The Prophesy: Book 3 - The Hammer of Atlantis

 

"Well, well, boys, I thought you had gotten lost in the guts of Thebes. How is the Crystal's installation progressing?" asked Harold, as Thorsten and Harp made their way to the royal suite for vesper's diner.

"It's done and completed. I will need to check on the primary and secondary control rooms, but the circuits report green from down below."

"That is nice, Thorsten."

"Have you had news from other aspects of the overall project? Especially Paschal and Ian's parts?"

"Ian has selected his diplomatic team, and should be leaving to establish first contact early tomorrow. Paschal has finished retrofitting the Spiders with AC units so they can be used in Africa. Typhoon has selected a rota of Dragons to pick up that life form you discovered some time back. He is waiting on your approval for the climate control settings in the sub-segment of the tessaract you also selected. Yamato is ready to leave for Africa."

"The next few weeks seem to be headed toward another flurry of work. I'll go check on these settings right away. I'll also check on the Pterodactyls."

"Pterodactyls? Can I go too? Please?" asked an excited Jefferson.

"What is it with boys and dinosaurs?" asked, melodramatically, Amethyst.

"I know! Alexander is like that too. I think it is penis envy!" replied Annabelle, as Alexander, Ian, and Jefferson turned deep purple and Diamondcutter, Harold and Samson exploded in laughter.

The four boys left together for the tessaract containing the Pterodactyl colony.

"What do you want to inspect with the Pterodactyls?" wondered Ian.

"Well, I just want to see if they are comfortable in their winter quarters. If they show signs of stress, that means we need to adjust the climate program of the section of tessaract we dedicated to it. The big test will be when the virtual migration is implemented. When this starts, I will need to be on site for the duration."

"A pterodactyl migration? That I have to see!" exclaimed an enthusiastic Jefferson.

"You are welcomed. In fact, it may be a situation of all hands on deck."

"When do you expect this to start?"

"In the fall, well spring for the tessaract we are going to visit."

"That is close! We are already at the end of summer, and fall is around the corner."

"I know. We have another issue to deal with too, and you are coming with me to inspect the situation in tessaract thirty-two. Paschal should have finished preparing the lower level for our special needs."

"What is special?"

"Jefferson, patience! It's a surprise!"

"Is it that tortoise you found under the salt mine?" asked Jefferson innocently.

Harp looked sharply at the young boy, shocked.

"What gives you that idea?" decided to reply Harp, not denying the veracity of the statement.

"I saw an image, and all white stuff around it. Does it live in snow?"

"No, it lives in a salt mine, but it does not know salt is white. It is blind."

"Oh! The poor animal! Can't we heal it?"

"It lives in darkness for most of its life, Jefferson. Eyes would be useless for it. However it sure isn't deaf! What do you mean you saw an image? Can you describe it?"

"Sure. It's got four big legs, what looks like a very hard shell, and a long, plated neck. It is huge."

"That is correct, Jefferson. I want you to close your eyes and see something. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure, but I won't see anything if I close my eyes!"

"Then don't close them. Tell me what image you sense."

"I see a long fish with rows and rows of teeth, all gray, with a huge fin on the top and two on each side. Now I see a big two-legged animal with two tiny ones with long claws. It has a lot of big nasty-looking teeth!"

"Ok, Enough. Well, I should have known! Given your results during the tests we did at the College of magic, this was coming."

"Is it bad?"

"No, Jefferson, not at all. I think you are intuitive in magic. I suspected as much since formal training was such a pain. You do things naturally, Jefferson, while others need to train."

"Oh. Is that bad?"

"No, we are all intuitive magic users. In fact, powerful mages are generally intuitive users. Count all of the Royal family as intuitive users, and you just proved we were on the dot in making you a prince of Atlantis. You are closer to our family then we initially thought. The only issue I see with you, Jefferson, is your lack of self-confidence. It will come, just do not be shy about your self-worth."

"You know, maybe it is time to bring Jefferson to the Room of Identification, where there is that superb painting."

"Ian, I was thinking along the same line. However, Jefferson has no key for the fresco."

"What's a key?"

"You notice we all carry a specific object around our neck, or, for Williams, it sits on his desk in his bedroom?"

"Yes, I asked him what it was and he told me it dated from Egypt."

"These objects are keys that fit in specific holes in the wall where the fresco is set. Each key activates a particular person in it, and also triggers memories. We have many yet to present to the Fresco. You are not the only one without a key. That includes Typhoon, Thorsten and Iridia, to name a few of them. And we also have to bring Viola, Banjo, Cello, Piano, and Violin as well."

"You are forgetting Alexander and I."

"Yes, it's true you haven't been in that room either. We need to remedy to this issue shortly."

"Still, what could constitute my key? I have nothing!"

"Jefferson, is there anything you value, that was kept by your family for generations or that symbolized who you are?"

"I don't see. My uncle destroyed everything. I am lucky I still had my life!"

"Yes, I saw. And anything in the palace went up in smoke. We'll figure it out when we go visit that room, Jefferson. Remember, I am the prince of magic. I may be able to recreate the key."

The boys had reached the tessaract containing the Pterodactyls and stood, overlooking the winter area. Thousands of the lizards were flying around, diving in the waterways, and fishing.

"Everything seems to be in order. They are fattening up for the migration, which is a good sign."

"They are beautiful! I never thought there would be that many colours!" exclaimed Jefferson.

"That is new. I think they are getting their mating colours. See the grey ones? I think these are the females. You can see their oviduct when they fly above us. The males are showing differential colour patterns, typical of many species of birds. The horn on the top of their head probably acts as sub-species differentiators. I see deep red, bright yellow, royal blue, iridescent green, and other rather distinctive colours. They are probably still not at full brightness. Notice that the juveniles are rare, reflecting the depredation the orcs did on them."

"How do you know they are juveniles?" asked Jefferson.

"First, they are smaller then the adults; second, they are still showing the light grey of the undifferentiated species. They will undergo maturation during the hardship of migration, much like the adults will produce hormones that will trigger ovulation in the female and sperm production in the males, while the testosterone, on the rise, will get to full bloom and trigger the expression of their subspecies markings."

"Wow!"

"What prevents the subspecies from mixing? Colours do not seem to be a very effective inter-species barrier," commented Ian.

"It is not, but there must be another barrier, probably pheromones, or females are highly selective. The presence of colour tells me the species at large can see colours. It may extend further. We are seeing the onset of the male sex markers, it may get a lot more complicated."

"What do you mean?" Alexander asked.

"Well, colours may start at the horn and gradually extend to the entire body. The colours may create vibrant sub-species specific patterns. It is the case in parrots."

"Still, Harp, I do not see how the subspecies came about. They share a common diet, a common space, a common migratory route, what constant in nature asserted itself to create these variants?"

"We may know when they nest. That is still some time off. Has everyone had his fill of watching the Pterodactyls? We got other things to do."

Everyone reluctantly left the Pterodactyls. They walked to where the strange new species would be relocated.

As the boys walked the silent artificial nest, which was brightly lighted and shone like a diamond from the inside, Jefferson just kept saying "Wow!" over and over.

"Jefferson, that is a reconstruction to original scale of the nest. The architecture is strange, but remember that species has nothing in common with us. What you see is the result of its needs."

"I know, but I find it so beautiful!"

"I'm sure if you told it that, she would be lost. I do not know if it even has a sense of aesthetics. Maybe it does, maybe it would just say this is how things are done."

As they explored the nest, Ian remarked it was fully lighted, whereas the original nest was in the dark.

"It was a question of practicality for us, Ian. The Matriarch may be blind, but we aren't. I do not think the presence of cold light will affect its acceptance of the nest, it will not be able to detect it."

"When do you plan to bring the Matriarch here for her to inspect the nest we built?"

"Typhoon is already flying to get her. We need to test the porting of first her, then of the eggs, once the conditions have been approved by the Matriarch."

"You mean we do not know if we can port the eggs yet?"

"No, Ian. We were busy with the Crystal. In fact we are a month late on our plans with her. We sent a red Dragon to inform her of the delay so she would not feel forgotten. It was accepted."

"What if we cannot port them?"

"We have created containers with salt beds. The eggs will be put in the container, and the dry conditions will be maintained during transport. We used standard forty feet long containers, with twenty feet reserved for the eggs and twenty-feet for the climate control systems. The containers can be racked on the side of a Dragon, two to a side, for a total of four containers."

"How many eggs can a container carry?"

"I calculated a hundred in five layers of twenty eggs each. They need the spacing to get proper heating and ventilation. We will need to carry five hundred thousand containers to move every egg if porting is not successful. That is a total of one hundred and twenty-five thousand Dragon loads. If we do it that way, I will be asking for a thousand Dragons, and have Typhoon organise the flights in waves. That is one hundred twenty-five flights, cycling every eight hours or so, for a total transfer time of forty-two days."

"That is another long haul, and we still have to deal with the people in the Amazon, and we need to deal with Africa. I wonder what else will come in our way?"

"Ian, I learned one thing: the best-laid plans fall to the wayside the moment they get implemented. I would be surprised if these calculations were not off the mark once again. Just look at what happened with our diplomatic visit to the United Kingdoms of Americus."

"Don't remind me! About that, what is happening to the people we rescued from that last bunker?"

"We have set aside a thousand chambers to rebuild their optical system; while they wait their turn, their memories are erased and replaced. It takes a month to do a full optical regrowth. Ian, Greywolf's new body is rebuilding on schedule."

Jefferson was lost as to what they were talking about but kept quiet as he watched images he could not understand flow in his mind.

"Everything in this nest seems to be in conformity with the data stream we collected from the original nest, and adjusted to take into account our intervention at the upper strata of the salt dome. I hope the Matriarch will be happy. I wonder how things are going between her and Typhoon."

"I suspect porting the Matriarch failed, otherwise they would be back here by now."

"Unfortunately, I think you are right Alexander. He will be carrying her piggyback, with a magic dome to protect her from the weather. Paschal planned for this and placed a carrier for his Dragon form. There are two more Dragons to help him set the saddle in place once the Matriarch has reached the surface. If it is the case, we might as well go back to the tessaract entrance to wait for them."

"Can we go watch the Pterodactyls some more?" asked Jefferson.

"Sure, I'll just put a magical trigger at the entrance, then we go there."

***

Meanwhile, Typhoon and the Matriarch had reached the surface. The Dragon king then shifted shape and moved into place to get the saddle in place.

«I sense a change. What happened?»

«I changed shape, so I could carry you on my back. Follow my cousin; she will bring you to the area we prepared on my arrival so you could walk on to the saddle. It is slightly above where we stand.»

The Matriarch followed the red Dragon that made a special effort to resonate on the saline surface so the Matriarch could follow her footstep. Once they had moved away, Typhoon moved slowly and backed in the crevice that had been prepared. The other Dragon, still in his human form then placed a steel plate from the salt flat to the back of his king, thus creating a wide bridge for the Matriarch to walk over.

The Matriarch followed the red Dragon carefully, and, half an hour later, felt she was standing on a strange surface.

«What is this surface?»

«Reinforced carbon fibre honeycomb with a layer of molybdenum-steel alloy. The structure is extra-light, but it can resist any impact. Keep walking forward. You still have five steps to cover before I give you more instructions, Matriarch.»

The loading process continued for another ten minutes.

«We are ready Matriarch. Notice that the saddle has four footrests. Stay on them this will align your body mass with my King's centre of gravity and prevent any instability. My lord is big; in fact he dwarfs you by a wide margin, but nonetheless, flying for a Dragon is not necessarily easy. My lord, everything is ready. I will leave.»

«You fly wing, and I fly centre, in the lead. Let's move in place. What is the weather?»

«The weather is fine until we reach the western mountain range of the kingdom. There, the weather is its usual self: hellish, according to the Pegasuses.»

«OK. Do not worry, Matriarch, as soon as I lift up, I will install a protective dome over you. I need to wait because it would create too much drag for a safe takeoff. Align to 280° magnetic for takeoff, we will be facing the wind.»

The three Dragons took their takeoff run. The first in the air were the much lighter escorts, then the King reached his take-off speed and began to climb. As he reached a thousand feet, he created a magic bubble to protect the Matriarch. His speed fell somewhat, but after climbing up further, the air thinned and the bubble offered less resistance. Nonetheless, the flight back to the kingdom was slower then the trip to the salt flat.

«Are you doing ok, Matriarch?»

«Yes, how long before we reach our destination?»

«We are halfway there in distance, Matriarch. However, we will be slowing down our progress shortly, as we are nearing the western mountains and the Pegasuses report severe weather over our planned path. I am waiting for an update on weather so we decide what is best.»

«It is the second time I hear you mention the word Pegasuses. What are they?»

«They are another species of flyers, Matriarch. It would be best if I could project an image for you, but I will leave that to the Prince of Magic. Flying is taking all my concentration as it is.»

«That is fine.»

The Dragon king decided to fly further south and to cross into the kingdom from the southern frontier rather then the more direct western approach. It would add another two hours to the flight, but safety was his prime concern.

Even with that change of path, the passage over the southern border's mountains proved bumpy. The king made the pass through what was left of the Roars, and veered west to follow the valley leading to Thebes.

«I am sorry it took so long, Matriarch. Even with the detour we did, which almost doubled our distance, we still had a rough ride over the Roars, a waterfall that marks the southern edge of the Elvin kingdom. We are almost to our destination. I see our capital on the horizon and we should be flying over its southern edge shortly. The prince of Magic is acting as a beacon and will guide us directly to our destination.»

The Dragon began dropping altitude, and informed the Matriarch he would be disengaging the magic shield once they reached a thousand feet so he could reduce drag. The approach to the tessaract's entrance by air was complicated, as it implied several changes of direction to navigate between Pyramids, and other rather tall constructions, but Typhoon was a consummate flyer. He handled the approach flawlessly and saw the gap that led to the tessaract's entrance appear just as he removed the magic field. He dropped his paws, and slowed to almost stall speed just before entering the tessaract itself. The wind, which had been blowing laterally, vanished, and the Dragon adjusted to recover his alignment, still six feet above ground. On touchdown, Typhoon started running while using his wings to break his momentum. Finally, he walked to the unloading ramp, followed by his two escorts.

«We have arrived, Matriarch. Please wait until we tell you it is save to disengage from the saddle to do so. I need to reach the proper area and the ground crew to place the disembarkment plate. It should be done shortly.»

Harp, Ian, Jefferson and Alexander were all watching the procedures from the side, as Dragons, dwarfs, and Elves worked on getting the king in place. Once the plank was solidly fixed, the Matriarch was guided off Typhoon's back.

«Welcome to our home, Matriarch," said Ian. "I hope you had an enjoyable flight.»

«As best as could be given the flying conditions, I am sure.»

«Typhoon, are you ready to disengage?» asked Ian.

«Yes, my lord; I am only waiting for the plate to be removed and the saddle to be unstrapped.»

«The Legionnaire crew is working on the plate, and the Elves are untying the straps as soon as the plate is moved out of the way. Give them another five minutes.»

Five minutes later, Typhoon moved to a parking area, and shifted to human form, leaving behind the saddle and the straps to be checked and prepared for another flight, should one be necessary. He then took a wolf form and ran to join the others, before shifting back to his human form.

«We are ready to bring you to the nest, Matriarch. This is only the entrance to the tessaract, and the nest is much further, and deeper. This room is exposed to weather when the doors are open, but as you can certainly sense, they are closing and the pressure will change once they seal. The atmosphere will then be changed and replaced by dry, hot air. If you wish, we can bring you near a vent that will dry you up. In fact, we will all do so, the weather outside was atrocious, and King Typhoon is wet from head to foot. So is the Lord of Magic, which stood outside to act as beacon.»

The Matriarch followed them to a grid that blew hot, dry air. She felt better after a while, as the water evaporated from her shell. It took the miniature windstorm fifteen minutes to dry her and the boys.

«Are you feeling better, Matriarch?»

«Definitely!»

«Then follow us. Do you need to eat something? The Grand Architect has put on in a side room several tons of silicon concentrates, should you need them. They also contain other minerals in proportion to what your body contains.»

«No, I am fine. I have been living on my reserves since I started this, and I can hold the same amount of time before I eat again. But thank you for the attention and care to my needs. I may taste to see if they will fit my young ones' needs.»

«That is fine by us. What do you want to do first? Inspect the nest or taste the meal?»

«What will come first as we progress?»

«The meal chamber is closer. It was designed for your needs. We will design a feeding nursery for your young ones later, when we know what they require.»

«Then let me taste the material and we will progress to the nest after.»

After an hour of walk, the Matriarch walked into the feeding station, and tasted the pile of granulated silica doped with other elements.

«This is well prepared. It seems balanced. I see you even bothered to include some difficult to find minerals. Can you make the offering more compact and solid? We need to chew our food in order to trigger its proper absorption.»

Harp presented seven blocks of differentially compacted minerals for her evaluation.

«I hesitate between the sixth and seventh offering. It presents advantages for our newly hatched, but the growing, older ones need to pass their frustrations of shelling by chewing on the hardest, seventh offering.»

«That presents no problems. We can prepare individual diets. I was going to ask you if your hatching would be all at the same time, but you answered that question. Are you satisfied?»

«I am very pleased.»

«Then follow us to the nest, it is not far from here.»

The Matriarch was led along a long slowly downward slanting ramp to the first chamber.

«This is the first of twenty-five chambers, Matriarch. We followed your design. Explore and tell us if things need to be adjusted.»

«It would need to be a bit dryer. The nest I built was not perfect, but it was the best I could do. The temperature is ideal.»

«Dryer coming up, Matriarch!» said Harp as he adjusted the humidity level. «Tell me when to stop!»

After five minutes, the Matriarch approved the humidity level.

«That was remarkably quick!»

«Well, we design things so they are optimal, including climate control. This part of the tessaract is strictly reserved to your species. Other parts will include other life forms, some of which will require wet environments. All segments are isolated.»

«Explore the nest for as long as you need. Once satisfied, and if you need some things adjusted, we will begin bringing the eggs in,» Ian said.

The Matriarch explored each room thoroughly. She marvelled at how closely it matched her own design. There were even structural improvements which took her by surprise but which she found quite intriguing. Finally satisfied, she returned to the waiting Atlantean delegation.

«I am quite amazed at this. It took me a hundred years to do the nest! And there are changes in the designs that I find intriguing and I am quite fond of. They will become part of nest designs for our species from now on.»

«The Architect of Atlantis, Prince Paschal, will be pleased to hear this. So this meets your expectations?»

«Yes, and it even exceeds them. I hereby approve of the move from my old nest to this one. How do you plan to proceed?»

«Come with us. The Dragon king tried porting you directly here, but it proved impossible. Fortunately, we had foreseen that possibility and we designed egg carriers. They are stored in a side-room. There are twelve thousand containers. The cycle is designed to carry four thousand containers per rotation, in three rotations per day. That will mean displacing four hundred thousand eggs a day. The total operation, if nothing interferes, will be done in forty-two days, Matriarch."

The Matriarch had followed the princes as they led her to the storage room. She then listened to the explanation of how things were set and climate-controlled in each container. Harp opened one of the containers so she could feel around. The container's microclimate already matched her requirements as Harp had seen to it they were adjusted to the new nest's conditions.

«This seems acceptable. I should go back to the nest to supervise the packing.»

«There is no need, Matriarch. The Dragons have already ported to the old nest. We were only waiting for your approval to port the containers there. The Elves will see to it that the packing is done properly. Is there a specific order for the packing?»

«Yes. The topmost room should be moved first, they are the first I laid, and will be the first to hatch. The laying was done row-by-row, starting at the left from the main entrance and progressing along the main axis. They should be moved in the same order. It is primordial they stay in the same position because their breathing through the shell is done through pores. Rotating the eggs would kill their contents.»

«We have informed the Elves of this. They will put a mark to indicate position before moving an egg, and number them so we know exactly where they go once they reach this place. It is a silicon-based ink, which should be non-toxic to your kind. Anyway, the mark will be minimal.»

«We followed your general layout. I figure the first room to evacuate is the one we are standing in?» asked Typhoon.

«Yes. Then progress further and deeper, room by room.»

«Then let's proceed,» Harp said as he ported the first four thousand containers to the old nest's location. «Typhoon, port with the first Dragon Legion and supervise the organization of the field. Enron is already on site with ten legions of Elves to prepare the packing. Matriarch, rest, you will be needed to supervise the repositioning of your eggs. The first arrival will be in eight hours. Three hours are needed to pack the eggs, and five to bring the containers here.»

«It's too bad we cannot port the loaded containers,» Ian said from the height of his five and a half years.

«I know, little brother, I know.»

«Why is that?» enquired the Matriarch.

«Your eggs are as resistant to teleporting as you are, Matriarch. We learned from previous experience that placing contents of that type in a container leaves the contents behind during the translocalization of said container,» explained Harp.

Jefferson was getting bored. He could see that there were exchanges going on, but he heard nothing. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and asked what was on his mind.

"Can we go see the Pterodactyls again? They are so nice!"

"We might as well go eat, Jefferson, it is almost sext," Harp replied. Turning to look at the Matriarch he continued. «The little one is getting bored; he cannot hear us yet unless we direct our thoughts to him, and I think that his interest in Pterodactyls is more to hide his hunger. If you do not mind, we will retire to our own nest, and feed. Doing what we do takes a lot of energy, Matriarch, and I just realized I am also feeling the pangs of hunger.»

«Pterodactyls?»

«They are flying lizards. They are carbon-based, contrary to the Dragons, and, even with their armoured skin, a lot more fragile.»

«Are they allies?»

«We have rescued them. To say they are allies would be putting things a bit on the wish list. But at least they are not aggressive toward us. They were enslaved by another species, which we disposed of, at least partly.»

«Truly, you are a strange kind. You rescue without questioning intents. I am learning strange behaviours every step I take. You did not even ask my name.»

«I thought Matriarch was your name?»

«It is my title. My name is the name of the star where I was hatched. My species calls itself the Seraphrims, or Star Grazers. It is a misnomer, because we graze on planets, not on stars.»

«That is interesting. A Seraphrim or Seraphim is a type of angel in our Ancients' mythology. They come from the stars too. Maybe you were not the first to come to this planet. Do you have an idea as to where your birth star is located?»

«Relative to the gravity well of this star, yes, but...»

«I feel sorrow?»

«Just as I had set course for this star, after detecting this planet, I felt the death of my star. We all felt its demise.»

«We are sorry. We know how important a nest is.»

«We share a common destiny: my nest was destroyed, yours will be shortly, you said.»

«This is true, but this nest is our second nest. Our primary nest was destroyed a long time ago. It too got destroyed when its star exploded. Nonetheless, the loss of this second nest is as painful to us as the loss of the first. But at least we will not be taken short, we hope.»

«What is it with nests getting destroyed?»

«In some cases it is natural, in other cases it is predators, like the soul-eaters.»

«I wonder why you bother saving us. You should be running away by now. That is another thing I cannot understand.»

«We vowed to save as many lives as we can. You are life. You have not been overly hostile to our goal or us. There is no hostility or competition between us. And maybe, one day, you can save us. Who knows?»

"I'm hungry!" piped up Jefferson.

«The young one is persistent, Matriarch. He clamours for food. We will be back when the first flight returns from the old nest with the eggs.»

«I will await your return, Harp Prince of Magic.»

***

"Hey boys, where have you been? Did you spend all this time with the Pterodactyls?"

"The Pterodactyls are really nice, dad! They have all these nice colours!" exclaimed Jefferson as he ran to Harold to sit on his lap.

"The males are gaining their mating colours, dad. It's not yet complete, but I suspect when the migration to the nesting grounds is complete, it will be so," Harp said, answering the unspoken question from the Atlantean king.

"We also met a giant tortoise! Harp says it talks, but I heard nothing!"

"A tortoise? These have died out a long time ago, Jefferson. They lived hundreds of years, but radiation killed them as effectively as any other life form."

"He is talking about the Seraphrims, dad. You know, the rescued space-faring species Ian so conveniently declared under Atlantis' protection some time back? Well, king Typhoon carried it here on his back to get her to study and approve the nest we created in tessaract number thirty-two."

"Did it meet her approval?"

"Yes dad. Paschal, you have been promoted to the history book of the Seraphrims! She was impressed with the changes you did to her initial design."

"Where is lord Typhoon?"

"He ported back along with a legion of Dragons to begin the transfer of the eggs, with the approval of the Matriarch of the Seraphrims. I expect him back with the first batch in five hours. Enron is on site to supervise the packing of the eggs with another legion of elves. Thorsten is there too, with dwarfs. They are monitoring the structure, which may be stressed due to the activity above-ground."

"That is fine."

"There is a legion of Pegasuses in the air along their planned return route to monitor weather and see to escort duty for the Dragons. Due to their load, the Dragons will not be able to fight should a problem arise."

"You talk as if you expect the orcs to fly again?"

"I do not, but it never is a bad thing to plan for the worse. And weather is really bad, so they may need to adjust their flight path to fly around the worse of it."

"Ian, when do you plan to go to South America?"

"I want to be here for the first few arrivals of Seraphrim eggs. Then I'll be ready."

"Who have you picked for your expedition?"

"I plan on a minimalist approach, dad. We will take a Dwarf, an Elf, a Dragon, and a Unicorn. All five of us will have full magic. That should be enough to prevent surprises. I had thought of bringing Silver Moon, but he is currently busy binding other equines to his Throne. The hot temper of the Centaurs was the condition that blocked them from being involved."

"He is tying up the horses?" asked a wide-eyed Jefferson.

"Sort of, Jefferson: he is having sex with the females to spread his genes thus binding their species to his. That's the kind of kinky sex I like!"

Jefferson turned a nice apple red as he imagined something he dared not state aloud.

"That's not it Jefferson! It is genetic bonding!" exclaimed Harp, laughing hard at the image the little prince had in his mind.

"Anyway, let's eat. I can hear grumbles from a very empty tummy," said Annabelle, as Jefferson's stomach complained about the delay in getting filled.

"Can I have cookies?"

"Cookies come after the real food, Jefferson, you cookie monster!"

***

The arrival of the first batch of eggs was a momentous event. Paschal had designed an egg gig that could be used to lift the eggs out of their container one by one and move them into their new location with a minimum of fuss. After all, a two hundred pound egg is not something that can be easily moved. The Matriarch felt the elves handle the unloading of a plate of eggs with a fork lift, then, once the palette had been brought down to the ground level, she could feel the jig set itself in place as the flatbed carrier moved between the rows where the eggs were settled in. She then began inspecting each egg to make sure they were properly positioned and that the content was viable. To her amazement, she could find no fault both in the sequence of the egg layout or in their ultimate viability.

«This is remarkable. Had I not witnessed the move, I would think we are in the nursery, and that everything is as it always was!»

«I am glad you like the result, Matriarch. I would like to ask you something.»

«This container is time-neutral, meaning time inside flows at the same speed as universal time. However, it is possible to either slow time, or speed it up. In the first case, your eggs' development will be slowed down, and you could wait for another planet for them to hatch; in the second instance, they could hatch a lot faster, bringing your little ones early in the world. What would you like to do? You need not decide right away, and there is no rush. It is only an option I am offering.»

«I will think on this, Prince of Magic.»

Ian observed the process, and as the last container was opened and its precious cargo unloaded, he approached the Matriarch.

«Are you satisfied with the process so far? We could speed things up, if you wish. I could put another thousand Dragons in the air.»

«What proportion are working on this now?»

«About a third of our Dragon forces, give or take few hundreds.»

«I am satisfied. I do not wish to put your kind at risk. You have done already more then I expected.»

«That is fine. Ah, here is the King of Dragons, Typhoon. Is everything going according to your liking, lord Dragon?»

«As best as can be expected my Lord. The weather outside is terrible, but we still can fly. My lord Harp has set up thermal approach markers that make the navigation to the tessaract entrance a lot easier.»

«When are you leaving for the next round?»

«We leave in three hours my lord. We are currently feeding before porting to the old nest. The Elves are currently doing the same, having spent the last three hours marking the next batch. The Dwarfs are making sure the passage to the next room is properly prepared for our equipment. There were fissures in the upper structures of the crystal that were spreading, but lord Thorsten fixed them. The next batch of containers is already on site. The containers used for this wave are at decontamination. Apparently, there were infectious elements in the saline structure that had been dormant. The sudden displacement of the eggs revealed them to us. Matriarch, you may not have been aware of this, but the shell's underside showed discolouration due to these contaminants. We have removed them using a bio agent designed to target these fungi. This planet is rife with microorganisms that can attack anything. There is no such thing as a sterile environment. We dive in lava pools to clean our own exoskeleton, Matriarch.»

«I hear you, Dragon lord. I am aware my own exoskeleton is presenting such issues. I have no idea how this problem is dealt with by my species. It is yet to be brought to my attention by my memory triggers.»

«We could brush your shell, Matriarch. There are polishing methods that would remove most if not all of these interlopers,» suggested Ian.

«Would you do so? I would feel better!»

«I will ask my little brother and his friend Jefferson to do it. They are getting bored, and giving them something to do will keep them out of mischief! At least, while they are doing that, they will stop bugging the poor Pterodactyls, who are getting nervous at the approach to their migration.»

«That is fine. I know youngsters can be turbulent.»

Harp materialized two brushes; a couple of polishing tissues; sandpaper; and wooden steps the boys could use to climb on the huge Seraphrim Matriarch.

"Ok boys, here is your work for today. You climb on the Matriarch's shell and you use these brushes to remove these sickly yellow-green things that have managed to install themselves between the shell plates. Once you have removed the majority of the stuff, you use the sandpaper to finish the interstitial cleanup. After everything is removed, use that soft brush to push the removed material on the ground. Do not worry, the moment it touches the ground, it will vanish. By the way, this is the cleaning station so it is the only place where this will occur. Try to be systematic in your cleanup, boys."

"What's that tissue for?"

"It's called a chamois. It is used to polish. See that special cream, containing a special combination of silica and a mineral oil? You put a drop on the area you need to polish and rub it in. You need to use very little, it spreads a thin, protective film that makes the shell shine and protects it from infection by fungi.»

The boys climbed on the back of the Seraphrim and began working, side by side. At first, the Matriarch felt nothing, but as the boys reached deeper in the interstices, she began to feel relieved. An itch that she had not even known she had came to the forefront, and then, as the parasitic plants were removed, she felt a relief she never knew she needed.

After an hour of hard work, the boys had managed to each clean a single plate and its encircling zone. The application of the polish felt marvellous to the Matriarch, as she felt it penetrate in between each crack and remove the last tiny itches she still felt. The polish also revealed a beautiful pattern of growth rings that could be counted and showed a beautiful iridescence in the light of the nest.

«I never thought your shell could be so beautiful, Matriarch. It displays an infinite variety of colours, much like the exoskeleton of our Dragon friends or of a butterfly. This colour is probably due to light interference patterns,» Harp said.

"Can we get off? My arms hurt!" complained Jefferson.

"Sure."

After removing the two boys, Harp informed the Matriarch of the reason.

«They worked hard. I understand. Tell them I appreciated their effort.»

«I will. We will assign others to continue the work, Matriarch. At the speed this goes, it may take a few days to complete. Since we do not expect another arrival of eggs for some time, I suggest you stay at this cleanup station, and I will assign a few dozen dwarfs to handle this task. I will not add more, because too many working at it would have them in each other's way.»

«That is acceptable. How will we communicate?»

«The task leader will have the ability.»

«Where is the one that offered shelter to my brood?»

«Prince Ian is preparing for his own task. He has an expedition to lead, to establish contact with some life forms in a damp and wet region of this planet. He will be leaving tomorrow morning just as lord Dragon Typhoon leaves to collect the third wave of eggs. His brother of clutch, a red Dragon, will lead the second wave.»

«Will he come back before leaving?»

«Expect him on the return of wave two, and to be there to see to the departure of wave three.»

***

"So, Ian, present me with your team and explain your selection."

"Dad, I would like to introduce you to Unicorn Xianathan. He is the first of his species to pass the tests of the Pyramids. Furthermore he bonded with a Dragon, Xiuhcoatl, and has acquired shape-shifting capabilities, a first for his species. He retains his magical capabilities whatever shape he is in."

A beautiful chocolate brown Unicorn walked forward, shifted to a boy form with brown hair, and a beautiful chocolate complexion. It kept its deep chocolate eyes, and, on the forehead, where once stood the horn, there was a white dot the size of fifty-cents coin.

"My Liege Lord," said the Unicorn, doing a superb curtsey.

"To his left is Elf Companion Navigator Edwin. He is also a superb bowman, and has acquired capabilities in defensive and offensive magic, as well as medicinal plants. He too is bonded to a Dragon, Smaug, and has acquired shape-shifting capabilities."

A blond, straight-haired Elf walked forward and acknowledged Harold.

Further left is Dwarf Hildegard. He also has bonded to a Dragon, Zu Raja, with the consequences we all know. He is a good axe man, and also is a fine blade."

The dwarf, stocky and short as is typical of his race, stepped forward. He wore the standard chainmail of the dwarfs. He too did a curtsey to Harold.

"Finally, this is Dragon Raja of the family of Zu, Hildegard's bonded. As you notice his skin is green, clearly indicating the Dragon's standard colour. However, in order to prevent panic when we reach the Amazon, we plan to take in the appearance of the locals. Harp explained to me what their experience had been with previous visitors, and it seemed preferable to at least be able to talk to them before they ran away."

The green boy curtseyed, and walked back behind Ian.

"What is the command structure?"

"Overall, I command the expedition; Raja handles the transit by air; once we reach the Amazon, Elf Edwin takes command of the maritime aspect. Dwarf Hildegard will assist in constructing the log canoe, while Raja maintains surveillance from the air and Xianathan handles land defences. I will be handling food and other aspects. We all carry weapons of choice, and I have a full set of daggers hidden under my silk robe. I had planned on going nude, but Hildegard reminded me that nudity does not allow for hidden weapons and that the forest was filled with snakes, insects, and all sorts of not so nice animals and plants. Then Greywolf's fate was brought back to my memory by Harp. My only apparent weapon will be the stave."

"If they only knew what you can do with it, they would fear you more then all the others put together, son."

Ian became red in the face.

"No false modesty, my lord. We all saw what you do with it, and Pharaoh Harold is right."

"Do I have your approval with my selection, dad?"

"Yes. Now, how do you plan to do first contact?"

"That is the sticky point. All will depend on their reaction. I have to deal with a series of issues, which we have already met to a lesser extent in the Elvin kingdom."

"What are these issues?"

"First, inter-species interaction; we have dwarf humans and dwarf orcs. They may cooperate in battle, but it does not mean they have the same cultural mores."

"That is correct. What else?"

"Second, there is tribal rivalry. I will need to stop all the inter-tribal wars. But that may prove difficult at best, knowing the vendetta mentality of small family-based groups that constitute the core of tribal life."

"You seem to have done your homework, son. Is there anything else?"

"Yes. Even within a tribe, there are interpersonal conflicts, and power struggles. Furthermore, there are always those that fear losing status, usually elders, that would probably see in any upheaval a threat to their power base. We have seen it in the Elves and the Centaurs."

Harold nodded, and waited for Ian to continue.

"The last issue is how inter-sex interactions are handled. We know nothing of the status of women or children. Admittedly, children are usually considered negligible quantities and are dismissed off-handily."

"Are you not afraid this will hinder any contact?"

"The initial contact will be eased, since we will not be seen as a potential threat. But I'm sure we can change that perspective quite rapidly and effectively. Once we have proven we are not to be considered pushovers, things will evolve. The direction of that evolution will depend on too many factors for me to even begin enumerating them."

"What will you tell them?"

"The truth. That the planet is doomed, and that they are offered a way out."

"What if their priests, and I am sure there are, consider it their destiny to die?"

"We offer those that want to leave safe passage to Thebes. Those that hold to their priests stay with them."

"What about those that have no say, such as children?"

"They get rescued, whatever their parents believe. I will not leave behind a single innocent or a single person willing to leave."

"What if the priests become hostile?"

"They just will not see the end of the world, because they will be dead before we leave. Hostility will be met with death. Hindrance with the mission will be met with a similar fate."

"What is your estimate of the population in the Amazon basin?"

"I had a centurie of Dragons overfly the basin. They used their infrared vision to count the inhabitants in the villages; and I used the canines in the village to confirm these numbers. We are talking about two hundred and fifty thousand, of which half are pre-pubescent. A village is usually composed of thirty to sixty people, with an average of fifty. This means there are around five thousand villages, all strung along the Amazon and its tributaries."

"This is fine, Ian. You have my approval to proceed. Please visit the Matriarch before leaving, she asked for you."

"I planned to, dad."

"I will see you depart tomorrow. Make Atlantis proud."