by Susi Wright
Churian looked confident. Xandor took assurance from that, glancing at Dak who appeared almost relaxed as he kept his hand on Zenth’s shoulder. There was no sound of any kind, not even a small movement, coming from the hall below. It became eerie. As curious as they were to check if Xian was still looking their way, all four wanted to avoid putting a face to the viewing slit again; they braced themselves for the possibility they had been discovered and the violent reaction that would most likely follow. Any second.
Startling them, a voice boomed out, echoing through the hall and reverberating through the confines of their hiding place.
“To the ramparts! We fly, now!”
Lord Xian had given the order to move out. The friends stared at each other, baffled. He had not seen them after all. Thanking their lucky stars, they slumped to the floor with a collective sigh of relief. Backs against the wall, they paused for a moment to recover.
The sound of hundreds of booted feet, marching out towards the far side of the hall, prompted Xandor to investigate. He pulled his hood down over his face and braved a sly peak through the slit. A frisson of anxiety snaked through him as he caught sight of Xian. Still on the dais, he directed the exit of his army. He glanced up towards their hiding place but past it, to scan the rafters of the hall. Searching. Xandor froze, shutting his eyes in case the gleam gave him away, but heard Xian step down from the platform to follow his warriors out. He must have dismissed the fleeting suspicion of an intruder.
Xandor opened his eyes to make certain, pleased to see Xian’s back as he left the hall after his warriors. No more glances their way.
Crouching down beside the other three who sat attentive, propped against the cavity wall, he felt safe enough to whisper a question to Dak. “Where are the palace medical supplies? I believe there is a rescue to attend to!” The grin they exchanged was part relief, part bold mischief. Dak jumped to his feet, enthusiastic to lead the way.
Xandor held him back by a gentle touch on the arm. “Dak, can you protect both myself and Zenth, while we’re together? Churian must leave us now and will need the benefit of his own cover while he informs Sumar’s group. After that, he needs to find Lord Luminor to make sure he has full knowledge of the enemy before he engages.”
Dak nodded, confident. Then, parting in the traditional way with the sign of the Ancestors, Xandor’s group and Churian went their separate ways with similarly dangerous goals.
After a few minutes, clambering down a narrow sloping tunnel, the three reached another cavity behind a storeroom in the basement. Dak removed one loose stone in the wall, looking through the hole to check for guards. Seeing no one about, he carefully removed several more rocks, looking over his shoulder with a waggle of his eyebrows and a wide grin, as if he’d just done a magic trick for children. Xandor threw him a well-deserved look of reproach, disregarding that Dak had been responsible for this handy new tunnel.
Once the hole was large enough, Dak squeezed through and disappeared into the darkness for a few moments, reappearing seconds later to hand a small glass bottle of lubio tincture to Xandor. He climbed back into the tunnel and replaced the stones to block the evidence of their visit. No one would miss the small vial of sedative.
He led the way back up through the maze of narrow shafts with the ease and agility of a sand rabbit; this intrepid resistance fighter had spent many long days in the dark confines of the warren, memorising the accesses and planning a strategy. The way things were working out, Xandor could find no fault with Dak’s plan. He would have done the same. He was glad they had crossed paths and were now working together. Dak was a natural leader, as skilled in most of the arts as many a Gaian warrior, but far surpassed the majority in percipient powers. He had managed to resist Xian’s powerful mental edict, inflicted on the unsuspecting clan before anyone else had seen it coming. Though he had no hope of penetrating the edict, Dak’s mental fortitude had enabled him to shield beyond himself, the movements of both his new companions.
Earlier on, this might have been a cause for envy for Xandor, as the appointed leader of the quest. Now his growing maturity allowed him to give due respect to Dak’s virtues and appreciate the company of such a likable character.
The ascent to the higher levels of the palace was more arduous for Xandor – some of the tunnels were a tight squeeze for his wide shoulders. Ahead of him, the passage seemed an easy fit for the wiry forms of Dak and Zenth. The half-hour it took to reach the sleeping chambers also gave time for Xian and his army to take flight from the ramparts and put some helpful distance between them. It would make the rescue a little easier.
Dak signalled the others to halt in a slightly larger space, canting his head to listen and sense any presence on the other side of the wall. Satisfied, he sat down cross-legged on the dirt floor, the usual signal for a consultation. Xandor and Zenth automatically followed suit, joining him in silence.
“It’s safe to talk now,” Dak whispered. “The next decision is yours, brother.” He looked at Xandor with a half-smile, humbly deferring leadership to him.
Xandor gave a grateful nod. His confidence came from logic more than intuition. “Xian will be focussing on the coming battle – less likely to notice what we are doing. Nevertheless, we must use restrained force, make the least disturbance possible. We should wait here a while, before we make our move. It is almost midnight. Most of the clan will be sleeping. I don’t think Xian has left many warriors behind, but they will be patrolling. He has probably left one guard, perhaps two, on Lady Saria’s chamber.”
Dak’s silence indicated his agreement. Zenth regarded their new friend, inspired, despite the way they had met. Always happy to follow Xandor’s lead, Zenth was even more willing to learn from all his peers. His enlightening encounter with the Morvian mother, Shimbu, had been a turning point.
Xandor continued in a low voice. “Saria will be deeply asleep at this time of night. She must remain so, while I sneak in and administer the drug. A few drops to the lips will do the job. It will take effect in minutes and will last a couple of hours – enough time for us to carry her out through these tunnels and make it back to the monastery. The physical difficulty will be masked by Dak. There should be no undue disturbance. I intend to place her under the strong shield of someone I trust implicitly, while we join Lord Luminor in battle. That one is Sumar. I suspect the familial Link that Saria still has with you, Dak, could be a weakness. It could compromise the mission, if Xian decides to look for her. When you meet Sumar, I am sure you will be in agreement with me, my friend, because you will easily sense his strength and abilities.” Xandor observed Dak’s pleasantly neutral expression, seeing no opposition there.
The ever practical and newly studious Zenth saw fit to pose a question. “What will happen. . .when she wakes up?”
By the pointed look between Xandor and Dak, he could only assume that here was one of those famous unknown factors – which just proved that no one knew everything!
Churian exited the palace wall through the same crack they had entered. Wasting no time, he retraced the track back to the encampment. The pale granite walls of the monastery were outlined against the black hills ahead. There were so many shields being employed at the moment, it would be impossible for even the Elite to get a clear sense of the situation; he wanted to give Sumar the latest news before continuing by cloak in a northerly direction to find Lord Luminor and his warriors.
Travelling alone, once out of sight from the two watchmen on the palace walls, Churian was able to fly back to the monastery within a half-hour. The others in the Gaian camp saw his approach, quickly recognised him and gathered to meet him as he landed in the central courtyard of the ruins.
Sumar came forward to greet him with an apprehensive frown. Churian had returned alone and so well-shielded that it was impossible to read the situation. Troyan, who had been on watch in the tower of the monastery, had seen and reported the large number of warriors leaving the palace by air-cloak. Sumar had guessed why, but had to hop
e for the best when it came to his brothers in the scouting party. It was frustrating to see neither success nor failure.
“Hie, Brother. What news?’” He had to ask.
Churian expected Sumar to be worried by his returning alone.“All goes well—so far. The others should be here in two hours with Lady Saria. Xandor wishes to place her under your protection. Here, is the safest place for the time being. Everyone else must go to the battle! I shall go ahead alone to find Lord Luminor with details that might give us all the advantage. I shall leave immediately!”
Sumar, in his wise and gentle manner, acquiesced to the instructions with a simple nod, but out of concern for Churian’s well-being, urged him first to eat something before embarking on a mission of unknown duration. With a grateful expression, Churian took a biscuit to nibble, washed down with a hefty draught of water from the well-spring in the centre of the courtyard. Then with the customary farewell, he threw his cloak out to the wind, taking flight towards the north-east where the forested hills and valleys would provide him with physical cover if he needed it. In those forests, he hoped to cross paths with Lord Luminor. Of course, his lord would not be where anyone would expect him to be. In the absence of sense-sign, Churian was going to have to draw on every bit of intuition and battle strategy he had to work out Luminor’s plan and find him.
This quest to solve the question of power would soon culminate in the unprecedented battle for Luminor to retain his birthright. It had mysteriously become a very dangerous game of ‘blind-man’s bluff’.
CHAPTER 34
Winged Creatures
Luminor paced around the open space, some distance away from the camp. His agitation upset his new reptilian companion. The fidgeting creature began to growl and spit small balls of fire onto the ground; it followed his every step backwards and forwards, walking at his heels like a puppy. The dust quickly extinguished the flames, but it was creating quite a bit of smoke, stirring up piles of leaves – altogether disturbing, while he was trying to take stock of his presently troubled senses without dropping his guard against the enemy. The fuss increased along with Luminor’s irritation. The animal flew in to the air and practically knocked him over by balancing clumsily on his shoulder, where it was much too large to do so. It slipped off then swooped to the ground some distance away, continuing to cough tiny ineffectual fireballs, which only emphasised the fact that it was such a small specimen of its kind, only the size of a large dog. Luminor could not help thinking that it really lacked the size to do much at all!
In the midst of wondering how much use this creature would actually be in the battle, a sudden sense of foreboding assailed him. Without doubt, from the Capital. Fralii and Espira! The feeling of fear and pain conveyed by the Link was so strong, it must involve both of them. Logic alone told him the baby must be coming, but he sensed it was far more than that! The desire to go to them and protect them pulled at his heart; his agitation increased. He could not afford the distraction right now, could not let down his mental shield, neither could he afford to communicate in any way with his family. He certainly could not do as he wished – leave the quest now to return to them. It reminded him starkly of another time, when he had to leave Fralii to attend to his duties as Supreme Lord and fulfill the quest to kill the Flame Adder. So much had been at stake then, concerning the survival of two races. And so it was now. It was a conundrum.
Melu had retreated to the company of the other warriors some time ago, to let Luminor contemplate this latest challenge alone, but before he took his leave, the Morvian offered his silent assurance. Although every detail was not clear to him, it seemed the most immediate problem was the coming battle. As Luminor considered his choices, he realised there was only one. To trust that Altor and Aleana, between them, could handle whatever was happening to his family and for him to concentrate on the present. And, the first thing to attend to – right now – was control of this flighty creature! Increasingly irritated by the dragon’s constant movement, he turned part of his attention to stern discipline. Be still!
In that command, it was glaringly obvious he should follow his own advice! He took a slow calming breath to bring himself back to focus and the creature immediately quietened. It ceased spitting and approached him with slow, hesitant steps, wings folded, cocking its head from side to side questioningly as it gazed intently into his eyes.
In some indefinable way, the creature reminded him of the Flame Adder from his first quest. He pondered the similarities: both were ethereal, beautiful in their own way, both creatures of Fire, beasts of legend. The differences were obvious, the main one being that the animal now looking to him for guidance was small, but promised to be an instrument for good, whereas the monstrous adder had been essentially evil and destructive. Waving its long slender, scaled tail gently from side to side, the little creature continued its attentive red stare, sidling up to him as if appealing for a pat. Luminor felt strongly inclined to stroke its sleek neck, but decided to resist the urge. He looked back at it, with the supreme authority he had inherited from his father. Stay calm. . .. You and I are going to have to get used to each other. . And quickly!
Once again, Luminor knew that applied to himself too. In that moment, he saw another aspect of the mystical Link. They were inexorably connected. . .soul to soul. And with that realisation, he perceived the dragon’s name, only ever to be uttered by him. Ra.
Churian watched Lord Xian lead his airborne army northwards, a logical choice in the first instance. It did not necessarily indicate that Xian had sense of Luminor, any more than he himself had. In any case, one always assumed the enemy was a strategist. The moves and counter moves were as essential in a battle as in a dance. A deadly dance.
Churian knew Xian was clever and had honed his mental skills to a high level. The enemy lord had almost seen through either Dak’s or Churian’s dependable shield, while they hid in the wall-cavity. One could not take anything for granted. It could only be hoped that there were real weaknesses in Xian’s execution of his plan. If absolutely necessary they could use Lady Saria as a hostage. Churian was confident that Lord Luminor would find any weaknesses, armed with any extra information he could provide. . . but first he had to find him.
Churian continued his flight over the forested highlands which extended all the way northwards along the border, dividing Lealand and Baram. He stayed a safe distance from the Xian army, fleetingly visible between the passing clouds in the night sky. It seemed they were heading for the Plains of the King, a huge open desert region where countless battles had been fought over the centuries. This move suggested the enemy was confident enough to be seen, a move to draw out his opponent. Perhaps, Xian did not already know where Luminor was, could not sense him after all. However, there was no guarantee that his army would stay in open ground for long, with air-cloaks at their disposal. Even though the forests to the south of the plains were decimated, leaving no cover at all, to the east there was woodland and to the north there was dense jungle and mountains. Plenty of places to hide.
Xian would be at a disadvantage if he could not predict Luminor’s next move, even using a strategic guess. By the Ancestors! It was difficult for any Gaian, at present dealing with multiple masks and mental blocks, to predict anything. He spared a brief sympathetic thought for the lives and conflicts of humans – always and forever bereft of powers.
He stopped musing to scan the forest below for physical signs of a camp. He estimated he’d been flying long enough to start looking, hoping he could find them before they engaged in the conflict. He wanted to believe they had not yet broken camp. It would not be easy. There would be no fires and the terrain below was heavily-forested. He would have to fly low, zig-zag over the woodland just skimming the canopy, in order to spot any sign of his comrades.
A strong sense of danger surrounded him. Its increasing strength was only to be expected under present circumstances. He was close to joining an unprecedented and perilous battle. He cast an uneasy glance westwards, hop
ing to catch sight of the Xians in airborne formation somewhere on the skyline.
It was difficult, even for an Elite, to use multiple skills at the same time. With his mental shield firmly in place and his attention intently scanning the horizon, he was caught completely unawares. Faster than an arrow, something large swooped up out of the foliage, colliding with him and knocking the air from his cloak. The beast’s claws caught in it, swinging him around from the momentum of flight like a slingshot. In less than a heartbeat, the cloak had been torn in two and almost throttled him as he was swung around by the neck. His vision dimming, dizzy from lack of air, he caught a brief glimpse of the beast that had attacked. Huge, skinned wings flapped loudly as it flew in circles around him. Its talons appeared to be entangled in the feathers of the cloak; it was either panicked or voraciously hungry – there was a fine line between the two senses in a predatory animal. Churian could not tell if it was trying to free itself, or trying to eat him. Kudros. So probably the latter! This was one of those deadly creatures, rarely if ever encountered in a lifetime, for it was close to extinction. If one was so unlucky as to be attacked and bitten – but escape being eaten – death would be very quick and painful from the poison anyway.
His senses reeling, he began to pass out; he wondered fleetingly if he had been bitten. He was choking. He grasped at the clasp at his throat, trying release the cloak but it was stretched too tight. By now, he could hardly think at all. Suddenly, with a ripping sound, the cloak gave way, still held in the kudros’ claws as it swooped skyward. He hurtled through the air in the opposite direction, slamming head-first against a massive tree trunk and everything went black.
In the Baramese camp, there was quite a commotion when Luminor introduced his new ‘weapon’ to his men. There had been mixed reactions. They had all heard the Gaian legends about dragons. Some nodded sagely, taking it in their stride, some younger warriors whooped in excitement; others stifled a snigger and the boldest exploded into incredulous laughter, seeing how small this one was! Lucky for them, Luminor’s fair-mindedness allowed every loyal man his opinion. Under the lordship of a lesser man, those particular individuals might not have seen the light of the next dawn.
