The Dragon Marked Chronicles: Prince of Dragons (Book 2)

by Jay Lynn

  With the flames still dancing around the steel of his blade, Alec and Garth raced across their new path. Neither could see far beyond the light of their torches, yet the soft swoosh of something swiftly cutting through the air filled their ears. Suddenly stepping back, the sorcerer twisted his sword, blocking a swarm of arrows which threatened to blanket them. Manipulating the fire, he fanned it out in a circle, sending it into the darkness like a rolling wave as it burned a second volley to ash.

  Behind the sage, Garth gripped his blade in one fist while holding the torch like a weapon in the other. As the next round of arrows sped towards them, soldiers appeared at the end of the stone walkway. If they didn’t do something soon, it was likely the warriors would be boxed in. Glancing at Alec, their eyes met and the sorcerer gave Garth a distinct nod.

  Igniting the last wisps of flame clinging to his sword, Alec directed the blaze up into an arch, creating a protective shield as he and Garth returned to the ground.

  “Airanlor, blast,” Alec said as their feet touched the stone floor.

  With the light of his fire gone, the sorcerer had to rely on Garth’s torch to dispel the smoke once more seeking to swallow them whole. The exit wasn’t far ahead, yet the twisting maze was not a danger they could ignore.

  “This way,” Garth urged waving his friend onward. There wasn’t a moment to spare.

  “Wait,” Alec countered. Disliking the idea of blindly running through the halls of mirrors, the sage had a different plan in mind. “Rokon, shift.”

  The stone beneath the mirror directly in front of them slowly began to sink into the ground. As the spell progressed, the object slipped faster into the freshly made quick sand. Directing his power in a straight line, all of the mirrors blocking their path to the other side of the space sank into the abyss below. Finishing his work, Alec returned the stone to its solid form.

  “How did you…?” Garth shook his head with a laugh. Holding his flame higher, he led the way down the open corridor Alec created through the maze.

  Striding past the angled mirrors, Alec’s face was a mask of concentration. A flash of movement caught his attention. When nothing appeared, he almost believed that he was mistaken. Almost. No length of time would convince the sorcerer he was seeing things. Years of experience told him differently. Another flicker of motion alerted him to the soldiers’ presence.

  Here they come.

  Rushing from the shadows, half a dozen guards zeroed in upon the warriors. The angle of the glass turned the charging men from six to six dozen.

  Eyes darting across the various images in the dim light, Alec’s jaw clenched tightly. An intangible instinct gave him the skill to block the most serious of blows. A cut to his upper thigh stung his flesh. Garth’s reflection danced alongside the soldiers, disrupting Alec’s concentration. Leaning back, a knife sliced past his left eye, just missing him. Striking the man with his foot Alec forced the guard to withdraw as another moved in to take his place.

  Fingers tightly gripping the hilt of his sword, Alec mentally cursed. Damn it! I need to get rid of these mirrors. They were causing him more distress than he expected. There was no telling how much longer he and Garth would be able to hold out.

  As the first man was thrown back, a second quickly took his place. Their blades clashing together, the sage was regaining the upper hand when more soldiers joined the reflections inside the mirrors. Pushing the guards back, he leapt into the air, somersaulting out of the way of multiple swords. The steel instead planted itself in the soldier Alec had been fighting. Even their companions were of no consequence to them. Spying a man cut Garth’s arm as he struggled with his own enemies served as the last blow to Alec’s careful control.

  “That’s quite enough,” the sage growled in a low voice.

  Spiritual energy rising, his aura lashed out, bringing forth Fang in a bright swirling mist. The intense power broke through the barriers protecting the mirrors and shattered the glass to dust in a twenty-yard radius. Eyes lit like an eternal flame, Alec rushed forward, reuniting with his spirit dragon as his weapon sliced the first soldier in his path.

  Their battle plan having literally fallen to pieces, the Zerrokian guards couldn’t seem to recover quickly enough.

  Garth’s thick blade cut through their ranks with brute strength and precision. Turning with a roar, he swept his sword diagonally, driving through flesh and bone as blood splattered the empty frames.

  Behind him, Alec’s graceful speed was no longer being hindered. Darting between the guards, the fighter alternated with his sword and knife to slash at his opponents. Nearing one of the wooden frames, he jumped up, kicking off the wall to stab a man in the back of the neck as he twisted and drove his blade into another. Landing lightly, he stood at the ready to face his next enemy. The surrounding stillness was unsettling after the previous chaos.

  “It would appear this round has been won,” echoed Garth’s voice.

  After briefly scanning the area, Alec’s gaze shifted to his friend’s. “I’m certain another trap awaits us.”

  “Without a doubt. Let us leave this chamber before the arrows begin anew.”

  Following Garth towards the light shining from the open doorway, Alec straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. Their sleazy tactics would not sway him to abandon this course. He would save Jade, even if it meant bringing the entire tower crumbling down in his wake.

  Sealed off from the main sections of the Imperial Tower, Alec and Garth had no other option than to ascend the next set of awaiting stairs. Traveling up several flights, Alec braced himself for another shift in the staircase. It didn’t come. Instead, he and Garth eventually came to a small landing with a single metal door. Inhaling deeply, Alec nudged it open with his foot. The space before him was pitch-black.

  “It better not be another blasted maze,” Garth muttered as they cautiously inched further inside.

  The candle light from the stairwell couldn’t seem to penetrate the vast endless pit. There was nothing, no glimmer of anything awaiting them, just an eternal darkness. Suddenly, the door slammed closed. The sound of metal twisting as the steel was locked into place echoed through the walls.

  “Damn it,” the swordsman growled.

  Alec however, wasn’t peering at the portal to their rear.

  “Infureono, fire ball,” he said softly, watching his surroundings.

  Whatever trap they had strode into was much more dangerous than the others they had faced. Alec couldn’t say what told him so, but he knew they were not alone in this space. Something was there with them. Gleaming red eyes shone in the darkness. The first pair was joined by a second, third, and finally fourth pair of sharp, blazing eyes.

  “Garth,” Alec barked trying to quickly get the other man’s attention.

  “What?” There was a pause as he stood by the sorcerer’s side and peered around. “Oh shit.”

  Clawed toes breaching the circle of light, four horned howlers appeared from the shadows with teeth bared. Stalking towards their prey, they came from each side, blocking off any chance of escape. Alec didn’t know these creatures of darkness. Part of him wished Isabelle hadn’t separated to search for the princes. She was sure to be aware of them.

  Raise your shield, whispered an all too familiar voice.

  The faintest spark in the howlers’ mouths alerted Alec to their intent just as the words rang in his mind. Raising a shield like a dome, the sage blocked the fire attacks simultaneously striking from each direction. Thick blasts of flame collided with the shield and shot up into the air like a raging volcano.

  Heads and necks lifted and bodies taunt, the canines snarled in a low voice as they watched the surviving humans with blazing crimson eyes. A short bark from the front howler sounded. The three others charged forward, slashing at the barrier. Unable to cause any damage, they leapt back out of range.

  Alec knew they couldn’t remain in this stalemate forever. They were running out of time. In order to move onward, he and Garth would hav
e to dispose of these demon-like creatures. Rolling his shoulders, Alec cracked his neck prior to exhaling sharply.

  Garth eyed him with a frown. “Pray, tell me you are not thinking of battling these things.”

  “If you have another option, then I’m open to suggestions.”

  A grunt was his sole reply.

  Shifting the energy spell, Alec transformed it into a pulse which shot out, knocking the howlers across the darkened room. Strengthening their defenses he called up a fire spell, creating a blazing ring around them.

  “Tsumorri, ice shield,” Alec said, directing his power towards Garth.

  A magical shield of ice appeared on the swordsman’s left arm. Brows raised, he studied the added protection. Lightweight and cold to the touch, the frost surprisingly didn’t cause any type of chill where it was secured around his arm. Beside him, instead of a shield, Alec was making a second sword.

  Recovered from the surprise attack, the howlers were once again closing in upon them. In a defensive stance, Alec wasn’t surprised to see the creatures walk through the encircling ring of fires he produced several feet away. Considering that they breathed flames, he more or less expected it. The fire wasn’t an added guard; it was so the warriors could see. Tightening the grip on his dual hilts, Alec was ready for whatever these beasts of darkness sent his way. Or so he thought.

  Pausing their advance, the howlers suddenly began to sniff the air with a new vigor. Their ears twitched. All at once, four pairs of red eyes shifted to focus upon the sage. Alec stiffened.

  What the…? Damn it, why are they all targeting me?

  Lacking knowledge of howlers, the sorcerer couldn’t know how they fed on energy. Alec’s magic was strong. The smell of his blood from the few cuts he gained in the mirror maze was too intoxicating for creatures long deprived of the presence of sorcerers. Evil souls were nothing compared to the substance this wizard could provide.

  With the energy shield no longer hiding Alec’s scent, Garth was completely forgotten. The gruff warrior watched as lips parting, the canines showed their moistened teeth fully and turned towards the sage. Disappearing, they suddenly seemed to have vanished from the space. A cry of pain sounding from behind him told the swordsman otherwise.

  Working in unison, the howlers had commenced with a new attack upon the sorcerer, bypassing Garth completely. One had sank its teeth into Alec’s injured thigh, while a second was gripping his left forearm. The remaining two pounced, aiming to slash his front and back at the same time. Alec’s aura activated a barrier on its own, protecting the sage at the last second.

  Driving the tip of his steel blade into the back of the one dog’s neck, Alec killed the beast instantly. Instead of releasing his leg however, the corpse’s jaw locked on, acting like an added weight hindering the sorcerer’s movements. Flipping the blade over in his hand, Alec drove his sword in the other direction, seeking the howler latched onto his arm. At the last moment the creature released his prey and jumped back. Glancing at his forearm, Alec twisted his wrist to test the damage inflicted. The metal vambrace adorn there had protected him from much of the attack. Noting the impacted dents and hairline cracks in the armor’s surface, he might well have lost his arm if he wasn’t wearing it.

  Racing in from the howlers’ flank, Garth rammed his shield into one of the canines as he slashed it down the side. With their attention locked on Alec, the creatures had dismissed Garth from their thoughts. It was not a mistake the dog growling at him would make again. The injury to his thickened hide was minor. So as the howler lunged for a counterattack, his movements were not impeded in the least.

  Wielding sword and shield as extensions of himself, Garth parried the razor-sharp talons slashing at his skin. Pressing downward on the howler’s front legs with his next counterattack, the warrior then thrusted upward with his shield, smashing the canine in the snout. Drawing his blade back, he cut his enemy across the chest prior to twisting his sword to bring it once more across the dog’s front to form an “x”.

  The creature didn’t seem to be affected by the wounds or feel any of the pain from the shallow bleeding cuts.

  Face hardening, Garth tucked his shield arm in to his chest as the howler pounced. Right before the hell hound was about to strike, spikes of ice grew on the front of the shield to impale the beast. The shield crumbled as the corpse slid to the stone floor. Peering at his companion, Garth just caught Alec looking in his direction with his one hand extended towards him. The ice blade was nowhere to be seen, but the partially frozen dismembered head of a howler was still attached to his leg.

  I knew it. He saved my neck again.

  Having aided his friend, Alec’s focus immediately shifted back to the two remaining howlers. The semi-frozen vice clamped to his thigh was still a handicap, though relieving the corpse of its body did help in that regard. Re-summoning a blade of ice, he spun in a tight circle. Each slash from his metal weapon was followed by the freezing slice of his magical blade. The area around the wounds crystallized, spreading an inch beyond the injured flesh.

  Slipping back towards the shadows, the two howlers watched Alec thoughtfully. The fire’s glow illuminated their crimson eyes as they stalked along the edge of the ring’s light. A few moments passed while the demon dogs did nothing but study the sage. Then, the right one stepped closer. In response, the left canine snapped at his companion. His top lip pulling back with a snarl, the first howler turned to face the other hell hound instead. Circling each other, the two dogs began to fight amongst themselves for possession of their rare prey.

  While his opponents were distracted, Alec placed the blade of his ice weapon on top of the head of the dismembered canine. The freezing spell transferred to every cell, crystallizing it until the flesh dissolved to flecks of snow. Running a hand over the wound, Alec quickly healed the bite just enough to keep it from hindering him.

  Having dispatched his enemy, Garth headed straight to Alec’s side. He never made it. A trap door opened up beneath his feet swallowing him into a pit of darkness.

  “Garth!”

  The swordsman’s disappearance seemed to spur the howlers out of their fierce competition. Clawing the stone floor, they shifted their attention once again to the sage. As the two canines started to charge, Alec clenched his jaw.

  “Enough of this,” the sorcerer growled.

  Thrusting his blades into the ground, the Dragon Sage’s power reacted to his every thought without him summoning a creation spell. Spikes of ice shot upwards from the floor, impaling the twin beasts right through the chest. The moment his foes were deceased, Alec spun around, searching the darkness for the spot where his friend had vanished.

  “Rokon, shift.”

  Sweeping his hand to the side, the opening of the trap door was revealed.

  “Garth. Garth, can you hear me?” Alec hollered into the pitch-black pit.

  Silence was his only answer. Taking a step forward, Alec moved to follow his companion. An image of Jade flashed before his eyes. Alec’s movements ceased at once. He was not one to act impulsively. Think Alec.

  They were close to the top of the tower. Unfortunately, there was no telling where the tunnel would lead. If this trap took him to the very bottom, then they would have to begin their journey anew, fighting countless soldiers as he and Garth made their way through the Zerrokian stronghold once again. The battles awaiting them didn’t matter. Alec couldn’t stand by and do nothing to help his friend. Inhaling deeply, he tucked his arms in to his sides as he prepared to jump.

  Suddenly, Alec could hear Garth’s voice echoing in his mind as if he was standing there beside him.

  Don’t even think about it.

  “I can’t simply abandon you,” Alec said to the darkness.

  Save Lady Jade. It is your duty to protect her.

  Exhaling sharply, the sorcerer backed away from the hole. Hands curling into fists, he peered at the pit one last time.

  “Once I rescue her, I will find you, my friend,” Alec swore
to the emptiness. “Don’t die.”

  Even should he have to take this tower apart stone by stone, Alec would not break his word. The sage wasn’t going to leave without the people who joined him in this battle. Zerrok had cost him far too much already. Alec wouldn’t allow this cruel kingdom to take anyone else from him.

  An involuntary sound of alarm escaping his lips, Garth slid down the narrow shaft to suddenly land on a cold stone floor. Head reeling, it took a moment for him to be able to study his new surroundings. A mix of straw and bone was spread upon the ground in the stifling warm space. A few torches could be seen to his left on the other side of thick iron bars. Reaching for his sword, Garth slowly rose to his feet as he bit back a curse.

  A deep growl nearby caused him to stiffen. Nose poking through the bars, the sharp ivory fangs of a howler was only a foot away. Several other growls and snarls joined the creature trying to reach for him.

  Blinking, Garth gazed about with a deep frown. The entire space was divided into cages. It seemed the door he fell through led to the howler’s kennel.

  A blast of flames shot out from the nearest creature. Dodging the heat, Garth raced to the door of the cell. Fortunately, the one he fell into didn’t have an occupant. It was possible that he already slew him. Slashing the lock repeatedly, Garth was able to break free of the confined space as another blast came his way. Rushing into the narrow hall, he peered at the howlers gazing hungrily at him. The glow of fire appeared in all of their mouths. Surrounded, there was nowhere for him to flee quickly enough to avoid the attacks, nor was there anything for him to use as cover. Closing his eyes, Garth waited for the inevitable. The tip of his blade lowered to tap the stone floor. Drops of sweat slithered down the side of his face and the back of his hairline. Several seconds ticked by and still there was nothing beyond the crackling sounds of flames.

  Opening one eye, then the other, Garth rapidly blinked. Brows shooting up, he heaved a sigh of relief. Magic circles on each of the cages glowed brightly, blocking the howlers’ attacks from reaching the central corridor where the warrior stood. Wiping his face on a sleeve, Garth nodded to himself as he clutched his sword and started towards the exit. There wasn’t any time to waste.