Togar studied his sister queen. Her advice is usually more sound and grounded in the protection of the Solteriem folk but this time he wasn’t as sure as she was about the Uplanders. “We will continue to watch. We have seen no others following. I think it was an accident they are here, like others in the past. They will wander around haphazardly and eventually die away. I see no threat.”
Jengar’s eyes flashed and narrowed as she clamped her jaw firmly shut. She did not expect his response, and she watched as her plans disintegrated before her sparkling eyes. She would just have to go about this another way, she thought as she replied, “If that is your wish Togar, yes. We will watch.”
She abruptly rose from her Throne and flitted away.
Chapter 9
The sun was high overhead by the time the Dragons reached the land where the Urthe peoples and Kaida had lived. Although much time had passed, there showed no indication of the peoples reinhabiting the same area. Huge zigzag scars opened large crevices along the ground, cutting a path through where the river once flowed. Now the waters which had flowed freely from the mountain plunged into the deep crevice and disappeared.
The four landed close to the edge, peering downward.
“Do you think we can gain entrance here, Zelspar?” Galdean questioned as he looked down the narrow gap.
“It may be wide enough for us to fit but not enough room to alter our directions. Unfortunately, the sheer cut left no ledges or landings that I can see. As we look down, the light fades away. It does not give indication of an opening to reach Kaida.”
“I think we should try,” spouted Zlemtec. “I could test it out since I’m the smallest.”
“I understand your eagerness but don’t let it lead you into danger,” Zelspar replied. “It is better for us to look for another way which would have the markers of a possible opening. I do not relish the thought of losing you before finding Kaida.” His yellowed eyes rested upon the hatchling’s and he knew he had hit his mark.
“You are right. I only thought it is a large opening….” he said shrugging, still staring down into the deep cut.
“Quite understandable. But we must look for as many markers as we can find, otherwise we would do no more good than hatchlings chasing their own tails,” he let out a tumbling laugh and Zlemtec joined in with him.
Rynik said, “I think it would be safe enough to land on the broken mountain. There is no sign of the peoples here so we shouldn’t be a cause for alarm. Since this is the last area Kaida was, perhaps there are noticeable markers.”
“I agree with you. What do you think Zelspar?” Galdean asked.
“I think it is the best starting point. Perhaps we will find some indication of where she left. We know it has to be somewhere close to the mountain, it is the place the Urthe peoples made their homes, either in caves or the out dwellings.”
“Kaida told me of the cave she lived in with her teacher, Molakei and his daughter! She was fascinated by the pictures on the walls. She said a lot of the pictures told stories of great hunts, but some of them had no stories she could understand. There were even pictures of Dragons flying in the sky.” Zlemtec looked at the older three Dragons and his eyes threatened to pool over in his thoughts of Kaida.
“By all that is Dragon, Zlemtec! You have given us the type of markers we need. There are caves all through the mountains, much like our at home. I have been pondering how we will be able to differentiate one cave from another. This is good news, indeed,” said Zelspar as he gave a hearty slap on Zlemtec’s shoulder. “We will fly up one at a time, land carefully for we do not know how stable the mountainside is.”
The King of Mursei looked over the broken mountain and pointed, “I’ll fly up top from where the mountain split and look for markers. Galdean why don’t you look for any loose rocks that could be covering an opening closer to the ground level. Zelspar and Zlemtec, fly around the backside of the mountain where half disappeared into the ground, there may be some sort of markers around that side but be careful, it could be more unstable than the rest.”
They agreed and watched as the King of Mursei flew up to the shorn mountain and purchased a firm landing before they took off to their appointed search areas. Galdean found a landing spot midway to the side of King Rynik’s search. They both lost sight of Zelspar and Zlemtec as they flew to the backside of the mountain.
Zlemtec was explaining to Zelspar, “I saw the Urthe peoples celebrating by a large fire pit one time. Maybe if we can find that area, we will know if we are close to the place Kaida had lived.”
The old White Dragon gave a nod and a wink and allowed Zlemtec to take the lead. It is good, he thought, that Zlemtec did come to see Kaida. If he had not, we would just as well be blowing Dragon smoke.
The ground area was in total shambles. As the two made their way across the uneven terrain, it was hard to tell if there had ever been any dwellings in the area. Nothing but crumbled rock and dust in thick layers met their eyes where the ground leveled off.
Zelspar noted the look of defeat already rising in the hatchlings eyes. “I know this looks as if no one ever lived here because of all the rock slides. I think if we were to carefully move some of the rocks close to the mountain, we may have a better view.”
Zlemtec made a grunt of agreement, his eyes not daring to look away from the ground. They started heaving small boulders to the side and looked underneath for any indication of a dwelling for the peoples. Rock after rock they tossed aside. They both had to be quick, sometimes when displacing a boulder, others tumbled to take its place. They were finally making some headway when Zelspar rolled a boulder out of the way and found remains of the peoples. He let out a deep groan at the sight, bringing Zlemtec close.
“We have the remains of some of the peoples here. They may have been running into a cave or out, we do not know, but they were caught by the boulders crashing down upon them. They have gone to be with their Ancestors now. They are at peace and we do not bother them by looking where they once were, Zlemtec. After we have cleared enough to see if there is a cave, we will once again cover their remains.”
Zelspar was an old Dragon and had seen much death from the battles constantly fought on Verlaunde and the battles here on Urthe. But Zlemtec on the other hand had been raised on Urthe, and has not been to battle. Death still was an unexpected sting from an unseen arrow.
Zlemtec’s eyes were open wide in the unanticipated find. He started backing away quickly sending small boulders running down the hill. He began to lose his footing, threatening to send him falling backwards when his arms flailed behind him.
His left arm disappeared halfway into the rubble.
Zelspar leapt over to see if he was alright and when he looked down at Zlemtec he saw a strange look.
“Zelspar, go get the King and Galdean. My arm….”
“Did you break it? Here, let me tend to you first.” Zelspar immediately switched into his Healer mode.
“Nooo.” Zlemtec said with the sound of awe in his voice. “I don’t want to move. Go get them, my arm—it’s in an open space! I don’t want to move it only to have the rocks pour down to close it up before we know what the space is.”
“Good thinking, good thinking. Don’t move, well … we just discussed that didn’t we? I’ll bring the others.” Zelspar said with his tongue still in a dither. It was rare to see the old White Dragon flustered. Zlemtec held the smile hidden until Zelspar crested the top of the shattered mountain.
Zlemtec’s eyes actually were beaming by the time the three Dragons flew over the ridge and made their way close to him. He didn’t know what was below him but he knew he was a lot closer to Kaida than he had been in a long time and for him, that was enough to fan the small spark of hope.
King Rynik, Galdean and Zelspar flew over the top of the mountain and swooped down near Zlemtec.
King Rynik called out to him,“Zlemtec, does your arm move freely under the ground?”
“Yes, I can move it back and forth and n
ot hit anything. I was afraid to pull my arm away for fear it would fill in with rocks before we could see inside.”
“You were right to wait. We will start moving the rocks away from you slowly. Let us know if anything changes.”
“I’ll be fine. If it feels like it will cave in, I’ll pitch myself forward. Go ahead and move the rocks.”
Galdean grabbed up a boulder above Zlemtec and paused. It did not start a landslide so he pitched it free of the area. Rock by rock they proceeded to clear the area immediately surrounding the hatchling.
Zlemtec asked, “Can you see anything yet?”
Zelspar rubbed his chin hairs and remarked, “Still too many rocks. We will have to move more before we can get a better look.
King Mursei hefted a large boulder and was casting it aside when a loud crack was heard and the King of Mursei disappeared.
At the sound, Galdean and Zelspar were airborne and fluttered around the flying dust. Zlemtec had pitched his body forward, kissing the dirt with his snout.
Galdean roared, “Rynik!”
Coughing and sputtering, the King replied. “It is all right, I’m fine. A few scrapes across my hide but no injuries. Stay back until this dust settles, then I will be able to see where I am.”
Zlemtec was still in the process of blinking away his startled look and getting to his feet. He had come to rest a Dragon length below the pocket which had snared his arm.
Galdean’s wings beat in a fury, moving the dust away from the hole where his friend had fallen. Zelspar and Galdean began to fly tight circles overhead, pushing the dust away. At last, they were able to see down into the hole. It was still sending up dust, but they could see the King of Mursei.
After a moment, the King called out, “Zelspar, I need you to get Zlemtec. I want you to use your magic to levitate him over the hole and lower him in. I don’t want to risk him walking over to the edge.”
“It will be done. Give us a few minutes.”
Zelspar dove down to Zlemtec and told him what to expect, but most importantly to stay still and silent as he wove the spell of Levitation.
Zlemtec nodded and watched the old White Dragon in awe. He had witnessed when Kaida levitated and it always fascinated him. Dragons fly. They hover but they do not do anything similar to the slow controlled movement of Levitation. Unless, of course, through the magic Zelspar wove.
Zlemtec kept his wings folded and tucked in towards his sides with his arms down. Soon he was floating inches and then a Dragon’s foot above the clutter of rocks. He moved steadily up until he was over the collapsed part of the rock slide. Slowly, he saw the edge of the rocks disappear as he was lowered into the hole.
“He’s on the ground, Zelspar. Thank you. Give us a bit to look around.”
The King of Mursei turned to Zlemtec, “This is what I wanted you to see. I know you haven’t been in the caves, but look at this wall where I wiped the dust away. Tell me what you think you see.”
Zlemtec went over where the King was standing and squinted his eyes through the filtering dust. And then he saw it. His scales prickled as his fingers traced the lines of several running deer and hunters on the wall. Up above them he saw flying Dragons and stars of different sizes and shapes. His jaw dropped in wonder and his eyes grew large and damp. He turned to the King.
“This wall is exactly how Kaida described their cave. This is where she lived!” He pressed his palm flat against the wall trying to absorb her presence. Without a thought his lungs inhaled a mighty gulp of air and the cave rumbled with his call. “Kaida!”
Behind them, the wall rattled and dust began filling their chamber as the King of Mursei took one arm and pushed Zlemtec flat back against the wall, shielding him from the dust, dirt and rocks pouring down around them.
Zelspar and Galdean circled above, flying fast to sweep the dirt aside to see what happened below. Painful minutes passed until they were able to once again see down through the hole.
Zelspar called out,“Are you both okay?”
“Yes. A bit of a cave in. We have to let it clear again but….” King Mursei answered as Zlemtec interrupted.
“Look! Back there. I see some light piercing through the dust.”
Rynik rubbed the dust from his eyes and squinted. Where there should be nothing but darkness at the back of the cave, there was a dim light penetrating through the dust and rocks. He turned with a smile to Zlemtec and squeezed his shoulder. “Light.”
Then he called up to the others and said, “We see light! It is dim but we shouldn’t be able to see any light at the back of the cave. Be cautious but start clearing away enough rock to be able to fly down here. Make sure there is enough of an opening for us to fly out in case the cave is not stable. We will stay by the wall until you have finished.”
Galdean being the warrior he is, quickly grabbed boulders and cast them away like they were pebbles. Zelspar moved the boulders from where Zlemtec had been, opening a wider hole on that end. Soon, their work opened up a large slightly jagged hole, resembling a freshly hatched Dragon’s egg. Instead of the Dragon’s exiting the egg, they flew down inside and were reunited with the King of Mursei and Zlemtec. The four Dragons looked towards the dim light and at a slug’s pace, moved cautiously forward.
Rynik was in the lead. His foot slid slowly forward until it hit a ledge. Or edge. But beyond his foot was open space. The faint light they had seen was being emitted from far, far below reflecting against some crystal formations. He spit a large flame of Fire and saw what before him was a vast void, where part of the mountain had disappeared. A huge hollow but still, that faint light emitted from far below….
Chapter 10
“Molakei! Listen, did you hear him?” Kaida sprung up from the grass and ran looking far up into the sky.
“Kaida, who? Who did you hear?” Molakei looked around and did not see anyone except Flower Bird tending to the fire.
“It is Zlemtec, he called me! He sounded so close, Molakei.” Kaida’s eyes shown the kind of sparkle the river makes with the sun overhead, flashing and bright.
“Kaida, come to me.” Molakei knew she thought or wished to hear from her Dragon friend but also knew it was very unlikely, unless the Dragons fell through the Urthe. His lips puckered in thought. There was no knowing what has occurred above ground. Maybe the Ancestors wiped the top of the ground clean and opened the Urthe until the outer Urthe was fresh and new?
Kaida came bounding forward to pull at Molakei’s hands. “We have to go look, Molakei. I know I heard him. He was very loud.”
“Did you hear with your ears? Or did you hear with your head, the way the wolves talk to you?” He asked.
“I … I am not sure. He called my name so loud I thought he must be right above me but I could not see him.”
“I did not hear anything, so maybe he is able to reach you like the wolves do, but this I do know, if your friend Zlemtec is down here he will have a far easier way of finding us than for us to run all over the place looking for him.” Molakei gave Kaida a soft hug to help ease her thoughts and asked, “Is he still calling to you?”
Kaida looked down and shook her head no. She looked up and said, “I don’t think I imagined it. I think he is looking for me. For all of us.” She began to smile and added, “if a Dragon goes looking for something or someone, it will be found!”
Molakei could do nothing but scruff up the top of her head and wink. He could have said the same thing about her. She is one of the most determined little warriors he has known. An odd sound caught their attention as the wolves came running and jumped into the air.
Huge winged insects came shooting out from the trees. Their wingspan were longer than a full sized man and were a kaleidoscope of dazzling colors. They darted and bobbed all around them, circling and sizing them up. Kaida started waving her arms above her head, trying to shoo them away. One of them scraped her arm with his sharp feet as he buzzed past.
Tyrianua leapt and partially clipped the edge of a wing causing the gia
nt Dragonflies to fly away. “Kaida, these are not just insects. They were sent to watch us. I do not know the name Jengar, but that is who sent them. Tell the others to use care. We are not alone. Whoever or whatever Jengar is, we are not wanted here.”
“I don’t care who this Jengar is, I don’t want to be here either.” Kaida glared and stomped her feet solidly. “If they want to show themselves then maybe they could show us how to get out of here. I mean, it is nice enough with plenty of food but it is not where our kind are, the peoples of Urthe and Dragons.”
Tyrianua pawed at her elbow and issued a low whine. “Stay alert. I feel danger. They do not care that we wish to be back above. They only … I sense they plan to attack us.”
Suddenly alarmed, Kaida quickly explained to Molakei what she learned from Tyrianua. He nodded in thought and brought Kaida back close to the fire. “I had also wondered if there were others down in this place. It makes sense that there would be. I had hoped we would find some of our peoples. If we got here then I had hoped….”
Flower Bird saw the cloud pass over her father’s eyes. It is hard having so many losses in our own family but now there is a great probability they have lost many of their own peoples. She hoped some fell down here too and survived. She stirred the coals in the fire until they burned brightly and let her heart fill with that hope.
The wolves, Sigrunn and Tyrianua, darted past Kaida and moved to the first outcropping of trees at the edge of the towering forest. Their teeth bared and muzzles curled back in deep snarls, they paced the line of trees.
Flower Bird grabbed up her bow and fumbled for an arrow as the trees swayed like a storm caught in its center. The air was pierced by the warning howls from the wolves as the trees began to part. Towering pines bent sideways as the creature stepped into the Meadow’s light. Shocked gasps blended with the wolves howls. The wolves backed slowly to stand guard by Kaida.
The Legend- Revealed Page 4