4

Brandon is flying through the alien blue sky from his vision. Below him are palaces much like the one he saw Jacklyn in. Scattered around them are homes smaller than his family’s. He can’t believe all the different colors below him, they all seem so unnatural. Large pitch-black weaving lines are going in every direction.

“What kind of monster is that?” Brandon asks out loud as something white and shiny rapidly moves along one of the dark lines.

“It’s called a car.” Startled he looks to his right and sees Jacklyn beside him. She smiles at him, and giggles. He can’t help smiling back. “I love dreams you can fly in, don’t you?”

Brandon only shakes his head yes. A feeling of being complete comes over him.

“My names Jacklyn, what’s yours?” she asks as she takes his hand.

Brandon waits for her to pull away at the feel of his rough skin. When she doesn’t, he answers her, “Brandon.” Slowly he feels a warmth crawl from their hands to the center of him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see her looking at his clothes. He hadn’t noticed how different their clothes are. His are handmade from the cotton that his people grow. Hers are pink, and they shine in the sunlight.

“Where are you from?” Jacklyn asks curiously.

“I live on an island in another dimension it is called Grandel Isle.” He watches her carefully, expecting her to think that he’s crazy.

Jacklyn’s deep blue eyes widen in surprise.

“My Dad has told me stories about Grandel Isle. He would make-believe my mom was the Queen, and I was the little princess. When I was little, I would pretend it was real.” She blushes and looks away embarrassed. She looks back at him with excited eyes. “Can I see it?”

How can I do that? Brandon thinks as he looks around. It’d be nice if this dream thing came with instructions. Then he notices that the red sky of his world is above them, and the Red Sea is below them.

“That is the Red Sea below us, and Grandel Isle is just ahead.” He points at an island in the distance. He watches as a look of delight comes over her face. He notices for the first time that she has light freckles across her nose.

The sun makes the Red Sea look like a ruby ring that goes on forever. At the center of the crimson water is Grandel Isle, and in the center of the island is an enormous grassy mountain. On top sits the quartz palace.

In the distance, they can see the islands that surround Grandel. The island to the north has towering mountain peaks, and freezing winds and snow always cover them. This island is named Distal. The one to the east is called Greelant. It’s flat and covered in a dense jade forest. Thetal is the island to the south. It’s black except for the continuously flowing lava streams. Around this island, the sea is always boiling, and great billows of steam rise from it.

“What’s that?” Jacklyn points behind them at a blanket of shifting mist.

“They say an island used to be there. I think it was called Mistlor, but all that is left of it is that fog.” Brandon barely knows anything about the mist. He’s heard that some people have ventured into it, never to be seen again.

Brandon looks at Jacklyn when he feels her loosen her grip.

“Can we get closer?” Jacklyn asks reaching for the red water below.

Brandon tightens his grip and pulls back fearing she’ll touch their tainted sea.

“No!” he says a little too sharply. Then, softly he explains, “It is poisonous. One drink is deadly.”

Jacklyn snatches her hand back as something splashes nearby.

“What’s that?” There’s a mix of fear and awe in her voice.

Brandon looks where Jacklyn is pointing. A creature breaks the surface of the water. Its body is long, and the sun bounces off of its dark purple scales.

“That is a Water Dragon. They can live almost anywhere and can eat anything.”

The dragon’s head erupts from the water in an attempt to catch a large dark red stork. The dragon’s head is round and has a short snout. The fins on the sides of its face and body flash when the spines on them catch the sun. Those spines can rip through everything. Then, it opens its mouth and shows its many rows of silver blade-like teeth. Its blood-red eyes catch sight of them, and it dives back into the water, the bird is forgotten. Its tail comes above the water, and they’re momentarily blinded when the sun catches the end of its fanned tail.

Faster than seems possible, the Water Dragon is below them, circling. It rolls on its broad back showing its pearl belly. The dragon sucks in a mouth full of water to fill the water pouch in its neck. It lifts its massive head and shoots an arched stream of water over the top of them.

Jacklyn lets out a little squeal of panic. “It’ll hit us. Can we go any higher?”

Brandon smiles, “We are high enough. There is no reason to be scared.”

“I’m not,” she snaps.

For the rest of their flight over the Red Sea, the Water Dragon sings its gorgeous, mournful song, and Jacklyn’s fear melts away. They arrive at the Outer-lands after a short time. From above, it looks different to Brandon. The Red Sea makes the sand at the shore look like it’s been soaked in blood. The cliffs to their left are stained red at the bottom from the constant slamming of the sea’s waves. Slowly, the sand turns to its usual tan color with a few light streaks of red where the water runs underground. A few of the veins stay close to the surface and reach the Low-lands. At these spots, smaller man-made waterfalls are busy filtering the water. The largest of these waterfalls is the one at the Festival Field where several streams meet, the rest of the veins sink deeper. Some pass through the room where the Chosen had climbed the wall. All of the underground streams end up in a massive cavern under Grandel Isle.

“This is the Outer-lands. It was not always like this. The sea has poisoned it. There used to be trees and all kinds of animals.” Brandon points ahead of them, “The large mountain ahead is where most of our wildlife lives now.”

Jacklyn gesture toward one of the many rock formations at the edge of the Outer-lands, it is about ten feet tall with two ice-blue crystals embedded into it. When they start to pass it, Brandon hears Jacklyn whisper. “It’s a dragon.”

“Yes, a Winged Dragon. The statue does not come close to showing their magnificence.”

“How many kinds of dragons do you have here?”

“Four different kinds, the winged ones are the rarest. The island to the north is where they live. Some Earth Dragons live on Grandel Isle, but most of them live on the island to the east. The Water Dragons, of course, live in the Red Sea. A few Fire Dragons live deep under Grandel where there is a lava lake, but they prefer the volcanic island to the south.”

The amazed look on Jacklyn’s face confuses Brandon. “You have dragons on Earth, right?”

“No.” she chuckles softly.

Brandon can’t picture a world without dragons. Not to have their beauty to look upon. When he has to leave Grandel, it’ll be a sorrowful day.

Jacklyn reaches out and touches the side of Brandon’s well-built face.

Brandon feels warmth spread across his cheek. It disappears when she pulls away.  Jacklyn looks at her fingertips.

“I cannot imagine not seeing dragons every day.”

“Well, at least you wouldn’t have to worry about being eaten,” Jacklyn says defensively.

“Dragons do not eat people,” Brandon says annoyed with her accusation. “The Earth Dragons help us in any way they can.”

Jacklyn’s face melts into a look of wonder. “You mean that Water Dragon wouldn’t have hurt us?”

“No,” Brandon says.

Jacklyn smiles at him, and Brandon feels his annoys fizzles away. “You live in a beautiful, peculiar world, Brandon.”

As they continue their journey, they come to the Low-lands at the base of the mountain. Below them is the Rose Crystal Cascade and the Festival Field. Sitting next to the waterfall is a tall windmill that turns regularly. A belt made from animal hide is attached to it. The belt rotates a line of buckets that go from an underground stream to the top of the man-made waterfall.

“This is where I live. It is called the Low-lands. See the waterfall? The top half is full of charcoal, and the bottom is full of cotton. The water at the bottom is what we use to farm with,” He looks over at Jacklyn. He finds that she’s smiling, and breathing in deeply.

“It smells so sweet here. What is it?”

“It comes from the flowers in the trees around the waterfall; they are called gandeans.” The flowers are gold and are the size of a baseball. They have four petals and what looks like two white feathers coming from the center. “You do not have them on Earth?”

“No,” she breathes in deeply again. “My world is nothing like this. You have no smog, no trash, no machine smells, and noises. It’s marvelous.”

Covering the Low-lands is a hawthorn and juniper forest. Both trees are said to ward off negative energy. The juniper tree also wards off evil. In some areas, the trees have been cleared out to make room for small wooden homes, gardens, barns and pasture land for the livestock. The food grown here is to feed the entire island.

When they start up the grassy slope of the mountain, Jacklyn asks, “Where are all your people?”

“I am not sure. It looks to be about mid-day, so everyone should be busy working.” Brandon thinks of his family and friends. Where can everyone be? He watches as the trees thin out, and grassy fields start to appear. There’s a small stream that runs down this part of the mountain. As it does, it creates small drinking pools were Grandels and animals alike gather to refresh themselves. There’s always one or the other at the pools, but today there’s neither. Here and there they can see cave openings. Brandon thinks of Everlyn and her children.

“This is the Mid-lands,” Brandon says when they reach the first level in the mountain. “The Mid-lands have many different types’ of orchards. All of them are for growing trees with healing properties. They have several large gardens that only grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and flowers that also have healing properties.”

Scanning for people or any sign of life, Brandon continues to tell Jacklyn about his world.

“The Lowlanders built the stone houses that are scattered over this part of the mountain. Some of the rocks were gathered from surrounding caves and mines. The rest were brought in from the Outer-lands with Everlyn’s help.”

Brandon points to three buildings that are larger than the rest.

“The first one is where the Midlanders come together to solve any island problems. They call it the Inspiration House. They prepare all their meals in the furthest one. The one with the different colors in the windows is the Healers House.” There are eight windows in all. Each one has stained glass in it that’s a different healing color.

White promotes healing of the body, mind, and spirit. Red and orange stimulate a weak immune system. Orange also strengthens a faint pulse and blue lowers high blood pressure. Yellow helps the nervous and digestive system. The heart, lungs, and respiratory system are reinforced with the color green. Purple is a natural sedative. Brown, blue, and orange relieves various kinds of pain.

Brandon focuses on the yellow window. He’s sure he saw movement.

“Who is there?!” he shouts excitedly, finally a sign of life.

To Brandon’s surprise, William emerges from the Healers House. William looks around. Brandon screams his name. This time, William looks up and spots them.

“What are you doing up there? How did you get up there?” Suddenly, William’s feet leave the ground. A look of panic comes over his face, and he starts flailing his arms and legs.

“Brandon, what is going on?” There’s alarm in William’s voice. “Where is everyone?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. Is there anyone in the Mid-lands?”

“No.” William looks over to Jacklyn. He recognizes her instantly. “If she is here, it is just a dream, right?” Concern overtakes his voice. “Brandon, I should not be here. It should be just you.”

“I know. Something is wrong with the whole dream.” At least Steven isn’t here, Brandon thinks. The legend Everlyn mentioned races through his thoughts. No, he thinks, and he pushes the notion away.

When they arrive at the High-lands, they look around, but once again they see no one. The land here looks barren because they have no trees or grass. There are only a few small gardens that are for growing sow thistles and leeks. They’re both thought to help protect the Highlanders in battle. The trees were cut down a few at a time to make walls for the Highlanders to use during training and for their tents. They also have climbing ropes, large rocks, swords, bows and arrows to help them train for battle. Scattered around all the equipment are tents. The Highlanders must always be ready to move, so the only home they ever know is a tent.

“From birth, the Highlander men and women are trained for the army. Many of them have died to keep us, and Earth, safe,” Brandon tells Jacklyn.

Brandon looks around for anyone. This place should be filled with Highlanders using the equipment and practicing. A sound behind them cuts through the horrid silence. Before Brandon looks, and even though he’s never heard his voice, he knows who he’ll see.

Just as Steven’s about to catch up with them, he starts to move backward.

“What are you doing?!” William yells.

Jacklyn speaks up for the first time since William and Steven have joined them, “He has no control. None of us do.” They can hear the panic growing in her voice.

William starts to struggle when he also begins to fall behind. He yells for help. Brandon tries to think of something, but there’s nothing he can do. Helpless Brandon and Jacklyn continue to move forward as William and Steven fall further behind. Brandon looks down to see if there’s anything he can grab a hold of, and sees that they’re now flying over the Royal-lands.

Brandon tries to stay calm. It’s only a dream, he tells himself.

Below them is the iron fence that surrounds the palace, a row of rowans and peach trees line the inside of it. The rowan tree is thought to counteract negative energy. While the peach ward off evil spirits. A grassy meadow filled with white, red, purple and reddish brown hyssop flowers stretches for half a mile to the huge oversized wooden doors at the front of the palace. Brandon hears Jacklyn’s breath catch as she sees the quartz fortress up close for the first time. There are four towers connected by four curving corridors. There are no seams in the palace walls. Each wall melts into the next. It’s one giant structure.

In the center of the stronghold is a courtyard, and in the heart of this is a massive fountain. Four crystal clear streams spill out from large holes in the sides of the spring. The water crosses the courtyard. Then disappears under the palace walls, and cascades down the four sides of the mountain.

Four bridges connect ten feet above the fountain. Each one has a guardian statue in front of it. The sculptures are of dragons. Each kind of dragon is represented. The bridges are also colored accordingly, white for the Winged Dragons, reddish brown for the Earth Dragons, red for the Fire Dragons, and purple for the Water Dragons. Where the bridges connect is a large platform, and in the center of this platform is a liquefied silver ball taller than two average men. In front of the sphere is an iron archway, and carved into it is the mythical Spirit Dragons.

“The silver ball is a portal to Earth. We have been guarding it for over two thousand years.” He looks at Jacklyn. Her eyes are sweeping over everything, trying to take it all in.

“The fountain you see feeds the streams that flow down the mountain. Those four streams are the only source of drinking water that the people of Grandel have left. If not filtered right you can get sick from the water that comes from the sea. We only use that water for watering crops, gardening, and washing.” He continues telling Jacklyn about Grandel to try and keep her calm. Her small hand is trembling in his.

“Did your people build the palace?” Jacklyn asks eyes wide.

“No, the rock used cannot be found here. They say that the palace was here before the people.”

“Who’s that?” Jacklyn points to a woman. The lone woman is wearing a long white dress, and on top of her head, is a delicate silver crown. She’s standing on the highest balcony so she can see the entire island. She looks as if she’s searching for something.

Brandon let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“That is Queen Jasmine.” Thank goodness she’s alright he thinks to himself.

“What’s she looking for? She looks so sad.” Jacklyn looks at the Queen’s troubled eyes.

“She is worried about her people. They all seem to be missing.” Brandon’s voice shakes as his fear for his family grows. A feeling of being watched overtakes him, and he looks over his shoulder. The Darkness is there waiting.

Jacklyn follows Brandon’s gaze. “What’s that?”

“That is the Darkness.”

As they watch the Queen, she suddenly collapses. Her silver crown rolls to the edge of the balcony and falls to the meadow below. At the same time, there’s a loud rip as the barrier fails. Suddenly, they feel themselves pulled toward the Darkness. Now, Brandon knows what has happened to his people. This is only a dream, he tells himself.

“Brandon, stop. I don’t want to see anymore.” Jacklyn digs her fingernails into his hand.

“I cannot stop us,” he says as he looks for some way to end the horror for both of them.

“Please, Brandon,” she begs as tears come to her eyes.

“It will be alright, my Queen,” Steven says as they rapidly catch up with him and William. “It is only a dream.” Jacklyn doesn’t seem to hear him.

At the same time, a black hand reaches for them all. Jacklyn screams, and lets go of Brandon’s hand.

“No, Jacklyn.” Brandon reaches for hers. His fingers just touch the tip of hers. There’s a brief warm feeling, and then she begins to fall. “We have to get to her.”

They all struggle to follow Jacklyn, but the force that’s pulling them to the Darkness is too strong. They can only watch her fall further away, and listen to her terrified screams.

A burning pain overcomes Brandon. When he tears his eyes from his terrified queen, he finds that three tentacles have come out of the hand that’s reaching for them, and they’ve wrapped around all three men’s waists. Together the three Grandel men scream in agonizing pain.

“SHE IS MINE!” the Darkness roars as another dark hand engulfs Jacklyn.

Brandon can hear her horrified, pain-stricken screams as she’s pulled through the portal.