by Mike Shelton
Without anything else being said, a group of protectors appeared at the two doorways into the room.
Bakari sighed. Why must everything be so difficult?
Alli stood. Her face was filled with resolve. “If Wizard Bakari asks to see the Orb, he will see the Orb.”
The protectors moved closer. Breelyn stayed seated, watching the exchange, almost with a look of excitement in her eyes.
Alli stepped toward the closest protector. He threw up a shield in anticipation of her kick. However, in one fluid motion, Alli took two steps and jumped up and over the man, her feet running sideways on the wall, landing with a flourish behind him. Her short hair swayed silently against her chin. Then she hit the man from behind, knocking him down. This brought a flurry of activity in the room as the remaining protectors rushed the young girl.
Two of them were, apparently, wizards. One summoned a ball of fire, while the other one tried to push Alli’s feet out from under her with a rush of air. Alli dodged both as she sidestepped the fireball and it hit a wall behind her instead. She leapt high into the air, flipping end over end, and arrived in front of the wizard who had tried to knock her down.
He brought out a sword, and Alli smiled. The young battle apprentice was now in her element. Two knives suddenly flashed in her hands as she knocked the sword away. Back and forth she parried with the blades, pushing the attacking wizard farther back into a corner, her hands a blur of activity.
Two other men approached behind her. One moved with strong arms to grab her from behind. Without leaving the wizard any opportunity, she reached down and back through her legs. Grabbing one attacker by the ankles, she pulled him down and under her. Jumping on his chest once he was on the floor in front of her, she twisted around and pushed the other man down with a large puff of air from her hands. Bakari stood watching with his mouth open. Seeing the grace of Alli’s movements was like watching a beautiful dance.
Breelyn sat with a look of mesmerized appreciation on her face also. “She fights like a battle-trained elf. Her battle dance is beautiful.”
Scanning the room in a glance, Bakari saw the back side of the governor’s cloak disappear behind a back door. Bakari ran toward it, but it shut before he got there.
“Bakari!” Breelyn pointed to an open door. “Go to the Orb. We will take care of this.”
Bakari knew where to go. The building holding the Orb rose up high in the middle of the city. He ran as fast as he could through the paved streets, the scent of flowers filling the air. The early autumn evening had turned cool, but twilight still glowed in the deep blue sky.
As he bolted through the front doors, Bakari met a wave of power that almost brought him to his knees.
Following the source of power, he entered a door and stopped. A group of similarly dressed guardians stood around an immense white Orb. At least ten feet tall, the Orb sat on a golden pedestal on top of a bright red carpet. The room—surrounded by tall white columns holding up a clear, glass-domed ceiling—sparkled with power. Lamplight from around the room reflected off of the iridescent Orb.
Bakari saw that Erryl stood in the circle. The group held hands and, one by one, in turn, reached their hands to the Orb. As they did, the Orb brightened in power, almost showing a shape inside it. Bakari stood for a moment, hidden behind a column, trying to take in what he saw.
On the other side of the room, the governor burst forth and grabbed a guardian out of the circle. The neighboring guardians murmured and immediately closed ranks, and each grabbed the other person’s hand. Then the governor did this again. The Orb seemed to dim in power.
Another protector in the room, watching the guardians, approached the governor. “Sir, what are you doing?”
The governor turned on the man. “This is too much power. The Orb is getting too much power.”
“I don’t understand,” the protector said. “This is what the guardians are supposed to do.”
“Not anymore.” He pushed the protector out of the way and reached for another guardian. “The guardians’ job is done. The barrier must come down.”
The protector came back to the governor. “You are not in your right mind, Sir. Please, step away.”
Governor Ellian then brought forth power from his hands and, with a flash of firelight, took the man down.
Come to me! The voice reverberated in Bakari’s mind once again, only this time much stronger. Bakari stepped out of his hiding place and approached the guardians and the Orb.
The governor turned to Bakari and laughed. “Ahhh, Wizard, you do not know the rules of the Orb, do you? Only guardians can touch it. They feed it with their life source. This is how it has been for one hundred fifty years. A wizard can’t touch it.”
Bakari hesitated.
Erryl turned to them, still holding hands with his neighboring guardians. “It is true, Bakari.”
The others in the room gasped and turned their heads toward their governor.
The Orb visibly grew before them once again. Bakari walked up to it.
“Bakari, are you sure?” Erryl asked.
Bakari hoped he was sure. He went deep into his mind, finding an immense place of power, and then searched the presence of the Orb. It was alive. A living creature breathed inside it. The other guardians stepped away, leaving Bakari alone in front of the Orb.
Bakari reached his hand onto the Orb, and it flashed brightly. The governor laughed out loud, maniacally. “You will die now, Wizard!”
But Bakari did not die. Instead, intelligence, power, beauty, and love filled his mind and soul. He opened his eyes, and the Orb glowed almost clear. Curled up inside the Orb sat a beautiful, bright, fierce blue dragon. Bright yellow eyes peered through narrowly opened slits. It was the most awesome sight the young wizard had ever seen in his life. His soul was touched by this ancient and wonderful creature, and he bonded instantly with it. He knew then what powered the barrier—the power of dragons.
Even though it was new to him, it was a comfortable, ancient bonding that took place. The bonding comforted Bakari and gave him hope once again.
Oh, Kharlia! he thought. I wish you were here to see this.
A name exploded in his mind. “Abylar!” Bakari said, naming him out loud, and the ancient dragon seemed pleased.
“Come to me!” The sound filled the room, and this time all heard the voice of the mighty, magical creature.
Bakari pushed his hand through the dragon’s orb, and the shell cracked into a hundred pieces but still held together. Taking a step back, the young wizard stood in awe of the giant dragon egg in front of him. A short silence filled the room and then was shattered by a blast of eggshell—hundreds of pieces shooting around the room at once.
The guardians ran, screaming, to a corner of the room, and the governor stood in place, barely able to control his shaking.
Stretching, the dragon burst in one final motion through the egg—his wings stretching ten feet to either side. Standing wobbly for a moment, but soon gaining his strength, the fierce blue creature, with scales across his forehead and down his back, took two large steps toward the governor.
He let out a loud wail, and blue fire erupted from the dragon’s throat and consumed the governor in one breath, leaving only a pile of ashes on the floor. The others in the room shrieked and ran toward the door, but Erryl stood by Bakari’s side, looking as mesmerized as Bakari himself was.
Bakari stretched his hand forward and brought his mind in contact with the beautiful, noble creature’s mind once again. The dragon turned and took in Bakari’s gaze, intelligence in his glowing yellow eyes. Those eyes spoke volumes to Bakari’s soul, and he grabbed hold of Erryl’s arm for support. The love for him, from the dragon, almost brought him to his knees.
With a great flap of his giant wings, Abylar soared upward, higher and higher, toward the dome of the room. Bakari was held in the trance and now saw through the dragon’s own eyes. He flew straight toward the glass dome.
Without even stopping, Abylar cra
shed through the dome and flew out into the fresh evening air. Bakari’s mind could see whatever the dragon saw. Looking down, he saw the entire city of Celestar, its white domes and spires growing smaller and smaller. His stomach became woozy, and he fell to the floor of the room, shattered glass and eggshell littering the tile floor around him.
I will return, Bakari, spoke the fierce voice in his head. I must eat and gain strength. Wait for my return.
Bakari then broke contact with the dragon’s mind and slumped to the floor. Barely conscious, he saw Breelyn and Alli rush into the room.
“The barrier is down, Bakari!” were the last words he heard the elf protector say to him before he slumped to the ground.
The barrier is down, he thought as he lost consciousness. What have I done?
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
In the capital city of Cassian, Onius stood in the castle office of the Chief Judge. However, Kanzar, not Daymian, now sat behind the desk. Onius tried not to look directly at the self-proclaimed leader. He felt that, if he did, Kanzar would see the duplicity in his soul.
Kanzar was speaking harshly to Mericus about letting the Chief Judge get away. His face was red, his eyes hard. “You have failed again, Mericus. First, you actually let him get to the Citadel. And now, you let him escape Cassian and go to Orr with a group of his men. When I am king, I will remember who failed me and who helped me.”
Mericus glared back with hard eyes. “High Wizard, I did not fail you on purpose. These times are unpredictable. We didn’t anticipate him hiding a battalion of soldiers, and he had others with him, from the Citadel, who helped. I did my best with what I had at my disposal.”
“I will not hear pathetic excuses,” Kanzar spat in anger, and Mericus backed away. “I want to know who from the Citadel helped him. I will have them punished for not upholding their loyalty to me.” Kanzar seemed to scrutinize Onius.
Onius wasn’t in the mood for Kanzar’s intimidation. “It seems, Kanzar, that many who are not wizards—guards and apprentices alike—are not aligned with your goals.”
Kanzar stood and threw his chair back. It crashed to the ground behind him. “All who live in the Citadel owe their allegiance to me.”
Onius knew he shouldn’t push, but he did anyway. “What about Roland?”
The man went crazy. Kanzar yelled and screamed. Bringing up his hands, he shot a string of red fire at one of the walls, knocking down paintings and lamps. “All will bow to me. I will be their king!”
Onius glanced at Mericus. Their leader was becoming crazed with power. Onius and Mericus had spoken about this lately and Onius hoped he could truly count on the new judge in the coming days of the conflict to fulfil his part of their plan.
“When will the last of the men be ready to fight, Mericus?” Kanzar asked, turning back to his most recently appointed judge. “Or will you botch that up also?”
“Sir,” Mericus said, trying to hold his voice even, “the last of the battalions from the Citadel will be here soon. The battalion from Westridge should also be arriving with the other mercenary groups by the end of the week. Within two weeks, everything should be organized. Where will we go first?”
Kanzar sat back down, his temper smoldering. “We will finish securing Cassian, then go south, to Orr. Daymian Khouri has beaten me for the last time.”
Mericus bowed briefly, caught Onius’s eye, and then left the room.
“Onius,” Kanzar said. “What is your game?” Kanzar moved out in front of his desk.
“I am here as your advisor, Kanzar. It is my job to point out weaknesses in your plans.” Onius smiled outwardly but cringed inside. His plans would have to proceed carefully. He hoped, in the meantime, that not too many innocent people would die. “Do you want to send men back to the Citadel to check on things there?”
“No,” Kanzar said. “Apprentices and a few guards are no trouble to me. That upstart boy will be cleaning rooms and training young ones; he won’t have time to cause much trouble. What harm can he do?”
Onius thought about Roland and his thirst for acknowledgment and power. What harm, indeed? Roland was the one person who could undermine anyone’s plans. He hoped the boy kept a good head on his shoulders and stayed out of Kanzar’s way for now.
Kanzar continued about his plans for domination. “Write a proclamation, and let it be known that, as of this point, Daymian Khouri is considered an enemy to the newly established government of Alaris. He orchestrated an attack in the capital, and now he has escaped to form a rebel hold in Orr. All associates of his are under orders to surrender or face punishment for rebellion and sedition.”
Rebellion and sedition? These words echoed in Onius head. If he was caught with his owns plans, Kanzar would hang him for those same crimes. Nodding, he excused himself.
The war has indeed begun.
CHAPTER THIRTY
The last few days had been busy around Celestar. With the death of the governor and some of the other protectors and the destruction of the Orb, the guardians—being the sheltered people they were—didn’t know what to do with their lives.
The day the dragon had flown free from the Orb, the meaning of their lives had been taken away. That was the day all of Alaris had changed. For one hundred fifty years, the barrier had stood as a supposed guardian against others, when, in reality, it had protected others from Alaris’s own wizards and their greed. That protection was now no more.
Bakari stood next to Erryl on a hill outside of the city. The boy was a continual source of questions and held a thirst for knowledge that Bakari had not seen outside of the ranks of scholar wizards. In turn, Bakari also had learned a lot from the boy, as well as from Breelyn. He found himself feeling slightly jealous of the knowledge the elves possessed.
Over one hundred fifty years earlier, the wizards of Alaris had been the aggressors and had tried to overrun Elvyn and the other kingdoms around Alaris. Not all wizards believed in this offensive activity, so some formed a secret alliance of wizards and other important people from among the nearby kingdoms searching for a way to stop that aggression. Their solution was the Orb—a dormant dragon’s egg with the incredible means to magnify power.
Lost among the years was how the egg was obtained; they knew only that it came from the mountains of Mahli, to the north. These wizards formulated the plan with others to form the guardians—a group of specially chosen people, people of purity and intelligence, who would feed the orb with their life source. That power would then form a barrier around Alaris, not to keep them safe from others, as had been taught to Bakari and Erryl, but to protect the neighboring kingdoms from Alaris’s assaults.
Erryl turned to Bakari now with another question. “But, why now? Why did the Orb grow so large and hatch now?”
Bakari shook his head. He had turned this same question over in his mind multiple times each day. “Maybe it was merely time for the egg to hatch.” However, deep inside, Bakari somehow knew the truth—it had something to do with himself. The dragon had called to him.
Touching the Orb and being in contact with the mind of the dragon had been the single most wonderful feeling Bakari had ever experienced. The intelligence and power exuding from Abylar was amazing in itself, more powerful than dozens or even hundreds of wizards. The touch of the dragon’s mind was different from that of a wizard—a different source of power, a higher, more encompassing power.
With only a slight rustle of the trees, a group of elves emerged from the forest, where the barrier used to be. In their lead strode a tall, strong man, with long, dark hair and with a bow slung over his back.
“Alair!” came the squealing sound of Breelyn’s voice from behind Bakari and Erryl.
Breelyn came running, out of the city and down the hill, toward the elves, almost falling down. Rushing to the tall, strong man, she hugged him fiercely.
She brought the elves up toward Bakari and introduced Alair to him.
“Alair is my protector. He stayed behind the barrier to let me get safely t
hrough.” She beamed up at the sturdy man with a few tears glistening in her eyes.
Bakari greeted the man warmly. Alair looked to be at least double Breelyn’s age, but Bakari was learning it was most likely hard to tell age among elves.
“How did you escape?” Breelyn asked Alair.
“The attackers fled from the beast, and I ran like crazy to get away from it. When I thought I would die, these brave men,” he swept his hand around to the other men, “Crylen and Iman, came to my rescue. They diverted the beast with something else to eat. The rest of the men here are from their small village, along the barrier—or along what used to be the barrier.” His brows furrowed.
“I know,” Breelyn said. “It’s hard to think of the barrier being down permanently now.”
Walking out of the city, perhaps to see what all the noise was about, came Alli and the recently arrived Gorn. The man had become worn and aged since the last time Bakari had seen him. Alli held on to his side and helped him come forward.
“I will need to go back and tell the king all that has transpired here,” Breelyn said to Bakari. “I’m not sure who the men are that attacked me, but I need to stop in Silla and check with the watcher there on my way back to Lor’l.”
Bakari felt strange being the one people now deferred to. Communicating with and freeing the dragon had made him the assumed leader upon the death of the governor. Bakari wasn’t really comfortable with that.
The sun darkened, and all glanced up in surprise on this cloudless day. Shielding their eyes, they collectively sucked in a breath. The dragon had returned. Soaring down through the sky, the blue dragon spread his wings wide, spikes and scales of varying shades reflecting the bright sun. He had grown since leaving only a few days ago. The wind carried him without him having to flap his wings, and he lowered himself closer to the growing crowd.
Citizens and guardians of Celestar all gathered together to watch the spectacle. Abylar came to rest on a flat field, down the hill from where the gathering stood. Holding the dragon’s yellow eyes in his own gaze, Bakari descended the small hill. Abylar loomed up larger in front of him, easily two dozen feet high and five times that long, counting his tail. Bakari assumed that the young creature was not nearly done growing yet.
