DragonStone- Fatal Winds

by M A Bernier

  “I know what you trying to say, but its not the same. They were my parents, my own parents and I couldn’t save them. I know you mean well, but no one understands.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong Jaymee.” It was Eryyn who spoke and knelt beside him now. Jaymee had forgotten about Eryyn parents and their death. Eryyn had lost his own mother at a much younger age than he had. What had been worse was the emotional separation and apparent disagreement that Eryyn had with his own father. It was not until the very end that he discovered his father loved him very deeply, but had deliberately distanced himself so that he could save his own son when the time came. Eryyn had far greater powers than Jaymee, but had still lost his father and his mother. Jaymee could see the intense pain in Eryyn’s eyes and knew how he felt. “Let’s take a walk.” The others watched as Eryyn placed a hand on the back of his son’s neck while Jaymee placed his arm on his fathers' shoulders and walked into the dimness of the moonlit night.

  “I was afraid he was not going to be begin to come to terms with his natural parents death.” Replied EverGreen.

  “Neither was I.” EverGreen, Alys, and Syl turned to Ardant. It was his voice and the voice of the other again. The eyes of the other looked at Alys and for a brief moment appeared sad. “He has begun his long road to recovery."

  “While you are here I don’t suppose you would answer a few questions for us?” As EverGreen spoke Ardant’s eyes and face became his own again.

  “This is getting to be a bit frustrating if you don’t mind me saying so.” Ardant thought he was beginning to understand the burden carried by Eryyn. When he first met him he saw a young man. Not long after he realized that Eryyn held the fate of Earth in his hands. Now it would be in Ardant’s.

  “I believe there was another message for us from the DragonStone.” Syl looked at the others waiting for their attention. “It said it only called forth those who were worthy and willing, and recently it has been making a number of appearances. I think it was telling all of us it has been waiting for us. I think evil is trying to make a push into this world and the DragonStone has been waiting and watching.”

  “For us?” Asked Ardant.

  “For all of us,” replied EverGreen as he turned back to where Eryyn and Jaymee had walked away in silence to console each other’s losses.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Gardens

  *** Gardens in space ***

  Agriculture Bay 15 was just one out of the one hundred such agricultural ships orbiting Earth. Each one was over ten miles in diameter and had ten levels containing countless types of plants from hundreds of alien cultures. Kel could not wait to share the plants that the colonists had found on other worlds. She had two priceless treasures. The hydroponics bay with rare beautiful and strange plant life from alien worlds and the plant life of the Earth. Seeing the natural plants of earth, touching them and smelling their fragrance was a treasure to her. When her descendants had left Earth they had little time to take samples of plant life. She was sure much of what was left behind would probably never again exist. Administrator Kel loved her job and performed it abundantly well. Like all of the lost colonists the return to Earth had been a dream, a myth, until five years ago when a stranger came on board. The stranger was a young man rumored to be from Earth. She had been unable to contain her excitement and was devastated, like everyone else, when she and the other colonists were told the Earth was in danger of being destroyed. The myth of Earth had become reality, then reality slapped them in face as they faced the possibility they could be returning to a doomed world. When the colony ship reached Earth’s orbit Kel and all the other SAA’s, short for Senior Agriculture Administrators, stood by helplessly as they witnessed the mass destruction of forest and land occurring on one of the most lush continents. Within a day the enemy forces had been defeated but not without the cost of many lives and the loss of a great deal of plant life that may never recover. Two days after returning to Earth every SAA were shuttling down to the planet’s surface to assist in the recovery and replanting. Although Kel and the others had seen the mythical dragons when they came on board nothing had prepared them for the people they found on the surface. The technology so carefully preserved by the colonists when they left Earth 10,000 years ago had been completely lost on Earth. The people were so primitive, that Kel and the others wondered how they survived without technology. She and the other SAA’s knew immediately the undertaking to educate and teach them about proper planting would be a challenge. Kel and the others were dumbfounded when the Colony Council and Captain Brand informed them they would be reporting to several individuals on the planet for instructions on how to proceed with the recovery. Instead of commanding they replanting process, they were instructed by a bare foot young man dressed in a green short sleeve shirt and brown pants. He instructed them to begin assisting the local people by removing certain dead plants to specific areas and to replant using seeds on the planet. He advised them of the infection left by Lysithia and that some of the dead vegetation needed special handling. The young man’s name as EverGreen, he was very friendly and grateful for their help, but he was young and inexperienced. Kel and the others tried to advise him but he just smiled and knelt down on the ground next to a dead path of flowers and found the smallest bit of green. Kel and the others watched as EverGreen placed his hand within the patch of dead vegetation, and before their eyes the single green stem grew leaves. Within a few moments the dead vegetation had been absorbed into the ground, and in its place was a small patch of multicolored flowers. A week later Kel was assisting some local families with their farmland when several of them came running from a creature the fields. She heard them call it a Tree Hound. It was as the size of small dog and its skin black and bark-like. It was charging through the fields randomly. Kel was going to call for help when a strange sphere of white light and fire burst from a young mans staff and struck the creature. It yelped in pain and ran into the dense forest. She suddenly realized what she had seen but could not believe it. Magic was nothing more than a myth. It only existed in stories.

  Kel closed her electronic note pad referring to her first entries regarding her return to Earth. She could not believe how arrogant she must have seemed to the local inhabitants. She finished her breakfast and was about to leave her quarters when her console beeped. She sat down and pressed the blinking white button. The face of one of the gardeners appeared but he looked nervous.

  “Administrator Kel, we need you to come to the first level right away.”

  “What is it Sirel?” She glanced quickly at her instruments. “The computer indicates all conditions are normal.”

  “I think you should see this for yourself.” Kel was not overly concerned because Sirel tended to be a bit high strung and over-reactive. It was probably some bug or minor infestation she would have to deal with, either way, she hoped he would not talk too much. She enjoyed watching the sunrise from the top level of the glass dome. Kel made it a point to never missed a sunrise. Every other layer was submerged within the asteroid connected to the colony ship. Kel walked casually through the corridors and levels inspecting the hanging plants on the walls. It was several minutes before she reached the seeding area. Sirel was pacing even more impatiently than she had ever seen him before. She might have dismissed his high strung behavior as having another odd day were it not for the concerned look of several other individuals in the room. “I called you five minutes ago, where have you been?” His voice was not demanding, it was at a near panic. Kel began to grow concerned as she was led into the corridor joining the seed area to the lowest level of the agricultural bays. “We initiated standard daylight mode when we began to notice something very wrong with the plants.” Sirel was wringing his hands quickly and pacing madly as the decontamination scan completed. He and Kel exited the safe chamber. She practically had to run to keep up with the quick, long strides, of her subordinate. When Kel exited the dark metal shaft she saw several workers with tech scanners examining plants. What shock
ed her was the condition of the plants. Over half of the vegetation appeared dead. She went to the monitor controls at the entrance of the level and opened the outer panel to view the text display.

  “Did you check the monitor system?” She asked Sirel while furiously pressing the controls.

  “Yes, as well as temperature, lighting, decompression, decontamination units, checked for foreign insects or infestations and found nothing unusual or wrong.”

  “There has to be an explanation.” She took a scanner unit from the wall and started walking quickly along the walkways scanning every plant as quickly as she could. The scan results showed plants dead, dying or perfectly healthy. The effect seemed to be random. Some plants were perfectly healthy while other plants, only inches away, were devoid of life. Her face grew more intense as she scrutinized the scans. “This is odd.”

  “What is it?” Sirel asked.

  “Even the dirt has been rendered completely lifeless, no bacteria of any kind registers.” Kel moved quickly to the entrance where she began entering her key code for an isolation field.

  “I want this level completely isolated until we determine the cause. Alert the other administrators immediately!”

  “Kel.” Sirel’s voice was strangely soft and sad. She turned to him. “It’s all the levels.” Her face went white. She barely felt his arms supporting her as she legs began to buckle from underneath her. It took a few moments for Kel to regain her composure and then she then turned to Sirel.

  “I cannot allow whatever this is to spread.” Kel turned to the communications console and entered a code. Immediately the soft glow of blinking red lights began pulsing on and off quickly. All exits and entrances to the entire hydroponics asteroid number fifteen were immediately sealed. “I will contact the council members myself.” Kel paused as she looked at Sirel and saw the same pain in his eyes. Years of painstaking work had been destroyed without warning and he too felt as she did. “Sirel, see if you can contact Ambassador Ardant and ask him to speak with EverGreen. If this has already spread to Earth the results could be catastrophic.”

  “I will.” Sirel turned and was about to leave. He turned back to Kel. “I wonder if this has anything to do with the disappearances from the colony stations and Earth?”

  “The communication a week ago only mentioned a very slight effect on plant life where the disappearances occurred, nothing like this.” Kel waved her hand at the plants around her. She turned back to the display panel in the wall and pressed several more buttons and waited for a few moments. “Everyone is accounted for.” The communications console began beeping. Kel activated the display, and administrator Zytan’s face appeared on the screen.

  “Kel, what is going on at your unit?” Zytan, the chief SAA, was friend who rarely second guesses Kel’s decisions. His facial expressions were mixed with anger, astonishment and despair as he waited for her explanation.

  “Half the plants in my entire unit are dead or dying. So far every routine diagnostic shows nothing out of the ordinary.”

  “I will leave immediately….”

  “You can’t enter at the moment. I have initiated full isolation. If whatever happens here reaches Earth the effects could be catastrophic. I will have my people forward all data to you and the other SAA’s.” She watched as Zytan breathed deeply once and then digest the information she had provided.

  “Good luck Kel, keep me informed.” Zytan’s voice was quiet when he leaned his face closer to the view-screen. Kel closed the connection and turned to Sirel.

  “I will be in the analysis lab, let me know if your able to reach Ambassador Ardant.”

  *** Gardens on land ***

  Fayn awoke as always hours before daylight. He and his family’s farm were the pride and joy of the nearby small villages that depended on it. The farm area resided within the center of the Ring Mountains. These mountains circled a vast area of land. The land inside Ring Mountains had never been settled because of the lack of easily accessible paths. His great grandfather had seen it as a challenge and took his family within the Ring Mountain range convinced a homestead could be founded. The interior of the range was almost perfectly circular and could be crossed in less than a day. Fayn had seen the entire view himself, except in his time, a large area in the center was not farmland providing food to dozens of small villages surrounding it. He could see why only the central area could be farmed, it rose about one hundred feet above the rest of the land within Ring Mountains. Every time it rained the rest of the land was saturated with rain. The excess water formed a swampy area thick with vegetation. Except for a few paths the swamp was a natural barrier to invaders. Those that lived within swampy area built their homes several feet above the swamp water. Fayn’s family could not farm the central area alone because it was so large, a three day walk from one side to the other. So, an agreement was made between his family and those who built their homes in the swamp. Fayn’s family took on the responsibility of moving goods in and out of the mountain range and those that resided in the villages helped farm the fertile land. They were supplied with enough food to feed their families in return for their work. Many had wondered why Fayn and the rest remained in such an isolated area so hard to reach, but once they tasted the vegetables from his farm they understood why. The land farmed within the Ring Mountains was some of the most fertile land within a week’s journey of any other farm. Fayn and his family were willing to traverse the difficult paths over the mountains. The highly prized vegetables brought a high price since they were almost twice as large and contained twice the flavor of any other vegetables in the known lands.

  Fayn’s wife was still sleeping as he made his way in the dark to the front of the home. He silently closed the bedroom door so he would not wake her while he cooked. He knew soon after he started preparing breakfast the aromas would do the job of waking his wife and five daughters. Fayn lit a single lantern and placed it on the eating table and then lit the fireplace. One by one his family appeared and helped with setting the table and preparing the rest of the breakfast. His five girls, ages two to twelve, were always ready to help. Even little Katlyn at the age of two would carefully carry one item or utensil at a time to the table. Breakfast was served and the home cleaned just as the sun rose over the mountaintop. Fayn was getting ready to leave when he heard a rushed knock at his front door.

  L’Sar woke earlier than usual and decided to go to the fields. As the morning sun came over the mountain tops he was stunned by what he found. He and several others could not believe their eyes. L’Sar ran the entire field to the far end where Fayn and his family resided. Every home in the mountains had been built with the front facing away from the center of the mountain. This kept the wind, rain and snow from beating its way into the homes every time a door was opened. He was out of breath as he ran to the front and knocked quickly; Fayn opened it almost immediately.

  “Fayn, I think you better see this.” Fayn stepped out his front door quickly, L’Sar was out of breath for a reason and his face appeared to be greatly concerned about something dreadful. As Fayn stepped out the front door he immediately saw that many of the trees at the edge of the swamp less then fifty feet from his home were dead. The day before these trees were lush with life. Now they appeared barren as if they had died hundreds of years earlier. “I think you better see the field.” The concept of the same effect on his field had not struck him until he looked at L’Sar. Fayn turned right and walked around the corner of his house to the side that faced the fields and was shocked wordless by what he saw. It was then that his wife and daughters came out of the house and stood behind him. He heard their gasps, and then his wife started crying.

  “What has done this?” Fayn’s wife cried as two of her daughters held her hands.

  “I don’t know.” Replied Fayn, he turned to L’Sar who shrugged his shoulders. Fayn doubted L’Sar could provide any answers on such an event. Fayn himself could fathom no reason to this overnight destruction of fertile land.

  “Th
ere is some unnatural force at work here Fayn.” L’Sar said softly as he looked at the ruined crops. “We need one of the mages here and soon.” L’Sar continued. “If this spreads, we will be without food for this coming winter and no one will be able to stay within the Ring Mountains.”

  “L’Sar,” Fayn placed his hand on L’Sar’s shoulders and guided him away from the house. “Keep an eye on the food in the store houses and watch for anyone becoming sick, just in case this decay is not limited to the crops. Also, get anyone who can walk and pull up the dead plants and burn them in the rock pit.”

  “What about the unaffected plants?”

  “Keep an eye on them and watch for any of this disease appearing on them although I doubt you will see anything.” Fayn said. “You are right about one thing, there is something unnatural at work here and I get the feeling it did what it wanted to do and has moved on. We are probably not the only farm to be effected. I am going to Du’Nai and speak with the mages. Watch over my family until my return.”

  “I will, and good luck my friend.” L’Sar replied. Fayn said goodbye to his family and promised his return. He took samples of the decayed plants with him to show the mages.

  *** Garden of Souls ***

  Jyn-Taa and his servant Odien made their way to the garden caverns on the north side of the mountain. The followers of Katanz found isolating themselves may keep others from intruding upon their temple but, during the first weeks of their isolation food was becoming scarce too quickly. The north side of the mountain had an abundance of caves leading to large caverns. The followers first made frequent trips to the outside world to steal as much fertile land they could carry in their sacks, and place it within the caverns to create underground farms. They then used their limited powers to smooth parts of the cave tunnels leading to the caverns into a smooth crystalline surface that reflected the sunlight in the caverns below. Natural springs provided an abundance of water for the followers and for the miles of gardens.