"Ethan, it's past noon already..."
"What? Past noon?" Ethan woke up quickly, robbing his eyes zealously.
"Look at me Ethan, what do you see this time?" Cyclux asked.
"Wow... You look younger... Lexis…?"
"Yes, she gave me the portion as promised, my face is still wrinkled here and here and my hair is still gray, but I feel younger... like twenty years younger or older in the real sense. She made me this beautiful robe too."
"Wow, the robe is beautiful... and you look like you are in your mid-fifties." Ethan was smiling. "Don't worry Cyclux, we will break the spell, you will become your youthful self again." Ethan assured, placing his hand on his shoulder. Ethan felt different that morning, like his heart was larger.
"Lexis asked for you, she wants us to eat breakfast before we leave for the volcano volts."
"Is it really past noon?"
"Ah... Nah... I was just kidding." Cyclux laughed.
"Yeah, you're right...! You only need your face and your strength restored."
"What does that even mean?" Cyclux made a face, but Ethan just headed for the bathroom.
"Good morning! Trust you had a splendid night or... morning." Lexis said as Ethan entered the living room, she wore a long furless gown and a large grin. Ethan noticed Jonathan moving uncomfortably in his chair, he had a frown and was still in his bathrobe.
Good morning Lexis, sometimes it's difficult to sleep early when so much weighs on your mind..." He gave Jonathan a quick glance. "Jonathan..."
"Morning, Ethan." Jonathan tried to find his voice. "I hope you slept well."
"Very well, thank you."
"We should eat, so that Mr. Ethan can get going." Lexis said sharply.
"You forgot I came with Cyclux..." Ethan tried to make a joke- he could feel the tension -but nobody laughed. Jonathan stared into space, averting Lexis's face. "We should eat and get going of course." He added quickly.
It was now well past noon when they left Jonathan Jaydefire's house, they walked down a sloppy road and entered into a dark alley which led to a tunnel. Jonathan had told Ethan they were going to board a train, faster than any electric train there is. There were few people at the terminal waiting for the train. Bpong! Bpong! A train was coming, the commuters became at alert and they stood very close, in groups of six. In a split second, the train came into view; it looked like an electric train indeed, except that it's smaller and narrow.
"Watch... watch what happens now..." Jonathan said excitedly. Cyclux and Ethan were on the lookout. Ethan especially wanted to see something unusual... anything. Lexis had told them to go ahead but Jonathan said, that meant they will meet her there.
"Look at that!" Cyclux cried, and his eyes widened. The train came very fast and stopped abruptly; there were four wide entrances, the door opened sprightly and a transparent, box-like structure, a whole compartment extended to the platform- there were three poles lined up at the middle, some inches apart; it can admit about six people at a time; no seats, all stands. The six passengers closest to the platform climbed hurriedly, almost pushing one another; and two people grabbed a pole each, so that they stood on either sides of the pole, and faced each other. The compartment retracted as fast as it was extended and poof! The train was gone, very fast that it looked as if it vanished with the passengers, releasing a warm gale of wind that brushed against everyone remaining on the platform. The time interval between the train's arrival and the departure was super short- few seconds.
"Did you see that...?" Jonathan said, with an excited tone still. "We will get on the train like that, we have to be very fast... or else we will be left behind. Cyclux frowned, his heart was beating faster, the ageing might have been slowed down considerably but he wasn't sure if he would be fast enough.
"C'mon... even very old mages get on the train every day." Jonathan seemed to read his mind, just like Lexis would have. "You'll be fine, let's go. A second train will soon arrive."
They hurried towards the platform, there was no sign and there was no numbering, just four fat clocks that indicated where the passengers were to wait; the entrance opened and the compartment extended at that spot. Ethan looked up at the clock, over the platform they stood. It had only one hand that wasn't moving; it had no other feature- just a blank face. But Ethan soon realized its importance, it's a sort of alarm clock, it gave a bird-like sound as soon as another train approached. They could hear the honking from a distance; Ethan gave Cyclux a reassuring nod. Another man had joined them, so that they were four, to board the train and share a compartment. There were two other groups too. The clock sounded a second time, and the train came to a stop, readily before them, it gave a screeching sound as it stopped. Cyclux was standing next to Ethan, so that they will climb into the compartment first and Jonathan will be standing opposite the fourth passenger or grab the third pole, since it will be free. The compartment had now extended, Ethan could see the interior of the train extend towards them. It's not a long train, only four compartments and very fast. Passengers highlighted hurriedly from the compartment and only one stayed behind, holding the middle pole tightly still. Ethan stepped in quickly and weaved his way through to the far end. Cyclux felt like Lexis had done a great job, he wasn't as clumsy as he feared he would be. He climbed quickly and grabbed the same pole as Ethan, he looked at him and smiled widely, Jonathan and the fourth passenger shared the last pole. The compartment stayed long enough for six people to clamber into it and poof! The train was on the move. Ethan could not make out Cyclux's smiling face or his feature anymore and he feared He might lose his grip on the pole, if he turns to look at Jonathan. Everything was going very fast. Very fast, they had to grab the pole firmly and zealously; very fast, they soon reached their destination, at the volts; so fast, Cyclux started throwing up as soon as they exited the compartment.
Lexis was standing outside an iron gate, she wore a large fur over her long gown, her long hair was neatly packed and a strand of gray, silky hair stuck out, and her face glowed beautifully... bewitchingly. Ethan could see the reason for Jonathan's infidelity.
"You are late..." She said sternly.
"I had to show them how to get on the train first, and then we came with the next express." Jonathan said uneasily. "We are not that late... Are we?"
Lexis didn't reply, she just turned towards the iron gate. "Openosa!"
They started down a hot, dark cavern and the heat grew stronger and more disturbing as they proceeded. They were all sweating except Lexis, despite the large fur. She turned to Cyclux, who was sweating and sighing. "You do not know how to remain undeterred in the face of the sun? Were you born with magic at all?" She asked, ridicule in her tone. But she was speaking to more than Cyclux, Jonathan had a deep frown and almost missed a step. Ethan felt her words cutting through his heart; he didn't know why; is he beginning to see himself as one of them? And is his inability to wield magic now demeaning? There was definitely tension between Jonathan and the witch, but her untowardness told Ethan she must have listened to everything he and Jonathan discussed during the wee hours of the morning, outside the wall of flames.
"I wish to learn... Grusav thinks I should take my time, but I'm tired of taking my time." Cyclux said coldly.
"Fur keeps one warm in the cold; I just made it work for me, the other way round... Your destiny awaits you Cyclux, I wanted to know if you are ready to embrace it." Lexis said, she then turned to Ethan. "Mr. Ethan, yours is just around the corner." Ethan didn't know what she meant. As they walked deep into the cavern, it became dimly lit and the dimness faded with every step, until they reached a bend, it was brighter there and there was a crackling sound in the distance. As they negotiated the bend, Ethan could see where the illumination, the heat, and the crackling sound was coming from. It was ten times larger than the wall of flames around Jaydefire's house. Some miles wide and several feet high- strong flames blazing high, burning blue and yellow... and red. The whole alley was lighted up now, the heat was so strong and intense
, and the crackling sound grew stronger. It felt as though they were moving towards the sun, without any suit or protection.
"We can't go near that thing... We will fry!" Ethan shouted.
"No, we are not Mr. Ethan, you are... and your wizard will make sure you don't fry." Lexis said flatly.
"Are you kidding? I'm not going near that thing... no way."
What were you thinking when you decided to face a dragon? You think this is some game or a trip to the wonderland...? Lexis frowned, the flames made her face glow unusually, her face was livid and somewhat lurid. Jonathan was very mute. "You are going to be facing a dragon, it's no legend- a fire breathing dragon. Are you not ready for what you are about to face? Do you not know what happened to your father after he encountered Cryptmaw?"
"Leave my father out of this... Do not talk about my father that way!" Ethan shouted back, regardless of her scary feature. The atmosphere became tense and quiet.
"We will go. We will face the flames." Cyclux's calm voice pierced the quietness. "Ethan, we can do this..." He faced Ethan, the flames reflected in his eyes; Ethan saw what he has never seen before in those eyes; confidence... defiance, it somehow made him calm and ready to face what was ahead.
"The flaming sword is within the flames that forged it, it's guarded by the wall of flames, if you are the one that has been prophesied, then you shall be able to go through the entrance and draw out the sword, else you will burn." Lexis said plainly.
"Are you sure about this Cyclux?" They had reached the end of the alley and are now ascending a steep slope, which brought them face-to-face with the wall of flames. The intense heat was so strong, that Ethan thought it foolish to take any step further; they might as well just pass out. The cracking noise was so loud; he had to shout, "Cyclux!"
"Hold my ha-nd!" Cyclux replied, raising his voice slightly above the cracking noise. He started speaking a foreign language, he was muttering gibberish. Ethan had heard mages cast spell, but this was different- it was a long spell. Cyclux's eyes were glowing, it wasn't the reflection of the flames this time, it was moon-like; he held Ethan's hand very tightly and they walked on... and on and then through the only opening on the huge, wide wall. The air around them became very cool; it felt as though they were inside Zander's chamber at the sand castle or behind the wall of flames in Jonathan's house. Beyond the wall of flames, it looked like an enclosed rock- a fairly large interior but one cannot see the top, molten rock was streaming down its wall like tributaries flowing into a larger lake and so it was, they flowed through shallow channels on the flow into what looked like a river of lava. The lava crisscrossed the walls and floor. The whole place was black with ash.
"What is this place?" Ethan muttered. They needed to watch their steps, or they will step into a gutter full of lava.
"Look Ethan, the sword..."
"Oh bloody roses! How do I get there?" Most part of the blade was submerged in lava. The flaming sword was in the middle of molten rock, erupting yellowish-red flames once in a while. "I can't just step into lava and pull out the sword... Cyclux…?"
"I really don't know what to do this time..." Cyclux tried to cast some spell, but it was to no avail. Rather, it made the eruption grow higher at a time and the river spattered lava, only a few inches from where they were, at some other time.
"I will step into it..." Ethan said, his face straight and his eyes were rigidly fixed on the sword.
"Are you out of your mind, step into active lava...? Look, Lexis taught me the complex spell that keeps the interior of the house cool, without any air conditioning system. She used the same spell on her fur; she was only giving me a hint on our way here. I did the same thing, as we neared the walls."
"I think I have a hint too... The flames will only burn uninvited guests... Isn't it?"
"But the heat outside was great anyway, and only the spell could help us pass through." Cyclux protested but Ethan wasn't listening; like on the training ground at the rock palace and when they were faced with a barrier on their way to the cult of lava, he knew what to do... somehow. He moved towards the stream of molten rocks, hot and ready to melt anything. As he stepped into it, he could feel the intense heat; it felt like the sole of his boots were melting already. But rather than get burnt, it felt like ice and like destiny beckoning to him, he walked towards the flaming sword, which was partly submersed in molten rock and glimmering hazily. Ethan moved closer and closer- draggingly, in a pool of lava, like it was cold mud. And there... was the flaming sword before him, he reached out and pulled it out.
Ethan moved closer and closer- draggingly, in a pool of lava, like it was cold mud. And there it was in the middle of it... the flaming sword, he reached out and pulled it out, the blade was red-hot, yet it felt like cold metal in Ethan's grasp. Cyclux was overwhelmed with bewilderment, like he was somewhat petrified between the time Ethan stepped into the pool of burning lava and when he came out with the flaming sword. The pool had dried up almost at the instant Ethan pulled out the sword, all the lava that crisscrossed the walls and floor had turned into ash, it was now shallow gutters and a pool of ash.
"I got it...! Cyclux, it was calling me, I could feel it... like a part of me yawning to be reunited with my other members, like I felt the shield at the rock palace, when I carried it." Cyclux only stared at him, not uttering a word. Ethan looked at the steel in his hands, admiring the piece. The redness had almost disappeared, but it still glowed brightly in the now dimly lit room, the only light source being the blazing wall of flames outside. They walked hurriedly back, the wall of flames was still burning intensely, Ethan could see the steel he held much clearly, the redness had totally disappeared, the huge flame was reflecting in the blade, but instead of his own reflection, what he saw startled him greatly. He saw dark-yellow eyes staring back at him, his exhalation was smoky and he was covered with red scales... graven red scales. The sword felt heavier at that instance and Ethan almost dropped it, but he simply lowered it and it felt light again. Ethan looked at the blade again- very slowly, but the image was gone, he saw his own eyes staring back at him. It felt surreal, yet so real- as though a huge creature was there, and was looking at the blade.
"Ethan! We've got to go!" Cyclux had descended the steep slope before he realized Ethan wasn't with him.
Ethan was joggled and moved jerkily away from the wall of flames as Cyclux's voice echoed in the distance, which was when he realized he had started feeling the heat again- as strong and intense as before. As they approached the opening through the cavern, they were hearing voices, Ethan couldn't make out what they were saying at first, but he could hear Lexis's voice now- she was almost yelling, "I saw it in your eyes, I read you Jonathan... you liar, what were you two discussing outside...? You were telling him everything... about us!"
"No... I didn't tell him anything... We were just talking about his quest, technology and magic-" Jonathan was cut short as he noticed Cyclux and Ethan walking towards them.
"You must be the one then..." Lexis said coldly, seeing the flaming sword firmly in Ethan's hand.
"He walked through a stream of lava...! How could he possibly do that?" Cyclux was obviously still shaken by what happened behind the wall of flames.
"Only the one prophesied can go through the flames; the wall and stream of melted rock, to get the sword. A few had tried it but they all died, some could not even get past the iron gate." She said, as they started back through the cavern.
"But we felt the strong heat, we could only go through because I casted the spell you taught me." Cyclux protested, his eye-brow furrowed. It was getting darker as they walked back, and the heat was less intense too.
"I know you think that spell is the same as the one which keeps the house or my fur cozy, but it's not. If you had casted the spell without Mr. Ethan by your side, you would have died. And Mr. Ethan will not be able to approach the flames without the spell... talk less of getting past it."
"But walking through the stream of lava, it felt like I was just
walking through an icy... not necessarily icy, like a cold lake." Ethan said, speaking for the first time since his near-dream experience.
"I don't know Mr. Ethan... some powerful sorcery maybe, only the one the sword recognizes can get to it, if that means feeling cool while in burning lava maybe." They got to the Iron Gate and stepped out into the open, fresh air greeted them, though it was sunny and hot outside, it was a luxury compared to where they just came out from. Ethan just noticed the wide opening of the large cave was blocked with red bricks and the iron door was erected instead. It wasn't different from other buildings on the street; the street was like any quiet, beautiful street around Ethan's neighborhood. Immediately after the iron gate was a lawn with narrow walkways which led to a larger walkway. A tarred road was after the walkway but before a narrow rail track, which was shallower. It was the same on the other side of the rail- uniform, as though it was a reflection of this side of the street in a large, wide mirror, reaching to the very sky. There was another iron gate directly opposite where the one they just emerged from.
"Is there another wall of flames behind those walls?" Cyclux asked, pointing to the iron gate on the other side.
"No Cyclux, that's someone's house... a witch." Jonathan answered.
"I guess you guys will take the express again. Cyclux... Are you coming with me?" Lexis said, smiling broadly again and then she turned to leave, while Cyclux scarpered with her. Jonathan and Ethan exchanged glances.
"She did that on purpose, I don't know what she's up to this time." Jonathan said as he handed Ethan a piece of rag.
"What is this...? What do I do with it?"
"Sheath the sword in it... or do you want to bear the blade like that, in an open street...?" Ethan didn't give it much thought, he probably thought a sheath will be provided at the volt, but probably it's the admiration or the shock, he seemed to have forgotten he will be carrying a sword in the middle of a street and on the train... unsheathed. He quickly slotted the sword into the old ragged cloth, which fitted perfectly and then the blades were gone! "It's enchanted, keeps the blade invisible." Jonathan said quickly, as Ethan couldn't rap his head around what happened.
Dragon and Prophesy Page 9