by E. J. Krause
"You can transform in like half a second. It took you longer than that to find an updraft a minute ago."
She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Okay, here goes." He struggled to keep the levitation spell in place as he grew a bubble of anti-gravity. He couldn't feel Andi feeding him energy, and he doubted she could, either, but he knew it was happening. The spell expanded much faster and easier than he expected, even more so than the first time in the much smaller training room. Now, with no gravity, the walls went still. Though they hadn't technically been moving in the first place.
He moved them down towards the exit. It was slow going, and he felt his grip on the anti-gravity bubble slipping. He grit his teeth and held on. If he lost that, he might also lose the levitation spell, and he wasn't sure either of them could act fast enough at this point to save them. Though Andi didn't say anything, not wanting to break his concentration, he felt her faith and trust in him, and that helped. He touched them down right outside the exit, and they leaped through. As soon as they landed on the hard floor of the next passageway, gravity went back to normal.
"Nicely done," Andi said. She leaned over, gave him a peck on the cheek, and stood. "Let's go see what's next."
As she started forward, Ben lay there, still trying to catch his breath. She got about ten feet away, turned back to him, and said, "Well?"
Ben could only let out a groan.
Chapter 22
Like the last rocky passage, this one didn't go on long. Instead of it opening up into a cavernous room like the previous two, they found themselves in one no bigger than the training room back home. Unlike the rest of this realm, which held at least some sensation of danger, this room had none. A man stood in the middle, beaming at them. He looked human in every way except for one key difference: He had four arms. Andi wished she had some bit of this in her brain encyclopedia. She hated these surprises.
"Welcome, my young friends," the man, or whatever he was, said. "I seldom get visitors. In fact, in all my time here, which is probably more than either of you can comprehend, you are among my first. Don't get me wrong, others have been here, but they've been invited. Some have tried to push their way in, but never has anyone walked through our maze of protection. I must say, I'm quite excited to meet you."
Okay, so this wasn't anything like what Andi expected. She glanced over at Ben and found him in the same state. Before either of them had to pull out any words, the four-armed man continued.
"You must have quite the interest in the recording devices. Why else would you be here? I know, young madam dragon, that you know next to nothing about them. You're not a council member, and they're not in your biological database."
"No," Andi managed to get out.
"Since you two fought so hard to get here, I do believe you're owed an explanation. Your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. That is an expression on your home realm, is it not?"
"Yes," Andi said, while Ben nodded.
"I have a device here. It won't show you everything, but you'll get a good history lesson."
Ben found his voice. "Why are you being so nice to us? We busted in here and killed all your beetles and the giant lobster monster. Shouldn't you be afraid of us? Or at least mad?" Andi wondered the same thing.
The man smiled. "I sense the goodness in you, Master Dragon Guard. Or would you prefer Master Necromancer? Though I should say that title would simply be polite at this point. You're powerful, but no master magician yet."
"But we're here for one of the devices," Andi said.
"You'd be foolish to put yourself in such peril if you weren't. You're here now, so why not watch? I so rarely get to enjoy guiding individuals through this history. Council members, after all, serve such long terms."
Andi glanced at Ben, and he shrugged. There was no malice, no danger coming from this four-armed man, this keeper of the devices. The way he was pushing the viewing on them sang that maybe it was one final trap, but she'd sense that, right? And if she couldn't, Ben would.
Ben proved he couldn't sense anything, either, when he nodded and said, "Sure, we'd be honored to watch."
The keeper produced a round disc, roughly the size and shape of a Frisbee, that looked to be made of stone. He held it out in front of him and said, "Concentrate on it, my young friends, and you'll see how these came about for the Dragon Council."
*****
She and Ben found themselves in the Dragon Council chamber, along with the four-armed keeper. A meeting was in session, though she didn't recognize any of the participants. In fact, unlike now, when dragons mostly stayed in their human forms, these council members remained full dragon. Their guards, seated next to each, had vaguely human shapes, but were something different.
"This takes place countless eons before your realm existed. Back then there was no need for dragons to take another form. That came later, but still well before your realm."
"So that's why The Stronghold is so big," Ben said.
"Yes. It wasn't always convenience for the dragons, but necessity."
The leader of the council stepped forward. "Fixtarret," the keeper whispered. "At least that's as close as you two will be able to make out and pronounce."
"Let's bring this special session to order," the leader, Fixtarret, said. The magic of the device translated the speech to their modern English. Even though she was a dragon, without the magical assist, Andi would have had no chance of understanding this ancient dragon tongue. It would have been as pointless as Ben trying to understand her modern language.
The council quieted and placed their attention on Fixtarret. "I know each of you understands why we're here." The names Ridklil, Dlorla, Harlaak, and Arrlella floated through the chamber on the lips (or whatever) of the dragons and guards. Andi looked them up in her brain encyclopedia, as well as Fixtarret, but came up empty. No surprise.
"Yes," Fixtarret said. "We were all aware of their feud, yet none of us could solve it. With the voracity of both sides' claims, it had to all boil down to a misunderstanding, which is a shame."
The keeper leaned over to Andi and Ben. "The misunderstanding he's talking about ended in a duel to the death. Ridklil slew Harlaak at the same instant Arrlella ran Dlorla through, killing all four."
"Excuse the interruption," one of the council members said. The keeper didn't supply her name, so Andi took it to mean it didn't matter. "We were under the impression the candidates for the vacant slots had yet to be finalized."
"Indeed they have not," Fixtarret said. "We've gathered today for another reason."
This brought out murmurs from the room, along with a few louder questions of, "Why?"
Fixtarret raised his wings, and the council chamber again went silent. "I'm sure you all remember stories of the kidnapping and vicious murders of council members Zharr and Larrns that took place a generation ago. It was never solved, but with the proper insight, not only could it have been, but also prevented. And that, my friends, is why we're here today."
The room buzzed, but Fixtarret continued before it could derail the meeting. "I've brought in a guest who has a solution for us. Please listen, and when he's finished, we'll vote on whether to implement it or not. Galloop, please, join us."
A being that looked identical to the keeper that was here with her and Ben walked up onto the stage. He stood next to Fixtarret, and bowed to the council. "I am a member of the Keepers of the Discs," he said. "And, yes, we have a solution for you. An almost perfect one, if you want my opinion."
Andi couldn't get it out of her head that the keeper she and Ben were with was the same as Galloop in the council meeting all those eons ago. It wasn't just that they looked and sounded alike, but something deep down in her soul believed it. She wanted to chalk it up to her imagination, but Ben sensed the same thing, she was sure of it. Neither asked the keeper, and he offered no hints, but it was impossible, right? Too much time had passed for him to still be alive.
On the council floor, Galloop pulled out a disc th
at looked like the one she and Ben had concentrated on to get here. "This is a recording disc. It will record everything you and your mate do, no matter how mundane. I, along with my fellow members of the Keepers of the Discs, offer them to the Dragon Council, now and forever."
Bursts of outrage popped up throughout the council. Cries of invasion of their most private moments came forth, and Andi couldn't blame them. She wasn't sure she'd appreciate everything she and Ben did be recorded, though something deep down inside of her said it would be quite useful, especially in present circumstances. After all, that was why they were here, right?
"Quiet!" Fixtarret bellowed. The chamber went so silent that Andi imagined they'd be able to hear her and Ben from so far in the future. "Allow our good friend, Galloop, to explain. I promise you this is not an intrusion on your privacy. Listen to see if you can find the wisdom in this plan."
Galloop nodded and continued. "No one will have access to the discs. My guild and I keep a constant vigil to guarantee their safety, and they are stored in an unknown realm behind a labyrinth of significant deadly difficulty. We'd be willing to wager that even you, as a collective group, would not be able to bypass our security." He held his four hands out, palms up. "We'd allow you to take this challenge if you're not convinced."
No one shouted out that they accepted, so he continued. "A dragon and guard cannot retrieve their own disc. Access to the discs is by a formal request by the council, and to do so requires a hefty price. We will only hand a disc over if the council sacrifices one of their own, or someone equally as valuable to all."
Andi, and Ben beside her, flinched at this. The council, meanwhile, launched into a tirade. Screams of barbarism and murder arose, but Galloop merely stood there, staring back at them. He then said, almost not loud enough to be heard, "So don't request a disc." That quieted everyone except Fixtarret, who let out a deep belly laugh.
"But why shouldn't we have access to our own disc?" one of the council members asked. "We should be able to make sure it hasn't been tampered with."
"My guild and I alone are the ones with access to the discs."
"And?"
The look Galloop gave the council chilled even Andi to the bone. "We do not tamper with the discs. For any reason."
Everyone in the room nodded, while Fixtarret chuckled and said, "The Keepers of the Discs are above reproach. If you've ever trusted me before, believe me when I say that." That seemed to appease everyone in the room. Wow, she couldn't imagine Jonas making such a statement and having the council fall in line without more discussion, and Jonas was the most respected leader in recent recorded history. She then shook her head and remembered the current council, including Jonas, was corrupt. Except Timothy and Sasha, of course. Ben gave her a sidelong glance, but she ignored it.
"This method has been used by other such councils throughout the ages to great success," Galloop said. "You won't be disappointed."
Fixtarret held a wing up to bring the undivided attention to him. "We will vote on this in a moment or two, but first, if you have any further questions, now's the time to bring them up."
"How will we be imprinted onto the disc?" someone asked.
"We will perform a magical ceremony on you and your mate. It's powerful, but painless, I assure you." Andi had to chuckle at the relief throughout the council chamber that last part brought.
"How about when we leave the council?" another member asked. "No matter the circumstances."
"We keep the discs forever. When you're gone, the way to retrieve them does not change."
There were a few more questions, and then it was time to vote. The council decided unanimously to adopt the discs. Once Fixtarret declared the motion passed, the world swam around Andi, and the three of them were back in the small chamber. The keeper flicked his wrist, and the disc was gone.
"Has the council ever retrieved a disc?" Ben asked. "We heard it's happened once, but we don't know if it's true."
"It's happened many times," the keeper said. "But only once since your realm came into being, still well before any of the current council members existed. Two of that council ruled neighboring kingdoms, and they went to war. No one knew the true cause, but it threatened to tear all of dragon-kind apart. They voted to let the discs settle the dispute, and the one in the wrong had to pay the retrieval fee. The council viewed the discs, discovered their answer, and sent the payment to us."
"Harsh," Ben said, and Andi agreed.
"They understood the cost," the keeper said.
"But why the cost at all?" Andi asked.
"To record takes little to no energy from us. The discs can soak up the action of its target from when we started to the end of time, and we won't even feel it. To play back the devices, however, drains so much energy that we're on the verge of death. The ritual sacrifice gives us this energy back."
"Wait," Ben said. "You played back one of the discs. How come that didn't drain you to almost death?"
"Very astute question," the keeper said. "But everyone is safe. We watched a single moment in time, not a lifetime of memories. No energy is required for that disc."
That was good. Andi had sudden visions of the keeper trying to sacrifice her and Ben. She enjoyed this keeper so far, so it would have been sort of sad to have to kill him.
"Can the discs be changed through magic?" Ben asked. "It sounded like it was possible."
"You know as well as any, Master Dragon Guard, that the most powerful magic can accomplish anything. I must admit, though, that none of my order has ever attempted such a thing. That is counter to our life of disc protection."
Ben nodded. Andi could tell something about that statement was running through his mind, but she couldn't guess what. Something to ask him later.
The keeper again smiled at them both. "I hope you enjoyed your history lesson. I'm afraid I must send you back to your realm now. I also apologize in that when I do, I'll wipe your memory of this place and everything you learned, except for the simple message to your comrades to not bother trying to take a disc. I wish I didn't have to, as I've appreciated your company, but it must be done."
"Wait," Ben said again. "We came for a specific device. May we have it?" Andi had to hold back a laugh. She never would have thought of trying such a direct route.
"No, I'm afraid not," the keeper said, none of the amiability gone from his voice. Honestly, Andi, and Ben, too, based on his feelings, would have been shocked if the keeper had answered any other way.
"What's to keep us from overpowering you and taking the disc?" Ben said. "We're the first to make it all the way here, after all."
The keeper's smile broadened. "I've no doubt you could. If you did, however, you still wouldn't get what you want. You see, in order to enter the chamber of discs," he pointed to the back wall, and Andi saw a stone tablet hanging halfway down, "I need to put my hand on that. The door will open no other way, no matter how powerful your magic is. While I physically can not oppose you, my feet will latch to the ground so you will be unable to drag me over there. Plus, don't think you can cut an arm off. Once the blood stops flowing, the hand print won't work. So, you see? Your robbery attempt was foiled before it began. Besides, as I said when you two first came in, I sense no ill-intentions on you."
Andi figured that was true enough, but Ben's mind was working in overdrive. If she could give him a few extra seconds, he might be able to figure something out. "So is this where the hand print scanner came from in our realm?" Inane, but maybe it would keep him talking for a bit longer.
"I don't follow such things, but there is no possibility it came from here. The idea could not get out. That being said, it doesn't surprise me it exists in your realm. It's a solid idea that makes for an almost perfect key."
Andi nodded, hoping she did so sagely. "Yes, that makes sense."
"Anything else?" His smile broadened. "I need to send you back, but it doesn't have to be this moment."
"One more thing," Ben said. "I'm sorry about this."
<
br /> The keeper frowned in confusion, and then dropped asleep. She looked at Ben. "What happened?"
"Knocked him out. I don't know how long he'll be down, but we'll be long gone before he wakes. And he was right. There are no ill-intentions since I didn't hurt him."
She bent down to try to move him towards the chamber door, but he wouldn't budge. As promised, he anchored himself to the ground. "Now what?"
Ben unsheathed his sword, concentrated on the blade, and slashed off the bottom right arm. No blood spilled. He picked it up and walked towards the stone tablet.
"But he said that wouldn't work."
"He said it wouldn't work because the blood stopped flowing. It's pumping in here like it's still attached." He placed the open hand on the stone, and the wall slid open.
She chuckled. "You still know how to amaze me, I'll give you that."
He wiggled his eyebrows at her and brought the arm back to the keeper. A quick spell and it reattached. "He didn't feel a thing, and won't know anything happened. Speaking of which…" He placed a hand on the keeper's head and muttered a phrase. "There. We're all set."
"What did you do now?"
"I erased this from his mind. When he wakes up, he won't remember meeting us, and he'll believe the disc is still as safe as can be behind the sealed door. He was going to do the same to us, so turnabout is fair play, right? Now let's go." He ran over to the open chamber door and disappeared through. She chuckled, shook her head, and followed.
Chapter 23
The disc room was an almost perfect mirror image of the other one, with one big exception, or, rather, thirteen of them. The discs of the current Dragon Council sat on pedestals arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. Ben glanced around and saw another blank stone tablet, that one likely opening another door to the vault of all the recorded discs of council members past. How big would that room have to be? He'd love to check it out for curiosity sake, but decided they'd best take care of the business at hand.
He looked closer at the discs. Each appeared the same, and no sort of marking, either on the discs or the pedestals, gave them away. "Which one is it?" he asked Andi, hoping she somehow, as a dragon, had the answer.
