Fantasy and Myth

Through a World-Gate

Borias climbed the stone steps ever higher into the sky. He could still hear the distant crash of the ocean waves against the beach far below. An occasional flock of gulls would fly nearby and chatter among themselves while passing, but many of the birds didn't ascend this high, so they were more often than not below him. Lush green grass blanketed every smooth plateau of rock and fought an aerial battle with the salt smell of the sea to determine which would be the dominate fragrance, and as the winds shifted, so did the unseen tide of the conflict.

Narrowing to a jagged point underneath it, an island floated in the air above him. Borias quickened his pace when he saw his destination in sight. He took the final steps two at time and reached the summit. The island, like all the others filling the sky to its furthest horizon, was completely flat and covered in vegetation. Ankle deep grass cushioned the steps of his leather boots, and a trio of palm trees twisted around each other in a silent and age old dance.

The only disruption to the natural setting was the massive archway of dark grey stone towering over him. To his right, another arch waited on a different island, and a trio of arches, the largest one in the center, was located on a floating isle on his left. Each island possessed steps leading up to them, and some of the stairways crossed smaller islands like the landing of a staircase within a cathedral. The gates were alive with magical power within their confines, twisting with swirling masses of energy in colors of pink, white, and violet.

Time and weather had worn away some of the stone on the upper part of the arch in front of Borias, but the symbol of the ancient mages could still be seen upon the keystone. The mages had founded the first dynasties in the lands below, leading the various peoples into a golden age of peace and prosperity. It had been decided then to open the way into new lands and new worlds, sharing their knowledge and wisdom with any people encountered there. Many an explorer failed to return from these missions, but such a great opportunity to gain new insights and aid other societies couldn't be ignored.

Borias had been training for years to be an explorer, and as he stood before the swirling gateway, he felt a mix of excitement and uneasiness. He knew not what might lay beyond, either a world of gleaming crystal and towering spires of ivory shining in the sun, or a fog covered swamp of black water, hidden sinkholes, and voracious predators. He drew out his sword, the sunlight glinting along its edges and diminishing his ability to see the glowing runes carved down the length of the blade from hilt to tip.

As he stepped closer to the swirling energy of the portal, he could feel its power washing over him in waves, and he had focus his mind in order to dismiss the sensation of thousands of insects crawling across his skin. Taking action before he could change his mind, Borias stepped into the vortex churning in the center of the archway and crossed the threshold to what lay beyond.

His senses overloaded. Flashes of bright light assaulted his eyes with painful intensity, forcing him to close his eyes altogether. Shivering cold and blistering heat rippled across him in rapid succession, and the thunderous winds of a hurricane filled his ears to the point where he thought he might die.

The next instant, it was over, and Borias dropped to his hands and knees. He was shaking uncontrollably, and his main focus was trying to keep from throwing up. Borias was only partially successful as the taste of bile registered in the back of his mouth; he choked it back down, taking a few deep breaths. His convulsions were fading by the time his stomach seemed willing to stop rolling and twisting itself into various shapes, and he made use of the respite to look around.

Gone were the islands hovering among the clouds and bathed in golden sunlight. A massive red sun hung ominously over the landscape, filling the majority of the sky and painting everything in a similar color. No lush carpet of grass was to be seen, replaced by dusty, cracked ground and towering spires of bare rock. The air, like the landscape, was warm and dry.

A chittering noise near his boots drew his attention, and he looked down to find a small snake-like creature. It was the length of his arm but no bigger in width than his little finger. Gleaming scales covered the beast in a sheath of red, but Borias couldn't tell if it was a natural color or a result of the sun's reflection.

"Hello there," Borias greeted, putting away his sword and kneeling down to get a better look at this new life form he'd encountered. The snake also seemed to be curious about the visitor to its world, for it spread a pair of wings previously folded along its back and flew upwards to hover at eye level with Borias.

"What are you?" Borias asked.

The snake opened its elongated jaws and breathed out a small cloud of flame along with a soft hiss. Borias was startled and couldn't keep himself from flinching back. The creature didn't seem to notice and perched on his knee, quickly coiling itself into an overlapping ring formation.

A shadow fell across them both, and Borias looked up to see a much larger version of the same creature descending from the sky. It landed a few feet away and curled itself into an identical ring, but this one encompassed Borias completely and left no escape. The massive beast slowly extended a single claw of its front foot, touching it with the softness of a feather's caress to Borias' forehead.

"I bring you greetings, strange creature," the words appeared in his mind as if he had heard them, but Borias was certain the snake hadn't spoken.

"Are you speaking?" Borias asked, feeling foolish asking a question of a giant snake.

"Not as you do," the voice answered. The giant mouth of the snake, framed by very large and gleaming sharp teeth, remained closed. "We dragons speak between minds. Some minds are too different and cannot connect. I have not seen one of your kind before."

"I'm called Borias," he told the dragon. "I'm an explorer, looking to find new realms and new friends."

"You should see this land," the dragon declared, rearing up and letting loose a tiny burst of flame and a larger cloud of smoke from its nostrils.

"I would like to. Could you direct me from here to the nearest point of civilization?" Borias inquired.

"It is too far to reach without flying, and you have no wings," the dragon answered, turning its head slightly to one side while looking him over with a massive, reptilian eye. Borias didn't know if he was being appraised as a visitor or a future meal.

"You will have to ride upon my back," the dragon declared. The great beast lowered itself, pressing its scales into the dusty rock while raising a foreleg in order to create an improvised step for Borias to climb.

"Excuse me," Borias apologized to the little dragon curled up on his knee as he stood up. The miniature creature clawed its way across his chain mail armor to find a new perch upon his shoulder. He stroked the tiny dragon's head with a finger, and it leaned against his hand contentedly.

Borias climbed up upon the larger dragon and wedged himself between the vertical fins running down the length of the serpentine spine. It was a snug fit, but Borias still held on for dear life when the dragon spread its wings and took to the sky. The wind raced past his face as the dragon weaved through the rocks spires and out over dry plains that gradually turned to fertile fields.

A city of polished copper buildings and sparkling gold accents appeared on the horizon, and the dragon's velocity made the approach in less than a minute, slowing down to circle around it. The structures were massive with great arches and twisting posts Borias guessed were for the dragons to roost upon, for there were many dragons in the city. The reptiles were a multitude of sizes and dazzling colors. They filled the sky around the city or crawled through its innumerable passages. Many turned to look at the odd visitor being given a tour, and a dozen joined into an aerial formation around him for a better view.

None of the dragons seemed hostile, only curious. Borias wondered how many of them might be explorers like him. He grinned with joyous anticipation as he couldn't wait to find out what other wonders awaited him in this world of dragons.