The Dragon Rider: Under the trees

The first rays of the sun crept over the hill and illuminated a destroyed village. Lots of houses had burned in the fire or were completely destroyed by heavy impacts. The streets were filled with debris and dead bodies. The central square was full off people. But no dead people. Most of them were sleeping on mattresses that were spread everywhere. Some were giving hot soup to the people who were awake. Lars, laying somewhere at the side, was awake but still pretended to be asleep to get some extra rest. But when the sun started to shine on his face he decided to stretch his legs. He turned around to see Dave who laid next to him. But his mattress was empty. Lars crawled up and looked for his grandfather but he was nowhere to be seen. He decided to leave the square and look for him. Slowly Lars made his way through the see of blankets, towards the side. What had been left of last night had been exhausting. The survivors had removed the bodies at the square and cleared the main streets from the debris. And the rest of them had been searching for mattresses and blankets in the houses that stood still upright. Nobody had talked, unless it was really necessary, and the grief had been visible on everyone's face. As Lars made his way along the piles of shattered wood and stone, he looked at his destroyed home. The destruction was clearly visible in the light of the morning sun. At the start of the main street at this side of the bridge a woman stood, making soup, to at least pep up the mood a little bit. Lars walked past her and nodded friendly but he didn't want any soup. The extra warmth would be good for everyone who really needed it. Luckily the night hadn't been to cold, since it was only October. But almost everyone had lost family. There were less survivors than people who had found death, only about five hundred. As Lars walked through the once wide and proud street he saw the damage the eaglas had left behind. It was almost impossible not to step on shattered pieces of wood and at some places there laid bodies on top of the piles of rubble. There would be no place for them to rest. No grave would been dug for them and some wouldn't even have people to remember them. There were still a lot of houses that stood upright but most of them had destroyed walls or roofs and they had been too unstable to sleep in. They couldn't effort any more deaths. Lars didn't know where to start looking for his grandfather but soon recognized the path his feet were following. At his left he saw a tall stone building with a large crack running across the front wall. At his right he saw a gap between the various houses where one building was completely gone. It revealed a small courtyard of red stones. In the middle an eagla laid. The bird laid in an unnatural position. It was the first dead one he saw. As Lars kept walking with his hands in his side pockets he wondered what was going to happen next. He and the rest of the survivors would leave the place at the end of the day and go southwards. Some of them had money in other cities so maybe they could rebuild their lives in Kansona, a city about thirty miles to the south.

But what'll happen to Goldbridge?

Look around! There is no Goldbridge anymore!

It would probably stay like this for a while and over time people would come here to search for valuable objects under the debris or to get building materials. But that were worries for later. First he had to find his grandfather. And he already knew where he would probably be.

Lars stood in front of his destroyed house. For the first time he could see the damage clearly. And just as he had expected his grandfather was there too. He sat on a wooden bench against one of the broken but still standing walls, looking out over the village. In his hands, which were resting on his knees, he held that large, red stone. Lars stared at it, almost hypnotized by its beauty, while he sat down next to his grandfather, who wore his usual loose, light blue morning suit. He must had found it between the debris. Dave sighed.

Do you know what happened last night?' he asked Lars without looking away from the village.

'Not really, no,' Lars answered. 'Does it has something to do with that stone?' he asked.

'Yes, it has. But first tell me what you know about the stones of Kaskarim.'

Lars stared at him surprised.

'You mean that legend where the four stones are the magical power sources of the Other Intelligent Ones?'

'Exactly. A long time ago there were a few mighty people who didn't want the information humanity had collected in three thousand years to be lost in the battle against the Others so they built a stronghold called Kaskarim, in which they stored all documents of humanity. In there they also did experiments with captured Others to satisfy their infinite hunger for knowledge. And finally, about four hundred years ago, they found a way to control them. The guardians of Kaskarim forged five magical stones, one for each species of Others, which held the life force of all Others in the whole world, and one to activate them. It uses an energy system that connects the spirits of all of them. With these stones they wanted to save humanity and let us become the dominant species again. But to connect them they needed four willing Others, one of each species. Whit a lie they got help from four willing creatures but ones the stones were connected the people of Kaskarim killed them. And not only those four creatures. To get their attention they killed hundreds of them.'

Lars listened to the story with great interest. While he was telling the story Dave kept looking at the horizon. And in his eyes Lars thought he saw sorrow. But not only because of last night. There was something else too.

'The stones had one single task,' Dave continued. 'They had to destroy the web of energy between their creatures as soon as they were destroyed or activated by the fifth stone. This would mean the extinction of the whole species. This way Kaskarim could force them into doing anything the guardians wanted. The fifth stone can activate the other stones individual but can also deactivate them. This is only possible if the stones are close to each other. But when the Others heard about the stones they formed an alliance with a group of humans and together they fought against Kaskarim. They succeeded, but only just, but once the few corrupted people amongst them got their hands on the stones they killed the rest of the humans, abandoned the alliance and sold the stones. They never got deactivated. Long years passed by and meanwhile many people have possessed one of the stones. Some wanted to use them to enslave the Others but most of them wanted to deactivate them. But an alliance such as the one that attacked Kaskarim isn't easily brought together.'

He sighed and remained silent this time. Lars had so many questions by now but only chose one to break the silence.

'Do you have one of the stones of Kaskarim?' Lars asked.

'Yes I have,' Dave said, now looking at him. 'Right from the beginning of the attack I suspected they were after the stone. But they didn't want to take it with them. They only wanted to know where it was. That's why they left as soon as I showed them the stone. These aren't the centuries after the Big Collision any more. Eaglas don't attack cities and villages just because they feel themselves threatened or confused.'

'But why would a pack of eagla's be searching for this stone?' Lars asked.

'Well, it would be logically if this is the eagla stone but it isn't,' Dave explained. 'But you already knew that, didn't you?'

Lars nodded.

'According to the color this can only be the dragon stone,' he reasoned.

'Correct. So then there's only one logical explanation left. Someone's controlling them with the eagla stone. And that someone also wants the dragon stone. There's only one group of people who have the power to do so. The guardians of Kaskarim are gathering their forces once again. They want to kill all Others. And they'll do everything to accomplish that. That's why this stone can't stay here or with our people. But I'm afraid I'm to old for such a quest. That's why I wanted to ask you to do it.'

Lars' face turned pale after hearing that. Only one day before his life had looked almost perfect.

'So you want me to bring this stone to safety,' Lars repeated, wanting to understand everything clearly.

'Exactly.'

'And where is safety if I may ask?'

'In the possession of the rightful owners of the stone. So the dragon society in the Stone Mountains at the other side of the woods.'

Lars was stunned. His grandfather wanted him to travel all the way through the woods that nobody had ever crossed to the dragon society.

'I know it way sound like a suicide mission,' Dave began, 'but the dragons are in fact far more reasonable than you think they are. And if someone can make it through the woods it's you. You can hunt, make shelter and stay alive. If there's someone who can do this it's you.'

His grandfather laid the dragon stone in Lars' hands. It was heavy and had a very smooth surface. Inside glowed the never fading light source like a smoldering fire.

'Please save them Lars. They are worth saving,' he begged him.

Lars sighed. He wanted to help the Others, especially after what his grandfather had told him. And he was right, they did deserve a second chance, even with the dragon attack on the old city and the eagla attack from last night still in his mind.

'Alright, I'll do it,' he finally said. Not that he had a better option. His home was destroyed and everyone he loved except for his grandfather was gone. So why not?

It was a terrible idea!

Lars and Dave stood on top of the hill of Goldbridge, looking at the people that were gathered on the grass field at the south of the destroyed village. They were preparing themselves for the long journey to the south, to Kansona, about fifty miles away. But Lars wasn't planning on going with them. He had his own journey but after he had looked on the map together with his grandfather it had seemed impossible. He had to cross the woods by going straight to the east. And at this point it was only a mere two hundred miles across. Halfway he would have to cross the wood river, the Missas. Then, when he was out of that dangerous place, he would have to go north for another two hundred miles to reach the Ohio, a side river of the Missas. A small one hundred miles upstream he would find the dragon city between the first high peaks. With some luck the dragons would find him on his way to the north. But his grandfather had told him not to build any fire unless it was really necessary. They'll kill you in your sleep, he had said. So here he was, about to travel through one of the most dangerous places there were.

'Are you ready?' Dave asked.

Lars nodded. He felt excited, but above all he was afraid. He still hadn't overcome the shock of last night.

'Good, travel as fast as possible. And when you find the dragons, or when they find you, you have to mention my name immediately.'

Lars didn't know why the dragons would know their name but when Dave turned around to pick up his backpack he decided not to ask for it. He turned around too and looked at the woods, stretching out in front of him to the north, east and south as far as the eye could see.

'I'll wait for you in Kansona. Ask the dragons to bring you there.'

He put on the backpack Dave gave him. Lars sighed and stared at the ground.

'Then I guess it's time to say goodbye,' he said.

'You're right. You have a long journey ahead.'

His grandfather smiled and they embraced each other tightly.

'I'm proud of you, my boy.'

They let go and slowly walked towards the edge of the woods that covered the whole backside of the hill.

'I guess this is it,' Lars said, looking behind one more time.

'It is. Now go, and I wish you all the luck of the world, my boy.'

'Goodbye, Lars said.

'Goodbye.'

And after these words Lars turned around and walked into the woods.

For four hours Lars had been walking through the woods without stopping or looking back. So far it hadn't been too difficult. The trees weren't too dense and there was still enough light coming through the roof of green and orange leafs. It reminded him at the times he had been on fishing trips at the little rivers just beyond the tree line with some other people of the village. But then he remembered some stories about people who had gone alone and too far and never returned. There was something strange going on here, there was no doubt about that. The forest had always had a bad name among the people of Goldbridge. But there was also said it protected them from dangers on the other side. It was almost ironic he had to cross it to find one of those dangers.

When the light began to fade Lars started to look for some kind of shelter. Some kind of overhanging rock formation would be nice. Or even a wide tree with some flat branches. It seemed like it wasn't going to rain this night so a roof above his head to keep him dry wouldn't be necessary. Slowly the sun crept closer to the western horizon and the light was fading fast now. Finally he found two parallel, fallen trees, very close to each other. There was no bark on top and underneath the trees hung dripping moss.

All right. This will have to do for tonight.

He felt his body needed some rest but Lars pushed himself to keep going and make a place for him to sleep. So he walked around in search for short but firm branches and after three rounds he already had enough. Lars let the last ones fall onto the pile next to the fallen trees. He laid the branches one by one crosswise onto the two threes. Then he picked some ferns and laid them on top. Out of his backpack Lars got a sleeping mat and rolled it out over the ferns. He took one step away and looked at the construction for a while. It wasn't luxurious but it had to do. By now the whole woods was full of shadows. Lars shuddered. Who knew what would creep around in the woods at night. Maybe it was best not to think too much about that. He sat down on his improvised bed, took one of the two water bottles he had and drunk greedily out of it. There would be enough creeks tomorrow to fill it up again. He was also a bit hungry, but food could wait till tomorrow. Finally he pulled a blanket out of his backpack and laid down. He had slept a few times before in the woods and most of the time he had trouble sleeping. But not now. He was so tired he fell asleep almost immediately.

'No!'

Lars jumped up from his improvised bed and fell on the ground, two feet below. He looked up and sighed. It had only been a nightmare. The color of the sky between the leaves told him dawn wasn't far away. Suddenly he remembered why he was here and the death of his parents and the quest ahead of him hit Lars like a hammer stroke. He wanted to scream and run away from what he had to do but couldn't. So he just packed his stuff and left as soon as possible.

Dawn arrived very quickly and Lars stopped at a small creek, to fill his water bottles and eat one of the small breads his grandfather had given him. They contained special herbs for long journeys. Soon he put the backpack on his back again and left the creek. And so the day went on. It was a bit humid and there was no wind at all. Specks of sunlight started to fall through the roof of leaves on the ground that was still covered with rotting leaves from last year. They didn't only provide some light between the trees but also told Lars he was going in the right direction.

Eastwards

After half a day of hiking through the woods Lars came across a hill. It wasn't very steep and similar in height to the hill of Goldbridge. He wondered if he could see that hill from up there. Lars started to climb the hill. After twenty minutes he finally reached the top, panting and sweating. But the trees here were even higher so there was nothing to see.

Of course you don't have a view on the horizon. What did you expect, you idiot!

Still he wanted to know if he was going the right way and what distance he already had behind him. The forest was a little less dense here and in front of him stood a high ash tree. It seemed pretty climbable, so Lars put the backpack down and started climbing. He almost slipped about ten feet from the ground when a rotted branch broke of but managed to grab another branch and restore his balance. After another fifteen feet he got at the crown of the tree and stuck his head through it. And it was amazing! He had a beautiful view in all directions. Not that it was very encouraging but it was just amazing to see that blanket of green and orange leaves stretch out in all directions as far as the eye could see. But when he looked at the west he saw indeed a hill at the far horizon.

It had to be the hill of Goldbridge.

Lars thought at his grandfather and the other people he had known. At this moment they would be almost on their destination. But he wasn't. He still had a long trip ahead. When he tried to estimate the traveled distance he thought it would be about ten miles. But he had learned not to trust his eyes so it would probably be about twenty five miles. When he looked at the sun and tried to position the west he saw to his distress he had gone a few miles to the south and that was not good. But he could worry about that later. He first had to get out of this tree.

Darkness started to fall again and a remarkable silence came to rest over the woods. Lars feet were sore from a whole day of hiking and his legs told him it was time to find a place to sleep. Between the trees in the distance was nothing but darkness and sometimes it was hard to hold fear back. Suddenly Lars came across an old oak tree. It had one low, thick branch and he only noticed it when he almost bumped into it with his head. He was getting tired and it was time for some sleep. With one smooth motion he pulled himself up on the branch where he sat down. Out of his backpack he got two ropes and his sleeping mat. With on rope he tied the backpack to the branch above him and with the other one he bound himself with the thin mat between him and the branch to the tree by turning it a few times around the two of them. With one final, thick knot he wouldn't go anywhere. And more important, he couldn't fall out in the morning. As the night fell over the woods Lars surrendered to the comfort of sleep.

The next day the landscape changed slightly. Until now the woods had been flat but after that hill of yesterday the underground kept going up and down. There were also more ferns and other small plants that covered the ground as the forest became more dense. Halfway through the day Lars found a beautiful brook and was able to follow it downstream. This way he could make some speed along the rocks next to the water and he wouldn't have to climb the hills, at least as long as the brook flowed to the east. He followed it for a couple of hours, climbing over fallen trees and jumping over the water a few times when his side of the stone shore ended. Then the water turned southwards and Lars had to leave the little river. First he ate another bread and refilled his bottles at the water side. Then he screwed the caps on top of the bottles, put them in his backpack and rose up. He left the water and continued his trip in the dusk.

Darkness fell underneath the trees. The birds were singing their sunset songs. The cloudless sky had become light blue at one side and dark blue at the other side. Underneath the roof of leaves Lars was still going on but knew time was running out and he had to find a place to sleep. Finally, when he almost couldn't see the trees in front of him anymore, he found another low oak but this one required more climbing than the previous one. A pulled himself up and climbed two branches higher, where one seemed perfect for him to sleep on. He had already tied the backpack to the branch above him and had the other rope in one hand and the mat in the other when he suddenly heard some kind of sniffing sound, like a creature that was smelling the air, not far from where he was. Lars slowly and carefully sat down and grabbed the branch he was standing on to keep his balance. He held his breath and listened. He heard the sniffing sound again, now closer to him and also heard the rustling of the leaves as it stepped. It stopped right beneath the tree he was in and Lars could see a dim silhouette next to the tree trunk. It had to be a huge creature. It was at least two times as long as he was tall. Lars began to panic as it didn't go away, but he stayed frozen in his position on the thick branch. Finally the creature walked away and Lars could breath again. He didn't even want to think at the possibilities of what could happen while he was asleep. After five full minutes it had become really dark and Lars finally heard the sounds of the smaller animals returning. Only now he dared to move again and made his bed in a hurry. After the final knot was laid and checked he leaned his head back. He managed to put the worried feelings aside and give his body its much needed rest in the process of sleep.

The first he noticed was a flock of birds in one of the nearby trees, singing. It was as if they were singing because they were happy to have another day of life. It would still take a while till the sun would appear. But one thing was different today. It was a lot colder and even between the trees there blew a soft, but chilly breeze. And it would only became colder in the course of the days as winter came closer. Lars looked up at the milk blue sky, trying to pretend he was somewhere else. Maybe on a two day trip in midsummer in the hills at the west of Goldbridge, or even just outside one of the cities in the far south. They said it was warmer there. But no, he realized. He was in a cold and deadly forest all on his one and days away from civilization. He was tired, even after a full night of sleep, and his feet were cold. His legs didn't feel like they were going anywhere today.

That's enough motivation for today. Let's get somewhere.

He quickly packed his stuff and climbed down, jumping down on the ground with style. Lars quickly looked around for traces of anything out of place, such as from the creature he saw last night, but found none. So he determined the east and started going. It took a while to get his feet warm and his legs on speed but after fifteen minutes he had picked up his normal pace again. He set his look on infinity and kept going. Every step would bring him closer towards his goal.

The sun had reached its highest point in the sky. The coldness of that morning was gone and the breeze had become warmer. Another steep hill had blocked Lars' path and since he had the need to orient himself he started at the climb. He put feet after feet and just kept going on, only looking in front of him if it was necessary. It was this routine that kept him going. Otherwise he would still be hanging in that tree. The sweat almost ran down his back when he reached the top. The forest wasn't too dense here and the trees didn't carry their full load of leaves any more. Lars could see right through the trees at most directions but the view was even less encouraging than the previous one. In all directions it was just one hill after the other and there wasn't much to see, although it was still beautiful. But in the east it seemed like the landscape was going downhill and in the distance Lars could see lots of fog concentrated in between the hills. The visibility would become bad and there wouldn't be much sunlight to tell him if he was going right. He knew some other tricks to find the north in the forest, such as moss on the bark of trees and anthills but they wouldn't be of any use in valleys where the sun almost never shone. He would have to go from hilltop to hilltop to orient himself. Not a too encouraging prospect. So what was he waiting for?

The descent was steep and took almost an hour. From the bottom it still went downhill but less steep. For another hour Lars walked past trees that were all looking the same. So he had enough time for himself, as always. Lars couldn't help but think at the tsunami of information that had gotten into his head. The eagla attack, the death of his parents and the whole thing with Kaskarim, it was just too much for him. How did he have to make sure what he had to do. Or even what he wanted to do. Sure he knew what he had to do now, and that was keep going. He had a quest to fulfill. The weight of the stone in his backpack seemed to be bigger than ever. 

But he had to do this. The stone wasn't safe among his people. Kaskarim knew where it was, or thought it knew where it was. In a few weeks he would reach the dragon society and then he could go home. He would have done what he had to do and that was starting the spark for an alliance. After then he wouldn't have to help the Others any more. What could he do? He was just one human. It wasn't his fight!

The sun began to fade and the fog had started to creep underneath the trees. At quick look at the sky confirmed he was still going in the right direction. 

But there was something else he was worried about too. The eagla attack had been one hell of a night and Lars knew he wouldn't forgive the eaglas too soon. He knew he better got revenge on the possessor of the eagla stone but still. Many people had lost their friends and family, and Lars refused to believe their home was the only village they had attacked. But that wasn't the thing that bothered him. There was something else that had happened that night. He had encountered an eagla and the bird had even tried to eat him alive. And in the middle of all chaos, he hadn't tried to prevent that from happening. He had done nothing while the eagla easily shoved him into its beak. And the touch of the tongue, the warm feeling. It had been... almost invitingly.

Lars widened his eyes in shock. Why would he think that way about an action so cruel. The creature had killed his parents! But still...

Suddenly he heard a soft crack, as from a twig snapping in half. The sound echoed all around him and it was then Lars realized there was a complete silence. The birds had stopped singing and it was like nature held its breath. The mist was now very close around him and the sun had disappeared. Lars stopped and carefully looked around him for a full minute. He got an uncomfortable feeling, as if he was being watched from behind, and turned around again, slowly this time. Lars' heart almost skipped a beat. There, at the edge of his visibility, about two hundred feet away, he saw a dark figure standing, half covered by fog. It was obviously not a tree. It was so scary Lars wanted to run away but he stood where he was, not loosing sight of the creature. Suddenly the fog became a little bit denser and the dark shadow disappeared for an instant. When the fog became thinner after half a minute the creature was gone. Lars looked around fearfully. When nothing happened there was no other option for him but keep going. But the sounds of the birds didn't return. Suddenly he came to a stop again. In front of him, at two hundred feet, there was that shadow again. In the corner of his eye Lars saw something dark appear at his left. He got a shuddering feeling and slowly rotated to see his whole surroundings. All around him were dark shadows, five in total. And suddenly, all of them started coming towards him.