The Dragon War Page 21

  “I understand,” Diamedes said gently. “We have urgent business to attend to despite the transit of the planet Dor Akun. Would you not be willing to transport us back to our realm? We will take responsibility for our own actions and safety.”

  She shook her head, “That power is not for us. I can take your friend back, but the rest of you are bound here by the power of his kind.” She pointed at Damien.

  Damien sighed and looked saddened slightly, “She is correct. The ladies of the woods did not bring us here. The gateway was opened and then sealed by the mage.”

  “Yes. We channeled the gateway but the Arcane opened the door to our realm. We do not possess the power to bring another woman here. Our abilities to transport her kind are limited,” the woman said pointing to Alyssa.

  “They did not touch us,” Zokar noted, sounding much more like himself.

  Damien nodded, “Each dryad can only transport one man to their realm and physical contact is necessary.”

  “You’ve been in their realm before,” Zokar noted. “Can’t you get us all out?”

  Damien shook his head. “As she said, they did not touch us. The transport to this dimension was done by Amsel and only he can reverse the gate.”

  “Then how are we supposed to get back?” Alyssa asked.

  Damien shrugged, “Honestly, I fear we are here for all eternity.”

  “Unless Mister Amsel decides he’s had a change of heart and comes open our prison for us.”

  At the word prison, all eyes looked at the nymph. She looked back at them then with a flash of light, she was gone. After the customary blinking slowed to a manageable level, Alyssa looked at Damien asking, “You referred to them as a dryad. Are they dryads or nymphs?”

  Damien answered, “They are both, like woman and lady.”

  Dour interrupted, “What was it this nympho-dry-ad said about food?”

  “She said we would have sustenance here,” Alyssa said.

  “Where?” Dour asked.

  Damien pointed in the opposite direction of where the nymph had been, and the group followed his gaze to a stone table where food and drink was on display in abundance. Alyssa snorted and said with cynicism in her voice, “That wasn’t there when we arrived.”

  “Who cares,” Dour said, grabbing Azor by the arm and tugging at the large man till he shambled after him towards the table. Once there, the small cleric grabbed a handful of cherries and stuffed them in his mouth while pulling a succulent, roasted chicken leg and waving them over with it. “Go on, you big lout. Eat and drink your fill. You look like ya ain’t eaten in days.”

  “Weeks,” Azor said, finally reaching for a slice of honey bread and stuffing it in his mouth. There were pitchers filled with various drinks. Wine, juices, water, and sweet milk. Bread, cheeses, meats and fruits filled the large stone table. The rest of the group joined them, and they ate and drank in silence until they started to feel content.

  Finally, Diamedes spoke breaking the peaceful environment, “This doesn’t feel right.”

  “Well it tastes right by me,” Dour said, licking a couple of fingers and reaching for his mug to take another swill of apple juice. “Besides, Azor looks ill from not eating and needs something or he’ll get sick on us and die.”

  “That’s rich coming from a death cleric,” Alyssa said.

  Dour ignored her, “We could use some chairs. Not sure if these dry-nymphs don’t sit much or what, but a good rocking chair would go a long way now in my estimation.”

  “I think we need to listen to Diamedes,” Zokar said, putting another slice of bread down and facing the group from across the table. “One meal here may take a week or more to eat in our time. We were short as it was when we were… abducted. Our friends and family back on Agon are counting on us and we’re stuffing our faces?”

  “Well, I’m done stuffing so grab a bag and let’s take some with us,” Dour said.

  Alyssa daintily placed a green grape in her mouth and chewed it, taking her time before commenting, “You heard the creature and Damien. There is no escaping from this place.”

  “Think about what you’re saying Alyssa,” Zokar said. “Seth is counting on us. Would you let him down?”

  She dropped her second grape and looked him in the eye, “I guess not, but as I said, we are stuck here.”

  “Is that true?” Zokar asked.

  Most everyone except Dour looked at Damien who had eaten sparingly. “Unless a power greater than what Amsel wielded can be brought to bear against the gateway then yes, we are probably stuck.”

  “You don’t wield that power in your staff?” Zokar asked.

  Damien shook his head, “I am afraid that my powers are barely up to the level of a simple wizard.”

  The group stood around the table in silence. Occasionally someone would shuffle their feet, change their stance or attempt to make eye contact with another companion, but no one said anything further and no one ate. When their silence became awkward, Diamedes walked away from them and stood facing the direction in which the nymph had last been seen. His gaze lingered there for a long time before the group joined him one by one except for Dour who had pulled out an empty sack and started stuffing food and flasks into it.

  The other companions had congregated in a circle around Diamedes who finally broke the silence. “I have failed again.”

  After a few seconds, Zokar responded. “Don’t talk that way. I’m sure there’s something we can do.”

  Diamedes shook his head. “Who knows, the transit may have already occurred and even if we could return it may very well be to a world we no longer recognize.”

  The group stood in silence and when that awkward, hopeless feeling returned it was Azor who spoke next, “I guess I should return these to you.”

  Azor held a sword for Zokar who took it and placed it in its empty sheath. “Thank you, Azor.”

  Azor nodded then pulled two arrows out and offered them to Alyssa. She took them and deftly slipped them in her quiver and smiled at the large man. Reaching into his belt, tucked below the buckle, he pulled out a ring as well and gave it to her.

  He pulled a necklace that barely fit from his head and turned to see Dour marching towards them with a sack of food over his shoulder. When the cleric arrived Azor placed the necklace back on the cleric’s neck and said, “Here are your shaman beads.”

  “Most kind of ya, Northman,” Dour said.

  Azor nodded then pulled out the silk pouch and offered it to Damien, “These are your healing pills.”

  “Well, they were given to Diamedes, but I have kept them safe for him. Shall I?” He asked turning to Diamedes.

  “Yes, please do,” Diamedes nodded saying, “Thank you for caring for them and thank you for saving our lives back there in Tyniria. It is good to see you again.”

  “You are kind.” Azor said, reaching again into his belt and pulling out a sheathed dagger. The blade glowed an intense blue that was so strong that it literally permeated the leather scabbard that it was firmly tucked into. “This is yours as well.”

  Diamedes took the dagger and held it across both his hands. The others looked on and Zokar asked, “Dragons?”

  “It can’t be,” Diamedes said.

  “Then what’s the matter with it?” Dour asked, leaning his head over and peering intently at the weapon.

  “Pull it out,” Zokar ordered.

  Diamedes did as he was told and pulled the dagger out holding it in his right hand slightly in front and overhead of him. The light was the brightest hue of blue they had ever seen. “I’ve only seen it glow like this one other time.”

  “Me too,” Damien said. “And there was a dragon present when you did.”

  “Then where’s the damn dragon?” Dour asked, looking face to face.

  Everyone turned their attention outside of their small circle and saw nothing more than the wooded dimension of the nymphs. Zokar was the first to answer, “I don’t think it’s a dragon that’s causing this.”


  “What could it be then?” Alyssa asked.

  “Damien,” Zokar asked. “Could it be this realm that’s causing the blade to glow?”

  Damien shrugged, “This place is not something one can easily grasp and understand. It is like a world but within another dimension. Due to the nature of this place, I would say it is possible that the blade is simply revealing its nature by demonstrating its power through its light.”

  “Then this blade may be much more powerful than we know?” Zokar asked.

  “Ask him,” Damien said looking at Diamedes.

  Diamedes answered, “I’m not sure of the power that it possesses as its history is not fully known to me, but I can say it’s legend refers to its making back when the ancients roamed the land.”

  “That would make it a very old artifact,” Damien noted.

  “It is,” Diamedes said.

  “I sense that its power could free us from this place,” Damien said.

  That made everyone perk up and Dour asked, “What’s the catch?”

  Damien’s face went serious before he answered, “It could free us if it does not kill us first.”

  Chapter 17

  The Book

  “Are you sure this is gonna work?” Dour asked.

  Damien shook his head, “Not really, but I know that the two powers needed to transfer from this world to our world, or vice versa, is the gateway and the door.”

  “Sounds like the same thing to me,” Dour said skeptically.

  “Think of it more as a corridor leading to a door,” Damien explained. “If you take the wrong corridor, you can open a door that will lead to some other place and not Agon.”

  “That could be nasty,” Alyssa commented.

  “Wait a second,” Zokar asked. “Are you saying we could use this realm to travel to the homeland of the dragons?”

  “Dor Akun?” Alyssa asked.

  Damien nodded, “Probably, though without knowing how to find the correct corridor, we would most likely open the wrong door.”

  “Then what makes you so certain you can get us back to Agon?” Alyssa asked.

  “I am not certain,” Damien said. “However, I was raised here, and the channeling of the energy used for my transport along with my training in the Arcane leads me to believe that I at least know how to find this one corridor. You will have to trust me, though it will be up to Diamedes and his artifact to open the door.”

  Azor asked, “And if you open the wrong corridor?”

  “Then Diamedes will open the wrong door,” Damien said.

  “Then we’ll be on some other world other than Agon,” Dour said.

  Azor persisted, “If you open the correct corridor and Diamedes can’t open the door?”

  Dour answered for Damien, “Then we all go kablooey.” The cleric spread his arms out wide and opened his eyes in mock exaggeration to indicate and explosion of some kind.

  “I do not know this word,” Azor said seriously.

  “He means we will all die,” Damien answered.

  “Horribly,” Alyssa added for emphasis.

  Azor nodded then leaned towards Diamedes and spoke softly to him, “Do not fail. No kablooey for us.”

  Diamedes nodded in return, “Understood.”

  “Even if he didn’t understand you’d be dead first before you knew you were kablooeyed,” Dour said, allowing a grin to come across his face at the idea.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Diamedes said. “I fear we are wasting precious time.”

  “Stay close everyone,” Damien ordered. He then lifted his staff and spoke arcane words for a full minute before the landscape began to warp and spin around them. The companions had agreed to hold onto one another, not because there was evidence that it was a scientifically sound concept to follow, but rather because the nymphs seemed to need this contact when they transported themselves and possible guests between realms. No one wanted to be left behind, potentially trapped in perpetuity alone despite having a pleasant environment and food and drink in abundance.

  “Get ready,” Zokar said, not caring if speaking would break a spell or concentration of their wizard.

  When the altering landscape stopped shifting and held static in one precise second in time, Damien shouted, “Now Diamedes.”

  Diamedes said nothing in return and with all his might, he smote the intense blue-glowing dagger, sharp end first, into the ground at the base of Damien’s staff. With a flash of white the entire landscape vanished, and they blinked away the disorientation as they found themselves suddenly surrounded by dark trees, an overcast sky that bordered on night and the sounds of something rumbling deeply, though far away.

  “Is everyone here?” Zokar asked.

  “Someone tend to Diamedes,” Alyssa said, kneeling at the man’s side and motioning for Dour to help.

  “Well, either you opened the wrong hallway, or he opened the wrong door,” Zokar said looking around. “This looks nothing like Agon.”

  “Did you transport us to Akun?” Alyssa asked, a tinge of awe in her voice.

  “No,” Damien said, looking forlorn and tired, even weak from his exertion. “This is Agon.”

  “Impossible,” Zokar said.

  “I have travelled between their dimension and Agon many times,” Damien said. “I assure you we are back on Agon and in the same place that we left.”

  “Are you sure?” Zokar asked.

  “Very,” Damien said. “The portal and gateway we used are tied to the very same tree that the lead dryad used to initially take us to her realm.”

  The companions looked at a very old oak tree that towered over them not far away. Its power could be felt easily. “I too know this place well now,” Azor said. “I spent weeks in these woods looking for you. We are definitely back on Agon, the Kesh speaks the truth.

  “What now then?” Alyssa asked.

  “When now,” Would be a more appropriate question, Damien said.

  Dour started chanting and within minutes Diamedes awoke and the cleric helped him stand. “That was too easy.”

  “What do you mean?” Alyssa asked, helping Diamedes to his feet.

  “It means, lassie, that I felt the power of the Father flowing into me as if it were a roaring river instead of a trickle.”

  “So?” Alyssa pressed.

  “So the Father is close, very close.”

  “We are too late then?” Diamedes asked, trying to orient himself to his surroundings.

  “We have no idea,” Zokar said. “How do you feel?”

  “I’m fine,” Diamedes said. “We need to get to Tannis immediately.

  “We aren’t even sure where we are,” Dour said, then seeing Damien’s look of disapproval he corrected himself, “Alright, we know where we are but not when we are.”

  “Correct,” Damien said, adding a smile to his countenance pleased that his friend accurately captured their situation.

  “I think despite the situation and time that has elapsed, we should rest before travelling,” Zokar said, taking time to look at each of his companions in turn. “We could very well spend valuable time and energy heading in the wrong direction and that would be worst than resting here for the night.”

  “What makes you think it’ll be night soon?” Alyssa asked.

  Zokar pointed to what could be the west where the slight rays of the sun tried to fight against the dark clouds overhead. “The sun is about to set. We should rest then resume at first light.”

  The companions looked at each other then nodded as a group and laid out their backs and pulled out their bedding for the night. They would sleep then see what the dawn brought them.

  The next day the group woke to darkness and a surprise. It was hard to see because the sky wasn’t just cloudy, it was filled with ash. Somewhere a volcano was spilling its guts into the air and the result was a grey-black sooty ash that started to cover the land around them. They had to brush themselves off as they woke.

  The second surprise was that half the sky
was filled with Dor Akun. The planet dwarfed anything they could have imagined filling the sky with its presence from the eastern horizon to nearly directly overhead. Based on the circumference of the planet, it was obvious that the planet would continue to fill the sky as it had not completely cleared the horizon. “Damn,” Dour said.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Alyssa asked.

  Diamedes answered, “Yes, Dor Akun.”

  “Then it’s too late?” Azor asked.

  “No,” Damien said. “We have a matter of days left before the transit begins.”

  “How do you know this?” Zokar asked.

  Diamedes moved to the Kesh wizard and looked him in the eye, “You’ve seen this before, haven’t you?”

  Damien shook his head, “Once, long ago. My mother allowed me to see it before we fled back to her abode for safety. I did not think I would live to see it again.”

  “Well you can thank me and the Father for that,” Dour said. “I get the feeling the Father wanted to see you again.”

  “Hush for a moment,” Diamedes said to Dour somewhat impatiently then turning his attention back to Damien he asked, “We aren’t too late then. How much time do we have exactly?”

  “I do not know,” Damien answered.

  “You just said we’re not too late and we have a matter of days left,” Zokar paraphrased what Damien had already said.

  “I did, but this does not mean I have an exact knowledge of the time. From my best estimation we have less than a week left, maybe a week if we are lucky, but certainly not a fortnight.”

  “The High Mage may have very well won then,” Zokar noted. “It would take at least three days to travel to Ulatha and longer than that to enter the Earlstyne Forest where this portal is to open.”

  “And we still need to get to Tannis which is how far away?” Alyssa asked.

  “At least a day or two?” Zokar guessed.

  The group looked at each other before Diamedes picked his pack up and shouldered it. “We go now then. No further delays.”

  The rest of the group shouldered their own packs and Dour had his extra bag of provisions from which he offered food. Most refused to eat but Azor accepted. The Northman had suffered from malnourishment in the wild while looking for the companions. He later told them that he didn’t waste time hunting or fishing and instead travelled around the entire forest looking for tracks that could lead him to them again. He had almost given up in despair when the dryad found him and fulfilled his wish of reuniting with his companions.