The Child of Sound

Screaming, loud piercing screaming, or was it crying?

That was the only sound that filled the air, and it was unlike any other sound Quartz had ever heard before. It was as if the sleeping gods had woken up – but as a child, demanding to be cared for.

Aside from the horrendous sound, the world was calm and peaceful. Nature existed in harmony with civilization. Lazy rivers strolling through the mountains, peaceful rainstorms in the forest, and even manageable temperatures in the more arid climates. The lack of extreme weather allowed life to flourish with little to no tension between nations.

Ironically, it was the historians who created tension by debating the existence of three planes of life, each resulting in some type of parallel world. This was the underlying message on how the peaceful current state of affairs would be short-lived, destined to be thrown into war and turmoil. Though to Quartz, the existence of life across different planes did not matter. He enjoyed his world, except the screaming he was flying towards.

This sound, he thought, I must know the source.

Air flowed through Quartz’s wings like that of a sail on a majestic elven ship. This land had a beauty that was unmatched in any world that he had ever heard of. He was well-educated by most standards across his world. And, best of all, being a dragon allowed him free passage to any place he wanted. As a result he was able to see the world from various cultural and personal perspectives instead of a narrow, possibly skewed, form of education.

Dragons were not uncommon. In fact, they are one of the primary races that inhabited the vast lands and oceans that Quartz called home. Along with the elves and dwarves there were also orcs, goblins, gremlins, and trolls. Elves thought they ruled the world while dwarves thought they ruled under the mountains. Orcs and trolls would occasionally clash with the elves while goblins and gremlins would often argue with the dwarves. But overall, the last disagreement that led to large-scale bloodshed was almost a long forgotten memory. Even the elves had to refer to historical books to refer to the last wars. Fortunately, the borders between the races tended to be clearly defined and maintained during these times of peace. Except for dragons; a dragon’s home was wherever it pleased.

Dragon culture was as unique as the other races of the world. Their lives could be longer than an elf’s, but matured quicker. Baby dragons would often learn from its elders in their native dragon tongue, until it could learn how to communicate in the common language of the land. Once that language was mastered, the dragon, likely no older than a toddler to an elf, would often set out to learn about the world. By then, the dragon’s color would be developed and a name would be given. A dragon’s name would often be related to their color. Since multi-colored dragons were rare, this kept naming fairly straightforward.

Quartz was no exception. Most dragons started their life light in color but developed before leaving their roost. Not Quartz. He retained a primary white coloring, with his wings more opaque depending on the light. He was certainly not the first white dragon to exist, but he is the only one that is currently roaming the world. Both white and black dragons were rare, with a pure white dragon being the rarest of them all. Quartz, however, was not considered to be purely white due to the opacity of his wings.

He was getting closer to the source of the horrible screaming. The forest was particularly thick here, as he hovered over the lush treetops. The light breeze swirled as he beat his wings to stay in place.

Where is that sound coming from? He thought, looking around. He could see little through the treetops, but he also could not smell anything.

Not even a deer. It is as if the forest creatures have already fled, he lowered himself closer to the treetops as the screaming intensified.

That is not screaming, that is crying. Like a child, the sudden revelation was concerning. Who would leave a child alone in the forest? Such a despicable lack of responsibility.

He was almost touching the trees and could see through the branches now. Finally he had located the source.

But how is that possible? There is no child here, Quartz could not believe his eyes. Down below the trees in a small clearing was a blue and black orb – not larger than the size of an apple. The other races, with the exception of the elves, would likely not be able to see it from such a distance.

The crying was now intensifying, and the orb grew as if it was feeding off the horrendous sound. As it grew, the wind swirled stronger and more erratically. Then a boulder rose slowly from the ground, as if pulled by the orb.

Quartz retreated higher into the air. Something did not feel right. Perhaps it was some strange elfish magic that was being practiced, or perhaps it was some strange prank to pique a dragon’s curiosity by a child. But as he retreated further up, the unthinkable happened.

BANG.

An explosion rocked the forest, pushing Quartz upwards as if he had caught a strong gust of offshore wind. He could now smell the trees, as if they had been freshly trimmed or cut. But once he righted himself he could see the reason for the sudden change in smell.

It’s flattened, he could not believe his eyes. The scale of destruction was unheard of, probably the size of a modestly sized home for elves. But what stood out the most was the pattern in which the trees had fallen. Each tree in the area fell away from where the strange orb had been, in an almost perfect circular pattern. Pieces of leaves were floating slowly to the ground now, like large snowflakes. But the crying continued.

A new scent, he had caught a new scent amongst the smell of the trees. But this was different than what he would have expected.

A child, he thought in astonishment as he looked at the stone, the clear epicenter of the explosion.

Quartz lowered himself slowly towards the ground, never taking his eyes off the child. It was small, but developed. It looked as if it would be able to walk and communicate.

Clearly not an orc, troll, goblin, or gremlin. Most likely not a dwarf either, he thought as his feet touched the ground. The child now saw him and wailed even louder, falling, clumsily, backwards off the rock and hiding behind it. So an elf, with some strange magic.

Magic was a staple in Quartz’s world. Typically used for improving the quality of life it was common for everyone to have some degree of magical capabilities. But what he had just witnessed was something entirely different, it was destructive.

“Little sheep,” Quartz started in the common language, “no need to fear me. Please sit and speak with me.” Quartz found it strange that the child feared him. Most races, especially children, would seek out the opportunity to converse with a dragon.

“Would not a dragon eat a sheep?” it responded. The voice was soft and childlike. But this concerned Quartz. An elf at this age would have developed a more refined voice.

“A good point, but I am not interested in speaking with food. Please let us speak, I am curious as to where you came from.”

The child stepped out from behind the boulder. A young girl with long blonde hair and beautifully deep blue eyes. But her clothes were strange for an elf.

“The last thing I remember, my mother and aunts were arguing,” she began. “They were not being nice to each other and it upset me. It upset me so much that I started crying. My one aunt started yelling at me, but I only cried more.”

“That is not very nice of your aunt,” Quartz began, “My name is Quartz, what is yours?”

“I’m Ephesia, or Effie!” she said exuberantly. Her hair moved in front of her face and she put it behind her ear with her hand.

Quartz froze in fear, her ears were different.

A human, he thought. How did a human get here?

“Effie, how old are you?” Quartz asked tentatively.

“Two!” she answered, holding up two fingers with a smile.

Her vocabulary changed. At first I thought she was an elf based on her complex answer. But now she seems to have a more limited use of words, Quartz noticed as her behavior changed to be more child-like as well. Probably traumatized.

“So big!” Quartz laughed, though in reality he had no idea how large a human should be at two years old. “Do you know which way is home?”

She shook her head. But it was her eyes that caught Quartz’s attention. They were slowly lightening to a soft sky blue.

“Little sheep, where is home?” Quartz lowered his head to look her in the eyes as he asked. They were lightening in color right in front of him, something that he had never heard of before.

“Anatolia,” she answered with sadness on her face.

“Why so sad?”

“Mom and Dad will be worried,” she started to tear, on the verge of crying.

“Well, let us get you back to Anatolia,” Quartz said happily. “But first I need to stop at my home, we will be able to get some food and a map.” He noticed that her eyes were becoming a deeper blue.

“That would be wonderful! My parents will be so happy and reward you!” Effie exclaimed with happiness.

“Now Effie,” Quartz started, “I am not looking for a reward. This is the kind thing to do.”

“Is it not important to reward kindness?” she asked. Her eyes still deepening.

It is as if she changes as her eyes darken, Quartz was astounded. Regardless, there was much concern surrounding Effie. It had been eons since the last human set foot in his world. And the last time a human was here, all life in the world nearly ended. If it was not for the dragons, that human would have succeeded.

__________

It took some convincing, but Quartz was eventually able to get Effie to settle onto his back. Her behavior was odd, she always acted like a toddler – but there were moments when she was as knowledgeable as an adult. He flew slowly, not moving too far up for fear she would get cold.

He did not want to directly tell Effie that he had not heard of Anatolia for fear it would send her into another fit. The only thing he could think of was to bring her to his roost. At the very least she would be safe from the other races. Though, some of the other dragons would likely protest having a human nearby.

The power she displayed is unheard of, Quartz thought as he looked back at the clearing in the distance. Even so far away he could see where the trees had fallen. Attalos will know what to do.

Attalos was unlike most elves in the world. He preferred to learn and focused on keeping the library in order. It was an old library, originally made by both elves and dwarves, which was inaccessible to dragons – thanks to their inability to fit through the door. He was also one of the oldest elves, and less likely to shun something he did not know. In fact, he appreciated anything he had not yet experienced in his life.

There was a different sense of urgency now for Quartz. He had always lazily traversed the land learning wherever he could and appreciating the natural beauty of the world. But now his travel felt as if there was a purpose.

The clouds looked like rain was on the horizon. But this was good, it meant they were closing in on the roost. He could feel her shuffling on his scales, trying to stay comfortable while holding on tightly.

The bravest little sheep I have ever met, he thought as he soared on a gentle breeze. He was one of the few dragons that refused passengers. Which simply meant that when the others find out that he brought a guest everyone, including the reclusive Attalos, would likely come to the great hall and greet them. It sounds like the perfect plan, he looked back to check on Effie – her eyes seemed to still be a deep blue.

“Little sheep, in the distance is my home, we will be there shortly,” he beat his wings a few times to gain more height. They were now flying over a large channel of water between the mainland and an archipelago. One island in particular stood out. There was almost nowhere to land a boat along the sheer cliffs that jutted the island out of the water.

It was the perfect dragon roost. With some unforgiving weather that made the island more ominous. In reality, only the invited guests of the dragons would be flown in – anyone else risked their lives with the perilous currents and boulders surrounding the island.

The structures at the top of the plateau varied in size. Some were clearly designed for dragons while others had a distinct architecture that combined dwarven and elven influences. Quartz knew that the spiraling corridors and staircases lead to interior rooms within the island itself. These were where the young dragons could go to learn from Attalos.

How fortunate our roost is to have someone of his caliber to learn from, Quartz remembered his younger days. He was obsessed with learning from Attalos, who would teach any willing to listen.

Quartz slowed his glide to land softly in the courtyard. Rain had begun to fall, with some puddles just beginning to form along the uneven tiles. Since Attalos is the only person on the island, most of the maintenance was left to the dragons – and there was only so much they could do.

“Be careful on your way down, little sheep,” Quartz instructed Effie as he lowered his belly to the ground and put a wing out for her to slide down.

“Wheeee!” she exclaimed in happiness, raising her arms up as she slid. Quartz could only smile.

“Never had I thought I would see the day you would bring someone to the roost,” someone said walking forward. Attalos walked out from a doorway in the bedrock, his cream colored robes growing darker as the rain fell on them. He was old, even by elven standards. Yet, still nimble and, most importantly, one of the soundest and sharpest minds in the world. His long gray hair and green eyes were vibrant, even in the rain.

“Glad I can surprise even you, Attalos,” Quartz said with a light bow of the head. Effie noticed the gesture and curtseyed. When she did, the wind blew her hair in front of her face. She instinctively pushed it back behind her ears. Attalos noticed immediately.

“Little child, you must be far from home. Let’s go inside and have some hot tea,” Attalos said, crouching down to her level. He was perplexed by her eyes, which Quartz noticed were softening in color right in front of them.

“It’s ok little sheep. This is Attalos, he will help us find a map to take you home to Anatolia,” Quartz said as he realized she was looking at him for reassurance.

“Tea?” she asked, looking at Quartz.

“I will join shortly, first I must say hello to the others that call this place home,” he smiled at her, lowering his head to her face. “It has been a long time since I was home. But we will get you home as quickly as we can.”

“Thank you,” she replied as she touched her hand to his nose.

“We will have some tea. If he does not find us before we are done, we will go and find Quartz,” Attalos said, holding his hand out.

“Ok! My name is Effie,” she said, taking his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you, Effie. I am fascinated to hear about your home,” Attalos said as he started walking towards the door he had originally exited. It was a masterfully crafted archway that incorporated symbolism from both dwarf and elf customs. But of distinct interest was the inscriptions across the top.

First, the Dwarvish runes read, “Beneath the mountain the dragon is raised.” Then, in Elvish it read, “Raised to learn of the world, to protect the life that is sacred in this plane.” Yet, the third sentence alternated between the two languages to read, “For when all seems right, it is in fact lost.”

“I like tea,” Effie replied, looking back at Quartz while reaching for Attalos’ hand.

“Enjoy your tea, little sheep,” Quartz began as he lifted his head, “I will see you soon.”

Her child-like innocence would deceive just about everyone. Few will believe what she had done in the forest without going to see it themselves.

But most concerning is that she is a human, he thought as he walked towards the dens. The last human nearly ended all life on this plane. They do not belong in this world and create nothing but instability.

__________

“So you finally return home, Quartz” a dragon said as Quartz walked into the room. She was about the same size and age as Quartz, and she was aptly named Ruby.

“Indeed, but you know me,” he began to reply before being interrupted.

“It is only for a short time,” Ruby quipped.

“Yes, but I bring with me a question,” his response got the attention of the other dragons in the room. Aside from Quartz and Ruby there was also Amber, Topaz, and Emerald. They all stepped forward as he mentioned that he had a question.

“Unlike you, Quartz, to bring a question to the roost,” Emerald said as she walked forward. She was larger than Quartz, with many more years of wisdom.

“This should prove interesting,” Topaz began as he settled down. “Let me guess, some tall tale of your travels?” He was younger than Quartz, but only just smaller.

“Not this time, Topaz,” Quartz began, realizing that what he was about to ask the group would sound completely impossible. “Did anyone feel the world shake earlier today?”

“Nothing that a dwarf causing a cave-in for digging too deep could not explain, again,” Amber added as she dismissed Quartz’s concern. Amber, about the same age as Topaz, always seemed to be able to sense changes in the world better than others. It was her support that Quartz had hoped for the most.

“Come to think of it,” Ruby began, “I did hear a horrible explosive crash earlier.”

“I found the most peculiar being at the epicenter of that sound,” Quartz paused, unsure how the others would react. “A human.”

The others simply laughed. He had been known to embellish stories at times, but this time he was not. He needed them to understand the truth before Effie came into the hall.

“That is dire news if you speak the truth, Quartz,” a new voice started. It was Sapphire, the oldest dragon in the world. Some even say it was she who saved the world from the last human. Her exact age was unknown, something she would not tell the others.

“I speak the truth,” Quartz replied as he lowered his head in respect. Sapphire did not usually include herself in gossip within the hall.

“Did you bring proof a human has returned to our world?” she asked, looking at Quartz, as if challenging his story.

“I did indeed,” Quartz began, “a toddler, about two years old, is now with Attalos drinking tea.”

“Tea?” Ruby asked confused.

“It was a quick trip from the forest, but with the weather turning I was concerned she was too cold,” was his response.

“So young,” Sapphire added, her mind clearly contemplating the validity of what she had just heard, “will the human join us after tea?”

Quartz nodded.

“I have my doubts, young Quartz,” Sapphire huffed in displeasure at the thought of being lied to, “but we shall see. Let the human come here.”

A silence fell across the group, everyone’s minds running wild at the thought that a human was in their roost. The minutes passed, but Effie was yet to appear. To Quartz it felt like an eternity as the concern in the others’ eyes changed to dismissal.

Footsteps, finally, Quartz thought as he heard two distinct sets of footsteps.

There, in the open archway, walked both Attalos and Effie. In an attempt to keep her comfortable Attalos had given Effie a robe, which was a little too large for her. It made her look like an elf, though Quartz knew that as soon as she pulled her hair back the truth would be shown.

But it was Attalos who surprised the group the most at the moment. He was carrying various scrolls, trying to keep them under a robe to protect from the rain. It was unusual for him to take anything out of the library in such weather for fear of damage. This caught everyone’s attention more than the child holding his hand.

“It is good to see you come out of your cave,” Sapphire said as she stepped forward to greet them.

“This was unavoidable, please let us go in further to protect from the wind,” Attalos answered as he gestured to a table at the far end of the room.

The others instinctively moved towards the table, but not without looking intently at the toddler walking next to Attalos.

She looks like an elf in that robe, Quartz chuckled. He could only imagine that they did not believe him.

“Go to Quartz, little child,” Attalos said as he guided her towards Quartz. He was having some difficulty carrying the scrolls.

“Friends?” she asked, holding onto one of Quartz’s legs.

“Family,” he answered.

“I believe introductions are in order,” Sapphire added, before turning around to the table.

The other dragons stopped in their place and turned to Quartz, while looking at Effie.

“You have already met Quartz, this is Ruby, Amber, Topaz and Emerald,” Sapphire began pointing to each with her wing. Her size was so large that her wing alone was about the size of Topaz. “And my name is Sapphire, what is yours?”

“Effie,” she answered, hiding behind Quartz as Sapphire lowered her face closer to the ground to get a closer sniff. Effie instinctively tucked her hair behind her ears after Sapphire exhaled.

Sapphire’s eyes widened at the sight of the child's ears.

“It has been a long time since we had a visitor with ears like yours,” Sapphire began stepping towards the table. The others continued on their way to the table, with a look of concern growing across their faces.

“Little sheep,” Quartz began, looking at Effie, “stay close.”

She nodded and walked alongside Quartz, never taking her hand off his leg.

__________

Attalos spread the various scrolls and parchments across the table. His choice of scrolls varied from maps to legends. It all seemed so disconnected. He was rearranging them as he recounted Effie’s description of home. It sounded similar to their world, but with magic that behaved differently. However, she also spoke of her parents and how her mother was in line for the throne of the kingdom of Anatolia. Her mother and aunts were always arguing. This, according to Effie, always made her Grandfather and uncle sad. The reason for this became more obvious when they learned that royal lineage was passed down through the female bloodline.

“This is something that is not common in our world,” Attalos began looking across the room. “Which made me start to think, what if it was not our world that we are discussing?”

The group remained silent, Sapphire remaining stoic.

“I pulled information related to the three planes of existence,” he began, “Time flows differently in all. But it was not uncommon for skilled mages to be able to travel between the planes. Our plane is called Empyrean. This is the world we know and live in. The second plane is the opposite of ours, called Orcus. It is here in Orcus that magic has left the land and technological advancements sap the world of its strength. But finally the third plane, Purgatorium. It is this world where magic exists because it is stuck between Empyrean and Orcus. Some call it the “plane-between-planes.”

“And you believe that this child is from Purgatorium?” Sapphire asked calmly.

“I managed to find some old maps from our records. We are fortunate in that, though incomplete, we have some knowledge of the geography of Purgatorium. You must remember that scholars would often travel between planes in search of expanding their knowledge. For us, it was strictly to learn. But for scholars from Purgatorium this process was to bring new methods of magic back home to be weaponized. While war is most common in Orcus, the brutal nature of two contradicting planes colliding is what life in Purgatorium considers the norm. Magic and nature are unstable and have led to the use of magic in ways that we cannot possibly fathom here.”

Quartz looked at Effie, her eyes slowly deepening in color.

“Little sheep, did you speak to Attalos of your emotions?” Quartz asked, hoping to draw the attention to Effie, and thereby her changing eye color.

“I did, he said it is most peculiar,” Effie answered.

“Such a knowledgeable child,” Sapphire responded. The others were looking at Quartz with ever growing concern.

“What I was able to determine is that Anatolia is the most powerful kingdom within Purgatorium,” Attalos announced, trying to bring everyone’s attention back to the scrolls. “Magic in that plane is more random and distributed to varying degrees. Even the time of the year can impact how magic can be used depending on the person. It would seem that Effie won a magical lottery, of sorts.”

“So you are saying it is impossible to go home?” Effie interrupted, her eyes almost as deep a blue as Sapphire’s. The wind in the room was also beginning to swirl.

“Little sheep, let Attalos finish,” Quartz said, putting his wing over her in an attempt to comfort her, “It is not polite to interrupt.”

The others, including Sapphire, had taken a step back at the subtle display of magic.

“No, Effie, it is not impossible,” Attalos started with a frown, “But it will take time and much studying.”

Her eyes began to lighten as the hope of returning home began to kindle in her heart.

“Effie,” Sapphire began, “the last time someone of your kind was here they sought destruction and sowed evil across our world. Do you know why you are here?”

“I don’t know how I got here, otherwise I would go back home,” Effie answered as she shook her head.

“This will not be an easy road,” Attalos began, “it will take much studying to learn the control you need.”

“I can do it,” she said firmly, looking directly at Sapphire.

“War will likely find you,” Sapphire began, “Are you prepared to protect us?”

“If you promise to help me return home, I will protect you all in return,” Effie answered, standing up straight and confidently. Her eyes were as deep a blue as when Quartz first met her. The others were now catching onto the change in personality depending on Effie’s eyes.

“You may stay,” Sapphire announced. The others, except Quartz, immediately objected. But a deep, powerful roar from Sapphire silenced them all. She spoke in the dragon tongue, “This is not up for debate. We must do what is right to protect life.”

The others cowered at her demands. She was the eldest dragon, her word was law within the dragon community.

“Quartz,” Sapphire continued in the dragon tongue, “she is your responsibility, and your responsibility alone.”

Quartz opened his mouth to disagree, but realized that Sapphire had made up her mind.

“Little sheep,” Quartz started as he looked at Effie, “it has been decided that you are to stay and I am to help you find your way home.”

Effie’s eyes lightened as she hugged his leg. “Thank you,” she smiled.

Thank me when we have completed this odyssey, Quartz thought. He looked up at the others to find that they were smiling as well. This moment of happiness may be fleeting, but the decision feels like the right path. I only hope we both prove to be worthy enough for the roads ahead.