Since the old man was already gone, there was no sense staying in Morridin. He would have enjoyed talking more to Kirey, as it seemed like Kirey had some of the information that Bartholomew needed. Perhaps he could come back to Morridin, find Kirey, and ask him the questions. But for now, he needed to find the Tonathium Mountains, the Castle Angels, the tavern Diova Gruss, and a man named Carl. And in that order. He also had the feeling that all would be found north of Morridin.
Before Bartholomew left the village, he planned to stop at the Inn of the Sleeping Dragon for some guidance as to where to find the Tonathium Mountains. The way that Kirey talked, Bartholomew felt that he was close to finding out the answers to ALL of his questions. He felt the excitement grow inside him, giving him butterflies in his stomach.
He was so busy thinking of his good fortune that he walked into a middle-aged lady carrying some packages. He was jolted out of his revelry and exclaimed, “I’m so sorry, ma’am. Please forgive my rudeness! I didn’t see you.” Bartholomew was embarrassed with himself and helped pick up the food that dropped from her arms.
“That’s quite alright, dearie. From the looks of you, your mind was somewhere else indeed.” She was very understanding and didn’t yell at him for his clumsiness. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
With excitement showing in his voice, he gave her the packages and replied , “I am journeying to the Castle Angels and a tavern called Diova Gruss. I believe it is on the other side of the Tonathium Mountains. I was just thinking of popping into the Sleeping Dragon for directions and any other information I might need.”
“Oh, dearie, no need to do that.” She turned and pointed to a distant mountain on the horizon to the north of Morridin. “There’s your Tonathium Mountains way over there. Just on the other side of them, you’ll find your tavern. Think you need to get to the Keep first though. Good people over there. You’ll like it! Here, take this apple with you. It will be a nice pick-me-up for your travels.”
Bartholomew apologized again for his rudeness and thanked her for the apple. He put it away and started the final leg of his journey. He was excited as he walked. He judged that it would take him about two days walking to get to the mountains. He wasn’t sure how close the Castle Angels were once he was on the other side. He felt safe in thinking that it might take about four or five more days at most to get there. And THEN he would be on his way to his answers.
He set a fast pace for himself, his energy level high with expectation. The wooded area north of Morridin was much the same as that to the south – the trees’ giant skeletons of branches without leaves jutting out of the earth, the ground scattered with broken and decaying branches. Just walking through the place gave Bartholomew the heavy feeling of pain and despair and hopelessness. He was very glad that it was daylight and not the night hours that took him through this place. The boulders, now covered with mosses, that were three times his size and jutted out of the earth, told their story of the upheaval that took place so long ago. That took his mind back to the Tree of Sorrow in Morridin. Never had he seen such a sight in his life. There were no writings that he had read that prepared him for a sight such as he saw. The dragon form was so large and precise but in the form of a tree. It made you wonder what type of magic was used and how strong it was. It made him wonder if the curse on these lands could ever be lifted.
He kept track of the sun and knew that he would need to find a resting spot before too long. Nightfall was approaching and so would Shadow. He didn’t feel comfortable having Shadow join him in this place with all that it represented from the War of the Dragons. He figured he had another few hours before the sun set, not a lot of time when you didn’t know what was ahead of you or where it would lead. He ate the apple as he walked, not wanting to take pause in his journey.
However, Bartholomew started noticing little changes as he went along. There were more green grasses and ferns. He was startled when he heard his first bird calling, having gotten use to the only sounds he heard which were those of his own footsteps on the forest floor, snapping twigs in his rush to get to the mountain. He knew that he must find cover for Shadow soon. He also knew he didn’t want it to be here. He hoped that he would be clear of this forest before much longer.
After a short while, he suddenly burst clear of the forest. And, there ahead of him, were open fields dotted with boulders and trees green with leaves. There, within his sight, jutting majestically into the sky were mountains. Bartholomew knew that he was close for there were the Tonathium Mountains. The racing of his heart had nothing to do with his push through the forest and had everything to do with reaching his goal. Taking quick stock of the lay of the land, Bartholomew veered to the east where he saw some large rock formations. Maybe this will be a good place to spend the night and wait for Shadow. There would be a bit of protection for them both while he thought of how he was going to get to the other side of the mountains looming in front of him. As he prepared for this friends arrival, he let himself think back on his encounter with Kirey, who seemed to be a strange man. Bartholomew was still not sure how Kirey was able to answer his questions when he didn’t speak them out loud. Were they obvious questions that anyone would have asked? No, he didn’t think so. The fact that Kirey mentioned the forest as being cursed, how many would have thought that? Why couldn’t it have easily been because of some other type of disaster such as fire or something? Who would automatically have chosen a curse? And then there was the comment made about Shadow. Bartholomew would bet on his life that he had NOT mentioned Shadow to Kirey at all. He was so use to keeping Shadow a secret that he was not about to bring him up at a first meeting of a stranger. There were just too many things that Kirey seemed to know about him that it gave him pause as to how and why.
The sun was now setting, her fingers of pinks first coloring the soft clouds in the skies. As she set further in the west, the sky changed from pinks to amethyst to yellows to orange, each color bleeding into the next. It was a beautiful site and Bartholomew was glad to see such a glorious color display especially after the gloom of the land he just traversed. It gave him the calm feeling of acceptance, that what he was doing was right and that it was worth the unhappiness of leaving his family to seek his destiny. As he stood watching the setting sun, he noticed a large object in the sky, sharply outlined by the background of the sun’s colors. He knew that it was Shadow. The emotions from seeing the Tree of Sorrow were still strong within him and he needed to connect with Shadow, needed the reassurance that he was safe, that they were both a part of the other. Bartholomew knew that should anything ever happen to him, that would be the end of Shadow, just like if Shadow were to die, then so would he. The lives of dragons and their riders were as linked in life as they were in death. The intense feelings he had experienced were not only for the dragon that lost its life there in Morridin, but also for the life of the rider that was lost. He closed his eyes and offered a prayer to the gods that he and Shadow would be spared a death such as that and they would have a long life with each other. The words no sooner left his lips and he opened his eyes when he saw Shadow land. He removed his glove and walked over to his companion, his hand extended, and touched him. He was at peace again.
While he sat eating his bread thinking about the rest of his journey, he stopped in mid-chew. He had it! He knew just how he was going to get on the other side of the mountain. How utterly simple it was! He was a dragon rider after all and he did have a dragon. He and Shadow would fly to the other side tonight and that would put him that much closer to his dream. He completed his meal and shared his idea with Shadow. The moon was now in its place in the night’s sky and he would fly under the cover of relative darkness. Bartholomew made his preparations, mounted Shadow, and together they took off, soaring in the night sky with the moonlight as their guide. It felt wonderful to be on Shadow’s back again, the wind at his face and the power of his dragon between his legs. This felt right! This was home! This was how he wanted to be!
They soared up and over the Tonathium Mountains and onto the other side. There, in the moonlight, he saw his first glimpse of the lands of the Castle Angels. The castle stood majestically between the mountains, her lands stretching out to the base of the mountains which surrounded and protected her. He immediately found a peace and calm cover him. He was not expecting such a feeling. As he looked down from Shadow’s back, he felt strangely at home. They flew a bit longer, neither one eager to end their flight. Bartholomew had seen some old caves on the mountain side so they went there to spend the night. Then in the morning, he planned to go down and find the tavern and the man named Carl.
Unknown to Bartholomew or Shadow, their night ride had not gone unobserved. There were two people who had seen their arrival on the Castle Angels’ side of the Tonathium Mountains, each with their own thoughts about the events that were about to come.
created originally 1 June 2011
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