Dragonwatch, vol. 4: Champion of the Titan Games

by Brandon Mull

  “Correct,” Isadore said. “The giants had the Ethergem, but they looked upon the crowns of the monarchs with envy. The dragons looked upon the crowns with lust. And the demons looked upon the crowns with hate.”

  “Let me guess,” Seth said. “They all ended up with crowns.”

  “At great cost,” Isadore said. “Do the crown of light worn by the Fairy Queen and the crown of darkness worn by the Underking belong to this mortal world?”

  “Probably not?” Seth guessed.

  “Good instincts,” Isadore commended. “They came to this world from immortal realms. Drawing on power from their native realms, the Underking unnaturally prevents death and the Fairy Queen unnaturally prolongs life.”

  “This is true,” Merek said. “Though I have seldom heard it named so plainly.”

  “Mortals inhabit this world temporarily,” Isadore said. “They pass through en route to the realms of death and darkness or to the realms of life and light. The conduit between this world and the immortal realms of death and darkness is called the Void. And the conduit between this world and the realms of light and life is called the Source.”

  “I have heard of the Source,” Merek said, “though the way to it is lost.”

  “Neither the Void nor the Source can be destroyed,” Isadore said. “But they can be difficult to find. They can change location. They can change shape. And they can be walled off. The crown of the Underking derives power from the Void, just as the crown of the Fairy Queen receives power from the Source. Creatures of magic exist in this world thanks mainly to the Void and the Source. The Ethergem came from the Source in the earliest times. It was a gift to the giants that enabled them to dwell apart from the rest of the world, and it was given with the promise that they would not alter or repurpose it in any way.”

  “Something went wrong,” Seth said. “What happened?”

  “In short?” Isadore asked. “Graulas and Humbuggle happened. Together they inflamed the envy of the giants by suggesting the Ethergem could be crafted into a crown for a monarch who would surpass the Fairy Queen and the Underking. Graulas increased the lust of the dragons by telling them the Ethergem could be worked into a crown for a monarch to overpower all others. And Humbuggle aroused the hate of the demons by describing a crown made from the Ethergem that would allow an unrivaled monarch to arise.”

  “How could they keep all of those promises?” Calvin asked.

  “I puzzled this story together from fragments,” Isadore said. “But crowns were indeed promised by Graulas and Humbuggle to the parties I named, with great penalties attached if they failed to deliver. The giants were convinced that dragon fire would be necessary to forge their crown, and that only Humbuggle could craft it. The dragons were convinced that they had to give up the sole ingot of their strongest alloy to produce their crown. The alloy had a name only in dragon speech, but in our tongue we might call it mother-of-adamant. And the demons were convinced to surrender Raglamar, the sword of their leader, a gift from the Void.”

  “Then Humbuggle got the Fair Folk involved,” Serena said. “Remember, their sworn role was to maintain balance in the magical world. Humbuggle convinced the Fair Folk to intervene against the giants, who were allegedly plotting to create a crown out of the Ethergem, which would let them descend to earth as an unstoppable race of unimaginable power.”

  “I learned that many of the Fair Folk broke their vow of neutrality and went to war,” Merek said. “I never learned why. The remaining Fair Folk refuse to speak of it, and I was dormant at the time. I wish I could have prevented the foolishness.”

  “It would have been hard to prevent,” Isadore said. “The Fair Folk managed to confirm with magic that the sky giants meant to forge a crown, and such an act would have granted them unassailable power. Though some of the Fair Folk held to their neutrality, a large portion decided that breaking their vows of impartiality was necessary for the survival of the world.”

  “Enter the nipsies,” Serena said. “Graulas convinced the nipsies that stealing the Ethergem was the only way to save the world. He promised them honor and glory if they successfully delivered the Ethergem to the leaders of the Fair Folk. At the time, the nipsies were the size Calvin and I are now. Because the Ethergem was so precious and powerful, if the nipsies failed to deliver the gem, a curse would make them even smaller.”

  “The stage was set,” Isadore said. “The demons Graulas and Humbuggle managed to pit the greatest crownless powers against one another. Humbuggle flew to Stratos upon a dragon named Abraxas.”

  “The first dragon,” Merek said. “My father later slew him.”

  “Abraxas was supposed to provide heat to forge the crown,” Isadore said. “And Humbuggle was supposed to craft it. Naturally, the giants made Abraxas and Humbuggle vow not to steal the Ethergem.”

  “But nobody expected the nipsies,” Serena said.

  “The nipsies were so small that the giants failed to detect them,” Isadore said. “To the sky giants, the nipsies were like specks of dust. They were smuggled into Stratos aboard Abraxas, and while Humbuggle and the dragon pretended to work, the nipsies swiped the Ethergem.”

  “How did the nipsies get out of the sky?” Seth asked.

  “Working together, the nipsies carried the Ethergem to the edge of Stratos,” Isadore said. “They jumped off and were met by Graulas, riding Velrog.”

  “First of the demonic dragons,” Merek said. “Sire to demon princes of dragons like Gazarog and Navarog.”

  “The same,” Isadore said.

  “What happened to Stratos without the Ethergem?” Seth asked.

  “The sky kingdom began to fall,” Isadore said. “Not straight down. The floating landmass coasted to a crash landing. There was an island here before the sky giants plummeted to the earth. Stratos made the island larger. Also, a significant portion of Stratos sank beneath the waves. Humbuggle and Abraxas fled after the crash.”

  “What about Graulas?” Calvin asked.

  “Velrog carried Graulas, the nipsies, and the Ethergem to the demon mother of witches, Nagi Luna, who used dark magic and the blade of Raglamar to shatter the Ethergem.”

  “They destroyed it?” Seth asked.

  “The Ethergem proved too powerful to destroy,” Isadore said. “Besides, Graulas and Humbuggle had promises to keep. Breaking the Ethergem fractured Raglamar and injured Nagi Luna. It also brought about the curse on the nipsies, who could no longer deliver the Ethergem to the Fair Folk.”

  “No fair,” Calvin complained.

  “But binding,” Serena said.

  “Humbuggle rejoined Graulas and they set about keeping their promises,” Isadore continued. “The Ethergem had shattered into five pieces—one large, three medium-sized, and a single small shard. Abraxas and Velrog helped the demons shape the mother-of-adamant into three crowns, one for each of the medium stones. Those became the crowns for the giants, the dragons, and the demons. Nagi Luna delivered the crown to the demons. Abraxas delivered the crown to the dragons. Velrog delivered the crown to the giants, along with the small fragment that became known as the Ethershard.”

  “Was that to replace the Ethergem?” Calvin asked. “So Humbuggle could claim he didn’t steal it?”

  “I believe so,” Isadore said. “The salient point is, Graulas and Humbuggle had fulfilled their obligations while betraying all who trusted them.”

  “What about the Fair Folk?” Seth asked.

  “After all that happened, they realized they had been tricked into an unjust war,” Serena said. “The Fair Folk had been trusted to keep the balance for the magical world based on the promise that they would never fight an unjust war. Graulas and Humbuggle invoked the curse attached to that promise, and many kingdoms of the Fair Folk were lost.”

  “Where did they go?” Calvin asked.

  “Nobody knows,” Serena said. “They vanished. Most assume they were destroyed, but some suspect they were imprisoned.”

  Isadore folded her hands on the table.
“All of that suffering and destruction so that Graulas and Humbuggle could get what they wanted.”

  “The largest piece of the Ethergem,” Merek said.

  “Otherwise known as . . .” Isadore prompted.

  “The Wizenstone,” Seth finished.

  “Graulas was an extremely powerful demon,” Isadore said. “He attempted to wield the Wizenstone, and he succeeded for a time. He used its connection to the Source to seal off the Source from the mortal world. The effort almost killed him. He never returned to his full strength after that.”

  “The Source is cut off?” Seth asked.

  “Power still flows from it,” Isadore said. “But not like before. None in this world can visit the Source anymore. The effort also limited the power of the Void, because it always stays in balance with the Source.”

  “That would weaken the Fairy Queen and the Underking,” Seth said.

  “Considerably,” Isadore agreed. “After Humbuggle realized that the Wizenstone could not be wielded directly, he became the custodian of it and developed the Games. The Giant Queen hates him passionately, but she let him bring the Games here in hopes the sky giants could win the stone back.”

  “I saw the Wizenstone,” Seth said. “It looked complete—not like a piece of something else.”

  “The Wizenstone and the stones in the crowns were worked into fair shapes,” Isadore said. “They are magical in nature and therefore shapeable by magic. Only the Ethershard looks like a broken piece.”

  “I always wondered where those three crowns originated,” Merek said.

  “Would finding the Wizenstone heal the nipsie curse?” Calvin asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Serena said. “Our people were supposed to deliver the Ethergem to the Fair Folk to prevent the sky war. Instead we stole it from the giants in an unjust war, and the Ethergem was shattered. I think our best hope for removing the curse is to gain forgiveness from the giants.”

  “You think that would be enough?” Calvin asked.

  “I hope so,” Serena said. “I’m not sure what more could be done.”

  “Could the giants wield the Wizenstone?” Seth asked.

  “I doubt whether anyone could properly wield it,” Isadore said. “The giants never commanded the Ethergem. It was meant as the power source of Stratos. It kept their realm aloft, and they could siphon power from it to work their magic. But no one giant was allowed to claim the Ethergem as his or her own.”

  “Unwieldy or not, the Wizenstone is loaded with more power than was ever meant for this world,” Merek said.

  Isadore nodded. “Many crave a chance to channel that power.”

  “Do you want that chance?” Seth asked.

  “Others simply wish to keep that power out of dangerous hands,” Isadore said.

  Calvin slumped to his knees, head bowed. His shoulders shook with sobs.

  Serena crossed to him and laid a hand on the back of his neck. “Calvin, what’s wrong?”

  “Our quest is hopeless,” he managed, the words sad and halting. “After all this time, all these years of hoping and searching, we never had a chance.”

  “Calvin, we still have the prophecy,” Serena said kindly. “You are here, and so is the champion.”

  “You don’t want me here,” Calvin said.

  “I want you safe,” Serena said. “But the elders sent you, making your claim to the quest as good as mine. With the champion found, who knows what is possible? What use is a prophecy if success comes without struggle?”

  Calvin looked up, tears in his eyes, hope returning to his voice. “I suppose the prophecy is meant to keep us going even when the way seems impossible.”

  “And your champion is making progress,” Serena said. “He needs to know the location of the Unforgiving Blade. And that is a secret we have uncovered.”

  “We found the resting place of the Unforgiving Blade as part of our general studies,” Isadore said. “We didn’t know it would be relevant to the Games. The blade was fashioned from a fragment of Raglamar.”

  “The sword that shattered the Ethergem,” Seth said.

  “That weapon emerged from the Void brimming with dark power,” Isadore said. “Enough to shatter a gem overloaded with energy from the Source. The Unforgiving Blade was wrought by dark sorcerers with help from the Underking, and it became a powerful talisman of darkness. It was hidden away for the protection of all in the Reliquary of the Wandering Stones.”

  “That’s here in Titan Valley!” Merek exclaimed.

  “Not nearby,” Isadore said. “Over in the southeastern steppes. Barren wilderness. You’ll never make it there before the Perennial Storm hits.”

  “What if we need to make it there before the storm arrives?” Merek asked. He glanced at Basirus. “Could a dragon do it?”

  Basirus laughed mirthlessly. “You are presumptuous beyond belief! I know how many dragons you and your kin have slain. What would stop me from flying as high as I could and dropping you onto the sharpest rocks I can find?”

  “Have you any idea how many times I’ve died?” Merek asked. “My question was whether a dragon could make it to the reliquary before the storm.”

  “The storm is coming from the west,” Basirus said with a sneer. “Conditions are already hazardous for flight, but with the wind at my back, I could make it to the Reliquary of the Wandering Stones ahead of the big show.”

  “Would you take us?” Seth asked. “Serena, too?”

  Basirus looked at his sister. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been asked to do anything more distasteful.”

  Isadore leveled her gaze at Merek. “This is essential to the Games? You have limited time?”

  “Something like that,” Merek said.

  Isadore and Basirus shared a look; then Isadore glanced back at Merek. “I would have to join you as well.”

  Scratching his neck, Merek gave a pensive nod. “Can we have a moment of privacy? I need to consult with Seth and Calvin.”

  Isadore shrugged. “We can step outside.” She picked up Serena and stood. Basirus rose as well.

  “Do you promise not to eavesdrop?” Seth asked.

  Isadore glanced at the candles. “Yes.”

  She and Basirus went to the door, footsteps splashing.

  “Want me to exit too?” Virgil asked.

  “You can stay,” Merek said.

  “How does water keep flowing through this room?” Seth asked.

  “Pumps powered by the windmills is my guess,” Merek said.

  “Good thinking,” Isadore said from the doorway. “Ogres power it if the winds are low. We’re short on time. Try to hurry.” She slid the door closed.

  Merek lowered his voice. “The Harp of Ages is located in the Titan Valley Dragon Temple. The temple can be accessed only during the Perennial Storm.”

  “We know where to find everything we need to win the Games,” Seth said.

  “Neither relic will be easy to obtain,” Merek said. “Time is against us. But from what I gather, the hardest part may be actually claiming the Wizenstone.”

  “I think we have to let the dragon take us,” Seth said. “Otherwise the timing won’t work.”

  “Me too,” Calvin said. “Though I have to confess, I’m confused by Serena’s choice of partners.”

  “She has learned a lot,” Merek said. “Sometimes the goal justifies the means.”

  “They might try to steal the Unforgiving Blade,” Seth said.

  “They will betray us,” Merek said. “The questions will be how and when.”

  “You’ve really died many times?” Seth asked.

  “It allows me to take risks,” Merek said. “Like an Eternal, I never die unless I’m killed. And if I’m killed . . . I don’t stay dead.”

  “Like the undead?” Seth asked.

  “Think opposite,” Merek said. “The undying.”

  “The undying are real?” Calvin exclaimed. “I thought they were legendary!”

  “Right on both counts,” Merek said. “I�
�m not immortal, but I’m as close as mortals can get. A lot of magic would have to be undone for me to die. Seth, you are more vulnerable than I am. But I cannot wield a blade wrought from darkness. This won’t work without you.”

  “I’m determined to meet Humbuggle and get my memories back,” Seth said. “I’m not going to get a better chance than this. It would be a bigger risk to miss the opportunity.”

  “Agreed,” Merek said, crossing to the door and opening it.

  “That didn’t take long,” Isadore said, returning to the room. “Have you decided?”

  “We need to reach the reliquary before the storm,” Merek said. “You can join us.”

  “Very well,” Isadore said. “The winds are rising. We’ll have to depart almost immediately. Meet outside of Humburgh in two hours. Exit through the gates and go to the far side of the nearest hill. You’ll know the one.”

  “We’ll be there,” Seth said. He looked at Virgil. “I’ll need some of my stuff from your house. And can you deliver a message to my cousin at the inn?”

  Virgil saluted. “This is the greatest windfall of information about the Games I have ever encountered. I’m yours to command . . . as long as I don’t have to come with you.”

  Not again!” Bernosh bellowed.

  Warren looked at Kendra nervously. “Another bridge?” he called.

  “This is the third ruined crossing!” the giant complained. “It was made of stone! One of the strongest in the whole sanctuary!”

  Kendra, Warren, Vanessa, and Tanu sat together inside the portable dungeon. Bernosh had been climbing rough terrain, so the going was slower, and the enormous backpack jounced less sharply. They had learned that Bernosh could hear their words without difficulty.

  “It’s deliberate,” Tanu said. “This is a concerted effort. They’re sabotaging bridges.”

  “Who would dare?” Bernosh fumed.

  “We told you,” Kendra said. “The dragons are plotting against you. This is more proof. They don’t want anyone getting near the Harp of Ages.”

  “In all my days, I have never endured such an insult,” Bernosh seethed. “I will get you to the Dragon Temple if I have to scale every cliff at Titan Valley.”