by Charles Lamb
Once they had settled in, waiting for darkness, Alex noticed Cassie was moving a bit gingerly. He asked her what was wrong, but she brushed the question aside, dismissing it as nothing. Refusing to let it slide, he lifted her tunic and protective undershirt to see a swelling on her side, just beginning to bruise.
“That is gonna hurt. What happened?” Alex asked her, as he continued to check her out, concerned about a possible broken rib.
“He slipped under my guard and got me good. That’s when Kinsey jumped him. I think he was surprised he didn’t wound me. The protective elfware kept him from cutting me, but he hit me hard,” she finished, wincing as Alex probed her ribs.
Using his senses, as Abrianna had taught him, he could tell the ribs were not broken, but there was a lot of trauma to the area. While he dared not attempt a total healing, as he was far from accomplished in this type of magic, he was able to sooth some of the irritation caused by the blow.
“Is that any better?” he asked as he dropped the two shirts he had bunched in his left hand.
“A little, thanks,” Cassie replied as she carefully shrugged and wiggled, checking for pain.
With the horses unsaddled, and the two sitting as comfortably as possibly, they sat waiting for darkness to come before they resumed their trek to the mountains.
----*----
Leander spied the temple as they crested a small rise in the trail. They had been riding for most of the day, and it was now sometime past noon. Similar to most temples he had seen in his life, it had a gently pitched roof with pillars running the lengths of both the sides he could see from the road.
It appeared as if the entrance to the temple was on the side facing inland, away from the sea. That was something he thought odd for a temple honoring the sea gods.
“Our goal is in sight,” he announced to his companions.
“Finally,” Kelby replied
“I do not think mermaids were intended to ride horses,” she finished, as she squirmed behind Abrianna, obviously uncomfortable with the long ride.
It was still close to an hour before they reached the temple itself. As they got closer, Leander could make out more of the details of the structure. The columns did run around the entire structure, providing a covered walkway completely around the inner walls. He could make out the carved reliefs in the stone walls, all depicting scenes of the sea.
Under the roofline, he could see small windows cut high into the walls that he assumed allowed light and fresh air into the structure. The steps wrapped around the building as well, allowing access to the covered area from any approach.
“Well, here we are,” he stated as he dismounted in front of the temple entrance. Leading his horse over to his right, there was a circular stone-lined basin; he assumed was intended for watering the horses. Turning, he saw Kelby and Abrianna follow his example, Kelby heading into the temple, while Abrianna followed him to the water with her horse.
“This is beautiful!” he heard Kelby remark. Turning, he could see her studying a part of the stone relief depicting mermaids, swimming in the sea. By now, his horse had stopped drinking and started grazing on the nearby grass. Satisfied his mount wasn’t going anywhere, he looped the reins where they wouldn’t drop to the ground. He then headed up to the temple himself, waiting for Abrianna to follow.
Climbing the stone steps, he turned to watch Abrianna follow him, and then scanned the surrounding area. They hadn’t seen a single traveler on their way here, so it was no surprise that the area was empty of human life beyond the three.
A movement to his right caught his attention, and he watched Kelby and Abrianna enter the temple. Following the two women inside, he stopped just inside the doorway, allowing his eyes to adjust to the change in lighting. The inside was one long great hall with a large statue in the center of the room. Behind the statue, a large opening in the back wall opened to a vista of the sea.
The statue was of a bearded man, exposed from the waist up, and bursting from waves. In one hand was a three-forked trident, while the other was extended forth, toward the entrance, as if casting a spell on those that dared enter. In the waves were smaller sea creatures, a mixture of fish, porpoise, crab, and other sea life. Leander even found a mermaid and a Sea Dragon in the waves.
He found it quite clever, how the open window, in the back wall, both framed the statue and provided a backdrop of the sea for the god who ruled there. Approaching the statue, he discovered it was also a fountain, with the circular pedestal formed to catch the water that cascaded over the carved stone waves, pooling at the base.
The temple must have been built on a spring, as the water was clean and fresh. Leander suspected the watering trough outside was supplied from the statue overflow, via an underground pipe. Looking to his right and left, he noted more carved reliefs, as well as open doorways, leading to anterooms.
Both the women were exploring the temple, wandering from room to room and pausing from time to time at various locations.
“Any clues?” Leander asked, as he scanned the walls near him.
“I am going to need some time to read the scripture on the walls. Most of this is devotions to the sea gods, but some speak of the great battles of the sea,” Abrianna answered.
“Yes, I can see references to many heroic struggles. However, nothing about a weapon,” Kelby added.
“Ok, I am going to unpack our things. I think we are spending the night here,” Leander replied.
“Hopefully, just tonight,” Abrianna said while shaking her head with a look of frustration.
----*----
Cassie was hurting more than she wanted to let Alex see. She had taken quite a blow from the man on the road, and had Kinsey not been there to assist her, she might not have survived the encounter. She could not imagine how Alex had confronted two at once, as these guys had been really good armsmen. Absently, she stroked Kinsey, who lay beside her, as if in thanks.
The treatment she had received afterward had helped some with the pain, but was far from a complete recovery. As such, she was thankful that they were sitting idle while waiting for the sun to set. Alex had chilled their water skins and the two were enjoying an early dinner.
“It’s best we eat now, as I don’t think we will be stopping again until very late,” Alex had said. Even with the exertion of the earlier fight, neither was overly hungry. Soon enough, the sun started to set, and the woods were quickly dimming.
“We can probably start heading toward the mountains. I haven’t heard anything since we stopped here,” Alex said as he started to saddle the horses, beginning with Rose.
Cassie wasn’t sure if it was gallantry or the fact that he suspected she was still hurting, but either way, she didn’t challenge the move. Once he had everything packed away and the horses ready, he handed her Rose’s reins.
“Follow me on foot,” he said, while indicating the direction he was planning to go.
Nodding, she watched as he grabbed Shadow’s reins and then started in the direction indicated. Moving through the trees at a steady walk, Cassie actually started to feel a little better with the movement, her bruised muscles uncramping with the activity.
By the time they reached the road, again much further down than where they entered, it was completely dark out. With only a sliver of a moon in the sky, they could just make out the road ahead. She felt Kinsey bump her leg as the wolf stood next to her.
“Alex, I can’t see a thing,” Cassie whispered as the two stopped before passing the last line of trees and regaining the roadway beyond. Standing beside him, with both horses side by side, she could tell he was concentrating.
“You won’t have to,” he replied quietly. She watched as he paused again before leading them all out onto the road. She could see him whispering something to Shadows, as the unfiltered moonlight was a little stronger here in the open.
“Mount up,” he whispered again, as he mounted. The pain in her side returned as she mounted Rose, the extra exertion of more than a sim
ple walk in the woods irritating it. She watched as he called to Kinsey, catching her mid leap and draping her across his lap. She doubted Shadows appreciated the extra passenger.
“Ready,” she said to Alex, once she was firmly settled in the saddle.
“Hold on,” he said in a clear voice, as Shadows seemed to launch forward, her wings spread wide. In no more than a few steps, she could see Alex rising off the ground. Before she could register the fact, Rose repeated the action, lifting them both skyward and up into the night air.
She hoped the mares could see in the dark, because she could just make out Alex and Shadows close ahead and nothing on the ground below. Acting on faith, she just held on.
----*----
Darkness had required Leander to light the oil lamps and braziers to illuminate the temple interior, the latter more for the chill in the air that appeared after sunset. As Leander hadn’t the slightest idea what to look for in their search for clues, he left the women to their research while he handled everything else.
Cooking over one of the braziers, he provided both Abrianna and Kelby a meal, preparing his last, once they had eaten. Each of the women had continued to work while they ate, and were working from a different approach to solving the riddle. Abrianna was reading all the available text, while Kelby interpreted the scenes depicting sea life and creatures of the deep.
Leander was studying the statue in the center of the temple itself as he ate. Quite exquisite, he imagined it had cost a fortune to construct, beyond the money spent on the temple itself. The artist had spared no expense on the elaborate decoration. With a crown of gold atop flowing white hair, the sea god had been given lifelike color to enhance the impact of his presence.
The trident he held appeared to be made of bronze, with black, sweeping, triangular tips, making Leander cringe at the thought of being skewered by such a weapon. Even at its base, he could see the different materials used in the creation of the waves and the creatures in the waves.
“I’m exhausted,” he heard Kelby proclaim as she dropped to the temple floor, sitting next to him in a particularly uncomfortable close proximity. Without asking, she grasped his hand, the one holding the drinking cup, in both of hers, and guided it to her lips. Sipping, while staring into his eyes, she released it with the sound of Abrianna’s voice.
“Ahem, am I interrupting something?” she asked, a distinct lack of concern in her tone.
“No, nothing!” Leander replied, while scrambling to stand.
“So, I assume you are done for the night?” Abrianna asked Kelby. Thankful for the change in subject, Leander moved away from the mermaid and pretended to stoke the brazier.
“Yes, it’s hard to see in this light, and I can find no reference regarding the spear beyond the story of its creation.”
Rising from her place on the floor, she led the others across the room to a carving in the far wall. Leander didn’t need anyone to explain the meaning, as it was quite obvious. The scene before him showed a man leaping from up high in the ship's rigging, a spear clutched over his head in both hands and descending on a great dragonhead ravaging the ship below.
As he examined the relief, there was something familiar about the spear. Moving closer, he ran his fingers over the figure holding the spear, outlining the shaft, and more importantly the tip.
“I know where it is!” he proclaimed.
Turning, he began removing his boots, while the women watched him in confusion. Then he carefully waded into the pool at the base of the statue. Climbing up the torso until he was standing on the god’s shoulders, he was holding onto the trident for stability.
“Leander, what are you doing?” Abrianna asked, not seeing the point of all this.
“Look at the spear in the carving,” he replied, pointing at the relief on the wall. He saw both women turn to examine the relief in more detail.
“OK....” Kelby replied, obviously unsure of his meaning.
Once both women had turned back to him, he pointed up to the trident. “Look at the tips of the trident.”
He could see the recognition on their faces as they realized what he had. The black tips were shaped identically to the one in the relief. Stretching to reach the closest, he carefully examined the point where the black blade touched the bronze. After a moment, he tried to turn the blade, being extremely careful not to cut himself on the razor-sharp fire glass.
Resisting at first, it slowly gave way, turning until he pulled it up and free from the statue.
“Not much of a spear,” Kelby commented as Leander displayed a weapon with about a foot-long blade and no more than eighteen inches of ironwood shaft. The point where the two were joined was a brass ring, threaded to mate with the statue.
Carefully passing it down to the women, Kelby having climbed half way up the statue, Leander tried the center prong of the trident head. Just like with the first, it resisted and then spun free, this time producing a proper spear with a five-foot shaft of ironwood.
The third prong yielded a weapon identical to the first, giving the three each a fire glass tipped dragon killer. Leander climbed down and the three sat examining their find.
“So much for the legend,” Abrianna commented.
“Well the spear is accurate; maybe the others were made later?” Leander offered, and then handed her the item before rising and heading to the relief once more. Wetting his hands in the fountain, he rubbed the relief before nodding.
“And there is the answer!” Leander replied with a smile. Waving both the women over, he pointed to the belt of the man dropping onto the dragonhead. Discernable, but not obvious, were the two smaller weapons tucked in the man’s belt.
“That certainly gives support to the part where they say the captain built this temple, only someone who was there would know a detail like that,” Abrianna commented.
“Then let’s also hope it confirms these will kill a dragon!” Kelby stated while holding up one of the shorter weapons.
“I suggest we get some sleep then, as we are on the road at first light,” Leander said, turning to start collecting their gear in preparation of an early departure.
“Where are we all sleeping?” Kelby asked, beginning to move in Leander’s direction. Abrianna intercepted her before explaining.
“You and I are over here,” she said guiding the mermaid into an antechamber towards the rear. It was set up for two, with bedding spread atop benches intended for sitting or sleeping.
“And him?” she asked, in pointing Leander’s direction.
“I am over there by the entrance to the temple, where I can better protect you two,” he replied while continuing to gather the belongings he could pack away in advance.
The fact that the rooms were as far apart as possible in the temple was apparent to the mermaid. Leander suspected that’s what made her smile.
----*----
Alex couldn’t see a damn thing… with his eyes anyway. Using his senses, he could make out the mountains ahead, and the trees and larger life forms below them. Besides the expected wildlife and cattle, he had detected several small bands of men, similar in number to the four they had encountered on the road.
Camped at this late hour, he suspected they were part of Tantalus’s security force, placed to intercept anyone headed into the mountains. As they continued to fly through the cool night air, he hoped Cassie wasn’t in too much pain. He had done what he could for her earlier, but he could tell she would be uncomfortable, until time, or Abrianna could heal her more. As for himself, his legs were starting to go numb with Kinsey across his lap.
Focusing ahead once more, he figured it would be an hour or more before they could safely land in the foothills of the Dragon’s Teeth and begin their search for Lady Amelia.
Chapter 11
It was well after midnight when Shadows and Rose set down in a secluded spot at the base of the Dragon’s Teeth. Alex had her make several wide circles before landing, giving him time to scan for nearby life. Finding nothing of con
cern, he nudged her down. Kinsey leapt off Shadows as soon as they touched down, much to Alex’s relief.
“Where are we?” Cassie asked quietly as she dismounted and stretched her legs, somewhat slowly in Alex’s estimation. Alex noted that in flying or riding, the effects on the rider seemed to be the same.
“This appears to be the path used by Tantalus to run wagons into the mountains. I spotted his ranch on the way in and had Shadows follow the road from there,” he replied, taking a few liberties in the description.
“Won’t there be guards?” she asked, not even questioning his ability to see in the poor moonlight.
“I sensed quite a few on the way in, but none after we passed the ranch.”
“Could that mean she is there and not in the mountains?” Cassie asked, confused as to why they didn’t investigate.
“I can’t explain it exactly, but as we passed over the buildings there, I didn’t get the feeling of anything good there. When I try to sense things, I get a feeling from people or animals. You, Leander, and Abrianna give me a feeling of happiness and joy. Tantalus made me want to strike out in anger. All I felt at the ranch was hostility and violence. I think they use it to house the guards and those tending to the animals intended for the dragon.”
“Shouldn’t we get word to the others?” Cassie asked, indicating their belief that her mom lay hidden in the mountains, just beyond their current location
“Until we see your mother with our own eyes, we dare not risk the possibility we are wrong and misdirect them. Besides, Kelby has reasons of her own for joining this quest. I doubt we could dissuade her from killing the Sea Dragon that took her mother’s life.”
“OK, so what now?” Cassie asked, her nervousness obvious. Even the suggestion that her mother was close by had her anxious.
