The Witch of the Western Gate: Dragon's Gift (6 page)

"Thank you, LeRoy."

"He'll not be the only one." Blue turned back toward LeRoy.

"Water dragons that age band in small packs. He must have been hurt while hunting and separated from his littermates. A fullgrown female water dragon whelps only one large clutch of eggs in her long lifetime. However, the eggs could be laid over the course of a few weeks, so they hatch in stages. The whelps stay with their mum for a year or two then go to find their own territory. The one downstairs is no more than a few weeks old. So there are others, plenty of others."

"How do you know so much about dragons?" asked Blue

"I once spent much time near a great and remote swamp," replied LeRoy. "Water dragons live near water whether it is ocean, sea, swamp, or lake. They fly above or swim while hunting for fish and crustaceans."

"I see," replied Blue. "Well, maybe they've come here before. I'll see if I can find any information."

"Yes. They have been here before," LeRoy commented. "A long time ago, when your great-great grandfather was alive they came here."

"You might have mentioned that sooner!"

Blue looked through the McChesney Bestiary and under "Dragon" found one entry that said "See Knucker." Under Knucker was a larger handwritten entry that first described the reddish brown British knucker. Then it expanded to discuss the North American variety. According to the beastiary, British knuckers had secretly come over in the hold of ships and bred with the elusive Canadian Ice Dragon, creating a North American breed of small water dragon that could survive in colder temperature, could fly, and was shades of green, blue, gold, and silver. At the end of the entry was an entry written in a neat script by Blue's great-great grandfather.

"Cullen McChesney, June 8, 1862. Infestation of knuckers found at Birdsill Holly Manufacturing. I did a tracking spell using dragon droppings then banished them. Unfortunately, Birdsill Holly saw them. Now he's talking crazy about water pressure plugs to put out fires, and using steam to melt snow from sidewalks and heat houses. Possibly a psychotic break caused by the stress of seeing water dragons. I will keep an eye on him."

"Birdsill Holly?" Blue recognized the name from school fieldtrips to the local Erie Canal Museum and from tours of the Lockport Cave. She knew that he was a famous local inventor and friend to Thomas Edison. Stella was crazy about Birdsill Holly.

"Birdsill Holly did you say?" inquired LeRoy. "I remember him. Good friend of your great-great grandfather's. Clever man. He had over 150 patents to his name, some of which are still used today. Open a sink faucet and Birdsill Holly is to thank. He also invented fire hydrants and made plans for the first fire engine carriage. I gave him the idea, for faucets and municipal water systems, so you can thank me whenever you shower or do the dishes."

"I'll keep that in mind," replied Blue.

Blue knew that many of Birdsill Holly's inventions had to do with steam and water pressure. Could he have been inspired to create them due to having a water dragon infestation at his factory 150 years ago? There was only one way to find out. Some of the McChesney Beastiary and Record books were enchanted, the ones with the symbol of a hand and an "M" in the middle. All Blue had to do was sprinkle some dried and ground forget-me-not blossoms on the entry in question, recite the Witness Spell, and she would be transported back to that time and place where she could witness the event. There was time for a Witness Spell now. Although it was late, tomorrow would be even busier.

"LeRoy, I've decided to do the Witness Spell now, so that I can see what my great-great grandfather Cullen McChesney was referring to, in his log entry about a water dragon infestation 150 years earlier."

"That sounds like a good idea," replied LeRoy. "You might learn something, and it's not a dangerous spell."

Blue double-checked the directions. It looked easy enough. All she had to do was sprinkle some dried and ground forget-me-not blossoms on the entry, then press her hand on it while reciting the spell, and she would be transported back to that time and place. Blue wasted no time and with a flash of light travelled to that day in June of 1862 when her great-great grandfather met with the inventor Birdsill Holly to discuss the water dragon infestation.

Blue found herself standing on a street in what must have been Lockport, NY, in the summer of 1862. It was cobblestoned, with only the occasional horse drawn wagon or open coach driving by. Two barefoot boys in tattered clothes were playing, chasing a barrel hoop and whacking it with a stick to make it go. People were dressed in old-fashioned clothes, long skirts and high collars. Blue could hear orders being called out from the barges in the old Erie Canal. They were close enough that Blue could see the great locks filling with water, in order to raise the elevation of the boats as they travelled up the escarpment. Without the locks there would be no way to transport boats up the steep rocky escarpment. Many men had given their lives blasting the Erie Canal out of the hard dolestone and Blue felt the power of their bones mixed with the rock. The Erie Canal made it possible to ship goods quickly from one end of New York State to the other, then across the Great Lakes to the mid-west or even Canada. This was a vast improvement, since there were no planes, trains, cars, electricity or trucks during the mid-1800s and steam powered inventions were in their infancy. Tethered donkeys waited patiently for the water level to rise and the lock to open. Then they would be at a higher elevation. There were five locks to go through. Once done they would be at the top of the escarpment and could pull the barges along the towpath once more. It was a fascinating sight to see all the boats, cargo, and people from yesteryear going about their lives. Blue almost wished they could see her so that she could talk to them, but that is not how the Witness Spell worked. She could only witness past events, not influence them in any way.

There was her great-great-grandfather, Cullen McChesney. Blue recognized him from his portrait. There was a crow on his shoulders, a sleek creature with glossy feathers.

"LeRoy," she gasped. "I had no idea!" Maybe this is what LeRoy meant when he said she might learn something. So often she had ignored the old crow's stories, figuring they were just fantasy. It was indeed LeRoy, 150 years ago! He looked exactly the same. Cullen McChesney was walking with another man and they were avidly discussing.... Blue drew closer so she could hear.

"I tell you Cullen I saw them, plain as day, all webbed and winged flying around, breathing steam. It was unbelievable."

Cullen shook his head somberly. Blue knew the feeling. It was always bad news when mundane people saw magic or magical creatures.

"It could be a vision," replied Cullen. "An inspiration conjured up by your creative mind in order to inspire you."

"But I saw them, Cullen, plain as I see you in front of me."

"Well, either you did or you didn't Birdsill. If you did, it does you no good to talk about them. People will think you're crazy. You'll drive away your investors and ruin your reputation. If you didn't see them, then you are ignoring a creative inspiration that took the form of a vision, and you are missing an opportunity to follow that vision and invent something truly grand."

"The steam, Cullen. I saw steam coming out their noses and mouths! The water they spit out with such force. You are right. They did inspire me! I have so many ideas in my head now for harnessing the power of water and steam. Perhaps it was a vision, but a very realistic one." Cullen reached over and patted Birdsill Holly on his shoulder to reassure him, as they walked toward the Holly Factory.

"Wow! I guess my great-great grandpa really was friends with Birdsill Holly, the great inventor."

"Told you," replied LeRoy.

"I saw you there too, LeRoy. I guess you really were in a position to know all about it," replied Blue.

"First hand," replied LeRoy.

"Maybe I should take your stories more seriously."

"Definitely."

"Since Cullen McChesney got rid of the first dragon infestation with tracking and banishing spells, you can too," suggested LeRoy. "Afterall, you are the resident McChesney. And the sooner that abomination is out of my house the better."

“I’m good at tracking spells.”

“You’re good at Escarpment witch tracking spells. Those won’t work on a dragon, or any other magical creature. You need to use druid spells.”

"I don't get trained in McChesney magic until I'm 18," replied Blue. "Cormac says it's too dangerous."

"Well, your father is away as usual," replied LeRoy. "He left you alone to deal with this problem. You should take some initiative. Cormac couldn't blame you. How hard could simple tracking and banishing spells be? The faster this problem is resolved and that dragon downstairs is gone, the better off we'll all be."

"I do know a few banishings from the Escarpment Witch Grimoire but I doubt they would banish dragons."

"The Escarpment Witch spells won't work," declared LeRoy. "I've read them all. Lucky for you, I know where Cormac hides the McChesney Grimoires. The McChesney spells are strong enough, obviously, since Cullen McChesney used them successfully one hundred and fifty years ago." LeRoy fluttered up the forbidden spiral stairs that led to Cormac's private ritual room and tapped on the door. Blue looked across the room to the spiral staircase going up to the third floor. Cormac did not want anyone entering his private ritual room. Blue had never been in there. No one was to enter it. Cormac had made that clear. Yet she was also frustrated and annoyed that Cormac never explained to her what he was up to or how McChesney magic worked. As LeRoy had pointed out, she was the resident McChesney and the only one around to deal with the dragons.

"I'm not supposed to go in there, and I don't have the key anyway," replied Blue.

"If it's a key you want, I know where that is too!" chirped LeRoy gleefully. "All you need do is promise me you will get rid of that abomination downstairs, and I will give you the key."

"OK," Blue agreed, figuring the dragon would be better in a few days.

"I want that dragon out of here! cawed LeRoy"

LeRoy flapped his wings and turned three times in a circle, clucking oddly as though chanting a spell in birdspeak, then a key on a green brocade necklace appeared around his neck. Blue took the key and climbed the spiral staircase, turned the key, and entered her father's private ritual room that took up the entire fourth floor of the mansion. She gasped in surprise never having imagined anything like it.

Blue entered an enormous room that took up the entire fourth floor of the mansion. There were a few eyebrow style windows high on the walls. All of these windows were made of uncolored leaded glass, some frosted or wavy and some clear, done in art nouvea style with geometric patterns and the occasional starburst or floral design. There was an altar at the far side of the room, with a black pillar on one side and white on the other, with ribbons of red swirling down. Up until now, Blue had studied only the musty grimoires given to her by Grandma Lily, especially the large black leather bound
Workings of the Escarpment Wise Women
and the Brown leather bound
Wisdom of the Dolestone
. Her favorite book was a spellbook titled
Healing Arts from the Wise Women the Grey Rocks
with its faded moss green cover and burgundy title. These witch spellbooks required only a circle be made, from imagination, though a real circle from salt was also an option. Nothing so fancy as pillars and an altar were required.

"What do you think this is for, LeRoy?" asked Blue, pointing to a large triangle inscribed in the floor of the ritual room. Blue was standing in the triangle. In front of her, just before the altar, a circle was also inscribed. Both the triangle and the circle were inscribed with strands of metal pounded into the floor -- gold, silver, iron, copper, and tin. Inside the circle, and as large as it, was a five pointed star inscribed with the same metal. Blue knew intuitively that the five fingers on the hand, depicted on the cover of the McChesney Ritual Book corresponded to the five points of the star inscribed on the floor, which correspond to the four alchemical elements of fire, water, air, earth -- plus spirit.

"If you'd been properly educated in magical arts, you would know that the magus stands within the circle and summons demons or other noncorporeal entitites into the triangle where they are bound to his will and can do him no harm," replied LeRoy.

"Oh," Blue replied. Witches never summoned or bound other beings, so didn't use a triangle. Though she had heard Grandma Lily instructing Stella on something similar to do with ghosts. Blue was doubtful that such a technique really was necessary. How powerful could noncorporeal beings really be?

"What is that odd symbol in the very middle? It looks to be sunk into the floor." Blue was pointing to a white glass tile, outlined in black, that had white and red intersecting squares inside.

"That is the tessera," replied LeRoy. It is actually a glass cube, with a magical symbol inscribed on each of its six sides. Since it's sunk into the floor, you can only see the top symbol. The magus turns it to display the symbol most associated with the ritual to be performed. Also, it's glass, not tile. It's made with layers of glass and foils to make it translucent."

"It's very beautiful. The workmanship is exquisite!"

"Yes, beautiful and useful. It also opens the Western Gate and connects this temple, the Temple of the Oak, with brother and sister druidic temples across the ….. ah well, enough said about that. I ramble on too much," replied LeRoy.

"I see," replied Blue, making a mental note to ask Cormac for explanations. All this information about tessera, and related temples, was all new to her. To think that she didn't even know that the Temple of the Oak, whatever that meant, was beneath her own roof. Blue felt her temper rising.

"I'm not a child!, she insisted. "I have a right to know what is going on, especially in my own house! It's not fair that I should find out this way. At least tell me about the Western Gate, and how a portal works?"