Alawndra lazily shifted weight to ease the pain in her left wing. Too much flying with her daughter, Sawndra, had set it sore. Her three eyelids fell slowly as she gazed at the embers in the distance. A smile showed as she recalled ancient times when volcanoes dotted the mountainous landscape. Now only this pitiful thing spewed enough to glow dully. The embers dotted her eyes and then she dozed. She dreamed of the humans that she would have to be with sometime in the near future. Hot sulfuric fumes rose from her nostrils as she sagged against the hot wall of the cave. A vision danced in her mind. These dreams came more often and troubled her more than her long-lost daughter. The evil across the long void was calling. Eyes aglow in complete darkness stared out of a cave on twin planets of a cold, dark star. She jerked awake deathly afraid for the first time in millennia. Alawndra called with her mind for Sawndra.

Sawndra lay on the high rocks, basking in the sun. She stretched, delighting in the pleasurable soreness in her new wings. Flying with her mother had been wonderful; more wonderful than she had ever imagined anything could be. Sharing thoughts with her mother had been wonderful, too. This was how she was meant to live, the way she had always been meant to live. Sawndra shifted uneasily, trying to keep the joy of her true form and her return to her people in the forefront of her mind and ignore the troubling thoughts that nipped at the fringes of that joy. Yet, the thoughts came no matter how hard she tried to push them away. This was the way she was meant to be, but this life, her birthright, had been stolen from her. For thousands of years she had existed as pathetic humans. The memories were dim, but she remembered that much. She remembered the contempt she had felt for the humans she had been forced to live among. She also had caught, in sharing her mother's thoughts, how fearful Alawndra was of that evil race. She shifted again. The sun's heat warmed her body, but did nothing to melt the chill that was growing inside her. Sawndra didn't know her place as a dragon and wondered what was to become of her. Then memories surfaced, terrible memories of falling, falling...

The tiny hatchling had wandered away from the rest of the brood, driven by curiosity and a desire to see the wide world. For a long moment, she gazed in wonder at the beauty of the world she had so recently been born into. The sun was so bright it dazzled her newly opened eyes. Then the earth shook beneath her talons. With a squeal of terror, she felt the earth open up beneath her. She fell into the rift, scrabbling desperately at the stony sides. For a moment, her talons held and she saw Alawndra staring down at her, her face full of fear. Her mother reached down for her - too late. Sawndra's tiny talons broke under her weight and she fell, screeching in terror. With a jolt the fall stopped and she found herself safe in the talons of Rakdrold, her mother's mate. Laughing, he soared high above the planet's surface. Sawndra could hear her mother calling to him to stop, to bring back her hatchling. She could see her mother far below, trying to catch her faster mate. Rakdrold laughed again and his words echoed in Sawndra's head. "I have her now. I need her!" A moment later the planet, her mother, and all that Sawndra had known was gone, lost in the darkness of space.

Sawndra was startled from her half-dream by the touch of Alawndra's mind on hers. Angry and fearful, she tried to ignore her mother's call. For a long moment she contemplated the memories and the feelings that were growing stronger within her. At last, she rose and went to Alawndra's cave, full of righteous indignation. Before her mother could say a word, Sawndra attacked. "Why, mother? Why didn't you come after me, fight for me? I was only a hatchling! How could you have let him take me? How could you have let him change me into...that!"

Alawndra's eyes went cold and her raspy breathing went deathly quiet. She gazed at her daughter remembering many things that should have remained forgotten. "You and your father were always a bit melodramatic. The time you both spent with humans was necessary. Poor Rakdrold did what he thought best. Yet he forgot how much a mother is required in raising a daughter." Alawndra remained silent for so long, but motioned Sawndra to stay quiet. The High Groll looked out the entrance of the great cave watching the older hatchlings fly and play in the bright sun. "Sawndra, I could not leave Churama. Not then. But now? I must go soon. I must find the Mujanuii for the humans. I tell you this because I know what you must go through. Although it doesn't help you now, it will when the time is right."

Spreading her great wings causing pebbles to fall from the walls, Alawndra held her daughter's silence a bit longer. She thoroughly startled her daughter with a great roar and sheet of flame and smoke. Then Alawndra thought, "Sawndra, my love, we all are honor bound to be what we are. To love as we must. To fly among the stars. We are honor bound . . . " Alawndra trailed off and stared out of the cave watching Philia lead the hatchlings in play. She couldn't help the tears falling to the floor of the cave. Dust rose from the splashing of each as if in slow motion. Before Sawndra could say anything, Alawndra streaked out of the cave stirring dust and debris in her passage. Sawndra stood there gazing at the flying figure of her mother dumbfounded.

Sawndra tried to work her mind around her mother's words. This wasn't the response she'd wanted! She'd wanted apologies to cool her wrath, not riddles. None of this made sense. Honor bound? What did honor have to do with what Rakdrold had done to her? How could making her human be what was best? She remembered, with a force that made her shiver, his cruelty as he'd stripped away her birthright, her very being. She remembered the look of madness in his eyes. There was no honor there. Not from Rakdrold and not from her mother.

Sawndra tried to stir up her anger again. Alawndra should have saved her! She made the words into a mantra, repeating them repeatedly, but her mother's words kept intruding, pushing her anger aside. Mother leaving here? Why? And what did she mean, what Sawndra had to go through? Hadn't she been through enough? Riddles inside riddles. The more she thought, the more confused she got, as if trapped inside an ever expanding puzzle box, like those she had seen when she had been human. When she had been human! Her anger rose again like bile to her throat. The memories were faint but they remained, making her sick with disgust and contempt for that pathetic race she had so long been a part of. What possible reason could there be for Alawndra to go to the Mujanuii and leave her daughter here among the hatchlings? And who were these Mujanuii?

Emotions warred within her, threatening to overwhelm her. More than anything Sawndra wanted answers. She desperately wanted to go after her mother and demand those answers. For a moment, she wavered at the edge of the cave ready to take flight, but Alawndra's great roar had her frozen. Answers would come when Mother was ready to give them and not a moment before. Disheartened, Sawndra settled down into the dust of the cave, her emotions resolving themselves into a tight knot of self-pity, lay her head on her talons, and cried. She feared what was to become of her in all this magic and prophecy.

********

Alawndra sent her thoughts to her daughter in hopes of the true understanding that came from such visions. The only thing left to them was a mother's sweet memories. The ancient dragon soared high to the thin air. She labored to fill her lungs. The wind rushed through her. Her wings found the flow. Gliding high above the ancient ground, she remembered her mate. They had flown the mating flight that last time. And the hatchlings had been extraordinary. All of them destined to lives of long service and sacrifice. They had been honor bound to the humans. Alawndra and her mate raised the hatchlings. They taught them well. After the great dragon trek to the next galaxy, their tight family circle had remained at Churama. Sawndra had still been so young and vulnerable in a new dragon lifeform. Yet, Alawndra knew there had been no time left.

So, the time quickly came for the flight to Earth and the dreaded prophecies. Rakdrold had granted Alawndra at least one thing. She would not have to be the one to go or do what must be done. She could stay and do her duty to their race. Her heart had burst that day when Sawndra went with her father. The trauma had worked both ways. The prophecies had come true, though. Sawndra was back. The humans were saved yet again. Both the humans and Sawndra had incomplete memories of those events.

The whole series of events had led to this frightful nexus. Sawndra would have to go back to Earth to find out what happened. In addition, Alawndra would soon have to leave home to find the Mujanuii. Otherwise, the black evil and gray, cold death would follow the stampeding herds on distant, ancient planets. The nexus would either be the end or the beginning. The start of the process would be Sawndra, if she understood.

Sawndra lifted her head from her talons as her mother's thoughts filled her mind. The melding did for her what mere words could not: she saw what had happened that fateful day through her mother's eyes, felt her mother's roiling emotions as Rakdrold took her beloved hatchling away to the dangers of human-infested Terra. She understood, as she had so desperately needed to, why Alawndra had stayed behind with the other hatchlings, allowing her daughter to be sacrificed for the greater good. "The humans had been saved yet again." These words echoed in Sawndra's mind. Despite the visions Alawndra sent her, Sawndra still could not understand the importance of this race she hated so fiercely and her mother so feared. Yet she knew now that the human race held some significance for dragonkind, and indeed for all living things in this galaxy and beyond. Feeling her mother's fear, Sawndra was relieved to be going back to Earth. She could resolve all the questions. Officially, she was going to establish contact with the humans and help explain what happened to the ill-fated starship UNS Lightning standing as a stark reminder of what her human side had done. The murder of humans and the death of Rakdrold.

She then considered her mother's visions of the Mujanuii, rolling the information around in her mind. These beings were the key, the only hope they had to stop the evil Alawndra saw as clearly as Sawndra saw the dust beneath her talons. Sawndra's understanding of the Mujanuii, how to find them and what to do when she did, was as dim as her memories of being human. Yet understand she must. Finding them and gaining their trust and their help was her mother's destiny.

Sawndra's duty was Earth. She watched as Philia flew toward her and landed on the ledge outside the cave. The young dragon eyed her with an unusual respect. Sawndra returned the gaze intensely causing the young dragon to look away. She accepted her mother's suggestion to take Philia with her as an aide and messenger, but she was troubled with Philia's manner. She shook her head literally to clear out her mind. More important things required her full attention.

Sawndra drew a deep breath, sucking in the delicious sulfurous air of beautiful Churama. Again and again she filled her lungs with the healthful fumes, infusing her very being with the essence of her long lost home. She knew now what she must do. She understood what her long sojourn on Earth had prepared her for. She let the sense of honor and duty that Alawndra imparted to her suffuse her every cell, steeling her heart and calming her troubled mind. With one final, deep breath, she raised her wings and shot out of the cavern, seeking her mother and her destiny.

Alawndra watched her daughter carefully land on the narrow ledge. The High Groll turned toward the towering, active volcano glorying in the heat, fumes, and glows. She melded with Sawndra, and they shared the ancient vision of dragon embers.

Many dragons of all colors and sizes dotted the verdant land. They all watched the many volcanoes together, singing, worshiping, and praying. Suddenly, everyone took flight except the Alawndra gens. While all of dragonkind flew to the new galaxy to shepherd new races there, the Alawndra gens remained and prepared for their daily and eternal tasks. For inevitably a new peril would come. It always would, and most often it was the Anti-Kale.

The dragon ember visions showed eons passing slowly. Sawndra was hatched. Rakdrold took her to Earth. Yet, now Rakdrold was dead. And no one knew why. Sawndra must find her father's secret caves. She was to figure out why Rakdrold went to save the humans, and why he needed his daughter.

As the meld ended, they shared Alawndra's last thoughts. Alawndra would go in search of the Mujanuii and the Prophecies. She must help one human find seventh Kale, and the Mujanuii knew where it was. From there, only Ao knew the outcome. One could only do what honor demanded.

Alawndra stared into the dark eyes of her daughter and loved. The screech of a dragon announced its approach. Alawndra said, "Daughter, Philia is here. Your time has come yet again. You are our representative to the humans. Help them understand what happened to their starship. In doing so, you will heal. You will remember. I tell you one thing before you go. Rakdrold liked the heat of a planet's mantle. You will find his secret caves by knowing that. Go now. We both have to go."

Sawndra felt tears well up. She stepped back as Alawndra shot straight up and toward the stars. Sawndra ignored Philia's insistent calls. She needed a moment to enjoy the love that had been poured upon her. Then she opened her wings. Sawndra smiled as Philia did one of his famous circles in the night sky. She wondered though at what was to come for her. Then she took flight and her journey began anew . . .

******

Earth was cold. Colder than Sawndra remembered. But then, it had been eons since she had been here as a dragon. She longed to seek Rakdrold's secret caves near the warmth of the earth's mantle. Philia shivered beside her, gazing at her with longing in his eyes. He too craved the warmth that would mimic that which they had left behind. But first things first, and the first thing they had to do was explain what had happened to the UNS Lightning. Sawndra melded with young Philia, trying to warm him with her love, then side by side they flew to the United Nations Naval Headquarters. It seemed a thousand years since she had last seen these buildings, the gleam of the plastcrete landing pads in the sun, the scurrying business of the humans who worked and lived here. Yet, it had been less than a lifetime.

Sawndra wondered what was to become of her.

Philia landed on the plastcrete, grateful for the reflected heat it created. Sawndra proceeded to the main building. Their appearance brought looks of awe and confusion from the humans at the spaceport. Humans knew about the dragons. They had no reason to fear them, or hate them. However, the sight of these huge creatures gave them considerable pause. Sawndra smiled to herself, amused at causing such a scene. It was the only amusement she was to derive from her visit. Too large to enter the building, she politely asked the guards to send out the head of Starship Operations. After a long wait the man arrived, surrounded by his underlings. Sawndra remembered Admiral Jan Vincent well, although in her time at Naval Headquarters they had rarely spoken. He did not concern himself with the doings of simple ships' captains. He had far more important things to attend to. The same pinched look that he had used on her when she was human marked his face now. He was annoyed at this interruption, and clearly had no desire to converse with one of the not-so-mythical dragons. Yet converse they must.

Sawndra lowered herself to the pavement so she could see eye to eye with the admiral. Carefully, shamefully, she explained what Captain Sandra Frye had done. With true remorse, she told Admiral Vincent of Captain Frye's hatred of dragonkind, a hatred that had led to the destruction of the UNS Lightning. Anger filled the admiral's eyes. He had read the reports and logs of the Lightning when she disappeared. Captain Frye had been a fine officer, he claimed. An officer much like himself - demanding, diligent, brooking no slackness in her crew. He refused to believe that she had sacrificed her crew for a personal vendetta. If anyone was to blame, it was the dragons themselves.

"I am Sandra Frye," Sawndra retorted, rising to her full height. "The only reason I even came to the Star Navy was to exact revenge on those whom I thought had persecuted me - the dragons. But I was wrong. I killed my crew, Admiral. If you will not believe my words, then believe this." She cast her thoughts toward him, melding with him with difficulty. Humans had lost the power to mind-meld long ago. But the power of the dragon's mind was stronger than the admiral's resistance. Gasping at the intensity of her visions, he sank to his knees. Alarmed, the guards drew their weapons, hesitating to fire only because they were unsure what the dragon's death would do to Admiral Vincent. They looked from their leader to the great clawed creature that seemingly held him in thrall. Philia, sensing Sawndra's danger, flew to her side, unnerving the guards even more.

Sawndra released the admiral's mind. She had shown him all that had happened in her time as a human, and all that had happened aboard the Lightning. He had no choice but to believe. Her last thought had been of sincere apology, an apology Admiral Vincent was loath to accept. He motioned to the guards to destroy the creature that had caused the deaths of her crew. Philia uttered a deep, guttural growl. Sawndra raised her great wings, knocking the guards to the ground with the wind that motion created. Then, raising a claw, she spoke again. "I cannot blame you for your anger. You feel I deserve to be punished for what I did. You are right, I do. But cast your thoughts to the memories I gave you. Have I not been punished enough? For a thousand lifetimes, I suffered. Now I am here to make amends. It is time for human and dragonkind to work together to prevent the dark evil from overwhelming us all. This is why I have returned: not simply to apologize for what I did when I was human, but to be the ambassador for my people. Only by working together will we find out the reasons for this nexus, which is upon us, and save both human and dragonkind - aye, and those of whom you are still completely unaware. I came here, to Naval Headquarters, to help you understand. There are other humans I must now seek, and other places. Think long and hard on what I have shown you, Admiral Vincent. The Star Navy will be needed, indeed, every agency on Earth will be needed, to push back the coming darkness."

So saying, Sawndra lifted her wings and, with Philia following closely, took to the sky, leaving the humans in dumbfounded amazement. A quick look back showed her a different expression on Vincent's face: an expression of deep thought. She smiled, knowing that in this small thing at least she had succeeded. Now it was time to seek Rakdrold's lost caves, and the secrets buried there.

******

Alawndra painfully bent down to see the dusty, ancient rock face. She squinted at the runes there. Blowing some fiery breath on the surfaces cleared it up some. She studied the writings trying to fathom the location of the Mujanuii. As she suspected, the runes spelled out star coordinates. Alawndra calculated and concluded that the star point was too far to travel to this evening.

Turning slowly, she watched the setting sun. With its disappearance, Alawndra felt alone and a bit cold. She snuggled down on herself folding her great, thickly muscled wings upon her body. Smoke drifted from her nostrils as her eyelids drooped. She felt her large head slide to her chest. Dreams flittered on the edge of her confused thoughts. Then the visions took over.

Great starships crossed the blood-red sky. Streaks of angry death reached through the heavens. Fleet-footed animals ran in fear. The smell of black darkness hung in the air. The Anti-Kales were returning, and she had to find the Mujanuii quickly. Then her visions lost their focus. Alawndra succumbed to a deep sleep. Meteor showers scratched their marks across the sky dimly lit by a moon.

The great dragoness slowly opened her three eyelids. She saw the young dragon, Philia, quietly waiting. Alawndra cleared her throat. "My son, what news?"

Philia linked minds with her. He sent a complete mental picture of all that he had seen or heard. He thought, "Sawndra is in a system of caves under the surface of Earth. She feels close to something. I sense a great unease from her. Like the times you sensed danger in the past. Remember?"

Alawndra felt the hot shimmers rise around her as the sun rose higher. "Yes, I remember. Sawndra is like me in many ways, I suspect. Do you mind?"

The young dragon strutted around in excitement. "I feel funny around her. I can't explain it."

Laughing, Alawndra thought, "You are only feeling what your body can understand. Be cautious though. Sawndra is a powerful dragoness. Her price will be high. Now go back and tell her to try the cave system in this sector."

Philia captured the images. He broke the connection reluctantly. Hesitating, he rubbed his head against her wing. The young dragon felt the love come in return. Then he bolted to the sky and out beyond the white-hot sun. And onto the Earth system to find Sawndra. He hoped to get closer in the next solar cycles. Philia yearned for the new dragoness.

******

Sawndra linked minds with Philia, capturing the information he brought from Alawndra. She captured more than that from his young, undisciplined mind, however. Thoughts of lust and longing filled him, feelings he himself barely understood-all directed at her. She sighed mentally after she severed the link. Males! It didn't seem to matter the species, they were all the same, always thinking with their hormones instead of their brains! She laughed suddenly at the thought, startling Philia. He gazed at her with quizzical desire. She returned his stare with her best "beware, child" look, and turned to move deeper into the caves.

The laughter had come from the realization that the only men she had ever known were human. The only experience she had with a male dragon had been her relationship with Rakdrold, and that had been far from sexual in nature. She hadn't known that she retained the memories of her brushes with human males until Philia's desire brought those memories to the surface. She found herself wishing that her mother had chosen one of Philia's sisters as their go-between. The last thing she needed was a pubescent dragonling mooning after her. Her mission was far too important to waste time on such frivolity, and she felt the press of time on her. She needed to find Rakdrold's secret very soon indeed. Without it, Alawndra's quest to find the Mujanuii would be for naught. The secret was the key to holding back the coming darkness-this she knew in her very bones.

The sector Alawndra had told them to search was not far from where they were. When Philia had left to report to their mother, Sawndra had worked her way further and further into territory that had a familiar feel. The memories were old, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had been here before. The sulfurous fumes that rose from the lava pools they passed more frequently had a familiar smell that had nothing to do with her brief, recent memories of Churama. She was very close indeed to a place she had once called home.

She stopped at a point were many corridors branched off. Closing her eyes, she sought the proper direction with her mind, but Philia's restless thoughts, now turned from desire to hunger, distracted her. She sent him off to find food and settled herself on the cave floor, casting about with her thoughts and memories. There-far down the corridor to the far left-there was the place she sought. She could feel the rightness of the place…or perhaps wrongness would be more appropriate, for the cave she sensed and remembered was tainted with the stench of ancient, evil magic. Concentrating more on the place she knew she must go, she could feel the tendrils of spells protecting it from intruders-spells that would disrupt the link she had with Philia. Wrapping her wings around her, Sawara dozed while she waited for her young companion to return.

Dreams of her time with Rakdrold troubled her sleep. She awoke, shaken, to find Philia waiting quietly beside her. She was surprised his rumbling stomach hadn't awakened her sooner: he had respectfully waited until she woke before eating, so she might have the first share. "At least the child has some sense," she thought, amused. Her nap had been all too brief, and what they faced would require all her strength. Philia was shaking with exhaustion. Lifting her wing in a motherly fashion, she allowed him to snuggle next to her. This time she slept without dreams.

Philia was nearly dancing with excitement as they prepared to descend to their goal. Sawndra quieted him with a warning. What they were to face was not to be taken lightly. He followed with quiet awe and no little fear as they made their way down the corridor. Soon wisps of protection spells surrounded them. The spells were old, and familiar. Sawndra had helped to set many of them herself, so very long ago. With little effort, she brushed them aside and moved forward. With each hour, the spell got stronger. They glistened in the air, brighter than the light from the lava pools that glowed redly off the cavern walls. Nevertheless, the spells were no match for Sawndra. She was fully immersed in her memories now, moving confidently through the traps that she and her father had set.

At last, they were stopped by a very different spell: the residue of magic that the ancient wizard had used to make her forget that she had been dragon and as a human kill her father. Sawndra studied the ancient magic, tasting it, sifting it carefully through her mind. As the spell became clear to her, she was dumbstruck. This was part of the secret that they sought. This ancient magic held part of the key that would hold back the Anti-Kales. She stored the spell in her mind, and passed it on to Philia. This was too important to lose. Philia didn't understand the part of the key he now held, but well understood its importance. With the secret safely stored, Sawndra broke the spell. Relief flooded her. This was something she had longed to do for more human lifetimes than she could count, but she had never had the power. Had Rakdrold remained within this spell-protected cave, she would never have been able to find and kill him. But he had wandered far from this place, far enough that a human with a blaster could kill the dragon she hated.

The spell broken, they entered the heart of the cave. There, ancient runes carved deep into the stone spelled out the other half of the key. It was so simple! She should have known it all along. No, that was not true. She had known it all along. She simply hadn't realized that this was the key. How could she? It was too much a part of her for her to ever have realized what it meant. Too much a part of every human and dragon. Sawndra committed the runes to her memory, and to Philia's. What will become of me, Sawndra thought wistfully. Then, setting her own strong spells around the cave, they made their way to the surface and took flight, following the trace of Alawndra's path to the Mujanuii.

*****

Alawndra stood before the obelisk trying to figure out its secret. She had been all over its surface. Trying all the spells she knew did not animate the structure. Life energy pushed by thought didn't bring the stone to life. The runes gave instructions, but she could not make them work. Alawndra breathed fire onto the stone, and its surface remained cold. She grew more frustrated.

She then tried touching the runes that were not cut into the stone but raised on it. Something she had not seen in eons. While touching the raised edges of the ancient runes, she felt empty and cold. Her mind went blank and colorless. Alawndra turned the color of the stone and stopped thinking, breathing. Forming in her mind was the star that shone brightly on this world casting long shadows in the dust. She saw the fusion, the particles, the subatomic structure, and the bits beyond that. There was a whole universe in that star.

Alawndra stepped back and drew in a breath. Her color returned quickly. The thought remaining in her mind was outrageous. No one had star hopped since the beginning of her race. She knew what she had to do, but fear clutched at her heart. She turned and stared into the star through the protective cover of an eyelid.

Before she willed herself to flight, Alawndra caught a glimpse of Sawndra and Philia. Instinctively she knew they had found out something important. How she wanted to know what they had found, but there was that star beckoning and calling. Alawndra unfolded her wings and gave thought to her flight. She streaked through the thin atmosphere and toward the star. Seeing the subatomic level and straining to go beyond that, she felt space all around her fold, churn, and warp. She entered the star at speeds immeasurable and became pure energy. Her trail weakened at the star's corona and ended in its center…

*****

Sawndra and Philia landed by the obelisk. Alawndra's trail seemed to end here, but there was no sign of her. No physical sign, at least. Sawndra could smell the spells her mother had wrought here, trying to solve the puzzle of the runes. She sensed where the High Groll had breathed fire on the stone, and where she had touched the runes themselves. It was there, within that touch, that the answer to where Alawndra had gone lay. Sawndra touched the raised runes herself, felt the cold emptiness that Alawndra had felt, both from the runes and from the residual energy of that touch. Sawndra's mind followed that touch, and the thoughts that mixed with it. In her mind's eye she saw, and felt, the inner workings of the star. She experienced her mother's thoughts and knew, clearly and without emotion, where Alawndra had gone. Sawndra looked at Alawndra's thoughts from all angles, then went deeper, seeking the information from the runes themselves. There was no question in her mind where her own path lay.

She turned her focus to Philia, shivering beside her from exhaustion. Their flight from Earth had been a long one and to arrive here, with Alawndra gone and no sign of her trail that Philia could detect, had set the youngling on edge. He looked at her pleadingly.

"Where now, Sawndra? Where could she be?" The young dragon was on the edge of tears, frustrated and fearful.

Sawndra gazed up at the star. "Where we must go," she replied, opening her mind to him.

Philia quailed, pulling away from her. "Into the star? I…we…I can't! It's not possible! No one can…" He hunkered down in the dust, too frightened to go on.

Sawndra's gaze had not wavered from the star, but at his voice, she turned and looked closely at the young dragon quaking at her feet. Her cool determination turned to compassion, and realization. Of course, Philia couldn't follow where Alawndra had gone! He had only been able to enter Rakdrold's old lair because she, Sawndra, had cleared the path. This was far more difficult, and far more dangerous. Philia was a fine young dragon, and she knew that if she insisted he would try to follow where she went, but it would be centuries before he came into his full powers. This trip was far beyond his abilities. It would be beyond hers, were it not for the time she had spent with Rakdrold. Even with that it would be difficult, but with Alawndra having carved the path, she could do it.

She looked at Philia silently, wondering now what to do. She could not leave him here, alone. She thought back on the last weeks, on all they had found and learned, and all that Alawndra had told her. The answer came suddenly and she smiled, bringing a look of hope to the youngling's face. "Of course you cannot come, Philia," she said. "There is another thing that must be done and only you can do it."

Philia drew himself up, swelling with gratitude and pride. She trusted him with something important. Something only he could do! Something far more, he sensed, than being a mere go-between for Sawndra and their mother. "Whatever it is, I will not fail you!"

Sawndra smiled warmly and placed her great talon on his shoulder. "I know you will not. First rest: you will need all your strength. For you must return to Earth and find the One." She filled his mind with all she knew about the One; giving Philia all the information she had, hoping it would be enough. "Find him, and tell him all that we have found and learned. Tell him, too, where Alawndra and I have gone. Tell him, finally, that when we return, we will bring the Mujanuii or, at the very least, their answer. Tell him all this, so he can ready himself and all beings for what is to come."

Philia gasped at the scope of the task Sawndra had set for him. It would be difficult, far more difficult than anything he had ever attempted: all the more so since he had to do it alone. His heart filled with fierce pride. No one had ever trusted him with so great a task, and nothing, nothing would keep him from completing it. "I will not fail you," he said again.

Sawndra smiled at him one last time, filling his mind with love and trust, then turned her gaze to the star. What was to become of her, she thought to herself. Centering her mind on the path before her, she thought, and was gone.

Philia rested. He would at the next sunrise leave for Earth to find the One. He knew which human this was because he had the image in his mind. The name of the human was lost on him. Human names all sounded the same to him. Philia only knew that this human lead all the forces against many evils. Before falling into a deep sleep, he sensed the life trails of Alawndra and Sawndra into the star.

*****

Alawndra stood on the mountain of this planet confused. She had expected to find the Mujanuii here, but they were not. Energy beings inhabited the plains. They ignored her. Alawndra looked around again. This was the place described in the runes, but what purpose did it serve? The runes had said this mountain was an important meeting place. Yet, there was nothing here at all. She settled into some fitful sleep trying to make sense of it all.

Alawndra opened her eyes slowly feeling the morning sun on her wings. A shadow crossed her vision and her heart leapt with joy. Now she knew why this place was for meetings.

Sawndra landed exhausted and out of breath, but embraced her mother anyway.

Alawndra thought, "We are here in an ancient meeting place. You bring me answers."

Sawndra laughed pleasantly. "Let me tell you what we have known all along!"

Sawndra explained Rakdrold's saga. The old dragon was sent to Earth by the Ky of Kale to find out why the humans had forgotten that they were the original Kalians! Humans were sent out to wander the stars by the great Ky and prophet, Marjon. Somehow, they had forgotten their ancestry and powers. This happened when they narrowly escaped the red death of a planet called Mars. The remaining humans landed on Earth. There, they met an ancient Anti-Kale who appeared to the humans as a wizard. After that, by some magic or power, humans lost all their race memories. They sank into a retched stone-age condition.

Rakdrold had needed Sawndra at first, because she possessed the power to project the race memories into large groups of beings. He wanted to restore to the humans what the ancient Anti-Kale had taken away, the race memories of their heritage and powers. Then the ancient Anti-Kale wizard rose up to resist Rakdrold. He had found a secret greater than the loss of the human's race memories.

Alawndra's heart went cold, as she knew what was coming.

The ancient wizard had been planting subtle Anti-Kale lifeforces into human DNA. In essence, Earth was now a spawning ground for Anti-Kale beings. This was the why of so much evil spreading throughout the galaxy at this very moment. The Anti-Kales would be needed to stop the next infinity nexus. This would be Morr Alann Ru or the end of all creation, the death of Ao, and the destruction of all existence. The Anti-Kales wanted to go back to their own plane of existence, which was before creation. To do this they wanted to get Ao to come out so that they could destroy the being that had created their hell, which was all of creation.

Rakdrold learned this and knew he must do something to stop the evil. The Anti-Kale wizard thwarted everything he tried. As a last resort, Rakdrold persuaded Sawndra to become humanoid. She would become the Anti-Kale wizard's assistant and kill it. However, something went terribly wrong, as the wizard weaved his lies, spells, and magic. Sawndra's lifeforce was merged into human DNA. She was forced into thousands of lifetimes as different humans.

The wizard influenced each human lifetime so that Sawndra did many terrible things. Human history was strewn with her accomplishments. Then, as Sandra Frye, Sawndra was sent back into time to trap her father and kill him. She went on to make the effort to kill all dragonkind, but Alawndra had changed her back to her true form, stopping the evil cycle.

Sawndra thought to her mother. "My race memories have all come back, mother. I know almost everything now. The humans have forgotten that we are all related to the ancient Kalians. Far worse, the humans are a breeding ground for Anti-Kales. Morr Alann Ru is upon us!"

Alawndra stepped back in fright. "Oh, Ao! We must help these humans find Kale. Only the Mujanuii know where it is. I've forgotten so much even with my race memories."

Sawndra's eyes lit up with excitement. "I know where the Mujanuii live!"

Alawndra's heart leapt with joy. Then a black cloud formed and the ground shook. She melded instinctively with Sawndra, which ended up saving them. Together, they recognized the ancient Anti-Kale in the form of a human wizard. Black death crept closer to them, as bolts of pure, white energy streaked through the sky. Alawndra and Sawndra glowed a dark, mottled red. They fended off the hellish death. Then, together, they threw all they had into a bolt of red energy. The energy engulfed the black form producing hurricane-force winds.

The winds died down suddenly and nothing remained but sunshine and quiet.

Alawndra sighed, "Must have been one very ancient Anti-Kale to be defeated so easily."

Sawndra stared at the space where death had been. "Mother, we must get back to Churama and soon!"

They raced to the star and into it. For a nanosecond, they were of the same mind, the same thoughts. The humans were both the destruction and the salvation of creation. The Mujanuii held the key, as they knew the location of Kale. They also had special living swords for two humans who represented that destruction and salvation. Instantly, Alawndra and Sawndra ejected from their sun. They flew to Churama and landed at their cave to meet Philia.

Philia reported that the One, Admiral Montoya, had been given the information needed.

Sawndra knew that things were happening quickly now. "Mother, Churama and Nurachurama are the same place but in different universes. I remember now that this place is the same in all universes and dimensions. All creations begin and end here in an infinite loop of expansion and contraction. We are its guardians. This is the holiest of holies, these very mountains that are also on Nurachurama. These are the Mountains of Ao!"

Alawndra grew ever more excited, as she remembered. All they had to do was shift to Nurachurama to meet the Mujanuii. With Sawndra's help, they flew to the highest peak and shifted to Nurachurama. They landed in front of two young humanoid children who were twins. They bore some subtle characteristics of dragons.

Alawndra was speechless and a bit awed. These ancient children were the Mujan, or leaders of the tribe of the Mujanuii. This tribe was comprised of super warriors dedicated to slaying Anti-Kales and helping those charged with fighting that evil. They knew the location of sacred Kale. They possessed the mightiest weapon of creation forged by Ao, the living swords, each matched to its own warrior. Finally, Alawndra could speak. "Ujo, Konii, it has been so long since last we met."

Konii, the female twin, laughed. "We have been expecting you, High Groll. I see that your daughter is again with you in a new lifeform."

Alawndra looked at Sawndra with love. "Yes, she has been through the testing and is ready. However, I come to ask for your help with the humans. The Anti-Kale is loose. And more are coming."

Ujo, the male twin, stated dryly, "We know."

Sawndra was a bit impatient with all this prophetic mumbo jumbo. "The Anti-Kales are poised to strike even now. We must act immediately!"

Konii rose up swiftly into her full height and glory as a warrior dragon. She stood a few feet above the stunned Sawndra, who had thought these were only humanoid children. "Patience, my cousin." Then Konii roared. Ujo rose up to become the dragon he was and joined her. Konii shot out a sheet of flame. The ground rumbled. Lightning and thunder raged above the mountain peaks. Konii whispered into their minds. "Alawndra, you know what to do next. We await your next visit with the human."

Alawndra secretly communicated with Sawndra to stay quiet. Then she respectfully answered, "Now I know what must be done. None of us knows the outcome or who are the Anti-Kales or even whom the Seeker might be. Still, we all are honor bound to do what we must. I will come back to you soon."

Instantly, Ujo and Konii reverted to their original forms as humanoid-dragon children. They watched as the two dragons flew the short distance to the nearest mountain peak. The two dragons disappeared into the clouds.

Alawndra and Sawndra shifted back to Churama. Sawndra looked around the landscape that was more like home than ever before. She couldn't help it as more memories came flooding back. Her father was dead, and she had killed him.

Alawndra couldn't say anything. She was too choked with emotion and regret. She welcomed Philia under her wing. Alawndra stared at her daughter and knew the turmoil there in those eyes.

Sawndra couldn't stop the tears. She knew her mother must leave again and would not be back in a long time if ever. Then she remembered something remarkable. The High Groll was more than the guardian of this ancient and holy place. The High Groll was leader of all dragons everywhere! Their purpose was to kill Anti-Kales and nurture other races. That was why the rest of the dragons trekked to another galaxy. They were nurturing new races there!

More remarkable was that Sawndra was daughter to the very first dragon of their race. Her mother was more than old or ancient. Sawndra laughed.

As Alawndra left for Earth, she sent her love to her daughter. In addition, she made one revelation that was more surprising.

Sawndra was now High Groll! Trying not to become overwhelmed by the revelation, she settled herself onto the rocks and contemplated with great seriousness the centuries of honor and duty that her new position demanded of her. She hoped with all her great dragon heart that she could live up to the legacy left by her mother.

Copyright © 2000 K. Young & L. E. Shaffer