The icy wind whipping down from the peaks stirred up swirling snow that danced across their path in glittering waves. Jade pulled her thick, woollen cloak tighter around her shoulders and gently encouraged her mount forward as the horse picked his way through the deep drifts. The Setessian mountain range was like a giant spine, running the length of the entire continent, splitting it in two. Their destination, the village of Gullmar, was nestled high in the mountains, right under Sirohss peak, one of the tallest in the range. Because of the high altitude, the village was permanently blanketed in snow and ice, and the combination of rugged terrain and mountain passes that were only accessible for 3 months out of the year meant that Gullmar rarely saw outsiders. The only other humans they had encountered since they reached this altitude were a handful of goatherds, and they had been… less than hospitable. In this remote, isolated part of the world, strangers were not welcome, especially strangers who asked too many questions.
Of course, that made it the perfect place for a radical to practice, away from the watchful eyes of the Pantheon and their priests. Their inquisitors would never find a Dragon Sage in these mountains, because their usual methods of intimidation and bribery would make no inroads here, only enemies. Jade knew that they would not have made any progress here either, were it not for Av’ry’s connections. He carried the letter of introduction tucked carefully away under his clothing, knowing that without it, their days-long trek into the heart of the mountains would have been entirely in vain.
Reaching the top of a rise, the tiny mountain village appeared below them, dwarfed by the summit that towered above it, raking the sky like a dark talon. As they picked their way down the path to the village, Jade immediately noticed a conspicuous absence of inhabitants. Though smoke curled from the chimneys of the small, stone houses, and the large communal fire pit in the center of town burned vigorously, not a soul stirred in the cobbled streets.
“Think someone saw us coming?” Jade asked sardonically, raising her voice to be heard above the howl of the wind.
“Either that or we’ve rudely interrupted a village-wide game of hide and seek,” Av’ry quipped.
“Shall we take up the job of seeking, then?” Mikiva asked.
“Well, we are only seeking one particular player, aren’t we?” Av’ry mused. “I say we concentrate on him and leave the rest to their hiding places.”
“Do we even know where to find our friend the Sage?” Mikiva replied.
In response, Av’ry extracted a folded scrap of paper from his pocket and smoothed it open against his mare’s neck.
“Fortunately, my friend seems to have foreseen this particular predicament when he pointed me in this direction,” he consulted the crude, hand-drawn map for a moment. “I believe that we are looking for one of those dwellings that have been carved into the rock face along the east side of the village.”
Av’ry pointed to a line of almost a dozen carved wooden doors decorating the cliff face in front of them.
“Which one?” Jade asked, moving closer to get a look at the map.
“Well,” Av’ry squinted at the drawing. “I am not sure that cartography is one of I’shallis’ particular skills. Either that or he doesn’t know this village very well.”
Peering over his shoulder, Jade saw that his ‘map’ was barely more than a doodle, and though the cliff that formed the back edge of the village was clearly indicated, the large “X” that marked their destination covered so much of its surface that it could easily refer to any of the dwellings there.
“I guess we should go take a closer look, then,” Mikiva concluded, urging her horse forward along the snowy cobblestone path.
They dismounted, and tied their shaggy, mountain horses to a hitching post near the cliff. At first glance, there was nothing distinctive about any of the dwellings. No names, no numbers, no personal possessions left outside, it was as sterile and non-descript as the rest of the village.
“This is ridiculous,” Mikiva muttered. “How do they expect visitors to find anyone in this place?”
“I think that’s kind of the point,” Av’ry replied. “Place like this? A lot of people don’t want to be found.”
“Not exactly,” Jade moved closer to the doors. “They don’t want to be found by their enemies. There are certain people they would want to be locate them. And they wouldn’t want those people bothering their neighbours, or getting killed by their neighbours, for that matter.”
She brushed the snow off one of the ornately carved doors and ran her fingers over the pattern,
“No, they would leave a hint so that the people who knew them would find them, without having to intrude on anyone else’s privacy. Something subtle enough that a random inquisitor wouldn’t easily find their quarry, but obvious enough that someone who knew the person well could.”
“But how does that help us? We don’t know our man at all,” Mikiva replied.
“No, but we do know one important thing about him: his area of expertise. And when someone strives to be an expert, they must expect to be consulted about their field, to discuss their findings with other experts and enthusiasts. I imagine that is who would typically go looking for the good sage around these parts.”
“Makes sense,” Av’ry moved closer, examining the etchings in the wood for himself. “So, what do you make of these?”
“Well, this one isn’t it,” Jade bit her lip, studying the markings. “Looks like this is a goat herder. I see a family crest, some very nice meadow scenes. Maybe we should fan out, check the other doors. See if there are any that seem… interesting.”
Jade moved to another entrance and Mikiva and Av’ry both followed suit, running their hands over the patterns, brushing away the snow that collected in the grooves and crevices. Some time passed with no developments before Jade saw a carving that made her pause.
“Here,” she motioned her companions over.
“What did you find?” Av’ry jogged over to stand next to her, Mikiva only steps behind.
“This is the one.”
Av’ry squinted at the door,
“It looks like a map,” he sounded puzzled. “What makes you think this is our sage?”
“Look,” Jade reached out and touched several points on the door gently. “Here, here, here. Do you see all of these points indicated on the map?”
“Yes,” Av’ry nodded.
“Do you recognize them?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Yes, you do,” Jade grinned mischievously. “The map I showed you before, the one with the positions of the major Draconic forts in this mountain range.”
His eyes widened in recognition,
“Of course!” Av’ry slapped his forehead. “These are all Draconic Forts,” he ran his fingers over the map. “Quite a lot of them. Maybe all that can be found in this area.”
“Another expert would certainly recognize this and know what it indicates,” Jade concluded.
“Seems like sound reasoning to me,” Av’ry nodded. “Let’s test your theory.”
He rapped firmly on the door. After a moment with no response, he tried again.
“Maybe he isn’t home,” Mikiva muttered.
Just then, the door opened a crack,
“This is private property,” the voice from inside snapped. “You should leave.”
Av’ry stepped over so he could be seen through the crack,
“We are looking for Ed’wyr Carath. Is he here?”
“No, you have the wrong place,” the man replied.
“Perhaps you could just read this?” Av’ry passed him a slip of paper. “It is a letter for Carath.”
A gnarled hand reached through the gap and snatched the paper. A long moment passed, then finally the door opened wider,
“Come in. It seems you have business here after all.”
“Thank you, sir,” Av’ry smiled and led the way into the entryway.
Inside, the dwelling that had been carved into the mountainside was much as Jade would have expected. Small and dimly lit, it was nonetheless quite cozy and warm, in sharp contrast to the bitter cold outside. Though he wasn’t an exceptionally tall man, Av’ry needed to stoop ever so slightly to avoid hitting his head on the low ceiling, but the small, wizened old man who resided there stood shorter than even Jade, and so it likely didn’t trouble him much. Jade pushed back her hood and brushed the snow from her shoulders. The front foyer where they stood was empty, it gave no clue to the man or his occupation and a curtain hanging across the inner door blocked her view of the rest of his living space.
“Well,” the old man lit another lamp, holding it up to see them better. “Your letter from I’shallis is enough to get you in my door, but I am afraid I am going to need to see some proof of your intentions before we speak any further.”
“You mean proof that I am a fellow heretic?” Av’ry chuckled.
The man did not respond, he simply crossed his arms over his chest and waited.
“Alright,” Av’ry raised his hands in surrender, then he reached into his leather satchel. “Will this suffice?”
Removing two small bottles of clear liquid from his bag, Av’ry poured the contents of one into the other and resealed the full bottle and shook it gently. As he did, a brilliant green glow lit the room, easily outshining both oil lamps.
“I love a good chemiluminescent reaction, don’t you?”
Dangling the bottle lazily from his fingers, Av’ry let it slip to the floor. As it broke on the stone, there was a crack like a gunshot and blinding flash, then it went dark again, leaving them all blinded and disoriented for a moment.
“A chemist then?” the old man chuckled, now noticeably more relaxed. “Why is it that your kind always have to be so dramatic about everything?”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“You mean, flashy?” Av’ry laughed. “Perhaps because our specialty lends itself so well to it. I am sure that if you could produce a living dragon for us, you would.”
The sage nodded thoughtfully,
“I suppose I would at that. But the objects of my study are long gone from this world, sadly.”
“Gone but not forgotten, I hope,” Av’ry raised an eyebrow.
“No, not forgotten,” he smiled slightly. “And I suppose that if you are here, there must something you want to know that the rest of the world considers forgotten?”
“That there is. If you are willing to grant me an audience, sir.”
“Yes, well I believe that you have made your allegiances clear. Come, we will sit in the parlour and discuss forbidden things. And please, call me Ed’wyr.”
“Thank you, Ed’wyr. My name is Av’ry and my companions are Mikiva and Jade.”
“A pleasure,” he smiled. “I am always glad to meet a fellow enthusiast. I apologize for my suspicion, but I am sure you understand why it is necessary. What with the Pantheon scouring the earth for our kind, there is no place that is really safe for a man like me.”
“A true pity,” Av’ry sympathized. “Because I get the feeling that there is much you and your brethren could teach us about our history.”
“Yes,” Ed’wyr sighed sadly.
Leading them into a small parlour, Ed’wyr motioned for them to take a seat. Jade noted that, unlike the bare entry room, this room was crammed full of knickknacks and historical objects. She was mesmerized for a moment by the wall size painting depicting two dragons locked in combat. A ruby dragon was shown rearing back, raking with its claws at an obsidian dragon, who issued forth a blast of fire. That was a type of magic only dragons were ever able to wield; no human, not even a primage, had ever been able to manipulate thermal energy. The intense power and the savagery of the battle had been captured so vividly by the artist that the creatures almost seemed alive on the canvas.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the Sage appeared at her shoulder.
He offered a cup of steaming hot tea that smelled faintly of jasmine. Still chilled to the bone, Jade accepted gratefully,
“It is magnificent. Is that from the Dragon Wars?”
“Yes,” Ed’wyr smiled, seemingly pleased by her knowledge. “The black dragon is the queen’s champion, and the red dragon is the opposition’s leader, they called him the Betrayer. They fought that battle over this very peak, Sirohss, which means ‘Citadel in the Sky’ in Ancient Draconic. The last queen’s main residence was here.”
“Who won?” Jade asked, taking a tentative sip of her tea.
“The ruby dragon. None ever defeated him in head-to-head combat. He was both cunning and powerful. The champion was nearly killed in that fight, and dragon battles never ended in death. At least, not intentionally. Dragons, for the most part, had too much respect for life, and the proper flow of life force, to ever forcibly end an existence. But, as with all living creatures, they were susceptible to emotion and the irrational responses that can engender. During the Dragon Wars, the divide between the two sides ran so deep, and the anger and bitterness were so all encompassing, that they often battled without reservation, and more deaths, usually unintentional, resulted than at other any time in recorded history. It was a terrible period for the Draconic species, and it was all brought on by humans. Apparently,” he observed wryly, “we are capable of inciting violence in other species, not just our own. The human race’s greatest gift, it seems.”
“Or its curse,” Jade observed quietly.
“Yes,” Ed’wyr sat down on an antique settee by the fire. He turned back to Av’ry and Mikiva, “How do you like the tea?”
“It is delicious,” Mikiva replied. “Very warming.”
“Yes, it is made with various mountain herbs that stimulate blood flow. Keeps these old hands from turning blue from the cold. I always have a pot on the fire, which is convenient when company stops by. Though that occurs very rarely.”
“I apologize if we are disturbing you,” Av’ry offered.
“Oh no,” he chuckled jovially. “I actually quite like the company. And I certainly enjoy discussing my work.”
“When was the last time you discussed your work with someone?” Av’ry asked nonchalantly.
“Oh, I suppose that was about 8 months ago,” he mused. “There were 2 scholars from Esrasea here, they came to ask me about…”
“The Dawn’s Blood,” Jade finished.
The sage raised an eyebrow in surprise,
“Why yes, that is what they were asking about. It is surprising that you know of it, few people do, even among my peers. It has been nearly lost to history.”
“And what did you tell them about it?” Av’ry prompted.
Suddenly, suspicion spread across Ed’wyr’s face like a cloud,
“Why are you asking?”
This had always been a risk. In these secretive, radical movements, asking too many questions about specific people could get you pegged as a spy for the Pantheon. That would be fatal for their inquiry. Av’ry hesitated, and Jade jumped in quickly.
“They were our friends,” she said softly, just a trace of sadness in her voice. “We, well, we are told not to admit involvement with our possibly compromised brethren, but I think this time they may really be in trouble,” tears glistened in her eyes as she spoke. “We lived far apart, but we shared many interests, so we would meet occasionally to talk about plans, new information, future explorations and digs. The last time the 5 of us spoke, they told us they were looking for a new relic: the Dawn’s Blood. Something they had read about in an old journal.”
Jade produced the book and slid it across the table to Ed’wyr.
“This was the journal they had. They told us that they might come to you, as part of their search. They left this with me and asked me to keep it safe, while they travelled. And that was the last time we heard from them. I am worried they were caught or killed. We just need to find out what happened to our friends. Please. We don’t know who else to turn to.”
She could see Ed’wyr struggle to remain sceptical, but the sight of her tears had clearly moved him. She would admit to a little bit of guilt about that, but it had to be done.
“What were their names?” he asked her.
“Tr’ellic and F’arrel,” Jade improvised quickly. “But they would have used aliases with you. New ones every time. They were always very careful. We all were. But no matter how careful you are…”
She dropped her head into her hands, shoulders shaking slightly. Ed’wyr picked up the book and flipped through it quickly.
“B’elitz and Bareina’s journal,” he murmured softly. “Yes, this is where they said they found their information. Only two copies exist in the world.”
He thought for a moment, struggling with his decision. Finally, he sighed,
“I was afraid this might happen from the moment I first spoke to them. The Dawn’s Blood is no ordinary relic. It was never meant to be found. Nothing good can come from you going after them.”
“Still, they were our friends, we cannot just abandon them,” Av’ry jumped in, smoothly continuing her lie, as Jade had expected. “We promise we won’t take any unnecessary risks, please, we just need to know what you told them.”
The Sage glanced at the Jade, still sobbing quietly into her hands, and finally he relented,
“Alright, I’ll tell you, if only to right the wrong I did by talking to them in the first place,” he took a deep breath. “I should start by repeating to you the first thing I said to them: the Dawn’s Blood is unrecoverable. After B’elitz and Bareina found it, it was lost forever. No one can retrieve it.”
“Surely they just sold it to some collector,” Mikiva jumped in, clearly growing impatient with the man’s reluctance. “There must be a way to find who owns it. It can’t be that difficult.”
“You don’t understand,” he protested. “It was never sold.”
“B’elitz and Bareina sold everything. Everyone knows that. They were shameless profiteers,” Mikiva said.
“Oh, there is no doubt about that,” anger kindled in Ed’wyr’s eyes at the thought. “Their exploitation of priceless relics destroyed countless invaluable sites and resulted in the loss of innumerable artifacts that could have aided in our studies. I know very well that they typically sold their finds. But there was one thing they loved more than money.”
“And what was that?” Mikiva asked.
“More money,” the sage chuckled. “You see, the Dawn’s Blood came with an inscription, saying that it was the key to open a Draconic Temple full of untold riches. When the tomb raiders found it, they thought that they had uncovered the key to open a previously undiscovered Draconic ruin. They were sure that it would be a treasure trove beyond their wildest imaginations.”
“I take it that it didn’t quite work out that way,” Jade predicted, drying her eyes on her sleeve.
“Not exactly. They didn’t document this themselves, perhaps they were a bit embarrassed, but another researcher they spoke to at the time passed on their own account. As the story goes, they took the Dawn’s Blood to a temple in the mountains and inserted it into a pedestal in the ruins, as instructed. The moment they did, the temple began to crumble around them. It trapped them inside, and they both lost consciousness. It is said that they were sure that they were both going to die. When they regained consciousness, they were lying in the woods, hundreds of kilometers from the mountains, with no memory of where the temple had been or how to find it. They searched for years but never located the site again. It has been theorized that the draconic magic used to transport them out of the temple also disoriented them and erased the memory of the location from their minds, so that the temple and the Dawn’s Blood could never again be uncovered. All anyone knows is that it is in the mountains, somewhere in Maaskal.”
“But why go to all the trouble to set up a trap like that?” Jade asked.
“I have always felt it was to ensure that the Dawn’s Blood would never end up in the wrong hands. So that, if anyone ever found the first hiding place, it would end up somewhere more secure, somewhere safer.”
“What is this Dawn’s Blood? What makes is so important?” Jade chewed her lip.
“Yet another thing no one knows,” Ed’wyr sighed. “But the Dragons must have felt it very important, to take precautions like that with it. The thieves described it as a fist-sized ruby, and well, gemstones like that were often used by dragons for their natural ability to store and focus magical energy. An art that has been mostly lost to us in modern times. It is believed that a gem that size could hold an inconceivable amount of draconic power.”
“That would certainly be something worth protecting,” Jade nodded.
“But it doesn’t help us, does it?” Mikiva chimed in. “If you didn’t know where to search for the Dawn’s Blood, then we still have no idea where to search for our friends. We are no better off than when we started.”
“Is there something else you might have told them?” Av’ry redirected. “Maybe you gave them the name of another Sage, another place they could go for more information? Someone must have an idea of where to begin.”
“I am afraid not, dear boy,” the Sage said sadly. “There is no person on this earth who knows more about the gem than I do. No one could narrow down the search for them any further. I am sorry that I cannot help you,”
Ed’wyr lowered his head apologetically, then suddenly he seemed to remember something,
“Wait!” he exclaimed. “There was something else! I didn’t put it together at first because it wasn’t directly related to the Dawn’s Blood.”
“What was it?” Jade’s disappointment was instantly replaced with a renewed excitement.
“Well, they asked about another Temple, one of the few Draconic Temples located in the lowlands, not in the mountains. It is actually in the middle of a currently inhabited human city. In fact, I remember being surprised that they didn’t know where it was already. But I suppose they had just come across it in an old text and didn’t know its modern human name, because they asked for it by the draconic name: Trissilver Yssala. Yssala being, of course the draconic word for temple. Humans call it the Deep Valley Temple now, and it is located in the City of Cillvala.”
“Did they tell you why they were looking for the temple? What they hoped to find there?” Av’ry drained the last of his tea.
“All they told me was that they were looking for Trissilver Yssala, and that they wanted to find something that had been left in the caverns below. I told them that those caverns are sealed, locked away with Draconic magic that no human mage has ever been able to pierce. The main floor of the temple is used as a human church, dedicated to the worship of one of those new gods,” he waved a hand dismissively, as if the thousand years that the Pantheon had ruled were a mere blip in time, “but the caverns below remain unexplored. Your friends seemed very pleased to hear that. I got the feeling that they expected to find something special down there. I asked, of course. But they refused to tell me what they were planning, saying only that if they could find what they hoped, I would learn soon enough. But I never heard anything more from them. Perhaps they met some harm out there,” Ed’wyr shook his head sadly.
“Do you know anything about what could be in those caverns?” Jade could barely contain her excitement; it may not be the Dawn’s Blood, but this was a good lead, a real lead. Finally.
“No, they have always been sealed, even before the dragons vanished. The looters and the scholars never got a chance to get inside, so there are no accounts of what it contains. How your friends expected to get in, I have no more idea than what they expected to find there. But that is where I would start looking for them.”
“Thank you. Thank you, Ed’wyr,” Jade smiled, not really needing to feign her gratitude.
“That is where we will go, then. We should leave right away,” Av’ry got to his feet.
“Now don’t be silly,” Ed’wyr scolded him. “It is already dark out, a storm is blowing in, and you are clearly unfamiliar with the mountains. It would be too dangerous to try and descend the unfamiliar path towards Cillvala under these conditions. You will be my guests for the evening. I will prepare dinner, and I have 2 guest rooms where you can stay. The benefits of living in abandoned tunnels, I have much more space than I need,” he chuckled. “And tomorrow I will get you a map of the best trails through the mountains to Cillvala. I would say that it is about 3 days ride from here, this time of year.”
“Oh, we couldn’t impose on you like that,” Av’ry objected politely.
“Nonsense, I insist. Consider it my repayment for your pleasant company. And please don’t argue, it isn’t like you can find an inn out here.”
“True,” Av’ry conceded ruefully. “Very well. In that case, we accept gratefully. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Mikiva and Jade both echoed the sentiment.
“Alright, well we should go and see to your horses, and then I will prepare dinner. Follow me and I will show you to the stables.”
Ed’wyr rose, wrapped himself in a heavy cloak and headed for the door; Mikiva and Av’ry followed after him. Jade hesitated for a moment; eyes caught once more by painting of the two dragons. For some reason, she found the scene very captivating. After a moment, she shook herself and hurried out after her companions. There was no time for idle daydreaming, after all.
