Wizard in the Woods

by Jeffrey M. Poole

  “Well…”

  “Gareth,” Mikal growled, “tell me what you did. Did you pee on me?”

  “I’m just kidding. I didn’t do anything.”

  “Do you see how far away the ground is?”

  “Aye. What about it?”

  “It’s a long way down. Remember that the next time you try and joke around with me.”

  They caught up to Pravara just as she pulled a sharp right turn and start flying towards them. Cylandria followed. Mikal steeled himself. It was now or never.

  Mikal opened his claws just as he passed over the bewitched form of the young blue dragon. Gareth dropped a few feet down to Cylandria’s scaly back and crouched low. His hands sought out the closest scale and he instinctively gripped it as tightly as he could. Mikal could see him looking anxiously about. He knew what the boy was thinking. Had the dragon detected his presence? After a few more moments Mikal could give a loud sigh of relief. He had made it! Now all he had to do was to make his way across Cylandria’s back and up her long, graceful neck.

  It took Gareth much longer than anyone had expected. Then again, Mikal was sure it was less than a minute. However, that was a full minute of watching Pravara continue to try and evade her pursuer. Mikal paled. He didn’t want to know what this was probably doing to the young dragon. They had to break her out of this trance as quickly as possible.

  He has reached her head.

  Mikal blinked a few times and refocused his attention on Cylandria’s head. There was Gareth, crouched low between the blue dragon’s spiraled horns. He had placed both hands directly on her head, palms down, and was chanting. After a few moments he stopped and pointedly looked back at him. He mouthed something but Mikal couldn’t hear it.

  Your aural abilities are strong enough to be able to hear what he said.

  So you say. The fact of the matter is I didn’t hear anything. What’d he say?

  He said it wasn’t working.

  What?! Why not?

  He didn’t say. He’s trying again.

  Mikal watched Gareth begin chanting again. Try as he might he still couldn’t hear what Gareth was saying. Pravara might have informed him that he could hear something that faint as far away as he was, but he didn’t know how to do it. Gareth suddenly stopped, looked back at him, and sat back on his haunches. He helplessly held up his hands. Clearly his second attempt had been just as unsuccessful as his first.

  He can’t wake her up. Now what do we do?

  We’re still over the lake. Didn’t Gareth say a splash of water should be able to break one of his trances?

  Mikal eyed the passing water far below.

  That’d work, if you could get her to dive in. Somehow I don’t think she will, not even if we both go diving into the water.

  Gareth waved his arms to get Mikal’s attention. He clasped both hands in a pleading gesture and then jumped off Cylandria’s head. Mikal was ready. This time he had a much easier time retrieving his companion.

  “I’m sorry. I tried. I really tried. She wouldn’t awaken.”

  “Why not?” Mikal demanded. “I thought you said you could wake her up if we could just get you to her head.”

  “I don’t know what the problem is,” Gareth confessed. “I knew I was good but I didn’t think I was that good.”

  “Modesty doesn’t become you,” Mikal harrumped. Once more it came out as a growl. “What do we do? We have to wake her up before the Dragon Lord catches on to what we’ve been doing. I don’t think out luck will hold out much longer.”

  In answer to Mikal’s question, several things happened at the same time. First, Pravara cried out a warning, folded her wings tight against her back, and dropped away as quickly as she could. Next, a new voice sounded which rose above the others:

  SOMEONE BETTER CATCH HIM.

  And lastly, a huge red form appeared out of nowhere and dropped straight down on Cylandria, completely concealing the much smaller blue dragon from sight. It was Rhamalli. Being nearly three times the size of Cylandria, Rhamalli easily forced the two of them straight down, falling several hundred feet to splash noisily into the lake. Mikal saw a small, hurtling form that was also dropping towards the lake. Pravara managed to catch Pheron, Rhamalli’s rider, before he could join his dragon in the water. Rhamalli surfaced first.

  “I cannot begin to tell you how much I didn’t want to do that.”

  “I’m glad you did,” Mikal called down to him. “Thanks!”

  Rhamalli lifted his great head up and out of the water to stare at him.

  “Who are you? I do not recognize you. Pravara, who is this? And where is your rider?”

  “We’ll explain later,” Pravara assured him. “Where is Cylandria? Why hasn’t she surfaced?”

  Rhamalli struggled to extricate himself from the water. He frantically flapped his wings in a valiant attempt to launch himself out of the water, but to no avail. It was incredibly difficult for a winged wyverian to gain enough purchase with their wings when the surface they were trying to push off from lacked enough surface cohesion to generate adequate lift. Rhamalli floundered in the water, growing more agitated by the second.

  “I’ve always hated the water,” Rhamalli grumped. He eyed Mikal and Pravara circling about high above his head. “Were you able to retrieve my rider?”

  “I have him here,” Pravara assured him. “He’s safe.”

  “Good. I’d hate to think that...”

  Rhamalli trailed off as he peered intently at the water and then gave his immediate surroundings a quick check.

  “What is it?” Pravara asked. She passed directly overhead to see if there was something amiss.

  “I get the distinct impression that I’m not alone in the water. I can sense another presence.”

  “An oskorlisk?” Mikal guessed.

  Rhamalli gazed up at him.

  “Who are you? I’ve never seen a dragon your shade before. And what human are you holding? Pravara, what’s going on? Explain to me why there’s a dragon present who thinks an oskorlisk might live in this lake.”

  Mikal looked worriedly over at Pravara.

  What’s the matter? Couldn’t it be an oskorlisk? Steve told me they live in the water.

  In the eastern sea, aye. Not in the lake. Be silent. I will handle this.

  “He is a friend. He saw me trying to awaken Cylandria and came to my aid.”

  Rhamalli tried again to lift off from the lake’s surface. Twenty seconds later he gave up and gazed again at Mikal.

  “What is your name? Who is your human?”

  I don’t like lying, Pravara.

  Let me think.

  It’s going to look suspicious if I don’t answer. I could say... wait, what’s that?

  What?

  Mikal pointed a claw down at the water.

  “You can see that, too, right?” Gareth tremulously asked, from Mikal’s hand.

  “Rhamalli,” Pravara snapped. “Get out of the water. There is some type of disturbance coming from behind you.”

  “It’s probably Cylandria,” Rhamalli stated as he twisted about in the water. He watched ripples forming on the lake’s surface less than three hundred feet away. “I would still like to know how she became bewitched. Was it that accursed human wizard again? The Dragon Lord will not stand for this. He’ll – “

  Cylandria surfaced, sputtering, but on the opposite side, less than fifty feet away from Rhamalli. Confused, everyone turned to look back at the ring of ripples that were growing increasingly larger on Rhamalli’s other side.

  “What am I doing in the water?” Cylandria finally asked. She shook the water out of her eyes and tried to launch back into the air but had as much success as Rhamalli did.

  “You had become bewitched,” Rhamalli informed the young dragon. “I don’t think it’d be too difficult to ascertain who’s responsible.”

  Cylandria raised her head up until she had spotted Pravara and Mikal circling high above her.

  “You two need to get out of
the water!” Mikal called down to them. “That thing next to Rhamalli is starting to move closer!”

  “It’s moving closer?” Rhamalli repeated, incredulous. He eyed the approaching ripples and bared his fangs. “There is nothing living in the lake that would dare challenge a single wyverian.”

  Cylandria turned to face the approaching ripples.

  “There are two wyverians here. I stand by your side.”

  Rhamalli grunted by way of acknowledgement.

  “There are four wyverians here,” Pravara corrected. “We stand together.”

  A stream of bubbles erupted from within the center of the ripples. For close to four minutes the water churned and bubbled, as though there was a heat source directly beneath the surface of the water. Just as suddenly as the ripples appeared, they disappeared. The bubbles disappeared next. A thin, wispy black mist began erupting from the exact point where the bubbles had vanished. Instead of dissipating it started to coalesce along the surface of the water, twisting and undulating.

  “Get out of the water,” Mikal repeated, worried.

  “I agree,” Pravara added. “I don’t like this nor do I trust it. Get out. Now!”

  Rhamalli redoubled his efforts. Finally, after ten seconds of frantic flapping, Rhamalli rose, dripping water, from the surface of the lake. He turned to look back at Cylandria.

  “You must move, young one. Now! I know not what approaches. Pravara is right. I trust this not.”

  Cylandria tried again but right away Mikal could see that she was going to be unsuccessful. The downward thrusts her wings were generating were nowhere near strong enough to lift her from the water. Mikal eyed the swirling black mists. It was now the size of a small fog bank and was still growing. He came to a rapid conclusion.

  “Pravara, come on. We need to help her.”

  “What can we do?”

  “We’re going to have to pull her up.”

  “From the water? While we’re airborne?”

  “Aye.”

  “I do not think that’s possible.”

  “Well, we’re going to find out. Hurry! That thing is getting closer to her.”

  “I might be able to do something,” a soft voice muttered from beneath his belly.

  “Not now, Gareth,” Mikal quietly answered back. “We don’t want to reveal your identity to them. At all.”

  “At the expense of what? That black cloud thing doing something to them? If it gets too close then I will help them. They’re here because of me, Mikal.”

  “I know. I appreciate it. If we can’t get Cylandria out of the water in time then we’ll have to take you up on your offer. Until then, don’t say anything.”

  “Very well. I understand.”

  Mikal swooped as low as he was able. He saw that Cylandria was watching him closely, no doubt trying to figure out how he was going to get her airborne again. Pravara appeared next to him. Together they studied the prone dragon in the water.

  “Here’s what you need to do,” Mikal told the exhausted dragon. “Pravara and I will circle around and come at you from the west. As soon as you see us get close we need you to try and push yourself out of the water as far as you can. Fold your wings flat and stretch your forelegs as high as you can get them. Pravara and I will each grab a leg. Do you understand?”

  Cylandria nodded. Mikal cast a look at the swirling mist. It was no longer bubbling up from beneath the water but it did look as though it was now coming together to form some type of shape. They were out of time. Whatever that black cloud was, Mikal wanted nothing to do with it.

  He and Pravara flew west, circled about, and then picked up speed as they approached Cylandria’s still form. Mikal briefly thought the young blue dragon had given up and had slipped underwater when she suddenly broke the surface, kicking her legs as hard as she could. She was only able to raise herself a dozen feet out of the water, but it was enough. Pravara swooped in from the left while Mikal took the right. They each grabbed a leg and furiously beat their wings in an effort to distance themselves from the strange dark cloud.

  It didn’t work. The best they were able to do was pull her through the water. Mikal and Pravara were simply too close together. He ended up smacking his wings into hers while she threatened to tip him over by the sheer power of her own beating wings. Pravara looked over at Rhamalli, who was staring at the black cloud that was slowly changing its shape.

  “Rhamalli! We need your help. Hurry!”

  Rhamalli blinked once and hurriedly approached. He eyed the three of them before sighing dejectedly. He reached into the water and pulled Cylandria’s tail up, lifting her hind quarters completely out of the water. Together the three of them dragged Cylandria north, angling towards the closest shore. Ten minutes later all four dragons were standing on solid ground, collectively gasping for breath.

  “Word of this deed must never be repeated,” Rhamalli grimly told the group. “It must never be known that I carried another dragon by her tail.”

  “Nor do I wish it to be known that I was carried by my tail,” Cylandria dryly added. “You have my silence.”

  “Did anyone else see it?” Rhamalli asked. He rose to his feet and looked back out at the lake. The black cloud was gone. “Did you see what it had become?”

  Pravara shook her head. “No, I did not. Mikal, did you?”

  Rhamalli’s head jerked back to their group. He stared at Mikal’s purple face and blinked a few times.

  “The human prince? You’re the human prince? How is this possible? No, we’ll deal with that later. Did anyone see what the black mist had become? Pheron, did you?”

  Pheron, back on his perch on Rhamalli’s back, shook his head.

  “No, I’m sorry, my friend. What did you see?”

  “The black cloud became a figure.”

  Pravara was interested. “Oh? What did it look like?”

  Displaying a rare bout of nervousness, Rhamalli shook his head with disgust.

  “It formed a humanoid figure, but with the head of an equine and a claw that resembled a malwern’s, but much larger. It was beckoning to us.”

  “The cloud,” Mikal breathed. “Of course. The black mist. That must have been the Athanaus!”

  Chapter 9 – Hello, Ugly!

  “What’s an Athanaus?” Rhamalli wanted to know. He shook himself vigorously for several seconds. “Is that another name for a disquieting black cloud? And would someone please explain to me why I’m looking at a purple dragon?”

  “Why are you here, Kre’Mikal?” Pheron asked as he slid down Rhamalli’s flank. He approached the large purple dragon resting on the grass and looked up into Mikal’s eyes. “What happened to you? Who is responsible for this? Does your father know what has happened?”

  Mikal nervously cleared his throat.

  “I am here trying to keep the peace, captain. I did not want my father to learn another dragon had become bewitched, so here I am. Pravara is doing the exact same thing. She needed help so I volunteered.” Mikal cast a dark look down at Gareth, who chose that moment to count the number of leaves on the ground. “With Pravara providing a distraction I was able to sneak up on her.”

  “Only it took Rhamalli landing on her to force her into the water,” Pheron reminded him. “That’s what woke her up. That was my idea, by the way.”

  “And now I am drenched because of you,” Rhamalli sourly reminded him. Pheron grinned.

  “It worked, didn’t it? My only concern is how do we know this damned wizard hasn’t bewitched a dozen more?”

  “Oh, he hasn’t,” Gareth softly murmured, thinking his voice was quiet enough to not be overheard. He was wrong. Pheron rounded on him at once.

  “What did you say? Who are you? Identify yourself.”

  Gareth, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, looked up at Mikal. A speck had appeared to the south and was rapidly growing larger. It was Pravara, returning from retrieving Lissa and Peanut. The corgi, overjoyed at being able to include other dragons in her pack,
eagerly trotted from dragon to dragon, sniffing noses with each of them, just as soon as her four stubby legs had hit the ground.

  “I really do like your dog,” Gareth announced, dropping his eyes down to the frolicking corgi and giving her a pat on the head.

  “Answer the question,” Pheron demanded. “Identify yourself.”

  Gareth looked at the angry soldier and smiled helplessly.

  “I’m not supposed to say. I’m sorry.”

  “You will answer the question or you will suffer the consequences.”

  “Pheron, he’s alright,” Mikal interjected. “He’s with me.”

  “Your highness, I do not trust him. Why else would he conceal his identity from us? He’s untrustworthy. You can see it in his eye.”

  Gareth frowned and his shoulders stiffened. He looked up at Mikal.

  “Are you tired of being a dragon?”

  The huge purple head nodded.

  “As a matter of fact, I am.”

  “Good. I’ve just decided I’m tired of hiding.”

  Gareth closed his eyes and started chanting. He drew a complex pattern in the air and snapped his fingers twice. Mikal groaned once and immediately began shrinking. His wings folded flat against his back and vanished from sight. His arms and legs shrank back to proper human size while his skin lightened and reverted back to a healthy pink color.

  The whole process took less than ten seconds. Mikal rolled unsteadily to his feet and sighed peacefully. He was human again and truth be told, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Pheron coughed loudly and whipped his tunic off. He hurried over to Mikal’s side and handed it to him.

  “You’d better put this on, your highness.”

  “Hmm? What’s the matter?”

  “You’re wearing naught but your skin, your highness.”

  Mikal glanced down at himself and blushed bright red. With a look of abject horror on his face he glanced over at his girlfriend, who was returning his frank stare. The corners of Lissa’s mouth had turned upwards in the beginnings of a smile.

  Mikal hastily donned the captain’s shirt. Thankfully the tunic was much larger than the size he typically wore, so it hung down to just above his bare knees. He glanced irritably at Gareth, who was trying his best not to laugh.