“Are you nervous?”
He answered with shining eyes, and a sincere smile, “No. Why should I be? We are on our way to do something wonderful.” No other words passed between them.
Arriving at their destination, dragon after dragon found a space to land, using their remarkable night vision, and the business of unpacking and setting up began. Lamps were lit, and Mark and Delphine built a campfire on the lakeshore with extra wood they had collected for that purpose on their honeymoon. Rel and Warlowe untied and pulled down the chairs, and arranged them on the sandy shore as had been pre-determined, not far from the fire. The extra cushions and blankets they dragged up in a nearby pile in case they should be needed for comfort or warmth. Andrus took charge of the medical supplies, and a small folding cot, which he set up in a convenient alcove between some rocks near to the center of the action. In case of a problem with either Tvrdik, or Xaarus, the idea was for him to be standing by, prepared with whatever might be needed.
Tvrdik swept his gaze over the vast, pristine lake, just becoming visible in the first hints of dawn. “You were so right about this place, Jorelial Rey,” he called. “It is indeed magnificent.”
“You haven’t even seen the half of it,” she called back from behind a pile of cushions. “Sometime, I’ll fly you over and really show you around…” But her offer drifted off unfinished, as she found herself fighting off the thought that such a thing might never happen.
When all the preparations were complete, the young wizard took his place in the center chair, leaning against its high back, facing away from the water. He wore a loose, comfortable robe, unbelted, his powerful staff in his right hand, and his left fishing the old coin bearing Xaarus’ image out of a pocket. Delphine and Mark sat down in chairs on either side of him, each laying a hand on one of his forearms. If Tvrdik sensed at any moment that he was in the slightest trouble, or he wished to discontinue for any reason, he was to move his hand or his arm so that they would know to call for help. They would also be in a good position to use the leverage of physical contact to pull him back from the brink to reality. They were to do that, in any case, at the end, if the process succeeded. Cushions were stuffed under Tvrdik’s arms, as well as behind his head and at the small of his back, to keep him comfortable and relaxed for the duration of the exercise.
“I feel like a salmon packed for shipping,” he quipped, a slight edge of hysteria to his good humor. “Is this necessary?”
“We don’t know how long you’ll have to sit there in the same position,” Delphine answered, fluffing one of the pillows. “Just relax, and let us make you comfortable.”
Jorelial Rey would sit in a chair facing him, watching him at all times, and also keeping an eye out over the lake, which was where Danoral would be making his exit and re-entry. Andrus and Warlowe watched from a few paces away, ready to step in if need arose. And now, eleven dragons, of various sizes, ages, and colors, began to arrange themselves in a ring surrounding the odd little scene. Tash took his place right behind Tvrdik, in the closest and most supportive role. His mind would be the first to join with Tvrdik’s consciousness, and the last to pull out. Candelinda stood at Tashroth’s right, as near to him as practical. A rust-colored creature called Morenwood stepped in beside her, and so on, dragon after dragon placing themselves beside their fellows, until the full circle was complete. Danoral remained by himself, facing the lake and the sunrise, poised to execute his peculiar function at the appointed moment. When the circle of dragons unfolded their wings even just a little bit, it was like being in an enclosed shelter made of vibrant, living tissue. One felt cocooned in safety, warmth, and power.
Jorelial Rey took her seat, and Tvrdik reached forward and handed her his glasses for safekeeping.
“Please look after these. You know what they mean to me.”
She slid them with care into a pocket, and nodded, leaning in close to him.
“The sun is just coming up. Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“You can still change your mind, you know. No one would think any less of you.”
“I’ll see you on the other side.”
“Don’t wait to signal us if you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable…”
“Alright! Let’s just get on with it.”
Tashroth’s deep voice coached now, “Master mage, you will forge the link as usual, and I will lend my assistance, as we have done before. Candelinda will then add her mind to the link. Once you are comfortable with that, each of the others will join at intervals, stretching and opening and strengthening a corridor through time, one layer at a time, right to where your mind tells us Xaarus is waiting. At any time, you may tell us to stop, if the experience becomes too much for you, and we will reverse the process. As soon as Danoral feels he has a clear fix on your teacher, he will attempt to dive in and fetch him back. In and out, precise and quick. It may take only a few of us to create a safe corridor, but we anticipate needing the minds of all of us present to accomplish our goal. If we succeed, once Danoral and Xaarus are safely through the corridor, we intend to disengage one mind at a time, to bring you back in gentle stages. Is this clear?”
“Thanks, Tashroth. Very clear. We’ve been through it a hundred times.”
“Patience, mage. No harm in making sure we all know what we are doing. Fine, then. Whenever you are ready.”
“Wait!” cried Jorelial Rey, and all eyes were on her, as she fumbled for something of worth to say which might delay things further. She glanced at Delphine, her eyes pleading. Delphine returned her look with sympathy, but there was nothing at all to say now that made any sense. Rel swallowed, and muttered, “Good luck, Tvrdik.” Everyone nodded and echoed the words, voicing their support. Tvrdik closed his eyes and fingered the small coin, imagining Xaarus in his mind – the expression in his eyes, the timbre of his voice, the grace with which he moved…
“I am here, son,” the familiar voice seemed to say aloud. “I’m going to keep talking to you as much as possible throughout this experience in order to keep us both focused on our connection, yes?”
“Yes, Master. It is good to see you again.”
“And you as well, my boy. With any luck at all, very soon we will see each other in the flesh for the first time in a long, long while.”
“That will be wonderful, indeed.”
“Ah, and here is Tashroth come in with us. I recognize that familiar boost in the transmission.”
“When Tashroth joins us, I always hear you better, and your image seems to be more solid, less…translucent, if that is the word. Also, I always feel like I can relax some, as if a weight is lifted from my shoulders.”
“He is providing some of the energy that helps us connect, so that we both needn’t work quite as hard. But, mind you do not relax too much today. We need you to have all your wits about you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m paying attention. I don’t wish to miss a moment of this adventure. Whoa, I think that must be Candelinda joining on. Now, that’s a different feeling. It’s as if we are standing in the same room talking, but I feel sort of euphoric. Light as a feather….” Tvrdik giggled. Candelinda had indeed come aboard, and things were moving along. Those who were outside observing had had various levels of experience with the phenomenon of this mind link between wizards, and were not all comfortable with what they were watching. It was like a strange, disjointed performance where half the characters and half the dialogue were missing. Tvrdik’s eyes were open, and he seemed very alert, but stared at a point in space where there was nothing to see. Since they could only hear his part of the conversation, it seemed as if he kept up a running dialogue with the air. Not all of what he said made sense to them, but they listened, nevertheless, for signs of potential danger. So far, what they had heard was a bit odd, but the mage seemed fine. A third, and then a fourth dragon added their consciousness to the joined minds.
“Oooooh! This is amazing. There are all sorts of remarkable visions spinning by. So many colors. So much knowledge and wisdom. Centuries of records. And flashes of scenes – blood and fire and ice and stars and wind and motion…I-I can’t make sense out of it all. My mind is reeling.”
“Now, Tvrdik, I know it is tempting, and I know you are curious by nature,” Xaarus soothed, “but don’t go wandering around in the dragons’ minds, alright? You wouldn’t want to get lost there. They can be very convoluted. Focus. You are pointing them to me, remember? So, stay with me, boy. Here, take my hand…”
“Oops, no, Xaarus, they’re panicking. That was our signal for trouble, and I’ve moved my hand now. False alarm, everyone. Xaarus asked me to take his hand, and I must have flinched. I’m fine. Keep going…”
A fifth dragon came into the mix. Delphine, who had jumped when the fingers on her side had suddenly twitched and reached, appeared shaken. The coin bearing Xaarus’ likeness had fallen to the ground. She searched and picked it up, folding it back into the mage’s left hand and cupping it in her own. “Tvrdik, this is Delphine. Can you hear me too? Can you hear any of us? We’re all right beside you. Can you see us anymore?”
“I can heeear you, from a veeery looong way off, but I can’t see yoooooou. No. I am too big, you see. I am so very, very enormous, and you are so very small. I can’t find you. I’m glad you’re there, but you have no idea how huge I am. I can step from star to star. I am stretched across the sky…” The sixth dragon had taken his place in the group consciousness. They were only halfway there. “Wait a moment, Xaarus is calling me again – I can see him.”
“Tvrdik, Tvrdik! Look at me. We are still linked, and you need to focus on me, lad. This is all about finding the way to me. Now, listen carefully. You don’t have to move your physical body. You don’t have to lift a finger at all. Just imagine your energetic self, standing right here in your mind’s eye, just as you see I am, and I am thinking that my hand should reach out to you. Can you will your energetic hand to reach out and clasp mine, son? There, that’s it. That’s right. Can you feel me beside you now?”
“Yes, I can. Master, can you not see all of these wonders? Do you not feel all of this as I do?”
“Not with the same intensity as you. Partly as I am older and more experienced with disciplining my thoughts. But mostly because everything is coming from your side; your mind is the doorway. You are the conduit, so you are the one who must contain everything. It is a lot to ask, I know. Do you understand? Are you all right? Do you still wish to go on?”
“Yes, yes, of course. I couldn’t be better. I am amazing! I know so many things. There is no possible way I will remember all of this later with my own tiny brain. Someone should be out there taking all of this down before I forget it all.”
The seventh dragon came into the link, and Tvrdik began to cry. It was abrupt, and heart-wrenching. Jorelial Rey, who had been sitting very close, observing every detail, and trying to hold her tongue as the experiment proceeded, could do so no longer.
“Tvrdik, what’s the matter? Are you in pain?” she shouted out in alarm.
He didn’t actually acknowledge her question, but gave an answer nevertheless.
“It’s all so very beautiful. So wise and beautiful, I can’t bear it. There is light everywhere, and color everywhere, and music everywhere, and all in such perfect order. Everything sings and dances and makes sense. Even the smallest of the small – the gnat, even – is down there working out his assigned purpose. It is too much to conceive, too pure, too beautiful…” He continued to weep.
The Lady Rey’s eyebrows furrowed as she shouted to Danoral, “I don’t know how much more of this he can take. We’re only just past halfway. Do we need all of them?”
Danoral shouted back to her, “I think so, to be safe. I have a vague target here – the beginnings of a window, but I’ll need more. It would not do if I was to be trapped over there on the other side, or worse, somewhere else.”
The eighth dragon linked in, and Tvrdik cried out, “Master, where are you?” But, he had stopped sobbing.
Jorelial Rey asked, “Perhaps we should speed the process up a bit and be done with it, then…?”
Danoral answered, “They’re trying to give him time to adjust to each layer. They are being cautious.”
“Well, they might be adjusting him clean out of his wits!”
“Don’t panic, lady. So far, all of this is quite in line with what we would expect. His mind is just being stretched a little.”
“Dragons,” thought Jorelial Rey, with an edge of annoyance, and a flash of pain in her own head, like a pinch, told her that Tashroth’s connection with her was still very much functioning, despite his being otherwise occupied. She sat back down in her chair, pressed her lips together, watched, and waited. The ninth dragon linked.
“Master, where are you? Are you still there?”
“I’m right here, lad. Can you see me? Yes? Good. Now, focus. Concentrate. Look into my eyes. Use that staff of yours to ground yourself. It’s only the two of us here, sitting and talking. Just two old friends. Tell me about all the improvements you’ve made to my old Cottage. I want to hear all about it.”
“Oh, it’s lovely. We didn’t change much at all. Well, except the school….there isn’t a school anymore, so the Praegers re-invented that whole space for their family to live in. They have the most delightful little girl, Lynette. Lynette is her name. And Mr. Praeger has the front garden in tip-top form. He loves to work in the dirt. He has all the medicinal plants growing apart from the food plants and the flowers…” There was a pause, and his mood seemed to change again, “But all of them are gone now, aren’t they. All of them were dead and ashes years and years ago. Gone and blown away. Lynette, and the Praegers, and Stewart, and the flowers, and The Cottage…all gone.” Tvrdik’s grip on the oaken staff loosened, and it fell to the ground with a muffled thud, narrowly missing Jorelial Rey’s head on the way down. She and Mark, who was holding Tvridk’s arm on that side, glanced over to where it lay, but no one dared move to retrieve it. Meanwhile, Xaarus was diligently trying to recapture the young mage’s attention.
“No, no, Tvrdik. Hang onto me, but don’t come to me here. Don’t try to follow me. It’s all right. Stay where you are, and I will come to you, yes?”
“He’s getting clearer,” Danoral shouted.
Xaarus must have heard that, as his next words were, “It can’t be soon enough for me. This blasted boat is pitching up and down in the most nauseating fashion, and there are beginning to be people up and about.”
“Master, what is it like there? Shall I come and visit with you now?” He sounded positively childlike. Delphine and Mark were gripping his arms now with all their might, trying to keep him in the chair. His entire body was shaking now as if it were full of pressurized steam that must be vented somehow or explode. Warlowe and Andrus ran up to help and hold him in the chair. Andrus tried to take his pulse, but could not get him to hold his arm still.
“No, Tvrdik, stay where you are. Don’t come here. I’m coming to you. Focus on the sound of my voice in your mind. It’s all there is now. Just my voice. Let everything else go.”
The tenth dragon came on board. Tvrdik stood up, with little effort, and a sense of purpose, despite four strong pairs of hands trying to hold him down. Jorelial Rey sprang up and stepped forward, reaching up to take his face in both of her hands, and smoothing his hair back from a perspiration-drenched brow. His eyes stared through her, seemed frightened.
“Master, I was wrong. It is too difficult to hold it all. I have failed you. I am so sorry. I am spreading myself out on the wind…I am losing myself. I have no name. I am a part of all that is, but I don’t know who I am. I-I’ve forgotten my name…”
“Tvrdik! It’s Tvrdik.” Jorelial Rey shouted at him, knowing he could not hear her.
“You are Tvrdik, dea
r boy, and you are one with all that is, but you are still you. Hang on just a little longer, I think we are almost there…”
The eleventh and last dragon joined the group lending its powerful concentration to locating Xaarus through Tvrdik’s stretched, bedazzled mind, and opening a doorway in the shifting planes of time for Danoral to travel through.
“No. No. It’s too much. I don’t think I can hang on any longer. There is nothing left of me. I am tired of struggling. So tired. I think I’ll just drift away now…” his voice sounded colorless and empty as the trembling ceased, and all the muscles of his body went limp at once. His friends caught the dead weight, and eased him back into the chair, scrambling for cushions.
“Don’t go yet, Tvrdik,” Xaarus coached, his tone firm. “Just hold onto the sound of my voice a little longer, do you hear me? I am your master, and I order you to hang onto the sound of my voice…” The eyelids closed, but flickered, revealing the whites behind them.
“Got him!” Danoral cried. “I have a clear fix; I’m going in.” And the purple dragon launched himself from the beach, up into the space of air above the lake, circled once, silhouetted against the golden disc of the rising sun, and – vanished.
No one else was at the rail. Most of the early, savvy travelers were within the ferry’s warm cabin, dozing on benches, or enjoying a hot cup of coffee. The woman, and her companion, George, were enjoying the fresh air and early sunshine. She sighed, gazing out at a lone, small vessel containing a single vague figure, tossing on the waters in the distance. As the two friends stood watching, a huge purple dragon appeared without warning in the sky over the little boat, back-winging to hold himself suspended there. The old man they had wondered about stood, with some difficulty, in the dinghy, stretched his arms straight upward toward the dragon, and waited while the beast dropped low enough for his front talons to be in reach. The man grabbed one of the dragon’s claws with both hands, and the great purple beast lifted him clear up out of the boat, circled once, and appeared to vanish into thin air, dangling passenger and all. The little boat bobbed, aimless and lonely, on the gentle waves.
The Last Wizard of Eneri Clare Page 77