Dyphestive opened and closed his hand. “Are you saying I can’t be hurt?”
“You can be hurt, but not by ordinary means.” She patted him on the back. “It’s an extraordinary gift.”
“Are my abilities extraordinary? I mean, most naturals can do what I do,” Grey Cloak said. “I can summon wizardry and use it to charge up weapons. So can they. How come Dyphestive’s powers are different?”
“That is the way of the world,” she said. “But from what I’ve seen, you are talented in summoning the wizard fire. The pulses of energy you summon are unique to say the least. Have you used any other powers I haven’t seen yet?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “The cloak offers a lot of them. A couple of times I was able to run really fast. I always figured that was the cloak.”
“Interesting.” Zanna stopped on the dirt road and took off her shoes. “Race me.”
“Race you?” He laughed. “I don’t want to embarrass you, Mother.”
She set Streak down. “Humor me.”
“I want to race.” Streak drummed his twin tails on the ground, stirring up the dust. “I bet I’m faster than both of you.”
“Fine.” He gave her a bored look. “Seeing as we have a decade of seasons to burn, why not?” He swung the cloak off his shoulders and laid the rod on top of it. He pointed. “See where those elm trees start at the end of the road? We’ll race to there.”
“Are you ready?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Go!” Zanna took off like she was slung from a sling, leaving Grey Cloak in her cloud of dust. By the time the dust cleared, she was waving at him from the elm trees.
His jaw hung.
“That was fast,” Dyphestive said. “You aren’t that fast. I don’t think anyone is.”
Zanna walked back. “I’m sorry. Didn’t you hear me say go?”
Grey Cloak looked at her feet and took off his boots. “Let’s try that again. Dyphestive, this time, you say go.”
Dyphestive nodded. “All right. Go.”
Zanna dusted him. He didn’t make it halfway to the trees before she arrived at the elms.
She jogged back to him. “That’s better.” She took his hand.
He pulled it away.
“Don’t be a sore loser. You need practice.” She gave him a head nod. “Run with me.”
They took off down the road, half-speed, stride for stride. Zanna picked up the pace. He matched it. The wind started to whistle in his ears.
“Stay with me. Push harder!” she said.
Grey Cloak stretched his long strides to their limits. He picked up speed and started to gain. “I’m doing it!” he shouted. It was like running for the first time. His blood flowed with exhilaration. He’d never run so fast before, aside from the time they’d battled the Scourge long ago. He’d never repeated the action until now. “I’m going to catch you!”
Zanna stretched the lead, and in a few winks of a lash, they covered more ground than he could possibly have imagined. She slowed to a stop.
He caught up, sweating and panting. “How?” He moaned delightfully.
“Superior fleetness is another natural gift that only reveals itself in elves, though not all of us.” She fluffed her hair. “Ah, that felt good.”
Streak flew into their midst and landed near their feet. “That was fast but not as fast as me. Who wants the next race?”
48
With Streak scouting ahead, the trio headed north, following Zanna’s lead. They passed through a small town, bought horses and modest travel gear, and rode hard into the night. Even though they didn’t need rest, the horses did, so they made camp by the stream.
Dyphestive gathered fallen wood and branches. Streak’s hot spit turned the kindling into flame.
Zanna returned from the woods with a small buck slung over her shoulders. With a butcher’s precision, she gutted the dead beast, and it wasn’t long before they all enjoyed cooked venison. They ate quietly underneath a blanket of clouds that slowly drifted across the sky, revealing bright stars from time to time.
“Thanks for dinner, Zanna.” Grey Cloak wiped the juice off his fingers onto a napkin. “Now, if you don’t mind, do you care to disclose the secret location where we’re traveling?”
She ate a hunk of meat off the tip of her dagger. “Don’t you like surprises?”
“I do,” Dyphestive said.
Streak returned, dragging a possum in his mouth. He set it down. “So do I.” The possum came to life and waddled away in a hurry. “Oh well. This venison smells better.”
Zanna continued to eat.
“You’re avoiding the question, Zanna. Out with it,” Grey Cloak insisted.
“Another Wizard Watch tower lies north of here. It’s the best place—”
“Oh no!” Grey Cloak shook his head. “I’ve had my fill of the towers. We’ve had our fill of the towers. Every time we go in, we end up somewhere else.”
Zanna showed her hands in a sign of submission. “You have to trust me. The towers are the best place to hide. And it’s the best way to throw the Scourge from our trail. They’ll be hounding us. You know that. We can’t allow that to happen.”
“They won’t catch us.”
She stared at him seriously from across the low-burning fire. “What do you think will happen when the Scourge reports to the Riskers they encountered you? Riskers will be combing the hills and climbs of all Westerlund. They’ll be relentless. If we’re captured now, all will be lost.”
Grey Cloak locked his fingers behind his head, looked up, and sighed. He wanted no part of the Wizard Watch. “First, we don’t know if the Scourge will pursue us. Second, if I were them, I wouldn’t be telling anyone we lost three dragon charms. Would you? And third, we have three”—he showed his fingers—“charms, including my fourth. We can handle any Riskers that come our way if need be. As for using the Wizard Watch for sanctuary, heh, I’ll take my chances.”
Zanna frowned. “You’re putting everything at risk. The only fair way to settle this is by putting it to a vote.”
He waved his hands. “Hold on. We only vote without a leader, but I’m the leader, and I say we hide somewhere else.”
Zanna turned her attention to Dyphestive. “What do you say, Festive? Vote, or follow Dindae?”
“Call me Grey Cloak.” He gave his brother a hopeful look. “What do you say?”
With a solemn voice, Dyphestive said, “Forgive me, brother, but I think we should do what your mother says.”
Grey Cloak stiffened. “Well, that doesn’t change a thing. Streak has a say.”
All eyes fell upon the little dragon, whose nose was deep in fresh deer carcass.
Streak lifted his head. “What was that? I wasn’t listening.”
“Do you think we should go to the Wizard Watch or not?” Zanna asked.
“I go where Grey Cloak goes.”
Grey Cloak smirked. “It’s a tie.”
“That’s not a fair vote,” Zanna said. “Will you set your pride aside and trust me? I’ve only helped since I arrived.”
“True, but you aren’t a wizard.” He stood up and held the rod over his shoulders, stretching from side to side. “I’ve learned my lesson and finally agree with Anya.”
“Son, your father, Jerrik, was a wizard. We have allies on the inside we can trust. Please, believe me.”
Dyphestive offered him a pleading look. “If we go into the towers, we can move from one territory to another. The Scourge, or Riskers, will never catch us. Right, Zanna?”
“That’s the plan. We enter in Westerlund. We exit in any other territory. Our trail will be lost.” Zanna cut another hunk of meat, put it on a stick, and hung it over the flames. “It’s the best move we can make.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to go along with this, but fine.” He pointed the rod between the two of them. “But if anything squirrely happens, it’s on the two of you, not me.”
They made it to the northwestern corner of Westerl
und, days away from Loose Boot in the north, without any trouble. The air was chill, the terrain rocky, and the horses nickered and whinnied on their trek through the twisting hills.
“Strange place,” Grey Cloak commented. “A perfect place for a Wizard Watch.”
The white cliffs were porous, the vegetation sparse, making for an odd valley. The wind had a high-pitched whistle when it picked up with haunting effect. The sightings of bright quartz minerals packed in small deposits in the earth began to increase in number. The rocks glowed in an assortment of colors.
Zanna led them through the hills, but it was Streak who flew back and landed on Grey Cloak’s head. “I found it. At the top of the hill, you’ll see it. Big, tall, lean, like an obelisk. Pretty boring, actually.” He spread his wings.
Grey Cloak grabbed his feet. “Stay.”
“If you insist.” Streak yawned and crawled into the cloak’s hood. “I’m tired of flying anyway. Wake me if you meet anyone interesting.”
The horses fought their way up the slippery, rocky hills and stopped at the top. They overlooked the valley where the Wizard Watch stood. The ancient stone structure reaching toward the sky stood on a rise in the land. It was surrounded by rings of rock formations creating a crude maze. No visible doors or windows marked the tower, only empty archways on every level, where birds nested.
Grey Cloak shrugged off the chill running down his spine. The towers had been a source of dismay. He had little good to say about them. But with news that his father, Jerrik, was a member of the Wizard Watch, he opened a doorway of trust.
“I know it looks complicated, but I’ll lead the way. I’ve been to this tower more than a few times.” Zanna gave her horse a gentle kick, and the beast began its trek downhill. “Come, it won’t be long.”
Grey Cloak looked at Dyphestive. “We don’t have to do this.”
“Don’t you trust your own mother?” Dyphestive led his horse down the hill.
Grey Cloak followed, mumbling, “Why should I? We hardly know her. But no one listens to me.”
The rock formations surrounding the towers began at the bottom of the hill. Like the surrounding land, the rocks were the color of bone and porous, covered in dead ivy, and worn down by wind and rain, but they were sheer in height, standing over ten feet tall in some places.
Zanna disappeared in a switchback only to be sighted again, waiting until the brothers caught up. She tugged her horse’s reins, leading them into another gap, and vanished again.
“This is getting old,” Grey Cloak muttered. He considered waking Streak to keep watch from the air above, as he’d lost all sense of direction, even though he could still see the top of the tower looming one hundred and fifty feet above. He spotted Zanna again only to watch her trot out of sight. His heart started to beat in his ears. “If this isn’t a trap, I’m a bullywug.”
He fell behind, allowing Dyphestive to vanish around the next bend. “I’ve had it.” He kicked his horse into a trot and sped around the corner. He tugged the reins. His horse stopped, shook its head, and snorted.
Zanna and Dyphestive were stopped in front of an archway entrance big enough for a giant.
“We’ve arrived,” Zanna said. “Now all we need to do is wait.”
Grey Cloak’s racing heart started to slow. “And how long will that be? I’d hate for the Scourge to trap us in your ugly little maze.”
The stone wall behind the archway started to vanish. In a few moments, the entrance to the tower was clear.
“Not long at all,” Dyphestive said cheerfully.
“Make haste. They won’t keep it open for long.” Zanna took the lead, and the group went inside.
The tower’s entrance chamber was the same as the other tower he’d been in. Several more rings of levels could be seen above, each with wall-to-wall archways. In the middle of the chamber was a huge fountain with water cascading from the top. The waters burbled and echoed inside the vast chamber.
The horses nickered and stomped their hooves.
Grey Cloak glanced over his shoulder. The entrance they’d come through had sealed itself with solid stone, leaving them all alone in the cold, dead room. “Now what, Zanna? Do we wait and exit in another territory?”
She dismounted, led her horse to the fountain, and sat down. “Oh, we’re going to wait, because no one is going anywhere, not for many, many years.”
Grey Cloak sneered. “I knew it. Dyphestive, how could you be so gullible?”
A wizard approached from the shadowy darkness of the adjacent archway. His black-and-white hair was parted evenly in the middle. His half-and-half robes were the same. There was no mistaking the elf coming their way with a silver-handled cane in hand.
Grey Cloak’s temper boiled over. The Rod of Weapons’ head burst with flame. “Gossamer the betrayer!” He turned on his mother. “How could you do this?”
Zanna looked back at him and shrugged.
49
The Present – Safe Haven
Anya stood inside Safe Haven’s armory on the dais that held the pedestal bearing the Eye of the Sky Riders. Her eyelids were heavy, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept. She and Cinder led the other dragons on the long journey back to the unknown sanctuary hidden in the waters of Lake Flugen, from the Wizard Watch in the Wilds.
Zora, Tatiana, Bowbreaker, Reginald the Razor, and Gorva came with her to the only place they could be assured of safety.
Tatiana entered the chamber and joined her on the dais. The elven sorceress was as beautiful an elf as there was: tall, with strong, elegant features, spellbinding eyes, and a flowing brown ponytail that started in a topknot and came down past her shoulders. “Why don’t you rest? I can resume the search.”
Anya covered her mouth and hid her yawn, but it was obvious. “I can go longer, but you’re welcome to join me.”
“I want to thank you for bringing us here. Your trust means a lot to me. To all of us,” Tatiana said.
“Well, it was either here or inside the Wizard Watch. You know how that goes.”
Tatiana tipped her head and drew down an eyebrow. “Agreed. Have you found anything?”
“This might be the vainest search I’ve ever initiated. The Dragon Helm could be anywhere in Gapoli. It could be in another world, for all we know.” Anya combed her fingers through her sun-bleached red hair. “Black Frost could even have it.”
“I don’t think so. The Dragon Helm went through the same portal Grey Cloak did. He remained in Gapoli.” Tatiana placed her hands on the rim of the eye and looked deep into the moving landscapes of Gapoli. “Might I put some effort into it?”
Anya stepped away. “Be my guest, but the eye is built for Sky Riders, not wizards. Don’t get your hopes up.”
“I understand, but we do share the common ability of wizardry.” Tatiana’s fingers scrolled through the images inside the pedestal. “This is a fascinating artifact that the Sky Riders have created. Using the spirits of dragons to be the eyes of this marvel is a work of genius. Do you have any idea who created it?”
Anya shook her head.
Using a gentle touch, Tatiana scrolled over Arrowwood and magnified the image by spreading it. “I see the Wizard Watch in the Wilds is under full guard again.”
Anya leaned over. “Yes, I’ve taken a look. It’s a full Black Guard regiment and a host of Riskers. They can have the tower, so far as I’m concerned. They’ve been nothing but a source of trouble.”
Nath ambled into the armory’s smaller chamber and joined them on the pedestal. His long, stringy hair hung down over his eyes. The flame-colored locks that brightened his hair had all but turned gray. His broad shoulders were stooped, and his limbs were getting bony. The scale-like skin on his arms had begun to flake. The only things in good condition were his white robes with gold patterns that brought out the fire in his eyes.
“Any luck?” he asked in a scratchy voice.
“No.” Anya crossed her arms. “And you don’t look well.”
Nath cleared his throat. “Never in my life did I ever think I’d hear those words. You really know how to hurt a guy.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s a jest. I still have thick scales. I can take it.” He peered into the Eye of the Sky Riders. “I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for the Dragon Helm.”
“I’m trying to focus on strong pockets of magic throughout the realm,” Tatiana said. She moved the image over all of the Wizard Watch towers spread out across the land. “The towers are the strongest source.” She moved the image north. “As is Dark Mountain.”
Anya touched the clear glass-like surface in the pedestal and moved the image away. “Don’t get too close to Dark Mountain. We can’t take the risk that Black Frost and his minions will sense us.”
“Of course,” Tatiana said flatly. She moved the picture over Monarch City. “I sense strong sources of magic here, but I don’t get a sense of the dragon charms. Of course, they won’t be that easy to detect, but it would help if we had one in our possession.”
“Perhaps I can help.” Zora arrived and hopped up to the pedestal. “Or did you forget that I have a Dragon Charm?” The half-elven rogue’s full auburn locks were cut below her pointed ears, allowing the tips to show. The charm in her hand was the size of an egg but flat like a stone. It carried a warm pink fire within. She handed it to Tatiana. “Here you go.”
Anya frowned at Zora. “Why didn’t you give me the charm earlier?”
“I forgot I had it in my possession until I was digging around in here.” Zora rummaged through the leather satchel strapped around her chest that Crane had given her. “Besides, you were too busy brooding. I thought I’d better leave you alone.”
“This will help.” Tatiana gave a quick smile. “This will help greatly.”
Barbarian Backlash: Dragon Wars - Book 14 of 20: An Epic Sword and Sorcery Fantasy Adventure Series Page 16