coming up from behind and making himself a difficult target. As long as they didn’t rush him he would be okay.
Together they all came forward with weapons swinging. Luvin was looking for anyway to retreat when there was a blur of movement on his side. With a dwarven cry Jakobus barreled his way into the battlefield and the balance of power became even. The aquilus came rushing with weapons slashing in a frenzy of violence, but with two excellent fighters and cast weapons the combat was over in less than a minute.
Soon, Luvin stood near the fire looking at the bodies around him when he realized Jakobus was gathering more limbs.
Luvin looked at the bodies and then back at his hammer thinking about how quickly it had all happened. He tried to let the usual excitement that followed combat flow over him and was surprised when it didn’t come.
“Luvin,” Jakobus called and broke the boy’s thoughts. “I need your help moving the bodies please.”
“You’re setting up a funeral pyre?”
“Yes,” Jakobus said as he prepared the bodies. “As much as I hate the mindless animals, I cannot leave them here to rot. If we had a shovel it would be different.
Luvin helped him pile the bodies and then walked back to the road to watch the flames. Jakobus’ talents at fire starting did not fail him and soon there was an inferno that even managed to cut through the dust. Jakobus said a few prayers and then joined him.
“At least in death these mindless killers can have some dignity.”
“I don’t want to stay here,” Luvin said without looking away from the flames.
“I agree,” Jakobus said as they walked to the horses. “You fought well, Young Luvin. Gallif would be proud of you.”
Luvin’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name. This time it reminded him of how she had reacted, how the knowledge had torn her, when they’d found out the truth about the elves.
“No,” Luvin said under his breath so Jakobus couldn’t hear him. “She wouldn’t.”
***
As the fourth day wore on there was a grayness that filled the air and they knew the sky was turning dark. Luvin and Jakobus were actually relieved by its presence. Rain would clear the air of the remnants of the mountain and, hopefully, reveal what their new world would look like. Despite having seen and heard its fall when they cleared the forest, the first full view of the empty horizon brought them to a stop. Even with the rain clouds moving in it was obvious Starpoint Mountain was gone.
It was late in the afternoon when they came over a hill and could see the city of Dakteria ahead of them and the Rainbow Mountains beyond. With great relief that some things could still be the same they kept looking forward as they rode. They had been riding for a full day and estimated they could reach Dakteria before sundown and planned to spend the night there.
Though similar in size to its sister city of Atrexia, the city of Dakteria was different in many respects. While the other had become a center of art and culture this city was known for its place in business and law. All of the guilds had their headquarters here and, being this close to the capital, it was where legal issues were worked on before being taken to the Royal Courts.
This city was also different in that, though it had the same mix of races as Atrexia, neighborhoods ran from one to the other with no clear division of districts. It was considered an upper-class city.
They were halfway between the forest and the city when the first clap of thunder cracked through the air. They increased their speed and felt the first drops of rain when they reached the city’s edge. They picked the nearest inn they could find, unsaddled their horses and secured them in a barn. They registered for separate rooms at the inn as a steady torrent of rain rattled on the roof.
It was easy to see the influence of the Giant Lords had on the Gilson Inn. Azure colored carpets covered the floor of the main lobby. The walls were green with an azure trim around the windows and doors. There were also dozens of paintings depicting moments in Giant Lord history and other symbols on the walls; the largest of which was a beautiful and detailed portrait of King Paleth and Queen Gweneve. Being life size, the mural was striking and took up almost all of one wall. The picture of the happy couple brought its own brightness to the room.
From the main lobby were a restaurant in one direction and a bar and doors leading to the kitchen on another. Along the back was a flight of stairs leading up to the rooms.
The inn wasn’t completely booked but was quite busy wi
th lots of people having dinner. Despite their grungy appearance from days of travel they decided to have a dinner first. Their stomachs were empty and Jakobus’ purse was full, so they got a table quickly. They ate in silence and listened to the various chatter around them.
“I’m glad the rains have come,” they overheard a human male at a nearby table tell his wife. By the symbols he had pinned to his coat and hung from a bracelet it was obvious he was a believer of Acuri, one of the dwarven Impure Gods whose followers believed in the importance of the dwellings and worked to create better buildings to survive nature’s fury.
“Why is that, dear?” his wife asked.
“It’ll wash away the dust that’s still hangs from the mountain and clear the air.”
“Yes, dear,” his wife said.
“I’d like to head out to Atrexia in a day or so. See how many buildings remain standing.”
“Absolutely, dear,” she nodded and smiled at him. “As soon as the rains stop, dear.”
Jakobus was also happy to hear the rain still rattling on the ceiling. He looked at Luvin whose attention had shifted to three men talking at a table on the other side of them.
“Does anyone know who it was?’ the oldest of the three men asked. Neither of the others could give him a positive answer and he shook his head sadly. “I sure would love to talk to him. There’re lots of things I’d like to ask.”
“Me, too,” the light-haired man said. “I figured I’ve ridden all types of things, horses, bulls, just about anything you can ride. But a dragon? Oh my, what a thrill that must have been.”
Luvin glanced back at Jakobus in surprise as his eyes widened in shock.
“Well done, my boy,” Jakobus said.
“Shoup,” the light-haired man continued, “the bartender in the other room, claims he got a pretty good view.”
“Well,” the oldest of the three said as he finished his meal, “I’ve known Shoup for twenty years and if he says he got a good view, he got a good view. Let’s go see what he has to say.”
The three of them got up and walked straight past Luvin and Jakobus’s table on their way out. Luvin watched them go, then took a quick look back at his meal. He swallowed the remainder in a few gulps and then got up to follow.
“Careful about the chomas,” was all Jakobus could say before he left the room. As tempted as he was, he felt this was one thing Luvin should do alone.
By the time Luvin got to the bar, Shoup, a heavy, bushy haired bartender, had already gathered a crowd of humans, dwarves and halflings around him. The three men from the restaurant were there, several others who had been drinking for some time, patrons who had just been passing through town, and some locals. Four of the locals, Luvin noticed, were girls who looked not much older than him. They were drinking with the adults and wore very tight and revealing clothing. They were chomas, kids, usually girls, who didn’t attend school and most adults looked down on them for their free lifestyles. Luvin stood in the entryway and watched the crowd, but his attention kept going back to the chomas.
“So, there I was, just a few hundred steps east of this very spot,” Shoup said and pointed. He smiled and stood, proud as none of those listening looked away from him. “I was looking at some of the flowers in the garden and I heard this loud flapping, like you hear when a flock of birds take off in a rush, but it was sounding awfully powerful. I thought some birds might have been spooked so I turned to see what had happened and I looked up and there it was. There, as Quin is my witness,” he said putting a hand on the heart shaped token that hung from his necklace, “was a dragon coming downwards along the tree line.” He paused, kissed the token, and let it drop under his shirt. Quin was one of the few human pure gods. If anyone listening had any doubts in his story they were vanished by his devotion. “Well, I don’t mind telling you I was pretty shocked at the sight of it. It was old, very old, a few hundred years, and I couldn’t tell by the skin whether it had been a blue dragon or a red one. Then I asked myself if it really mattered what color it was,” he smiled, and the crowd laughed with him. “Then, as it got closer, it looked at me and started yelling. The voice was old and crackled but it was warning me that the mountain was going to fall. I was so shocked I couldn’t move. The impossible telling me the impossible. It came closer, no further away from me than the roof of this building, and it told me again the mountain was going to fall. I saw its eyes. You know the legend about the star shape? Well, it’s not a legend.”
He paused for a drink of water and there was a gentle rumble amongst the crowd. The older people nodded and couldn’t hide their amazement as that little part of history became true. The four chomas giggled at the way the older people reacted. One of the dwarves tried to quiet them and they settled but shot each other silly faces when the dwarf looked away.
“Then it turned its head to look away and I saw him. Yes, as if it wasn’t impossible enough there was a young boy riding it. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen or seventeen. But, as I swear, there was a boy there just behind its neck. He looked around and yelled something to the dragon. I couldn’t hear what it was, his voice was covered by the sound of the wings, but I got the impression that he was telling the dragon which direction to go. Imagine that, riding and directing a dragon.”
As amazed and convinced as the listeners were they had difficulty taking in this revelation. “Shoup, are you sure about that?” someone asked. “There must have been another reason,” another said shaking their heads in disbelief.
“It was almost blind,” Luvin said flatly. One by one everyone turned to look at him. “It was a thousand years old,” he said. There was a long silence as they looked at him daring him to continue. “One eye could only see near objects, the other only far away, going in a straight line was difficult,” he continued.
Shoup stared at him without taking a breath for several moments and then finally came towards him.
“By my faith in Quin,” he whispered in awe. “It’s you.”
“Yes,” Luvin said. He stood tall knowing he was now the center of attention in the room.
“Welcome,” Shoup said. “May I have your name?”
“I’m Luvin,” he said almost wishing he’d had a more dramatic sounding name.
“Luvin, the Dragon Rider,” Shoup said and made room for him near the chair. “Please, sit down and tell us your story.”
Luvin took the seat and told them every detail of what it was like to fly through the sky riding a thousand-year-old dragon.
After an hour of talking Luvin’s energy was starting to wane and his stories were coming to an end. Despite everything, the dragon ride had been very short and intense and was finished in a few minutes. As the questions from his fans started to lead to events that took place before the flight, he became more and more reluctant to speak.
Finally, Shoup stood and thanked his hero for his time and escorted everyone out of the room and offered Luvin a free drink before he went to bed.
Feeling like he was on top of the world, the best he’d ever felt, Luvin made his way to his room and quickly removed his cast armor and weapons. He sat on the bed for several minutes and felt sleep start to embrace him.
He was startled by a tap at the door and a female voice asking “Hello?” His heart raced and all the energy returned to him as he darted towards the door ready to embrace her. She had come back to see him! He froze, and his disappointment was covered by his shock, to find the tall dark-haired girl he had seen downstairs waiting in the hall.
“My name’s Tarnell,” she said and offered him her hand. “I was watching you downstairs.”
“Of course,” he said taking her hand and shaking it. He was surprised at how good it was to feel her warm skin against his. “I saw you.”
“Can I come inside?” she asked sure that he would say yes.
“Yes, of course,” he smiled and stood back to allow her inside. Once in he closed the door and watched her as she sat on the bed instead of the chair.
“
I’ve got something for you,” she said and handed him a small bag that she had hooked to her belt. Luvin opened the bag to find several small chunks of chocolate individually wrapped in small papers. He opened one and found it mixed with nuts and quickly downed it. He smiled and sat next to her on the bed. “My parents have a shop that makes these and sells them in a local market. This is our best-selling bag,” she winked at him.
“Thank you,” he said with a mouthful of another drop. “It’s very nice of you.”
“You’ve done something no one has dreamed of for centuries,” she said smiling at him as she brushed her hair back. “People will want to know lots of things about you.”
They sat on the bed and talked for several minutes. As they spoke, she moved closer to him and he felt his heart race when his arm brushed against her chest. He tried to move away but she leaned in and slowly put a hand on his leg. He took a few deep breaths and couldn’t say a word.
“Why are you so nervous?” she asked as she leaned in to put her chin against his shoulder.
“I’m not nervous,” he protested but knew the shaking in his voice gave away the truth.
“You’ve been riding a dragon,” she said calmly. “Being with a girl can’t be that scary after that. Unless you have a girlfriend,” she teased him.
Luvin stood and walked away to where he had laid his armor. He stared at it trying to decide what to do and nearly jumped when he felt Tarnell’s body rub close to his back.
“You have a girlfriend?”
“Well, sort of,” he said trying to keep his hands steady. “Well, she’s a friend,” he mumbled.
“But you haven’t been with her, have you? Or with anyone?”
Luvin’s heart skipped a beat as she grabbed him by the arms and spun him around to face her. She was close to him, her lips next to his cheek, and he had to admit the smell and feel of her was very appealing. He just shook his head. He was embarrassed to admit it but, despite the awkwardness, he felt no shame.
“It’s okay,” she whispered as she put her hands to his chest and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I’ll teach you.”