by Mike Shelton
“And why would you have been treated so?” Liam asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
Frederick laughed. “I was caught stealing, down at a village. My father was sick and could hardly work in the mines. The king saved me that day and changed how the miners were treated. You father has a good heart.” Frederick gave a short nod to Liam.
Liam nodded his head in return, and a small grin replaced his normal scowl as he said, “He does have a good heart.”
Bakari was glad that the subject had moved away from the visit to the mines years ago by the men of Mahli. The mention of a king always made him nervous. He knew that he had declared himself one a few times already, but he was still hesitant to proclaim himself a king and would be until he had gathered all the dragons and established peace throughout the land.
Thoughts of the dragons pushed him forward more quickly now. “We have to hurry.” Bakari motioned to the others to step up the pace of their horses.
* * *
Hours later, they had long since passed the last of the miners working in the mine, and the group was now traveling through smaller, rough-hewn tunnels that wound their ways through the Mountains of Gold. Stopping only periodically, to feed and water the horses, the four hurried forward as fast as they could. But the tighter tunnels and lowering ceilings sent a somber mood through the group.
At one point, they heard a loud wail off in the distance in front of them. Liam and the two miners turned to Bakari for direction.
“We push on,” Bakari said and motioned with his hand.
A few minutes later, the wailing sound came again, this time from much closer. Soon they came to a fork in the tunnel. The miners studied some markings on the walls and talked in quiet tones between themselves while Liam moved over closer to Bakari.
“Why are you pushing us forward so hard, Bakari?” Liam asked.
Bakari sighed. How could he make Liam understand all the pressures he was under?
But before he could say anything, a strange beast burst out of the tunnel to their right, knocking Emory over. The creature was about the size of a pig, with gray spikes like a porcupine. Emory yelled out, and the creature turned back toward him. Putting its snout up in the air, it sniffed at the men and horses.
Bakari brightened their mage light, and the creature shrieked and backed away, clawing its feet against dirt and the stone floor of the tunnel.
“It’s afraid of the light,” Liam said.
“They must live in the dark,” Bakari guessed.
Emory had jumped back up to his feet, and he and Frederick backed up until they were behind the two wizards. The Cremelinos had stayed calm, but the miners’ two horses were acting spooked. Bakari reached his mind out to comfort them.
“Kill that thing!” Emory shouted.
Liam turned to Bakari. “I’d hate to kill it. We are intruding into his lair.” Liam scrunched up his face in thought. “In fact, its life here, in the dark, would be an interesting study.”
Bakari smiled. “I agree with you, Liam, but we don’t have time right now. I can’t afford any delay.”
Bakari motioned the two miners to get back up on their horses. For the time being, the creature was keeping its distance from them, so Bakari said, “Which way?”
Frederick shook his head. “I’m afraid we don’t know, sir.”
“The beast came from the right,” Emory said. “Maybe we should take the left.”
“What would these creatures eat in here?” Liam wondered out loud.
Bakari closed his eyes and reached his powers out, trying to sense the direction of the dragon egg. Finally, he opened his eyes and said, “We go right.”
A series of groans ensued from the two miners and Liam, but Bakari motioned them on nonetheless. As they proceeded, the creature stayed back behind them and caused them no more harm. Soon the tunnel thinned again, forcing the group to ride single file. Bakari kept light contact with the horses’ minds, sending them thoughts of comfort.
After another hour of walking, a dim glow appeared ahead. Buoyed by the hope of going back outdoors, the travelers hurried ahead, entering a substantial cavern. All four gasped at the same time, with the miners also bringing out their knives in front of them.
“What is this place?” Liam whispered.
Bakari shook his head and glanced around. The walls were full of some type of gem that filled the cavern with a green glow. Taking the walkway that sloped down in front of them revealed plants and shrubs interspersed between several small, crude dwellings. The creature that had followed behind them squealed and ran past, joining others of its kind.
Slowly, the four travelers continued to descended into the cavern. A rustling in the leaves to their right caught their attention, and Bakari brought forth a second mage light. Running across their path was a young, dark-skinned boy with not much on but a cloth wrapped around his waist.
Liam looked at Bakari and said, “People down here? I’ve never heard of this from my father.”
“We might not even be in the Realm anymore, Liam,” Bakari answered.
A few steps later, a small group of men and women moved out onto the path in front of them. Bakari, who was in front, held his hand out in front of Liam and the miners.
“Be careful,” Bakari whispered. “We are the visitors here.”
In front of the travelers stood three men and two women. The men were as dark-skinned as Bakari, but quite a bit taller. Their dark hair was braided like his, and their eyes, although also brown, had a milky white film over them. The two women were lighter-skinned but also had dark hair. All five wore simple robes that hung down to their knees, and they put up their hands to block the light from their eyes.
Bakari dimmed the mage lights and moved them off to the side. Then more men and women appeared, moving around and behind Bakari’s group. And youths, barely younger than Bakari or Liam, joined them and stood with spears and rocks ready to throw at his group.
As Emory raised his sword arm up, all the locals, both in front and behind, moved closer.
Bakari put his hand up and said, “No, Emory. We are visitors here.” He knew that these men and women were no match for his or Liam’s powers. If it came to fighting, swords and knives would not be needed.
Emory lowered his arm.
Liam rode up next to Bakari and spoke first to the crowd. “I am Liam DarSan Williams, son of Darius and Christine DarSan Williams, king and queen of the Realm. We come in peace on a mission of much urgency.”
Bakari was actually quite impressed with Liam’s short speech. The young man could be diplomatic if needed, it seemed.
A man with long braids stepped forward. He appeared to be in his forties and had the bearing of the leader of the group. He bowed his head slightly and said, “We have heard of the great heart of the king of the Realm.”
Liam nodded his head in thanks.
“Please dismount and follow us,” the leader said.
“But we are in a hurry,” Liam said, voicing his opposition. “If you could just show us the way outside, we will be on our way.”
The young men behind them moved closer. One moved his spear out in front of him and poked Frederick’s back.
“Hey!” Frederick turned around, looking at the young fellow.
“It seems we have no choice,” Bakari said to his fellow travelers and then proceeded to dismount.
Liam looked down at Bakari with a frown. Bakari knew what Liam was probably thinking. So Bakari helped him down, and Liam grabbed a walking stick from the side of his Cremelino and then took a few steps forward.
It’s close, Bakari’s Cremelino said, speaking to Bakari for the first time since they had entered the cave. Can you feel the power?
Bakari nodded and replied, You’re right. It is close by. We must be close to the outside too. He grew excited. He wondered what color this dragon would be.
The four visitors walked forward, surrounded by the villagers. Bakari kept the mage lights out front, but he dimmed them considerably
more. But it was quite light in the room, once his eyes had adjusted.
Soon they were taken to a group of benches that could only be described as the town square and were told to sit down. Food was brought out to them. A strange mixture mostly of plants with some type of meat that Bakari wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it was. The people were quiet, yet hospitable. As a few more had joined them, now about two dozen locals were sitting around and looking at the travelers.
Bakari stood, and some of the young men tightened their hands on their weapons.
“We mean you no harm.” Bakari spread his hands to the side. He had to gain their trust. He didn’t want to hurt them. “Tell me what brought you here?”
The men and women relaxed at hearing Bakari’s interest. Then another man, about the same age as the first that had addressed them, stepped forward. He motioned Bakari to sit back down.
The man’s voice was low and gruff and held a slight accent, but Bakari still understood his words as he began his story. “Sixteen years ago, three of us left the kingdom of Mahli—a kingdom to the south—in search of our prophesied king: the Dragon King.”
Bakari smiled and relaxed, for these were his people.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Bakari listened intently as the man talked about many searchers leaving Mahli to find their prophesied king. Three of them had worked the mines. But something had pulled them deeper into the tunnels. And, one day, they had found this spot. The strange gems had given them enough light, and, with an underground stream, plants bloomed and grew in abundance in the cavern. They had tried to find their way back to the entrance of the mines, to return to the twin cities, but they could never find the way out.
“We explored farther north and found a way out of the mountains,” the man continued. “By this time, though, we had been gone two years from Mahli. We had lived on what this cavern had provided us. Our eyesight had dimmed. And our skin was not prepared to live in the outside world again. People in a village close to the tunnels treated us well and supplied us with the food and clothes that we needed, in exchange for some of the gems.”
Bakari turned and glanced around the cavern, marveling at the story. Then his heart began thumping louder as he realized where the dragon egg was.
The man continued, “We felt something draw us back to this cavern each time we were away. We felt a need to protect what was here. Over time, we married women from the village and had children. We still interact with those living in the village, but we spend most of our time here—where we are more comfortable and where we are needed.”
“Needed for what?” Bakari asked, sitting forward on the edge of his seat. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from them.
The man looked at the other villagers. Some nodded their heads, while others shook theirs. “We feel that you are here in peace, but this is something sacred to us.”
Bakari nodded his understanding, then offered words of encouragement by saying, “You have done a great service here, men and women of Mahli. I know of what you speak. It has grown lately, hasn’t it?”
A few of the younger men jumped forward, anger crossing their faces.
One poked his spear out in front of Bakari and said, “How would you know about that?”
Bakari stood and brought the power up within himself. Then, with only a short wave of his hand, he pushed the spear back and, with a thrust of air, softly threw it away from the group. As Liam and the two miners stood up next to him, the group of men and women backed away.
“We mean you no harm,” Bakari said, letting a slight glow surround him. “Look at me. What do you see?” He now had the attention of the entire group. “I am one of you. I am from Mahli. I was born a little over sixteen years ago.”
The milky eyes of the villagers opened wider, as if they were realizing what Bakari’s words meant.
Bakari turned and walked down a path with Liam, the miners, and then the group of locals following him. No one tried to stop him as he went down a winding path and over a small creek. Then he pushed aside enormous fern fronds until he came to a mound in the cavern.
It stood a few feet taller than Bakari. It was covered with a thin layer of dirt, but the whiteness under that began to show through, glowing brighter as Bakari and Liam approached it.
He decided to explain before touching the mound. So Bakari turned around and faced the group. “Do you know what this is? Do you know what you have been protecting?”
“We do not know what it is,” the leader said, “but, as you say, it has grown lately. We have almost seen something inside it. Do you know what it is?”
Bakari nodded. “It is a dragon egg.”
Liam’s gasp next to Bakari joined in with the gasps of the group of locals. Then many people started talking at once.
Bakari put up his hand to silence them and then said, “Years ago, you went searching for the one prophesied to bring peace to your land. I am he. I am the one you went searching for. I am a dragon rider.”
Bakari took a deep breath, unsure whether to admit the rest. But these people had spent their lives looking for him—they deserved the truth.
“I am the Dragon King.”
Tears came to the eyes of the original three men from Mahli, and then, as one, they fell to their knees. Bowing their heads to the ground, they wept with joy, and the rest of the villagers followed.
“I am Gethii, sent by the regent of Mahli sixteen years ago,” said the leader of the group. “I have now fulfilled my duty. I have seen the prophesied one. Hail the Dragon King.”
As one, the villagers lifted their heads and said, “Hail the Dragon King.”
Tears came to Bakari’s eyes as he realized what others had struggled with to find him. “Please rise,” he said. “I appreciate your sacrifices. Today, you shall see what you have protected.”
Bakari turned back to the egg and then called Liam to come closer to him. So the young man hobbled over.
“What are you feeling, Prince of the Realm?” Bakari asked.
Tears fell unashamedly from Liam’s eyes. “It can’t be, Bakari. It can’t be.”
Bakari nodded his head and said, “Touch the egg.”
“I am not worthy,” Liam said, and anger crossed his face. “I am broken.”
Bakari put his hand on Liam’s arm. “I know you have suffered, but you have a good heart. Your physical abilities do not define who you are. You are so much more than your body, Liam.”
Liam reached his hand out to the egg, and it brightened as he brought his hand closer. The soil began dropping away. Then Bakari took a step back as Liam placed both hands on the egg. It flared bright white in the previously dark cave, and the villagers shielded their eyes.
Liam turned his head, back toward Bakari, tears still streaming down his face. “What do you mean, I am more than just my body, Bakari? What am I?”
“You are a dragon rider!” Bakari said loudly.
The egg under Liam’s hands cracked open, and Liam took a step back. Small pieces of shell fell to the sides as a hole grew larger in its center. Soon a dragon’s head popped out, followed by its two wings, and then the rest of the egg shattered.
Standing before them was a beautiful, dark red dragon.
“He’s beautiful!” Liam exclaimed, clapping his hands in front of himself. Back in the small village square, the two Cremelinos neighed loudly. “It is a he, isn’t it?” Liam asked, looking back at Bakari.
Bakari nodded his head.
“I name you Ryker—you will be my strength!” Liam said to the dragon.
The dragon stretched his neck proudly and gave out a small puff of smoke.
Liam turned and took a step toward Bakari. Then he got down on one knee and bowed his head. “Though I am a prince of the Realm, I give my first allegiance to you, Bakari, Dragon Rider, Dragon Master, and the Dragon King. I will go where you direct me and do what you command. You have given purpose and strength to my life. I follow you above all others.”
Liam
’s head stayed bowed until Bakari stepped forward and touched it. He motioned for Liam to rise and said, “Welcome, Dragon Rider!”
And everyone clapped and hollered with joy.
“When do I get to ride him?” Liam’s face was full of excitement.
Bakari laughed. “Well, unfortunately, they do take a week or so to get strong enough to ride on.”
Liam frowned. “What will happen to Liberty, my Cremelino? I have never been without her.”
“Do you still sense her in your mind?” Bakari asked.
“Of course I do,” Liam said without hesitation. “Since the day I was born.”
“Then, Liam, you have the privilege of being bonded to two powers of the spirit: a dragon and a Cremelino.”
Liam laughed. “You’re right, Bakari. I can feel both bonds.” He stood still for a moment, as if thinking. Then Liam said, “Oh, Bakari, I never thought I would be someone special. Thank you again!”
“I didn’t choose you,” Bakari said. “A dragon chooses its rider.”
Liam turned toward his dragon. “Well, Ryker, let’s get you some food.”
The dragon gave a small roar and then walked tentatively on his legs toward his dragon rider.
“You know, he will not fit in the tunnels, to return the way we came,” Bakari told Liam.
“I will stay with him until he can fly.”
Gethii walked up to them. “And we will care for him and his dragon. We will feed them and make sure they are strong before they leave here. The dragon can stay in the village outside the tunnels. There is room for him to grow there.”
Liam’s eyes gleamed brightly. “I will never leave him.”
Bakari nodded, but he held his mouth tight. He felt happy for Liam, for he knew the feeling of the dragon bond—at least, he used to know it.
“I will go back with Emory and Frederick,” Bakari said, “and will take the Cremelinos.”
Liam’s expression turned serious. “Oh, Bakari, I am so sorry. I was so caught up in my own joy that I forgot about your needs. As I said, I am yours to command. What do you need from me?”