The Chain
By
Shaun M. McGrath
The sound of metallic scales scraping against the stone wall of the cave graded on his ears as Tag shifted his position in the musty chamber that was his prison.
The large Silver Dragon looked down at the magical chain on his ankle.
“Hey Noran, you awake?” He called out through the swirling vortex of magic.
“Yea, I was just trying to get to the books again.” The response from the vortex seemed as though the speaker was not happy with his current situation.
“Any idea how long it has been? I mean, they said it was only for a few hundred years, right?”
The Silver Dragon shook his leg to see if the chain was any looser. The magical chain had grown larger as the dragons grew. It allowed them to move about the caves but never far enough to get to freedom.
“Sorry Tag! It has been over five hundred and fifty years! I believe they died and their descendants have forgotten about us!” The voice sounded even sadder than before.
“What we did wasn’t that bad! Why is our punishment a death sentence?” Tag started to cry.
“Do you even remember what we did?” Tag felt the chain slacken as if the creature on the other end had sat next to the vortex. In the Sacred chamber of the Magi, two figures felt a change in the balance of the dimensions. It was now time to act. They turned and began to cast their spells into the pool of knowledge. Slowly the images of two dragons began to form.
“We were children! It was just a shiny ball, I did not know what it was. How was I to know, what would happen if it got broken. They should have made it stronger!” Tag was still sobbing at the thought of his punishment. He remembered the great chamber and the shiny ball sitting on top of the pillow in the middle. He thought it was just a toy and wanted to play with it. The doors were open and there were no guards or anyone to tell him not to, so why not? He relived it in his mind as he had done a thousand times before. This time something was different, a strange sense of regret, a profound sadness had taken hold of him. Several new ideas came to him. Over the centuries many creatures had come into this hole. Many of them had tried to kill him but only one had ever come close. The glint from the magical flame illuminating the chamber and bouncing off of that magical blade now caught his eye.
“Noran, will you forget me when I am gone?” He looked at the magical sword that had once cut him.
He had killed the one who wielded it a long time ago. The wounds it had caused had taken a very long time to heal. He hoped that if he cut his leg off that maybe Noran would be able to get to the books and find a way to free himself.
“What are you talking about?” The voice from the far side now sounded worried.
“It is my fault that you are here! The chain is all that holds you! If I can free this side of the chain then you could reach those books and get yourself free!” Tag started to reach for the sword.
His paw was in pain just to pick up the weapon. He fought through the intense hurt.
He put out his leg with the chain on it and raised the sword. He felt very dizzy and it took all of his effort to continue. Suddenly the chain pulled his leg out of the way. The sword sank deep into the ground and he let go of it. Tag fell on his side and again started to cry, this time it was from the pain in his hands.
“Why did you pull the chain?” Noran sounded upset.
“I didn’t pull it, I thought you did!” Just then the chain started to pull the two into the vortex.
“What is this?” Tag yelled to Noran.
“I do not know!” Noran’s voice now sounded as if he were in a cave far, far away.
The two grabbed onto the chains and started to pull back on them. Even for a Dragon they had no hope.
The two worlds were being pulled farther and farther apart as both the Tuatha and Humans were forgetting that the other existed. Tag’s hands were now bleeding badly and he was unable to hold the chain any longer. His leg was now being pulled into the vortex. Tag was ready to give in and let the magic destroy him. He was convinced that at least in death he might find peace and some forgiveness.
The Silver dragon was thrown back again to the chamber and the orb. He could see himself and his brother rolling it across the floor to each other and giggling and smiling. Suddenly a great Magi came in and yelled as the orb hit a small bump and shattered like thin glass on stone. The Magi had then fallen to his knees and clutched his chest. Tag did not remember anything the old one had yelled other than the part where he and his brother would pay for their crime. The pain was increasing, Tag now felt as if his leg would be torn off inside the vortex. He thought his blood would fill the void between the realms.
“Do you know what was in that orb?” Noran’s voice seemed to bring Tag back from the brink of death.
“The last memory of Humans and Tuatha being together!” Tags eyes suddenly opened wide.
How did he know that? No one had ever told him.
“The last memory?” Noran’s voice could barely be heard over what now sounded like water rushing into a great hole. Tag grabbed the pillars that stood on each side of the vortex and looked at the mural that was painted on the wall. It was an image of a soul passing between the realms on each side of this vortex. He now understood that Noran was on the Tuatha side and he was on the human side of the portal between the realms. He knew this because all of the creatures that used to come to try and pass through the vortex on this side were always human. The cave around him was starting to crumble.
“Master, I understand now! I am sorry that I am the cause of them forgetting their brothers.
Punish me as you will but please, master, let my brother go!” Tag felt the tissue of his leg start to tear.
The image of the great Magi appeared in front of him. Everything suddenly went calm and quiet.
The cave like the chain and the pain in his leg were gone. Tag felt as if the last few hundred years had been no more than a dream. He looked down at his chest and noted that the scars were also gone.
“Do you really understand? By destroying the orb you have allowed the Humans to separate from the Tuatha. Without our guidance and wisdom those poor creatures will destroy themselves. The chain between you and your brother was all that held the realms from separating beyond repair.”
“No master! The memory that was in the sphere, it came to me, I can remember the events clearly!
You could make another orb and take the memory from me.” Tag sat like a child and looked down at the Magi’s feet. His wings that had shriveled from never learning to fly, drooped. Five hundred years had passed and even with all the torture and turmoil of being chained up in the chamber of portals, Tag was still as innocent as a child. The Magi could not help but shed a tear. The Magi got down on one knee and put his arms around the small dragon form. Tag was now aware that he was again a small child. Yes, you are right my friend. It was always meant that these two realms would separate. None of my efforts will stop that.
Perhaps it is time to end this punishment. The emotions in the Magi’s soul were so strong that he was able to take them back to when the dragons entered the great chamber. The Dragons looked at the shiny ball and the Magi walked in behind them just before they took it.
“That my young friends is the last memory shared between Humans and Tuatha. It must not be disturbed. The results could be devastating.”
The Magi looked now at the young version of Tag. The silver Dragon had not forgotten any of the cave.
He remembered the torture and the chain. The hopeless feelings of freedom being just out of reach.
“Master, is this the chance to change the past?” He looked the Ancient one in the eyes.
The Magi smiled. You will one day be the wisest of all creatures. It is up to you what will become of this orb. The Dragon looked at the orb and knew what he had always seen in the hearts of men.
The Dragon put his paw on the Magi’s knee.
“Master, you must let them go! True wisdom can only be learned through experience. The Humans have a lot to learn before they can ever return.” He looked up into the ancient one’s eyes.