A/N: It's Abni's birthday today. So this story is dedicated to her for her special day. After long (and a little angsty) consideration, I decided to write her a Galen and Rob, rather than Sam and Dean, because without her support The Legacy would never have been finished. I was tempted to make this a two-shot, but I thought a nice long story might be better with the cake! Happiest Birthday, Abni, I hope you like this one! Thank you to TraSan.

The Mountain

“Come, come, come. I'm waiting, come to me.”

The voice whispered through his dream, the tone soft, almost too quiet to hear—but it was there, under the other parts of the dream, under the other images, unrelated to anything else, calling to him.

“Who are you?” Rob asked, taking control of the dream.

“I am here,” the voice said. “I am waiting for you. Will you come?”

“Who are you?” Rob asked again, trying to 'see' where the voice was coming from. All that was there was a dark sweep of land hidden beneath misty mountains.

“I am here, I am old, will you come?”

“I need to know...”

“Come to me.”

Rob looked around the landscape again, trying to get his bearings, he was still unsure. “Where are you?”

“Come to me, follow my voice.”

“I need to get Galen, then.”

“No, no Robert Emrys, you need to come alone.”

Rob walked through the dark land, looking for the voice. As he moved, he noticed the mountain looming before him. He paused, a hill ran in front of him. Rob started to walk down the hill, when something pulled him away. His sleep altered, the dark land fell away. Just for an instant he thought he sensed Galen.

A loud sound pulled Rob out of a deep sleep. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling, watching the slow sweep of the fan for a minute. The rich scent of coffee was drifting under the door. He sat up and scrubbed his hands over his face. It was the third night the voice had invaded his dreams, but he'd never been able to speak with it before. Is that good or bad? Rob wished whatever had changed the dream had waited just a few minutes more, he'd been close to seeing where the voice was coming from, close to knowing who it might be.

His training with the shaman, Billy Hernandez, had given him the ability to control his dreams, to walk into other people's dreams, to make sense of visions and flashes of the past. Still, with all that, he couldn't see more than a shadow, couldn't hear more than that whisper. The voice was growing louder each night, becoming more defined, but whoever was the owner of that voice had enough power to remain untouched by anything Rob could throw at it. And that's a little worrisome.

He rolled out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Galen was already up, singing softly in the kitchen. Rob turned on the shower and let the steam heat the room. One of the problems with converted warehouse space was the bathrooms tended to be drafty. Well, at least their bathroom was drafty, and the only way to overcome the cold air most of the time was to use the steam, the small heater just couldn't handle it. He gave the heater a kick for good measure then stepped into the shower, hoping the hot water would ease his headache before Galen caught on.

“You're up late,” Galen said as Rob exited the bathroom.

“Yeah, sorry, I was up most of the night. I finally fell asleep about five. Thanks,” he said, accepting the cup Galen handed him. Rob suppressed a sigh, Galen had been up for a long time, the soft edges of exhaustion hovered in a gray ring around his brother.

“Sure,” Galen said. “What's wrong?”

“I'm fine,” Rob snapped.

“Rob?”

“I have a headache, that's all, I told you I didn't sleep much.” Rob sipped his coffee, looking over the rim of the cup at his brother. Galen met his gaze steadily, the light around him altering. Rob was pretty sure his brother was trying to use the Gift to get a better idea of what was going on. He ignored it, still sipping his coffee. “Come to me,” the voice was suddenly there in his mind. Rob closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on where the voice was coming from. He felt a gentle tug, almost like someone had taken his hand and was pulling him towards... Towards...

“Rob!” Galen grabbed him in a painful grip. “What the hell?”

“What?” Rob blinked, then realized he was standing at the window ledge, pressed against the glass.

“What's going on?” Galen dragged him back into the kitchen, shoving him towards a chair.

“Galen...”

“No, Rob,” Galen walked over and put his hand on Rob's shoulder. “Last night you nearly took a dive down the stairs and this morning you're trying to go out the damn window? What's going on?” Galen said, angry. At the same time, Rob felt the gentle warmth of the healing drift into him, calming the slamming of his headache.

Rob took a deep breath, letting the white light of the healing spread through his body, the aches that had appeared overnight slowly dissipating. “I don't know,” he said quietly. “Thanks, Galen.”

“Yeah,” Galen said, sitting down across from him, absently rubbing the back of his neck. Rob focused, Galen had an odd color surrounding him all of a sudden. “I'm okay, Rob, it's whatever was affecting you. It interfered with the healing.” Galen frowned at him. “Want to tell me about it? Tell me what can change my healing like that?”

“I don't know,” Rob repeated lamely. He shook his head, trying to call the voice back.

“No!” Galen snapped. “Stay with me, Rob, tell me what's going on.”

“I really don't know. I've been dreaming.” He scrubbed a hand across his face and looked over at Galen. “Shut up, I know.” He'd heard his brother's “no shit, Sherlock” as clearly as if Galen had said it out loud. “It started three nights ago. At first is was just a whisper, I tried to hear it better, get control of the dream, but it was still too faint. Last night I heard it a little clearer.”

“What does it say?”

“Come to me, Robert Emrys.”

“It knows your name?” Galen asked, worry vibrating around him in a soft ring.

“Yeah,” Rob sighed. “And I got a look at where it might be coming from, nothing much, just a dark landscape and a mountain. I took control last night, spoke to it, but it wouldn't answer my questions. It just kept repeating come to me.”

“Come where?”

“It told me to follow its voice.”

“Right down the damn steps or out the window?” Galen stood and paced across the room. He stopped and picked up the jewelry polishing cloth from the table by the couch and started polishing his Keepers bracelet. The copper and bronze tended to tarnish quickly, but Rob had learned it was a nervous habit of his brother's. Get upset, polish bracelet. Worry, polish bracelet. He often wondered what Galen would do if he completely freaked out—although that seemed unlikely from his brother. Of course, he would say the same thing about me. How many times has he told me my calm drives him nuts? Rob chuckled softly, Galen looked up, his eyes dropping to the cloth in his hands. He smiled sheepishly.

“Come, come, I need you, come to me, follow my voice.”

“Who are you?”

“Come to me, come to my mountain,” the voice was insistent.

“Where?”

“Follow my voice, let it bring you to me. Please come to me.”

“How will I find you?”

“I will lead you, come, let me show you.”

The darkness in front of his eyes changed, the landscape from his dream stretching out in front of him. Rob walked towards the mountain crouching on the horizon.

Pain suddenly cascaded through his body, jarring him, pulling him away from that dark land. Rob tried to struggle up through the pain, he could hear Galen shouting his name, but his brother's voice seemed to be coming from a distance. Something was running over his face, soft droplets of water.

“Rob, what the hell?” Galen said from beside him.

“Galen?” he said softly, wondering if he'd spoken aloud or reached out through their bond. He could feel the warmth of the healing flowing into him, but Galen was having trouble, he could sense that, too.

“I'm going to put you out before I move you.”

“What happened?”

“You went out the window, Rob.” Galen's voice was completely calm. Warmth and the soft sound of a heartbeat filled Rob and he was carried away into a silent, soft darkness.

XXX

Galen was trembling as he tried to heal his brother. He'd managed to get Rob into the back of the store and on to the small couch he used for clients. Rob was still unconscious, and Galen knew only part of that had to do with the healing. He managed to put his brother out—taking him away from the pain, but he couldn't focus the light into Rob. Whatever was calling Rob had power Galen had never encountered before and it was deeply affecting the Gift. Try as he might, it was channeling the energy away from Rob, out beyond them somewhere.

“Come to me,” a voice whispered up the contact. “Come to me.”

“He can't,” Galen told it.

“I need him to come, let him come to me, stop keeping him from me,” the deep voice continued.

“I'm not trying to stop him,” Galen said, exasperated. “I am trying to heal him.”

“Heal? Why?” the voice was genuinely curious.

“He walked through a window and fell.”

“Window?”

“A piece of glass and he fell a long way. He's hurt.”

“Oh, then I will let you heal him, but I need him to come to me.”

“We will discuss that later,” Galen told it firmly.

“No, but I will let you heal him.”

Suddenly the light slid easily into Rob, Galen guided it through his brother's body, gently repairing what the two-story fall had done. When he finally pulled his hands away, dark spots were dancing at the edge of his vision. Galen walked to the table and sat down, putting his head in his hands. That was a little too close. He hadn't been fast enough to stop Rob's plunge out the window.

“Galen?” Rob asked softly.

He looked up and smiled. “Hey, Brat.”

“What happened?” Rob tried to sit up, and collapsed back onto the couch with a groan. “And why am I in the back of the shop?”

“What do you remember?” Galen stood and walked over, perching on the couch arm.

Rob frowned. “It was calling me again, and it showed me where it was. I was walking towards it when...” He blinked. “Did you say I went out the window?”

“Yeah. Right through the glass.”

“Right through the glass?” Rob raised his eyebrows. “How much will that cost me?” he asked, the sardonic tone he used to cover emotion in his voice.

“We'll see after I call the glass guy.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Rob's eyes suddenly unfocused. “Yes, yes he healed me,” he said aloud. “Where are you?” Rob sat up and swung his legs off the couch.

“Rob, the healing...” His brother tried to stand, but his legs buckled immediately. Galen caught him and eased him to the couch, leaving a hand on his shoulder to get a better idea of what was talking to Rob. He tuned out the soft conversation between the voice and his brother and tried to get an idea of what was going on, who was calling Rob and how much power it actually had. The answers that shivered up the connection terrified him. It was ancient, and it's power had built over the millenia until the very land around it hummed with it's presence. Galen gently tried to ease closer to it.

It was aware of him.

Galen felt his brother's panic and desperately tried to pull away, but it was too late. The owner of the voice lashed out at him, reaching him through the connection with Rob. Pain exploded behind his eyes—darkness engulfed him—a darkness smelling of the heat of the earth, the fires that lurked under ground. In the midst of the smoke and flame surrounding him the voice was chiding him for trying to find it and break its connection with Rob. Pain became agony, searing along his skin. The last thing he heard was Rob's voice, in his head and in his ears, begging for his life.

“Galen?” Rob's voice was harsh. “Galen?”

“Rob?” Galen tried to speak but his vocal chords wouldn't respond. He felt a shaking hand on his head and a tiny sliver of white light slid into him, it was enough to get his voice working.

“Can you heal?” The trembling hand on his forehead didn't move.

“Let me try,” Galen said, focusing the healing and sending it through his body. Whatever had happened was bad. He floated there for a moment, drawing on the light. “I think I'm okay,” he said, opening his eyes. He was on the floor, Rob kneeling beside him.

“I can't do more than that, should I call Dad?” Rob asked, sitting back on his heels.

“No.” Galen pushed himself up and leaned against the couch. He laid a hand on his brother's arm to get a sense of what was going on with Rob. The soft touch of Rob's Gift was almost completely gone.

“Sorry, I used it up trying to block it from you,” Rob said before he could ask.

“Block what?”

“It sensed you and wasn't happy. I'm sorry.” He looked over Galen's shoulder, his head slightly cocked. “No, you tried to kill him.”

“Hey, stay with me, Rob?” Galen shook his arm. “Rob?”

“No, I won't come, not until...”

“Rob!”

“Galen?” he said dreamily.

“Come on back, Rob.” He focused the light into his brother and felt the lash of pain from the owner of the voice. “Dad, I need you,” he said silently, beyond the connection with his brother. “Can you come quietly?”

“It won't let me, Galen,” his father replied a moment later. “I can't get to you.”

Rob stood and was walking towards the door. Galen shoved himself up and followed. “Rob?” His brother ignored him and plowed into the door, then took a step back. Galen opened it before Rob could walk into it again. He was headed towards the jeeps parked in the lot. Rob walked to his and opened the driver's door, dropping in the seat and trying to turn on the ignition with non-existent keys. When nothing happened, he got out and started across the lot. Galen grabbed his arm. Rob swung at him, but Galen ducked the punch, instead wrapping his arm around Rob's neck to hold him. His brother fought against the hold with almost unnatural strength. Galen was debating using the Gift to put him down, but then stopped. Maybe it wouldn't even work now.

“Rob!” he said both out loud and through their connection.

“He is coming to me.”

“Let him go!” Galen demanded.

“He wishes to come, he promised. Your life and he would come.”

Galen sighed, one day he'd strangle his brother, but not today. “Let me bring him, then, he could be injured like this—you almost killed him when he went out that window. I will bring him.”

“NO!” the whisper became a shout, the sound like two giant stones slamming together. It impacted Galen physically and he staggered. “No, not two Keepers, never two.”

“I need to bring him, I won't hurt you,” Galen said, wondering if he'd guessed right.

A great booming laugh filled his head. “Hurt me, child?”

“Then why can't I bring him?” Rob was beginning to win the struggle to pry himself free of Galen's grasp.

“He can come himself.”

“No! He won't make it, he'll be killed before he gets there. Let me bring him. I won't interfere.” He hoped the voice didn't know he was lying.

“Killed? No, I can't have that, bring him to me then, Galen Emrys.” Rob stopped struggling and sagged against Galen.

“Where are you?”

“I will show you.” An image stabbed into Galen's mind with enough force to stagger him, he managed to stay upright, but only just. He closed his eye under the onslaught, breathing through the pain the images caused.

“Galen?” Rob asked, his hand resting on Galen's arm.

“Yeah?” Galen said, trying to stop the throbbing in his head.

“You're choking me for a reason I hope?” Rob asked sardonically.

“What? Oh, sorry.” Galen let go.

Rob rubbed his neck and looked around the parking lot. “What happened?”

“You decided it was time to go, luckily you didn't leave your keys in the car last night.”

“Oh,” Rob said, his face paling. “Yeah, I needed them for something.” He shook his head, turned away and started walking.

“Rob!” Galen tackled him, and they slammed into the car. “You said you would let me bring him!” he shouted.

“You are taking too long,” the voice said with a weary sigh.

“It was only a moment, I need to get him into the car and...”

“You are taking too long.”

“Stop me,” Rob whispered. “I...” He started fighting against Galen again, trying to move away from the jeep.

Galen knew his brother was right, there was no way to keep him from following that call unless he did something. “I'm sorry, Rob,” he said quietly, then laid his hand on Rob's back. He focused the healing and Rob dropped to the ground.

“WHAT DID YOU DO!” the sound slammed through Galen, pain exploding in his head. “WHAT DID YOU DO!”

“He was going to get hurt, I stopped him from hurting himself,” Galen said desperately trying to stay conscious. “You need to let me bring him, he will be hurt and won't be able to come at all. Please!”

“Hurt him?”

“I told you, it isn't safe, he could be killed.”

“I do not wish him to be hurt.”

“Then be patient.”

“Yes, I can be patient, child. Bring him, but hurry.”

“You know it's cold down here?” Rob said.

“Yeah.” Galen opened the car door and lifted his brother in. “Don't try crawling off while I'm gone.”

“Right.”

Galen closed the door and ran up the stairs to the apartment. He grabbed his first aid pack, a couple of blankets and a few weapons out of the closet. Last, he carefully tucked their Keepers swords under his arm and then dashed back down the stairs. As he suspected, Rob was out of the car, trying to drag himself across the lot. “You need to let me bring him! Let him go! This isn't patient! If you don't let him go I will make it so you can't reach him at all.”

“You dare threaten me, child?” the voice growled, the sound grating through Galen's body.

“It's not a threat,” Galen growled back.

“You can't stop him.”

“I can and will.” Galen grabbed Rob and carried him back to the jeep, dropping him into the passenger seat. Rob was still trying to get out of the car as Galen fished around in the first aid kit. “Give me your arm,” he said as he loaded the syringe. Rob held out his arm, even as he struggled to get free. Galen slid the needle in and quickly administered the dose. He pulled the needle out and gently caught Rob as he slumped, swinging his legs into the car, buckling the seatbelt, then wrapping a length of rope around Rob to make sure he couldn't get a hold of the door and jump out while they were on the road.

XXX

“Where are you?” the voice whispered through a soft velvet cloud.

“I don't know,” Rob answered, caught in a place between waking and sleep.

“You said you would come. He said he would bring you.”

“If Galen said he would bring me, he will,” Rob insisted.

“He is taking too long, come to me now, hurry.”

“Yes,” Rob said, trying to follow the voice into the dark landscape surrounding him. He couldn't move, his hands were fastened to something.

“No, Rob.” Galen's voice was soft. “Not yet.” There was an odd feeling on his arm and the world slid away again.

XXX

“No, Rob,” Galen said softly. For the fourth time in an hour, Rob was conscious, trying to escape the bonds holding him and get out of the car. Galen was beginning to worry about keeping his brother drugged for so long, but the voice easily overrode the sleep of the healing.. Galen sighed with frustration, he''d gone so far as to use a little of the healing to block the nerve impulses in his brother's legs, so Rob was unable to walk—and still he tried to escape the car and follow the impatient voice. They had been on the road for nearly two hours, the forested Cascades giving way to the open plains of Eastern Washington. In the distance Galen could finally see the haze marking the Columbia River Gorge. The fields flecked with the first ridges of lava, the landscape that the voice had shown Galen. As they got closer to Vantage, he could feel a soft tug, something pulling him away from the freeway and pointing them towards the huge lava cliffs along the gorge.

After crossing the Columbia, he let the voice pull him along, making turns onto increasingly narrow roads, almost unaware of what he was doing. The final part of the journey was up something that resembled a game track rather than a road. The jeep was traveling between two huge walls of lava, the way getting harder and harder to navigate. He was getting ready to tell the voice there was no way they could reach it, when the narrow track opened into a box canyon. At the far side, a dark mountain of ancient lava towered above the rocky ground. Galen stopped the jeep. This was the spot from the vision the voice had shown him. He stepped out of the vehicle, the power bubbling below the broken land flowed up his legs, his knees buckled and he dropped to the ground.

“I'm coming,” Rob's voice came from the jeep. Galen dragged himself up and walked to the passenger side of the car. His brother was conscious, struggling against the rope, bloody patches on his wrists from where he was trying to escape the bonds.

“Wait,” Galen tried to untie the knots, but ended up slicing through the rope with his knife. Rob fell out of the car and stumbled away from him. “Rob!” Galen was torn between racing after his brother and gathering their weapons. No Keeper walks into something like this without his sword. Galen had a funny feeling it was their swords—the ancient swords of the Emrys Line—that they would be needing, not ordinary blades. He grabbed them out of the back, slung the first aid bag—with its assorted magical items—over his shoulder and took off after Rob.

His brother was well ahead of him, running straight for the huge wall in front of him. Galen sped up, but he was too far away to stop Rob's headlong race into the rock, he crumpled to the ground and was motionless for the span of two heartbeats. Rob stood and walked into the stone again, his arms slowly spreading along the wall in something that looked almost like a hug. As Galen drew near, he noticed blood flowing down Rob's face, soaking his t-shirt, and his hands were bloody, the red liquid marring the bright wall.

Here the wall was bright, Galen realized it was different from the surrounding lava. At first he took it to be volcanic glass, but a second look dissuaded him. The stone—if that's what it was, sparkled like gems in the bright afternoon light. Galen took a step closer and laid his hand on the stone, next to Rob's.

It was warm.

How he knew the warmth wasn't sun generated, he'd never understand. But there under his hand, the rock was warm, breathing, a soft sigh whispering around him with the wind brushing through the canyon.

“I am here,” Rob said. Galen looked at him, his face was a combination of bliss and agony. “I have come to you.”

“Rob?” Galen put his hand over his brother's. Something exploded up that contact, throwing him away from the wall—away from his brother. He forced himself up and stood behind Rob. “What do you want?” he asked the wall.

“Robert Emrys,” the wall whispered back, the voice like stones grating together.

“No,” Galen was already shaking his head in denial. “No.”

“Yessss,” Rob whispered, pressing closer to the living wall of stone. “Yes.”

“No,” Galen said, wondering if it was safe to get closer.

“I am sorry this will take your life,” the wall said softly. “I truly am.”

“What?” Galen said, his heart slamming in his chest.

“Your life will be lost when he joins me,” the voice said, regret rattling through the stones.

“What?” Galen repeated. “No.” He felt an odd tingle through his feet, the world tilted and he knew he was falling.

“You have been dead before, why do you fear this?” the voice said, the whisper surrounding Galen.

“I don't fear death. I fear for my brother, you haven't said who you are, what you want of him.”

“My heart,” Rob said. Galen looked up, tears and blood were mingled on his face, a soft smile touching his lips. “My heart,” he sighed again.

“No!” Galen pushed himself up, using his sword to balance himself and keep from falling again as a hum began to fill the stones.

“Yes,” Rob sighed, running his hand along the stone wall. “Yes.” He tried to press himself closer to the wall, Galen could see where the stone was cutting into his face and neck.

“Who are you?” Galen asked desperately. How can I stop this? “Why are you doing this?”

“I have waited for him, long, long years.”

“Rob?” Galen said to the wall, to the ground humming beneath his feet. The power surrounding him was slowly building, he could feel it resonating through his body, through the sword singing in his hand.

“Yes, his heart is special.”

“Why?” Galen said softly. Aching as he watched Rob slide down the wall, the sharp stone slicing his face.

“It will sustain me, it is pure.”

Galen nearly chuckled. He knew what the voice meant, but his annoying, sardonic brother would probably disagree with the statement. “No,” Galen repeated.

“Yes,” Rob said again, pressing closer to the stone.

“No.” Galen forced himself over to his brother, the vibrations in the small canyon making it hard to walk. He stood behind Rob.

“Let me go,” Rob said dreamily.

“Rob,” Galen said, crouching beside his brother. When Rob didn't respond, Galen put his hand on his shoulder. “Rob?” He focused, using the power humming around him to reach out to Rob. “Rob?”

“Galen?” Rob's voice was confused.

“What's going on?” he asked, drawing on the power, feeling it thrum through his body.

“My heart, it will go on here.”

“No,” Galen told him firmly. “You need to stay with me.” He concentrated, using a combination of the healing and the borrowed power to pull his brother away from the wall, away from the voice.

“But...”

“What are you doing?” the wall hissed, the sound building until it was a crash around them, several pieces dropped from the rock ledge, the stones falling on Galen. He ignored the pain, focused on getting his brother away from the wall.

“Let him go,” Galen said.

“I wish to go on, his heart will sustain me.”

“No, I can't allow that.”

“Galen?” Rob looked at him. “Galen?” his brother's voice whispered through their connection. Galen focused, blocking their silent conversation from the wall. “Can you stop this? Can we stop this? I can't fight it.”

“I'll find a way, Rob, just hang on.”

“Oh gods,” Rob said silently, suddenly tearing at his chest. “Galen!” he shouted.

“No! Please!” Galen drew on the power surrounding him and pulled Rob away from the wall, positioning himself between his brother and the warm, breathing rock.

“NO!” the walls shouted, then there was a pause, and the hum around them became almost thoughtful.“What did you do?” the voice was curious. “How did you do that?”

“What?” Galen asked, surprised.

“How did you pull him away?” The hum altered again, Galen felt it buzzing through his body. “I will ask you a question, Robert Emrys.”

“Yes?” Rob answered, his eyes looking somewhere Galen couldn't see.

“Would you be willing to free me? Let your brother use your heart to free me from this place?”

“No,” Galen was shaking his head.

“Free you?” Rob looked up at the wall and placed a gentle, loving hand on the stone. “We could do that?”

“I believe you can, Robert Emrys.”

“We will free you,” Rob said, standing. He closed his eyes, Galen could see a little vibration of light sliding along the wall, touching Rob. “Your name, ancient one?”

“Rob, no.” Galen felt like everything was spiraling out of his control.

“My name?” the hum paused. “I don't remember, it has been so long.”

“Galen? Can you help?” Rob looked at him, imploringly. “Find his name? So we can free him?”

“What are you talking about?” Galen asked.

“Find his name, and we can free him.”

“I don't...”

“Yes, you can, Galen.” Rob lifted his hand from the wall. “I'll help, but this is more your line.”

“I'm not going to do something that's going to kill you, Rob.”

“It might not.” Rob smiled, the hum around them was shivering with anticipation, the rocks rattling in sympathy.

“Rob...”

“If he takes my heart, we're both finished. At least try this.”

“I don't even know how...” Galen began, then stopped. The words were already flowing into his head, the power in the earth responding to them. He stepped closed to Rob, the voice, the power, drawing him in. He lifted his sword and cut his arm. “This blood flows and seeks to find an answer.” The world shifted, he thought he felt Rob's hand on his shoulder. The words continued, building around them in a song, images began to pierce him, the land around them bubbling with fire, the slow cold, ancient ice. All of it wafted though him like the sighing breeze in the canyon. Suddenly it, the world, paused on its axis. “Garydd,” he said softly, calling it by its name.

“Garydd,” Rob repeated, shifting. Galen felt his brother pull his hand so it was resting over Rob's heart, the power hummed through the stone, filled them both until they were nothing but a small note in the overall song.

Galen began again, words so ancient their meanings had long been lost drifted from his lips. He could feel pain radiating out of Rob, flowing into him as their bond snapped into place. The bright white light of Rob's heart glowed, the dark scars Galen had healed years before shadows in the bright sun of his brother's heart. The power built and flowed into them, building until Galen focused it outwards, using the light of Rob's heart and the power of the earth to fill the breathing stone in front of them.

Time stopped.

For an instant everything stopped. The world, the lazy drift of clouds over their head, their hearts. It all stopped for an instant of agony.

“Rob!” Galen said, snapping back. “No!” Rob's heart hadn't started again. “Rob!” The spell he'd created to find the name, to free the voice, had pulled the Gift from his body. He tried to start Rob's again, but when the healing wouldn't come, he laid Rob on the ground and began CPR. “Gods dammit, Rob. Come on!”

The hum around them changed, Galen was still desperately performing CPR when movement caught his eyes. Movement? Part of him screamed in panic. What's moving? Galen looked up, the entire wall of stone was undulating, moving as if something were drinking in huge gulps of air. Oh, shit. Galen dragged his brother up and ran, he made it as far as the jeep before the hum reached a point of physical pain and there was a huge crack, as if the earth were tearing itself open. He stopped and turned, still supporting Rob's lifeless body, in time to see the whole mountain move. He was entranced as the stones shifted, shimmering in the sunlight. Small rocks began falling to the ground in a slowly building shower. Galen was holding his breath when the wall fell completely away.

“I am free,” the voice was no longer a whisper, but a great shout of triumph aimed at the sky. Great wings, black like a raven's, shining in a thousand colors, opened over Galen's head as the creature tore itself from its prison. The huge wings swept down, filling the canyon with gale for winds, whipping stones into the air. “I am free,” he said, his voice dropping. The great head turn to Galen and something like a smile ghosted across its face. “I have a name.” Garydd walked towards them, claws tearing away chunks of ground as he approached.

Garydd stopped in from of Galen and lifted its huge hand and gently cupped Rob's chin, one claw dropping down and covering Galen's hand where it rested on Rob's chest. Galen felt a jolt of power, his brother tensed and suddenly Rob was gasping in shuddering breaths, he opened his eyes and pushed himself onto his feet. Galen stepped behind him, supporting him in case he fell. “You freed me,” Garydd said.

“You're welcome,” Rob said, his voice harsh, the tone a little sardonic. Galen wondered if that was the best way to address the huge dragon standing before them.

A deep chuckle boomed around them. “This is not a gift I take lightly, Robert Emrys. Your heart will sustain me for long millenia.”

“Heart? What?” Galen said, suddenly aware of his own, slamming against his ribs.

“He has part of my heart,” Rob said quietly.

“A spark, a gift, child, willingly given. I will not soon forget this. I owe you a debt, Robert Emrys.”

“Galen, too,” Rob added.

“Yes,” the dragon focused on Galen. “A great debt. Thank you, Galen Emrys,” he said solemnly, touching Galen with featherlight tough of a claw, something sparked in Galen's chest.

“You're welcome,” Galen answered automatically.

“We will meet again.” A great sigh left Garydd's lungs. He gently tapped Rob's chest with the huge shining claw and then lifted his wings, and with a ground shaking leap, rose into the sky. He hovered above them for a moment, the draft from the wings whistling through the canyon like a song, then disappeared behind a cloud.

Rob dropped to the ground.

“Rob!” Galen took a deep breath, the Gift was returning. He laid his hand on Rob's head, trying to get an idea of how much damage had been done—and if he had any hope of healing it. Galen guided the healing through Rob, trying to repair his heart. Once he'd done all he could manage at that time, he took as much of the pain away as he could. “Rob?”

“Hey,” Rob said, patting Galen's hand.

“Rob, thank gods,” Galen sank down beside his brother and rested his back against the jeep.

“How am I?”

“You're okay for right now,” Galen said softly. Rob's heart was still damaged, it would take time time heal it all the way.

“For right now?” Rob blinked at him.

“I'm killing you later.”

Rob chuckled. “As long as you wait a while. I have a headache.”

“You deserve a headache after that.” Galen took a deep breath.

Rob tried to sit up, Galen helped him lean against the car. Rob closed his eyes for a minute. “My chest hurts.”

“I probably broke a rib doing CPR.” Galen felt drained of everything. “I tried to fix it but I was focused on...” He stopped.

“How bad is my heart?”

“It will heal,” Galen sighed. “It's going to take awhile.”

“He left something behind, I'm not sure, I can feel there's something different.”

“Yeah, I know, I felt it while I was healing you. I don't know what it is—he gave me a similar spark before he left.” Galen was quiet, trying to sense just what it was that was there, humming in his body.

“I'm sorry,” Rob said softly.

“Nothing to be sorry for, Rob.”

“You could have died.”

“You did,” Galen said, acknowledging what had happened with something that sounded almost like a sob.

“Yeah, I did,” he said, meeting Galen's eyes.

“Yeah.”

“But I'm better now,” Rob said, a slow grin spreading across his face.

Galen frowned for a moment, then felt an answering smile on his own, remembering when he'd spoken those words to his brother. “Yeah.” He nudged his brother with his shoulder. “Uh, Rob?”

“Yeah?”

“Next time a dragon decides to call?”

“Don't worry, I'll just hang up.” Rob chuckled, it built into a laugh, Galen joined him until tears were running down their faces and they were gasping for air. Their laughter slowly eased, drifting off into the sky.

“Ready to head home?” Galen finally said, the sun had set, the night cool around them.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Galen helped his brother onto his feet and they turned for one last look a the place where the dragon—Garydd—had rested for so long. Rob glanced at him with a soft smile. Galen smiled back, aware of a small ache in his body. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he saw Rob rubbing his chest as well. Galen sighed and helped his brother into the jeep and then got in, turning on the ignition and heading out of silent canyon towards home.

The End