Wizard's Blood [Part Two]

by Bob Blink

  Jolan settled into the seat that was easily wide enough for two humans. Iach-Iss demonstrated the control that engaged the restraint. Once the control was activated, Jolan felt a slight pressure that held him securely in the seat, even though there were no seat belts or any other obvious means of holding him. He learned he would be secure even if the scout was flown upside down and the internal gravity system failed. A simple touch of the control would release the restraint and he could move out of the seat to wherever he desired. During this flight there would really be no need of the restraint as they would be performing no unusual maneuvers, and he would be able to get up and move around if he desired.

  Once again Jolan was a bit unnerved by being put in a position where he was at the mercy of very old and neglected equipment. The scouts had sat unattended for a thousand years, and yet here they were about to make a flight across the whole of the Settled Lands as if the vehicles made the trip daily and any quirks were known. The dragons seemed to have implicit faith in the on-board intelligence to warn them of any anomalies, and when the scout said it was ready to go, Iach-Iss accepted the information as fact.

  After a moment while Iach-Iss checked several holographic displays, the ship suddenly lifted ten feet off the surface and held there, seeming to wobble slightly which Jolan found disconcerting. Iach-Iss must have noticed his discomfort and said in his characteristic rumble, “Several of the lift modules were damaged the last time out and the scout wants to calibrate their functional state so it can compensate and plan for operations without them if needed. That is why we are wobbling a bit while it tries several combinations of power to the working modules.”

  As he spoke the wobbling suddenly stopped and the scout settled into a completely stable hover. The dragon grinned at him as if to say “See, I told you.”

  Jolan could see that Den-Orok and Asari were also hovering a short distance off to the side, and in a coordinated move which supported Jolan’s theory that the two dragons communicated their moves telepathically, the two scouts suddenly began to rise quickly toward the sky. Inside the scout it was completely quiet, and Jolan wondered what sounds were being generated outside. He would be interested to watch one of the vehicles from the ground. His own experience with aircraft suggested significant noise would have to be generated, but there was no reason the alien craft had to follow his experience. The flight was quite smooth, without the random bumps and thumps as they passed through the clouds that Jolan was used to in his smaller aircraft.

  Once again Jolan was impressed by the incredible field of view the passengers were afforded by the holographic screens. He was able to see all around him as they rapidly passed through the barrier that protected the Dragon’s Nest, and for the first time he saw the solid rock mountain that appeared behind and below them. He would never have guessed what lay hidden behind that projection. Within minutes they passed through an altitude of ten thousand feet and continued to climb as the vehicles started their journey southward to greet the ship before the longer journey northward to Cobalo.

  In a matter of minutes they reached the coast, and with little difficulty located the Wave Runner still anchored where they had left her some weeks before. They could see the crew running along the beach and pointing as they came in for a landing. The brief hour spent with the crew was time well spent in Jolan’s mind, and as they lifted into the air again, he thought of the men and the long journey home they would have compared to the couple of hours flying time he and Asari would require.

  Iach-Iss had said they could make the trip faster than planned if they pushed the vehicles, but they were old and damaged in multiple ways and could see no gain in pushing them to the limit. They would cruise at a speed that would take them from the dragon’s home to the College in Cobalo in about three hours. It was considerably longer than the portals required, but given the time it had taken to travel by ship and then make their way through the jungle of the Lost Territories, this was indeed a quick return home.

  It wasn’t long before they crossed out of the valley and started their journey over the high mountains. Soon enough Jolan could see the Great Lake off to the left below. From the normal view provided by the hologram the lake continued to look full, but Iach-Iss pointed to a secondary hologram that showed the view as it really was. They had told the dragons what they had done, and Iach-Iss had turned on some sensors that were able to penetrate the false view presented by Tishe’s glamour and show the area as it really appeared. The city looked drab and desolate below.

  “It is sad to see it looking like this,” Iach-Iss said. “It was the most beautiful city in all of Gaea at one time.”

  As they flew, Jolan saw the second scout suddenly drop down and make a pass at one of the mountain peaks below. The dragon rumbled deep in his chest, a sound that Jolan knew was laughter.

  “Den-Orok is giving Asari lessons on the weapons. He is making a high speed pass to see how well he is able to lock the weapon onto a specific target.”

  “Maybe I should be learning the same thing,” Jolan said.

  “Perhaps, but there will be time. It won’t take that long since most of the function is under the control of the ship. It merely needs the operator to point out the desired targets. Under normal conditions where there are few targets and one is flying in space, the pilot can easily handle the task in addition to flying. Here, where a specific individual might need to be picked out of a mass of soldiers, it requires a dedicated eye.”

  The dragon demonstrated the various aspects of the scout, including rotating the inner section so they were pointed backward while the vehicle continued onward. It wasn’t as disconcerting as Jolan had expected, but it still made him a bit uneasy to be traveling at high speed while facing the wrong way.

  For the next hour, Iach-Iss engaged him in conversation. As Jolan had expected, the dragon had things on his mind. He wanted to know a great deal about Earth, and had some very specific questions that taxed Jolan’s physics background to answer. By the time they finished, Jolan was certain the dragon suspected that Gaea was more than just physically distant from his home. Their conversations had touched on a number of other topics as well, with the dragon passing on some very specific information that he felt Jolan needed to have.

  Soon they crossed over the mountains at the edge of the sea inlet that hid the train tunnel that Jolan had been instrumental in getting built. They were less than an hour from home and Iach-Iss opened some kind of communications link between the two ships. Suddenly it was like Den-Orok and Asari were in the same room with them. They could converse as if they were sitting around a conference table rather than speaking to disembodied voices through a radio link.

  Their plans had already been made, and Iach-Iss and Jolan would land first. They would put down in the central courtyard of the Inner Court, just across from the Council of Mages building. There was a large open spot there, and Shyar would have made certain that everyone was kept clear of the area. It would provide convenient access to the mages, and to the castle via the underground tunnels.

  Almost too soon Jolan could see the southern harbor of Cobalo pass underneath the plane, and then ahead were the walls of the Inner Court. The dragon was shedding altitude rapidly, and within minutes they were dropping down toward the area that Jolan was pointing out.

  “It has changed a great deal,” Iach-Iss said as he brought the plane in for a landing. It appeared to Jolan that he was spending most of his time looking and doing very little flying, but that had to be because he simply communicated to the ship what he desired. Most of the effort was automatic. Jolan couldn’t help thinking it had to take some of the fun out of flying.

  The scout hovered briefly over the grass and then slid sideways closer to the buildings. When Jolan liked the position, he indicated as much, and the dragon had the vehicle settle smoothly to the ground. Jolan had seen Shyar and Vaen standing on the steps near the entrance to the building. There were hundreds of other onlookers as well, so the word had to be out. It di
dn’t matter. There was no way to keep their arrival secret, and Cheurt already knew they had linked up with the dragons.

  “Let’s go meet your friends,” Iach-Iss said a moment later after Den-Orok brought his own ship down to settle in the grass a short distance away.

  Chapter 176

  Jolan was surprised at the number of people that had turned out to witness the arrival of the legendary dragons. In retrospect he probably shouldn’t have been. Anyone who had heard of the arrival would want to see the last survivors of a race that had been the source of stories for all these years. Cheurt would soon know Jolan was back in Cobalo, and he would have to assume the dragons had come with him. If he had spies in the area they would only be confirming something the wizard leader already knew. For the hundredth time Jolan cursed himself for not knowing about the possibility of being spied upon. He could have prevented this constant observation had he known.

  Jolan would have liked to keep things a bit more concealed for the sake of protecting the two dragons who had their own personal shields created by technology rather than magic, but which were nowhere near as strong as those of the scout ships. Since the ships had been damaged in the past, Jolan had to assume their personal shields could be defeated as well, especially if one or more of the triads had managed to slip into the area. Having Vaen and a few of the others out in the open bothered him greatly as well, but he was sure that Shyar had her own shields protecting the two of them. He would make coming up with some kind of security measures one of the first priorities once they learned where the dragons would be staying. Jolan was also a bit concerned that the two scout ships were out in the open, even though Iach-Iss had assured him that there were few wizards in existence that could cause much damage, even in their current degraded condition. In addition, the ships were programmed to immediately ascend to ten thousand feet if any attacks were launched in their direction.

  As they walked toward the front of the building where Shyar waited, Jolan couldn’t help but overhear some of the remarks. Many were obviously surprised that the dragons were nothing like the creatures so often pictured both here and back on Earth. Many must have expected the flying lizards rather than somewhat human looking creatures that dwarfed their human counterparts. Shyar would have explained what to expect, but as the word of the dragon’s arrival spread, the details would have been lost.

  “Dragondammit, they’re real!” Jolan heard someone say off to one side. Hearing of the dragon’s existence was far different than seeing them in person. He was reminded of his own sudden exposure just a few days ago. Now he didn’t think about their appearance and considered them only as friends.

  He heard more than one dragon expletive, and was amused by the shocked silence that surrounded it. Jolan had made the same mistake himself, and Iach-Iss had found it amusing and a bit sad that they had become the source of various words, both favorable and not, as their true involvement in the history of Gaea had been lost. He reminded Jolan later that evening that the true history must be made available to the people so they would know what had really happened in their past.

  Jolan could see that Shyar was anxious to run out and greet them, but the formalities of the moment as well as her need to maintain her exceptionally strong shields around the Chancellor held her at Vaen’s side. When they drew near, a number of the people waiting unconsciously drew back as the sheer size and power of the dragons became obvious. Vaen, however, was her usual unperturbed self and waited with a small smile as they approached. After almost four hundred years very little surprised or scared her, and Jolan knew that next to Asari she was as fascinated by the reality of the dragons as anyone he’d met. Finally Shyar couldn’t restrain herself and stepped forward to wrap Jolan into an embrace, which brought a few smiles to those nearby. Releasing him, she laid her hand on Iach-Iss’ huge arm and led him forward to meet the Chancellor. Asari followed not far behind with Den-Orok with whom he was engaged in active conversation, his hands moving to simulate some of the motions of the attack runs they had been practicing earlier. Asari was flushed with excitement. He was obviously completely comfortable with the great beast next to whom he walked, which provided some reassurance to many of those shocked by the size of the dragon.

  Vaen stepped forward with a merry twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her face. She dipped her head in respect, something Jolan had only seen her do to the King or Queen, and said, “It is a great honor to actually meet one of the individuals who has had such an impact on the history of this world. Shyar has told me briefly of the truth behind some of our legends, and I look forward to the chance to talk with you at length. Welcome Iach-Iss and Den-Orok. I only wish more of your brethren were here with you. I am to escort you to the Queen, who is anxious to meet with you as well. She would be here but for the security her advisors insist upon which keeps her away from crowds.”

  The dragons bowed in return, and Den-Orok grinned. The sudden display of teeth caught a few off guard, but Vaen didn’t miss a beat. She reached out and touched both on the arms as Shyar had shown her, and the group headed inside, but not before Vaen took a long look at Jolan to reassure herself that he was indeed fully recovered from the toxins that had almost killed him. “Come,” she said to the group.

  Whatever architect had designed the Council building had mimicked the overly large doors and hallways of the old buildings without realizing the real purpose. Now, that decision served to allow the dragons to pass easily into the interior. While those outside were unhappy to see the dragons disappear so quickly, the Queen waited and so there was no time for extended greetings in the open.

  There was no escaping the royal command, and the entire group which included Shyar, Jolan and Asari were escorted to the castle to meet with the Queen and the senior members of the court. After the rather stuffy formal greetings, the atmosphere relaxed a bit. A formal dinner was brought out while the complete story of the group’s adventures that led to finding Dragon’s Nest was told along with a very brief history from the dragons. Their story would take far too long to go into any detail. Jolan felt bad that the crew of the Wave Runner couldn’t be here, as their part in the adventure should not be overlooked. Unfortunately, they had barely started on the way home, and could not be expected back in Cobalo for at least a month and a half. The dragons ate huge amounts of the food that was provided for the feast to the amusement of all that attended the affair, but even then the intake didn’t compare to the amount of food Jolan had seen them pack away back at their base.

  It was late when the party broke up, but that had been expected. One of the reasons they had chosen to arrive later in the day was the certainty that whatever portion of the day remained upon their arrival, it would be lost in formalities. By intentionally arriving later in the day as they had, those distractions were minimized, and they could look forward to productive meetings the next morning. Vaen had already told them when to meet in the Council conference room the next day.

  Major Wylan had found a place for the dragon scout ships inside the military compound area, which would provide far more security than leaving them out in the open courtyard. After they slipped away from the feast, the dragons moved them to their new locations. Jolan was with Buris and Gene who hadn’t yet had a chance to meet personally with either of the dragons, and waited for Iach-Iss to exit the ship so he could introduce them. When the dragon appeared, he had a large slab of meat in one hand from the FoodSynth.

  “I was still hungry,” he growled a bit embarrassed. A moment later Den-Orok appeared with Asari from the second ship, also snacking as he walked. Clearly even the large quantities of the Queen’s delicacies the dragons had eaten at the feast had been insufficient.

  Jolan introduced his friends and explained who they were as they walked the dragons to their quarters. They had discussed whether the dragons would simply use the portal to go back to Dragon’s Nest for the night, but given the hurried and extensive preparations the Queen had made to see to their comfort, they felt it would
be a poor gesture to do so. Buris, as usual, had lots of questions and indicated he hoped to spend some time with the two dragons back at his lab at some point. Gene was fascinated to meet intelligent creatures that were not human, which in his mind answered once and for all the matter of other intelligent life in the universe.

  * * * *

  As hoped, the next day they were able to start planning, all the formalities and ceremony having been satisfied the previous day. A small group had assembled in Chancellor Vaen’s meeting room where Vaen and Major Wylan were bringing the dragons and Jolan’s small group current with events that had taken place since they had lost daily contact several weeks before.

  “We have lost Kimlelm once again,” Major Wylan explained. “Our troops have been pushed back across the stone bridges that Tishe created and we watch each other from either side of the river. Their triads, especially when they appear in numbers, are hard to deal with, and the reach of their power makes them especially difficult to counter. They were killing our people in large numbers and we had no choice but to retreat back into Seret. Their wizards can’t get close enough to do much damage without crossing onto the bridge where they are exposed, and we don’t dare send troops their way without exposing them to the magic.”

  “The triads are a major concern,” agreed Iach-Iss in his deep rumble. “Their appearance significantly changed the war before, and almost lost the war for us. As it was, we suffered severe losses. These triads are far weaker than those of the past, but they still represent a threat. Our ships should be able to handle anything they can conjure up, and we should be able to lessen their effectiveness. Both the ship’s weapons and some hand weapons we will talk about in a bit are effective against them. Fortunately there are few that have the power of Cheurt. A triad with a wizard of his level would be more worrisome.”