by A. D. Adams
“No, he can't. He needs the dragons and humans, as well as the sea nymphs. He wants Dawra and Hectise to contact the dragons and tell them what is happening, then ask them to follow him across the mountains and fight with him. Terra is going to deal with the humans.”
“We can spread the word for the dragons to come to the cave of the old ones. Many will come,” Hectise said.
“Yes, and you can point out the set of figures on the wall.”
“Figures, what figures?” Hectise said in confusion.
“The one where a human is mounted on a flying dragon and the other pictures,” Fienna said.
Hectise's mind went to the pictures on the cave walls and suddenly remembered the carvings. Then, he realized that they were of Fienna and Terra. There were other carvings that were hidden in an enclave that only a few knew of. An old dragon showed him them. The old one had told Hectise that before he went to the volcano, he had to pick one dragon to replace him as a knower. He had picked Hectise. The old one did not know what the carvings meant, but he did know that only four others knew of them. The carvings showed a huge dragon leading thousands of dragons over mountains. There were also pictures of great battles between dragons and creatures of the land. There was one final drawing of a dragon entering a cave in the side of a great black mountain. Hectise always thought the carvings were just imaginings. Now he knew they were not simply dreams of an ancient dragon, but predictions.
“Dawra, we need to do this. I believe Fienna is correct,” Hectise said as he looked at Dawra.
Dawra had always denied the carvings, since the time Fienna and Terra had discovered them. She always knew in her heart that the carvings were of her daughter and Terra. She knew the time had come for her to accept the truth. The old ones that made the carvings somehow knew of the two and were telling the dragons that they were the most important two creatures in the world.
“I will go up the coast, you go down,” Dawra told Hectise.
“That is fine. Let me make sure that the guard dragons know their schedule to protect the crevice. We can leave at high sun.”
Hectise and Dawra left and Fienna hoped they could convince the dragons to join Terra. There were nearly fifteen thousand dragons along the northern coast. She hoped they could convince at least half to help. It was time to talk to the sea nymphs. She had asked Setilan to bring her father, the ruler of the sea nymphs, and the Old Sinut, the magic thrower among the nymphs, to meet her at sunset.
The three arrived in the pool and changed from fins to legs before walking out of the water. Fienna sat at the lake's edge with her daughter. The three greeted her and asked what she wanted to discuss.
“You know Terra has gone to see the humans. He has asked me to talk to you about the future. This world is dying,” she said in a serious tone.
The three looked at each other. “How do you know this?” the Old Sinut asked.
“Tone has been talking to Terra. She has told him the darkness on the other side of the mountains is slowly killing her.”
“The world talks to Terra and it is female?” the king asked in amazement.
“This world is the mother of us all, of course she is female. Terra will go to the other side and try to deal with this darkness. My mother and father are now asking the dragons to go with him. He would like to know what, if anything, you would be willing to do to help.”
“We will do as much as possible, but we cannot be away from the water for more than one sun-rising. That is our limit,” the king said.
“What if Terra cannot get anyone to help?” Setilan asked.
“He and I will go alone,” Fienna said.
“I may be able to help,” the Old Sinut stated.
“How?”
“On the other side of the mountains, one group has survived the onslaught of the dark one and his dwarfs.”
“Who?” asked Fienna.
“The land nymphs. Through my magic, I can talk to my old friend who is their magic thrower. He is weakening and soon will no longer be able to defend them from their enemy, the dark dwarfs. He has no replacement with magic and the land nymph numbers are slipping as their food supplies shrink.”
“I thought they had all died,” the king said.
“No, not yet, but soon they will if they don't get help,” the Old Sinut said.
“Where are these nymphs located?” Fienna asked.
“They are in a large box valley in the northern part of the Barrier Mountains. This was their traditional home. They had walled it off and only allowed entrance through a small gate in the rear of the valley leading into the Barrier Mountains. They caused an avalanche that crushed the gate preventing anyone from entering their valley. They now defend the wall from the dwarfs, who constantly attack them.”
“How many of them are left?” asked Setilan.
“About forty-five to fifty-five thousand,” the Old Sinut said sadly.
“Can you contact them?” Fienna asked.
“Yes, but I must go back to my cave. What should I tell them?”
“It will be at least one or two full moon cycles before Terra will breach the mountains. Tell them that,” Fienna said as she seemed to look off into the distance.
“You are talking to Terra,” Setilan asked. No one understood how they could communicate, even over great distances.
“Yes, he knows what we say here. He wants to know if there are any others on the other side of the mountains.”
“There are two races, but I don’t know if they still exist,” the Old Sinut said.
“The fairies are small, the size of my hand. They are scaly little human like creatures with small crystalline wings. They flit around like insects. They disappeared in the confusion of the last great fight that drove the humans to this side of the mountains. The others are the elves. They are tall, thin creatures that have blue skin with thin blue and white hair all over their bodies. Quite beautiful creatures, but they have no honor.”
“What happened?” Fienna asked.
“They pulled out the sunset before the last fight, leaving the confederation of Tone at two-thirds strength. We would not have won with them, but leaving as they did caused thousands more to die. There were not enough of us to cover the withdrawal. I have no idea what happened to the elves after they left,” the Old Sinut said in anger.
“The sea nymphs were there fighting?”
“Yes, at that time there were many streams that flowed through the mountains. There were uncountable rivers and streams flowing through the far lands. Numerous lakes also lay throughout the lands beyond the mountains. That was before the Solans caused the great avalanches.”
“Please contact these land nymphs and see if they will fight with us,” Fienna said.
“Anything else we can do?” the king asked.
“Terra says we will need food. We will need nearly a million swimmers to feed the dragons and hopefully the humans. The swimmers will have to be dried. We will also need harnesses for the dragons to carry the swimmers. As well as water bags that can be carried,” Fienna told them.
“There are over one hundred thousand sea nymphs. Gathering the swimmers should not be a problem. They can be driven to the shore where there are large caves. We can fill the caves with swimmers. Then, if the dragons will help, we can put waterweed in the front of the caves and the dragons can fire it, filling the caves with hot smoke. It should take only a few sun-risings for the drying,” the Old Sinut said.
“What about the harnesses?”
“There is a creature we kill on sight. It is as long as a sea nymph and as big around as Terra's human leg. If you touch it, your muscles lock up. We kill them with spears. Their meat is good to eat and their skin is tough and water tight. We can make the harnesses and water bags from their skin,” Setilan said.
“Can the nymphs start on this?”
“Yes, we will begin immediately,” said the king.
“Thank you,” Fienna said with feeling.
“Sinut, can you st
ay for a moment? Setilan, can you ask Seana to come and see me?”
“Yes, I will tell her,” Setilan said as her and the king got up to leave.
“Sinut, when Terra returns, he will need to know where these land nymphs are located and if they will help.”
“Of course, I will have their response and I can draw Terra a map of where the valley lies.”
Chapter 12 - The Village
(Visiting a new world is not always pleasant.)
- The Time of the Draman -
Terra's disgust with killing seemed to be increasing; the death of the four seemed to add to his sadness. He had little choice in the matter; the four would have killed him and the humans he was helping. He always felt like this after killing, even when he killed to eat it felt wrong. He knew killing was needed at times, and others could kill without a second thought, but he simply could not. He kept walking and pulled his mind back to the village he was approaching.
Terra had seen in his fly over that in front of the village were nearly a thousand of the males dressed in black. Terra wanted to avoid them, so he approached the village from the woods. He moved off the main path to enter the village from a side trail. He noticed when he flew over that a group of humans with about twenty carts was heading down that trail. They should be near him soon. It was just before sunset when he heard the noisy group approached the village. As they passed him, he stepped into the path behind the group. He put his hood over his head and stooped down. They came to the men at the entrance to the village, who waved them through. Terra followed and walked right by the two men. He split off as soon as he was in the village.
The village smelled and it was filthy. Rotting materials lay along the paths between the human-built caves. How anything could live here was beyond Terra's understanding. Small ones ran through the paths and their parents seemed to be searching through whatever lay about between the caves. Many seemed frightened and they held their young ones close to them.
The males that wore the black clothes controlled everything, and the other humans obviously feared them. He then came to a circle in the center of the village. He stood near a small cave fashioned with wood. Food was arrayed on flat surfaces facing the circle. Two humans, a younger and older female, sat with the food. They offered some to him for a Solanan, whatever that was. Terra turned them down. He saw a number of these caves scattered around the circle. On one side of the circle was a great cave, recently built. Two large wood plates covered the entrance. He recognized the wood, when dried it was hard as rock. The dragons used sticks from the tree to dig up small rock like creatures in the sand near the Great Water. They loved to crunch on them.
Terra heard a noise from one of the paths that came into the circle. The two females looked at the path, then at Terra.
“You need to get down. Get behind us. Hurry,” the older female said as they pointed to a place behind their cave. Terra did not yet want to be known, so he followed their instructions.
He could see a very ornate cart drawn by two beasts. In front of the cart were four of the males in black and four more in the rear. In the cart were three females dressed in very bright colored cloth. The group approached the wooden plates, which open from the inside of the great cave. They entered and the plates closed behind them.
“You can come out now,” the older female said.
“Why did you have me hide?” Terra asked as he got up.
“They would have noticed one as big as you and they don’t like strangers. They would have come for you. I assure you that would not have been pleasant,” the older female said.
“What is your name?” Terra asked.
“My name is Nolla and this is my daughter, Keenna.”
“I am Terra. Thank you for your help.”
“I suggest you leave the village. It is not safe here for one such as you.”
“I plan to, before sunrise.”
As the large man walked off, the two women looked at each other. “Do you think he's the one the girl told us about?” Keenna asked her mother.
“I can't imagine it to be any other. Look at his size. He seemed to know nothing of our village.”
“What should we do?”
“We must send a message to Naron. He should know of this,” Nolla said to her daughter.
Terra walked throughout the village until just before sun-rising. He saw hungry and frightened humans living in utter filth. He would change this soon, but first he needed to see the village on the other side of the lake. Terra walked to the edge of the caves and ran to the woods. He moved with such speed that few could see him in full sun, let alone in darkness.
When he reached the woods, he found a small clearing large enough to change into his dragon form. He was in flight over the lake as the sun rose. He had spotted a clearing near the other village on the other side of the great lake. He landed slightly after high sun. This village was surrounded by tall man-made cliff built of large cut stones. The cliff was about a dragon length tall. It extended to the shore, creating half a circle. Terra planned to swim to the village and enter from the water, since there were only two guarded openings in the cliff on the land-side. He saw more openings on the waterside.
He slept until sunset and then took his bag and strapped it to his back. He entered the water naked; his clothes would stay dry in the oiled bag. It was not long until he came to the edge of the cliff that extended into the lake. He slowly glanced around its edge. He could see a wooden platform about his height above the water, supported by cut tree trunks pushed into the lake bottom. He saw a vine hanging from the wooden platform. He swam to it, testing it with his weight, then climbed up the vine. He stepped into a dark corner and put his clothes on.
Terra walked down the platform. He found a vertical wall made of tree trunks about twice his height. He then came to a hole cut into the wall covered by a wood panel. Terra listened and heard nothing on the other side so he pushed on the wood. He heard cracking and a snap as the panel swung in. He stepped through and pushed the panel closed.
He found himself at the end of a path that led between human caves. Terra walked down until he came to a larger cross path. This village seemed to be empty. When he flew over, he saw a square area in front of the main opening in the human made cliff. He moved toward this area. The streets were clean, unlike the other village. Every opening in every cave was closed tight with wood panels. When he reached the square area, he saw at least five hundred human males moving around in very precise groups. They seemed to be practicing walking. They wore odd clothes that seemed to tinkle when they walked. They looked like hard little interconnected rings that formed cloth. They looked uncomfortable and difficult to move in.
He was in a dark enclave watching these men when he heard movement across the path. He saw a small panel open and then close. Then a panel slightly smaller than his body opened and a hand waved him in. Terra never felt fear so he squeezed through the panel into the cave. He was in a small dark cavern with a male and female human. It was lit with small odd-looking sticks with small flames upon their tops.
“What are you doing? You know the law. No one is allowed out on the village paths after sunset,” the man said.
“I am new here. I do not know your law,” Terra said, not understanding the word law.
“Who are you?” the female said.
“I am Terra. I came here to see your village.”
“This is not a place to visit. The king is a harsh master and his men are violent and dangerous,” the male said.
“Who are you?” Terra inquired.
“I'm Jeno and this is my wife, Kinda. Our families have lived in this village for generations. In fact, my wife's family started the village. We are leaving as soon as we possibly can.”
“It's that bad here?” Terra asked.
“Yes, we stayed because we thought it would be possible to get the village back. The bastard who calls himself king brought in too many Defenders. At least that's what he calls them. They are actually ki
llers who have been promised land and wealth to help keep him in power. We realized we could do nothing to stop them, so we plan to leave. We have a friend in the village that will take us to the caves,” Jeno said with anger in his voice.
“Caves?” Terra said in a questioning tone.
“The caves are in the walls of the great gorge.”
“You mean where the water falls from the lake?”
“Yes, have you seen it?”
“I have been there,” Terra said.
“You can't go outside until sun-rising or they will take you,” Jeno said.
“Why have you come here,” Kinda asked with suspicion in her voice.
“I wanted to find out about this village. I come from the far north. My village was attacked by men dressed in black. They killed the entire village except for my mother, sister, and me, of course. We were away when it happened. They seemed to come from the village on the other side of the lake. I went there and it's a disgusting place where all seem to fear the leaders. I came here to see if this place is any better. I need to know who I can trust, who can help me in these valleys,” Terra said.
“You want revenge?”
“I want to know if there are some good humans in these valleys. Is there anyone that can help me or do I have to deal with things myself?”
“You are a big man, the biggest I have ever seen. You are not big or strong enough to fight all the men in the two villages. There are good people, most are good. These villages fell into the hands of evil rulers. I think people were searching for protection or just someone to take care of them. They allowed those who told them what they wanted to hear to rule. Too late, they discovered the cost,” Kinda said.
“Then no one here will help.”
“You have come to the wrong place for help. We know some who could perhaps assist you. We plan to leave at sun-rising to join them. You are welcome to come with us and we will introduce you to our friends. They will have to decide if they will or can help,” Kinda told him.
“Perhaps that would be the best thing,” Terra said.
“By the way, how did you cross the lake and get into the village? There is no bridge over the lake and all the gates of the village are guarded,” Jeno asked.