Close Encounters of the Magical Kind

by Jeffrey M. Poole

  “I didn’t bring it up,” Sarah contradicted. “I said we need to make the sapling stronger. Who do we know who has the ability to enhance jhorun?”

  “Mikal,” Steve breathed. Her husband risked a glance at the tree. “If you’re going to get him then you’d better hurry. The glow is starting to fade at the base.”

  Sarah muffled a curse, gave her husband a light peck on the cheek, and brought up her tiring jhorun. She visualized the Antechamber back in the castle and ordered her jhorun to take her there. The Tree, and it’s partially glowing trunk vanished. Kri’Entu’s plush private chamber appeared. There were no guards present. In fact, no one was present at all.

  She hurried over to the closed door and knocked a few times. The last thing she wanted to do was startle the guards she knew would be standing on either side of the door. She smiled as she heard a muffled explanation of surprise. The double doors were hastily pulled open. Two baffled guards were staring straight at her. One opened his mouth to ask a question but she cut him off.

  “I need the prince. Yes, this is an emergency. Please hurry.”

  The two guards eyed each other. One nodded and hurried off. He was back in less than a minute, escorting… Sarah scowled. That wasn’t Mikal.

  Captain Pheron nodded, “Milady. I had a feeling you might return. How can I…”

  “Pheron! No time to explain! This is an emergency! I need Mikal, like right now!”

  “You need to speak with his highness?” Pheron asked, confused. “Perhaps if you could…”

  “It’s regarding that secret that you’re not supposed to be privy to. Please, Pheron. Hurry!”

  Pheron’s eyes widened. He stifled a curse and hurried off. Sarah glanced over at the two guards, who were dubiously eyeing her back.

  “Don’t worry about me. You know, secret missions. Middle of the night? They’re not as much fun as you might think.”

  “Are you really the teleporter?” one guard hesitantly asked.

  Judging by his voice Sarah pegged him to be in his late teens. She nodded wearily. The young soldier’s helmet disappeared from his head and reappeared in her arms. She tossed it back to the wide-eyed soldier.

  “That’s so cool,” the soldier whispered to his companion. “I wish I could do that!”

  Pheron returned with not one, nor two, but three people: Mikal, Lissa, and the king, who was once again hastily pulling on his robe. The guards gulped nervously and pulled open the Antechamber doors. Mikal followed his father inside. Lissa hesitated at the threshold of the door but then yelped with surprise as Sarah forcefully pulled her inside. She indicated for the guards to close the door then hurried over to Mikal.

  “I need you to come with me. Right now, no questions asked.”

  “Are you well, Lady Sarah?” Kri’Entu asked, alarmed by the urgency in her voice.

  “I’m fine and so is Steve. Our friends are not.”

  “It didn’t work,” the king said quietly, letting out a sigh.

  “What didn’t work?” Mikal curiously asked as he shared a look with Lissa, who shrugged.

  “It won’t if we don’t help it,” Sarah said. She hooked her arm through Mikal’s. “Can I borrow him? I promise to return him as soon as I can.”

  The king nodded, “Of course. Just make sure he’s back in plenty of time for tomorrow. We wouldn’t want him to miss anything, would we?”

  Sarah smiled, “Absolutely not. Rest assured we’ll return him to you in tip-top shape.”

  Kri’Entu nodded, “See that you do, Lady Sarah. I would hate to think that he’d be late for… well, we don’t need to go into that here. You and Sir Steve will be there, correct?”

  “Of course. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “And the preparations you told me about earlier? Will those be in readiness?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Splendid.”

  “Your timing is excellent,” Mikal said, the instant his father had left the room. “I don’t know how much more I could have taken.”

  Lissa appeared in front of him and crossed her arms across her chest.

  “What’s going on? What are you two talking about?”

  Sarah winked at Mikal and held out her hand.

  “We’re going west. Are you ready? Deep breath. And here we… Lissa? Would you like to come along? We might even need to use your skills, too.”

  “Is someone sick?” Lissa asked as she rushed forward. “And don’t think I’ve let this matter drop. You two are up to something. I want to know what you’re planning.”

  “If you only knew,” Mikal softly murmured.

  Sarah had to bite her tongue to keep from smiling. With all the excitement and stress of trying to revive the Fae’s Tree, she had completely forgotten about what was due to take place tomorrow. She groaned. Her jhorun was going to require a good night’s rest. With all the teleporting she was planning on doing tomorrow she was going to need it at full strength.

  “Lissa, take my left hand. Mikal, take my right. Are we ready? Here we go.”

  Just like that they were standing in front of the Tree once more. The glow, Sarah was dismayed to learn, was fading fast. There was only a ten foot section of the sapling which had any type of glow left on it. As far as its ascent up the trunk, unfortunately, that had come to a complete stop.

  “Where are we?” Lissa asked as she looked around. She spied Ria and Thinian on the ground, looking listless and crestfallen, and rushed over to see if she could help. When neither Fae responded to her questions the young girl looked over at Sarah with an inquisitive expression on her face. “Can you tell me what’s wrong with them? As soon as I know what the problem is then I’ll be able to find something that will help. Oh. Sir Steve. Hello. I didn’t see you there.”

  “Hey there, Lissa,” Steve returned.

  “We already know what will help them,” Sarah stated, hooking a thumb back at the huge tree. “We have to fix that. Mikal, you’re up.”

  Mikal spun in place and stared up at the huge tree.

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “Do you see the sapling that has been wrapping itself around the trunk?”

  “Aye.”

  “Do you see how there’s only a little bit of the glow left?”

  “Aye.”

  “That glow was helping restore this tree to its full health.” Sarah pointed at the base of the sapling, which by now resembled a vine. “Follow that straight up. Do you see where it’s stopped growing? About halfway up? When it was working the sapling was growing. And glowing. Either the tree was too far gone or else the pollen wasn’t strong enough. We need to boost the sapling and we need to hurry. Can you help us?”

  Without a second’s hesitation Mikal rushed forward and slapped his hands on the Tree’s massive trunk. Sarah watched as he closed his eyes and frowned. He looked over at Sarah and sadly shook his head.

  “I’m not sensing any jhorun in the tree at all. Then again, I don’t typically sense jhorun in any type of pontal, so I’m not really too surprised.”

  Sarah glanced up, saw that the last remnants of the sapling’s glow had almost completely faded away. Wait. The sapling! That’s what the pollen was using to restore the Tree! She frantically pointed back at the golden sprout.

  “Don’t try to boost the Tree but rather boost the sapling! Hurry!”

  Mikal knelt down and placed his hands on the base of the sapling. He almost immediately got a curious expression on his face and nearly let go. His brow furrowed as he concentrated. Lissa appeared next to Sarah’s side and pointed at a spot a few feet above Mikal’s head.

  “Look! The tree is starting to glow!”

  Sarah checked for herself. Lissa was right. The base of the sapling had indeed started to glow again. As before, the glow gently began spreading up the golden sprout, causing the Tree’s trunk to glow wherever contact was made. The sprout, Sarah was relieved to see, had resumed its slow spiral up the Tree. It wasn’t the most
expeditious process to watch, she decided, as the sapling slowly snaked its way up the trunk. It wasn’t growing as fast as it had been at the moment the pollen had been administered, but at least it was growing.

  She craned her neck to look up at the tree towering far above their heads. They had some time on their hands. Sarah sighed with relief. At least the Tree appeared to be out of danger. It had resumed its swaying and was in the process of growing new foliage on the lower branches. She looked over at her husband. He had Emerion in his arms and was gently swaying in time with the tree. Nyx would be proud. Of her. Of Steve. Of her decision to keep the cub out of harm’s way by raising him on their world. It would be a challenge, yes, but she was sure she and her husband could pull it off.

  That left Loryss and her problem.

  Sarah sighed. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically. Could she ask her husband to handle this one? Would he be capable of locating Loryss’ flock and subtlety ask about a specific griffiness? What would he do if he did find the griffiness in question standing beside Loryss’ mate? Would he be discreet? How would he react if confronted by a mob of angry griffins?

  She felt the muscles in her arms and legs cramp up at the slightest thought that she’d have to move again. Her jhorun was also fatigued. If she tried to coax her jhorun to do too much more then she was certain she’d jeopardize her plans for tomorrow’s festivities. She had made too many promises already. Whether she liked it or not this one would have to fall to her husband.

  “I agree,” Steve quietly told her.

  Startled, Sarah looked up to see her husband squatting down next to her. The young griffin was still sound asleep in his arms. How had he managed to appear by her side without her noticing him?

  “I think you were dozing,” her husband told her. “Your eyes were closed.”

  “Really? Wow. And what are you, a mind reader now?”

  “You’re tired, babe. You’re exhausted, anyone can see that. It’s also not too hard to figure out you’re thinking about Loryss. Look at the Tree. Mikal is working wonders with it. However, based on the rate of growth we have some time. What say I go find Loryss’ mate and make sure the griffin who poisoned her isn’t her mate’s new girlfriend?”

  “You don’t know where you’re going.”

  “And neither do you. I either have to do this tonight or it’ll have to be done tomorrow morning. Something tells me you won’t want me to be preoccupied tomorrow, will you?’

  Sarah smiled at him, “You’re right, I won’t. Fine. You go see if you can find Loryss’ mate. Do you have any idea how you’re going to accomplish that? They’re probably all asleep by now.”

  “Leave that to me. I’m going to call in some favors.”

  “What? With who?”

  Her husband gave her a cryptic smile, passed the sleeping griffin cub to her, and kissed her tenderly on her cheek.

  “Don’t wait up for me. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “What are you going to do?” Sarah asked, bewildered. “Don’t you think you ought to check with me first?”

  Without breaking stride, Steve turned to look at her. He winked.

  “Trust me.”

  ****

  “Stop your fretting.”

  “Wearisome, it is.”

  “Sorry,” Steve apologized, sighing as he stretched his back. “It’s just that I’ve never ridden a dragon your size before. I’m not exactly a small guy. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “We have carried much heavier burdens than you before,” the first voice informed him.

  “When?” the second voice asked.

  “Do you not remember when our treasure horde was returned last year?” the first voice asked, casting a scornful look at his twin. “Our gold alone is easily heavier than he is.”

  “Not by much,” the second voice grumped.

  Steve stared at the owner of the voices with a bemused expression on his face.

  “Okay, listen. I’m sorry, I know you’ve already told me. Several times, in fact. Which one of you is Dirgath and which one is Tirgath?”

  The zweigelan dragon turned both necks and stared back at him with four sets of eyes.

  “I am Dirgath,” the left head reported.

  “And I am Tirgath,” the right head answered.

  “So what were you just saying, Tirgath?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “That I never believed humans could be that heavy,” Tirgath admitted.

  Steve laughed, “I do believe you’re calling me a fatass.”

  “Promised his Lordship, we did,” Dirgath reminded him.

  “Aye, I know,” the zweigelan’s left head snapped.

  “Promised who what?” Steve wanted to know.

  “You have the ear of the Dragon Lord,” Dirgath explained. “His lordship favors you. Treat you well, he made us promise.”

  “You’re helping me out in the middle of the night,” Steve reminded his wyverian friends. “That more than constitutes compliance in my book.”

  “Appreciated, it is,” Tirgath admitted.

  “Quite frankly I was surprised that Kahvel, er, the Dragon Lord even answered me. It was late. I could only hope that you dragons don’t sleep as much as us humans.”

  “We don’t,” Dirgath confirmed.

  “Meditate, we do,” Tirgath added.

  Steve blinked. Meditate? Dragons meditate? He shrugged. You learn something new every day.

  “So how have you two enjoyed being part of the Collective? The last time I saw you was when we were all battling to remove the curse that kept you dragons grounded.”

  “Remember that well, we do,” Dirgath told him. The zweigelan’s right wing dipped and they turned south. “Would prefer not to discuss the matter, we do.”

  “Agreed,” Tirgath added.

  “Enjoyed contact with others, we will admit,” Dirgath said. Tirgath nodded. “Never realized how lonely it was without the company of our brothers and sisters.”

  “I’ll bet,” Steve agreed.

  He glanced up at the night sky. Thankfully the moon was out, providing some much needed light. Once more Steve’s eyes were drawn to the stars. He shook his head as he scanned the heavens, looking for some type of configuration of stars that looked familiar. As with every other time he had tried to find a recognizable constellation, he failed. There simply wasn’t anything familiar about the night sky here as opposed to their home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He wondered yet again if there were some way to get from Lentari to his home world without the use of magic.

  He shrugged. He didn’t know. He probably wouldn’t ever know.

  “Ridden many dragons, have you?” Dirgath asked, breaking the silence.

  “Never ridden the likes of us, I’ll wager,” Tirgath added.

  “I’ve ridden plenty of dragons,” Steve informed his traveling companion. “Never one as unique as you. Or as cool. I’m truly honored Kahvel assigned you as my guide.”

  “No one knows this area better than I,” Dirgath stated.

  “Except for me,” Tirgath contradicted. “I know it better. I always have. Jealous of me, you are.”

  Steve stared at the two heads with a bemused expression on his face.

  “And you know where you’re going?” he asked.

  “You wish to speak with Ceraeon, is that not so?” Dirgath asked.

  Steve nodded, “Right. You said you know him?”

  Both wyverian heads nodded.

  “We do,” Tirgath said. “Was being groomed to be the next Prime, he was.”

  “He may be now,” Dirgath added.

  “How many Primes are there?” Steve asked. “The only thing I know about the griffins is that there is no one main Prime. Do either of you know?”

  “We know of only three in the northern mountains,” Dirgath answered. “Ceraeon is a member of the largest.”

  “And you just so happen to know him,” Steve repeated, nodding. “Do I want to know how you know him? You know what? I don’
t want to know. None of my concern.”

  “Many dragons live in the mountains,” Dirgath reminded him. “Many have contact with other species. It is not unreasonable to believe that the wyverians would not have business with the griffins.”

  Remembering Sarah’s story about Emerion’s father, Steve swallowed nervously. “What can you tell me about this Ceraeon character? Is he nice? Mean? Quick to lose his temper?”

  “Unknown,” Dirgath said. “Find out soon enough, you will. We approach griffin territory. Behold. We have already been spotted.”

  Steve sat up straight.

  “We have? Where?”

  “Two sentries, nearly a quarter league apart,” Tirgath growled. “Both have taken to the air.”

  “They are on an intercept course,” Dirgath advised. “Be prepared, fire thrower.”

  “Be prepared?” Steve sputtered. “For what? It’s too damn dark out there. I probably couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. Not without knowing what’s out there. Hey, what do we have to worry about? We’ve come in peace.”

  “Know that, they do not,” Tirgath said.

  They landed in a small glade and waited. Steve slid off the zweigelan’s back and generated a large chaser. Now that they were in the thick of the woods he could barely see his hand in front of his face.

  “What do we do now?” Dirgath wanted to know as he looked cautiously around at the silent trees.

  A loud squawk echoed thunderously throughout the small clearing. Steve flinched and automatically ignited his hands. With a curse, he flicked them out.

  “Who are you?” one of the griffins called out to them as he safely circled about in the air, high above their heads. “Be you friend or foe?”

  Both zweigelan heads turned to look expectantly at Steve.

  “Friend,” Steve called out. “We’ve come in peace.”

  “Then extinguish your fire sphere,” the second griffin challenged, joining his companion in the sky above them.

  “If I did that then I wouldn’t be able to see a thing,” Steve told the griffins. “You guys may have been born with nocturnal vision but I have not.”