by A. D. Adams
“That's what I thought until now. No one has ever been able to even scratch an amulet, let alone destroy one,” the old wizard said with an odd almost amazed tone in his voice.
“How were they made?” one of the other nymphs asked.
“No one really knows. Some say over one hundred Solans would gather and then imbue a new amulet with all their magic. Then it would be presented to a new Solan. The amulet would align itself with the wearer. If a Solan died, the amulet would be retrieved and given to another new Solan,” the wizard explained.
“Where are all the amulets?” Xillan asked.
“I think the remaining Solan on the other side of the mountain has them all. We must be going, it's time to go to see the Draman,” the wizard said as he dropped the pieces in a pouch around his waist.
Chapter 38 - The End of an Amulet
(What happens when the indestructible is destroyed?)
- The Time of the Draman -
As the amulet exploded, the world’s magic reverberated with a powerful surge and an equally powerful contraction. It was like nothing that had ever occurred before. The old Solan was staggered. She had to support herself with a table. Faray rushed to her side and helped her to a chair. Faray had felt something but was not yet experienced enough to understand what had happened.
The fog rushed in as the chest, filled with the amulets, initially raised off the floor. A massive flash of light shone through the chest's wood sides. Finally, it fell to the ground, causing the floor to shake. An odd voice that sounded as if hundreds of voices were combined into one came from everywhere, but nowhere.
“An amulet has been destroyed. It is impossible. It cannot be,” said the voice of the many.
“He has apparently done the impossible,” the old Solan gasped, placing her hand on her chest.
“One of the black Solans is gone,” the voice said with a bit of relief.
“He has started the fight,” the old Solan said with a bit more strength.
“What is happening?” Faray asked with concern.
“Your brother has destroyed an amulet such as the one you wear. It has always been thought that the amulets could not be harmed in any way, but he has done the impossible,” the Solan replied as Faray looked down at her amulet.
“Is he alright?” Faray asked, with fear in her voice. The Solan concentrated on the fire in the hearth and a picture of Terra in his dragon form slowly appeared in the flames of the fire. The image quickly faded.
“Yes, he is fine,” the Solan replied to Faray in a weak voice.
Many thousands of dragon lengths away in the Old Sinut's underwater cave. He was watching the dwarf’s village disappear in a huge burst of light when it suddenly seemed as if a massive wave struck him. The Old Sinut drifted in the water, physically stunned by the wave of magic. He was barely able to move back to his black pool. He concentrated and managed to get an image to appear. Terra was on the ground by a fallen dragon, then “No” erupted from his throat as he saw a mountain top turn to dust.
He realized Terra must have destroyed an amulet. He tried to find his friend, but there was just too much commotion. He then concentrated on the village, which was nothing more than a great hole. He had to rest, so he allowed the images to fade as he fell into a light trance.
The Sinut was not able to contact his friend until after sunset. He was obviously tired and shaken by what had happened.
“Are you alright, old friend?” The Sinut asked.
“Yes, just tired. I have something to show you,” the old wizard said as he took the small bag out and dropped the remnants of the amulet into his palm.
“Is that the amulet?”
“What I could find of it. The odd thing is that what's left of the stones have lost their color and are perfectly clear.”
“I have no idea what would cause that. I never even considered the possibility of him being able to destroy an amulet. I cannot even imagine the power it took for him to obliterate this amulet. Was he tired after the fight?” the Old Sinut asked.
“No, he seemed fine. Why do you ask?”
“When I first met him, using his magic tired him, but now it has no effect upon him.”
“I see. I now understand your comment about him being opposed to killing. The power I saw this sun-rising, terrified me. If he was power hungry, no one could stop him.”
The darkness was complete. The small fire before the dark wizard was snuffed out as all the world's magic flared into non-existence, then flooded back and rolled over him like some great boulder. He swayed on his throne from the blow.
“What, what has happened?” he asked the darkness in a strained voice.
“An amulet was destroyed,” the voice replied in a weak unsteady tone.
“Impossible, those amulets are indestructible.”
“The Draman apparently did not know they could not be destroyed.” The darkness replied with the strength and sarcastic laughter returning to the voice.
“What of the Solan?” the Wizard asked.
“Gone!” the voice replied.
“He is coming?”
“Yes, his journey has begun,” the voice answered in a serious tone.
The dark Solan lay on the floor. She lost consciousness but was regaining her senses. She slowly got to her knees and then with the help of her staff managed to get to her feet. The other dark Solan and her amulet were gone. She could feel the absence of her old friend. The power that had washed over her had overwhelmed her mind and body.
She knew that she could not possibly stand against such power. She obviously needed to leave as soon as possible. She sat until she recovered, then she summoned the dwarf leader and ordered him to form up two thousand dwarfs to guard her. She then left immediately for the dark one's mountain. The only orders she left for the dwarf leader was to defend the village to the death, for if they did not their deaths would be long and painful. The dwarfs knew she met what she said; they had seen what she was capable of in the past.
Chapter 39 - The Journey Begins
(A journey towards death is never simple.)
- The Time of the Draman -
As the wizard and Xillan approached, they saw a naked Terra lying against Fienna's chest. She was on a large flat rock just in front of the wall, watching the nymphs approach. The nymphs thought Terra looked sad. They, in contrast, were excited about the destruction of their ancient enemy.
“It was a great victory,” the wizard said to Terra.
“Victory, I would not say victory. Killing thousands and losing a friend is not a victory. It's a terrible necessity,” he responded with no joy in his voice.
“Yes, of course. I simply met that our losses were much smaller than what they could have been.”
“Well, yes, at least we can say that,” he replied. “I would like to start moving down the edge of the mountains upon the next sun-rising. Can you have the nymphs ready?” Terra asked the two before him.
“We have been preparing, but first light is a bit soon. We could be ready by high sun,” Xillan replied. Terra had met Xillan the sun-rising before. He had shown Terra his fighters and their training techniques. Terra had been impressed by how well prepared Xillan and his nymphs seemed to be.
“Good, high sun it is. I will have the dragons ready. I plan to have two Flights follow the land nymphs while the rest will fly ahead and create a sunset stop point for all. The first sun-rising they will only go a short distance, perhaps five thousand dragon lengths. That will allow me to gauge how far the nymphs can travel in one sun-rising. I will travel with you. I know you said it would take sixteen sun-risings, but I would like to make sure of the timing. I need to tell the humans when to be ready.”
“We have much to do, but we will be prepared to move at high sun. We could cut the travel time if we move during sunset,” Xillan suggested to Terra.
“I know that, but the dangers are too many and could collide with each other in the darkness. I also wish the fighters to be rested in case
we encounter groups of traveling dwarfs. So we will travel by sunlight.”
“As you wish. I would like to apologize for what happen earlier. You were right; this is not a fight of revenge but of need to save our world. I assure you it will not happen again,” Xillan said truthfully.
“Good. Killing will not save this world. Only life will do that.”
“Could we have Rammy help until sun-rising? She is an exceptional leader.”
“Have you asked her?”
“Yes. She is willing to help us if you agree.”
“I will need her back before high sun.”
“Of course.”
The old wizard came forward and shook out the two pieces of the amulet from the bag he carried. He held his hand out.
“What's that?” Fienna asked.
“It is what is left of the Solan's amulet. These amulets are known to be indestructible.”
“Apparently, no longer,” Fienna replied with a small smile.
Terra stood up, and Fienna rose to her feet. He climbed onto her back. “I will see you at first light,” Terra said to the two as Fienna took off.
It was the first time in a long time that Terra had flown on Fienna's back. It was as if this was the right way to fly. The way they should fly together. Since they were young ones, they had shared their thoughts, pleasure, and pain. They grew up with Fienna flying while he rode. This was the way things should be. Fienna had missed the warmth of Terra's legs against her neck. It was where he belonged.
Fienna flew around the mountain to look at the huge bowl-shaped hole where the village had been. In the distance, they could see the dark clouds and the almost continuous lightning, but that would be dealt with another sun-rising. He could see the bottom of the bowl filling with water. Tone was creating a new lake for new life from the utter destruction. After looking over the area, they flew off for a short flight back to the dragons. It would allow them the experience of long ago joy, before they returned to the reality of this fight.
Rammy had been on a rock outcropping that overlooked the Dwarf's village. She had hidden in a small crevice. Terra had asked her to watch the nymphs and determine their fighting skills. As she watched Terra destroy the Solan, she could hardly believe the amount of pure power he used. She was close enough to feel the magic pulsating from Terra's body. She had rarely been frightened in her life, but Terra's magic made her flinch with fear and amazement. When the explosion occurred, she had pulled back into the crevice, but she was able to watch Terra. His body healed as fast as it was injured. Other than being blown back, he was hardly fazed by the explosion. When his body began to shine and his magic reached out to the falling dragons, she felt it touch her. It actually caused her tiredness and muscle pains to disappear. It left her feeling refreshed and even joyful.
She then pulled herself away from watching Terra to looking at the nymphs. They were quite well trained. The lead nymph Xillan used color cloth on long sticks to give orders to his fighters. The nymphs initially broke up into small, well-defined groups led by a single leader. The groups merged into four larger groups and flowed toward the dwarfs. Two of the groups went to those that had been beyond the walls while the other two groups surround and began killing those left in the far corner of the village. It did not take them long to eliminate the remaining dwarfs. A few of the dwarfs had been captured. One of the small groups of nymphs had them cornered and were tormenting them when Terra landed. He killed them instantly and she knew he was unhappy about what they were doing to the dwarfs. She knew he would never allow torture; after all, he only barely tolerated killing these creatures. Dawra came just after the fighting ended to pick her up.
Chapter 40 - The First Sun-Rising of the Great Journey
(A first step always begins a dangerous journey.)
- The Time of the Draman -
Twenty-one thousand nymphs formed in front of the wall. They were in groups of a thousand each. Terra watched as the groups formed in four rows that were two hundred and fifty nymphs long. It took a bit of time to get the entire line moving, but once on the move, it was a sight not seen on Tone for an untold number of seasons. Fienna flew above them with the two Flights. The Flights flew in a large circle above the nymphs. There were at least a hundred dragons over the walkers at any time. Fienna was in constant mental contact with Terra. The great battle had frightened her. The amount of magical power released was greater than anything she had ever experienced. She feared for her love for she knew the worst was ahead of them.
Terra walked with Suti in the lead of the formation. The nymphs called it marching, Terra called it walking. As they proceeded down the edge of the mountains, Terra could see in the distance the dark clouds and the grayish lightning repeatedly striking at Tone's surface. He knew from his mind flight the lightning would come closer to the mountains and in turn to them. He would have to keep the dragons and nymphs close to the mountains.
Dawra and Hectise flew ahead with the other Flights. Terra had told them to stay as close to the mountains as possible. Rammy was with Dawra. She helped to set up the sunset stopping point. The dragons would land and drop their burdens before perching in the local mountains.
When the nymphs came to the stopping point, they found several hundred dragons circling above. The dragons had dropped their food in orderly lines along the edge of a large mountain. Rammy waited with twenty or so dragons positioned in a group by the food.
The nymphs stayed in their groups and put down bedding near the dragon's food. As the sun passed behind the horizon, the nymphs lit numerous small fires with wrapped dried plants they brought with them. Terra stood with Fienna looking at the distant lightning.
“When we stop at the next sunset, the lightning will be much closer,” Fienna thought to her love.
“Yes. At high sun, we should start seeing the dead trees,” Terra thought back.
“What do you plan to do when we arrive at the elves' ice?”
“I'm not sure. I'll have to see what type of magic is involved. Perhaps I can break through it.”
“Have you looked in on Cardana?” she thought to her mate. In her mind appeared an image of the sleeping baby with her grandmother next to her. “Thank you, my love. It's time to sleep, we have much to do on the next sun-rising,” they walked back to a small enclave in the rocks and the dragon guard circled around them.
Just before next sun-rising Terra awoke holding Fienna in his arms. She stirred and woke to his kiss. They walked out past the edge of the sleeping nymphs. The nymphs guarding their sleeping companions watched as the two stood watching the sun peak over the horizon. Fienna began her change and soon stood in her dragon form. She looked down at her mate and smiled. She jumped into the air and flew to the perching dragons.
Terra watched his mate perch on the mountain peak near where they had slept. The nymph leaders awoke their fighters. After a small meal, they reformed into the groups of the previous sun-rising. The march started anew. Terra now knew how far they walked in a single sun-rising and sent seven Flights of the dragons ahead the distance he thought they would cover before sunset. Dragons were very good at determining distances they flew. Terra had no problem sending the dragons to exactly where he wanted them.
At high sun, the nymphs stopped to eat and rest. Terra sat with Suti by a small cave at the base of a mountain. Fienna perched above him. He closed his eyes and heard some low level sounds. It sounded like a few insects. Terra concentrated on the sounds and could hear small squeaky voices.
“I think it's him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, I'm sure, nut head.”
“You’re the nut head. You thought that wiggler was a spy.”
“Anyone could have made that mistake.”
“Yeah, right.”
“What do we do?”
“I don't know. He's incredibly big. We should tell Boto.”
“Boto! He's worse than you are. He can barely count his wings.”
“Why don't you tell
me what you want, then perhaps I can help,” Terra said to the voices.
“Did he? Was that him?” One of the voices asked.
“Yes, it was me.”
“You can hear us?”
“Yes, of course I can. Who are you?”
“We are fairies. I am Shif, and my friend is Nib.”
“Nice to meet you. Now what can I do for you?”
“Are you the one?”
“Well, some call me the Draman. Does that help?”
“The Draman, the real Draman?”
“Yes, the real Draman.”
“Our king has sent us to look for you. He would like to talk to you.”
“Tell him I would be pleased to talk to him. Can I see you?”
“I, uhm, I suppose that would be alright.” He could feel two light touches on his arm. He opened his eyes and looked down. They were as described to him, small about the size of a human hand. They were very light with greenish-scaled bodies. The wings were almost clear, as if looking through thin crystals. Their heads were human-like with long pointed ears. Their bodies were hairless and shined as a dragon. They were quite pretty, little creatures.
“We are moving down the edge of the mountains. Where would he like to meet with me?” Terra asked.
“We will talk to our king. He will come to you during your travels. We have been watching your progress.”
“I await his visit,” Terra replied and the two small creatures flew off into a small hand sized cave.
Fienna listened to the conversation through their mind connection. She could not see what help these small creatures could be, but, perhaps, there was something they could do. They continued down the edge of the mountains, finally coming to where the dragons had dropped their food burdens. As the sun sunk beyond sight, Fienna returned to her human form. They sat by the nearest mountain with a small fired burning before them.
