Semi-conscious and dazed, Brian and Julie sat up, rubbing at their eyelids. Neither of them had noticed anything amiss so far. Realizing that it was nearly dark in camp, the shaman glanced up at Edward. “Did you fall asleep on your shift?”
“No one ever woke me up,” the wizard snapped, “and Katie is gone!”
Immediately, the partially awake man and woman rose to their feet, scanning the surrounding shadows as if their missing friend would suddenly walk out of the forest. “Maybe she just went hunting,” Julie suggested, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.
“If that’s the case, she may have gotten lost in the dark,” Brian interjected. “Unless Amber is with her.”
Edward hoped that one of them was right, though his mind insisted it was improbable. If the ghost was illuminating a path for Katie, she would have been back by now. When it dawned on him that it was unlikely the ‘gone hunting’ scenario was even remotely possible, especially when considering Katie’s broken hand, he shook his head sadly. “I wish I could believe that her disappearance is something so easily explained, but I don’t. It might only be my mind overthinking the situation, but I feel certain that she tried to return to the Tree of Life. Remember how persistent she was about getting closer to it?”
Simultaneously, Brian and Julie’s slack-jawed expressions indicated they hadn’t considered the possibility. However, now that the can of worms was open, they couldn’t see how they hadn’t thought of it. Every word that Edward spoke rung undeniably true.
Tears threatened to spill from Julie’s eyes. “How are we going to find—”
Her inquiry was suddenly interrupted by a disembodied wail, echoing through the forest like a tortured scream. The three of them instantly whipped their heads around toward the sound. In seconds, the rapidly pulsating form of their ghostly friend floated through the woods and stopped before them. “You have to come with me, quick! Katie’s in trouble and needs your help!”
***
Since his initial encounter with the flying, flame-spewing creature, George had become more cautious when soaring through the night sky. No longer did he zip through the darkness with reckless abandon, traveling so fast that the wind would howl in his ears as he flew. It wasn’t what he wanted to do, but instead a survival instinct ... one which told him to slow down to increase the odds that he would hear a potential enemy coming before it got close enough to do any real damage, and as an added bonus would allow him to more thoroughly scan the ground below for his prey.
Far from being the most expedient method of getting from one place to another, he found himself flying in a pattern of overlapping circles about one hundred feet above the treetops, almost as if he and his mount were one; a gigantic buzzard that spiraled through the night in search of carrion to feed upon.
Already the great sea was a few hours to his south, but even at the slower pace he now traveled, George felt he would be hovering above the Black Knight’s army before the first light of dawn. Lost in his thoughts, he nearly missed spotting an anomaly in the forest below. It could have been moonlight reflecting off of something metallic that caused the brief glow he caught from the corner of his eye, but there was only one way to be sure.
***
After watching Amber disappear into the forest, Katie turned her attention back to the baby dragon. Even though she still had her doubts about whether or not the beast was real, until Edward and the others arrived, she had nothing better to do with her time than attempt to better understand the creature. After all, it seemed as if the dragon had been trying to communicate with her. Perhaps, in some strange way, it would be similar to figuring out the needs and wants of an infant. A baby couldn’t speak, but obviously its parents could tell what their child required. Maybe if she paid attention to the creature’s subtle movements, she might be able to make a small measure of sense from the unintelligible vocabulary that the beast was using. It would be nice to actually comprehend the meaning of its words, but unless Edward had a spell in his repertoire that would allow such a thing, she would have to make do with pretending to act like the dragon’s parent.
Oddly enough, the dragon seemed to have gotten over its fear of human contact, this fact evidenced by its close proximity to Katie and that it no longer hid behind the trunk of the tree, spying on her from afar. As strange as it might seem, the beast now acted as if Katie were its best friend in the world, allowing her to touch its smooth scales and rubbing against her like an affectionate kitten. Even so, she avoided making prolonged physical contact with the creature, fearing there would be some sort of reprisal for doing such a thing.
As if awaking from a bout of severe amnesia, Katie suddenly remembered the suffocating feeling she’d had right before Amber found her. She turned her head and cast a nervous glance toward the Tree of Life, wondering what had become of the menacing blue creatures that had confronted her upon her return to the meadow. Strangely, it seemed as if the entire fairy population had fled its home. There was not even a single flicker of light coming from the foliage of the monstrous tree. Hopefully, they'd found someone else to pick on.
***
The frantic pace at which they sped through the forest made it apparent that Amber was frightened about Katie’s safety. Several times, Edward had to call out to her because she was weaving through the thick tangle of trees faster than Brian could maneuver his mechanical mount. It wasn’t until the foliage became less dense that he was able to hasten the horse-like machine to greater speeds.
Following Amber’s lead, the same distance that had taken them nearly eight hours to traverse on their southward journey took considerably less time. Even so, it felt like an eternity to Julie. The spirit’s revelation about Katie being in trouble had caused a pit of worry to tie her insides into a giant knot. Part of her mind insisted that her friend could more than take care of herself if she had to, but the other part reminded Julie that even the mightiest warrior could be blindsided and overwhelmed in battle. It seemed like only yesterday that the two of them had been reunited, even though it had truly been more like a week, and there was no way in hell she was going to allow anything to take Katie away from her.
Lost in her panicked swirl of thoughts, she nearly slid from her tenuous seat behind Edward. Since Katie had taken one of the mechanical beasts, the three of them were forced to ride the remaining one. Thankfully, the metallic creature was longer than a flesh and blood horse. Otherwise Julie would have had no other option than to tuck herself in the hollow cavity of the creature’s chest, which was not something she wished to consider.
Sensing the shift of the woman behind him and fearing that she might have fallen asleep, Edward held an arm back to brace Julie and keep her from slipping off the speeding machine. “Are you awake back there?” He turned his head slightly as he spoke, hoping to better hear any response she might give.
“I’m sorry,” she replied. “For a second there I was lost in thought and must have forgotten to hold on.”
“Well, you scared the crap out of me,” Edward admitted.
Before Julie had the chance to apologize again, she realized they were slowing down. “We’re here,” Brian announced, the Tree of Life looming in front of them like a massive black cloud; the moonlight shining down on the leaves gave no indication of their actual, lively green coloration. Were it not for Amber leading the way, Katie would have been next to impossible to discern in the glowing ambiance of the twin moons. Steering his steed across the clearing, Brian brought the mechanical beast to a stop less than a foot from Katie. After nearly running over her, he quickly jumped down and rushed to her side. “Are you okay? I didn’t hit you, did I?”
“I’m fine, Brian.”
So far, none of her friends had noticed the dragon, but it had hidden behind Katie’s metallic steed when it heard the new arrivals approaching. “Amber said you were in trouble,” Edward stated as he, Brian, and Julie formed a tight, protective circle around Katie. In the ghost’s spectral glow, he saw a look of con
fusion bloom upon her face.
“Trouble? Not hardly.” She paused for a few seconds in an attempt to figure out why Amber might have indicated that there was a problem. Suddenly, it dawned on her that maybe her ghostly friend had witnessed the argument between herself and the tiny blue woman. “Well, there was a brief exchange between myself and the fairy leader, but she and her entourage appear to be gone now,” Katie confessed.
“I didn’t know about that,” Amber’s disembodied voice intoned. “What concerned me was the red creature that was approaching you from behind. Did you scare it away after I left?”
Katie couldn’t help but laugh. “Why would I do that? It seems friendly. I must admit, however, I couldn’t understand a thing it was trying to say.”
“This beast was talking to you?” A look of disbelief crossed Edward’s features. Clearly, he thought the fairies had done something to Katie’s mind, somehow warping its perception of reality.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” Katie sighed in frustration, turning her head to see if the dragon was still nearby. At first she couldn’t locate the creature, and for a brief instant she considered calling out to it—as if it were a puppy—especially since she had no idea what the beast’s name was. If it even had one. Katie was on the verge of giving up, thinking that her friends may have scared it off, when she spotted the dragon on the other side of her metallic steed. “There you are,” she announced with a tone of smug satisfaction, breaking through the protective barrier of her friends with a gentle shove and walking toward her horse.
“What are you—” Quickly following after Katie, Edward’s inquiry froze in his throat when he caught sight of the dragon. He wasn’t sure whether to be frightened or amazed. Ever since he was a child, his parents had told him stories of creatures similar to this, but like most fanciful tales, he thought they were mythical beasts conjured by their imaginations. Never for an instant did he think there was any truth to the fables. Edward stopped in his tracks when the baby dragon turned to regard him, tilting its head slightly as if the sight of him had raised the creature’s curiosity.
The dragon opened its maw almost imperceptibly and a deep, reverberating, growl-like sound bubbled up from its throat. “Can it be?”
Edward stumbled backward, barely managing to maintain his balance. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it definitely caught him by surprise when he realized he understood the words rolling off of the beast’s tongue. How was it that he could comprehend what the dragon said, while the others in his party seemed oblivious? Casting a nervous glance toward his comrades, Edward returned his attention to the dragon. “Are you talking to me? Can what be?”
The corners of the creature’s mouth twitched backward toward its jowls in an expression which faintly resembled a grin. “Yes, I am indeed speaking to you. The fact that you can understand my words tells me that you are a magical being, for surely you are not my kin. You are far too thin to be such.” A gust of hot wind blew from its mouth as the dragon attempted to express its mirth, a deep rumble creeping up from its throat.
Confused by only hearing one side of the strange conversation, Edward’s friends flicked their gazes between their leader and the dragon as if they were watching a heated tennis match. “What’s it saying?”
Keeping his focus on the beast before him, Edward ignored Katie’s question. “I—I’m not entirely sure how to respond,” he admitted. “I’ve never encountered your kind before, believing that dragons were creatures of myth and legend, so forgive me if my tongue seems tied. As for your assumption that I’m a magical being, you are partly correct. I am a wizard, or sorcerer if you prefer.”
The dragon dipped its head slowly, in a nod-like movement. “If it eases your mind, young conjurer, you are the first of your kind that I’ve had the pleasure of conversing with.”
“Me, young?” Edward laughed heartily. “I would hardly consider myself such.”
“I’m not sure how your kind ages, but I’m relatively certain you haven’t seen as many years as I,” the dragon retorted with a rumbling chuckle. “Myself, I have witnessed the rise and fall of a new day countless times. By my reckoning, I am nearly one hundred years old.”
“Seriously? That is more than twice my age,” Edward admitted. “I would have imagined you were a fraction of that. It seems as if you would be younger. Judging by your size, I would think you weren’t much more than a toddler of your kind.”
“Basically, I am,” the creature confessed. “All things considered, I have a significantly longer life span than most living things. Don’t ask me how I know this. Perhaps it is an instinctual, possibly hereditary, knowledge I was born with. My kind can live for a thousand years or more.” The dragon’s proclamation drew an astonished gasp from Edward.
“That’s remarkable!” Briefly unable to grasp the possibility of a flesh and blood creature living for what seemed like an eternity, Edward's jaw hung open in awe. For the next minute or so, an awkward silence fell over the group like a shroud, until he finally found his voice again. “It seems strange to ask at this point, but what should I call you? I must assume you wouldn’t be too fond of being summoned by the use of something like, hey, dragon.”
A laugh rumbled from the creature’s cavernous maw as the beast tilted its head skyward like a wolf howling at the moon. “The guardians of the tree gave me the name of Sygax when I emerged from my egg,” the dragon replied after his amusement had died down.
With a slight bow, Edward then began to introduce his traveling companions, pointing to each as he spoke their names. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. These are my friends, Katie, Brian, and Julie.” He hesitated for a moment, considering whether or not to include Amber in his introductions, then decided against it. There was no way to tell if the dragon could see her or not, and he didn’t want to come across as crazy. “My name is Edward the White,” he finally finished.
Chapter 6
His curiosity getting the better of him, George put off his return to the Black Knight’s steadily marching regiment of machines in favor of investigating the glowing anomaly below. As quietly as he could manage, he maneuvered his three-headed mount toward the ground and landed at the edge of a large clearing, steering the machine into the cover of the surrounding forest. Once he was certain that no unwanted attention had been drawn his way, he dismounted the monstrosity and crept closer to the glow a few hundred feet away from his position.
After closing half of the distance, he stopped and squatted down in hopes of avoiding detection. He could see the source of the strange glow more clearly now, which was caused by the troublesome apparition he had encountered in the abandoned town below Cemetery Hill. The ghost seemed to be standing in one place, not displaying nervousness of any sort that would be associated with her realization of his presence, and conversing with the small group of mortals the Black Knight was searching for.
George considered an attempt to sneak closer, desperately wishing that he could hear what they were saying. The information would surely be vital to Verin and his master, but it would also give him insight into their plans. It would be helpful to know ahead of time what they were up to and where they were headed, even if he kept the knowledge to himself as a contingency plan. If nothing else, it would certainly make the group of mortals easier to track.
Before he had a chance to decide one way or the other, he noticed the small clique had begun moving toward the perimeter of the meadow. Only two of them had mounted their mechanical steeds, the others walking beside the machines. Something didn’t seem right to George as he watched them slowly move away from him. There was a large, darkened shape that he hadn’t seen until now, keeping pace with the humans. From this distance, it was impossible to ascertain what was causing the hulking shadow.
Figuring the best way to find out what was traveling amongst the small group would be to investigate from a closer locale, he quickly scurried back to his steed. George had only made half of the return journey when he stopped in
his tracks, his head whipping around to see what was causing the commotion behind him. The night air was filled with a deafening buzz, as if a swarm of angry locusts had suddenly taken flight. What seemed like millions of tiny, blue shooting stars darted from a large tree at the center of the clearing, which George hadn’t noticed until now, zipping through the darkness and leaving trails of eerie light in their wake.
***
After convincing Sygax to travel with them, mainly due to Katie’s insistence that it would be helpful to have another ally, Edward instructed Brian and Julie to mount the mechanical horses. They hesitated briefly before getting underway, but only long enough for Katie to show her friend how to operate the machine. Once Julie had mastered the basics, the group began moving toward the forest.
In all honesty, though he refused to voice his opinion out loud, Edward was mildly annoyed that their traveling speed would now be burdened by the much slower dragon, and thusly make it easier for the army of machines on their trail to catch up to them. If the creature were older and able to fly, possibly even bear one of them as a rider upon its back, it wouldn’t have concerned him as much.
When the group reached the edge of the woods, Edward contemplated whether or not to take the path they had already used twice. In one respect, it would make the journey quicker, which was the one thing that seemed to fret in his mind the most. On the other hand, blazing the trail a third time would only make it easier for the enemy to follow them. “I believe—” Before he could finish his sentence, a deafening cacophony assaulted his eardrums. Spinning his head around toward the sound, he instantly spotted the source. “This can’t be good!”
Katie and the others turned to see why their leader seemed shaken, and discovered that the swarm of bluish lights quickly approached. Sensing the vibe of hostility in the air, Sygax whipped around and stood next to Edward like a guard dog. He wasn’t exactly sure why the guardians of the tree seemed to be in a rage, but he was determined to thwart any violent outbursts between the tiny blue creatures and his new traveling companions.
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