by Bill Ricardi
Benno cleared his throat, and then said, “Thank you for your hospitality and your kindness, Divine. It is an honor to be here among your people.”
The big matriarch gestured to the chairs surrounding the heating brazier. “Your words of kindness are both noted and appreciated, I assure you. Please, avail yourselves to the seats that are free. Assuming that none of you have an objection, I will make use of this seat.”
Divine sank back down into her chair. After half-heartedly considering an objection to the yeti’s choice of seat, I walked over and hopped up into one of the oversized chairs. Ames and Benno did the same. I think Benno was sitting on Uncle Clever, but I would tell him all about that later.
It was the were-cat who started the diplomacy. “We were pleased to have received your message, and honored to be the ones selected to come meet with you. The exact urgency of your need to meet was not clear, but we set off the moment that we finished preparations for such a journey.”
The yeti nodded. She said, “It is a subject that we would not wish to seem objectionable about, at least not in an official missive. And in fact, under normal circumstances, we would not object at all to the visiting tiny creatures, as they have proven themselves to be peaceful and curious beings, worthy of our care and attention.”
The three of us traded glances. It was Ames who asked, “Visiting tiny creatures, you say? We had no knowledge of this.”
Divine said, “Yes, that was another reason not to go into great detail in the written request for a meeting. We did not wish to… how did they put it? We did not wish to ‘tattle on’ the little mages. Not in any official manner, you understand. It is our sincerest hope that they not be punished in any way. In fact we need to insist that any record that contains our conversation here today reflect the fact that the tiny mages were welcomed by my people with open arms.”
I asked, “Divine, what did these tiny mages look like?”
“Most of them were quite small. Some of them were simply small. One or two of them had horns, and those were not so small. But all of them were garbed in the robes of your Arcane University, and most of them had the good sense and forethought to wear additional protective coverings to shield themselves from the cold.”
Ames rubbed their forehead, as if coming down with a sudden headache. “Might I ask: How many different and distinct tiny mages have come to visit you over the last few weeks?”
The yeti replied, “I would estimate two to three score individual little ones have visited us in that timeframe. And again, I feel that I need to stress that we did not object. In fact, most of my people have expressed to me how interesting and refreshing it was to have children of another species visit us. Some of the tiny ones brought little things to trade. They brought copper coins, and they brought a fascinating food that they referred to as ‘corn bread’. In the future, we would like more corn bread.”
Benno said, “So what you’re saying is that some of our students have been sneaking off to come see you. And it has become a common thing.”
Divine’s red eyes swiveled to regard Benno. There was a moment of silence. Then she came to a decision, “Yes little one, I believe that summary to be accurate.”
Ames said, “And for reasons of your own, you would like them to stop.”
Divine shook her great head. “There are two inaccuracies with that statement, one they call Ames. The first inaccuracy is that we would ‘like’ them to stop. This request actually brings us some amount of sadness. And yet we believe that it is in their best interest if the tiny mages stop their visits for the time being. The second inaccuracy is that the reasons for this request are our own. On the contrary, the concern should be mutual between our people. This is why you have been invited to meet with us. If you will allow it, I would like to illustrate the reason we make this request, and ask your opinion on how reasonable we have been in the level of concern that we have expressed.”
I was able to follow that sentence, if just barely. I nodded, “Of course Divine, please show us.”
Divine gestured towards the brazier and murmured her illusion incantation. Suddenly the clear, alcohol fueled flames were visible. As the matriarch spoke, the image shifted to that of a night sky with a clear horizon.
“I mentioned that we would aid in your investigations. And so, we did. My people are the people of the wind, and the people of the snow. But we are also the people of the night. It is within the confines of the night that we explore and survey. It is within the confines of the night that we dream. And the context of those dreams are reflections of reality.”
On the illusionary horizon, an ominous silhouette appeared in the light of the full moon.
“This is why the tiny mages must stay away. Our dreams perceived this threat, and so we were able to request arcane and holy portents. Our portents were able to better define this threat, and so we called for surveillance of the night sky. Our scouts were able to catch glimpses of this threat. These sightings were brief and only as specific as one might expect given the circumstances.”
The fire flared briefly, and the silhouette became larger. Slightly more defined.
Benno gasped, “Is that a dragon?”
Divine held up one large hand, “We would not presume to label it, not at this stage. Let it be known however that there have been no draconic sightings in this area for over a century. Whether you feel that one hundred years is too long or too short of a time period is up to you as individuals. I will simply say that each day is a new day, and circumstances change. May I continue?”
Benno said, “Of course Divine, I’m sorry.”
“There is no need to apologise for a question, little one. Questions are exactly why we are here. If we already had the answers to this mystery, we could formulate a course of action. Whereas the only course of action that we can recommend is further investigation. Is this, as you say, a dragon? If not, what is it? If so, what is the dragon’s intentions? All of these questions and several other factors have led us to expand our investigation to include external resources. Resources such as yourselves, should you feel up to the task and have the availability. And of course, until this danger is fully assessed… please have the children stay away. At least for now, as much as that decision weighs heavy on our hearts.”
I asked, “For lack of a better term, may I refer to this figure as ‘dragon’?”
Divine considered. Then she said, “You may.”
“What can you tell us about this dragon? You’ve scryed, you’ve prayed, and you’ve observed. Do you have any details?”
The yeti said, “Precious few details have been acquired so far. Scrying eyes are evaded or dispelled before they can get to a useful range. The relative distances involved would indicate that this is a very large dragon, if it is indeed of that species. We can give you times and locations in the night sky. We can tell you direction of flight for as long as they remained in view. This is assuming, of course, that all of this is real and not illusion, delusion, or hallucination. All I know is that our shamans said this is one of the signs of the apocalypse. I am no expert on the end-of-times, but I share their concern. We need more information. Do you understand, little ones?”
Ames said, “We do understand, Divine. And I think we may have a friend who can help. Are you familiar with the Church of Melflavin?”
The matriarch bobbed her great head, those pupilless red-brown eyes now fixed on my mate. “A minor god, but one that spans races, having popularity with elves, humans, and even some orcs. A curiosity. Why do you mention this god’s church?”
Ames explained, “They have a mastery of optics. Of physical lenses. We took part in the restoration of one of their observatories in the past. They have devices called ‘telescopes’ that can observe objects in the sky.”
Divine caught on quickly, “And this being an area of high elevation and away from civilization, I assume they have one of these observatories in the general vicinity. Would they be willing to point one of these devices at the
night sky and report back on what they see?”
The were-cat said, “We’ll find out.”
Divine stood. The illusion within the fire flickered and died. The three of us half slid, half fell out of our tall chairs.
“You are the most reliable small people that I have ever had the great pleasure of associating with. Rest assured that you leave with both our gratitude and our confidence. Please relate this to the tiny mages: Should they be unable to visit for an extended period of time, some of our mages have expressed interest in visiting them at their Arcane University. I will approve this measure when the time comes.”
Benno’s eyes went wide. He asked, “You would allow yetis to visit the University?”
Divine tilted her head. She said, “That is what I just stated little one.” She then turned to me and asked, “Does your son have short term memory issues?”
I immediately responded, “Yes.”
Benno slapped my shoulder, “No ma’am, my memory is fine. I was just surprised.”
Ames said, “I’ll have Sorch or Benno send a Message spell to keep you up to date. Thank you for your time.”
The matriarch said, “You have my thanks and the thanks of my tribe. It is my hope that the combination of our continued efforts leads to a solution that will benefit Panos. I look forward to the next update.”
Night fell before the three of us made our way back to the Arcane University. Max was annoyed when we told him that students had been visiting the yetis. We then compounded his frustration by mentioning that some yetis might be asking for a tour of the school in the near future. And more cornbread.
The old archmage said, “Please tell me that you have some good news, or else I’m just going to retire and take up basket weaving.”
Ames hesitated before saying, “I’m not certain this qualifies as good news. But it is a lead. Yeti portents followed by yeti scouts discovered something flying around in the distance. Something fairly draconic looking.”
Max said, dryly, “Yes Ames, when I asked for good news, I meant that you should tell me that there’s a gods damned dragon flying around in the mountains!”
I scowled. “We could lie to you if you like. It was a kitten shaped creature actually. It was flying around, chasing a big ball of floating yarn.”
Benno gripped my shoulder. He said, “I think what Father means is that we have a course of action to follow. This could be a solid lead.”
Using our physical connection, Benno thought, “Please don’t poke the bear, Dad.”
Casually, I said aloud, “Yes, of course, that’s what I meant.”
Max eyed me for a moment, before asking, “What’s your plan?”
Ames said, “Melflavin’s mountain observatory. It’s a rough hike, but with Tara’s help we can use real optics to see what this creature is. At least, we don’t think it will be able to avoid or knock out physical observation the way that it defeated scrying efforts.”
I noted, “We’ll need to make it worth her while.”
Max said, “The Guild will see to her compensation. And yours for that matter. Can you leave in the morning?”
Benno and I looked to Ames. The were-cat said, “I’ll go visit her right now and find out. If she’s up to it, we’ll be ready.”
My son and I ate dinner in near-silence. Perhaps it was the enormity of the political and magical situation. Perhaps there was simply nothing left to say. As we stood to head out of the University dining area, I offered Benno a brief, tired smile. I knew that everything was alright when he smiled back. We said goodnight, and headed back to our respective rooms to get some rest.
An hour later, I felt a familiar creature slide into bed behind me. Fur, still chilled from Ice House’s harsh night wind, pressed into the skin of my bare back. Ames put a wet nose to my temple and whispered, “We’re on for tomorrow. I already told Benno.”
I whispered back, “Not like this, I hope.”
That earned me a swat on the flank. I was too tired to retaliate. Sleep swiftly took me once again.
I woke up to the smell of fresh pastry. Tara and Ames were chatting quietly just a couple of paces away from where I lay. I reached out feebly from my bed, as if I could grab one of those frosted breakfast rolls through sheer force of will.
The cleric noticed me and smiled brightly. “Good morning sleepyhead.” said Tara, in a mocking sing-song voice.
“Gimmie.”
Ames tsk’ed my groggily expressed request. The feline said, “Manners, dear. You may have a pastry when you’ve woken up and properly greeted our guest. I, in the meantime, will deliver two of these to our son and make sure his green ass is out of bed as well.”
The were-cat padded out of the room, and I had to watch as a pair of those beautiful morning treats escaped. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. With as much politeness as I could muster, I said, “Good morning Tara. Could you throw me my clothes please?”
Her perfectly white, perfectly square teeth grinned at me. The minotaur simply said, “No.”
I shrugged and got out of bed anyway. Tara laughed, but had the good grace to avert her eyes. I didn’t mind either way. After all: We adventured together, she’d seen worse. Once I retrieved my breeches and a thin overshirt, I sat opposite the cleric.
“How’s Toby?” I asked, before wolfing down my first glazed roll.
As I ate, Tara said, “He’s fine. He’s on babysitting duty today, much to his chagrin.”
My next question was asked around a greedy mouth full of succulent pastry. “We ready?”
“The Order of the Snow has sent word to Master Aharon up at the Eastern Heights Observatory. He seemed unenthused by our impending visit, but accepted the fact that the sightings might be important. He’s willing to stop his celestial studies for a couple of hours tonight in order to help us.”
I swallowed, allowing the sugar rush to infuse me. After heaving a happy sigh, I said, “It sounds like we’re all set then. It’s a hard slog though, Eastern Heights is about twenty miles away through deep snow. We’re not likely to get there until after midnight.”
The cleric seemed to be hesitating. After a long pause, she replied, “Sorch, once we get there it might not be the easiest time either. You understand how minotaurs experience emotions on a binary scale, right?”
I licked the sugar off of my lips, then nodded. “Of course, happiness and sadness, everything being a shade of those things.”
Tara started to shake her head. She said, “That’s not the case with Master Aharon. In his older years, he has contracted a rare condition that allows him to experience more of the emotional scale. Minotaurs weren’t meant to do that. So he may come off as… less than stable.”
I peered at the cleric, and then asked, “Tara, are you telling me that this guy is unspooled?”
Her head-shaking become more rapid. She clarified, “No, no. Not at all. He, um. He isn’t dangerous, Sorch. Though he does tend to scare people. There’s a reason he chose a remote outpost to live out the rest of his life. I just want you to be prepared, and not frightened by anything you experience. He won’t harm us.”
I reached out to take Tara’s big hand in my smaller one. I said, “Was he a friend?”
I felt her squeeze my hand reassuringly. She said, “Of my father’s. I remember him from when I was young, mostly. I’ve seen him three or four times in my adult life. I’ll be okay, I know what to expect.”
I rubbed the back of the minotaur’s hand with my calloused thumb. “It looks like you’re ready for this trip. You’re finally starting to get fluffy again.”
Tara looked surprised and pleased by my observation. She said, “Thank you. You know, the other minotaurs didn’t notice. Or if they did, they avoided talking about it so as not to bring up the disintegration business. But you’ve always been the observant one.”
I gave that big hand a final squeeze before freeing mine so that I could grab another pastry. Prior to taking a bite, I outlined my expectations for the trip. “Many layers, sn
owshoes, and thick cloaks. And I imagine frequent stops to warm up.”
Tara nodded. “I’ll be carrying a couple of small bundles of dry wood. Ames can just stick that new sword right in the middle and we’ll have a nice hot fire for half an hour.”
I honestly hadn’t even considered the utility of the firebrand weapon on a trip such as this. That might make things considerably less miserable.
After Benno and I took some time to perform intellect enhancements and memorize an appropriate suite of arcana, we all set off on our long trek.
My prediction of the level of misery proved accurate. Fourteen hours of snowshoeing was never fun or exciting. It can be terrifying in the wrong conditions, but still not exciting as such. But compared to our trip to the Ice Caves years earlier, we were relatively comfortable. We rested five times, basically whenever we found a small cave or relatively sheltered rock where we could make a fire. Tara’s minotaur senses were excellent for detecting such things. Twice we used Ames and Tara’s firewood and flaming sabre trick. The other three times we huddled around my magic pot and enjoyed tea, coffee, or soup.
At the tail end of our trip, we were exhausted. Light spells on the tips of short wooden rods helped us to pick out the best footing. Even seasoned adventurers didn’t have the conditioning to muddle through this kind of environment without some lingering effects. We were all grateful when the incline towards the observatory became a well defined path. Snowshoes were unstrapped, and we made our way up to the stout, domed building.
All of the expense of the Eastern Heights Observatory went into the optics, it seemed. The walls were primarily built with kiln-fired brick. There were no signs, no engravings on the thick wooden doors. No opulence of any kind. And with no obvious bell or lock on the door, we simply let ourselves in.
I was shocked by the sudden wave of heat that washed over my face. We quickly closed the door behind us and basked in that bone-deep warmth for a few seconds. The foyer was simply a small round brick chamber with hooks drilled into the wall and a coat rack standing by the doorway. It funneled out into a single long hallway, leading East.