Heart of Alban

by G L Roberts

  The humans and the dragons, Bryn replied. Both need a steady heart to guide them. They follow me now, but here they will be asked to make a hard choice.

  If their hearts are pure, the choice will be the right one. Gather them in the Hall of Voices when you are ready. I will meet you there.

  Meydra flew ahead of the dragons and entered the cavern first. She continued on until all dragons were inside. Meydra slowed her pace and set down in the middle of the entrance hall. Bryn waited until all the dragons had set down and folded back their wings. Meydra turned around to face the other dragons. She walked toward them and they, in turn, came closer to her.

  “This is the entrance hall to the Cavern of the High Dragon,” Bryn said.

  Fear not, she said to the dragons with her heart.

  “We will walk this hall even though we could fly through it. There are many things to see on the walls.” Bryn turned to look over at one wall. She raised her hand and sent a soft light out to touch the wall. The wall lit up, and the faces she had seen before, once again came to life. “This is the Hall of Companions.”

  “Oh,” Leus said. “I know some of these faces!”

  “Yes,” Bryn replied. “There are faces here from each of our families.”

  Leus stared at the faces. “I did not know my kin companioned dragons.”

  “It was during a time when the elves were the dominant race on earth. Some of your kin were less inclined to get to know dragons. Some were eager to do so.”

  “Mine too?” Malcolm asked.

  “Yes,” Bryn said. “You will recognize the coat of arms they bear. And you, Kenna, you will see some who look very much like your mother. They are your forebears.”

  Arryn looked at the wall. “This hall is in the book of clanns back in Ceann Dúnaid. Lady Adhar showed it to me when you were in her care, Bryn.”

  “Lady Adhar knew you would remember and come to understand,” Bryn said.

  “Who are they?” Cinnia asked.

  “These are the faces of those who lived with dragons and became dragon companions. Long before there was a law forbidding any but a royal to companion a dragon, these elves, half-elven, and humans were the dragon riders of old,” Arryn said.

  “There are representatives here for each of the council members. I once told mentioned you did not randomly come by your dragon,” Bryn said. “Your dragon chose you because you carry the same blood as these dragon riders. The heart of the new dragon beats with the heart of the descendant.”

  “I have ancestors here?” Lothan asked.

  “You do,” Thalynder said. “Look there.” Thalynder pointed to a woman who bore a strong resemblance to Lothan.

  Lothan gasped. “I know that face!”

  Bryn looked at Lothan. “That is your mother. She died just as you were born. Her name was Belanor, and she was Betony’s sister.”

  Lothan started to slide down off of Demrahl, but Bryn stopped him. “Not yet, Lothan. In time you may visit this hall and even approach the image. For now, we remain on the dragons.”

  “How can this be?” Rythale asked. “How did these people come to be here?”

  “They are forever tied to their dragon,” Bryn explained. “When the rider dies, the dragon returns to the stars. The essence of the companionship resides here in the Cavern of the High Dragon. It can best be described as an archive.”

  “I have ancestors here too?” Rythale asked.

  “You do. As with Lothan, you have kin who were dragon riders. They remained hidden because they were thought to be deep into dark druid magic.”

  “That is a myth,” Rythale said. “There is no such thing.”

  “You know that, and I know that,” Bryn said. “But not so long ago, the Norse did not. Nor did the others who have tried to invade the North from over the sea. Your kin was the first to spread the legend of the Jewel.”

  “The first?” Malcolm said.

  “Yes, the Pict clanns believed the legend with such fervor they painted the legend on their skin. The early Norse invaders at first did not understand the paintings and rock carvings. As they continued to interact, the Norse began to seek out the Picts who could tell them more about the legend. Those were the druids who went willingly to Götaland.”

  “Willingly?” Thalynder said.

  “At first, yes,” Bryn replied. “Later, they were taken against their will. But the legend lived on. And the Pict dragon riders eventually stopped accepting the companionship of the dragons.”

  “So sad,” Kenna said.

  “It was this way all over Alban. Clann after clann. Kingdom and realm; they all gave up the companionship of dragons because it attracted the Norse. It was hundreds of years later before the dragons tried again and some of the half-elven and humans, mostly druids, eagerly accepted the friendship. These are the faces of all who have companioned a dragon.”

  The council continued to look over the faces. Bryn turned to the opposite wall and with another flash of light from her hand, lit up the other wall.

  “These are dragons,” Arryn said.

  “The Chosen,” Bryn said. “The dragons have been around since the birth of life on earth. Come, we will remain on the backs of our dragons. They will take us deeper into the cavern.”

  Meydra led the others through the long Hall of Companions. The faces faded as the light diminished. She continued to walk until all natural luminescence was extinguished. Meydra stopped at the entrance to another hall.

  Bryn removed Calibairn from its scabbard and held the sword aloft, and it glowed at the tip. Bryn waved Calibairn in the air, and the light sent shards out into the darkened hall. The shards ignited the torches in the walls, and the room lit up as if decorated by a thousand candles. Meydra stepped into the chamber.

  “This is the Hall of Athyl. It is also called the Hall of Comfort.”

  “Athyl? As in Queen Athyl?” Malcolm asked.

  “Yes, she who was first to join with a dragon,” Bryn said.

  “She has an entire hall named after her?” Kenna said.

  “Athyl found she could not live among humans. This is where she came to live.”

  “Did Athyl make this place?” Cinnia asked.

  Bryn smiled. “No, the Cavern of the High Dragon was here long before Athyl was born. Long before dragons found other life on earth.”

  “There are rooms off of this hall,” Arryn said.

  “There are.” Bryn came down off of Meydra’s neck. She kissed Meydra’s bowed head and touched her forehead where a white gem glowed. “Go now and take food, mo anam. I will call you soon.” Bryn removed the sacks from under Meydra’s wing. She set down the food sacks and retrieved the bag with the eggs. Bryn turned to the other dragons. “Go with Meydra. Your companions will rest a while, and we will all meet again soon.” Each dragon bowed their heads as their riders came down. Each person removed the sacks just as Bryn had done with Meydra. They then touched their dragon in their usual manner before bidding them goodbye for the moment.

  “Meydra will take you to the Hall of Dragons. Fear, not faithful friends. No harm will come to you here.” The dragons left Athyl’s Hall and disappeared into the dark.

  “In each room, there is a place to rest and refresh,” Bryn said. “These rooms were designed by Athyl’s daughter, Arstender. Leave the sacks here in the center of the hall. We will make a meal once you have attended to your own needs.” Bryn walked over to a wall and took a torch out of the holder. “Thalynder, will you join me?”

  Following Bryn’s direction, Thalynder set her sacks down in the middle of the hall. She took Bryn’s free hand, and they went inside one of the rooms.

  Arryn shrugged. He grabbed a torch and went inside the room next to Bryn. The others followed suit. Soon, the hall was empty, and the side rooms lit with the light of the torches. The sacks of foodstuff sat in a pile. The bags containing the eggs, slowly sank into the earth disappearing entirely from sight.

  “That was a very long flight,” Thalynder said. She had
brushed her’s and Bryn’s hair and was braiding the ribbon back into Bryn’s dark hair. They had taken off their cloaks as the room was comfortably warm. “I will sleep well tonight.”

  “Did you not sleep on An-Yun’s back?”

  “I dozed,” Thalynder said. “There, you are as beautiful as ever.”

  Bryn stood up and turned to face Thalynder. She reached out and touched Thalynder’s cheek. “Was not the view spectacular?”

  “I must admit, the landscape frightened me when it was dark. The moon gave little light,” Thalynder said. “When the sun was out, it was breathtaking to see the sea below us.”

  “Yes, it was,” Bryn placed a kiss on Thalynder’s lips. “Are you hungry?”

  “I could eat.”

  “Good, we will eat first. After this, we will explore. There is much to show the council.”

  “Will we see Athyl again?”

  Bryn smiled. “She may visit us, but I think right now she will leave us to discover the wonders of this cavern on our own.”

  “Lead on. I am eager to know why you brought us here.”

  Bryn’s smile faded. “In time, my Lynder.”

  Outside the room, the others gathered in the center of the hall next to the sacks of food. They were in a heated discussion.

  “What has happened?” Bryn asked.

  “The eggs are gone!” Kenna said.

  “Are they with the dragons?” Arryn asked.

  “How could they be?” Malcolm asked. “We left them right here. The dragons have not returned, or we would have known about it.”

  “Would we have?” Leus asked. “Do you know how long ago we left the eggs here?”

  “What do you mean?” Lothan asked.

  “It has only been an hour, no longer,” Cinnia said.

  “Longer,” Rythale said. “I am rested and famished.”

  “Longer?” Lothan said.

  Bryn smiled. “The magic of the cavern,” she said. “You have been asleep for many hours. The sun is setting on another day. And the eggs are safe. Safely tucked away within the walls of this cavern. Come, we will eat a meal before we go to see the eggs.”

  Leus shook his head. “Magic for certain. I slept dreamless and deep. I have not done so since the first time we chased Heardred back across the sea. I am restored and hungry.”

  “We all needed the rest,” Malcolm said. “Here, our hearts and minds found no conflict. No burning need to keep moving.”

  “Then let us eat!” Kenna said. “If game were available we would have a hearty stew for I am in the mood to hunt.”

  “You are well rested for certain,” Cinnia said.

  Kenna laughed.

  They picked up the sacks, and Bryn led them to a smaller hall at the center of the far wall. Inside it was brighter, but there were no torches. Bryn looked up.

  “We have a little of the sunlight left,” she said. The others looked up. At the top of the hall was an opening. Though covered with a sheet of ice, the crevice allowed the light from outside into the chamber. “We will need torchlight soon enough.”

  Malcolm grabbed a torch from the other sizeable hall and brought it into the smaller chamber. He lit two torches in the wall. The light spread and revealed a table in the middle of the room. “There is food on the table,” he said.

  Bryn smiled. “Kenna, is this going to be enough?”

  “There is food enough for even the hungriest among us. Would you agree, Lothan?”

  “Enough and more so,” Lothan said. He clapped his hands. “The food appears fresh. How did it get here?”

  “It may be just your imagination,” Bryn said.

  “Then I have an excellent imagination,” Lothan said. “If we had mead we would have a party.”

  “Eat first,” Bryn said. “Later, there will be time to rest and relax with a mug of mead. Once we have taken a meal, we will explore some of this cavern.”

  The council sat and began to eat. No one asked again how the food managed to be there and laughed and talked while eating. Soon, the company started to push themselves away from the table. Arryn stood and walked a little around the room.

  “There is magic here,” he said. “It is not druid magic, but something more ancient.”

  “You feel it too,” Kenna said. “It is as if I had once dreamt this. It is both familiar and new.”

  “Familiar, yes,” Leus said. “Though not new, different is the word I would use.”

  “Different and strange,” Cinnia said. “I have no recollection of any dream this luxurious. The food was rich and satisfying, but there are no cooks.”

  “The water was clear and sweet, but there is no spring,” Rythale said. “We are too high up for a spring or a well.”

  “Are you all up for a walk?” Bryn asked.

  “I think we need a walk,” Thalynder said. “Will we find the answers?”

  “You will find many things. Come, this way, there is much to see.” Bryn took a torch from the wall. “Malcolm, please take another torch and follow at the rear.” Bryn led the group through a small doorway in a darkened recess of the hall. The door led to a long hallway where Bryn held her torch aloft so the others could see the light reflected off the slick walls.

  “Obsidian,” Arryn said. “The walls are made of obsidian.”

  Cinnia ran her hands over the wall’s surface. “Smooth like a highly polished stone or the blade of a sword. We sometimes use obsidian as spear tips.”

  “That explains why we could see the faces so clearly,” Kenna said. “The obsidian magnified the features.”

  “The cavern is on top of a large mountain of obsidian and ice,” Bryn explained. “When the first dragons came to earth, this was a vast landscape of green. Trees and forests, lakes, and lush vegetation. But the earth was young and still forming.” Bryn led them around a corner, and they came to another large hall filled with alcoves and rooms. “By the time the earth was ready to hold the life we recognize now, this area became the top of the world. It was covered in ice and snow. We are now so far north it never rains or snows. We are now in a land of eternal light, with sunlight reflected off the snow, and moonlight reflected off the ice. The dragons lived here when it was green, and remained when it was white. The peace of the desolation held them here.”

  “No conflict,” Malcolm said, “but nothing else either.”

  “There is much to see. Follow me.” Bryn walked through another dark doorway. In the center of the large room was what appeared to be the opening to a well. It was a circular wall about waist high and took up the majority of the room.“Come.”

  The council gathered at the wall and looked over the edge.

  “The eggs!” Rythale said. “Look Leus, the dragon eggs.” She reached out and clutched at Leus’ hand. “I was afraid we had lost them.”

  “No, they were not lost.” Bryn reached out and touched the wall of the room. It lit up, and the room’s dimensions became clear. It was a large circular room with small shelves dug into the walls. In the center of the room was a giant ring of stone, the wall they had seen in the dark. On the shelves were carved stones. Or so they appeared at first. Bryn touched one of the eggs. “Here are the eggs which once contained a dragon. They now hold their memories.”

  The council left the ring of stones and looked into the recessed shelves. “There are hundreds of eggs here,” Leus said.

  “Yes.” Bryn walked back to the ring of stone. “And here are the eggs we brought with us.” Inside the circle, the eggs from the cairn at Skerrabrae lay in a bed of snow.

  “In snow?” Kenna asked. “Why snow?”

  “To keep them safe. Up here, it is the best place for them.” Bryn leaned over the ring and gently touched one of the eggs. It sparkled at her touch.

  “Life resides inside, but it will stay there until needed.”

  “We should allow them to hatch,” Lothan said. “They would make a formidable army.”

  “We cannot have an army of dragons,” Cinnia said. “That would draw e
very army from every country to our shores.”

  “But think of how well we would be protected,” Leus said.

  “Are we going to debate the dragon issue again?” Kenna asked. “We have already debated their use as weapons. We are not at a point where we need their kind of protection.”

  “I agree,” Arryn said. “To use the dragons as weapons will only invite stronger and more fortified armies to our shores. And if all the dragons are killed? We would be back to the beginning. Enslaved and murdered by those who would have our island.”

  “Our best defense is to build an army of united Albans,” Malcolm said, “one with a common goal.”

  “The dragons would make it easier,” Rythale said. “With a dragon at the head of every army, we would be unstoppable.”

  “And eventually we would take them over the sea to meet the enemy before they reach our shores,” Thalynder said. “We would become the enemy.”

  “We will not use the dragons,” Bryn said. “To do so would not unite us, it would alienate us. Who’s clann would have the bigger dragon? Where would the high dragon reside? With which kingdom? How many dragons would each realm command? There are no easy answers, but for one.”

  “No dragons at all,” Arryn said.

  “Not even the ones we ride now?” Kenna said.

  “It would make the most sense,” Arryn said. “It would eliminate the questions. No one would feel left out or isolated.”

  “Could we do that?” Thalynder asked. “Could we actually release our dragons from the companionship? Is it even possible?”

  Bryn lightly shook her head. “They would never be completely released,” she said. “A bond would remain. One you could call upon in the direst of times.”

  Will they indeed allow this? Bryn asked Ua.

  They will do as you ask, Athebryn.

  “Remain in hiding until we called?” Cinnia said.

  “Out of sight?” Malcolm said. “I have grown so accustomed to IronHeart’s presence. I do not know if I could go one day without his company.”

  “Even if it meant you were saving his life?” Bryn asked.

  “Saving their life, how so?” Leus asked.

  “If we choose to use the dragons as weapons, some will die,” Bryn said. “Eventually, the dragons will stop coming to us. They may leave us altogether. Go someplace else. Become companions of those we do not as yet know about. How could we be sure they were not enslaved and misused by others?”