A time and place for mag.., p.12
A Time and Place for Magic, page 12
The dragon extended an invitation with the lowering of his wing. They grabbed their packs and climbed on top of the dragon. Immediately each of them sought something solid to hang onto. Surprisingly, the dragon had a soft set of scales almost feather-like in feel. The scales could be bunched together creating handholds. This made their liftoff less frightening as the great beast launched into the dark sky. The stars blurred while the dragon ascended up and the ground below faded into obscurity.
Gordon hadn’t paid any attention to Jade until that moment. He could see her condition had grown worse. Her hair was now chunky like bark and her hands and feet narrowed like winding roots looking for earth. She groaned with the effort of holding on. Gordon patted the dragon, being that he was closest to the head.
“Fly quickly my friend. We need to get her as close as we can to the mountain before her change.”
The sun rose in a golden sunrise. The crisp, cool air streamed by them as they flew towards a distant mountain range. Gordon turned to see little leaves growing at the end of Jade’s hair. Long tendrils flowed down the side of the dragon who looked at Jade warily as her extensions continued reaching towards the ground. Rachel put an arm around Jade, offering her support and Gordon urged the dragon on, yelling for Jade to hang on just a little longer. Jade leaned on Rachel; her face grimaced in an effort to endure the pain while her breathing became ragged and sharp.
Jade turned purposefully to Riley, “bring them both home to their parents, promise me!” She said, referring to the twins while simultaneously struggling to maintain control.
Riley nodded her head attempting to be heard over the wind.
“I will... I’ll get them home safe.” Her tears were whipped away by the wind as she realized that Jade was going to leave her.
After just a few more minutes Jade screamed, “We need to land now! Hurry Gordon!
The dragon shot like an arrow towards the mountain range coming to land a few miles from the base of the tallest peak. Without waiting for the dragon’s feet to touch the ground, Jade’s extensions carried her off the dragons back. They walked her body away, holding her aloft to face the sunlight. She waved for them to go, a last choked sound coming from her, urging them to leave. The dragon launched up into the air and ascended towards the mountain top, his riders holding on with all their strength.
Jade watched for a few agonizing seconds as they flew away, and she knew they would be safe from her at last. Miranda’s voice came to her again.
“I am here. You are safe now. You can let go.”
As simple as a child’s smile, it began, a spectacular feeling Jade had never known erupted inside her. Her legs swelled into a massive trunk; her feet flowed deep into the soil. Sweet relief came to her as her branches grew with large leaves bringing in nutrients and sustenance like she had never known. She grew larger than any tree before her. She opened a path for the buried spring below her roots and a river came gushing out of her base. Flowers bloomed across all her branches and from the blooms, long lost seedlings were reborn and carried off by the wind to settle and grow. In her sap, genetic remnants of species killed by the Dark Lord began to quicken, little embryos of life all springing from her own life force. Some swam into her river while others grew and crawled out onto the growing forest floor. This was not just her own birth but the rebirth of Athra.
As her roots grew deeper, Jade encountered the memories of the one before her. Stored in the soil, was the essence of the Gaia, who had been destroyed by the Dark Lord. Her forest had been vast and full of so much life. Jade relived all of her rage, her pain and her regret. With these memories came a new conviction that she would not make the mistakes of the Gaia before her. Then and there, she made a vow that her new world would never be helpless in the face of aggression. Whether it be man or other magical creatures, all life born from her would be a formidable adversary to anything that might try to repeat the destruction of the past.
Let the Dark Lord come for her, she would be ready. Even now, giant white flowers grew with soft pink spikes that blended into the sides of the petals. They bloomed and reached outwards into new territory. They would be one of the many deadly foes to anything that dared harm her new world. She gave birth to various plants with poison spikes and lethal aromas. They were just the beginning of her army. Her forests would be vast and teaming with new life. Some would be mountainous with tall pine trees; others would be great savannahs where large animal herds would graze in peace and still others would be swampland. Amongst them all, she would give birth to new, never before imagined life. Her children would be a force to be reckoned with even long after she was gone from this world.
Chapter 17 – The Circle Of Elders
From her perch atop the dragon, Rachel watched as Jade’s tree grew. She could hardly believe how quickly her branches reached into the sky. The forest around Jade spread like a green carpet devouring the barren earth in a wave of life. Where once stood the kind woman she’d loved, now a giant, majestic tree reached up towards Rachel with enormous blossoms covering all of her outstretched branches. The tree had already grown so large it cast its own shadow over the forest floor. Then, as the dragon flew up and over the mountain crest, her view was cut off. Refusing to turn away, Rachel stared in Jade’s direction for a moment longer not wanting to admit this was goodbye.
When she finally turned, Rachel was greeted by a sweeping valley, which seemed to open up before her. It was a verdant paradise compared to the vast barren landscape they had crossed. The valley was lush, with forests, open glens and crisscrossing streams, situated in an ancient, volcanic crater. It was protected on all sides by soaring mountain slopes with gentle stands of trees growing at their base.
As they flew, other dragons sent flames into the sky, greeting the red dragon. They sat perched at high cave entrances nestled just below the jagged mountain tops. Rachel saw multiple settlements on the valley floor separated by enough space to make good neighbors.
Rachel had to look twice as their dragon made its approach to land near a herd of Unicorns. Their white manes shimmered in the summer sun and their horns glowed with an internal light. The Unicorns took no notice of them and continued to graze uninterested in the new visitors.
A woman with long dark hair and sandy colored clothing, stood ready to greet them. Their dragon landed masterfully, soft enough not to jostle his riders. The woman was beautiful to Rachel. Her perfect brown skin and curves were reminiscent of her own girlfriend. The big difference between them, she would soon discover, was that she lacked that exuberant confidence. The woman offered them a straightforward welcome and then silently led them to her tribe’s village.
Upon arrival, they were escorted into a small stone building carefully carved from the rock face beneath one of the lower dragon caves. Even the few steps leading up into the entrance were meticulously crafted from stone. As their eyes adjusted, Rachel realized that a gold dragon lay resting on the floor. She recognized Lightfoot immediately. He didn’t stir at all despite their noisy entrance. She began to wonder if something was wrong. Two men stood at each side of him like guards at a temple keeping out the unfaithful.
Standing in front of Lightfoot, the woman introduced herself as Dancing Rain, or Mina for short, mother of her tribe. Her face was nearly expressionless except for when she mentioned that she was Lightfoot’s sister, then there was a hint of something like emotion. She explained how Lightfoot had made the ultimate sacrifice for them. He’d flown for over sixteen hours straight, exhausting all his strength and committing himself to his final form. Her people were able to move between forms if they did so for limited amounts of time but anything past a few hours and they risked being trapped in that form permanently. This was why her people chose the shape of a dragon for their final form towards the end of their lives because as far as they knew no dragon had ever died of old age. Dragons were also fierce fighters for their people. She pointed to the red dragon they had ridden and as if to prove her point said that he was the oldest of them all at nearly seven hundred years old.
She looked down at Lightfoot saying, “he is so small because he is so young but with time he will grow to be just as big as the others.”
Then the sound of a long, drawn-out horn sounded in the distance. A dragon landed and a rider dismounted out front. Everyone turned to see the source of the commotion. The rider sprinted from his dragon to Mina’s side recounting the appearance of a large tree and the expanding forest at the base of the mountain.
Riley began to stumble over her own words, in her rush to defend Jade.
“It’s Jade that you’re seeing. She is not a threat; she is our friend... She’s just become something new. My mother called her a Gaia and a Green Mother. I promise, she is on our side. She is not a threat to you.”
The others nodded in agreement, attempting to reassure Mina that Jade posed them no harm.
“I have heard the legends of the Green Mother and her Tree of Life.” She looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, “I must see this for myself.”
The group followed her, and since she didn’t object, they walked close behind her one by one as she led them up a path. Eventually, it turned into carved steps winding steeply along the rock walls, rising to meet the cold and barren mountain tips. Reaching an overlook, the group could see the enormous tree, the forest and beyond until the sky reached the ground. The growth of the forest hadn’t slowed, and it was still noticeable even from this distance.
Mina’s face remained unreadable while she stared at the changes below, studying the tree situated uncomfortably close to the base of her mountain. Then like a sudden wisp of smoke she transformed into a large hawk, its colorful feathers and markings were unlike anything, any of them had seen. She soared upwards catching a strong updraft and then pulled her wings in tight, diving like a bullet towards the tree below.
Mina leveled out, flying in a straight line just above the jungle. Finally turning back towards the mountain, she circled again and again over Jade causing the group to worry. After a few minutes she started back towards the mountain. She caught a rising stream of air, soaring effortlessly upwards along the sheer rock face and rocketed past them. She levelled out and finally descended to land in front of them. After transforming back to her human form, she stood calmly before them as if the exertion had been nothing.
A look of excitement and disbelief boiled up inside her, both fighting for control. “I saw her for myself. I saw the Tree of Life. We must return to my people. The Dark One will sense her soon if he hasn’t already. We must prepare to fight.”
“Mina, can we speak with you before we go back?” Gordon asked. All eyes turned to him. “We are on a quest to save my son. Riley’s mother Raspiria believes my son and Riley will destroy the Dark One as you called him. My son was taken by his servants when he was a baby, and he would be about Riley’s age. Have you seen him or know where we might look?”
Mina stopped abruptly; her left eyebrow lifted unexpectedly. She surveyed the group, pausing on Riley, noticing again the pointed ears and her resemblance to an elf but much too big and the skin too plain.
“A boy and this girl... stop the Dark One? Raspiria has been gone for over a decade and I watched the last of the troll armies fall along with the remaining human and elf armies. Even if Raspiria did send you, I am curious what you have that they did not?”
Gordon taking offense, stood taller. “We are not helpless! Raspiria, Queen of the Elves, endowed us with powers. She tasked us, including her own daughter” he said motioning to Riley, “with this quest. We will find my son with or without your help and together they will find the power to end the Dark Lord. We will be with them at every step of the way to make sure they succeed.”
Mina stood still; her eyes betrayed her struggle to believe that Riley was the daughter of Raspiria but regardless she could not deny their determination to help the child.
“We know of a boy. We have seen him riding with the Dark One’s armies. He is wild and unfamiliar with human speech. We thought he was a prisoner when he was young and tried to rescue him, but he would not leave the spiders.”
Gordon’s face brightened at the confirmation that his son might be alive. A rush of hope blossomed within him.
“Come, let us return. We must call a meeting of the elders at once. There is much to be discussed,” Mina said and turned, leading them back down the way they had come.
When they finally made it back down the mountain, they spent the afternoon sitting in the room with Lightfoot, eating, sleeping and recuperating from their journey. The guards must have decided they were no longer a threat because they left Lightfoot in their care. Lightfoot still slept; his wings folded about him protectively. By the time the elders gathered for the meeting, Lightfoot finally stirred. He opened his eyes slowly to see his friends standing around him with relief and smiles on their faces. Riley knelt down and hugged him gently. He winced at the strain it placed on his aching wings but moved his head next to hers despite the pain.
Riley stood up and filled Lightfoot in on all that he had missed. Rachel listened as she spoke to him, not knowing if he could understand but Riley told him anyway. She recounted their rescue by the red dragon and Jade’s transformation. She explained what was happening with the forest around Jade and that now they were waiting for a meeting of the elders to decide whether they would help them find her brother.
He must have understood, because his head popped up, his red eyes sparkled, and a puff of smoke blew from his mouth. He made his way gingerly to the door holding his wings stiffly back and aloft, so he could squeeze through the doorway built for humans.
The group followed him down the steps and out towards a large gathering. They had formed a half circle composed of a single individual from each group, seated upon a stone pedestal set equal distance apart from the others. It appeared to have been made for just such an occasion. Sitting behind each of the elders was a small group of their own people waiting patiently for the meeting to begin.
Riley surveyed the group; there was Mina, the youngest elder by far. Next to her was a man, lighter in skin tone but taller and gangly looking as if he and his people grew too tall for their skin. They wore strange horned hats and clothing made of dry, woven reeds. Riley had to stifle a laugh because to her they resembled tall baskets.
On the other side of Mina was a group of Elves who were staring directly at Riley. She recognized them at once from the way Gordon had described Raspiria. She wasn’t prepared for how small they were. They looked like little children with curious looking designs on their skin. Averting her eyes from the Elves, she could see a group of giants, she later learned were Trolls. They were easily three meters tall sitting down. She could only imagine how big they were standing up. Their pale gray skin was the same color of stone which would make them difficult to see on a rocky mountainside.
The red dragon, whose stream of constant smoke escaped the side of his mouth, also had a place at the circle although he was much too big to sit within it. Nevertheless, his figure towered over the Trolls, who regarded him nervously. Even the Unicorns had stopped their grazing to attend, accompanied by a cloud of Fairies. Lastly, there was a group of Dwarves, all of which looked grumpy at being summoned. She could see they would be difficult to convince to help their cause.
Mina called their attention, beginning the meeting. She walked up the middle and rang a silver bell that hung by itself from an inverted, L-shaped stone. everyone came to attention as she spoke.
“I have called this meeting of the elders to discuss the events of today and the arrival of new friends.”
The Dwarves scoffed loudly, and their leader Hyxel, a slightly larger and gnarled dwarf stood unblinking from his altar seat. His large nose hung hawk-ishly over his arching mustache and his forehead wrinkled in disdain.
“Dancing Rain, why must you always bring us more mouths to feed. Our valley’s resources are strained as it is.”
She looked at him coolly and waited a little longer than was polite before responding.
“My brother Lightfoot has returned to my family today. It has been many years since he left to become a guardian,” she said, motioning to the golden dragon behind her sitting in front of Riley. “He committed to his final form as a sacrifice to save his friends, one of which is directly responsible for the forest below us that has sprung up in a single day. I know its appearance has spread alarm across our valley,” she said, continuing to purposefully ignore Hyxel. “I have inspected the forest myself, and it was as these friends of Lightfoot said. There is a Green Mother in its midst and her Tree of Life is real. Even now she gives birth to new life, reviving our lands. A river flows from her, full of fish and other living things that many of us haven’t seen since we were children. There will soon be fruit trees and other edible plants in abundance. We no longer need worry about food shortages or bad harvests.”
She finished with her gaze fixed firmly on Hyxel as if to drive home her point while all around, there was an explosion of discussion amongst the groups, making it impossible to distinguish any single voice. Mina rang the bell again and the voices quieted.
“Lightfoot’s friend Gordon has asked for our help.” She motioned to him standing protectively behind Riley. “He asks that we help them rescue his son, the human child that rides with the Dark One’s armies.”
There was an immediate rumble of objection, but Mina rang the bell to silence them again.
“This is no ordinary request. They were tasked by Raspiria, Queen of the Elves, to find the boy. Her daughter Riley stands before us now. They claim that Raspiria herself foretold that Riley, and the boy would defeat the Dark One.”
With this revelation, the Elves appeared to be even more intent on Riley and conversed excitedly. The other groups talked amongst themselves. The Unicorns and Fairies stood at attention appearing to have already come to a decision. A gleam of excitement danced in their eyes.
