“Here it comes,” Isabel said.
“Steady,” Alexander said, focusing intently on his illusion.
The crew watched nervously as the dragon coasted on the wind high overhead. It didn’t seem to notice them, but it did see the enemy ships. The dragon gained speed as it lost altitude in a graceful dive toward the encroaching ships. It flew over them at an altitude of three hundred feet, roaring with terrible fury.
Both ships pulled hard to starboard and came about, rowing against the wind to retreat from the waters encircling the dragon isle and avoid the wrath of the magical beasts.
Alexander smiled to himself as he focused on maintaining his illusion. Isabel pointed out the spot that Alexander had selected, and Captain Kalderson set a course that brought them in a gentle arc toward the mouth of the deep-water cave. As they slipped into the darkness, out of view of the watchful dragons, Alexander released his illusion and stretched out with his all around sight.
The cave was large enough to accommodate their ship without risking a brush against its rocky walls, and even large enough for the ship to turn around, though only by carefully rowing forward on one side and backward on the other. After a tense few minutes of expert navigation by Captain Kalderson and his crew, the ship was securely anchored two hundred feet inside, facing the entrance.
“Well done, Captain,” Alexander said. “Hold your position here, very quietly, until we return.”
Alexander and his companions climbed into a dingy. Hector and Horace rowed to a sandy little beach within the cave and pulled the dingy ashore. Then the group cautiously made their way through the gloom to one of several entrances to the labyrinth of caverns and passages that riddled the island.
Hours of picking their way through treacherous passageways brought them to the rocky shelf that Alexander had selected for his meeting with Bragador. It was a level spot high over the ocean, and the passageway leading to it was big enough for them to pass through but far too small to accommodate a dragon.
After carefully inspecting the place, he nodded his approval. It was large enough for a dragon to land but small enough for only one.
“Is everyone ready?” he asked.
“I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say I’m ready,” Jack said. “But I have to admit, this will make for an interesting chapter, provided I have the opportunity to write it.”
“You will, Jack,” Alexander said. “Kelvin says Bragador is reasonable.”
“Let’s hope he’s right,” Jack said.
Alexander sent a whistler arrow into the early evening sky, then held his vial of night-wisp dust high to mark their position.
Chapter 35
They didn’t have long to wait. Within a minute a dragon passed overhead, banking sharply and corkscrewing down to the shelf. It landed hard, sending reverberations through the stone. Crouching low, coiled like a spring, it brought its giant head down to their level, scrutinizing them intently with catlike eyes.
He was beautiful and terrible all at once, dark green scales with just a hint of iridescence, three rows of sharp black spikes running down his spine, forked barbs on the end of his long, sinewy tail.
Alexander held his ground, hands open and out at his sides.
“You are not welcome here, Human,” the dragon said.
“All of the Seven Isles faces a great danger,” Alexander said. “I’ve come to ask for Lady Bragador’s help.”
“She is not interested in your war,” the dragon said. “Leave us in peace.”
“The war isn’t the danger I’m speaking of,” Alexander said. “There’s a shade loose in the world and he’s searching for the keystones that are capable of opening the Nether Gate, a portal to the netherworld. If the shade succeeds, nothing will survive—not even you.”
The dragon’s eyes narrowed, as if he was weighing a decision. “Wait here,” he said before launching himself into the air. The downdraft from the beating of his giant wings sent dust flying.
“A dragon of few words,” Jack said.
“Do you think he’s going to get Bragador?” Isabel asked.
“I’m hoping,” Alexander said.
Not five minutes later, the sky was full of dragons. Nearly a dozen of the majestic magical creatures floated overhead as the largest among them descended toward Alexander. He waited somewhat nervously … so much rested on Bragador. If she agreed to help him, he could end the threat of the Nether Gate permanently. If she refused, he wasn’t sure what his next move would be.
She flared her giant wings, landing gracefully on the stone shelf. Her scales were jet black with a tinge of red iridescence, a dozen or more horns swept back from her brow forming a crown that transitioned into a single row of spikes running the length of her spine, her talons dug into the volcanic stone, and her golden catlike eyes shone with intelligence and ancient wisdom.
She wasn’t as big as Tanis but she was every bit as magnificent, with colors of rich vibrancy and clear hue. She was a queen among dragons.
“Why are you intruding in our home, Human?” Bragador asked.
“I’ve come to seek your aid,” Alexander said. “I believe you are in possession of an item that I wish to bargain for.”
She sniffed the air and eyed him more closely.
“How is it that you have come to wear my scales?”
Alexander lifted his tunic, revealing the armored shirt he wore underneath.
“Mage Gamaliel gave me this shirt of armor as a gift,” he said. “It has saved my life more times than I can count.”
“Then it seems you are already in my debt, and yet here you stand, trespassing in my home and beseeching me for yet more aid.”
“I wouldn’t have come if the need wasn’t great,” Alexander said. “Will you hear me out?”
“Very well. Your presence here is a curiosity,” Bragador said. “Not many humans have the nerve to come before me.”
“A mage told me you are in possession of a keystone to the Nether Gate,” Alexander said. “It’s a small pyramid of black stone. I’ve come to ask that you allow me to destroy it. I’ve also come to request a single dragon tear.”
She actually laughed, a deep rumble emanating from her chest.
“I know the bauble of which you speak,” Bragador said. “Surely Mage Gamaliel told you how greatly we dragons value our treasure. Why would I part with such an ancient item?”
“It’s one of three keystones needed to open the Nether Gate,” Alexander said. “If you allow me to destroy it, the Gate will remain closed and the world will be safe from the gravest threat it has ever faced.”
“I have no intention of using it to open this Nether Gate you speak of,” Bragador said. “As long as it remains in my hoard, the world is safe from the darkness you fear.”
“There is a shade loose in the world searching for it,” Alexander said. “Phane is also searching for it. Both of them are powerful and resourceful.”
“Are you suggesting that either of your adversaries could best me in my own lair?” she asked, somewhat bemused by the idea.
“No, but they may be able to steal it from you,” Alexander said. “As long as it exists, the world is in jeopardy.”
“Stealing from a dragon’s hoard is unhealthy,” Bragador said. “I’ve heard tales of the shades, and while formidable, their hosts are just flesh and bone. If it should be foolish enough to trespass in my lair, it will never leave. As for the arch mage, he has already visited us and fled, barely escaping with his life. I doubt he will be back.”
“Probably not in person,” Alexander said, “but he will send his minions, one after the next, until he has his prize. I know from personal experience just how relentless he is. At the very least, you will face a stream of constant intrusions as long as you possess the keystone.”
She frowned, considering his argument.
“Do you know the history of this item you seek?” Bragador asked.
“I know it was created by Malachi Reishi,” Alexander said. “Beyond that I only know that it needs to be destroyed.”
“My grandsire was entrusted with it by the Rebel Mage at the end of humanity’s last great war,” Bragador said. “It has been a part of my family treasure hoard for nearly two thousand years. My sire spoke of it to me before he passed from this world. His only instruction was to never let it fall into the hands of a human … any human.”
“Lady Bragador, please, I implore you to reconsider,” Alexander said. “Your sire knew the danger it poses or he wouldn’t have been so insistent about protecting it. I only wish to destroy it, nothing more.”
She seemed to be weighing his words when Chloe buzzed into existence in a ball of scintillating white light. She floated up to Bragador. The dragon seemed slightly startled by her sudden presence.
“Hello, Lady Bragador. My name is Chloe and I’ve bonded with Alexander. I give you my word of honor that he speaks truth. His need is great and the burden he carries is terrible. Please help him.”
“You’re a long way from home, Little One,” Bragador said. “I didn’t think your Fairy Queen permitted you to leave her valley.”
“She made an exception for Alexander,” Chloe said. “And he is worthy of her trust, as he is of yours.”
“Even if he could be trusted, the item he seeks cannot be destroyed,” Bragador said. “My sire tried. He couldn’t shatter it. And his fire, hot enough to melt stone, had no effect either.”
Alexander pulled the Sovereign Stone from under his tunic and let it fall against his chest. With a thought, he opened the door to the Wizard’s Den.
“I am Alexander Reishi, Sovereign of the Seven Isles. Within the Stone’s Wizard’s Den is a balcony and beyond that is an endless mist. If I cast the keystone into the mist, it will be gone from this world forever.”
Bragador peered into the Wizard’s Den and snorted.
“I have seen many things, Human, but this is a curiosity beyond my experience,” she said. “For showing me such a thing, we are even for the use of my scales to protect you. But while impressive, I’m still not convinced that I should give you the keystone and even if I were, you have not offered me anything in return for such a rare item.”
“Name your price for the keystone and a dragon tear,” Alexander said, hoping she would name something he had the power to give.
She scrutinized him closely, her golden eyes narrowing.
“You possess two items that are both unique and ancient,” Bragador said. “That bauble hanging from your neck and the sword at your waist. Either would do.”
Alexander swallowed hard but he didn’t hesitate. With a deep breath, he lifted the baldric over his head and extended Mindbender to Bragador.
“Alexander, are you sure about this?” Isabel asked.
“What choice do I have? The keystone and your life are both more important than a sword.”
“I did not expect you to meet my price,” Bragador said. “But you still haven’t convinced me that you can destroy the keystone. Until then there can be no bargain.”
“How can I convince you?” Alexander asked.
Before she could answer, a dragon roared from overhead, followed by another and then another. The large dark-green dragon that had first greeted them landed on a rocky prominence nearby, fury flashing in his eyes.
“Anja has been taken!” he roared.
Bragador reared back, her nostrils flaring, her wings spread wide.
“Deceiver!” she said.
Alexander grasped the hilt of Mindbender and threw up an illusionary wall of stone between himself and the now furious dragon.
“Run!” he shouted.
He and his friends raced back into the cave. They rounded one corner and then another as heat washed over them, singeing their hair and scorching their clothes. Bright orange fire illuminated the cave from behind as they ran, desperately trying to escape the dragon’s fire.
“You will not survive this day!” Bragador bellowed.
They ran deeper into the mountain, twisting and turning through the labyrinth. For half an hour they fled, not caring where they went, so long as it was farther away from the dragons. Angry roars reverberated through the mountain, lending urgency to their flight.
They stopped in a small chamber to catch their breath.
“What just happened?” Jack asked.
“I’m not sure,” Alexander said. “That green dragon said someone had been taken.”
“Anja, I think,” Isabel said.
“So who’s Anja and who took her?” Jack said.
“I don’t know, but I think we need to find out,” Alexander said. “This smells like Phane’s doing.”
“What if they find the ship?” Isabel asked.
Alexander shook his head. “It won’t be good. I just hope Captain Kalderson has the good sense to stay put. If he tries to run, they’re sunk for sure.”
He willed the door to his Wizard’s Den open.
“If you hear anything coming, shake me until I come out of my meditation,” Alexander said. “I’m going to have a look around.”
He didn’t waste any time. The moment he slipped free of his body and into the firmament, he focused on Bragador. His awareness coalesced in an enormous cavern. Dozens of dragons were arrayed around Bragador, who was sitting atop a mound of gold coins as big as a house. She was eyeing a single man standing casually before her as if he held the upper hand. He didn’t seem nervous in the least to be standing in a dragon’s lair.