Jesse James and the Dragon's Egg

Mattu Khan

Jess and company rode for a while, up into the highlands toward a great mountain range. Night turned into morning and there was a distinct chill in the air as they reached a place called Daoreth Nin. Jag instructed Jesse to keep Al discreetly tucked away as the little group dismounted their horses.

Jag had a brief, friendly conversation with a shop-keep. With a wave of the man's hand, he escorted them to the back and in minutes packs were brought to them. Large heavy sacks for each of them that were hung with canteens and small leather bags of pungent smelling food. Upon opening, they found the sacks contained various supplies and long, heavy, fur-lined coats and boots. The children were instructed to put these on.

"It will be very cold where we are going, children, and the journey will not be easy."

They were led then to a large stable where a small man greeted them with a pleasant enough smile. The man was older and walked with a pronounced limp, but he carried himself with a confidence that belied his infirmity. After a quick conversation with Jag, he went about gathering and arranging seven saddles. He hefted them one by one onto a tall platform, carefully arranging and seeing to their every detail. Every snap, strap, buckle, and hook received his undivided attention before he disappeared into the back of the stable. He was gone for a while.

Jag and Khalil had stepped to the side and were speaking quietly to one-another and Jesse wondered how long they were supposed to wait when the man suddenly reappeared. Brad screamed and ran.

The small man was leading two great white polar bears. Massive beasts that were a full head taller than Jag at the shoulders. Brad would have been halfway across the little village if Jag hadn't grabbed him by the hood of his jacket as he sprinted past.

They were tethered to the man by leather halters. Behind those two came two more in the hands of a stable boy and three more behind them. The giants good-naturedly responded to his every command. They grunted and made deep guttural noises as he and the stable hands went about preparing the great bears for riding.

Soon the little band was mounted and away. They rode for hours. The great bears navigated treacherous passages and disintegrating trails with confidence. They rode up and up and up into the mountains. They rode above the treeline where everything was covered with snow. They rode so far up that the air became thinner, and still they rode up. They had followed this particular pass for sometime now. Well worn, it was by far the easiest part of the ride, but they had ridden for hours now and the children were exhausted. Jake was silent, somberly taking in the sights, Brad was griping. Lamar and Kate were arguing with Brad. John was throwing things at Lamar, and Jesse was beginning to doubt they were going to end up anywhere at all. He urged his bear forward, catching up with Jag and Khalil.

"Jag, where are we going?"

"There, my boy." The man motioned ahead of them. "To Mattu Khan."

The snow was growing worse, and it was getting even colder, but as they rounded the bend, Jesse saw a sight that nearly knocked the boy from his bear.

A massive fortress. A walled city nearly as big as the mountain it sat on dominated the horizon. Speckled with torch-lit battlements, its massive walls reached thirty and forty feet high. Spires climbed into the sky and disappeared into the low clouds. The place stretched off into the distance until it disappeared behind the mountain. There was as much iron architecture as there was stone reinforcement. It was as much a mountain as the geography it sat on.

"This place is just like Morevi!" Brad, for the first time in the entire trip, was excited.

"What? No, it's not." Lamar, too, had come back to life, despite the dark circles under his eyes.