"The Dragon Isles Chapter 04 Shenan´da" by Katherine Bates

Dilwyn pushed Marn’s face with his nose gently and waited for a reaction. The man was so cold, his skin pale with a waxy pallor to it; the only hope Dilwyn had was that he was still bleeding. It was heavy bleeding and there was no way Marn could survive much longer without medical attention; but where was that to be found out here in the wilderness at the eastern edge of civilisation. He whinnied softly, hating the empty silence that greeted it.

Oosix had been here at dawn; he had taken one look at Marn and then flown off again, saying nothing. Dilwyn was not going to leave, not while there was still hope, however slight it was.

He nudged Marn once more, the blood staining the milk white fur. He didn’t know what it was to be alone, but he was beginning to understand; it hurt deep inside, he wanted to close his eyes and blot out the world forever. This man, the man who had raised him from a foal, was going to die before his eyes and he couldn’t do a thing about it.

He lay down beside him, hoping that his own body heat may keep Marn alive just a while longer. Softly, he licked the man’s face, tasting the metallic warmth that was fresh blood. Marn twitched a little at the touch, lips moving ever so slightly.

“Tehal?” his voice was cracked and dry, his lips the same as they split with the movement. “Is that you?”

Dilwyn glanced around and then down at Marn again, “No, it’s Dilwyn.”

“Where is she Dilwyn? I have to… I have to protect her. Where is she?” His head moved but his eyes remained shut; Dilwyn gazed upon him in affection and sadness, he decided to lie.

“She’s safe, Hush now, save your strength, you’re hurt.”

“No, she’s… she’s… somewhere, she’s hurt, I can tell.”

“Yes, you’re both hurt, you’re both being treated.”

“By whom?”

“A doctor, passing by on his way to Sirra.”

“No! No doctors! No…” He drifted off and Dilwyn hung his head, Marn hadn’t even opened his eyes; the future was black. Nuzzling the dark tangle of hair, Dilwyn closed his own eyes, tears escaping both of them. Why did it have to be like this? For a moment he blamed Tehal, if they hadn’t found her then this wouldn’t have happened; but he knew Marn’s nature, he was stubborn, once they had found her then he had felt duty bound to protect her, there was no point blaming Tehal. But why was it like this? Alone, in a cold, miserable moor, miles away from their homeland. It should not have been this way.

“And it won’t be.”

Dilwyn looked up, trying to locate the voice, but there was nothing in the bleak landscape.

“Do not be frightened,” continued the voice in his head, “I want to help. Sing me a nursery rhyme over and over and I will find you.”

“Who are you?” Dilwyn was suspicious, he had not made his thoughts open to public knowledge, and this sudden intrusion on his mind was disturbing.

“A friend; that is all you need to know for now. Nursery rhyme please.”

For a moment Dilwyn hesitated, and then he realised that this was their best hope and struggled to find a nursery rhyme.

“Round and round the rowan tree,

Danced the girls all dressed in satin,

Each of them to please me,

I’ll make them sing in Latin.”

Dilwyn wasn’t sure what Latin was, he had an idea that it was one of the tribal languages of the East, but which one he could no longer quite remember.

“Again please. I’m having trouble finding you.”

Dilwyn obeyed without question; he was beginning to like this voice, it had a beautiful lilt to it and it was reassuring, comforting yet authouritive.

A man appeared behind Dilwyn and the white stallion stood stiffly, his muscles creaking in protest at the chill, damp air of a frosty spring morning.

The man seemed to sum up the weather, cold and frosty. He was neither old nor young, he seemed to have no age at all; his skin was pale, so pale it resembled a linen sheet, but the ivory white of his hair seemed to give colour and life to his complexion; his clothes were the white of virgin snow, unmarred by dirt and perfect in every way; thin, pale lips stretched into a thin smile as he approached, holding out a hand for Dilwyn to sniff. The stallion did so and stepped back, surprised.

The man smelt like nothing he had encountered before, yet it spoke to ancient wisdom and knowledge. The man smiled again and Dilwyn now saw that the iris and pupil of his eyes were missing, there was only the white. Blind, the stallion thought, the man must be blind, that must have been why he needed the nursery rhyme. Yet he stepped confidently towards Marn, laying a hand on the young man’s brow.

“My good stallion,” the man begun and Dilwyn relaxed slightly. His voice was music to his ears, deep, powerful, wise and trustworthy. It was the voice of one Dilwyn’s mother had spoken of, ‘ancients’ she had called them and he knew it safe to trust the white man. “Your friend needs help, I can give it to him, but first we need to move him to somewhere he will be safe. I need your assistance.”

“Gladly, my lord.” The horse answered, already lowering himself to the ground so Marn could be transferred. Standing, Dilwyn let the man in white guide him through the barren landscape. At length they came to a sheer cliff face; the wind had worn the rock smooth over the ages, making it look as if a stonemason had cut it and then polished the surface, creating a masterpiece. Dilwyn stared up at this great, imposing impossibility of nature, awed by the grandeur of it all.

“My lord,” he asked softly, “what is this place?”

The man in white smiled, revealing a set of perfect white teeth behind the pale lips and a bright red tongue. After the whiteness of everything else, Dilwyn had half expected his tongue to be pale as well; it seemed such a contrast that somehow disturbed him more than if it had been pale.

“This is the entrance to Shenan’da, visible only to those I allow to see it. Come, along here is the entrance for those who cannot fly.”

Dilwyn followed but couldn’t help feeling a slight misgiving. What had he meant by ‘those who cannot fly’? Surely they could have also used this other entrance; after all, most birds were only the side of head.

The tunnel mouth seemed dark and foreboding, yet once inside with the torch lit it became a walkway to the heavens. The sides were covered in what looked like a white marble; with symbols, creatures, humans, and beasts etched into its flawless surface. Dilwyn was once again in awe and something clicked in his mind: Shenan’da, The White Temple of Wings.

Hurrying after the man in white, a thousand questions bustled about, burning to know the answer. Smiling, the man held up a hand, “Your questions will be answered in due course, and, yes, you are correct in your assumption that this is The White Temple of Wings. But the important thing now is that your friend gets well. Come, please, it is not far.”

The tunnel opened out onto to the most lavish of gardens, beyond it laid a rich, fertile and blossoming valley. High above the sky was blue, yet all around was the cold grey that had been over the moor. Dilwyn stood stock still; he could not believe his eyes, after the harshness of the moor the valley seemed to be a paradise in comparison.

A figure emerged from a low, yet elegant, building to Dilwyn’s right. He tipped his head to the side, they seemed familiar. Suddenly, they were rushing across the short grass, black hair streaming out behind as she ran. It took a moment for the stallion to recognise Tehal; she was clean and dressed in fresh clothes that fitted her. The man in white put his back to her as he slid Marn off Dilwyn’s back, seemingly untroubled by the weight.

“My child,” he said as he started to walk way, “you can do nothing more now. Stay with the stallion and you can see your friend later.”

Tehal stepped back to let the man pass, arms folded across her chest, a scowl darkening her eyes. Dilwyn shoved her gently and she looked ready to fly at him.

“What are you so happy about?”

“I feel safe here. I cannot help but trust him. I do not know what it is, but there is something there, something I cannot put my finger on.”

“He’s not human.” The statement was blunt and harsh, but Dilwyn did not notice the tone, he was still wrapped in the soothing aura the man had carried about his person.

“My mother called them ‘ancients’, she respected them, and so shall I. Will he heal Marn?”

“Yes, he has great skill.” The anger seemed to melt from her and she relaxed, shoulders lowering. She looked up at the stallion, smiling slightly, “I’ll show you the gardens if you like.”

“Get up then, you can find me somewhere I can run, I feel like a gallop.”

The sun sunk lower in the sky, casting an orange tint over the land as Dilwyn walked slowly through the lower gardens of Shenan’da, his feet dipping in and out of the clear water of the lake. Tehal rode easily and comftably on his back, fingers entwined within the white mane. She was finding it easier and easier to forget the outside world; her memories of the Temple Guards were far off and distant, only faintest scars across her flesh to remind her. Yet looking out across the peaceful valley reminded her of Shana’dun and the long summer evenings she had spent with her cousin, Lederai, Lee for short. Sighing she called Dilwyn to a halt and slipped from his back, stepping down into the pure, crystal clear water of the lake.

“Dilwyn?”

The horse stepped towards her, sensing the heavy mood in her voice, she was struggling with something internally, he could tell from her eyes.

“Do you think I was selfish to let Marn come with me?”

“He wanted to. It was his choice.”

“But if I hadn’t agreed then he wouldn’t have been hurt, he wouldn’t have been lying at death’s door.”

The stallion pushed his muzzle against her stomach gently. “Child, the past cannot be changed; it is no use dwelling on it. Marn has a mind of his own, he does what he wants, he can convince anyone of anything; you wouldn’t have been able to refuse his help. But he didn’t try to convince you, he made up his mind, I think he would have followed after you if you’d refused.”

“This isn’t making me feel any better.”

“I know, but like I said, the past is past, let it lie.”

“It’s not the past I’m worried about, it’s the future.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I have to keep travelling. Marn agreed to help me get to my father, but I don’t want to place him in danger again. I think I ought to go now, before he wakes up.”

Rubbing his nose against her cheek Dilwyn gave the only answer he could, “You can only do what you think is best. Sleep on it for tonight, I’m not used to being on my own and I could do with the company.”

Looking up, Tehal smiled gratefully, “Thank-you.” She whispered softly, swinging herself up onto his back, feeling better. She would leave tomorrow, early: Shenan’da was quiet and safe, but it wasn’t home.

#

“Who are you?”

“My name is Orion, but that is not what you mean. With your simple question you ask to know everything about me: what I am, what I want, my reasons, my history and probably most importantly… who you are.” The man in white smile and gestured over to where Tehal and Dilwyn were returning. “She. She is the key to everything. I will tell her the answer to your question, but first she needs to understand everything that is behind the answer. She intends to leave tomorrow, she… how shall I put this? She cares for you, more than you know.”

“I care for her.”

“I know; you care for her more than you realise. It is amazing what one night will do, though I’ve seen it happen faster, in an instant, a look across a room. You understand this, do you not?”

“Yes.” Marn paused for a moment, the green eyes lingering on Tehal’s think, pale face, “Why is she leaving?”

“To protect you.”

“Protect me? But… I don’t understand.”

“She saw you hurt, she blames herself. She will leave in the morning, unless you convince her otherwise.”

“How can I convince her? She is… she is…”

“She will understand you, trust in yourself and follow your heart.”

Marn turned to Orion, the man was so cold on the outside, expressionless, emotionless; but on the inside he was full of emotion, understanding, and empathy even. Though, disturbingly, he seemed to be able to read minds without even touching upon them with his own. What Orion had said had disturbed Marn slightly, he wasn’t ready to take it all in, he wasn’t sure if he would ever be. He looked at Tehal again and sighed.

“Why will you tell her who you are?”

“For the same reason that you will tell her who you are, eventually at least that is. Remember that honesty is the best policy; most of the time anyway.” Orion gave a rare smile and gestured to the door. “To the left, at the end of the corridor, is a set of rooms that you may find… interesting; but I do advise that you, personally, don’t go there until you have told her everything, every little detail.”

“What do you mean by ‘interesting’?”

Orion smiled again and said nothing, simply gesturing to the door again. Marn sighed and left. He’d only been awake a few hours, but already he felt exhausted, he just wanted to curl up and sleep. Gripping the pendant in the jacket pocket he felt the energy flow through him. He set off, his step almost with a spring to it, determined and confident about what he had to do.

#

“The sky is so beautiful; I never really looked at it this way before.”

Marn turned his head to Tehal, confused. They were both lying on their backs in the short grass on the bank of the lake; both of them feeling heavily drugged from the peaceful effect Shenan’da had on them. The smell of rain was still fresh in the air, but neither of them minded the wet seeping up through the earth and grass into their clothes.

For once, Tehal seemed to be smiling properly, smiling with her eyes; Marn found it entrancing, he could hardly look away from her. Her hair was clean, long and silky, there was a slight shine from the moonlight as it fell in gently waves about her; he desperately wanted to touch her hair, just to feel it against his skin, but he refrained and put his hands together of his chest. The clothes she wore hugged her curves, accenting them, the deep green, white and black colouring suiting her. Not for the first time Marn wondered how Orion had found them both clothes that had been such a perfect fit.

“What do you mean? You must have seen the night sky.”

Tehal turned to look at him, her eyes open and trusting, a laughing smile playing across her features. “I’ve seen it, yes, but I’ve never really looked at it, not like this. I… I used to hate the stars; at Shana’dun they thought I was the rain goddess, Siga, in her earthly form, so every month they made pray for rain in the dead of night.”

“I thought Shana’dun was a Tormdarian temple?”

“Officially yes, but it was just a front; at the fringes of the Tormdarian empire most of the temples still worship the dark gods. Lee, my cousin, introduced me to the dark gods.”

“Did you hate him?”

“No, I admired him; he taught me everything I know about horses. No matter, you were going to show me the constellations.”

Marn sighed and looked up at the sky again and then smiled slightly. Taking her hand in his he guided her to see a specific red star. “You see that one, it’s called Betelgeuse.”

“Beetle juice?”

He laughed, “No, Betelgeuse, the ‘shoulder of the giant’. Here I’ll show you the rest of constellation. You see the line of three stars? That’s his belt, and there’s his bow, or shield depending, and that is his club, or sword or arrow, and there are his legs. You see?”

“What’s it called?”

“Orion.” He answered softly, taking his hand from hers; it didn’t seem that great an idea now as he watched the smile fall from both her eyes and mouth. She twisted her hands together uncomftably and then sat up, swinging the long black hair over her face. Marn looked at her, uncomftable that a single word had had so much effect. He glanced about them and then laid a hand on her shoulder as gently as possible,

“Tehal?”

She shook her head and removed his hand from her shoulder, “Please, just leave it.”

“Alright.” Marn lay back on the grass, “Would you like to know how to find North?”

Tehal looked round, rubbing her eye, “With a compass? But they’re expensive; at least, I wasn’t allowed to touch the one at the temple.”

Marn laughed a little and received a smile back. “You don’t need a compass, you just need the stars. Come on, look up there, follow my hand; see that? That’s the plough, now follow those two stars to that bright one there; that’s Polaris, the North Star, it never sets, you can always find it.”

“North?” She paused slightly and clasped her hands together over her chest, “Orion, he… did you talk to him?”

“More he talked to me. What did he say to you that’s caused this reaction?”

“He didn’t say very much, he just showed me things. He showed me, and this is going to sound silly, he showed me dragons. He had this pendant in the shape of a white dragon. He put it in my hand told me to open my mind, and I saw dragons. I think they were someone’s memories; there were hundreds and hundreds of dragons all in different shades of six basic colours. They were fighting and then the leader of one of the armies, a big black, fell from the sky and those under him fled. Then there were all those other moments, just a few seconds; like the first time a baby dragon was shown to his family, and the time a new dragon took over their society. It was so beautiful, so wholesome, it was just… pure.”

“Then why…?”

“Orion took the pendant back and then looked me in the eyes and said. “I am a dragon.” Pure and simple, he was so blunt and unfeeling. So I ran away from him, I haven’t spoken a word to him since. I was scared, scared of him.”

“Oh.” He wasn’t quite sure what to say. Up until now Tehal had seemed so at ease in Shenan’da, and Marn was beginning to suspect that something else had occurred as well to upset her so much.

“You’re not shocked that he’s a dragon?” She asked, passing over the rest.

“He told me as well, but he didn’t show me any images, and then afterwards he told me that…” he trailed off, turning away, realising he’d said too much. Tehal turned to look at him, eyes narrowed.

“Told you what?”

“Do you trust me Tehal?” He’d turned back to look at her now, the brilliant green eyes looking deep into hers. She nodded silently and he smiled briefly, “I have to tell you something. I don’t know how to say this but… I…”

“What?”

“Forget it.” He stood and turned away from her, doubting himself.

“Marn? What is it? I can help if you tell me.”

“I’m sorry, I… I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“It’s something I have to deal with by myself.”

Tehal looked out over the water and then to the constellation of Orion. “Marn? This thing you can’t tell me, is it to do with Orion?”

He shrugged and mumbled, “Vaguely.”

“I could talk to him if you like; I could help you if you just tell me what it is.”

“You can’t help that I’m…” He cut himself off, turning back to her with a deep snarl. “You trickster! You dirty Trickster!”

“I’m not a trickster!” She shouted back as she scrambled to her feet, “I just want to help!”

“Well you can’t! Why can’t you just leave it be? I never made you tell me!”

She glowered back, folding her arms across her chest, eyes narrowing. “Well maybe you just don’t care! I do!”

“I care as well!”

A silence fell between them and Tehal’s face twisted slightly.

“Prove it.” She whispered fiercely, it was almost a dare. Marn stared back, at a loss as to what to do. She didn’t understand what he was going through, didn’t understand anything about him, and yet… and yet he knew he had to tell her; but now was not the time.

“How? How do you want me to prove it? Rewind time and question you until you pushed me away because I was forcing you to tell me?”

Tehal turned away, eyes cast in shadow. “No.”

“Then how? Tell me how and I’ll do it. I promise.”

“I can’t tell you how; it has to come from you.” Her voice was so quiet that even in the night it was hard to make out. Her eyes, hidden in the shadow, were unreadable. Marn looked away from her, only hearing Orion’s words in his mind, ‘Honesty is the best policy. Trust in yourself and follow your heart’

“Give me you hand, Tehal.”

She did as he bid, and he moved towards her, slipping an arm about her waist. She looked up, confused, her eyes open and innocent; the word ignorant flashed through his mind.

He kissed her softly, once, on the corner of her mouth and then stepped away, shutting his eyes and tensing in expectance of some sort of tongue lashing; but none came. Instead there was only a softly spoken question,

“Why did you do that?”

“Because I care.” The words were out of his mouth before he’d had a chance to think. He opened one eye to look at her; she had her arms wrapped around herself tightly, the corner of her mouth quivering slightly, head turned to the side.

“That is not caring.”

Marn closed his eyes again; he should learn to think before speaking. “Tehal, please, you don’t…”

“What? Understand? I know that gesture! It has nothing to do with caring!” She shoved him as she walked past, narrowing her eyes. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning, and I don’t want to see you ever again.”

“Tehal…”

“Ever!”

He flinched, ready for her fist, but by the time she had opened his eyes she had gone. Pushing his hands into his pockets he kicked a stray twig in anger. How could he have been so stupid? Why did it always have to be like this for him? He always said the wrong words at the wrong moment; and then never had the words to make it right again.

He bit his lip and tasted hot, metallic blood. He let it flow down his chin whilst he thought, relieved to have something to concentrate on. Opening his hand, he looked at the palm, turning it this way and that, suddenly fascinated by the lines. He traced the lines and then stood, determined on what he had to do; whether he’d actually go through with it was another matter.

He wandered back to the low house slowly, hands in his pockets again. Dilwyn told him that she’d be in the stable block, at the far end; but it sounded to Marn as if he were receiving a warning. At the entrance to the stables doubt crept across his mind. What exactly was he going to say to her? What is she hit him? The punch he’d got off of her had really hurt before.

He massaged his jaw thoughtfully in memory and then spotted Orion standing under a tree nearby, leaning back on the trunk. Marn’s brow creased and he straightened up slightly. He’d just have to play it by ear; it was all he could do. What was it that Orion had said? “Trust in yourself and follow your heart.”? But then he had also said that honesty was the best policy. Shaking his head in despair, he tried to regain his composure as he stepped into the stables.

It was dark inside the stables, with a rich, warm smell to it; he liked it, it reminded him of his childhood. Dilwyn tossed his head over the stall door, gesturing to the end of the block. Marn shut his eyes for a moment and then lay a hand on Dilwyn’s nose as he passed by and the horse licked him for good luck.

He stopped as he reached the last stall; he could hear her breathing and all his confidence suddenly vanished. Slowly, hands clinging to the divider and feeling as if his legs would collapse at any moment, he put his head around to look into the stall. She stood at the back, tensed and ready to fight.

“Tehal? I’m sorry.” His voice was barely above a whisper yet she seemed to hear perfectly.

“Don’t be,” she answered, relaxing slightly, “you weren’t to know.”

For a moment he was tempted to ask what he didn’t know, but he thought better and just said he was sorry again before leaving the stables. Stepping out the stables he faced Orion, looking at the man in white Marn’s brow creased.

“What did you do to her? You’ve hurt her and she’s scared.”

Orion smiled with one corner of his mouth, “And you will heal her.”

Marn groped for a sword that wasn’t there; finding nothing, he launched himself at Orion, knocking the dragon to the floor. “How dare you! How could you frighten her like that?”

Orion, offering no resistance, simply smiled back at Marn. “You didn’t tell her, did you? In answer, I can do what I want and, besides, it all has a purpose.”

“I don’t care if it has a purpose!” Marn hissed back, shoving his face into Orion’s, “You had no right to do it.”

“You don’t even know what I’ve done.”

“I don’t care what it was! You hurt her! You frightened her! It doesn’t matter what you did!”

“Get off me, Marn, why don’t you sort your head out first before you try to talk to anyone. I told you that honesty is the best policy, and until you follow my advice I am not going to have this discussion. Get off of me.”

Marn stood up, releasing the dragon and stood back, suddenly aware of how potentially dangerous Orion was. Orion stood, dusting off the pure white of his clothing. “Your weapons are back in the Low House, I don’t expect that I will see you again for quite some time, so I’ll bid you farewell now.”

Without waiting for a reply he turned on heel, disappearing into the night as easily as if he had been wearing black.