He was squirming in his sleep, mumbling incoherently, yet Darci caught one of his words. Domati. She gently shook his shoulder to try to wake him from his nightmare. A sudden jerk and Taslessian sat bolt upright.
“We have to get moving,” he said with a start, now instantly awake. “Domati is coming… and he’s not alone.” The Monk Man awoke before Taslessian had the chance to touch him. Quickly, the three of them packed up their camp, hastily kicking dirt on the small fire before stepping off into the darkness.
The chirping of birds signalled the soon to be rising sun as they continued, one foot tentatively in front of the other, until the shadows over their small animal path cleared enough to see the ground before them. The soft breeze in the trees above mingled with the sound of their hurried footsteps. Shadows finally began to lift as the sun began to rise above the canopy allowing them to pick up their pace.
After an hour of light jogging, Darci could not hold her questions back any longer. “What do you mean, Domati’s not alone this time?” She paused, hand against a tree to try to catch her breath.
The Monk Man answered. “Domati is now accompanied by his pet beast, Trolog.” Darci lifted one eyebrow to show she wanted more of an explanation. So as they jogged, he told a tale about a young boy who went wondering too far from his home. He had gotten lost and then Domati found him. Domati, being the twisted, evil man that he is, experimented with the boy, turning him into a mindless, mutant slave without a will, and without fear. Trolog, as he had been named, obeyed Domati’s every command. If the wizard wanted someone dead or tortured, he sent Trolog, who remained undefeated.
Darci decided she did not wish to hear any more about the evil man who was after them. If he could do something like that to an innocent little boy, what would Domati do to her? Yet, much to her dismay, her morbid curiosity could not be contained.
“What exactly is Domati?” she finally asked. She wanted to know exactly what they were up against. Even the thought of the twisted mind she had made contact with made her shiver, but the more she knew about the danger, the better chance she would have, at least she hoped she would.
The Monk Man pushed Taslessian forward, encouraging them to move faster as he fielded the question. Domati was an ex-Master. Masters were wizards trained by one of the great dragons called Valiant so they could keep the magical balance within the world. If any wizard even began to show signs of turning against a great dragon, it usually roasted them before they could use their knowledge to do harm. Domati was the only wizard in history to learn from Valiant, escaping a fiery death by disappearing before the great dragon had found out that Domati was truly evil.
Darci stopped listening to the Monk Man. She had had enough. The emissary of Grisham the Great seemed to have no compassion. He was telling Darci all these frightful stories, with an unwavering pompous tone. It was as if he did not care about the poor child now mutant, or about the fact that someone so horrible was after them. She needed to know the truth, but was a little compassion too much to ask for?
During their discussion, the surrounding forest abruptly came to an end. They stepped out of the shade, leaving a line of giant trees behind them, with the comforting flora and fauna that went with it. The barely worn track they had been walking simply disappeared, leaving no trace of their passing. Now a harsh grey rock lay under foot. The only plants in sight were the trees that lay behind them; ahead, there was only gloomy, greyness that surrounded their rocky path, and the mountains in the distance. First there was a slight slope for them to climb, but gradually, as they walked, Darci’s pulse began to rise with the difficulty of their trek, keeping conversation to a minimum.
Every passing rock and every passing hill looked the same to her once the forest was out of sight. Even so, the Monk Man never seemed to hesitate in choosing a path through the base of the mountains.
“Which mountain are we climbing?” she asked Taslessian. No one had spoken since they had left the forest. Her attempt to break the monotony however, was unsuccessful, as Taslessian did not seem to hear her. Whatever had passed between them last night was gone, and Darci felt slightly offended. The Monk Man pointed to the mountain that lay directly in front of them, not too far off into the distance. It looked unremarkable, having exactly the same features as the peaks surrounding it. In her mind she had been expecting something grand and awe-inspiring, different to the common grey mountains that surrounded them now.
She stole a glance at Taslessian. A moment of indecision appeared to crease his brow, but as quickly as it had come, it disappeared again. She was beginning to wonder what was going on. She had not known him for more than three days, yet he seemed different now, and instead of trying to help, comfort or even speak to her, all he was doing was following the Monk Man without question. The confused girl sighed as she realised she would probably never understand men, no matter where they came from!
A sound broke into her thoughts; a gurgling noise coming from somewhere ahead. She looked around their dull path of rocks with new vigilance. They were surrounded by the same grey rocky monotony, however, much to Darci’s delight and surprise, one ordinary turn of a corner in the path and everything changed. Some small fern-like plants had broken out of the ground, suddenly assaulting their eyes with the brightness of life and colour. The grey rocks were covered with luscious green moss, which made the area smell like a rainforest. The waterway itself sprouted from a small crack in the rocks, making a little waterfall into a pond, which in the end, returned to the mountains through another small crevice.
Looking closer at the pool of water, Darci could see something fluttering out of the corner of her eye, but every time she turned her head, whatever it was just darted away again. She was so absorbed with trying to see what the little bug-like creature was, that she did not notice that the Monk Man was talking to one of them. He was also giving it many little sweets. It was then that she realised that the creatures flying around like a swarm of grasshoppers were the same as Gorak, the Monk Man’s messenger. After losing all his sweets, he came back to report.
“The Frary says that we can stay near their pond for lunch.” Without another word, he turned to sit on a soft moss-covered rock near the creek. With slow deliberate motions, he began to unpack dried meat strips from a pouch hanging around his rope belt. Turning to look at Taslessian, Darci saw that he was doing exactly the same thing.
She was too interested in the Frary colony to pay the strange behaviour any more heed. She did not even pay any attention to what she was eating for lunch, chewing and swallowing what she was given automatically; the scene before her was much more appetising. Around the pond and in the ferns, she could see small, hut-like buildings hanging like coconuts from the foliage. The miniature dragon insects flew in and out of their homes, looking at her curiously and hovering in the air before flittering off again.
Now that the group of humans had been accepted as non-threatening by the Frary population, most of them came closer to look at the newcomers. Each Frary was different in colour, but they were all the same height and build; around three and a half inches tall, with dragon- like wings and a mouth that took up most of their head. The bravest of the Frarys inched closer and closer, until finally one landed on Darci’s shoulder. It whispered into her ear, making her giggle.
“Sweets?” it asked. Its small wings brushed lightly against her ears sending a pleasant sensation down her spine.
“Hang on a minute,” she said. Darci asked Taslessian if he had any sweets left for her to give out. Without paying any real attention to her, he pulled out a small bag from underneath his shirt.
“Thanks,” she said almost sarcastically, as he threw the bag to her. Not noticing, or not caring, he did not even react to her smart tone. Poking out her tongue to his unknowing back, Darci pulled out one of the sweets from the bag. Carefully, she moved her hand to her shoulder. The Frary gently lifted off from her shoulder, snatching it out of her fingers before she realised what had happened.
/> After that, practically the whole Frary population was either standing on Darci or swarming around her. Many more found perches upon her shoulder whilst those that were not quick enough for that, were attempting to cling to her hair. Within seconds, the bag of sweets was empty. With the last candy, the Frarys flew away and went back about their business, making Darci feel somewhat used, but happy that she had been able to interact with such amazing creatures.
Taslessian and the Monk Man were packing up what was left of their lunch. Leftover pieces of dried meat went back into their pouches, and water skins were retrieved from bags to be filled from the fresh water pond. Then, without so much as a word, Taslessian and the Monk Man set off again.
Darci quickly said goodbye to the Frarys as she trotted off after her travelling companions, following them through the dangling leafs of the fern trees. The Frarys quickly retreated to their homes and disappeared. Over more of the mossy rocks, through a shadowy underpass they walked, until suddenly, the scenery changed again, just as quickly as it had turning the corner into the Frary City. It was back to the dull, grey rocky incline into the mountains. Looking behind her, all Darci could see was the entrance to the underpass. It was as if the Frary City had never existed. If she had not felt so refreshed and light-hearted, she would have thought it all one, wondrous imagining.
* * *
Shades of grey – nothing but grey rocks, grey mountains and even grey, cloudy skies above. Footsteps echoed around the monotony, giving a steady beat to the otherwise silence. The group of three walked almost non-stop from the Frary City, continuously climbing up the mountain track. On rare occasions, small pebbles would fall from above, crashing on the ground behind them, causing Darci to look up in fright for whatever caused the disturbance. Yet she saw nothing and no one. The mountain peaks remained constant, never revealing their secrets.
The steep incline was relentless. Higher and higher into the mountains they trekked. Now looking behind her, Darci could see the Jungle Dragon far off in the distance. She was surprised at how far they had come in such a short time, and also at how high they were, although when she thought about the soreness of her calf muscles, her amazement was thoroughly lessened.
“When are we going to get to Grisham’s cave?” she asked the Monk Man in a tone that reminded her of a nagging child. She was sick of being left to follow them without any kind of interaction. Surely there was something they could talk about? Anything would help the time pass.
“Some time tonight,” he replied in his now familiar monotone.
Darci looked at Taslessian. Had he not said it would take them around five days to get there, and that was if they were not delayed. Tonight would be too early. Even for the fastest of walkers, it was impossible to travel five days within three. She grabbed onto Taslessian’s sleeve and pulled him to a stop, waiting for the Monk Man to walk ahead out of earshot.
“I thought that it would take longer to get to Grisham’s cave,” she whispered cautiously into his ear. She looked into his eyes for his reaction, yet Taslessian’s expression did not change.
“The servant is to be trusted and obeyed.” His tone of voice was so impersonal and uncaring that Darci was physically taken aback. He had spoken to her as if she were a blaspheming child. Her hand fell from his sleeve as he turned back to the path they were walking. Folding her arms with an ignored dark look and hurt feelings, Darci said nothing else. She began following them again nonetheless, her head down, looking at the ground in front of her. She had to follow the Monk Man because, besides Taslessian, there was no one else on this world who she knew. Taslessian appeared to trust him fully and she was not about to run into the arms of Domati.
They kept walking until the sun could no longer be seen on the horizon behind them, leaving a trail of orange sky and pinkish clouds in its wake. Darci was wondering if they were going to stop for tea. Her stomach was grumbling, her feet were sore and she was becoming so tired that all she could do to keep herself from falling over was to concentrate on placing one foot in front of the other. As if the Monk Man had heard her mental fatigue, he answered her unasked question without pausing his pace.
“The Master’s cave is just around this bend. We will stop there.” His monotone voice echoed around the mountains that loomed above them.
Looking up, Darci could indeed see a bend in their path.
They turned the corner one at a time. In front of them loomed a gaping hole in the mountainside. Swallowed in shadows, a foreboding gripped Darci like a vice as soon as she looked upon the cave entrance. Every part of her body was screaming at her not to go any further.
There was nothing ominous about the cave itself; it looked like any other hole in the mountains. However, Darci’s instincts were on overdrive. Her apprehension was so powerful that she stopped dead in her tracks.
“I’m not going in there,” she announced, struggling to keep her voice under control. Taslessian kept on walking into the cave as if he had not heard her at all. The Monk Man, however, turned around to glare at her. He was obviously not a patient man. His lips turned down into a tight lined frown as his brow furrowed in irritation. His eyes seemed to light up with fire as his malevolent stare held her motionless.
An icy finger of fear traced a line down her spine as Darci’s heart began to race. Something was wrong, and she was scared. The hackles on her neck began to rise as her eyes quickly darted around, looking for the danger that she felt in every bone. The Monk Man began to advance on her. The sound of his determined footsteps matched the racing beat of her heart. His eyes now held an evil yellow glow that locked onto hers. Surely, this was not normal? She tried to back away, but he lurched forward, taking her roughly by the wrist.
“The Master is inside.” His eyes flashed to punctuate his words before he began to drag her towards the entrance of the cave. He was inhumanly strong for his size. All she could do to resist was wriggle around like a fish on a hook.
“Taslessian, help!” Darci cried in vain. But he could not hear her. He had already walked into the cave ahead and could no longer be seen. She redoubled her efforts to break free. This time it looked like she was going to have to save herself.
Gathering up her strength, she punched the Monk Man directly on the nose. Recoiling in pain from her effort, her attack appeared to do nothing aside from hurting her hand. The Monk Man did not even seem to notice the blow despite the small trail of blood making its way down his face.
In a moment of insight, Darci relaxed all her muscles in an effort to make herself more difficult to drag. The Monk Man stopped for a moment, and then, with supernatural strength, quickly picked her limp form from the ground and put her over his shoulder. His sinew-like body bulged under his robe, with his shoulder digging painfully into her stomach. His arm bore down on her back, holding her tight. Her lungs compressed in his grip and breathing became difficult, her panicked thrashing and kicking achieving little more than her own fatigue.
The Monk Man followed Taslessian into the dark mouth of the cave. The further his steps went, the warmer the cave became. Sweat began to form on the struggling young girl’s brow despite the fact that she had given up on her physical defiance. Facing backwards, Darci could not see where she was being taken. The walls around her had become dark and indistinguishable with the dim light of dusk far behind them. Desperately trying to think of a way out, she did not notice the soft red glow that eventually began to illuminate the way.
Suddenly, he dropped Darci unceremoniously onto the floor. The ground beneath her fingers was warm and covered in black dust that clung to whatever touched it. Raising her eyes to peer through her tousled hair she not only saw, but felt a long river of molten lava flowing below the cliff only metres away from her feet. It seemed to flow on as far as the eye could see, illuminating the edges of the cavernous walls that survived its touch.
Blowing her fringe out of her face, she slowly looked around. Taslessian and the Monk Man were staring straight ahead at the lava with blank
, non-blinking expressions, so Darci drew her feet underneath her ready to get up. Neither Taslessian nor the Monk Man seemed to be paying any attention to her, but as soon as she moved an inch back the way they had come, the evil little man took two quick steps and placed his hand on her shoulder, pushing her forcefully back to the ground.
Above, the barest glimpse of moisture could be seen dripping off the stalactites. As her eyes lay upon the molten red river, she noticed a ripple off in the distance. To Darci’s horror, the ripple came closer and closer to where she was sitting.
Something was alive in the lava! With a roar, a monster’s head burst through the molten rock making her crawl backwards in fear, running straight into the legs of the Monk Man. The giant head of the snake-like beast was crimson red, pierced violently with sharp black horns. Two familiar, evil yellow glowing eyes were set under a defined eyebrow line that led to massive horns pointing to the sky. Never had she seen such a magnificent animal that inspired so much awe and fear. Darci assumed the creature was a dragon.
“So,” it said in a deep rumbling voice that shook the very rock that Darci was sitting upon, “you are the being from another world.” Its sinister serpentine body followed its head as it moved closer to examine her.
“You don’t look any different from the other morsels in this land.” The beast’s great body pulsed slowly with its every breath, causing slight ripples that lapped against the bottom of the cliff which separated them from the deadly heat.
“What do you want with me?” Darci finally managed to ask
“I want us to be… friends,” it replied in a crooning tone. “Anyone who is the friend of Fritrence’s receives great power.” Its eyes bore into her own, but she resisted the urge to look away. Seated on the dusty ground with a black smudge mark across her temple, it was the only display of defiance she could muster.