Uncharted Land Between

Uncharted Land Between - book excerpt

Chapter 1

A lone, red-figure plunged and whirled into the thick white, billowing vapors. His powerful wings spread out to capture the strong air currents that wound invisibly across the skies. The small, red dragon floated on the prevailing wind letting it take him for a carefree, airy ride.

Suddenly, he felt something was wrong. Drago glided silently, cautiously through the dense mist. The thick, milky clouds obscured his vision, but not his increasing sense of danger. Drago’s eyes narrowed as they pierced the murky substance that surrounded him. Then, he saw it. A dark shadow began to form in the middle of a white cloud. It was too far away for him to make out any shapes, but he felt it was not good. Drago moved closer, but as quickly as the shadow had appeared it disappeared.

He flew through the clouds for several minutes but found nothing. Satisfied that the ominous shadow was gone, he returned to a strong air-current and let it carry him closer to Castle Remat.

His friend, Mac, was leaving today to go on an important quest to find two friends that had been thrust into the portal. He was going to join Mac and the others. They needed him, although they did not know it, yet.

The Oracle of the Arega dragons advised him that he must fulfill his destiny with the Out Worlders. Drago knew she meant Kess and Mac. Then she added he must “watch for the tides of weakness and devour the unseen enemy within.” When he asked what that meant, the Oracle simply replied, “a fate is sealed, and the door to eternity waits.” He was not sure what that meant but knew he would figure it out eventually.

Drago eased himself away from the rapidly moving air current when he spotted the purple-blue crystal mountains that surround Castle Remat. He headed toward the scent of Mac and let out a shrill screech as he approached a large veranda situated atop the castle.

***

Mac stopped by Kess’s room as he did each morning for the last two days. As usual, she was still in bed and awakened by his morning exuberance. He settled himself into a soft, blue, billowy chair to chat about their forthcoming adventure.

“Morning. Come on wake up. We are about to partake in another adventure.” Mac tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair.

Kess rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Were you like this every morning?”

“Nope,” he lifted his head and looked at her. “I just like annoying you.”

“Mission accomplished.” She turned and faced away from him and fluffed up her pillow.

“Get up. Time’s a wasting,” he laughed.

“Mac, I haven’t been able to get a good night’s sleep. I’ve been thinking and thinking.” She rolled back around and looked at him. “Do you miss being a police officer? Are you still going back to our dimension, Earth, and stay there?” She sat up and pulled the blue and white lace comforter up around her knees. “I kinda miss being a cop and all. And I will miss you if you go back. But I can’t go back with you because I would miss everyone here too much.”

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about all of that, cousin,” he leaned forward, his elbow resting on the arm of the chair. “I’m going to stay, Kess. And, yes, I would miss being a cop, but like you, I would miss everyone here much more, too.”

A huge grin spread across Kess’s face. “You’ve just made my morning.”

“Well, how about getting up and …” Mac stopped in mid-sentence when he heard the familiar screech of the little dragon. He jumped up and ran to a set of French doors that led to a large veranda just outside Kess’s room.

He threw open the doors. “Over here. We’re over here,” he yelled and pointed up into the sky. “Do you believe it?” He turned to Kess excitedly, “It’s Drago!”

A thumping sound vibrated slightly through her bedroom, as Drago landed outside on the patio. Mac whirled around to look at his little friend and froze in place.

Kess slipped from underneath her bed covers and crawled over to the edge of the bed to get a better view of him. She stifled a giggle at the sight of the "baby" dragon. He looked like he had grown about two feet, and some of the little scales on his back had turned into rather large, pointed spikes that ran up and down his spine. His baby teeth were now medium-size fangs that lined his entire, much longer, jaw. Drago’s bright-red scales were beginning to turn a reddish-gold color, and his forearms were powerful muscles ending in long talons.

“Whoa!” Mac blinked a couple of times and then ran to his dragon friend. “You have grown up quite a bit in the last couple of days, haven’t you?”

“Yep,” Drago replied telepathically to Mac as he waddled over to him. “I grow bigger all the time; you just not notice how big I get when I be with you.”

“That is amazing but true.” Mac reached down and scratched the tip of Drago’s nose. He turned toward Kess and motioned for her to join them.

“Drago!” Kess smiled warmly at him. She threw herself off the bed and grabbed her long, white robe. Her bare feet felt cold against the marble floor of the terrace as she ran toward him. ‘Nice to see you.” She bent down and gently stroked his face, careful to avoid the now larger spikes.

“Nice to see Kess, too.”

Kess stood up and was surprised to see Kybil, Doc, and Yaneth sitting around one of the tables on the veranda, drinking steaming cups of hot liquid. “Hey, what’s up?” She greeted them with a big smile as she walked toward their table.

“Clouds.” Yaneth rolled his large, lavender eyes upwards. “Dun’t sees no hay.”

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Doc said as a big grin appeared on his thin, blackface.

“It is a beautiful morning, but most of us have been up and dressed for a couple of hours already.” Kybil, the Elven Prince, could not hide the mischief in his eyes as he gave Kess’s bedclothes a once over.

“Yep and dis gonna be a good day.” The Dwarger was back to his usual upbeat demeanor. “We goin’ ta find our friends.”

Kess had not seen him smile since his friend Nordaal had been thrown into the portal.

The two Dwargers had become her friends, and she missed the brave, loyal, and somewhat dim-witted Nordaal, too. It amazed her how the two Dwargers looked so much alike as she studied Yaneth’s face: big, lavender-colored eyes, large bulbous nose, and a wide mouth filled with uneven teeth. The Dwargers were just a little taller than she was, but what they lacked in height was made up for in muscles.

At first, the only way she could tell the two Dwargers apart was by the feather each wore in his hat: Yaneth's feather was yellow and Nordaal's was red. However, after spending a couple of weeks with them, she had no problem telling them apart.

“Yes, Yaneth, we are going to find our friends today. We’ve got good weather for it.” She smiled and touched his arm.

"We have had unseasonably warm weather. Unfortunately, that's over." Kybil turned his deep, green eyes toward Kess. “Actually, we are in the midst of our coldest months. You would not have known that during the last three weeks. But I can feel the cooler air already this morning."

“It feels wonderful.” Kess took a deep breath and inhaled the cool morning air. She glanced at everyone sitting at the table and shrugged. “Well, seeing as everyone is dressed, I guess I’d better get on some traveling clothes.” She turned and raced back to her room.

A few minutes later Kess, fully dressed, walked back onto the veranda to join her friends who appeared to be in a heated discussion.

“Whoa, little buddy,” said Mac stooping down to talk to Drago. “I know you want to go, but I don’t think this is a place for a dragon. We are not sure how magic is going to work wherever we are going. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Drago is not afraid. If I do not use my magic powers, then I use my brains. Drago is very smart. Remember?”

“Yes, I remember.” Mac ran his fingers through his brown hair and sat down on the ground next to Drago. His blue-gray eyes studied the little dragon. “It’s just that I don’t want to worry about you getting hurt or worse on this journey. I have enough to worry about with Kess.”

“Hey, watch it!” Kess pulled herself up to her full 5’6” height and placed her hands firmly on her hips. A cool breeze kicked up and began to blow her shoulder-length, dark-brown hair all around her face. Her pale coloring almost made her large, brown eyes appear black. Her eyes narrowed, “Just because you are seven feet tall doesn’t mean I need any special watching after.”

“Six-four.” Mac quickly corrected her.

“Whatever,” she shrugged. “I can take care of myself, and so can Drago. I think if he wants to come along, then he should.”

“Yep, I think so, too!” Drago nodded.

“Okay! Okay!” Mac threw his hands up in exasperation. “I can tell when I am out-numbered. Drago goes with us. But is this okay with your father, King Zaatyr?”

“Yes, because the Oracle told him how important a journey this was to be.”

“What article?” Mac asked amazed. “Really? Dragon newspapers or magazines?”

“Oracle, not article.” Kess laughed gently. “A Seer.” She looked at Mac’s face, and he still looked confused. “Kinda like a fortune teller type thingy, only Oracles are supposed to see the future for real.”

“Gotcha,” Mac raised his hand and snapped an index finger in her direction. Mac turned seeing Rakmor, the Sorcerer, standing in the doorway. "Hey, Rakky, good morning to ya."

Rakmor walked over to the small group. He was wearing a long, purple robe befitting his high station as a fully trained Sorcerer. The hood to his robe was down exposing his deep-set black eyes and slightly crooked nose. His tall, thin frame moved gracefully toward the group. “Well, good morning everyone. Are we ready to start the journey? We have a couple of our friends to find.”

Mac looked down at the marble floor.

“Mac,” Kess said softly. “We’re gonna find her. Really, we are.” Her thoughts went to the tall, beautiful Ankhourian warrior Mac had befriended and cared a great deal about. It still boggled Kess’s mind that the Ankhourian warriors were all females. An even more astonishing fact was that they were such fierce and greatly feared warriors.

“I know, but I just can’t stop thinking of her face etched in pain when she was thrown into that door or … portal … whatever …” Mac closed his eyes for a moment.

“I think of poor Nordaal being thrown in there, too. He was thinking of my safety first and pushed me back through the portal door. I shudder to think where I’d be if he hadn’t pushed me back.”

“Okay,” Doc said firmly. “Let’s not go there.” And, much softer he added, “Yet.”

“Well, he’s right.” Rakmor nodded toward his fellow companions. “I do believe we should get down to the meeting hall and have our breakfast, so we can get started.”

“Yes,” Kybil interjected. “We have to discuss our plans to find them, with a lot of help from the Imperial Sorceress Cedwynna, of course.”

“Wait a minute!” Mac stood up and stared at the small group. “What is everyone talking about? Who is going with Kess and me on this trip, besides Kybil and Drago?”

“Really?" Rakmor folded his arms in front of him. “Do you really think we would let the four of you run off and have all the fun alone? And besides, I am best equipped to use magic against the unknown.”

“Just so you all know I am going, too. Besides, who would take care of you if Miri and I weren’t along to fix all the booboos?” Doc folded his arms and stared back at the group.

“You and Miri, too?” Kess and Mac sounded stunned.

“There they go again,” Doc gave a small sigh referring to Kess and Mac continually saying the same thing at the same time. “It’s got to be a cop thing.”

“What’s a cop?” Yaneth asked.

“It’s someone who is overworked, overstressed, and underpaid.” Mac quipped.

“Oh,” Yaneth looked even more confused.

“All of you are going then?” Mac asked.

There was a resounding “yes” from everyone.

“Then, believe me; I really am glad to hear it.” Mac quickly added.

“That makes two of us,” Kess replied happily.

“Come on Drago. Let us go visit Aunt Cedwynna.” Mac gestured grandly toward the doors leading into the castle.

Kess hurried after Mac, who was walking briskly toward the large set of French doors. “Mac?” She caught up to him and touched his arm. “It’s been two days since they were knocked into the portal. Do you think it is too late? Will we be able to pick up their trail?” She stepped quickly beside him to keep up with his long strides.

“I don’t know, Kess.” Mac’s voice was tight with restraint.

“Well, if there is any trail to pick up, we have two of the best trackers in Mystovia going along with us; Kybil and Yaneth.” Rakmor nodded back toward the two men walking behind them down the long, marble corridor.

“I need some roller skates.” Doc mumbled, as his short legs tried in vain to keep up with his long-legged comrades.

***

After their breakfast and a short meeting with the Imperial Sorceress Cedwynna, they collected their equipment and headed out to the large veranda.

“So, what grandmother was saying,” Kess said referring to the Imperial Sorceress Cedwynna, “is that if we get separated this Stone of Iszel will signal the sorcerers when we are close to the magical border area.”

“It chose you. What can I say?” Mac shrugged. “I’m to carry this Crystal Orb and protect it at all costs. What I don’t like is that this so-called high-intensity magical border area is located near the swamps.”

“We don’t exactly understand it either,” Rakmor said. “But we are feeling a change in the way the portals are opening.”

“What do you mean?” Kess asked.

“Something is changing the positions of the portals.” Rakmor fastened his cape around his neck.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Kess was genuinely concerned. “I mean, we’re going to use the portal thingy soon.”

Rakmor replied. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Chapter 2

A couple of hours later, Mac and the rest of his group reached the campsite where the Sabbot witches had set up camp.

Mac glanced around the campsite, “Say, where are the Tahotay and Ankhourian warriors? They should be here by now, shouldn’t they?”

“They should be coming pretty soon with a contingent of Elven warriors,” Kybil said.

“There,” Rakmor pointed toward the edge of the forest. “There they are.”

Almost a hundred warriors emerged from the edge of the forest. The three men walked over to greet the warriors as they entered the grassy plateau.

Mac smiled and waved at the Ankhourian warriors as they approached. It never ceased to amaze him at the sight of the all-female Ankhourian Warriors. He fought beside them on many missions and knew they were armed and dangerous. Mac was only slightly disappointed at their blouses and long, black, leather pants and vests they wore. He much preferred the loincloth, bra-type clothing they wore when he first met them.

A meeting was called, and swiftly the warriors formed a circle around the fire.

Mac walked over and joined Kess and Doc who were standing back and watching the scene unfold around them.

“What’s going on?” Kess asked.

“I don’t know,” Mac shook his head.

They stood and watched for a while but were too far away to hear what was being said.

Mac recognized the Chief of the Tahotay Indians. “Remember Chief Wolfclaw,” Mac asked without waiting for a response from either Kess or Doc. “Now that is a very imposing man.”

Soon it appeared that Wolfclaw and Rakmor were in a heated discussion.

“Mac, Kess, and Doc, would you do us a favor and honor us with your presence.” Chief Wolfclaw called out to them. All three of them noticed the slight hint of sarcasm that dripped over the words “your presence.”

“Whoops,” Kess grimaced. “I keep forgetting we are part of this, too!”

“Why do I feel like I was caught in the hall without a hall pass?” Doc said and followed Mac and Kess over to the campfire.

The assembled warriors were listening to a heated discussion between their Chief and Rakmor. It didn’t take the latecomers long to figure out what the commotion was all about.

“I tell you it is not safe for you to travel alone into the Land Between. We must all go!” Chief Wolfclaw spoke adamantly. He sat near the campfire and threw another log on the fire. It teetered high on the stack of burning logs.

“But what if our magic cannot sustain all of us in there,” Rakmor protested with a calm demeanor.

“We have the strength and power of all of these seasoned warriors.” The Chief spoke forcefully as Mac and Kess quickly seated themselves among the warriors.

“We understand that.” Rakmor lifted his hands from his lap. His hands rose slightly with palms up, “And believe me; we sincerely appreciate the help you will be giving us to the portal. However, it would be an impossible mission for everyone to journey into the unknown. We are not even certain if our magic will work in there.”

Kybil was the one to speak now. “The demon hordes are increasing in their attacks. That is precisely why you all must stay here. We cannot take the finest warriors out of Mystovia and leave it unprotected.”

Silence filled the air. No one moved or spoke. The only sounds were the birds chirping as they flitted from tree-to-tree and the sporadic crackling of the fire.

Suddenly, a black arrow shot out of the forest and landed on top of a burning log. The black shaft and feathers of the arrow wavered back and forth just before the flames reached up greedily and engulfed them.

“Enemy alert!” The Chief shouted more to Mac and Kess than the others. Everyone else knew what the black arrow meant. It was a warning shot by one of the sentries posted on the fringes of the campsite.

Mac and Kess stared in amazement at the coordination and efficiency of the combined warriors. There was no mass confusion. Everybody knew exactly what to do and when. Some of the warriors went back into the forest to reinforce the sentries; a few of the warriors broke up the camp and put out the fire; while those remaining placed themselves along the perimeter of the campsite. Indian, Ankhourian and Elven warriors stood with their weapons readied and watched the forest and valley for the advancement of the unseen enemy.

“Mac!” Kess watched in horror as his amulet began to glow. The Protector, the magical sword the two dwargers had given her, burned hot against her thigh as she visually scanned the area for the enemy.

Chief Wolfclaw noticed Kess’s sword glowing. “We’re under attack,” he shouted to the warriors. Instantly, the warriors drew their weapons and prepared to do battle.

“I don’t see them!” Mac yelled. “Where are they?”

Suddenly, a warrior shouted to look up in the sky. At first glance, it looked like a black cloud lying lazily and low in the sky. Mac watched as the hazy mist swirled around and gathered into the solid form of a Drakluf dragon wraith.

Mac stood transfixed as the dragon seemed to be heading straight for Kess and him. As it got closer, he could see a foul-looking Wraith rider and a deadly arrow aimed directly at him.

Warriors raced back to where Mac and Kess stood and formed a protective circle around them. As if in perfect sync, they drew back their arrows and fired, but the arrows merely glanced off its thick scales. The Drakluf dragon and its demon rider closed in on their target.

Mac grabbed his amulet, and Kess brought her ring up to stop its lethal advance when a terrifying shriek penetrated the air, and at the same time, the attacking dragon and demon rider burst into flames.

Everyone stood transfixed as they watched them fall harmlessly to the ground in a fiery glob. No one knew what had happened.

Another shriek filled the air, and Drago appeared high over the treetops. The warriors quickly parted to make a place for him to land near Mac and Kess.

“Now, I call that perfect timing,” Mac smiled with relief.

“Not perfect timing, just smart dragon. I was hungry and ate. On my way back here, I see a dark shadow in clouds. I see same dark shadow in clouds on my way to Remat Castle. So, I followed for a long time. I wait for it to do something. Then, the dark shadow turned into a dragon and charged in fast, but not as fast as Drago.”

“Yep, you definitely are one smart dragon,” Mac dropped to his knees and scratched Drago’s scaly, spiked head.

“This is not a good sign. He may be a lone scout, or there may be others. There is no time to waste. We must get to the border as fast as possible.” The chief hurried toward the wagons of the Sabbot Witches who had set up camp for the warriors. He quickly ordered them to pack their wagons and return to protect their villages.

“Will they be all right?” Mac watched as the Witches prepared their wagons to leave for the mountains in the opposite direction.

“Trust me,” Wolfclaw replied. “I pity anyone or anything that would try to mess with that assembly of Witches.” He spoke hastily as he watched the wagons pull away. “They will be needed if their village comes under attack.” He patted Mac on the arm as he headed toward the warriors. “Oh, before they left, they sensed other Draklufs heading our way and placed a spell to send them in another direction. Plus, the sentries have spotted hundreds of Evoos bearing down on us.”

Mac walked over to Kess who was watching all the activity going on in the camp. “Well, partner, here we go again.” Mac looked down and smiled. “Here’s hoping this won’t be as bad as they think.”

“That would be impossible,” Kess said, adding, “I hope.” She stopped and looked up at Mac. “It got awfully quiet. Listen. I don’t hear the birds anymore.”

“Probably they got scared when Drago killed that Wraith.” He said trying to sound nonchalant.

“Move out!” Chief Wolfclaw yelled, and the entire band of warriors turned and headed toward the portal entrance.

***

Camouflaged against the gnarled tree trunks; they watched and waited. The deadly creatures unwound their serpentine bodies from around the trees and slithered across the ground. The woods came alive with the writhing mass of Snagars. They moved stealthily toward their unsuspecting prey.