“You,” he yelled at the Monk Man. His voice had risen to a god-like thunder. “Why is my mind control spell not working?”
The Monk Man did not falter in the face of the dragon, and it finally made sense to Darci. He and Taslessian were both somehow under its control. “I do not know, master Fritrence.”
It said it wanted to be her friend, but Darci seriously doubted that. Very slowly, she again tried to inch her way back up to the surface whilst the dragon’s attention was diverted. She only made three backwards steps before it noticed. Fritrence stared a silent command at Taslessian who snapped out of his trance to move to her side, reaching down to grab the back of her shirt and dragging her to her feet to face the dragon.
“Why is it that I can’t control your mind?” it said more to itself than to anyone else. “I am the almighty Fritrence. I have been able to control mere mortals since the dawn of time,” it mumbled, the snake-like body weaving from side to side.
Darci was beginning to think the massive beast was mightily insane. Never one to give up however, she tried to pull free of Taslessian’s grip, but it was no use. He would not let go of her shirt, and he had inadvertently grabbed her bra as well which would not allow her to wriggle free of his grasp. Then she had an idea.
Domati had tried to control her mind and she had been able to resist it with help from Taslessian. If she tried hard enough she might be able to help him to break free of Fritrence’s influence, but she could not look into his eyes like he had done for her. His grip was unfaltering, so she dug her fingernails into his hand, hoping she could reach him just by thinking, and perhaps the added pain would help snap him out of his trance.
She shut her eyes tight, focused her thoughts and called his name. All she got was some kind of emptiness. Was it her imagination, or was she insane to try this? But she had no choice; it had to work, otherwise they were both doomed. With her fists clenched tight enough to draw blood, she pushed with all her mental might, deciding to focus on the picture of Belderon, hoping that the pain of loss would get through.
Taslessian? she thought. Suddenly, whatever was in her way gave in, flooding her mind with pictures and thoughts from Taslessian’s past.
Darci? His reply was weak, and though she did not know how, she actually felt his confusion. It was disconcerting talking to someone with your mind. You knew how the other person was feeling even though they were not really talking.
His hands fell from her shirt as he looked down at the bloody fingernail marks on his hands. Pressing on the small wounds he looked up in question. The young wizard jumped as he realised they were not where they were supposed to be. He did not know how they had come to this strange situation, or how Darci had spoken to him via the mind, but what he did know was that they were in grave danger.
Hang on; I’m going to call for help. He took a deep breath to focus all of his powers. Still holding on to one of his hands, Darci was almost knocked over by the energy that exploded through his body.
Fritrence’s spell was broken. How dare a mere apprentice wizard and a young girl defy him. Bringing his own power to bear, he resolved to make them suffer for their impudence.
“Would you know the answer to my grievance wizard?” He spat out the question using the word wizard with contempt. Taslessian did not answer. His mind was still reeling from the situation and the energy he had just spent sending a magical request for help.
“I heard your pitiful call for help. It will do you no good. Even if someone did hear it, they would also be doomed should they enter my domain.” Fritrence laughed then; a bloodcurdling unnatural sound that made Darci’s blood feel like ice, despite the hot temperature inside the cave.
“Well? Do you know why I cannot control her mind?” The dragon was becoming impatient. Taslessian shrugged his shoulders in response. Darci could not tell if he was being defiant or if he truly did not know.
“No matter,” the dragon said, talking to itself again. “I can just as simply rip the information from your thoughts.” Fritrence locked Taslessian in a deadly stare. The apprentice began to grit his teeth as he was driven to his knees by an unseen force. With an agonised cry, Taslessian fell to the cave floor unconscious.
Darci dropped to the ground next to her inert friend trying to place him on his side, which was the only thing she could remember to do when someone was hurt. “What did you do to him?” she demanded.
Fritrence laughed again. “When he wouldn’t give me the information I asked for freely, I tore it from the depths of his mind. The pain was too great for him to withstand, and he fainted.” The dragon snorted a plume of smoke in contempt.
Darci then noticed the Monk Man advancing on her again. She knew what was protecting her from the dragon’s mind. It was the talisman she had been given. It had to be, and that was why the Monk Man was advancing. He was going to try and take it away.
She rose up from the ground and began to back away again, getting a bitter sensation of déjà vu while she watched out for a sudden grab for her wrist. She took another step back, but her foot only met with air. For a terrifying second she knew she was going to fall backwards into the river of lava. Of all the ways to die, burning to death was one of her greatest fears. She let out a terrified yell knowing that she was falling to her doom.
Fritrence moved like lightning and grabbed Darci gently between his teeth only moments before she hit the river of fire. Slowly he lifted her out of danger placing her tenderly on the ground. A puff of his breath caused her to cough, the stench of brimstone and smoke catching in her lungs.
“You idiot,” he growled at her. “I don’t want you dead, and I don’t want to kill you.” Darci distinctly heard him mumble “yet” after his sentence.
The Monk Man was now standing above her. She tried to stop him, but the result was the same as before. She could not do anything to save herself. He unceremoniously reached his hand down Darci’s shirt and seized the amulet. She grabbed onto his arm, holding on for dear life as he lifted her off the ground.
The Monk Man’s mouth opened but nothing could be heard above the thundering roar that came from Fritrence. Darci had the wind knocked out of her as both she and the Monk Man hit the floor, knocking him unconscious. Fritrence fell into the lava, spraying beads of it everywhere, sizzling holes into the ground before turning into smouldering droplets of black rock. It was only by sheer luck that Darci was not burnt.
The Monk Man lay in front of her. Cautiously she crept towards him, kicking him gently with her foot and then jumping back just in case he was still under some kind of spell. But it seemed that both the dragon and his puppet the Monk Man were incapacitated, so Darci decided she would make another escape attempt. She ran over to Taslessian who was still lying in the same position as before. If she could not wake him up, she had no hope of carrying him out of the cave. She tried calling to him, and when that did not work, she slapped him. She was about to despair when she remembered that he also had a talisman. She looked in his pockets and when she found it she placed it around his neck. With an incomprehensible murmur he began to stir.
“We need to get out of here and I can’t carry you,” Darci almost pleaded. With a slight slip of the foot, Taslessian managed to get off the ground with her help. He was very unsteady on his feet and needed to lean heavily on Darci for each torturous step, but together they began to make their way slowly out of the cave. Taslessian was no help in telling Darci which way to go because he was still suffering the after effects of Fritrence’s attack.
Looking around, all she could see was stalagmites, barely glowing with the reflection of the now distant river of lava. They turned a corner into almost total darkness. Pausing to allow their eyes to adjust they soon realised there was a very faint light source up ahead – the welcome rays of early morning.
Chapter 4
Taslessian sat down near the mouth of the cave, shoulders sagging with the weight of exhaustion. The soft touch of the morning breeze gently caressed their sweat-covered sk
in, a sensation akin to waking from a dream. Off to the east and down the treacherous path of last night, a soft orange glow heralding the rising sun gently touched the few clouds of the almost clear sky. They had been in the cave most of the night.
“Let’s go Taslessian,” said Darci. “I don’t know how long Fritrence will be unconscious, and I don’t want to wait around to find out.” Looking back down the throat of the cavern, she shivered, thinking of the monster that had almost taken them. She wanted to get as far away from it as possible.
Taslessian put a hand in the air signalling for her to be patient. He was too mentally drained from the mind attack to be bothered explaining the situation to his frightened friend. But once he had gathered his thoughts, he began to tell Darci the story behind the evil dragon.
This particular dragon was a well-known evil in the land of Nahaba. It was general knowledge he could control the mind of any mere mortal by using the ways of dark magic. Usually he preyed on the greedy, planting a notion in their heads that his cave was full of wondrous treasure, luring them down to their fiery doom.
“I have never heard of him to be interested in anything or anyone other than the foolhardy and greedy – there were enough of them to satisfy his appetite,” he finished.
“There’s always a first time,” Darci said half to herself. She had calmed down slightly, but she was still afraid. Mental pictures of the snake-like Fritrence sliding up the mouth of the cave breathing fire hot enough to melt the very walls around him, assaulted her mind. Once he woke up from whatever magic that had knocked him out, he was not going to be happy. “When he wakes up, won’t he come after us?”
“No,” Taslessian replied. “He may be able to swim swiftly through the burning river, but he cannot get very far on the land. It would be like a fish out of water.” The young wizard’s head lay buried in his hands as he tried to regain his strength.
Darci stood above her friend, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she nervously looked around for any sign danger. She wanted them to be on their way, which would hopefully lead them far from where they were now. As if to punctuate her fear, a howl of rage echoed up from the bowels of the cave, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. Fritrence had awoken to discover that his precious pray had eluded him.
“Let’s go already!” Darci held her hand out to help her friend from the rock he sat on. Even if the dragon could not come after them, what if the Monk Man was not dead? His possessed, yellow eyes would haunt her sleep for many days to come. However, despite her obvious discomfort, Taslessian made no move to get up.
What was wrong with him? Darci ran a dirty hand through her dishevelled hair in frustration, exhaling noisily. She began to wonder if there were after-effects from Fritrence’s mind control.
Looking up into the concerned blue eyes of his friend, Taslessian answered her unspoken question. “I am not stupid, and there is nothing wrong with me. I want to get away from here too, but I called for help back there and it would be wrong not to wait for it.”
Irritation caused by stress and fatigue showed through his exasperated tone as he folded his arms across his chest.
After what seemed like forever, but in reality the sun had moved only a hand span across the sky, a large shadow skimmed over the pair, making them both jump up. Darci looked up, squinting her eyes against the morning sun. She was half expecting something terrible to happen, but what she saw was the largest bird she could have ever imagined. With an astounded gasp, she realised it was not a bird but another dragon. Gliding gracefully around in circles above them, it stayed in its effortless holding pattern on the uplifting winds, seemingly waiting for something. Unlike Fritrence, this particular dragon was a mixture of soft colours; light blue and purple scales covered most of its body, occasionally shining a bright green in the reflected light.
Something brushed lightly across Darci’s mind; a greeting from the dragon, but there was a difference to this mind speech. Taslessian and Darci used words when they communicated as if they were talking normally. But when the dragon spoke inside her mind, she knew what it was trying to say, even though it did not actually use any words.
Feelings of concern touched her mind. It wanted to know why help was needed. Her father, Grisham, had sent her to assist the two humans who were destined to meet with him.
Taslessian told her in the bizarre dragon language all that had happened, from when they met the great dragon’s servant, to when he and Darci had escaped from the cave. After Taslessian had finished, Darci filled in the gaps. Concentrating as hard as she could, she tried to picture in her mind a movie-like scenario of how they had almost been taken. In trying to communicate with the dragon, she heard what she thought was mirth, and the dragon explained to her she did not need to shout. Darci blushed at her ineptitude, yet she was comforted in the fact she was able to communicate with the dragon, even if not as adeptly as Taslessian.
The dragon introduced herself as Afradities. Taslessian stifled a gasp. He quickly explained to Darci that they had been very fortunate. Anyone who even glimpsed this dragon was truly blessed. In some cultures around Nahaba, Afradities was seen as a messenger from the gods sent down to the mortal world by deities who were jealous of her beauty. He would have illustrated Afradities’ whole life story if the dragon had not politely interrupted. She told them that her father, Grisham, wanted both the offworlder and the apprentice wizard to see him as soon as possible. To comply with her father’s wishes, she was going to carry them in her claws to his cave.
Taslessian swallowed hard before getting up from where he was sitting. He told Darci that on such a narrow pathway it would be too difficult for Afradities to land and take off again. They would have to stand in the middle of the path so she could pick them up in mid- flight before diving through the gap between the mountains into open sky. Darci looked at the valley trying to imagine the skill that the dragon would need to pull off such a feat, astounded that Afradities took such a task so casually.
The dragon circled above them one last time before beginning her dive. Quickly standing where Taslessian had directed, Darci clenched all of her muscles in anticipation. With a rush of air Afradities plucked the two mortals gently, but firmly from the ground.
Darci felt a swift rush of air from behind followed immediately by a swerve to the side, as Afradities expertly manoeuvred her way between the mountains, and they were off. There was no jolt like Darci had expected, only the rush of quick, weightless movement. Her stomach lurched, but she was not sick. She realised it was similar to the feeling you get when in a car and it goes quickly down a small ditch in the road. Eventually, she plucked up the courage to open her eyes, letting out a cry of fright. They were headed straight for the peak of a mountain.
Affridities laughed out loud as she began to ascend past the face of the mountain. The ground rushed by in a blur of dull colours, so close that Darci could have almost touched it. Her cry of fright quickly turned into a whoop of joy at the exhilaration of the experience.
She could see for miles around. The forest was a dark sea of green behind them with the wind causing a ripple effect in the canopy much like a wave in an ocean. The only thing stopping them from falling was Afradities’ delicate grip – knowledge that only added to her adrenalin rush. The dragon’s large talons were gently wrapped around Darci’s waist and most of her legs, holding her firmly.
Darci again heard the dragon laugh out loud along with the sensation of mirth in her mind, but this time the dragon was not laughing at her. She turned her vision to the side to see Taslessian had his eyes screwed tightly shut with his knuckles white. When Darci yelled at him to ask what was wrong his reply was barely audible. “I’m afraid of heights!”
Darci joined in the dragon’s merriment. “You don’t know what you’re missing,” she shouted back. Her words raced with the wind, but she knew he had heard her because he seemed to bury himself further into Afradities’ grasp.
Much to Darci’s disappointment, Afr
adities soon began to slow down. Up ahead amongst white, fluffy clouds was the tallest peak around. The mountains near the cave of lava were mere hills compared to the monolith that now loomed before them.
As they got closer, Darci could see another cave surrounded by a small plateau barely the length of their newfound alley, and she wondered how they were going to land. Afradities sensed her unease, and swung her head around to look at her two passengers with her deep green eyes, speaking to them both with the mind and out loud as well, so they would not misunderstand her.
“I am afraid that I am going to have to drop you.” Her soft voice carried easily over the wind, seemingly trying to sooth the danger of the situation. “But don’t worry,” she said with a toothy dragon smile, “I haven’t lost anyone yet.”
Darci prepared herself to roll onto the ground. She had experienced enough jarring falls to find this the least painful way of landing. Her experience in the tree with the splice dragons had not been the most comfortable, and it was an experience she did not wish to repeat. Although Taslessian was worried about being dropped, he was not afraid. He would prefer to be bruised and on the ground than not on the ground at all.
Afradities slowed down as much as she could just before she reached the narrow ledge in front of the cave. She released the two humans at the edge of the plateau, and for a terrifying instant, Darci thought they were going to crash into the side of the mountain, but Afradities had timed it perfectly. Running through the air as if in slow motion, both Taslessian and Darci rolled and tumbled when they hit the ground. They were finally at Grisham’s cave.
Chapter 5
Darci brushed the dust off her worn pants as the after-effects of Afradities’ flight tugged at her hair. Struggling to come to terms with the amazing journey, she looked up at the cave entrance. It was nowhere as near as foreboding as the lair of Fritrence. Instead of teeth-like stalactites and stalagmites, the grey stone seemed to be worn smooth, as if the constant comings and goings of dragons had taught the very walls to shrink back from their awesome presence. Up above the cave the mountain continued reaching skywards, covered by only a whisper of cloud, looking as if it could go on forever. A strong wind suddenly whipped across the plateau, causing Darci and Taslessian to drop close to the ground, lest they be blown away.