‘How clever,’ she said in delight. Asaph stared at them too and gave a surprised murmur.
As they left the city, the trees crowded close, and it became darker even with the glowing crystals to light their way. Naksu tapped her staff on the cobbles and it gave off a soft light. They wound their way up a gentle hill through old chestnut trees and the sound of tinkling water could be heard somewhere close.
Before long, they came to a small waterfall that stood some fifteen feet high and trickled gracefully over water-smoothed rocks. The waterfall was made even more beautiful by yellow crystals that glowed softly around it, creating a serene mood. There was even a crystal submerged in the pool at its base that lit up the clear water. Around the pool, stood the Trinity. Hearing their approach, the women turned and smiled at them.
Issa stared into the strangely glowing pool. Was that gold lining the rocks? The sheen of yellow reflected the crystal’s light, making it look even more sacred and otherworldly.
‘There is gold here?’ Issa asked, her eyes hunting the waterfall for hidden ingots.
Asaph bent down to inspect the pool so closely he was forced to grab the bank to stop himself falling in.
‘Yes,’ Iyena nodded. ‘Seers a long time ago collected it and used it to cover the rocks and thus purify the water here. You’ll know from Freydel that gold is a universal purifier. Rather than taking from our beloved Maioria, our predecessors used what nature gave them to beautify and embellish their surroundings. Not all the waterfalls or river sources here have gold, some have silver, and some, other metals or precious stones.
‘Now then, young Issa, there is a sacred place Naksu says you have visited many times from afar but now you might be able to visit it in person, if you’re ready.’ Iyena gestured around her. ‘No one can you lead you there, only you can find it. There are many paths in this ancient wood. When you are ready, follow your heart and explore them.’
‘Now? In the dark?’ said Issa. She didn’t fancy walking around a forest alone in the dark.
‘You will have all the light you need. Some things require the stillness of the night, when the world is quiet of human minds, to be found,’ said the seer.
‘Prince Asaph, last of the Dragon Lords.’ Iyena turned to him. ‘If you wish, we would be honoured if you could join us while we look into this sacred pool of Feygriene.’
‘Of course,’ said Asaph, bowing. Issa detected a hint of nervousness in his voice.
The Trinity motioned for him to come beside them and they all looked in the pool, quickly forgetting she was there. Feeling rather left out, Issa surveyed the dark forest, wondering which of the two paths to take. One led up the hill and into the darkness of the trees, and the other led down towards the city where it was brighter.
She decided to take the darker path. It would be nice to gain a clearer look at the stars. The voices of Asaph and the seers soon faded behind her and, now alone, she wished she’d worn her armour, brought her raven talisman, orb and sword. Even Ehka had disappeared after she had let him out of the window earlier.
She halted her steps. Would the orb be all right left in the house? If it isn’t safe on Myrn, then it isn’t safe anywhere. She took a deep breath and carried on. There was nothing dangerous here, surely.
There were no crystals to light the way this deep into the woods but her eyes adjusted to the dark just enough to allow her to see the path ahead—a pale outline winding upwards between the trees.
A faint mist rose above the ground here and the air was so still it just hung there swirling around her feet. She relaxed and trod quietly like the Karalanths had taught her, not wanting to be the one disturbing the peace. It was so still, there weren’t even any owls hooting or bats squeaking, and the voices of the others had long since faded away.
The trees were mostly oak and chestnut now, and the further she walked, the bigger and more ancient the trees became. Some were so huge, a horse and cart could easily pass through their trunks. Their extreme age was almost intimidating.
The Isles of Tirry had managed to survive the ravages of Baelthrom and his many wars by hiding themselves. But how long had the seers been here? When had the sisterhood begun? It was certainly older than when the schism between male and female magic wielders had occurred. She made a mental note to ask Naksu.
Leaves crunched underfoot. Issa turned around, looking for the path she had evidently strayed from. She must have lost it in the mist. She peered through the ferns and bushes but couldn’t see it. Even looking back at the mist-shrouded trees, there didn’t seem to be an obvious gap in them through which she had come. The mist was thickening too, rising up to her waist now.
She walked forwards and came to a glade. She jolted to a stop, her breath catching in her throat. Ahead, two great standing stones loomed above the mist, silent, dark and intimidating. They gave off a faint blue glow, spread further by the mist clinging to them. They demanded reverence.
Her raven mark throbbed, growing hot. She loosened her shirt to let the cool breeze blow against it and saw that the mark glowed indigo blue. Was it this place making it do that? What was this place exactly? She stepped slowly forwards. The mist parted before her and in the clearing, two more stones appeared beyond the first.
She walked, spellbound, to the first stone. There were ancient markings upon it. She touched its rough surface. Energy moved, flowing between her and the stone like some kind of communication was taking place, perhaps an exchange of information. Her raven mark pulsed and the writing on the stone burst into indigo light.
Issa dropped her hand with a gasp. The intricate swirls and scrolls of the ancient writing…she knew it. She shut her eyes, ancient memory—memory from before this life—pressing upon her. The stones told a story—why they were put there, where they came from and what they did—only she couldn’t recall the details, she couldn’t remember enough of the language to actually read it.
She carried on forwards between the stones and the mist thinned along the passageway. Her feet slowed to a stop and her mouth opened. Ahead, the sacred mound appeared; a high, perfectly round dome of grass-covered earth with a pitch-black entrance framed by a lintel and two monoliths. Smaller, whiter stones that looked almost like quartz surrounded it. She gazed up at the Blaze of Eight star cluster above, assuring her she was still upon Maioria. Tears filled her eyes as she looked back at the mound.
‘I knew you were real. I knew you weren’t just some old forgotten place in my mind.’
Was it the same place she had visited on Little Kammy or another? Could there be many such sacred mounds scattered everywhere and hidden like Fairy Pockets? She sidled closer. The horizontal entrance stone was collapsing on the left, just like it had been when she’d first visited it on Little Kammy. It was the same.
A black bird landed before the entrance.
‘Ehka!’
She ran to the raven, scooped him up and hugged him. He squawked in surprise.
‘It was you who first brought me here and saved my life. I always knew it was real,’ she said, kissing his head then setting him down. She walked around the mound and laughed, feeling like a little girl discovering a beautiful secret garden.
‘It’s real, Ehka!’ She smiled and traced the words on the entrance stones. They flared indigo blue.
‘Star Portal,’ she barely whispered the words, afraid that she understood them. Underneath them was a name written in the Frayonesse alphabet.
‘Aralansia.’
The other words written beneath in that strange yet beautiful scrolling language found on the previous stones she didn’t understand. She stepped back and stared at the entrance itself—a black, liquid film as it always had been. Raising a hand, she touched it and watched as her reflection now rippled before her. All the stones glowed blue now, even the smaller, whiter quartz ones surrounding the mound itself, as if touching the entrance had activated them all.
‘Well,’ she said to Ehka, ‘I guess my answers will be found inside, as usual.’
Now she was here, entering the mound seemed more terrifying than ever before. What would she find in there? Would she be able to return?
‘I suppose it’s obvious where it leads, since it’s written on the door. Aralansia.’
Aralansia, the same place she’d gone all those times before with the blue desert and Zanufey waiting for her. But when she entered the mound it didn’t always go to the same time on Aralansia. Sometimes she’d seen the crystal pyramids, other times, the Storm Holt. She chewed her lip.
‘I can’t not go in. I hope you’re coming,’ she said to Ehka.
With a squawk he flew into the entrance and disappeared, creating ripples across the strange liquid surface. Clenching her eyes shut and wishing she had her sword and talisman, she held her breath and stepped into the freezing cold.
7
Feygriene's Pool
ASAPH stood knee-deep in the shining, gold-mirrored waters of Feygriene’s pool.
The seers were right, the water and the rocks beneath his feet were still very warm having been heated earlier by the sun. He turned to scan the trees but Issa had already disappeared along the path. Here, of all places, he prayed she would be safe.
‘You may pass us your robe if you prefer,’ said Iyena.
‘What am I supposed to do?’ Asaph asked, feeling clueless as he slipped off his robe. He rubbed his arms self-consciously standing in only his underwear before four women.
The Trinity linked hands and surrounded the small pool, each looking down into it.
‘You do whatever you feel guided to do,’ said Iyena. ‘This is a place where you may commune with Feygriene, Mother of Dragons, and where you may hear your soul more clearly. Water is an advanced substance. It holds memory, and it shares those memories with all the water covering the planet.
‘Look into the pool, what do you see?’
Asaph looked down into the water, enjoying how the gold rocks glinted in the light. He stepped deeper into the pool swirling his hand across the surface. The gold beneath reminded him of something and he bent lower to peer into the depths.
There, in the deepest part of the pool, he was certain he saw a structure, a temple. He walked towards it, the water reaching up to his chest, but it wasn’t close enough. He took a deep breath and submerged. The water was so pure that when he blinked it didn’t sting his eyes. Though his vision was blurred, the pool was much larger than he had first thought. It stretched miles down.
There was definitely something down there, he just needed to get closer. He laughed a bout of bubbles and swam down towards the golden structure, his dragon vision clearing as he did so.
He paused, hanging suspended. There, nestled between the rocks, was a stunning golden temple with a dome and gleaming walls. It was built in exactly the same manner as the temple by the frozen lake, only on a far grander scale. But it wasn’t just a temple—beyond it stretched a huge golden castle almost as big as Castle Carvon. Grand turrets and spires rose high above the golden keep and walls. Who would build such a massive structure down here in Feygriene’s pool?
Needing air, he tore his gaze away and swam back to the surface, gasping for breath as he emerged from the water.
Gone were the expectant seers and Feygriene’s pool. Instead, he was paddling in a lake and blinking up at huge mountains that surrounded it. Disturbed by his sudden appearance, white birds with long necks and legs skittered across the surface, flapping their large wings and squawking.
Where in the world was he?
He shivered. The lake was freezing compared to the warm pool. He swam to its edge and dragged himself out onto the grassy bank. At least the sun was warm and the sky clear and a beautiful deep blue.
Hugging himself, he stared at his surroundings. He’d been here before. The mountains were the same as those he had stood upon in the north beside the temple, only they weren’t covered in ice and snow but in evergreen trees, just the tips of which had a dusting of snow upon them.
In the distance, on the opposite side of the lake, he glimpsed gold glinting in the sunlight. The golden temple I laid Coronos before, it has to be. Ducks and the same long-necked white birds swam on the lake and the air was cool but not cold.
He looked to his right. Hugging the eastern shore, an incredible gold-gilded castle and adjoining temple shone in the sunlight, the same as he’d seen in the bottom of Feygriene’s Pool. The architecture was incredible; they were the most beautiful buildings he had ever seen.
He squinted. There were people walking the road before it. There, striding purposefully along the road beside the lake with her red cape flapping behind her, was a tall, slender woman who had short blonde hair. Ralan Afisius, the Master Wizard. I’d recognise her anywhere.
He immediately felt a dragon mind near and looked to where she was headed. The great mass of the dragon Ark sat serenely at the base of the mountain to the right of the castle and temple.
The dragon was impressive not just from his great size. His scales were the deepest red and so dark that they sometimes appeared black. His eyes were great glowing amber orbs and his horns shone like black onyx. He was polished and preened and sat so regally he seemed as royalty.
Asaph could hear the dragon’s thoughts in his head. Distrust, respect, cautiousness and intrigue tumbled through the Arc’s mind as he watched the human wizard approach.
‘Ralan and Ark brought together the First Code.’ A deep female voice reverberated around Asaph.
He turned and the world became filled with yellow light as if the sun were shining directly upon him.
‘Who is there? Who are you? What is this place?’asked Asaph. ‘I’ve seen it before in the Recollection with Morhork and Faelsun.’
He looked for the owner of the voice but saw only light. An immense emotion rolled over him. Joy, awe and reverence shook him to the core.
He blinked back tears and whispered, ‘Feygriene.’
The voice spoke again, soft and low. ‘Don’t let the First Code be broken. With the destruction of the Dragon Dream, the dragons are rousing from their slumber. If they fall back to sleep now, they will die in their lairs never to awaken again. They will only rise and remember the First Code when you find and take that which belongs to you.’
‘The sword,’ Asaph said in wonder. ‘But it’s so far away and within enemy lands. How can I hope to reach it?’ He breathed deeply as the voice of Feygriene echoed around him, filling him with purpose.
‘You must find a way, Asaph Dawn Bringer, last of the Dragon Lords. For in you the First Code is made flesh and blood. The Dragon Dream may have shattered, and your heart is heavy with the loss of those you love, but all is not hopeless. You can bring back the Dragon Lords and a new dawn to Maioria. It is your destiny to take back the sword and awaken the dragons.’
‘I will do everything in my power to make this come to pass, my goddess,’ he said.
The golden sunlight faded and he found himself on a grassy plain before different mountains. These were made of dark grey granite with sheer sides and dominating jagged tips striking high into the sky. The Grey Lords. The sun was warm but the air cold as it picked up his hair and threw it about his shoulders.
The roar of a dragon called overhead. Asaph looked up and saw a bright red dragon circling. It was joined by two more, one red, one green, then others flecked the sky, coming from all around. He trembled with the excitement of seeing them. Somewhere to the west beyond these mountains, lay his lost city, Draxa, and the dragons had come to help him reclaim it.
A great cheer exploded behind him, making him jump and turn, sword in hand. A thick line of a hundred or more soldiers—mostly tall, reddish-blond Draxians—with determined looks on their faces cheered at him. Had the exiles returned? Some wore Knights of the Raven tabards; a raven flying across a blue moon, others, the familiar gold shield on a red background of the Feylint Halanoi.
Asaph raised his arm and saw he held the Great Sword of Binding. The blood red pommel glowed and the sun gleamed off
the blade filling him with warmth and need. With a cry, he let the dragon within take control, and his cry became a roar.
Asaph blinked, struggling for his footing in the warm water as the here and now held sway. Wiping water from his eyes and face, he looked up at Iyena who smiled kindly at him.
‘That was so strange,’ he said after a moment, staring back into the water. The gold covered rock looked normal now and there was no sunken temple in the deeper parts. It wasn’t miles deep as he had thought, either.
‘What you saw is for you alone,’ she said, passing him his robe.
‘But you may tell us if you wish,’ Dar raised an eyebrow and grinned.
‘At first I saw a place I have been to before, far to the north, only it was warmer and greener,’ said Asaph, recalling everything in great detail. ‘There, Ark the dragon and the Master Wizard, Ralan Afisius, formed the First Code, Feygriene’s Accord.’
‘Wait, wait,’ said Dar. She rummaged in a bag at her feet and pulled out parchment and a pencil. ‘I must write this down for our records, if you don’t mind.’
‘Dar is our scribe,’ said Iyena with a smile.
‘Sure,’ Asaph shrugged, and continued explaining what he had seen. He hesitated as he recounted the last part, still trying to believe it himself. ‘It is my destiny to find the sword and awaken the dragons. Only then is there a chance of taking back Drax.’
Iyena nodded, an approving yet mystical smile on her face. ‘Feygriene has spoken. We are blessed. May her light guide you, King Asaph.’
Asaph swallowed and dropped his gaze, the weight of responsibility and destiny heavy upon him.
8
Portal to the Stars
THE freezing cold receded and a small stone room took shape.
Dragons of the Dawn Bringer: The Goddess Prophecies Fantasy Series Book 5 Page 8