The Dragon Throne_Knights of the Frost Pt. I

by Richard A. Knaak

  And then there were the ghosts.

  Barely had Cabe materialized in the vast marble entranceway than a figure he knew not a part of the small colony that served the Manor and surrounding land formed right in front of him. The handsome elven male was clad in a regal, silver-blue jacket and slacks and wore an apprehensive expression. He appeared to be speaking to someone else.

  A second later, the elf faded away. Cabe vaguely recalled mention of the phantasm from his daughter, but could not remember in what regard. Once in awhile, there seemed rhyme and reason for what images materialized, other times, the wizard could not fathom just why certain ghosts formed. He suspected that the Manor had an intelligence of its own, but what it sought to express was often beyond Cabe’s comprehension.

  “Massster Bedlam...” greeted a deep voice. “We did not expect you at thisss time.”

  Cabe turned to find a drake warrior nearly seven feet tall starting to drop down on one knee before the wizard. The scaled figure bent his helmed head low. His armored hide was green with hints of gold, indicating his origins lay far to the north, in the clan of the emperor himself. The dragon’s head crest atop his helm was of a much cruder and smaller form than those of a drake lord, marking him of the servitor class.

  “How many times must I ask you not to kneel, Warnok?”

  “It isss...our way, Massster Bedlam.”

  “But neither mine nor Gwen’s. Rise.”

  With much reluctance, the drake forced himself up. Red, reptilian eyes continued to focus on the floor. His forked tongue darted past sharp, fanged teeth.

  Momentarily dismissing the drake from his attention, the wizard’s brow furrowed in concentration ---

  “Your ssson isss here,” Warnok dared interrupt.

  Cabe had been trying to locate his wife, but the news the drake announced made that a minor point at the moment. The wizard suspected that she was likely in Penacles, anyway. What concerned him more was this even more surprising arrival. Without hesitation, he murmured his son’s name. “Aurim...”

  We are in the main garden, Father.

  Not for a moment did Cabe think that his son meant Gwen. The veteran wizard instinctively gritted his teeth, which in turn stirred a hiss of consternation from Warnok.

  “Be at ease,” Cabe quickly ordered the drake. As the servitor attempted to comply, the mage cast himself to his son.

  Thanks to the benefits of magic, Cabe looked little older than Aurim. Yet, that was where the similarities ended, for Aurim was more his mother’s child in appearance --- a good thing, in the elder Bedlam’s mind. Wizards had the ability to change their looks --- something frowned on by both Cabe and his wife --- but Aurim’s handsome features were the results of his bloodline, not a spell. His literally golden hair --- gold save for the wide, silver streak marking him as a human spellcaster --- was the only adjustment that he had ever made and that while still a small but already powerful child. Aurim’s name found its roots in the term for gold and young Aurim had thought that meant that he had to look like gold. Fortunately for his parents, they had discovered the hair change before the boy could move on to the rest of his person.

  With striking, aristocratic features worthy of a storybook prince, Aurim Bedlam had attracted the attentions of many women. Yet, when he had finally lost his heart, it had not been to one of his own kind --- human --- but rather a female figure not only shocking because of her lineage, but also because of Cabe’s own earlier encounter with her.

  Aurim kept a protective arm around the curvaceous, slightly elven-looking woman at his side. Hair nearly as golden as Aurim’s cascaded down far past the shoulders. She wore a deep brown blouse, a shin-length skirt --- a much more conservative outfit than what she had been wearing when Cabe had initially encountered her --- and long, tapering boots.

  Under a delicate brow, she eyed Cabe with as much uncertainty as he secretly did her. The elder Bedlam had seen those eyes go from a bright emerald akin to the color of his wife’s to a burning red that gave evidence to the female’s true origins.

  “Yssa...” he greeted solemnly.

  “Master Bedlam...”

  Aurim frowned. “You don’t have to call him that ---”

  “It is a sign of my respect,” she quietly replied to the younger mage.

  “Well, that will change once we’re ---”

  She quickly put a finger to his lips. Cabe thought that she need not have bothered. They were all very aware of just what Aurim had been about to say, words that would have disturbed Cabe more only if they had come from his daughter and her apparent lover.

  This is the lesser of your troubles, he reminded himself for perhaps the thousandth time. Think what’ll happen if you have this encounter with Valea...

  Fighting back a shiver, the veteran spellcaster quietly asked, “And how is your father, Yssa? How is the lord of the Dagora Forest?”

  There was no one in all the Dragonrealm who did not know to whom he referred. Cabe might as well have asked how the master of Lochivar or the Hell Plains was, for most would have placed them in the same fearful category as Yssa’s sire. He was, after all, a Dragon King, just as they were.

  Despite her appearance, Yssa was only half human. Cabe had met those who had elven blood --- something his family also shared --- but not until Yssa had he discovered that it was possible for the most unthinkable things to happen. A drake and a human could not only fall in love with one another...they could breed, too.

  Breed. Cabe was aware that the term he used insulted what had taken place between Yssa’s mother and the drake lord, but it was hard for the mage to eradicate all his prejudices even after having known so many good drakes. Drakes and humans had been at odds since both races had existed, with humans only free --- for the most part, anyway --- for the past two generations. Even now, there were still realms where Cabe’s kind lived under the yoke of Dragon King rule.

  A multitude of questions had arisen once the wizard had discovered the truth concerning Yssa’s existence, questions he had not discussed much even with his wife. Now some of those questions came to the forefront again as he faced the two.

  “He is well,” Yssa finally answered. She did not elaborate and the mage did not ask. Relations still remained strained between Cabe and his one-time ally among the Dragon Kings thanks in great part to Lord Green having proven to be every bit a drake lord in his machinations. Those relations had improved somewhat thanks to Aurim’s efforts, but there was yet a gulf the human doubted could ever be crossed, specially since a good man --- and a good many other innocents --- had paid the price for the Dragon King’s own perception of how the future of the continent should be decided.

  “What brings both of you to the Manor? Not that your mother wouldn’t be pleased, Aurim.”

  His son exhaled. “Lord Green wishes to meet with you. He says it’s of the utmost urgency. He’s willing to meet on neutral ground.”

  “Is he? Did he say what it concerned?”

  “He said...he said it had to do with Azran.”

  Azran. Again, Azran. Cabe marveled that he could never escape the memory of his accursed father. First Wenslis, now here... “Of what interest could I have in anything involving Azran?”

  “My father would not say more even to me,” Yssa responded hesitantly.

  The Yssa Cabe had first met was a tremendous contrast to the one standing so meekly by his son’s side. Under another name, she had done her best to try to seduce Cabe. Had his heart not already belonged to Gwen, the veteran mage suspected it would have been much harder to reject her wiles. Yet the seductress he had rebuffed no longer seemed to exist since falling for Aurim.

  Yssa aside, it was not hard for Cabe to come to a decision where it came to Lord Green. “When your father has something more of substance to tell me, perhaps we can meet. Perhaps. Tell him that.”

  His son’s face darkened. “But Father ---”

  “It pleases me to see you, Aurim...and even to welcome Yssa, since that’s your mother’
s desire. Expect no more from me at this point.”

  Aurim looked confused. “I thought after our battle against the Storm Dragon ---”

  “That was a matter of mutual concern. There was a war. It doesn’t erase what happened before. If you think me unreasonable, what about the Gryphon? Do you think the Gryphon has forgiven him for Toos? Do you think he ever will?”

  “That’s different! He ---”

  A brief flare of energy surrounded Cabe, a very controlled reaction to his son’s insistence at pushing this delicate subject. “He lied to me --- to us --- over and over, but that’s in many ways a minor point. Toos was not simply the Gryphon’s trusted aide, not merely the leader of Penacles when the lionbird went in search overseas for his past, nor even a former mercenary. He was the best friend the Gryphon had, a blood brother in war. He was also a friend of ours, Aurim. A very good friend.”

  Before Aurim could respond again, Yssa put a warning hand on his arm. “He speaks sense. Master Bedlam, I will talk with my father and see if he can clarify. I can only tell you that he would not impose on you if he did not think it of the utmost importance.”

  Cabe understood that, even appreciated that, but could not bring himself to accepting a meeting with the Dragon King. Not now. Not yet.

  “Is that all?” he finally asked, acutely aware that there was another subject they wished to broach...a subject that he wanted to have nothing with which to do.

  Aurim took a sterner stance. “Your blessing, Father. I’d like to have it, but we’ll be married whether you give it or not.”

  “Have you spoken with your mother about this?”

  “Yes. She said the choice was not hers alone.”

  The elder mage frowned. “And I say the same for me. Gwen and I have had a lot to deal with, Aurim. You know that. Sometimes, personal matters must wait longer than one might wish ---”

  “We’ve waited more than half a year since I first told you!” his son abruptly snapped. Then, with Yssa’s hand tightening on his arm, he apologetically added, “I think we’ve been patient. I think we’ve been more than patient.”

  “And we think your sister’s well-being might be of some more import at this juncture, not to mention the instability I think you can very well feel in the world matrix.”

  The last term was one of Cabe’s own creation, his best way of describing the countless lines of force crisscrossing not only the entire continent, but the rest of the world, too. These lines of force were a tremendous part of the basis for all spellcasting --- save perhaps that of aberrations such as Shade or Darkhorse. Yet, any alteration in those lines would affect even outsiders such as them. An unexpected shift in the matrix was a cause for much concern.

  Darkhorse... Thought of the shadow steed reminded Cabe that he had not yet heard from the eternal for more than a day. Despite his promise to Gwen to keep Darkhorse by his side while in the domain of the Storm Dragon, Cabe had finally grown so frustrated over not knowing what was happening to his daughter that he had at last asked the stallion to look into a possible lead. Doing so should have taken Darkhorse hours, not more than a day...

  “And there’s also the new crop of students,” Aurim added with some sarcasm. “Also very important. There’s always something very important, Father. Well, we consider our situation very important.”

  Cabe felt his anger stirring anew. He had already promised Gwen that he would keep his temper when next he and Aurim met, but Aurim’s continue demand that he be heard on the subject of marriage to Yssa always instantly set the father on edge.

  “Aurim, I think you and Yssa had better ---”

  He got no farther. A whirlwind formed around them, tossing leaves and other loose objects into the air in the process. Yssa --- her hair fluttering wildly --- was the only one of the three startled, but Aurim calmed her before she could fear that some menace had invaded the Manor grounds.

  For all its fantastic power, the shape that formed in the whirlwind was one that generally brought relief to the Bedlams, not concern. The whirlwind took on a black tone, then twisted into the outline of a gargantuan equine. The outline defined and two ice blue eyes without pupils opened.

  “Father and son together!” the living shadow bellowed merrily. “How glad a sight this!”

  Cabe was happy none of the drakes or humans who lived around the Manor were present. Even made aware several times that Darkhorse was a friend --- not foe --- most mortal creatures still took the precaution of retreating.

  Much of the wind had died down. Darkhorse shook his thick mane and peered at Yssa. He dipped his head in greeting. “Daughter of the Dagora’s lord! I hope you fare well?”

  Cabe had no patience for another round of greetings, especially considering Darkhorse’s abrupt arrival. In the veteran wizard’s mind, the eternal could be here for only one reason. “You found them?”

  Some of the shadow steed’s manic energy faded. A sense of foreboding washed over Cabe as the ice-blue eyes narrowed.

  “I found where they had been...and then I found something else.”

  He had not only Cabe’s attention, but Aurim’s as well. The younger mage stepped from Yssa to confront the towering stallion. “Something’s happened to Valea?”

  “As to that --- I cannot say! Their likely path, though, gives rise to much concern!”

  Father and son stood side-by-side as if no rift lay between them. Their united stare appeared to daunt even the eternal.

  “Where?” Cabe simply asked.

  The shadow steed hesitated, then replied, “I would rather show you...”

  Aurim started to speak, but Cabe cut him off. “Only one of us is going and that will be me. You need to stay here and let your mother know that something’s come up...” Cabe grimaced. He had already left his wife thinking that he and Darkhorse would soon be returning safely from Wenslis and now they were leaving the Manor without her knowledge for --- for where?

  “Darkhorse...just why won’t you ---”

  “Please, Cabe Bedlam! I would rather not speak of it here!”

  That brought forth renewed concern from Aurim. The golden-haired spellcaster turned to his father. “You can’t seriously think I’m ---”

  Under his breath, Cabe muttered, “Darkhorse...”

  A slight nod was the eternal’s only noticeable response. Darkhorse and the elder Bedlam had been through more than enough dangers for the shadow steed to understand exactly what the veteran wizard wanted of him.

  The tranquil grounds of the Manor vanished...and Aurim and Yssa with them. Cabe draped a cloaking spell around himself and sensed that Darkhorse had already done the same. They did not do so just to keep Aurim from tracking them. Their new surroundings demanded such tremendous precaution, for entering the domain of nearly any Dragon King was a very risky venture. In their own realms, the drake lords had every right to slay intruders on sight. Of course, some --- including the current lord of the Hell Plains --- had a tendency to believe the right to slay the Bedlams extended well beyond their borders.

  As he used another spell to ward off the intense heat of the volcanic land, Cabe’s thoughts turned to Kyl. Nominally the emperor of all drakes, Kyl had had little success in reining in the worst of his subjects, including not only Lord Red, but Lord Black as well.

  But all that is changing, Cabe insisted to himself. Kyl, Lords Green and Blue are all at peace with the human race. Ice, Iron, Bronze, Crystal, Silver, and Brown have all gone to join Purple in oblivion, their surviving subjects part of the Confederation. The Confederation has stayed quiet. Only Red, Black, and Storm remained menaces, albeit reduced ones in some ways.

  But even if not as great a threat as they once were, the Dragon Kings were not to be ignored. Each still wielded magic that could lay waste to all around them, which was one --- but not the only --- reason why Cabe looked forward departing the Hell Plains as soon as possible.

  “What are we here to see?” the wizard asked as he peered at the fiery land. Ahead, multiple craters of vario
us sizes rumbled dangerously. a flow of searing lava poured southward from the shattered side of one crater. For the Hell Plains, it was a relatively quiet scene. That could change quickly, though.

  “Not here,” commented Darkhrose cryptically. “Deeper within.”

  “Deeper ---” Cabe’s sense of foreboding intensified. However, before he could finish speaking, Darkhorse took it upon himself to teleport both of them to a new location.

  It was probably a wise thing that the shadow steed had done so before the human could get his full bearings. Had Cabe verified that his companion intended to bring him to the worst of all places in the Hell Plains --- even compared to the Red Dragon’s own sanctum --- the mage might have chosen instead to continue his argument with his son. In fact, of all places in the entire Dragonrealm, the ruins before which Cabe and Darkhorse now stood marked an evil that the wizard seemed never to be able to shake off.

  “Azran’s citadel...” the wizard growled quietly, trying to maintain what calm he had left. “Darkhorse...you of all creatures should know not to bring me here...”

  “And I would not have, if not for this...”

  “’This’?” Cabe stared at the half-fallen structure, especially the bottom section of what had once been the tower in which he had been imprisoned by Azran. “I don’t ---”

  He got no farther, his mouth hanging open for a moment in horror as he realized just what bothered Darkhorse so much. It was not that Azran’s citadel was visible. After all, the cloaking spells cast upon it not only by the sorcerer but by its mysterious original builders had failed with Azran’s death. No, it was a simple but astounding fact that Cabe had ignored even though it stood right before his eyes.

  There should have been no partial tower, no tall walls remaining whatsoever. When Azran had perished, the entire edifice had collapsed to rubble.

  But now...now half of imposing structure stood before the wizard as if taunting him with the fears he always kept buried deep inside. An arched entranceway that Cabe knew had been left in ruin even before the sanctum’s collapse seemed invite the mage to it much the same way as a Dagoran trap flower sought to entice a tasty insect.