Dragon and Prophesy

by Nathan Chidlow

  "Mr. Jaydefire! Hullo!" A short man called out to Jonathan, as he crossed the road.

  "Hi! Grandaf...!" Jonathan replied, the man was older than any of the dwarfs Ethan met at the rock palace, and shorter too. He had long gray hair and his beards were almost as long and gray, a pair of half-moon spectacles sat on the bridge of his nose. He wore a long robe.

  "And what is the leader of the cult doing here... visiting the wall of flames?" He was almost scolding Jonathan.

  "Sometimes I miss jumping on and off the train, and walking the streets and alleys."

  "The train...? The streets and alleys...? Without the watchers…?"

  "Grandaf... Nobody even recognized me at the train station... I doubt anyone will... except for few folks like you."

  It's the way you run the affairs of the cult, you are almost hidden, away almost all the time. I am not complaining... I admire your methods actually, you are a simple man, I don't even see watchers around your house. Except for the wall of flames, it's like any other house." The old man was smiling and looking straight up at Jonathan as he spoke- through his half-moon spectacles, and his hands were crossed behind him. "Your secretary is even more popular than you are..." The old man laughed, but Jonathan's eyes narrowed as he did. "Have you sacked her...? Is that the new guy?" He said, looking up at Ethan, as though he just noticed he was there.

  "No... This is Ethan Alger."

  "Ethan Alger...? I have never heard of that name..." The old man said as he moved towards Ethan until he stood in front of him. "A sorcerer...? An arch-mage…? No ordinary person commands such aura, like I smell around you?" He looked down- for the first time, since he approached them -at Ethan's boots, covered in soot and ash.

  "It's the flaming sword you smell Grandaf. We visited the wall of flames"

  "Of course, I can smell the flames on your cloaks." He said, looking up at both men- from Ethan to Jonathan, and then back. Jonathan smiled wryly and his dimple deepened. "He's got the flaming sword? That was why you came here... He's the one..." He wasn't particularly asking questions, he seemed to be putting all the pieces together.

  "Yes, he's the one..."

  "Oh! Oh...!" He was elated by the news, he hugged Ethan tightly but Ethan only felt something wrap around his knee area, while his head rested heavily on his thigh.

  "Thank you Mr. Ethan... thank you for coming." Ethan could see watery eyes staring back at him, above the half-moon glasses. "I heard you are great swordsman and a renowned warrior." Ethan looked searchingly at Jonathan, who gave a slant nod and another wry smile that suggested he knows nothing about what Grandaf just said.

  "Grandaf... Ethan works... worked for a technology-based company." Jonathan quickly said.

  "No... Not on earth. Eckrock's my nephew. He told me you were fantastic on the training ground... Was it a lie?"

  "Oh...! That, I guess it's true..." Ethan felt like he's been caught by the ankle between the archways again.

  "Come; show me what you've got..." He turned immediately, hands-crossed, head straight and started walking away. Jonathan gestured that they should follow him.

  Grandaf led them down the street and they stopped in front of a small semi-detached house, but unlike other houses, it had no door, just a wall of red bricks.

  "Where is the entrance?" Ethan asked.

  "Here..." Grandaf smiled wryly and pointed to the wall before them, "let me tell it that I've got visitors, once I enter, I'll let you know when to come in, Mr. Jaydefire will lead you in." And then he turned and headed straight for the wall, slush! He had gone through. "Now!" A voice came from within the wall.

  "Come on Ethan, let's go." Jonathan went through the wall too and then Ethan followed, slush! What he saw next made his eyes widen- a beautiful, cozy, small apartment. Every furniture, every space was specially made for the dwarf's comfort- small sized... everything. It was totally different from Eckrock's palace.

  "You are welcome to my abode, Mr. Ethan. Mr. Jaydefire has been here more than once I guess. Please make yourselves comfortable." Ethan wondered how that would be possible, the chairs were small and his head was touching the ceiling. "Mr. Ethan, tea or coffee?" Grusav asked, but before Ethan could answer, "Oh! It's coffee with cream, no sugar."

  "Ye-ah... th-anks..." Ethan's brow slightly furrowed as he watched him disappear through a small door. "Does he read minds too?" Ethan faced Jonathan, who was now sitting on a settee.

  "Yes... He is an important figure in the league." Jonathan said, as Ethan joined him on the settee. Ethan felt as though he just sank into a toddler's sofa but strangely enough, it felt comfortable. Grusav came back with a small, square tray with two mugs in it.

  "Mr. Ethan, here... Mr. Jaydefire, your favorite." He handed them both a mug each. They both took a short swig from their mugs. "Mr. Ethan I brought you here for a reason, you will show me what James saw. Come with me..." Grusav led them through the small door he emerged from. "Watch your heads please." Ethan and Jonathan had to duck their heads as they went through and they almost had to remain like throughout their short walk, because of the low ceiling. They soon entered a larger room, probably the largest in the entire house. It looked like a training space for martial arts, a large dragon with red patterns was drawn on the wall to the left. To the right, there was a small rack on the wall and a knife- much longer than a kitchen knife and the blade was curved at the tip -was hung in the middle.

  "My father's sword..." Grusav said, looking up at the knife with admiration.

  "Wow, a terrific one at that..." Ethan said.

  "Sarcasm…!" Grusav hissed. "Let's see what you can do with your own terrific sword. Stand in the middle... there." He walked towards the wall with the drawing of a dragon. He went very close, as though he was going through it, like the entrance into the house, but he only muttered certain words with a grunt. What Ethan saw next was breath-taking. The dragon came out completely from the wall, like a picture coming alive and stepping out of a picture frame. Its red patterns dangled in the air like thick woven threads, it was a see-through wherever a space was left in the drawing. The animate image was breathing smokily and dangling uneasily in mid-air, as though awaiting command and sure it was. "Gottak!" Grusav cried. The image charged at Ethan immediately. He stood there, not sure what to do, if the dragon was real or a mirage. He had unsheathed the flaming sword but his shield had been tucked away in the pollen sack, which they left back at the house. He held the sword with both hands and concluded the dragon, even though it's a woven mass of threads, was real and can harm. It was now at close range, Ethan quickly swung the blade in its direction but the dragon ducked backward in time and released a mouthful of fire- green smoke -on Ethan. Ethan felt a biting pain around his chest and stomach area, where the blow had hit him but it was very brief. Jonathan was watching from one end of the room and Grusav, the other. Ethan charged this time at the dragon but he was soon enveloped in an air of green smoke which made his ears and eyes sting briefly. In the same second, a mass of threads lashed him across the face, he staggered backwards and his face stung much longer. Ethan remembered Eckrock's words, the strength he needs is in the weapon. He held the sword with both hands and shut both eyes, his face still stinging lightly. It felt like he was discovering the strength of the sword and the sword, his, he could hear the dragon charging at him again, the wvooh wvooh... sound grew stronger and the dragon was closing up very quickly. He knew the dragon was coming for his face again; he sidestepped quickly, ducked forward and slash! Red thread came flying everywhere. around him.

  "Good, good... Mr. Ethan, nice move there... Eckrock might be right. However, you will be facing a real dragon, not this... there will be real fire, not smoke, one blow can kill you. That move can cut down a pile of thread but will never kill a dragon. You pierce a dragon through his heart! And if he is an ashen dragon, only the flaming sword will stop his heart..." Grusav said, much seriously. "Now, you should go for its heart... Maane gottak!" The disoriented thread came alive again, perching itself wh
ere Ethan had dealt it a blow and then it prepared to attack again.

  Cyclux was sweating profusely; he has been learning how to direct the flames to strike a blow on an enemy. "It's one thing to be able to create fire out of nothing... 'illumino', but have you thought of harnessing the power of the fire created, when you can direct the flames anywhere you desire... 'consumino'? Have you ever thought about the possibility of setting a whole army on fire?" Lexis had told him. Cyclux had been trying to get fire out from the wall of flames but has only been able to harness very small amounts and he's not been able to hold them for long either. Probably it's the heat or the frustration, Cyclux was almost drenched in his own perspiration. Lexis was sitting like a monk, in mid-air, she held a large iron shield, Cyclux was to direct whatever he can get from the flames at her, the shield will stop it.

  "Stop using your strength, it's useless... use the spell! You will harness the power of the spell, so you can harness that of the flames." Cyclux tried harder, uttering the spell over and over, but none of his ball of fire was huge enough or strong enough to reach Lexis. "I killed more than seven werecats when the moons were full, what do you think I used... strength? You don't rely just on your strength; you rely on your sorcery- that is why you are a mage!"

  "I destroyed a whole herd of wolf bats... wolf bats! I saved Ethan's life." Cyclux only thought about this, unable to answer Lexis to her face but she heard him anyway.

  "You were only lucky!" Lexis stepped down from mid-air and folded the shield back into a hand-fan. "You can use 'illumino' on wolf bats or rats and it will work... because of their size and feathers, and not without a dozen of them escaping. But try that when you are caught amidst werecats, werewolves or savages, let's see how you can set them on fire one after the other, without them killing you first!" She was obviously pissed, she walked into the house angrily.

  "I'm sorry! I'm sorry okay..." but Lexis wasn't listening, Cyclux decided to release his frustration on the flames. "Flecto ablazo!"

  Ethan was exhausted by the time they left Grandaf's house, his hands were aching, he had a tough time, getting the sword to the dragon's heart. Grandaf had given a last advice- very sternly, he bent so low to hear him, that he could smell his breath. He said, "you should visit the mystic falls, you will find answers there. This was still ringing in his ears as he walked lazily behind Jonathan after a watcher had dropped them off at the mountain base, now they were entering through the gate, the wall of flames was ahead, but they were hearing the cracking sound of the flames and feeling the heat very closely, Jonathan looked up and a ball of flames, huge... was coming for them, he nudged Ethan alarmingly, whose tiredness disappeared immediately he saw what was coming, his instinct kicked in instantly and he quickly rushed forward before the ball got to them and he unsheathed his sword and raised it as a shield, to stop it. Jonathan fell behind him, Ethan wasn't sure if what he was doing will stop the fire, but the heat they felt as they walked in reduced gradually, now he only felt warmth, very close to his face. He opened his eyes, the sword had sucked in all the flame and the warmth came from the fire that was still burning on the sword. Cyclux stood in the distance, in front of the wall, his eyes full of horror, "I am so sorry, I really am... I did not see you coming." Lexis was now at the entrance, she saw everything that happened.

  "Fantastic! Cyclux... Fantastic!" She said.

  "Fantastic? Really…? He almost got us burnt... and that's fantastic?" Ethan said; his temper flared.

  "I said I was sorry... I did not see you."

  "It's fine okay, let's just go inside and forget this happened please." Jonathan tried to ease the tension. Ethan did not say anything; he stormed in, leaving everyone else outside.

  "Jonathan said we should eat something before we leave, he is hosting some important members of the cult, in preparation for Halloween. Lexis has prepared a meal for us." Ethan had busied himself with packing their stuffs into the pollen sack, some food had rotten and the cloths they took with them- one or two, needed laundering. Lexis had thrown away the rotten foods and had provided them with fresh ones; she also washed and ironed their cloths- one of the easiest chores she gets done, apart from cooking and making confectioneries. She also provided them with a change of clothing. Ethan was rearranging the content of the sack, so that food and clothes were separated by the chest plate and shield; broomsticks and other needful things were in one corner of the sack. He was still contemplating if he should put the sword in it- somewhere by the side, or he should just carry it in his belt, before Cyclux came in. Ethan did not reply, obviously still pissed by what happened outside the walls. "Are you still crossed with me?" Cyclux asked.

  No it's not you... It's Lexis. I don't know what's wrong with her. She's just... complicated."

  "How...?"

  "Can't you see she's changed lately...? Jonathan and I had a discussion last night- like past mid-night actually. He mentioned that their relationship is beyond what we think it is. And because of what she is, you know... she probably knows. She's been acting up since morning."

  "Yeah... I noticed that. Did you say something... bad?"

  No I didn't. It's not my concern anyway. Look at this, she has washed and even ironed our cloths, here- she added two for our journey. I thought some of the fruits would have perished... but she's disposed of them and replaced them with fresh ones. I don't know what to think of her now."

  "We washed the cloths together; she scolded me for having not done that. We washed them- without even touching them and then we dried them in front of the wall, I guess the flames automatically ironed them, we only folded them. She-"

  "Wait... What do you mean by you washed them 'without touching them'...?"

  "She simply casted a spell on the cloths and they started scrubbing one another in a bucket of water and soap. After which they hung themselves in mid-air to dry." Cyclux answered with a large grin. "She helped me mend my cloak, look- it's as though it was never torn. She added two or three more from Jonathan's wardrobe... and the fruits, she didn't replace them, she made them fresh again." Cyclux finally said, somewhat delighted in his speech.

  "So when you guys got bored, you proceeded to play with fire-"

  "We weren't playing with fire. She was teaching me the advance level of illumino- that's consumino."

  "No wonder you almost consumed us."

  "That wasn't intentional... I'm sorry."

  "I know and I'm not angry... hey, please help me push it in from that end." Ethan was trying to get the chest plate inside the pollen sack now, but rather than push and push like they always did, Cyclux only raised his hands slightly and then muttered a spell. The chest plate was in the sack the next minute, the shield too. "Lexis has been teaching you a lot... I hope you've found a way to carry the sack throughout our journey."

  Yes she's been teaching me a lot and no- there is no other way except that you carry your stuffs yourself."

  "My stuffs…?"

  "Yeah... food, clothes and arm-or." He emphasized the last word.

  "Food…? Who eats more...? We both own the cloths and the armor and shield is for the quest... but it's fine, I'll carry it..."

  "Mr. Ethan..." There was a knock at the door, Cyclux opened it and excused himself immediately. Lexis was at the door. "Mr. Ethan. I am sorry for what happened outside..." She began immediately. "I know you think I'm complicated, I guess... you're right. It's not easy to know what others think about you-"

  "But I respect you... I know you've read my mind, you should know that."

  "I know you do... but I also know you think I'm the one causing the separation in Jonathan's family."

  "Are you?"

  "No...! Everything that happened was either Jonathan's or Catherine's decision. The code of the league forbids me to impose anything on him. He loves me and I love him too." Lexis said with watery eyes.

  "I just think... you should allow him see his family-"

  "I'm scared Ethan... I'm pregnant."

  "It was really great having you
here Ethan and Cyclux has been so wonderful..." Lexis said. They had finished a sumptuous meal and chatted for a while. Members of the cult had started arriving; they were going to hold a major meeting in preparation for Halloween. While some of them shook hands with Ethan, others hugged him; they were as emotional as Grandaf when they met, when Jonathan introduced him.

  "Will you not be celebrating Halloween with us?" More than one of them asked Ethan.

  "No, the clock is ticking you know." Lexis had answered them, while Ethan was still thinking of what to say. The members of the cult all entered into an inner room, where meetings were held. Finally, Ethan and Cyclux could leave.

  "You will go through the fireplace, I made you coats of fire... here," Lexis handed them two coats, but there was nothing unusual about them, it was made of fur instead of fire.

  "Coats of fire…? I can't see any fire." Ethan said.

  "Yet... you can't see any fire yet."

  Ethan and Cyclux slid into their new clothing and crawled into the fireplace backwards, until their backs were leaning against its wall- they were squatting.

  Lexis walked towards them and she said- a little louder than a whisper, "mustalgia allitroe..." Their coats became lit, and it looked as though they were on fire, but just like Ethan felt in the lake of lava, they could not feel the fire. "farewell..." She said, Jonathan was now behind her and he waved to them also. "transiva!" The floor of the fireplace gave way under them, and they started falling, it was a free fall and it went on and on. Ethan could feel great heat blowing against his face, but somehow he felt comfortable, probably it was the coat they were wearing. They kept falling through what looked like a black space, brightly lit by streams of lava, abundantly crisscrossing the entire depth. The pollen sack was heavy against Ethan's back and Cyclux was screaming, his voice echoing through the depth; despite the comfort he felt, the thickness in the air was overwhelming. They fell and descended through a narrow wall filled with soot- like a chimney -their coats blazing still. In a heartbeat, they fell into open air and then in another second, splash! They were in cold water, which enveloped them to the shoulders and put out the fire on their coats. The current of the stream drifted them along, with several lumps of ice floating on it. They were soon carried to the bank of the chilled lake. Ethan struggled to quickly get out of the cold water with the pollen sack awkwardly strung to his back and the invisible sword to his side. Cyclux wasn't making any progress; he stayed at the bank hanging on to dear life. Ethan dropped to the hard floor, unusually hard but he didn’t care... at least not yet. He realized the coat wasn't just to help them get through the volcano; it also helped them float in the lake and kept them warm inside. But his hands and face had whitened and he was shivering slightly. "What is this place?" He muttered under his breath, even though Jonathan had explained what they should expect when they reach their next destination, he did not imagine this. Cyclux finally dragged himself out of water, his hands were numb and his face was stone-white like the ground on which he now rests his back. They were in the cult of ice, the frozen wastelands.