The Dragon's Back Trilogy

by Robert Dennis Wilson

  With each of the instructor’s sentences, Jason had grown more and more confused for zee, that is “the”, words simply did not make sense. The dragons he had sensed in that room had not been in the air but lodged elsewhere. The man with the “Eagle quill sword” was wasting a lot of energy and effort waving that invisible weapon in the wrong direction! He also, by his actions, effectively kept the others in the class from receiving any further instruction on actual swordplay. Jason felt a troubling in his Gryphonskin and knew he needed some time to reflect on today’s events before he proceeded.

  “Sir,” he replied tailoring the utmost respect into his voice, “As you have said, I am new here, and what I have just seen is also new to me. Of course, I want to receive all that the Gryphon has given me, but I think I must wait for Him to do the giving.”

  “Ah! Well-spoken, lad. Would you like for all of us here that have experienced zee Sword to reflect for you? Or even better, we could all gather round and touch you with our swords: zee process of knighting has often led to better-armed soldiers to zee praise of the Great Eagle!”

  “No thank you, kind sir. At this point, I think I need to do some reflecting of my own, so I can follow the footprints the Gryphon has laid for me. Please continue with your class and I will rejoin you in a moment or two.”

  “Very well, lad. But if you change your mind, just let me know.”

  Three things were troubling Jason’s mind as he found an unobtrusive corner seat and took out his bowl and Gryphonskin and prepared to reflect. First, he remembered Nathan saying that the Gryphon’s footprints never led a confusing, twisted path. The demonstration he had seen had definitely been a cause of much confusion, not only for him personally but on the whole demeanor and process of the class.

  Second, and more disturbing were the instructor’s words concerning the matter of ‘getting all that was coming to him’ from the Gryphon. Being an apprentice bard, he had the advantage of already having memorized some major portions of the Word of the Gryphon. One song came to his mind even as he searched for wisdom:

  “According to His power,

  Has He given unto us each thing

  That pertains unto life and godliness,

  Through our knowledge of our Swimmer King:

  Whereby He has given us promises

  That are precious and exceedingly great

  That by these of His nature

  We might now partake.” 12

  Since the Word of the Gryphon is true and contains no errors (he pondered the implications of the words to himself), then I know that He has already given me everything that I need to live for Him. If that is so, I do not need to seek other things, lest they distract me from seeking Him!

  Finally, the emphasis that those in the class made on the Great Eagle, presented that divine Person in a way different than what Jason had ever considered. More Gryphonsong filled his mind, again bringing answers that on the surface seemed to contradict the secondary lessons taught in the class. From the epic “Songs of Yohann,” he heard in his mind words from the portion called “The Leaving”, where the Gryphon’s Son gave instructions to his followers just before He went to be killed.

  “I will not leave you orphans

  Since I must go away,

  My Father will send the Comforter

  And with you He will stay.

  This Holy Eagle, this Spirit of Truth,

  The world cannot receive;

  For it sees Him not, it knows Him not,

  And in Him won’t believe:

  In the past, you knew about Him,

  For with you He has been,

  But on that day all things will change

  For then He’ll live within.

  These are the truths I’ve spoken to you,

  While briefly I remain,

  But the Comforter, the Holy One,

  Sent by the Father in my Name,

  Shall clearly teach you of all things

  That I taught and that you heard

  So that you’ll remember what I’ve said to you,

  Yes, each and every word.

  But when He comes, this Eagle of Truth,

  The One I’ll send to you,

  He will come from the Father and testify of Me:

  And then you will witness too.

  It’s so important that I go away,

  Otherwise, the Eagle won’t come near,

  But when He comes, He’ll not speak of Himself;

  But only what He’ll hear

  That shall He speak, He will tell you about

  The things that are yet to be.

  For He’ll receive what is mine, and show it to you,

  And He will glorify Me.” 13 .

  Ah! thought the young bard, it is as I remembered. Master, Mighty Swimmer-Son, repeatedly you say here that the Great Eagle will not speak about Himself, but instead lift you up and glorify you. His assigned task is like the hidden wind that fills the visible sails of the ship; we do not look at the wind, rather we look upon the full sail to see that the wind is blowing. The sail is not the wind. You, Master, are the sail, which drives your ship forward; You are the One the world is supposed to see, what we focus on, not the Great Wind that drives your name forward. What am I to think then of these fellow-Swimmers who seek to magnify the Wind instead of the Sail, who appear to lift up the Great Eagle over the Swimmer-Son who sent Him? They have given me much to question and ponder. Is one point of view wrong and the other right? That must be the case, for I can only rely on the Gryphonsong that you have given as my guide and set my course by it.

  Jason’s filled shellbowl lay still and quiet in his lap, reflecting a perfect image of the room. It showed a wildly contorting, empty-handed man, stabbing empty air, enveloped by... Seeing the shadows there, Jason confirmed his suspicions that several of those in the room were cloaked with much more than just cloth. ‘Know your enemy,’ Nathan had told him.

  Well, I guess that works both ways, he thought. Who would have ever imagined? Spies in the Hall of Gryphon’s Bridge!

  At that moment a second resounding gong announced that the class had come to an end, but Jason remained seated to watch the departing throng. One by one, under the watchful eye of their trainer, the members of the class cleaned their elegantly crafted swords fashioned of intricately carved bone and then carefully placed them on the polished storage rack by the door. Empty-handed, they walked carefree and noisily out to face the battlefield called Dragonsback.

  RIVERTON

  “Master, Nathan, I am confused about something.”

  In reality “confused and excited” would have been a more accurate description of Jason’s internal state.

  They were following the River Road northward again and were approaching the environs of Sinsinatti, the capital city of the Heartland, which stood on the opposite bank of the River. An etched column of black scaline set beside the Road marked their location as “Riverton, the Heart of the Heartland”. On their left, the dark, swift-moving liquid – the lifeblood of Dragonsback – raced by this heart on its way to supply the whole land with its living death. An increasing number of close-clustered houses and businesses claimed the valley floor sloping upward to their right. Everywhere he looked Jason spied something new and different that captured his attention and required explanations from the patient bard.

  Earlier, Nathan had stressed the importance of their arriving at the Head of the River in time for the Great Games that were held there every four years. They had traveled hard and fast over the past two days in order to meet that deadline. Other travelers also crowded the Road, apparently sharing the same goal. The prospect of experiencing the largest city on Dragonsback for the first time and doing that at the time of the Games sent a glowing fire racing through the young bard’s veins. The thrill of seeing and discovering new things had become a potent drug that he found very addicting. However, the sight of the River flowing beside them again triggered a question that had been puzzling him deeply ever since the first time h
e had considered it. The time had arrived for an answer.

  Nathan turned toward him with a smile and silently raised an inquisitive eyebrow in his direction as if to say, “Well, what is it this time?”

  “When we visited Gryphon’s Bridge the swim-master there said that his people wouldn’t go into the River to rescue the drowning, but would only attempt to do so from a bridge or the shore. But you told me that a Swimmer rescued your father from deep water. If the River is poison, the ‘venom of the Dragon’ you’ve called it, then why did that Swimmer enter it to save someone? Who is right, the instructor from the bridge or the Swimmer who came to your father’s aid?”

  The bard’s smile disappeared under a visible cloud of sadness that knit his brow and hardened the line of his bearded jaw. He paused before speaking as if his words were the medications of a healer that had to be carefully measured on a scale lest an inaccurate dosage proves more harmful than the ailment which they were supposed to cure. “The guiding principle behind many of the bridges could be stated something like this: ‘We have built a large edifice spanning the flood and it is clearly visible to all. From it we throw out lifelines accessible to any who will reach for them. We also send out rescuers to help snag those floundering along the outer banks (those rescuers will, in turn, bring the rescued back to help fill our bridge). This is enough. If the drowning wish to be saved, they must come to us. We are visible, we are present, we are accessible, but we will not allow ourselves to be polluted by contact with the River. We have set up careful rules to prevent this from happening and we live by those rules!’”

  “But I thought the River only polluted those who drank it, not those it touched. Am I mistaken?”

  “No, son, for the most part, you are not the one who is mistaken. The strongest, deep-current River water can burn Swimmers unless they first anoint themselves with the Dew. However, it can only defile us if we deliberately drink it for our own pleasure.

  Otherwise, the One who builds all bridges would have Himself been polluted. Remember what you’ve learned: the Gryphon’s Son allowed Himself to be anointed in this River to show us all our need for obedience and point out His task for us! If this act had poisoned Him, He would have been unfit for the mission His Father sent Him to do.

  “Unlike us, His birthright was a Gryphonskin filled with pure water which He carried with Him to this land. He came and willingly accepted the ‘skin of a man. His bag of adoption came from Dragonsback and was filled with the venom of the River. He carried it with him but never did He even taste one drop of its poison. He only drank the River in the end when they chained Him in it to drown.

  “I believe that the bridges have allowed themselves to be built too narrow. I disagree with them: sometimes it does become necessary for a Swimmer to enter the River, but only when rescuing another. In your case, as for all Swimmers, you should never use the River’s water for yourself. Never to quench a thirst. Never to cool yourself from the heat of the day. And never to ease your journey by floating along with the current. You see, the Gryphon has ordained your thirst so that you would see Him as Provider. He has ordained the heat so that you would find in Him your Shade. And the Gryphon has made the path we walk, long and arduous so that others may see that He is our Helper. Never go to the River to find what the Gryphon has not given.”

  “What about the young man with the invisible ‘sword’? Why would they allow such a thing on the bridge? I saw dragons in that room yet no one else seemed to notice or care!”

  “Draw your own sword, carved by your GrandSire’s hand,” said the Master bard and Jason quickly complied with the request.

  “Show me now the eight basic positions as you have learned them.”

  Again the student obeyed his master, growing more and more curious as to the answer that would be drawn from his actions. He snapped his blade through the complete range of combat motions with a fluidity that marked them as an oft-repeated and now habitual set of tasks.

  “What is the most common factor in all of these positions?” asked the bard.

  “Why, they are all defensive, designed to turn away an opponent’s blade,” said Jason with growing interest, knowing Nathan was about to make his point.

  “Are you telling me that you can win a battle by spending all of your effort defending yourself?”

  “No, but it’s the safest way to bide your time and wear down an attacker while you wait for an opening. If you fight a defensive battle for a time, you can hide your own true skill until you know the skill of the one you are facing, making him expend the greater amount of energy while taking little risk at exposing yourself!”

  “Exactly! Now answer your question with what you have just told me!”

  Jason audibly sighed and let his shoulders and sword droop.

  He’s done it to me again, thought the young bard to himself. Turned a simple and reasonable question into an excuse to make me think! How does he always manage to turn my questions around like that?

  But turn around it did until its sword-like point suddenly jabbed into Jason’s consciousness with almost painful clarity.

  “Wait!” he shouted, “I think I understand what you’re tryin’ to get me to see. If the dragons can deflect all of the attention of those who are supposed to be fightin’ them away from themselves and on to something else, then they won’t have to fight any battles. They want to make us spend all of our energy challenging empty shadows, leaving them free to do more of their dirty work elsewhere! They want us to think we’re in a real fight when all the time we’re just shadowboxing with ourselves!”

  “Well said, son!” beamed the bard. “That is Gryphon’s truth for we both can feel the reality of your words in our hearts. This is where the wind of the Eagle’s wings touches us most! Yet, there is another lesson you need to learn from your sword. Hold it out sideways in your right hand.”

  Basking in the glow of his master’s praise, Jason did not mind playing along with Nathan’s games. Besides, he commented to himself with growing realization, I like being taught this way!

  Jason extended his arm and brought the blade into the requested position. The sword felt comfortable in his hand, even in this unsupported position: as though it were a part of his own arm and not a burden to be carried or wielded.

  “Why does the blade not droop in your hand? Certainly, its length makes it cumbersome for you to hold out like that for any length of time!”

  This time Jason took offense at Nathan’s words, “You know that my GrandSire’s skill as a carver would not allow that! This is a perfectly balanced blade: the heaviest part of the tusk from which it was carved is in the ball which is behind my hand. It balances against the weight of the blade so this sword is a delight to hold! You know this, for you own one that is its twin. Why do you question the skill of your friend when he can no longer defend himself?”

  “Whoa there, young Jason,” replied the bard shaking his head as a warm smile spread across his bearded features. “I would never question the skill of Thaddeus the carver. In fact, I, like you, would be most inclined to straighten out anyone who attempted to soil his well-deserved reputation. I was only trying to get you to make a point, which you did most eloquently: a good sword must be balanced. An unbalanced weapon saps the strength of its user and leaves him open for unnecessary attack!

  “If a wise enemy could sabotage his opponent’s weapons by making them all slightly off-balance, then he would gain an instant advantage in battle. Our enemy, the Great Dragon, is a master of the stratagems of war. He well knows the truth behind unbalanced weapons and uses it mightily to his advantage. Any man he can push to following an extreme becomes an out of balanced sword that is not only useless in a fight, but also tends to get in the way of those who are better equipped. Here then is bard’s truth: he who holds his reflecting shell steady can always find the level if he will but focus on the Gryphon who is at its center!”

  ~ ~ ~

  “Kaleb! Wake up!” the black-robed giant roughly shook h
is slumbering charge into semi-consciousness. “Good news, my friend! Wake up and get dressed! It’s finally happened! Your brother and that accursed bard have been sighted traveling alone toward the city of Sinsinatti. We must leave at once to intercept them there!”

  Satisfied with the instant burning reaction this news provoked in the eyes of his prodigy, Raven rose and turned to leave Kaleb’s chamber.

  “Wait!” Hearing Kaleb’s demand, he paused at the too-low doorway and turned back to face him again.

  “What is it? We must hurry!” he snapped, impatience coloring his words.

  “How can we? Isn’t it too far away to get there in time?” queried the young initiate and Raven noted with approval that the darkened chamber revealed the burning fire of dragon-eyes staring up at him like two glowing embers from the still prone figure.

  “Not to worry!” said the giant laughing reassuringly to his charge. “We dragonmen can do some pretty amazing things when we have to. Surface travel would take us several days to move that far. We’ll take the tunnels and be there in a few hours!”

  Leaving his pupil to make his own preparations, the dark giant laughed to himself. “Like fire to dried grass!” Raven dared to speak his innermost thoughts out loud knowing his mistress’s Master would be listening. “That boy will soon be bound to us by blood... Nathan’s! Things couldn’t be going better. The bard and the brat are entering my trap and unwitting Kaleb is ready to be both bait and poison! The Lady will be pleased with me!”

  ~ ~ ~

  “Not too much longer, now, less than an hour till we reach the sight of the Games,” Nathan responded to Jason’s query. “The Games take place at the head of the River, so we’ll stop and join the festivities there first. Then afterward, we’ll cross the new platform to visit Sinsinatti on the opposite bank.”