Secrets of Draconis - 7/11
Chapter Seven
Weibao Mountain
China
After complaining that no sensible man or beast could travel via air without liquid persuasion, Gwaine had proceeded to down an entire bottle of whiskey before passing out and sleeping for the duration of the flight.
Viorel seemed unfazed by this development and merely tucked Gwaine more securely into the easy chair he had collapsed in, covering him up with a soft blanket as he shook his head fondly.
“It’s harder for some than others,” he explained at Merlin’s confused look. “Wolves are creatures of the Earth by nature, and being so far away from solid ground, some of our kin don’t handle the separation very well.” Patting his master on the shoulder, the advisor gave Merlin a conspiratory wink before making his way back up to the cock-pit to check with the pilot on their progress.
Shaking his head at how much the man reminded him of Gaius, Merlin slipped a small compact from his pocket and Morgana raised an eyebrow at him.
“Checking your lipstick, Merls?” she asked with a grin.
“Calling a friend,” he replied as he ran his hand over the mirror and the familiar face of Pili came into view.
“Professor!” Pili greeted him. “Back so soon?” he asked with a smile.
“Actually I’m near Dali,” Merlin answered the urgency on his face letting Pili know that time was of the essence.
“I’m in Quijing at the moment helping a cousin with a small dilemma,” Pili answered tugging on his ear to let him know that he was being watched. “But it should be reconciled this afternoon.”
Merlin frowned. Pili had no cousin in Quijing, but had been following up on leads related to the men who had attempted to overtake the Naga temple. If the matter was being resolved, he had a solid lead.
“I saw three swans this morning,” replied Merlin letting him know that they would need transportation for three. “They had a rocky landing on the lake but were beautiful in the sunlight.” Pili nodded acknowledging the need for a car able to traverse rocky terrain and possibly cross a river. “Did your cousin find the ring he was looking for?” Merlin continued, choosing his words carefully in case anyone was listening.
Pili smiled confirming that the man he had found was indeed Henri Medraut. “He did and is most fond of it, but not all find it as alluring as he does,” he replied. “Speaking of which, I should be going as he is most impatient. Take care, and let me know if you have time to stop by while you are in China. Cousin would love to see you.”
Merlin swallowed. So Henri knew they had escaped and was looking for them. He could only hope that if Pili was being followed, he could give Henri’s henchmen the slip and meet them.
“Take care,” he said meaning every word.
“Sure thing, Professor,” Pili winked as the mirror faded to black.
By the time they had reached Dali Airport, Gwaine had awoken, bright eyed and bursting with energy. Viorel was reluctant to leave them, but when a Land Rover cruised up the tarmac with Pili at the wheel, he seemed a little more subdued with the knowledge they at least had transportation sorted before they began their trek into the mountains.
“Be well, Sire,” Viorel advised as he bowed to Gwaine.
“Keep the mongrels at bay,” Gwaine replied with a rakish grin. “I’ll send word as soon as I can,” he added somberly before clasping the older man on the shoulder and making his way toward the SUV.
“I’ll protect him with my life,” Merlin promised as the others prepared to go.
Viorel turned towards him and held his gaze. “He’ll be too proud to let you,” he replied. “But do try and keep him out of trouble.”
Merlin smiled and nodded before raising his hand in farewell.
“All ready?” Pili asked, and with a nod from Merlin he shifted the SUV into gear and sped off towards the outskirts of Dali. Viorel watched the sleek black vehicle until it disappeared from sight, trying to ignore the sense of foreboding he felt that he may not see his master and friend again.
~~~~~~~~
After traveling an hour or two, they had long left Dali behind and crossed the banks of the Guajiang River up into the mist covered foothills of Wei Bao Mountain.
As the trees grew thicker and the mountain road ended, they left the Land Rover behind to continue their journey on foot.
The forest was oddly quiet save for the sound of the rocks crunching beneath their feet, and more than once Merlin felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up as if someone was watching them from the trees. The mists hung heavy over the rough dirt trail that lead to the town of Weishan, the last stop before the perilous trek up the final rise where the Temple of the Shining Scales rested near the top of the mountain. By mid-afternoon, they reached Weishan and ate a quick repast of the tea and the sandwiches that Viorel had packed before continuing on their way, hoping to reach their destination before nightfall. As the sun was starting to fade on the horizon, Merlin and Morgana exchanged a look and Gwaine let out a small growl as a whisper of magic swept softly over them, alerting them that they were not alone.
They passed through a short tunnel cut into the mountainside and found themselves standing at the edge of a large pond covered in lily pads and lotus flowers that glowed red in the fading sun.
Pili pointed out a small skiff tied to a tree nearby and the four of them hopped on as Gwaine, arguably the strongest of their group, pushed them across the pond to the temple on the other side.
Waiting on the steps was a man clad in robes of brilliant blue, embroidered with red lotus blossoms watching their progress with interest as they drew near.
“Greetings travellers,” he said as they stepped from the skiff and alit onto the wooden platform at the base of the temple steps. “He has waited long for your arrival. Please come this way, and remember when he arrives to keep your eyes to the floor.”
Motioning for them to follow, the monk led them through the temple to a room at the back. The front of the room seemed to be concealed behind a great screen which depicted scenes of a great blue dragon fighting alongside three other dragons as they fought to protect their kingdom from invaders. The bottom right of the screen was marred by a series of deep scratches; the painted silk in this corner obscured and tattered as if someone had hidden the result of the battle so that none could see it.
The monk shifted his robes and knelt down behind a red lotus carved into the stone floor, bowing his head as he did so and after exchanging a glance, Merlin and the others quickly did the same.
All was quiet for a few moments and just as Gwaine was about to shift and ask Merlin what they were supposed to be doing here, a noise could be heard behind the screen as if something massive was shifting to move itself closer to where they sat.
“Monk, why have you come?” growled a voice from behind the screen.
The monk kept his eyes downcast and answered. “I bring you travellers from a distant land as the prophecies foretold, Your Highness,” he replied humbly.
A mighty rumble echoed through the chamber as the creature, as Merlin was certain it could not be human, began to laugh.
“You bring me false hope as the stars portend my doom,” came the bitter answer. “Why should I believe you after all, monk? You who trapped me here so long ago that my brothers now think me dead.”
“It was to keep you safe, Highness,” the monk replied quietly as he leaned forward in supplication to press his forehead to the floor. “I regret that my chi was not strong enough to fully counter the curse of Zhuanxu’s witch and heal you myself.”
A puff of smoke billowed over the screen and Merlin raised his head as the familiar scent of sulfur that could only come from dragon smoke reached his nostrils. An overwhelming sense of homesickness and familiarity washed over him as he realized that the creature behind the screen was most likely the dragon that they sought.
“Calm yourself,” the dragon ordered, causing the monk to slowly raise his head. “I sense that at the very least, those that you bring before me have a touch of magic themselves.” The dragon moved closer to the screen and a gigantic eye could be seen between the seams of the screen. “You smell like kin,” he said as his eye narrowed in Merlin’s direction. “Tell me why you have come.”
Merlin held his gaze and spoke of what had happened in Camelot and their journey from the Naga cave to present. He had left out what they had found in the abbey, as part of him was unsure if he could trust the dragon or the monk at present. When he had finished his tale, the dragon remained silent as if contemplating his words.
“You must journey to the Dragon Gate,” he said at length. “But only a dragon can open it, and I cannot help you.”
“But there are no other dragons left!” Gwaine spoke up and the dragon growled back at him.
“Silence, wolf-ling!” he ordered as a puff of smoke rattled the screen. “You know not of what you speak, and though your allegiance to the Dragon Lord does you credit, you would do well to remember that it is I who hold dominion over this temple.”
Gwaine’s nostrils flared in anger and Morgana placed a hand on his arm to calm him down, shaking her head.
“It will do you no good to argue with him,” she said watching as the dragon’s shadow paced back and forth behind the screen. “He is too bitter and selfish to help us anyway.”
“Silence!” the dragon roared and as he did a small blast of fire burned through the centre of the screen, spreading quickly until the entire screen crumbled to ash, exposing the figure behind it.
Morgana gasped and grabbed Gwaine’s arm in horror as the monk kowtowed to the floor, begging his master for forgiveness.
“See what you have done!” the dragon roared in anger.
Merlin looked on in horror as he saw that it was not merely a dragon that the screen had concealed, but a Dragon King, one of the Chinese gods of the sea who could easily shift from man to beast, only this one was somehow stuck in mid-transformation. While his head was that of a dragon, one eye was human while the other maintained its dragon aspect. His forelegs were the arms of a man, his hind legs that of a dragon, and his body and tail a mess of flesh and glittering sapphire scales that seemed to tear and bleed as he moved as if the poor creature’s entire existence was in flux.
On the centre of his chest was a single bloody outline of a scale as if someone had ripped it from his body, and collected it as a trophy. His entire countenance was at once horrible and fascinating, and as Merlin took an involuntary step closer, he could feel his magic reaching out to him as it tried to heal the damage and ease his pain.
Closing his eyes in concentration, Merlin reached towards the dragon and felt for the root of the spell that held him in his hybrid state, his eyes flashing open as he gathered his strength and tore at the strands of the spell, cringing as the dragon began to twist and turn in agony.
But the spell was too strong and Merlin soon found himself on his knees, with Morgana at his side as she tried to boost his strength with her own magic.
“Stop!” called out a frantic voice, and Merlin dropped his hand as Pili ran forward from where he had had waited at the front of the temple to kneel in front of the dragon as he panted on the floor before them. As the other’s watched, Pili’s form shifted from that of a middle aged man, to that of an ancient Chinese warrior in his prime, wearing armour made of blue and black dragon scales with intricate golden dragons adorning the chest and shoulder plating.
“Father?” he asked reaching out with a trembling hand to stroke the tendrils that hung from the dragon’s chin.
“Pili?” The dragon rasped in response. “How is it that you are here?”
Pili smiled through tears. “Uncle said you must have died, but I did not believe him,” Pili answered. “I searched amongst the humans for any sign of you, and while hiding among them befriended Emrys, hoping that he would one day find you and I could bring you home.”
The dragon chuckled. “Always the adventurer,” he said grimacing as he moved to raise his head. “But the witch’s curse is almost spent. Draco is in alignment tomorrow and my time will be at an end.”
Pili shook his head. “But you are the Dragon King of the South Seas and have survived for centuries!” he argued. “Surely you cannot give up now?”
The dragon sighed and looked over his shoulder to Merlin. “My fate is in the hands of the Dragon Lord,” he said staring back at him. “Only he can end her curse; and only if he has found the source of the enchantment.”
Merlin held his gaze as he realized what he must do. Reaching inside his satchel, he pulled out one of the velvet pouches inside. Hoping he was right, he stepped forward and pulled the sapphire scale from within and held it in his hand. Remembering a healing spell that Kilgharrah had taught him to ease Aithusa’s cuts and bruises back when she was first learning to hunt, Merlin felt the scale tingle with power.
Pili’s eyes widened as he realized what Merlin meant to do, and he stepped back as his friend reached up and placed the magic infused scale atop the angry hole in the dragon’s chest.
The dragon arched up and roared in pain as a blinding flash of light illuminated the temple. Merlin felt someone grab him and pull him back as the dragon began to thrash about; knocking over urns and breaking a temple wall until suddenly the light receded, leaving only the naked form of a well-muscled man lying on his side.
The monk ran forward and pulled a blanket from the large pile of cushions near the back of the room that had once been the dragon’s roost, covering the man as he staggered to his feet and embraced his son.
“Thank you,” the man whispered, nodding in Merlin’s direction as Pili stepped back and turned to face the others.
Voices could be heard from outside and Gwaine ran to a window where Henri and his men could be seen making their way across the pond in their direction.
“Is there a back way out of this place?” he asked as the others came to join him.
“There is no need,” The Dragon King replied. The others turned back to face him and saw that he now wore armour similar to his sons, only more ornate and topped with a shining helm of gold, embellishing with sapphires.
“Come,” he said gesturing for them to come closer. “You too, monk,” he said good naturedly as the monk shot him a surprised look. “Not many would put up with me for as long as you have. It would be most ungrateful of me to leave you behind.”
As the group gathered around him, the Dragon King raised his hands over head and a great circle of blue light enveloped them and pulsed with power. The last thing Merlin saw before they faded from sight was the angry face of Henri Medraut.
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