Enchanted Realms

Chapter 9-2

Alyson had grasped him by his tunic. “Josh Wyrmherd, come back to me safe, do you hear?” And then she"d kissed him passionately, her body pressed to his.

Time had stopped along with his heart. Then she"d let go of him and smiled. “See you soon.”

“Why here, in the volcanic bowl?” Queen Aria asked him, giving him that teaching stare.

“We can"t be seen,” Josh said, looking around, the lip concealing their actions from all but the sky above. He sensed something else from her. “Protection for us, but protection for everyone else. Our cutting this raw diamond will release energy. And if something goes awry, a great amount of energy. Queen Aria, is there a chance we"ll die?”

“Yes, a chance of it. Not likely by any means, but a chance. This volcanic bowl is a container. A great explosion once made this crater, whether by the natural forces at work underground or some other cataclysm is unknown.”

“You mean magic? Perhaps the cutting of a stone very like this one?”

“Yes, Josh, perhaps the cutting of a similar stone.” Queen Aria bared her teeth at Josh on what he could only describe as a wicked grin. “She loves you terribly, you know.”

He chucked, feeling a bit flush. “I think she does.”

“I sense you love her just as much.”

He nodded. “I think I do.” He hadn"t slept much the night before, Alyson curled up in his arms, the warmth of her back against his chest, an aching heat welling up inside. He"d tried to keep his lower extremities away from her, but she kept inching closer.

“It"s all right,” she"d whispered finally, “It feels … wonderful.”

And finally, he"d slept, the comfort of her against him from head to toe both relaxing and invigorating.

“Why have you not bred with each other?” Queen Aria asked.

The heat rushed into his face.

“Perhaps not such a good question. You humans bewilder me sometimes. Ah, well. So to answer your burning questions about this stone—why here, why now, et cetera. As I said, the largest diamond I"ve ever seen, and raw besides. A chance to shape this raw source of power to our liking, a once in a millennium chance to change the course of civilization.”

“All that?” Josh asked.

“Look at the sapphire, a gem occurring naturally in oval shapes. The sapphire of time if cut in any way loses its ability to access time. The ruby, emerald and diamond all require shaping. The methods of shaping affect how the gems may be used. The more facets or surfaces that the gem has, the greater its flexibility but the less focused its power. Diffusion of application weakens each of those applications. The diamond is a curious crystal. The stone of communication. You and I are speaking the wyvern-talk right now. Our communication in words accomplishes only a fragment of the messages that pass between us.”

Josh frowned.

“You"re puzzled, I see, but you"ve conveyed that without words.”

His eyebrows rose.

“Now you"re intrigued by what I"m suggesting.”

Josh cleared his throat and shuffled his feet.

“You grow uncomfortable with the number of things you didn"t intend to communicate.”

Furrows appeared on his forehead.

“Now you"re worried that I"m reading your mind.” The poof of smoke was evidence of chuckle. “I am not.”

Josh sighed.

“You"re relieved that I"m not.”

He shook his head at her.

“You"re somewhat disbelieving that I could know so much. I"ve lived many years among humans, served many worthy and noble masters and mistresses. And learned to read the human body language better than most humans. For example, I know that Alyson—”

“Please don"t,” Josh said, somewhat embarrassed by the rather obvious changes she aroused in him.

“My apologies,” Queen Aria said, showing those wicked teeth again. “None of these signals given off by humans are clear communications of intent, but are only indications. It is the thoughts themselves that most clearly convey what a person intends.”

“One use of the diamond,” Josh proffered.

“Indeed. The range and scope depend somewhat on the size, somewhat on the cut. What are some of its other uses?”

“To perceive emotion.”

Queen Aria nodded. “What else?”

“To transmit one"s own thoughts and feelings.”

“Certainly—again, range and scope depend on size and cut. Anything else?

Josh sensed she was searching for something, asking him to question his own assumptions about the way he viewed the world. Was he inadvertently listening in to the edges of her mind with the help of the raw diamond between them? Or was she seeking to influence his way of thinking? “To persuade people,” he said intuitively.

She breathed deeply, as though sighing, her warm breath washing over him, brine and sulfur bringing back to Josh fond memories of the wyrm ranch.

“Yes, Josh, to persuade people. To bring them to your cause. A power that"s led to the ruin of many, for its uses are many; its temptations and allure can corrupt even the deeply moral soul. So, Josh, tell me, are you worthy of the power that this diamond will bring you, once shaped into its final form?”

Josh looked into the wyvern"s eyes. He saw no suspicion, only gentle caring. Further, he saw it was a caring that held its purity despite many a betrayal, a caring in the face of hurt, a commitment despite the experience of disappointment. An expectation of better despite the experience of worse. Can I live up to that? Josh wondered. “I don"t know,” he said, knowing Queen Aria wise beyond his reckoning.

She blinked at him. “An honest answer. A deeply contemplative answer. Any other, and my doubts might have led me to abandon our task here today. Talking wyvern does not make a person honorable.

“You showed some of these qualities yesterday, when that guardian son hijacked Adularia back to the cavern. You have great restraint, a quality Alyson would do well to learn from you.”

“She can be impulsive at times, can"t she?”

The poof of smoke enveloped Josh. “Sorry,” Queen Aria said. “Her spirit is indomitable. You are fortunate to have her at your side.”

Josh knew it, in spite of her impulsivity. “She"s a fighter, believes strongly in what"s right, and says so without reservation.”

“All qualities that will serve you well.

“Our raw diamond brings us choices.” Aria said, “Looking down upon the stone. A cut leaving large flat areas gives the stone focus, a cut with many smaller facets, flexibility. Each style has benefits and disadvantages. Josh, you are its wielder, and I am here merely to shape it at your direction. What is the shape that you desire?”