Page 99 of A Kingdom Restored

Rekavidur leaned forward again, struck by the older dragon’s words. “I hadn’t considered that,” he acknowledged. “It is curious.”

Elddreki didn’t immediately respond, still inspecting the area Heath had indicated. Rekavidur felt a flare of impatience from Heath’s direction, but the human wisely refrained from commenting. He must realize that trying to hurry the dragons would only distract them from their task, thereby prolonging the process.

“I wonder…” Elddreki mused. “It would make no sense, given preserved memories are intended to be accessed, not hidden. But it could be that concealment magic has been used to render them indiscernible.”

“Concealment magic?” Heath looked at Rekavidur. “Like little Jacqueline was born with? Didn’t you say that’s a dragon ability?”

“I did,” Rekavidur confirmed, contemplating his sire’s suggestion. “Although this would be a strange use of it. No such measures are necessary to conceal something like this from humans—they do not have the capacity to locate or unlock it. Only dragons do, and I have never heard of a dragon using concealment magic on other dragons.”

“Just because you have not heard of it does not mean it has not occurred,” intoned Elddreki solemnly. “If there is concealment magic at work, a direct assault should identify it, and hopefully remove it if it is not too strong.” He cocked his head to the side, his eyes fixed on his son. “Do you feel capable of assisting me, Rekavidur?”

“Of course,” said Rekavidur, a surge of pride racing through him at the request. He would not fail in this test.

He shifted so that his shoulder touched his father’s flank, connecting on a much lower point than the older dragon’s shoulder, given his sire was almost twice his size. Rekavidur felt the rush of magic that flowed between them and combined, connecting both their minds and their power into one force, much more competent than either of them would be alone.

The two of them leaned forward, pooling their magic, and sending it toward the boulder in a wave that started gentle and increased steadily in force. Elddreki’s magic was certainly stronger, but Rekavidur sensed with satisfaction that his contribution was nothing to be ashamed of.

The magic wrapped around the identified point, probing and testing, breaking into the boulder itself. With no need to comment aloud, Rekavidur sent his surprise straight into his father’s mind when he felt his magic connect with a barrier which was most definitely not natural. Whatever the magic was, it hadn’t been obvious prior to their targeted examination.

He felt his sire’s grim acknowledgment of their find, and focused his attention even more strongly on dismantling what was becoming increasingly recognizable as a dragon enchantment. His father’s voice sounded in his mind, confirming that it was indeed concealment magic, undoubtedly worked by a dragon. The more Rekavidur explored it, the more he realized that while the enchantment was complex by its very nature, it did not contain an excessive amount of power.

With Elddreki doing the same as Rekavidur, his efforts both more powerful and more precise than his son’s, they had more than enough magic for the task.

Rekavidur felt the moment they succeeded in breaking apart the enchantment. The hold of the concealment magic yielded quite suddenly, and another stream of magic burst potently forth.

Heath drew in an audible breath. “It really is like a beacon,” he muttered.

Rekavidur gave a satisfied nod. Clearly the human could sense the sealed memories as well. Rekavidur closed his eyes, immersing himself in the memories for a single moment that lasted many generations of thought. He could feel his father doing the same.

“Well,” Rekavidur said mildly, emerging from the magic. “That answers many questions.”

He sat back on his haunches, his thoughts tracing their gradual way through the information he’d just received. The answers provided interested him less than the questions still left unaddressed. Heath would be glad to know what had passed during the dragons’ residence on this island. But that had never been Rekavidur’s main concern. What he wanted to know was where had the dragons gone? They’d been intending to go somewhere when they left these memories, that much was certain. So which destination had they eventually reached? On what far shore did he have distant kin, and what discoveries might they have made—about magic, about themselves, perhaps even about humans—which were still unknown to the dragons of Rekavidur’s colony? He felt the taste for adventure stirring within him, the desire for more knowledge, more experience. It had only grown more keen over recent years. It began to feel…insatiable.

Although no one had ever described the matter to him in such terms, Rekavidur suspected he knew what that burning desire meant. He felt his decision creeping toward him, not quite certain yet, but almost there. He no longer had much doubt of the final outcome. But now was not the moment. There were other tasks to be done first.

“It does?” Heath, of course, knew nothing of Rekavidur’s thoughts. He responded only to the dragon’s declaration that questions had been answered. His voice was eager as he raced forward, pushing his way between the dragons to get a closer look at the boulder. “It looks much the same as before,” he said. He frowned. “Except for those faint markings.”

Following his gaze, Rekavidur noticed the dragon runes now visible on the boulder. A physical marker of the memories stored there.

“But itfeelsso different,” Heath went on. “It’s not sight exactly, but to…whatever this other sense is, the difference is indescribable.”

The young human reached out a confident hand, placing it on the rock. His whole body jerked back violently, and Rekavidur had no doubt the same barrage of images and impressions he had just experienced now overtook Heath’s mind. For a moment he feared his friend’s inferior mind being overwhelmed by it, but then he felt Heath’s magic at work, deciphering the communication. Rekavidur felt a surge of vicarious pride. His young friend’s power was potent indeed to grapple so successfully with dragon magic of this scale, and it was clear that Rekavidur’s training had helped to hone it far beyond what it had been a few short years before.

After a matter of seconds, which Rekavidur knew would have contained decades worth of information, Heath pulled his hand back with a gasp.

“This is it,” he said blankly, turning his eyes on Rekavidur. “This is what we’ve been looking for. This is enough to save them.”

“It is indeed,” Rekavidur responded, his voice grave.

“But will they believe us?” Heath demanded. He looked like he was hardly able to grasp that they’d really found evidence so powerful, his human mind struggling to change direction so quickly. “Will the elders accept it?”

“They will have no choice but to accept it,” said Elddreki, entering the conversation. “They will know I am not lying.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Heath cried. “We need to go now! Every moment we delay, more people die!”

“I am ready when you are,” said Rekavidur amicably.

Heath gestured frantically, and Rekavidur started fluidly into motion. A moment later, he had Heath in his clutches and had pushed his way up through the trees.

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