by Mike Shelton
Dragon Rider, use my powers to comfort your soul, Miriel offered.
Tears burned in Breelyn’s eyes. Her dragon’s suggestion was out of pure caring and love. Breelyn closed her eyes and breathed in the power deeply. It was so pure and clean and powerful.
Running her hand over Miriel’s scales, Breelyn opened her tear-filled eyes and noticed a slight blackness on the tips of the ones she had touched. She wondered what that meant. Did dragons change color?
Also, where would she go to find an antidote for Lan? North and South Solshi didn’t have wizard schools. These were sparsely populated lands that sent most of their promising wizards to the Sanctuary in Quentis. The capital of both lands, Raleez, sat on their shared border, high up on a hill, overlooking the waters of a bay to the west. The city had palaces for both kingdoms’ kings and—though each half was referred to as North or South Raleez—it was one city in reality.
Breelyn decided to go there first and try to find her answers.
The city itself, originally built on a large hill, now spilled down the hill’s sides and sprawled out into the surrounding countryside and over toward the bay. More people lived here now than in the rest of Solshi altogether. The people of Solshi were quiet, generally, and stayed out of regional politics and confrontations. It was a mostly flat land, except for the mountains in the north and south, and the two kingdoms were known for their textiles and intricate weaves and unique dyes.
Breelyn landed on the outskirts of Raleez, much to the surprise of many workers, who were out tending the fields and working on the spring plantings. Their clothes, a mixture of yellow, orange, and bright green articles, upset Breelyn’s Elvyn aesthetics.
Miriel went back up into the air to go and hunt for food. As soon as the dragon had left, Breelyn once again felt the darkness begin to creep back into the corners of her mind. She gritted her teeth and tried to will it away with her own significant powers. However, the more she used her powers, the more the darkness advanced. Giving up, she let her powers recede and then walked toward the gate of the city.
Wearing her signature white cloak, her blond hair flowing down her back, the dragon rider strode up to the guards and presented herself.
“I am Breelyn Mier, dragon rider, Elvyn protector, and the betrothed of King Lanwaithian Soliel.”
That should give them enough titles to not restrict my entrance, she thought.
“I request the presence of the northern and southern kings,” she continued. “Please inform them I am coming.”
“Miss,” a guard said as he bowed, “we are…uh…honored by your presence, but the kings are not in residence at the moment.”
Breelyn furrowed her eyebrows and asked, “Where are they?”
“They were summoned recently to Quentis by the Sanctuary commander,” the man stated. “They left just days ago.”
Breelyn thought for a moment. Using Miriel, she could catch up to them quite easily. But she could do that at anytime. “Who is in charge while they are away?” she asked the guard. Maybe they could direct her to the libraries where she could find an answer for Lan.
The guard appeared troubled and asked her to wait there a moment. Then he walked back to a small shack. Soon another man came out and strode in her direction.
“I am Commander Orsen. How may we help you, Dragon Rider?”
“I have a message for your kings from Bakari, my dragon master.” Breelyn tried to keep her patience, but it was becoming difficult. She rubbed her forehead with her fingers. “I have been told that they are gone, and so, I would like to see whoever is in charge in their stead.”
Commander Orsen glanced down the broad street, then leaned in and whispered, “We have heard of the famed dragon riders and respect what you represent. But, I will tell you, it would most likely be better for you if you left the city.”
“I am getting tired of your stalling, Commander.” Breelyn pulled herself up straight, and, even though it hurt her head, she let some of her power show forth, creating a glow around her. A glow that used to be bright white, but now was duller.
The commander’s eyes pleaded with her once again as he said, “I don’t mean any disrespect.” He paused and peered around once more. When he seemed sure that no one else could overhear their exchange, he continued in a whisper, “The man who has taken charge is not a very nice man. He is evil, ma’am. Just leave us be.”
Before Breelyn could answer, a small troop of soldiers walked up to the gate from inside the city. They wore bright red outfits and tall red caps. The man in front stepped forward. His hair was jet black, and his mustache hung over each side of his mouth, dropping below his chin.
“Commander, do we have a problem here?” the newly arrived man said to the gate commander.
The commander looked at Breelyn pointedly, as if to say, “I told you so.”
Breelyn stepped forward and said, “I was asking to see whoever is in charge in the absence of the kings.”
The man in the red uniform stood up straighter and narrowed his eyes at Breelyn. “And, who might you be?”
Breelyn put on her best smile and shook her hair around her face. “I am a dragon rider, who can destroy this entire city in two swoops on my dragon.” She reached her slender fingers to the captain’s red jacket and touched one of his bright gold buttons. “But I would hate to do that, you must understand. I bet a strong soldier like you knows who’s in charge, don’t you?”
The man coughed and stepped back. Blushing hard, he stammered, “Y…Yes, of course, I understand. You would like to see General Trevis.”
“Good.” Breelyn let out a deep breath. “He speaks for both the North and the South?”
“He most surely does.”
Wrapping her hand around the man’s arm, Breelyn motioned him forward. “Then take me to him now, please.”
Turning her head around, Breelyn looked back at the gate commander, who slightly shook his head. She wondered what the man was trying to warn her against. Besides her own powers, she had the might of a dragon behind her. So she feared nothing.
With a sly grin, she walked forward with the soldiers. The darkness tickled the edge of her senses once again, but she did nothing to push it back. She had needed the power to do what she had just done and would need more of it to get the answers that she sought.
CHAPTER NINE
Bakari awoke the next morning to the sounds of distant voices. Before opening his eyes, he reached out to Abylar. Then he gasped and sat up straight. He had forgotten that the link to his dragon was gone.
His heart began to beat quicker. He felt hollow and empty inside. How had he ever lived like this before? Abylar seemed to complete him like no other. Well, there was one other. He grabbed onto thoughts of her. Kharlia.
Bakari looked around for her, but then he remembered that she had stayed behind in Elvyn, to help care for the king, and learn the healing arts of the elves. Placing his hands on his head, Bakari tried to steady his mind.
What will I do without either of them?
Soon, Bakari heard the sounds of boots on stone. As the sounds got closer, torchlight filled the passageway outside of what he now realized was his cell. He stood up and walked to the bars that covered one side of the cell. There, Governor El’Han stood in front of him, frustration evident on his face.
“Dragon Rider, I am sorry about this.” The governor seemed legitimately apologetic. “The captain was only doing his duty, and they didn’t want to disturb me last night. I assure you, I mean you no harm.”
Bakari nodded and tried to regain his composure. “I understand. My dragon’s bond was broken, and I must have done some damage.”
The governor smiled broadly then. “I remember the king’s agony when the Cremelinos lost contact with his wife.” He paused, as if reliving this memory, before continuing, “The people of Belor do not have a good history with wizards. About sixteen years ago, an evil wizard ruled the city.”
Bakari, as a student of history, was intrigued by the cha
nce to hear this story. “What happened?”
“I killed him,” the governor said matter-of-factly.
Bakari surmised that there was much more to the story than that, but he let it drop. The governor motioned for the guards to release Bakari, and together they returned to the governor’s rooms.
“Where is your dragon?” the governor asked, once they were seated. He poured Bakari a glass of water.
Bakari drank the cool liquid and tried to let his mind get working again. Then Bakari shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. He is somewhere in the mountains to the west.”
The governor nodded. “The Superstition Mountains. A very sizable mountain range. Are you planning to go and find him? I can send men with you.”
Bakari hated what he must now do, but he shook his head and answered, “I can’t.” He was doing all that he could to keep from breaking down; though, a single tear had leaked out of the corner of his eye. He wiped it away discreetly. “Duty calls me north, to find another dragon rider. There is a time for every egg, and I can’t delay any longer.”
Bakari wondered if what he planned to do was right. What would Abylar think of me? Sometimes Bakari hated duty and doing what was right. He clenched his fist and shut his eyes tightly for a moment.
“Some king I am,” Bakari mumbled under his breath.
“King?” The governor’s loud words made Bakari open his eyes back up. “I thought you said you were a dragon rider?” He stood up and stared hard at Bakari. “We have only one king—King Darius DarSan Williams.”
“It’s complicated,” Bakari said. “Please sit.” He wanted to say more, but his thoughts were too lost at the moment.
The governor complied but didn’t look happy. His face reddened as he said, “I can’t have someone that is proclaiming himself a king travel through our kingdom, you must understand. Now, tell me what you mean about being a king.”
“It all starts with a prophecy,” Bakari began.
“It always does.” The governor smiled, losing his anger. “Those pesky prophecies.”
Bakari proceeded to tell the governor about the prophecy of a dragon rider from Mahli becoming a dragon king. He told him about breaking the dragon orb, the barrier coming down, and the struggles for power in the southern kingdoms.
“The rise of the dragon riders comes at a time of great need,” Bakari explained. “There are three of us so far, and I plan to go north to find another one.”
“Here, in the Realm?” the governor asked.
“I believe the rider is here. The egg may be farther north. I am not entirely sure without my dragon.” A hollowness settled once again inside his chest, and Bakari breathed in deeply.
After a moment of silence, the governor cleared his throat and peered deeply into Bakari’s eyes. “And, are you this dragon king?”
That’s what it all came down to, wasn’t it? With or without his dragon, was he the prophesied Dragon King? Was he the one to bring peace to the land? Bakari turned his focus inward and tapped into his own wizard power. Weak though he may have once been, the bond with his dragon had augmented his powers, and he realized, for the first time since the bond was lost, that he still held some of the shared power from the dragon within himself.
Drawing upon that power, Bakari reached out and felt the other dragons: Cholena, with Jaimon, far south in Quentis, and Miriel, with Breelyn, in Solshi. Though… He paused a moment there. Something wasn’t right, and he would need to figure out what soon.
Digging deeper, Bakari felt his connection to Roland, in the Citadel. The High Wizard had sworn allegiance to him. He also felt Mericus, in Alaris, and suddenly realized that he could always sense those who had sworn allegiance to him as the Dragon King.
A melancholy joy filled his breast, and Bakari joined into the stream of magic, brought to him by the dragons, and took a deep breath—a calming, potent, mighty breath of magic.
“Bakari?” the governor prodded him.
Bakari opened his eyes, and the governor gasped.
“I am the prophesied Dragon King,” Bakari stated firmly and stood up. Striding to a nearby wall, he surveyed his own image in a mirror there. He had grown a few inches taller in the last few months since the barrier had come down, his braids were longer—below his chin now—and his face was looking more like a man’s. But the eyes staring back at him now were what shocked him most.
He turned and studied the governor, who sat in silence. Then, looking back at the mirror, Bakari once again stared at his dark brown eyes—the whites were now a speckled blue a few shades lighter than his dragon was. Bakari turned back to the governor again, who had stood up and had walked a few feet toward Bakari.
After a moment, the governor said, “This is fantastic! Oh, I haven’t had this much fun since I was your age.”
Bakari shook his head a few times and then said, “Governor, I don’t know what being a king means. I don’t expect I will rule any lands…except for maybe Mahli. But I have indeed been declared the High King, the Dragon King, by our High Wizard in Alaris.”
The governor clapped his hands. “I believe you have a good heart, Dragon Rider. I will keep your secret for now—not good for men around here to hear about another king. I only ask that I be allowed to tell my king. He is a powerful wizard of the heart and knows more about magic than anyone in our kingdom.”
“Thank you, Governor.” Bakari nodded. “I will need to find transportation north…” He swallowed hard, thinking about leaving Abylar farther behind. “To White Island, I believe. I need to visit the wizard school you said was there.”
The governor nodded in apparent understanding. “I will provide a ship to take you up the coast. If the weather holds, it shouldn’t take you more than a few days,” he explained. “In fact, I think I may travel with you. I hold no small influence in the Realm, and I will make sure you find your answers on White Island. Then I will travel personally to Anikari to discuss these events with Darius. Maybe he can find your dragon for you.”
Bakari smiled broadly. This was the first hope he had felt since losing the bond with Abylar. “I would appreciate that very much, sir.”
The governor rubbed his hands together in obvious glee. “I’ve been itching to get out of the palace for a while. This will be fantastic!” Then his face dropped a bit. “I just have to figure out a good way to tell my beautiful wife.”
CHAPTER TEN
Two days after Breelyn had left the Citadel, Roland strolled around the gardens alone in the evening. The gardeners had kept the grounds cultivated during the war, and now fresh spring flowers scented his walk along the winding cobblestone walkways. A few cardinals chirped up in a blossoming tree to his right, and a gurgle of water sounded farther off to his left.
It wasn’t often these days that Roland was left alone. With naming himself as High Wizard a little over three months before, he wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew. It had been relatively easy, leading apprentices around, when Kanzar and his men were gone. But now many of the wizards throughout Alaris had returned to the Citadel. It was time to regroup and to determine their next course of action.
But the barrier around Alaris had kept them in for so long that relatively few wizards remembered a time without it. And the war between the Chief Judge and Kanzar had split loyalties among the wizards: feelings had been hurt and many felt betrayed. So, it was a time to rebuild.
A new sound intruded upon Roland’s thoughts, and he turned toward the source of it. Coming around a side path was Tam, a recently raised level two battle wizard.
Roland sighed and thought, I guess my short time of solitude is over.
“Sir,” Tam said, once he was a few feet away from Roland, “the delegation from the Sanctuary in Quentis has arrived.”
Roland nodded. “Have them shown into the gathering room, and ask the servants to bring them refreshments. I will be there soon.”
Tam raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
Roland knew what Tam was t
hinking. “I know, Tam.” He put his arm on the man’s broad shoulder, which stood a few inches above his own. “You are a battle wizard, not an apprentice or an errand boy.”
“I would never think to counsel you, High Wizard,” Tam said with wide eyes but a slightly teasing tone to his voice. Tam gave a short but flourishing bow, moving his hand up to his dark locks of hair as he did so.
Roland laughed. “It’s just that I still trust very few here, and, with Alli gone…” Roland let the statement trail off.
“You’re smitten with her, aren’t you?” Tam’s lips turned up into a mischievous grin.
Roland stood straighter and said, “That’s none of your business.”
“I’ve seen that one in action, sir. She is quite the fireball. I hope you don’t get burned.”
Roland joined in with a grin of his own. “Don’t I know it.” He lightly punched Tam on the arm and winked. “Now, off with you, and make sure the delegation is gathered.”
Tam was a good-natured man, a few years older than Roland. Even though Tam wasn’t the strongest battle wizard, he was levelheaded and organized. Roland had learned to rely on Tam more and more and was thinking about rearranging the Wizard Council to include a few of the younger men and women, like Tam.
As Tam was walking away, Roland called after him one last time, saying, “How many are there?”
Tam turned his head around and said, “Five, sir. All wizards.”
Roland nodded for Tam to proceed but stayed behind himself for a moment. Five foreign wizards in the Citadel would be cause for some alarm among his own wizards. But he had sent a call out to all nearby kingdoms, to join with him in creating a greater school for wizards.
Most that came were young apprentices, who needed training. But Quentis had its own prestigious school, and so, when he had received their missive by rider a few weeks ago, Roland had wondered what they wanted. Now he would find out.
Closing his eyes for one brief moment, Roland pulled upon his powers. Blessedly, they had now almost returned to full strength. Having been trained as a counselor wizard, Roland felt more than that as he reached into the depths of his magic. Knowledge and skills as a counselor, battle, and scholar wizard coalesced within him. But there was still more.
