Suzerain of the Beast (Vision Dream Series Book 3), page 70
Angelterra felt a little better that she had loved a pure creature and not a tainted monster like Syveela. But it was little comfort now that the sorceress had taken the dragon and its precious tears. The only thing left to do was to begin the journey back to Rosverdar—empty handed.
“We will leave for Rosverdar in the morning,” said Angelterra. “We have lost the tears. The enemy has them now. And she is going to attack the armies and turn them into her slaves.”
“We have to help them! Is there not something you can do?” asked Lord Georveld. “King Thellvelldar has a necklace that is supposed to control the beast.”
“The king of Swevladiliona, King Jurlanrian, has a ring that is supposed to control a creature called the Icy Beast,” said Adilia. “That dragon is the Icy Beast, isn’t it?”
“It was, but now it is a tool of Shutharja,” said Angelterra. “What do we have as a tool?”
The bracelet, Concera whispered into her mind.
Angelterra lifted her arm and pulled back her sleeve. The bracelet, which had been her guide, had two of its stones glowing. It was still pointing the way to what was once the Icy Beast.
“When the ice dragon was still in its human form, it told me that there were three charms made by the suzerain: a ring, a necklace,” she pointed to her bracelet. “And a bracelet. The charms were made to control the beast.”
“It seems there still might be something we can do to stop the sorceress,” said Nermindar. “Unless you still wish to return home.”
Angelterra looked at each of the faces of those gathered around her. Everyone appeared ready to fight on.
“Let us go and get back our Icy Beast,” said Angelterra, standing up. “It is a long ride back down the mountain. We’ll need to get our horses.”
Horses? Why use horses? came a voice in her mind. It was a female voice, but it was not that of Concera.
A sudden wind began to whirl around Angelterra and her companions. She glanced upward and saw a dark object descending from out of the night sky. It landed not far from her.
The mother Perlewyg Dragon!
“Her name is Quellaina, Your Highness,” said Nermindar. “She was kind enough to be our transportation here.”
“So it is true. You really are a Princess, aren’t you, Your Highness?” asked Lord Georveld, staring at her with one raised eyebrow. “When I heard this lady knight call you by that title in the cavern, I thought perhaps I was mistaken. But even that sorceress called you Princess.”
“I…I am afraid it is true,” admitted Angelterra. “I am the princess Regent of Palzintine.”
“That’s my cousin for you,” said Adilia. “A princess and a hero.”
“You will have to fill me in on how the three of you ended up all the way up here. Especially you, Adilia,” said Angelterra. She put her hand on her younger cousin’s shoulder. “It seems you have had an heroic adventure yourself.”
“I have,” admitted Adilia. “This flower has grown a few thorns in her travels.”
“You have truly proved yourself a hero more than a few times on our journey, Princess Swevladilia,” said Jeela. “It has been an honor being your temporary protectorate.”
“My reluctant protectorate,” replied Princess Swevladilia, and she laughed.
“Wizard Nermindar, how did you find the Perlewyg dragon?” wondered Angelterra.
“We did not. She found us,” said Nermindar.
You can ask me yourself, Angelterra, Quellaina said to her mind. Nermindar and I can communicate through his one of First Magic, Allie. Allie and he can sense my feelings. But your talent is greater. You possess the Dragon’s Voice which is now fully realized. For you are the Vessel, and all the Vessels possess it.
But why are you here? Asked Angelterra.
I was instructed in a dream to go north to find you. I am to be your dragon until you no longer have need of me.
For Angelterra, having the mother Perlewyg with her made the empty spot left in her heart when her Sweetie was yanked away from her, feel a little less empty.
Quellaina nudged her great head against the princess Regent.
It is a mother’s loss you feel, the Perlewyg dragon said to her.
Angelterra petted the dragon’s snout. It was comforting.
I can still feel the heart of the Grandfather dragon. It is enraged with hate and anger. I will take you to him, promised the Perlewyg dragon.
“Thank thee, Quellaina,” said Angelterra aloud for the others to hear. “She will take us to Syveela and the icy dragon now, and some day she will take us all home.”
“I apologize Princess Angelterra for our rustic hospitality,” said Lord Mathlindor. “We did not know who you were.”
“You opened your home willingly to Swee—Selkeeda and I. Two strangers from a far away land. I would call that hospitality fit for a Queen, My Lord Mathlindor,” said Angelterra. “And I thank thee for that.”
“I must return to my poor wife,” said Lord Mathlindor. “Without her cure.”
Angelterra went over and hugged the older lord. “Do not lose hope. I will get us those tears, My Lord.”
“Thank thee,” said the older lord. Then he looked at Princess Swevladilia, frowning, “And you also are a—”
“I am,” said Adilia, then she put a finger to her lips. “But shhh, our constable, Jerrandal, would have a fit if he knew we were being called anything but My Lady outside of Rosverdar or Palzintine. So please, just call us that and treat us as such.”
Angelterra laughed, for Adilia’s words were so true.
❖ ❖ ❖
“You will be all right, Runny,” said Angelterra.
“How can you be sure?” asked Lord Georveld. “You said you have never ridden a dragon either.”
“While that is true,” replied Angelterra. “I have flown beside her. And she is an expert flier. Very steady.”
“You did what beside her?”
“Never mind. I will save that story for another day,” said Angelterra. Quellaina turned her head to cast a yellow eye at her. “Now, Lord Georveld, if you could help me up into the saddle.”
He clasped his hands together and formed a ladder step for her. In an instant she was secure in the front saddle. Knight Jeela, her royal cousin, Adilia, and Lord Georveld were in the middle three saddles with the wizard, Nermindar seated at the rear. Nermindar had given her some instructions on what to do while flying with the Perlewyg dragon. But Angelterra could speak directly to Quellaina, so she felt comfortable guiding the dragon without the need of signals.
“Everyone, ready?” the princess Regent turned dragon flier called back to the others. She glanced back and saw all heads nodding that they were. She stroked the dragon and said to only it, Take us to the Hwevlandarian army and its king, Thellvelldar. They will be the ones gathered at the base of this mountain.
Angelterra held on as the dragon galloped for a couple of paces while beating its large bat-like wings furiously. The ground fell away, and they were airborne. The cold wind numbed her cheeks and she pulled up the scarf that was wrapped around her face as Nermindar had instructed her. But she remembered the heat spell of lightning she had created to keep herself warm on her long flight atop the bone dragon. Unlike that trip, this one would be relatively short, so she buried her face deep in the scarf and toughed out the cold.
Nermindar, the wizard from Rosverdar, suggested that they try to bring the two kings together to fight against their new common foe. Perhaps she could convince them to let her use her magic to enhance the charms of the suzerain. She was not altogether sure either king would relinquish his charm for the greater good. If the dragon attacked, the two kings would try to invoke their respective charm.
Without any magic to even the score, would Syveela be able to keep the kings from using their charms? And if she gained control of them, would it allow Syveela to have complete and permanent domination over the ice dragon?
She did hope that they did not cross paths with the sorceress and her lava dragon before they had a chance to speak with the kings. The Perlewyg would sure be no match for the power of such a beast of fire.
Though smaller, I am faster and more nimble, Angelterra, said the mother Perlewyg. I have two great and thoughtful wizards upon my back, not a sorceress who is not in control of all her wits. And Grandfather dragon too is possessed by the dark magic, so he will be unable to offer the sorceress any help or advice.
❖ ❖ ❖
On they flew through the icy early-morning sky in silence. Though the harsh winds surrounding the Dry Mountain were brutal, Angelterra suspected that everyone was readying themselves for the coming confrontation with Syveela. There had been no sign of the lava dragon or its evil rider. The princess Regent was scanning the sky one last time when she felt Quellaina begin to descend to the lowlands at the foot of the Dry Mountain. The princess Regent peeked out of her scarf and saw a scattering of hundreds of small fires. It was the war camp of the Hwevlandarians. Ahead she saw that the sky was now changing from black to gray as the hour of dawn was fast approaching. Also in the distance to the West, Angelterra spotted some small, sparkling specks set in a wide grouping about a quarter-of-a-mile away.
That must be the war camp of the Swevladilionians, thought Angelterra.
And it was uncomfortably close. She glanced back at Lord Georveld, who was also eyeing the other camp and frowning.
The Perlewyg dragon beat its wings hard several times as it gently touched down in the midst of the Hwevlandarians’ camp. There was a scrambling in the camp and for a moment weapons were raised and pointed at them. Lord Georveld waved to a man who was approaching them with authority, and all the weapons were lowered.
“Your Majesty,” said Angelterra. “We have an urgent need to speak with thee?”
“Lady Angelterra,” said King Thellvelldar. “I have an invading army from Swevladiliona camped on the other side of this field. Each war camp is eyeing the other to see who will make the first move. I cannot imagine what would be more urgent than that.”
“It concerns the results of our search,” said Angelterra.
“Very well, Lady Angelterra, you and your flying companions come to my tent at once, and I shall hear your urgent news…which I hope involves the beast.”
“I assure you, Your Majesty, you will not be disappointed on that account,” said Angelterra.
There was some low muttering and whispers when Swevladilia pulled back her hood to reveal her long snow-white hair. The king turned back to glare at his men.
“As you all can see and hear in her name, Lady Swevladilia, indeed has a Swevladilionian heritage, but she, like Lady Angelterra, has traveled here from a far southern kingdom called Rosverdar. We have no fight with this Rosverdar. And you will treat her as a visiting dignitary and my personal guest,” said King Thellvelldar. “Oh, and it was she who warned me about the approaching Swevladilionian army, so we could form better defenses.”
“Thank thee for your confidence, Your Majesty,” said Princess Swevladilia.
The Hwevlandarians soldiers and knights still looked puzzled, but their respect for their king caused them to accept the situation even if they did not understand it.
Her younger cousin had indeed come a long way since their first meeting at the dining hall in Relendale, thought Angelterra.
❖ ❖ ❖
The king’s tent was jet black with gold stripes. Tassels and other adornments hung along the tent’s rooftop’s scalloped overhang. Inside, there were candles everywhere and a warm, but not too smoky, fire in a central brazier. It was as if someone had stolen a piece of summer and had taken it here to the dead of winter. She felt she could stay there for a long, long time…but she knew that that was out of the question. An army of the Hwevlandarians’ sworn enemy was just across a field from them, a half-mad sorceress riding upon a demon-possessed dragon made of lava and fire was on the loose and had her eyes on destroying them all, and she needed to find the white tear and return to Rosverdar, only to set out again for the next tear—a thought that made her feel weary to the core of her bones. With her stood Lord Georveld, Adilia, Jeela, and Nermindar, all waiting for King Thellvelldar. Soon the flap opened and in strode the king.
“I was delayed by some distressing reports from some of our scouts about Swevladilionians’ strength and positions,” said King Thellvelldar.
“We have some distressing news ourselves…about the Icy Beast, Your Majesty,” started Angelterra. But the king put up a finger for her to stop.
“First, let us get some wine,” said King Thellvelldar. “Demis! Demis!”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” said a young lad, who popped his head into the tent flap.
“Bring some wine and goblets for all,” said the king.
“Of course, Your Majesty. I have them nearly ready,” replied Demis, and he disappeared.
Soon they all had a glass of warm spiced wine. The king raised his goblet.
“May we be victorious over the Swevladilionian invaders!” said the king, and he drank his wine in one long gulp. “Now what is this distressing news of yours about our beast?”
“First, in a huge ice cavern, we managed to locate the famed Icy Beast,” said Angelterra. “It still lives. And is magnificent. It is a dragon of ice and frost.”
“So the legend is true! The beast does exist and lives!” exclaimed the king, as he played with his necklace, the same piece of jewelry that was supposed to be able to control the beast. “I knew it! What could be so distressing about news like that? A dragon of ice and frost, sounds glorious! When can I meet the creature?”
“Well, while in the ice cavern, we ran into a bit of a problem….” started Angelterra.
She recanted the story about what happened to her, Lord Georveld and Selkeeda. Or at least most of the story. She left out the parts about the suzerain’s charms to control the dragon, the small chest the boy was holding, and the frozen wizard they had found. It was hard to retell the story about her swee—about Selkeeda.
Angelterra told the king how Selkeeda had possessed the dragon with its own blood. And that she was lurking somewhere ready to strike the two armies. After she had finished, she saw the king looking down at his empty goblet, frowning and mulling over her story.
“I must say it is an incredible tale,” the king finally said. “I had wondered why your precious daughter had not accompanied you here. I thought it was because of the dangers of riding a dragon. But it seems you have brought a powerful new enemy in our midst and have lost me my magnificent ice dragon weapon.”
“It was not her fault,” said Lord Georveld. “Even I was under the girl-creature’s spell.”
“As was I,” admitted the king. “For some strange reason I could not help but care deeply about a little girl whom I did not know. I found myself worrying over her welfare, even while trying to get my men ready for battle. Most people will tell you that I am not good when it comes to young children. Ask my wife. And with your news about the child’s charade, I feel a tiny bit of what must be a horrible burden of loss for you, Lady Angelterra. That sorcerer must be powerful indeed to have such an effect upon us all.”
Angelterra could only nod in agreement.
“Then I will not hold you responsible for this new dilemma,” said the king. “For you may be our only hope of getting the beast back.”
“Syveela will come for your army and that of the Swevladilionians’,” warned Angelterra.
“There might not be much left of either of our armies after we battle one another,” said King Thellvelldar. “We are evenly matched in men. I have sent a messenger south requesting men from the houses of Dunori and Yenkarsa, but it will be weeks before they could arrive with aid.”
“Perhaps there is another way,” suggested Nermindar. “If you could just speak with the Swevladilionian king, Jurlanrian, and tell him about this new threat. Perhaps you and he might work together against the Sorceress, Syveela.”
“Work together with our enemy? With Jurlanrian?” asked the king in disbelief. “Never!”
“Your Majesty, I have seen this terror with my own eyes,” said Lord Georveld. “It has the power to destroy both armies. We will be her minions or die.”
“But…Jurlanrian, he will never listen to me. There is too much bad blood between our peoples,” said King Thellvelldar, flatly. “Besides, I know I would never listen to him if he tried to tell me a wild story about the Icy Beast being turned into a lava dragon or about a little girl transforming into an evil magician woman. I scarcely believe it myself. If it were not for my trust in Lord Georveld’s honor. Even though our houses have their differences, he and I are Hwevlandarian brothers.”
“Thank thee, Your Majesty,” said Lord Georveld.
“He may not listen to you, Your Majesty, but he just might listen to me,” said Princess Swevladilia.
“Why should he? You said you are not truly from Swevladiliona.”
“It is complicated,” replied Adilia. “He has pardoned me for the crimes of my mother who was born in Swevladiliona. And he knows I am the only one who has been given the Angel’s Cure.”
King Thellvelldar looked at Adilia’s hair.
“I know the stories of The Cure,” said King Thellvelldar.
“He knows knight Jeela was searching for Lady Angelterra, and he knows my wizard, Nermindar,” said Princess Swevladilia. “It will help to bring them to gain his trust.”
“Very well, but I doubt this effort will bear fruit,” said the king. “Without seeing the beast for himself, we will have a tough time getting him to believe. He may be more likely to believe that this is all just a trick on my part.”
“I have watched the beast being mutated and corrupted by this sorceress,” said Lord Georveld. “If it is your wish, I will put my voice with theirs in the effort to convince Jurlanrian.”
“Very well, I will send a messenger to their camp, and we shall see what it brings,” said King Thellvelldar.
❖ CHAPTER 71 ❖
“IT IS NOT right for them to just leave him there like that without…without a burial,” said Felly, as she stood watching her soldiers of magic working on the ruined famed Pass of Palzin-Darus. Once a great thoroughfare through the mountains between the two great cities of the ancient world, making them work together almost as one, the pass was now filled with rubble from a collapse caused by the sorcerer, Lord Zorkelian. It was said to carry a curse that was a thousand years old.
