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The next morning was gray, but as they walked alongside the road, the skies began to clear and the sun came out once more, bringing some warmth back to the world, if only briefly. The chill had been growing thick in the air over the past two weeks and Dusk was beginning to wonder when it would snow for the first time. Juniper had warned him that the mountain pass would be difficult to traverse in the snow, but he held out hope that they could still make it. The pain from the fire incident was completely gone, making the journey much easier. He and Lex were making good time.
Before midday the path began to shift upwards, a tall hill looming high above them. It took more than a half hour for them to scale it. Panting as they reached the top, their breath was taken away for a different reason. The hill sharply fell away in front of them and the world was laid out almost like a map for all to see. Below Dusk could make out smoke rising from a small town just a mile past the base of the hill. A never-ending forest ran away to the north, covering the landscape for some miles until it faded into the distance. Dusk thought maybe it stretched all the way to the mountains that were already snow capped in the distance, but he wasn’t sure. He turned his gaze upward, taking in each peak and the blanket of white that coated them all. Following the direction of the road he could see a gap between three tall mountains, the raised road only half as tall as the peaks surrounding it. The gap was coated in white as well. The snow had already fallen on the road.
He would have been worried, but his eyes thirstily drank in the splendor of the landscape, tearing his thoughts away from his journey. His eyes followed the mountains south until they disappeared into the blue-gray haze. At their base was a long plain dotted sparsely with trees. A great river gushed out of the mountains and carved a long winding path back east through the grasslands. It must have been the same river that cut the gorge near the bandit’s hideout. He turned completely around on the spot. Behind him he could see hints of the broken towers at Alamond far behind him. He searched to see Juniper’s village or maybe the mines, but the hill wasn’t as steep on that side. The trees were tall, making it harder to see further away before the scene faded into the distance.
“The world is much bigger than I thought it would be,” Dusk murmured, staring back at the mountains. “I can’t believe all of this,” he gestured to the landscape, “was here without my ever knowing.”
“It feels small to me.”
Dusk turned to look at Lex, confused by his answer. How could anything so vast be considered small. There was a pained look on Lex’s face as he stared off towards the mountains.
“It never feels far enough. Maybe if I can get across the ocean...”
“What does the ocean look like?”
“It’s just water. As far as the eye can see.”
“What’s on the other side of it?”
“I don’t know. Probably other lands. Maybe that will be far enough.”
“Far enough from what?”
Lex stood silent, staring out over the hills, trees, mountains, and village to the west. He seemed lost and wore a somewhat melancholy look on his face. It was the first time Dusk had seen him look that way. When Lex said he’d been searching for his freedom, Dusk found it hard to believe, even if the intonation had been genuine. But now, watching the deflated man staring out over the world, he could feel it. There was more to Lex than he knew. He wanted to ask, but it didn’t seem right. There was pain there and after years of watching people be in pain, Dusk didn’t want to cause it to anyone else. Instead, he left it alone. If Lex wanted to tell him, he could in his own time when he was ready.
“I’ve never seen a mountain before,” Dusk said, turning back to the scenery beside Lex. “Have you?”
“I’ve been through them to the ocean on the other side. But only once when I was very young,” he sighed. “I was asleep for most of the carriage ride. Believe it or not, they have a wide road that snakes all the way up to the pass. But it’s only passable during summer. There’s a large watchtower at the top,” he pointed across to the pass, “but it’s hidden behind that first peak. You can see almost all of Ditania from the top of it. Or so I’ve heard at least.”
“That sounds amazing and terrifying,” Dusk replied, thinking of the vast height the tower must be to see so much. “I don’t think I’d be able to make it to the top.”
“I’m sure you could, if you wanted to.” He heaved a deep sigh, turning back to Dusk. “Well, I guess we should get off this hill. Everyone for miles can probably see us standing up here in the middle of the road.”
They started over the peak of the hill as the road curved to the right swiftly, following the edge of the hill for some ways and then snaking back to the left in a serpentine switchback pattern until it flattened out and headed west again. It was longer than heading straight down, but neither of them were equipped to scale some of the sheer stone faces between the winding pathways.
Lex cleared his throat, “I think I promised a story to you.”
Dusk perked up immediately, “Yes! About the Crystal Moon! Why does it shine like that? Where did it come from?”
“Do you want to ask questions, or do you want to hear the story?” He smiled brightly, amused by the eagerness.
“The story please.”
“Alright then. I’ll start by saying this is a fairy tale and I don’t know how much truth is in it. It’s the kind of thing they tell kids to get them to sleep. Anyway,” he cleared his throat again. “Over three thousand years ago, the Crystal Moon didn’t exist, at least, not like it does now. It didn’t float through the heavens or catch the last dredges of sunlight after the world goes dark. It was actually here, on the surface of Udalara with us.
“Some say it was found by accident, deep beneath the earth.” Lex spread his arms wide, swirling his hands about as he walked. “Others say it fell from the sky and crashed into the sea. Some even say that it was summoned by the dragons themselves. I don’t know which is the true story, but somehow it found its way to our world before Ditania was ever even thought of.
“The people used to say it thrummed with power. That if you got close enough you could hear its heartbeat. You could hear it’s deep voice calling out to you,” Lex modulated his voice to a deep baritone, ”but none dared to touch it for those that did went mad, claiming the voice never left them. They either wandered off or killed themselves, begging to be free of the crystal’s influence. For centuries people lived near the crystal, but left it alone. It was no more than a beacon on the landscape, a cursed place to be avoided.
“But then one day a young man came along. This man was well learned in all things, having been graced by the gods themselves. He asked the nearby villagers to take him to the place it rested and when he saw the colossal stone for the first time he bravely placed both of his hands upon it and listened. For days he sat in the dirt, his hands held against the stone and muttering under his breath. After three days and nights he took his hands from the stone. By this time people had gathered, watching him, knowing that he would go mad like all the others, but impressed he had stayed there so long. Others had gone mad with a mere brush of the finger, but this madman had been there longer than any other before.
Lex held up a single finger, “But he didn’t lose his mind. Instead he remained calm and collected. He spoke to the people that had gathered kindly, asking those among them who were brave enough, like him, to step forward and take his hand so that they too could touch the stone. Only eight of the village came forward. He kept his promise. Together they linked hands with him in the center and then each of them placed a hand on the crystal monolith.
“There was a blinding flash! The remaining villagers shielded their eyes, but when they could finally see again, those that had touched the stone, along with the learned traveler, were gone. In their place hovered nine glowing balls of colored light. For moments they hung there until,” he threw his arms up in the air, “they shot up into the sky in a brilliant rainbow arc and exploded.” Lex made little explosion noises and imitated them with his hands, wiggling his fingers in the air. “The flashes of light could be seen from all over Ditania, but only the villagers saw what happened next. As the light faded, nine dragons hovered in the air, flapping their massive wings, each the color of the orb they had been transformed into a moment before.
“In less than a moment they had swept down, circled the massive crystal, and without touching it, guided it into the air. They carried it high into the sky and disappeared. Rumors persisted that they stole it away, hiding it from the world of men before they took their different paths across the vastness of Udalara. Wherever they landed they only spoke to those brave enough to approach them. To each of them they gave the gift of magic, or so the story goes. Soon, as magic infused the bloodlines of all men, it began to be taught all over the world and even those who had never come into contact with a dragon could do the simplest of spells. In return, people showered the dragons with gifts of gold and silver.
“As the centuries passed, a few very powerful mages rose to power, some benevolent and some less so. The dragons were seen less and less, leaving the world of men to govern itself. No one is sure what they were doing. Some say they became bored and struck out for adventure. Others say that the gifted gold bewitched them, turning them into greedy beasts with a lust for riches. But one thing is certain, eventually those mages in power grew too powerful and too greedy to be trusted with magic.
“One man named Nozzera, the most powerful mage the world had ever seen, made it his mission to find the crystal. Through powers previously unseen by the world, he extended his life by many decades, giving him ample time to locate the stone.” Lex shifted to a softer tone as he continued. “And find it he did. What he did to the stone, no one ever knew, but somehow he managed to remove it from its hiding place and lift it high into the sky again. He had grown tired of the world of men and he planned to destroy it in one fell swoop to start anew. His target was Alamond.
“Almost as if they knew,” Lex’s voice swelled with enthusiasm, “all nine of the dragons appeared to stop him. Many were slain in the battle, and many more wounded. But at long last, after many days of battle, Nozzera was slain and the last remaining dragons gathered once more. They now understood that men could not be trusted with magic. The centuries of war and famine had taught them that. Their gifts had been squandered. So with the last of their strength they once again lifted the Crystal Moon high into the sky and beyond the edge of the world until it hung by itself in the heavens. And there it has been ever since.” Lex finished with a flourish and went silent.
“But wait,” Dusk immediately retorted. “I thought you said the dragons were killing machines that just destroyed villages and ate people?”
“That’s what the history books say. They are more truthful than a fairy tale. Like I said, that story is just something you tell children to go to sleep. To make them wary of getting too greedy. It’s just a moral lesson.”
“But... Why would you tell kids that dragons are the good guys and then write down they are bad? That doesn’t make sense.”
Lex stopped for a moment, itching his thick stubble that was forming a rather nice beard. “You know... I never thought of it that way. That is a bit odd isn’t it? But it’s just a children’s story. Everyone knows that dragons aren’t around anymore.” He waved his hand in dismissal, “There’s not an ounce of truth in it.”
“The Crystal Moon is real.”
“It’s a piece of rock floating in the sky, nothing more. It’s no different than Gartha, it’s just smaller and shiny.”
“Alamond is real.”
“There are more fantastical stories about Alamond than could ever possibly be true. And a thousand different variations on each.”
“But—”
“Dusk,” Lex laughed, “it’s just a story. Not everything people tell you is true.”
Although Dusk agreed with his point, he kept silent. Some of the details in the story, like the deep voice from within the stone reminded him of the gem still mysteriously attached to his sternum. He began to wonder if the stone could somehow be connected to the Crystal Moon. Although he didn’t feel connected to it in any particular way other than he enjoyed looking at it. But then there was the idea of magic. Could that explain what had happened at the bridge? That seemed so outlandish, but then again, the truth of what happened was even stranger still.
“Your arm must be doing better,” Lex commented, breaking his thoughts.
He was itching the back of his neck with the arm wrapped in cloth. Quickly he dropped it back to his side. “No, just getting more used to the pain I guess. But I can move it a bit more now.”
“That’s a good sign at least. We’ll get it taken care of soon. It’s going to scar something terrible, but at least you should be able to keep it if it’s feeling good enough to move already.”
“Yes. I hope so.”
Dusk turned back to the long road and his thoughts. With each new thing he saw more questions came to his mind. With each new story, a thousand more flooded his brain. There was so much conflicting information in this wide open world. He wondered how he could ever get a handle on it if he started talking to more people besides Lex.