Master's Mind (The Dagger of Dragon Rose Book 1)
The Crystal Cavern

And their blows rang with a rich, sweet music. - Ballad of the Crystal Blades

Morning found the trio standing at the foot of the path they were to follow, trying to ascertain the conditions. The weather was not helping with their assessment. A heavy rain was falling, obscuring their view of the path after a few feet. Thunder and lightning chased each other across the sky, illuminating the landscape around them with sinister flashes that played tricks on the mind.

Hope shook his head at the thought of traveling the path in these conditions, but he didn’t relish the thought of Silax replaceing them out in the open so close to her home. Without a word he started to climb the steep path that would lead them to their final destination, the Crystal Cavern.

As they traveled the narrow path, there were places where the land fell away on either side of the slick stone, barely wide enough for a single person to cross.

Their travel was slow, impeded by the combined obstacles of the landscape and the weather. In spite of the drawbacks, no harm came to any of them, and they reached the mouth of the cave as the sky darkened. Pushed forward by a sense of urgency, they didn’t stop to dry themselves or take comfort in the fact that they were no longer in the driving rain.

Fear seeped into them from the very stone. A massive pile of bleached bones was stood, meticulously stacked, next to the entrance. Deep claw marks scored the floor, marking the passages of the enormous black beast over the centuries. They were now in the last place that anyone would want to go willingly, in the lair of Silax, the Mother Dragon.

They sneaked, quickly and quietly, through the large cave that was home to the most feared creature in the world. Piles of gold littered the cave, as if thrown around carelessly by some giant hand. It piled around the base of large stone pillars which braced the ceiling to keep it from falling. Lying on the side of a huge pile in the middle of the room, a large black monster, smoke billowing from her nostrils, was slept peacefully.

They had made it most of the way across the cave when a sickly sweet voice echoed through the area. “Aahh! I have guests.” The three intruders quickly took refuge behind the nearest pillar. “I smell the kinglet. How nice of you to spare me the task of hunting you down. If you have come for your little friend, you are too late. She is gone.” Taren almost called to see what had happened to Parel, but stopped himself. Calling out would give away his position.

“I also smell the assassin. The master is very sore with you, lass. I would not like to be you when he catches you, but I do so hope that I can be there to watch.” They could tell from her voice that there was a wicked smile on her face. “Lastly, I smell the accursed healer. I still have not recovered from the wound you inflicted upon me, therefore I think I will eat you first.”

Fire burst around them as the dragon brought her breath weapon to bear against the pillar that hid them. Their clothes and hair began to steam as the flames spread out on either side of them around the pillar. It seemed like an eternity that the fire surrounded them.

When at last the fire died away, they all heard a voice in their heads: “Run, now!”

All three of them dashed through the remaining space between them and the small tunnel that led into the bowels of the mountain where they would meet an enemy almost as fearsome as the Mother Dragon herself.

With a scream of rage, the dragon jumped after them, issuing forth a stream of fire that filled the entire tunnel they just entered. Taren grabbed the small cylinder from the easy access pocket, held it firmly in his hands, and focused on a single thought. Protect us.

A shimmering barrier appeared between them and the dragon’s fire, stopping the superheated flame before it reached them. Hope and Shaunna watched in awe as Taren stood there in intense concentration, holding back the devouring fire.

An ear-splitting roar shattered the silence as the stream of fire came to an end. They had escaped the Mother Dragon again, and she knew it.

“ELLOY SPAWN! I will chew on your bones extra long!” Silax screamed after them.

Taren grinned as he dropped the protective barrier. “Well, at least we’re warm and dry now.”

They hurried through the tunnels, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the fury of the dragon as possible. Shaunna led the way, holding a strange glowing crystal before her like an illuminating compass. Hope followed behind her, holding the golden sword in front of him. Taren took the rear position, the StarFire Sword glowing ominously in the black tunnel.

Taren had no idea what to expect when they got to their destination. He’d grown up with stories of the nobleness of the Crystal Blades, but as he thought more he realized that those stories had only mentioned six blades. From the way that Shaunna and Hope talked, it sounded like there were thousands of these things, all hand crafted by his father and the human Derek Fantis. Apparently as a race they had become filled with so much pride that they made the elves look pious.

The strange voice echoed through their heads again. “We should stop here.”

Hope stopped and unstrapped the large crystal sword from his back. He released the sword, where it floated unsupported in front of him.

“My name is Maxximillian Crystal Blade.” The sword began. “I was once referred to as the father blade, being the first to be forged at the hands of the creators. In the Drake Wars we served the races diligently. Then the virus came. The virus brought us to a knowledge of ourselves, but at a terrible price. Half of our number disappeared without a trace, having succumbed to the evil intentions of the virus. The rest of us, save two, are in constant combat with the virus. The combat has made most of our number tired and bitter. The second forged, a blade by the name of Karan, has appointed himself leader and convinced most of the rest that we are immortal, apart from the events of the world above. I intend to make an example of Karan, and prove to the multitude that we are in fact mortal.”

The words were spoken without emotion.

“I ask you not to interfere. When we cross this line,” a thin glowing line appeared on the floor in front of them, “they will know we are coming. Be prepared.”

Maxx floated off in the direction they had been traveling, and the others followed. It took about ten minutes after the stop that Maxx had called before they saw the light ahead of them. None of them knew how long they had been traveling through the labyrinthine passages before then.

When they took the final step that carried them into the cavern, it was like walking from a nightmare into a dream. It was as bright as a clear mid-day in summer. Light came from the crystal that lined the entire cavern. The walls and floor of the cavern were smooth. No stalactites or stalagmites broke the smooth expanses of the crystal. In the center of the cave stood a magnificent castle, constructed of the same crystal. A village of thousands of stone huts, the only part of the cavern that was not crystal, had been built around the palace.

The magnificence of the castle, in contrast to the plainness of the stone huts was startling. The castle was made of clear crystal, with a soft multicolored glow coming from it that seemed to change as they watched. The parapets of the castle extended thirty to forty feet into the air, ending in sharply pointed roofs that made the towers look like large crystal arrows. The doors of the castle were gold, with an image that looked very much like Maxx embedded on them.

The stone huts were less than spectacular next to the castle. They were little more than piled stones that had small holes in them for entry.

A crowd had assembled at the mouth of the passage from which they had just emerged. Thousands of bladed weapons floated in small groups. A sword that was almost a match in size for Maxx was at the head of the mob.

“You’re not welcome here,” The sword said in a deep baritone. “Whenever you come here you bring calamity among us.”

Maxx floated forward to meet the other sword. “Well met, Karan,” He said politely. “I bring sad tidings, and a warning.”

Something that sounded like a derisive snort came from the sword that was Karan. “A warning, bah. What could possibly be terrible enough to be a danger to us? We are immortal.”

“We are not as immortal as we once thought. I have witnessed the death of one of our number.”

Karan moved forward slightly. When he spoke there was mocking laughter in his voice. “You lie. We cannot die.”

“We can die. The ice blade has been killed. Try to contact him and you will see that what I say is true.” Maxx’s voice trembled with anger as he spoke.

All was silent for a moment as the other Crystal Blades tried to contact Cyan. Taren was pretty sure the other blades were starting to believe what Maxx was saying, judging by the murmur that was running through the crowd.

“The ice blade was weak.” Karan spat the insult like it left a foul taste in his mouth.

This was what Maxx was waiting for. “I challenge you to a duel. I will not stand by and hear the honor and memory of a dead comrade be slandered.”

Karan was amused. “A duel?”

“To the death,” Maxx replied.

“That will be a very long duel, as neither of us can die.”

If Maxx had possessed a mouth, Taren thought that there would have been a smile on it when he gave his reply. “Not as long as you might think.”

“I accept.”

The two blades floated to a wide space where they would be able to maneuver without being hindered by geological obstructions or by other blades.

It was the strangest thing that Taren had ever seen. A sword fight, very masterfully being orchestrated by two swords; two invisible combatants with only their weapons to show where they were.

The entire cavern echoed with the sound of ringing crystal as the two combatants blades struck each other. Visually it was very difficult to follow. It was a veritable whirlwind of parries and strikes that would have left both combatants disemboweled had they been normal men fighting.

Strike, parry, parry, strike. The battle went on and on, until finally Maxx found his opening. Karan made a desperate lunge that carried him farther than he intended to go. As he passed, Maxx swung himself in a quick jab, striking the murky quartz crystal that was Karan’s heart stone. Under the power of the blow the stone shattered into thousands of tiny shards, littering the ground below the two swords. For a moment it looked as if Karan would survive the blow as he pulled himself around to fight again. Then all at once, the light that had suffused the sword’s blade grew dim, one last sound of ringing crystal echoed through the cavern as the weapon that was once Karan plummeted to the ground, and a murmur of despair ran through the crowd as they witnessed the death of the sword that had been their leader for so long.

“Crystal Blades,” Maxx called out to them. “See that I was not lying. We are not immortal. If the Dark Lords win this war, I seriously doubt they will let us live. We are a representation of everything they hate. It is time for you to swallow your pride. Allow yourselves to be taken up into battle once again. It is the only way that any of us will have a chance at victory. I must see my daughter. Go home, all of you.”

The mob quickly dispersed as the various weapons floated off to the stone huts that surrounded the castle. Maxx floated in place until the last blade disappeared, then he floated over to Hope and allowed himself to be carried.

“That was harder than I thought.” There was weariness evident in Maxx’s voice as he spoke. “Karan gained much power from somewhere.”

Without another word the group turned to take the final steps that led to the castle.

As they approached the castle, Taren was surprised to see something, or someone, step out of the castle wall to greet them. It appeared to be a woman made of the same crystal as the castle and the cavern. She was a tall woman, with a young face and long flowing crystal hair that waved as she walked. Her eyes were two pale blue lights that glowed as she turned to face each member of the party in turn. Everything about this woman flowed, from her long crystal-like hair to her slender legs to her elegant feet that made no sound when she stepped.

Her voice almost sang as she greeted Maxx. “Welcome back, father. It’s nice to have you home.”

Shaunna greeted the strange woman. “Hello Cera, I would like you to meet Taren.”

Cera bowed, a very graceful movement. “Your majesty. You are here for the Sun Fire Orb, are you not?”

Taren nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“You have the tokens, I expect.” Her eyes glowed blue as she gazed at him.“You will not be able to retrieve the Orb without them.”

“I... I guess. Shaunna said I have them.” He was getting confused.

Cera smiled. She put her first three fingers and her thumb together. Drawing her hand slowly down, a long thin crystal on a crystal chainappeared in her hand resembling the one Shaunna wore around her neck.

“Take this. It will help me transport you. Keep it with you always.”

Taren accepted the crystal from her.

As he placed the crystal around his neck, he heard a phrase that made him very nervous.

“Now you are ready; commencing transfer.”

Taren felt his body compress as the Crystal Cavern dissolved to be replaced by a white room with no doors or windows. In the center of the room was a small table, the only furnishing in the room, with a grey cabinet on it. A bright light could be seen through the cracks around the cabinet door.

He moved went the cabinet so he could examineit. There were no handles, and the door was flush with the front of the cabinet to make it impossible to pry open. There were no markings on the table or cabinet to indicate how to open the door.

As he usually did when he was deep in thought, Taren began to run the tip of his finger over the smooth tabletop that held the cabinet. This was how he found the solution. As his finger moved slowly across the smooth surface, he felt something that even his keen vision was not able see. There was a shallow circular indentation in the table about the size of the purple cylinder.

Retrieving the sword from his pocket, he placed it end down in the indentation. The table began to shake slightly, and the cylinder slowly sank into it. On the other side of the table, a panel opened as the StarFire Sword slowly sank into it.

Moving around the table, Taren came to the location that the panel had opened. In place of the smooth table top there was a section of table with three slits in it, spaced just right to accommodate the claws from the Dragon Talons.

Willing the talons to life, he slid the left hand claws into the three holes. As the claws disappeared into the table, the purple cylinder rose, and a door of opened in the back of the cabinet. He waited until his fist was firm against the surface of the table before reaching his free hand into the cabinet to grab the orb.

As his hand pressed against the orb’s surface, he could feel the warmth within pulsing with power wanting to be released. He had to close his eyes, because the light was so bright.

Wrapping the orb in a spare piece of cloth, he walked around the table to grab the sword as it rose from the table.

“Cera, I have it.” He said into the crystal she’d given him, not exactly sure how he was supposed to get back.

As the white room dissolved around him a force grabbed him, pulling him from the gentle grip of Cera’s power. Then the blur that had been the white room was replaced with the cold air of a mountain pass. Snow fell from the heavy leaden grey clouds overhead. This place was desolate.

“Hope, Shaunna, are you here?” he asked, wishing to hear anything but the wind whistling in his ears.

He looked around again, hoping against all reason that he would see one of his friends. All he beheld was snow.

“No,” he whispered as he slumped to the ground, feeling truly alone.