The Dragonwalk Highway: The Fellowship of Thirteen

25 - The King's Marker

Zelda and Oron caught up to Carl and Abyss a few decadongs down the Highway. The terrain was rocky and harsh with hills of volcanic ash rising up on both sides of the Highway. Black diamond boulders littered the ground but by that point in the journey nothing made much of an impact on any of our heroes. A brief explanation as to why they were now a quartet followed before they were able to continue on their way.

Abyss placed two hands on Oron's shoulder. "It's not easy to lose a brother. Trust me, I know. You will see him again—one way or another."

Oron pretended to have something in his eye, but the time to mourn the loss of his friend was minimal. Time was not on their side. They'd have to walk through the night to make it to the Tree of Wisdom by dawn. Luckily they were on the easiest part of the journey. There were no major settlements on the northern-most border of the realm due to the proximity to The Beyond. There was the King's Marker at the furthest point from the castle and then the Sacred Grove where the Tree of Wisdom was hidden. That was it. Too easy. No possible way that could go sideways, right?

Oron was quiet as they neared the legendary landmark of the King's Marker. He kept glancing down to his right where Mo usually trotted beside him. It was just about the only time he had been silent on the entire trip. Carl made up for Oron's lack of noise, though. The former Red Shirt would not shut up despite the fact no one was even listening to him.

"I feel like my destiny is my own for the very first time. It's like I've been walking through the night and I'm finally experiencing the dawn. I feel strong. I feel reborn. This is the beginning of a new life for me. A new life. And I'm going to make the most of it, yes I am."

Zelda shushed him. Thunder rolled across the sky like a dozen horses thundering through the clouds. The sky on the border between the Dragonwalk Kingdom and The Beyond swirled velvet black and crimson as deep as a blood clot. There was no question they were on the border of a new world. They were nearing the closest point to The Beyond they would hit on their journey. For some reason silence seemed appropriate for so monumental a landmark.

And now a quick word about The King's Marker. It was located on a peninsula overlooking The Beyond. It was the furthest point from Dragonwalk Castle still within the King's realm. The cliffs were the fastest route to the Sacred Grove so the King's Marker was the last landmark before the group reached their final destination. It was a spiritual location for Zelda as a member of the Dragonwalk family.

She paused when she spotted the Marker in the distance. It was smaller than she had imagined. It was a perfect rectangle of black, volcanic stone. The Dragonwalk insignia adorned each corner of the marker. In the middle was the message Zelda had memorized before she was even able to read, the message detailing King Dragonwalk the First's victory over Pazuzu and his forces from The Beyond. She nearly wept thinking about her great grandfather winning the Great War, then her grandfather setting the groundwork for the King's Highway and then her own father completing that same Highway. Now here she was on the brink of completing her own epic achievement.

But, in that moment, Zelda's mind wandered not to the message on the front of the Marker but to the back.

She glanced over at Oron who was suppressing a knowing smile.

"Go ahead, love," he said. "See for yourself."

Zelda made a move to walk toward the Marker but Carl darted ahead of her.

"No way, Princess," he called over his shoulder. "No one's beating me to that marker. Let the hero of this journey be the first to look out over The Beyond!"