The Gates of Night_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [103]
“I believe in her, captain,” Pierce said. “This is not her home, and these are not her people. She was as horrified to see that creature in the hall as you were.”
“If you say so.” Daine frowned. The desert came to an abrupt end ahead, with nothing but stars visible beyond the sand. “Jode?”
“Don’t worry,” Jode said cheerfully. “It’s only the end of the world.”
A vast chasm lay ahead. If it had another side, it was beyond the range of Daine’s eyes.
“So where do we go now?” he said.
Jode pulled his hand free and pointed to the sky. Daine followed the gesture and drew his breath in wonder. A dragonshard floated above them, a golden crystal burning with inner light. It was larger than any shard Daine had seen, as large as a wagon—and it was the first and smallest in a chain. A belt of golden dragonshards rose into the sky and curved across the horizon.
“The Ring of Siberys,” Lei said, her voice filled with wonder.
Jode smiled. “Welcome to the sanctuary of the dragons.”
The Ring of Siberys. The golden belt that stretched across the sky. According to legend, it was the remnants of a great dragon, slain at the dawn of time. Some stories said the first dragons were formed from the blood of Siberys, or that the Ring was the ultimate source of magical energy. Most of the sages of House Cannith dismissed these myths, but there was no denying the magical power within the golden dragonshards that fell from the Ring. And shards of such size—the wonders that could be forged with such things!
It’s just a dream! Lei looked away from the light, feeling foolish. Nothing here was real. This was someone’s imagining of the Ring, nothing more.
Daine’s concerns were more practical. “So where are the dragons?” he said.
“I never promised dragons,” Jode replied. “What lies ahead are the dreams of dragons, and dragons long dead at that. I don’t know what form this eidolon of yours will take. Whatever it is, it’s somewhere up there. In the Ring.”
“So we just start climbing?”
“Unless you’ve got a better idea,” Jode said. “If you were a dragon, you could just fly.”
“I’m not a dragon.”
“I could be,” Lei said.
“What?” Daine looked at her.
“I’ve never tried anything so large, but I think I could transform myself into a dragon.” Lei’s mind raced, calculating mystical parameters and dredging up half-forgotten formulas. “The change wouldn’t last long. But I would be able to fly and carry the rest of you.”
“What are the risks?” Daine said.
“Risks.” Lei grimaced. “It’s hard to say. I’ll have to channel a tremendous amount of magical energy, and if I lose control of the forces, I could end up trapped in the body of a lizard. Or I could have my organs turned inside out, exploded from within, or something else spectacularly fatal.”
Daine glanced down at Jode. “Well?”
“Don’t ask me,” Jode said. “It’s her body.”
“I can do this,” Lei said. “I know it’s dangerous, but I can make this work.” As crazy as it was, something about it appealed to her. The thought of spreading her wings, taking to the air—of shedding this increasingly strange body, if only for a few moments.
“Faith matters here,” Jode said. “We’re walking in dreams. If you’re sure of yourself, I think it’s worth the risk. But I want us to work together. Daine, sit next to me and take my hand. We need to envision her success, lend our strength to Lei.”
“What should I do?” Pierce said.
“Watch,” Jode replied. “By now, the quori may be looking for us. Keep your eyes open for any signs of attack.”
“Think good thoughts,” Daine muttered, making no attempt to conceal what he thought of this operation. Nonetheless, he sat next to Jode, took the halfling’s hand, and closed his eyes.
Perhaps it was just Lei’s imagination, but she did suddenly feel calmer, stronger. She closed her own eyes and began to build the pattern.
The magic of artifice could not be bound directly into flesh and blood,