The sun was already high when Trenna first caught sight of Pennath Kirin, the mountains just to the east of Acacia. They were small peaks compared to some, draped completely by a thick blanket of fir trees. Nonetheless, it was all the white dragon could do to fly over them. Trenna knew the beast was spent from the torrid pace, but she had to get to Acacia. “Just a little farther, Honk,” she called. “Just a little farther, and then you shall rest!”
The first homesteads of Acacia appeared: cottages, fenced parcels of land, and grazing livestock. Next, there were cottages surrounded by crumbling stone walls, and at last, there came the castle of Acacia. It was built on a wide hill and had three towers and many rows of arched windows. At last, Trenna spotted a wide ledge of stone to the rear of the castle. Honk glided down and landed softly. Other dragons of various colors were there, sunning themselves or eating, but they stared at the white newcomer. Trenna dismounted quickly. Honk made her way over to one of the feeding troughs and helped herself.
Two knights ran to greet Trenna. Their gray armor was inlaid with designs of a silver tree whose trunk and limbs were curvaceous and heavily laden with long bunches of white flowers. “Welcome to Acacia,” the knights said together, and both their eyes glinted blue.
“Are either of you Kaliam?” Trenna asked.
“No,” they both replied. “You speak of Kaliam from Alleble?”
“Yes!” Trenna said. “Is he here?”
“He is here,” said one of the knights.
The other guard explained, “Kaliam and the other Knights of Alleble are holding court with Lord Sternhilt in the castle library.”
“Take me to them, now!” Trenna exclaimed. “I am on an urgent errand!”
They led Trenna to the back of the ledge and under an arched overhang, then down a long torchlit tunnel, and finally up a spiraling staircase to a wide set of doors. The guards opened the doors, and Trenna ran into a huge room with a high, vaulted ceiling. The walls from floor to ceiling were laden with books. In the center of the library was a table surrounded by the most lordly warriors Trenna had ever seen. Nock she knew, but he looked older and stronger, and in some ways more solemn than she remembered. At the head of the table sat a Glimpse with a long gray staff that split at the end and spread like a silver blossom. He was large in girth and had a thick brown mustache that quivered when he spoke. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
“I am sorry, Lord Sternhilt!” said one of the guards. “This lady just arrived upon the back of a white dragon. She seemed in peril, so I brought her to you.” At the mention of a white dragon, several of the knights stood up.
“Which of you is Kaliam?” Trenna asked.
A tall knight came forward. He was dressed all in silver armor except for his massive bare forearms. His head also was uncovered and long black hair fell about his shoulders. “I am Kaliam,” he said. “I am Sentinel of Alleble.”
“Sir, I have come with urgent news. Lady Antoinette is in great danger! We all are in great danger!”
“What do you know of Lady Antoinette? She was our companion, and she left us four nights ago.”
Trenna revealed all she knew of the events that led to Antoinette’s disappearance, and how she had met Antoinette. When she had finished, Kaliam fell backward into his chair.
“This is grievous news!” he said.
“It is all true, then,” said Sir Gabriel. “The Wyrm Lord—”
“Is it that hard to be believed?” Nock asked. “We saw for ourselves the Sepulcher!”
“Lady Antoinette is killed or captive,” recounted Kaliam, staring from Glimpse to Glimpse. “Paragor goes to the Shattered Lands of the Wyrm Lord, an ancient horror from our darkest dreams. And from what Trenna has said, the Wyrm Lord will awaken the Seven Sleepers to wreak havoc upon Yewland. It is a many-faceted evil, and I do not know how we can hope to face it all or even solve any part of it.”
“Yewland must be warned!” cried Nock.
“And we must send word to King Eliam!” said Tal.
“But there is a chance that Antoinette still lives,” said Aelic.
“I agree,” said Lady Merewen. “We must go to her aid!”
Kaliam turned to Lord Sternhilt. “M’lord, by your leave, we will need your swiftest dragon steeds and many of your most able riders.”
The big Glimpse’s mustache quivered, and he banged his staff on the stone floor like a gavel. “Sir Wahlion! Sir Danebass!” he bellowed, and the two guards who had escorted Trenna into the castle bowed, awaiting their lord’s commands. “Alert the Castle Guard! Give Kaliam whatever he asks for!”
And then Lord Sternhilt turned back to Kaliam. “Our dragons have not the speed of the white beasts from Yewland, but you shall have the best of all our breeds. And the two guards who left are among the finest riders in my kingdom. They and all that they muster are at your service.”
Kaliam bowed. “Lord Sternhilt, your friendship to Alleble shall never be forgotten.”
“Know that it is only a token payment, Sentinel of Alleble,” said Lord Sternhilt. “King Eliam restored Acacia from a burned-out husk, as it was left by Paragor and his brood. Acacia stands ready to strike a blow, however small, against the enemy of The Realm.” Kaliam bowed respectfully and then turned to his team.
“This, then, is my judgment,” Kaliam said. “And may King Eliam forgive me if my decisions now go awry. Nock, you, Mallik, and Rogan go to Yewland, and make haste! Queen Illaria will need to muster every band of braves. The young and the old, the ones who do not fight, must be moved to a place of safety!
“Sir Gabriel, fly with Trenna back to Alleble! Let there be a dozen Acacian riders to escort you safely there. Trenna must tell her story before the King and the remaining Elder Guard. Find out what was written in the scroll that Paragor took from the Ancient One. All of our hopes may hinge on what you discover.
“For the rest, we fly into the worst danger! To the Shattered Lands we go to do what we may to stop Paragor from releasing the Wyrm Lord. And if Lady Antoinette is still alive, then we will rescue her or die in the attempt.”
“But what of Clarion?” asked Lord Sternhilt, and they all turned to look at the ruler of Acacia. “Clarion is the nearest kingdom to the Shattered Lands. If the threat is what you make it out to be, then Clarion ought to be warned.”
“Alas, you are right!” Kaliam exclaimed. “Clarion’s defenses are formidable, their walls ever fortified, but against the threat which looms to their north . . . they must be warned. Ever the enemy seeks to divide us, and it seems now we have no choice. Tobias and Tal, lead a flight of Acacian riders to Clarion and prepare them for sudden war. The hammer of Paragory may fall there first!”
Lord Sternhilt was as good as his word. He sent an entire flight of dragon riders with Tobias and Tal to Clarion. A dozen more followed Nock, Mallik, and Rogan to Yewland. The same he sent with Sir Gabriel and Trenna to prepare Alleble for the coming storm. But his swiftest dragons and his most skilled riders he placed at Kaliam’s disposal. The Acacian riders, Kaliam, Farix, Lady Merewen, Aelic, and Oswyn left within the hour to try to save a friend and stop an ancient nightmare from coming to life.
