“This, ah, is an unusual destination,” he said at last. “Are you sure you have the correct coordinates?”
“Shambala? That’s the place,” I said with a lot more confidence than I felt about dropping in on the kingdom of dragons.
“Very good,” the attendant said, clearly uncertain about any of this. “Please pass through the portal as quickly as possible after it’s activated. We wouldn’t want anyone to slip through from that side.”
The attendant looked like he believed dragons would charge out of the gate and eat everything in sight.
While I supposed that was a possibility, it seemed very unlikely. If the dragons had plans of military conquest, they would have launched an attack against humans long ago. Fortunately, other than a rogue faction within their ranks who’d allied with corrupt inquisitors, they had shown no actual interest in the human realms for quite some time.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “They won’t eat you.”
The attendant gulped at the thought and handed me my return token. It was a small wafer of clay held together by threads of jinsei. If I cracked it open, it would send a message to the PDF to open a portal wherever I was standing. Unfortunately, it didn’t allow for a speedy escape. The new security protocols the defenders had put in place meant it would be a minimum of five minutes from the time I broke the token to when a gate opened.
That was all right. I was making a friendly visit to the dragons, not fighting them.
I hoped.
“Portal opening in three...
“Two...
“One.”
The scent of eucalyptus wafted through the open gateway. A bell’s high, pure note rang out and hung in the air. The attendant and I were both stunned into silence by the vision that unfolded before us.
The active portal revealed a vast hall. Its floors were a strange red marble I’d never seen before. Golden veins as thick as my index finger ran through the stone and pulsed with a subtle inner glow. A jet-black carpet ran down the room’s center and led to a massive throne. Quartz pillars shot through with shifting sparks of multicolored light flanked the carpet and supported the high, vaulted ceiling. I caught glimpses of artwork on the walls between the pillars, scenes of battle and wonder so enormous they must have taken decades to complete. Globes of golden fire floated high above, like miniature suns that radiated jinsei rather than heat. As impressive as all of that was, though, it paled compared to the creature who dominated the hall.
A dragon sat on the throne, clawed hands clutching the armrests. An ebony crown with seven points rested on the creature’s brow, and an enormous golden scepter lay across its lap. Except for the grisly scars that marred its chest, the dragon’s scales were the glossy red of a polished apple. Its eyes burned with a powerful curiosity as it stared at me. It was so powerful I couldn’t even guess at its blazing core’s true level.
“Go,” the attendant croaked.
“Thank you,” I said with a quick bow in his direction.
Then I stepped into another world.
The practice field where the dragon team had prepared for the Gauntlet was a decrepit ruin that had led me to believe their civilization was fading. This place, though, showed me how wrong I’d been.
“You have nothing to fear, Jace Warin.” The dragon was a hundred feet away, but its voice reached me as clearly as if the powerful creature stood beside me. “I, Pyrroloshyrian, First Among Dragons, Scepter of the Scaled Council, offer you my hospitality. No harm shall befall you in Shambala.”
Despite the creature’s assurances, I couldn’t suppress a twinge of fear at the awesome might before me. This dragon’s power was beyond even that of the Five Sacred Sages of humanity, whom I’d always thought were the pinnacle of cultivated power. I couldn’t imagine why the Flame had chosen humans to guard its most precious creation when dragons were so much more powerful.
I approached Pyrroloshyrian with my hands at my sides, unclenched, palms facing forward so it could see I had nothing to hide. While the dragon had assured my safety, that could change in an instant.
“Thank you,” I replied, boosting my voice with jinsei so the dragon wouldn’t have to strain to hear me. “I am grateful for what your people have done for mine. I appreciate that you have kept the children safe, and that you have told others I am under your protection.”
The dragon nodded at my words but didn’t respond until I stood before the throne. It studied me, and the weight of its attention bore down on my core with such force it was hard to stay on my feet.
I didn’t sense a threat there, just curiosity and a desire to know more about me. That didn’t make me feel any less like a bug under a microscope, but I could breathe a little easier knowing I wasn’t in imminent danger of being immolated or torn limb from limb by the powerful creature seated on the throne.
“And we thank you, Jace Warin,” Pyrroloshyrian said, “for ferreting out the treachery in our midst. Through your efforts, dragonkind has been purified and our weaknesses expunged. The least we could do is protect you from the many enemies you made doing this great service for us. And, while I welcome you to the halls of Shambala anytime you wish to return, I am curious why you are here.”
It was impossible to stand before the throne and not bow to the power and majesty there. The dragon’s head was thirty feet above mine. The creature’s claws were the size of swords, their ivory lengths tapering to dagger-sharp tips.
I tried to
