Darrell’s face was a couple of shades lighter than normal. His mouth was slack and although his eyes were wide open, they had gone glassy and weren’t focused. He looked like he was in a trance.
“It makes sense,” Steve said with a slow nod. “If Glendymere is the best sorcerer on Terah, he would be the Master Sorcerer if he were human. Of course, that doesn’t rule out an elf, but Kalen knew that the idea of an elf wouldn’t bother us after being around Duane for so long, so he would have told us that. Therefore, Glendymere would have to be something that might spook us for Kalen to fail to mention it. It’s like the slavery issue. If Xantha hadn’t told Kevin about it, I don’t much think Kalen would have brought it up. He didn’t want to take any chances that we might refuse to go.”
“You’re probably right,” Karl said, slowly nodding his head. Then he looked at Kevin and said, “But I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell us.”
“Like I said, I found it unsettling and it hasn’t really been out of my mind since Xantha told me. I had planned to tell you once we reached the pass, but I really didn’t see any reason to mention it earlier.”
“A … a … dr … dr … dragon?” Darrell stammered. Then he whispered towards Kevin, “Like in the stories? Breathing fire? Lots of big, sharp teeth? With wings?”
“Yeah, a dragon. In fact, his scales are golden, and he has a white goatee and green eyes. He’s not really bad looking, if you can get past the teeth, and the smoke coming out of his nostrils.”
“How do you know what he looks like?” Karl asked.
“I asked Xantha what he looked like, so he showed me one of his memories. I asked him if he could show it to all of you, but he said he couldn’t.”
“Why not?” Karl asked.
“He said he can communicate telepathically with all of you, but he’d have to establish a mind link to share his memories, and I doubt if any of you really want him to do that.”
“Why not?” Joan asked.
“Because once a mind link is established, it’s there for life. He would know every thought you ever have. Absolutely nothing would be private,” Kevin explained. “He established a mind link with me before I left Terah and he has been in my mind ever since, but until that day at Kalen’s, I thought he was just a figment of my imagination. The mind link must be pretty powerful to span the gap between the worlds.”
“You’re right,” Karl said. “I don’t want anyone to take up residence in my head.”
“A dragon?” Darrell whispered.
“Come on, Darrell. Shake if off. Kalen and the others would not have gone to all the trouble of sending us here to meet him if we weren’t going to survive the introduction. You’ll get used to the idea. I did,” Chris said, grinning. He took Darrell’s arm and helped him to his feet. Then he put an arm around Darrell’s shoulder and led him outside. “Let’s go check on the horses before we head for bed. Come on.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Kevin and Chris were on watch the next morning as day began to break. While Kevin put on a fresh pot of coffee, Chris went down to the corral to check on the horses. He stood at the gate and counted to be sure that none of them had wandered off, and when he turned around to head back, he stumbled over what looked like a slab of rock about two feet long. The rock seemed to be connected to a small tree trunk, but the trunk got larger instead of smaller as it went up. As Chris’s gaze wandered up the strange tree trunk, he was astounded to realize that it was a leg and that the rock was a foot. Chris quickly backed up against the gate, and when he found that he could go no farther, he stopped and stared open-mouthed at the largest man he’d ever seen. Chris’s head only came up to the middle of the man’s thigh. He wasn’t sure how tall the giant was, but he was more than twice as tall as Chris.
The man appeared human, just magnified. He wore black boots, black leggings, and a dark gray, long-sleeve tunic. Around his waist he wore a maroon sash with green geometric designs embroidered on it, and attached to the sash was a scabbard and sword. The sword hung from the man’s waist to the middle of his calf, a good five feet at least. His bronze face was surrounded by a thick mane of black hair that tumbled down to his shoulders and was held out of his face by a headband that matched his sash. Directly under the headband were black eyebrows so bushy that they seemed to extend from one side of his head to the other, and peering out from under the canopy of hair were two eyes the color of jade. His long handlebar mustache blended into the full beard, which hung halfway down his massive, muscular chest. Peeking out from behind the thick beard was a large white opal that glittered with every color of the rainbow.
When the man opened his mouth to speak, Chris cringed, expecting a thunderous roar, but the man’s voice was quite soft and melodic. “I have come in search of one named Ke-vin-O-Reil-ly. Do you know of such a man?”
“I think I do. Hold on and I’ll get him for you,” Chris answered as he started to edge his way around the giant.
“Hold on to what, sir?” the giant asked in a quizzical voice.
“Uh, nothing. Sorry. What I meant was for you to wait right here while I go get him,” Chris said as he skirted the giant and started backing away toward the shed.
“Very good, sir. I will wait here,” the giant said with a nod.
Chris turned and sprinted to the shed where Kevin was. “Kevin, you’re not going to believe this. There’s a giant out there. He asked for Kevin O’Reilly, only he said it like it was one word. It’s got to be you. He must be our guide. Man, you are not going to believe this guy. He is huge!” Chris was talking so fast that his words ran together.
“Slow down. What are you talking about?” Kevin asked as he started towards Chris.
“Come here!” Chris grabbed Kevin’s arm and hurried him over to the door. “Look, down towards the corral. Do you see him?”
Kevin looked towards the corral and then unconsciously took a step back when he saw the giant standing beside the pathway. “You say he asked for me? Are you sure?”
“I think so. Is your last name O’Reilly? I can’t remember. It sounded like he said Kevin O’Reilly, but like I said, he said it like it was all one word, so I’m not really sure,” Chris said without taking a breath.
“Okay,” Kevin said hesitantly. “Here goes nothing. Let’s go see what he wants. At least he asked for Kevin, not Myron.” Kevin took a deep breath and walked slowly and deliberately out of the shed and down the path towards the giant, with Chris a half step behind him.
“Hello. My name is Kevin O’Reilly. I understand you were asking for me?” Kevin said, with only a small tremor in his voice.
“My name is Blalick, sir. Glendymere requested that I meet you here and escort you to the accommodations that have been prepared for you,” Blalick said in a very precise but pleasant tone. “I understand that there are six humans accompanying you. Is this correct, sir?”
“Yes, it is. The others are still sleeping. When will you want to leave?”
“At your convenience, sir.”
“We’ll need to eat and pack up. Would a couple of hours be all right?”
“Very good, sir. I will return in a couple of hours,” Blalick said. Then he bowed his head slightly towards Kevin, turned, and disappeared into the woods.
“How could anything that big disappear so quickly?” Chris whispered as he scanned the forest searching for a trace of the giant. “Did you get the feeling that you have a very large, very formal, butler?”
“Almost the gentleman’s gentleman. Seemed a little weird,” Kevin whispered.
“Which part? The very large, or the very formal? Come on. Let’s wake the others. We’ve got a lot to do. If we’d known he was going to get here this morning we never would have unloaded everything,” Chris groaned as he set off for the shed where the others were sleeping while Kevin headed back to the fire to start breakfast.
When Blalick returned after breakfast, he stood in the road beside the campsite, patiently waiting for the Tellurians to get loaded up. When Kevi
n introduced the rest of the group, Blalick was quite polite to everyone, but once everyone was mounted and ready to go, he looked to Kevin for permission to head out. It was obvious that he considered Kevin to be in charge.
The road down the other side of the mountain ran along a rocky ledge that was barely wide enough for the wagons. They had to ease their way around snowfields near the top, and then around watersheds as they worked their way down the side of the mountain. There were no trees to provide an illusion of safety, only some small scrub bushes and a few hardy wildflowers. The only consolation to the barren path was the panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and the slender evergreen valley that snaked its way to the north.
It took them most of the day to reach the foot of the mountain and the rocky terrain didn’t give way to forest until they were almost on the valley floor. The main road appeared to continue west, heading up the side of the next mountain, but Blalick led them down a smaller road that turned off to the right. By the time they had traveled a few miles up the valley road, they decided to call it a day and set up camp for the night.
While Joan and Theresa prepared dinner, Karl and Darrell tethered the horses, and Steve, Kevin, and Chris unloaded the sleeping blankets and tarps. By the time their campsite was set up, dinner was cooking, and everyone gathered around the fire for coffee. Kevin was the first to notice that Blalick had disappeared again.
“I wonder where he’s gone,” Kevin said quietly.
“More to the point, I wonder when he’ll return,” Theresa whispered. “He makes me nervous.”
“Probably because of his size. I really don’t think we’re in any danger from him,” Steve assured her.
“I’m not scared, just a bit uneasy,” Theresa explained. “I feel like he’s watching us, judging us. It just makes me uncomfortable.”
“I know what you mean. I get that feeling too,” Joan agreed.
“I imagine he’s supposed to report his observations and opinions to Glendymere,” Darrell said. “If I had a group of people I didn’t know coming to stay with me for eight months, I’d try to find out all I could about them, too. Don’t worry about it. After all, we passed muster with Kalen and Duane, didn’t we?”
“I don’t know if we did or not,” Steve said with a chuckle. “I got the feeling that they just took what Paul sent them and hoped for the best.”
“Well, I’d like to ask Blalick a few questions,” Karl said. “Kevin, maybe you should ask him to join us for dinner, or maybe he could join us for coffee afterwards. It wouldn’t hurt if we had some idea of what we’re heading into.”
“I’ll ask, but that doesn’t mean he’ll accept,” Kevin replied.
“I imagine he will if you ask,” Joan said. “He seems to look to you for instructions and orders, which is only right, all things considered.”
Kevin spotted Blalick walking up the road toward their campsite. “Shh, here he comes. I’ll go ask him to join us,” Kevin said to no one in particular as he stood up and walked down the road to meet Blalick.
“Why don’t you join us for dinner, Blalick?” Kevin asked.
“Thank you, but I have already eaten, sir. I came to ask what time you wanted to get underway tomorrow morning.”
“I suppose we’ll plan to leave about an hour after daybreak if that’s all right with you.”
“Very good, sir. Should I come by before daybreak tomorrow morning to see if there is anything in particular that you need before we begin?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. Most of us won’t be up until around daybreak. I know I won’t. I was on third watch last night. Tonight I’ll be on first.”
“What is this ‘watch’?”
“We divide the night into three segments, from nine to midnight, then from midnight to three, and then from three until daybreak. Joan and Karl take one watch, Chris and I take another, and Steve, Darrell, and Theresa take the third. That way someone is awake and alert in camp all night long,” Kevin explained.
“Are you doing this as a safety precaution?”
Kevin nodded.
“Well, that is not really necessary here, sir,” Blalick said with a smile. “If Glendymere did not want you to travel through this valley, this road would not appear to you. You would see only a tangle of undergrowth and impassable marshes. Also, the nocturnal animals have been informed of your presence and will watch over your sleep. No harm will come to you here. All of you may sleep through the night if you wish.”
“Thank you,” Kevin said. “You said something about coming for us in the morning. Where will you be?”
“I have my own campsite. I require a larger clearing to lie down.”
“Well, why don’t you at least join us for coffee after dinner? We’d like to get to know you a little better.”
“As you wish, sir. I will return in an hour,” Blalick said. Then he bowed his head towards Kevin, turned, and walked back down the road.
When Kevin returned to the fire, Joan handed him a bowl of stew. “I don’t guess you had any luck getting him to join us, did you?”
“Actually, I did. He said that he would return in an hour,” Kevin answered as he took his bowl. “He’s already eaten so I guess he was giving us time to eat and get cleaned up. He’s sleeping down the road a ways, in a larger clearing.” While he was eating, Kevin told them what Blalick had said about the valley.
“That’s nice to know, and I probably trust it about ninety-five percent, but I think we’ll stand watch for the other five percent,” Darrell said as he looked around at the others for signs of agreement. No one disagreed.
~ ~ ~ ~
Blalick joined them just as they finished washing up the dishes. Karl asked him how much farther they had to travel to reach Glendymere’s canyon.
Blalick hesitated for a moment before he spoke. “I think the answer to your question is two more days. Our destination is not Willow Canyon, but a small valley nearby.”
“Is that valley going to be our home for the next eight months?” Joan asked.
“I was not told how long you would live there, but yes, we have prepared ample rooms to accommodate all of you,” Blalick answered.
“What do you mean, ‘ample rooms’?” Karl asked. “Did you build a house large enough for all of us, or individual shelters?”
“We did not build any houses. We did build a fence around a pasture for your horses for when the weather is nice, but the rooms we set up for you are underground.”
“You mean we’re going to be living in caves?” Theresa asked apprehensively.
“Yes, the rooms are caverns, but they are well-ventilated, dry, and have a pleasant temperature year round,” Blalick answered. “I think you will find them quite comfortable.”
“Blalick, you said ‘we’ a minute ago. Who helped you?” Chris asked.
“My wife and children, of course,” Blalick answered with a frown.
“Oh, do you live in the area then?” Steve asked.
“I am sorry. I thought you knew who I am. My family attends Glendymere.”
“What do you mean, ‘attends’?” Chris asked.
Blalick’s eyebrows knitted together like he was working out a puzzle. “When someone needs to speak with Glendymere, he contacts me and, if Glendymere agrees, I make the arrangements,” he explained. “Of course, a few of Glendymere’s friends can contact him directly, but one would need a phoenix to do that. And the only way to get into Willow Canyon without my assistance is to fly, but I would not recommend that unless Glendymere had issued an invitation.”
“Oh, then you work for Glendymere?” Theresa asked.
“What do you mean, ‘work for’?” Blalick asked.
“You know, like he pays you to take care of all of this for him,” Theresa explained.
“No, I most certainly do not work for pay. It is my honor to serve someone as venerable and august as Glendymere, the foremost dragon on Terah.” Blalick’s chest seemed to get a little bit bigger as he talked. “My father served G
lendymere as did his father before him, and on back for hundreds of years. When my son, Macin, is ready to assume the responsibility, I will pass it on to him, as he will to his son, and so on until the end of time.”
“Do you only have the one son?” Joan asked.
“Only one son, but I also have a daughter, Sari,” Blalick answered slowly.
“What will she do? Stay with your son and help him?” Joan asked.
“No.” Blalick’s frown deepened. “She will marry into a different family of giants and join her husband’s family in caring for one of the other dragons. My wife’s family attends the silver dragon, Saradelia. I met her when I accompanied Glendymere to Saradelia’s home, and when we left, Ashni came home with me.” Blalick slowly looked around at the Tellurians and then he asked in a rather skeptical voice, “How is it that you do not know that giants attend the dragons? I can understand that if you are from far away you might not recognize my name, but this is the custom throughout Terah. Where exactly are you from?”
“There were no dragons near the place where we lived. It’s a place called Omaha. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?” Joan asked in an effort to waylay Blalick’s suspicions.
“No, I have never heard of this Omaha, but there is at least one dragon in every province on Terah. How is that you do not know?” Blalick was becoming increasingly uneasy.
“Blalick,” Darrell said calmly, “didn’t you say that you and your family had prepared for us to stay as Glendymere’s guests? And that he asked you to meet us?”
Blalick stared at Darrell for a couple of seconds and then let his gaze wander over the others as if he were trying to find the answer to a riddle. Then, all of a sudden, Blalick’s eyes popped wide open and he stared at Kevin open-mouthed, as if he were really looking at him for the first time. “Myron,” Blalick whispered and his cheeks went from a deep bronze to a bright red almost in the time it took him to say the word. “I am sorry, sir. I did not know. Of course, that explains everything. Welcome.” Blalick continued to stare at Kevin.
The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) Page 33
