Apparently, the wyrmking—who was only slightly younger than Vision itself—spent the greater part of the day napping, and a bit of time was required to wake him. All things considered, even Kutz eventually agreed the hot springs was a good idea.
The interior of the dragon island was made up of a labyrinthine network of caverns. Several side passages led off of the twisting, splitting passageways, and here the dragons made their homes. It appeared they were roughly separated by clan, but the dragons were friendly, and many of the nests housed more than one family, making the network of caves crowded and lively.
While the exterior of the island was all rocks, the inside of the caverns was lush with greenery. There were even small forests here and there. Flowers grew from the walls, and there were fruit trees in small gardens created in nooks in the caves. Wataru had been told that the dragons subsisted mainly on fish caught from the sea, but he couldn’t detect any fishy smell in the caverns. On the contrary, the whole place smelled of fresh leaves, tinged by a hint of salty sea air.
The hot springs were open to the sky, being near the upper levels of the caverns. The hot water felt great in the cold air. Shrubs had grown up in the rugged rocks around the springs, and Wataru could see them swaying gently through the steam.
“Ah, nirvana!” Wataru said, repeating something he had heard an old man saying once at a hot spring near Tokyo.
Kee Keema laughed. “What’s nirvana?”
“Well, it’s kind of like paradise. That’s one of the words we have in the real world for talking about the place where God lives.”
“So it’s like the Tower of Destiny?” Kee Keema asked, then seemed to regret it. He didn’t want to remind Wataru.
Wataru pretended not to notice. “A little different. People go there when they die.”
“So everybody just goes there when their time comes?”
“Well, not exactly. Only good people go. The bad ones go to a place called Hell.”
It occurred to Wataru to wonder for the first time where people from Vision went when they died. He had never even thought to ask.
Kee Keema sunk into the water up to his chin, his eyes half closed. “When we die, we become light,” he told Wataru.
“Light?”
“Aye, we become the light of the sun and shine upon the land. And then, when it’s our turn, we are born again. But, if you are bad in life, you don’t become light—no, you sink into the Abyss of Chaos. Don’t think you even get to be reborn from down there.”
That reminded Wataru that the Precept-King of Dela Rubesi had said much the same thing. If he died having broken his oath with the Goddess then his soul would be impure, and he would be unable to be born into the next life.
“You don’t think people in Vision are reborn as people in the real world, do you?” Wataru muttered, half to himself.
But, after a short while, Kee Keema answered, “I hope that would be true. Then I could meet you in the real world and become friends there too.”
Wataru laughed. He could picture Kee Keema in the real world being a deliveryman for one of those express package companies. He’d certainly make the biggest, strongest, nicest, and most popular deliveryman Wataru could imagine.
Kutz and Meena were relaxing in another part of the hot springs. The water felt exquisite, but the heat had opened the wounds they suffered from the Stinging Mist.
“It really stings,” Kutz said with a frown. “Jozo’s mother was saying something about an ointment—maybe I’ll have to get me some of that later. That cut beneath your eye is swelling.”
The salty water of the springs stung.
“Say, Kutz…”
“Yeah?”
“I was wondering about what Jozo was saying about the seven pillars.”
Kutz raised an eyebrow.
“Isn’t it strange to call them pillars? I mean, you usually think of pillars as being intended to support something. I got to thinking —maybe it’s got something to do with the Great Barrier of Light.”
Kutz was silent for a while before responding. “The dragons were deeply involved with the making of Vision, so it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a connection. But I wouldn’t think about it too much.”
Meena smiled and nodded. Something about being relaxed after so much danger and the chill of the flight made tears come to her eyes. She hurriedly dipped her face in the water.
When they left the hot springs, Jozo was waiting for them. “We’re ready for the council. I’ll show you to the cavern where it’s held.”
The place he took them next was the largest cavern they had seen so far. It looked as big as a hangar you might find for one of those jumbo jets at an airport. The torches burning here and there struggled to light the place, and the high ceiling was lost in darkness. Holes for ventilation in the walls let in cool blasts of air, making the cavern chilly after the warmth of the springs.
Between the walls and the rocky protrusions on the ground sat dozens and dozens of dragons. They were of all different colors and sizes, some with long tails, others with barbs running down the length of their wings. Every giant black dragon eye in the room was turned toward Wataru. Their breathing rasped loud in the cavern.
The wyrmking sat upon a particularly high outcropping of rock at one end of the cavern. Sitting—or possibly sleeping. His wings were folded, his legs pulled underneath his body, and his tail hung limply down the side of the rock. When Wataru and the others were brought into a small open area in the middle of the room, he lifted his head slowly and with great solemnity. But his eyelids were only half open.
The wyrmking was roughly the same size as Jozo’s parents. His scales had lost their luster and most of their red color, becoming a faded violet. Where the scales met at his neck and joints, Wataru could see wrinkle after wrinkle of tough dragonhide. He was wearing a shining crown upon his head, directly between his two horns.
Seven dragons sat to the right and left of the wyrmking’s seat. These must have been the leaders known as the seven pillars. Their scales were a dark blackish-red, and they each wore necklaces of a different color.
“Welcome, guests.” One dragon stood, looking down at Wataru and his friends, then turned to look at the other dragons gathered there. “As decreed by our customs, and before the wyrmking, the Council of Fang and Wing shall now convene.”
As one, the dragons lowered their heads to the rocky floor. Wataru saw young dragons, smaller even than Jozo, mimicking their parents.
Jozo, flanked by his parents, took a step forward and introduced the guests. He also explained that he was the one who brought them to the island.
When he was finished, Wataru took a step forward. “I thank you for greeting us and making us feel welcome on such short notice. My thanks to the wyrmking, and all the dragons of the Isle of Dragon.”
The chamber was perfectly silent. Wataru could hear his heart beating in his chest. “With a scale from Jozo, I made a wyrmflute, and since then he has saved me twice from danger. Now I have called on Jozo’s strength to carry me this far…”
The wyrmking lifted his head and called out to Wataru. “Traveler!”
“Y-yes?”
“Can you show us your proof that you are a Traveler, so that all may see.”
Wataru drew his Brave’s Sword from the scabbard at his waist and held it aloft. One of the seven pillars closest to Wataru took it from him and held it before the wyrmking.
The wyrmking’s eyelids were still half-closed, yet he viewed the blade with great interest. It was soon returned to Wataru’s hand.
“Is the Watcher Wayfinder Lau well?”
The wyrmking’s sudden switch in tone from the stiff formality of a moment before caught Wataru off-guard. He couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like the ancient dragon was smiling.
“Yes! He’s doing fine!”
“When you came to Vision, did the Wayfinder not give you a pendant?”
Wataru had completely forgotten about the pendant after wearing it so
long. It occurred to him now that this was the proof of his status as Traveler, more than the sword. Wataru hastily pulled up the pendant. But when he attempted to take it off, the wyrmking motioned for him to stop.
“No, no, that will do. I have seen your proof.”
“Thank you,” Wataru said, standing up straight. He was so nervous he had almost lost his balance. Some of the younger dragons made a snuffling noise with their noses that sounded suspiciously like chuckling.
“Traveler and Highlanders.” The wyrmking’s voice rang solemnly in the cavern. Kutz jerked to attention. “We firewyrms have drawn breath since the time of creation. Now, we pass our days in this corner of the great sea, living in peace and tranquility,” he continued, addressing the other dragons as well as Wataru and his friends. Yet, our role as protectors of Vision has not ended. We remain and will ever be the Goddess’s sword and shield in Vision’s time of need.”
As one, the dragons in the room nodded. The seven pillars looked out on the room with sharp gazes.
“Traveler! You need not tell me your path, for I know. I know you go to the north, I know why you go there, and I know your purpose has its roots in the conflicts of men.”
While Wataru was wondering how the wyrmking knew what they were up to, Kutz’s clear voice rang out from beside him. “Your Highness! If I may, my reason for going to the north is to end this conflict.”
The wyrmking’s mouth twisted again in a smile. “Bold. Your will is good. But no land dweller can hope to end such a thing. It is impossible.”
“No, I…”
Speaking quietly, the wyrmking cut her off. “Hatred summons hatred, sadness echoes sadness, and death leads the way to more death. Hatred’s roots go deep into the soil, sadness is more vast than the sea, and death never wants for company. This is the hard truth.”
Next to Wataru, Kutz bit her lip and kept her silence.
“In normal times, we dragons are not permitted to intervene in the conflicts of the land-dwellers. Yet, Traveler, Highlanders, we knew you would visit our island. And we knew that when you did, we would aid you on your passage to the north.”
Wataru looked up. “Jozo told me that you had sensed a change in Vision from a while ago. He said a time might come when the dragons had to leave their island and lend aid to the people.”
The wyrmking nodded twice slowly.
“What is this change he was talking about? Is it something we can stop? Is that why you say you will help us?”
The ancient dragon nodded once more. “Traveler. In this Vision there exists a mirror, the Mirror of Eternal Shadow, opposite to the Mirror of Truth. This mirror is in the hands of the emperor of the north. I sense that the seal that lies upon that mirror will soon be broken. I know this because it is our sacred role to watch for signs of this and prevent it from happening.”
And so did Wataru finally learn of the Mirror of Eternal Shadow, the Dark, and the Crown of the Seal that held the terrible power of the mirror at bay—and about the final gemstone.
When the wyrmking had finished speaking, Wataru’s hands and feet, so recently warmed by the hot spring, were frozen cold with fear. He knew who was trying to break the seal.
Mitsuru. He wants that last gemstone. That’s all he’ll think about.
Kutz glanced at Wataru, who was clenching his fists. What she had said was right: Mitsuru didn’t care a whit about what happened to Vision or its people.
“The emperor of the north broke the seal once three hundred years ago—he sought to use the mirror against his enemies,” the wyrmking sighed. “We dragons flew to the north and fought alongside the land-dwellers against the demons that were released from the Dark. At the time, the Northern Empire sought to use the demons’ power, but it was ignorant of the danger. They thought they could simply break the seal, repairing it after the demons had laid waste their foes. Their foolishness was such that one could tilt the very sea on its side and still not wash it all away.”
If the dragons had not sensed the breaking of the seal early on, Vision would not exist today, the wyrmking told them. At his side the seven pillars nodded in agreement.
“Even so, when the Mirror of Eternal Shadow was unsealed three hundred years ago, it was for only the briefest of moments. This time, I fear this will not be the case. The seal will be broken wide open, sundered beyond all means of repair. Even should we gather forces from all over Vision, we would not be able to drive back the demons.”
“We have to stop them!” Meena cried shrilly.
Wataru stood. “I know who is trying to open the seal. He’s my friend, a Traveler like myself. I won’t let him do it. I’ll stop him!”
The wyrmking’s head slowly swung to the side, turning his gaze toward the seven pillars. They were all standing at full height.
“Traveler. Go with the seven pillars. They will aid you in this fight. Though there may be limits to the world of men, there are no such limits in Vision. It would be a shame for all Vision to be destroyed by those who are limited in sight and and strength.”
“I will!”
“What about me?” Jozo’s young voice rang out. “Wyrmking, may I go with him?”
Wataru hurriedly put his hand on Jozo’s neck. “No Jozo. You should stay.”
“Why? If you’re going, I want to go too.”
“Your parents will be worried.”
Indeed, Jozo’s parents were giving them a sorrowful look. Jozo looked back, and Wataru thought he saw the glimmer of tears forming in the young dragon’s eyes. Still, he gave his tail a firm shake. “But I’m going. I’m carrying you, Wataru. Please?” he said, turning to his parents.
Jozo’s mother lowered her head to the ground. It was his father who spoke. “If the wyrmking allows it, then yes.”
“What?” Wataru turned back to the wyrmking. The wyrmking’s eyelids lifted slightly, and he looked at Jozo. “Jozo. This will not be an easy battle.”
“I understand.”
“Even as we speak here, I feel the time of the seal’s breaking approaching. Danger is upon us. The demonkin are destructive and powerful. You would still go with the Traveler?”
Jozo shook once from head to tail, then said, “Wataru saved my life. I will go with him!”
“Then it is done,” the wyrmking said, lowering his eyelids once again.
“Once one is bound to a Traveler, one is bound to duty as the descendant of the great protector, the firewyrm himself.”
Those sleepy, half-lidded eyes turned back to Wataru. He could feel their gaze upon him, scalding his skin. “Traveler. Jozo will aid you. Be sure that he returns to the Isle of Dragon at your journey’s end.”
Wataru swore he would, his fists tightly clenched by his sides.
“Then I wish you luck in battle. May the Goddess of Destiny protect you.”
All the dragons gathered and repeated the wyrmking’s words in a great chorus, until the cavern was filled with the echoing words of their prayers.
Chapter 48
The Broken Capital
The seven pillars flew in formation, like an archipelago in the sky. They beat their powerful wings with the currents in the wind that flowed far above the sea. Kutz rode on the neck of the dragon in the lead. Jozo, carrying Wataru and the others, brought up the rear. He pushed himself to the limit so as not to fall behind the group.
They were making straight for Solebria, the capital of the Northern Empire. The wyrmking had told them that the Mirror of Eternal Shadow lay in the very center of the capital’s palace.
“The Northern Empire protects the mirror not just with the Crown of the Seal but with powerful magical barriers. As it stands, no one without knowledge of these barriers may find it. But your friend—the other Traveler—is a powerful sorcerer. He will do whatever it takes to dissolve any obstacle in his path. Undoubtedly, he will break through to the chamber wherein lies the Mirror of Eternal Shadow. Before he destroys the wall of magic, we will not be able to find it. Yet if we wait too long after he destroys it, we
will be too late. Our window of opportunity is brief.”
The dragons flew at a tremendous speed. Wataru clung tightly to Jozo’s back. Faster, faster! To Mitsuru!
Before long, the coastline of the north appeared on the horizon. The calm sea and the ground below them looked as peaceful as it did in the south, yet the sky above them was thin and frozen.
“What…what’s that?” Kutz pointed ahead, shouting.
In the distance several lines of smoke were trailing up from the ground into the sky.
“That’s the direction of the capital!” one of the seven pillars said. “It’s a fire! The city’s on fire!”
The dragons increased their speed, and before long, they could see the giant capital city, the walled metropolis of Solebria. It was falling apart. The great gates set into the castle walls had burned down and people could be seen running in panic. Dust and smoke rose from the many-colored roofs of the clustered houses beyond the wall.
“What’s going on down there?” Kutz growled, leaning forward over the dragon’s head. The dragons pinned back their wings and picked up speed as they descended. They dropped until they were directly over Solebria.
Buildings had collapsed into the streets and flames shot up from the rubble. Smoke flowed through the air like a noxious river. To the right, a section of the castle wall itself had collapsed. Directly beneath them, houses were toppling to the ground. The echoes of destruction and the hot wind blasting past mingled with the people’s screams.
“What’s going on?” Wataru stuck his head over the edge of Jozo’s wing, and spotted several things moving through the vast city below. They looked like people, but they were far too large—larger even than the dragons. Wataru watched, speechless, as the giant gray beings thrashed through the city streets.
What are they? They look like giant robots made out of rock. Their heads were round, their shoulders broad, and their torsos impossibly thick. They swung massive arms and legs and crushed houses with a single swipe of a fist. People couldn’t escape getting trampled underfoot. The screams and cries flowed together into a cacophony of noise, all swallowed by the thunderous crash of mortar against cobblestone.