The Guardians' Blade
Chapter Seventeen - Fortress of Ramoth

Serraria was tired, cold and hungry. It was as though they had been travelling through the mountains for longer than three days. There seemed to be no end to the journey. “Are we there yet?” she asked as she walked alongside the Peacekeeper’s horse.

“Soon,” Soryn sounded tired as well, or maybe it was just her hearing. Serraria wrinkled her nose. As always he wasn’t specific, and soon seemed to mean to her another day of walking. Wasn’t there a quicker way to get to Ramoth? She yawned again and scratched at her nose before stumbling on a rock.

“Easy there.” A strong hand grasped her elbow, keeping her from falling face first onto the ground. She blinked and looked up to find it was Rakkath. He always seemed to be there when she needed something. “How are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she nodded, before rubbing the back of her hand against her brow. “I’m tired, and wish we could get to Ramoth faster,” she said after a moment. “Isn’t there a faster route?”

Rakkath chuckled and shook his head. “Not that I know of, little wolf.” He patted her lightly on the back of the head. “We will get there soon, be patient.”

Serraria wrinkled her nose at those words and huffed before she noticed that Grong and Soryn had come to a stop and were looking over the map again. “What’s going on? Are we lost now?” she whined.

Rakkath grinned and led the girl up to where their guides were conversing so she could hear what they were talking about.

“Yes, it should be around here.” Grong nodded, pointing a clawed finger at the map. “The opening will take us near the arena, but we will be safe.” He glanced up a moment and frowned at the clouds that were spreading further out over the mountains. “I do not trust the night in the open any longer.” He then moved past the Guardian and began feeling various boulders as if he was looking for something in particular.

“What’s he searching for?” asked Serraria, looking up at Soryn.

The Guardian looked back at his map. “There’s a back entrance into Ramoth; one of two actually. We are taking a short cut instead of going all the way to the front gates.”

Serraria smiled at that. She suddenly didn’t feel so tired any more. She watched keenly what Grong was doing, and let out a startled gasp when he pushed against a small rock and a part of the rock wall directly before them slid slowly aside. It had been an illusion, a trick of the eye to make it seem like a dead end. With a little grin she hurried past to make her way down into the tunnel with Rakkath following close behind.

“Serraria!” Soryn shouted. He sighed, shaking his head. That girl was reckless and unpredictable. He rolled up the map then moved back to where his destrider stood waiting, and smiled as he patted the steed’s neck. “Almost there, Raja,” he said, before taking up the reins and proceeding to lead his four-legged friend down into the tunnel, followed by Alixa and Boar.

Kain paused a moment, looking back the way they had come. He caught sight of a lone Sidhra standing on a boulder, making him frown. They were being closely watched, and thankfully they had not been attacked during their trek over the mountains. He shouldered his pack before walking into the tunnel with the rest of the Ranger Company following behind him.

The company of Rangers and Guardians were very tired that night. The council of Ramoth decided to let the traveler’s rest before asking for a report. Councilor Yorn especially curbed his desire of talking with the Guardians at the present moment. Mostly because Mycol was there keeping the peace and keeping Yorn occupied with the troubles of Eagle’s Point.

The next morning Sir Krammer was awakened by a banging on his guest room door. He struggled out of bed, making sure he was presentable by throwing on a tunic and pants, and shuffled to the door. Pulling it open he stared down at a young Novice Guardian before demanding, “What do you want?”

“Councilor Yorn wishes to see you,” was the timid response.

Soryn sighed, but nodded and closed the door. He finished dressing, putting on his chain mail, boots, halberd and cloak. Then pulling the door open again he stepped out and strode through the various halls alongside the nervous young Novice to the council chambers. Once there, the novice left him, while he was shown in by one of the Guardians on door duty.

Entering the council chamber Soryn noted that Mycol sat at the table, along with the other Councilors of Ramoth. He gave a slight bow before straightening up and looked to Yorn who had risen to his feet to address him. “How are you proceeding with the mission so far?”

“Well, Councilor,” came Krammer’s response. He looked at Mycol. “We have the Krysalith of Kilimanjari, Silvaria and the Mar’quie willing to assist us. The Omarians didn’t want to listen to me. We were on our way to speak to the Dragons of Drakebare but the Underground Highway is now completely cut off.” He then looked back to Yorn.

“What do you mean the Underground Highway is completely cut off?” Yorn stared at Soryn intently.

“We were attacked by Sidhra, so we had to set off a cave-in to block the Sidhra from reaching the Mar’Quie clans.”

Mycol nodded slightly before looking towards Yorn. “It is as I suspected. The Wolf King is trying to find various ways to get his forces over the mountains. If he can’t use the passes he’ll try the Underground Highway. But he does not know it well enough.” He rose to his feet and looked around the stone table then back at Soryn. “I have a suggestion on how Guardian Krammer could reach the Dragons.”

Yorn frowned slightly. “What is this suggestion of yours?”

Mycol offered a crooked little smile. “There is a particular branch of Guardians that have found and protected another method of travel between cities.” He looked from Yorn then over to Soryn. “And it just so happens that I have been recently told we can use this method to reach the Dragons.” He turned then and motioned to someone that Krammer hadn’t noticed until then.

A tall slender female slowly approached the stone table. Lifting gloved hands she lowered her hood, to reveal that she was a Dark Krysalith with fine dark skin and silvery white braided hair. There was something else about her that was striking, the strange rune-like tattoos etched in white in her skin, as if someone had taken a knife and carefully cut them into her flesh. “This is Nar’tash of the Dry’hidra Guardians. She is head of the gate project.” Mycol smiled at the woman as he introduced her to the rest of the Council and to Soryn. He then turned to look at Soryn. “She can get you to the Dragons by a method that not even the Wolf King could predict.”

Yorn stared a long moment then he rose abruptly to his feet. “Using those gates? Those gates are ancient. How do you know you will end up where you want to go?” he asked sharply.

Mycol looked to his fellow Councilor and spoke. “I have her assurance and the fact that she and the rest of the Dry’hidra use the gates regularly to travel when they are sent on their missions.” He smiled as he looked to Nar’tash. “I have every faith she will succeed for us again.”

“You honor me, Councilor,” murmured Nar’tash softly in a thick accent, as she bowed stiffly towards the stone table and the Councilors sitting around it.

Mycol chuckled softly, than motioned with a hand at Soryn. “Make your preparations, and let the others know. Nar’tash will need to know who is going through the gate.”

Soryn nodded and turned to take his leave, and found the Dark Krysalith female falling in step with him as he left the chamber. He didn’t say anything at first, but finally he broke the ice. “Have you been a Guardian long?”

“All my life, my entire enclave is a part of the Guardianship.” She drew the hood back up over her head, casting her beautiful dark features into shadow.

Soryn had been taken by surprised when Mycol had introduced her, as he had never heard of the Dry’hidra before and had to guess that they were an enclave predominate in this particular realm. He cleared his throat, feeling stupid having to ask but did so anyway. “Where is your enclave from?”

“Over the mountains we once had a place to call home. It was Ildreth. We served the dark one faithfully then.” She lifted her head as she recounted her people’s history. “A wizard came among us, and stirred up our Queen. Some of our Sword Sisters were not pleased with what he was promising her. The Captain of the Sword Sisters led a revolt against the Queen of the Enclave and there was a terrible battle. The wizard unleashed a terrible spell. I think it was done deliberately in an effort to kill us all.” She paused for a moment then continued. “The survivors of the aftermath awoke several years later to find them-selves neither dead nor alive. Dry’hidra means Deathwalker in your tongue. For we are like the undead, we died and yet we live. The Guardians call us the Keepers of the Death Gate, because we can see what is beyond death.”

Krammer frowned as he tried to understand just what she was saying. “You speak as if this event is still fresh in your mind.”

“My Father is a survivor of that event. He is an Elder of our Dry’hidra enclave.” She cast Krammer a glance. Her eyes were purple, very different to the eye color of any other Krysalith he had so far seen. “I myself have lived 1000 years so far. Perhaps one day I will show you the city the Guardians gave to us. You may understand better than of what I speak. For the present moment I am here to show you the gate. Do you wish to see it now, so you know what to say to your companions?”

Soryn was still amazed at hearing the age of this being walking at his side. She had witnessed much if what she was saying correct. He blinked a moment, realizing she had stopped talking and was awaiting on an answer. “Oh … yes. Please,” he said, though he couldn’t quite remember what she had asked of him. She immediately turned down a hall, so he quickly followed her. She was silent for much of the walk, which involved many stairs. They were going down, further into the bowels of the mountain that the Fortress was constructed on. He was starting to think they were never going to get there when finally they reached a set of stone doors marked with strange runes he thought he had never seen before. Then he remembered he had seen them before, as they looked similar to those on Nar’tash’s skin. He looked over towards his guide to see what she would do next.

The Dry’hidra slowly approached the doors in a solemn manner, pulling off her gloves. Soryn noticed that the runes not only covered her face but her hands as well. She reached out towards the doors and traced matching runes in the air. To his surprise he clearly saw the runes appear, sparkling golden for brief seconds before fading away. Then the doors cracked open, before slowly parting to allow them entrance. She pulled the gloves back onto her hands before leading him into a darkened room. It was only pitch black for a few moments, as after two steps several torches on the walls came to life, their flames casting orange light upon the center of the room where a large dais stood.

Soryn slowly came to a halt, and stared in wonder at what was before him. On the dais stood a high archway. Carved into its stone were various runes identical to those Nar’tash wore, and those on the doors. He turned his head and noticed a pedestal nearby. Walking over to it, he noticed that the top of the pedestal was a large square, and within this square were several smaller squares. Each square had a rune carved into its stone. He then noticed behind the pedestal a strange-looking box, covered in a metal he had never seen. From the box ran five black cords over to the dais, disappearing underneath it. Being curious he followed the cords to the dais then proceeded to walk around it. He heard a strange humming that came from behind the dais and its grand arch. Turning around, he noticed that there were various instruments against the back wall of the chamber. He couldn’t make out what they were. Some had blinking lights; one was a large long cylinder that took up half the length of the wall. He noticed one of the strange boxes had what looked like a mirror upon it. Out of curiosity he peered into it.

“Don’t touch that.”

Nar’tash’s accented voice brought him back from his investigation and he turned about to look at her with a slight frown. “What is this place?”

“It is a gateway,” she stated. “My people found it and worked out how to make use of it. Not all the gateways between the cities are working yet. Because the Underground Highway has been compromised we are trying to finish the project as soon as possible.” She smiled as she walked over to where he stood. “The Guardians long thought that they built most of the mountain fortresses with the aid of the Mar’quie. But what really happened, is they found each of the cities when they were driven underground by the Dark Warlords of the north.” She looked over towards Krammer. “They did not understand some of the strange things that they found in the cities, so they never tried to learn or understand them. But my people were curious, and we took it upon ourselves, when the Guardians accepted us, to learn about these strange things.”

Soryn nodded. “I can see why you are called the Keepers of the Gate.”

Nar’tash smiled at him before she moved over to the box with the mirror on it, and began to press what looked like buttons. Soryn stiffened when he saw words starting to appear in the reflection of the mirror, words he didn’t understand. “What are you doing?”

“I am preparing the gate. I have to tell it where we wish to travel. It will locate the gate-link we want and let us know if that gate is available to us. You go and get your friends ready, this will take around ten minutes for me to prepare.” Nar’tash continued to tap away at the buttons, no longer paying him any attention.

Soryn nodded and turned, hurrying out of the room. He took the stairs two at a time, before reaching a more familiar hall which he ran through as he made his way back towards the guest quarters in the Fortress. He was puffing by the time he reached the guest dining hall and found everyone busy at their breakfast. He waited a couple of moments to get his breath back so he could enter in a dignified manner, then approached the long table and took a seat, before dishing up some food for himself. At first no one spoke to him but after a while one by one they started to ask questions about his absence.

“So Soryn, where’d you get to?” Boar asked around a mouthful of toast before swallowing some tea.

“I spoke to the Council, gave them an update of the mission Mycol sent us on,” came his response. Soryn frowned at Boar’s eating manners, than continued, “We have a way to get to the Dragons without having to be bothered by the Wolf King’s minions.”

“Which way?” asked Millianyia as she buttered a scone.

“It is a little difficult to explain.” Soryn frowned slightly as he tried to sort out what he had seen before continuing. “We will be going through what is called a gate-way. There is also supposed to be one at the Dragon’s Den.”

There was silence around the table, and Serraria stared very hard at the guardian for a long moment, as did Millianyia. Both spoke simultaneously. “A gate-way?”

Soryn sighed a little and leaned back in his chair. “I do not know how to explain it, you would have to see it to get an idea of what the Council means.” He looked around the table. “Not all of you will need to come this time, just a handful.” He looked specifically at Boar and Alixa a moment, then smiled at Kain.

Kain nodded. “Milli and I will go with you.” He motioned to the rest of his crew. “They will remain and rest up for when we have to go back to Eagle’s Point.”

Soryn smiled, nodding his head.

“What about me?” Serraria interrupted, with a scowl at the men. “I want to go too.”

“You can’t go, Serraria,” Soryn said emphatically. “Stay here with the others. Learn a few things while I’m away.” He rose to his feet. “We should leave, I was given ten minutes to gather those who are coming.”

“Why can’t I go?” Serraria demanded as she rose and followed the Guardian to the door. “I have as much right to go as the others.” She fixed him with her sapphire gaze.

“Only some of us can go. You can see not everyone else who’s not going is protesting as hard as you.” Soryn frowned at the girl. “Now go to Dovelin, she may have some things to teach you.” He turned on a booted heel and strode off swiftly.

Serraria’s eyes glinted with a hint of gold running through them before she retreated a few steps and watched as the others walked out.

“There’s more than one way to skin a cat you know,” a soft whisper touched her ear. Serraria started abruptly, and found Rakkath standing next to her.

“What?”

He smiled and winked then crooked a finger for her to follow him. “Don’t give up just because you’ve been told no. Follow me.”

Serraria blinked a moment then grinned, and quickly followed the Dark Krysalith out into the hall. They could hear the faint echoes of footsteps of the others and proceeded to follow them at a distance. Through various halls they went then down three or four long rambling staircases. Serraria had to wonder when the stairs would end when they reached a pair of open doors. She sneaked up and peered into the room. She saw the dais and the grand archway and whispered softly, “A Rift Gate.”

“Rift Gate?” asked Rakkath curiously. He had moved up behind her and was having a look himself.

“Yes, where I come from we use them often to go to other w …,” she stopped a moment, then continued, “to go to lots of places.” She licked her lips before slipping into the room and cautiously approached the group so that she was standing behind them and could now listen to what was going on.

Nar’tash stood on the dais smiling. “… As I have told your friend here.” She nodded at Krammer. “This gate links to other gates scattered about this world. One of those gates is with the Dragons, and because the Underground Highway is lost to us, the Council has asked that the gates be put to use.” She stepped down off the dais then and moved over to the pedestal. “Without further ado, I will open the link. Everyone pass through one at a time. You will feel a coldness in your bones and may feel disorientated briefly. When you step out on the other side you will find yourself on a large cliff face. Don’t go too far from it, or you will fall to the rocks below.” With that being said she pressed down on one particular rune. The stone square slowly sank down, and then a whirring could be heard thrumming in the background. Blue sparks began to flicker and flare around the Archway, at first solely at the base then rapidly as the sparks laced their way up either side and met at the top of the arch. There was a brief bright flash before there was a strange shimmering affect, as if they were looking into a living mirror but there was no reflection of them-selves.

Serraria grinned as she saw the gate come to life. She was somewhat impressed, this Nar’tash seemed to know a little bit about what she was doing. “Hmmm – a couple of errors, but it’s working appropriately.”

Rakkath looked down at the strange girl with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, they haven’t got the generators running at their highest capacity. The gate link will cut out in two minutes,” was her explanation.

Rakkath rubbed his brow. “I hope they know that,” he muttered.

Soryn strode forward. Putting a foot on to the dais he paused a moment. Then clenching a fist he stepped through the archway. He felt an icy coldness touch him. It seemed to stab straight into the heart of his being. For a brief second he was in total darkness, and he felt his movements slowing as if he was walking in water as he took another step. Then there was light, too bright for him to look so he closed his eyes. He felt a hard surface beneath his booted feet, so he opened his eyes again. The abrupt change of scenery jolted his senses. It was cold, there was snow on the ground, and overhead there were dark clouds and crackling thunder. He stepped off this other dais carefully, turning around to see another archway, this one carved into a sheer cliff rock wall. He took a couple of steps back to watch in amazement as Boar, Alixa, Kain and Millianyia stepped through, as if they had walked through the rock. Then his mood darkened as Serraria and Rakkath jumped through, the girl’s eyes wide as saucers. She was giggling as though it was a great joke.

“Serraria, I told you to remain behind,” he barked at her. The others turned to look at the girl, who paled beneath the Guardian’s wrath. She slipped away to one side, standing close to Rakkath’s side. The final one to come through was Nar’tash. They would need her to activate the gate-link again to get back.

Boar put a restraining hand on Soryn’s shoulder. “Let Serraria be,” he murmured quietly. “If she wants to see the Dragons, let us not argue with fate, hmm?”

Soryn shot Boar a dark look, working his jaw before turning abruptly away to discover where they were. The cliff face was high, and the ledge they stood on not all that wide. But there was a path that led upwards, carefully chiseled into the rock. This was what Soryn now followed, until he reached another cliff ledge that was wider than the last. Here he stopped, for before him sat a pair of large dragons. One was red and the other was green. They were young, but focused on their current duties. Slowly he stepped up to them and then spoke. “Dragons of Drakebare, I require your assistance.”

The two dragons stirred, as if waking from a slumber, lifting their heads to fix the guardian with glimmering golden eyes. The red one shifted onto all fours, and addressed Soryn. “Why are you here, Guardian? Are you come to spy on us?”

“No, I need to speak to your Elders.” Soryn looked to the green-scaled dragon. “I bring an important message from Shaylo.”

“Shaylo? Where is Shaylo?” The green one huffed, so that two columns of smoke spiraled up from its flared nostrils. “Are you from Ramoth? Be truthful. We have little time for liars.”

“I have come from Ramoth,” amended Soryn, bowing, “But the message itself comes from the Guardian Council at Shaylo.” He fell silent and could feel that the others had finally joined him and were staring at the young dragons.

“That’s odd, isn’t it? How can the message come from Shaylo if you are from Ramoth?” asked the red one. “I think you should go back the way you’ve come. You’re nothing but trouble.”

Soryn closed his eyes a moment, trying to keep a rein on his temper before trying again. “My message is from the Guardian Shaylo Councilor Mycol, who is currently at the Fortress of Ramoth.”

“Keep it up, that’s right.” The green one bobbed its head. “Dig your grave a little deeper, we’re still not going to let you pass.”

Serraria stepped through the group and glanced at Soryn. “May I be of some assistance?”

The Guardian shot the girl a glare. “Unless you can talk dragon-speak to make these two dragons see reason, I highly doubt it,” he snapped.

Serraria offered a sweet smile in response and stepped past him. She focused on the two dragons and proceeded to do exactly that which stunned the entire group. “Cousins, we need to speak with the elders. It is of great importance. The Guardians will need the aid of the dragonkin in their current endeavor to keep the foulness of the north from entering the south lands.”

“Why didn’t you say so before?” The red dragon bowed to Serraria. “Follow us, little sister.”

The two dragons shifted, turning to lead towards what looked like the mouth of a cave. Serraria glanced over her shoulder at the others and motioned for them to follow before she set off at a quick stride.

“Thinking it was a good idea to leave her behind now?” muttered Rakkath to Soryn as he passed him, deliberately bumping shoulders as he did so. That made the Guardian scowl, but he followed nonetheless, though he was not all that impressed with the Dark Krysalith’s manners. Nar’tash far surpassed the male Krysalith in many ways from his point of view.

“I guess they like it if someone can speak their tongue,” said Alixa half-heartedly, and Boar laughed at her comment.

“Supposedly. But we don’t know what she said to them. She could have told them we were their next dinner, for all we know.”

“Boar!” Alixa promptly punched him in the arm.

“What?” he rubbed his arm and looked rueful. “I’m serious. I mean, how many of us can translate dragon speech?”

Millianyia smiled as she walked along. “I can,” though she said it more to herself. She glanced over to Kain who walked alongside her. “Strange, yes?”

“Sort of. But then I don’t really have dealings with dragons much.” He shot her a smile. “I prefer to talk to the two-legged kind.”

Millianyia let out a soft musical laugh, nodding as they entered the cave. She and Kain followed the others into what looked like a tunnel that sloped a little too steeply for her liking. After slipping a couple of times on loose stones Millianyia found they had entered a large circular chamber, with a massive fire burning in the center. The heat in this room was enough to make them all sweat within moments of entering. It was as if they had walked into a furnace. There were several dragons around the chamber, sitting or curled up near the burning bonfire, enjoying the intensity of the heat, almost as if they would have sunbaked if the sun had been out.

Serraria followed the two young dragons around the bonfire to where a large gold dragon sat. She bowed to the large beast before straightening up and repeating what she had told the young dragons word for word. She waited to hear its response. She felt the heat that came from the fire but it did not seem to bother her as it did the Guardians who looked almost like they were melting within their uniforms, their discomfort clear upon their faces.

Soryn slowly approached to stand behind the girl who seemed to be in the habit of working miracles whenever they needed one. The great gold dragon drew back from Serraria to turn to three other dragons. They appeared to be holding a meeting, leaving the newcomers to them-selves for the moment. Then one of the young dragons approached. “I am Dilan, son of the king of the Dragons.” He turned his head, nodding in the direction of the great beast that Serraria had spoken to. “Gorgilare.” He looked back to the small band of travelers. “My father is holding a Council with his advisors. He will give you an answer soon on whether the Dragons of Drakebare will help the Guardians or not.”

Soryn nodded as he looked at the young gold-scaled dragon. “Thank you.” He looked over to Serraria then, and although he was still angry at her for not staying behind, he had to admit that without her they wouldn’t have had an audience with Gorgilare.

Dilan turned his attention to the girl as well. “Where have you been hiding, Dragon child?” He flashed at her a toothy grin as he leaned down, to place his face close to hers. “We have songs about you.”

Serraria looked confused. A slight frown appeared on her features. “Dragon child?” she asked curiously, and looked up at Soryn for help. The Guardian shook his head, as he didn’t know anything about what the dragon was talking about. She looked back to Dilan, who explained.

“It is prophesied that the Dragon child will come, and bring about an alliance of many to stand against the blackness of the north.” The young dragon settled on his haunches and curled a tail around his clawed toes. “You are the first in a very long time to come here and converse with us in our own tongue. An ancient language that is lost to most.”

“Isn’t that your language though?” asked Serraria curiously.

Dilan let out a soft little laugh. “No, it was spoken by our ancestors when they were here. But they left a long time ago. However every so often, a Dragon child comes amongst us, sent by the ancestors to remind us they still exist.” He looked at her pointedly. “And you are one.”

Serraria paled a little, as if she knew exactly what he meant when he said ancestors. “Oh,” she whispered softly, covering her mouth with a slightly trembling hand. She turned away, glancing slowly around the chamber for a long moment. Had she been too reckless all of a sudden?

“Do not be afraid,” said Dilan, taking her reaction as a sign that she was confused and did not yet understand. “You will understand in time, and remember.”

Serraria shook her head at that last word. Remember? Remember what? She frowned a bit, biting her bottom lip, and rejoined others of her group. She was wondering just how much the dragons knew about her people.

Soryn had over-heard the entire conversation, and watched Serraria hurry over to where Millanyia stood. Dragon child? Dilan had made her sound like she was some promised savior. It was a most confusing situation. He retreated from the fire to lean against a wall with Alixa and Boar and fold his arms over his chest as he thought on the situation and thought over recent events, especially in regards to Serraria.

“It’s so hot in here.” Alixa sighed as she pushed a wet strand of hair out of her eyes. “Is it something to do with the cold weather outside?”

“Maybe it’s to counteract the cold,” suggested Boar with a soft low chuckle. He didn’t seem all that bothered by the heat. He looked at his two companions. “Something about the fire in the dragon, they need fire to stay warm and be able to move around.”

Soryn smirked a little and muttered over at Alixa. “Maybe you should ask the dragons.” He glanced towards some dragons nearby. Though he had half agreed with Boar’s explanation, as it seemed to make sense.

Alixa paled at the idea of going anywhere near those dragons and shook her head sharply. “I’ll stay here, thanks.”

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of them.” Boar teased with a wink at his dark-haired companion. She shot him a look and stuck out her tongue, which only caused him to laugh.

Serraria hugged herself as she stood near Millianyia, Kain and Rakkath, staring at the huge gold dragon. The cavern was quite large to enable him to move around easily. Looks could be deceiving at the best of times. She licked her lips as she kicked at a stone in mild agitation. She suddenly wanted to be as far from here as possible, as she felt that her secret was very close to being revealed to these people she was travelling with. They had accepted her so far, but would they accept her if they knew the truth about her and where she came from? She looked and around nervously as she pondered her predicament. She was sure that Sir Krammer would have some questions for her, and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to answer all of them. She had done several strange things over the course of time to make them all wonder about her.

“Are you all right?”

She turned her head, to find Rakkath leaning down and smiling at her. She smiled back. He seemed to be one of the few who actually cared about her. She looked towards the dragons then said quietly, “Rakkath, I have many secrets and I cannot tell or explain all of them to the people here.” Serraria shifted to fold arms over her chest. “And the dragons make it difficult.”

Rakkath smiled slightly at the strange girl, reaching out to lightly tug at one of her braids, while he considered the best thing to say. “Everyone has secrets, little wolf. Some we are happy to reveal and others we prefer to keep to ourselves.” He looked towards Soryn. You don’t have to tell him anything. It is up to you what you want people to know about you.” He smiled again.

Serraria relaxed a little at his words, than nodded as she turned to look towards the dragons once more. Perhaps she could get through this mission without too much being given away. She straightened up as she saw the great gold dragon Gorgilare was leaving his advisors and moving back towards the fire. She had a feeling he was ready to give his response to the Guardian’s request for aid. She moved to step up to Soryn’s side. The two walked side by side to stand near the fire, looking up at the great dragon and waiting for him to speak.

Gorgilare reared back to sit up on his haunches and regarded the two for a long moment, then addressed them. “The Dragons of Drakebare take pride in protecting the Mountains we live in. But the wars that are waged are not always just cause for our involvement.” He raised a claw when Serraria looked as though she was going to burst out saying something. “We have had news, however, that our black cousins have become involved. We cannot have it be said that we sat idly by, while the blacks burnt to the ground everything in their path.” He shook his head slightly before motioning to a nearby dragon. It approached and dropped a bundle before the Guardian and Serraria. “Take up the dragon dagger, little one,” he stated, addressing the girl. Serraria did so, kneeling to unwrap the bundle before drawing out the sheathed dagger. “Dragon child, I pray you fulfill your duties. The dagger is for you to remember us by.” He then looked to Soryn. “Take up the dragon claw, take it to your Council, it is a token and a sign that we will be there when you summon us.”

Sir Krammer bowed his head before kneeling and taking up the claw carefully, wrapping it up in a cloth he had removed from his pouch. He straightened up and tucked it away, then looked up at the great dragon. “Thank you,” he said simply.

The Dragon inclined his large head, lowering down onto all fours as he looked from one to the other. “The age of dragons is soon coming to an end, but we will aid where we can until that time comes.” He turned then to head out of the large cavern via another tunnel, his movement smooth and graceful for a beast of that size.

Soryn was silent a long moment then rested a hand on Serraria’s shoulder. “Let us return then.” He didn’t ask questions even though he had a lot on his mind. It was something for him to think upon for the moment. And he felt that if it was important, more would be revealed as time went by.

Serraria turned slowly with the tall Guardian and walked back to where the others waited.

“We have the answer we came for.” Soryn stated to his fellow Guardians and then to Kain and Millianyia. “Let us return to Ramoth.” He smiled then at Nar’tash who moved to lead them out of the cavern and up the steep sloped tunnel. The visit to the dragons had been without attack, but not without its strange twists in regard to the young girl who had insisted on coming with them. He watched Rakkath and Serraria as they walked together then spoke to Boar who had fallen into step at his side. “I am starting to think that our dark friend there knows a few things that we do not.”

Boar smiled. “I have caught him wandering when the rest of the crew have been sleeping.” He glanced over to Soryn. “Shall I tighten my watch on him?”

“I would be most obliged. The girl while she is among us is under our protection and therefore it is our obligation to keep her safe from harm,” said Soryn. “She is most unique and I have no desire for her to become a tool of the Warlords.”

Boar nodded in agreement. “Then I’ll keep a closer eye on them both.” He felt rather glad about this, as it eased his own doubts about Rakkath. Knowing that someone else was suspicious of the Dark Kryalith caused him to feel it wasn’t all in his own head. “Serraria may not like this,” he commented after a moment.

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” came Soryn’s muttered response, as they reached the cave mouth and stepped out into the snow and back out onto a large cliff face. From there they were able to get a glimpse of the northland.

It was much like the desolate lands that the Guardian’s where use to travelling through, gnarled trees, no grass, just bare earth covered in grey-tinged snow. No sign of wildlife anywhere. It seemed empty and hollow. It seemed to be a very sad place to live in. Soryn slowly stepped up to the cliff edge and found himself joined by Nar’tash. He frowned slightly then spoke quietly. “It reminds me of home, where I come from.” He clasped his hands behind his back then looked over to her.

“It was home,” her accented voice touched the cool air, than she returned Soryn’s gaze with a slight smile on her lips. “Until the Guardians gave us a better home,” She moved to take the cliff path down towards the archway where the others were waiting for them.

Soryn quietly mused on her words as he followed her. He looked at the arch, and he had to wonder how she was going make it work again. He frowned as Nar’tash approached the dais and knelt at its base, brushing away snow and dirt to reveal what looked like a small rectangular block of numbers and a soft glowing orange light.

Nar’tash pushed in a series of buttons then one final button and waited a couple of moments before the orange light switched to green. She then quickly backed up a few steps. The others gathered around her to watch as the arch started to crackle in an impossible manner. The runes all along the arch lit up, until the entire arch seemed to be glowing. The strange shimmering on the rock between the arched pillars occurred and Nar’tash smiled at them, motioning for them to step through quickly.

Soryn straightened his sword belt and being the leader stepped up onto the dais, bravely being the first once again to step through this strange gateway. Again he felt that chilling cold strike the core of his being and the slowness of time, before he found himself stumbling out the other side, back into the original chamber that they had left hours earlier.

He stumbled down off the dais feeling like his very bones were hurting. He kneeled down to give himself a little bit of time to regain his composure. He wasn’t sure if he could do that again. He preferred travelling from place to place on his destrider. After a moment he pushed himself up to his feet and turned to see the others arriving, some feeling the same effects he had, though he noted Millianyia, Serraria and Nar’tash didn’t seem to mind the gateway. That caused him frown a little. He could well understand Nar’tash, as she worked on the thing and most likely had used it enough times to make sure it worked. But what about Millianyia, what was her excuse?

Nar’tash came through last and moved towards the back of the room where she could be seen fiddling with the strange instruments. Then she came back over towards them and smiled at Soryn. “We should report,” she said softly.

“What time is it?”

“It is noon.” Nar’tash walked towards the great doors with almost silent footsteps. As she passed Rakkath, she gave him a pointed stare, as if acknowledging exactly who he was before walking on.

Rakkath frowned but didn’t want to show her look had bothered him. He would have to deal with her later. He smiled down at Serraria who was standing next to him.

“Shall we share our adventure with the others?” He had no desire to go into the Council chambers. He had learned quite a bit of information just by visiting the dragons. Now he had to plan his next meeting with Malificant carefully, as he knew the Guardians might well be on to him by now.

“Sure,” said Serraria with a nod of her head. She didn’t think Soryn would need her to report to his people, so she happily left with Rakkath to tell the others about what had happened.

Soryn, meanwhile, made his way up the stairs and followed Nar’tash through the halls to the Council chambers, where the four of them were quickly ushered in as the Council waited for them. He made his way up to the stone table and all bowed before Sir Krammer spoke.

“We are returned, and we have an answer from the Dragons of Drakebare.”

Mycol smiled from where he sat. “Good work, Sir Krammer.” He looked to Nar’tash. “How did the Gateway work?”

“The gateway was stable, there were no problems in forming the link,” came her soft response.

“Good.” Mycol nodded. “I will be making a request of you later.” He looked towards Yorn. “Now that we have an alliance formed, I would suggest that on the morrow our fine friends go to the Keep, as I have had news that the battle has begun.”

Yorn nodded in agreement. “Ride out at dawn,” he ordered, but Mycol held up a hand, which made Yorn frown slightly.

“I have a better method for them to arrive by.” Mycol smiled slightly as he looked to Nar’tash. “I believe there is a gate link to Eagle’s Point. Would you prepare it for tomorrow? Our fine friends will need to take their horses.”

Nar’tash frowned slightly but nodded. “I will see if it is possible.” She bowed her head.

Mycol smiled lightly. “Splendid.” He rose to his feet. “Go now… ” He looked to Sir Krammer. “Relax this evening, for tomorrow you go back to the battle-front.”

Soryn nodded and took his leave along with Nar’tash. He still felt a strange coldness in his bones from stepping through that gate. It was strange and alien and he doubted he’d ever get use to using it.

Yorn was looking a little agitated as he patiently waited for the two Guardian’s to leave then turned his attention to Mycol, displeasure clearly displayed upon his features. “Do you have any idea of what you are doing? Those gate-ways are our secret. If we let the Warlord’s realize that we have another means of getting our warriors from one point to another without the use of the highway. They will stop at nothing to find out how we are doing this.”

Mycol shook his head slightly as he spoke quietly. “The Warlords will not know how we were able to do it. They know as we do that the highway is closed. And with the allies giving us warriors instead of our own will clearly hide our trump card.”

Yorn frowned and said quietly. “I hope you know what you are doing.”

Mycol fixed the Elder with a clear green gaze. “I am fully aware of what I am doing Councilor Yorn. My plans will allow us to fix the problem in regards to the Wolf King. He cannot get through the pass that much is clear.”

Yorn nodded his head and sat down heavily in his chair. “Very well. I hope your plan works.”

***

Beneath the moonlight Soryn stood on a cliff ledge looking out over the landscape. Ramoth had several of these lookouts; some were used as landing platforms for the giant eagles of Asterix who often brought travelers from the other Guardian Fortresses from time to time, they were also large enough for dragon’s to land on, but mostly they were used as lookout points, to keep an eye on the enemy in the far northern distance. He was admiring the view, the lake of Shimmering that softly shone like a jewel beneath the moon’s reflective light. It was truly a sight to admire. He turned slightly at the sound of movement, realizing he was not alone, and found that the Dry’hidra had joined him. “It is a nice night to admire the beauty of the stars,” he commented after a moment a moment of silence to try and coax a conversation to life.

“Indeed,” Nar’tash murmured, staring out at the landscape spread out like a map before their gaze. “Guardian Krammer, I have a query to put to you.” Her purple eyes remained fixed upon the mountainous landscape that surrounded them.

“By all means, ask.” Soryn glanced over at the Dry’hidra curiously. Her tone had a hint of seriousness. It made him wonder about the subject she would choose to discuss.

“The dark one who is amongst the Rangers, I have reason to believe he is a spy.” She looked over towards Soryn then, fixing him with a piercing amber gaze. “How did you come across him?”

“On our way to Eagle’s Point, we were under attack, and he came out of nowhere to assist us.” Soryn returned the woman’s gaze sternly. “We cannot make accusations of this nature without evidence, although I will concede that I have my own suspicions about him, and I am watching his movements closely.”

“Why allow him into our strongholds?” She tilted her head slightly. “The Wolf King may know every move you plan to make because of him.”

Soryn smiled as he looked back out towards the distant lake. “It would never be a surprise about what we are doing. The surprise would be if the alliance held and the races kept their word.” He turned slightly to face Nar’tash. “Up until now we have been an open book, but once we reach Eagle’s Point, the book closes and if Rakkath attempts to slip out, he will reveal the truth about himself.”

“He will give knowledge to the Wolf King of the gateway,” she pressed on. “I do not like this Guardian Krammer. Up until now the north has been in ignorance.”

Soryn nodded slightly. “Perhaps, but you control the links, and you know how it works. He does not.” He stared off into the distance. “The gate at Dilbare is dead and unusable.”

“Let us hope it remains so.” Nar’tash did not sound convinced, but she offered a slight bow before turning to make her way back into the mountain fortress.

“You know it would be so easy to make him disappear,” drawled out Boar from the shadows.

“You know it’s impolite to eavesdrop.” Soryn smirked slightly at his fellow Guardian. “Has our friend done anything interesting of late?”

“No.” Boar pushed away from the rock, and padded up to stand next to his mentor. “For the present moment he is a model citizen, and keeps close to the Rangers. But I have noticed the amount of time he spends with the girl. I am starting to fear that he is here because of her.”

Soryn frowned at this comment. “But why? She is from one of the lands outside of the Golden Realms. What interest could the Wolf King have in her?”

“She can talk to dragons.” Boar looked up at the glittering stars in the night sky. “She is a spell caster and has unusual strength.” He clasped gloved hands behind his back. “I would think that very unusual and the kind of thing to gain anyone’s attention.”

Soryn mused on those particular points, but wasn’t won over with concern for the girl other than having no desire for her to end up as a captive of the Wolf King. “Just keep an eye on her,” he stated finally, as his mind was already moving towards the next day and the battle that they would be involved in.

Boar stepped back from his companion. He was still thinking about Rakkath, and decided that if necessary he would take things into his own hands. Turning on one heel, he disappeared. As a Shadow Warrior he had a particular skill of being able to go from place to place through the shadows. It was a skill he had not lost even as a Guardian, and now he put it to good use.

Stepping out into a corridor that led towards the guest rooms he could hear the voices of the Rangers busily chatting amongst themselves. With swift strides he found the doorway and looked into the guest rooms, noting that the girl and Rakkath where not among them. A slight frown formed upon his forehead before he casually entered and slipped up to Storm’s side. She stood by a large table that was laden with fine food.

“Storm, do we know where the young lass has gone?” He reached for an apple, pretending he was hungry.

“She has gone for a walk with the Dark Krysalith.” Storm glanced over at Boar and smiled lightly. “She likes to talk to him from time to time. I think she finds him fascinating.”

Boar smirked. “No doubt,” he muttered, than bowed to the Half-Blood. “My thanks.” He touched a fist to his chest, before turning on one heel and swiftly striding out of the rooms. His smirk rapidly disappeared as he walked down the corridor, trying to think where that young girl might wander off to. He was about to take a wild guess and try the stables when he heard voices that he recognized and quickly followed the sound.

“So your people are not linked with the forests like the others are? You prefer the underground?” Serraria sounded perplexed, peppering her companion with questions.

“We prefer the underground as much as we prefer the moon. We are a night-time people,” explained Rakkath. He was grinning as if he was enjoying this mini interrogation. He reached out to pat the girl on the top of the head. “Not all races like the sun, Little Wolf, everyone has their preferences. Just like your race has its preference.”

“We like the sun, especially in summer, we like to bask in its warmth.” Serraria looked as though she was about to say more but fell silent, then started up again.

“We live in the mountains, much like the Guardians do. The climate gives us summer weather most of the time. When winter comes it is icy cold but winter only lasts three months a year.” She smiled as if she had finally been able to talk a little about herself without giving too much away.

Rakkath chuckled softly. “Then the seasons in this realm will be a shock to your system, as the winter months last six months, and the summer months last six. Equal each year.” He removed his hand from her head and clasped both behind his back. “Have you liked what you have seen so far?”

“Yes,” Serraria nodded. “I did not expect to get such an in depth look into the various races here. And yet I have, and it has been a wonderful experience. It will be difficult for me to go home. I have made such great friends while I have been here.” She smiled over at Rakkath. “Thank you.”

Boar took up a position leaning against a wall and drawled out, “There are many people to befriend, little one. I hope you’ve been befriending the others as well. It’s always good to have more than one friend.”

Serraria spun around. Her gaze darted about until she located the Guardian and scowled at him. “You were spying on me, weren’t you?” she demanded and went to storm towards him, but Rakkath rested a hand on her shoulder to hold her back.

“Easy there, tiger, he can’t help it. He’s a Shadow Warrior, and his kind usually know what my kind get up to.” He smirked slightly over at Boar. “He thinks I’m planning something nasty for you, as Dark Krysalith aren’t meant to make friends.”

Boar rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and next thing you’ll tell her is that I reckon you’re gonna turn into the bogey man and eat her up while she’s sleeping.” He waved a gloved hand around dismissively. “The only reason I don’t really trust you is because you come from the north.” He shrugged his shoulders a little. “Of course, you could prove me wrong.” He smiled widely. “Which I am hoping that you will, for her sake, at least.” He winked over at Serreria.

Rakkath chuckled softly, and folded arms over his chest. “Perhaps I will, Shadow Warrior. I might just surprise you.”

Serraria frowned, looking from one to the other. “I do not like the tone you are both using. Are you trying to pick a fight?” she looked directly at Boar.

“No, little lady; not at all.” Boar shook his head and then smiled at the young girl. “I’ll leave you be now. Just wanted to make sure you were safe.” He gave a slight bow to the pair, before backing up a few steps, turning and striding off the way he had come.

Serraria was still a little perplexed by what had just happened and looked up at Rakkath. “Does that happen often to you?”

Rakkath sighed a little and shook his head. “You would not believe how often, Little Wolf.” He smirked over at her. “It’s just one of those things, I’m afraid. I don’t make friends very easily.” Reaching over, he put a hand on her shoulder and steered her down another corridor, unaware that they were being watched by Nar’tash who stood behind a pillar, out of sight but not out of earshot.

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