by A. D. Adams
He walked into the cave, his home. There he found his mate Fienna, his daughter, mother, sister and the young one who survived the massacre. He was sleeping in his sister's arms.
“Fienna, can we talk in the back cave?”
“Yes my love.” They walked into the small rear cave where they slept. Fienna could feel a deep sadness within Terra. It was for both the villagers and the humans he had killed.
“I must leave at sun-rising. I have to find out what is happening in the world. I must know this to be able to protect you and our daughter,” he said in a sad voice. She knew he did not wish to go, but he needed to understand what was happening.
“I understand. I will stay here. We will be safe,” Fienna said with a confidence she did not really feel.
The next sun-rising, Terra and Fienna walked out into the crevice and went for a swim in the lake. They then moved onto the edge of the lake and lay in the sun to dry.
“You need to ask your mother about where to go,” Fienna said with her eyes closed.
“I know. I really do not want to do any of this,” Terra said as he turned to Fienna and put his arm around her waist.
She opened her eyes, turned toward him and hugged him tight.
“You need to see the human world. You were raised by dragons; your friends are sea nymphs and dragons. You know nothing of your own kind. You need this, my love,” Fienna stated with tears in her eyes.
They stayed together, making love, and then went back into the cave. There they met his mother and sister. Sifar was still asleep.
“I need to know how to get to the other villages,” Terra said to his mother.
“The path that you followed outside the village will take you north and south. Follow it the opposite direction that you went to find those men and it will lead you to the larger southern villages. I don’t know much about them, but one is where the sisters live. I think it is the largest village in the north on the Great Lake,” she described, while drawing a picture in the dirt with a stick.
“I will fly down the path and then change when I get near the larger villages.”
“When will you leave?” his sister asked.
“After high sun,” Terra replied.
“We need to put some supplies together for you,” his mother said.
Terra spent the rest of the time before high sun with Fienna and his daughter. He finally walked to the water's edge to talk to Setilan and the other sea nymphs that guarded the crevice and his family. “Can you stay with them, Setilan, while I am gone? I would not worry so much if you stayed,” Terra said to her.
“Of course I will stay. We will also increase the guards throughout the crevice,” Setilan told him with the understanding that Terra needed to know his family was safe. Terra looked up and waved at one of the dragons on the crevice's rim. The great blue dragon Hectise took off and landed close to the group near the water. He was Fienna's father, and though he had not helped raise her, he did love his daughter.
“Hectise, I am about to leave. I am counting on you to protect my mate and daughter,” he said with a serious, but sad, look on his face.
“Do not worry, my daughter and yours will never be harmed as long as I live,” Hectise said with iron in his voice.
Terra walked over to his mate and child at the cave opening. His mother came from the cave with a bundle in her hands. “Here are your clothes, food, and water. The clothes are old and tattered. I want you to look poor and not be noticed. Well, at least I want you to be noticed as little as possible considering your size.”
“My size?” Terra asked with curiosity in his voice.
“You're the biggest man I have ever seen,” his mother told him.
His sister came out of the cave, heard the end of the conversation and said, “Terra, you’re more than big; you’re the most powerfully built man anyone has ever seen. Here, you think of yourself as small when you're in human form, but you are not. The clothes we made you will help hide your muscles and size, but only so much. Just be careful, I don’t want you lost from me again.”
“I will be,” he said, as he hugged both his mother and sister. He then walked over to his mate and daughter and hugged and kissed them. Terra walked away from the cave opening and started his transformation into his dragon form.
As the change completed, his mother walked up and tied the bundle to his arm. He nodded and took off. He flew to the village of his mother and sister. Then decided to fly to the Lake of Solan and beyond to see the best place to change back to his human form. As he followed the road, he flew higher than normal so that he did not frighten the humans below. Terra could also fly at greater speed in the higher winds. He could see many valleys cut into the surface of the land. The endless rain from untold past seasons had carved the land, leaving tall hills and valleys of varying depths. From this height, the land appeared as ripples, merging and flowing into each other.
As he flew south, the path bent and twisted, following the easiest course through the valleys. The path slowly became more traveled by the humans. He saw wooden platforms pulled by beasts and humans alike. Groups of prey beasts driven by one or two humans also traveled the path. Planting areas appeared more often and though they were larger, they did not seem very lush. He also noticed the land had a slight upward slope. Small villages appeared and became more numerous as he continued south.
Terra saw the path split into three, and decided to follow the center path that was obviously the most traveled. He saw more and more humans traveling the path as he continued south, including armed groups who seemed to be stopping many of those on the path. He reached a point where he saw a very large village at least four to five times the size of any other he had seen. It lay on the shore of the great lake.
As he flew over the shore, he saw piles of wood and a number of humans working on wooden platforms, some floating in the water. He saw some of the floating platforms carrying humans. There seemed to be small sticks coming out of the sides and humans were dipping them into the water, which moved the platforms forward. As he flew toward the other side of the lake, the platforms disappeared.
The land had sloped up considerably and the lake was much higher than the crevice where he lived. He was curious and thought to Fienna, “Ask Setilan if her people have ever been in the Lake of Solan.” She thought back to Terra and told him that the sea nymphs could never get to the lake because a very high waterfall cut it off. They had been at its base and had seen caves lining the walls of the gorge that the waterfall emptied into. The water at the base of the gorge split into two paths flowing around a small piece of land at the coast. The waters then flowed into the vast coastal waters Terra knew. Setilan also called the lake an inland sea, which they called the Sea of Ice, since the water coming from the waterfall was ice cold.
Terra flew on and after what seemed to be an endless flight, he finally came to the other shore. He initially only saw trees, so he followed the lake's shore toward the coast and soon came to another large village. Here again, men were building a large number of wooden platforms. He could not imagine what these platforms would be used for. He could see three paths coming out of this village and he followed the one closest to the coast. It led to planting areas and small villages similar to the ones he had seen north of the lake. The land also sloped down as he flew south. The lake was obviously a high point of the coastal lands.
The sun was beginning to set so Terra flew to the coast and over a cliff that dropped to a sandy strip of land at the edge of the Great Water. He landed and returned to human form. He set up a sleeping area against a cliff and stayed the sunset.
Chapter 7 - Justice
(Justice is not always kind, but must always be fair.)
- The Time of the Draman -
The woman rode the youth back down the path toward the village that had been attacked. They arrived near sunset and she saw the burnt out buildings, but no bodies.
“How many survived this attack?” she asked the youth, after pulling him
from the pack runner.
“None,” he said, cringing.
“Did you kill anyone?”
“I- I was forced to kill one, one child,” he said as he fell to the ground crying.
The woman's visage turned even darker than it had been previously. She looked at him as if he were the dung of a runner beast. As she looked around, she saw a long mound at the back of the village. As she approached, it was obvious where someone had buried the villagers. She saw a number of large dragon tracks. Several were the largest she had ever seen. She had seen a number of dragon tracks in her travels through both the northern and southern areas of the coastal lands, but usually around a kill of an animal. It was odd that a dragon would be by a burial mound. Dragons normally ate humans, they did not bury them.
As she walked toward the mound, she saw how the sun sparkled off a stone. When she picked it up, she realized it was not a stone; it was the tip of a dragon's talon, made of crystal. No dragons had crystal talons. She had to get back to her father. He may understand what was happening. Before she left, she walked to the mound. Its surface was melted soil and as hard as anything she had ever come across. The heat to melt the soil to this state must have been incredible.
She tied the coward to the pack runner and mounted.
“Where are we going?” he asked in a trembling voice.
“My father needs to talk to you. Now shut-up and hold on,” she said as they galloped down the path.
After three sun-risings of solid riding with only three or four hours of sleep each sunset, they were close to the Lake of Solan. Then they turned toward the coast and rode another sun-rising and finally the Great Water came into sight. She took a bag and put it over the young one’s head before continuing. She made her way to a rocky shallow valley. At the end of the valley, there was a hidden cave entrance. She dismounted and led the runner beasts into the cave. Three men were stationed just inside the cave’s entrance. They greeted the woman by her name, Rammy, and took her beast to the back of the cave where there was a small pen. She pulled the youth off the pack runner and tied his hands. She then led him away as one of the men took the beast.
She pushed the young fool into a dimly lit set of stairs that led down toward the gorge. To the cowering youth it seemed to take a lifetime, until she pulled the bag from his head. He saw they were in a large cave with elaborate wood furnishings lit with candles.
“Father, father,” she called out. From an opening near the back of the cave came a man of fifty or so set of seasons old. He held out his arms as he walked toward the woman with a decided limp in one leg. When they met, he hugged her tight.
“You've been gone longer than we planned,” he said as he continued his hug.
“Who is this?” he asked as they separated.
“I found him in a hole among a hundred or so dead men. Well, parts of dead men. He has a story to tell you.”
“Bring him to the viewing room, we will talk there.” The woman pushed him through the doorway the man had come from in the rear of the cave. The room was lit by sunlight that shined through a large opening in the far wall. You could see the great waterfall from the Lake of Solan. Outside the opening was a rock ledge you could stand on to see the waterfall in its entire glory.
“Sit down you, and tell me your story,” the man said in a calm and reasonable voice. The woman pushed the youth into the chair.
“Not so rough, Rammy. He's our guest,” the man said.
“Who - who are you?” the youth asked in a timid voice.
“Oh, excuse me. I should have introduced myself. I am Naron. My group and I live in the great gorge. Now please tell me your story,” the man said in a gentle voice.
The youth told the story of the huge man and what he had done to the hundred or so soldiers of the sisters. Naron sat quietly, listening.
“Tell him why this man did this. Tell him of the village,” Rammy said in an angry voice.
“We came across a small village. The men had been drinking brew. When we went into the village, the population offered food, but the men wanted the women and they started grabbing them. The village men started defending the women and it turned into a fight. The soldiers began killing the men and then everyone.”
“I see, did you kill anyone?” Naron asked quietly.
“I was forced to kill a young one. The soldiers forced me,” he said with tears in his eyes.
“Tell him how old the one you killed was,” Rammy grumbled with anger. Her father held up his hand to his daughter and smiled.
“Maybe six set of seasons,” he said, trying to squeeze back into the chair.
“Do you have anything else to tell me?”
“No, sir.”
“Have you ever seen the great falls?” Naron asked.
“No, no sir.”
“Come with me,” Naron said with a smile.
The youth followed Naron to the opening in the wall. “Step out; you will get a much better view.” He stepped out on the small ledge. Naron reached out and pushed him off. He fell hundreds of man lengths to his death.
“Father, I thought you were going to let him live. The way you were acting it seemed.”
“It seemed I was his friend. It's much easier to get information from someone when they trust you. You know I would never allow a child killer to live. You went to the village, I assume?”
“It was a strange thing. The bodies had all been buried in a long mound. It looked to me as if a dragon buried the bodies.”
“Dragons do not bury human bodies,” Naron said.
“There's more. The dragon tracks were the largest I have ever seen. Plus, I found this,” she handed her father the crystal talon.
He examined it. “No dragon has crystal talons. Something is happening. Come with me.” Naron walked back into the main cave and then through a second opening that led into a room full of books. Rammy followed her father. She knew the room well; it was where she learned to read the ancient languages. She also remembered playing on the floor while her father read and studied.
Naron walked to a bookcase, pressed on a knot in the wood and the case swung in. She had never seen this; he waved her into the small room. On a wooden pedestal sat a text with no title. It was made of a strange material. It looked as if it was made of scales. On its cover was a series of simple drawings. The first looked like a dragon and human standing next to each other. The next drawing showed two humans standing next to each other, and the dragon was gone. The last two drawings showed two dragons next to each other, and the humans were gone. Finally, it showed a dragon and a human.
“What is that? What is it made of?” she asked her father.
“It is the most ancient text, perhaps in the world. I don't know who wrote it, but it tells of a time when the world is failing. The planters couldn’t feed everyone, humans fought with each other, and much of the land was controlled by a dark power. It tells that the Draman will rise to fight for life. As to what it is made of, I believe it's made of dragon skin. The skin is thinner than the beast skin we use and much stronger,” he said as he opened the cover. She looked at the first page and read,
“He who will come will be a man, a dragon, a Draman.
He will possess the power, the power of nine.
The eight will show his greatness, the ninth will save all.
She will be a dragon, a woman, a Wogan.
She will possess the power, the power of love.
The power of love will control, control the Draman.”
He turned the page and she continued to read,
“The Draman's power of eight are shown upon the amulet, the amulet of Tycarr
Power one, the power of healing, the Draman will heal all whom he touches.
Power two, the power of sound, the Draman can destroy upon a word.
Power three, the power of movement, the Draman can move with the speed of silence.”
“The next page is mostly missing. It looks as if it was bitten off, by what, I can't imagine,�
� Naron said as he turned to the next page and she continued reading,
“The ninth power is known to one and only one.
Only one can possess the power, the power of the ninth.
The dark cannot possess the power, the power of the ninth.
For you cannot possess what you are not and cannot be.”
“What does this mean?” Rammy asked.
“A being is coming and he will have eight powers of magic. The rest of the book describes the conditions that will exist when he comes. The planters will start having problems with their planting. Humans will fight with each other and a number of other things will start happening,” Naron said as he closed the book.
“What other things?”
“Well, the ground will begin to shake from time to time; storms will become more frequent, last longer, and be more powerful. The plantings are already beginning to fail. You know what is happening between the sisters and that idiot who calls himself a king, he’s more like a thug. They will soon start their fight. You know the storms have become worse over the last ten set of seasons. Finally, I have heard that the ground has started to shaking in the far south valleys. You see, this all corresponds to the text.”
“Yes, I see.”
“Did you look into what's happening in Solana?”
“Yes. They are building at least fifty war floaters and they have a group of at least one thousand men. Just like Southlake is doing. They are both preparing for a water fight.”
“How many men do we have?” Rammy asked.