PART 18

The ocean always revealed what the weather was planning and Dresden had watched it meticulously when he’d spent time in the Eastern cave so many years ago now.
He walked Northwest, passing the farmland that stretched far across the landscape. The Dead Forest loomed over open fields, trees like giants in the distance. Beyond the forest, Mountains and snow capped peaks could be seen. Even in summer, the highest summits were covered in snow and inhospitable weather. He remembered the memory of Baylin and Galvinor up on those very peaks, overlooking the land and sea. From that lofty height, you could see the island of El Rey on a clear day.
The Dead Forest curved around to his right as the trail he followed steered people well away from the tree line. He listened. Nothing could be heard, no bird song, no rustling of ferns or undergrowth, and even the trees themselves appeared too still. He veered off the trail and headed straight into the forest at a casual pace. For the distance he would have to travel, it would have been easier to fly, but Dresden had gotten accustomed to walking. He would rather not risk being seen in Dragon form and he wanted to walk Baylin’s path, on foot, to gain a better understanding of the Dragon’s movements and motivations. He let his senses lead him through the darkening terrain. Thick canopy cover blotted out much of the sun, causing rays of light to illuminate the ground cover in small patches. He walked for nearly a mile when he reached the clearing from Jukie’s memories. The stout Cedar tree Baylin had lashed her to, stood lonely in the clearing. Dresden could tell that Baylin had occupied this place more than once but had cleverly concealed his camp by dismantling the stone circle of his fire and used branches to brush the ground where his footprints had been. As Dresden approached the Cedar, he noticed a blacker than normal shadow against another tree off to his left.
“Who’s there? Reveal yourself to me.” Dresden called out, facing the shadow.
It said nothing to him directly, but laughed as it floated over to the Cedar, misty wisps of darkness moved in front of Dresden fluidly, with no real form of it’s own; much like a black cloud dismally wandering through an already dark place. It attached itself to the tree and motioned for Dresden to place his hand upon it. When he did, a series of images flashed so quickly in his mind that he couldn’t see any one of them clearly. The deafening scream that accompanied the images is what made him pull his hand away. The Shade laughed again. This time Dresden could hear a voice scrape into his thoughts.
“You can feel it, can’t you Dragon man? It’s delicious! The pain, so much terrible pain.”
The Shade wrapped itself tighter around the trunk of the Cedar tree, but Dresden drew his sword. Anger and disgust began to overflow from him. He realized now that Baylin had taken many children here and violated them all against this tree. Kizjin Kol hummed as light emanated from the blade. The Shade hissed at the sword and instinctively fled deeper into the forest. Dresden decided he must destroy the evil that inhabited this clearing. It was up to him to remove the stain of Baylin’s crimes against these young ones. He swung his blade high into the air, it spun around several times, and came down hard against the trunk of the Cedar, digging in slightly with a loud thud. The tree caught fire and he pulled the blade from the trunk, sheathed it, and stood back to watch it burn. Nothing else in the forest lit on fire. The flames engulfed the tree and rose skyward, the magical fire blazed high above the treeline. Dresden was positive the smoke could be seen for miles. Baylin, if he was anywhere in the area, would know what Dresden had just done. Dresden vowed, in that moment, as the tree was reduced to ash and coal that Baylin would face a similar fate. Dragons were difficult to kill, but not impossible. Kizjin Kol hummed again as Dresden reveled in the thought of destroying Baylin.
The sword was hungry for the vengeance that Dresden felt. It wanted to smite Baylin as much as he did. The two had learned from one another over their many years. Kizjin Kol had learned how Dresden moved in battle, and Dresden had learned how to listen to the sword and allow it to guide his movements when he engaged a foe. They had developed a relationship during their long journey together into exile. When Dresden had forged the sword, he originally planned to use it to rule over humanity. Now he had used it in service of them, in the Royal Court, and when he saw a need to protect someone or even to defeat another fighter who dared challenge him. He thought about his many misdeeds, not only as a Dragon, but when he chose to remain as a human being too. He had done terrible things in the name of a righteous cause and done nothing during times when people depended on him, both actions could not be judged inequally. He would not regret, he chose not to, but there would forever be a mark upon him for the evil he had wrought with his presence on Earth. Now he sought to right some of his misdoings with an act of sheer violence against a brethren Dragon. It would appear contradictory to some, but he knew how very correct it would be for Baylin to leave this world by his hand.
The forest thinned as he made his way steadily North without coming across a single living creature. Mossy ground gave way to stony outcroppings. Pine trees littered the forest floor with needles, which also thinned the vegetation at his feet. The storm he’d noticed earlier blanketed the sky above him, letting go with droplets of rain. Like a mist washing over him, the trees filtered the storm before it reached the ground. Dresden pulled his hood up, sheltering his head from the moisture.
When he made it to the base of the first mountain, he decided to stop and eat a modest scrap of dried meat he’d bought in the market before leaving the Western province. Smoked fish. He savored it, supplementing with some wild weeds that grew from a crack in the rock next to him. They were bitter this late into the season but he ate them anyway knowing they would give him the strength he would need to climb the mountain on foot. He looked over his shoulder at the summit behind him guessing that it would take 3 days to reach its peak, then he would travel the top of the mountain, until he reached the one behind it. Another day and half would get him to the top of that one. That is where he would find Baylin. The camp from his vision would be there, even though he knew the memory was several hundred years old.
Once he finished his modest meal, he took a water bladder from his bag and sipped just enough to wash the food down, but no more. There would be water where he was headed, but he knew how to preserve the meager supplies he brought so he wouldn’t have to keep stopping often. That would only delay him and he knew he must do this as quickly as possible.
The climb up the mountain was gentle at first as the Dead Forest retreated behind him with every step. Bird song filled the air once more with a light breeze sending the misty rain right into Dresden’s face. He ignored it and kept onward, paying attention to each side of his path, rather than a small annoyance like the weather. Bears were the threat he watched out for, the kind of bears that could stand two men tall and fit your entire head in their mouth without even trying. Berries grew on these mountainsides and the farther he went, the more rocky and shrubby the landscape became. A rabbit fled the safety of a crevice alerting Dresden, but he just followed it with his gaze as he kept on climbing. Kizjin Kol hummed again. Dresden prickled at the sound. He knew every subtle vibration the sword made and what it meant. He lifted his head towards the storm just in time to see monstrous wings just above the cloud cover. A Dragon tail covered in spikes of gold and green emerged from the dense storm clouds before vanishing from sight completely. He looked over his shoulder and spoke to Kizjin Kol.
“That was not Baylin my friend. Thank you for the warning.”
The sword gave no reply as Dresden quickened his pace up the steepening slope.