“It’s this simple. Remember when you wanted fish and had been playing in the pond inside the cave? All the fish had swam to the bottom. You had no fishing gear but you still wanted fish.”
“I remember that day, Zelspar.” Zlemtec became animated in the re-telling of the tale. “She got a little sore at me for saying she disturbed our meal and said she would get them anyway. Then, before I could blink, fish were hitting me all over!”
Kaida giggled. “Well, it served you right for making fun of me.”
“This is the lesson, Kaida. Just as you urgently wanted to get fish at that moment, without having to go find your gear, you thought about it and called it to be. Isn’t that right?” Zelspar studied her face and saw her eyes register the connection.
“I never thought of it in those terms. I just called the fish out of the water.”
“That is true. You wanted something bad enough, you hardly thought of an adverse outcome. Your mind and body worked in unison to give you the desired outcome. You could say your ‘Will’ and ‘Belief’ were the magic ingredients which conspired together to achieve your goal.” Zelspar leaned against his staff watching Kaida intensely. “Kaida, you have Magic within you, more than you are currently aware. To discover a Magic, you must first endeavor to try, otherwise your Magic lies dormant and may even fizzle away without use.”
He thought again and approached from a different angle. “There are many pathways through the mind. Find one that meets your need or desire. For instance, if you were in danger from, let’s say, the Jodrug Hail,” Zelspar paused as he saw her eyes grow wide in alarm, “now, what you need to do is vanish quickly, so they won’t spot you. What do you do?”
She closed her eyes tightly and clenched her fists so hard, her whole body was caught in a grip of fear. Nothing. She opened her eyes and looked down at her body and said, “It didn’t work!”
The White Dragon softly smiled. “What did you think while you were tightened into a stone?”
“I was scared they would find me and kept saying in my mind, ‘Don’t let them find me. Please, don’t let them find me.’” Her voice was trembling with the remembrance of past experiences.
“I see. But what you did was not concentrate on ‘being’ invisible. Instead you allowed the fear to take hold. Now wishing for something, either for good or for self-preservation is a Magic but it is weak and fights against itself because in your heart, your ‘belief’ combined with fear and when you combine a positive such as belief with a negative like fear, they combat each other until the weak Magic is snuffed out before it can take hold.”
A groan rumbled out of Kaida. Her shoulders slumped in her perceived defeat.
“Don’t groan, little Dragon,” Zelspar said gently raising her chin so she would meet his eyes. “This was a splendid lesson. It taught you something that will not work when fear sets in. You needed to see it for yourself in order to learn what does work. Now, try it this way. You see the Jodrugs approaching, you do not want to be seen. Tell your mind what you want.”
Kaida nodded and thought, They can’t see me, I’m invisible. I have disappeared. I’m safe. Her lips moved her silent chant as all watched. The spell was broken when Zlemtec leapt into the air saying, “She did it, she did it!”
Her eyes sprung open and she gasped. “I did? Did I really disappear?” Her look of surprise was mimicked by the guests.
Zelspar gave her a hug and said, “You did, our little Dragon, you did indeed. It will only need more practice to perfect it as your hands and feet were still partially visible but … that was a first rate attempt. Now, you know it is possible. You won’t be second-guessing yourself. You have strengthened your ‘will’ and ‘belief’. And that, my little Dragon is the basis of all Magic. Upon their strength, you perfect your Magic.”
Kaida feeling delighted, spun circles with her hands up in the air, spinning, spinning and shooting smiles like shooting stars across the room. Zelspar watched her as his heart swelled. She will have all the Magic she will need, he thought, no matter what she must face in the future. I will make certain of that.
Perthorn inched forward until he was beside Zelspar. He questioned, “How was she able to do such Magic? In my great Book Of Days, it tells of no spell to induce invisibility!”
A smile creased Zelspar’s leathered face. “Ahh, it is Dragon Magic.”
“But, she is no Dragon. Sure, I understand she is named ‘little Dragon’ and has been raised primarily under the Dragons’ care but that does not make her a Dragon, nor her abilities.” Perthorn wore a confused and flabbergasted expression and proceeded to pluck off his tall hat and turn it around and around by its edges.
“Shhh!” Commanded Zelspar. “Your words can only make Kaida upset.”
“Pardon me, I meant no disrespect. It is only I do not understand.”
“It is well, my friend. She is preoccupied with Zlemtec, for now,” he stated, as his bushy brow raised in warning. “Kaida is the things you mentioned but much more. It is hard for any of us to determine all of her talents and abilities because there has never been one such as herself. She is the Legend, the Dragon Child. And as such, it is my role, my distinguished responsibility to discover the Magic within her and train her in the usage of it. Today we have only scratched the surface. I believe she will need to know what resides within her for her to safely accomplish what she was born to do. To become the very bridge of understanding between the Dragons and peoples.”
“Yes, yes … I do see your point. I have a habit of seeing her simply as a strong young woman, not yet Kiel’s years but I am quite truly amazed at such a spell. I listened well to your guidance as you brought her to the understanding of the basis of her Magic. I must say, I had not thought of it in that manner. I have to wonder if practicing our spells of Magic would become enhanced through that form of visualization?” Perthorn’s forehead furrowed in contemplation.
“Having not had a Magician as a student, I cannot in all certainty, say.” Zelspar said and continued, “It is true, that my students first learn by reading the spells, and memorizing until it is embedded into them as much as their name. Then, there is the repetitive training of using spells in order to master them. Most, of which, I am of a mind to believe is similar to the ways you use. However, for Dragons, we have….” his eyes searched the cave’s ceiling for the words. “We have a short-cut, an added bonus for learning Magic.”
“You see,” Zelspar continued, his eyes growing distant in thought, “we have our Ancestors always close and as such, we are given deep memories which are embedded into our very soul. With Dragons, our lifespan is thousands of years long, making our memories a vast resource to tap. Most of the training I do with Dragons is in the opening up of pathway to Remembering.”
“I do say, that is an added bonus for you,” Perthorn said, jutting out his chin, “but it makes me wonder if that isn’t something we might experience. Now, not all Magicians can claim an unbroken line of Magician ancestry … but there are some,” he concluded with a wink.
A smile crept across the wise Old Dragon’s face. “I take it that you may have such a line?”
Smirking, with a flash in his eyes, he answered. “Indeed, I do. That is another thorn in Flegmorr’s side. His lineage is an unbroken line of Magicians, all from the Vale of Valdross. And I, am an outsider, having not been born and raised within their confines also have the same distinguished unbroken line of Magicians.”
“Ahh, I see where that might cause a rift. Where were you raised, if not with the other Magicians?”
Perthorn shuffled a bit and slipped his hat back on. “Oh, I traveled a bit, here and there as is my custom.” He gave Zelspar a wink and a nod, “Some say I was born of stardust and crashed through the Urthe … funny thought, isn’t it?”
Surprised by the answer, Zelspar’s mouth opened but no words fell out.
“Kiel, time to work,” the Master Magician called out on his way back towards his apprentice.
Chapter 32
In the meantime, unknown to the Uplanders, traversing through the collapsed cave Molakei once called home, fingers pulled at the tumbled rocks and sent them clattering down below. The Urthe’s shifting and quakes had created a broken stairway, of sorts, in which the vile Magician worked his way through. Pockets of light could be seen sifting through far above, his destiny at hand.
Fingers calloused and torn to the point of bleeding, only made him more calculating in his endeavor. Rock by rock, he made a clearing to inch his way upward. His ever present Flaptail whispered vile murmurings in his ear, goading him on. Misery loves company and so the two unlikely companions trudged on, pushing and crawling through obstacles that would have turned any sane person around … but then, these two could not be considered in such company.
Only one thing was in Flegmorr’s mind. He would own the Book of Days. No one and nothing would stop him! He turned to the side and expelled a black wad from his mouth and snarled. “I’ll chase you from the depths of Fire to the vault of Heaven, you will find no escape. You thought going up top would save you,” he glared through the darkness, “there is no place safe from me.”
His Flaptail teetered on his shoulder, as crazed as his master, whispering in words and obnoxious clicking sounds, “The Book, we gets the Book….”
A pile of rocks tore free and light broke through, momentarily blinding the climber and companion. Flegmorr’s hand reached a level surface. He pushed rocks aside and opened up a hole. The last streams of daylight were hitting the side of the mountain. The corners of his mouth turned up and he held his position. Night would come soon. He would wait, a little longer. He preferred the drapery of the darkness to make his move, and then, the hunt would begin.
A slight chill poured down and swirled against the opening in the mountainside. Night had fallen and its noises carried with the wind. Flegmorr’s hand moved across the rocky expanse, moving an army of black ants the size of his thumb. For night-time creatures it was the time to hunt and Flegmorr was no different.
He slithered through the hole he had opened through the rocks, secured hand holds as he shimmied down the rocky surface, his unseen feet searching for ground. A sudden shifting of rocks catapulted across his shoulder. His face planted into the uneven surface, dodging a direct hit. The Flaptail was knocked free, his penetrating screech rising up into the night.
A few more cautious moves brought the crazed Magician to the ground with a grumble of words spewed from his lips. Glik heard his companion and once again claimed his shoulder, his tail running down Flegmorr’s back, vibrating its rattles.
Flegmorr mused, Which direction? He leaned one way while Glik leaned the opposite.
“We head this way,” he decided as he picked his way close to the mountain to not be seen by man or beast. They traveled in a southwestern direction, looking for shelter, food and the Magician that stole his title and place at the Vale of Valdross. A sneer crawled across his lips as vile as his thoughts, but in the darkness, both remained hidden from sight.
They stumbled across the broken backs of the giants that were once stately trees. Their mangled limbs created a low covering in which Flegmorr used for his shelter. He squirmed his legs deep within the tangle of branches and limbs until he found the center of the slain sentinels and had enough room to sit upright.
A flash of light issued from his bloodied fingertip as he took in his surroundings. With a snap of his fingers a pillow plopped to the ground. He reclined and stared out of the opening until his weary eyes fluttered shut. Glik hopped up onto the bent branches above him and latched on with claws as his tail wound around it, securing his perch for sleep. The sounds of the predators and prey in distant screams worked as a lullaby and brought them into a heavy sleep.
It wasn’t long before more rocks pelted around the ground where Flegmorr had recently forged his way through the mountain. Brilliant blue eyes cut through the darkness as muzzles lifted into the air, inhaling the vile scent they followed. They silently turned and crept towards the downed trees, the place they once called home.
The scent was strong in the air. They crept in calculated steps, as to not disturb the branches of the fallen and peered through the pockets of debris. Their necks craned backwards but held their tongues. Pacing to and fro, saliva dripped from their fangs.
Sigrunn knocked her head against Tyrianua to get his attention and softly padded away, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he followed.
When they were a good distance away, she stopped. Tyrianua sat, his lips still in a snarl.
“We could just as easy dispatch of those two.”
Sigrunn shook her head. “No, it is not our battle.”
A low growl slid up Tyrianua’s throat. He did not like having a threat come up from the Inner World, there were threats enough to deal with without having to stalk these two intruders. “What good are we if we do not protect and guide the Future?”
She stood and stared at the fallen trees. “We do protect and guide, but you aren’t seeing the picture in its whole. A new light has entered this realm and where there is light….”
He glowered, “there is darkness. Yes, I’m highly aware of the Balance. Where one abides, the other abides there also. But there was Magic here before the Master Magician came.”
“Yes, but not from Inner Urthe. Perthorn’s balance followed. It is the same as all things, it is as old as the beginning and it cannot be hastily disrupted. Especially now.”
Tyrianua turned to search her eyes. “What is it that you are not saying?”
She continued to stare off into the downed trees. “I know from where Perthorn comes. I also know this Future was written. It is how it must go. From this moment forward, paving stones are being laid. Each action is tantamount to the Future. It is not ours to ensnare. A great coming of Magic has already been written. Perthorn himself saw the new writing in his Book of Days and that is the reason he came. That is his destiny and that of his apprentice, Kiel. Do you not see? Even the rocks hear the murmur of the new spark traveling to its destination.”
Tyrianua paced, his hackles prickled.
Her eyes misted over. “A great Magic is being woven, even now with the initial spark. There will be great loss to obtain the great gift. In thousands of years, the peoples will look back, trying to spot the beginning and we are privileged to be here as it grows and matures with its pains of labor. So my friend, our ultimate task is in protecting Kaida. Only if those two paths cross, are we permitted to interfere.”
He ceased pacing, rumbling a low and deep growl. “He will not bring harm to Kaida or I will dispatch him until not a shred is left.”
Sigrunn studied her companion. “It is agreed, under those terms only. Now, let us go find Kaida. I wish to be there when she wakes.”
Tyrianua’s tail found joy again and waved through the night air. Their muzzles sniffed at the wind and followed the scent to Kaida. It was time to become her wolves again.
Chapter 33
The first light of the day streamed in broken fragments across the cave’s entrance. The wolves trotted towards a sleeping Kaida, stirring on her sleeping mat of leather-laced furs.
Tyrianua lifted a paw and pressed it against her arm only to be met with a hand to brush it away. He pushed against her arm again, this time adding a low yelp. Blue eyes peeled open to find two wolves gazing upon her.
“You are back,” Kaida said as she thrust herself into a wakeful state. “I was afraid you had lost your way and became lost in the Inner world.” She sat up and leaned forward, grabbing both wolves around their necks, hugging them close to her, planting her face deep within their fur.
Tyrianua, pulled back enough to give her an open-jawed smile and said, “We came back through what used to be Molakei’s home.”
“How? We fell down through Urthe in it?”
“Yes. It was a hard route but then … we had unrequested help.” He looked at Sigrunn.
“Kaida,” Sigrunn said, joining the conversation, “we tra
iled behind Flegmorr.” Kaida’s hand flew up to her opened mouth, covering her immediate gasp.
“You needn’t worry,” Sigrunn continued, “You will be safe, but we should warn Perthorn and Kiel. I will tell you this, Flegmorr is more determined than ever to steal the Book of Days and seeks revenge against Perthorn.” She shook at her beautiful white coat of fur and continued, “Flegmorr and his Flaptail carry a Dark Magic which is like a poison that flows unencumbered through his streams of life. His powers are great. We must discuss this with Perthorn as soon as possible. Will you come with us?”
“Of course, I will. Let me awaken the others so they will also know what you’ve told me and be warned.”
Kaida, along with Zlemtec, Molakei and Flower Bird assembled in front of the fire pit. Tyrianua shifted and padded off to the entry. “Wait. I see Zelspar approaching.”
Zelspar smiled, seeing the wolves had returned, knowing they had and continue to protect their Dragon Child. He poked his head through the entry saying, “G’morning all. Have you room for one more by your fires?”
With a shot of urgency, Kaida bolted towards the white Dragon, leading him in. He saw the wrinkled brow on her face and wondered what brought her a burden of stress. He spoke. “Has something occurred that I should be made aware of?”
The two wolves and Kaida all began speaking causing a cacophony of sounds ricocheting from ceiling to walls. Zelspar rustled his wings to stop the chaotic assault.
“Quiet. Please, just one speaking at a time!”
“We must see Perthorn,” Tyrianua spoke. “We followed Flegmorr here.”
“He is here, where? I’ll roast him like a wild boar.” Zelspar glared at the news and then back at Tyrianua. “Well?”
Tyrianua paused, “Zelspar, first we take the news to Perthorn. Who comes with us?”
The cave filled with the booming sounds of ‘I do, I will and we will.’ They all followed Tyrianua out into the sun-drenched ground. Zelspar made quick his way to Perthorn’s abode to announce he has visitors.
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