by Dean Cadman
The saddle had been far more complicated to make than Lusam could ever have imagined. It wasn’t until his father pointed out that Ryuu was likely to grow considerably when he passed through the portal that the problem became clear. Apparently, dragons never stopped growing until the day they died, and therefore suddenly ageing almost two thousand years would likely significantly increase his size. Lusam found the solution to the problem fascinating, and knew it was unlikely that he would ever have thought of it by himself. What they eventually did was create a saddle big enough to fit even the largest of dragons, then magically shrink it to fit Ryuu’s current size. After that, his father imbued it with a few enchantments. The first was to strengthen the saddle and its straps. The second was to make it impervious to the weather and several corrosive venoms from certain Netherworld creatures. But it was the final enchantment which impressed Lusam the most. It took his father the best part of half a day to perfect, and almost destroyed the entire saddle twice during its creation. But when the enchantment was complete they were left with a saddle that would automatically grow to match the size of Ryuu.
His father levitated the saddle onto Ryuu’s back and securely fastened the straps underneath him. “Maybe you should give it a try before we climb on,” he suggested. Ryuu didn’t hesitate and sprung into the air, beating his enormous wings to quickly gain altitude. The sudden gust of wind almost sent Lusam sprawling onto the ground, and his father chuckled loudly. But nowhere near as loudly as he had the previous day during their trip to recharge their power reserves at the Soul Stone beach, when Lusam had got his foot caught in a rodent hole and fallen face first into a particularly spiky bush. His father had thought that was hilarious for some reason. Needless to say, Lusam didn’t share his amusement.
“I’m going to miss this place,” his father said, looking back fondly at the magnificent structure he’d built.
“I’m sure you’ll see it again,” Lusam replied.
“Let’s hope so,” he said, grinning, “or you’ll be the one who has to come back and finish it for me.”
“Well, I suppose I could have a go at improving some of those statues for you,” Lusam said, stifling a grin of his own.
His father snorted, but before he could reply another strong gust of wind buffeted them as Ryuu landed in the courtyard.
“How was it?” Arlo asked. Ryuu rolled his massive shoulders to test the saddle’s fit, causing his shiny dark scales to ripple along the length of his back as they briefly overlapped each other.
“It will suffice,” he replied, in a low growl.
“Excellent! You see, I told you he’d love it,” Arlo said, winking at Lusam.
“Really? He didn’t sound too impressed with it to me,” Lusam replied, chuckling to himself.
“Oh, trust me. That was a raging endorsement coming from Ryuu.”
Ryuu turned his head and snarled at Arlo, but he simply laughed it off.
“Can you see what a grumpy dragon I’ve had to live with all of these years, Lusam? I dread to think what he’s going to be like as an old decrepit dragon after we pass through the portal.”
Ryuu snorted loudly. “Remind me again. How do I activate that crystal in the saddle to restart your heart on the other side?”
Until that moment, Lusam had never even imagined that a dragon could smile. It might have looked like a slight snarl to most people, but it was most definitely a smile.
Arlo turned to face Lusam and threw his arms into the air with an overexuberant huff. “Do you see what I have to put up with?” he said, feigning a look of hurt. “Come on, let’s get on this grumpy lizard before he decides to scurry off into the forest to chase rodents.” Arlo gave Lusam another wink, then climbed up into the saddle. Lusam didn’t even attempt to climb up. Instead, he simply levitated himself into position, then quickly secured himself with the extra straps they had added at his request.
“Is it really necessary to insult him like that just before we fly?” Lusam whispered nervously into his father’s ear.
Arlo chuckled and turned in the saddle to face him. “He’s more fun in the air when he’s angry,” he replied quietly, with a mischievous grin.
A few moments later they were in the air and soaring high above the forest below. At first, it was nothing like the dreams Lusam had experienced previously. There were no feelings of tranquillity and relaxation, only a desperate need to hang on for dear life. The wind constantly tore at him and tried to rip him free of the saddle. His eyes streamed with tears every time he tried to open them, and he even found it difficult to breathe. Eventually, he decided to create a small magical barrier around himself, and that changed everything.
Lusam soon found himself grinning like a fool when Ryuu suddenly dived towards the cliffs far below. Just before hitting the water he spread his powerful wings and banked hard to the north, skimming effortlessly over the surface of the ocean. They travelled much faster than any bird, covering the distance to the portal in a matter of minutes. It was one of the best experiences of Lusam’s life, and he didn’t want it to end. But eventually, of course, it had to, and when Ryuu finally landed on the beach next to the portal, Lusam couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
The yellow and red crabs on the beach scattered in all directions when Ryuu came into land. Lusam watched as they quickly vanished down their burrows, and heard their tiny cries echo in his mind, “Run… run… run,” they all called out in unison.
“Those crabs are strange little creatures,” Lusam said, as he climbed down from Ryuu’s back. “I presume you can hear them speak too?”
“Aye, but they don’t say very much,” Arlo replied.
“Have you ever tried talking to one of them?” Lusam asked, curiously.
Arlo Laughed. “No, not really. To be honest, I’ve only ever heard them say two words. Run… run… run, and hot… hot… hot, when I dropped one in the cooking pot.”
“You didn’t!” Lusam gasped.
Arlo chuckled loudly and shook his head. “No, I didn’t. If I’m honest, I don’t really care for seafood that much.”
“I do,” Ryuu growled, “and I’ve heard them say many things.” Lusam and Arlo looked at Ryuu aghast.
“You’ve eaten them?” Arlo asked.
“Yes, but they are not very satisfying. It takes far too long to catch enough of them to make it worthwhile,” Ryuu replied.
“What else do they say?” Arlo asked, then quickly added, “No, wait… I don’t want to know.”
Lusam looked past Ryuu towards the sea arch in the bay. It was certainly a spectacle to behold. Seawater simply appeared in mid-air, then fell vertically for over a hundred feet towards the ocean below, where it rose up again as large clouds of sea spray. He could see several of the strange fish-like people around its base, no doubt scavenging for any scraps of food that had been brought through the portal.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” his father said by his side. “It’s easy to forget how deadly it is.”
“I was just thinking about that myself,” Lusam replied, still staring at the water pouring through the sea arch. “I was wondering about your plan and how it will work on the other side.”
“I’m not sure that I understand you.”
Lusam turned to face his father. “Well, if you intend to restart your heart the moment you pass through the portal, how will you stop yourself from inhaling a lung-full of seawater? Correct me if I’m wrong, but Ryuu can’t erect or maintain a magical barrier around you, and you won’t be able to do it because you’ll be effectively dead.”
Lusam could see by the puzzled look on his father’s face that he had no idea what he was talking about. Then he suddenly realised that the images he had seen in his dreams of Ryuu flying through the portal had been very different from how it looked now. Ryuu and his father obviously remembered the sea arch from a time when it had stood well above the sea. Whether the sea had risen to cover it, or the land had slipped below the waves he didn’t know. But one thing was ce
rtain, it was no longer above the water.
“You don’t know, do you?” Lusam said.
“Know what?”
“The sea arch on the other side of the portal is no longer above the water. In fact, it’s completely submerged below the surface.”
“What! And you’re only just telling me this now?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise until just now that you didn’t know.”
Arlo turned towards the portal deep in thought. He knew the longer it took for him to restart his heart, the less chance he would have of surviving. But more importantly, the longer it took for him to recover and begin the spell to mask their presence, the more likely they would be discovered by either Driden or the other dragons. There was only one thing he could think of to do.
“Lusam, you must go through the portal first and begin the masking spell that we practised together. Find Neala as quickly as you can, so that we’re ready to leave as soon as we come through.”
“But I thought we agreed that I would follow you through just in case… in case there were any problems,” Lusam replied, worriedly. They both knew there was a chance that Ryuu wouldn’t survive the transition between worlds, and if that happened without Lusam being there, his father wouldn’t stand a chance either.
“Yes, we did. But things have changed now that sea arch is underwater. Ryuu won’t be able to revive me until after he has resurfaced, and by then it will be too late. Both Driden and the dragons will already be aware of our presence, and quite possibly Aamon too. If you go through first, you can activate the masking spell the moment you arrive and extend it around us when we come through the portal.”
“And what happens if you don’t make it through the portal?” Lusam asked, stepping towards his father. Arlo smiled at him and placed both hands on Lusam’s shoulders, then lowered his forehead until it gently touched his.
“Then know that I am proud of you, Lusam, as I know your mother was, too. And that we will see each other again someday.”
Lusam threw his arms around his father’s neck and hugged him tightly. He had not had the opportunity to do the same with his mother before she had been taken from him by Lord Zelroth, and he had regretted it almost every day since. He was determined not to allow the same thing to happen again with his father.
After a while, his father gently patted his back, then held him out at arm’s length. “Speaking of your mother, do you still have her amulet with you?”
“Of course,” Lusam said, clasping it through his tunic.
“May I?” Arlo asked, holding out his hand.
Lusam nodded and removed it from around his neck, then handed it to his father. Arlo closed his hand around the amulet and spoke several words of power, causing the dragon tear to glow incredibly brightly in his hand. A moment later he opened his hand and offered it back to Lusam. He gasped as he took it from his father’s hand. All signs of damage had been erased. It was no longer shattered from the inside like it had been, and it glowed incredibly brightly to his mage-sight.
“It is mine and Ryuu’s gift to you, so that if we don’t survive, or we fail in our overall goal to close The Rift, you can bring Neala through the portal to safety,” he said, smiling at Lusam.
“Thank you. Both of you,” he whispered, clasping the amulet to his chest. It was such an incredible relief to finally know that Neala would be safe, no matter what happened in his world.
“You’re welcome,” his father replied, “but I think we should be going now. Do you have any idea how long it might take for you to find Neala on the other side?”
Lusam thought for a moment. Either she would still be on the island, or she would be onboard the Pelorus with Captain Waylon, he thought. Possibly on the mainland, but he doubted that. If she was, it would mean Captain Waylon had abandoned her there and left, and he doubted very much that he would have done that. At worst she would be seeking shelter aboard the Pelorus somewhere further around the headland, but it wouldn’t take him long to reach her if he levitated himself there quickly. Doing the same thing back to the island again with Neala, might not be quite as simple, he thought.
“Ten or fifteen minutes,” Lusam replied.
His father winced. “I was thinking more like five minutes at the most. Ten or fifteen is just too much of a risk.”
“Five minutes should be more than enough time if she’s still on the island, or even if she is onboard the ship and it’s close by. But if the ship has been forced to seek shelter further around the headland it will take more time.”
His father shook his head. “No. If she is onboard the ship taking shelter somewhere, then we will collect her as we fly past. The less time we spend near the island, the better. I will give you a five-minute head start through the portal, then follow you through.”
Lusam nodded slowly. “Good luck,” he said, holding out his hand. His father took hold of it and pulled him into another embrace.
“Good luck to you too, son,” he replied, in a whisper.
Lusam eventually broke the embrace and turned towards Ryuu. He was such a magnificent creature, and he was about to risk everything to help him and the people of his world. Lusam had no idea how to even begin to show his appreciation. He walked slowly towards him, his heart pounding. Ryuu lowered his head towards him, and instinctively Lusam placed a hand on his neck. He rested his forehead gently against the smooth scales of his neck, and said, “Blood recognises blood. Thank you, Ryuu.”
The words echoed through his mind, “Blood recognises blood,” and a wave of trust and acceptance washed over him. It was a profound experience, and one that Lusam would never forget.
Arlo cleared his throat, and Lusam suddenly became aware of where he was again and stepped back from Ryuu.
“Well, Ryuu, I guess we should go back home and start getting ready for our trip.”
“Back home?” Lusam asked.
“Of course. You didn’t think I was going to meet my future daughter-in-law dressed like this, did you?” he said, grinning and gesturing at his clothing.
“You look fine to me,” Lusam replied, “but that’s not what I really meant.”
“No, I don’t look fine. I look like someone who has lived alone for two thousand years, and lost all self-respect,” he said, chuckling to himself. “And I know what you meant, but five minutes in our world is about five hours here. So, I intend to go back home and complete a few jobs that I should have done a long time ago, then get out of these rags and dress in something far more appropriate.”
Lusam smiled and nodded. He would have been proud to call him his father no matter how he was dressed. But now that he mentioned it, he did look more like one of the homeless people in Helveel, than he did a mighty Guardian of old.
“Then I guess I’ll see you both in five minutes,” Lusam said, levitating himself off the ground a few feet.
His father smiled and nodded. “Five minutes.”
“Okay, don’t be late,” Lusam said, as he turned and set off towards the portal. The noise of the cascading waterfall crescendoed as he approached, until all he could hear was the deep rumbling of the two bodies of water colliding. He hovered directly in front of the sea arch, looking through what appeared to be nothing more than an empty space. But he knew that no more than a few feet in front of him was the gateway back to his own world, and the gateway back to Neala. He turned his head towards the beach and found his father and Ryuu watching him. The image burned itself into his mind, just as the final images of his mother had done at Irragin. He knew that this might be the last time that he ever saw his father alive, and if it was, he would be in no small part to blame. He closed his eyes and offered a silent prayer to Aysha, even though he knew she couldn’t hear him.
He erected a magical barrier around himself, then without looking back, he stepped through the portal.
Chapter Forty-Eight
A bright blue flash exploded all around him, and he felt the magic ripped from his body as he passed between the two realms. I
t dizzied him momentarily, but it was nowhere near as traumatic as it had been the first time he had passed through the portal. A heartbeat later everything went dark, and he found himself underwater back in his own world. As planned, he immediately initiated the spell to conceal his presence from Aamon, Driden and the dragons. He knew it wouldn’t last long, but hopefully, it would be long enough for his father to join him, and for them all to get far enough away from the island so as not to divulge the location of the Guardian book.
Lusam looked up and could see the silhouette of a small rowing boat above him on the surface of the water, and wondered if it might be Neala still looking for him. Excitement gripped him as he shot towards the surface. A moment later he burst from the water like a cork from a bottle, startling the two men in the small craft. One man fell backwards almost capsizing the small boat, whilst the other turned and yelled towards the Pelorus, which was anchored less than a hundred feet away.
Lusam started heading towards the ship but a yell from his right stopped him in mid-flight.
“LUSAM!” a familiar voice called out. Lusam turned towards the sound and his heart skipped a beat. It was Neala, and she was sitting on the edge of the cliff looking down at the sea below. She was huddled in thick furs and struggled to stand up under their weight. Lusam quickly levitated himself towards her, his smile growing with every beat of his fluttering heart. He barely remembered to remove his magical barrier before she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him profusely.
“Oh, Lusam, you’re alive!” she sobbed into his shoulder. “You’ve been gone for so long.”
Lusam chuckled and pulled her into a tight embrace. “You’ve no idea,” he said, kissing her. Neala hugged him so tightly that he could barely breathe, but after a few moments she released her hold on him and looked up into his face.
