Legends of Belariath

Salina Kyle

The Golden Dragon Statue

I adjusted my veil covering the dark skin that made me a cursed being even though I’d grown up on the surface in the light of the beautiful sun. You’d think after having lived near the town for close to fifty years the humans would’ve become used to me but such was not the case. Making sure all of my white hair was tucked into the back of my cowl, I took a deep breath to steel my nerves before spurring my horse forward. The moment I was spotted the word seemed to reach everyone, some just glancing at me before returning to their work, others stopping to stare at me like I was some kind of monster. With my covered head held high, I got off of my mount and entered the local grocery shop to buy supplies for my home.

“Ah… Michel… what can I get you this morning?” Freden said smiling in a friendly manner. Seeing no one else in the store I threw back my hot hood and shook out my silver/white hair smiling at my human friend.

“Magi Jalan sent me to get these supplies,” I said holding out a list to him. Freden looked over the list nodding then set it on his counter.

“Do you have any more wooden figurines for me, Michel?” he said with a gentle smile. “I’ve sold the four for a good price. Here’s your part of the money.” He handed me about ten silver pieces. It wasn’t much but it meant a lot to me to know my carvings were bringing someone a bit of pleasure.

“I’ve brought you two larger ones this time,” I said, pulling my leather pouch from under my cloak to carefully unwrap the two statues. One was made of a dark wood, a crouching panther with small tan topaz stones for eyes and clear quartz crystals for fangs. The second was that of a unicorn of milky white silverwood, a rare wood to find. I’d made his horn of true gold with fiery blue sapphires for eyes and silver on its hooves. The look on his face made all of my work and time well worth it. He carefully took up the panther feeling the texture of the wood smiling grandly.

“It looks like it’s going to jump up and race away,” he said, then gently took up the unicorn. His eyes sparkled with wonder then frowned a little looking up at me. “I’m not sure I can take these, Michel…” My eyes went wide with concern. Had I offended this man, who would treat a Dark Elf child as an equal, somehow? Seeing my distress he set the unicorn down and gave me a strong hug.

“Don’t you like them?” I asked.

“Child, these two are incredible in their beauty,” he said smiling to reassure me. “Its because they are so beautiful and intricate I couldn’t begin to get anywhere near the price these creatures are worth.” I looked down at the unicorn frozen in mid-step looking over her shoulder as though she’d heard something. The Panther looked as though it were getting ready to take down its prey. My violet eyes went up to my human friend.

“You know it’s not the money, Freden,” I said smiling at him. “I want someone to find joy in my carvings, whatever price you charge will be fine.”

“If you’re sure,” he said putting the carvings in the front window of his shop. “I’ll have the supplies sent to Magi Jalan’s tower…” At that moment an elderly human woman and her elven companion entered the shop. Hate sprang into the elf’s eyes as he glared at me but the woman went straight to the sculptures taking them from the window then walked back to them.

“Did you make these, girl?” she asked smiling at me in a friendly manner. After a moment of hesitation, I nodded my head wondering why this human woman of advanced years would take such a close inspection of my work turning them over and around in her thin hands.

“Its not possible, Lady Altoria,” her elven companion growled. “That could never make such delicate works of art… Its not within the ways of ‘that’ kind…” My cheeks began to burn from a combination of embarrassment and shame over his words. I knew of the hatred between the surface elves and Dark Elf kind, still seeing that hatred, something far deeper then even the humans I’d grown up around, it made me tremble in fear like nothing I’d experienced since my days on the street.

“That’s enough,” Freden growled putting his strong hand on my shoulder to comfort me. “I’ll not have you speak so of Michel in my store…”

“Silence, Gertal,” Lady Altoria said then smiled gently at me. “These works are exquisite… I’ll give you ten thousand gold pieces for the pair.” My mouth fell open in shock and disbelief at such an offer but Freden didn’t hesitate a bit smiling at me.

“They’re yours, my lady,” he said with a grand gesture of his hand. She handed him a tan leather pouch filled with the coins as I still stood there with my mouth hanging open like a dumbstruck fool. The elf looked even angrier at the price she’d offered but held his tongue in difference to the seeming human woman. She handed him both the statues before turning her attention back to me.

“I would hire you to do a piece for me, Michel,” she said even as her elven friend groaned in distaste.

“Lady Altoria… do you truly wish to trust such a work to a Dark Elf” he said, her glare silencing him quickly. Her eyes seemed to flash with a golden glow, the elf immediately falling silent dropping his eyes to the floor.

“I understand your distaste for this child’s race, my dear friend,” she said laying her hand lightly on the elf’s shoulder, “but I know I have found my carver. Her hands are truly gifted… Now Michel, have you ever seen a golden dragon or a picture of a golden dragon?”

“Yes, my lady,” I said with a polite tone of respect. “My mentor, Magi Jalan has an extensive library…”

“Excellent, I want to commission you to make a very special statue of a golden dragon,” the elderly woman said to me, her hands placing the panther and unicorn in Gertal’s hands taking a large leather pouch from the elf. “This must be your best work, my dear. It must be life-like and in great detail. You will carve the dragon out of the purest diamond, and coat it in the purest gold…”

“I can’t carve diamond,” I gasped then gasped again when she opened the pouch to show me the contents. Inside this pouch, much bigger on the inside then it looked on the outside, a block of crystal clear diamond, wrapped in a white clothe, the likes of which I knew had to be priceless in value. A smaller block of creamy gold shined next to a bundle of rolled leather, this she took out to lay on the counter. With a bit of a smile at my awe, she unrolled the leather to reveal a set of carving tools the likes of which I’d never seen before.

“These are the tools you will use, my child,” she said placing my hand over the tools. “These tools will carve any gem as easily as if it were wood, and with greater control for detail work. I offer these tools, the pouch of holding, and an item of magic great in power in exchange for your work… do you agree to these terms, Michel?” My eyes hadn’t left the carving tools looking over the different sizes of files, blades, and such. I’d have willingly done any carving for such tools.

“I agree, my lady,” I said looking up into her kind face.

“Excellent,” she said putting the pouch in my trembling hands. When she turned to go my head came up to look toward her with a mild bit of concern.

“How will I contact you to tell you I’m done, Lady Altoria?” I asked, her eyes sparkled with amusement.

“I’ll know when you’ve completed your work, child,” she said, smiling in a gentle way before walking out of the shop, her elf companion at her side still mumbling distaste. I had enough presence of mind to hurry to the window to see them getting into a luxurious coach. Strangely, the coach had no driver but took off as though it needed none. Freden looked down at the tools then up at me.

“This is incredible, Michel,” he said, full of wonder. Carefully, I rolled the tools up and placed them back in the pouch along side the other treasures.

“I must get home and tell, Mentor Jalan,” I said then paused when my dear friend held out the pouch of gold the woman had used to pay for the two carvings of mine. “You know you get half, Freden… That is the deal we’d made long ago.” I poured half of the pouch of gold into his trembling hand then reached across the counter to give him a big hug, brushing his bearded cheek with a soft kiss. Waving to him in my excitement, I didn’t even bother to put my hood and veil back on. I jumped onto the back of my gentle filly, Dusty, and rode for home like the wind, anxious to tell my adopted father all that’d happen.

Jalan looked over the tools, and materials nodding his head as I repeated everything that’d happen in the shop, including describing the woman, her elf companion and the strange coach they’d left in.

“Lady Altoria said she’d know when I completed the dragon,” I finished in a rush, as he nodded his gray head.

“You’ll have to use magic to spread the gold evenly,” he said looking up into my flushed face. “When you’re ready to coat the statue with gold I’ll use my magic to heat the kiln to make sure it’s perfectly even…” I threw my arms around my mentor hugging him tightly, even when he gasped at my strength.

“I must start now,” I said carefully putting everything back in the pouch to take to my small studio in a higher level of the tower.

“I’ll have your dinner brought up to you, my child,” he said to my retreating back, as I took the stairs two at a time in my exuberance.

Closing the door behind me, I tossed my cloak toward my bed not caring that it never reached the bed pooling on the floor at the foot of my bed. I tore my gloves off giving them the same kind of toss as I walked through my chambers to my private workshop. My eyes went around the room seeing the clutter with a frown of irritation. Quickly, I cleared off my work bench of the various little projects I’d been working on then carefully laid the wrapped block of diamond in the center of my table. My hands trembled as I unrolled the precious tools, the diamond not impressing me nearly as much. Taking a deep breath, my eyes went over the diamond, my hands feeling its weight, and silky smooth texture. In my mind, I imagined the dragon waiting in the gem for me to release it. Without looking, I took up the first tool to cut away the basic shape, amazed at the ease the cutter passed through the stone. My mind saw only the dragon’s shape, from its proud head, and strong wings to its long body curled as though at rest. The vision seemed to consume my mind with its exacting detail guiding my hands in their work. It called to me in a way no other carving ever had, demanding my full attention even when someone came to the door of my chambers with food. I didn’t even look away from my task but told whoever it was, I didn’t even bother to divert my eyes to see who stood there, that I didn’t hunger wanting only to be left alone. The need to free the dragon devoured my every thought, body, soul, and heart with its need to be freed from this prison. Time had no meaning to me, I didn’t eat, or sleep not wanting to fail in my task to the dragon I could see waiting for my hands to liberate. It was with some surprise that I put the last detail of the scales of the creature, its head lifted to look at me with a wisdom in its eyes that startled me. My hands trembled a little feeling a pulse in the statue I didn’t understand and didn’t take time to question as there was still one more detail to finish this great work. It had to be covered in the pure gold to complete its journey to freedom. Mentor Jalan seemed to know my need, his top student and he waited for me to stumble a little down the stairs to the main hall. Without speaking they led me to the kiln already set with the gold to be melted. My hands reluctantly placed the diamond dragon into the oven watching as my mentor and Gorse, his prize pupil, began a chant, faced one another with the oven between them. Their hands began to glow brighter and brighter blinding in their powerful light making my eyes burn though I couldn’t look away. In a few moments the chanting stopped. Quickly, I reached in to take out the statue, awed by the life the gold had breathed into the precious stone.

“My Gods, Michel,” Magi Jalan breathed. “Its beyond compare… I swear the dragon looks like its breathing…” There wasn’t time to awe over the work. Something drew me to hurry to the town pulling me as surely as a rope tied to my soul.

Three days had passed as I was secluded in my workshop working on this nearly living statue. As I slid from my horse, Freden came from his shop shocked by my disheveled appear, my clothing wrinkles and dirty, my hair laying limply on my shoulders.

“My God, Michel,” he gasped, holding me up a little. My trembling hands held the dragon statue, wrapped in the white cloth that’d held the diamond, clutched to my chest as one might hold a holy symbol. At that moment, the fancy coach trotted up the street stopping only a few feet from me. Gertal came out of the curtained interior carefully helping the frail woman down the two stairs to approach me. With a reluctance born of giving life to this dragon statue, I held it tighter to my panting chest, but only for a moment. Somehow I knew she needed it more then I ever could. With hands trembling, Lady Altoria slowly unwrapped the sculpture breathing what sounded like a sigh of relief from a great burden.

“Its everything I knew I could expect from you, my child,” she said, letting the cloth drop to the dusty road. Awe passed around all those who’d gathered to watch this strange woman lift the golden dragon into the warm summer sunlight. The statue and the woman began to glow in ever growing intensity till all had to turn away or risk being blind. When the light faded enough, all saw the human woman had disappeared, my work floating in the air for several moments till it suddenly expanded to the full size of a gold dragon. She looked down on me with a great smile.

“You may have the coach as I no longer have need of it,” Altoria rumbled. “You’ll find it can take you anywhere you wish to go. It will provide food and even clothing of a rich standard. The coach will now work only for you, my child. Take it with my thanks and blessing.” Saying that, the beat of her wings kicking up dusty, the dragon disappeared into the afternoon sky. My eyes went from the magical coach to Gertal, only to see him glaring at me with hate. Without a word, the elven man disappeared in a flash of light. Freden helped me over to the coach so we both could awe at its wonderful interior.

“Now you can travel to wherever you want, Michel,” he said as my trembling hand touched the golden handle on the door. “You can finally go look for your sisters as you’ve always wanted.” My sisters, lost to me so long ago, would be the first things I’d go searching for when I’d regained my strength. It would be a long search with many side trips.

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