Valley of the Black Dragon

by B A Fleming

  The sky was a wash of clouds, from the deep oranges and amber of the sunset, to the deep grey and black of the storm sweeping across the plains towards them. They looked at each other and around towards all horizons. A heavy fog sat in almost all directions to the east of them and the pass. With a nod they turned and headed for a small outcrop of trees to make camp and settle in before an oncoming storm hit them.

  *****

  The leader of the Ice Gols, Lord Yidvag, considered the spread of bodies around the clearing. His commander reported that the corpses they had dug up wore armor of

  valley soldiers, and although mainly dressed as mercenaries, their nature suggested otherwise.

  He had arrived in the small village less than a month before and brutally conscripted all able-bodied Ice Gols as he travelled across the western plains towards the hidden valley. He had been emboldened with raw magic and easily used it to control his fellow creatures, even turning a few frail elderly males into magicians.

  “Why would valley soldiers be up here dressed as mercenaries?”

  “Many mercenaries are hired to scout the high valley my lord. This is not that uncommon. Their local lord doesn’t see the point of wasting his precious soldiers in skirmishes with us.”

  He snarled and laughed.

  “Stupid humans. So precious! A life is a life it seems. I’m not so sure of this as something seems amiss. Either way, whatever treachery, we will face them all soon enough. Tell the soldiers to bury our own and send more scouts ahead with a warning that a magician may be about. Some of these wounds don’t look to be just from swordplay.”

  He thought for a moment as he turned away from the commander. “Whoever you are magician, I will crush you as I crush the rest.”

  Chapter 13

  Over the coming days it became evident to Casperi that Aryz Coun was actually a follower of the practices of Master Shang. He had been many things, including a soldier, and came to the monastery to find his own purpose. Master Shang had coached him now for over a year before instructing him that he needed to leave, to find his true journey. It wasn’t until he met Casperi that he realized that his true journey was to help the young prince to return home.

  As they practiced together, each man could determine the others’ strengths and weaknesses. Casperi was lighter than the others and quick on his feet, although the least experienced. Temar was strong but not a leader, and seemed indecisive if he was asked to make a judgement.

  Aryz Coun was not easily frustrated, large and imposing, unbelievably calm and quick, even though much heavier than Casperi. His speed would easily be underestimated by most opponents, to his advantage.

  Casperi and Temar had both been accepted into the daily life of the monastery and performed duties as the other novices. Over the following days Master Shang held discussions with the trio, as with others, he taught the sangha the importance of the connection between the physical and spiritual self. Hand to hand combat through blocks, throws and rolls resonated strongly with Casperi and soon Aryz Coun had regained in strength of his twisted ankle.

  “There is word of a path to Hardular through the land of the dwarves which may be entered through the ancient tunnels. These are stories but none we know has spoken of any who have travelled from your home valley for many years,” said Master Shang. “The Black Dragon is a strong presence, and in your time those of your fathers has ensured that none shall enter his realm.”

  “Master Shang, who of the dwarves knows of this path in Morea to reach Hardular. If no-one found it before now,

  how are we to find it ourselves?” queried Aryz Coun.

  Master Shang smiled.

  “That will be the trick my disciple. As I see it the current options are through the lands of the Ice Gols or for our visitor to climb back into those worm tunnels where he came. None seem too pleasing. Once you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold onto. If you are not afraid of dying there is nothing you cannot achieve. I believe your path and his lie in a different route. One that will take you through your homeland and beyond.

  The Queen may know more and may be willing to tell you. Be aware that for Prince Casperi his greatest strength and worst quality is his royalty. It will open many doors in our kingdom and others, but be careful, for it may just as likely get you all killed as well.”

  “So, we are to visit the Queen?” mused Aryz Coun.

  “Can there be no greater hell,” offered Temar.

  “Seems you have chosen your companions either unwisely or with guile young prince,” suggested Master Shang. “For both of these souls you see before you are journeymen, seeking redemption. Remember that mastering others is strength, and yet mastering yourself is true power. This quest that you, by your own presence, have created for them, will either lead to the death or the freedom of your companions Prince Casperi.”

  “I think the Queen would like to see us dead,” added Aryz Coun.

  Master Shang laughed at this suggestion.

  “She may be young but I believe her to be wise enough to see opportunity and advantage,” he added.

  “If we can find a caravan or buy horses in Imuhagh City then we will shorten our journey to where ever we need to be.”

  “If we survive the royal palace,”

  “If we are not killed before.”

  *****

  Ice crunched loudly under Nathe’s boots. The sun was getting closer to the distant peaks and he knew that it was now time to start finding a place to camp for the evening.

  Complete darkness would be on them much quicker than they were likely to anticipate, and the outcrop of trees across the clearing seemed the best option for them to camp the night.

  Only their eyes were exposed, as the sharp wind cut through the outer layers of clothes. This is how it had been for the past five hours since they left the last camp. The lands above Indramur Pass were best described as a snow ridden landscape that was interspersed with small islands of barren stone. Few trees grew here and the distant outcrop seemed a great relief from the stark landscape they had just passed through.

  A snow storm was upon them within ten minutes and evaporated all markers of the scenery as each step clouded over with fatigue turning the afternoon into a mindless torture of one foot in front of the next. The party had tethered a rope between each and marched in single file. If one was to be lost to cliffs or crevices, all would be.

  Nathe could hear his companions stepping into frozen ponds of water, cursing and yelling. The blizzard intensified, hitting his face so hard his nose went numb and he started to hallucinate, thinking that they were bears or other creatures around them. Like all the others, his clothes felt like they were soaking wet and freezing. He looked ahead, trying to make out the trees he had seen from a distance. He dreamt of finding wood and boiling up a soup with the rest of the dried yak meat.

  Nathe could sense that the snow was starting to rob them of their strength. He called a halt and asked Veer and Thais to step to one side with him.

  “How much further?” he questioned Veer.

  “Probably an hour or two before we can set camp, then another half day tomorrow to the Seers’ hideout.”

  “Young Princess, you’ve surprised me more than once this journey. Is there any way that you could see it to use your magical powers to help with this snow?”

  She regarded the man that had helped to raise her.

  “Some of the men are still wounded and I fear they will not make it the night in this storm if you can help us out,” he added.

  “I don’t know,” she answered meekly. “But I think I might

  have something that may help us.”

  The wind whisked through the valley and into everyone’s’ faces. Thais turned back towards the party and stopped momentarily. Gameard balked, concerned that she had fallen to the storm, as others started to gather around. She had taken a knee in the snow with her hand flat across its surface. Eyes closed, she spoke an ancient tongue to herself, and the
n, after twenty to thirty seconds, stood again, raising her hands to form a light snow ball about twenty paces in diameter around them that seemed to float as they moved. Within it was calm air.

  “That’s much better,” she mused.

  “Much better indeed,” muttered Gameard with a bewildered look, along with most of the other mercenaries.

  “Well done my dear. At least we can talk and stay warm in this blizzard. Where did you learn to do this?” congratulated Nathe.

  “Someone showed me a similar trick with water many years ago. I really wasn’t sure that I could do it but it was obviously worth a try.”

  “Worth a try indeed girl. You have more power than you realize I think,” added Soze, amazed.

  Even with the snow bubble protecting them from the elements, the walk across the valley was like walking through water, with the motion of everyone heavy and lethargic. The climb, and the days, and the altitude was wearing them all down. They had stopped more regularly than the days before and although they were only an hour from making camp, each struggled with every step.

  The winds blew down across the ice and the band settled in for another night.

  “When shall we find this mysterious sage?” asked Daak.

  “Tomorrow we shall turn into a small valley not more than few hours walk from here. By lunchtime we should be at his cave,” surmised Veer.

  “So close now… but how does he gather herbs and flowers for his potions in such a harsh environment?”

  “The caves run deeper than you think. I’m sure there must be passages that take him under us.”

  “I thought that you said that you knew these mountains.”

  “Well, I said I knew the way to get up here, and I’ve had conversations, but I’ve not been there and I’ve never been up this far.”

  The party sighted a small cave no more than a hundred paces along the wall of the canyon they’d turned into. Veer indicated that they should make for it to either find the Seer or somewhere to rest.

  “Well, this canyon fits the description I’ve heard from others,” he supposed as they approach the cavern up a small, but steep climb.

  The cave was welcome cover and Gameard and Soze were sent in first to ensure there were no surprises.

  “Some supplies are hidden deep in the back under a rock ledge, but none abide here,” Gameard reported. The cave was less than ten feet deep and enough for all to sit uncomfortably inside.

  Thais had created the ball again this morning whenever snow had commenced falling and was now exhausted. She sat with her head upon her knees and quickly fell asleep.

  “She must have used up a lot of energy with that shield,” observed Daak.

  “Probably a lot more than she was willing to let on, if I know her well,” replied Nathe.

  “Which you do,” added Edgar.

  “I’ve watched this girl grow since a small child and she’s always had her mothers’ humility. She was constantly underestimated by the boys in the yard and she bested most of them in a duel. She hid her powers well, for I’m sure her mother knew what it was to display them.”

  “Did you know her mother well?” enquired Dralan, joining the conversation.

  “She was a fine woman, Baroness Margaret. A strong and loyal supporter of her husband, an excellent politician and advisor, and a caring mother,” replied Nathe.

  Veer waited five minutes whilst the conversation continued and then arranged two scouts to go ahead. The snowstorm had subsided during the past hour and only gentle drops now fell.

  Thais was awoken along with two others that had drifted

  off to sleep. The scouts Dwane and Orate had reported that they found another cave and from a distance saw a man standing at the entrance watching them. Veer and Nathe agreed that they had most probably found their man. The party headed off through the fresh snow. Recognizing that many were weak in the group, Orate and Dwane had spent extra time on their return to cut a trail through the snow. Many of the men thanked them for it.

  The Seer stood in the cave entrance. The party slowly made their way up the slope to him. Gameard led the party wearily, sword drawn.

  The Seer looked at the approaching soldier with a wry smile. “Your weapon would be useless in this battle,” the old man announced.

  “I am Gameard, we seek the Seer,” he said, as the party came to a stand behind him.

  “I go by many names but I believe that you have found the one you seek. Enough of that, come, come. I have fire and soup for you.”

  The energy of everyone lifted as they funneled into the large cave. Gameard looked at the old mage. He surmised that the man had decided to settle in a corner of the world where death was yet to find him. The sage seemed to barely breathe and stood almost erect, watching the soldiers and mercenaries as they arranged themselves around the room.

  Within minutes everyone was seated, either on small logs or on the floor on a pattern work of yak hides, enjoying a bowl of soup of indeterminable taste.

  Thais looked at the Sage. His eyes were a strange color of dull golden yellow. He was certainly an elderly man, at least seventy summers or more, with a long beard and a quick wit. He held a long, hand carved and slightly crooked staff, and wore some sort of light blue robe under a large yak skin cloak that was tied at the waist with a threaded light rope.

  He had introduced himself as Eren, and now he sat back regarding his guests, drawing a long breath through a black wooden pipe until the soft plume espoused from his mouth and nose in a wistful cloud around him.

  “I’ve waited a long time for this day to arrive,” he observed. “I’ve waited a long time for you all to come.”

  Several of the men looked at each other, as Nathe, Dralan, Thais and Veer all seemed to be forming questions.

  “All of us?” responded Nathe first.

  “Yes, all of you. You each have an important role to play in what is to come.”

  Several of the men stopped drinking their soup at this and looked up at the conversation.

  “So, you can see into the future then?” assumed Veer.

  “In a manner of ways old mercenary.” Several others laughed at this observation.

  “Then did you know that we would arrive today?” asked Dralan.

  “Young knight of many mysteries. I did indeed, but not because of any special powers. The animals of this valley sought you out as you made your way up the pass. They have been following you since.”

  “So much for our trackers,” observed Vabnar. Curran threw the mercenary a stare.

  “Oh, your trackers are very good, but all humans have limited skills when compared to creatures of the snow.”

  “Can you tell us why we are here then?” asked Thais, bringing the conversation back into focus.

  “You, my dear Princess, I have been looking forward to meeting the most. I am already impressed with your level of magical skills, and for one so young.”

  “Thais” she injected.

  “Of the House of Catheridge,” added Eren, completing her sentence.

  “Do you know all of us then?” enquired Nathe.

  “Swordmaster Nathe. In short, yes. Well, most of you. Young Sir Dralan is a bit more complex than he’d have you believe and far more difficult to decipher,” outlined the Seer.

  “How do you know all of this?” asked Veer.

  “I spend a lot of time watching,” answered Eren with a grin. “You see your whole valley is under a spell cast by the Black Dragon, Arthung, long ago. For those that view this valley from afar they see only a glacier, a wall of ice that

  floats between the mountains that surround us. Yes, there is fear and tricks and magic to prevent most from leaving, but it is not fallible and nothing can be truly perfect. Not even a dragon.”

  “Are you telling us that none can see our valley?” asked Curran.

  “When did you last look upon your valley young knight? As soon as you ascended the pass your world has been caught in either fog or snow storms. That is not by acciden
t. It is by design.”

  “And other lands actually exist beyond our kingdom?” asked Dwane, confused by these statements.

  The sage laughed, and looked at Dwane as a teacher would look at a child. “Yes, my boy, you are but one of many. Many humans and many races that inhabit this world. Your world, your valley is but a drop in a vast landscape of cultures of people beyond these walls of ice and stone. The Black Dragon holds everyone here captive. At least that is what he wishes you to think.”

  Chapter 14

  The temperature and trees seemed to change quickly as the lush grass of the upper valley was replaced with hardier flora. Within a day of leaving the Monastery of Moung the path had turned almost desolate with the dry heat of the plains blowing up the wide valley and dust and sand increasingly filling the air. The three men made their way down a steep trail beside a huge waterfall that spanned over three hundred feet across, and tumbled many more into a deep crevasse.

  Beautiful leafy fruit bearing trees, on the edge of the lush farmlands, had been replaced with tall trees with wide fan like palms that started to appear more regularly as they descended. Small beads of either green, or in some cases, darkened fruit, hung from under the center of their trunks. These became the only large trees in the mostly scrubby landscape as they descended down the cliffs to the desert that spread before them.

  “Follow the birds,” observed Casperi. “They will take you to the water sources and keep you in distance of safe hiding and shelter,” he rubbed his chin and thought.