Free Into Oblivion (Book 4) by Shawn E. Crapo

Farouk’s spine, and echoed like a demonic roar in his ears. It seemed to be a deep, tormented wailing, with a shrieking cry that sounded over it. Farouk’s heart raced, sending waves of tension through his body. He looked to Faeraon, whose face echoed his fear yet maintained its mask of anguish. The king turned to him, his eyes slowly meeting Farouk’s. The Druid saw a single tear in one eye.
    “My daughter,” Faeraon lamented. “She returns.”

Chapter Six
     
    Khalid materialized within the Dragon’s cavern. His priests had prepared his passage through the void into Dagda’s own dimension, and he was now there in person. Astral projection would not do, as the two would have to travel to their destination in their material forms.
    The Dragon awaited Khalid’s arrival with anticipation. He had saved enough strength to transmute to human form, as he had done many times in the past, and could now go on his last adventure with his newest servant.
    Khalid now stood below him, staring up at the Dragon’s immense head. Smiling as much as a dragon could, Dagda closed his eyes. He focused his strength on creating his simulacrum; the humanoid form that would accompany Khalid on this great journey to depths unknown. When he had formed the body in his mind, he placed his head on the cavern floor in front of Khalid.
    Before the Priest’s eyes, the Dragon’s great, toothed maw opened. From inside his mouth, his human form stepped forward, slowly morphing into the familiar face that his servants were used to. He stepped over the great fangs, standing before Khalid and grasping his shoulders.
    “This is a great day, my friend,” the Dragon said. “For the first time in many years I feel free; happy. I am happy to have you travel with me on this quest.”
    “It is my honor, Dagda,” Khalid replied. “My sword and my soul are yours to lead.”
    The Dragon chuckled, slapping his hands on the sides of Khalid’s head. “On this journey,” he said. “We will not be master and servant. No, we will be partners. We will fight together, talk together, and learn together; as brothers.”
    “Steal together?” Khalid joked.
    “Once a thief, always a thief,” the Dragon said, smiling. “Now, let us enter the Vault of the Earth.”
    Dagda led Khalid to a large grotto that was carved into the wall that his great head faced. It was perfectly smooth and round, carved by expert engineers many eons ago. The two entered without hesitation, each one looking forward to the journey ahead.
    “This tunnel was built by the Druaga in the beginning of my reign,” Dagda explained. “It leads to a chamber where the hub of all interconnected Earth realms lies. There, we will travel through the caverns to find the source of this Mother spirit.”
    “You will do the talking, then?” Khalid asked.
    “I will try,” Dagda replied. “But I am not sure if she will understand me.”
    “Or be friendly, for that matter,” Khalid added.
    “I had not thought of that, but yes.”
    Khalid wondered if Theia had created children of her own, or if that action required a world upon which she could release her creative energy. She had once been a separate world, as Khalid understood, but now she was trapped inside Earth; separate, but joined with Gaia herself.
    “I do not think I would be very friendly if I had been trapped in one place for billions of years,” Khalid remarked.
    Dagda smiled, knowing that Khalid’s words rang true. “Nor would I,” he said. “Yet some part of me thinks that she may be happy to interact with another soul, whatever its nature.”
    “I see,” Khalid said. “Then, perhaps she would enjoy speaking with The Lifegiver, if she has not already.”
    Dagda nodded. “Traegus tells me that the Lifegiver is unaware of her presence. In other dimensions, she may not exist, or may never have been joined with Gaia.”
    “How is it that she would remain undetected?”
    “The Great Mother projects her energy into the Earth,