Chapter 4 – A Double Dose of Revenge

 

 

Steve looked at his wife and shook his head. She mimicked him. Neither one knew what a ‘Zweigelan’ was. Sciathan had said ‘lair’, so Steve figured it must be some type of monster. Sarah wasn’t so sure.

“Never heard of ‘em. Since we haven’t, would you care to tell us what a Zweigelan is?”

Sciathan nodded. “A two-headed dragon.”

Sarah was shocked. “A two-headed dragon? Really?”

Focusing his clear silver eyes on the two humans, Sciathan nodded. “Indeed. They are a rare cousin to the wyverians. Smaller, leaner, and much more confrontational, a Zweigelan is an elusive creature that thrives on creating chaos whenever and wherever it can.”

“Why would Rinbok Intherer tolerate that?” Sarah asked. “He doesn’t really strike me as the type of dragon who’d allow any sort of dissent.”

Steve smiled at his wife. “Dissent? Nice word!”

Sarah returned his smile. “Thanks! It was on my word-a-day calendar last week.”

Sciathan’s expression was grave. “He doesn’t, which is the whole point.”

Steve nodded, understanding.

“Oh. That makes sense now. You said three. There are three Zweigelans? What happened last year to make these three two-headed dragons hate you guys?”

“One Zweigelan was located and forced to swear allegiance to Rinbok Intherer and join the Collective.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Steve asked.

If you believe yourself to be superior to everyone around you and therefore be exempt to anyone’s rule, don’t you think you’d view your subjugation as a negative experience?

Steve and Sarah looked up at Pryllan flying in circles high in the sky. Even Sciathan was watching her, whether jealous that she could still fly and he couldn’t, no one could say.

“Once the Zweigelan had joined the Collective everyone could see that perhaps this wasn’t Rinbok Intherer’s wisest move,” the elder continued. “The creature’s thoughts were dark and full of anger. We wyverians made a dangerous enemy that day, however the Dragon Lord determined the problem was resolved and dwelt no more on the matter.”

Steve raised a hand. “I have a question. Have you ever encountered a Zweigelan before?”

Sciathan nodded. “Once, many years ago. Believe me when I say they are cunning and not to be trusted. Ever.”

Surprised that a dragon would refer to another dragon with such distaste, no matter how distantly related they were, Steve shared a look with Sarah.

“They are an unpleasant bunch,” Sciathan continued, noting the surprised look the two humans had shared. “I recall it being resentful that there weren’t more of their kind, although why this would bother them remains a mystery to me.”

“Why?” Steve prompted.

“Because they do not tolerate other wyverians, especially their own kind.”

“Why’d they wait so long?” Sarah wanted to know.

Twin silver orbs focused on her as Sciathan cocked his head slightly to his left. If a dragon could have raised an eyebrow it would have done so then.

“If they were that distrusting and resentful of their dragon brothers…”

“Cousins,” Sciathan corrected. He briefly flicked his long forked black tongue out of his mouth and looked longingly at the dark stain on the rocks.

“Fine. They’re your cousins. Whatever.” Sarah took a deep breath. “If they didn’t like their cousins that much then why would they resort to such a devious scheme to harm the dragons? Why would they wait so long? If they are as long-lived as the other wyverians, why now? Why not go on the attack centuries ago?”

“Because the first Zweigelan was forced to surrender the locations of the other two.”

Steve nodded. “I bet that ticked the other two off.”

“One was located,” Sciathan told them. “It was forced to join the Collective as well.”

“What about the third?” Sarah asked. “I take it that one was forced to join, too?”

Sciathan’s black tongue snaked out of his mouth several times in rapid succession. “The third remains at large.”

“And you suspect number three is the culprit?” Steve asked.

Sciathan nodded. “I do.”

“How would a dragon, even one with two-heads, be able to create a curse such as this?” Sarah wondered aloud. “As far as I’m aware, dragons don’t have jhorun, do they?”

Sciathan shook his head. “They do not.”

“Then how could they cast the spell necessary to create this curse?” Sarah demanded. “Something doesn’t add up.”

Sciathan easily lifted himself off the ground and approached Sarah. “Do you not think the renegade Zweigelan has the motivation to find someone that could?”

Steve choked. “Could what? Create a curse? Correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s only one wizard in Lentari, and that’s Shardwyn. I doubt very much his services are for hire like that. There’s no way he’d be involved with a scheme like this.”

“Thaden wouldn’t be able to do it,” Sarah reminded her husband. “Not only was he a poor excuse for a wizard, he had his jhorun stripped from him. So the Ylanian wizard is out.”

“There might be another Ylanian wizard,” Steve suggested. “I remember Ylani’s capital, Zaran, had a resident wizard, too. What about him?”

Sarah stared at Steve with a look of pity on her face. “Have you forgotten when we went undercover with Rhenyon up there? We were able to find out that everyone in that neighboring kingdom had subpar jhoruns when compared to the people of Lentari. There’s no one there that’s powerful enough to do this. Trust me. Ylani is out.”

Steve nodded, pleased. “Then that leaves Lentari, and since we know Shardwyn wouldn’t do anything like that, it couldn’t possibly be a wizard’s doing. Everyone is spoken for.”

Are you sure about that?

Both humans looked up as Pryllan’s shadow passed over them.

“Don’t even go there,” Steve warned. “You’re suggesting there’s another wizard out there and his services are for hire. That’s not even funny.”

I did not mean to offend. I merely offer it as a suggestion.

“No one is offended,” Sarah assured the dragon. She frowned at her husband. “She’s only trying to help. Now apologize.”

Steve sighed. “Sorry, Pryllan. Didn’t mean to bite your head off.”

Bite my head off? That is physiologically impossible.

“It’s a figure of speech. It means I shouldn’t have been rude.”

I see. Your apology is accepted.

Steve smiled. “Thanks.”

“It’s an interesting suggestion, though,” Sarah conceded. “What if there is a second wizard hiding in Lentari?”

Steve held up his hands.

“Wait. Just wait a minute. Let’s say for the sake of argument that there is another wizard out there and he’s the one that cursed the dragons. What ties would he have to the wyverians? I mean, what’s his motivation? I thought we were talking about these two-headed suckers?”

“We are,” Sciathan confirmed. “We have identified the motivation behind this curse. Now we’re attempting to discover how the curse was created so that we might better understand how to neutralize it.”

“So you’re suggesting that this third Zweigelan is the one responsible for bringing about this curse?” Steve shook his head. “I find that hard to believe. Even if there were renegade wizards lurking about in Lentari, and I’m not saying there are, how would a completely conspicuous two-headed dragon manage to contact one? I don’t care how small this dragon is. Can you just imagine a Zweigelan trying to sneak in to Donlari?”

“What I can imagine,” Sciathan countered as he fixed his silvery eyes on Steve, “is that if this Zweigelan was half as active as the first, then it’s highly possible that it could have learned about the existence of someone, anyone, who might be able to help it exact revenge.”

“What does that mean?” Steve asked, puzzled. “Half as active as the first? What is it that these Zweigelans do?”

“The Lentarian Zweigelan accosted travelers and asked them riddles,” Sciathan told them.

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Steve said as he turned to Sarah. “Sounds like the Egyptian sphinxes.”

“I’m not familiar with that word,” Sciathan admitted.

Nor am I.

“It doesn’t matter,” Steve told Sciathan, briefly glancing up at Pryllan. He looked back at the small black dragon and shrugged. “I’ll be quiet now.”

Sarah stifled a laugh.

“If the traveler answered the riddle correctly,” Sciathan continued, “then they would be free to go about their business.”

“And if they didn’t?” Steve prompted, already guessing what the answer would be.

“They’d lose everything they were carrying.”

“That’s so not what I thought you were going to say.”

“What does the Zweigelan do with its winnings?” Sarah asked.

Sciathan gave the approximation of a shrug. “Unknown. It was reported that its nest was extensive. My guess would be that it keeps its victims’ possessions as a type of trophy.”

“Suggesting that it was a hoarder,” Sarah deduced. “Got it.”

“So what now?” Steve wanted to know. “Where do we go from here? If we are to assume everything Sciathan said is right…”

“If you are to assume what I said was right?” Sciathan repeated, incredulous.

“It’s a figure of speech. Relax. Now, if what the elder says is true, where do we go from here?”

“I think the first thing we should do is check in with Kri’Entu and Shardwyn. They need to know what’s going on.”

“Knowing Rinbok Intherer as well as I do,” Sciathan began, “he won’t want our troubles publicly announced to any other species, including the humans.”

“Not even if the humans offer their help?” Sarah asked, annoyed.

“Have you not met the Dragon Lord?” Sciathan countered.

Sarah nodded. “Good point. Tell you what. We’ll promise not to let the king know what’s going on, only that we’re helping Pryllan and Kahvel with a personal problem. That way Rinbok would be able to keep as much dignity as possible. Would that suffice?”

It would.

“It would,” Sciathan echoed, mirroring Pryllan’s sentiments.

“Are you going to be alright up here by yourself?” Sarah asked the elder black dragon. “Would you like me to lower you to the ground? At least you’d be able to find some food.”

“There will be no hunting for me.” Sciathan shook his head. “I am too old to try and sneak up on unsuspecting prey and if I were to find game, without my flames I might as well ask my prey to smash themselves over the head with a rock.”

I will find more game which will hold him until this infernal curse is broken.

Steve relayed Pryllan’s thought to Sciathan, who nodded his appreciation. The elder dragon looked forlornly up at the sky.

“Don’t worry,” Steve assured the small dragon. “We’ll break this curse and get you back in the air before you know it.”

“You cannot guarantee that with any certainty,” Sciathan argued. “That being said, thank you for trying.”

After Pryllan had deposited several more hapless victims onto the ledge next to Sciathan’s cave, Steve and Sarah bid farewell to the elder dragon and returned to Pryllan’s open palm. Together they retreated into the sky and vanished amongst the clouds.

We go to R’Tal?

Yes, Steve nodded. We need to check with Shardwyn to see about the possibility of any other wizards being in Lentari. Maybe there’s some type of test he can do to check for unregistered wizards.

Unregistered wizards? Sarah repeated, laughing. Is that a technical term?

Steve shrugged. For now. Pryllan, how long will it take for you to get there?

Perhaps two hours.

Steve turned to his wife. Couldn’t you teleport her there?

I would rather fly as teleportation is an unpleasant sensation.

It does take some getting used to, Steve agreed. Alright, we fly.

 

Approximately two hours later Pryllan was approaching the many orchards north of R’Tal castle. A subtle shift of her weight forward had her dipping below the heavy moisture-rich clouds that were blanketing the castle and threatening to rain on the many villagers below. Thankfully the clouds managed to keep her massive form concealed. In fact, not one human noticed that a wyverian had just passed directly over the castle less than a hundred feet away.

Landing quietly at the base of the large grassy mound with fruit trees all around them, Pryllan quickly hurried into the mouth of the large, dark cave. This cave, Pryllan knew, had been constructed by the human king for any dragon to use while in the area. At the time, it had been an unprecedented gesture on the humans’ part and was largely responsible for an invitation to open negotiations between Rinbok Intherer and the human king, Kri’Entu. That historic meeting had culminated with the first ever wyverian-human pact that anyone had ever known.

Steve’s thought suddenly appeared in the midst of hers.

Rinbok agreed to meet with Kri’Entu because of this cavern?

Pryllan jumped with surprise. Once again she had forgotten that her thoughts were being broadcast to two human listeners.

Sorry. We’ve landed. Usually you turn off the telepathy and resume normal talking.

Withdrawing her senses, Pryllan nodded. With her thoughts once more accessible to her and her alone, she took stock of their situation. They had just emerged into the huge cavern below the orchard. The total absence of light didn’t disturb her in the slightest. Quite the contrary, most dragons preferred the dark and actively sought out caves that were buried deep within mountains, or concealed within broken slabs of rock, as was the case with Sciathan.

Closing both of her eyes, she switched her vision to her parietal eye. This organ was concealed beneath a flap of her skin directly between her two primary eyes and could be detected by observing a patch of skin that was slightly duller than her typical emerald green color.

The confines of the cave leapt into focus for her and she glanced down at the two humans. Sarah was clutching one of her mate’s hands and was whispering in Steve’s ear. Finished with whatever she had to say, she watched Sarah blindly cast her eyes about the cavern.

“There is nothing to see, Sarah,” Pryllan gently told her. “Do not look so alarmed.”

Pryllan’s gaze shifted to Steve, who was subtly gesturing with his right hand. Knowing what was coming; Pryllan quickly switched back to her primary vision and kept her eyes closed. Several seconds later a huge fireball appeared and zoomed around the cavern to light the torches placed at twenty foot intervals on the walls.

Sighing inwardly, Pryllan opened her eyes and looked back at the two humans. She blinked her eyes with surprise. Sarah had vanished.

"Has Sarah gone to ask about the renegade wizard?”

Steve nodded. “Yes. She told me that she’s going to give the Kri’yans a friendly hello and then see about talking to Shardwyn.”

“And you did not go with her?”

Steve shrugged. “I offered, but she doesn’t want to leave you alone in here, so I’m to keep you company.”

“Appreciated, but unnecessary.”

Steve smiled. “Trust me, I know.” He slowly sank down to the floor and rested his back up against the closest wall.

Pryllan settled herself to the ground as well. “What will you do if the wizard knows naught of a renegade sorcerer?”

“I don’t know,” Steve admitted. “The way I see it we have two possible avenues to explore. First, we see if we can find whoever is responsible for creating the curse. And second, even if the existence of another wizard is confirmed, we still need to interrogate the mastermind of this whole nasty affair.”

Pryllan nodded. “The third Zweigelan.”

“Exactly. If we can find him then we can make him talk and find out what we have to do to break the curse.”

“And if the renegade does not cooperate?”

Steve gave her a speculative stare. “I assume you dragons have ways to make other dragons talk?”

Saying nothing, Pryllan nodded. She was well aware of Rinbok Intherer’s methods of coercion, and while she didn’t approve of most of them, she was willing to look the other way if the welfare of her species was at stake.

Thinking of her nest back in the safety of the mountains, she decided to check in to see how Kahvel was faring. Making certain she wasn’t sharing her thoughts with Steve; she mentally sought out her mate’s mind and initiated contact.

WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG? Kahvel’s irritated thought bombarded her the moment she felt his presence. I MUST BE OFF. I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED BY THE DRAGON LORD.

Again? Why does he need to speak with you so often?

I AM SURE HE HAS HIS REASONS.

If you must go then take Pravara with you, Pryllan gently suggested. I know he doesn’t care for young dragonlets in his presence, but if he wants to see you that badly then he’ll have to tolerate her for a little while.

I CANNOT. I WILL NOT TAKE HER THERE.

Pryllan hesitated. Where is ‘there’?

THE CAVERNS.

Pryllan growled. She had no desire to let her offspring anywhere near that foreboding place.

You are not taking her there.

I AGREE, WHICH IS WHY I AM STALLING FOR TIME, AWAITING YOUR RETURN.

Steve rose to his feet.

“You’re growling an awful lot. Is everything okay? What’s the matter?”

“A moment, if you please,” she gently told her rider. She returned her attention to her distant mate.

Why does the Dragon Lord wish to meet with you in the caverns?

I DO NOT KNOW.

You’re hiding something, Pryllan thought crossly to him. I can feel it. You’re trying to conceal something.

She felt her mate grow uneasy.

Kahvel sighed. YOU ARE CORRECT. THERE IS A REASON I’M BEING SUMMONED THERE BUT I HAVE BEEN FORBIDDEN FROM DISCLOSING THE DETAILS.

Will you ever be able to tell me?

IF THINGS PROGRESS AS QUICKLY AS THEY APPEAR TO BE, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WITHIN THE WEEK. MAYBE EVEN IN A DAY OR TWO. SO HAVE YOU MET WITH SCIATHAN YET? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

We are dealing with a curse, more than likely brought on by one of the Zweigelans.

Pryllan’s eyes widened with shock and disbelief as Kahvel’s angry profanity-laced tirade echoed loudly in her mind. She decided to let Kahvel vent his frustration in private.

I’ll be in touch, my love. Fear not. We will put an end to this.

Not wanting to wait for her mate to calm down, she broke contact and sighed.

“Were you just talking with Kahvel?” Steve asked.

Pryllan nodded. She sighed again.

“I thought Kahvel couldn’t use the Collective? How is it you’re still able to talk to him?”

“The Collective is a joining of multiple minds,” Pryllan explained. “If you choose to be mated with another then a bond is created that allows mental contact regardless of distance.”

“So two acquaintances would be unable to converse mentally?”

Pryllan nodded. “A private conversation would be impossible. On the Collective it would be. A wyverian can only speak privately with its mate. We dragons mate for life.”

“Humans do, too,” Steve told the dragon. “Well, most do. So is all not well on the home front?”

Confused, Pryllan looked down at the human.

“By that do you mean is all well between Kahvel and myself? Aye. I just informed him of our suspicions.”

“And?”

“I had to break contact. He was a little angry.”

“I’ll bet. Something startled you. What was it?”

Before Pryllan could respond Sarah appeared a few feet away. The stern look on her face wasn’t encouraging. She walked over to her husband and embraced him. Pryllan saw that Steve was instantly worried and tried to console Sarah, a trait she loved about her own mate.

Steve finally broke their embrace and looked into her eyes. “What is it? What happened? Better yet, what took so long?”

Sarah turned to look up at Pryllan. “Let me start by saying I didn’t tell the king anything about the curse.”

Pryllan nodded.

“I told him what we had agreed upon, namely that Steve and I are helping you and Kahvel out with a delicate situation. The king instantly guessed that I wasn’t telling the whole truth, but to his credit, he didn’t press for details. What he did do, though, was to promise his help if we were to ever ask for anything. No questions asked.”

“Your king is very trusting,” Pryllan observed quietly. “He has my thanks.”

“So is there another wizard that Shardwyn hasn’t told us about?” Steve asked, hoping that there was. At least then they’d have a clear idea what to do next.

Sarah shook her head no. “He’s not aware of any others. He says he has his ways to tell, but he made the mistake of saying that in the presence of the king. The king took one look at Shardwyn, then back at me, and then ordered him to do a scan of the kingdom. Apparently it’s something they do once every ten years, like a census for us. He told him to be as thorough as possible. Kri’Entu didn’t like the possibility of another wizard hiding somewhere in Lentari that was free to do as he wanted.”

“I can believe that. How long will that take?”

“I asked that, too. He said that it could be anywhere from a few days to as long as three months. The only thing the king could tell me is that he’d let us know once Shardwyn had finished and had reported the final tally to him. Let’s just say Shardwyn was less than thrilled.”

Steve eyed Pryllan. “So option one is out. We won’t know anything definitive about the existence of another wizard for a while. We should just assume, until we’re told otherwise, that there’s another one hiding around here somewhere. Since we don’t know where to find him, we go to option two.”

“What’s option two?” Sarah wanted to know. She looked up at Pryllan, who had just looked down at her in anticipation of this very question.

“We find a Zweigelan,” the dragon answered. “But first, however, we must return to the nest.”

“Is everything alright?” Sarah asked.

“I have reason to be concerned,” Pryllan told her. She watched Sarah look questioningly at Steve, who held up his hands in an ‘I don’t know’ gesture.

“Have we heard from Mikal yet?” Steve asked as he took Sarah’s hand and started walking towards Pryllan. “He’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

“I actually asked the king that,” Sarah told him. “He went out camping with several of his friends. I’m told he’ll be back in a few days.”

Steve climbed back into Pryllan’s open claw and pulled Sarah up beside him. Thirty seconds later they were hundreds of feet up and flying through the clouds.

 

Pryllan came within sight of her nest just as the sun was preparing to set for the night. Pravara, ignoring the indignant outburst from her sire, flew up to meet them and entertained them with some aerial acrobatics as Pryllan beat her powerful wings to slow their descent. She lowered her right foreleg to the ground and waited for the two humans to scurry off her open palm. Once they had moved safely aside, she touched down next to Kahvel and nuzzled her long neck with his.

BELOVED.

Pryllan closed her eyes and rested her head against Kahvel’s golden neck. My love. Do you have time or must you leave this instant?

Kahvel growled. I AM SORRY, BELOVED. I MUST GO. A FOURTH MESSENGER DEPARTED JUST BEFORE YOU ARRIVED. SEVERAL OTHER DRAGONS HAVE ALSO BEEN SUMMONED. SOMETHING IS AMISS. I DON’T THINK HE WANTS TO SEE ME FOR THE SAME REASONS I HAD ORIGINALLY THOUGHT.

Go then. Do what you must. Include me when you can.

I WILL.

Once Kahvel had departed, Pryllan left Pravara in the care of the two humans and went hunting. After she had returned with several kills, Steve informed her that he and Sarah were teleporting to their domicile in R’Tal and would return tomorrow morning. Pryllan bid the two humans farewell and returned her attention to her own family. Kahvel’s situation worried her. She was due to fly south to the Selekai Mountains tomorrow. What if Rinbok Intherer’s business with Kahvel wasn’t concluded by tomorrow morning? How could she travel that far away without anyone to look after Pravara? What was she supposed to do?

There was only one thing she could do. Pravara would have to come along with them. There was no way she would typically fly that great of a distance with such a young dragon, but since the alternative was to leave her only offspring in the care of another dragon, exceptions would have to be made. Therefore the young dragonlet would have to accompany them.

The following morning, once Steve and Sarah had returned to the nest, Pryllan broke the news to Pravara. The young dragon’s bright golden eyes sparkled with wonder as she listened to her mother give her the wonderful news.

“I’m accompanying you? Now? Today? With the humans?”

“Yes, young one. It’s a long flight. Eat. You’ll need your strength.”

“So does anyone know where we can find this Zweigelan?” Steve asked. Pravara had locked her gaze on him the moment he had arrived and she continued to follow him around their nest. Steve smiled at the dragonlet.

“I asked Kahvel that question last night,” Pryllan informed them.

“And”? Steve prompted.

“The lair of this Zweigelan, provided he hasn’t relocated his nest, is in the southeastern part of the kingdom.”

“Do we have something more tangible than that?”

“I have been checking the Collective but no one has answered me yet.”

“We can at least get going in the right direction,” Sarah pointed out. “Hopefully someone will answer you soon. However, I just thought of a question. What if we do get directions to its nest and it has since relocated. What then?”

Pryllan shook her head.

“Unlikely. I’m told its nest is quite extensive and would be too cumbersome to effectively move. He should still be there.”

“What can you tell us about this Zweigelan?” Steve asked as he tightened Mythrin’s strap along his chest for the third time. “What were your opinions about this two-headed dragon? Better yet, did you ever meet it?”

Pryllan shook her head.. “I did not. Kahvel did, as he was part of the team that assimilated him into the Collective.”

“What was his impression?” Sarah asked. “Did he say?”

“Arrogance,” Pryllan answered. “Defiance. The Zweigelan had no desire to join the Collective and acted as though it would prefer death. He gave it that option, but it was immediately rejected, leading me to believe it has a strong desire to live. As you can imagine, it was not an easy assimilation.”

“How does a dragon become assimilated and join your Collective?”

“By swearing allegiance to Rinbok Intherer.”

“That’s it?”

Pryllan nodded. “Once allegiance has been sworn then there is no further need for hostility. We become his brethren just as he becomes ours.”

Sarah frowned. “So it’s the wyverian way or the highway?”

Pryllan blinked her eyes a few times in rapid succession. “I do not understand.”

“Essentially you give the Zweigelan one choice if he wants to live? Join the Collective?”

“You may think it harsh, Sarah, but it is our way.

“Don’t you think that maybe this is why the Zweigelans targeted you dragons? No wonder they’re so angry.”

“Your objection is duly noted, Sarah,” Pryllan patiently told her. “I cannot say that I fully agree with everything the Dragon Lord does. Nevertheless, it is our way.”

Filing her annoyance into a growing pile of arguments she wished to have with Rinbok Intherer, Sarah plastered a smile on her face and let the matter drop.

Recognizing the ire growing in his spouse, Steve wisely changed the subject.

“So, umm, who do we know that would know where to find this Zweigelan?”

 

What was that?

 

Steve looked at his wife. “What was what?”

Sarah stared back at him. “Hmm?”

“Someone just said, ‘what was that’. I thought it might have been you.”

“Did it sound like me?”

“Umm, well, no.”

“You’re hearing voices now?”

Steve pointed at Pryllan. “With dragons in the area? Yes. Maybe one of them said it.”

“Was it a male or female voice?”

“Ummm, it was male.”

“That rules out both Pryllan and me.”

“Then who the heck said that?”

 

I did.

 

That was when Steve noticed Mythrin, his special broadsword strapped across his back, had grown heavier.

 

Breslin?

Obviously. Good to hear from you, Sir Steve.

 

“What’s going on?” Sarah asked.

Steve hooked a thumb at the large sword on his back.

“The voice I heard in my head was Breslin’s. Let me see what he wants.”

 

You, too, Breslin. Is there something I can do for you?

You contacted me, my friend, not the other way around.

Oh. Sorry. I was working on a problem with Sarah. I didn’t realize I had contacted you. We were trying to figure out where to find some special dragon. The only thing we know is it’s down south somewhere.

He felt Breslin’s hesitation. A special dragon, you say? You wouldn’t be looking for a Zweigelan now, would you? Two headed? Fond of riddles? Will rob you blind if you answer incorrectly or turn you into lunch if you don’t answer?

Steve was shocked. Yeah, I am. Do you know where it is?

I should say so, lad. I was a member of the team who found it. What do you need to find it for?

We just need to ask it a few questions.

Oh. No worries, then. Now, here’s what you do. Get yourself a map of the Selekais and I will tell you exactly where to look.

 

 

An hour later they were ready. Pryllan had stalled long enough, hoping against hope that Kahvel would return. He hadn’t. Sarah had returned to R’Tal for a map which included detailed sketches of the Selekai Mountains, which the king gave her. True to his word, he hadn’t asked any questions. Once Breslin had told Steve where to find the Zweigelan’s peak, Steve had located the nest on the supplied map. Pryllan committed the map to memory and was ready to depart. Pravara was more than ready.

Pryllan had to practically hold Pravara down on the ground as she was very eager to get started on their journey. She listened with the patience only a mother could possess as her offspring prattled on and on about their upcoming adventure. What were they going to see? Who were they going to meet? Why were they going to the Selekais? Why were there bad dragons in the world? Were they going to try and talk some sense into it?

“All in good time, young one. Are you ready?”

Pravara vehemently nodded her head yes.

Promise me you will stay safe, Pryllan thought to her mate, knowing full well he wouldn’t answer while occupied with whatever he was doing for the Dragon Lord. Surprisingly, a response came back.

I WILL, BELOVED. BE SAFE.

And you.

Cradling the two humans within her talons, she leapt straight up and snapped her wings open. Pravara mimicked her as much as she was able. Pryllan turned to look at her offspring as she rose higher into the air.

“This will be the longest flight you have ever been on, Pravara. If you tire, do not hesitate to tell me.”

“I will be fine,” the young dragon assured her. “You won’t need to worry about me. You’ll see!”