“After the Qubari Jungle, I am ready to believe almost anything,” added Bakhai. “Maybe I should try talking to it.”
“I would rather it remained sleeping,” frowned Mistake. “Suppose it is hungry?”
Mistake turned and rounded the bend again. Bakhai and Rejji peered around the corner as Mistake moved silently into the chamber. Rejji stared at the huge dragon that rested upon a pile of debris. While he could see the glint of metal sparkling in places, the vast majority of matter appeared to be bones, a lot of bones. Mistake was almost half way across the chamber when the dragon popped open an eye and stared at her. She froze hoping it would close its eye again, but instead it opened both eyes and raised its head. As its mouth opened, Mistake dashed behind a column. The dragon spit flames from its mouth that showered the column with fire and Mistake screamed.
Bakhai immediately started making noises that sounded strange to Rejji. The dragon turned its head towards Bakhai and peered into the gloomy tunnel.
“A talker?” the dragon said. “What is a talker doing out of the jungle?”
Bakhai shook his head and walked forward towards the chamber. Rejji tried to grab him and pull him back, but he was too late.
“We are on a quest,” Bakhai said. “We seek the Sage of the Mountain. Do you know the way to him?”
The dragon appeared to laugh and sent a tongue of flame at Bakhai. The talker didn’t move and the flame fell short of him.
“We mean you no harm,” continued Bakhai. “We just seek to gain the summit of this mountain.”
“No harm?” laughed the dragon. “I suppose not. Talkers are meant to aid the animals, not harm them, but why do you travel with a thief?”
“I am not a thief,” shouted Mistake. “Or at least I don’t mean to steal anything you have.”
“A thief is a thief,” snorted the dragon, “and I know a thief when I smell one. Imagine a thief suddenly appears in my treasure room sneaking about and then claims she doesn’t want anything. Do you think everyone but yourself is a fool?”
“I only stole to eat,” yelled Mistake. “I am not currently hungry and I wouldn’t eat anything I found in here anyway. The stench is horrible.”
“Oh, well excuse me,” burped the dragon. “Perhaps I should come and inspect your home to see if it meets with my approval. How did you get in here?”
Bakhai explained their quest and described the Jiadin army pursuing them. When he mentioned the wizard’s shaking of the mountain, the dragon was clearly annoyed.
“He blew a hole in my mountain?” scowled the dragon.
“Yes,” answered Bakhai, “and they may be pursuing us yet. You should be prepared for them coming.”
“The three of you come and stand before me,” demanded the dragon.
“So you can eat us?” growled Mistake. “I don’t think so.”
“You would hardly make much of a snack,” sighed the dragon. “If you want me to trust you, then you must trust me. Come and stand before me.”
Mistake didn’t move, but Bakhai marched into the chamber and stood before the dragon. Rejji looked back at the tunnel they had come through and sighed. He walked into the chamber and stood beside Bakhai. The dragon started tapping a claw against the floor and Rejji called for Mistake to join them. Several minutes of silence filled the chamber before Mistake gave in and joined her friends. She did not look very trusting of the dragon.
“That is better,” smiled the dragon. “The talker is smart enough to know that dragons like a challenge with their meal. Eating you now would be too easy. You may call me Myka. I will allow you to pass this time. That is not an invitation to return. What do you call yourselves?”
Bakhai did the introductions and the dragon nodded.
“Mistake is certainly an odd name,” chuckled the dragon, “but then it is odd that I should let a thief pass through my chamber unmolested. The small tunnel on the other side will lead you out. I would move quickly along if I were you. I am expecting dinner at any moment.”
Bakhai bowed to the dragon. “Thank you for your understanding, Myka. I hope we can do you a favor someday to repay this debt.”
The trio moved swiftly, before Myka changed her mind, and entered the tunnel. The exit tunnel was similar to the one they had been in before, in that it was large at first and kept getting smaller as they progressed. It also had a fairly step incline to it and when they exited the tunnel, they could see the summit a couple of hundred feet above them. There was no path to follow as the tunnel just ended at the surface. The trio climbed the rest of the way to the summit and they were fairly exhausted when they reached it.
“Well here we are,” Rejji declared as he looked around.
The summit consisted of a fairly flat area with a pyramid-shaped pointy tip that extended upwards another twenty feet. The view was spectacular and they could see for miles in every direction.
“What do we do now?” asked Bakhai as he tried to peer down to locate the Jiadin army.
“I do not know,” sighed Mistake. “Could the Qubari have been wrong about the location? I don’t see how there could be anyone up here.”
“I don’t think they would give us the wrong location,” responded Bakhai. “Perhaps you need to call to him or something like that.”
Mistake tried shouting for the Sage to appear, but nothing happened. The summit was bitter cold and the wind occasionally whipped cruelly across the open surface. As the sun began to dip below the western mountains, the mood of the trio fell with it. Exhausted and cold, they huddled together for warmth. As the stars grew bright upon the black sky, the trio drifted off to sleep.
***
Mistake’s head swam and her lungs felt like they were going to burst. She opened her eyes and saw bubbles floating upward. She felt lighter than air as she floated freely, but there was a feeling of despair and fear that permeated her soul. Suddenly, her head broke the surface and she gasped for breath. Cruel waves washed over her head and she shook the salty water from her eyes. She heard voices then, distant voices. The voices were full of fear and they called out to somebody. She could not make out the name that was called, but Mistake knew that the name was hers, but it was not Mistake. She tried moving towards the voices, but the savage waves continued to crash down upon her and the voices grew more distant. Another wave came unexpectedly, but this one carried the weight of something heavier, a body, a log, she could not remember. Her mind swam from the crushing blow and stars danced in her vision as everything turned to black.
Mistake’s eyes popped open and she stared at the stars in the inky sky. She felt perspiration on her brow and a harsh cold wind attempting to turn the droplets to ice. She sat up and put her head in her hands and tried to force the horrible nightmare from her mind. As she opened her eyes and wiped the sweat from her brow, she saw a ghostly blue light cascading over the ground of the summit. She turned to find the source of the eerie light and her mouth hung open. The pyramid-shaped peak was throwing a blue hue over the rock as if the light emanated from within the stone. She rose and walked towards the pyramid leaving Rejji and Bakhai to their slumbers.
As she approached the peak, she saw not a wall of stone, but a room fashioned solidly on only three sides. The fourth side was open and spoke of warmth and happiness. She walked in.
The inside of the pyramid was warm and the ground was covered with large pillows. The walls were lined with the finest silks that undulated in an unfelt breeze and everything in the room was framed in a blue glow that shimmered. The wall opposite the entrance contained a small alcove bordered in diamonds and sapphires. Mistake’s eyes rose to look at the peak of the pyramid and, instead of seeing the small cone she expected to, saw the vastness of the heavens in an endless view of stars and planets, which gave the sense of traveling among the stars. Her gaze was transfixed on the stellar journey and she was not sure how long she remained watching.