Could he command a dragon? The thought of such a beast under his control was more than he could have hoped for. With dragons at his command, he would no longer need to stoop to begging the Baron for aid. He could demand it. He had to find out.
Sulrad prepared for his journey. He needed to get away from the city to a place where he could safely summon the dragon without notice. He had transcribed the scrolls he needed and arranged for a pack horse and a saddle horse. He made his way out into the desert until he found a small stand of trees next to a low hill.
He made his camp there and waited. The scrolls said it was better to do the initial summoning at night. Something about the sun's energy and wind that he had not been able to translate.
He waited until the sun had set. There was a full moon in the sky and the stars were out.
He sat before the small fire and started the incantation that should summon the dragon to his bidding.
As he spoke the words of power, the sky lit up. It looked as if the gods had hung a thick silk sheet from the stars themselves. The silk curtain glowed red, blue and green. It rippled and rustled like draperies caught in the wind. He had done it. He had opened the door to the realm where the dragons dwelt.
Sulrad was elated. He was doing it, he was summoning a dragon. He would soon have access to power beyond his wildest dreams.
He calmed himself and continued his litany of spells. Opening the doorway was just the first step. The next spell was the actual summoning. With it, he would call forth a dragon from the other realm. This was the critical step. He had rehearsed it well in preparation for this night.
After he finished the summoning spell, he looked up. The diaphanous curtains still waved as if caught in the wind. High up in the sky, he saw it, a shadow darting in and out of the silken lights above. It descended slowly, growing larger.
The dragon swooped overhead once, then settled on the ground before Sulrad, wings spread wide, mighty talons digging into the ground before him.
Sulrad trembled at the sight of the dragon towering over him. The odor of rotten eggs and swamp was overpowering. Sulrad spoke the spell of summoning again, hoping to bind it to his will.
"I am here," the dragon said in a deep voice.
Sulrad's heat beat faster. He would no longer have to grovel to the likes of Baron Rieck and beg his indulgence. With the dragons at his command, he would be the most powerful Wizard in the land. No one would be able to stand against him.
"I command you." Sulrad looked at the mighty beast as it lowered its head.
"You do?"
Sulrad hesitated. Had he missed something?
"Yes, I spoke the spells ... I summoned you ... I command you."
"Summoned, yes; command, no," the dragon said softly.
Sulrad stepped back as the dragon inhaled deeply. He raised his shields against the oncoming fire, but the dragon only laughed.
"You may have summoned me, but no one commands a dragon. Nor can you hold me here. I have come to your summoning. Now I leave. Trouble me no more."
With that, the dragon blew fire into the night sky, flapped its mighty wings, and leapt into the air. Sulrad felt the drain on his magic as the dragon sped away. At first, he tried to hold the spell, but realized that he would soon run dry and find himself with no magic at all. He released the spell and let the dragon go.
He fell to the ground exhausted and frustrated.
Dragon
Rotiaqua followed Garlath closely as he wound his way through the streets and alleys of Tustow. She kept her eyes on the Wizard for fear of being left behind, he moved so quickly. She occasionally spared a glance behind to assure herself that Zhimosom was keeping up.
Not far outside the city, they came across a rock outcropping that stood stark against the afternoon sky. Cut into the rock, was a doorway. Strange symbols were carved into the mantle and side posts. The door was nondescript and unadorned. The whole thing looked worn and weathered, as if it was unused or abandoned, but Rotiaqua felt power all around her.
Garlath knocked on the door several times, and then drew it open. He motioned Rotiaqua and Zhimosom to follow him into the gloomy interior. "Em'hin! Em'hin! You have visitors."
From far off in the dark, Rotiaqua heard the voice of an old man reply. "Bring them."
"He's awake. That's a good sign." Garlath entered the hall that led back into the Dragon Master's abode.
The hallway opened into a large room filled with carvings of dragons. Big and small, they decorated everything.
A chair sat before the fire. It was carved in the likeness of a dragon, its wings slightly spread, with its head peering over the shoulder of the occupant.
Em'hin sat in that magnificently carved chair holding a large book on his lap. He closed the book, placed it on the stand beside him, and looked up. His eyes were covered in milky cataracts. Rotiaqua wondered how he could possibly read.
Those milky eyes focused on her as the old man examined her intensely. Faster than she would have thought, Em'hin grasped her hand, twisting it to expose her wrist. He shoved her sleeve up and ran one fingernail along the scar on her arm.
Rotiaqua shivered at the memory of the incident as it came alive in her mind. She snatched her arm back.
Em'hin's brows wrinkled, and then slowly he relaxed as a smile creased his ancient face. "You are blessed."
"Blessed?" Rotiaqua asked.
"Blessed. You have been blessed. Once as a child and again lately. I can see their magic on you."
He held up his hand to silence her. "You have come about the dragon. You've seen him, haven't you?" He glanced over at Zhimosom. "Both of you."
"Yes, we saw a dragon not long ago." Rotiaqua wondered how he knew. "It told us to travel to Tustow and seek out a Wizard." Surely, that had not left a trace of dragon magic on her.
"Yes, I know."
"You know? We were all alone in the wild when he came. How could you know?" Rotiaqua asked.
"He told me."
Rotiaqua was shocked. Had the same dragon come to Em'hin? "Told you?"
"Yes. He told me. The dragon. His name is Kel'hin. He told me that he was guiding the Mighty Ones to me, and that one day soon they would come to me ... and here you are." Em'hin chuckled.
Rotiaqua's mind was filled with questions. Why had the dragon led them here? What did 'Mighty Ones' mean? What burst from her lips was "I thought dragons were extinct, but we've seen them."
"They are thought to be extinct by most men, but they are not. They are rare and infrequently seen and even then they are shy. They are not creatures of this realm, so you only see them when they choose to visit us. They do not live here any longer.
"Dragons used to frequent our realm more often. Some even lived their lives here, advising the ruler of this world as the generations flew by. They live much longer than men do, you know.
"Long ago, they decided that mankind had reached the point where the dragon's help was no longer needed. Kings stopped listening to them and went their own way. Eventually, a Wizard devised a spell that could call a dragon and bind it to his will.
"He captured the dragons and made them into slaves. He used them in war and as weapons. Those that escaped crossed over to their home realm, never to return.
"After the last battle, the sorcerer died, and his spells along with him. The Dragons were free once more, but by then they had developed a habit of avoiding man and his deeds. They rarely visit the realm of man any longer."
"Yet one of them came to guide us?" Rotiaqua asked.
"Yes, he said that you needed to learn an unpleasant lesson before you were guided to your mentor. He said you would be here soon and that I was to expose you to the lore so you would be able to help."
"Help?" Rotiaqua asked. "How could we help a dragon?"
"The ancient spell. It has been found. This time the Wizard who wields it has discovered how to summon the dragons from their realm to ours, not just call those who are already here. He is summoning them to their deaths. You
are the only one who can save them."
"How?"
"That is all he would say. That one day soon, you would save their race from true extinction. He would not tell me anything about their future beyond that."
"I thought dragons were immortal. That they chose to leave us." Rotiaqua knew a little about dragons from her studies in the castle, but her knowledge hardly seemed to fit reality.
"Not immortal. They can be killed. It takes strong magic to harm a dragon."
"And someone has that strong magic?"
"Yes, he does."
"Do you know who it is?"
"No, but you are somehow bound up with him. You may succeed in stopping him ... I pray that you do."
Em'hin picked up the book he had been reading and handed it to Rotiaqua. "Take this. It is a compendium of dragon lore that will help you. You can save them. You have the power."
With that, he closed his eyes and relaxed. "Go now. I am old and tired."
As they walked back to Garlath's, Rotiaqua paged through the book, pointing out images of dragons and reading passages to Zhimosom. It contained many stories of how the dragons had influenced the rise of kings and helped establish nations. The book ended abruptly when the dragons had crossed the void into their own realm. After that, there were only scattered appearances in times of great upheaval.
Garlath encouraged Rotiaqua to read more of the book while he salvaged what was left of the meal they had so hurriedly abandoned earlier.
"We have to go to Amedon, Garlath called from the kitchen.
He brought a plate full of bread, cheese, and roasted meat and placed it on the table next to the pot of ale. He pulled his chair out and dropped onto it.
"There are Wizards there, beyond count. They gather to study. The young ones go there to learn from their elders." He pulled a piece of meat from the roast and placed it on his plate, slicing it with his knife as he talked.
"They have a library the likes of none you could imagine. They'll know what to do."
Rotiaqua tried to imagine a place where Wizards congregated. It must be amazing to have access to Wizards who had mastered the spells she wished to learn. A place where being a Wizard was nothing unusual, where she would not have to hide her powers.
"How far is it?" Zhimosom took a swallow of ale.
"It's far ... more than a moon's travel. We should follow the foothills of the Swion Mountains until we get to Gritton."
Rotiaqua had learned geography as part of her studies. She recalled the map she had studied until she could draw it from memory. "I've seen that on a map."
"It's not such a bad journey. If we follow the foothills, there are plenty of woods and wild game to keep us fed, and abundant fresh water. We should be able to make it in a moon and a few days unless we stop along the way."
"Have you made the journey?" Rotiaqua inquired.
"I have. I was trained in Amedon, but my family needed me. My father died, and my mother was sick. I came back to tend to her and stayed two summers. Then I went back to Amedon to finish my training. When I was done, I came back home for a while, but I don't often stay in one place too long. Amedon is busy and thick with Wizards. You can't move without stepping on one.
"I do miss the library, though. I could use a few moons in the place ... just to freshen up on some of my spells."
"Can't we just travel there by magic?" Rotiaqua asked. "It would save a lot of time."
Garlath drummed his fingers on the table. "Travel by magic. You've done that, have you?"
"We have. Not very far, but yes, we have," Rotiaqua answered.
"Well, travel by magic takes as much out of you as if you had traveled by foot, only all at once. You'd need a strong reserve to make it all the way to Amedon.
"That or a sorcerer's stone, and I don't have one of those."
"A sorcerer's stone?" Zhimosom asked around a mouthful of bread.
"It's a stone that absorbs and stores magical energy. The stone draws magical energy from the world around it and stores it up. When you need to travel or perform a particularly strong spell, you can draw from it. But, I have none. They are rare and hard to acquire."
"So we walk then," Rotiaqua said.
"Yes, we walk." Garlath stood up to clear away the remnants of their meal.
"Please tell us about Amedon," Zhimosom said.
"Amedon is located along the Swion Mountains, against an arm of the ridge that stretches to the sea. The city is in the foothills and it is much like any other; there are tradesmen and farmers. They have a market and shops.
"The Wizards' Keep is located up the mountain. The tower itself is built into the stone and reaches into the sky.
"Why do they have markets and shops? I thought they were Wizards," Rotiaqua said.
"Do you think Wizards sit around all day, doing magic? You can't make food out of magic. Someone has to farm and craft the things that we use every day. Most of the Wizards have a life outside of their study. They study Wizardry after they've completed their regular chores.
"They go to the library to study when they get the chance. You will love the library. There are books that are older than the hills. They have been translated and translated again as the language changes and the old tongue is lost."
"Will we be permitted to study in the library?" Zhimosom asked. "Rotiaqua taught me to read. I've never been inside a library."
"Most likely," Garlath said. "I will advocate for you with the Wizards' Council. They are the ones who approve of new students. I don't see why they wouldn't allow you."
"When do we start?" Rotiaqua asked. She was eager to get to Amedon and learn from the masters.
"As soon as I wrap up my business." Garlath said no more about Amedon for the rest of the meal.
It took four days to wrap up Garlath's business and secure provisions for their journey. Rotiaqua wanted to purchase horses, but Garlath argued against that.
"I have Golds that we can use to purchase the horses," Rotiaqua said. "We can get a spare horse to haul the supplies. It will make the journey much easier."
"Horses will only make us into a target for bandits along the way."
"You're a Wizard. Surely you can handle a few bandits, should they come at us."
"No horses. We walk. Consider it part of your training."
Rotiaqua relented and picked up her pack.
"I'm glad to be on the road again," Zhimosom said.
Rotiaqua would rather have stayed in inns and traveled by coach, but she had gotten used to the outdoor lifestyle. She almost looked forward to it herself.
The trio had walked almost a full moon before Rotiaqua saw the dragon again. They rolled their bedrolls out in an open meadow and prepared to sleep beneath the stars. The weather was cool but not yet cold, and there was no need of shelter.
Rotiaqua watched the sky, too restless to sleep. She heard the light snoring of both men and knew she was alone with her thoughts. As the sliver of a moon set, the stars came out in numbers beyond counting.
She lay there, straining to see the faintest stars, when something strange and beautiful appeared. It was as if there were curtains of the most delicate silk rolling and billowing in the sky. They looked to be leagues tall, stretching across the sky, glowing brightly in colors of red and green.
She stared at the lights in wonder. She knew she should share this with Zhimosom, but she jealously kept it for herself. She decided to let him sleep and lay back watching as the flimsy curtains fluttered lazily.
High up in the sky, she saw something, a flash of darkness, slicing through the curtains of light. It grew larger as it descended towards her. She couldn't keep this to herself.
"Zhimosom," she whispered. "Wake up. You need to see this."
Zhimosom sat up rubbing his eyes. It took him a while to wake, but when he saw the lights, he came quickly to his senses.
"What is that?" Zhimosom whispered back.
"I think it's the dragon." She leaned in close to him and pointed to the shadow stre
aking through the lights. "There."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It's the dragon. I caught sight of it earlier as it crossed through the strange lights. It's coming closer."
They watched the dragon approach. Zhimosom straightened up, but didn't shy away from her touch as she sat with her shoulder pressed against him. He kept his gaze on the shadow as it played with the lights, slowly descending towards them.
It came closer and they were certain it was a dragon, large and red, like fire. Just like the one they saw earlier. It passed over their heads and turned in the night sky, to return again and again. It swooped overhead several times, before it folded its wings and came to a halt in mid flight.
It dropped to the ground like a stone. Just before it reached the ground, it made one last beat of its wings, stopped just above the grass and gently settled to the ground.
The dragon was easily three times taller than a man. It was so large, that Rotiaqua felt she would barely come up to the crook of its knee. It lowered its massive head to the ground and spoke.
The dragon's voice was low and powerful, yet gentle and quiet.
"You may approach."
Rotiaqua stood and reached out her hand to Zhimosom. She walked slowly towards the dragon. The top of its head came up to her shoulder. It could easily have eaten her in one bite. Rotiaqua walked haltingly towards the dragon, unsure of its intent. The last one had not harmed them, but the beast still frightened her.
She smelled brimstone and swamp gas as she drew near to that smoldering jaw. Rotiaqua's heart beat faster and she felt the trembling in Zhimosom's hand.
"Wizard. Sorceress. You must stop him."
"Stop who?" Rotiaqua asked.
"The Wizard who has discovered a spell to command my kind. He is calling us from our home into yours. Soon he will devise a way to kill us and take our power. We are doomed if you do not stop him."
"Why us?"
"Because you have dragon's blood running in your veins and you are tied to this Wizard. Your magic is mingled with his."
"Sulrad!" Rotiaqua just knew that someday they would cross paths with Sulrad once again.
Wizard Pair (Book 3) Page 18
