by Randal Sloan
“I’m not sorry, but I will admit that at times like this, I miss it a lot.” He gestured, bringing up the magical map showing the area traveled for the day. Their course had wound back and forth quite a bit, the trail forced to follow the contours of the land. He spread his fingers apart, the map expanding into a view that showed to some extent the full heights and depths of the trail. Jailyn had to admit it was an impressive ability that he was showing. As they watched, a line moved through the air above the map features.
“Just a few minutes, as the dragon flies,” he told them. “Although it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun flying across it alone.” He squeezed Jailyn’s hand before going on, “It sounds like tomorrow will be even worse.”
“Yes,” Raamial agreed, “but at least you’ll have something more interesting to look at.” He gestured at the map that Gavriel still had showing. “Our travel tomorrow will be through the area of the mountains we call the Badlands. We’ll cross along the edge of it for most of the day. Beautiful, but deadly, flying would be the only way anyone could ever cross inside there; the edges where we’ll be are bad enough.”
He looked at Jailyn closely. “This thing that you feel is calling you. Are we getting close?”
Jailyn shook her head. “Closer, but we’re not there yet. I’ll let you know.”
Raamial nodded. He suspected he knew what she was referring to. He couldn’t help but wonder about that. Nevertheless, he kept his mouth shut.
Instead he said, “Tomorrow will bring what tomorrow brings.”
“That it will,” Jailyn said.
The Badlands quickly earned their title. The trail was indeed more difficult and even their “well-behaved” camels struggled at times. One place was so bad, Raamial had them dismount and lead the camels through. The northern side of the trail plunged deeply into a gorge, a gorge that ran back to the east as far as the eye could see. It was absolutely astounding to see, a case where nature was able to show man just how big and grand it could be. Fortunately, they only had to go a few miles alongside it and then their trail weaved back to the south and west.
By the time they stopped for their midday meal, travel rations again, the whole group was ready to rest. Raamial gave them all a smile.
“The rest of the day won’t be quite so hard. Although the view won’t be so spectacularly grand as what we just saw, in some ways I find it even more beautiful. You’ll see.”
He wasn’t wrong. As they resumed their travels, the Badlands stretched out before them as far as they could see, miles and miles of rock canyons, rock formations and more rock. The colors were amazing and despite the total barren landscape, Jailyn was glad that they had come this way, even if the travel had indeed been difficult at times.
That something that she had been feeling had been growing stronger and by the end of the day, she knew it was just ahead of them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
A Little Side Trip
WHEN THEY CAMPED that night, it was Jailyn’s turn to bring up the map view.
“What is this here, right at the edge of the mountains?” she asked Raamial, pointing to an area their trail would pass by closely the next day. The map came easy to her now as her powers had grown, her mind filling in the details of the area around her as she mentally sensed it all. She indicated a spot that glowed a pleasant blue to her enhanced senses. Raamial just shook his head.
“I suspected all along that was what you were picking up on.” He smiled at her reaction. Perhaps he should have told her before now.
“That is I'zaid,” he told her. “It’s one of the forbidden places to our people. We believe it was some sort of shrine, left there after the dragon wars.”
The meaning of what he was saying suddenly dawned on him. He turned back to her with a smile, prepared for her even stronger reaction this time.
“I would like to visit there,” she told him, the words phrased as a request, but the implicit command was there, nevertheless.
“It willl be as you say, my Queen,” Raamial answered. With his response, she would know he recognized the change in her actions. “We should reach there tomorrow with but a few hours remaining before the sun touches the western sand.”
He pointed to the map. “We can set up our camp here and I’ll take you — ” he looked up as Gavriel caught his eye “—and your bonded one, the rest of the way alone. The two of you can find your way back at your leisure.”
So it was that a couple of hours before sunset, Jailyn and Gavriel entered the Shrine of I'zaid. Or rather, Jailyn’lyl and Gavr’iel, for the Shrine was very much of Dragonian construction.
A feeling of deep peace and tranquility filled the two as they entered the open air building. The entire building was dragon-sized but it was broken up into separate areas. Immediately they were drawn to the shrine facing west, the waning sunlight creating a flash of colors as the light passed through the waters of the fountain.
Gavr’iel smiled. He had this one; for once his studies at the feet of his mother were proving an advantage. “Unlike a human shrine, the sunset does not represent the end of the day, but instead the time of rest before the new birth of the next day. In a sense, this shrine is dedicated to my father and the last Council, the ones who held the Dragonian Empire together even as their generation passed.
“Tomorrow morning we must return to visit the shrine to the east, for it is dedicated to my generation, including myself, my brothers, and my sisters.”
Grasping her hand, he led her to the central shrine, his eyes gleaming. “This one is another thing entirely.”
Unlike the other two, although it was open to the south, the northern end was covered entirely by a wall — a wall constructed of the purest white stone Jailyn’lyl had ever seen, a stone that still seemed to gleam. He pointed to a design on the wall. “It’s dedicated to the past and future of the Empire, the design you see tells us of how the past and future are intertwined and yet each is different.”
His smile grew broader as they drew nearer. “This section of the shrine is dedicated to you, my love.”
He pointed to an object lying on a stone table, a crystal sceptre. A magical flame still burned in the urn beside it, causing the sceptre to reflect the light in several directions at once. Jailyn’lyl could only stare in disbelief and awe. Carefully, reverently, she reached forward to pick up the sceptre. She was caught entirely by surprise when magic burst forth from it in a tremendous explosion of light and power.
If anyone had been watching, he would have seen the young couple disappear.
Suddenly Jailyn’lyl and Gavr’iel found themselves in another time. The daylight outside turned to dark, the flame in front of them burned even more brightly. But most importantly, a huge dragon stood before them, his scales a brilliant golden illuminated in many colors by the still fading magic from the sceptre that Jailyn’lyl held. By his coloring, they both recognized he had to be Sanight'lor, the Dragon King from the long-dead past.
“Well met, my son and newly bonded daughter,” the dragon said, his eyes gleaming.
“Father,” Gavr’iel responded, his voice reverent. “Never would I have dreamed that I would see you.”
“Know I would wish this could be more, my son, but great magic was involved to give us these few moments. But I wished to see you and speak with you and this was the only way it could be so. No one can cheat time, but sometimes we can borrow a little against it.”
“So then, we’re really here, millennia in the past,” Jailyn’lyl had to ask. When he nodded, she exclaimed, “Great magic indeed. I suspect never has this been done before or likely ever will be again.”
“You’re right, my daughter in everything but name. Perhaps in your future you could do so, but you must look forward and not backward, so you likely will not have the desire to do so.” He smiled at her sharp intake of breath as she realized the ramifications of what he was saying.
“Not even to see your mother,” he told her. “As much as you might wish to do so,
it would only bring you heartache.”
He shook his head, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have an unlimited amount of time, or we could continue our discussion. I’ve brought you here for two reasons. One, this old fool couldn’t resist seeing the ones he loves and would not otherwise be able to see in the real world. But the other reason is the one most important. I must warn you of the events that are coming. Soon you will be faced with another choice,” he smiled at his son, knowing the choice he had made. “A different one than what you had to make, my son. I promise you won’t regret yours. No, this involves your friends. Your group has grown very close to each other, but yet you must part for a time.”
He smiled at the recognition in Jailyn’lyl’s eyes. “Yes, you have foreseen this, my daughter, but when the time comes you must not hesitate or all will be lost.”
“I understand, Father,” she answered, easily slipping into the dragon tradition of addressing a bond mate’s parents as if they were her own. In a very strong sense, they were. “I too am glad that I got to meet you this one time. Know that some of us recognize what you and Mother Tia'laryl sacrificed to give us this chance at our possible future. We honor you.”
“I thank you,” Sanight'lor told her. “But now, after seeing you, I can take to heart that it was all worth it. I know the two of you will serve our future people with distinction, power and honor.”
He smiled at Gavr’iel, “My son, I see much of your mother in you and I know you will serve and guide your bonded one well, as your mother did for me. You have done well for your young years and have learned your lessons well. You will have to make use of that knowledge in more ways than one.”
He turned to Jailyn’lyl. “You, my daughter, have the chance to be one of the greatest that has ever served the Dragonian Empire. Be patient, do the task in front of you without worrying about the tasks yet to be done. You have been to the edge of despair and back; remember that and the challenges in front of you won’t seem so bad. You do these things, I know you’ll do well.”
They both could tell he had grown weary. Even with the help of others, the power needed to keep them held in his time had to be tremendous. “Go well, my children,” he said, craning his neck around each of them in turn. Slowly, their view of the past began to slip away, but just before he disappeared, he drew close to Jailyn’lyl once more and whispered something in her ear.
Jailyn could not believe what he told her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Preparing for Tomorrow
THE NEXT MORNING, Jailyn and Gavriel rose before the sunrise to journey back to the shrine. Jailyn had hardly slept the night before, her excitement was so great. Her thoughts kept straying to what Sanight'lor had told her right before they slipped away from him. For Sanight'lor had told her it just might be possible for Gavr’iel and her to be able to take dragon form outside of the dream world. He had hidden away a magic talisman that he believed would give them the power to do so. She just had to find it.
If it were true, that would mean so very much to her and more so for Gavriel, who had sacrificed so much for her. To think there was even a chance thrilled her heart, but she knew she would need help to complete that quest. Unfortunately, it would all have to wait until they finished their current quest, so she kept quiet about it. It would do no good to tease Gavriel with something that at the moment was not possible.
Once again the couple visited the easternmost shrine, the one dedicated to the future of dragonkin, this time watching the light as the sun rose over the desert. The view was every bit as beautiful as the western shrine had been, which Jailyn’lyl had revisited before they left the evening before; its significance a lot stronger in her mind after having met Sanight'lor himself.
Before they left I'zaid, they stopped once more at the center shrine. After returning from their venture across time, Jailyn’lyl had placed the sceptre back in its designated spot. Someday it would be hers to take up, but she knew that time had not yet come. She also added her magic to the flame in the urn, building it back up to the flame that had been there when they had visited it in the past. The dragon fire seemed to come easier and easier to her. Nevertheless, it was entirely remarkable that the flame still burned after those millennia past and that the fountains still flowed at the other two sections of the shrine. Her newfound heritage was beyond amazing, for no human wizards would ever be able to duplicate it.
Their time at the shrine was much too short, for both knew they had to move on with their quest and to whatever awaited. After the words from Sanight'lor, she knew now that whatever happened, she wouldn’t have long to act, to do the thing she had to do. But the shrine was so peaceful and the magic seemed to refresh her, something she needed after the last few weeks. She felt like herself for the first time since that nightmare in the cave.
With one big difference; for the first time she felt like she was prepared to meet Lord Vipero. The time for revenge would soon be coming.
With the return of the couple, the group once more mounted upon their camels and were on their way. At least they were on their last leg of the journey. The Badlands behind them, this area was still barren but it had a different feel to it. Gradually they saw more and more signs that the desert was beginning to lose its hold on the land.
When they stopped for the midday meal, it was beside a small stream that, while not lush, still had some small green plants growing beside it. The party’s mood had begun to pick up, their hopes to be done with this desert beginning to grow within them. Everyone except Raamial, who knew he’d grown fond of this group of young people. He knew he would be missing them when they soon parted ways.
That meant he was quite surprised when Jailyn came over to talk with him, and even more so when she broached the subject that she had in mind.
“Raamial, would it be possible for you to stay with us for a few more days? Understand, I don’t order it, but ask,” she told him. “But we could use your help, for the ones we face soon will be very different from those assassins, as will their leader.”
Suddenly it was as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He immediately dropped to a knee.
“It would be my honor and pleasure to do so,” he told her, bowing to his Queen.
“Thank you for your service,” Jailyn intoned. “Please rise.” The words just sounded right to her.
Apparently she’d gotten it right, for Raamial quickly returned to his feet with a huge smile on his face. “When we arrive at Aldjongate, I’ll be glad to assist in any way that I can.”
He pointed out into the desert. “As I suspect you already have sensed, the men I was originally traveling with will be here by the evening. They will also fight with us, if you will allow it.”
Jailyn nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m not so foolish as to turn down whatever assistance your men can provide. Although I have plans to stop many of the soldiers before they can reach us, I expect enough will make their way through that we will need the able assistance of you and your men.”
“You know for sure this sorcerer is with those that are coming to oppose you?”
“Oh yes, I’m sure. He’s three days back in the desert. He’ll arrive here almost exactly at the time when the evil one steals the light from the sun, as you describe it. We call it an eclipse, for it’s due to the moon blocking the light from the sun.”
She gave him a smile. “He doesn’t even know about me.” She pointed to Jesse. “He’s here to try to kill the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Callidore. Even more so than the one we faced a few days ago, this one is a powerful sorcerer. Without my Dragonian power, we probably wouldn’t stand a chance, so we’ll just keep that as a surprise for him.”
Her smile grew grim. “He’s the one that killed my parents. Know that my plans for this one are much less gentle than I had for the previous one. I have no intention of capturing him alive.”
Her look turned even harder. “I will have my revenge!”
Late in the day they reached the end of their
journey across the Desperare Desert and their small group entered the broad valley of Aldjongate. Somewhere at the end of this area was the entrance to the Land Between the Worlds, their final destination. It was near there that the small team camped, for they wanted to be as close as possible to the area indicated on their map.
By this time they all knew how to set up camp and it didn’t take them long. For the first time since entering the desert, they were able to build a real campfire and everyone gathered around the fire to talk. Eventually the conversation came around to Lord Vipero.
Jailyn was the one to broach the subject. “As I told Raamial earlier, he and a band of soldiers are on their way here from across the desert and will arrive here shortly before the time for the eclipse. That means we have only two days to get ready.”
“How do we do that?” Jesse asked. “We know they’re going to be a lot harder to stop than that handful of assassins.” What he didn’t say was that he knew they were specifically coming after him. That worried him more than he cared to admit.
“Yes, we’ll have to face Lord Vipero and with him a troop of soldiers. That means we can’t depend on magic alone as our defense. Of course, the soldiers with him will be susceptible to magic if we plan ahead for it. I propose we use the day that we have tomorrow and set up magical traps along this entire valley. We don’t want to have to fight an army of soldiers as well as Lord Vipero. If we can eliminate many of the soldiers, we only have to deal with those that escape our traps and Raamial and his friends should be able to handle them. Leave Lord Vipero up to me.”
“You mean us,” Gavriel told her. “I intend to stay by your side. I know I’m not as well learned in your magical spells as you are, but I can help with your shields and as a source of magic.”
