Valley of the Black Dragon

by B A Fleming

  “I know nothing of this your highness,” replied Casperi, surprised by this news. “We were attacked by a small band of Ice Gols, but nothing more than a company. I was knocked unconscious and then tracked into the caves. I became lost and ended up in a cave on this side of the valley where Temar was fossicking,” indicated Casperi. “May you help me to return to my valley so that we can defeat this invasion?”

  “I cannot, Prince of Hardular. It is not my wish nor my place to help you. I have no need of relations with your dominion.”

  “But my people, your highness.”

  “I have given you the knowledge of our people and of your circumstance. This is more than enough.”

  She waved her hand for him to be dismissed. Casperi bowed and asked. “Just one last question your highness.”

  “What?” she rudely stared at him.

  The black panther gently snarled at Casperi as Queen Emba patted her.

  “Is there a path to my realm from here?” he requested.

  “Maybe the Dwarves of Har-Koln will show you. They can be found in the town of Masterstone in the Morean realm.

  The Har-Koln were believed to be the last of the dwarves, the strongest, and the toughest. Some of the other clans had been destroyed by the worms and the only other known clan defeated by the blue dragon, Senath, to the

  north-west end of the Mountains of Sart. Another tribe was thought to be located in the mountains to west of the Dearthlands, but even the Imuhagh had no stories of these for over a hundred summers.

  Most were thick and small, thick bearded men and haulty women who scolded their husbands for drinking too much and not fixing things as they broke about their caves. The tunnels were always well lit, and a seemingly endless supply of black sludge held the candles light far better than anything found above the ground. The pools of the stuff was said to drain from the rocks themselves in places.

  “You may stay with my sanction for as long as you wish young Prince. Let it be known that your thieverous companions will be guarded in this,” she waved him away as she turned to take a drink from one of her servants.

  Casperi and his friends quickly left the throne room, turning to bow as they exited the door, just as Master Shang had taught them.

  Chapter 16

  The Seer sat in the corner, smoking a pipe, intent on a book of spells. Each lesson was practiced in silence as Thais would enter the magicians mind and discuss with him the philosophies of magic so that no others would hear. This is how he had been taught, as it was also a test of the apprentice, firstly to master the technique, and then to use the powers effectively.

  At the end of each question from Thais, Eren would ask a series of questions himself. If one was answered incorrectly, then her mind would fill with wistful silence for an abominable space of time before he mentioned a few words or a passage to her. She could feel it, sense it, and quickly learnt to analyze his statements, and consider her own thoughts, before responding. If she had not responded correctly again, after another long sense of time the Seer would stop reading and look at her across the room.

  “It’s time for tea, I think,” he would say, or some other inane comment as if nothing had occurred during the past few hours. Each lesson would end like this, sometimes with the same questions, sometimes with others. They were not discussed out loud, as she had quickly come to realize as each of her vocal questions had been met with either muteness, direction of a reading to be undertaken, or an offhanded wave of the hand as the Seer departed the room.

  Nathe and Curran set about inspecting the contents of each of the packs. “We have enough rations for three, maybe four more days,” Curran finally observed. Eren joined them in the main room. The fire continued to burn from a stack of dulled rocks that provided ample heat for their size.

  “I will organize some more rations. We should be close to Tharkomad within seven days,” Eren observed.

  “Not through those blizzards,” replied Nathe.

  Eren smiled.

  At least once a day since they arrived, a wild snow leopard would wander into the entrance of the cave, dragging a large yak in its mouth.

  The Seer seemed to speak with the animals who often or acknowledged him in some way before disappearing again out into the snow.

  Soze, Edgar and Dwane stood by the fire watching the interaction. Eren turned to Soze “He has killed the beast. It is your turn to prepare it.”

  Soze looked at the other two as Veer entered the room.

  “Excellent idea. Soze and Edgar. Your turn gentlemen,” he indicated. “Thank you for the delicious meal,” he said with a bow to the leopard, that licked its lips and looked at him as if he was its’ next meal. The beast then soundlessly turned and disappeared into the snow.

  Thais walked out of the magicians’ quarters as Dwane offered her a cup.

  “There will be many solutions to any problem my apprentice, but the question for you will always be which is the one most deserving of the situation. You and I are both wise enough to realize that every action has its consequences and therefore each solution with have many outcomes, that may involve the loss of some, in order to save others. Over time, like all those who wield power, you will come to realize the sacrifices that life puts before us.”

  “What shall I do?” she asked.

  “You will know when the moment arises,” he answered. “Take, for example, the situation of your brother. Do you race off to find him, or wait for his return?”

  “I don’t know,” replied Thais.

  “A truly wise answer, and possibly much wiser than most, and more than you realize,” reflected the Seer.

  “I sense that he is fine and I’ve always been right about that. I just hope he can sense that I’m okay as well.”

  Eren smiled and considered her.

  “Do you think that those that are not of our nature see us as greater than themselves?”

  “My father would always say that we are all equal as men.”

  “Yes, but what of those creatures that are not? What of a bird, a monkey, or a squirrel? If we change their path,

  guide them from danger, do they thank us, resent us, or care not for our passing?”

  “I would imagine that their views on life and death are different to our own although I don’t begin to imagine how.”

  “Excellent logic! But remember the world is not a logical place and all beings, all things do not follow the logic that you or I would take for granted. Not everything will happen as you would expect, not every creature will respond in what we would consider a logical way. And no circumstance, as plain as it may be to see with your own eyes, or mine, is necessarily true. You can only see your perspective, and that may only be a small part of the truth.”

  The others studied the interaction. As interesting as it was Edgar shook his head and moved away as he admitted to himself that their conversation was well beyond his own sense of reason.

  Thais fell silent as she gazed at the fire. The Seer wandered off to find more tobacco for his pipe. Dralan studied her face. He was growing more attached to her by the day.

  “Thais,“ he enquired. “When did you first start connecting with this magic of yours?“

  “I don‘t know,“ she answered, not looking up. “I‘ve always felt it.“

  “And the connection to Casperi as well?“

  “Well, yes,“ she looked up at him. “But neither are linked if that‘s what you mean.“

  “No, no. I didn‘t think that, I just wondered if the magical abilities help you to sense your brother better? Like, others use a spell or something?“ he asked.

  “Well, maybe?“ she thought on this.“No. I just know. I felt when my mother died as well.“

  “You say you are on this journey to learn from the Seer, but aren‘t you a seer of some sort yourself?“

  “Yes, maybe, but not much. I‘m still learning. My mother taught me many things but if the tales are true he could teach me so much more.“

  She looked at him
and he looked back for a few moments and then broke eye contact, looking into the fire.

  “What about you?“ she enquired. “It seems a flimsy thing

  to seek out the Sage to help us defeat the dragon. What if he can‘t.“

  “I‘m told that he can. At least that‘s what the tales among my people say.“

  “But didn‘t you defeat the blue dragon? How did you do that?“

  “Well, I tricked him, but that may not be as easy to do with yours. Besides, if we can get the Seer to come with us, both you and I will win from this.“

  She looked at him curiously and he leaned in and whispered in her ear.

  “I think we will find that he is a hermit for a reason and it might be harder for us to convince him than you think.“

  “Yes, but we need to try anyway,“ she responded, still close to him and looking around to make sure no-one else was. “And what if he doesn‘t want to come with us then?“

  “Then we face the dragon ourselves.“

  Both went quiet and stared into the fire, palms raised towards it. She indicated that he put his hand on hers, fingers pointing up.

  “You can feel the energy from my hand on your skin, right?” asked Thais, putting her hand against that of Dralan.

  “Yes, but how is that possible?” he questioned. “You are transferring heat somehow?”

  “Yes. The energy is always there. Rubbing your hands together just brings it to the surface. Magic works the same way. It’s just that I’m transferring the energy from my body into the air, and then manipulating it around me,” she responded.

  “You must have a lot of energy somehow?”

  “Well, only the little that my mother taught me to channel from the air,” said Thais with a laugh. “Just concentrate and feel it. It’s there, and once you find it, you’ll be able to manipulate it and use it. Normally spells and chants help to focus the energy to one spot. But the whole art of forcing it towards another is just the next step in the process.”

  “So, that’s what you do then?” said Dralan curiously. They both smiled and stared at each other, caught in the moment.

  “That’s the trick with this girl,” interrupted Eren as he came into the room to refill his tea. “She doesn’t even need spells or chants. She can just will it and it happens. I’ve never seen anything like her.”

  He gave a look, partially of fear and partially surprise. Dralan nodded and rose away from the conversation. Nathe came into the room, as did several of the others who had been in another chamber practicing their sword play. Dralan left them and went into the men’s bed chamber where he sat on one of the yak skins laid out across the floor, closed his eyes and seemed to almost too instantly to drift off to sleep.

  Eren lead Thais back into the training room.

  “I still feel that I don’t fully understand how this magic works,” almost whispered Thais as they restarted communicating silently. “Why can I create spells and others cannot.”

  “That is a secret that only you can find the answer for,” supposed Eren as he sat back against the wall and puffed on his pipe. He took two more puffs during the intervening minutes as he allowed her to process her thoughts.

  She finally went to speak and stopped, as if the words could not come out. Her eyes had reddened, and the Seer watched her struggle.

  “It’s an inherent gift girl,” he finally stated. “It is hard for me to even begin to ponder from where your powers come from, but you will know in time.”

  “Where did you get your powers?”

  He smiled at this question, looking to the ground as he puffed out another plume of smoke.

  “I woke one day to find that I had them. One day, a long time ago.”

  Thais considered this answer.

  “But you knew that you had them?”

  “Yes, well, I could feel the powers within me, but, they have, diminished over time,” he reflectively surmised.

  “So, my powers could diminish?”

  “They could also increase as well. Time will reveal everything to you. All you can do is to find your own strengths your own limits and your own means of channeling the energies of the world.”

  “Energies?”

  “Yes Thais. You already know about your own energies. There are immense pools of energy in nature to draw upon and once you learn to find them and harness them then that is magic. It is just channeling energy. Some can store it inside themselves, take it from others, or draw on the energy of the air around them.”

  “Like when I created the protective sphere for everyone from the snow.”

  “Yes, that’s a perfect example. Although it drained you, all you did was exactly how natural magic works, by redirecting the energy of the snow storm.”

  “So, all energy is the same?”

  “Actually, not exactly. Some energy is light energy, or life giving energy, and some energy is dark energy, and energy that can draw life from other things. Plus, there is a lot of transference energy. Energy that is neither light nor dark that you can transfer from one form to another like you did with the snow storm. This is natural energy.”

  “Can I use all three?”

  “Yes, but be careful. Using light energy draws you to want to use more, and using dark energy will make you want to use more dark energy. Each of these types of energy are very powerful and some have died trying to master them.”

  “So, stick to natural energy.”

  “Yes Thais, stick to natural energy and only draw on those other forms in the greatest time of need.”

  *****

  “Sire, Baron Archivy has been delivered to the castle. What would you have us do with him?”

  “Take him to the dungeons and let him sit there. I will visit him at my leisure.”

  “Yes Sire.” The captain of the royal guard bowed and departed from King Edwards’ chambers as Seymour entered the room.

  Seymour stood in the middle of the room as King Edward wandered to a table laden with fruits, cheeses and biscuits. The cooling days had drawn his time inside and he now stared through the large glass doors looking out

  across the lake.

  “You may not agree with me Seymour,” he finally admitted. “But Archivy needs to be taught a lesson. My power will not be undermined by those who seek to do as they please in my realm.”

  “My lord, I know that your decision is made with the utmost attention.”

  “You remain my advisor Seymour, at times for your wisdom, and on other occasions for your choice of words,” reminded Edward.

  *****

  “Swordmaster. It has come time to leave. We will need to depart at first light,” said Eren to Nathe.

  “The snow storm seems to be getting worse magician, not better. It will be a difficult path for all of us.”

  “Only if we lose our footing dear boy, as we are making our way through the caves. I will be in need of rare herbs to break the dragons spell.”

  “Do you know these passages well?”

  “Well enough. There are many passages carved by the Ice Gols of these mountains. Many more than humans have never seen. These creatures would know them all and to stray from those I am familiar with is to be lost within a few hours. Some have entered them seeking adventure only to run out screaming for their lives within hours or days. Many more have entered and returned with the tales tell of horrible deaths from other creatures even more vicious than the Ice Gols themselves,” explained the Seer. “If we are to venture deep within the boughs of these mountains we must make sure that we stay to only those passages that I know, if we ever hope to survive. Remember this though, if we come across another creature we should aim at a balance between our instincts and rationality. While a logical mind weighs up our options it is our emotions that rush to the surface in moments of fear or uncertainty. These emotions inspire courage in us and motivate us to act. You must calm your men before we depart to be both cautious and alert for anything amiss. If they panic, they will surely be lost.”

 
The sage turned to regard the shelves of books before him. There were so many to choose from for this journey but only a few that would provide the variety of measure needed. “I think these two may make do,” he mumbled to himself.

  “Magician. When we first met, you spoke as if you have already seen things?”

  “Some call it deja-vu, some call it foresight, premonitions. Call it what you may, I can see what I believe will happen. Whether it comes true remains in your hands, for it is your path to follow.”

  “But what if that which you see is true? Would you warn us of our death to come?”

  “It is only true if you believe it to be so Swordmaster, and I would never tell a soul that their life is about to end. To do so would reinforce that fate,” explained the Seer, blank faced. Several other were nearby and overheard the conversation.

  “You have the power to change what you must but understand that every time we alter our course we change the future of others around us,” added Eren.

  “So, you are saying to just to accept that this will happen?”

  “Only if you believe it to be the correct outcome. If you don’t wish for this to pass then another path must be chosen, but remember that sometimes it is whilst we are trying to avoid a future occurring that we are most likely to cause it. There are many things that remain hidden from all of us and most of these things have to do with the want of the heart, for I cannot tell you what is felt or not felt, for only you truly know the answer, and for the most part, like most of us, most don’t know either. All I know is that life is complex and if something seems then it must be true.”

  “Can you sense magic as well?” interjected Dralan. Eren smiled at him, knowing that the question was far more than one of curiosity.

  “Stranger, yes, alike most magicians, I can sense when magic is about. It is an easy and often times essential trick to understand what is needed to be done in the face of danger. The trick to magic is knowing when to use it in addition to how, and often the first to use it has the advantage.”

  Dralan gave him a harsh look back but then lowered his eyes and nodded as if his curiosity had been fulfilled.