Fireclaws - Search for the Golden

by T. Michael Ford

  Walking around behind him, the healer massaged his neck for a few seconds as he ignored her. But then her demeanor changed, and I saw her make some quick hand movements and cast a spell on the man. His eyes closed and he immediately started to keel over on the bench; she caught him, gently easing him down. To the rest of us, he appeared to be sleeping fitfully as the she examined him, then waved one of the keep staff over and whispered something into her ear. Dashing off, she reappeared a few minutes later with several young healers in tow. They loaded the disheveled warrior on a litter and carried him back out of the keep. The blonde woman walked alongside giving them instructions until the door finally closed and she walked back to our group. I was astonished to see tears in her eyes as she took her place next to the elves again.

  The official-looking gold-skinned elf cleared his throat to get our attention. “My name is Qleyse. The King and Queen will be down in just a few moments; I appreciate your patience…Ebony, I believe you can dismiss your guards.” Obediently, the golden-hued warriors swiveled and marched out. I was watching them go when I felt the sharp jab of an elbow in my ribs. I turned to see Daffi raising her chin in the direction of the top of the stairs.

  A strongly-built young man and a slight dark elf girl were racing down the stairs. Both were attired in leather suits, which I recognized as usually worn under plate armor. Not that it looked bad; in fact, it was very form-fitting and attractive, especially on the dark elf. Halfway down, the woman leaped over the handrails! Instead of falling, exquisite white wings extended from her back and she glided laughingly down to the throne room floor. Her companion did the same, displaying even larger wings as he copied her moves, but still landed a distant second. Still laughing, the dark elf watched, hands on hips, shooting her competition a satisfied look of mock contempt.

  For his part, the sandy-haired young man reached out and pulled his companion very close and whispered something into her curly locks that made her shake her head with a coquettish smile. She gave him a look that said they were saving this discussion for later. The two were still staring into each other’s eyes as their wings seemed to fold up and disappear into their outfits.

  I nudged Wyeth. “Did I just see…wings? Like bird wings?”

  He nodded, watching with rapt attention.

  “I thought you said they were human and dark elf,” I whispered urgently.

  “They started out that way, but as you can see, they are much, much more now,” Wyeth tilted his head and whispered back, his eyes never leaving the Royals.

  The character named Qleyse cleared his throat loudly, and the King and Queen looked up as if just noticing the group of us for the first time. “Your Majesties, if I might present…”

  “Just a moment, My Lord Castellan,” The one I took to be King Alex said, focusing on the assembly. “Let’s get everyone comfortable first.” He motioned to the steps in front of the thrones and everyone around us seemed to instantly flow to their predetermined favorite spot. Even the stuffy elf, Qleyse, sat down on a step and accepted a glass of wine from one of the staff. The King and Queen, of course, were on the top step, with everyone else slightly lower; Daffi and I were just below their feet. It all had the comfortable feel of just some friends getting together, rather than a formal audience. And I liked them both immediately. King Alex was powerfully built, broad and well-muscled. The dark elf at his side was possibly the most beautiful woman I had ever seen; dusky skinned, she had star tattoos that started below her vivid emerald green eyes and flowed tantalizingly down her neckline. Her hair was like woven silver, not as in an old person, but like the metal, shiny and capable of catching the light in shimmering brilliance. Her movements were smooth and catlike, almost like a professional dancer, but with a more lethal sword dancer’s grace. I could see how someone even as gorgeous as Ryliss was in awe of Sky Raven’s queen.

  “My King and Queen, this is the wind wizard, Kerrik Beratin, and his companion, Miss Daphne,” Qleyse finally managed to interject. “You, of course, know everyone else.”

  King Alex swept his eyes over all of us, lingering for a second longer on the healer woman and her still red-rimmed eyes. He looked around the room and then back to her questioning, and I saw her give a little shake of her head. A trace of a sad frown crossed his handsome face, but then he brightened and reached a huge paw of a hand down to me.

  “I understand you bring us word of Lady Ryliss and her mission,” Alex started off the conversation, shaking my hand. The grip was solid as a rock and I had the feeling he was going easy on me. Then he kneeled on the next step down and took Daffi’s hand in his own and kissed it. “Miss Daphne, you honor us with your presence; thank you for coming.”

  Daffi, for her part, was attempting to smile and pretend she met kings on a regular basis. But I could feel her leg twitching uncontrollably and I knew she was on the verge of becoming a rabbit any second. I reached over and took her other hand in what I hoped was a calming gesture and squeezed slightly. Trying to divert everyone’s attention from the pooka, I responded, “Yes, your Majesties, we were with Ryliss and Naurakka not three days ago.”

  Alex rose back to his seat and took his Queen’s hand in his own; together, they leaned forward listening intently. I relayed my story as I knew it, starting with my quest to find my family, then running into the dying old woman who pointed me in the right direction. The rescue of Andea from Verledn, meeting Ryliss at the tavern, and how she had saved my life multiple times. What I thought was her death at the hands of the Canna, and how she had returned to free the cat and me. Finally, I detailed the current situation with the kidnapping of Andi by the demonic gargoyle.

  As I was talking, it seemed to me that my audience was getting more confused by the minute. Finally, the pixie girl who had been on the tall elf’s shoulder flew up into the air, did a erratic fluttering circle around the group, and then alighted on the King’s shoulder.

  “What does all this have to do with finding the golden dragon?” she squeaked.

  “I believe Lady Ryliss’ intent was to use my sister’s seer abilities to lead us to the golden dragon eventually, but Verledn keeps interfering. She felt that you would have enough of an interest in stopping the wizard who is trafficking with demons to come to our aid.”

  “So you’re saying that we are nowhere near close to finding a cure?” the healer woman said plaintively, clearly distressed. Suddenly everyone was talking at once until the Queen stood up abruptly, and the room went quiet. Her emerald green eyes flashing with impatience.

  “Pardon us, Wizard, but was there anything else that Ryliss told you about dragons, in general, anything at all?”

  “Your Majesty, I have spent perhaps only a full day or two in Lady Ryliss’ company these past weeks. I am not entirely sure of what she knows or doesn’t know about what you seek. But she did send a letter along that I was to give you.” I pulled the wax-sealed dispatch out of my inner pocket and passed it up to the King’s waiting palm. He tore it open eagerly, and his Queen leaned over his shoulder to read it at the same time.

  “To Your Majesties, the King and Queen of Sky Raven. First, let me say that I am devastated that I will be unable to personally attend Queen Maya’s birthday party on the second of this coming month. Nor is it likely that I will make Princess Belle’s on the seventh, either. I cannot express my sorrow adequately at this unfortunate turn of events.

  “My King, what follows is my usual report on the state of the areas that I have traveled through for your edification…” “What the…?” Alex’s face darkened as he paged quickly through the papers that Ryliss had transcribed. “What is this drivel? Maya’s and Belle’s birthdays aren’t for months and those dates are not theirs. She’s describing crop conditions, the state of the roads in Elcance, numbers of migratory birds that she sees ready to overwinter…”

  He looked at Maya in confusion, and she shook her head in dismay as well. “We’ve never asked her for this type of report before; much less, why would she send it now? Rosa
, is this even her handwriting?”

  The tall elf in the white robes drifted over and examined the pages over Alex’s other shoulder and nodded her head. “That is Ryliss’ handwriting. But you’re right, something is very odd about that report.”

  The pixie lifted off from the King’s shoulder and hovered like a hummingbird over the pages for a few seconds. Finally, she spoke up, “Mr. Alex, could Rosa and I have those pages for a few minutes? I’d like to try something.”

  With a sigh of resignation, Alex let the pixie carry off the letter. I watched Rosa follow her over to a nearby table, pull out writing materials from her robes, and sit down. The two of them conferred in low tones over the handwritten sheets and ignoring the rest of the group.

  Queen Maya just sat there, stricken, in deep thought, but the King looked down at us and smiled sheepishly.

  “I apologize if we seem cross; this isn’t the news we were hoping for. Tell me about your sister, is she really a seer? They are incredibly rare; I’m not even sure what Xarparion knows about them.”

  “Next to nothing!” Rosa’s voice sang out from the table where she and the pixie, Nia, were working. “The prevailing theory is that there are only about three born worldwide in any given generation. Statistically, two of the three will either die in childhood or never reach their potential for whatever reason. That leaves only one viable candidate every twenty-five years or so; hardly enough to be a footnote in a magical journal. Most of the scholars at the school can’t even agree on whether they are really wizard-class beings or not. We do know that the Lifebane used them, and for the past four hundred years or so, he was relentless in tracking them down for his own evil purposes.”

  The Queen seemed to shudder at the thought as I filled in the blanks. “Andi is fourteen, still a few years from coming into her full power, if she were a regular wizard, that is. Right now, she seems best at simple directions: left, right, go straight; think of her as a human-dowsing rod. But someday, if she survives, she may reach her full potential.” I explained what Verledn had done to Andi’s eyes, and I watched as Alex’s hands clenched with rage, and the Queen rubbed the ornate bracelet on her arm vigorously as if shining it .

  Finally, the King nearly exploded, “This must not stand! Know this, Wizard; if for no other reason than common decency, we will free your sister from this coward! The fact that he treats with demon-kind is just icing on the cake.” Maya looked at me and nodded her agreement, and then asked, “How did Ryliss suggest we find the party holding your sister?” I explained about her breadcrumb idea, and Alex stroked his chin sagely.

  “Yes, now that sounds like a plan the Ryliss we know would cook up; clues only visible from the air.”

  Commander Ebony spoke up for the first time in this session, “Surely, my King, you are not thinking of tackling this foe without troops?”

  “You heard Kerrik; Andi is in grave danger and ground forces would just slow us down. I believe Nia, Maya, and myself are more than capable of handling a gargoyle and a handful of humans.”

  “Please, Your Majesties,” I interrupted, “I need to go as well. She is all the family I have left, and I need to be there for her. I am a wind wizard so I can fly…“

  Just then, I felt a breeze across my face and a grinning pixie stopped directly across from my nose, hovering in midair. “Humans always think they can fly,” she giggled loftily and flitted back to the table where the green elf sat working.

  “I need to be there, also,” Daffi’s voice rang out from beside me, and I looked at her in astonishment. She had her hands on her hips and was fiercely challenging the entire room with her eyes.

  “Daffi, no, it’s too dangerous,” I choked out, trying to watch her and see the Royals’ reaction at the same time. Alex cleared his throat and looked at me as if he was about to agree, but the pooka gave him a dismissive glare and rounded to face me.

  “I need to know, Kerrik!”

  “Know what?”

  “Know if you care enough to fight for me! If you want us to be together, then Andi is by rights as much my sister as yours, and I deserve the chance to help free her, no matter what the risk. Answer carefully, Oh Great Wizard!” The pooka tilted her head, her dark eyes smoldering and her breast rising and falling with great emotion.

  At that moment, looking down at her face, I realized that I did care enough to fight for her. A deep sense of shame colored my vision, as I knew deep down that I was holding back from full commitment. Holding back simply because, somewhere in my addled brain, I couldn’t believe that I deserved anyone. Holding back because I felt I was damaged beyond repair or just holding back from some misguided sense of disbelief that Daffi was sincere in all of this.

  Knowing that words would by no means cover the situation, I reached down and claimed her hand, putting my other arm around her back. Giving her a quick squeeze, I turned us so that we were both facing the Royals.

  “I’m sorry, your Majesties, but Daphne and I both need to accompany you. We are a team.” I looked up, expecting to see a wrathful king, or at least a stern look of annoyance at the interruption. Instead, Alex was smiling with a bemused expression, and his reached over and took Maya’s hand in his own. The two exchanged a glance and a shy smile, and then the king resumed the discussion.

  “Kerrik, a little advice,” Alex chuckled. “I have some experience in dealing with a spirited woman, and when your lady fair and wife takes a stand like that, you had better listen; I know I do…”

  “Not my wife yet, King Alex,” I said, keeping my eyes solidly ahead, not daring to look over at my girl. “But I intend to work on that.” I noticed that Queen Maya’s emerald eyes were dancing with mirth, and her chin dipped in approval as I felt the pooka melt into my side.

  Before anyone could say anything else, the Nia buzzed back and did a loop over, then addressed the Royals. “Are you ready for the real message now? It was a cipher!”

  Rosa stalked over and handed Alex a fresh sheet of paper. The King thanked her and then started to read.

  “Greeting, my King and Queen. I apologize for the subterfuge in this letter, but the stakes are very high, and I couldn’t be sure that this letter wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. For the same reason, neither Kerrik nor Daffi is aware of this information, not because I do not trust them implicitly, but because they cannot give up information they do not know.

  “Sadly, I must report that Kailemora, the golden dragon that you sent me to find, died hours after the great battle. All is not lost, however; Andi led me to an underground complex built by deep gnomes that was the former home of Kailemora, and in her library and her letters, I found the answer. With the exception of the sole King or Queen golden dragon, every dragon on the planet, both good and bad, drops into a deep sleep periodically. We were unable to ascertain what triggers the process, but we know for a fact that it is a celestial event that releases them from their slumber. There lies the catch. If you consider that the planet is no longer where it was, that particular celestial event will never occur again. As a failsafe of some sort, the ruling golden dragon of the species does not succumb to the great sleep, and its duty is to watch over its flock during the vulnerable time. From what we have learned, the golden dragon has the ability to revive the dragons of the world in the event of a celestial disaster. That’s the good news; the bad news is Kailemora was the last living golden dragon!

  “Dragons are very wise, Your Majesties. She foresaw something like this happening and hid an egg preserved in stasis. That is the prize that the evil Verledn’s minions are seeking and the reason for kidnapping Andi; they are using her to find the egg. It is an opportunity for the forces of evil to bend the last living golden dragon to their will and cause untold destruction. For us, it means the chance to revive all the dragons of the world, including Dawn and Dusk, and make things right.

  “We must rescue Andi and recover the egg before it falls into the hands of another demon lord! Please send aid quickly.

  Your loyal servant alw
ays, Ryliss Tancreek”

  Chapter 19

  Marl Fremvoller sniffed the evening air and growled slightly. It was two hours before midnight, and the temperatures were already dropping sharply. Those of his men who weren’t on guard duty were huddled around small fires, which reflected light off their worried faces. No one was happy with this trip. They were all used to the burden of traveling with the prickly, malevolent fire wizard, Lebahn. But the last couple of days had taken them out of the plains and into the foothills of the mountains to the north. Marl didn’t even know the name of the range that faced them, but it had a dark and cold presence.

  It also didn’t help morale to hear the cries of the young girl the gargoyle had kidnapped and brought to them. Lebahn had been especially cruel to her, trying to gain information about some egg he was seeking. While, like him, most of his men were rough mercenaries, a few had sisters or mothers they still thought of fondly, and the girl’s agony wore them down.

  At midnight, Lebahn had vowed to allow his captive demon to have the girl; at least that should silence the whimpering. Marl strode forward and threw back the flap of the tent where Lebahn spent his time when they were not traveling.

  As usual, the fire wizard was sitting cross-legged on a soft mat, conversing animatedly with the large red, or sometimes black, crystal that was never far from his hand.

  “What is it, Marl,” Lebahn snarled, “I have preparations to make for our event at midnight.

  “Just a report as I furnish every evening, Lebahn. I don’t like this area; too many rocks and shrubs for things to hide in.”