Prophecy

by Gregory Cholmondeley

  “We’ll go just before dawn,” added Granny. “Let’s get something to eat and get a good night’s rest. Today’s flight wore me out.”

  They flew to a small stream, several miles to the south for lunch. There were very few water sources out here, and Janus realized more than half his food supplies were gone as well. He had one chance to get the information he needed, which would happen in about twelve hours. Janus replaced the uneaten half of his lunch back in his pack. He suddenly wasn’t hungry.

  Juice burped after a long drink of water and suggested, “I think it would be a good idea to scout the area before we bed down. I’m going to do a fly-over.”

  Janus jumped up and agreed, “That’s a great idea! I’ll come with you.”

  Granny interrupted the boys, saying, “That is an excellent idea, Betelgeuse; however, neither of you are going. I will go.”

  Juice and Janus began to complain but stopped after Granny delivered one of those withering glares, that only a parent can produce.

  She added, “In fact, I am going to roost on top of Luna’s head to keep an eye on the place tonight. It will be like old times, back when I posed for my dragon sculpture. The people will celebrate my homecoming after all these centuries.”

  Then she looked at Janus and added, “And, the mighty dragon cannot bring a companion.”

  “She’s right, dude,” sighed Juice with disappointment.

  Janus could only think of one possible rebuke and pleaded, “But Juice and I need to know what we’re facing. We won’t know that if you stay there. And, we’ll only know it second-hand if you return. We’ll be flying in under darkness, and we need to know what to expect!”

  Juice agreed, “The dude is right, Granny. You can’t argue with his logic.”

  Granny smiled and said, “You are a clever lad, Janus, but you still cannot come. However, I have another idea. You have become quite adept at telepathically communicating with dragons. Are you ready for your next lesson?”

  Janus stared at her and answered, “Um, yeah, I guess so.”

  Granny grinned and explained, “We’ve been communicating thoughts. Dragons can also share experiences. We can actually feel each other’s physical and emotional sensations if we concentrate hard enough. That includes seeing through each other’s eyes.”

  Janus’ eyes widened with surprise, but before he could speak, Juice cried, “We can do that!?”

  Neither Janus nor Granny could keep from laughing, which only became louder when Juice complained, “Hey guys, why didn’t anyone ever tell me? Come on, guys, this isn’t funny. I mean it, like how was I supposed to know?”

  The two finally stopped laughing once Juice sat down and sulked but began again when he opened his mouth for another remark. They eventually managed to control themselves and sat down next to their companion.

  Granny explained, “Don’t feel bad, Betelgeuse. This is something only female dragons do. I’m not sure it has ever been taught to a male dragon. There is probably some sort of rule against doing so, but I’m old, and I don’t really care. So, I’ll teach you both.”

  Juice grumbled, “My name is Juice, and yes, I would very much appreciate learning how to do this. What other secrets do girl dragons keep from guys?”

  Granny chuckled, “You have no idea, Juice, but that is why they are secrets. Now close your eyes and concentrate on me.”

  Juice and Janus sat across from Granny, closed their eyes, and concentrated. Nothing happened for several minutes until Janus mentioned that his skin felt itchy. Granny said that was good and opened her eyes. As soon as she did, Janus screamed, “I can see myself!”

  Juice yelled, “No fair! How come the human can do it, and I can’t.”

  Granny turned to console her great-grandson, and Janus immediately puked.

  That broke the spell, but Janus kept retching until there was vomit everywhere. It was Juice’s turn to laugh, but Granny calmly explained that this was a common first-time reaction. Your mind gets confused when it senses motion even though your body didn’t move. The sensation throws off your equilibrium and often produces motion sickness.

  Janus stumbled to the stream to recover and clean up while Granny continued to work with Juice. A few moments later, Juice’s stomach exploded. The small meadow was immediately covered in dragon vomit, including the partially-digested deer he ate for lunch.

  Janus retched again due to the stench and was grateful he had eaten a small lunch.

  “That was awful. No wonder this stuff isn’t taught in school. I think I hacked up a gastrolith,” Juice moaned, as he stumbled off toward the stream.

  A half-hour later, they had cleansed themselves and moved to a fresh meadow upstream. Granny assured them that their second attempt would be much better, and they tried again. This time both boys connected with Granny, who stood perfectly still with her eyes closed as they became comfortable with the sensation.

  Janus marveled at the feel of the old dragon’s body. He felt her heart beating, her long tail, and the slightly-scratchy sensation of her scales as they slid over her tough dragon-skin hide. Then she slowly unfolded her wings, and Janus felt their tough, leathery skin stretch between her fingers. He had never realized that a dragon’s wings were actually their hands with webbed fingers.

  Granny evidently realized the same thing as she shared, “Child, your arms are so long, and your wings are so small. How do you manage to do anything useful with those deformed appendages?”

  Janus laughed and replied, “They work quite well, as long as you don’t need to fly. I wish I had a tail like yours, though. It feels amazing!”

  Juice chuckled, “That’s right, you don’t have one! All I feel is your butt. Hey, I can feel your butt!”

  Janus grumbled, “Stay away from my butt.”

  Granny warned, “Boys, behave yourselves. This is one of the reasons we don’t share this knowledge with male dragons. Now pay attention. I am going to open my eyes and slowly move my head.”

  Their instructor opened her eyes, and the boys saw themselves as Granny saw them. She slowly turned her head, and their stomachs churned as their view of the world shifted while they didn’t, but neither became sick. A few minutes later, she was moving her head right, left, up, and down on her long neck with no ill effects.

  At least, her movement produced no ill effects until Juice opened his eyes and shouted, “This is so cool! I think we….”

  All three of them puked this time.

  “Never, ever open your eyes like that without warning us,” groaned Granny.

  Juice apologized, “Yes, Great-grandmother. It won’t happen again.”

  The trio washed in the stream and migrated to yet, another meadow.

  Granny explained that it is considered polite only to have one member open their eyes at a time. Trying to simultaneously process multiple visual images was challenging for even the most skilled dragons. It is, however, possible to handle a dozen or more views, but only with extensive practice and warning. Participants must always warn the others when they are about to open their eyes so that the rest can brace themselves for the experience.

  Juice apologized again, and Janus felt sorry for his friend’s embarrassment. He was also glad that he wasn’t the one who opened his eyes. Granny, however, pointed out that she needed to leave before sunset. Arriving after dark would not help them very much.

  She instructed them to close their eyes and concentrate again, and they found their connection much more quickly. Then she hopped a few steps, flapped her wings, and lifted off the ground.

  Shon had ridden on airplanes, and Janus had ridden on flying dragons. However, neither had ever felt what it was like to actually fly before. Janus felt Granny’s webbing stretch with the forceful push of each wing flap. He felt the rush of wind flowing over her head and along her streamlined body. The boy reveled in the sensation of movement as each slight fingertip flexing or tail swish adjusted her direction, enjoying the thrill of every drop and rise in her flight. But he also
felt the weariness in Granny’s muscles. Janus now understood how much strain this journey put on this elderly dragon.

  “Thank you for the experience, Granny, but let’s go inspect the shrine entrance and rest for the night,” suggested Janus.

  Granny said nothing, but both Juice and Janus could feel her appreciation at his thoughtfulness. She flew in a low circle far to the west and north before pumping her strong but tired wings to rise high in the sky a mile northwest of the town.

  Juice complained, “Granny, you don’t need to show off for us. We know that you’re tired.”

  Granny grinned and said, “Oh, I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for the townspeople, and I’m coming from the north because I don’t want to give away your roosting place.”

  Janus understood what she was doing. “You want to show them that their fabled dragon is still as powerful and intimidating as ever. You are a clever old bird.”

  Granny chuckled, “And you would deprive an old bird of a little amusement?”

  Juice gleefully replied, “Heck, no! Go for it, Granny. Give it all you’ve got!”

  Granny pulled in her wings and plummeted toward Mearth. Janus’ stomach lurched as he saw the rapidly-approaching ground swell in size. Granny extended her wings at the last minute just above the statues. Their descent had slowed, but they were still gaining speed, and Janus thought her wings were going tear or her fingers break. Granny leveled off at rooftop height just as they passed the town, and there was a tremendous explosion. People fled, a building collapsed, and Juice screamed, “What was that!” as Granny soared skyward laughing.

  Janus cried, “That was a sonic boom! Granny, you just flew faster than sound! Are you all right?”

  “All right,” laughed Granny, “I feel great. OK, I’m a little sore, but I haven’t done that in centuries. Oh, that brought back memories.”

  She circled around to the northwest as low as she could and emerged from behind to roost on Luna’s head with a grand flourish.

  “Now that is how you make an entrance, gentlemen,” Granny stated with authority and some heavy breathing.

  “No argument here. You are a god, Granny,” agreed Juice, who was also panting with excitement.

  “And that is why this mountain has been carved into a magnificent statue of me,” concurred Granny. She folded her wings and turned to face away from the town.

  The carved dragon was impressive from a distance and genuinely awe-inspiring up close. Janus remembered Shon’s amazement at the size of Mount Rushmore’s carvings, and this dragon was ten times their size. And there, at its base, was the Shrine of the Gods. Pairs of guards were stationed along the long, narrow path to it, and it was sealed by a massive, wooden door.

  “When did they put a door on it?” wondered Janus in disappointment.

  “I don’t know. It has always had one,” answered Granny, who was still breathing hard.

  “Well, at least you’ll have privacy to look around once you’re inside,” observed Juice.

  “Yeah, once I’m inside,” repeated Janus with disappointment. He had no idea how to make that happen.

  ✽✽✽

  Granny curled up and quickly went to sleep as the townspeople scurried about in confusion over what her arrival might mean. Juice and Janus, however, stayed up late into the night, brainstorming ideas of how to enter and escape from the chamber. Juice wanted to breathe a fiery blast down the narrow gorge. It would eliminate all the guards, delay reinforcements, and burn down the heavy, wooden door. Janus vehemently disagreed. He had no desire to kill dozens of innocent people merely doing their job, and using fire had other undesirable consequences.

  “Scrolls, Juice. The shrine is filled with ancient scrolls, man. Burn the door down, and the clues we’re looking for go up in flames as well. There has to be another way,” he lamented.

  They came up with numerous ideas, but none were acceptable. Finally, Merlin spoke up to say, “I might have a way to get you into the chamber, but I can’t get you out.”

  The boy and dragon looked at the old wizard expectantly for several long seconds before Juice shouted, “Don’t tease us, Merl! What’s your solution?”

  Merlin smiled a sly grin and said, “Well, I am wearing a Soul Reaper’s body. I think it has enough energy to teleport you inside the chamber. However, it’s a one-way trip. It definitely does not have enough energy to teleport you out.”

  Juice sighed, “Great idea, Merl, but half a solution is no better than no solution.”

  Janus disagreed and said, “But it isn’t half a solution. Once we’re done, we just walk out.”

  He grinned at his perplexed friends and added, “Everyone fears the Soul Reapers. Merl simply has the Soul Reaper escort me out to a point where you and Granny can swoop down and carry us away. It’s perfect!”

  Juice grumbled, “I wouldn’t call it perfect, but it’s the best we have. Let’s get some sleep. It’s going to be an early morning and a busy day.”

  Chapter 23

  The Temple of the Gods

  Janus sat up with a start. He was lying on a bed of pine needles in a dark, quiet forest, and yet he swore he had heard someone shouting at him. The boy sat frozen in the moonlight straining to listen for what had awakened him so abruptly but could only discern a sea of crickets and his gently snoring friend, Juice. Then, in his mind, he heard Granny yell at him to get up, and Juice jumped up in the same confused alarm Janus had experienced a moment earlier.

  “We’re up. We’re up,” Janus thought back to her. “What’s the problem?”

  Granny replied, “The problem is that the high priests have finally left, and you only have a few hours before sunrise. It’s time to go.”

  Merlin walked over and reached out to teleport him, but Juice interrupted his motion to say, “Hey, you might want to tinkle first. It’s up to you, but I doubt there’s a toilet in that shrine.”

  Janus chuckled and thanked his friend for the helpful advice. A few minutes later, he stood facing Merlin and said, “OK, go ahead and do your Soul Reaper thing.”

  Merlin nodded and replied, “As you wish,” as he placed his hand on Janus’ shoulder.

  Janus had been thinking about the last time he was teleported by a Soul Reaper. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but he still trembled from his terror. The boy had also been anticipating what it would be like to enter the Shrine of the Gods. He expected it would be similar to his visit to the room of the Order of The Key back in the training cave. Both contained ancient texts and relics, although the Shrine of the Gods was in active use, and he was not an invited guest.

  Neither of his expectations was accurate. The teleportation was instantaneous and uneventful. The shrine was awful.

  Janus had anticipated the fragrance of old leather, parchment, and wood. Instead, his nose was assaulted with the stench of stale beer, urine, and poosh, which is a mild hallucinogenic drug smoked in rolled joints or bongs. Janus illuminated a glow-stone to see where they were.

  At first, he suspected Merlin had transported them to the wrong location. They were in a mid-sized room containing a card table and four chairs. Playing cards, poker chips, and mostly-empty beer glasses littered the table. The urine smell was emanating from some oversize buckets by the door. Partially-eaten sandwiches and other trash were scattered on the floor.

  Upon closer examination, however, Janus saw that the side walls were lined with bookshelves, and the wall at the end was dedicated to an ornate shrine. Some bookshelves contained relics, while others stored parchment scrolls. Rows and rows of books filled most of them, though.

  Merlin sat in a chair and tried to remove the sticky substance he had stepped in from his shoe. He commented, “Well, I don’t think the high priests often use this room for religious meditation.”

  “No, they don’t seem to be nearly as respectful or tidy as you were in your room,” agreed Janus, as he poked at a moldy object with his toe.

  Merlin laughed and said, “But then again, I didn’t have
any poker buddies. Let’s stop judging and start searching. There’s a lot of material here, and we don’t have much time.”

  Janus wanted to start with the scrolls since they were looking for something ancient. Merlin thought they should begin with the books. They agreed to disagree and began perusing their preferred media.

  An hour later, neither was having any luck. Nearly all of the parchment scrolls were written in languages unfamiliar to either Merlin or Janus and most crumbled to dust when unrolled. The bound books turned out to be journals, which Merlin quickly skimmed and rejected. Some were religious or philosophical treatises, while others were financial ledgers. One contained plans and employment records from when the great dragon was sculpted, but none predated the shrine.

  Janus glanced at the shelves of relics. They were little more than expensive statuary donated by wealthy people trying to bribe their way out of some sort of transgression. The shrine itself held the most impressive pieces. There were three-foot-tall statues of the four gods carved out of granite, obsidian, marble, and some sort of crystal. Each was embellished with gold and turquoise inlays. They were beautiful, but none contained any helpful inscriptions. The only other items on the shrine were small jars and bowls for offerings and dozens of candleholders dripping thick, frozen flows of hardened wax from centuries of candles.

  Janus was about to give up when Merlin exclaimed, “I found something!”

  Merlin explained that he had discovered a journal describing the origins of the shrine itself. The famous sculptures were well known, although they were poorly-crafted representations of the gods carved by some primitive people. Pious people made pilgrimages to view them, though, and soon a town was born. The earliest settlers might have been religious pilgrims, but the second wave was much more secular. Shopkeepers, hoteliers, and restauranteurs arrived to support the growing tourist trade. A commerce collective was soon formed, which agreed that accurate depictions of the gods would draw more business, so artists were brought in.