For General Crokus respects all free griffins,
He knows they are fearless and fly any sky.
He knows they have no fear of death,
And they simply scorn the evil eye.
Upon towering battlements of black stone and light,
Crokus drops his netted prize.
Young Nyber Khan surveys them both,
With his wizened wizard eyes.
His over eager seeking spell
He cast much to quick right then,
For he was curious to learn both their names,
And all the places they had recently been.
Yet once he cast that seeking spell,
Into Bracken’s subtle net he fell.
For seeking spells must always come back,
With crucial information that you may lack.
And there was fierce Bracken, as clear as day,
And within this cold vision he had much to say.
Their frozen link was now connected and Nyber took
A fearful look within Brackens secret book.
The dark magick within began to gather and grow,
Nyber saw many things he would rather not know.
He saw a boiled blue lake, soiled silver sand,
Crushed red poppies, and burned forest land.
His tough brave generals
Led well his blue armored troops,
They fought long, hard, and relentless,
From concentric, tight loops.
Yet each time their hopeless circle tightened,
They were forced to give up some land,
Countless blue armored warriors
Were cruelly cut from the band.
Bracken’s battle mad troops,
Were numberless and bold,
His dark magick was timeless,
Malevolent and cold.
The blue fought courageous to the last,
To the end, until there were none.
They all died hard for freedom,
Lost in a vicious battle not won.
Then Nyber and dearest Hesper,
Alone within the cruelest night,
Would stand before the great horde,
And face Brackens unforgiving might.
In a flash of golden light,
Bracken’s harsh vision was finally done,
Thus showing young Nyber,
He had nowhere to run.
True, he could fight the good fight,
Yet there was no way to win,
Nyber’s ears were still ringing,
From the lost battle’s great din.
So now comes the parley,
The old forms are strictly observed.
Bracken’s black diamond claws,
Are most twisted and curved.
From his forefinger claw,
Black light is emitted,
“Your Calibus for sweet Hesper.”
Thus fine parley submitted.
“One little blue dragon”
“To avoid all you’ve surveyed today.”
“No need to lose any life,”
“Or your true wizard way,”
“No real need for this fight,”
“Your painful death or this war,”
“Just cage my blue dragon,”
“And you’ll see Bracken no more.”
Yet truly wise wizards always learn,
To seek balance and always find,
The many unlimited, unknown pathways,
Within the unexplored collective mind.
They know to trust their truest feelings,
And their inner promptings too.
They use the wizards high art of discernment,
In all they seek to do.
Though Brave Nyber sees no way he can win,
He still trusts his true promptings from deep within.
So he faces cruel Bracken deep in link,
His grey eyes find focus and do not blink.
Nyber sends forth his truth to power,
For he has decided to refuse to live unjust,
He answers brave, refusing to cower,
He chooses right action and a path of trust.
“Halidor and Seth I will give freely to you,”
“ But I cannot help you enslave the free dragon blue.”
“So please return brave Calibus home to me,”
” Forget this foolish war, just let us be.”
“A free dragon can have no real quarrel with you,”
“She is just a playful, dragon blue.”
“She has a divine right to her place in the sun,”
“From your tyranny I will refuse to run!”
“Fine Then!” Bracken rumbled earthquake deep,
“I’ll crush all these weak forces you try to keep,”
“I’ll love boiling your lake and soiling your sand,”
“I’ll love torching your precious forest land.”
“I’ll shred all your fields of poppies bright red,”
“And I’ll rip sweet Hesper from her secret bed.”
“All under your command I will rip and tear,”
“Your weak blue armored troops will get you nowhere!”
“And when I’ve finally tired of torturing you,”
“I’ll grind you up to make a stew,”
“A wizard stew of kith and kin,”
“And Nyber Khan will never be again!”
“A tasty meal I‘ll just love to eat,”
“Amidst your pretty blue armored troops in total defeat.”
“I’ll summon my crows to help consume you too,”
“And I will make her watch it all, your sweet dragon blue.”
Nyber never even blinked,
Anyone sane might have thought he would.
Upon the ancient battlements of ebon stone and light,
Alone he darkly stood.
He wore his purple robes of magic power,
And his gold embroidered hood,
He stood tall and faced Great Bracken’s vision
The only free wizard who could.
In a flash of emerald light Nyber broke the cold link,
Enough of this cruel Bracken for it was