Chapter 10

THE SUMMER CASTLE

About mid morn of the next day, they came across the first indication that they were nearing their destination. A stiffening breeze carried the scent of the sea to them. Another hand span of travel brought them to the Summer Castle.

The Castle's staff was all in attendance. They came out of the Castle to greet the Prince and his entourage. When Vandar was told that Xandar had spent the night on the mountain he decided to leave the escort to rest at the Castle and forge on until he found him.

The mountain was a wild-looking geographical formation of crags, peaks, and tors. It wasn't high as mountains go but it was very rough. Gannon insisted on accompanying Vandar and they took ropes and other climbing gear that was available at the Castle along with provisions in case they had to spend the night on the mount.

The two climbed steadily for two hand spans of sun, this brought them quite near the top. The first odd thing that they sensed was a scorched sulphurous smell, then as they crested a tall peak, they saw the Dragon.

"I should have known where there was a Wizard we'd be likely to find one of those trouble makers." Sir Gannon said as he drew his sword. Vandar quickly followed his lead.

Vandar had never seen a Dragon up close. They were getting rarer now and all of the people he knew were certainly proud of that. Royalty, Knights, and Dragons had a natural animosity to each other that dated back into antiquity. A constant source of fuel for this feud was that the Dragons historically had a flagrant disregard for the high places that Royalty and Knights ranked themselves on the food chain.

This total disrespect for Royalty and Knight's physical and mental being, except as a sweet dessert or piquant snack after a tasty flock of sheep, obviously did little to endear Dragons to the objects of their gastronomic eccentricity. Vandar's love for Linden and his Family and his loyalty to Sir Gannon ranked him solidly in the anti-Dragon lines.

This particular multicolored Dragon was coiled partly around an adjacent peak and partly in an adjoining noxious cloud, a cloud which was presumably one of it's own exhalations. Its appearance was evil incarnate, but at the same time it was eerily and exotically beautiful.

Metallic scales of gold and silver on its hide contrasted with patches of brilliant gem-like hues and combinations of reds, greens, and blues. Its vast wings were partially closed but they still shaded most of the peak it roosted on. The Dragon's eyes were worst of all; they emanated pure evil through their red orbs!

That Xandar wasn't altogether happy with the Dragon at the moment was easily deduced from the evidence at hand. The wizened old Wizard was sprawled on a neighboring peak. His robe, white beard, and peaked hat were all in disarray and charred around the edges from the sulfurous emanations of the Dragon.

If the observer were keen-eyed enough, one of the Wizard's slippers could be seen where it had been blasted to a far cliff side. His smoldering Spell book was lying open on the ground behind him with the binding side out. The Prince could barely make out the large runes on the book. He loosely deciphered the title of the book as The Art of Schooling the Sky-Horse, or Dragon Training Made Easy."

The Wizard was shaking one of his skinny, gnarled fingers at the Dragon and croaking insults at him. "Bad Dragon. No, no! You've been a bad boy, Smog!"

Xandar eventually ran out of imprecations to use on the Dragon. Vandar had noticed he had refrained from using Curses and Spells and that seemed to have crimped his style a little. The Prince was considering how to politely interrupt the Wizard when, without taking his eyes from his recalcitrant pet, Xandar addressed him instead of the Dragon.

"Stay right where you are until I've cowed him sufficiently, Prince Vandar. He's really quite unpredictable and dangerous at the moment. When he's in this state he will bite. Oh yes, while he would prefer a Virgin Princess to eat, with his superb senses he can easily discern that Gannon is a Sworn Knight and that you are not only a Prince, but a Virgin, too."

Vandar was shocked. The Curse of Virginity had been thrown at him for the second time. He wondered defensibly why people had to number Virgins among Mystical, Magical, and Fabled creatures? While it was true that a Virgin could catch a Unicorn and the state of Virginity endowed a person with a few other Magical properties, surely Virgins couldn't be that rare a creature!

"Down, Smog. Sit. Stay. Lie down." Xandar went back to chastising the Dragon. When the Dragon gazed hungrily at Vandar and Gannon, the Wizard raised his commanding voice even higher.

Eventually the Dragon averted his wicked crimson eyes and reluctantly lowered his coach-sized head to the peak of the mountain at his feet. "Alright." The Wizard uttered in satisfaction. "Back slowly down the mountain peak to the next saddle, then turn around and climb down swiftly. I'll catch up with you as soon as I make certain he's going to stay."

Vandar and Gannon did exactly as they were told. The fragile looking Wizard caught up with the two vastly younger men halfway down the mountain. As they turned to greet him, Xandar took one look at Vandar and spoke urgently. "I see you are in mortal peril or will be shortly. I'm not talking about the Dragon now, but something else even I can't Foresee. Take this Amulet and wear it faithfully and no mortal harm can befall you." The Wizard reached up and from mid air he produced a translucent orb dangling from a gold chain. Vandar obediently took the Amulet and placed it around his neck. A comforting warmth seemed to emanate from it.

"Thank you, Xandar. I appreciate this as much as I did that reflection frame that you gave me, but I think it is seriously out of adjustment."

"That mirror couldn't be out of adjustment, Nephew. The Amulet I just gave you is magic, that mirror is just plain polished metal, that nonsense I told you about it being Enchanted was pure mumbo-jumbo." Xandar admitted.

"Then how could I see visions in it from the very first?" Vandar asked in astonishment.

"By using your own Magical Powers for Truth-Seeing because you thought you should see something different." The crafty old Wizard explained. "I tried to instruct you in this years ago but you were too nervous and wouldn't believe, now you've actually done it yourself for a couple of summers." The Wizard cackled, he was enjoying the youths dazzled look.

"You tend to forget I'm also from your family lines, Grand Nephew." Xandar instructed. "The actual truth is that every couple of hundred summers in our Family, a Sport, or person capable of using the Mystical Powers, a Wizard if you will, is born. The last time it was me and this time it was you, Sport."

Vandar sat down on a nearby boulder. His poor head was spinning, he was dazed at what Xandar was telling him and he didn't quite trust his legs.

"Stars, did you really believe that a normal run of the mill Prince could have as loving and tolerant a Father and Mother as yours? No, they produced you and you Enchanted them. Then there is Princess Linden. Do you really think a precious little doll like her would love you as devotedly as she does if you hadn't unknowingly used Enchantment on her?"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Grand Nephew. Think of it as a natural talent or gift like charm and your Father, your Mother, and Linden are all very happy being Enchanted by you."

"Oh, and if you have ever heard the old one about me and the pretty Witch, forget it. I got tired of her and ditched her. I've never had a problem finding women. I'm over three hundred summers old now, and I still have a couple of young sweets down at the Castle for a weekly roll in the hay."

They had resumed walking. Vandar and Gannon were both trying to absorb everything Xandar was telling them but they were having a difficult time assimilating everything.

"Oh, and your name. That's another funny story entirely, Nephew." Xandar turned and pointed a gnarly finger at Vandar's chest. "I was naming you, Vandar, Protector of the Continent, but I must have affected your Aura of Charm. What I actually said at the time was that you had "Keyed", instead of "peed" on me. Your brain and mine Meshed and I instantly knew you were another Chosen One."

"Due to some phenomena of the two of us being together for the first time the scribe misunderstood me and when I found out about the mistake later, I decided to leave your name that way for a while to give you a little humility. The Stars know I could have used some myself when I was young!"

Vandar's world was spinning; he tried to gather his wits about him enough to ask another question. "Why tell me all of this now, Uncle, and why not sooner?"

"I truly wanted you to have a Childhood, Vandar, like the one I didn't have. I hinted a few things each time I saw you, but I couldn't bring myself to end your Childhood. But now there is a terrible danger afoot and I'm not as young as I used to be. I intended to retire long before your Father was born, but I got caught up in that damned Wizard War. So now it's your turn, Nephew."

Vandar suddenly remembered his original mission. "Uncle, I haven't even told you why we've come. The weather has been inclement around the Castle. It's the worst that it's been since the Cyclone. The crops will fail if you don't do something."

"Drat it. I've let myself get too busy obedience training that wretched Smog. I'll let the weather be your first lesson, Nephew. It's an easy one. While I'm explaining a few things, don't ever let anyone tell you that the infamous Cyclone was a loss of control. I made it on purpose to rid the Kingdom of the stench of that wretched Nephew of mine and Ancestor of yours, King Maldar the Flatulent. The story got changed somehow down through the millenniums."They had arrived at the base of the mountain and some of the staff had come to greet them and to ask if they required anything. "Have all of my men been fed and rested?" Vandar asked in concern. He was assured they had been.

Vandar asked Gannon. "Would you like to go down to the sea. I haven't seen it since last summer and I'd like to go swimming."

He wanted some time to think about the revelations of the last hour and Gannon was quick to recognize it. "A swim would be nice." Gannon said. "It's been days since we've had a proper bath and the sea is warm this time of the year. Let's take some wine and food and go relax. Xandar, would you like to go?"

"I think not, I've got things to see to, but I do appreciate the invitation. You enjoy yourselves. Vandar, remember what I told you about the Amulet!"

"Certainly, Uncle." Vandar and Gannon requested food and drink from the overseer and were taken care of instantly. When they left they rode their Unicorns and were accompanied by the wolves.

It was a beautiful day out. Their mission had been seen to and their men were all resting. Now all of this dratted Wizard business had come up. It seemed that as soon as one of Vandar's problems was taken care of another arose. What would his family think about all of this? He worried especially that it would offend Linden if she heard he had unwittingly been enchanting her with Sorcery.

A COWARDLY AMBUSH

Vandar led the way through the rocky outcroppings and they were soon nearing the beach. Demon had been ranging ahead and he came back to Vandar acting as if he were very suspicious of something. He looked toward the beach and growled viciously, then he peered questioningly back the way they'd come.