“If what you suggest is true, then our adversary must know where we are trying to go and is attempting to impede our progress. Perhaps even trying to stall us long enough for his metallic army to overtake our position,” Edward surmised. “We need to get moving before it is too late.” Hoping that his words would be enough to get everyone motivated, and focusing more on the coming journey than the potential hazard that lay in their path, he offered his hand. His palm felt as if it was vibrating when he helped the trembling woman to her feet. Edward turned his head to check on the shaman and saw Brian calmly standing beside Skarr, stroking the dragon’s neck as if it was a pet.
The ancient beast anticipated the humans, based on the direction of their conversation. Skarr lowered her body as close to the rocky ledge beneath her as she could manage. “Have your people climb on to my back,” she instructed in a deep, rumbling tone. “There should be plenty of space for everyone to be seated comfortably between the ridges along my spine. I would suggest, however, that all of you sit as close as you can to my neck. It will be a smoother ride, and won’t take as much effort on my part to maintain the lengthy flight.”
Edward nodded, then passed the information along to the rest of the group. “We are forever in your debt, Skarr. Words are not enough to express how much your aid is appreciated.” One by one, he helped his comrades on to the dragon’s back. Once they were atop the creature—the two women seated ahead of Brian, who took up the rearmost position—Edward scaled to his seat, with the help of a hand from Katie, at the base of Skarr’s neck. He was about to let the dragon know that they were ready when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to the side in an attempt to see who was trying to get his attention, but could only see enough to determine that the hand was feminine. “Yes?”
“What about Sygax?” Julie inquired, pointing toward the young dragon.
It was a good question, one that Edward hadn’t considered. He gazed down at Sygax, who didn’t seem the least bit concerned. “I am sorry,” he apologized softly. “It was not my intention to make you an orphan again, especially after you led us to another of your kind.”
A rumbling noise bubbled up from the young dragon’s throat, one that almost sounded like laughter. “There is no need to apologize, my friend. Even though I haven’t truly mastered flight, I have no plans to stay behind. I will try my best to follow.”
Knowing it would be next to impossible for her to change the youngster’s mind, Skarr sighed, certain that Sygax would not be able to sustain flight for the entire journey, and all but sure she would end up with one of two burdens before the end of the trip. Either she would have to endure the pain of losing kin, and watching the young dragon plummet from the sky, or she would end up carrying him across the sea in her claws, which could potentially end the flight before they reached the southern lands. With great trepidation, Skarr unfurled her wings and extended them fully, and after a swift downward stroke, she vaulted from the rocky ledge into the night sky.
Chapter 16
He wasn’t sure how he knew it, but as the Black Knight docked Morgana beside the ship floating offshore he felt certain that his adversaries had somehow managed to elude him and were, as ludicrous as it sounded, sneaking past him in the darkness. The open sea should have contained them and made their elimination easy. However, if his instincts were correct, the troublesome wizard and his friends had somehow found a way to cross the open water. He couldn’t figure out how, though. As far as he knew, there were no other vessels to carry them across the ocean. The skeletal crew—literally, because it was comprised of bony, reanimated corpses of the Black Knight’s once human enemies, who now bore allegiance to him—had obliterated all ships between the northern and southern land masses. This much he was positive of. He’d seen the carnage first-hand from the monitors in his lair before his departure.
While climbing aboard the massive war galley, he couldn’t help but wonder if George somehow had a hand in the escape of his enemies. Immediately after stepping on to the deck, the ship’s captain detained him before he could get to the hold, which was a secret area of the boat that only he had access to. Much like his lair, it was equipped with monitors, which he was desperate to check. They would allow him to see what George was up to.
“Welcome aboard the Executioner’s Rage,” the scruffy, bearded skeleton announced in greeting.
The Black Knight sneered at the captain as he pushed past him without a word, suddenly remembering why he had never visited the ship before now. He hated the way these abominations spoke. Listening to their awful pirate lingo was like hearing fingernails scraping over a chalkboard.
Barely turning in time to see the demon’s back before it disappeared into the depths of the ship, the captain shouted at the Black Knight in a gravelly, rattling voice, “Can I help ye find something?”
Hesitating on the top stair, the Black Knight whipped his head around, his yellow eyes like flames burning in his skull as he fixed the skeleton with a glare that might have killed him had he not already been dead. In response, the captain held up his bony hands in surrender, backing away slowly like a child afraid of being beaten by an abusive parent. It was the only way he could think of to placate the raging entity, and thankfully it seemed to work. In a swirl of blackness, the Black Knight disappeared down the steps.
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the Black Knight moved down a short hallway that appeared to come to a dead end. Without so much as a pause in his stride, he walked through the mirage that was constructed to keep others out. The image shimmered briefly when he passed through it; if someone had witnessed the event, it would probably have looked like the demon had stepped into a vertical body of water, due to the rippling effect of the image. It was reminiscent of the tiny waves caused by dropping a stone into a pond.
As soon as he was inside of the secret chamber, motion sensors stirred the electrical equipment to life. Brightly glowing disks embedded in the ceiling flooded the room with light; a wall, similar to the one he used in his lair, flickered for a moment before each of the computer screens blinked on. He narrowed his eyes, searching for the monitor that was linked to the three-headed mount he’d given to George. When he thought he had found it, the Black Knight studied the screen with a scowl. The image was stationary, and seemed to be coming from atop the nearby cliff. The angle of the view told him this, showing a downward, panoramic scene of the ocean. The ship he was on, as well as Morgana, was nothing more than a speck of darkness on the moonlit sea.
Knowing that George should be scouring the countryside for the troublesome group of his adversaries—because he’d been instructed to do so at night, and remain hidden during daylight hours—but unsure of why the metallic creature wasn’t moving, the Black Knight pressed a button beneath the console. “What are you doing?” He kept his voice low, in the event that his enemies were close by, but the underlying tone of the question made his mood abundantly apparent. When his new servant did not immediately reply, the demon drummed his skeletal fingers on the screen impatiently. He inquired again, this time raising his voice a notch in irritation. His anger grew when his question remained unanswered, and the familiar yellow glow of his eyes shifted, becoming obsidian in a reflection of his mood. Suddenly, he noticed a slight trembling in the image displayed on the monitor, but the Black Knight wasn’t sure if something was shaking the camera, or if the blood pounding in his eyeballs was causing the anomaly.
***
After spotting the dragon, George withdrew a few feet further into the forest. It provided him with enough cover to mask his presence, but allowed him to maintain sight of the mythical creature. As the beast continued to flap its wings, hovering in the air just beyond the cliff’s edge, he briefly considered returning to his three-headed steed. Surely, the Black Knight would want to know about the possible complication of his plans, but it would likely entail having to speak with Verin again. The mere thought of dealing with the formless demon turned his stomach, which was strange whe
n he considered the deeds of his past. With all of the people he’d tortured and killed in his lifetime, not one of which had ever caused even the slightest stirring of queasiness, putting up with the vile creature should have been something as nonchalant as tying a shoe.
He took a deep breath and quickly blew it out, his cheeks puffing as he did, making him look like a squirrel with a mouthful of nuts. While he’d been lost in thought, the dragon had disappeared from sight. He hadn’t noticed until now, and wasn’t sure where the creature had gone. He briefly scanned the canopy of darkness overhead, but neither saw nor heard any indication of the beast being nearby. After the quick and fruitless search, George inched closer to the edge of the cliff. He was still unable to locate the flying menace, but discovered something far more interesting. The flames of a campfire flickered below him, revealing a rocky outcrop fifty to one hundred feet down. Two of the four individuals who comprised the small party he’d been following were visible, sitting beside each other on the edge of the stone surface.
As he contemplated the possibilities of infiltrating the group, and attempting to possess the body of one of the figures sitting on the ledge as he’d done to the wizard’s mother back in the abandoned town, he felt a slight tremble in the ground underneath his feet. It seemed to indicate that the Black Knight’s army of machines was closer than he’d thought, which suggested he would need to return to his mount. If he was to keep up his ruse with his demonic master, he would have to relay his findings to Verin, no matter how much he despised the ghost-like entity in charge of the army.
With a reluctant sigh, George moved away from the cliff’s edge and worked his way through the underbrush. By the time he reached his mechanical steed, the thundering boom of falling trees grew close enough that he felt like he was standing on a fault line during an earthquake. Any minute now, he would probably begin to see the moonlight reflecting from their metallic bodies. In preparation, he climbed on to the back of his mount and pressed the button to extend its wings. He took to the sky, but the crashing sounds suddenly stopped. After being airborne for less than a minute, he spotted Verin.
George maneuvered his steed toward the formless demon, and hovered in the sky several feet overhead. Before he could open his mouth to give his report, the terrifyingly familiar sound of wings beating the air erupted from somewhere behind him. It was apparent that Verin was oblivious to the noise as he stared up at George in disgust, loathing the fact he was forced to deal with a human, who for whatever reason seemed to be ignoring his presence.
“What information do you—” Verin began to demand, but was interrupted by the booming voice of his master.
“George!” The Black Knight’s hostility was apparent as the lone word roared from the flying machine, snapping his servant’s attention away from the possible threat to the more immediate demands of the demon. “Where are my enemies?”
“I—I’m not sure,” he stammered.
“What?” The sheer volume and force of the word caused the metallic hide of the three-headed monstrosity to shudder, much like an aircraft from Earth experiencing turbulence.
“The last I saw of them, they were climbing down the cliff. I’m not positive if they’re even alive anymore, however, because moments ago I heard what I believe was the same, fire-breathing creature I encountered a while back. You know, the one you refused to admit existed?” He wanted the question to sound angry and sarcastic, but the trembling of his tone made the words rolling from his lips have little impact. Yet, the implications of his query caused the Black Knight to pause.
When he finally spoke, though anger remained in his voice because of the insolence of his subject, his reply came in a more subdued tone. “Tell Verin to lead my army down to the beach. I’ll be there shortly. By the sounds of it, my enemies are trying to reach the southern lands, possibly in an effort to request aid from my father. It is absolutely imperative that we prevent them from speaking to him.”
After hearing the demon’s admission, the gears in his head spun wildly. Never in a million years would George have considered the possibility that the Black Knight had a family.
Chapter 17
When they departed from the relative safety and shelter of the cave on Skarr’s back, Edward worried that one or more of his friends might tumble off, falling to the waters below with such force that it would surely bring about their immediate death. It took a bit of getting used to because the ride was extremely rough at first, but after a few minutes of adjusting to the way the dragon moved as it flew, remaining seated became easier to manage.
The fact that Sygax had spotted the ships floating in the sea below them, and his subsequent insistence on attacking the vessels, only served to make their journey more dangerous. If Skarr hadn’t intervened and called the young dragon back, they would likely be locked in combat with an unknown foe right now.
Since then, the boats had become a distant memory, but hardly forgotten. Everyone, especially Julie, understood that the danger the ships presented had only been avoided temporarily. If she is correct, and the vessels belong to the dark forces arrayed against us, it’s likely they are lying in wait for the army of machines in order to transport them across the sea, Edward thought. Hopefully we can get far enough ahead of them that we can obtain the assistance of the gods before we are forced to engage them. If not, I can only pray that the aid of the dragons will be sufficient to thwart their efforts. He sighed softly, the cool night air stinging his cheeks when Edward turned his head to check on Sygax. So far, he seemed to be keeping pace with Skarr nicely. It was difficult to tell, but the young dragon didn’t appear the least bit tired. That was a good sign.
After the first couple of hours of their flight, both of Desolace’s moons shone down on them from directly overhead. Gazing into the distance, the only thing that could be seen in every direction was the eerily calm waters of the ocean. There wasn’t even a hint of land anywhere in sight, causing Edward to wonder just how long this journey would be. He'd begun to turn his eyes to the front again, but the barely audible sound of a female voice reached his ears.
Sitting behind Katie, Julie tilted her head to one side. She tried to think back to the start of their journey. When the dragon had left the ledge outside of her cave, Julie hadn’t remembered her friend’s long brown locks bothering her in the slightest as the wind swept them behind her. Now, however, the end of Katie’s hair was brushing against her nose and cheeks as the stiff breeze blew through it. At first, she merely found the tickling sensation mildly annoying, but when she realized why her friend’s mane was suddenly a nuisance, Julie gasped in shock. Initially, she had brushed the matter off, thinking Katie had leaned back, but as her mouth hung open in disbelief, she saw that it wasn’t the case at all. Not only had her best friend’s hair grown longer, there were now silvery streaks intertwined in the darker strands. She’s aging again! Taking a quick glance skyward, Julie got the impression by the positioning of the moons that it was near midnight.
“Are you all right?” she shouted, tapping her friend’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure if Katie would hear the panic in her tone, but it was obvious she had at least heard the question.
As she craned her head to look back at Julie, the wind swept Katie’s hair in such a manner that it made her features unreadable. “I’m hungry and tired,” she yelled, not yet realizing the change her body was going through. When she noticed the pained expression on her friend’s face, she became confused. Obviously, she was missing a vital piece of information. “Why?”
In response, Julie lifted one of her hands, releasing her grip on the spiked ridge of the dragon’s back she’d been clinging to, and reached out toward her friend, grasped a lock of her hair, and held it still so Katie could see the altered coloration.
Tears streaked down her cheeks when her eyes fell on the gray tendrils mixed in with her normal hair color. Immediately, she understood Julie’s concern. For a while, she had forgotten about the curse of aging that the fairies had placed upon he
r, but now it was not something she could ignore. Suddenly, she felt like she was dying, as if she could actually feel her life being sucked away. It wasn’t her intention to worry Julie further, but Katie turned her head and stared blankly at Edward’s back. She was afraid that her friend would see the despair in her eyes.
At first, when he craned his neck to see what the commotion behind him was about, the only thing he saw was the back of Katie’s head. When she finally turned toward him again, Edward noticed the dampness of her cheeks. Obviously, she was upset about something and had been crying. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong and decided against it, offering her a weak smile instead. Edward wished there was a way he could comfort her, but it would be difficult and awkward to do while they were flying. Turning back around, he resolved to do everything in his power for Katie once they landed.
***
When the Black Knight emerged from the hold, the crew was in a flurry of motion. In his absence, apparently the captain of the Executioner’s Rage had tasked his bony sailors with swabbing the deck. The dark liquid they pushed around with their mops glistened in the moonlight, giving the wooden planks the appearance of being slick with blood. Although, since the Black Knight was the only one aboard comprised of flesh and blood, it seemed unlikely that the fluid was anything other than water.
His clawed feet allowed him to maintain his balance while he crossed the deck and approached the captain, his elongated toenails clicking on the boards. “Head for shore,” he hissed, saliva glistening from his fang-like teeth. “My army should be waiting on the beach when you get there. Upon your arrival, load as many of my soldiers on board as you can. I will transport the remainder on my ship. Once the last of them are aboard, you will follow me to the southern lands. There, the army will disembark, and you can return to your normal duties.”
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