by Sam Ferguson
Her mouth fell open as she recalled the ethereal creature that had attacked the egg and killed Guardian. All this time she had thought it was going for the egg, but now she wondered. The possibility seemed too likely to be shaken. It had been after her.
Cyrus closed the distance between them in an instant and grabbed her by the shoulders.
“What have you seen?” Cyrus asked insistently.
Kyra wasn’t sure whether to trust him. If she told him about the ghoul near the dragon’s nest, then Leatherback would be in danger. Still, perhaps she could tell him of the creature she had seen around Caspen Manor. Maybe that would be enough for him to help her unravel this mystery.
“They look somewhat like ghosts, don’t they?” Cyrus asked, too impatient for her to answer.
Kyra nodded slowly.
Cyrus pushed her away and shook his head.
“I had intended to wait for a day when you were in a better frame of mind,” Cyrus began, “but I should tell you, the reason I have brought imps and other such creatures into your training regimen is because I believe you are in danger. Given what you have already seen, and the recent events with your mother, then perhaps now is the appropriate time to tell you. I was with Janik when we rescued your mother from the vampire. However, ever since that day, there have been dark forces chasing after your family.”
That was it! Now she knew where she recognized Cyrus from. He was the wizard in the painting in her father’s study. He was the other hero that had rescued her mother. All sorts of thoughts and questions flooded into her mind, but Cyrus grabbed her by the shoulders again and was quick to bring her back to the conversation at hand.
“Did you hear me Kyra? I am telling you that there are dark forces pursuing your family.”
“You knew my mother was in danger?” Kyra asked as she contemplated the wizard’s words.
“No, I did not.” Cyrus shook his head. “I believe these creatures are after a specific artifact, a dagger with three rubies in its hilt to be precise. It is a powerful relic, and can be put to devastating use if it falls into the wrong hands. I had believed this dagger to be lost after we rescued your mother from the vampire’s lair. However, it seems I had been mistaken. I now believe that your mother had this dagger all along, and that is what they seek.”
“I never saw such a dagger,” Kyra said quickly. “Why would she take it?”
Cyrus pouted out his lower lip and tugged gently on his beard with his left hand.
“Come sit down. I will tell you what I know, and then you and I will decide how to deal with the forces that are stalking you.”
“No.” Kyra looked into the old wizard’s eyes and folded her arms over her chest. “I want you to teach me how to kill them. Then I will track every last one of them down, and destroy them for what they did to my mother.”
Cyrus looked at her for a moment, before finally nodding his agreement. “Until you are ready, you must stay within the walls of Kuldiga Academy. I do not think anyone will venture here, for there are far too many masters of sorcery that could defend you. When you are ready, I will help you vanquish this enemy.”
“Do you know where we can find it?” Kyra asked.
“I have only some clues, but nothing certain yet. I am confident we can figure it out together.”
CHAPTER 12
Cyrus stepped through the portal, his skin adjusting quickly to the cold, humid air in the cave. He conjured a small orb of blue light that hovered over his left shoulder to light his way. Moss and algae grew along the inside of the wet rocks that formed the walls of the cave. His feet splashed in the shallow water as it trickled along the floor. He followed the cave around the bend to the left, holding his robes up just a touch so that they would not get soaked from the floor.
He hated coming here. To Cyrus, it showed weakness to ask for help. More than that, he knew the man that he was about to visit was only interested in what Cyrus could do for him. The deals were always cut in the warlock’s favor it seemed. Perhaps that was karmic justice for the way Cyrus treated others. The old wizard laughed the notion away. There was no justice of any kind except that created by those with the power to enforce it.
Around the bend the cave opened up into a large chamber. The inside was barren except for a long table made of stone in the center of the room. A pair of iron candle holders flanked either end of the table, standing roughly four feet tall and holding seven candles each. The candles were lit, and burned with a blue fire that, despite the magnitude of the chamber, managed to chase away every shadow.
Cyrus walked to the table and sat down. On the far side of the chamber was a single door made of black stone. It was plain, without decoration or knob. Unknowing adventurers would try to open the door, but that would only result in their death. Cyrus knew better, having been invited here several times before. He sat at the table and gave three slaps on the slab of stone with the palm of his right hand. For a while nothing happened. The chamber remained silent and the door did not move. Then, after a few minutes, the door began to glow, changing from black to blue and then finally disappearing altogether. A man dressed in long black robes walked toward Cyrus.
As the man came closer, Cyrus was able to see the purple trim on the sleeves of the black robes. A long hood hung loosely over the man’s face, covering his features. Locks of silver hair poked out from the hood like small snakes. A medallion hung around his neck in the shape of a gleaming triangle of gold enclosing the image of an open eye. A staff of wood appeared in the man’s left hand as he closed the remaining distance to the table.
“I do not suppose you have come to tell me that Kyra has pledged her service and loyalty?”
Cyrus shook his head. “As I said before, the girl is headstrong. She is not only extremely talented, but she is wickedly smart, and not easy to convince. Since her mother’s murder, she has grown ever more wary and watchful of everyone around her. It will be some time before I can gain her trust.”
“The Order of the All-seeing Eye is not concerned with time. Whether it takes three weeks or ten years is irrelevant. The mission must be accomplished. Kyra must join our cause.”
Cyrus sat up straight and looked at the warlock, trying to peer through the darkness cast by the man’s hood. Even with his magic orb of light, the shadow seemed all but impenetrable, allowing only for faint images and shadows, but nothing distinct to be seen.
“Tell me why the girl is so important to you.”
The warlock cackled and leaned heavily upon his staff as he swung his right leg over the seat and then eased himself down. Then he set the staff on the table between them and laced his fingers together as he leaned over to speak with Cyrus.
“A dog does not question its master when it is sent to fetch the fowl.”
“You know I am more than a dog,” Cyrus said.
The warlock laughed again. “Unless you were to swear fealty to the Order of the All-seeing Eye, there is nothing more for us to discuss. What we want with the girl is our business. You came to us those many years ago to locate items that you were searching for. We agreed upon a price for the information you sought.”
“There is another who seeks the dagger,” Cyrus said. “Why didn’t you warn me of him?”
“To see the future is like trying to drink from a geyser. No sooner do you stick your face in it, than it shoots much more than you could ever handle straight at you, and just like a geyser it is roiling with danger. We have devised tools to help peer into the future and limit these dangers to ourselves, but there is still room for improvement.”
Cyrus shook his head. “Perhaps I would be better off on my own,” he said.
The warlock shot his right hand across the table with the speed of lightning and seized Cyrus by the throat, pulling him in close. “You have come in to our circle. You may not leave unless we say you can. Whatever you view as our shortcomings, let me remind you that it was you who came to us for help. No one else could give you the information you sought.”
> Cyrus calmly reached up and grabbed the warlock’s hand, prying it free from his neck and pushing it back as he sat down again.
“You may have me outnumbered, but if you attack me again I will burn you from the inside out. Your brothers may finish me off, but I guarantee I will drag you down to Hammenfein with me.”
There was a moment of silence. Neither of them spoke nor blinked for the space of several minutes. Then, the warlock laughed again and tapped a finger on the table.
“I like you,” the warlock said. “If you would join our order, not only would you have the information you seek, but you could have so much more.”
“Why does that matter to you?” Cyrus asked.
The warlock held up both his hands palms up and shrugged his shoulders.
“It is wise to surround yourself with strong, capable men. Especially when times of war are soon at hand.”
“I’m not interested in war, or politics,” Cyrus said. “My interest is purely personal.”
The warlock held a finger in the air.
“I know what it is you seek. The others know as well. The journey ahead of you will not be an easy one. If you were to join with us, we could add additional power to your cause.”
“At what cost?” Cyrus asked.
The warlock slapped the table and drew his hand back slowly.
“I can see now is not the time for negotiating. Perhaps later. Let me offer you a gesture of goodwill, and you can think on the offer to join us for a future conversation.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“The man that seeks the dagger you are hunting is a dangerous one. I won’t lie, it will serve our order to remove him, as much if not more so than it will serve you. As agreed upon before, you may of course keep the dagger when and if you find it. The man who searches for it is a necromancer. His name is Severin. Have you heard of him?”
Cyrus tapped the table nervously and sighed heavily.
“I know him.” The short answer was terse and dripping with anger, something that the warlock did not miss.
“An old friend of yours then?”
Cyrus shook his head slowly. “I made a deal with him many years ago. He reneged on his part of the deal and left my rump swinging in the wind. I had my suspicions that he might be involved; I was hoping that I was incorrect.”
The warlock reached down under the table and pulled up a small, silver ring a moment later.
“If you know Severin, then you know he will not to be an easy foe to conquer. You will need the girl, and you will need her dragon. If any of the other masters were to catch wind of what you are doing…”
Cyrus nodded his head when the warlock’s words trailed off into nothing.
“The girl will be easy to convince on this one. I can see the hunger for revenge in her eyes. As for keeping the secret, she will be good at that as well. So far she has managed to hide her dragon from all at the Academy. I’m sure if I offer her the chance to avenge her mother, she will keep quiet about it rather than lose the opportunity.”
The warlock nodded and rose to his feet. He set the ring down on the table in front of Cyrus and pointed to it.
“In order to hunt the necromancer, you will have to teach the girl how to recognize magical presences. As she has vampire blood within her veins, it is an ability she already possesses. You need only unlock it. The danger in doing so, of course, is that as she hones her skill, she will recognize the dark magic within you. Wear this ring and it will help dull her senses to what you are.”
Cyrus took the ring and examined it. It was a simple silver band with a small emerald set into it. He slipped it over his right ring finger and then rose from the table to leave.
“One more thing, Cyrus,” the warlock said. “If for some reason she were to decide to disclose anything about hunting Severin, you will have to find a way to silence her.”
Cyrus nodded knowingly. “If she were to double-cross me, then I will expose her dragon. That simple threat ought to be enough to seal her mouth. Still, I am confident enough she will be more than eager to avenge her mother. She will keep the secret.”
*****
With her time off from class, Kyra spent every waking minute with the dragon. When she had returned to the aspenwood after the mysterious near-encounter with whatever force had spooked Njar, the satyr had been waiting with a wonderful surprise. The aspen sapling she had chosen had been transformed into a beautiful staff with a carved dragon’s head set into the top. Njar had delivered it and the sapling’s small stump to Viverandon where satyr craftsmen had worked a marvelous transformation in the few hours she had been gone.
In the days and weeks that followed, Kyra took her staff every time she and Leatherback went hunting for his meals following her sessions with Cyrus, and left it with him in the evenings. Despite the doubt Njar had expressed about the power it would have in warding off Nagar’s Blight, Kyra couldn’t help feeling that she was in possession of a vital protection as she carried the aspenwood staff beyond the bounds of the glade.
As they hunted and played, Njar was there each time too, though he gave them much more freedom than he had the first day. He still followed them of course, but not as closely, and his countenance became much softer than it had been right after Leatherback had hatched. Kyra had asked Njar if he had ever discovered what had been following them the other day, but the satyr would only cryptically answer that all was handled.
Kyra and Leatherback walked along the stream searching for rabbits or squirrels. When they came to a deep eddy in the stream, Leatherback moved over to the water and thrust his head deep into the liquid, splashing water all about. He came up with a rather large trout nearly the length of Kyra’s forearm. He tossed it up in the air and then swallowed it down his gullet. Kyra laughed and moved to pet Leatherback. The brown scales had already formed along his entire body now. Whatever the satyr was doing to accelerate the dragon’s growth, it was magnificently quick. Leatherback was now almost the same height as a small horse. The top of his back just a few inches below Kyra’s shoulder line. The horns along his forehead were beginning to grow out as well. There were several straight horns that protruded out slightly backward over his neck, and there were two horns that curled out from the sides of his head like sharp hooks.
As with his physical appearance, Leatherback was maturing in other ways also. He could now produce a blue flame and sustain it for a few seconds. Mostly he shot balls of fire into the air to impress Kyra. Leatherback’s eyes seemed to sparkle when Kyra laughed and clapped after each fireball. They spent as much time interacting with each other as they did hunting for food. Upon returning to the glade, Kyra pulled her book out and began to read to Leatherback again.
Njar sat near the edge of the glade, resting his back upon a large aspen as he listened to the story as well. As with the other days previous, Kyra read two chapters before closing the book and putting it away. Leatherback had curled beside her for the reading, and now slid his large head into her lap again, careful not to poke her with his horns. Kyra leaned down and kissed the top of Leatherback’s head as she pet his neck.
“You are a good listener, Leatherback.”
Leatherback turned his head to her and she could have sworn that he was smiling at her. His eyes burned into hers as though he had something to tell, but no words were spoken between them. After a while Kyra rose up and went to return to the Academy. She looked up at the darkening sky and saw the first star in the night sky.
Leatherback looked up as well and roared when he saw the star.
Kyra looked back at the Dragon smiled.
“Do you know the story of how the stars came about?” Kyra asked.
Leatherback looked at her intently as if to say he did not and was waiting for the story.
Kyra dismissed the idea of creating the portal and went back to Leatherback, sitting beside him and curling up next to him. Leatherback in turn curled his tail and neck around her and stretched his right wing over her back to keep
her warm in the cool evening.
“My mother used to tell me a story when I was little. She said there was an ancient story of how the stars came to be. If you like, I could tell that story to you.”
Leatherback growled in a high pitch, something she had learned to take as an affirmative answer to a question.
“Very well. Many years ago, before recorded history, the world enjoyed a time when there was no night. The sun gave its warm light to the world during the day, and when the sun went to sleep, the world was bathed in beautiful shades of pink, orange, red, and even purple, like a grand sunset which lasted until the sun awoke.
“During this magical era, in a village that time has since long forgotten, there lived a young boy named Aiden. Aiden love to play. He would run around the village chasing other little boys. He also loved to climb trees and big rocks. He would climb up high and then jump off, pretending to fly through the air like a Dragon.
“Aiden was a smart, curious boy who loved adventure. He often explored the area around the village, carrying his wooden sword that his father had made for. One day, while Aiden was exploring in the grassy meadow near the village, he found a Skyte.”
Kyra looked down at Leatherback and set a hand upon the back of his neck.
“You know what a Skyte is, right? It’s a kind of small Dragon, like you, but small enough to fit in the palm of a human’s hand.”
Leatherback purred and nuzzled its head against her.
Kyra smiled and then continued, “As I was saying, Aiden found a Skyte basking in the sun. Most boys would have been afraid, but not Aiden. He was brave. He walked right up to the Skyte and roared at it, holding his sword high over his head.
“Most Skytes would have flown away, but not this one. The fearless little Dragon reared back onto its hind legs, puffed smoke through its nose and beat his small wings furiously. The two of them looked like great warrior’s about to do battle, with Aiden standing over the Skyte growling and the little Dragon puffing smoke and hissing fire.
