The Time Shield

by Hans Bezdek

  “Mah-AAAA!”

  The dragon shifted his neck up, redirecting the blast into the air where the foolish goblin was heading.

  I reached out my hand, pointing at where Dhot would meet with the fiery pillar of death, and unleashed my energy. A thick wall of water appeared right in front of the goblin as he entered the path of the flames. A heavy flow of steam rose above the cutoff flames as the dragon finished his breath.

  “Thank you!” shouted Dhot, landing on his feet and running for cover.

  Nadeem turned his attention towards me now.

  “I will not be harassed by a misfit group of-”

  Cassandra jumped up at the dragon’s neck, the now glowing Shattered Sword arcing up. The blue tinted blade sliced along the bottom of the black dragon’s throat as the elf flew underneath it, until Cassandra tumbled to the ground on the other side.

  A stream of crimson poured out of the dragon’s neck, cutting off his complaint into a gurgle. Nadeem desperately brought his claws up, but there was nothing to be done. The dragon gave a final, horrible croaking noise as it collapsed down into a pool of its own blood.

  “Woohoo!” shouted Dhot, running out from his cover and throwing a fist into the air. “That was awesome! Maha!”

  “You’ve really got to get control over that thing,” I said, walking up and pointing at the Shattered Sword.

  “I know,” she nodded, staring down at it. “It’s so powerful… at least, when it wants to be.”

  I glanced down at the dragon, making sure it was dead. Its lifeless right eye stared at me, still in a glare.

  I wasn’t a fan.

  “Let’s keep moving,” I said, exhausted from expending so much magic. Dhot not giving me any warning about the grenades required me to use more energy than I should’ve, and the huge water wall was very magic consuming on its own. This feeling of running low on magic was becoming a bit too common for my taste. “We can’t wait around. The other two dragons might have heard the cries of this one, and could come back any minute.”

  Cassandra nodded, sheathing the Sword.

  “You know, it’s been months since I’ve even seen a dragon, regardless of color,” said Dhot, smiling at the two of us as we all started our march again. “But after just a few days with you guys, we’ve already fought two!”

  “It’s not like we’re trying to seek them out,” said Cassandra apologetically.

  “We just have a bad knack for running into them,” I shrugged.

  “This is the best!” squealed Dhot, jumping up and down. “I knew traveling with you both was the right move! Maha!”

  Chapter 16

  I was suddenly in a large, circular room.

  The room was filled with piles and piles of books, several bookcases, chairs, and tables. Candles were set in a seemingly random order all over the place, and they were the only source of light. The smell of old books filled the place, almost to the point of being nauseating.

  Darkly tinted windows surrounded the room, and I instinctively walked over to look out. There were massive mountains all around, with a large city down below. I’d never seen a city from so high before, but something about the place seemed familiar.

  I glanced back around the room, looking for a set of stairs or perhaps a lift. Somehow, there wasn’t one. How had I come up here? Actually, how did I get here at all? Where were Cassandra and Dhot?

  Cough.

  A man with a blue robe suddenly stood at the edge of the other side of the room.

  “Hello?” I asked.

  I couldn’t see his face, but somehow I knew he was looking at me.

  “Where am I?” I asked. “Who are you? Why am I here?”

  “All of these things will be answered when the time is right,” said the man.

  “Well, can the time be right now?”

  The man laughed. “I appreciate the candidness. If I told you now, however, then I fear your trajectory would change. You would not complete your next quest, assuming, of course, you even complete the one you’re on.”

  “Next quest?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

  The man stared at me for a moment.

  “A winged one with a heart of man will be needed to unite the lands.

  The blood and darkness of old will rise again from their home, with the help of the ancient crown.

  Without the winged one at their helm, the lands of Yaerna will fall to evil for eternity.

  The winged one must find the banished rogue, the crazed inventor, and the runt of Brumark.

  Without their help and those of the legendary weapons of old, evil has won.

  The Gathering has begun.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said, getting slightly annoyed. Why was everyone always harping on about this? “I know about the prophecy, okay?”

  “You asked what I meant by next quest,” laughed the man. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want to hear the answers to.”

  “But you’re not telling me anything I already know.”

  “Remember the prophecy, Reimar,” said the man. “The Gathering must be finished. Without you accomplishing your next quest, two strong allies will destroy one another.”

  I tensed up. Two allies? Did he mean Dhot and Cassandra?

  “How do you know my name?”

  The man laughed again. “As if I’d answer that one but not the others. How amusing. If it makes you feel any better, know that I have agents keeping an eye out.”

  “Listen, guy,” I said, clenching my fist. “I don’t know who you think you are, but if-”

  “Until we meet again,” said the man quietly. He bowed, and disappeared.

  I stared at his now empty space, waiting not very patiently.

  “How do I get out of here!?” I shouted.

  “Maha! Through the front door!”

  I opened my eyes and gasped, looking around.

  No longer in the circular room, I was now lying on a bed, with Cassandra and Dhot staring at me.

  “You normally shout in your sleep?” asked Dhot, eyeing me carefully. “You didn’t the other night when we were back at the hut.”

  “He did that once when we were in the Willows,” said Cassandra. “He claimed to have a nightmare where he was marrying me.”

  “Sounds more like it was a nightmare from your end. Maha!”

  With no help from them, my memory slowly came back to me. We had made it to Mela a couple of hours after our fight with the black dragon, and immediately looked for this inn. Dhot said none of the blacksmith shops would be open that late, and we might as well get some sleep while we could.

  “How late is it?” I mumbled, pushing the sheets off my bed and standing up.

  “Noon,” they said.

  “What!?” I shouted. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?! We’ve got to go get the rest of your materials!”

  “I told you he’d freak out,” smiled Cassandra.

  “Maha!” laughed Dhot. “The two of us woke up earlier, and when we saw how happy you looked while you slept, we decided to just go get the rest of what I needed without you. They had the Muarium at the first place we checked, and I already went ahead and put the breathing apparatuses together. See?”

  The goblin held up a strange looking helmet. It looked like a giant metal ball, with a glass visor awkwardly placed over the of it. I was amazed at how unspectacular it looked.

  “Don’t worry, we took your money out of your bag while you slept,” smiled Cassandra, placing a much smaller stack of quat on the nightstand than I expected.

  “Much appreciated,” I mumbled, taking the thin stack and shoving it back into my bag. “But wait… how are we going to be able to breathe in those things?”

  “You want me to go through the schematic with you?” asked Dhot, a huge smile spreading.

  “No, no,” I said, taking the helmet from him and looking at it closer. “I mean, how can just a bunch of metal help us breathe underwater. Just that part.”

  The goblin deflated some. “Aw, but th
at’s the most boring part. I carry around a couple of wands with me for enchanting purposes, and one of them had a few charges of underwater breathing on them.”

  “You’ve used a wand to do it?!” I exclaimed.

  Those that couldn’t cast their own spells but still wanted the thrill could buy wands throughout Yaerna. While there were some very respected wandmakers around, most were two-bit mages that were just out to make a quick buck. To increase their selling price, these wandmakers would jam multiple spells into a wand. They were extremely faulty and malfunctioned all the time.

  “Of course,” he shrugged. “How else could you do it?”

  “You could’ve just cast the underwater breathing spells on the three of us!” I said.

  “I mean… I guess,” said the goblin. “But then you wouldn’t look half as cool as these helmets!”

  “We also have no idea if this’ll work,” I said. “Where did you get those wands from?”

  “Some lady.”

  “Some lady?”

  “Yeah,” he shrugged. “When I was in Trenton a year ago some old kobold lady was selling wands on the street. Buy one, get twelve free. Talk about a great deal! Maha!”

  “We’re going to drown,” I sighed.

  “An old kobold in Trenton?” gasped Cassandra. “I wonder if she was the one that told us how to get the Shattered Sword! What did she look like?”

  Dhot thought about it for a few seconds. “If I remember right, she had some wonky looking eyes, walked with a stick as a cane… and definitely was homeless.”

  “That was her,” I said flatly, taking the helmet and shoving it into my bag. “We’ve probably wasted enough time here. Let’s get a move on before anyone else gets to the Time Shield before we do.”

  The three of us left the inn, making our way south through Mela. While I had been to the Republic of Hur before, I’d never been to this particular town. Still, many of them were laid out the same way, even though this one used to be a border town. Most of the Republic’s buildings were made of lumber or stone, with wide streets cutting through the town for merchants and the military to use.

  The streets were busy, but everyone kept a few feet from us. I noticed more than a handful of people casting disgruntled faces down at Dhot, and a few curious glances at Cassandra. Humans were always curious about the other races that shared their similar anatomy, such as dwarves, elves, and gnomes. When it came to the others, though, such as orcs, goblins, and trolls, it was mostly distrust or outright hatred.

  I tried to focus on the Time Shield, and looked down the road we were heading. My eyes fell on someone I thought I recognized. A man was dressed in all white and gold, and was flanked by a woman wearing all white and silver. As they grew closer, I was sure it was him.

  “Oh no,” I mumbled.

  Pulling my hood up tighter over my face, I tried to get us to hug the side of the street without drawing any attention.

  “What is it?” whispered Cassandra. “Are there Tumblers?”

  “Are there people I need to blow up?” asked Dhot, trying to be helpful.

  “Shh!” I whispered. “Stop talking to me! You’ll get their attention!”

  “Reimar?” came a man’s voice. “Reimar Pinespell? My goodness, it is you isn’t it?”

  Dang it…

  I looked up and smiled at the man. “Laurinaitis Goldscale! It’s been a long time!”

  The man had slicked back hair and a smile so bright and fake that you knew he was a politician from a mile away. His golden eyes sparkled as he looked at me. “Some might say too long, other’s might say not long enough!”

  “One of those is certainly true,” I said through my teeth. “What are you doing in Mela?”

  “Politics never rests,” he chuckled, in one of those ways that made you want to headbutt someone. “I’m here with one of the newest elected representatives of the Republic, showing her around to some of the most beloved cities in this beautiful territory.”

  The woman next to him had hair practically down to the floor in a braid. Her smile was just as fake, and her eyes were silver instead of gold. “Varinia Swordwing,” she smiled, stretching her gloved hand out.

  “Watch out for Laurinaitis,” I laughed, politely shaking her hand. “He’s always taking the pretty new representatives out. Quite the reputation!”

  “Oh, stop it!” he laughed. Or rather, he made a laughing sound with his mouth. His eyes, on the other hand, were staring right through me. Guess I hit a nerve. “What are you in town for?”

  “Well, I’m here with a couple of friends to just see the sight,” I said. Cassandra and Dhot smiled up at the man.

  “Friends?” he asked, looking around. “Where are they?”

  “Right here,” I said, gesturing to the elf and goblin.

  “Oh!” chuckled Laurinaitis, looking down at the two now. “My apologies. Please, introduce us.”

  “Uh… Cassandra and Dhot, this is Laurinaitis,” I shrugged.

  “Pleasure to met you,” said Cassandra, shaking hands with him.

  Laurinaitis stuck his hand out to Dhot, who just stared at it. The man got the picture after a few seconds and let his hand drop.

  “Laurinaitis and I met in Ravendale a few years ago,” I explained. “His father is the great Sergius.”

  “Sergius Goldscale!?” exclaimed Cassandra, eyes wide. “The leader of the golden dragons during the Dragon War?”

  “Guilty as charged!” beamed Laurinaitis, holding his hands up. One of the many issues I had with the dragon was his delusion that he was somehow as great as his father was. Sergius Goldscale was a pivotal leader in the Dragon War, while Laurinaitis Goldscale never even saw battle. The whole reason he was even in as high of a position as he was right now was because of nepotism.

  “Are you in politics as well, Reimar?” asked Varinia.

  “Thankfully not,” I smiled. Varinia looked confused, but let the matter drop. Poor silver dragon. She probably meant well, but being a politician in the Republic was all about keeping up appearances, not contributing to change and bettering the territory.

  “Reimar in politics?” chuckled Laurinaitis. “Heavens no! We met while he was doing some work with a friend of the Republic. How is Dmetri doing, by the way?”

  I saw Cassandra tense up next to me, eyes widening as she looked over at me.

  “Wouldn’t know,” I said. “I’m no longer with the Tumblers.”

  “Really?” pouted that man. “That’s too bad. You always seemed so happy whenever I saw you working with your fellow Stumblers.”

  “Tumblers,” I smiled.

  “My apologies,” he laughed. “We must be off! Pleasure running into you, as always old friend! Be sure to say hello the next time you’re in Ravendale!”

  The two walked by, with Varinia politely saying goodbye to each of us. I watched as they left, making sure they were really gone.

  “That was different,” said Cassandra.

  “That guy is the worst,” I sighed. “Everyone in the capital loves him for some reason, but he’s as fake as Dhot’s mechanical arms.”

  “Seemed to like you,” said Dhot.

  “No, he doesn’t,” I said. “I promise you he’ll notify his contacts in the Tumblers about me being here. He knows they have a bounty on me, but wouldn’t want Varinia to know that. It’s all a game to him.”

  “Not much like his father, then,” said Cassandra.

  “Not at all,” I mumbled. “Let’s keep moving. I think I can see Lake Quip from here.”

  Chapter 17

  Lake Quip spread out before us as we came down the hill from Mela. Thankfully, it wasn’t a particularly large lake, and would probably only take a few hours or so to swim through. I had no idea how long the breathing helmets would work for, but Dhot didn’t seem concerned. Hopefully he had thought all of that through.

  A few small boats were out on the water, with people enjoying the sunny day and trying to catch a fish or two. The lake didn’t look particularly
busy.

  “What’s that?” asked Dhot, pointing over to the right side of the lake.

  Neither Cassandra nor I could see what he was talking about, as large rocks and weeds were scattered around that section. The three of us moved up, keeping an eye on where he was pointing. As we got closer, I realized what caught his eye.

  On the other side of the rocks was a big group comprised of orcs, humans, and gnomes. Carts with strange boats were being backed up towards the water with the help of several large horses. The boats were discus in shape, with a propeller in the back and several small opening at the front. On the top was a glass dome, and I thought I saw some controls in it.

  “I bet those are the Black Serpents,” I mumbled to the others.

  “Gray Adders,” corrected Cassandra. “You’re getting closer, though.”

  “Those are some impressive looking contraptions!” exclaimed Dhot, admiring them from a distance. “Do you think if I went and asked them about it they’d show me the blueprints?”

  “Pretty sure they’d just kill you,” I said.

  “Maha! You’re probably right.”

  “We’ve got to hurry if we want to find the Time Shield before they do,” said Cassandra, breaking into a jog.

  Dhot and I followed after her, all three of us taking out our helmets.

  “You’re sure this’ll work, right?” I asked the goblin as we ran.

  “Mostly,” he nodded.

  “Just mostly?”

  “If you’ve got a better idea, feel free to go with that instead!” he said, putting on his own helmet.

  His helmet was made with extra long tubes where his ears went. The visor let you see from his nose to the top of his forehead, with a dark tint. The goblin looked ridiculous in it.

  We finally made it to the edge of the lake, where Cassandra stood, looking down at the water.

  “See you guys down there!” shouted Dhot, running past the elf and jumping into the lake. “Maha!”

  With a splash, the goblin disappeared into the water.

  “Ready to do this?” I asked the elf, putting on my own helmet. It somehow fit perfectly, and let me have my full range of vision. How did that goblin figure out how big my head was…