The Land of the Salamanders

The lush green lands I had come to know dwindled the further we travelled. Trees became sparse; the ground, dry. Craters formed in the earth, from which fire spewed forth eternally. A town—or maybe a city—came into view on the horizon. It was illuminated by the waking fires of the world. Round, glass domes dotted the cityscape. A tower struck the sky with its face, and a church was placed in the centre next to the town square, and next to the church was a stone guildhall with red-bricked roof tiles and spires. We landed in the square. On account of being too large, Grimnir was forced to wait outside while we entered the guildhall.

The guildhall was cold and dark except for a fire that blazed in a hearth in the middle. Long tables ran parallel through the building with various tools lying about on them. The centre piece of it all was a large bathtub at the back. A creature sat submerged in it. He had human-like facial features with a sharp beard, horns jutting out from his head like a goat, and quills protruding from his back. His skin was red and brown and copper.

“King Eulerich, I did not expect you at so late an hour. What brings you here to my humble hall?”

“Greetings, Mordrau. Yes, it was but a fortnight ago when last I visited you. These are the three whom I spoke of and who must undergo the trial. I have personally joined them so that there be no misunderstanding. Wode has nigh returned and his power grows with each passing moment. We require the divine object that your people have guarded for generations.”

“Ah, so these are three? I didn’t expect them for some weeks. Welcome, young beings. I am Mordrau, Margrave of the March. Since I have been acquainted with the tidings of the world, and we are presently pressed for time, we may forego introductions. I propose preparations be made posthaste.” He slithered out of the bath and draped a cloak around his body. “The trial is located further to the south in a cave where a dragon dreams. In order to withstand his wrathful fire, you will need a sanguine salamander suit. Come, I will prepare a blood bath.”

He held his claw over the bathtub and cut it with a knife he manifested out of thin air. His salamander blood dripped into the bath, colouring the water red. He grabbed a handful of folding screens with ease and placed them around the bathtub.

“You may enter the bath now. All together or one at a time. Do note: you must submerge yourself for a few seconds in order for the salamander blood to take effect.”

“Ladies first,” I said to Marisa.

We proceeded to take turns dipping into the blood bath. I would be lying to myself if I didn’t find the idea of taking a bath in someone’s blood a bit gross. When it was my turn to go in, I held my nose and closed my eyes as I jumped in. The blood water was warm, hot, almost scalding. I jumped out when I couldn’t take it anymore. A faint, glossy coating of red clung to my skin as the water dried.

“Done with your dip? Then you may proceed to the dragon’s den. Eulerich, do you know the location of the lair?

“I do, Mordrau. And thank you for your assistance, especially at so late an hour.”

“Think nothing of it. Good luck, you three. Do pay a visit after your venture into the divine depths.”

We left Mordrau behind in his hall and returned to Grimnir waiting outside. I saw salamander scurry through the streets. It was unlike the first one I had seen, being much larger and closer in resemblance to Mordrau than the traditional lizard-like appearance. The city was calm, undisturbed by the encroaching evil from leagues away in the north.

We got on Grimnir’s back and flew over to the cave that was mentioned. King Eulerich led the way. The cave was a gaping void jutting out from the ground, swallowing the countryside around it. We descended and landed in a clearing a few feet away from the entrance.

“Here is where we must go our separate ways. The trial is yours to complete, for I will be surely rejected for trespassing upon the profane.”

“What do you mean? You can walk in, no? You’re the king of this land.”

“If only it were that simple, Ferdinand. From the moment you three entered the first trial, your fates have been tied to all four. I have not been a part of your journey, for me to enter now would undermine all your struggles and growth.”

His words sounded like excuses to me. How could he be prevented from entering the trial?

“I don’t understand, your Majesty.”

“Hoo-hoo, neither do I in all honesty. There are powers at work in this world that have existed since time immemorial. Now, off you go. No more dawdling.”

With his wing, King Eulerich gave me a gentle shove towards the entrance of the cave and then flew away with Grimnir, who let out a farewell caw. We had come this far. The final trial lay at our feet. All we had to do was triumph over what dwelled inside and our journey would be nearly complete.

The cave expelled noxious fumes of sulphur into the air. I covered my mouth and nose as I entered. The path sloped down into the depths of the underworld. A fitting location for a dragon, I thought. A bright orange glow radiated from a far off source, illuminating the entire pathway. The further underground we went, the hotter the air became. The blood bath the salamander gave us must be working to keep us from succumbing to the heat, but it did nothing to prevent the sweat from accumulating over my body.

Despite the less than ideal conditions and impending fight with a dragon, I was strangely calm. I wondered what kind of trial we would have to face. I thought of the myths and legends involving a dragon that I knew, and they all had the hero slay the dragon in some way, whether by the hero’s own hand or by divine intervention. Mordrau was aware of the dragon, yet he did nothing to get rid of it. I wondered why. The city was far enough away from the cave that it likely didn’t bother the dragon.

The narrow path that we had been walking down expanded into a large, open chamber. We stood atop a brick ledge with stone steps leading down. Beings from a time forgotten had crafted these structures. There, at the bottom of the cavern, some one or two hundred feet away, was a dragon asleep on mountains of gold. The fourth trial was about to begin.