Ah, that was the key word: recognized. He couldn’t go to any of the court cities; by now, everyone knew the youngest son of Baron Kazimir Vladislov. His freedom would be brief indeed. No, he would have to go to the Wild Lands somewhere. Wild Lands was their term for lands not yet under the control and rule of a baron or baroness. Yet, somehow he had to learn more magic — that was his uppermost worry. He just could not forsake further training.
Suddenly an idea formed. As if by some magic, Zoran remembered that there was an independent Archmage Oldrich who controlled a section of the Wild Lands here on Adapazan! Brn, yes, that was the town, located in the mountains far, far from Dorum — at least a thousand miles. That ought to be enough distance to keep my father from finding me, he thought. However, Zoran knew that he would have to be cagier than to merely Shadow Walk to Brn!
No, any Duska worth their salt could easily track his Shadow Walk, and they’d be on him in a day! There was only one way he could Shadow Walk without anyone being able to follow his magical energy trail, but that was terribly dangerous to his own life. He would have to trace the Circle of Ascension, much as he had done during the ceremonial rites that had activated his gland and make him a Duska. When walking the Circle of Ascension, shadow energy lines intertwined and mingled, leaving no trace of ones exit point. However, walking the Circle of Ascension without a priest present to guide him could well leave him insane or dead or lost in the Shadows of the ether. Yet, it was a risk he would have to take. He took a deep breath and opened his mind, picturing the colorful Circle of Ascension located in the basement of Castle Dorumova. He stepped onto the Circle. His body flew through space and arrived there in the basement, dimly illuminated by a Continuous Light spell. Memories of his own Ascension six years ago swam through his mind. He forced them out, concentrated, and began his Shadow Walk.
Space seemed to blur into a dizzying whirl of places, castles, mountains, lakes, hills, plains, swamps, towns, and villages — all mingled into one giant mass on top of each other as he gradually traversed the Circle of Ascension. To the uninitiated, nausea would certainly follow intense dizziness, and then madness. After making several rounds, he concentrated on Brn and stepped out to that place. Snowcapped mountains rose around him on all sides. Before him were the orange granite outer walls of the city of Brn. Being the middle of the night, Zoran knew that he could not gain entrance.
Some distance from the gates, a dense patch of forest grew. It beckoned to him, and he quietly walked among the tall pine trees. He found the forest floor thick with an accumulation of years of pine needles. Here he made camp. Actually, he wrapped himself in his blankets and dozed, leaning against a tree. His magical instincts would wake him if trouble found him. In the morning he would enter the city and seek his fortune; that was his plan.
Chapter 2 Starvation
Aldrick gracefully swooped and landed before the cavern’s entrance, dropping the carcass of the antelope on the ground. His giant claws could have held much, much more. Slim pickings indeed, but it would have to do for now. Sunlight reflected off of his golden scales. Sofie poked her head out, stared at the carcass. “Is that all there is?” she asked of her mate, though she already knew the answer. She, too, had been out hunting, returning with empty claws.
“Divide it between the kids, Sofie,” Aldrick suggested, knowing that their kids were going to howl and whine like mad. His stomach couldn’t remember when it had last been really full. It was a miracle that the two had been able to sustain their twins, Emil and Renata.
Indeed, the two young golden dragons complained bitterly and loudly, but not until they had devoured the small antelope, ravenously. “Dad, we haven’t had a real meal in, well since we can remember!” Emil howled angrily.
“Yeh, dad, we haven’t!” Renata added just as vehemently.
“Okay, okay. Family meeting is now in session,” Aldrick said in his commanding tone of voice, bordering on a magical spell, though just shy of it. Still fuming, the kids laid down on their cavern floor. Four huge heads were but feet apart.
“You know that for the last three years, I have been continually bringing up the overpopulation issue with Rainer and the Bostoff. (They were a part of the council of the elders which was made up of members of each race. Rainer was the leader of the Golds, the race to which these four belonged.) What I have been preaching to the elders has finally come true. We’ve overpopulated our world, Voss, and we are all doomed to starvation. We’ve eaten all the hoofers, and now they cannot even breed. There are too few of them left and too widely scattered. I searched one hundred square miles to find that miserable antelope.”
“So what do we do now? Just lie down and starve to death?” Emil said angrily.
“Not at all son, not at all. I know a place that is rich in hoofers — so many that you could feast for years and not diminish them,” Aldrick stated, knowing that he now had their fullest attention.
“We must move from here, taking everything with us. However, there is another thing to consider. What do we Golds treasure nearly as much as gems, my twins?”
He saw the light in their eyes once more. “Magic, dad! Magic!” Renata hollered before Emil could do the same.
“You both are now eighteen, and it is high time that you learned all the magic spells you can fit into your heads! I know that I’ve managed to teach you five spells, but I am not a very good teacher; neither is your mother. What you kids really need right now is to study under an Archmage! Yes, a real master of spells, whose knowledge vastly exceeds that of any of our species.”
“You mean those frail humans, dad?” asked Renata, somewhat disgustedly.
“Yes, for all their frailties, Renata, some of them command vastly more magical powers than any of us, their Archmages. Plus, some of them are superb teachers, kids. In fact, I know that my old teacher is still living, though she is getting very old in human years. I propose that we pack up everything and move to her world, where the food is also plentiful. It is nearly springtime there, which is when she accepts new students. I believe that she will accept both of you. I have a little inducement for her, which, if I know Archmage Oldrich, she’ll jump to get it.”
“Cool, dad!” Renata came out of her hostilities, beginning to imagine first a full belly and then learning arcane magical spells.
“Yeh dad, brilliant. How come we didn’t move sooner?” Emil added, still a bit hostile.
“Because you two were not quite old enough. Now you are ready, so what say you? Shall we abandon Voss for another world?”
“Dear, one small matter,” Sofie interrupted. “In a few years, Renata will get her first heat. Where will she find other Golds with which to mate?”
“Why worry about that now, love? Let’s worry about that when she is.” Renata snorted; she wasn’t the least bit interested in boys, not yet anyway. They were just too rowdy for her likes.
“Okay, that’s settled. Now this is very important, kids. Humans are terrified of our kind, well most of them are. If they see our true shapes, they will likely drop everything and attempt to hunt us down and try to kill us. Humans kill what they fear, instead of trying to understand it. There are exceptions as always. So while we are on their world, we must be very, very careful not to let humans see our true forms. We can live in that same cavern where I stayed when I was getting my magic training from Archmage Oldrich. I think it is still here. Your mother and I will stay there while you are in school. Of course, if she accepts you, she will want you to live in her tower. However, she will allow you time to feed once a week. Just make sure that no one sees you change or sees you flying about; we don’t want packs of humans trying to hunt us down. I know that they are puny and easily defeated, but that will surely force Archmage Oldrich to cancel your magic training. Now then, let’s practice your morphing skills, kids.”
The two grumbled, having done this minor spell many times before. It was one that their father taught them first. Now they understood why; it would allow them to mingle with the de
nizens of other worlds than their own. “When do we move, dad?” Renata wanted to know.
“Just as soon as I am convinced both of you know what to do and how to get along on her world. Sofie, will you start packing our pile of gems, please?” Aldrick asked.
The next day, satisfied that his kids knew what they had to do, Aldrick cast shrink spells onto their many sacks. Sofie then tied them securely to her legs. “How do we get there, dad?” asked Renata.
“We use our skills to move between worlds, though you must know your destination. I don’t want you kids to go trying this on your own now. You might get lost and never find your way back! Once we are airborne, take my claw in yours and Sofie will take yours. When you are all attached to me, I will move us between Voss and her world.”
“What’s it called, dad?” Emil asked.
“Adapazan, son.”
“Weird name,” he replied.
“Whatever you do, don’t let go until we arrive. Okay, up and away from Voss we go!” Aldrick took a running leap into the air, extending his magnificent wings to the fullest extent, some hundred plus feet across. He soared high into the air then hovered, waiting for Sofie and the kids to join him. One by one, they locked claws, and at last he began to move between worlds, as any good dragon could.
A black swirling mist hid everything from view. Both teens felt terribly uneasy, though they didn’t panic. However, both realized that it would be very easy to panic and become trapped here in the nowhere, lost, disorientated, and confused. Everything looked the same — unrecognizable swirling masses of blackness. Suddenly, ahead of them, a blue light appeared, first as a small round object. Steadily it grew in size, larger and larger, until Aldrick pulled them into its sky, soaring high above the towering mountains, forests, and streams. Spring melt had come at last. Even from this height, Renata spied numerous hoofers grazing on the first shoots of spring. Food! Her dad was not kidding them. Her stomach growled once more.
Four golden dragon circled high above the deserted mountain tops, descending at last to a large cavern near one nearly inaccessible peak. “Ah, just as I left it some forty years ago,” Aldrick announced and entered to check it out. Presently, he sounded the all clear bellow and the other three joined him. “I know it is rather small for the four of us, but soon the kids will be staying in the tower. Think we can manage Sofie?” he asked playfully. She gave him a swipe of her long tail.
Ah hour later, stomachs finally full for the first time in several years, the four dragons dozed for several days. When they awoke, Aldrick once more grilled the twins on how they were to conduct themselves. Satisfied that they knew how to avoid drawing attention to themselves, all four morphed into human forms. He handed Emil the giant emerald and Renata the small money pouch containing a number of gold coins, which he had left here in the cavern some forty years ago. Aldrick had no interest at all in gold, but he explained that humans highly valued it and that the twins should first purchase some more fitting clothing in the town.
Cocky, Emil bragged, “Dad, stop worrying. We can handle this. No problem at all. We’ll see you in a few days when we need to feed again. You are right; this place is food heaven.” Sofie smiled and hugged her twins. Then, the two morphed back into their golden forms and flew down until they were within walking distance. They landed and morphed back into their human forms and began the long walk into the town of Brn.
This remote town of some ten thousand people lay cradled between three tall peaks. One heavily traveled road led down into the dense forests and to other towns and villages of the Wild Lands of Adapazan. The twins stared at the tall granite outer walls; they’d seen nothing like this in their lives. Once they passed through the gates, the city streets were swarming with humans of all sizes and sexes. Soon they realized some were men, some women, and some children. Shops upon shops lined either side of the street.
Emil asked for directions to the Stodgy Inn, where the candidates would cluster in the spring in hopes of being chosen by Archmage Oldrich for their magic apprenticeship. Around noon the two entered the inn and acquired a room. So far so good, Emil thought.
Chapter 3 Many Meetings
Shouts and steel clanking upon steel roused Zoran from his sleep. He guessed the road and headed towards the noise, swords drawn. As the trees thinned and the rutted roadway appeared, he spied four wagons loaded with goods being attacked by twelve men. Each wagon had a driver and a guardsman, both of which had gotten off to repel the attacking bandits. However, three of them had quarrels sticking out of their sides or chests and were now mostly trying to protect the wagons as a last line of defense.
Three of the rough looking men were down, arrows protruding from their foreheads. Twang! Make that four bandits down; his eyes caught the flash of some bowman far to his right. Without thinking about it, Zoran launched himself into the fray, his pair of short shorts flashing rapidly. Taking the nearest by surprise, his blades sliced deep into the man’s gut and his neck, dropping this bandit instantly. Twang! A fifth went down, as Zoran engaged the next bandit.
The double teaming bandits, realizing that their simple heist was going all wrong, turned tail to run back into the woods. However, the one he was facing had no choice but to attempt a fighting retreat. His broadsword swung defensively against the incredibly fast slicing motions of the twin blades. Fear crept into the man’s face; he stopped making any attempt to swing his blade, merely trying to use it to block those razor sharp blades, moving so fast that if he focused on the path of one, the other became a blur. Pain. Pain again. Darkness. The bandit dropped as the sound of snarling, barking dogs came from the direction of the fleeing bandits.
Zoran looked over at the teamsters. Two waved a greeting, but began attending to their companions’ many wounds. The archer stepped out of the woods. Zoran blinked twice. A woman wearing a leather top and pants similar to his, tall and with long blonde hair tied back, and sky blue eyes came walking towards him. She had a long bow and an arrow notched, though it was pointing downward at the moment. She took graceful, well placed steps as she approached, her eyes darting from fallen bandit to bandit. The dog growling and barking grew louder.
Suddenly the remaining five bandits came running as fast as they could from the trees, followed by a pack of large brown and black dogs. A man with a drawn sword was right behind them. “That’ll be Bernard, most likely,” the woman’s alto voice called out to Zoran. “Don’t attack the dogs.”
The bandits, seeing Zoran and the archer before them and the wild man and dogs behind them, dropped their crossbows and swords. “We give up! Call them off!” one yelled frantically as a dog, teeth snarling, saliva dripping, slowly approached his leg.
“Heel, Amos. Heel,” the man in the cloak called out. “Heel. Here to me. Here to me. Good dogs. Guard. Guard.” Zoran was impressed with the behavior of the six dogs. The one that was threatening to take a bite out of the man’s leg backed off. All six scampered like playful pups to the man’s sides and sat down. When they heard the word “guard,” they sat at attention, like scouts, watching the five men closely.
“I wouldn’t try nothing,” Bernard called out to the bandits. “Amos will take your leg off.” Zoran rather doubted this, but the bandit obviously didn’t. He shook with fear and stared at the dogs constantly. “Hail and well met again, Zdenka. Our paths cross once more.”
“Aye, and to you too,” the alto voice called over the battlefield to Bernard. To the five bandits, she called out, “Tend to your wounded men!” To Zoran, she said cautiously, “Hail stranger. Best be tending to the guards and drivers.” Zoran nodded, already moving toward the victims of the attack, who were assisting their wounded men.
All four guards had sword wounds in their arms, legs, or chests. Three drivers had quarrels still protruding, as if they were a woman’s pin cushion. The uninjured driver was hastily trying to stem the bleeding from his guardsman. “Here, let me at him,” Zoran insisted, taking over. Quickly, he worked on getting the crude bandage tied tight
enough to stop the bleeding. From the corner of his eye, he spied Zdenka attending to a quarrel victim.
“Hold him tightly. This will hurt a bit. On three. One. Two. Three.” The man groaned; Zoran knew the quarrel had been extracted. “Ah, no blood being coughed up, good sign. Here, tie a wad of cloth to his wound.” She moved on to the next one.
Bernard attended to another wounded guard, fastening make shift bandages to his arm and leg. Meanwhile the six dogs kept a vigilant eye on the bandits, occasionally growling, if they thought one was getting too far from the wagons. A half hour passed and Zoran heard the sound of several horses coming their way from Brn. “Ah, bout time,” Bernard called out. Eyeing Zoran’s curious look, he added, “Brn patrol. They’ll take these vermin from us. Good thing too; we won’t have to march them in to the Sheriff.” Zdenka flashed a smile, though he didn’t see it.
Four mounted riders wearing chain mail rode up. One called out, “Strom, what happened here?” The unwounded drover explained that they were attacked by the dozen bandits, and the four guards took charge of them at once. Five with arrows in their heads were quite dead. These, the guards quickly searched, confiscating weapons, coin pouches, and anything else of value. That same guard, evidently the one in charge Zoran assumed, ordered the remaining bandits to start digging five graves.
He then came up to Zdenka, “Your work, I presume, Zdenka?”
“Aye. Twelve against four is hardly a fair fight,” she replied conservatively.
He chuckled, “Aye. Glad you were around. This is the third attack in a month. Sheriff sent us out to patrol the road, hoping to find them. You’ve taken all our fun away, ma’am.” He teased her. She smiled. “Here, present this stuff to the sheriff, and you and your friends will get the reward. Get the wagons moving soon; those guards need physician attention pronto.”
Zoran Chronicles Volume 1 A Dragon in Our Town Page 2
