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Vanrak led his elegant black horse along the sand, going a bit slow after such a long ride from Waterdeep. The sun had set more than an hour ago. While there was enough light to walk, deep shadows lined the crevasses and cliff face of the headlands south of Daggerford. Ocean waves hissed constantly as they washed against the towering sea pillars and arches standing out in the water.
“You could at least leave a torch burning,” the human muttered to no one, glancing up along the beach. In the dim light, the grottos all blended together as he struggled to recall exactly where to go. Suddenly there was a loud roar of water somewhere back down the beach. The reins nearly pulled from Vanrak’s hand as his horse pranced sideways, snorting. Turning just in time to catch a towering bronze, glittering green creature shooting from the water, he saw it shaking its many-horned triangular head before the whole form was engulfed in crackling energy. Vanrak squinted and raised a hand against the sudden light, tightening his fist around the reins as his horse continued to fidget.
When the light died, a handsome young human was left standing bare in the sand. A grin bent his expression as he called in a clear voice, “What’s that?”
“I said, all your caves look the same,” Vanrak called back, shaking his head and going back the way he’d come.
“Hardly,” Glyster responded, closing the distance shortly to meet him. The dragon’s bronze eyes still glimmered in the light of the sunset. “You just don’t have an eye for the coast.”
“Bit cold, are you?” Restraining a chuckle as he glanced up and down, Vanrak extended his free arm. Glyster stepped in without hesitation, arms circling the human’s chest as he tucked his damp face against Vanrak’s neck.
“No, never,” he replied, giving a restrained squeeze. “Wet though.”
“Yes, I see that.” Despite the grudging tone, Vanrak wore an answering smile. “In any case now that you’re here, you can be in charge of finding the right one.”
Glyster pulled back after a moment, scoffing: “Finding, he says, as though I don’t live here.” Slowly turning toward the horse, he held out a hand in peace offering and moved closer, waiting out the animal’s hesitation. “How was your trip?”
“Long. Left before the sun was up and stopped briefly before the Grayflow crossing. But other than that, uneventful.”
Glyster nodded, having started to pet the horse’s dark forehead. Trailing his hand along the animal’s arched neck, he stepped to its side before lightly jumping into the saddle. “Just back that way,” he pointed along the trail of footsteps Vanrak had left on the beach.
“Ah,” Vanrak grimaced, collecting the reins up. “Well I was close.” His friend had no response, except a laughing smile.
- - -
After a brief backtrack, they had found the dragon’s lair. A series of branching sea caves--the first chamber of which created a beautiful stone dome extending past the sand and over the water, where waves continued to roll through supporting stone arches. At the back, where the caves continued underground, it was too dark to see any further. The dragon has dismounted and taken Vanrak’s hand to guide him past the threshold.
They left man and horse in a side room with a floor of straw instead of sand, and went about actually lighting a few torches while Vanrak busied himself taking off tack and grooming the steed. When he finished, he left the horse and followed the line of ensconced torches through the caves. Continued movement was growing uncomfortable after his long ride, and he hoped to find a place to drop his belongings and stay put for several hours.
The firelight led him through a hallway climbing in elevation, and past several rooms into a cliffside cave. Fresh, light breeze brushed his face as he stood looking out into the darkness of the ocean. Glyster sat by a recession in the stone, building a campfire in the open air. They had found some pants and a loose tunic somewhere.
Vanrak set out a few remaining snacks from his bag, adding them to the fish and bread Glyster must have found. They ate. Then the dragon retreated to gather a few pillows to recline on.
Propped up by the pile of cushions, Vanrak put an arm around Glyster where they laid back against his chest. Breathing in the ocean air and light smoke of the fire, he felt content.
“Tashalar?” Glyster inquired eventually, glancing up at the human’s gray eyes.
“Soon, yes,” he nodded. “A mapping expedition, funded by my father. He’d also not be upset if I strengthened our connections in the area. None of us have ever visited in person.”
“It’s a beautiful country, and a rich one for merchants. Mapping what?”
“The jungles, I suppose. The ruins within them. I’ll not start from scratch if I don’t have to, but as I understand it they aren’t well-travelled.”
Glyster hummed in agreement, shifting his human feet against the stone beneath them. “No, not by humans. Why would they when the golden coast is so much more inviting?”
“You’ve been, then,” Vanrak assumed.
“Of course,” the dragon smiled. “The water is clear and warm, there’s a lot of life there. Wars in the past, but not now. The only magic is old magic. What’s not to love?”
He jostled Glyster’s shoulder in a tease. “Why do you live on this dreary coast then?”
“Chult is too close. To my parents.” Glyster’s brow was wrinkled in the middle.
Lord Moonstar’s thoughts ground to a halt as he blinked at the flickering fire. After a moment of silence, he looked back down at the top of Glyster’s head. “Sorry, what?”
“They stay near Nimbral.”
“I don’t even know what that is. I meant, I didn’t know you had parents...around.”
Clicking his tongue, Glyster closed his eyes, turning to rest their cheek over the human’s heart. “We all have parents.”
“Well, I don’t kn--”
“Now, really. Where did you think dragons came from?”
“I’m an adventurer not a scholar,” Vanrak protested, mentally readjusting his view of the dragon. “What’s Nimbral?”
“An island nation, about 300 miles south-west of the Chultan peninsula.”
Quirking an eyebrow, Vanrak replied. “And that’s close?”
“Too close for me,” Glyster said, tone light.
“So you’ve run away from home,” Vanrak pulled them in closer, “to act out with your human boyfriend.”
Glyster chuckled, dramatically nuzzling the man’s shirt. “Seems like it.”
There was silence as Vanrak rubbed the dragon’s shoulder absently. “Any advice, having been there?”
“Learn the imagery of Dendar and Savras, I’m sure you’ll come across it in the ruins and tombs. I’d be sad if you died of a religious misunderstanding.” Suddenly Glyster’s bronze eyes popped back open. “Ah, wait,” he said, pushing away and starting to get up. “I have something for you.”
“Something for me?” Vanrak parroted, amused. He twisted on the ground so he could watch Glyster hurry away into the caves, bare feet slapping on the stone. When the sound faded, he sighed out a long breath. Fixing the pillows, he settled back into them. The occasional pop from the fire sounded funny in the enclosed space. Looking out of the cliffside straight into the stars would never get old. Eyes unfocused, he began to replay their conversation, considering how best to ask… Perhaps it was naive, but Vanrak had hoped Glyster would have suggested it himself on the mention of traveling across the sea.
The echo of the dragon’s footsteps reached him before the man himself, moving more slowly as he approached. He had a bundle of cloth in hand, a deep burgundy velvet. Kneeling beside Vanrak near the fire, he began unwrapping it.
“The Tashalans fear magic because of the wars wrought by a lich that reshaped their lands generations ago. If you venture far into the jungle, you’ll be facing what remains.” As Glyster explained, he dropped the cloth away to reveal an ornate, bronzed hilt. The grip was shaped like the narrow body of a dragon, with the crossguard forming its arched wings. Where the sculpted creature’s mouth opened in a roar, it was missing its blade. “This is Scintlmorn,” he said, turning the hilt to pass it to Vanrak. “And it will help you against undead.”
“Do I throw it at them?” Vanrak smiled, looking up to meet his lover’s eyes.
“No,” Glyster smirked, reaching across to grip the hilt over Vanrak’s hands. He angled it away toward the fire, when suddenly a beam of pure radiance sprang from the sword’s mouth. Leaning back in reflex, the human squinted in the bright light now filling the cave. The blade appeared as white, solid light at its center, extended from the hilt they both held.
“Oh, I see,” he said, a grin spreading over his face. “You’d give this to me?”
“Mm, I’ll loan it.”
“Kind.”
“Generous,” Glyster corrected, letting go of the handle. “Put that out so I can lay back down.”