Chapter Twenty Eight
They flew back to the castle on the speed of the majestic Kilon birds' wings. A petite woman with long, dark red braided hair and brown eyes, dressed in blue, was waiting there.
"Ah, Wengillian, what news from the front?" Teltibane inquired.
"Yesterday morning over five thousand Blue soldiers by my estimate, emerged from the ocean near Blue's undersea fortress. We fear this may be a sign that war is imminent."
A chorus of voices broke out, debating what the troop movements meant exactly, and what course of action should be taken in response.
There was a knock at the door.
"Yes?" Teltibane called.
A castle worker poked his head around the door.
"What is it, Noflin?"
"A man dressed in the manner of the Blues arrived via Kilon bird. Requests an urgent council with Milord."
"That would be Masnog or Ruflog. Send him in."
A grey haired, thin, slightly balding man limped into the room.
"Masnog, what news do you bear?" Teltibane asked.
"Better news. It is not as we thought. Wengillian left for the Citadel as soon as Blue's troops left the water. But all they did was march several miles to then partake in war games. They returned back to the sea several hours later. Then more emerged from Blue's compound, and did the same."
"So it is not a sign that war is imminent, as we feared. But it is a sign that war is very near. Uncomfortably near," said Teltibane. "Masnog, return to you post. If you spot any more troop movements, you are to report to me at once."
"Yessir." Masnog left.
"Wengillian, wait here while I pen a letter to King Yionaffe Green. He should send an envoy of diplomats to Blue, right away. We must try to avert this war at all costs."
"Very well sir."
"Everyone else is dismissed to their regular duties. Andrew, we don't have much more time to spare for levitation. War may be near. Read up on it. We will practice for just two more days. After that, we shall move on to other spells that may prove useful in a fight."
"Okay," Andrew said.
The crowd dispersed. Andrew set off towards the castle library in search of a book that would explain the concepts of levitation clearly, without too many technical magic words.
"Hey Andrew, wait up!"
Andrew turned to see the plump Hemsly, smiling at him.
"I know that everyone is all busy with the war and all that, but that doesn't mean you can't still have some fun, does it? I reckon Cuddles is about ready fer you to ride. How 'bout tomorrow, after lunch?"
"Fine, I guess," Andrew said.
But Andrew's lack of enthusiasm didn't rub off on Hemsly. "Great. It is going to be a real special experience. See you tomorrow then!"
Hemsly went off to attend to his duties, and Andrew continued on to the castle library on the fourth floor. He found a book that looked promising; Taking Off, Levitation for the Layman by Thorice Gugerflutter, and brought it to his room.
The cover of the book stated that it covered all methods. Andrew found four methods inside. He turned to the chapter on the mass-less method, the one that he thought that he understood the best. But there were only three pages in that chapter. Half a page described the method, while the rest of the chapter went on about how inferior the mass-less method is. While the next chapter, which focused on levitation from a mystical perspective, went on for about three hundred pages. There were seventy pages devoted to the other method that Teltibane had taught him, the philosophical one. And the fourth was written in an invisible ink that only a trained sorcerer could read.
Frustrated, Andrew threw down the book, and went back to practicing alone.
The next morning was a repeat of Andrew's lack of success at levitation. Andrew remained as grounded as the plateau they were on.
Teltibane gave him a piece of cryptic advise: "draw inspiration from things around you."
Andrew had no clue what that meant, or how it could help him. The wizard was being his usual cryptic self.
After lunch, Andrew and Hemsly set off towards Cuddle's corral. Word had spread of the planned dragon flight, and a large crowd including Teltibane, Greybeard, and many other castle workers followed them through the forest.
Before they could even see the pen, the sound of clanging metal reached their ears. Then it came into view. Cuddles was trying to fly, and he was banging into the roof of the corral, over and over again.
The force of the mighty dragon striking the roof of the metal cage was pulling the struts and supports from the ground. They rose several inches with each strike.
Hemsly ran to the edge of the cage. "Cuddles! You must stop it! Bad boy! Bad boy Cuddles!"
The dragon spared Hemsly half a glance and returned to its banging, attempting to get free.
'There's an example of someone who lives in his own sphere,' thought Andrew. 'Not influenced by anyone. Not affected. Not tamed. A more docile animal would never exhibit such behavior. But not the wild and free dragon. He rules himself, and no man can rule over him.'
Another hit, and the metal supports rose a couple of feet out of the ground, before settling back down again.
"Cuddles! Stop this now!!" Hemsly was apparently still operating under the delusion that Cuddles viewed him like a father figure.
Cuddles slammed his head into the top of the metal cage one last time. The entire structure toppled over on its side, and the dragon was finally free. With a mighty flap of his great wings, he took off into the sky.
Andrew was secretly relieved that he was exempt from the insane task. "I guess I won't be able to ride him then."
But Hemsly pulled a giant slab of putrid meat from his sack. "Oh don't worry. I'll get him back here. Daddy brought Cuddles a fresh slab of rotten meat. I'll just lay it down right here. When he lands, I'll help you climb up quickly, while he's still distracted with his food."
"Okay." Andrew was now secretly disappointed that he wasn't off the hook after all.
They waited five minutes. Then, like Hemsly said, Cuddles came back into view, guided by his nose towards the rotting chunk of meat.
Cuddles landed, and tore at the meat with his sharp fangs.
"Quick Andrew!" Hemsly whispered. "Here's our chance. Lemme give you a boost up."
With the aid of Hemsly, Andrew climbed onto the scaly back of the dragon. Cuddles didn't seem to notice.
"Okay, Andrew, good. Now slide up to the front of his back, behind his neck," said Hemsly.
Andrew complied. He was now more or less in the valley of the dragon's neck.
"Now I'm going to get a rope to tie around his neck for you to hold onto," Hemsly said, and went back to his sack to fetch the rope.
But it was not to be. Either Cuddles had had enough of the putrid meat, or he had somehow understood what Hemsly had said, because at that moment he chose to abandon the remains of the slab to take off. Together, they rocketed up into the sky. Andrew clung to the scales of Cuddle's back for dear life. The dragon's upward acceleration put an F1 race car to shame. Forget F1 car. It was approaching fighter jet speed.
Then, Cuddles reached the peak of his ascent, and plunged back downward with a flap of his mighty wings. The sudden change in direction took less than a second. The result was that Andrew's upward momentum was far stronger than his grip, and he shot off of the back of the dragon and into thin air.
Andrew soared through the air. "Aaaaaaah!"
Luckily for Andrew, Cuddles continued flying in a straight line and at the same speed, and he miraculously managed to land again hard on the dragon's back, after flipping over twice in the air and flying several hundred feet at a super high speed. The wind was knocked out of him.
'Okay, let's not do that again,' thought Andrew. He was utterly terrified, and feared for his life. It was like riding a roller coaster car taking a hill without any seat belt.
Andrew's mind went back
to his struggles with levitation for some reason. Teltibane's enigmatic advice went through his head again. "Draw inspiration from things around you." Then it hit Andrew like a lightning bolt. This is it! The dragon. First the busting of the cage. Then the dragon coming and going as it pleased. And finally, not even acknowledging its rider. It all pointed to one thing: This was a creature that took cues from no one. It wouldn't allow anything or anyone to change it. It lived in its own universe, where it made the rules. It belonged to none other than itself.
That was the concept that Teltibane wanted him to understand. And the dragon had taught it to him.
Cuddles went into another steep climb, which was sure to culminate in another huge flight through thin air for Andrew. But this time he didn't even care. He was ready.
Again the dragon peaked sharply and plunged downward, but this time banking to the side as it did. Andrew shot up into the sky once again, all alone. The dragon wouldn't be there to interrupt his fall this time. A drop from this height would mean instant death, even for someone strengthened by the Light, as Andrew was. But he stayed calm.
Instead of giving himself over to terror, Andrew retreated into his own mind. Into his own universe, his own sphere of existence, in search of the place in his consciousness that was wholly his. Until he became everything that the dragon embodied.
Still Andrew plunged downward. Fast. Seconds away from splattering on the ground. He took a pinch of the Lysier herb that he always carried around with him these days. Then he thought the spell-word, "Kangelis".
Andrew's descent slowed sharply, then stopped completely. He levitated himself magically for the first time, thousands of feet in the air. It was an incredible experience. Trees looked like ants. Buildings like toys. A whole new perspective on the world.
"Now this is great!"
Andrew tried moving around in the air. He found that it was a little like swimming. You had to give yourself a small push in the direction you wanted to go. He swam in mid-air for a few minutes, getting used to the feeling.
He had a bird's eye view of the entire plateau now; the castle, the citadel, the gardens, the dancing pools, and beyond.
He brought himself into a controlled descent, towards the area of the upended cage. He landed before the crowd, who had been watching the whole spectacle from the ground. They cheered.
"I think that that dragon is gone now for good," Andrew said. "But he left me with a parting gift. The skill of levitation."
"Congratulations," said Teltibane. "Like I believe they say in the Mortal Realm, you have earned your wings."
Andrew smiled.
But Hemsly looked like he was on the verge of tears.
"Aw don't worry," said Andrew. "You knew that he had to go sometime. I'm sure that he will always remember you and the loving care that you gave him."
"He's gone," Hemsly sobbed. "He's gone. My baby is gone." That was all he could manage to utter.
They walked back through the forest to the castle. Andrew went to his usual afternoon training with Finor. They were training with swords now. Finor wanted Andrew to learn how to use a wider variety of weapons, not just the katana.
Andrew went to bed that night satisfied that he finally learnt how to perform the advanced skill of magical levitation.
The next morning he met Teltibane at the stone courtyard, for training. Kiara was also there, her long black hair draped about her shoulders. She wore a purple and yellow robe.
"It is time you take your fight to another dimension," said Teltibane. "Namely, the third dimension. Watch, as I demonstrate with Kiara."
They inhaled some Lysier, squared off and began to fight. Kiara tried a middle-height kick. Instead of blocking or dodging to the side, Teltibane made a high spinning jump, something that could only be possible with the aid of magical levitation.
Kiara rose into the air, and Teltibane followed. They did battle, twenty feet off the ground. They spun and somersaulted through the air; chopping, punching, blocking, throwing and kicking.
They landed. "Now it's your turn, Andrew. You against Kiara."
Andrew managed to get back up into the air, but to fight simultaneously proved to be a difficult challenge. Kiara demolished him handedly. Training the next two days was spent in aerial combat, honing Andrew's levitation technique.
On the eve of the second day since the dragon escaped, Wengillian returned. They met in one of the castle rooms.
"How was the diplomatic mission?" Teltibane asked.
"It was a complete failure. The envoys of Green weren't even allowed into Blue's compound, let alone meet with Blue himself. When they camped out near the shore, Blue's men threatened to arrest them and throw them into prison for not having the proper permits—which by the way is a law that is never enforced in Blue's Realm. We all know the horror stories of Blue's prisons, so they left."
"I wasn't expecting too much out of it," said Teltibane dismissively. "What of troop movements?"
"A great army of Blues is being assembled near the Blue city of Bexonome, in the northern Draquodel region. And we have also spotted more troops amassing near the Greystar hills to the south." Wengillian looked at the old wizard ominously. "This can only mean one thing, Teltibane."
"War," they said together.
Teltibane sighed. "Alas, our fears have been realized. We have no alternative. Due to the actions of the inculpable Miss Blaize, Blue is incited to war. I will give you a message to be delivered to King Yionaffe instructing him to prepare his military for battle. What do our spies on the inside say of Blue's weaponry?"
"Blue has a penchant for advanced mortal technology. We have reports of strange and powerful machines, manufactured in secret installations throughout Blue's Realm. Totally illegal. The machines are stored in Blue's main submarine compound."
"And when does Blue's army move out?" Kiara asked.
"In two days time we are expecting a large force to emerge from the seas near Blue's fortress. Then Blue's march on Green shall commence."
"Then I will be there to see it, to know what we are up against," said Teltibane.
"The armies from Bexonome and Greystar may also converge on that spot by the sea within the next couple of days, but we are not sure of this yet. Where do you expect the first battle to take place?" Wengillian asked.
Teltibane conjured up a map of the Realms.
"That's a good question." He pointed at a spot on the map. "We should assume that Blue will march directly for Green's capital, Nicklevar. If Blue moves in a straight line, the first clash will most likely be on this spot, near Qawars Hill, on the border of the Realms of Green and Blue."
"So do we put all out forces in that area?" Greybeard asked.
"There is the ancient ruvedaz fortress ten miles past the border," said Kiara. "We can place just a small force near the boundary. Blue will defeat them easily, and become overconfident. Then we deploy our main force at the fortress and crush him there."
"That sounds like a sound plan," agreed Teltibane. "It is certainly within the style of King Blue's psyche to become overconfident, even from a mismatched victory. Lord Green will probably call a meeting of generals and advisors, to decide his strategy. You should mention this plan then, Kiara."
"How much time do we have until Blue and his army reach the border?" Andrew asked.
"I would estimate between seven and ten days," said Teltibane. "Is that right, Wengillian?"
"Yes, that should be right, taking into account that Blue's army will not be starting out from Blue's stronghold for another two days."
"Will we be sending aid to Yionaffe, King Teltibane?" Finor asked.
"It's good that you brought that up. The People of the Light should certainly send aid to Green, as Blue threatens to harm the balance of the Light, and his aggression is uncalled for. We can send a number of Light Archer companies to Green's aid, and also several foot soldier platoons."
> Teltibane turned to Wengillian. "Wengillian, as always, we are thankful for you and your team. Now we have several days to prepare for the battle. Without our spies, Green would surely be overrun by Blue, and the Light and the battle would be lost. Now, allow me to pen that letter to Lord Green."
Andrew reflected on how much his life had changed in the last few weeks. Just a short time ago, his wars were fought on television screens. Now he was going to be involved in a real life and death battle in only a few days. Trepidation crept up on him, and the more he tried to push the feeling away over the next few days, the stronger it got. His battle would be firstly with himself, to not allow his fear to make his choices for him.
In their last lessons before the upcoming battle, Teltibane taught Andrew various other magical moves and techniques that can be of use in a fight.
The wizard showed Andrew how to attain super heated skin for a few moments. "This will help get you out of a hold quickly."
He also showed Andrew how to produce a magical power blast; a concussive force that travels outward from the body. "This can get you out of a tight spot, when you are surrounded and outnumbered."
The last thing that Andrew learnt from Teltibane before the battle was how to create a magical, invisible shield. "This can be broken by a powerful wizard though."
Andrew studied and trained hard, and he managed to master most of these magical abilities. Every night he went to sleep in dread, terrified of what war would bring. He even considered running away, and deserting this mad fight that wasn't even his. But he thought of Katy, and strengthened his resolve. He needed to free her. He needed to bring her home. He would set her free, or die trying.