Ryan and Jonah dropped the food that they were eating and grabbed their weapons when they heard Chloé scream. They ran after the sounds echoing through the tunnel ahead of them. They ran through the tunnel, taking no regard for their own safety. They went around the bends in the path and leapt over large cracks in the floor. The screaming stopped suddenly. They reached the end of the tunnel as it opened up into another enormous cavern.
This was the largest cavern that they had been through since going beneath the mountains. There was an underground lake that stretched out in front of them. There were many more of the glowing crystals spread throughout the cavern. The ceiling was as bright as the night sky on a moonless night. Ryan could see the ruins of an ancient city that had been carved into the walls of the cavern that surrounded the lake. They looked around nervously, trying to find Chloé.
On the far side of the lake, on the shore beneath a giant archway, they saw a large figure with something much smaller that was lying motionless on the ground in front of it. The creature let out a snarling growl that reverberated off of the walls. The sound was deep and menacing, and it made them feel as if their very bones were vibrating with the sound. The creature jumped into the lake and began to run towards Ryan and Jonah.
Jonah raised his bow and fired an arrow at the beast as it splashed its way through the water towards them. The arrow flew true and struck the creature above the eyes, but the arrow reflected away from the creature instead of piercing flesh. They now could see that it was an enormous wolf. The wolf leapt from the water and landed between the two men with its mouth open and its teeth in full view. It growled as Ryan raised his sword and began to circle it.
Jonah shot arrow after arrow. None pierced the wolf's hide. The wolf was completely unphased by the arrows that were bouncing off its hide. The wolf kept its attention focused solely on Ryan. It opened its mouth and lunged toward Ryan. Ryan ducked low and rolled beneath the mouth as it snapped closed behind him. He leapt to his feet beneath the being and brought his sword up into the wolf's chest with the full force of his body behind the blow.
The sword pierced into the wolf's skin, but struck bone underneath the fur. The shock of the blow caused his sword to fall from Ryan's hands and it fell to the ground with a loud clang that echoed through the chamber. It was several feet away from him when it stopped. The wolf yelped in pain and then turned to face Ryan again. Ryan dove towards his sword, but the wolf blocked his path. Ryan rolled to his feet and turned to run towards Jonah, but the wolf pounced on top of him with its paws.
Ryan felt severe pain in his back and legs as the wolf landed on him. He had tried to roll out of the way, but the beast landed too swiftly and stood over him. Its mouth opened, and as if in slow motion, Ryan saw the wolf's maw drawing towards his head. He closed his eyes and prayed to whomever would hear him. He felt the wolf's warm breath upon his neck, and the wetness on his back from saliva that had dripped upon him from the beast's gaping jaw.
Jonah loosed another arrow. It caught the beast directly in the eye. The wolf shrieked loudly and flung itself backwards, away from Ryan. It wailed in pain and began pawing at the arrow that was stuck in its eye. The wolf howled in agony when it broke the arrow free. Ryan crawled towards his sword and used it to regain his feet.
He stood there panting as the initial pain began to subside. Jonah's arrow had given him a chance to rest. He knew that he had to get to Chloé, but the wolf stood in his way. His legs were shaking from adrenaline and the pain. He regained himself. He ran to the wolf's blind side, trying to remain just out of view as the wolf's attention turned away from him and went to Jonah.
Jonah began shooting more arrows at the beast while Ryan rolled beneath it as it stood there, violently shaking its head, trying to remove the arrow and avoid taking anymore. The wolf stopped swinging its head and lowered it. It was breathing hard as if trying to forget the pain and focus its vision. He could see the beast's chest heaving in and out as it tried to fight off the pain. The wolf stood up and began to search for the man who shot its eye. It stepped towards Jonah and began to growl; completely ignoring Ryan.
Ryan swung his sword towards the beast and drove it deep into the wolf's gut, stabbing it just below the ribs. The wolf howled louder than before and tried to back away. Ryan held the hilt of his sword tight and began to pull as hard as he could towards the rear of the beast, slicing it open as he went. With a final tug on the sword, the beast's entrails began to slip between the sword's path as he pulled it from the belly of the beast where he had sheathed it before he rolled away.
The wolf tried to flee, but its innards flowed from the gash in its stomach and they became entangled around the wolf’s legs. The wolf collapsed and began breathing heavily. Ryan and Jonah did not wait for it to finish expiring. They quickly jumped into the lake and began to swim their way to the other side. The lake was not deep, but carrying their weapons made it difficult to swim. They reached the other side of the water and found Chloé laying there face down and not moving. Ryan crawled to her side and saw that she wasn't breathing.
He rolled her over. Her eyes stared, unblinking into the distance. Jonah crawled up beside them dripping water from everywhere and breathing heavily. He looked at Chloé, and seeing her lifeless body lying on the cave floor, he began to cry inconsolably. He felt as though he had failed her. He wrapped his arms around her and began apologizing to her incoherently. He placed his head next to hers and wept louder.
Ryan too was mourning the loss of their friend. He turned around to curse the beast that had taken the life of his friend. He began shouting curses across the lake at the wolf that lay there writhing in agony. He shouted in the direction of the dying beast, "Your death comes for you too quickly. You should have suffered more," he screamed, trying to make himself heard over the cries of the dying wolf.
Ryan fell to his knees and pleaded with the higher powers that controlled the unknown. His head fell into his hands as he tried to stop the tears from flowing. He thought about how Jeremiah would feel at the loss of his wife. He thought about J?kob and the fact that he just found a sister that he didn't know that he had. He looked across the lake to scream more curses in anger, but saw something that he didn't expect.
Where the wolf lay, a light began to shine brightly from across the lake. The light began to grow larger and shine brighter. It swirled around and took the shape of the wolf. Once fully grown to the size of the deceased wolf and shining at its brightest, the light rose up above the body of the wolf. It began to spin around. It spun faster and faster until it was a giant ball of light floating in the air.
The orb began to drift over the lake and though it was getting brighter, it began to shrink in size. The light came towards Ryan. His body filled with fear at the sight. It hovered over his head. It had shrunk to the size of a man and began to change shape. As it floated to the ground, the light emitted a buzzing sound that sent chills through him. As it touched the floor of the cavern, it transformed into a woman who shone as bright as the sun.
She reached a hand towards Ryan and placed it upon his shoulder. "Thank you for freeing me from my captivity," she said in a harmonious voice that reminded him of a chorus in song. "Freeing you?" ask Ryan. "I am Land-v?ttr, Guardian Spirit of the Mountains. My essence was trapped inside this creature to act as servant to Nagendra," she said, trying to explain.
"Who is Nagendra?" asked Ryan. "Nagendra is the guardian of the city. She had grown too large to navigate the tunnels to find food, so I was placed inside the creature, against my will, to bring her food. When the beast would slumber, I was able to roam freely through my dominion. I would often find lost souls and guide them home before the creature woke."
"The beast would sleep until Nagendra's hunger woke it. I fear that you must flee before she comes for her meal," said Land-v?ttr with more urgency than before. "I'm not leaving without Chloé," said Ryan firmly. A thunderous sound eclipsed them when he said it. The walls of the cavern began to shake and large ripples formed on the once still lake.
From the far side of the city that was carved into the walls of the cave, Ryan could see that the cavern narrowed to what appeared to be an enormous gate that was open. He heard the stamp of an enormous foot, followed by another. He began to hear what sounded like metal scraping across metal and the sounds of other metal items clanking as if falling onto more metal.
He looked into the darkness, the light that was emanating from Land-v?ttr focused into the distance and Ryan could see mounds of silver and gold in all shapes and sizes that were piled higher than the palace walls. From inside the darkness, he heard a thundering voice say, "Take what trinkets that you can carry, but the one you call Chloé remains mine."
Ryan raised his sword in defiance and yelled towards the voice, "The love I possess for my friend will not permit me to leave her behind to become a meal for the likes of you. She deserves better than that. You will have to kill me before I leave her behind!" Ryan charged into the darkness. Then he stopped and became frozen as Nagendra stomped her way into the light.
She was a large, emerald colored dragon that towered over the mounds of jewels and precious metals. "Do you wish to die as well, little mouse," asked Nagendra with a small chortle. Ryan’s fear left him and he yelled with rage. He then charged towards the dragon. He leapt into the air and drove his sword at the belly of the dragon. The sword veered away from its target and never struck the dragon before it flung itself from Ryan’s hands and sailed into the lake.
Nagendra laughed at Ryan's futile attempt to strike her. He ran to Jonah and pulled his sword from where it was sheathed. He raised it high over his head with both hands and charged the dragon again. Nagendra batted him away with her tail. Ryan flew through the air and landed beside Jonah. He stood again and raised his sword defiantly and prepared to charge again.
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Nagendra stepped towards the two men and said again in a low voice, "Take what trinkets that you can carry. This is the final time I offer this to you before I sate my appetite with your flesh." Jonah raised his bow and said, "We entered these mountains together and we will leave together." He fired an arrow at the eye of the dragon. The arrow pierced the air and made its way towards its target. Before it struck its mark, the arrow began to slow. It stopped in the air, short of the eye. It then turned and flew back faster than when it was loosed, striking the ground at Jonah’s feet.
*****
The twins and Tor-kenna arrived at Dragon's Point only after two days of traveling with Greygon and Ama. Greygon had been mostly silent while on the journey; only speaking when asked a question or calling out to make or leave camp. He kept mostly to himself, riding his stag in front of everyone as they followed behind, and sometimes would point out places to find food along the road.
Ama was completely different. She had not spent much time around humans and was extremely talkative. She had trouble containing her excitement. This was her first visit to Dragon's Point and she acted like a small child who knew they were getting something sweet to eat. She asked the twins many questions about the human world and how humans did certain things, and was filled with glee by the answers to her questions.
Dragon's Point was much smaller than Oaken Meadow, but it was the largest town that the twins had seen. The buildings were packed closely together and there were many red cobblestone roads that fanned out in different directions. All of the roads came together at a central point in the town. They were connected by another smaller road made of green bricks that circled around a central fountain in the middle of the town.
They had made their way towards the docks as soon as they arrived. It was still early enough in the day that the elves wanted to start bartering for their wares so they could be back on their way home before nightfall. Greygon looked at the twins and said, "Remain here with Ama while she trades. I must go and speak with the ships' captains concerning other matters. I will return before nightfall," and then he left.
Ama talked too much and too quickly when speaking with the merchants. She kept unintentionally frightening them away with her eagerness to trade. By the time that Greygon had returned, she had only managed to trade a couple of braided necklaces. He wasn't happy with the news and said, "Since we must stay the night in this place, I will take the twins with me when the sun rises and see if one of the captains would be willing to help them continue their journey from here."
Greygon acquired a room for them at a tavern and they rested for the night. He woke the twins before sunrise so they could be at the docks before the ships began to set sail. Each captain that they spoke with had uttered the same thing, "No one rides for free." The twins didn't have any money and the crews were already full. After the last ship sailed away, they returned to Ama who still hadn't managed to trade anything.
"Any luck?" asked Ama when they returned. "No," said Joel, disheartened. "Maybe you will have better luck tomorrow," said Ama, encouragingly. "Maybe," said Jessie, who was in better spirits about it than Joel. Greygon took over trading the goods, and before noon, had managed to trade the rest of the wares rather quickly. Joel thought that the only reason he succeeded was because he must have scared the merchants into buying.
Before Greygon and Ama left to return home, Greygon handed them a few gold coins and said, "I farewell you well, younglings. This is not much, but will keep you fed for a few days and give you a place to bed down. If you are unsuccessful with your endeavor, Kara pleads that you return to her. We have shown you the way. Now, we must be off." He and Ama turned their mounts and returned to the road that led to the elven homeland.
Their second and third day in the town was the same as their first. All of the captains already had full crews and wanted more money than the twins had to secure passage on their vessels. They had nearly given up hope until late one evening at the docks. Several ships had entered the docks and were tied to the piers, unattended.
Joel had the idea to try and stowaway on one of the ships. They intended to sneak aboard a vessel that they had overheard was to set sail for the Isle of Doom, home of the dragons, at first light. It was to be a shipment of livestock. They thought that they could hide aboard the ship pretending to be part of the caretakers for the animals.
When they arrived at the docks, they could see the animals being loaded and managed to board the ship while mingling with a herd of sheep. Tor-kenna transformed into a dog and herded them aboard the ship with Jessie and Joel giving her commands. The two of them knew nothing of sheep herding and would shout out random commands, but Tor-kenna managed to get the sheep on board.
They made their way to the bowels of the ship and found a place to hide in the rear of the vessel, hidden by the animals. They had little food remaining from their travels, but they hoped that it would be enough to get them where they were going. Little did they know, it would take nine days with good winds to reach the islands.
*****
"What arrogance brings you to my home, where you try to defy me?" said Nagendra, raising herself to her full height. "We came here together in search of Náttúra, the ancient armor of Virtue." replied Ryan as he lowered his sword. "Chloé helped to insure that we made it this far, and we cannot and will not leave her behind." He raised his sword again.
"Náttúra?" asked Nagendra, as if reminiscing about the past. She then lowered her head so that she was looking into the faces of the two humans. "It has been a long time since I have heard that name. I am the last of the Guardians of Tírar-f?r. Ages past, my kind lived in peace with the people who lived here. The people died away long before the little men came to the mountains, but my kind remained to guard the mountains."
"What does that have to do with Náttúra," asked Ryan. "Nothing, and yet, everything," replied Nagendra, in a much calmer voice as she began to explain. "The dragon that sired me told me a tale before he passed on. Many years ago, the little people began settling inside the mountains. A group of them ventured deep into the caves and killed one of our gatherers and left the caves."
"Many years later, a single little man came alone into our caves. He came before the guardians just as the one you call Chloé did, but he still had breath within him. When he found my kind and the city, he regaled the guardians with the tale of Náttúra. He was very old and little of what he said made sense to my kind, but they were able to ascertain the meaning behind his words."
"Náttúra was imbued with many ancient magics and had never seen defeat. It had been passed from father to son for many generations down his family line. He claimed to have sired no heir of his own to entrust such a powerful relic. He stated that, for generations, his kind had thought Náttúra to be a suit of armor, and they often fought each other to try to acquire it, but never succeeded. He explained that by allowing his kin to believe that it was a suit of armor, it kept the ring safe from the ones unworthy."
"It was after he said this, it is said that he removed a ring from his hand and placed it in front of the guardians, saying, 'This is Náttúra. Its name means Virtue, for one who wields it should be willing to die for the sake of others. I ask you to guard it until you find one who is worthy.' Then the little man collapsed and breathed no more."
The dragon paused for a moment and then continued, saying, "Many have come, but none were deemed worthy enough to claim it. That is until now." "What do you mean?" asked Ryan, beginning to feel confused. "The two of you were willing to sacrifice yourselves, forsaking the riches promised to you, to bring the body of a fallen companion home to her loved ones." Ryan dropped his sword and fell to his knees as he began to grasp the meaning of Nagendra's words.
"Such virtue has not been seen in these caverns since the time before the little people came. Greed often conquers over virtue in the hearts of men and others." Jonah too dropped his weapon and fell to his knees. "What must we do?" asked Ryan. Nagendra lifted her arm and placed it in front of him.
"Remove the ring and place it on your hand." Ryan stood and placed his hands on the ring and removed it from her claw. It was golden with streaks of jade that marbled through it. The ring laid across his hands and it began to grow smaller as he held it. It nearly slipped between his hands before he took hold of it and placed it on his hand.
Land-v?ttr then came forward and said, "Do not despair for your friend," as she neared the place where Chloé lay. Her light began to shine brighter as she lay on top of the fallen heroine. The two forms began to rise from the ground and spin in the air above everyone. The forms spun so fast that they appeared as one. The light became blinding to all but Nagendra.
Ryan and Jonah turned their heads away as the light began to burn their eyes. When the light faded away, they turned and saw Chloé standing in front of them. Land-v?ttr was nowhere to be seen. "Where did she go?" asked Jonah, in shock at the sight. Ryan wrapped his arms around Chloé and began to weep with joy.
"She gave herself for the sake of your friend. She has entered the body of your friend and traded her own spirit for the life of Chloé," said Nagendra, and then she asked, "How do you feel, child?" Chloé was dazed at first, not knowing what had just happened. She stood there silent. She felt, somehow, different inside and she began to feel the presence of someone else within her.
She heard a voice inside herself say, "I am Land-v?ttr, the guardian of the mountains. I gave my life to the other side in order for you to return to your friends who were unwilling to leave you behind. Their courage gave me the strength to forsake my body and allow my spirit to bring you back. A portion of my essence remains here within you. I do not know for how long it will be tethered to your spirit. But I hope that I can guide you."
"She is with me, and has explained to me what has happened," replied Chloé. Chloé then walked slowly towards Jonah and placed her hand on his cheek, saying, "She can sense how you feel about not being chosen to bare Náttúra, and she wishes me to tell you that, though your virtue was true, you still possess much anger inside. She also wishes for me to let you know that your destiny is not to possess this relic, but another is destined to find you."
Chloé turned to face Nagendra and said, "She says that it is time for you to leave this place. She has seen my memories and knows what has befallen Tenroha. She offers her counsel that you might continue your vow in protecting Náttúra by joining our cause to stop a vile being from overtaking the lands."
"Very well,"said Nagendra. "Climb up on my back." The three of them did as commanded and then she spread her wings and began to take flight. She soared higher and higher until she was over the city. She began spewing fire towards the ceiling until it began to glow orange and crumble into the lake. She dove to the ground and wrapped her whip-like tail around a large boulder. She flew towards the ceiling and hurled it at the ceiling.
The stone crashed with a loud crushing blow and light from outside the cave began to trickle in as debris began to fall. She flew low and grabbed another rock and did the same. As the dust began to settle, she flew towards the opening. The light shone bright as they entered the sky above the mountains. The three travelers hadn't seen the sun in weeks and the sight gave them hope.
"So this is what the sun feels like. It is so warm," said Nagendra, as she filled her wings with air and began to glide through the sky. "Which way do we go?" she asked as she leveled off. Chloé could tell by the sun that it was near evening. She pointed towards the southwest and yelled over the sound of the wind, "That way. Just follow the sun until you see the mountainous wall."
