Chapter 23
Mirwanna had been excited about my newfound ability to change into a dragon, and back again, at will. We had given a comprehensive report to her, and a couple other people whom Mirwanna had designated as 'needing to know'. They had recorded our time in my other world.
All the stuff I had brought back was in a storage room, with the exception of a few cases I had in my suite. One of those contained coffee. I was experimenting with a non-electric coffee maker. It took a few tries and false starts, but I finally got the hang of it.
Now I had coffee all of the time. I offered some to anyone who wanted to try it. Most said it was too bitter. When I added cream and/or sugar, they found it agreeable. They were fascinated with the sugar I had brought back. Most items here, were sweetened with honey. Sugar was totally unknown, here.
They had an item, that while it substituted for sugar in many ways, I felt it was inferior to sugar itself. Still, they had pastries, here, and they were very good. I had opened a case of candy bars, and passed them out. They were an instant hit. I had a feeling that if I didn't monitor things, the candy would be gone more quickly than I wished.
I stood on the roof of the palace, and looked at the castle on the far side of the valley. I was actually getting twitchy about it. I wanted to go there. It was like I was being drawn. I also wanted to learn how to fly. I was a flying dragon, and it would be very useful to be able to fly!
It was man's most cherished dream... Flight. Unaided flight! And I was a dragon with wings! I was going to fly! There were no ifs ands or buts about it. I sighed, and made my way to the stairs that led back down.
The next day dawned clear and cool. I had gotten a horse, and had ridden out to a quiet place I had noticed from my earlier explorations. I turned the horse over to my ever-present guards, and told them to keep the area clear.
I removed everything except my boxers, and willed the change, to become a Dragon. The shift from human to Dragon was almost instantaneous. It was amazing how my senses changed. My eyesight improved by an incredible factor. As did my sense of smell, and other senses, a couple of which I could not name.
I looked down the slope. I started to run, and extended my wings. I flapped them, to try to gain a little height. I was airborne! I stiffened my wings, and glided. I experimented with angling my wings.
I tried for a landing and went head over heels! I also smacked into one of the few really large trees on the slope. Damn! I righted myself and got to my feet. Ok, flying was a little more difficult than I thought it would be.
As the old song goes: the birds do it, the bees do it, even educated fleas do it... Fly that is. If they all did it, then I as a person at the top of the food chain, and with more intelligence, should be able to do it, too!
I walked back uphill, and noticed I was starting to draw a crowd. Well, as long as they stayed back, it should be no problem. I went back to my starting place, and started my lumbering run. I had four legs. I seemed to be able to operate them just fine, so why could I not get this flying business down, too?
I launched myself into the air, flapping a couple times to gain a little height. I then stiffened my wings and let myself glide down the slope. I could hear cheering. I preened as I dropped lower. I was getting ready to land, when somehow I misjudged, and ran smack into a small sapling that sprang up out of nowhere!
I was sure there hadn't been one there before! I muttered to myself. I could hear the crowd laughing, now. Imagine, laughing at your Duke! I chuckled to myself. Well, it must be a funny sight, really. I went back up the hill.
By now, hundreds of people were gathered watching this young dragon learning to fly. I was larger than a human. I estimated I was probably several hundred pounds heavier than when I was in my normal human body. Wasn't magic wonderful? I knew that a lot of my bulk was due to energy transfer.
Ok, third times the charm, according to folklore from the Earth I grew up on. Yeah, and pigs fly!
I managed to get up and fly, with a lot of wing pumping, around my training area. The people cheered! I was getting the hang of flying, it was the landings that seemed to give me trouble.
Perhaps if I landed going upslope? I came in, flared my wings, and angled myself. I smacked my nose into the ground, digging up a small furrow of soil. I arose spitting dirt. More laughter. Great, I was a plow in my copious spare time, apparently.
After my fourth crash, I seemed to get the idea of how to land. By this time I had the crowd roaring with laughter! Watching my bumbling attempts at landing was amusing, even to me; even if it hurt a bit, occasionally. The small (for a Dragon) Dragon learning to fly, was providing an unexpectedly humorous spectacle.
Despite my guards' efforts to keep the place private, I had an audience of hundreds, with more arriving ever minute.
I walked over to the nearest of my guards and informed him I was flying back to the palace. Despite his protests, I turned and started another run down the hill. This time I flapped my wings hard, and went for altitude!
It was glorious! Flying was everything I had imagined, and so much more! I could feel the wind running over and under my wings. I could sense changes in temperatures, and air pressure. I saw warm rising air, as a blue and shimmery river. I just KNEW what it was, and how to use it.
I caught the updraft, and rose and rose and rose. After I was up several thousand feet, I tipped over. I left my updraft, and started for the Landkur Palace. As I did, I noticed the castle in the distance, and thought, 'why not?'. I changed my direction, and started gliding towards the castle.
I found that while dragons could and did flap their wings, we did so usually for altitude, landings, and take-offs. Dragons, mostly, were gliders. As I soared my way towards the castle, I looked at it with my dragon's sight.
I saw things I had not noticed before. Spells that were not evident before, burst colorfully into my sight. All the underlaying color was one color. Silver. The same silver color that was in me since the Goddess made the adjustments to me. I wondered if the adjustments were the same for my sister.
A short time later, I made a rough landing in front of the castle. I managed not to bruise my nose, this time. I changed into my human form, teleported some clothes, and dressed. After dressing, I walked towards the castle, its walls seemed high above me.
I could feel the spells beating against me. Several were spells trying to get me to leave. I ignored those. I felt a slight pull, and wandered away from the huge gate, located in the center of the wall. I started walking parallel to the wall.
Finally, I came to where the pull originated. I looked, but didn't see anything. Then, when I turned my head just so, I caught a silvery glimmer. I put my hand out. As soon as I touched the wall, I felt the spell change.
A door phased into being in the wall. There was no handle on the outside, or any evidence of a way to open it, yet I somehow KNEW how to open it! I was tempted to open it now, but decided to wait.
Since I had over-flown the palace, I knew I had been watched as to where I went. I figured someone from the palace would be showing up soon. I settled down for the wait, keeping my eyes down-hill, towards the city of Landkur.
Sure enough, people started up the hill. Most didn't get very far. The 'aversion spell', convincing people to go away, seemed very effective. An hour later the people for whom I was waiting, showed up. Sure enough, Mirwanna was at the head of this group.
What surprised me was the presence of Darla and Hank. Now why were they here? I frowned, and stood up. It didn't take them long to get to my position.
"Paul! What do you think you're doing?" Mirwanna asked me as she came up.
"Getting ready to open this door and go into the castle," I told her a little smugly.
"I have never seen this door before. Where did it come from? Wait, I can sense something about it," her eyes widened in realization. "I know how to open it!" she exclaimed.
I smiled at her. "I thought you might. It has to do with what the Goddess did to us, at Marald's Keep," I finished.
"Well, could someone explain it to me?" Darla asked.
"I think I know," Hank said. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"It has to do with defence. I am very good at defence. Everyone says the demigod sealed this castle before he went into battle, right?" Hank asked.
"Yes. He was heard to say it would be sealed, 'till he or one of his came back to open it," Mirwanna said.
"Right. He did a 'Life' spell, I am sure of it. Some of his life force is in the very walls of this castle. It won't respond to any but his life force, or something very close to it. Am I right?" Hank asked.
"You're very sharp. Yes. That is what the Goddess did to me, and to my sister. She changed us enough to be recognized by the life force, that is the very basis of the spells of this castle's defense.
"I won't say the spell is alive, or intelligent; but it can act, and react, to life forces. Since no one's life force, up to now, has matched; it simply rejected everyone who tried to get into the castle. Now my sister and I are here. We can open it. We can open the castle!"
Thinking about it, I was amazed. That was one hell of a sophisticated spell. We talked about what to do, and where to go once we entered the castle proper. There was no question but Darla and Hank would go in with us, as would several of the guards. Mirwanna's guard captain insisted.
I gestured at Mirwanna. She touched the door. For a few seconds, she closed her eyes, then opened them. When she did, the door opened, also. It opened outwardls, and was at least one foot thick. It was composed of some type of reinforced wood I had never seen before.
It opened into a very narrow tunnel, only about 3 feet in width. We entered and were soon in the courtyard of the castle proper. Lord what a sight! Rough-hewn stone met my eyes. Off to the left was a huge double door that was made of the same type of wood as the door we had just came in through.
Guarding these doors were two stone gargoyles which I swear were looking back at us. They were standing on a landing, at the top of 10 stone steps that led upward to the huge doors.
We climbed the steps. The gargoyles moved off their pedestals, to block us. I jumped in front of my sister, pulling in my will to cast a spell in case it was needed. I felt a probing from the gargoyles. They then moved back into their positions. Apparently, my or my sister's presence, was enough to satisfy these guardians. We moved towards the huge doors, wondering how we were going to open them.
Foolish me. As soon as we passed the gargoyles, the huge doors started to open towards us, both at once. With the doors open, you could have ridden 10 people, on horseback side by side, through those doors. That's how wide they were.
We entered, and lights sprang into being, lighting the room we were in. There was no immediate light source that I could see, but it was quite bright. It seemed to emanate from everywhere!
We stood in awe as we looked around. The room was about 200 feet wide, and 50 feet deep. A staircase was at either end of the room leading up to the second floor. The floor was some type of marble. It was clean and not a trace or dust or dirt could be seen.
Armor stood guard on little platforms by the staircase. Several doors which were closed were located in front of us. Hallways led into dimness off to the left and right. We started asking ourselves which way to go, when we heard steps coming from... somewhere!
The guards drew their swords, and waited. I ran my spells through my mind. From what I understood, this place should be empty. Yet someone (or something!) was coming our way!
A cloaked and cowled figure came down the stairs to our right. We spread out a bit, and got ready for a fight, if it was called for. The figure was quite tall. Over 6 feet tall if I was guessing right.
The figure finally reached the bottom of the steps, and stopped. He pulled his cowl back. I saw his bald head. His eyes were luminescently gold, with silver flecks. He radiated an unbelievale amount of power.
I heard Mirwanna gasp.
"Grandfather! What are you doing here?" she asked.
Darla gasped when Mirwanna said that.
"Is this the demigod?" she asked in awe.
"No, I am not the demigod. I am his son, Fithian. Mirwanna? It is good to see you again. It has been long and long, since I last saw you, or have been roused to walk these halls. Who are your companions?" asked my grandfather.
Grandfather. This word conjured the image of family, too. We were all seated, with the exception of the guards, at a table further along in the castle's first floor, beyond that huge anteroom. Fithian had been instructed to stay behind as a guardian of the castle by his father, until such time as Vostich Landkur returned, or someone came and released Fithian from his duty here.
That is where we came in. Apparently, our entering tripped yet another spell, which released Fithian from the spell he had been placed under by Vostich. All this was a bit confusing. Fithian was the rightful king of Landkur. So where did that leave Mirwanna and me?
As interesting as my thoughts were, Fithian was grumbling about how his father had placed him as a guardian spirit in 'this jumble of stone', by trickery. He had wanted to go with his father to the fight, and his father had seemingly agreed. Then Vostich had slipped in a spell that Fithian had never seen before. The next thing he knew, he was spending his years as guardian to Castle Landkur (or 'this pile of damned rock', as he also termed it).
Mirwanna caught him up on family history, as best as she could. Fithian 'tsked' over some of it, was amazed at some, and became angry over still other bits of news. He was impressed when he was told about the Goddess taking a direct hand in changing both my sister, and myself.
Edited By TeNderLoin