Fear, like a garrote, threatened to strangle the young bard. You just said, he thought in panic, that the instrument needed some time to practice before it went public! These strangers know me? But I don’t know them; how can I sing a song whose words I have barely learned?
But the bard had not finished. In quiet confidence, as though he were commenting on the height of the sun, he added, “It is with these caring men and women that you will partake of your First Sharing and swim your First Swim. We must be there in three day’s time or we will miss the celebration.”
The garrote tightened till Jason’s world shrank to a tumbling black void filled with spinning and swirling lights. His knees buckled, and he had to reach out to grab Nathan to keep from stumbling. The merciless Sea had swallowed his parents. He had seen it happen. Now he would be forced to enter that bottomless dark without a boat! How could he swim? Why would Nathan even think he should?
This new threat forced to insignificance any interest that the dragonmen might have in him. Nathan wanted him to swim…
“I… I can’t!” he whispered under his breath and tears of shame filled his eyes.
~ ~ ~
Three more days of solitary walking did little to assuage the huge cavern that fear gnawed in the young man’s soul. He tried to fill it with newly learned Gryphonsong. He tried to see past it by shellbowl reflecting as Nathan had shown him to do. He called silently on the Gryphon Himself to take away this hidden mark of shame. Yet his every waking moment and his fitful dreams were filled with the reality of that fear: he did not know how to swim. He would sink forever beneath the waves in three days' time… In two days' time… Tomorrow.
On the third evening, Nathan led him down a steep winding trail to a small village clinging to the eastern edge of the Dragon. Like the shantytown at Mann’s Pointe, part of the village of Haven actually floated on the dark waves. In the twilight, the bright-hewed sails of the fisher craft seemed to sparkle like moonlight on waves as the small fleet, carrying the day’s catch, drew close to the extended floating dock.
Mercifully, the fisherfolk were too busy with their tasks to pay more than the briefest attention to the two travelers. Jason stayed in the background as the bard shared a perfunctory greeting with several there who greeted him like a friend. They quickly directed the two into the care of Helen, an elderly widow. The curiously silent white-haired matron offered them the bounty of the sea to eat and then a quiet and soft place to rest their travel-weary bodies. When, after their meal, Nathan had reached for his lute to offer bards’ pay, Helen had held up her hand to stop him; shaking her head she softly said, “Time enough for that on the morrow. Tonight, you need to sleep.”
However, although his stomach had been filled, and his surroundings were warm and comfortable, Jason did not sleep at all that night.
Tomorrow.
THE SIBLING PROPHECY
(Verse 2)
From The Lore of the Dragonmen
If those two turn to left or right
(To darkened cave or burning light),
Their choices will cause day or night
To flourish in the world of men:
Dragon’s blessing will rise again
Or on that day forever end.
They’re carved in stone for you to view,
Or sung in song if words you knew,
Guard yourselves that fateful two.
The ancient words you cannot break,
When together a stand they make:
The Dragon’s future is at stake.
Long ago two words were spoken
And their message will be the token:
Of Dragon raised or Dragon broken.
IN THE HEART
OF THE DRAGON
In a hidden subterranean chamber, lavishly appointed just like the one in Jason’s dream, the Queen of Darkness addressed her giant protégé, a young blackrobe captain named Raven. Her soft and sultry words dripped with a sensuality that she knew few men could resist, let alone this willing lone worshipper who knelt before her.
“My dear, Raven,” she cooed and, touching him lightly and affectionately under the chin, raised the massive youth up to his full height. Though the Dragon Lady had to stretch well above her normal reach, she left that hand in place.
“What is it, my Queen?” he responded, smiling at her.
The woman allowed the living shadows that were her gown to move in a way he could not help but notice, before saying to him in a voice barely above a whisper, “Now that I have your undivided attention, take a seat and tell me, my dear, how goes the search for the missing brother?” She allowed her fingers to briefly caress the side of his massively square jaw before releasing her controlling touch. His gigantic frame shuddered as she filled that last moment of contact with the exquisite blessing that the dragonmen called “the Glow.” His eyes glazed for a moment as its narcotic-like pleasure blazed through his entire body.
He bowed his head to her as he found his seat, saying softly, “You always have my full attention, my Queen. I would choose to serve no other!”
“Well said, my young Captain. But now on to the issue at hand!” She seated herself casually on the edge of her desk opposite to the giant, her long legs still touching the ground and often partially exposed by the shifting shadows.
She noted with pleasure that it took Raven a moment to shake his head clear and focus on her face instead.
“Yes, Ma’am, it’s been taken care of!” he said, getting down to business. The Dragon Lady quickly noticed, however, that there seemed to be a hint of pride in his words. “I have sent word in your name throughout the Heartland for our agents to watch for our enemy, Nathan the accursed master bard and for his young companion. I expect to hear something concerning them any day now. As soon as they are found, the squads of blackrobes I have waiting at the entrances to each of our cities will spring to action. The capture of the Swimmer and the boy is certain and it will be soon!”
“This sounds well and good,” she said with a smile of benediction in his direction, “but we want more! That bard is a clever trickster with many friends. The Master says you need to take an even more direct approach. Too much is riding on us getting our hands on that boy before it is too late! Go out and set traps that will ensnare them. Set ambushes wherever the bard is in the habit of traveling. We might not have days before it is too late. Be quick. Be guileful. And most of all, be creative, as I know you love to be! Surprise me, but do not disappoint me!”
As she spoke, the lady in black watched the emotions play across the broad canvas of his face in response to her words: devotion to her and to his task; joy at her hinted praise, and fear at the possibility of her disapproval. He is so easy to control, she thought to herself, then smiled at him.
The giant snapped to his feet with what others who did not know him would call surprising speed for someone of his bulk and stood at attention. “I will not let you or our Master down,” he said crisply. “All will be done as you have described!”
“Sit back down, Captain,” she said softly, backing the words with a downward motion of her opened hand. “We still have important business to discuss.”
“Yes, Ma’am?” said the giant as he regained his seat.
“Do you understand why time is so essential to us at this point. Do you comprehend what it might mean if the missing brother became a Swimmer?”
“I think so,” he replied.
“Don’t you see,” she cried out, not satisfied with his answer and trying by the very force of her words to drive their import into his impressionable mind and heart. “Our very future, the future of dragonkind, might well be at stake! If young Kaleb’s sibling succumbs fully to the Enemy’s whiles, then the pair of brothers will be irrevocably damaged, and the prophecy will be broken—or even worse, might be turned against us! We can’t let that happen!” The Queen of Darkness let emotion build and pour out through her words. “If we fail now, the best we could hope for is to destroy the younger one so there�
�s no possibility that together they will be used to cause our downfall! But if that happens we’d have to start the whole process all over again. That would be such a waste! A whole generation lost when victory was so close at hand!”
Suddenly she slammed her fist down on the wooden desk beside her. The blackrobe giant started at the sound of that mighty percussion that reverberated through the carved scaline chamber, but she continued without pause, raising her voice to overcome and add to the dark rumbling of the echo, “Our Master wants that the accursed Swimmer bard found! Wants him found and destroyed! As for the younger one, if he’s been damaged—if the Gryphon fully has him—then you are to give him fully back to that meddling bird! If he’s become a Swimmer, then break both of his arms and legs and throw him into the sea! Let’s see if he can swim that way! Better to have him drown than face the possibility that the brothers could both turn against us! But, if that becomes necessary, make sure the older brother doesn’t find out!”
The Queen of Darkness paused and took a deep breath to steady her emotions. She was used to invoking passions in others, but not in letting others see hers. No one had seen her thus, so exposed, so vulnerable, for many ages of man. Wisely, the young captain did not utter a word.
She rose and walked over to him, extending her hand briefly to brush his cheek with her ecstatic blessing. She asked in a much calmer voice, “Do you know why I like you so much, my young captain?”
No answer was expected or given.
She continued, “It’s because you know your place and try to please me so much. I almost think that I can confide in you. I have not been able to do so with anyone for a long time.”
He reached gently for her still extended hand with both of his and then bent to place a light kiss on it. “I live only to please you, my Queen!”
She let him continue to hold her hand as she quietly said, “I know you do and for that I am thankful.” The Dragon Lady paused briefly before withdrawing her hand and then adding, “Captain, there is one more thing.”
Though he had remained seated, when he raised his head, he looked her nearly in the eye. “My Queen, how may I serve you?”
“What about the older brother, Kaleb? What progress have you made with him?”
“As you have suggested, I have befriended him and am personally introducing him into life in the Dragon. He is often under the influence of our new Vitally Resplendent Moss and this has helped to ease his transition. From what he has told me, he remembers feeling the blessing you gave him when his parents first brought him here years ago as an infant! That’s incredible! Your recent touch has only reawakened in him the passion to serve you. He has been looking for you all of his life. And now he is yours! In truth, he feels like he is home—except, I think, for missing his brother.”
“You have done well, my Captain.” and to emphasize the point she touched his cheek in fiery blessing one last time, before turning briefly to fetch and then place a cloth bundle in his hands. “This ‘award’ should help you with that task. But remember, Raven, I can’t stress how important it is that you press his indoctrination! We can’t afford to let the Enemy have any chance with this one! Not if we are to succeed.”
“I fully understand!” he replied, grinning confidently and nodding his large head. “And I think you’re right about this bundle. Receiving it will lock him to us just like the finest Scalina chain. But I wondered; there’s another thing we might try. What about the Lodge?”
“An excellent idea!” she responded with a smile and a look that some might have called evil joy. “See to it as soon as you have set in motion the other plans we discussed. And let me know any results as fast as you can. My curtain is always open to you!”
THE SHARING
“Jason, it’s time.” Nathan’s gentle touch and soft words roused him from a dark place deep within his spirit. The whole world seemed dark.
Through an open window, he saw that the sun had not yet risen. A cool salt-laden breeze chilled him as he rose to face the world.
Today.
Like a condemned man, the young bard mournfully went about his morning routine and then presented himself to the friend who would soon be his executioner. “I am ready, Master Nathan,” he said in a voice as cold as the Sea in the north and as dark as blackest midnight.
“Yes, today’s your big day! Your GrandSire would be so proud!” the bard’s words seemed too cheery for such a day as today.
Jason only nodded and followed his mentor out the door. Someone in the darkness handed the big bard a small torch, whose weak flame sputtered and whipped in the sea breeze, giving off very little light. Jason could see other lights, similarly distressed by the wind, moving off in a broken line to their left, along the seaward edge of Dragonsback. He allowed himself the luxury of a heavy sigh of resignation and then followed, forcibly willing his feet to move.
For some reason, whether fear or shame, he had not confided his misgivings about the Sea with the bard. How could he tell this man who had done so much for him that he still feared the Sea more than any terror life could throw at him? He did not know how to swim!
On their journey down the mountainside, Nathan had explained to him basically what to expect at the Sharing. The fisherfolk would gather at dawn on a secluded beach to share with each other the dew of the morning. Jason was to observe what was done around him and follow suit. As a new follower of the Gryphon’s Son, he would be welcome to participate.
At least I’ll have this brief time left, thought Jason and shuddered involuntarily as he walked through the predawn darkness. He wished that the fishermen ate before their meeting; his stomach felt as empty as the hole in his heart. He would get no last meal.
They left the village behind and followed a broad and sandy path along the shoreline. He did not realize that the path they walked on consisted only of a thin layer of coral and sea-washed debris that time had cemented to the sheer side of the continent. In places that tentative shelf measured much less than his height in thickness and only a couple more in width!
To their left, the blackened mass of the Dragon rose abruptly into the still-darkened heights. To their right… Jason tried to avoid looking to his right. It was bad enough that he could hear the constant lapping of the waves only several manheights away. In his mind the invisible waves took on the form of a huge monster; its insatiable upper jaw constantly crashing down on the sand in search of any food foolish enough to wander within its grasp.
A vertical fold or wrinkle in the sheer rock of the Dragon’s side allowed the shelf a chance to more securely clutch its benefactor. The cove opened in toward the left and the sand-covered shelf widened and thickened to form a sheltered natural amphitheater facing the Sea. The wind grew suddenly calm as he rounded the corner. Jason observed in the increased light of the gathered torches that the fishermen used this place to mend and dry their nets. All around the outside of the huge semicircular cleft, driftwood racks and pegs supported the spidery webs that allowed these people of the sea to survive.
They must have reached their objective for the gathering fishermen each pushed the top of their torch into the sand to extinguish its flame and then turned to stand in the not-quite-darkness facing the Sea. Jason, still facing the sheer wall at the back of the cove, remained content to watch the fisherfolk and his new environment. Time enough for the Sea later.
The entire central portion of the enclave had been kept empty, except for… What was that object? Jason wondered in the dim light. Then the first streaks of dawn lightened the horizon. Beyond the sporadic black silhouettes of the Islands of the Tail, the distant cloudwall took on the reddening hues of the rising sun. There in front of Jason, mounted on a low base of polished driftwood stood a half-shell that twinned exactly the one attached to his own pack. With one major difference. This one measured over a mansheight across!
As the dawn light filled their protected place, the fisherfolk gathered closer around the Great Shell. Man, woman, and child each drew sun-bleached h
and-carved swords made from either the spiral tusks of narwhale or from the great saws or the powerful bones of the mighty icthuse, greatest of the fish. Together they pointed their swords toward the sky in a great bone-white arrowhead whose point joined where they touched above the open Shell.
What swordsign was this? Jason wondered until he too raised his own sword to merge with the others. Together then, united as one, they held this silent pose for several long moments. During that time, like the almost forgotten warmth and comfort of his mother’s embrace, the feeling swept over him. He belonged! That brief touching of the blades filled him with a consuming energy that lifted his heart and filled his eyes with unexpected tears.
He belonged. These strangers were now his family, brothers and sisters every one. They were part of the same whole. Without each other, they could never be complete. The realization hit Jason like a moving wall. This was his family. They would not let him die.
After that brief kissing of swords, Jason found himself surrounded by a Sea of smiling faces. As he made eye contact with those around him, they each nodded silently and reverently in greeting, then sat down. To avoid being the last one standing, Jason quickly dropped to the sand.
Sitting cross-legged like those around him, he had no idea what to expect next. Surreptitiously, he glanced to his left and right. He didn’t see Nathan anywhere. Although the Shell filled a large area in front of him, its low position allowed everyone to view everyone else, even those on the other side of the circle.
Oh wait, there he is, thought the young bard with a sinking feeling. What’s he doing over there on the other side? I guess I’m all alone in this, whatever it is we’re supposed to be doing.
But then a woman’s voice pierced the silence in song. Her words and notes were not loud, but something in the shape of the cove magnified the sound until that which started as a sweet whisper took on the proportions of a mighty chorus rich and full. Nor was she left to sing a solo. Every voice, according to its own ability, joined that upraised song. Ten handsworth strong, the echoed sound of their singing filled the world with reverberating notes like listening to bells from within the tower.
The Dragon's Back Trilogy Page 26
