It was Antonin’s turn to be surprised.
“How do you know of Mei’An?” He said, before he could stop himself.
“That is easy.” She hesitated slightly, then added. “My Lord Dragon.”
Catharina and Elsa relaxed visibly.
“All Wind Readers are in touch all the time. Mei’An asked that we all watch for you. Your companion here,” she pointed casually at Elsa. “Has the spark in her also, so she stands out like a beacon to us. All we had to do was watch for that beacon light to arrive somewhere. If the hue and cry of your own arrival alone was not sufficient to rouse the Dark One himself.”
Elsa’s eyes were huge. “Me?” She squeaked.
“I will speak more of this later,” said the woman to Elsa. “I am Sarweio, my companion, my Guard Companion is M'belie. We are here to ensure your survival.”
“I do not need your help Wind Reader.” Said Antonin, with more heat than he intended. No matter. He was fed up.
“I will not be pushed around by your kind any longer. Mei’An got me into this. Can you do else but get me in deeper. You can pass that on to her as well if you like.” Antonin sat down again and took up a mug of ale.
“You are welcome to join us at table.” He said, and lounged back in his chair, a chicken wing in one hand and a mug of frothy ale in the other. Catharina and Elsa stayed alert and standing. At the tone in Antonin’s voice, M'belie had taken a step forward, hand on his sword hilt. Sarweio didn't frown, but the thin line of her lips, just for an instant, gave a clue to her displeasure. Mei’An had warned her the boy was headstrong, and if pushed as stubborn as a mule. She could afford to wait. He was as yet untrained, and indeed she could sense that he had recently brushed very close to death. Now that needed further investigation. All of this in the space of a heart beat she passed on to Mei’An. Including the absence of a woman ‘Nareena’, whose involvement she had heard about on her way to the inn.
To Antonin’s surprise the Wind Reader slid out a wooden straight backed chair from a nearby table and sat opposite Antonin. She helped herself to wine as the room slowly relaxed. Her Guard Companion was standing against the wall near the end of the table, and although Tong Hui still hesitated at the door, he too was relaxing. He turned back to his troops.
Antonin watched warily over the rim of his mug of ale.
Mei’An stood in the centre of the room, for once in her life speechless. Firstly Antonin had hurled himself through a portal to who knew where, then some time later had momentarily opened a portal again, giving his two Spear Maidens the chance they had been poised for.
In the blink of an eye they had leapt into the barely formed portal, Antonin just visible on the other side, still in whatever that frozen place was. The portal had winked out almost before it was fully formed. Mei’An had made no move to enter the portal, and neither had Luan. It had only been because the two Spear Maidens had been ready for just such an event that they had been quick enough to seize the opportunity. The portal had only been open for an instant.
Mei’An blinked and turned to Luan and the others and said. “I wish that farm boy would learn to control his powers.” There was more than a hint of exasperation in her voice. Rees sat without a word and rolled his dice through his fingers. He too wondered when his friend would learn some control. If indeed their very futures depended on it, then control had better come soon. Tallbar the innkeeper wrung his hands and fussed. He was almost as round as he was tall, and his shiny bald head glistened with sweat that he constantly wiped away with a large floral handkerchief. His large white apron strained across his girth. He came and went as serving girls called him away for some urgent task. He returned to fuss as soon as he could. Important events were taking place. He would have his name recorded in the tales if he was lucky. Such events as these would draw custom from far and wide, if only that people could sit and sup ale in a famous inn.
The innkeeper was worried for more reasons than his possible fame though. It was he who had held the golden crown all these years. It had been passed down through his family for generation upon generation. Thousands of years since the last age had closed with the defeat and imprisonment of the Dark Lord and his servants. Tallbar himself had tried on the crown of course. Once in his youth he had crept into his father’s room and dragged the ancient heavily crafted chest from under the bed. He knew the chest contained treasure, and knew the stories surrounding the golden circlet. All the family were sworn to secrecy at the earliest age. The casket and its contents were never mentioned. Tallbar in his youth though had thought to see if the crown was indeed magic. Perhaps he could become the Lord of the Dragon Armies? Why else had the crown been left in their care so long. He never considered for a moment that his father had also tried the same thing in his youth and very likely his father before him back into the mists of time. Tallbar had opened the lid to the box, revealing the crown in its velvet rest, glinting in the bright lamplight. Picking up the thin gold band, ‘how heavy it is’ he remembered thinking, he had slipped it on his head, but not tight. It seemed almost made to fit him.
Tallbar began to sweat, as he now stood in the room with Mei’An and the others. The memory of that time long ago coming back to him.
No sooner had he placed the golden circlet on his head than his ears had filled with a roaring sound, like the sound of a thousand waterfalls in full flood. Then he heard behind that the noise of battle. Men screaming and dying. The clash of swords on armour. Horses screaming as they were cut down to unseat their riders. The visions of this flashed in his eyes as though played out in the room in front of him. Men in shining silver armour mounted on tall black horses. Their sigil was a crimson slash across a white background. Like a sword cut across bare skin. Tallbar had never been in battle, and the sounds and sights that filled his head now had him on his toes. His back arched as the outpouring from the golden band sought to overwhelm him, and he lurched around the room like a puppet on a string. His mouth was open as he tried to scream at the horror of it all.
Huge green scaled monstrous beasts rushed straight at him, axes with half moon blades swinging at him. Long shiny lances pinning them to the ground. As Tallbar had flailed about the room desperately trying to avoid the battle he felt himself a part of, he knocked the lamp flying from the stand. The glass smashed and the oil quickly caught fire. The room filled with smoke, and the noise Tallbar was making as he crashed about the room brought people running from all directions. Smoke billowed from the windows and doors as the fire took hold. Tallbar's father had been first into the room. He found his son on all fours in the middle of the room. His head was hanging down, and he was moaning with a long drawn out sound as though trapped in a grove of horrors. His father saw the crown on his sons head and snatched it off. Tallbar collapsed on the floor as though hit with a quarter staff. The crown was returned to the chest, and with the help of servants the fire was quickly extinguished. The room was a mess.
It had taken Tallbar days to come around to his senses again. He had lain in his bed sweating, and alternately crying out as though in pain, and calling warnings. He had finally woken on the morning of the third day after the event, his mother wiping his brow. His father came in and stood at the end of the bed looking at him silently for a long time. Finally he had said. “We are the keepers of the crown my son. We are not the wearers. We guard it for he who is yet to come. You have been punished by the power of the crown itself – as I was – for daring to think you could be who you are not. A valuable lesson, hard learnt. Be up now and about your duties. Remember your lesson.” To Tallbar’s surprise, his father had never spoken of the matter again. The box that had contained the crown remained beneath his bed to this day. The crown itself was now on the brow of the true owner.
“Tallbar,” Said Mei’An. “Something is on your mind.” She said it as a statement of fact. Tallbar started out of his reflections.
“Yes my lady. The box that held the crown all this time contains other treasures. It holds things of myst
ery that seem to have no purpose, except for the heavy book that is bound in leather. The chest, itself all worked with strange carvings, and bound about in silver. I have been thinking of this box and its contents. I was remembering when, as a foolish youth, I tried on the crown. It very nearly killed me.”
Mei’An asked Tallbar to sit, and had him repeat his story to her, leaving out no detail of what he had experienced and seen. As Tallbar described the banner that had flown over the hill top fortress, Mei’An herself felt goose bumps on her arms. The innkeeper described a very large, long white pennant that curled out in the wind, tapering to a point that flicked about in the wind like a living thing. Worked into its entire length was a blue and gold dragon, five claws on each foot. The dragon had seemed alive as the wind rippled the banner out over the battlements of the fortress. The fighting on the field surrounded the fort. Tallbar began to shake as he was urged on by Mei’An to describe in detail what he had seen. Luan placed his hand on Tallbar’s shoulder in a steadying gesture. He knew of the horror of battle.
Mei’An stopped him talking with a gentle hand on his forearm.
“Master innkeeper, perhaps it might be a good idea if we investigate the contents of this chest of which you speak. Perhaps the book can give us some clue to what is happening. Perhaps the other objects are things that our friend needs.”
Rees looked at Mei’An as she said the last words. He added.
“Yes Mei’An. He may be all that your say, but firstly he is my friend. If he needs help, then I would be there if he does. If I can’t be with him, perhaps I can be of help elsewhere. He will return, and the two girls with him.”
Tallbar left to bring the chest of the crown to the room. Mei’An seated herself opposite Rees, and a chair was left for the innkeeper. Luan shook his head slightly and stayed where he was. Back against the wall opposite the door, even in this small space, eyes constantly on the move for the slightest sign of danger.
It was obvious that Antonin could appear and disappear at will. Well, without will actually, but at least unexpectedly. More worrying was the ability of Cinnabar to step in and out through some fold in time. It was not known if he could bring others with him. It was certain though that Cinnabar was working to some plan of his own. He was bound to the Dark One, as surely as night followed day, but he had indicated that he had plans that did not include the freedom of his master.
Tallbar came back, two of his burly guards from the common room carrying the chest between them. No one called the men guards. They were assistants. They assisted in the common room. Mostly to keep order. Each carried a solid black wooden cudgel, tucked into a broad leather belt at the waist. Both were tall and as solid as granite. They carried scars like other carried medals. These two men ensured that the patron of the Inn of the Blind Man could relax in peace. If by chance a fight started, or a man became the worse for drink, they were as often as not simply picked up and dumped in the street. Where with any sense they stayed. Those foolish enough to draw weapons simply had them taken away. They could collect them when the next day dawned. Wagon drivers or Lords alike, it didn’t matter to these two men. All were given the same treatment. As a result, The Inn of the Blind Man was favoured by many throughout the city.
The inn itself stood on a low rise, a small hill within the city that in turn was surrounded by a high stone wall. There was not much of the inner wall left now. In time past it was said to have encircled the hill entirely, and the hill had been crowned by a fortress. Tallbar had of course heard this, and there were even old books with elaborate drawings and painting of the area. The inn had always stood where it was, some way down from the peak of the hill. That the inn stood in the area that had once been within the walls of the fortress of the golden crown had not escaped his notice. The entire city was built on legend it seemed. The old city, especially the area where Antonin and the girls had recently had their adventure, had existed for a very long time. Even the legends spoke of a city having once existed here that had all but vanished in one huge blast unleashed by the gods, angry at the mere mortals who strove to usurp them. Legends within legends spoke of ages so long gone that men could not comprehend the years.
The two assistants dumped the chest with a bang onto the table. They had never been gentle men. Mei’An looked at Tallbar. He knew she wanted him to open the chest, but his reluctance was obvious. He had no idea as to the purpose of the remaining contents and had no desire to find out. His experience as a youth with the crown had cured him of all curiosity regarding that chest. With a click of her tongue, Mei’An reached for the clasp of the chest lid. Her fingers had almost reached the worked silver fitting when she stopped, eyes wide in surprise. Luan came away from the wall. He was finely tuned to Mei’An’s reactions. She raised her other hand to wave him back. “Do not come closer Luan. This ... chest ... is reacting to me.” Mei’An concentrated on the chest. Her hand flowed around it, inches from its surfaces she tried to sense what this contact was. The senses of a Wind Reader were many and marked their difference from all others. Mei’An’s senses told her of enormous power emanating from this chest.
“There is something within that reaches out to me. No. It reaches out to ...” Her voice trailed away. Her eyes became unfocused. Rees and Tallbar both moved uneasily. They both felt too close for comfort. Mei’An spoke again. “It reaches out to Antonin. Perhaps. I will see.” With no further hesitation she flipped back the hasp and opened the lid. A low hum filled the room. It seemed to come from within the very woodwork of the walls, dying away after a moment.
“It’s not done that before.” Whispered Tallbar.
Mei’An had sucked in a sharp breath at her first touch of the hasp, the metal catch on the box, and now stood rubbing the tips of her fingers.
“This is strange Tallbar. I wish you had brought this down, instead of just the crown, while Antonin was still here. I get the feeling,” She rubbed her fingers as she spoke. “That whatever this power is, it has just tested me. I do not like to think what would happen to one of the servants of the Dark One should they try to open this chest.”
“arrrh.” Tallbar said, his eyes showing recognition of something in his memory. He shook his head at Mei’An’s questioning look. He would tell her later.
In the top of the chest was the velvet lined tray that had held the golden crown. This Mei’An lifted out and placed on the table. Beneath that, and filling the width and length of the chest was a book. The leather of its cover and binding was black with great age. There were symbols and a script on the cover, but all were meaningless to those in the room. Even to Mei’An.
She lifted the book, almost a hand span thick, out onto the table. Opening the pages revealed a script that could not be read. At least not by anyone but Rees. He suddenly felt dizzy. The room was unsteady before his eyes, as though he were looking at the world through a rain streaked window. He shook his head to clear it, but only succeeded in nearly falling off the chair.
“The Book of Kings, wherein the path of The Dragon is set forth for all to follow.” He said. His vision cleared, and he continued. “What is that supposed to mean?” With some impatience in his voice.
“You tell us,” Mei’An said. “Do you know what your said? It sounded to me like the ancient language of Hua Guo, but I’m not sure.”
“I can’t speak any language but the one I use now.” Snapped Rees.
Luan turned cold hard eyes on Rees. “Watch how you speak to a Wind Reader, puppy.” He said.
“Stop – both.” Mei’An said with ice in her voice. Rees, half risen in his chair sat back down again.
“Rees, you just read the inscription on this book, and you read it aloud in the ancient language of Hua Guo. Whether you realize it or not. I also noticed that you seemed affected in some way moments ago.” Mei’An closed the book.
“Perhaps you can help your friend more than you thought possible. For now, please be calm.” She turned back to the chest.
Beneath where the book had rested w
ere three compartments, all velvet lined, and the edges trimmed in gold stitching. One compartment was half the width of the chest, and the length. It contained a figurine of a woman, vaguely naked to the waist. Flowing robes swirled about her, and bare feet could be seen, the toes peeping from beneath the hem. Her hair was bound and flowed down over one shoulder to cover one breast. Her left arm was down, her forearm across her body just beneath her breasts, the hand holding her side. Her right arm was stretched above her head, and in the grip of the hand was a glittering sword seemingly made of crystal. The figurine itself seemed to be carved entirely of some smooth creamy material. It seemed somehow alive, the lustre of the material had a natural warmth to it, not unlike pale skin. The second compartment contained a ball made of a blood red stone, with green veins writhing through it. It was about the size of a child's throwing ball, and would rest neatly in the hand of a man such was its size. It was highly polished. There seemed to be no indication of its purpose. The little name plate next to it was written in the same ancient script. The script resembled grass that bent and flowed in the wind, but for all that, it was still recognisable to Mei’An as the ancient script of that most ancient land of Hua Guo.
The land beyond the Dark Forests of the Eastern Lands. Beyond the wasted lands and further to the east yet. No one travelled there. It was said Traders sometimes undertook the journey. Even they told of a strange land with strange people. Customs that forbade outlanders access past a few well defined trading cities and ports. Anyone going further simply disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. In the third compartment, next to the orb, lay a flat disk. It was the same material as the carved statue, and about as thick as a man's finger, and almost a large hand span across. It was in an octagonal shape, and the carvings were in the shape of the strange writing of Hua Guo around the edges. Entwined dragons filled a smaller octagon in the centre of the disc. The carving went all the way through, giving the disc a three dimensional aspect not unlike lacework. The creamy white material was strangely warm to Mei’An’s touch as she drifted her fingers across its surface.
The Dragons of Sara Sara Page 28
