THE DRAGON LORDS OF ELEBOR - MIHIGO EMMANUEL (red seas under red skies txt) 📗

was probably obscured from view by the man's old tortured robes thought Ntende before patting him. The old man sat down beside Alexandria. Placing his hands on the table he turned and faced Alexandria "My my, little one, how time has been kind to you."

Before he could say more Daisy came in holding an axe over her head "you!, i warned what would happen if you came back." she held the axe high ready to swing "Alright, alright don't get yer knickers in a bunch lass i am leaving." he got up stared into Alexandria's eyes a moment before turning toward the door. Mihigo noticed the cutlery was missing where the old man had been sitting. He turned his gaze to him just in time to see him slip a silver tray over the neckline of his robe into the depths of God knows where; he ran his hands over tables as he walked to the door and where his hand passed, cutlery vanished. Once at the door he turned and called “kitty! Come on let’s not stay where we're not wanted.” The cat gave a low meow and stayed put. “You CAT!” He called. The animal jumped up and walked to him grumbling in low steady growls.

"Why did that lunatic come to you?" Daisy asked but didn't wait for an answer "He's insane nobody knows where he passes to get to the city given that his house is at the top of saber Tooth Mountain, or so the hikers say. Though i have seen him talk to himself often and sometimes even seen him deep in debate with chicken." she smiled at the thought then went back with her axe. "Don't tell me that that is the man going to answer our questions." Ntende looked skeptically at Alexandria "He was less unstable when i knew him." she answered "But unstable none the less." Mihigo added in a matter of fact tone, he seemed to be adjusting or rather accepting the situation. “Let’s go, if you still want your answer that is?” They left the turban and back into the streets following Alexandria who seemed more confident about where she was going. Mihigo and Ntende followed silently and without question, she made a turn at a building with the image of a blue spiral galaxy being fed by multiple tiny streaks filling into it.

They walked through the front door into a wide hall with a logo imprinted into the floor. It was an octogram with multiple small crosses inside, well aligned to mimic the octogram shell. In its center two boxes over lapped each other making it look like a diamond intertwined with a box, and in that center another octogram created in broken lines. The balcony above was punctuated by an assortment of pipes of different colors that all met at two huge terminals that hung over head on the celling and the side of the balcony on the first floor. They walked up to the secretary who sat jabbing swiftly and precisely at the keyboard of her desktop. Next to her was a golden tab with the name Nezza on it.

She wore a thin white blouse with a black lining from the left collar down the button line, her blond hair falling forward at the sides of her face. She tucked some stray strands back behind her left ear as she peered up at them through her dual-toned black and amber glasses. "Welcome to the Internal Planetary Transport center how may i help you?" she straightened up when she noticed Mihigo and Ntende "you’re not from around here." she meant it as a statement other than a question but still looked at them curiously especially Mihigo. "We need transportation to saber Tooth Mountain." Alexandria said. The girl continued staring at Mihigo and he never broke he's gaze into her eyes either. "Saber Tooth Mountain is uninhabited." she answered calmly turning to Alexandria "Campers are only allowed there..." she broke off, then sighed "follow me" she said in almost a whisper. She pushed the intercom button on the landline at her side and said "Judi please complete this report for me and take it to the prime he needs it in ten minutes." She led them through an arch way and into a corridor lined with red doors every five steps. It looked heavily congested yet the corridor was completely free of any one except for them.

The secretary wore a light brown skirt about two inches above her knees into which she smartly tucked her blouse. Her knee high boots barely made any sound as she led them deeper into the same never ending trail of doors. Soon they reached an old battered door, the wood was scratched in ways that suggested a devastating battle between a vicious animal and the door which despite the toll taken seemed to have won. As the secretary approached the door it seemed to straighten up and tighten the hinges, "It’s alright, they’re friends." she said soothingly to the door as if talking to a toddler refusing to give up a toy. She ran her finger down the door then placed her whole hand upon the door, the door relaxed; its hinges creaked as it did so before swinging open.

A leathery darkness shimmered at the threshold "whoa, impressive." Mihigo said breathless. "You can see that?" the secretary asked looking at Mihigo curiously but could not hide the hint of hopeful excitement in her eyes. "It's the darkest mirage ever, in fact the only one there is." Ntende piped up looking hopefully at the secretary who gave him a warm motherly smile but returned Mihigo a meaningful but still exciting glance. Alexandria also looked at Mihigo curiously "What do you see?" she asked "I see what we’re all seeing now can we go, we still need answers." he stepped through the darkness. Out through the other end Ntende came to a sudden halt. The room was filled with most complex machinery. "Tele-transporter" the secretary said to Ntende "you saw it before we went through, how?" Ntende asked Mihigo "It’s a rare gift some have." said the secretary, walking toward the massive machine Alexandria followed "your down playing it why?" she asked in a low voice "I don't know what you mean." she answered a bit loudly just enough to catch Mihigo and Ntende's attention.

Alexandria left her fiddling with the nodes and dials "Everything alright?" Ntende asked "i am fine." she answered as the machine roared to life, a vortex materialized into what had looked like a hole in the machine but now seemed to be the one thing holding the vortex together and open. "This will take you straight in front of his house." said the secretary, Alexandria nodded "you’re a telepath" she meant it as a statement not a question. "Yes, he left a message in your mind so when i scanned you i saw it." Mihigo looked at her worriedly but expectantly "you were reading my mind when you stared at Me." she answered yes so plainly Mihigo swallowed wondering what she had seen.

"Let’s go" Alexandria pronounced and waved Mihigo and Ntende through "you want answers, through here please." Mihigo suddenly turned and faced Ntende with a mischievous grin plastered onto his face "after you" he said griping Ntende by the arm and flung him into the portal himself closely behind.

Ntende appeared in a snow covered clearing running for miles all around the only things in sight were some mountain ranges that formed the only horizon. The sky was a light with star clusters all over and constellations so clear they looked painted into the stars themselves, they were so many so bright they provided the only form of illumination. Mihigo appeared soon behind Ntende he gasped in surprise his breath caught in his throat. "It’s incredible i am not even cold." Ntende declared facing Mihigo who was looking up at the sky a horrified look on his face a burning anger in his eyes. When Alexandria appeared, Mihigo turned on her, leaping at her, pinning her down and throwing her bow out of her grasp and drawing one of her arrows to her throat in one swift motion.

Anger, that is what Mihigo felt, how could she betray them like this, then again they'd only known her a day. "Mihigo get off her!" Ntende yelled trying to pry him off her "she's been lying to us Ntende, look at the sky she's been lying straight to our faces. Why i ought a...” “Mihigo i don't get it." Ntende said trying with no result to pull Mihigo off the girl below him. "The stars Enzo look at the stars." all the while Alexandria remained still underneath Mihigo, heart thundering against her chest, his eyes never leaving hers, she wondered what he was looking for. Ntende took a deep breath to steady himself when he spoke his voice was calm and commanding at the same time "Mihigo listen to me i know your confused and worried as am i but let’s not get carried away, were so close to getting the answers we seek so please let her go, she's brought us this far." Alexandria felt him relax his hold on her but his eyes remained cold; he then left her lying on the ground and tossed her arrow aside. Alexandria let her breath go; she didn't realize she had been holding it for that long. Mihigo stood up and pointed to the stars “look Enzo,” he said, then started rumbling on and on about stars and constellations, pointer stars, what they point to... on and on he went.

"For the love of all that is natural look at that aurora!" Mihigo tossed his hands into the air, for emphasis, like a street pastor, Just as Alexandria was about to speak the same old man appeared out of thin air right before them "curious, how curious, you have the sight, a rare sight indeed." Mihigo sighed loudly "you better be here to answer my questions old man." the old man smiled "yes impatient one, but first tell me what more you see besides the aurora eh." Mihigo regarded him for a while and decided anything, to get the answer he needed. He gazed up and around then took a deep breath "i do see the aurora, it’s like a magnificent curtain of fire dancing across the sky, red, blue and green layers in sort of a spiral circle surround this clearing. Which is part of the problem!" he turned to the old man who merely told him to continue describing what he saw. "There is also a blue moon far beyond here, its faint but it’s the moon i know it." Mihigo turned to face the old man who had a content smile on his face, Ntende mean while stared open mouthed at Mihigo and Alexandria hugged herself. The old man saw this and ushered them to his house which Mihigo answered that he could see as well when the old man gave him a questioning look.

They walked through what looked like thin air and were suddenly in a beautiful flower garden with a small path way leading up to a small cottage, the sweet fragrance of flowers unmistakable. Once inside the old man shed the brown tattered cloak he wore waved at the fire place where a fire erupted crackling over the dried wood already there. The cabin smelled of rotting wood like it had been here for centuries maybe even millennia. A single beam stood near the fire place to support part of the roof that seemed ready to collapse. It also served as a look out post for his cat, which was better at getting up than down. White lace curtains hung on the inside of the windows. The log walls were dull gray with age, but a bright blue door greeted visitors outside. Other than the door, the whole place gave the appearance of hiding within the grasses surrounding it, of