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picked up his weapons and the torch and walked through the
opening. There on the other side was some kind of portal. He
was enthralled by the swirling mist that lay beyond the door.
He took a few more steps toward it and the great oak door
closed solidly behind him.
So be it, he thought, as he stepped closer to the swirling
mist. This was his destiny.
He looked all around him but found no other way to go but
into the mist. Taking a deep breath, with sword in hand, he
stepped through the portal.
* * * *
The brilliance was blinding as he raised his arm to shield
his eyes. It took Rowan a few moments to adjust to the light
that met him on the other side of the mist. He slowly lowered
his arm and he looked about him.
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He stood at the edge of a cliff. A bridge of brilliant quartz
lay beyond him, sparkling from the light of an illustrious sun
that seemed a thousand times more bright than his own.
Beyond the bridge was a grassy knoll with a framed
structure that reminded him of the bower Kira had planted
with climbing vines and roses that set toward the back wall of
her garden. She loved to go there in the evenings and smell
the many fragrances that she had nurtured. She would take
Rowan by the hand and they would sit upon the stone bench
she'd had one of the mason's build for her. They would sit
there for hours enjoying the summer breeze, relaxing in each
others company. He could almost feel her presence next to
him.
What is this strange place? He wondered, as he shook off
the feeling of melancholy that seemed to overwhelm him.
He took a step closer to the bridge and took in his
surroundings like a warrior on a mission. To the left, off in the
distance, he could just make out the hazy crags of the
surrounding mountains. He looked to the right and the same
landscape met his gaze. Behind him lay a wall of solid quartz
that soared high above his head. The mist was swirling its
gentle haze in the same spot where he had stepped through.
Beneath him, raged a river that cut a wicked path through
the valley below. He sheathed his sword and cautiously
stepped onto the bridge. He waited but a moment and
nothing happened so he proceeded across. Once on the other
side he breathed a sigh of relief and headed toward the stone
structure upon the knoll.
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"Who dares to cross the Bridge of Light to awaken me?"
The voice came from within the bower.
Rowan stopped where he was, just before the entrance to
the thicket. He put his hand upon his sword, ready for
whatever confrontation there was to come.
"That will do you no good against me, warrior."
"Who are you?" Rowan asked, still not convinced to
remove his hand from his weapon.
"It is you that have trespassed upon my land, so it is I who
will ask the questions, warrior. I ask again. Who are you and
why have you awakened me?"
"I am Rowan of Locks Glen."
"What do you seek here, Rowan of Locks Glen?"
"I ... I do not know why I am here nor where here is. I
have come because my father came here and his father came
here and his father's father and so on down the line. It is my
destiny to be here. I am in need of help to save my beloved
wife from harm and to seek out what is rightfully mine by
birth." Rowan answered truthfully as he took a step closer to
the entrance.
"What makes you think you will find your birthright here,
Rowan of Locks Glen?"
"I am the last of my kind. I am the last Dragon Lord of
Kells to walk upon this world."
Silence followed Rowan's words. Now what? He wondered
solemnly, tightening the grip upon his sword. He tensed as he
heard the rustle of shrubbery move just beyond his vision.
Then he saw it, although he wasn't sure if what he was seeing
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was a dream or flesh and blood. He backed away from the
entrance in awe; his hand held tightly to his sword.
"I have waited many years for your return, Dragon Lord. I
am called Cragyn."
Rowan stared up at what he could only describe as a
dragon! Something that he only thought lived within the tales
of his ancestors.
"Cragyn." Rowan nodded, not sure what he was to do now.
"It has been a very long time since I have been
summoned. You were but a wee brag when last I saw you."
Rowan still could not believe his own eyes. He was staring
at a real live dragon. At least he thought it was alive. It
looked like flesh and blood, not some figment of his
imagination. He must have stood near onto twenty feet tall
and more than double that in the length from the top of his
head to the tip of his long scaly tail. His skin was an iridescent
color with swirls of blue, green and gold all mixed together
and shimmering.
"I have been here before?" Rowan was asking as he sized
up the animal in front of him.
"Oh, aye, you have. Your da brought you here when you
were but a very wee brag. But then so was I," Cragyn spoke
softly as he nestled down upon the ground in front of Rowan.
"Explain."
"You see, we are of the same mind, you and me. I was
born the same day as you. When you were old enough, your
da brought you here to meet me. That was when our minds
were linked as one. I can remember it as though it were
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yesterday." Cragyn explained, trying to relax and let things
get into focus for his master.
"Why can I not remember? Why did it take so long for me
to remember this much and finally open the door?" Rowan
was starting to feel agitated. He knew time was getting short [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]