Home at Last

by Alex Sapegin

  The dragons could not break through to return, and stayed in the new, inhospitable world forever. According to Ilanta time, the death of the expedition occurred slightly less than six thousand years ago; more than two thousand years had passed on Earth. Andy wondered why they would take this excursion, but Rosugar promised to explain the reasons for the retreat.

  Three thousand years ago, in the world of dragons a civil war broke out, into which elves, Ariates, and the human kingdoms of Ilanta were dragged. Everyone lost. Hazgar ascended to the throne of the large dragon empire. The true bloods living in the colonial world went to seek justice, but first, they sealed the interplanetary portals. The three Guardians waited a long time on Ilanta for the signal, but the years passed; decades turned into centuries. There was no word from their maternal world. The Guardians came to a disappointing conclusion: their relatives and friends had suffered a cruel fate.

  To confirm or refute the terrible hypothesis, one of them, becoming an outside observer, went into the world of the astral, which connected worlds and universes. Rosugar visited the mother planet, thus destroying the last hopes for a successful outcome, but time did not stand still. The Guardians, who were already far from young, quickly lost strength. Ilanta, devoid of dragons and half of the Mellorny forests, sucked all the strength out of the old true bloods, who had a harder time every century maintaining the balance of the planet’s magical field. No matter how hard the dragons tried, the magic on the planet was slowly dying.

  Then, as rotten luck would have it, people remembered their favorite occupation—war. Over a thousand years, a powerful empire emerged in the south. The emperors spread their influence over the whole of Alatar; their boundless appetites extended even beyond the borders of the northern continent. No one was surprised when the commanders of the Ariates saw hundreds of sails on the horizon. The Ariates were not ready for war; the leaders of the northern people hoped to sit tight on the sidelines, but the Emperor decided otherwise. Realizing that they couldn’t resist alone, the circle of high priests and chiefs sent a delegation to the old dragon-hermit, who from time immemorial was considered a defender of Aria.

  Rosugar tried to dissuade his friend from a rash step, but Vetgar did not want to listen. He had invested so much in the Ariates that he thought it would be a crime to allow them to be torn up by the imperial wolves. The imperial fleet sailed into a storm. Huge waves overturned its ships; a hurricane wind tore off sails. The fleet and the landing party disappeared in the depths of the sea, but Vetgar, using higher magic, did not realize his own strength. He’d put too much power into the evoked element! One of the consequences was the opening of the interworld portal. So the Vikings came to Ilanta. The monstrous magic caused several strong earthquakes which moved the tectonic plates, but at that moment it didn’t worry anyone.

  The old dragon simply overexerted himself. Returning to the cave, he could no longer feed the northern continent with mana. Feeling that the end wasn’t far off, Vetgar summoned several young priests and told them the secrets of the appearance of magic on Ilanta. A few years later, in the priestly environment of the Ariates, a new caste was born—the Devoted Ones, who were aware of the ancient secrets. Rosugar told Andy about the Devoted Ones for a long time and in detail. Andy listened to the narrator attentively, ignoring the established time limit. He noted a fair sense of guilt in the dragon’s mental component. Why would that be, huh? Making a mental note, he decided later to return to the slippery topic of the privileged caste (he’d actually managed to meet some Devoted Ones—long-bearded old men, so personal interest was quite natural). Rosugar somehow deftly moved the narration to the topic of Delgar.

  The third Guardian, remaining the last true blood after the sudden death of his comrade quietly began to go insane. The astral friend didn’t count since his influence on the real world was minimal—from the astral, one cannot influence much in the physical world, and the last true blood had long-since ceased to listen to the words of his astral counterpart. The old dragon often visited the qualifier—an artifact that allowed him to remotely search for true bloods and strong mages controlling all the elements, but the search didn’t yield any results.

  The young prince of the Snow Elves knew about the artifact, but the dragon and the elf never crossed paths. Perhaps, if the old recluse had met the Rauu ruler, history would have gone another way. But as you know, that lady [SJ(S50]doesn’t tolerate could have, would have, should have. There were universal mages, but their strength was not enough to take on the responsible burden of being a keeper. Struggling against the approaching insanity, the Guardian enchanted the key and established the strongest magical trap, which was supposed to react to any completely universal magician. Memory interweaves were laid into the trap. According to the plan, the successor was to receive all knowledge of the portals, the key, the power to wield these and much more, but the complex spell didn’t survive the millennia. It was dispelled, but the simple power spells remained in force. It’s a pity... When he was finished with the preparations, the half-mad Delgar, for some reason, established a watchdog curse to protect against thieves and entered a trance somewhat like settage. [SJ(S51]A few hours later, the old dragon’s soul entered the higher spheres. Almost two thousand years passed before the trap sprung...

  Rosugar wanted to tell about how he found Andy, but the future hero asked the Guardian to return to the Ariates, reminding the narrator of his feelings of guilt. Since when do astral dragons suffer a sense of guilt? But please answer honestly. Rosugar didn’t hold back and threw a heap of shocking information on the curious descendant of the Empress, after listening to which the heir was ready to strangle the intriguer with his bare hands. Only the absence of a neck saved him...

  To sum up, the Ariates’ exodus was provoked by a certain otherworldly energy personality, may he hiccup for a hundred years. After the destruction of the imperial fleet, three hundred years passed, the Ariates noticed the sea rising and the land disappearing. The northern continent was slowly sinking into the sea; year after year, the sea gained an inch or two. The Ariate priests and mages, as far as they could, restrained the onslaught of the elements, but the flooding of the Mellorny forests and the aging of the ancient trees of life reduced the efforts of thousands of people to nothing. In the higher circles of power, ideas began to emerge on relocation to the islands or the northern continent, and then, forty years ago, Rosugar threw his seeds on the prepared soil. The second Guardian could not watch the magic on Ilanta die slowly, the process steadily gaining momentum. There were almost no dragons left, and the Mellornys weren’t bearing any fruit. He had reproached himself a thousand times for not opening the portals. Let Hazgar come to the planet! At least, the world would have a chance at survival.

  With the usurper would come the dragons, perhaps the elves, and they would bring Mellorny seedlings. Having made the decision, the Guardian acted aggressively. Calling himself a messenger sent from the higher powers, Rosugar penetrated into the intoxicated minds of several “devoted” priests, hinting about ways to solve the planetary problems and the possibility of removing the seals, but tactfully keeping silent about the threat of Hazgar.

  The priests held the Thing. The long-bearded old farts chewed on the news of the higher forces among themselves for a long time, then drank the broths of certain mushrooms which liberate the mind. They then turned to the “messenger.” He continued to blow his own horn and nodded at the drowned cities, reminding them that the sea began to rise after the death of the defender who sank the terrible imperial fleet. The old men giggled and nodded drunkenly at the abstruse phrases. Having agreed among themselves, the elders moved to bow to the princes. The higher authority immediately sensed the benefits and moved to fulfill the wishes of the people’s confessors; the military machine began to gain momentum.

  The elders received a full carte blanche for stupefying the minds of the flock. Twenty years later, the first generation grew up, a large part of which looked with lust at the southern mainland
and dreamed of the return of dragons. The Ariates began to systematically capture the islands and squeeze the gray orcs out of them. More than a million people were put under the spear, magical schools focused on combat magic, and the fleet grew by leaps and bounds. The strategists of the northern people worked out a detailed plan to seize their ancient lands.

  Day “X” got closer with each passing year. The second generation was growing up; spiritual guides were winding up hysteria. Forty years later, everything was ready for a massive invasion. The fleet was equipped, the armies trained and equipped, an espionage network was created, blitzkrieg plans passed the final approvals, giant portal arches were built in the cities, and warehouses were stuffed with food and materials. The astral dragon, in anticipation, rubbed his paws and rejoiced that everything was going according to the plan, but then the trap in the ancient mound sprung.

  Rosugar didn’t react at once, but by the time it dawned on him what signal he’d seen, the trail of the offender had already become gone cold in the mound; the key had found a new owner. The dragon could have spotted the new-born Guardian by the powerful splashes of magic, the echoes of which reached the astral, but nothing like that happened. The ancient Lord of the Sky simply couldn’t imagine that the key had been taken by a human boy, a native of another world. The Guardian widened his perceptions and hid, constantly scanning the ocean of energy for the presence of disturbances. He constantly threw himself at any small spike of magic, and each time it turned out to be nothing, until one day the astral “spider” caught the shiver of a barrier. Rosugar moved to where the breakdown was and gasped, seeing not just a magician, but a dragon who... was a true blood! Twins almighty!

  The invader in the world of energy struggled with the mana flows with his every strength; Rosugar surrounded the inexperienced dragon’s ethereal body with a protective cocoon and kicked him out into the real world. Then he tried to make mental contact, but the dragon was covered with such shields that a conversation was out of the question. He was a true blood, but from where? None of those who went to Nelita or remained on Ilanta could boast of any offspring. So where did he come from?

  Thoughts and hypotheses rushed through Rosugar’s head like a swarm of bees. He again activated the alarm network and froze in anticipation. A long time passed before his acute perception caught another breakdown in the barrier. This time a human had penetrated the astral plane, but he wasn’t pumping mana and was very much concerned about something. Rosugar recognized with astonishment the aura of a dragon. A were-dragon! Targ and all the clumsy dwarf gods, a were-dragon! Impossible! The Guardian scanned the physical world, found the mind uncovered by the shields, and broke into it. The person who had made contact was a child. The dragon looked through eyes, not his own, at the Viking soldiers armed with swords and a tall guy in the center of an improvised circle. He needed help... Why not help?

  Andy did not want to listen to the story about his own adventures and directed the narration to Earth, asking the voice how he’d penetrated the technological world. Rosugar paused, pondering the answer...

  “You showed me the way yourself,” the dragon said.

  “What do you mean?” Andy said in shock.

  “Your mana,” muttered the ancient Guardian. “You pumped mana through your communication channel with your family.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “There are no barriers for energy and family ties. Your magic stretched to their souls.”

  “Jaga, Kerr…” Andy gasped. His body, tied down with tight straps, tensed. The doctors sitting in chairs nearby jumped to their feet.

  “Olga,” the dragon added. “Apparently, subconsciously, you wanted to see your little sister most. You reached out to her...”

  “Tyigu, Lilly,” Andy whispered on the verge of perception, understanding that the old dragon was right. The girls reminded him of Olga. His sister and the little orc and elf girls were similar to each other and had some of the same personality traits. In getting to know and love the girls, he saw in them his younger sister. They gave him a family.

  “Your magic has passed through obstacles in the form of other worlds and…” Rosugar paused.

  “And?”

  “And was absorbed by Olga. Under the influence of the magic, the girl changed a lot. I was able to follow the energy channel and break through the broken barriers like you followed me. I got here and met your sister. Her mind was not covered with shields. Children, in general, are amazing creatures; they absorb the world around them like sponges. Their minds are always open to something new and unusual. Your sister’s mind is so multifaceted that I marvel, she learned Edda from some three or four direct contacts. The girl is very curious, and she…”

  “How much has Olga changed?” Andy interrupted the dragon.

  “Strongly. It’s on the verge of metamorphological changes. Your magic has changed your sister’s energy. Now she looks more like…”

  “A dragon, right?”

  “You’re right, and she…”

  “She’s a true blood, too?”

  “Stop interrupting me. Your sister will be much stronger than you, you must take her with you, she does not belong here.”

  “Why do you care?”

  “You don’t have to believe me, but this whole time Olga could sense where you were and even what you were doing.”

  “You’re not trying to tell me they found me with her help? You don’t have to answer; I already know. So, why do you really care?”

  The dragon didn’t answer. Apparently, the story was about to turn to serious topics. “What do you know about the higher powers and gods?” asked Rosugar. Andy said nothing. “Even in your own world, people’s faith gives birth to various egregores, incarnations of faith. In the world of magic, faith is often expressed in the actual incarnation of a force, which is transformed into a divine entity. Usually, deities do not interfere in the affairs of mortals. They have other, more global concerns, but it also happens that, for one reason or another, they seek to influence the real world. So, I felt the higher powers’ discontent directed at me when I promoted your walk to Nelita. I felt ‘rotten,’ as if I were made of flesh, not energy fields. But you know, I don’t regret anything. I needed a counterweight to the Ariates, because they went too far, getting out of my control. And I wanted to launch the second version of the dragons’ invitation to Ilanta. Hmm, betting on you, I didn’t lose. The dragons returned.”

  “You were talking about divine beings...”

  “Yes, millions of people and other beings believe in the Twins. Faith requires a visible embodiment of the power of the goddesses. Olga is ideally suited for the role of a conductor of divine aspirations.”

  “She’s an avatar?”

  “A future avatar.”

  “Tell me, why was I pulled back to Earth?”

  “I have nothing to do with that,” the dragon claimed. “You can thank the local masters; they wanted to get you into their hands so badly, they’d stop at nothing.”

  “Sounds like baloney,” the victim of the Russian secret service’s grasping hands mentally grinned. “Most respected whoever you are, I’ve known you for precisely no time at all. But I can say with some certainty that your sick imagination could generate such an idea. You want to send Olga to Ilanta, and you decided to make me a guide and a scapegoat.”

  The owner of the sick imagination didn’t deny it or even react to the accusation. “The thought had occurred to me,” returned the dragon sharply. “But your fellow Earthlings turned out to be more discerning than this old dragon. Why do you think they need you? You’re just a lab rat to them.”

  “Khmm, khm.” The mental dialogue couldn’t convey a cough, but the fair dose of dissatisfaction, anger, sarcasm, and acidity that fell on Rosugar more than offset the lack of facial expressions. “Who knows, maybe the guys with epaulets decided to sing me a couple of lines from St. Augustine.”

  “You’re joking. That’s good,” muttered Rosugar.

&nb
sp; “And what do I have to do?” asked Andy. “Joking and singing, that’s all I can do. With the help of a certain ‘old dragon,’ my life’s taken the next hairpin turn. I need to think about many things, but I’ll do this undoubtedly useful thing later. For now, I’d like to know some details of what’s going on with Olga, and return to the beginning of the conversation.”

  “To the beginning?”

  “Exactly. What went wrong with the lost dragons’ expeditions, what do those ‘losses’ have to do with us, and why couldn’t the higher powers find their guide on Ilanta, but instead drove out to the far ends of the earth?”

  “I’ll start in order. What are higher powers or divine essences?” Rosugar asked himself. And he answered himself, “They are the embodiment not only of the faith of a certain circle of intelligent beings. They are the essence of the collective intelligence of a planet. That definition is a bit simplified and exaggerated, but reflects the general essence. The worlds populated by intelligent beings themselves have a mind and intelligence, understand?” Andy nodded in response. “To put it crudely, the Twins and Manyfaces, the dwarf Targ, and other gods are different manifestations of a collective mind. Are you following me?”

  “Yes, go on.”

  “Thank you. Have you heard the saying that a prophet is without honor only in his hometown?”

  “I’ve come across it, yes.”

  “Your sister has a unique gift. She knows how to hear and listen.” The dragon paused. “I hope I don’t need to explain the difference between these words?”

  “No.”

  “Olga, with proper mentoring and training, will be able to hear Ilanta’s mind, enter into direct contact with it, and be a living guide to HIS or HER interests and desires. As you understand, this isn’t exactly what the word ‘avatar’ means, especially since being an avatar doesn’t mean possessing divine power. The avatar embodies the wishes and commands of a higher mind or god through him or herself. It’s sad that dragons lost their ability to communicate with divine beings. How many troubles could have been avoided? In a rage, we almost ruined our planet.”