“Aiden, do you still possess the knowledge to operate sa'quaarin relics?” Terinus asked.
I do, Aiden confirmed.
“Then go to that console and follow my instructions,” the wizard ordered, pointing at a charred black protrusion in the wall. “I will operate its counterpart over here. Two individuals are required to enact what we are about to do.”
“Which is?” Robert asked.
“Destroy the Akashic Throne,” Terinus answered as he stood before his console. “The power which allows it to hover continuously above our world is unstable, if certain protections are removed. We then make for the storage room where we first arrived and use the portal to escape.” Aiden walked over to the console, reverting to using four legs again. It seemed both natural and unusual at the same time. He noticed the sealed doorway was beginning to glow with heat, and knew the other sa'quaarin were attempting to gain entry.
Using his talons as fingers, Aiden was able to carefully follow the wizard's instructions as he tapped on the glowing sigils upon the smooth black surface. It was the most complex work he had yet attempted in their obscure, encoded language and would have been impossible for anyone not familiar with it.
“What happened to Nellise?” Sayana asked softly, looking sadly upon her broken body.
“She still exists, but has been exorcised from her physical form,” Terinus replied absently as he continued to work. “Her spirit now resides in Assumption with the other celestial entities. Nellise, as we knew her, is gone.”
“She gave everything she had to keep the Strator occupied,” Sayana whispered as she knelt beside her fallen friend. “So beautiful and selfless. We couldn't have done this without her.”
“I feel weird about this,” Robert muttered. “She's sort of dead, but not. Oh, and so much for bringing Pacian back I guess. Damn, we've lost two now.” Aiden recalled Nellise's promise to her fallen love, sealing his fate. With a gentle brush of her hand, Sayana closed Nellise's eyes forever. Aiden paused a moment to reflect on the loss of two close friends, then shoved aside the swelling emotions for later deliberation.
“Whatever you're doing, speed it up,” Robert advised, staring at the glowing door in consternation. “We're about to receive some guests.”
“We must time the final step precisely,” Terinus explained to Aiden as the sound of dull impacts on the door began. “The sigil you see on the display now renders the power source vulnerable. Press it in three... two... one... now.”
With a tap of one talon, Aiden touched the glaring red symbol and a shudder went through the fortress. A roaring sound of alert began to echo through the edifice, a sure sign they had achieved their goal.
“Beautiful, let's move,” Robert growled impatiently, grabbing Aeon Invictus and sheathing it. “I assume there's another way out of here?”
“No,” Terinus replied as he turned to face them. “I will have to deactivate the wards prohibiting teleportation within the fortress and send you away myself.”
“You mean send us away,” Sayana corrected, to which the wizard shook his head.
“I cannot lock out the controls. As soon as I dispel the wards, they will come here in force and simply reinstate the protective protocols. It must be guarded for the duration or we will fail. This task is mine, and mine alone.” A dull rumble shook the fortress as a distant explosion went off. Terinus turned to another console and quickly went through the sigils lighting up the screen.
“You only have a few minutes to escape,” Terinus warned. “I can teleport you away, but the lower levels have their own wards I cannot seem to access from here.” Sayana moved to stand before Terinus and took his hand in hers.
“You know this means your death, right?” she asked. Terinus slowly nodded his head in reply.
“My vengeance is sated. I have nothing more to live for, and I would be rid of the terrible memories that plague my every waking moment. Finally, I can know peace and perhaps even redeem myself in the process. You are my last descendant, Sayana, my legacy. I could not bear the thought of losing you.”
With a tear trickling down her cheek, Sayana nodded and smiled as she hugged him, a sign of forgiveness and acceptance from her Aiden never thought he'd see. Terinus pulled back from the embrace as the door shuddered under a heavy impact. He incanted a number of protective enchantments, and imbued life into the energy sword Sayana had used to kill the Strator. It darted into the air and hovered next to Terinus, ready to do his bidding.
“It is time. Aiden, you will see my descendant to safety.”
We're not going to lose anyone else, I swear, Aiden answered firmly as he flexed his talons.
“Then this is where we part ways. Good fortune to you all,” the wizard said as he tapped the console. The expression on his face was one of contentment, a moment of peace before an inevitably violent conclusion to his life. A moment later there was a flash of violet light, and Aiden and his two remaining companions found themselves just outside the golem foundry.
Chaos reigned as a group of sa'quaarin attempted to put out fires raging within the foundry itself. Eruptions of fire exploded out from the wall, shaking the floor violently and damaging the superstructure. Aiden spread his wings and attempted to protect Sayana and Robert with his body as metal and stone crashed down around them. He stifled an urge to cry out in pain as his head took a serious blow.
“We have to move!” Robert shouted as he turned to go. Aiden followed slowly, shaking his head to try and refocus. Memories of his two lives blurred together, confusing him and giving him a moment of anxiety as he fought the idea this was all some kind of dream. Robert paused for a moment to regard him with a critical eye, then reached up and grabbed Aiden's head.
“I think you just gave yourself a concussion, mate. I don't know if you're still Aiden or not, but if you want to stay alive, you are going to run, mister!” the mercenary hoarsely roared in his best drill sergeant’s voice. He grabbed Sayana by one hand and pulled her along behind him, heading out of the foundry.
Aiden staggered forward, momentarily confused, then gained momentum as he watched Robert and Sayana disappear along the smoke filled corridor. He loped along, finding his winged forearms ill-suited to running. A horrible feeling he'd left something behind flooded Aiden's addled mind, and he suddenly realised Pacian was back there somewhere. One thought came through loud and clear, however. He had to go faster.
His vision blurred for a moment, and when it resolved Aiden saw before him a field of grass, swaying gently in the breeze on a beautiful day near his home of Coldstream. He knew Pacian was closing in behind him and the thought of his blond friend beating him in a race yet again was more than he could bear.
He couldn't recall why, but he felt he would literally die if he didn't win this race. Surging forward, Aiden ran as fast as he could, his eyes on the distant tree-line. Smoke from a nearby fire began to blot out the sun, but he knew he could outrun it.
Flames licked at his feet as he rushed forward, his heart pounding as he ran for his life. Certain Pacian was right behind him, Aiden summoned a final burst of speed and reached the tree-line before tumbling to a halt. Pausing for breath, he turned and looked behind to gloat at his victory in the race, but saw nothing but empty fields bathed in fire.
Pacian was nowhere to be seen, and only then did Aiden remember he was gone forever. Shaking his reptilian head, Aiden snapped himself out of the vivid memory and took in the corridor he had just run through. It had collapsed completely, filling with fire and auldsteel beams which would surely have sealed his fate had he not moved as fast as he had.
At that moment, he felt the loss of his friend keenly, even knowing what he had become over the last few years. He couldn't pause any longer though, for up ahead Robert had run into a patrolling construct which had immediately considered them a threat. Oblivious to the destruction of its home, the ancient golem slammed Robert's already battered armour while he desperately tried to keep it away from Sayana.
Aiden roared
and leaped forward, gashing the construct with his talons before pulling it away from the gravely wounded mercenary. Although nearly the same size, it outweighed Aiden's modest frame many times over and he struggled to fight it. Another explosion rocked the halls, knocking them both over as the floor beneath them gave way. They crashed through to a lower level, one filled with noise and heat as pipes and other conduits around them glowed white.
Aiden reached over and with all of his strength held the construct's head against a pipe. It began to smoke and whine as it fought against him, until it began to deform from the intense heat. As it continued to melt, Aiden crouched down and with a beat of his wings, used his powerful legs to spring back up to the storage level, leaving his metal foe to be destroyed with the fortress.
Robert and Sayana beckoned from just ahead as they entered the large chamber they had originally arrived into. Many of the decrepit Ironlord suits of armour had fallen in the continuing destruction of the Akashic Throne, scattering their parts across the floor. Robert held Sayana tightly as the place crumbled around them, standing next to the portal's arch — their one chance to survive the devastation.
“At least this means Terinus is still holding the bridge, right?” Robert shouted over the noise.
It would seem so, Aiden replied groggily, his head still ringing from the earlier blow. He trotted over to the console and noted with dismay that it had been damaged in the ongoing destruction. Angry sparks spat from its side and the inner workings were exposed from the panels that had been torn away. The primary black display appeared to be functioning, after a fashion.
Quickly examining the glyphs with one extended talon, Aiden saw them blink on and off as power fluctuated throughout the room. They were plunged into darkness lit only by the encroaching flames before the hovering blue lights flared back to life.
Aiden's heart raced as he examined the console before him, desperately trying to make it work properly in the brief time they had remaining. Thankfully, Terinus had already set the coordinates for the Black Tower in Aielund. He activated the device and the familiar shimmering curtain of light appeared in the centre of the arch.
“I thought we were going to die here,” Sayana breathed at the sight of their escape route. Aiden began to move towards it to join the others, but then it flickered out of existence again. Racing back to the device, Aiden repeated the procedure and the curtain reappeared for a few seconds, only to wink out once more.
It's too damaged, he shouted. Get closer to it, and when I reactivate it again, go through immediately!
“What about you?” Sayana called back.
I'll rig it to stay on a bit longer, but first you have to get away safely. Aiden hoped she was too busy to figure out his lie, for he knew there simply wasn't enough time to fix the damaged console, even if he had the proper tools. The door to the chamber blew off its hinges and fire roared across the room. They only had moments remaining and this was no time to argue.
Sayana and Robert moved as closely as they cold to the arch, waiting in anticipation of the next window of opportunity. Just as Aiden traced the glyphs with his talons, Sayana whirled around to face him. With a plaintive look upon her face, she stared at him with the sudden realisation he would never make it through. It was already too late. Aiden activated the portal and like the good soldier he was, Robert ran through to the stifled cry of protest from Sayana who he pulled along with him.
And they were gone.
A feeling of contentment descended upon Aiden at that moment, knowing he'd given them both a chance at a full life. Finally free of the markings that had both cursed and blessed her life, Sayana was as normal as a half-elven woman could be, and with Criosa's aid, they would have a safe and productive life together.
Fires consumed the chamber as whatever system the Throne used to keep the unstable power in check failed, but Aiden wasn't concerned. As a dragon, he wasn't going to burn to death. In fact, he had no idea what would happen to him when the fortress exploded. In any case, he wasn't alone, as such.
You have done well, Aiden, the voice of Salinder congratulated him. Countless thousands will owe their lives to you and your companions, though they will never realise the truth of what happened here today.
I thought you would be upset with me, leaving us to die here amongst your fallen enemies, Aiden mused.
As far as deaths go, that one sounds just fine to me, Salinder remarked. I am, however, sorry you could not rejoin Criosa. I know how much you felt for each other.
Aiden fell silent, thinking how he would never see her again. He took some comfort in the fact that Sayana would be able to explain what happened to him at least, so she wouldn't go on wondering about his fate. They had saved the kingdom and freed her people from the unseen hand of the sa'quaarin, and he could do nothing else for her. He hoped it was enough.
Part of the wall next to him exploded, the conduits running through it like veins finally giving way under the heat roaring through the complex. Aiden held tightly to the console as the air was sucked past him and clawed his way out of the room. He drew in a deep breath as the lack of atmosphere extinguished the flames and made his way down the airless corridor to another chamber.
It took some effort to force the door open, and the air inside began to be pulled through as well, so Aiden hurried inside and allowed the door to slam shut once more. The floor shuddered as the fort began to break apart and looking across the empty room, Aiden noticed a small window. He peered through it and gazed outside, seeing the world looming outside, spinning around in an increasingly eccentric way as the fort ripped itself apart.
So beautiful, so distant, like a pearl hanging among the stars. He thought about all the fallen friend's he'd lost over the years, people he'd be joining in whatever lay beyond this life. It was Criosa's face that filled his mind though as the Akashic Throne finally exploded and he thought no more.
Epilogue
“Come on, come on, get out of there,” Robert muttered as he and Sayana stood on the balcony of the Black Tower, staring up at the night sky. It was clear and bright without a cloud to be seen, and somewhere up there, hanging invisibly in the heavens was the Akashic Throne, on the verge of destruction.
She looked behind them to the portal chamber, waiting and hoping for it to flare with light one more time and deliver Aiden to them. It never came.
“There it goes,” Robert finally muttered as the sky lit up as if the sun had risen five hours early. The initial flare was intense, but it quickly faded. Sayana leaned against Robert, feeling weak and utterly drained from the experience they had survived, now having to deal with the loss of yet another friend. She tried to take comfort in the destruction of the sa'quaarin, but it seemed hollow without the others to share it with.
“Did he stay there on purpose?” Robert thought aloud. “Was he too ashamed of his change to face Criosa and just wanted to end it?”
“I don’t believe that for a second,” Sayana sobbed. “He loved her more than either of us will ever know, and he’d never give up on her, not ever.”
“Easy, honey,” Robert offered, his voice also thick with emotion. “I believe you.”
“You know, nobody's ever going to understand what we've achieved here today. No memorials to the fallen will be built, no songs sung in their name.”
“Mark the date,” Robert grunted with a cough. “We'll remember them every year, and make sure our children will too. And theirs, on down the line. They will not be forgotten, you’ve got my word on that.” Sayana let the tears fall, finally releasing the feelings she'd been holding in check. Then, it suddenly occurred to her what Robert had just said.
“Children?” she asked in wonder.
“Sure... I mean, if you want,” Robert said, sounding less sure about himself. “I've been putting it off for years and I'm not getting any younger.” He jolted in a fit of coughing for a minute before getting himself under control. “Not getting any healthier, either.”
“We'll have to get yo
u seen to,” Sayana said out of concern. She traced a finger along the edge of his face, noting the scars and weariness on his lined face. She hadn’t looked upon him this way for some time, not since she’d transformed into whatever it was she had been. Somehow, he seemed more real now than ever before.
“What are you looking at?” he asked curiously.
“I'm seeing you with my own eyes again, and it's clearer than anything my sorcerous vision could show me,” she explained quietly.
“That ugly, eh?” Robert grunted. “I'll understand if you want to poke your own eyes out.” Sayana couldn't help but laugh softly, a joy mixed with tears as life, love and loss all combined to make her feel very strange indeed. Then a solemn duty dawned on her, something they couldn't delay any longer.
“Criosa should be told,” she said sadly, both of their smiles fading at the prospect of delivering bad news.
“Let's get it over with then,” Robert agreed, putting his arm around her and leading her from the balcony. She took a last look around the tower as they left through the magic door which bypassed the lower levels. There was no way back inside, so the tower would sit, quietly and in darkness, empty for the rest of time.
* * *
It was a day later when they finally arrived at Fairloch, having bought a fine horse from a friendly farmer to speed their journey. They eventually found soon-to-be-crowned Queen Criosa staying at the most opulent place in the city. Fairloch was gradually being restored to order after the devastation, the citizens going about the arduous task of rebuilding knowing they were free from Tulsonite oppression and their mad king at last. Their future was their own to determine, with Criosa humbly offering leadership and guidance.
Robert and Sayana stopped at a statue being erected in the centre of the city, a beautifully carved monument to Dame Nellise Sanneman, the saviour of Fairloch. The likeness was remarkable, and contrary to Robert's earlier remarks, it seemed the people would at least remember her for something.
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