"Wise," the dragon said. "But they cannot all be that smart."
"Ten glass balls," Fellet said, looking at the one I now held. "Two chosen priests purposely broke theirs, saying the evil was too strong and could not be trusted. The last eight of us broke into two groups and began tracking magic -- like yours -- that we could now sense."
"There were two groups?" Silver asked and looked worried.
Fellet nodded. "They went north, and we went south. I don't really know what was pulling them to that area. It couldn't be another Dragon, could it? We were always told to stay clear of the northern mountains and the nearby plains. The Temple of Gaia said there were monsters in that area. And it is true that anyone who went looking never came back. I lost three cousins that way."
So, our work was not done. Even now, this ball of power wanted to lead me to a point of power somewhere in the north. I was about to ask Fellet what they thought might be there when Rose and my good friend Stejan arrived.
No, I had not mentioned that I knew their leader. That knowledge might have changed attitudes and answers, even in subtle ways. That was over now, though. Stejan saw me, let out an uncharacteristic whoop of pleasure, and darted straight my way.
I believe Silver thought he had gone mad.
"Kazir! My friend! I never expected to see you leave your temple!" Then he stopped and frowned. "This trouble is far more serious than I thought, isn't it?"
"It is more serious than I thought when I left the temple," I replied, and everyone looked worried for the first time. "Something is trying hard to destroy the magic, not just in this realm. I do not know what it might be. However, something is going on."
Fellet looked startled, and I wondered if he considered that getting the magic might be what he wanted. Then he glanced back at the dragon, and something changed in his face again. I could both sense and see his attitude change from fear to wonder. The dragon had laid down by the tree and looked like an overgrown puppy, tired from a day of fun. I had to assume that the dragon, already growing stronger, would be safe from Fellet's former companions. He was growing in power, although it would be years before he reached his full potential. Lucky for their large friend, no one would attack him with magic.
The tree was prettier than I had remembered the original. I tried to think back to that time and remember the differences. Instead, I remembered something that made them very much alike.
"I saved the seeds from a dying tree -- on a world where the magic had suddenly disappeared for no reason we could find. It had been a sudden loss, and those of us who happened upon it were busy trying to save what we could. That world is now nothing but dust, and I fear we may have stumbled upon the same thing here."
"You came here because you knew something was wrong," Stejan said.
"I sensed something," I admitted. It was a problem that needed to be fixed. Let me think this out."
We found a place to eat. I made a cake of magic for the dragon, and he looked pleased.
Then arrows rained down around us. Rose had seen them first and put up a shell that knocked the projectiles back toward the archers. Then, just as fast as they had appeared and fired, they disappeared again. We all waited for more trouble, but nothing more appeared.
"They were not part of my group," I said with a wave to where they had been. "And I did not feel any magic in that attack."
The others looked at each other, waiting for another to say something about the magic. However, I had figured out our problem, which would not make things easier.
"There's obviously something powerful working here," I said, looking around at the others. "I believe we are dealing with at least one God."
They all looked at each other momentarily, and then Rose landed on Silver's shoulder.
"I think I want to return to the clan tree now," Rose said. Her wings fluttered slightly. "I have had enough adventure."
"You can't go back," Silver said with a shake of his head. "We are both outcasts. We need to stay here and help as we can."
"That's the problem, Silver," Rose replied. "You always bring up the problems to my easy answers."
I already knew they were going to remain and help.
"The Commission to which Fellet belonged had sensed my magic," I said. "Did that come from the glass balls?"
"No," Fellet replied, and we all turned to him in surprise. "The seer came from the temple and told us where to go. She said not to wake the dragon, but she was the one who led us straight here."
"Seer," Rose said. "From the Temple of Gaia."
"She's new. We had gone for more than a generation without a seer in the temple. She arrived a little over a year ago. Everyone said it meant trouble."
"Trouble," I repeated and heard the word echoed in my thoughts but not in my voice. I lifted my hand toward the tree, but my magic wavered as though pulled elsewhere. The others tried their own magic, but very little came of it. I realized we all knew we didn't have enough power to make a portal back out of this world, and the longer we stayed, the more power we lost.
We had to fix this trouble and do it quickly, or none of us would survive.
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