Antonin was staggering backwards. He had looked on the face of Be'lal. The Evil Ones rage at being thwarted so great he had materialised for an instant in the form of his servant. Now both were gone.
The city where the evil cloud had formed and travelled was a shambles. Dead and dying were everywhere. Parts of bodies strewn about the street, tossed down as they had been ripped apart. Buildings were burning and people were still trying to escape from the area.
"Tong Hua, quickly - your men. Help these people." Called Antonin.
"Nareena, Catharina, Edina." Antonin looked at Sarweio with a raised eyebrow. "Sarweio, to the temple. Quickly. It is time to call forth the Dragon. I have not stopped the Evil One, but it will take him a while to try that sort of tactic again. I have shown him for the first time that I am not afraid of him. Only through fear can he make good a victory." Nareena was the first to recover from her shock of the recent events. It seemed to have lasted for hours, but in reality had taken only minutes.
She hurried forward. "This way Antonin my Lord." She hurried down the street trying not to look at the carnage. Nareena led the party through the winding streets, until it seemed they had almost reached the edge of the city. The ancient temple stood before them. Vast and silent. It was a multi towered building, with curving roof tiles and images of dragons marching across it's facade. A huge courtyard surrounded the building. The surface was of stone blocks closely fitted. Not a blade of grass showed. Nareena led them straight up the steps to the entrance. Stepping over a well worn door entrance beam, they entered the quiet gloom of the main chamber.
There were a couple of old men dressed in flowing yellow robes moving about the cast hall, but they acted as though the new arrivals didn't exist.
The Dragon Wall was unmistakable. A huge block of stone formed the far end wall of the temple. Carved across its face was a fierce five clawed dragon. It was done in bold relief, and painted in bright colours. It seemed almost lifelike with its fiery red eyes and green scales. Its yellow tongue was shown forking out beneath a cloud of smoke from its nostrils. The whole wall was covered with its writhing form, from floor to ceiling, from wall to wall. Antonin was awestruck, as were Catharina and Edina. They had never seen anything like it in their lives. The flickering candles on the alter were the only light in the vast hall, and Catharina was sure she could see the huge shape moving.
"Well," said Antonin, some doubt in his voice. "What now Nareena?"
"My Lord, I know not. I only know what the stories tell. That for the Lord of the Dragon Armies to summon his hosts, he must first strike the Stone of the Dragon in the temple of this city."
"So be it." Said Antonin and strode forward. He stopped at the huge stone relief. "I will soon know if indeed I am the Dragon Lord." He said aloud.
He raised a clenched fist and struck the stone with the heel of his clenched hand. A soft hum rippled out. Nothing that would not be expected if a finely carved piece of stone was struck hard. No living dragon materialised. No sounds. No results at all. Antonin stepped back and looked at the stone dragon. No change. He looked at his friends. They were all looking a little embarrassed. Even Sarweio.
"How am I supposed to know what to do?" Demanded Antonin of no one in particular. He stepped forward again and in speculation thumped the stone as hard as he could and in some power and in frustration called out in the echoing vault.
"Where are my dragons? Do they still sleep when I call? The echoes died away.
●Chapter 24
Far way across the world Desare suddenly stood erect and peered into the East. Her eyes were squinting as though trying to see across the distance separating her from Antonin. "What is it?" Called Rees from where he stood.
"Antonin." Replied Desare, only half aware of Rees's question. "He summons the dragons."
Rees looked at the others. Desare had only said Antonin's name at little above a whisper, but Mei'An was still rubbing her temples. No one had any idea what Desare meant.
Mei'An seemed to be able to contact Sarweio and could only think that as Antonin's powers became stronger he was shielding Sarweio. She wished Desare could be shielded from that infernal bell. An idea came to her.
"Desare." She waited. "Desare!" Mei'An's tone was a little sharper. Desare looked around and blinked. "Mei'An." She said with a questioning look. She was still a young girl, and the sharp authority of Mei'An's voice had her on the defensive instantly.
"Desare, can you contact the Keeper of the Blue Tower? Perhaps she can tell you what happens."
"I don't know how Mei'An." Wailed Desare. "It just ... happens. I think." Desare kept glancing Eastwards, a distracted look on her face.
"It won't work my Ant..." She gulped on Antonin's name, suddenly remembering the effect his name would have on the bell. Mei'An clicked her tongue. She really wished she knew what Desare was seeing.
"Quickly Rees, the Key to the Moon Gate. Give it to Desare." Rees didn't hesitate. Mei'An's urgency was almost palpable. He flung open the chest of treasures and lifted out the milky orb. Carrying it cupped in his hands he walked over to Desare and held it out to her.
Desare reached out and slid her fingers in a caress around the globe of crystal. Lifting it from Rees' hands she held it up to eye level, raised in her palms on outstretched arms. The surface swirled and began to clear. The light in the room where they all stood began to change. The air started to glitter as though on an icy night in the frozen wastes. Desare stood at the heart of a swirling, glittering mist. Time seemed to have stopped.
As Antonin stepped back from the vast stone carving of the dragon he began to turn. It was then he saw the air began to thicken. It was the only way he could think of it. Everyone else could see it too. The entire room as vast as it was seemed filled with air suddenly that almost had the texture of water. Any movement caused visible ripples, like stones in a pond. Yet still the candles burned. Still everyone breathed normally. In the centre of the room a glowing ball began to form. At least twice the height of a man, it shimmered with a beautiful silver sheen like a polished mirror. To everyone's surprise, Desare was standing in the centre of the sphere. She was clothed in garments that seemed to be only filmy streamers that floated about on shifting zephyrs of air. Her eyes were huge pools of darkness that seemed to draw Antonin forward a step at a time until he was almost touching the huge sphere. Another shape began to form next to the still silent Desare. In a moment Antonin could see the woman who had been just behind Desare when he had seen her in the inn common room some days back. Antonin was certain if he touched the glittering mirrored sphere he would be in serious trouble, but almost against his will his fingers went to the surface. In the blink of an eye he was inside the sphere.
"Ah, foolish boy." Admonished the woman with Desare. "How will you now return? You are inside the Moon Gate with Desare, and I. The Keeper of the Blue Tower."
For the first time Desare spoke. She seemed to be dreaming. Her voice little more than a blurred whisper.
"To summon the dragons this first time, you must return to the frozen valley. There they await your call, still locked in their frozen prison. They hear your summons even now, but cannot respond."
Desare's dark eyed gaze held fast on Antonin. He was sure he could hear his own heart thumping in his chest. Desare was ... beautiful.
"You have no time, Lord of the Dragons." Said the young woman with Desare. "You must go now." She turned to Desare.
"Desare," she placed a gentle hand on Desare's shoulder. "Call his name. You must do it now." Desare blinked slowly and opened her mouth to speak.
He heard his name being called at the same time as the sound of a bell being struck once reverberated through the space. He reeled from the shock and found himself standing back against the dragon wall. The centre of the room glittered as thousands of shards of mirror tumbled to the floor out of the air itself. Slowly the air cleared and the tinkle of glass stopped. Nothing stirred. The temple priests who had gone about their quiet business were now prostr
ate at Antonin's feet. They had seen what they had seen. Their God had appeared before them with magical display. The dragons would soon be loose. The temple they had guarded for aeons was alive again.
Sarweio was the first to stir.
"Antonin." She whispered. "What was that?"
"I think Desare is learning to use her key. The Moon Gate. The Keeper of the Blue Tower was with her." Antonin turned to Nareena.
"Nareena, I must return to the frozen wastes. The valley of ice hold the dragons fast in its depths. They cannot come to my summons while the ice yet holds them."
Nareena understood immediately. Her friend still lay out on the ice in that valley.
Back in the small village, in the room of the inn, Desare lowered her arms.
"It is done," she said with some finality in her voice. "My friend knows where to release the dragons now. The Keeper assisted me."
Everyone in the room looked at Desare in some surprise. they had seen nothing other than the change of state in the room. Except for Mei'An.
"Well I for one know you used his name at some point." She rubbed her temples.
"We have to ask the Keeper how to stop this happening. There won't be a Wind Reader left standing at this rate."
Antonin gathered his friends around him.
"My friends. It is time we took the contest to the forces of darkness. We must retrieve the keystone. To do this means tracking into the deep forests. If indeed I am able to control the dragons then we will prevail. The Wheel of Sara Sara can only be stopped if the Keystone is replaced. The Dark Lord will do all he can to stop us. Come, let us release the dragons."
Antonin stepped across the vast hall. Tong Hua waited near the great wooden doorway.
"Tong Hua, would you carry a message to the Houses, large and small. Tell them I will return with the dragons. At that time I shall be happy to accept all their invitations. Tell people to stay off the streets after dark, and keep their dwellings lit all night. The creatures of the Dark Lord cannot abide light. The strange beasts that have been seen are terrible to behold up close."
Tong Hua smacked his clenched fist to his mail encased chest in salute and was gone. Catharina, Edina and Nareena looked at Antonin expectantly. He didn't think they should come with him, but he knew it would be pointless trying to dissuade them. He shrugged, and Catharina's smile nearly split her face. Antonin knew he had surmised right.
The temple priests, much to Antonin's surprise when he noticed, were still prostrate upon the stone floor. He held up a hand to the others to wait a moment and strode back into the chamber.
"Arise priests. Your duties are now upon you with urgency. There is no time for showing piety. Quickly now, about your duties."
The priests sprang to their feet as one and set to cleaning the shattered glass from the floor. Antonin noticed that the priests were both men and women. Some little more than children. He would have to look into this, he had a feeling it was going to be important. He strode out of the temple.
Sarweio the Wind Reader and her Guard Companion did not follow. She had other matters to attend to. The storm was coming and she must help in the way of her own kind.
Nareena was dressed in her usual hunting clothes, her coat of thick fur and fur boots and heavy gloves in a rolled pack that she now slung across her back. Catharina and Edina had both made up similar packs. Quickly they retraced their steps to the inn and Antonin ran up the steps and retrieved his travelling gear from his room. The party set out for the Western Gate without further ado. They drew strange looks in the street. People moved out of their way in a hurry and as they passed the whispers were often loud enough to hear.
"The Dragon Lord."
"Lord of the Armies."
"The great battle..."
"What is to become of us?"
These and more besides. The party hurried on. They had a long way to go, and time seemed to be pressing. Antonin could feel it weighing on him, pushing him on. Soon the city was far behind them, just a speck on the plains as they climbed up into the high ranges. They had been riding steadily since leaving the city. Hours had passed, when Antonin looked back. 'Surely not!' He thought, pointing back the way they had come.
"It looks like a band of Dragon Warriors Antonin. See their banner there."
"The band of what?" He asked incredulously.
"There are many young men and women who would take up arms to help you my Lord." Replied Nareena proudly.
"Well, there is no time now to argue. They are far behind us anyway." Antonin turned and set off again at a steady mile eating pace. The others were in a group around him, sometimes strung out ahead or behind as terrain allowed. The air became colder and colder and patches of snow covered the landscape. They drew near the place where they had encountered the Dark Ones hounds. It would be a good place to make the night camp. Easily defended against marauding animals and humans alike.
The small rise stood clearly in the centre of a fairly wide area, not really flat, but sloping up gently toward the natural plateau. The top was covered in small stones and some large boulders. Most had already been moved to the edges to form a rough wall or rampart. A small clump of low scrub and spindly trees grew in the very centre. Good cover against the cold, and it would also help to disperse smoke from a small fire.
Together they left the old trail and made for the natural redoubt. Antonin wondered if the following 'warriors' would bypass them, or notice their trail veering off toward the rise.
Far off across the world, Rees stood in the middle of the dusty road that ran straight through the centre of the village. Elsa was off to one side a few paces talking to some of the village children. The girls of the village were in awe of Elsa. Her tall figure like a beacon to them. They had been timid at first. Warriors were warriors. Their mothers had told them bed time stories of the deeds of the Mare Altan. Indeed, they had all been admonished at some time with the threat of being 'sent to be trained by the Mare Altan.' It always worked, but in every girls heart there was always that secret thrill that maybe, just maybe they would be sent. Now here was one of those warrior girls in their midst. The girls followed her everywhere. The boys stood in a group away a little from the gathered men. They knew better that to go following a warrior of the Mare Altan. In any case, their eyes never left the Guard Companion of the Wind Reader. No one had ever seen such a man. His long dark travelling cape swirled about him as he moved. He reminded them of one of the big cats that lived up in the mountains near the border. When his eyes rested on a boy - or a man - they stood frozen to the spot. Such a cold unflinching gaze that seemed to be sizing the person up as a suitable meal - or opponent. His gaze would move on, and involuntarily the momentarily trapped youth would suddenly realize they had stopped breathing. No one had seen a man who looked like him before. He must come from far away. His eyes never rested. Always seeking.
Then there was this new girl who had come with the strangers out of their rooms at the inn. She had not arrived with them. She was little more than a girl herself. No one could even guess who she was or how she had arrived. While she stayed so close to Rees, the obvious leader of this strange group, no one was going to ask.
Rees scratched his chin. "Desare." He looked at the girl. Elsa's head came around and she fixed her gaze on Rees.
"Yes Lord Rees?" Replied Desare. Elsa smiled. 'Lord' indeed. Well, maybe he was.
Rees ignored them all.
"Desare, we would go with you now if we could. but we must stay and protect these people. The ... Dahar? Have visited once already. I fear they follow us in hopes that we will lead them to Antonin. We will stop them here. Only then can we proceed."
"Lord Rees. It is I who must go with you. I don't know if I can take people anywhere. I came here quite by chance it seems. The Moon Gate opens in a way I do not understand yet. If I were to try and travel through it as a portal, who knows where we might end up?"
"Where is this place where Antonin is?" Said Rees.
"That is Anto... ar
rr." Desare stamped her little foot. "... The Dragon Lord is there. He calls the dragons to him. There he will assist our coming to join him."
Desare thought to herself that something had to be done about this problem of saying Antonin's name aloud. There had to be a reason for it. It had of course allowed Antonin himself to escape the crystal sphere of the Moon Gate. The Keeper of the Blue Tower assured her that any man trapped in the Moon Gate quickly died. The jolt of his release had been something of a shock to them both, but apparently the tolling of the bell was something more than simply sound.
Dusk was settling slowly. Lamps were being lit. The whole village seemed to hold its breath. Somewhere a dog started to howl, cut off suddenly with a yelp. Would the Dahar come again out of the dark places where they lived? As if in answer to Rees's thoughts the sound of beating wings could be heard high over head. Dark shapes moved across a blood red moon. It was not far above the horizon and the dust in the air gave it a foreboding hue.
The nets were set. Every man in the village was ready. Anything that could be used as a weapon had been taken up. The girls had long since been sent indoors, along with the boys. Only the men of the village and the strangers remained out of doors. Everyone was deep in the moon shadows along the building walls. Everyone except Luan. He strode along the street, checking traps and nets with practised eyes. The Dahar were in for a surprise.
Desare stood in the shadows of the veranda of the inn, Mei'An and Elsa by her side. Nothing was seen of the Dahar after that first flight. What were they waiting for.
"I'm fed up with this!" Cried Elsa suddenly. She stepped out into the street. A well concealed pit on the roadway on either side of her.
"Elsa - no." Cried Rees. "It is too dangerous."
"We need to draw them down Rees. You know they attack females. Well here's one they will find a little tough to chew on."
The Dragons of Sara Sara Page 41
