Dragon Maps

I thought the map was strange. Yes, a map of the Glass Volcano and the surrounding landscape was drawn at the top, but a poem, not a legend, filled the bottom. And why, in a document written in Archaic Daione, did the scholar use High Catak names?

~Shiobe, companion to Kykini Cede, Flame Dragon of Kassak

Dragon Maps

conversation between Shiobe, dragon companion, and a dragon from the Well

All artwork by Shade Melodique
unless otherwise stated
featured image: biletskiy, Envato

Trin

Yes, I'm starting with Trin. He books my father's translation work, so I've known him since I was a little girl. He's sharp and knowledgeable when it comes to ancient works, but when it comes to social interactions, he's a bit clueless.
Anyway, he was a bookseller in Iova, capital of Soline (now a bookseller in Tindrel, a city in Merren). He had made a name for himself selling rare documents, manuscripts, books, and the like, and since he was my father's broker, he acquired a lot of work from the Iovan palace school.
The first dragon map was one such acquisition. My father had not returned the last job Trin sent him, and since he needed the translation done quickly, he gave the document to me.
My first look pricked my curiosity. The title was Kandari, or Flame Stone. That's High Catak. The rest of the poem, except for the names, was in Archaic Daione. It seemed so odd, to have that combination.

The Odd Map

Why did I find that odd? A few reasons. The author used Dyondia and Mondomon to refer to Eserial and Imperion. In some ways calling them 'Mistress Death' and 'Lord Demon' makes sense, since many aki n'di ori saw them as the destroyers of Ay a di galay and their culture. They were insult monikers that most Jonna Empire Condi would not understand, because they refused to learn Catak.
But the poem itself praised Eserial, Imperion, and Kykini Cede for successfully destroying the Ri a mira, an important temple in Ay a di galay. The aki n'di ori decided the sylfaodolon had turned from them, and King Tokindi saw no option but to bow before Kykini Cede's might--and capitulate to King Giarel. That surrender began the Jonna Empire.
I wondered who the map was for. The illustration looked accurate, but seemed pointless when a poem rather than a reference sat below it. And there were all these squiggles running from the mountain into the words. What were those?
Who was this map for? I decided a scholar must have used the work to brag about his language skills, but something still seemed off about it, concidering how far ouside map conventions it was.
The Condi, if nothing else, are harshly conventional.

Well, yes, I took the job. I needed the money, and when it comes to translating Archaic Daione, I'm as good as my father. As long as Trin put my father's stamp alongside my name, the people assumed he checked my work and everything was as it should be.
No, he didn't. Trin trusted me. And I never gave him a reason to doubt me.
I took the map home to translate. And it got stranger from there. Someone was using First Eahione sentence structures and symbols, some of which I'd never seen before. Why put First Eahione in an Archaic Daione document? It was a daughter language, and had already split from Temple Daione by the time High Catak was spoken. It was as if the author was attempting to hide something.
And the squiggles bothered me. I came to the conclusion that they were pathways inside the lair. Quite the find, as the dragonpriests kept those secret.
I knew the map would intrigue my father, and I wanted a copy, so made two with archival powder and paper and gave it back to Trin along with the translation.

background: David Mark, Adobe Stock Images
volcano: wirestock, Envato Elements

Hidden Pictures

After we'd arrived in Merren, Sikode surprised me with another dragon map. The one he had was of Hekara's Abyss, the lair of the Ice Dragon. It was written in the same style as the Kandari, in Archaic Daione except for names, which were in High Catak.
Yes, I wanted to translate it. I sat down and began, but the nightly meal arrived. As I was cleaning up my translation tools, I noticed color within the paper when it crossed a bright light source. I showed Sikode, and he created a magick light beneath it.
A landscape appeared! Sikode confirmed it was of Hekara's Abyss, but it was so realistic, I could hardly believe it. The foliage was so green, the soil so brown, the rocks so grey. It was incredible. He grabbed the volcano map and triggered the latent spells within the copy.
The words that formed Jo khade maja turned red and a line linked them together. Again, a landscape appeared, with the voclano at the center!
I had spoken the names in the documents time and again with Sikode, so I didn't think the Catak would trigger any hidden images, but Archaic Daione names might. That explained why the scholar used Catak instead of Daione; the Daione triggered the images.
Yes! We saw Eserial. We saw Imperion. These ages-old Jonna heroes, smiling and moving, the wind playing with their hair. I could barely speak, but I said "Koobao, Blahz Draegoon qioe Dounce" and he appeared! And he moved! Kykini snapped at the viewer and disappeared.
I couldn't believe it. Dragons existed! They weren't just myths!
How had the scholar managed to capture him in a picture that moved?
Sikode was so excited, and grabbed the Abyss map. He happily triggered all the images and when I said "Shtay, Issa Draegoon qioe Lahssah", he appeared with Jaioron. And both of them moved!

The Quest

That was how we knew dragons existed. After Sikode showed King Shiel the images in the maps, he sent us to the Glass Volcano to find the Kandari so Sikode could become Kykini Cede's companion.
None of that would have happened, without revealing the images in the map.
Huh? Oh, yes. I found many more images in the maps. Some of them helped us find our way to the Kandari, where I ended up defeating the trials inside the Kandari, not Sikode. That was, um, not an experience I want to repeat.
Yes, it's too bad, creating those pictures is a lost art among humans. The images are so fantastic! Maybe it's something we can re-learn. Can you image, all the uses?