How to Save a Kingdom

by Bill Allen

  Before retiring for the night, the others gathered by the fire. Greg couldn’t speak for the rest of them, but he was far too keyed up to sleep. He thought Rake might help him relax, but the shadowcat sought out Nathan instead, looking up with pleading eyes until Nathan reached out and scratched him under the chin.

  “You never told us what you were doing in Ruuan’s lair,” Priscilla said.

  “You must have been the one Ruuan was meeting,” Greg suddenly realized. “But why? I wasn’t even sure you knew the dragon was alive.”

  Nathan smiled. “I know a great many things.”

  “Do you know what Ruuan’s quest was about?” Priscilla asked, looking up at Nathan with pleading eyes of her own.

  He regarded her a long moment, possibly debating if he should scratch her under the chin as he had done with Rake. Instead he turned to Greg and nodded. “Perhaps it is time.”

  “Time for what?” Greg asked.

  “Time you knew the truth.”

  Greg and Priscilla exchanged excited glances. Greg always suspected Nathan knew far more than he was willing to say. Now it looked as if he might finally give up some answers.

  “Ruuan has gone to retrieve two artifacts,” Nathan began, “probably the most precious artifacts to have ever been born of this world.”

  “What kind of artifact is born?” Greg asked.

  “All in good time, Greg. All in good time. Let’s see, where should I begin? Perhaps many thousands of years ago, when the world of Myrth was ruled not by men, but by dragons.”

  Greg shot Priscilla a smile, but she was too rapt with attention to notice. At least with Nathan she wouldn’t be tripping over any roots.

  “Back then people didn’t go out after sunset,” continued Nathan, “but stayed locked up in the castle or cowered in caves and gullies, afraid to roam the dark for fear of being snatched from the ground by invisible claws. No one risked falling victim to the thousands of magical creatures that floated soundlessly across the night skies.”

  A sudden scurrying high in the trees caused both Greg and Priscilla to snap their heads up and scream.

  Nathan’s lips turned up in a slight smile. “I said soundlessly.”

  “But Ruuan claims he’s the last of the dragons,” said Priscilla. “If there used to be so many, what happened to them all?”

  “Ah, now that’s where my story gets interesting,” Nathan said, crossing his legs comfortably in front of him. “Never underestimate the ingenuity of mankind. When it became apparent that they could not stand against so many dragons, the men of that period knew they must do something to even up the odds. They began studying, learning everything not only about the dragons’ magic, but about other forms of magic as well.”

  “What other forms?” Greg asked, only now tearing his eyes away from the noise in the trees.

  “Magic has many facets,” said Nathan, “but the less you know about that the better. What’s important is that these men did finally learn how to defeat their foe.”

  “But how?” Priscilla asked. “So they learned magic. Dragons have magic too. Wouldn’t the two just cancel each other out? How did they ever win against huge creatures like Ruuan?”

  Nathan nodded. “Your question holds greater merit than you might think. The more these men studied, the more they realized they couldn’t fight so many dragons on their own terms.”

  “But if men couldn’t fight,” said Priscilla, “what caused the dragons to go extinct?”

  “Maybe it was all the smoking,” Greg said.

  Nathan smiled. “No, it wasn’t the smoke. After all their studies, the men eventually came to realize that their best hope of winning a fight against a dragon was with another dragon.”

  Priscilla’s brow crinkled. “Why would the dragons fight each other?”

  “Because the magicians learned not to try to fight them, but to control them,” Nathan said. “They pooled together all of their knowledge and all of their talent and used it to produce a very special amulet.”

  “The Amulet of Ruuan,” surmised Greg.

  Nathan shook his head. “No, that came later. The first was the Amulet of Tehrer, and it nearly caused the destruction of all of Myrth.”

  Priscilla gasped. Greg was shocked too, but he couldn’t help wonder how much simpler his life might have been if Myrth had been destroyed.

  “The Amulet of Tehrer was created many millennia ago,” Nathan continued, “through the joint efforts of the greatest magicians of the period—men who were remarkably skilled at their craft, perhaps even more so than any we have in the kingdom today. The amulet they created worked better than anyone ever imagined. With it they were able to bend the will of dragons. For a time, magicians rode atop the beasts, pitting dragon against dragon in fearsome battles that lit up the night skies with countless blasts of fire. Within a single century nearly every dragon had expired.”

  “How awful,” said Priscilla.

  Greg nodded, thinking of Ruuan and how helpful he had been.

  “That’s not the worst of it,” continued Nathan. “With each dragon that fell, the magicians grew stronger, and with that power came a greed for more. Then one dark day the unthinkable happened. A dragon was steered against its will over the castle, where it was forced to unleash a jet of scorching fire that burned the structure to the ground. A handful of deranged magicians had announced in their own demented way that they were unwilling to live under not only the dragons’ rule, but the king’s as well.”

  “Oh my,” said Priscilla. “I never knew Daddy’s castle wasn’t the original. How were these men ever stopped?”

  Nathan regarded her with a grim expression. “It was an easy task by no means. Much as the magicians had learned that a dragon could best be defeated by another dragon, those magicians left with their sanity knew that the stray magicians with their powerful amulet could best be defeated with the help of another amulet, equally strong as the first.”

  “That’s how we got the Amulet of Ruuan, right?” said Greg.

  Nathan nodded.

  “But how could they make one as strong as the original if they weren’t all working together?”

  “They couldn’t.”

  “Huh?” said Greg.

  “Those who were left could never hope to make an amulet as powerful as the first—at least not without help.”

  “But who but magicians could help them?” asked Priscilla.

  “No one.”

  Both Greg and Priscilla stared blankly at Nathan. Greg spotted a tiny flash of light and only then realized Nathan had waved his hand.

  The magician leaned forward and whispered. “You must use caution when speaking around the spirelings.”

  “The spirelings aren’t here,” said Greg.

  “Nor do they need to be. But at the moment they won’t hear us. Now, listen. To them, the Mighty Greghart is just a faceless name from a prophecy. They cannot take action against an opponent they do not know. Fortunately they think he is a great warrior and could not possibly be a mere boy, but too much evidence to the contrary could convince them otherwise. Then they will think we are hiding their amulet from them. Our ability to keep breathing hinges on your anonymity, so be careful.”

  “Of course,” said Greg.

  “If we’re going to keep them in the dark, they must not know of your role in the last prophecy. They know the Mighty Greghart was brought here from another world, so it would be wise for you not to mention that the same can be said about you.”

  “Sure,” said Greg. “I hadn’t planned to.”

  In spite of the gravity of his story, Nathan offered a small smile. “Yes, but I was just about to tell you Myrth isn’t the only place you’ll find magicians.”

  For a moment Greg nearly smiled himself. Then he remembered Marvin’s predicament and
could barely fight back his guilt. He had no right to be happy while Marvin’s life was in danger. “Are you trying to say that Earth could have magicians?”

  “It’s hard to say. I’m sure most, if not all, were killed in the Dragon Wars.”

  Greg realized Nathan was serious. “Are you really saying you brought magicians from my world to fight magicians here?”

  “Well, no, I didn’t. But yes, men were brought from Earth, and from my planet as well.”

  “Of course. Gyrth has magicians too. That’s how you were able to come here.”

  “No, I’m afraid Gyrth lost all its magic long ago,” Nathan said. “I’m sure it was once a fine place to live, but it since has gone to waste.”

  “Gyrth has gone to waste,” Greg repeated.

  “Most of it, yes.”

  “Were you one of the magicians brought here to fight?” Priscilla asked.

  Nathan actually laughed out loud. “Just how old do you think I am, Highness?”

  “Oh, sorry . . . I thought with magic and all . . .”

  “No, I came to this world about thirty years ago,” he said, “after a boy about my age delighted me with tales of a foreign land, a place where adventure lived at every turn. I was young and impressionable and really had nothing to lose, so I came here to try my own hand at adventure.

  “Ah, but that’s a story for another time. For now, you need only know that by soliciting help from those of other worlds, the magicians were able to create an amulet equally strong as the first. It took another decade of bloody war, but in the end Good triumphed over Evil.”

  “How many dragons were left when the war ended?” Greg asked.

  “A few dozen, I suspect,” said Nathan. “But those that remained were not left unharmed. They were angered about the way they’d been treated, furious over having been forced to battle their own kind. And they showed it over the years by terrorizing the men of the kingdom on a regular basis. Not in an all-out war, mind you—they’d learned all too well the dangers of pushing men too far. Instead they simply took out a couple of cows here, a dozen sheep there, maybe an occasional maiden . . . anything they could to make the lives of men miserable without pushing them far enough to incur their wrath.”

  “Taking young women wasn’t pushing too far?” Priscilla said. She shot Greg an angry glare, which he avoided, even though he was pretty sure he hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “Occasionally it was,” said Nathan. “That’s why Marvin Greatheart and all of his ancestors have enjoyed such lucrative careers. A handful of dragons have died of old age over the years, but most have fallen victim to dragonslayers such as the Greathearts.”

  Greg was silent for a moment, busy trying to picture how there could have been a handful of dragons. If anything, a dragon full of hands seemed more likely. “Is Ruuan really the only dragon left?”

  “Afraid so,” said Nathan. “Ironically the latest to go was Tehrer, the offspring of a Great Black by the same name, a dragon so terrible as to be the namesake for the first amulet. The original Tehrer was maimed badly in the final battle. He went into hiding after the new magicians regained control. I’ve heard he still lived into this century, until a couple of decades back, when he was killed by Marvin Greatheart’s father, Norman.”

  “I’ve met Norman Greatheart,” Greg said. “I think Tehrer might have been the lucky one.”

  “Tehrer was evil?” Priscilla said. “But why? Ruuan seems so nice.”

  “Yes, well, remember the Ruuan you know is not the Ruuan for which the amulet was named. Much as with Tehrer, the second amulet was named after Ruuan’s father. Back then it was unheard of for a dragon to speak to a mere human, let alone help one. But Ruuan’s father was wise beyond even his years. The war could not have been won without his help.”

  “Ruuan’s father helped men win a war against dragons?” Greg said.

  Nathan paused to stroke Rake’s fur. The shadowcat purred and fell over on its side, prompting Nathan to scratch its belly.

  “Not against dragons exactly. Remember by this time the evil magicians were controlling the dragons against their will. The dragons were just innocent pawns, a fate worse than death for such noble creatures. That’s why Ruuan’s father volunteered to let the good magicians control him.”

  “He volunteered?” Greg tried to imagine the Ruuan he knew doing the same. The dragon had been quite cooperative in helping Greg so far, but Ruuan didn’t seem the type to stand for having his will bent. Greg had an idea the dragon would have a blast of fire for anyone who thought about bending so much as the tip of his tail.

  “Yes,” said Nathan, “and by not wasting energy resisting their orders, he allowed them to use the full power of the Amulet of Ruuan against Tehrer, surely the deciding factor that propelled them to victory.”

  “What a huge sacrifice,” Priscilla said.

  “It sure was,” agreed Greg.

  “I’m afraid his sacrifice went much deeper than that,” said Nathan grimly. “He and Ruuan’s mother both died during that final battle.”

  “How horrible,” cried Priscilla.

  “Yes. But at least their efforts brought victory to those on the side of Good.”

  The three of them were silent for a time as they considered the great sacrifice Ruuan’s parents had made.

  “You still haven’t told us where our Ruuan went,” Greg reminded Nathan.

  “I’m getting there. It was at the end of the final battle. Ruuan’s father had been mortally wounded and could barely hold himself airborne. Miraculously, his rider leapt between dragons and dislodged the amulet held by the magician who controlled Tehrer. The two men fell to their deaths, and Ruuan, though unable to fly, managed to guide his fall to the spot where the Amulet of Tehrer lay ready for the taking.” Nathan sighed. “For the last few seconds of his life he held both treasures in his grasp, more power than anyone had ever held before.”

  “Wow, what happened to the amulets?” said Priscilla. “If Ruuan was dying, why didn’t Tehrer go after them?”

  “Tehrer was evil, as I said, but he was badly wounded. He’d fought only because the amulet was controlling him. Once free of the potent magic, he retreated high into the mountains, where he was not seen again for centuries. No, Ruuan’s father, though dying, remained unchallenged. Fortunately, even in the last throes of death he retained the presence of mind to know that the two amulets must never fall into the hands of men again.”

  “What about boys?” Greg asked.

  Nathan smiled. “No, not boys either. Ruuan’s son, the dragon you know, rushed to his side, but nothing could be done to save him. It was then that his father gave Ruuan both amulets, along with instructions for their destruction.”

  “The amulets weren’t destroyed,” said Priscilla. “At least not Ruuan’s. We’ve seen it.”

  Rake issued a demanding cry to Nathan, who had stopped petting his belly. “No, you’ve seen pieces of it,” said Nathan, returning to the task at hand. Rake grinned and stretched his paws further over his head. “It’s not possible to completely destroy objects of such power. The best Ruuan could do was break them apart and scatter the pieces about the land, where they weren’t likely to ever be joined again.”

  Suddenly parts of his last trip here were beginning to make sense to Greg. “That explains why there are four identical amulets,” he surmised.

  Nathan nodded. “The four sections of amulet that you have seen were just quarters of a circle. Each holds enormous power, but nothing in comparison to that of all the pieces combined.”

  Greg gasped as he realized the significance of Nathan’s words. “And I’ve held every one of them in my hand,” he said, “just never all four at the same time.”

  “Actually five,” said Nathan. “The four you held do form a perfect circle, but there’s a fifth piece as well, an oute
r ring that fits snugly around the others.” He glanced at the woods and held a finger to his lips. “Remember what I have told you.”

  He waved his hand again, and Greg heard the two spirelings shout out. Within seconds they dashed up to the fire. “What was that?”

  “What was what?” asked Nathan.

  “That noise.”

  “I didn’t hear anything.”

  In an instant the spirelings disappeared into the woods again, apparently in search of the source of the noise they claimed to have heard. Greg took the opportunity to whisper to Priscilla.

  “If you’re whispering because you think the guards can’t hear you, I assure you they can,” Nathan said in a normal speaking voice.

  Priscilla’s face reddened. Greg scanned the woods to see if the spirelings were nearby.

  “And I should remind you,” said Nathan, “anything they hear is heard by every member of their race. I suggest if you have something private to say, and wish it to remain that way, you save it for another time.”

  Greg nodded. “You were telling us about Ruuan’s amulet.”

  “Yes. The Ruuan of today was barely a century old when his father died, but even at that age he knew not to chance the amulet ever being assembled again. He took the two key pieces away from Myrth to another world, where only he would know where to find them.”

  “Two pieces?” said Greg. “I thought you said there were just five total. Wait, two plus four does equal six in this world, right?”

  “Yes, Greg, but the Amulet of Tehrer was broken apart as well. The original pentagram was cut into six pieces. Five remain here on Myrth, each formed in the shape of a triangle, but there is a sixth piece as well, a pentagon that fits not around the outside of the others, but at their center. It is this piece Ruuan took along with the ring to a location only he would know. That way neither amulet could ever be reassembled again.”

  “But why?” asked Greg.

  Both Priscilla and Nathan regarded him curiously.

  “Why what?” Nathan asked.