PART 19

He made no fire, but huddled in the warmth of his clothes with his sword across his lap in case of danger. He couldn’t quite doze off to sleep immediately. His mind wandered, back to the memory of Baylin in the Temple court room with the rest of the 13 dragons banished to exile. Baylin had been smiling. So had Lazarus. What did they know that he didn’t at the time? Why were he and Galvinor tormenting this world in exile without correction from the Council of Seven? Dresden had not been allowed to dabble in human affairs for very long without rebuke from the Council. Was it possible that because he was the one who had rallied the other Dragons to his cause that they were watching him closer than the others? Lazarus had told him too much when they were with the Haiute. In those final moments, Dresden had seen some of the future that Lazarus spoke of, but couldn’t quite comprehend what it all meant to him. What was his role here? Why him?
Lazarus made it clear that he must help lead humanity into the full ownership of this world. That meant destroying the Dragon Island of BasNassal to rid people of Sariahfina’s wrath. She would not stop until all the human beings were dead. Dresden couldn’t let that happen, wouldn’t let that happen. When the Dragons appointed her as their overseer, their lord, there was unanimous agreement that she would be the one to see Dragons into a future that benefited every living creature in this realm. Their abandonment on Earth had been a bitter moment for all of them. On Numa there would be no need for an overseer, a lord to govern the Dragons. That was unthinkable on theirin their homeworld, but here, the rules were different. There were other creatures to consider that were evolving and so many others that had also been stranded to Earth that they would need wise counsel and refuge within a foreign land. So much to think about. Sariahfina seemed the perfect candidate. Dresden had never suspected her of treachery from within. How was Baylin connected to this? Surely he would not be pleased with exile unless he planned to be aparta part of it willingly. The thought struck him hard, making him shift under the rocky overhang. He adjusted his position and closed his eyes again. Bayin wanted to be let loose onto the world of humans. Sariahfina must have known that. Perhaps he’d infiltrated Dresden’s group of mutineers for the sole purpose of being able to wreak havoc on Earth without the Council's laws on BasNassa in his way. They claimed neutrality afterall, but exiled, Baylin was free to do what he wished, unencumbered. If Sariahfina’s goal was to kill the human population, Baylin would be the perfect blunt object for the task.
Dresden had to push the thought from his mind. A lightning flash lit up the hill in front of him, followed quickly by the sound of thunder crashing around him. He laid his head on the side of the rock and breathed in the world, allowing it to silence his mind.
When he woke, the rain had ceased, sun slowly emerged over the horizon, dewy droplets clung to everything they could touch. Before Dresden was able to get up, he noticed a small bundle wrapped up next to him. An oversized fern leaf he couldn’t identify, tied carefully with a long strip of beargrass. Even though the hill was rocky with grass jutting up in every crevice, there were no footsteps to reveal that anyone had been so close to him. He only saw his own muddy indentations left from the night before as he’d made his way under the overhang. He crawled out and stretched, leaving Kizjin Kol propped up on the hill behind him. Then he bent down, scooped up the package and glanced around to see if he could spot his benefactor. Stillness on all sides, the craggy mountain landscape revealed nothing. He gently opened the bundle. Fresh berries, some hulled nuts, several rolled up edibles from what looked like grass and other mashed plants lay in his palm. Whoever had left this for him, had been so quiet in the night, Dresden hadn’t noticed. That was unusual, he thought, looking around once more. He ate the berries but wrapped the other contents back in the leaf and placed them in his bag.
The morning smelled so fresh, no people inhabited these lands between the mountain and the forest, animals ruled the terrain here, so it was unlikely a person. Human beings were loud and clumsy, so he doubted very much that a person would be following him. But who was? He loaded everything on his back with his bag slung securely across his chest and headed farther North, farther up to the top of the summit. He spent the entire day walking and was grateful that the storm cleared enough to provide an easy day of it. In the early light, a herd of deer galloped off in the distance, while birds sang their morning song into the wind. There was plenty of that here on the mountainside. Enough wind to blow a man over, but he pursued his course. There were no trails, so Dresden had to carve his own path and the weather had left the terrain tricky to manage. He kept to the rockier parts so his feet had something firm to grip as he climbed. By nightfall he had reached the top of the lower crest. The land leveled out here with lush grass at his feet, with scrappy bushes and thistles. Moss had reappeared clinging to the sides and tops of the stones. This land was moist, full of natural springs that fed underground caves and poured out from the sides of the mountain. Clear water, clean and delicious to drink flowed from springs and rocky crevices along the hillside. The area felt too exposed to camp, so Dresden kept walking into the night, until he came upon another rocky overhang, just large enough to squeeze under. He ate the remaining contents of the bundle and a piece of his fish and slept soundly, without thinking too much.
The next morning, cloud cover returned with cooler breezes. Another small bundle wrapped the same way lay inches from him on the ground. There should have been footprints here, since the grass would have given away any intruder. Less rock to conceal one's steps. However there were no traces of anyone close by and Dresden’s footprints were all that could be seen. He opened the bundle and this time found a few chunks of dried meat along with more hulled nuts and something he didn’t recognize, he sniffed it. It smelled sweet. He checked the meat, deer no doubt. He ate nothing that morning and decided to continue on quickly as he knew the clouds would not wait for him to get to his next destination.
The climb grew steeper as he neared the summit, his first major obstacle to overcome before he could get to Baylin’s camp. This slowed his pace considerably but he kept going as best he could. Kizjin Kol had rarely felt heavy, but this day, the sword felt like a stone anchor strapped to his back. He rested on a very steep part of the mountain where a large boulder jutted from the ground, just big enough to climb atop of and sit properly. From this vantage point, he surveyed the land before him. The Island of El Rey was now visible, the Dead Forest below him, even the castle in Sveldin and the vast kingdom surrounding it could all be seen. He enjoyed the moment to indulge in the view. It was rare to come across such a fine place. A dangerous place, no doubt, but this spot was a treasure to behold the world below him.
A twiggy tree clung to the base of the boulder off to his right, several finches rested in the tree for just a moment before flying off into the wind. The trees were sparse on the side of the mountain, but they broke up the landscape like standing soldiers on unforgiving terrain. He ate a few scraps of the deer meat and continued his journey. Near evening he reached the rise of the summit. It was a narrow ledge that offered little protection from either side, dropping off into nothing below. A fall in any direction would be certain death, but he walked the thin landing towards the final summit, which he could see clearly now ahead of him. It jutted so high into the sky he couldn’t see its peak, which was covered in snow regardless of the season. That would be his final destination, where he would meet Balyin and the mystery Dragon that he’d seen several days ago in the clouds. There had been no other evidence that the Dragon was close by now, but he knew, instinctively it was near. He couldn’t remember who it was, having been separated from the group for so long. But he anticipated an unfriendly reunion when he reached Baylin’s camp.
He spent the night propped up against a tall flat stone on his next path upwards. There was no cover here, and the clouds had opened up shortly after sunset, drenching him where he sat. Kizjin Kol rested on his lap as the sword did every night. This position had become familiar and secure for Dresden, as it could easily be drawn if needed. The plants were very thin on the mountain top, no more trees, and very few shrubs. The grass, just stubble between rocks. Wind drove the rain hard into Dresden’s face, which he covered with his hood as much as possible. He slept very little that night, fitful in the torrent of weather, beating upon him.
The next morning, a light drizzle remained as he shook himself awake. The same little bundle rested in the same place next to him as he had seen every morning for the past three days. It’s contents were similar this morning and even though the weather had been so bad, whoever was dedicated to feeding him on this journey had not faltered in their offerings. He grew more curious about this but couldn’t indulge himself in frivolous thoughts. He waited this morning for the weather to stop before continuing the precarious climb. By late morning, the sun came out and began drying out the world. He wrung his clothes as best he could, and continued hiking up the last stretch of Earth towards Baylin’s camp. One more day, he told himself. One more day and I will be face to face with Baylin and whatever else lies in wait for me on the mountain peak.