by Aaron Crash
In Portland, they asked around about a certain lake below a Cross of Rock. A gas station attendant suggested they go to the town of Barlow, which was off US Route 1 between Waldaboro and Warren. There was a local historian named Callahan Glick who might help them find their lake. And he wasn’t just a local guy, he also owned the local eatery, Glick’s Diner, which had a few rustic cabins behind it.
The waitress had to push four tables together and they had to call in an additional cook and an additional waitress to bring them all the food. Steven ate three seafood platters to himself, the fish as greasy as the fries.
They were noisy, of course. Chazzie and Pru ate burgers and insisted that Maine beef couldn’t hold a candle to Texas beef.
Zoey sighed over the menu. Glick’s didn’t exactly cater to people who wanted to eat healthy. She ordered the Cobb salad, vinegar and oil dressing on the side. She also ordered a hamburger, minus the bun, extra tomatoes and lettuce.
Uchiko mentioned she’d like a chicken sandwich and onion rings, but she’d wait outside. Steven ordered something to go, and she ate leaning up against her bike, a Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic Softail, black. She’d bought new black leathers to go with it.
Once Steven sat back down, chewing on a long strip of fried cod, Cal Glick came over. He was a big red-faced man with square glasses, huge frames, and a big black beard. That and his hair were streaked with gray. His white apron was stained and greasy. His phone was too. When Steven asked him about a lake under a Cross of Rock, he knew exactly where to send them. He put out his hand. “There’s North Pond, South Pond, and still farther south, there’s Lyra Lake under a small ridge. It’s privately owned.”
Tessa blinked. That name meant something to her.
Pru caught Steven’s eyes, and she raised her eyebrows.
“You wouldn’t happen to know the owners, would you?” Tessa asked.
Glick grinned at her, and then he had to smile at all the women. “Well, now, aren’t you all something. You models?”
“My sister certainly did some nude modeling,” Pru said.
“Oh, that wasn’t nothing.” Chazzie dragged a fry through ketchup. “Just a frat boy pretending to be an artist. It wasn’t official or anything, but it was fun, and I got paid. So, yeah, professional model, right here, so y’all better treat me with respect.” Her eyes twinkled at her joke.
“I modeled in Mexico City.” Sabina gestured to her face. “My eyes had color back then.”
“No modeling for Zoey and me,” Mouse said. “We were too busy being fabulous to care what we looked like.”
All eyes went to Aria.
“Yes,” she exhaled. “London. Paris. Milan. Mumbai. Hong Kong. Tokyo. Kuala Lumpur. Sydney. Yes. You modeled, Tessa, did you not?”
Tessa colored. “It was a, uh, video, with friends, for a little money. It was more...” She winced. “Amateur. Next question please.”
Glick chuckled. “I can guess what that means.” He turned on Steven. “What about you, Junior?”
Steven gestured to his Escort. “I’ve been told I have a cute butt. Does that count?”
“He does have a cute butt!” Zoey said a little too loudly.
Glick’s eyes went around the table again. “You are all quite the party. As for the owner of the lake? He’s a local rich guy, Chosen Ben Tozier, and I could probably find a number for him, though don’t ask me for Stephen King’s contact info.”
“Where’s Castle Rock?” Tessa asked with a smile lighting her face.
“On Hulu,” Glick said. “We get that all the time. And no, there’s no Derry, and no Salem’s Lot neither. Guy brings in tourists, I’ll give him that.” He smiled widely. “And hey, if y’all want to stay over and eat more of my good food, I got three cabins in back. I’d rent them to you cheap.”
Someone called out to him. Glick was called into the kitchen to mess with the fryer.
When the owner was gone, Steven sat back. He caught Aria’s eye. “We’re not going to contact Chosen Ben. If we’re quick, we’re in and out before Ben knows we’re here.”
“In and out?” Chazzie asked. “Is that still on your mind? I thought one of us took care of you only a few hours ago. Lucky Jeeves has tinted windows, or we could’ve gotten arrested.”
Pru pinched her nose. “Okay, Chaz, an ‘in and out’ joke? You’re certainly tired. We’re all certainly tired. I’ll let that one pass for now.”
“You’re sweet,” Chazzie cooed.
Aria brought them back on track. “We can find a place to park the cars off the road. Then we can fly in. I agree, while Ben is seeking an alliance, let’s secure the Holy Grail. Then we can meet with him. We might need his vassals for the battle in Kansas.”
Sabina murmured, “Javier is leading our forces. He is trying to keep the enemy Dragonlords east of US 283, but there is a lot of ground to cover. But it’s clear what Ugly Ellis wants. He’s cleared out the western part of the state. He knows there will be a great deal of fighting.”
Steven sat, stewing. He should be there, and yet, he couldn’t fight every battle, no matter how much he wanted to. “Skylar is flying in reinforcements from Australia—Liam and the Five Widows. We also have other Australian vassals that want to help. Along with the PNW Warlings, they might be able to hold central Kansas. Or that’s our hope anyway. Javier has been reaching out to me. This isn’t his first war. It’s not Savedra’s either.”
“They just need to buy us some time.” Tessa cleared a space in front of her, moving dirty dishes, so she could put the Dragonknight book down. “So reading about Attur Dro and Mynn Lyrr was getting wicked boring. It went into extreme detail about their children and blah, blah, blah. I skipped ahead. Get this, Merlin had a wife, Guinevere, and it was true love forever. Like five thousand years of forever.” She paused. “Wow. Five thousand years. Married. How do you keep the spark alive?”
“I could,” Sabina said quietly. “All it takes is a little imagination.”
Tessa went on. “So, this Holy Grail, it’s somehow tied to the Lyra, which is like lyre, only with a short ‘i.’ Beer-ah, so it’s not the musical instrument. And yeah, Lyra Lake. Coincidence? I think not. Anyway, the book refers to them as a people. As in the grand tradition of the Lyra, come to Earth, to visit grace upon the Alpherian exiles. Something like that. The Lyra and the Alpheros are tied to the Grail. Part of me wonders if the Lyra weren’t space aliens bringing their dragon buddies weapons.”
Pru pursed her lips in thought. “The Lyra is the eagle door on the St. Vrain Aerie. Bam! This, Chazzie, is why we can’t be gazing off into space and thinking about nail polish. Every little scrap of information might mean the difference between life and death.”
Chazzie rolled her eyes.
“Pru is right. My father made some notations in the grimoires. Tell us more about the Holy Grail,” Steven said to Tessa.
She flipped through some pages and read. “A gift for Dragonsouls, the death of shadows, hidden away in fear, hidden away lest treachery retrieve it, hidden away until the day comes when the blood of the Alpheros, poured from the chalice of time and space, will wash clean the unholy.” She tapped her finger. “That mention of chalice, that’s where we came up with the Holy Grail. Humans took the Christian angle, but it definitely has something to do with our three bad boys, Rahaab, Mathaal, and Icharaam.”
“I hate asshole writers who use long sentences,” Mouse said, grimacing.
Zoey looked at her, then at Tessa. “The blood of the Alpheros? Maybe it could be some special powers, like another path?”
“Maybe,” Tessa said.
“Technically, we’re the blood of the Alpheros,” Steven murmured. “We all have some dragon in us, even the more human among us.”
Tessa, Zoey, and Sabina nodded. The rest of his Escort were full Dragonsouls.
The barista squealed. “This is so exciting! We’re on the hunt for this rare lost artifact. Oh my gosh, I love this so much.”
Steven liked how Tessa was back in
the moment, enjoying the adventure. She’d been a little dark lately, but now she seemed her old self again.
She sobered. “Okay, but on a more serious note, Merlin was close to finding it, and it was only because of the Elf Queen, remember her? She gave them the torch to light their way. And she led them to that lake. Guess what the book calls her?”
Pru had gotten out her fingernail file to smooth a nail. “Easy one, T. The Lady of the Lake. It seems to me, she was the Lyra, which means the Lyra are probably elves. Boom! And you’re welcome.”
Tessa’s eyes lit up. “Yes, that makes sense. Because in Steven’s vision, she said the darkness would come again, which was another Zothoric invasion. Sure, sure, sure.”
“And she mentioned love,” Steven said. “Arthur and Merlin would find the Holy Grail if they were worthy and if their love was strong. The two made a big joke of it. They were friends, that was clear.”
“Keep going, Tessa,” Aria said. “We need to be off, but I think you were headed toward a definite climax.”
“Ha!” Chazzie erupted. “I ain’t gonna make the joke, since sister here didn’t like that last one. But ha, climax.”
Pru shook her head and continued to work on her nails.
“Yeah, Aria, but this climax isn’t like the happy ones we all like.” She cleared her throat. “Remember Merlin’s OTP?”
“What the balls is that?” Mouse asked.
“One true pairing,” Zoey explained. “That’s what the human teens are calling it nowadays.”
“And twentysomethings,” Tessa protested. “Well, Merlin’s bae, Guinevere, was killed, by who, it’s not clear, but the book said the murder took place in Camlann. If you remember your Arthurian myths, the Battle of Camlann was where Arthur died. We think it was like today’s Cumbria, and that’s the old Westmoreland and Cumberland. Oh, wait, that reminds me of the song.”
“What song?” Mouse asked and blew out some annoyed air. “I know you wanted me to ask.”
Tessa smiled. “‘The Widow of Westmorland’s Daughter.’” She searched their faces.
No one had a clue what she was talking about, that was clear.
The barista raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, okay, sure, you guys have great music taste. Like Steven, here, and his Five Finger Death Punch covers. Whatever. Anyway, someone murdered Guinevere. Merlin had been close to finding the Grail, but that changed his priorities. He died soon after. Then Arthur. But the book gets totally vague at this point. It’s all, ‘Some say the shadows consumed Guinevere, then Arthur, and it drove Merlin mad and he killed himself. Some say Morgana le Fey slew all three.’ Then of course, there’s the classic theory where Arthur got caught screwing sweet Guinevere, our man Merlin found out, and then it was a Shakespearian bloodbath. Step aside, Lancelot, there’s a new cheater in town. Basically, no one knows what happened.”
“Any mention of the Dragon Slayer?” Steven asked carefully.
Tessa swallowed and dropped her eyes. “Yeah. She might have killed Guinevere as well. She definitely killed the Dragonknights. The book gets very specific here. You want the list?”
Mouse interjected, “No, God, no, please, no, just no.”
“I’ll look later,” Pru said to the barista. “Just give us the highlights.”
“Deal. Here’s the big three and one surprise.” Tessa raised a hand and opened fingers as she recited the names. “The Dragon Slayer killed Sir Gawain, Sir Percival, and Sir Galahad, who supposedly found the Grail, but nope, sorry. And then there’s Sir Brunor, and we know he wasn’t killed. I didn’t recognize the names of these other knights, so yeah, not sure. However, the description of the Dragon Slayer is all the same—she was human, wore the mask of a woman, and wielded a flaming sword. That all checks out.”
“What color flames?” Mouse asked, and this time, her voice wasn’t sarcastic, but a wee bit worried.
Tessa looked up. “Green flames.”
“Fuck that book,” Chazzie said. “No mention of Lancelot and now they’re stealing Mouse’s sword for a little color.”
“Kinda weird that I have the sword that killed so many dragons,” Mouse murmured.
“No mention of either Bedivere or Mordred,” Steven said. “Bedivere lived until Tessa put him down. Maybe Mordred did as well. He was the villain in the human stories.”
Aria knocked on the table. “We do not have time for stories. Even as we speak, we have dragons fighting in Kansas. I think we will learn more in time. I am concerned about one thing, however. There is no mention of me! I am the thirteenth knight, am I not?” A mischievous smile curved her lips.
“Come on, Thirteen, let’s go see what’s at the bottom of this lake,” Steven said.
They rose, found a place to park their vehicles, and then took off in the spring sunshine. It was so much more humid than in Colorado, and Steven had to adjust his wings. He carried Zoey, while Aria let Tessa ride on her back. Pru, still trying to be a team player, agreed to give Uchiko a lift.
The trees below swayed in a warm breeze—miles of pine trees. The forests in Colorado weren’t nearly as dense.
A ridge rose in the distance and beyond that was the iron gray of the ocean stretching to the horizon. The trees smelled good in the sunlight, their dust hanging around them as the sun burned away the mist.
Steven liked the weight of Zoey on his back. She held him lightly, trusting his skill.
The South Pond to the north had an RV park and vacation homes, but Lyra Lake had none of that. It seemed as pristine as the day Arthur, Merlin, and the other Dragonknights met the Lady of the Lake there, the Elf Queen, who seemed to have ties back to the Alpheros.
They flew over the ridge and Steven saw the Cross of Rock. This was the lake all right. It seemed sinister, however. Why hadn’t people built houses around it? And if Chosen Ben Tozier owned it, maybe he knew about its secrets.
Maybe Chosen Ben wasn’t as friendly as he first appeared.
Chapter Seventeen
STEVEN DRIFTED DOWN with his Escort of dragons and their riders, until they landed on the eastern shore of Lyra Lake on a strip of open field among the tall pines. While the trees had grown taller, the Cross of Rock was still visible. And if you stopped and listened, the sound of the ocean could faintly be heard to the east. This was the right place all right.
Chazzie stuck a pink claw in the water, then shivered her wings. “That shit is cold. I vote that Pru and I keep watch.”
Pru’s grin was full of relief and sparkle. “Oh, thank goodness. Chaz, you are a genius. Yes, us girls will stay up top.”
Aria turned into her partial form clutching the belt holding her Animus daggers. The scent of cinnamon swirled around her.
Tessa sighed. “I used to buy cinnamon toothpicks from a boy in middle school. I liked the boy. Hated my life. And Aria’s smell reminds me of that. Now I like my life and love my boy.” She gave Steven a happy grin.
Steven turned to his Escort. “Okay, so the Wayne twins are staying. Who else wants to go?”
Mouse was barefoot in her human form. She tested the water with a dainty foot. “Oof. I'm little. Not a lot of body fat. That water just might kill me.”
On the other hand, there was Zoey, a huge bear, paddling out across the water. Her eyes showed her happiness.
“Doesn’t seem to bother her,” Tessa said.
Sabrina’s dark forest green scales matched the pines. Her sage and lavender scent fit her so perfectly. “Zoey is thicc. With a capital C. Thick body and thick fur. But I’ll join you, mi amor. It’s why I went through the rituals.”
Aria went and put a hand on the Latina dragon. “We are happy to have you. But remember, we can hold our breath a long time, yet we still need to breathe. While in our altered forms, the cold will be less intense. However, it can chill our extremities. Flex your hands and work your toes to keep the blood flowing.”
Sabina nodded her great head and curled her claws into fists. “I will be fine. I’m tougher than these other girls. Obviously.” She blew
twin flames out of her nostrils. Her eyes gleamed from a Divination spell.
“That was a dig at us!” Mouse made a face. “What do you think of that, twins?”
Chazzie giggled. “I shouldn’t like it that you and Tessa call us ‘twins,’ but I do. Mouse, we’ve learned to let people do all the trash talking they want. It’s easy when you are as awesome as we are.”
“And we won’t be the wet ones,” Pru added.
Chazzie blinked her big dragon eyes. “See? I am not making the required ‘wet’ joke. I am very serious, and I’m a team player. Go along to get along, that’s my motto.”
More fire from Sabina’s nose as she laughed. She was practicing her Inferno Exhalant, but she hadn’t gotten it right yet.
Tessa had been quiet. She stood at the water’s edge, her boots muddy. “Defensio!” A pink shield covered her, hugging her clothes, not even an inch from her hair. “Come on, guys, I won’t have the Animus or the air to last long.”
As she walked into the water, the skintight force field kept her dry. She dove into the water and swam down into the depths. Zoey followed her with a slap of her back paws and a spray of droplets.
Sabina went next, slipping off the bank. Aria followed her.
Steven traipsed into Lyra Lake and sank into its frigid waters. It was cold on his scales, but his inner fire warmed him. Was this how space travel would feel? And Aria was right, they did need to breathe, and there wasn’t any oxygen in space.
The lake was murky, muddy, and completely unpleasant. Down farther, the emeralds of Sabina’s eyes cut through the brown swirl. The pink outline of Tessa’s skintight shield spell was brighter. Aria activated her Animus daggers and provided additional light.
They had to pause to adjust the pressure on their ears, even Zoey, who had drifted close to Steven.
Fifty feet down, at the center of Lyra Lake, they found the ruins. Huge twenty-foot-tall square monoliths, twelve of them, surrounded two ten-foot-tall statues. It was an echo of both the Americos Chambers as well as the Dragonknight cave on the Oregon coast. Tessa swam about the two central statues, her pink light shining on their faces. Aria joined her, keeping her Animus daggers raised. Zoey circled them on the outside of the monoliths, keeping watch while Steven and Sabina floated over the strange underwater temple.
