Thera and the false wyvern were stopped by the soldiers on guard at the road. I watched them closely while Thera explained her reasons for coming into town. The soldiers took a few minutes to search the wagon, and finally bought her story. They allowed her to pass through the checkpoint. She struck up her tune again as she strode up the road. Minutes later, Thera hitched the false wyvern at a post and entered the general store.
I exhaled a fraction of my tension, but knew I wouldn’t be able to completely relax until Thera and Kúskú made it back safely. Until then, I could only watch and wait.
“You’re making me nervous.” I jumped at Shazza’s sudden appearance beside me. She scoffed and crossed her arms. “Relax.”
“I won’t be able to until Thera’s back safely.”
“I hear you.” Her sunburst eyes scanned the town for a moment. “Something doesn’t feel right about this.”
I frowned and looked up at her. “What’s bothering you?”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit strange that all of our riding straps broke on the same day?”
I shrugged. “They have been used extensively for the past year.”
“True, but have you taken a close look at the breaking points?”
I shook my head negative.
“They all look like they’ve been cut.”
“I think you’re being paranoid, Shazza.” I said with a sigh. “Which one of us four would suicidal enough to try to sabotage our quest by cutting through riding straps? Besides, the dragons’ scales are sharp enough to cut through the leather. Why can’t it just be wear and tear?”
“What about the homunculus?”
“Visler is off hunting with Kitfox.”
“I know that.” She growled in frustration. “Think about it for a minute. The homunculus was created by Pyrex, who, as we all know, was the creator of the Shadow Dragons. How do you know Visler isn’t working in tandem with Pyrex to sabotage us just enough to give the Shadow Dragons the upper hand?”
“You certainly give Visler a lot of credit.” Shazza threw her hands up in defeat and stormed away. I wasn’t about to tell her that her suspicions of Visler might hold warrant. That very real possibility terrified me, and that was the last thing I needed right now.
I forced my ragged nerves under control. I could only deal with one pressing issue at a time, and Thera’s safety was far more important at the moment than a suspicion. I took a deep breath and returned my gaze to the barren town.
I couldn’t believe what I saw! A figure cloaked in white was walking up the main street. Unlike the others I had seen, this one had a severe, yet familiar, limp. The apparition in white paused right outside the general store and looked at the false wyvern that was Kúskú. The dragon’s illusion flickered for just a second. The cloaked figure bowed at the waist, turned in the direction it was originally heading, and walked away.
I resisted the urge to run after the figure and instead, turned my focus inwards. Dragons, do you know who Kúskú just saw?
They were silent for a moment. Finally, Helios answered, He would only say it was someone you can trust.
What happened, Xy? Kitfox sounded very concerned. Did something go wrong?
I don’t know.
Thera and Kúskú are fine. Symbilla said calmly. Xyleena was just worried about the figure in the white cloak.
She appeared again?
Yes. And Kúskú’s illusion faltered for a second when she looked at him.
Whoa. Kitfox paused as if in thought. You dragons are absolutely sure the figure in white isn’t Amorez?
We would not mistake the visage of our creator. Nexxa declared.
Then who in Havel is under the cloak?
Someone you can trust. The dragons all answered at once.
I hope you are right about that. I said softly. I cut the connection when I saw Thera leaving the general store. She pretended to tuck the package she carried in the cart before un-tethering the false wyvern. They left Jetep the same way they had entered, bidding a fond farewell to the soldiers on guard.
◆◆◆
While the riding straps were replaced and Kitfox’s kills cleaned and packed, I told Thera of the figure in white. In turn, she told us the mystery person was the least of our worries. Dimitri’s power had indeed increased dramatically since he obtained the Shadow Dragons. He now had the power to turn every soldier that made up his new army into his faithful puppet. And, to make matters worse, he and Godilai - the new High Sovereigns of Ithnez - knew of our escape from the Arctic Prison.
Armed with this information, we redoubled our efforts to obtain the last two Dragons of Light. Within the hour of Thera’s return with the new leather, we were packed and airborne. I could tell from their demeanor that the dragons, too, were even more eager to see the release of their siblings and the defeat of our enemies.
We raced through the sky; forgoing the need to stop for breaks or rest. Our personal comfort had taken a back seat to our need to get ahead. I only prayed that we still had time.
It is a strange thing to sit and talk a while with a dragon. They have a cryptic way of replying most of the time, or they say something that can be taken several different ways. They do offer some excellent advice, especially considering that they had not been out of their eggs for very long.
– FROM “CONVERSATIONS WITH DRAGONS” BY DJURDAK ZA’CAR
The dawn was already old when the island home of the Ancient City broke the horizon. The white ruins and trees sparkled like diamonds in the late morning light. We followed the refracted rainbows like beacons to a dream. That dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Tucked between the ageless ruins and glowing trees, an army awaited our arrival.
I told Wildfire to circle the island slowly so we could estimate the size of force Dimitri had gathered against us, but stay out of range of any weapons. Just as we soared over the main body of the army, something huge exploded out of the trees. It made a bee line straight for Wildfire. She managed to barrel roll to the right just in time as a skeleton dragon zipped past. The undead dragon had been so close that I could see the pits in its stained bones and smell the decay of its little remaining flesh.
“Wyrd!” Roared Wildfire.
The skeleton made a sound like a raspy laugh as he twisted around in midair to glare at us.
“And Nightshade!” Atoka hollered as she back winged in midair to avoid colliding with a plum-scaled dragon I never even knew was there. Before I could do anything to help them, the undead one spoke.
“Time to die, little one. Fates Decide!” A huge, black disc exploded into existence in front of us. Light bent around the circumference as if it were being sucked in by the blackness only to be expelled outwards in a spiraling jet. Wildfire reeled, but it was too late. She, Kitfox, and I were swallowed up by the void.
◆◆◆
Thera and Shazza watched helplessly as their friends were pulled into the black hole created by Wyrd. Even Visler chirped sadly from under Thera’s hood. They didn’t have the time to think of a way to free them from the undead one’s grasp before Nightshade struck.
Atoka roared in pain as the Shadow Dragon’s talons tore open her wings. As she fell out of the sky, Atoka spit in the direction of her attacker. The saliva struck Nightshade’s wingtip and froze solid, causing the Shadow Dragon to plummet several meters before she could break the ice.
Thera and Shazza barely had enough time to heal the tears in Atoka’s wings before she collided with ground. Her wings flared wide and slowed her just enough to break her fall. She kicked off the ground and sped like a bullet towards Nightshade. The Shadow Dragon did likewise, nose-diving at breakneck speeds. At the last minute, both dragons brought their hind legs out in front of them. The dragons smashed into each other hard enough to crush bones.
While talons and teeth competed for the upper hand, Shazza loosed arrows upon Nightshade and Thera launched one spell after another. Every attack rebounded off of her diamond-hard scales, leaving her unharmed. Wyrd dove
out of the sky, colliding with Atoka hard enough to force her away from Nightshade. Unable to fend off both Shadow Dragons at once, Atoka had no choice but to try and escape.
◆◆◆
Kitfox shivered as he looked about. By the light of a few flickering candles, he explored his surroundings. He stood alone at the apex of a citadel of ancient, grey stones. There was no way down from the tower that he could see, and he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to. Everything was dark; never-ending black. Who knew what lurked in the void.
Kitfox sighed and turned away from the edge of the tower. A blazing fire burst into existence right in front of him causing him to yelp in surprise and almost lose his footing.
The wild blaze calmed, revealing three hags so old their skin was like leather. Their eyes had long since rotted away, leaving only empty sockets. The hags were garbed in dingy, white robes that betrayed nothing of origin. They stood in a triangle over a smoldering cauldron. An image of Kitfox appeared on the surface of the bubbling contents. The hags recited something in a language he did not know.
As they spoke, one of the hags passed a length of string to another. Together, they held it taught over the cauldron while the third raised a pair of shears to it. Kitfox felt fear grip him in that instant; indescribable, immeasurable fear.
“N-no! I can’t die here. Not like this.”
The string slipped between the blades of the sheers and rested at the pivot point.
“Stop!”
The hag pulled the shears away from the string ever so slightly and looked his way.
“I decide my own fate, not you!”
The hags cackled. “And what fate have you chosen for yourself, child?”
Kitfox swallowed the lump in his throat and forced his fears under control. “I choose to… to live out my life with the woman of my dreams; to be a loving husband and doting father, a best friend and a mentor.”
The hags cackled again. The one with the shears promptly snapped the blades shut over the string. Kitfox flinched. He felt nothing. The hags’ laughter slowly died away. One of them growled. He heard the shears snap shut again and again. Kitfox cracked an eye open to see what happened. The string was aglow with a golden light and the shears had melted at the points where the hag tried to cut through.
The hag scoffed as she tossed the shears away. She looked at Kitfox and waved her arm in a wide arc. Another black disc appeared, only this time, daylight could be seen from the other side.
“Go and live.”
Kitfox smirked and leapt towards the disc.
◆◆◆
Kitfox burst out of the black hole several kilometers above the ground. Without a dragon there to catch him, he plummeted towards land. He cried out for help until he slammed into something hard. The air was promptly knocked out of his lungs and he rolled along the solid surface, desperately trying to grab something to stop him.
A dragon roared in pain as Kitfox’s claws finally managed to smash through the hard surface. Kitfox jarred to a stop. Only then was he able to realize the extent of his situation. He was still several kilometers in the air only now, he was attached to the undead dragon’s hip bone.
Wyrd glared over his shoulder, at the Fox Demon on his back. “Stupid Demon! I’ll kill you for that!” Keeping true to his threat, the dragon nosedived. Kitfox hollered at him to stop, begging the dragon for a moment, but it was to no avail; the Shadow Dragon simply wouldn’t listen. Wyrd roared in rage as he crashed into the ocean.
◆◆◆
Atoka was leagues away from the Ancient City, still trying desperately to escape from Nightshade’s deadly pursuit. Thera and Shazza kept launching spell after spell in hopes of bringing the Shadow Dragon down. Even Visler sent barrages of tiny lightning bolts at her, but nothing had any effect. The Dragon of Eternal Winter was grateful that Wyrd had decided not to join the chase. If he had, the three of them didn’t have a prayer of living through this.
Still, Atoka couldn’t help but fret about their entire situation. Xyleena had been sucked into the Fates’ Dimension along with the Amulet and the rest of the Dragons of Light. No one had ever escaped the Fates before and Atoka felt it unlikely anyone could. Without the full power of the Light, the future of this world was suddenly looking very bleak. They had failed.
“What’s that?” Shazza exclaimed between spells. Thera’s magic paused for a moment to find what the Dákun Daju spotted.
“Atoka, turn around!”
“What?”
“Go back to the Ancient City!”
The dragon didn’t need to be told twice. In that instant, she felt the nine hearts of her missing brothers and sisters reenter the world. Xyleena had escaped the Fates!
The Light was back in the world!
Atoka roared in delight.
◆◆◆
I popped out of the black disc the Fates had sent me through. Half a heartbeat later, an unconscious Wildfire burst out of a similar disc. We were both midair several kilometers above the ground and Atoka was nowhere to be found. As gravity took over and the two of us plunged through the sky, I somehow managed to stay calm enough to release the dragons from my amulet.
The eight of them coalesced in a spectacular display of lights and elements. They quickly realized what was going on and separated into teams. Nexxa and Riptide dove after me while Symbilla, Vortex, and Thedrún moved in to help Wildfire. Nexxa managed to catch up to me in no time. She swooped beneath me, flipped onto her back, and caught me in her forearms.
Riptide streaked by as Nexxa rolled over and fluttered to regain altitude. I watched as the Dragon of Water melded into the ocean without so much as a ripple. Just when I began to wonder what she was planning, Wyrd exploded from the watery depths with a shriek of rage. Kúskú and Kkaia spotted the undead dragon and dove for him. Seconds later, the ocean itself stretched skywards and coagulated in the form or Riptide. And she wasn’t alone! She had Kitfox tucked safely between her front paws.
Riptide hurled several large globules of water after Wyrd. They struck and were frozen solid moments later as Atoka streaked by with an angry Nightshade on her tail. Riptide promptly turned tail to chase down Nightshade. A split second later, Helios whipped by to aid his siblings against the Dragon of Shadow.
Kkaia and Kúskú took advantage of Wyrd’s frozen status and slammed into him. I watched the trio of dragons crashed onto the island, bowling over several of Dimitri’s soldiers and leaving them crushed. Moments later, another pair of crashing dragons reduced the number of soldiers even further.
With the threat of the Shadow Dragons now hopefully neutralized, I told Nexxa to land on the island. I had an army of brainwashed thugs to defeat and a dragon to collect. I couldn’t do that from the air.
◆◆◆
Nexxa flew in ever tightening circles over the island, searching for a large enough clearing to land in. It was proving to be a difficult task as several soldiers would swarm the areas Nexxa chose. Before she could even get her hind legs on the ground, she would have to take off again to avoid skewering me on their weapons. We were both growing extremely frustrated by the failed attempts. Finally, I told Nexxa to find a clearing and get as close as she could to the ground and just drop me.
She was not fond of the idea.
As Nexxa passed over a part of the forest on the northern side of the island, I spotted Wyrd. He was trying, almost in vain, to free himself from the icy prison Riptide and Atoka made sure to keep him in. Several meters away, Helios, Kkaia, and Symbilla kept Nightshade detained in a prison of earth and light. Upon learning five of my dragons were land bound, I quickly searched the area for signs of my friends and the other dragons.
Several meters away from the imprisoned Wyrd and Nightshade, on the outskirts of the Forgotten City, the forest flashed with several colors. I knew right away that several spells had been cast in rapid succession. Thera must be there, but facing who – or what – remained a mystery. I could only pray that Kitfox and Shazza were nearby to help.
“Finally!” Nexxa hollered out. A moment later, she dipped so low her wings nearly grazed the treetops. I could see the faces of several soldiers as they looked up to see what flew overhead. Mere moments later, they took off in a hurry to swarm the spot Nexxa had picked. She told me to get ready and I did.
Half a heartbeat passed and I spotted a gap in the trees. Nexxa dared to dive even lower and her wings smashed through a few of the tree tops. She almost came to a complete stop in midair and loosened her grip on me. She beat her wings hard to regain altitude as I dropped several meters to the ground. I landed with a grunt and rolled twice, simultaneously freeing my tessens from my belt and flaring them with a flick of my wrists.
I paused for a moment, listening; observing. White trees loomed all around me. They cast shadows so long they almost plunged the area into a false night. A silver mist danced and swirled between the glowing trunks. It left the ground soggy and smelling of fresh rain. Everything was silent, unnerving.
A horse whinnied.
I spun around to find it. A large, black horse trotted away through the trees. It paused and looked over its shoulder, revealing a golden horn in the middle of its forehead. It was the Goddess, Nahstipulí, in Her ixys form. I blinked and she vanished without a trace. Had I imagined it? Before I could perceive an answer, Dimitri’s soldiers began swarming the area. I uttered a spell to distract them and took off through the trees in hopes of locating my missing teammates.
◆◆◆
Thera spun away to avoid the plasma ball Pox had hurled at her. The sphere struck a tree and exploded with great fury, knocking several soldiers off their feet. The tree was rendered into nothing and countless splinters rained down on the area.
Thera growled in frustration as she coated herself with more wards. Her mind raced, desperately trying to devise a plan to free her sister from Dimitri’s control without getting herself or Pox killed in the process. She dared to peak out from behind the tree she cowered behind to glance at Pox. The younger Feykin wasted no time hurling another spell at Thera’s head.
Culmination Page 23
