Oraeyn took his hand off of the hilt of his sword and rubbed his eyes. When he looked up again, Darby was the same as she had always been. She was sitting on her pony with her shoulders hunched a little, her gray hair pulled back tightly. She looked at him sharply, but there was a twinkle in the depths of her brown eyes that Oraeyn found very unsettling.
The storm in front of them was a daunting sight, even Brant seemed a little awed by the display, but he had seen it before. He urged them on, leading them into the beauty and terror that surrounded Pearl Cove. As they entered, the storm appeared more terrible, only now they were surrounded by its rage. They were drenched as they fought their way through the waves of rain while lightning struck the ground all around. The deafening crack of thunder was a giant whip cracking just above their heads, and it was all they could do to keep their mounts under control. The wind tore at their faces and fingers, making it impossible to move and freezing them to the bone.
Brant looked back and saw that Yole was in grave danger, and he knew he had to get them through this storm and fast. Sliding off his horse, Brant grasped the reins of Yole’s horse and started walking straight through the storm. Fighting against the wind and the rain and trudging along with his head bent and rain streaming down his face in rivers, he led Yole’s horse behind him. Oraeyn and Kamarie dismounted and grabbed their horses’ reins, desperately keeping their eyes on Brant and following his lead. Darby rode behind them, looking for all the world as though she was out for an afternoon stroll through the courtyard but no one had time to notice the lack of effect that the storm had upon her.
They seemed to be in the grip of the storm for an eternity. They wrapped their rain sodden cloaks tightly around themselves and continued slowly through the tempest, following Brant. Then, as suddenly as they had entered the storm, they left it behind. It was as though they had walked through a door and into a totally different house. They were standing on a strip of grassy plain with the welcome warmth of the Dragon’s Eye once more beating down on them, drying them out and warming them. As they wrung out their cloaks, they looked around to get their bearings. The storm behind them had vanished completely, and the land in front of them was nothing but rolling, emerald hills as far as the eye could see.
“Where is Pearl Cove?” Yole asked, swinging his head around in confusion.
“Right there,” Brant pointed straight ahead of them.
Yole stared at him as though he had gone crazy. “That’s nothing but a green pasture.”
“It is an illusion, lad,” Brant said, smiling at the boy, “a green pasture is what she wants you to see.”
“The Keeper?” Kamarie asked. “What is she like? Is she a sorceress?”
Brant looked at her and his mouth twitched in a mysterious smile as he replied, “I think that I will let her introduce herself.”
When they had dried out a bit and gotten their breath back, Brant led them a little further away from the storm. Almost instantly there appeared a steep drop-off directly in front of them. Kamarie gasped and stopped before she stepped off of the cliff. She looked down to where white, foaming waves were crashing up against the sharp, jagged rocks so far below.
“I can’t step off of that, I’ll be smashed on the rocks,” she whispered.
As if in the far distance, she heard someone say something about a ferocious beast that was coming to attack him. Just then, Darby looked over at Kamarie and saw her face going white. She stood in front of the girl and took her by the shoulders.
“Kamarie, it is just an illusion. An illusion, it is not real. Do you understand me?”
Kamarie gulped a little and nodded slowly, staring down at the jutting rocks. She took a deep breath and color started to return to her cheeks. Before she could stop to think about it any longer, she bravely stepped forward off the cliff. For a split second she envisioned her foot coming down on thin air and imagined falling to her death on the sharp rocks and crashing waves, and her heart beat a little faster. Then she was on the other side. Kamarie looked up, blinking, and saw the others.
They were all standing on a beach of pure white sand under a sky of the deepest blue. Oraeyn was standing next to her. He leaned over to whisper something in her ear.
“I couldn’t see the illusion,” he said.
“What?” Kamarie was taken by surprise. “You mean you could see through it?”
“No, not through it exactly, but all I could see was a gray wall. No cliff like you said you saw, and no wild animals like Yole saw. Just a gray wall that looked about as sturdy as billowing smoke.”
Kamarie stared at him. “I don’t understand.”
“Me neither, but don’t tell anyone about it, okay? At least, not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because I think it has something to do with the sword,” Oraeyn admitted quietly.
“All right,” Kamarie agreed slowly, then she glanced over to where Brant and Yole were standing, a few paces away. “Where is Darby?”
“Right here,” a musical voice said behind her.
Kamarie and Oraeyn turned around and gaped in astonishment. Emerging from the barrier of illusion was a tall, trim young lady with long, flowing, golden brown hair and brightly dancing brown eyes. She was dressed in traveling clothes, but somehow she managed to give off the impression that she was wearing a gown of the finest fabric, embossed with jewels and embroidered with thread spun from gold and silver. She was smiling, and there was a hint of laughter in her eyes.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Oraeyn said, ducking his head, “we did not see you.”
“Is that the Keeper?” Kamarie whispered to Brant.
Brant merely shook his head, his eyes wide.
“Of course not, I just came through,” the lady said lightly. She looked down at her ill-fitting clothes and grimaced. “Well, that was unexpected. I know my appearance is a bit of a shock, it surprised me a little too. I did not realize that my sister’s wall of illusion would dissemble my own.”
“Who are you?” Brant’s voice made them all jump slightly as he strode up behind them. He had a questioning look on his face.
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember me, Brant. We have met before, you know.” Her smile hinted her delight at returning the mystery to this mysterious man.
Brant started, and then he shook his head and his shoulders dropped, “In truth, Lady, I do not remember you. Forgive my memory lapse.”
Yole looked up at the tall lady and said quietly and unabashedly, “You’re beautiful.”
The lady laughed, a pleasant sound, and said, “But don’t you recognize me either young Yole?”
Yole shook his head wordlessly. Brant looked hard at the apparition; then suddenly he straightened and stepped back. He looked surprised. “Darby?”
Kamarie stared. “Not possible,” she breathed in disbelief. But, yes, the eyes were the same, though there were no other visible similarities.
“Yes,” the lady laughed again, “I have been Darby for the past seventeen years. But my real name is Dylanna.”
Brant’s eyes widened in shocked recognition. “Of course, there were four of you.”
Kamarie was brimming with questions, they all were, but before anyone had a chance to ask any of them, another figure approached. The figure was a tall, willowy woman with white-blond hair and mint green eyes. She bore a striking resemblance to Darby-who-was-now-Dylanna. She walked as though she were gliding over the sand. She was dressed in a loose, flowing white gown that shimmered in the light of the Dragon’s Eye. Her face was young, but her eyes held the wisdom of ages.
She fixed each of them with a cool, green-eyed gaze.
“You could have warned me that you were the one coming to visit, sister,” she said in a wry tone. “I would have made an easier path for you to come through.”
“Sister!” Kamarie yelped, but no one paid any attention to her outburst.
“Forgive me, Calyssia,” Dylanna said, stepping forward to
embrace the woman. “I was in disguise and couldn’t spare the energy. The storm was not as bad as the rumors say.”
Calyssia sighed. “No, I suppose it wouldn’t be.”
Dylanna shot her a sharp, questioning look, but Calyssia only smiled the barest hint of a smile and turned to the rest of the group, greeting them individually, “Welcome, Princess Kamarie, our meeting is long overdue, although I did come to your christening, not that you would remember that.” She reached out a slender hand and held Kamarie’s chin for an instant, and Kamarie saw an ocean of regret and something like love reflected in the Keeper’s eyes. Then Calyssia turned to the others. “Welcome, sword-holder. Welcome, fiery youngling. Welcome, wanderer, I see that you no longer travel alone. Welcome, travelers to the Pearl Cove; I am the Keeper of the Cove, my name is Calyssia.”
“Greetings, Calyssia,” Brant said, bowing slightly, “we have come to ask for your help.”
Calyssia nodded faintly, and there was pain in her gaze. “I know,” she turned and beckoned for them to follow her. “Come.”
They followed her through the shimmering white dunes of sand to a place where a single, silver tree stood by itself. The tree was very tall and the trunk was huge, yet the whole plant looked frail and delicate. At the base of the tree there was a door.
“Welcome to my home,” Calyssia said.
Oraeyn thought that her voice sounded sad, and he wanted to know why. But he did not speak as they went through the doorway. Once inside, the companions found themselves in a large, comfortable room. Calyssia motioned for them to sit down.
“Now tell me, what brings you to Pearl Cove?” Calyssia asked as she sat across from them.
Brant quickly recounted the events of the past few weeks, starting by describing the destruction of his home; the others added things to his story when they thought he was leaving out important details. When he had finished, Calyssia sat back and sighed. Her face was weary, and she looked down at her hands.
“And so now you want me to help you find the dragons.”
It was not a question, and there was a note of resignation in her voice and that same hint of sadness as well. Brant nodded, and Calyssia looked hard at each of them.
“And why should I help you? Aom-igh is not my responsibility,” she said.
“Aom-igh is your home!” Kamarie sputtered in an outraged and hurt tone.
Brant put a hand on Kamarie’s shoulder and said calmly, “Because you know what is coming, and even you cannot hold it back forever.”
Oraeyn, Kamarie, and Yole held their breath. There was a pause, and then Calyssia laughed but there was no true merriment in it.
“You are almost too clever for your own good sometimes, dear wanderer,” she said, her voice light, and then she became more solemn. “You are right, wandering firebrand, even I cannot hold the Dark Country back forever; of course, I must help you. You were also right in believing that I know where the dragons are. I do indeed know where their retreat is, but finding the dragons themselves may not be an easy task, or a quick one. I can only show you the way; I cannot travel with you. But it is now late, and I need rest. We will continue in the morning.”
“Thank you, Calyssia,” Kamarie said gratefully.
“Do not thank me yet, dear child,” Calyssia said fondly. “Your search for the dragons will be long and hard, and even though you find them, it may still be too late to save Aom-igh.”
Kamarie’s face fell slightly, but Calyssia continued, “Do not despair yet, for it is always in the face of the greatest danger when the courageous find a way to rise up and conquer.”
Kamarie’s eyes sparked with hope, but she did not say anything more. Yole walked up and yawned.
“Good-night, Kamarie. Good-night, Pearl Lady.”
Calyssia laughed slightly as Kamarie ruffled Yole’s hair and said, “Good-night, Yole. You were very brave today.”
He smiled sleepily, not really noticing that she was once again treating him like a child. Or perhaps, if he did notice, he did not truly mind anymore. There was a safety and a peace in this place that made him feel younger than his thirteen years, but he did not mind that very much either. There was nothing here to prove, nothing to fight, and no real reason to mind being young; it was better to be a child in this place. Yole was not exactly sure why this was, and he was not at all sure if he was even thinking straight anymore, but he was too tired to dwell on it, so he yawned again and put the odd thoughts out of his mind.
Calyssia smiled compassionately at him. “She is right, not many people can face my wall of illusion with half as much courage as you did.” Then she whispered, “Continue being brave, young one, for you may need all of your courage yet. I cannot see very far into your future.”
Not hearing the last part, Yole yawned again. “Good night,” he said and padded off to bed.
The rest of them followed Yole’s good example and went to sleep. The night was quiet and peaceful, and the weary travelers all enjoyed the most restful and refreshing night of sleep that any of them could ever remember having in a long time.
chapter
EIGHT
Calyssia woke them early to a breakfast of refreshment they had never experienced before. They then made ready for an immediate start when Calyssia stated, “You will need to leave your horses behind for this part of your journey.”
Kamarie frowned and patted Tor’s neck anxiously. “You’ll take good care of him?”
“I promise,” Calyssia assured her. “They will be waiting for your return. They may feel a bit abandoned for a while, but I assure you it would be far crueler to take them on this next leg of your quest.”
Kamarie nodded and turned to her horse. “You need to stay here for a while,” she whispered to the big silver stallion. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
Tor shook his head up and down as if to say, “Don’t worry.” And then Kamarie hoisted her pack over one shoulder and followed after the others. Calyssia led the way through the white sand. In the early morning light, the land shone as though it were made of crystal.
As they walked through the Cove, Oraeyn noticed that they were not alone. There were people all around them, peering out from behind sand dunes, giving them curious looks. There were also some very strange creatures that were watching them. Oraeyn abruptly realized how the rumors had started about Pearl Cove. If the storm and the wall of illusion had not been enough to start stories about this place, the strange animals would have. And then he realized something else, the people that were watching them must be people who had traveled here and disappeared. But Brant had been right; they had not disappeared for the same reasons that most would think. These people had come and decided not to leave because they wanted to stay, not because they had been killed or forced to stay. He could feel the peace and the safety of this place. It was like being wrapped up in a warm blanket by a fire while a storm raged outside. The peace of Pearl Cove seemed to affect them all. Silence permeated their conversation as they followed Calyssia. It seemed wrong to introduce voices to this strange, beautiful land.
Calyssia led them to a large bluff on the edge of her domain. Beyond was the ocean itself. The adjoining beach sloped gracefully down to meet the water and they could see the Dragon’s Eye sparkling off the crests of the waves.
Seemingly unaware of their questioning looks, Calyssia approached a pearl-white dune immediately before the rising bluff. As she got closer, she said something unintelligible. The sand started to shake and quiver, causing the ground beneath them to shift in something like a minor earthquake, making it hard to keep their balance. Slowly, a round hole emerged on the front of the dune and grew in size. Finally, the shaking stopped and what had once been a sand dune was now the mouth of an enormous dark cave.
“This is where your journey starts,” Calyssia said, gesturing towards the opening. “This cave is the last gateway that exists on this side.”
“What does that mean?” Yole asked.
Calyssia spoke quietly, “When the dragons retreated from the land of men, two hundred years ago, this is where they went. There is a world of tunnels and caves beneath the surface of Aom-igh that most people never know about. I am the last gate keeper on the outside.”
Yole frowned and asked, “So if someone wants to find the dragons they always have to come and find you first?”
Calyssia nodded to Yole. Then, as if she could hear the worry in Kamarie’s mind, she added, “If you manage to find them, you will soon discover that the dragons have very long memories.”
Oraeyn’s mind suddenly made a connection, and he spoke without thinking, “The dragons vanished two hundred years ago, yet you know where they are and you are the gate keeper to their domain. Just how old are you?”
Calyssia met his gaze. “I have seen the turn of three centuries.”
It was just the tiniest bit unnerving to hear the Lady tell them that she was three hundred years old when she did not look a day over thirty.
“Don’t look so shocked Oraeyn,” Dylanna said. “I’m two hundred and seven myself.”
Kamarie’s eyes widened, and she shook her head in surprise and wonder. “After this, I’d believe anything,” she said, “but I still have so many questions.”
“Not now child,” Calyssia said gently. “Though I might wish to sit with you and speak with you at length, I have not the time now. Know that your questions will all be answered eventually. I know that they are burning on your mind and that you are confused and want answers, but we do not have time for answers now. Dylanna will probably explain some things and provide you with some of the answers you so desire as you travel through the land of the dragons, but I suspect that she will not explain things as thoroughly as you might want her to.”
King's Warrior (The Minstrel's Song Book 1) Page 14
