maw. Its twin amethysts stared up at him from miniature eye sockets.
“So, little ring, I am supposed to bring you to the Tomb of the Ancients?” He pulled at the ring, intending to pocket it, but the claws reanimated themselves and dug into his skin until he let go. “Very well, stay there.”
Gazing around, he saw blackness deep and unyielding. It enveloped him. The ring dug into his finger, and he bit his lip. The metallic creature would stay there, for now. His feet sank into a current that swept him through lukewarm darkness.
He didn’t know how long he drifted. His mind seemed to wander from distant vague corner to distant vague corner until it settled in an eddy of tranquil thought. His beloved young wife laughed, and then his child cried. He heard himself comforting Oganna and chuckling. “You hurt your finger, my little one?” Darkness weighed in on him, yet without menace. In its unseen depths, Oganna, the young woman, laughed, and her cheer swam through the darkness in beams of soft light. He breathed a contented sigh and closed his eyes.
As he rested, a woman’s voice broke the silence. “Ombre! Look it’s—”
“Stay here,” Ombre replied. “Let me check him first.”
A hand shook Ilfedo’s shoulder, and he squinted up into his friend’s pale face. “When did you get here?” He rolled onto his side and jumped to his feet. A breeze whisked the treetops, and beyond his friend Ilfedo saw a woman standing in the shadows. “Caritha, is that you?”
Ombre scowled. “What in Subterran were you doing lying in the middle of the path? And—” His face stretched into a frown as his gaze swept the area. He drew his sword and ran past Ilfedo, kneeling beside a large, clear impression of a clawed foot. He ran his fingers along the claw marks and whistled. “Heaven help us.”
“What is it?” Caritha asked, taking one step out of the shadows and pulling a pastel yellow shawl around her shoulders. She was wearing a beautiful pink dress embroidered in gold-and black lacing around the cuffs and neckline. A golden band held her thickly braided hair away from her forehead and behind her ears.
Ilfedo greeted her with a smile, then slapped the dust from his trousers. As he turned to greet Ombre, his friend stood from the dragon’s footprint, raised his eyebrows at Ilfedo, and beckoned with a hand for Caritha to approach. She did so in an almost-dainty fashion, lightly placing each foot on the ground. The hint of a smile graced her lips as Ombre took her hand.
With a huff, Ombre shook his head at Ilfedo. “Well? Aren’t you going to offer an explanation? Or have you, without our knowledge, made a habit of lying in the middle of well-traveled paths?” He looked around at the forest. “And why are all the trees splintered and fallen?
Ilfedo strode to the dragon’s footprint and closed his eyes. “I had a vision—”
“A vision?” Ombre’s eyes flooded with skepticism. “Visions don’t break trees like twigs. And what of this print? It looks, well, real. If I were a child, I would swear this is a dragon’s footprint. But being a man I must confess that sounds crazy. After all, a dragon has never been seen in these parts, and no one, save for you, has ever seen one.”
“Ombre, please be quiet for a moment. I fully intend to tell you what happened.” Ilfedo then launched into an account of all that had happened that night, beginning with his departure from the city of Gwensin and ending with the moment Ombre awoke him. When he had finished, his friend remained silent, but Caritha released Ombre’s hand and marched down the path. She murmured, “He has the dragon ring.”
The men followed. “Great,” Ombre whispered under his breath so only Ilfedo could hear. “The past couple of days she’s really softened toward me; now you have reminded her of her heritage and the mysteries of the future.” Then he slapped him on the shoulder and sighed. “Forgive me, I do not blame
“So, little ring, I am supposed to bring you to the Tomb of the Ancients?” He pulled at the ring, intending to pocket it, but the claws reanimated themselves and dug into his skin until he let go. “Very well, stay there.”
Gazing around, he saw blackness deep and unyielding. It enveloped him. The ring dug into his finger, and he bit his lip. The metallic creature would stay there, for now. His feet sank into a current that swept him through lukewarm darkness.
He didn’t know how long he drifted. His mind seemed to wander from distant vague corner to distant vague corner until it settled in an eddy of tranquil thought. His beloved young wife laughed, and then his child cried. He heard himself comforting Oganna and chuckling. “You hurt your finger, my little one?” Darkness weighed in on him, yet without menace. In its unseen depths, Oganna, the young woman, laughed, and her cheer swam through the darkness in beams of soft light. He breathed a contented sigh and closed his eyes.
As he rested, a woman’s voice broke the silence. “Ombre! Look it’s—”
“Stay here,” Ombre replied. “Let me check him first.”
A hand shook Ilfedo’s shoulder, and he squinted up into his friend’s pale face. “When did you get here?” He rolled onto his side and jumped to his feet. A breeze whisked the treetops, and beyond his friend Ilfedo saw a woman standing in the shadows. “Caritha, is that you?”
Ombre scowled. “What in Subterran were you doing lying in the middle of the path? And—” His face stretched into a frown as his gaze swept the area. He drew his sword and ran past Ilfedo, kneeling beside a large, clear impression of a clawed foot. He ran his fingers along the claw marks and whistled. “Heaven help us.”
“What is it?” Caritha asked, taking one step out of the shadows and pulling a pastel yellow shawl around her shoulders. She was wearing a beautiful pink dress embroidered in gold-and black lacing around the cuffs and neckline. A golden band held her thickly braided hair away from her forehead and behind her ears.
Ilfedo greeted her with a smile, then slapped the dust from his trousers. As he turned to greet Ombre, his friend stood from the dragon’s footprint, raised his eyebrows at Ilfedo, and beckoned with a hand for Caritha to approach. She did so in an almost-dainty fashion, lightly placing each foot on the ground. The hint of a smile graced her lips as Ombre took her hand.
With a huff, Ombre shook his head at Ilfedo. “Well? Aren’t you going to offer an explanation? Or have you, without our knowledge, made a habit of lying in the middle of well-traveled paths?” He looked around at the forest. “And why are all the trees splintered and fallen?
Ilfedo strode to the dragon’s footprint and closed his eyes. “I had a vision—”
“A vision?” Ombre’s eyes flooded with skepticism. “Visions don’t break trees like twigs. And what of this print? It looks, well, real. If I were a child, I would swear this is a dragon’s footprint. But being a man I must confess that sounds crazy. After all, a dragon has never been seen in these parts, and no one, save for you, has ever seen one.”
“Ombre, please be quiet for a moment. I fully intend to tell you what happened.” Ilfedo then launched into an account of all that had happened that night, beginning with his departure from the city of Gwensin and ending with the moment Ombre awoke him. When he had finished, his friend remained silent, but Caritha released Ombre’s hand and marched down the path. She murmured, “He has the dragon ring.”
The men followed. “Great,” Ombre whispered under his breath so only Ilfedo could hear. “The past couple of days she’s really softened toward me; now you have reminded her of her heritage and the mysteries of the future.” Then he slapped him on the shoulder and sighed. “Forgive me, I do not blame
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