With no path for them to follow, neither Max nor Anders knew where they were going, so they trailed Ivan. Anders reached out mentally to Zahara. He felt her presence and knew she was nearby, shadowing them as they hiked up the canyon deeper into the forest.
“How long is the walk to the Everlight Kingdom?” Anders asked as they hiked along the forest floor.
“We are already in the Everlight Kingdom,” Ivan said. “We are going to the ancient elf city of Cedarbridge in the heart of the Enlightened Forest.”
“Why do they call it the Enlightened Forest?” Max asked.
“Long ago when the elves first built their homes in the forest, they imbedded magic into all of their natural surroundings. The elves and the empowered forest have since coexisted peacefully and harmoniously for thousands of years with this sharing of powers. The magic within the walls is so ancient and powerful that no magician has ever been able to break down its protective barrier, not even Merglan,” Ivan said.
“It sounds like a utopia,” Max said.
“It’s a peaceful place and the quest for knowledge there is never-ending. They hold the largest library in the world. Its manuscripts and scrolls go all the way back to this world’s first inhabitants.”
“It sounds like a good place to be when the rest of the nations fall to pieces,” Anders said.
“The elves are not beyond the destructive grasp of Merglan, but they have managed to avoid it thus far. The location of Cedarbridge disguises itself to those unwelcome magicians who seek to find it,” Ivan said. “Though they are protected by powerful magic, the city of the elves has its problems too, just like the rest of the world.”
They walked in silence for most of the morning after the talk about Cedarbridge. They stopped to rest for lunch after emerging from the canyon where the Glacial Melt Creek was carving out its path.
“Do all elves know how to use magic?” Anders asked, chewing on a stick of jerky.
Ivan responded, “No, although many can. They are not born with the ability to use magic, like dragons. They have to be given the gift just like we humans. Most elves live very long lives, much longer than a human or dwarf. Elves and dragons share a special connection with nature and all things that come from nature. The elven people have bonded more with dragons than any other race; it has been that way for thousands of years. The land of dragons, Nagano, as named by the elves, is the original birthplace of our world’s dragon race. Its borders lie east and north of the Everlight Kingdom. Nagano is surrounded by two enormous mountain ranges, the Ridgebacks to the north and the Eastland Mountains to the south. The Eastland Mountains separate the dragons from the evils that grow in Eastland Territories.”
“It sounds like a good place for a young dragon to grow up,” Anders said, thinking of Zahara’s life when she was younger.
“Yes, Nagano is an ideal place for dragons to thrive,” Ivan said looking at Anders, curious about that comment.
For the next several days, the three of them marched through the forest along the base of the Frozentip Mountains, which, according to Ivan, separated Westland from the Everlight Kingdom. Every now and then Anders could see the glacier-capped peaks poking up above the clouds. Each night, Anders would sneak away to visit with Zahara and tell her what he learned about the elves that day. She was just as fascinated by their culture as he was and probably more excited to meet them.
Finally, after several long days with little rest at night, the three travelers reached the camouflaged city gates of Cedarbridge. An expansive wall of tightly woven plants created a living barrier protecting the city’s limits. Anders told Zahara to wait until he thought it was safe for her to reveal herself to the elves. He didn’t want to take any chances of having Zahara taken away from him until he was sure they would help find her parents.
Ivan spoke a strange tongue that Anders assumed was Elvish, because when he finished the gate swung open. “Welcome to the Enlightened Forest and Cedarbridge, the city of elves,” Ivan motioned his arm across his body in perfect timing with the gate as it opened.
Anders and Max stared in awe at the beautiful sight. Homes built in trees, natural bridges and staircases leading from one to the other. Entire structures constructed of growing plants surrounded them as they entered the city. Beautiful wood carvings adorned each door and each structure’s intricate details stood out. Anders took it all in.
Everything is a wonderful work of art, he thought.
Before they’d gone very far beyond the gates, an elf woman walked up to them. She wore her silver blonde hair pinned up at the back of her head, exposing her pointy ears. She had beautiful green eyes and wore a blue dress intricately woven with a pattern Anders had never seen before.
“Follow me,” she said in slightly accented Landish and motioned for them to follow her. Max, Ivan, and Anders did as they were instructed.
“Where are we going?” Anders asked Ivan.
“She is leading us to the High Council. There we will discuss the location of Merglan’s hideout,” Ivan said.
They followed a well-worn path that wound through the forested city. At the base of an enormous tree, they entered through another beautifully carved door. Spiral stairs spun along the inside of the tree’s trunk, leading them upward to the canopy. They came out into a large courtyard nestled in the crotch of the large tree. Leaf-covered branches extended out and up from the platform’s edges, growing in all directions high above their heads. In the center of the courtyard, seated around a large table, seven elves awaited their arrival. Every one of them looked over at Ivan, Max and Anders when they entered the platform. Only one seat remained unoccupied at the table.
“We weren’t expecting you to bring visitors,” one of the elves said to Ivan in perfect Landish as he moved into the remaining chair. Anders and Max stood behind him.
“I had to meet certain obligations, Asmond,” Ivan said, looking back at Anders and Max as he spoke.
“Very well. We can begin,” Asmond said.
Anders and Max listened as the High Council of Elves spoke, though neither of them understood Elvish. They stood behind Ivan and remained expressionless as though they knew what was being discussed. One of the elves pulled out a map of Eastland and began pointing to several locations.
“I have never heard of the orcs and kurr gathering together in such great numbers,” an elf woman said, switching effortlessly to Landish so Anders and Max could understand her.
Ivan searched the faces of the elves gathered around the table, his expression serious, “We need to strike now while Merglan is focused on building his army. If what you have said is true, he is planning something big. His armies have never been the size they will be if he can unite all of the orcs and kurr.”
“Agreed,” Asmond said.
“The Rollo Islanders are tracking the orc tribe that attacked us at one of the Glacial Melt Bays. Together, if we combine our forces, we could launch an attack on Merglan’s fortress,” Ivan said.
The elves in the room collectively looked on in disgust at the mention of the Rollo Islanders.
“In the interest of our common enemy’s demise, I will forgive the feud between our people and the warrior brutes, for now,” Asmond said.
Ivan rose and bowed to him, “Thank you, your grace. We will look for your army at the Eastland Mountain front before we march on the fortress.”
“I will send my son with you. He can keep me informed of your progress. When it is time, we will send our army,” said Asmond.
“That is very generous of you, Asmond. Thank you,” Ivan said bowing once more. He turned and nodded to Anders and Max to leave with him.
“This way please,” said the elf that had escorted them up to the council meeting.
Once back on solid ground, Ivan told them they’d be leaving once Asmond’s son joined them.
“So that guy, Asmond, was their leader?” Anders asked.
“Yes, he is the Elf King. The woman who also spoke our tongue during the meeting was his wife and Queen of the elves. Her name is Lageena,” he said. “Their son, who you will meet very soon, is called Nadir.”
Max and Anders nodded. They were led to the far edge of the city where they were told to wait for Nadir’s arrival. As the elf woman moved to leave them, Anders said to her, “Wait, there’s something I need to ask you.”
She turned to look at him. Ivan and Max also looked at him, a bit confused about what he could possibly want from her.
“There’s a young dragon with us that got lost during a storm. She was fleeing from Merglan when he invaded her homeland. Her family was trying to make it here to seek refuge. She is patiently waiting outside your gates. Do you think it would be possible to see if her parents made it here? Or if anyone knows where they could be?” Anders asked.
Max stood there looking at him with his mouth open in astonishment.
“Let me check. I will be right back,” she said and ran off.
“Since when do you know dragons?” Max asked, flabbergasted.
“I met her that night I went for a walk along the forest’s edge at the Bareback Plains,” Anders said. “I felt bad that she was all alone and lost from her family. After that I snuck off to meet her many of the nights that we traveled when everyone was asleep. She told me how she was separated from her parents on the way here. When you said you had to come here, Ivan, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to come and see if I could help reunite her with her family.”
“That’s why I couldn’t sense you,” Ivan said. “You were with a dragon. She must have blocked you from me. I was beginning to think my magic was failing me.”
“You have been befriending a dragon this whole time?” Max said.
“Understand that if she exposed herself to the wrong person, they would have tried to kill her or use her against her will. She’s just an infant and I didn’t want any harm to come to her,” Anders said.
“He is right,” Ivan said. “Many in the Rollo clans would have harmed her if they knew of her existence.”
Rushing back to them, the elf woman, “We have two dragons here at present that claim to have been separated from their offspring on their way to our city. I would be glad to show her to them.”
“Great!” Anders said, excited and relieved.
“If you bring her in, we can go together to see if they are her parents. Then I will take you back to your companions and you can go on your way,” she said.
Anders looked at Ivan for his approval; he nodded in agreement. Anders went with the elf woman to the gate. When it opened, Zahara stood waiting for him. He knew she had listened in on their conversation so was already aware of the arrangements. She hopped up into the air and did a few loops, then landed back on the ground.
You’ve found my family! she said excitedly.
“It looks like it,” Anders said. “This elf would like to take us to them and make sure they are indeed your parents.”
Let’s go, she said happily.
Anders looked at the elf woman, forcing a smile on his face, “She’s ready.”
The woman guided them a long way around the edge of the city. At the far end, they came to a cliff that overlooked a large valley. Anders could see several dragons playfully flying through the air above the valley. He looked up at Zahara and saw the look of pure joy in her eyes. The elf lady called out over the cliff. Two very large dragons, one orange in color and one purple, landed on the cliff in front of them. Zahara threw herself into their embrace, nuzzling their heads and necks and purring happily.
“It looks like you have reunited this family,” the elf said to Anders.
“It sure does,” Anders said. He felt sad that he had to let her go. He wanted to stay with her, but it was time for him to focus on getting his own family back. Anders knew this was where their paths ended, for now. Hanging his head, he turned and began to walk away from them, the elf woman leading him back from where they’d come.
Zahara saw them leaving and called after him, Hey, Anders, wait up. Anders turned and met Zahara as she bounded to him. He hugged her tightly around the neck and she nuzzled him back.
As he held onto her, he said, “Be with your family. I will return someday. I promise.” His eyes welled with tears as he pulled away.
Thank you for all you’ve done, Anders, Zahara said. She watched as he walked away, disappearing along the winding path toward Cedarbridge.
Anders followed his guide in silence back to Ivan and Max. He’d managed to wipe away his tears before rejoining them. Nadir had met up with Ivan and Max while Anders was away; they stood ready to embark on the next part of their adventure.
“I know that was hard for you to do,” Ivan said as he patted Anders on the shoulder. “You did the right thing. She will be much safer here with the elves and back among the safety of her family.”
Embarrassed at his sniffles, Anders agreed, “I know.” As he said the words, Anders found himself gazing longingly at the cliffs. Forcing himself, Anders followed the others as they set off into the vast elven forest once again.
After leaving Zahara with the elves, Anders felt his mind become clouded in a gloom he hadn’t felt since his Uncle Theodor was killed. While Ivan and Max talked with Nadir, the Elf Prince, Anders wondered if he’d made a mistake in leaving Zahara. In the end, however many ways he mulled it over, Zahara belonged with her parents. She was, after all, just a baby with little knowledge of the world.
Ivan and Nadir knew the paths that would take them to an area where they expected to find the Rollo Island warriors. Once they were close enough, Ivan would be able to sense their exact location, so the small group was confident in tracking down the Rollo people.
When the sun set and then night fell onto the forest, the four built a fire and ate the dried meat and nuts they’d brought along. Nadir went off to gather some leaves, fruits and berries for his meal. Curious about how it would taste, Max and Anders tried the assortment of things the elf was eating. Ivan deferred, sticking with his dried meat and nuts.
“I ate too much of that vegetation when I was training for the war,” Ivan said stuffing his hand into the pouch where he kept his rations.
“The greens are pretty bland, but the berries are sweet,” Max said, excitedly chewing on a handful of the elf’s food.
“All the nutrients the body needs are growing right here in the forest around us,” Nadir said humbly.
“That’s right,” Ivan said. “And the wild protein provided by the animals we eat are just that.”
“Carnivores that live in the forest rely on those meats. I will not take a meal away from the hunters of these woods. As long as they keep the deer and other herbivores in check, we’ll continue to have plenty of naturally growing foods for all who live here in the Everlight Kingdom,” Nadir said.
Anders took a bite of dried meat. Talking with his mouth fairly full, he said, “I think I fall somewhere in the middle of your opinions. I think the greens and fruits complement the meat quite nicely.”
“Yeah, I like them both, too. Meat is just too good to give up altogether, in my opinion,” Max added.
“Suit yourself,” the elf said and finished his meal.
After a short silence, Max blurted out something that’d been bothering him all day. He had been afraid to ask earlier, but now he could not control his eagerness to know. “Can you do magic?” he asked Nadir. “Ivan told us that many elves can perform magic.”
“Max,” Ivan said in a tone that would be used in talking down to a child. “It is not polite to ask an elf such a personal question. Especially a member of the elven royalty.”
“No, it’s all right,” said Nadir. “To answer your question frankly, no, I am not able to use magic yet. I have been paired with several dragons, none of which shared a connection with me strong enough for me to receive the gift of magic.”
“Is it common for dragons to decide not to bestow magic on someone?” Anders asked.
“It happens more often than you would think,” Nadir said shortly. “A dragon’s likelihood to find a match so strong only happens once in its lifetime, if they are lucky. Most dragons live their whole lives never finding their match.”
“How did it happen for you, Ivan?” Anders asked.
Ivan took a sip of some water he had in the bladder slung around his neck, “When I was paired with my dragon the elves had spent many months observing the personalities and behaviors of the dragons and those who went through the army’s training camps. The candidates were paired up with the dragon that had a personality most similar to their own. The system had some success, because several of us in the program did find matches.
“My situation was not a normal one. Because of the peculiarity and haste of the match, I feared our connection would not be as strong as most dragon-rider matches that were put together more organically.”
Anders saw a tear roll down Ivan’s cheek. He quickly wiped it away with his sleeve.
“No matter,” Nadir said. “I am sure if Zahara was your match, she would have let you know, what with you being the Prophecy and all.”
Flustered by the comment, Anders asked, “What Prophecy?” He looked at Ivan, who held his forehead in his hands.
Quick to read the situation, Nadir said to Ivan, “You hadn’t told him yet?”
Anders struggled to understand why he suddenly felt so confused and angry; perhaps he was just upset after losing another close friend. Perhaps Nadir had misspoken. He looked to Ivan and Nadir angrily, “What the hell do you mean, I am the Prophecy?”
“Let me explain,” Ivan said, taking a deep breath. “There is a prophecy that foretells of a human and dragon bond so strong that the two will become the most powerful dragon and sorcerer pair in history. Powerful enough to overthrow Merglan.”
“That’s what you were talking to Theodor about in the woods the night before the attack began?!” Anders asked.
Ivan nodded, “That is what Merglan is searching for. It isn’t a trinket or an item; it’s you.”
“What? How? Why?” Anders asked in rapid succession.
“Merglan sensed it in you when you were just a baby. He tried to capture you once before, when you were younger.”
“Is that how my parents died?” Anders asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes,” Ivan said with a sigh.
“He was wrong; Merglan got it wrong!” Anders shouted in desperation. He didn’t want to accept what Ivan was telling him. “I’m not anything special! I am just a person who wants to get my family back.” He jumped to his feet and stormed off away from camp.
“Anders, wait,” Ivan said getting up to follow him.
“Let him go,” Nadir said, motioning Ivan to sit back down. “He needs time to process this revelation.”
Later that night, Max pulled Anders aside and asked, “Hey, are you okay?”
Anders shrugged and glanced to make sure that Ivan and Nadir weren’t within earshot. “How can what they said be true? Zahara and I shared the feeling of being separated from our families, but that was it. We didn’t form a special bond. The only thing that has changed is now I know why terrible things have happened to my family. It’s all because some crazy sorcerer believes I am going to defeat him. I can hardly fight off more than one orc by myself. I am not who they think I am.”
“At least you know why bad things have happened to your family,” Max said.
“What do you mean?” Anders asked.
“You know how I told you Bo and I were adopted by that family in Brookside?” Anders nodded. “Well, they had to adopt us because my parents were murdered in their sleep.”
“That’s awful,” Anders said, shocked that Max was telling him this.
“Tony always thought I did it to them and hates me. One day when I was out riding with Tony’s oldest daughter, nomads from the Bareback Plains attacked us. I hid in a coyote’s den after they knocked me off my horse. She didn’t make it in time and the nomads killed her. Once they were gone, I brought her body back and Tony nearly beat me to death. No matter how many times I tried to tell him what happened, he remained convinced that I’d killed his daughter. I don’t know if that makes you feel any better or worse, but at least you know why Merglan is attacking your family. I don’t know why people attacked mine,” Max returned to the camp, leaving Anders standing alone.
Anders came back to his spot around the fire, lay down on the ground, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
Over the next several days, Anders and Max followed Ivan and Nadir through the forest. Ivan and Nadir didn’t mention anything more about Anders being the Prophecy. He was actually beginning to think it might have just been a bad dream. It had been a week since they left the Rollo Island warriors to visit the elves. They walked along a lightly used path that wound through the dense forest and across the occasional meadow. Anders wished he could explore the area further, but knew they had to catch up with the warriors.
As they marched through the forest, Anders tried to keep his mind away from the sadness he felt about leaving Zahara behind. He found himself recalling a story his uncle used to read to him and his cousins before bed. Anders remembered it as one of his favorite stories and spoke of an elven hero with bronze skin and dark curly hair. For the first time, it dawned on him that he hadn’t seen anyone like the hero described in the story. So he asked the Elf Prince, “Nadir, can I ask you something?”
“Yes you may,” the Elf Prince said in a soothing voice.
“One of my favorite stories I remember from my childhood was about an elven hero with bronze skin and dark curly hair. When we were in Cedarbridge I didn’t see anyone who matched that description. Are there only fair-skinned elves in the capital?”
Nadir nodded slowly, “I know of which tale you are referring to. Yes the elves you saw at the High Council in Cedarbridge are all of fair skin tone and silver hair, but this is not how all elves appear. Just as you humans have your differing ethnicities, so do we elves. Your time in the capital city was cut short so you did not explore much. If you had, you’d have seen that the city is filled with diversity and many differing elven cultures.”
“I guess that gives me another reason to return,” Anders said finding his mind returning to Zahara once more. After several minutes of silence, Anders asked the Elf Prince, “What’s it like in Eastland? Have you ever been there?”
Nadir smiled and nodded, “I have been, several times. The mountains of Eastland are the oldest in our world. The first inhabitants of the mountains are what we call mountain trolls today. They once thrived in Nagano as one of the first species to inhabit Kartania. Their villages were scattered across the fruitful valleys of Nagano.”
“I didn’t know trolls were such an ancient species,” Anders said. “They lived with the dragons?” he asked.
“You could say that,” Nadir said. “It wasn’t a very healthy relationship, however. Dragons were the main reason the trolls were forced to move from their villages and up into the mountains,” he continued, motioning toward the snowy peaks above them. “Trolls are not very fast creatures and they’re very simple-minded. They primarily eat meat, but living on the valley floor for so many years, they adjusted, eating grains and greens, or pretty much anything they could find. When the first dragon eggs appeared and hatched, the dragons needed something to eat as well. Being carnivorous creatures, and growing to great sizes, dragons began to hunt trolls.
“Since trolls are simple-minded, it took them a while to adapt to the changes they were experiencing. Those who survived were the trolls that had enough sense to flee the valleys. Every troll that insisted on staying behind, lacking the understanding that they were easy prey for dragons, was eaten. At this point in history when dragons were new to our world and they had plenty of trolls to prey on, the population of dragons increased rapidly.
“For a while, trolls were able to roam the mountains freely without worry; but once all of the trolls in the valleys had been eaten, the dragons adapted by expanding their hunting grounds. Trolls that had become accustomed to the safety of the mountains were at greater risk of being eaten by dragons than those now hunted in the Eastland Mountains. Those that had enough wits about them to realize they were no longer safe, hid in caves and holes in the ground. Diving deeper into the darkness to flee the dangers above ground, trolls quickly discovered they were not the only ones who occupied these mountains.” Nadir said and then suddenly stopped talking.
Standing together, Anders followed Nadir’s gaze to see the Rollo Islanders’ camp below. He was glad to see that the group was roughly the same size as it had been when they left.
“We’ll continue this conversation another time,” Nadir told Anders before they walked downslope to meet the warriors.
Upon their arrival, Red, Jorgen and several other leaders welcomed Ivan, Max and Anders, but gave Nadir a hateful stare. Ivan had to quickly calm them down when they saw there was an elf in their company.
“He is here to fight our common enemy,” Ivan said to Red, who was drawing his sword in anger. “I have negotiated with their people; they are willing to keep the peace while we combat Merglan and his forces if you are.”
Red let his hand drop off his sword and stepped back. He turned to the other leaders. Their quick discussion ended in Red storming off to his tent. Red’s father, Jorgen, said to Ivan and Nadir, “We agree to keep the peace and work together to fight our enemy. You are welcome to join our efforts, elf. Please excuse my son; he does not yet understand the gravity of the situation.”
“On a better note,” Ivan said. “I have the location of Merglan’s base. He has been building an army there. The orcs came from this location. Asmond, Nadir’s father, had elf spies tracking his location. After the orcs attacked, the elves were able to get an exact location on where they began their campaign.”
“This is good news,” Red’s father said. “Yesterday we caught up with the orc tribe. There were no survivors on their end.”
“That will surely irritate Merglan,” Nadir said with a brief smile.
“If he doesn’t already know of this, he will soon. And with that knowledge, he will send more orcs out to meet us,” Ivan said. “We must move south, across the Eastland Mountains. Merglan’s fortress is at a place called Black Water Bay.”
“I will notify the others,” Jorgen said. “We will leave posthaste.” He and the other leaders went off to tell the captains of their plan.
Nadir turned to Ivan, “We’ll have to be on our toes; we’ve had reports of mountain trolls and goblins in the Eastland Mountains, not to mention Merglan’s orc and kurr armies.”
“Sounds like a dangerous path we’ll be taking,” Max said.
“It’s the only way to get to Merglan before he assembles his army and sends them at us,” Ivan said.
“We are going to need help from my people sooner than we anticipated,” Nadir said.
Ivan nodded, “Send word to them at once. We need to get a move-on if we are going to have a chance at this.” Ivan reached into his pack and gave Nadir the mirror he’d used to communicate with the elves.
Over the next hour, Anders helped the warriors gear up for their departure through the Eastland Mountains. He was worried about the next part of their journey, but also determined to rescue his family. He just hoped Merglan hadn’t killed them yet.