The three kings gathered in the meeting room of Brittania's castle.
King Richard, The Grand Wizard of Americus. King Gabriel, The Gryphon of LaSpania. King Edward, Lord of Brittania.
They were all having the same problem. They couldn't sleep.
Under normal circumstances, this would not have been an issue. Kings suffer many sleepless nights, especially in times of war.
But these were not normal circumstances. Each King had been plagued with the same dreams.
Dreams of murder and conquest, intrigue and betrayal.
In their dreams, each king had seen visions of the other two attacking them in the night, poisoning their food, marching armies on their castles, whispering, conspiring behind their backs.
Tensions were high, the trust between the three balanced on a shoestring.
This was honestly nothing new, but the nature of this war, and the stakes on the line, made the whole experience much more unnerving.
The Kings had told no one about their dreams but their advisors.
Their advisors, concerned, spoke to each other.
Realizing that all the Kings having the same dreams at the same time, could be no mere coincidence, they arranged a meeting.
The alliance forged only a week ago by the Summoned Hero, hung by a thread.
Lilith, accompanied by the other two advisors, entered the room and bowed deeply.
"My Lords. We, your trusted advisors, have conferred on your behalf. We do not believe that the visions you have been experiencing are premonitions."
"We have not found any evidence of deceit or manipulation from any of you. We all agree that what you are experiencing is an attack.
"Our enemy must have employed a weapon aimed at destroying the trust between you, therefore destroying this alliance."
King Edward glared at Lilith. "If this is an attack, how do we defend it, repel it, fight back?"
A Naga mage, the advisor to King Gabriel, glided forward. "Paranoia and anxiety can only be fought with facts and trust, my Lord."
"We have had all of your rooms and belongings triple checked, by personnel from each kingdom, for any evidence of spells or magic use."
"We checked the locks and doors for any evidence of tampering, or forced entry."
"There was nothing. It led us to ask one question, that we asked of each other, and now we ask of you."
The General of Britannia spoke up from behind the two women. "Which of you, have honestly, ever had any desire to attack or claim either of the other two kingdoms?"
All gazes followed around the table as each King shook his head.
It was that moment they realized that all the years of squabbling and mistrust there had been between them had been for nothing.
A look of silent mutual understanding passed between the Kings.
They realized two things at the same time.
First: they had all been too busy running their own kingdoms to plot against the others.
Second: they all had the same enemy in common, and the enemy of their enemy was their friend.
In The Forgotten Desert, Raymond and his party descended a narrow stairway from the roof to the top floor of a dark tower.
The floor was a single open room, dimly lit by a single pulsing magic crystal the size of a volleyball, on a pedestal in the center.
The first thing Raymond noticed past the crystal were the skeletal remains of a robed figure in a high backed chair.
Samatha tapped her staff on the floor and an orb of light floated to the ceiling and illuminated the room in a soft yellow glow.
Spiders and other critters retreated from the light, leaving behind only dust and cobwebs.
The party spread out around the room looking for anything informative. There was nothing.
The room held only the crystal, a few scattered tables, and the well dressed skeleton.
The party took their time making their way down the ten story tower.
All they found were the remains of a life of diligent study.
Labs, workshops, forges, and a library full of books that crumbled at the touch.
"That was… depressing." Una said as they finally exited the bottom floor.
Everyone nodded solemnly.
"That mage," Samantha began, "there was something familiar about him, but i can't put my finger on it. It looks like he spent his last few years working on that crystal."
Raymond nodded his agreement. "Looks like that crystal is what powers the barrier."
"Without a doubt," Samantha said, gesturing at the dome. "A barrier that strong and complex, it would require more energy than a single mage or array could produce."
"But," she continued, "to find, refine, and enchant a crystal that big would take a long time, a year at least."
Raymond's expression went from surprised to curious as he listened to Samantha. More questions and not many answers.
The party worked their way around the town, searching through buildings and homes, looking for anything about where they were or where they were going.
The town reminded Raymond of the ones in the old westerns he used to watch.
Wooden buildings, stores and eateries, lined either side of a wide main street. Homes lined neatly beyond that. Carriages and covered wagons were parked here and there.
Skeletal remains sat in a rocking chair outside of what used to be a saloon, with a metal star pinned to its faded, worn vest.
In the end, all they found was the remains of a long dead town protected by a magic dome, and sand.
Their last stop was a large, barn sized building beyond the outer ring of town. It stood completely alone just inches from the barrier.
The building was made entirely of stone. All of its markings were faded, rendered unrecognizable by time. All save for the large dragon face carved into the stone above the door.
Raymond lifted his hand, about to flex his earth magic to open the heavy stone door, when Una stopped him.
"Let me try?" she asked. "I've been studying that book, and I want to give it a shot."
Raymond stepped back and gestured toward the door indicating she should give it a shot.
Una raised her hands, palms toward the door, and concentrated. Her face scrunched, and she started to sweat from the effort.
In the end the door shook, but that was all.
Samantha put a supportive hand on Una's back . "You're trying too hard, magic is about directing energy, you can't force it. It's OK, we can work on it together."
Una gave a disappointed smile and nodded, then watched Raymond closely as he stepped up again.
Raymond pointed his hand toward the door, taking control of the stone with his earth magic, and pushed.
The door ground open and a gust of cold stale air rushed out.
The inside was much better decorated and preserved than anything else in the town.
A lush red carpet covered the floor, a dozen rows of benches lined a wide center aisle, made of a smooth dark brown wood and edged in crimson.
The far end of the room boasted a raised platform with an onix and ruby podium front and center.
Behind the podium was a single cushioned, high-backed chair, flanked on either side by three smaller ones.
Behind the tall chair was a ruby crusted statue of a red dragon, wings spread wide, its head and eyes pointed at the seating area.
Raymond whistled. "This is definitely a temple."
The girls nodded as they made their way toward the altar, taking in the sights around them.
Raymond marveled at how life-like the dragon statue looked the closer they drew to it.
Suddenly the girls froze, concerned looks on their faces. All at once Samantha bristled, Aleacia's ears twitched, and Nikki sniffed.
Before anyone could speak, the room shook and steam shot out from either side of the statue's mouth.
Everyone moved on instinct, producing weapons and assuming defensive stances.
The steam stopped and the ruby eyes of the statue glowed brightly
"Who comes before The Dragon after so many years?" The voice boomed, deep and soul shaking, and seemed to come from everywhere at once.
"Una?" Raymond said quietly, his question unspoken.
"Nope." she answered quickly, indicating she'd never seen anything like this.
Raymond activated Appraising Eye. It failed.
"It's a Visage." Samantha said in awe. "Every Dragon Temple has one. It is said that the priests communicate with the Dragon through them. But, no one has seen it work besides the priests."
"The young Oracle is partially correct." The Dragon said. "It had been centuries since there had been a priest worthy of our attention. All of your current priests are puny soft-hearted liars."
The girls all recoiled in shock. Raymond was unfazed. On Earth, there were many that claimed to speak for God. There were few who actually did.
"What brings the Scion of the Dragon to this place?"