The Dragon Dimension

by D K Drake

  “I could ask you the same question.” Micah fought the urge to defend himself by reaching up to grab the sword that rested in a sheath across his back. Instead, he took a deep breath and calmly carried on the conversation. “You’ve always demonstrated complete loyalty to my father as his top scalologist, and some of the uses you devised for dragon scales surpassed even my father’s cruel imagination. I’m inclined to believe you’re going to report everything you witnessed here today to Omri.”

  “He wouldn’t do that,” Javan said, stepping between them and forcing Vince to lower his sword. “He’s my great-grandfather, and he’s committed to seeing a Collector win the throne.”

  Micah studied Vince, then Javan. The two did have an uncanny resemblance to one another. “You’re telling me my father has had a spy from the Collector Bloodline working for him for centuries and never knew it?”

  “He was aware of my heritage,” Vince said. “That’s why he kept me close, only I wasn’t a spy. I was truly devoted to him and wanted to use my talents as a scalologist to serve in his army. Until about eight months ago, anyway.”

  Now Micah was curious. “What changed eight months ago?”

  Vince shook him off. “That would take too long to explain, and my soldiers will get suspicious if I don’t return soon. You’re the one I’m concerned about. I have never known you to be on any side except your own.”

  “This time he’s on mine,” Javan said. “I trust him as much as I trust you, and I think we need to listen to him about the portals.”

  “Wrong,” Taliya said, stepping out of the shadows. “Destroying the portals isn’t necessary. All we need to do is handicap them, make it impossible for any other portal to link to them unless and until we want to use them.”

  “Handicap them?” Micah let his skepticism at such a wimpy idea drown his every word. “That is absurd. Destroying them is the best, safest option.”

  “It’s not very strategic,” Taliya said, fighting back. “What if Javan does win the throne and gains control of Zandador? If we destroy the portals, Keckrick will be cut off from Zandador and the rest of the Great Rift forever. It’s too final. I won’t allow it.”

  “You won’t ‘allow’ it?” Why did this girl think she had any kind of power?

  “I won’t either,” Vince said. “The feisty little lady is right. We can easily handicap the portal with an electrified scale taken off a Dawn Stalker older than seven. It will send a charge through the portal that makes the portal inoperable as long as the scale is in the slot. The hard part is taking the scale off the dragon.”

  “I’ve taken a scale from Varjiek before,” Javan said. “I know he’ll comply.”

  “No!” Taliya and Vince shouted in unison, then Taliya explained. “The Zandadorian portals only work when you put seven-year Dawn scales in the slots. If you put any scale other than a Dawn scale in one of the slots, it shuts the portal down for good. That’s the reason we no longer have access to Xyies, the northernmost region of the Great Rift.”

  Micah took a mental note of this new information. Perhaps he could get a scale from Mertzer and shut down the portal with a Dusk scale before Javan could return with a scale from Kisa.

  “Okay, then,” Javan said. “I’ll get scales from Kisa, and we’ll use them to make the Keckrick portals unusable. Vince, we need you on the inside, though, so you’ll need to return to Zandador alone while the portal still works.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me how you plan to go about collecting your final two dragons,” Vince said. “The fate of Zandador is in your hands, and I need to know that you know what you are doing as a Collector to ensure you win the Battle of the Throne.”

  Micah forgot about his plot to break the portal permanently and waited for the show. He wasn’t sure how Vince would react to Javan’s crazy plan, but he was sure it would be entertaining.

  Chapter 5

  Javan’s Grand Plan

  “R

  ight. The plan.” Javan rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants. The sweat made him feel nervous, and he needed to sound confident.

  “It’s simple,” Javan said. “We find a Dusk Stalker egg, take it through the portal to Earth, wait for it to hatch, then bring it back to Zandador. While it’s growing big enough for me to ride, we head to Midnight Territory to collect the Midnight Stalker. Done and done.”

  “That is not simple!” Vince’s shriek made Javan flinch. “To begin with, Midnight Stalkers are the toughest dragons to collect and live in the most difficult territory to get to and navigate. You can’t stroll up there, snap your fingers, and ride the first dragon that appears.”

  “Point taken,” Javan said, his mind churning. He needed a counterargument. Quickly. “So we take a Midnight egg with us as well. Baby dragons are a lot easier to collect than full grown dragons who are centuries old. At least I think so. I’ve never actually seen a baby dragon.”

  “I have,” Taliya said. “They are adorable. Until they get big enough to eat you, which doesn’t take long. They grow fast.”

  “You’re overlooking the second problem,” Vince said. “Dragon eggs are not easy to find. Protectors are very good at protecting their locations. Trying to locate the Dusk egg will be challenging enough. If you do happen to find it, do you think you’ll be able to keep it safe while traipsing through the rough terrain in Midnight Territory and trying not to get eaten by Ayzyd, the Midnight Stalker who devours humans for fun?”

  “I guess that could be problematic.” Javan surrendered to Vince’s logic but held his ground when it came to his original plan. “We’ll just focus on the Dusk egg for now.”

  “Except you’re forgetting the third thing: getting through the portal is impossible. It’s constantly guarded by dozens of soldiers, plus you have to have a Protector to activate it for you.”

  “That’s me,” Taliya said, raising her hand. Strands of her long, dark hair had escaped from its braid and brushed the skin of her dark brown face. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with pride when she introduced herself. “I’m Taliya, Dragon Protector.”

  “A Protector?” Vince cocked his head. “That does make a difference. I assume then that you know where to find dragon eggs and have experience activating the portal.”

  “Those assumptions may not be entirely accurate,” Taliya said, tucking some of those stray strands of hair behind her ear. “However, I do know where to find someone who knows where to find Dusk Stalker eggs, and I have the Protector’s book to teach me about activating the portal.”

  “Wonderful. You know someone who knows something, and you have a book.” Vince rolled his eyes, reminding Javan of his grandfather Ravier. No big surprise. Vince was Ravier’s father, and the two men evidently shared the same no-nonsense, no-fun attitude. “Javan, your plan is foolish.”

  “Thank you for agreeing with me,” Micah said. “Now we can get back to my plan.”

  “No, we can’t.” Javan wasn’t about to let these guys dictate how he would go about collecting the rest of his dragons. “We’re going to find a Dusk Stalker egg. We’re going to take it through the portal. We’re going to bring it back to Zandador after it hatches, and that is that. Since that is what we are going to do, our mission is to work together to figure out how to make it all happen. Understood?”

  Micah sighed. “Fine.”

  Taliya smiled. “Count me in.”

  “Vince?”

  Vince nodded, put his sword away, and slapped Javan on the back. “Decisiveness. I like it. I don’t like your plan, but I like your confidence. I won’t be able to help much in order to maintain my cover, but I can put you in touch with Ravier.”

  “You can?” Javan’s eyes widened. “You know where he is? Is he safe? What about my grandmother Hannah? And my mother Esmeralda?” He hadn’t had any contact with them since he left Gri weeks ago. If they were able to reconnect with his mother, she could teach Taliya how to operate the portal.

  “Return to Japheth in three days to put your Dawn Stalker
’s scale on the column in Stalker Square. I’ll make sure Ravier is there to meet you.”

  “You didn’t answer my questions.” Javan had a sick feeling in his stomach. Ravier and Esmeralda left to search for Hannah after Gri was destroyed. Vince’s elusiveness made Javan think their search had not ended well. “Is my family safe?”

  “Just be in Stalker Square in three days.” With that, Vince spun around and marched to the door. Before he left, he turned and said, “Be ready to implement that invisibility trick you showed me in the castle. It will be hard for Omri to kill you if he can’t see you.”

  The door closed behind him, filling the room with a heavy silence.

  Chapter 6

  Finalizing Details

  Taliya watched the color drain from Javan’s face. He looked like he wanted to be alone to mourn the implied loss of his mother and grandmother, but she had too many questions she needed answered. Micah, however, spoke up before she did.

  “You have an invisibility trick? How is that possible?”

  “That’s irrelevant right now.” Taliya knew Javan could make himself invisible by inserting a scale from his Noon Stalker into the triangle-shaped slot between the blade and handle of his stalker sword, but Micah wasn’t aware of that ability. This was not the time to share such stories. “What’s relevant is discussing this Ravier person. Why do we need him? The smaller our team, the faster we can move. We’ll be fine with just the three of us.”

  “Being fast won’t do us much good against the army of soldiers guarding the portal to Earth,” Javan said, the color returning to his cheeks. “That’s why we need Ravier. He knows how to get people safely through the portal and back.”

  “Oh.” Taliya couldn’t argue with Javan’s logic. “I guess that would be helpful considering getting through the portal is an important part of our plan.”

  “Getting to him will be a problem, though,” Micah said. “We have to get to Japheth, and there is a dangerous desert between us and the city.”

  “The desert isn’t a problem,” Taliya said. “We can skip right over it.”

  “No, we can’t,” Javan said, shaking his head. “We’ll be disabling the portal after we send the crew of the Iria to Tulkar to disable that portal.”

  “Are you forgetting about Kisa? She’s this Dawn Stalker you went to a lot of trouble to collect. Do I need to remind you what power Dawn Stalkers possess?”

  “Right!” Javan slapped his forehead. “They can teleport to places they have been before.”

  “Exactly. She’s been to southwest Zandador where the southern portal that leads to Earth is located. We can have her take us all there.”

  “That’s also where half of Omri’s army is stationed,” Micah said. “That entire area will be infested with soldiers. Despite the fact that we have three dragons, we’re not prepared to fight Omri’s army.”

  “We better get prepared,” Taliya shot back, “because that’s the only way we can get to Zandador in time to meet Ravier in Japheth.”

  “Or,” Javan said, tapping his finger on his chin, “we send you two and the dragons through to the portal near Dusk Territory. Kisa can come back for me once I disable the portal here.”

  “That could work.” Taliya nodded her approval. “And it will get us a lot closer to both my hometown of Oer and the capital city of Japheth.”

  “It’ll be safer, too,” Micah added. “Omri has no need to station any of his soldiers on the east coast in Dusk or Noon Territory because Javan has no reason to be in those areas of Zandador.”

  “Sounds like a solid plan,” Javan said, walking to the door. “Micah, you stay here and work with Lydia, Cyr, and the Iria crew on the best way to capture the soldiers; just don’t make any moves till we get back. Taliya, you come with me. Kisa may be more willing to give up some of her scales if you can explain to her why we need them.”

  “Excellent.” Taliya clapped her hands to break up the meeting. “Chit-chat time is over. Let’s get to the action!”

  Taliya skipped through the door ahead of Javan, excited about the adventure that awaited her. She wasn’t elated about returning to the Land of Zandador and facing her father after fifteen years, but she did like the idea of hunting for dragon eggs and visiting Earth.

  She had read much about that strange dimension beyond the portal and was eager to explore that unfamiliar territory.

  Chapter 7

  Snags in the Plan

  “D

  o you see her?” Javan leaned to the left while holding onto Varjiek’s neck as they coasted over the walls of Nahat. Exchanging the sight of battered houses and broken buildings for the colorful trees, plants, and flowers of the rain forest allowed him to relax and drink in the energizing air. The trick now was finding Kisa somewhere amidst the foliage.

  “Not yet,” Taliya said from behind him. “Where did you instruct her to go?”

  “I told her to find a good hiding spot outside the city gates and wait for me to come get her.”

  “Have Varjiek fly over the river. She’s bound to be near the water.”

  “Good point.” That dragon did like to look at her reflection and keep her scales ridiculously clean. Her constant fixation with bathing had driven him nuts as he rode her across the western half of Keckrick on the way to Nahat.

  I found her. That was all the warning Varjiek offered before taking a sharp dive, skimming the water of the river, and landing in a wide clearing edged by a clump of berry bushes to the right. He noticed Kisa laying in the tall grass licking her tail ahead of them, but the sight of the fist-size, violet berries stole his attention and made Javan’s stomach rumble. The rumbling reminded him that he hadn’t eaten a thing since dinner the previous night. He had been too nervous to eat breakfast and too busy to find food at lunchtime.

  “These look delicious.” Javan slid down Varjiek’s leg and tugged a berry loose from the nearest plant. The sweet grape-like aroma caused his mouth to water while the soft outer shell felt squishy in his hand. He licked his lips in anticipation of taking that first delightful bite. Only Taliya knocked the berry out of his hand before he could sink his teeth into it. “Rude! What did you do that for?”

  “It’s going to be hard for you to collect any more dragons if you’re dead.”

  Javan swallowed at the implication. “You mean that berry is poisonous?”

  “You would have been dead before you finished chewing.”

  “Oh.” He looked down at the splattered berry on the ground and no longer felt hungry. “Thanks for the assist.”

  “No problem. Now good luck getting Kisa to give up her scales. I doubt I’ll be able to help much with that.” Taliya patted Javan on the back, crossed her arms, and leaned against Varjiek’s side.

  You want me to what? Kisa jerked her head up and stared at Javan with her round, trusting dark eyes.

  “Hey, Kisa.” Javan figured the dragon might respond best if he started her off with a compliment. He slowly walked toward her and said, “Your scales are looking immaculately white and stunningly clean today.”

  Varjiek glared at Javan. You’ve never said anything that nice about my scales.

  Of course he hasn’t, you Noon Stalker. Yours are grey and always look dirty. Mine are as white as white can be and sparkle in the sun. They won’t be this clean for long, though. She hung her proud head. A storm is coming. The wind and rain will cover my scales with dirt and debris.

  “We can get out of here before the storm comes,” Javan said. “I just need one small favor first.”

  Sure! Anything to stay clean.

  “Well, in order to disable the portals and keep the people of Keckrick safe, we kind of need your help. You don’t have to do anything, and it probably won’t hurt too much. It’s just a little--”

  “Goodness man, just be blunt.” Taliya threw her hands in the air. “Javan needs to rip three scales off of you.”

  Rip? My? Scales? Off? Not today. Not ever! Kisa doused the bushes behind her with an enraged stream o
f acid. The leaves and berries withered as Kisa vanished.

  “Umm…where did she go?”

  “She teleports when she gets mad. Guess we have to wait for her to calm down and return.”

  Dawn Stalkers, Varjiek said with a sigh as he nestled into the grass and closed his eyes. They are unnecessarily dramatic.

  “I think Varjiek has the right idea.” Taliya snuggled against Varjiek’s body in the shade created by his hind leg. “This is a fabulous time for a nap.”

  “A nap? We can’t sleep. We need to go find Kisa!”

  Taliya didn’t respond. Neither did Varjiek. In the silence, Javan’s head began to throb. How was he supposed to follow through with any of his plans if he had a high-maintenance, uncooperative, teleporting dragon in his collection?

  ◊◊◊

  Micah watched Varjiek fly away with Javan and Taliya, then sat down on the stone steps of the porch to think. His head had been spinning since he had learned how his father intended to use the humminglos to control the people of Zandador, and that spinning only got worse once he learned his own father wanted him dead.

  Ironically, he had been ready to die, but his death would have been on his terms and for a worthy cause. Now with every breath he took, he grew more and more determined to live.

  How would he live, though? Did he really want to follow orders and fight alongside the Collector? Wouldn’t he be better off fighting by himself to bring his father down? He could still be on Javan’s side; he just didn’t have to be by Javan’s side.

  If Micah worked on his own, he could move with speed and precision. He wouldn’t have to bother debating which plan was best and could act on his decisions immediately, decisions like destroying the portal.

  Mertzer was wandering among the ruins near the house. One sharp whistle would bring the dragon to him, and one command would force the dragon to surrender one of his scales. Micah still had enough sway with the soldiers to walk by them without arousing suspicion. He could have Mertzer’s scale in one of the portal slots before anyone realized what he had done.