Shadows of the Realm (The Circle of Talia)

by Lister, Dionne

  The straps holding them in place were tested as the boat turned sharply to the right. Arie felt the belt cutting into his side. He wasn’t sure how it was possible, but the vessel continued to travel faster, always in a circular direction. Arie could feel them dropping as they speedily circled. The fear returned. The only thing keeping him from panic was the promise from Agmunsten that the dragons would never hurt them. What if the dragons had no control over this entry system? What if it was all left to chance? He wondered how many guests had actually survived to reach Vellonia.

  The spiralling ended with the boat being dropped a few metres to land with a heavy splash. Arie felt like he was in an egg, which had been laid by a tree-dwelling chicken. He counted the seconds as they fell. The boat, having lost its reckless speed, glided gently toward their destination. The trio took this time to take a breath and flex each limb, ensuring no damage had been done. “I’ll never get used to that. Is everyone alright?”

  Edmund and Arie responded favourably to Agmunsten’s question.

  “Good.”

  “Are we almost there?”

  “Probably. It’s different every time. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes not.”

  “Oh, strange. I wonder how it works?”

  “Hmm. Seems like I have taught you something. It’s important to question everything; you’ll learn more that way.”

  In contrast with the boat ride, the end consisted of a gentle, almost indistinct, nudge against land. A deep, raspy voice came from above. “Welcome visitors. You may remove thine blindfolds and alight from Mezza.

  Arie had never considered their boat had a name. They eagerly removed their blindfolds, but Arie was disappointed to see boring black, brown, and grey rocks surrounded him. He stood carefully and quietly thanked the boat as he alighted.

  The only source of light within the dark chamber emanated from a bronze lamp held by a large grey dragon.

  “Symbothial Accorterroza. It’s been a long time.” Agmunsten gave a brief bow.

  “Yes my wise, learned friend, Agmunsten Fergus Guthwick, Strongest of the Five. You have not aged as do other humans. I find I recognise you.”

  Agmunsten shook his head at the mention of his full title. He had never been fond of his middle or surname for that matter and had ceased using them centuries ago.

  The dragon looked at Edmund and awkwardly performed a minimal bow. “Welcome King Edmund of our friendly neighbour, Veresia. May the crops grow plentiful and animals breed in abundance for howsoever long you rule.”

  “Thank you for your kind words, Symbothial Accorterroza. How is your uncle, King Valdorryn Accorterroza the Second?”

  “He is well. Thank you for your interest. I will take you to him now. Please follow me.”

  As Arie followed Symbothial along the wide pathway, he looked him over. The large dragon—they were all large he supposed—only had inches to spare before he scraped the tunnel walls. His size was similar to Zimapholous, although his scales were grey. When Arie looked closer, the scales shimmered a pale green and pink where they were touched by torchlight. He continued to be awed by the immensity of these creatures. Arie was not scared despite knowing the dragon could kill him before he’d even realised what had happened. The boy was glad the dragons were on their side.

  The path led upward, and Edmund was puffing.

  “You’re out of shape my liege. Too many banquets I bet.” Edmund laughed in agreement. It was good to hear Agmunsten being cheerful; he had been grumpy more often than not lately. Within minutes they popped out into a bigger tunnel. Symbothial had more headroom and Arie estimated another dragon could pass by the other quite comfortably.

  Red and white tiles, laid in various geometric patterns, covered the floor. Arie studied them whilst walking. The group made a staccato procession to the throne room, continually stopped by one dragon or another who wished to greet Agmunsten: each dragon a slightly different colour, or combination of colours. One dragon, the same grey as Symbothial, and subsequently introduced as his sister, had pale blue and pink hues overlying the scales on her torso. Arie assumed they were like people, or animals: no two were exactly alike.

  Finally, they reached a set of tall, wide doors. Honey-coloured timber inlaid with darker wood, mother of pearl, and amber to form an exquisite artwork. The picture portrayed a bright-scaled dragon standing serenely, wings outstretched to their limits. Hundreds of creatures crowded companionably, protected beneath the shiny canopy of its wings. A statuesque human stood beneath one wing, still only a fraction of the dragon’s height, with rabbits, squirrels, ducks, and any animal imaginable, at her feet. Dragonflies, beetles, and birds were depicted, mid-flight, circling the enchanting human woman. Beneath the other wing stood a strong, young, and handsome man, sword and dagger at his hip, field mice, badgers, and fox at his feet. He smiled to his companion who smiled in return. A grape vine rose from the earth, twined many times around the dragon and reached for the sky. Bunches of juicy, green and purple fruit hung from the pregnant vine. Blueberry and raspberry bushes hid the dragon’s clawed feet. A lush strawberry plant carpeted the ground in front of the woman, the ripe, fat berries so realistic that Arie’s stomach grumbled.

  The artwork divided in the middle as the doors swung open. Arie beheld the throne room of Vellonia. Harp notes floated around the room, soaring into the domed ceiling to mingle with birds and clouds painted there.

  “All behold and welcome illustrious guests to the magnificent abode of the dragons, Sacred Vellonia. I introduce to you, our revered King Valdorryn Accorterroza and his beautiful wife Queen Jazmonilly Accorterroza and all those gathered here, three important and distinguished guests. First, I introduce King Edmund Benedict Laraulen, King of Veresia, friend and ally to Vellonia, city of the dragons. Edmund walked to the foot of the dragon king’s throne and bowed low.

  Agmunsten was introduced with a similar flourish, as was Arie, whose introduction was shorter than the others, due to his lack of accomplishments. Arie followed the lead of his elders and bowed as low as he could to the dragon king and queen. King Valdorryn stood and addressed the gathering, giving his own warm and tedious welcome to the travellers. Whilst Arie was overwhelmed by the impressive formalities, Agmunsten stifled a yawn. Finally, when Agmunsten was about to ask for a chair, the king dismissed most of those assembled, and motioned them to follow the royal couple, their son Zim and advisor Warrimonious, to a smaller room accessed by a nondescript doorway behind the throne.

  Once away from prying eyes, Agmunsten and Edmund were enveloped in hugs by the king and queen. Arie feared his companions may be squished into oblivion, however they emerged intact from the dragons’ affection. Everyone sat, and refreshments were brought. Arie found it strange to think any dragon would be a servant.

  The queen addressed Arie in a melodious voice, “We are not too proud to serve each other, with none being called servant. We do what needs to be done and those who offer service do it with pride and willingness.”

  Arie gaped. “Can you read my mind, Your Highness?” Queen Jazmonilly smiled.

  “How are Queen Gabrielle and Princess Verity?” Jazmonilly addressed Edmund. It had been many years since they had last met and there was much to catch up on. There were serious matters to discuss, however the talk remained pleasant for an hour or two whilst the travelers ate and relaxed. All knew they would have plenty of time during the night to discuss the unpleasantness Talia faced. Arie found himself growing fond of Vellonia’s royalty. They were not as foreboding as he had imagined, and most of the ceremony had been left in the throne room.

  King Valdorryn was black, with the exception of gold scales shimmering around his throat, trailing down to his chest. The gold shone dimly in the artificial light within the reception chamber; the position of the room within the mountain discounted the possibility of windows. Many candles burned within wall sconces; a small hole, positioned in a corner near the ceiling, provided ventilation. The humans sat on a comfortable leather couch, whilst t
he dragons sat on padded bench seats. Jazmonilly’s silver scales were subdued in the dim light, reflecting neutral tones within the room. Arie could imagine her shining like thousands of polished jewels in the sunlight, and hoped he would be privileged enough to see it. Jazmonilly looked at the boy. Arie wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but remembered she could probably read his mind. He blushed. She smiled again.

  Late in the afternoon King Valdorryn stood. “I have been glad to catch up with all the good news, but now it is time for you to be shown to your accommodation. You will have time to bathe and dress for dinner. After dinner we will reluctantly partake in the unhappy discussion we have dreaded these past months.” All adults nodded somberly. King Valdorryn and his queen exited to much bowing. Zim volunteered to show the humans to their rooms.

  Arie looked at the floors as they traversed one hallway, ranged up two flights of stairs, wandered along another hallway and dragged themselves up two more flights to another hall. This would be where they stayed. Arie was excited to find that, for the first time in his life, he had been given his own room. His grin was wide. “Thank you Prince Zimapholous.”

  “You can call me Zim. I’m glad you like it.” Zim crossed the room to a large window above a human-sized table. He surveyed the view. “Come and have a look.”

  Arie reached the window and gazed out.

  The room appeared to be three levels above the ground. Arie looked across a vast expanse of valley. Lush grass carpeted the distance between the two mountain ranges, and ancient trees sheltered pathways meandering about the valley. A wide river flowed through the landscape. “Is that the river that brought us here?”

  “One and the same. It flows into the mountain where you entered and flows out to cross the valley over there.” Arie followed the direction of Zim’s gaze. The cavernous opening was a small, dark spot in the distance.

  “But how does the water go down, then back up again?”

  “How do you know the water goes down?”

  “We dropped. You know, when we were in the boat. We were still in the water when we landed.”

  “We’ve diverted some for our own purposes. If you look, you will notice the river is slightly narrower here than outside.”

  Arie nodded. He also saw a few houses, large and small, positioned midway between mountain and river. Before he had time for any more questions Zim continued. “Agmunsten will collect you shortly and show you where to bathe. I hope you enjoy your stay here. Feel free to wander as you like. See you at dinner.”

  Whilst he waited for Agmunsten, Arie checked out his room. It had a white tiled floor with a blue dragon mosaic claiming the middle of the room. White sheets and a blue woollen blanket covered his bed. The smoothly polished stone walls were painted white to maximise the light within the mountain stronghold. He was excited to know he would be living inside a mountain. What backbreaking work must have been done to carve the rooms and tunnels in which the dragons lived? Arie couldn’t fathom how it had been done and concluded it would have to have been realmist magic shaping the interior of Vellonia. Agmunsten, accompanied by Edmund, interrupted Arie’s musings and took him to bathe.

  Later, clean and clothed in washed garments, Arie sat by the window in his room and gazed out at the serene, lush valley. Animals grazed, dragons strolled somewhat cumbersomely along the pathways and flew gracefully around mountain pinnacles. Sparkling, golden spires ascended from the valley floor, shining their way beyond the top of the tallest mountain. Arie felt as if he were in a dream. The morning he’d served breakfast to a hung-over Agmunsten seemed a lifetime ago, and never could he have imagined then that he would end up in such a wondrous place as this. Arie pictured himself sitting proudly on the back of a large dragon, soaring high above Vellonia. He imagined as he looked down, the people would appear small and ant-like, as the soaring dragons had appeared from his vantage point on the ground.

  Once again, Agmunsten interrupted Arie’s daydreaming and gathered him for dinner. Arie noticed the floor tiles were blue and green in the hallway on his level. Agmunsten led him down one staircase to a corridor tiled in purple and orange. “What do the different colours mean?”

  “What different colours?”

  “The tiles on the floor. These ones are purple and orange, the ones on our level are blue and green, and the ones leading to the throne room are red and white.”

  “You’ve answered your own question.”

  “What?”

  “Think about it.”

  “Oh. It’s so you know what level you’re on.”

  “Very good, lad. It’s important to know these things, especially as there are very few windows around the place. If there’s an emergency, the dragons need to know which direction is out. If you look closely, within the patterns are small arrows. If you follow them, you will eventually end up in safety.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “The dragons are full of them.”

  In honour of their arrival, the dragon city held a banquet. The great dining hall was the biggest room Arie had ever seen. It was so large he had nothing to compare it to. The ceilings were lofty, for humans—as were most of the ceilings in Vellonia. A large row of doors opened up onto the valley floor. A mild breeze floated in, filling the room with sweet spring air. They halted at the entrance, and were once again introduced into the silence with a grand flourish. Agmunsten tapped one foot throughout the introduction, stopping short of folding his arms in annoyance. Arie could see how repeated, tedious formalities would be frustrating after a while. At the moment he could hear his tummy grumbling and wanted nothing more than to fill it with masses of delicious food.

  Arie was about to start his own toe-tapping, but thankfully the introductions appeared to be over. They were led, Edmund first followed by Agmunsten and Arie at the rear, through an avenue leading directly from the entry to the king’s table. Row upon row of tables and bench seats lined the room. Dragons of all colours and sizes watched with large, curious eyes. Arie noticed dragon eyes were similar to those of his cat back at the Academy. Feral was a friendly grey cat, its green irises split with black slits in sunlight. Some of the eyes regarding him were blue, some green, yellow, or purple. It was darkening outside, but lamps and candles brightened the room. In the fading light, the dragons’ eyes were punctuated, not by a narrow blackness, but by rounder pupils.

  Arie stood next to the table, barely able to see over the top. Small, three-tread ladders were brought to assist the humans onto their bench seats. Once seated, Arie’s legs dangled in space, as did Agmunsten’s. The two sat to one side of the queen with Edmund seated between King Valdorryn and Zim. The elevated seating arrangements gave the older humans a childlike appearance. Animated conversation hummed around the room. The two kings were eager to become reacquainted, not to mention King Valdorryn craved news of the outside world, as usual.

  The queen addressed the young boy who sat next to her. “How do you like our beloved Vellonia, Arie?”

  “It’s huge. There’s so much to see. I think the valley is beautiful. It makes me feel … peaceful.” The queen nodded, her small smile radiated satisfaction.

  “Is this the first time you’ve met the dragons?”

  “Yes, Queen Jazmonilly.”

  “And what do you think of us?”

  Arie’s smile lit up his eyes.

  “I like you very much. Even though I knew dragons were big, I was still surprised at how big. I’m glad you’re on our side.” The queen nodded again. As Arie looked into her eyes he had the distinct feeling there was more behind the questions than polite chit chat. The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of dinner.

  Platters were placed along the middle of the large tables, mouth-watering aromas capturing everyone’s attention. King Valdorryn stood and spoke into the new silence. “In the name of Drakon, Beloved Father and Protector of the Dragons, we give profound thanks for the banquet we are to partake.” The king turned to his human guests. “I am truly overjoyed at your
presence. My family and I are honoured to host this feast for you tonight. Enjoy.” He raised his goblet of gozzle-bush berries in a toast. Everyone imitated the king and drank heartily. Arie was disappointed to find his goblet held water.

  An hour before midnight, when all that was left were crumbs on the table, the king and his guests excused themselves. Agmunsten escorted Arie to his room and gave him strict instructions to stay there until morning. The boy was disappointed he couldn’t continue to explore, however when he climbed into bed he was content. His stomach availed itself of all his energy to digest the large quantity of food he’d consumed. It wasn’t long before he slept.

  Edmund, Agmunsten, Zim and Warrimonious joined King Valdorryn in his meeting room. Queen Jazmonilly had retired to her rooms, knowing her husband would relay anything important to her later. Warrimonious wasted no time in getting to the point. “So, Agmunsten, please enlighten us fully as to the situation we now face.”

  His serious tone prompted Agmunsten to answer immediately.

  “They are here.” Those three simple words drained the blood from every face. All breathing appeared to have ceased as each member of the meeting attempted to digest the horrific information.

  Eventually Zim won the race for composure. “What can you tell us?”

  Agmunsten cleared his throat. “We are aware of one Gormon at the moment. I’m not sure if any others have arrived.” Agmunsten spoke through the nervous murmuring of his companions. “Avruellen had a true dream. An infant Gormon is feeding on humans. He hasn’t developed his full strength yet and appears to be staying in one isolated area. We don’t know where that is, however I suspect it’s on the coast somewhere down south. Maybe an island.”

  Agmunsten knew the questions his companions would ask and headed them off. “I don’t know how long until it reaches adult status, although all the information I could get my hands on from last time indicates it may be a matter of a few more weeks, maybe three months. Something I do know, is that we have a better chance of defeating it as an infant.”