The Dragons of Sara Sara

by Robert Chalmers

  “Very strange.” He muttered. This was not a place where he really wanted to be. Edina blew a strong breath onto one of the bench tops raising a choking cloud of dust. Her eyes were watering and she was coughing and sputtering and finally gave out a huge sneeze that she thought for a moment had loosened her head on her shoulders. The convulsion of the sneeze brought her hand hard down on the surface of the table. It was covered with small knobs and levers. Strange script written under each object. It was just as she bent to peer at the area now cleared by her hand thumping it that she noticed with a start that some of the strange shapes on the table now glowed with a faint green light. Edina jumped back with a yell. She stumbled into Rees. He had stepped over to see what she had found. With everyone so on edge he felt the hair on the back of his head rise.

  “Look!” Gasped Edina, pointing at the surface of the bench. It was now covered in shapes all glowing green in the dim light. Most were still covered with a layer of dust, but the green light could still be seen winking through it.

  "Something is changing. I must have done something. Let’s get out of here!” Her voice rose an octave. As she was speaking a glow could be seen starting in crystal like objects set in the roof of the room. The pair backed away from the table, now a field of glowing green. Interspersed in the green were other colours twinkling under the dust like fireflies. The glow in the roof crystals was getting brighter by the moment as though awakening after a long period of inactivity. Occasionally they dimmed a little, but always rapidly regaining brightness. Rees and Edina bumped shoulder to shoulder as they dashed for the door. Spilling out onto the flat platform they dusted themselves off a little self consciously. Edina gulped – “Mei’An, come quickly” she called. She thought Mei’An was perhaps the only one who could explain what was happening. They could all see the crystals in the roof of the cavern, each now beginning to glow into white light. Edina and Rees stood rooted to the spot.

  Mei’An and Luan came out of a room further along and immediately saw the glowing crystals in the roof. The others had heard Edina’s cry and had come out, and now stood transfixed by the appearance of the glowing crystals. Suddenly the crystals, one moment glowing gently, blazed into a brilliant white light. All shadows were banished and the vast chamber was lit up as though in full daylight. Everyone was ready for instant flight. Nothing further happened though. Their eyes became accustomed to the bright light and they could now clearly see the space in which they stood. It was obviously ancient. There was nothing like it anywhere on the world that Luan could name. He had travelled far and wide in his associations with Mei’An, and even long before that unlikely association. This was the first time he had ventured below ground in these strange ancient cities though he knew of a number of others, and had even seen these entrance ways in ordinary cities occupied still by people in various countries.

  The strange crystals shone steadily but nothing else moved in the stillness. The only sound was the breathing of the small group, and a steady clicking sound coming from the room so hastily abandoned moments before. Edina looked at Rees in question. “Will we see what that is?” She said. Suddenly with a cry of discovery Luan jumped down to the level of the iron rail. He straightened up with an arrow in his hand. It was an arrow made for a long hunting bow. The sort used by those who frequented the mountains of the Dragons Spine. The fletching was black. Raven feathers. Someone had indeed passed this way after all and recently. The arrow was new. The wood of the shaft new and well tempered. The bindings were still neat and fresh with oil. Everyone knew what this meant. A band of the Dark Lords helpers had to have come this way. Where they had gone could not be guessed. Did they use these ancient and long deserted cities? Did they regularly travel these dark tunnels?

  Those of this group had left the perfect mark of their passing. Luan grinned for the first time that Antonin could recall. If it could be said that a wolf was capable of smiling. Luan climbed back to the platform and handed the arrow to Mei’An without a word. She closed her eyes and curled her fingers around the arrow shaft. Immediately sweat stood out on her brow, easily visible now in the bright light. She started to tremble. A low moan escaped her slightly parted lips. As she started to sway unsteadily Luan pressed open her fingers and snatched away the arrow.

  “Enough!” he commanded. His face was a study of concern. He caught Mei’An around the waist. She was about to fall. Unsteadily she pushed herself away from Luan.

  “I am all right now my friend,” she said. “Truly that arrow is deeply stained with the spirit of the Dark One himself. That arrow comes directly from Sara Sara. They who have stolen the Key have passed this way very recently.”

  “Then we are left with no choice it seems” said Luan. His face once again a mask. The only betrayal of concern were his quick glances at Mei’An. The Guard Companions were bound to their Wind Readers by more than an oath of allegiance. They were all Master Swordsmen. They all belonged to an ancient guild said to have originated in the times before the last great struggle with the Dark Lord. It was said they were ageless. It was said they were immortal. They never commented themselves. It was well known though that no one had ever seen a young Guard Companion. Their Guild took no recruits. Indeed, no one even knew if a Guild House existed though everyone knew someone who had seen one. They were as mysterious as the Wind Readers whom they served. There were those who roamed the world alone and those who served. There were Wind Readers who had bonded more than one Guard Companion and some as many as three. They never married and in all cases the relationships were never personal, never beyond friendship. Each was free to seek companionship where they might with others, but always if bonded they remained together. Neither the Wind Readers nor the Guard Companions ever sought other companionship though, except very rarely. It had only been known of in ancient times. Never in this age. The rules and customs had been too long in place. They had few companions among ordinary mortals. The awe, or even plain fear of them was too strong. The Guard Companions were utterly without fear. There was nothing that they would not face. A few blazing lamps were certainly not enough to cause apprehension in one such as Luan. Nor was the black feathered arrow he now held casually in his hand. There was little doubt that the warriors of the Dark Lord had passed this way. The question that occupied Luan, was which way had they gone. How had they travelled? Had they been devoured by the beast that seemed to live in the tunnels? Or was the beast the key to the whole mystery? Many questions and no answers. Yet.

  The small group stood together looking about the vast cavern, now even the remotest corner was shadowless. Nothing could hide here now. The strange bright lamps were a wonder. By what magic they worked not even Mei’An could fathom. There were many mysteries long buried with the ancients. This ancient city was one of five that Mei’An now knew of and Luan had found a number of others in his long travels. This was the first time that either of them had discovered a portal in one though. In all truth neither had ever sought the fabled portals in such cities anyway. In the end, all it had taken was the natural curiosity of a young farm boy. One who seemed to be linked in some strange way to the developing storm. It seemed that he and his companion Catharina were being drawn ever tighter into the threads of the new age lace being formed.

  ●Chapter 9

  Mei’An had herself felt the pull on the threads. It had drawn her to the village in the first place. Perhaps they had never noticed that the lace swirled around them. Why would they. Growing up in the freedom of the wide plains. What had brought this movement of the threads of time to such a strong pulse? Was it the stirring of the Dark Lord deep beneath Sara Sara. Only the Creator knew, but whatever had caused it the pattern was being drawn ever tighter around these two young people. They would be bound up in events over which they had no control. Eventually the very fabric of the world would bend all around them forcing the changes as the life forces of the age was shaped for the last great battle with the darkness.

  It was up to Mei’An to guide the young couple
on the right path. She knew they were to be crucial in the coming battle. When this would take place she could not guess at, but take place it would. Mei’An looked at Antonin and Catharina, heads bent together in quiet conversation. The pull of the life force that had drawn her to their village had been too strong to ignore. Just standing here now Mei’An could feel the swirl about them like a vast whirlpool in a dark stream.

  Rees walked over to Mei’An.

  "Should we check more closely in these rooms, now that there is more light?” He said.

  “Yes,” replied Mei’An without hesitation. They had to try and gain some knowledge of how this portal worked if they were to follow the Key Stone.

  “This time we stay together and touch nothing.” She added with a sharp look at Edina.

  “We should start with the room where Edina seems to have started the lamps burning. There is some strange power at work here and we must see if it controls the travel portal.”

  All except Luan walked back to the room that stood out from the wall. Luan was now prowling about the tunnel entrance away down one end. Gaul was aware out of the corner of his eye that Luan was venturing into the tunnel entrance.

  Mei’An and the others crowded into the small room. The low desks and tables were all glowing with strange shaped lights now. A steady clicking sound came from within. Very carefully Mei’An began to brush away the collected dust. Even so it clouded up into the still air instead of falling to the floor. It was very fine. Eventually all the desks were clear of dust. All were coughing and spluttering, with eyes streaming but slowly the dust clouds were drifting away through the door and into slits cut along the walls down near floor level. Mei’An noted that fact. Ventilation. The writing on the devices was very strange, so there was no clue there. Mei’An thought it looked something like the strangely formed characters of the distant and ancient land of Hua Guo, but she had seen documents from there and this writing differed to some great degree. It was totally unreadable. She doubted that it was even in use still.

  The glowing symbols on one table were marked out in even lines, with small lights spaced evenly along the lines. There were small characters etched under each small light. Suddenly it became clear to Antonin what he was looking at.

  "See there,” he pointed to a glowing symbol red where the others were white or green. "See the shape of the script? It is the same as the script on the walls near the great stairs. This is a map. This is where we are now.” He put his finger on the glowing red symbol. Instantly it changed to green. Antonin jumped back in alarm. What had he done? Everyone waited with drawn breath. Nothing happened. The vast cavern was a quiet as a tomb. Only the clicking coming from within the cabinets under the tables. There was no sound from Luan either. He had disappeared into one of the far tunnels and his calf hide boots made no sound on the hard surfaces.

  Slowly breaths were released and an embarrassed cough escaped Antonin.

  “Antonin,” said Mei’An. “I do wish you would be careful. We have no idea what we are dealing with here. This area is so old that even I can perceive no residue of past lives in it. This is a magical place from the far past. From the last great age. Perhaps even an age before that. I recognise nothing about this place. We must proceed with great caution. Obviously there is ancient machinery at work here, but I cannot fathom how it is driven. There is only a faint charged feeling coming from this area here,” Mei’An pointed to the desks. “But it feels to me like the residue from a lightning storm. I cannot understand it…” Mei’An’s voice trailed off as she lapsed into deep thought.

  “I think we should leave now,” said Antonin. “This place holds nothing for us. If we must follow the Key, then we should do it on the surface of the world where we belong.” He looked form Mei’An to the others. There were nods of agreement from all except Mei’An..

  Luan stepped into the silence. Without so much as a word of question he calmly stated “There are man tracks in that far tunnel.” He pointed into the tunnel where some time before the great beast had disappeared. “They go some way along then just stop. There are no doors, no way out. No blood. It is as if those who made the tracks were simply scooped up and carried away.”

  “I say we leave here now.” Said Antonin with some force in his voice.

  “Yes, I say so as well.” Said Catharina.

  “What do others say?” Said Mei’An.

  Before others could answer, Edina said,

  “Mei’An, you said yourself that these .. portals? Were unknown even to you and the other Wind Readers. Would it not be better to gather your fellow Wind Readers at a later time to fully explore this mystery? We can be of no help here surely. We can pick up the trail on the surface. These tunnels could lead to the pits of Sara Sara itself for all we know.”

  Mei’An could see the concern on the faces of her companions. All except Luan. He would go where Mei’An went without question or fear.

  There were no changes to the steady winking lights. There was only the very faintest movement of the air in the huge cavern where they stood. Slowly, as if not sure she was doing the right thing she nodded.

  “You Catharina, and Antonin are those about whom the pattern swirls. If you feel so strongly that we should leave this place then I cannot go against such forces as those which bend about you both now.” She tapped her lips with a forefinger in the now familiar gesture indicating her thinking on decisions. “We go.” She said with finality.

  “We go.” Added Catharina and Antonin in one voice.

  Without further hesitation the party headed for the broad stairway and began to make their way to the surface. They were about half way up when suddenly all stopped dead in their tracks. They could all hear the swelling roar coming from the depths.

  “Quickly, to the surface.” Called Mei'An. They needed no urging. Apart from Luan who stood for a moment as if about to say something, then thought better of it. He turned and plunged back into the depths taking many stairs at a time. Mei’An’s calls would not stop him. Luan was determined to see what this monstrous beast was. He skidded to a halt in the brightly lit cavern. He couldn't believe his eyes. A row of gleaming wagons, coaches rather for they contained seats, rested in the pit where the iron rail ran. Three in all, and all identical and obviously joined together. So it was this machine – not a monster – that polished the rail and made such noise as to frighten the very rocks. Not a living thing stirred. There was no one to be seen or heard. The interior of the coaches could be clearly seen. Very strange they seemed, yet familiar enough that Luan could recognise that they were meant to carry people. They were all empty. It took a lot to startle Luan, but even he wasted no time in gaining the stairs again when there was as sudden rising whine from the coaches and the whole thing rose some hand spans from the track and with a roar and a huge rush of drawn air the whole thing disappeared into the tunnel where he had lost the tracks just minutes ago of the Key carriers. Within moments all was quiet and perfectly still again. Luan scratched his chin in thought. With a chuckle he said aloud, “I believe I have solved the mystery of portal travel.” He turned and climbed up the broad stairs to the surface where his companions waited.

  “Well, what of the monster?” cried Elsa.

  “What monster?” calmly replied Luan. “I saw no monster.” Was that a smile on his lips. No. Luan never smiled. No one in this group had ever seen him smile. Perhaps though. Elsa looked closely at him. If he was laughing at her she would see to him. Guard Companion or not, he didn't frighten her with all his glowering and stony looks. Elsa suddenly went as bright as a sunset as she noticed Mei’An looking at her and smiling just a little. Elsa frowned. The woman could read their thoughts. She kept forgetting. Was nothing private around a Wind Reader.

  “I'm sorry Elsa. Forgive me for intruding.” Mei’An spoke softly to Elsa, her hand lightly on Elsa's arm.

  “Many a woman has thought as you do Elsa, but none can reach into so deep a well as the heart of a Guard Companion, not even those bonded to him.”


  Elsa looked wildly about her. Was the woman mad. She would never live it down among her companions.

  Mei’An still had her hand on Elsa’s arm. “Do not trouble over your privacy Elsa. None can hear my conversation save you yourself.”

  Elsa stepped away sharply. She would see about that. Luan was the most amazing person she had ever met. She knew well it was hopeless, but she could still dream and if the times really were in turmoil then who knew what might change.

  “We should go. We need to get back to the Great North Road. We can rest in the Inn of The Blind Man in Har Hu. If we go now we should be able to make it through the pass and into Har Hu shortly after sunset.”

  Luan said no more. Simply unhitched his horse and swung into the saddle. He leant down and caught up the reigns of the spare horses.

  The others mounted now in silence, after putting away the lamps and oil. Blankets were rolled and tied behind saddles and the party followed Luan northward along the wide central avenue. Crumbling buildings lined the way. Windows like sightless eyes seemed to watch their passing. Everyone was quiet as they rode. The sun was not yet high in the sky and long shadows fell across the streets. Luan was confident they would pick up the road easily. He had been this way before and rode confidently in the lead. He looked neither right nor left. He knew there was nothing to fear from these empty buildings. There had been no tracks. The Tharsians had not roamed this far, and there was no sign in the fine dust that anyone else had passed this way in a thousand years. Finally they reached the outskirts of the city and passed through a huge arch in the outer wall onto the wide plain. There was still a trace of the old road but it was mostly long gone. Just a few marker stones and remnants of cobbles.

  None of the others were so sure about the empty buildings though. Gaul was sure he had seen movement out of the corner of his eye. As quick as he looked around though, there was nothing to be seen. The horses were restless though and his horse did not spook easily. There had been something watching them regardless of what Luan thought. As the last rider cleared the arched gate in the old city wall they all looked sharply around, even Luan as a low moan almost below human hearing arose from within the old city. Perhaps it was just the morning wind picking up. Perhaps not. One look at Mei'An's face was enough to bunch up the riders though.