Dream of Legends (107 page)

Whether or not the Himmeros had been reassured, at least enough not to try and run away, Spirit Wing still exhibited great trepidation regarding the notion of approaching the dragon. Defiantly, it dug its paws firmly into the white, spongy surfacing, locking its legs as Wulfstan tried to coax the nervous creature towards the opened, offered underside of the dragon’s claws. He could not entirely blame the Himmeros for its reluctance, as the Elder’s sharp talons looked far more deadly than any sword or axe ever forged upon a skilled blacksmith’s anvil.

Wulfstan then turned his head back up and around, as he heard the sonorous voice of the dragon calling out again. This time, the sounds coming from the dragon’s mouth were unintelligible, though from their timbre and pattern Wulfstan guessed them to be some manner of words. He knew at once that the words were not intended for him, in any way. His eyes narrowed, and his brows furrowed in confusion, as the dragon continued to speak in the strange, unknown tongue. The language was harmonious and flowing in its cadence, and it made the dragon’s voice lighten even further from the deep, imposing tone that it had used to address Wulfstan.

The Saxan’s attention was diverted once more, as the rigid tether holding the Himmeros close to him suddenly slackened. Inexplicably, Spirit Wing brushed right by him towards the open, extended claws, showing not one sign of its former apprehension.

In a few moments, the Himmeros was tugging Wulfstan forcibly towards the claw. With a stronger yank, Spirit Wind lifted him off of his feet, and pulled him a couple of steps forward, bringing him out of his momentary stupor.

“The language of the First Age, spoken by the servants of the All-Father,” the Elder dragon explained to Wulfstan, resuming the Saxan speech once again. “I will speak to you later of it as well. But know that it is a tongue good for speaking to all manner of creatures brought into this world by the All-Father.”

With some effort, Wulfstan was able to find footholds and handholds in the leathery roughness of the dragon’s skin. The grips that he was afforded enabled him to clamber up onto the surface of the upturned claw. He strode to the middle of the great claw, where the Himmeros now stood in a relaxed manner. He flinched slightly, as the giant talons of the dragon closed in slowly, to fully encase their bodies.

The dragon brought its claws together delicately, until Wulfstan and the Himmeros were held relatively snugly near the center. Wulfstan then shifted and rotated, as he felt the dragon carefully turning its clenched talons over, while keeping its right foreleg lifted up off the ground.

A moment later, he was jostled abruptly, as the great bulk of the creature lurched forward. The dragon stepped forward somewhat awkwardly on its three unencumbered feet. After a few more paces, Wulfstan felt the dragon come to a halt. He knew that they were on the outermost edge of the floating snow-land, at the very cusp of the dizzying, plunging fall to the distant ground.

His heart started racing, as he felt the tension rippling through the dragon’s body. He had a good idea of what was about to happen, and did not want to think about it at all.

The Elder’s body rocked backward, just before its rear legs propelled its massive bulk forward in a strong leap, springing the great dragon far from the edge that Wulfstan had so carefully, and timidly, looked over just a short while before. There was a gliding sensation for a couple of moments, before a brief, sharp dip, as the creature’s vast wings stretched out and seized on the air. The sound of the dragon’s wings beating through the air, stirring up a tempest in their own right, filled Wulfstan’s ears. He felt his stomach grow queasy with the unpleasant sensations coming over him, and felt that it would not be much longer before he began to retch.

As if in reflex, he clutched tightly onto the neck of the Himmeros, which was now lying by his side. As Wulfstan’s hands grabbed fistfuls of its fur, Spirit Wing whined and fidgeted in the darkness of the dragon’s hold. Wulfstan trembled in fear as the dragon’s body alternately rose and fell, doing his best to endure as the creature worked to attain a level of equilibrium in its flight.

Gradually, the sharp fluctuations of motion steadied significantly, as the dragon settled down into a rhythmic trajectory. Wulfstan was grateful for both the darkness of the talon-enclosure, and for the imminent presence of the sky steed. He could take some succor from Spirit Wing’s company, while not being faced outright with the altitude that they were being carried at.

He rested his head against the Himmeros, making himself as comfortable as he possibly could, given the circumstances. The sky steed’s coarse fur lay against his right cheek, and the musky scent of it filled his nostrils.

Wulfstan’s stomach continued churning a little, although the nausea did not advance into an overwhelming degree of sickness. He felt his heart leap, to varying degrees, as the dragon continued bobbing in its flight. Sometimes he felt a sudden, sharp drop, and at other times he felt the dragon abruptly rising up, or sliding quickly to one side or the other, buoyed by the shifting, sudden winds, powerful enough to affect a body as immense as the Elder’s. A cold sweat eventually broke out on Wulfstan’s forehead, and a clammy feeling encompassed him, as he struggled to steel his nerves to the unpredictable lurches.

After what seemed like an eternity of being buffeted about, there was an extended period where Wulfstan felt the dragon’s wings pumping more furiously. With what little experience he had gained in flying, he recognized the sensation as coming from a steady climb in height. When the dragon leveled out its flight once again, their progress went much smoother than before. As squeamish as Wulfstan was feeling, it was a very welcome development.

As high as they had been on the floating white mass, where Bevriadak dwelled, Wulfstan could not believe that they had not yet run into the upper firmament; the lofty place where the stars were said to be positioned in the night. The explanation was probably just a simple matter, in that his judgement of spatial distance was rendered ineffective by the unblemished smoothness of the upper firmament. Perhaps there was a much greater distance to it than he had initially fathomed.

Even so, he knew that they were flying at an altitude that was far, far beyond anything that could be reached by a living creature of the world below. The comprehension of that sobering notion evoked his gratitude once more, over the fact that he and the Himmeros were being conveyed in a state of complete darkness. He was certain that his nerves and mind would not be able to handle the view currently spread out beneath the dragon’s claws.

It took him well over an hour to wrestle his anxieties down to a point where he stopped worrying about every slight shift in turbulence. The makeshift carriage created by Bevriedak’s closed claw was rough to endure for an extended journey, but Wulfstan was not about to complain.

After a short while, he noted the dragon climbing up a little higher. He then closed his eyes, resting his weight fully against the Himmeros’ body. The sky steed was now breathing easily, evidently having come to acceptable terms with the manner of their travel. Wulfstan was not nearly as relaxed as the steed, as he still felt tightness in his gut, and a skip in his heartbeat with pronounced movements of the dragon, but he found himself slowly acclimating.

Though Wulfstan had little way of knowing what time it was outside, or even how much distance they had covered, he knew that he had no major concerns to contend with. For all intents and purposes, it was a miracle that he had even reached Bevriedak. Lightning had struck twice in the same place, as Wulfstan had been successful in securing the dragon’s cooperation.

It still seemed unbelievable that he was going to Midragard in the willing company of an Elder, a living legend out of story and song. But this was not another instance of his recurring dreams.

A dream of legends had guided him to a tremendous reality, breathing and living, soaring through the uppermost skies of Ave.

Wulfstan would soon be able to reach out for help, to come to the aid of his beleaguered homeland, just as his wildest hopes had aspired to do. Against all probability, a chance still existed. It had grown much stronger since the moment that Wulfstan had decided to risk everything, and take to the skies on the back of a Himmeros, holding fast to a dream and trusting his instincts. Already he had achieved a tremendous success, as the great wings of an Elder had lifted him above the impossible, and were carrying him ever closer to the possible.

About the Author

Author and Filmmaker Stephen Zimmer was born in Denver, Colorado, and currently resides in Lexington, Kentucky.

His literary works include two epic-scale series, The Rising Dawn Saga, and the Fires in Eden Series. His short fiction includes “In the Mountain Skies”, a steampunk story included in the
Dreams of Steam
anthology from Kerlak Publishing (edited by Kimberly Richardson).

In the world of movies, his work as a director and screenwriter includes the supernatural thriller
Shadows Light
and the horror short film
The Sirens
. He also directed the forthcoming fantasy short film
Swordbearer
, which is based upon the H. David Blalock novel
Ascendant
(Sam’s Dot Publishing).

Stephen’s online home is at

www.stephenzimmer.com

and his blog, Fantastical Musings, is located at

stephenzimmer.blogspot.com.

Those with FaceBook are invited to friend him at

www.facebook.com/sgzimmer

photo courtesy of Patrick Bowling

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Coming Soon

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brings you an amazing YA fantasy series

from award-winning author Jackie Gamber.

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The Leland Dragon Series arrives in 2011,

with Book One,
REDHEART
, in early 2011,

and Book Two,
SELA
, in the summer of 2011.

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If you enjoyed the Fires in Eden series, be sure to check out Stephen Zimmer’s epic urban fantasy series, The Rising Dawn Saga….

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Epic Urban Fantasy-The Rising Dawn Saga

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A shadow falls across the world, and realms beyond, as a war that has raged since the dawn of time itself draws closer to a decisive clash. As groups aligned with a movement called The Convergence speed up their efforts to bring about a global economic and legal order, resistance mounts after the host of a syndicated radio show, Benedict Darwin, discovers the true nature of a virtual reality device that has come into his possession. The Rising Dawn Saga will take you into mythical, supernatural realms as it unfolds, as the most unlikely of individuals rise to confront powers that have existed since before the world began.

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Book One: The Exodus Gate

ISBN: 978-0615267470

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“With
The Exodus Gate
author Stephen Zimmer sets the stage for an adventurous new science fiction fantasy series that is sure to entertain the reader from beginning to end. Zimmer has weaved a tale of fantastic realms populated with exotic creatures. Keep a sharp eye out for this new series.”

-Mark Randell, Yellow30 Sci-Fi

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“…a book that Fantasy Book Review recommends for lovers of thoughtful-fantasy. It is also a book with an ending that is near-prophetic, written as it was before the world’s economic meltdown.”

-Fantasy Book Review

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Book Two: The Storm Guardians

ISBN: 978-0982565636

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“This novel transports me from my bedroom to the edge of an upcoming storm — a battle to be fought by incredible villains and noble heroes of all forms. I love Zimmer’s imagination, as each of his creatures play a pivotal role in the bigger picture. Unfortunately, for every auspicious being there is an ominous beast lurking in the shadows. Zimmer’s weave of fantasy and religious fables leaves the reader sated”

-Bitten By Books

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“The scope of
The Storm Guardians
is massive, opening up and expanding on the conflict only hinted at in
The Exodus Gate
. The intrigue and action promised in the first book is fully developed and mercilessly exhibited. T
he Storm Guardians
is a non-stop thriller that lives up to the promise of
The Exodus Gate
and points at an even more amazing denouement in the final book of the series. Once again, Zimmer has used his command of cinematic imagery to give us a spectacular vision of war both heavenly and hellish. Two thumbs up on this one.”

-Pure Reason Book Review

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Now Available from Seventh Star Press, Steven Shrewsbury’s

hard-hitting, heroic fantasy novel THRALL, featuring illustrations and cover art by fantasy artist Matthew Perry!

Trade Paperback ISBN: 9780983108634

Hardcover ISBN: 9780982565650

eBook ISBN: 9780983108641

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For Gorias La Gaul…

Deliverance Will Come

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Set in the mists of ancient times,
Thral
l tells the story of Gorias La Gaul, an aging warrior who has lived for centuries battling the monstrosities of legend and lore. It is an age when the Nephilum walk the earth, demonic forces hunger to be unleashed, and dragons still soar through the skies … living and undead. On a journey to find one of his own blood, a young man who is caught in the shadow of necromancy, Gorias’ path crosses with familiar enemies, some of whom not even death can hold bound.

Thrall
is gritty, dark-edged heroic fantasy in the vein of Robert E. Howard and David Gemmell. It is a maelstrom of hard-hitting action and unpredictable imagery, taking place within an incredible antediluvian world. In Gorias La Gaul,
Thrall
introduces an iconic new character to the realms of fantasy literature. Thrall invites the reader to go on a perilous journey where it is not a matter of whether one has the courage to die, but whether one has the courage to live.

All Seventh Star Press titles available in print and an array of specially priced eBook formats. Visit www.seventhstarpress.com for further information.