‘Clara...guardian of the dragonfire. Now is the time for you to begin your journey. You must find the trident to defeat who is now your enemy. Or the earth will surely perish’
The dragons had spoken to her, but surely that can’t be true she thought, this is all wrong, was there something in her tea? She felt as if she needed a good lie down. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, before she looked back at the tapestry and everything seemed to be as it was before... stupid old woman she thought, too many ghost stories you been readin’ my old gal. She rose from the chair and walked towards the tapestry. The background was totally black with the two dragons weaved into the design in white cotton with slivers of green and red throughout, but the ball of flame in the middle which seemed to be an equal effort on each dragons part was of the brightest yellow, still seemed to be a lot brighter than before. Then she heard the sound again. It froze her to the spot and sent a shiver through her very bones as she watched the dragonfire before her burn brighter. As that is what it was doing. The flame in the tapestry actually began to burn, the flames licking at the glass it was encased in leaving scorch marks up the glass, as if they were trying to escape.
She knew this was actually happening now, there was no question. She could hear noises from the other side of the astral curtain that you were not meant to hear when on this side... never, and yet she still could. The sound was the most frightening experience of her life and now her tapestry had gone up in flames.
And it all stopped as quickly as it had started. She looked once again at the tapestry and the flames were no more. But inside the frame was a golden disk which had green emerald type jewels encrusted around the outside with the two dragons from the tapestry inside the jewels. And between them was the dragonfire just like on the tapestry. It was just sitting at the bottom of the frame. The thing had appeared from nowhere, and even stranger was that the tapestry was undamaged and the deafening sound had ceased..
She didn't know whether to approach the frame or simply turn on her heels and run for the hills, or even sign herself into the nearest psychiatric hospital.
I can’t run away though, she thought. Her Grandma Isabel or Isa (as she preferred to be called) had passed this tapestry on to her, knowing that she could trust her with whatever secrets it held. She had the feeling that her Grandma had never really known what those secrets were and had been saddened to never know what it was she was guarding... but that's just it. She had protected it and kept it safe until the day came that its secrets would be revealed. Clara... as frightened of what might lay ahead as she was, wasn’t going to turn and run, she wasn’t going to let her grandma’s effort be in vain. She was going to walk over to that tapestry and... that's as far as her thoughts got before she even reached the tapestry. She walked into an invisible barrier which would neither let her move forward or backwards. She was facing the tapestry dead on and the whole thing seemed to be swelling up and down, in and out. To her it looked as if it was breathing, or more accurately... it seemed to be rippling in some strange flutter of wind. She could hear a noise, not like the cackling hyena laugh from before; this was like a gentle breeze chasing itself through the forest. It was a pleasant sound that she felt utterly at peace with at once. She imagined that she could feel it caressing her face, gently blowing her hair and lifting it. It was the kind of clean wind that came with the promise of spring on its tail. It uplifted her very senses. She took it all in with deep breaths, could feel it ruffle her blouse and kiss her skin. Her eyes closed and she found herself on a hill; she could see for miles around but to Clara... well, she felt like the only person on the
The dragons had spoken to her, but surely that can’t be true she thought, this is all wrong, was there something in her tea? She felt as if she needed a good lie down. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, before she looked back at the tapestry and everything seemed to be as it was before... stupid old woman she thought, too many ghost stories you been readin’ my old gal. She rose from the chair and walked towards the tapestry. The background was totally black with the two dragons weaved into the design in white cotton with slivers of green and red throughout, but the ball of flame in the middle which seemed to be an equal effort on each dragons part was of the brightest yellow, still seemed to be a lot brighter than before. Then she heard the sound again. It froze her to the spot and sent a shiver through her very bones as she watched the dragonfire before her burn brighter. As that is what it was doing. The flame in the tapestry actually began to burn, the flames licking at the glass it was encased in leaving scorch marks up the glass, as if they were trying to escape.
She knew this was actually happening now, there was no question. She could hear noises from the other side of the astral curtain that you were not meant to hear when on this side... never, and yet she still could. The sound was the most frightening experience of her life and now her tapestry had gone up in flames.
And it all stopped as quickly as it had started. She looked once again at the tapestry and the flames were no more. But inside the frame was a golden disk which had green emerald type jewels encrusted around the outside with the two dragons from the tapestry inside the jewels. And between them was the dragonfire just like on the tapestry. It was just sitting at the bottom of the frame. The thing had appeared from nowhere, and even stranger was that the tapestry was undamaged and the deafening sound had ceased..
She didn't know whether to approach the frame or simply turn on her heels and run for the hills, or even sign herself into the nearest psychiatric hospital.
I can’t run away though, she thought. Her Grandma Isabel or Isa (as she preferred to be called) had passed this tapestry on to her, knowing that she could trust her with whatever secrets it held. She had the feeling that her Grandma had never really known what those secrets were and had been saddened to never know what it was she was guarding... but that's just it. She had protected it and kept it safe until the day came that its secrets would be revealed. Clara... as frightened of what might lay ahead as she was, wasn’t going to turn and run, she wasn’t going to let her grandma’s effort be in vain. She was going to walk over to that tapestry and... that's as far as her thoughts got before she even reached the tapestry. She walked into an invisible barrier which would neither let her move forward or backwards. She was facing the tapestry dead on and the whole thing seemed to be swelling up and down, in and out. To her it looked as if it was breathing, or more accurately... it seemed to be rippling in some strange flutter of wind. She could hear a noise, not like the cackling hyena laugh from before; this was like a gentle breeze chasing itself through the forest. It was a pleasant sound that she felt utterly at peace with at once. She imagined that she could feel it caressing her face, gently blowing her hair and lifting it. It was the kind of clean wind that came with the promise of spring on its tail. It uplifted her very senses. She took it all in with deep breaths, could feel it ruffle her blouse and kiss her skin. Her eyes closed and she found herself on a hill; she could see for miles around but to Clara... well, she felt like the only person on the
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