Dragonwatch, vol. 4: Champion of the Titan Games

by Brandon Mull

  “It may come to that if the bridges are down,” Warren murmured.

  A violent gust of wind tore through the portable dungeon. For a moment, Bernosh had to brace himself.

  “Rain will be here soon,” Bernosh said.

  “I don’t love wet cliffs,” Warren said.

  “Wet or dry, rain or shine, I can climb anything,” Bernosh said.

  “Please let him be right,” Warren muttered.

  “The sky to the west is getting murky,” Tanu said, peering out a window.

  Kendra saw inky, black clouds spreading on the horizon. Pulses of lightning brightened pockets of the tenebrous mass, highlighting otherwise unseen textures of the thunderheads.

  “This is not yet the onset,” Vanessa said. “We have to get to the Dragon Temple before the storm hits or we may not get there at all.”

  “We’ll make it,” Bernosh grumbled, starting down the side of the cliff. The portable dungeon lurched and rocked with his movements. “The terrain is challenging, but the distance is not great.”

  As they descended, the deep canyon provided shelter from the rising wind. At the bottom, Bernosh waded along a rushing river, the water above his knees in the deep places. During several stretches, unruly water flooded the canyon from wall to wall, endlessly tumbling in churning rapids and spraying up to the giant’s waist. Kendra wondered how much more the river would rise with the oncoming storm.

  “There you are!” a high, male voice called from the barred window.

  Kendra turned to see a male fairy in his young teens sliding through the bars to drop onto the dungeon floor. His shaggy silver hair complemented his metallic wings. She recognized the impishly handsome face, though he seldom appeared in this form.

  “Raxtus?” Kendra asked.

  “Please, no photos,” Raxtus said. “I hate this form. But I figured the giant would freak out if I approached as a dragon. Plus, I could fit through the bars.”

  “Good strategy,” Tanu said. “Bernosh is not happy right now. Somebody has taken out their backcountry bridges.”

  “Dragons,” Raxtus said. “I’ve seen several since arriving at Titan Valley. Dragons that don’t belong here.”

  “They’re probably slipping in as visitors to the Games,” Vanessa said. “Using their human avatars.”

  “Whatever they’re doing, it is large scale,” Raxtus said. “They’re taking up positions. It all feels coordinated.”

  “Would they attack during the storm?” Kendra asked.

  “Not unless they’re suicidal,” Raxtus said. “The high winds would destroy them. I’m about as aerodynamic as dragons get, and I was already struggling with the choppy air. You guys were hard to find. If Kendra didn’t shine so brightly, I might not have reached you.”

  “How did you know where to find me?” Kendra asked.

  “The Fairy King sent me,” Raxtus said.

  “Where is he?” Kendra asked. “Is he all right?”

  Raxtus flitted over to stand on the arm of the bench beside Kendra. “Still alive, last I saw him, but devastated,” the fairy said.

  “I heard he gave Ronodin access to the Fairy Realm,” Kendra said.

  “That fits,” Raxtus replied. “He didn’t fully confide in me, but he went on about how he tried to warn the queen, and how it was all his fault. He seemed heartbroken and incoherent. He escaped the Fairy Realm with me at the last possible moment, after sending messages with some astrids and fairies.”

  “One of his fairies brought me a message,” Kendra said. “I didn’t know he made it out.”

  “The Fairy King had me drop him off elsewhere at Titan Valley,” Raxtus said.

  “He’s here?” Kendra asked hopefully.

  “Since his stay inside Zzyzx, he has been a shadow of his former self,” Raxtus said. “Now he is a shadow of a shadow. He looked grim when he sent me away to find you. I worry he came here to die. Or maybe as a form of exile.”

  “Where did you leave him?” Kendra asked.

  “A lonely plateau in the middle of nowhere,” Raxtus said. “The kind of place you end up after being lost for days, heading in the wrong direction. No settlements nearby. As I flew away, the only life forms I saw were a few nomadic giants.”

  “Does Ronodin have any power over you?” Kendra asked.

  “No,” Raxtus said. “I’m an adopted son of the Fairy Realm. The crown has no actual claim on me. But by the time we left, I saw several fairies taking a turn for the worse. They were darkening, Kendra. Some resisted better than others.”

  “Sounds like the shadow plague,” Kendra said.

  “Watch yourself around fairies,” Raxtus warned.

  “Good tip,” Kendra said.

  Bernosh abandoned the river and started climbing a cliff. Raxtus looked around uncertainly as the portable dungeon shifted and rocked in new ways.

  Raxtus held up a hand beside his mouth and whispered, “How good a climber is this guy?”

  “He seems skillful,” Vanessa said. “And he is all confidence.”

  “Let’s hope his abilities match his muscles,” Raxtus said. “No fair when a guy is a giant and a weight lifter.”

  “Do I hear a new voice?” Bernosh asked.

  “I’m a friend of theirs,” Raxtus called. “A wimpy little fairy.”

  “All is well?” Bernosh asked.

  “He is welcome,” Kendra said.

  “I will have you to the Dragon Temple in a matter of minutes,” Bernosh asserted.

  Raxtus put a hand by his mouth and whispered again. “The noise of the river must have been masking our conversation.”

  As Bernosh reached the top of the canyon wall, the wind blowing through the dungeon windows became a nuisance. Thunder growled ominously as the armada of dark clouds overtook the sky. The dungeon rocked as Bernosh advanced.

  “I’ve been worried about you,” Kendra said. “When you left me, dragons were chasing you.”

  “After I set you down, evading the other dragons was no problem,” Raxtus said. “It’s hard for them to chase a dragon who flies faster, maneuvers better, and can become nearly invisible.”

  “Where have you been?” Kendra asked.

  “Mostly hiding out in the Fairy Realm, after Wyrmroost fell,” Raxtus said. “Sorry I couldn’t help more.”

  “You saved my life,” Kendra said. “I’m sorry for what it cost you.”

  Raxtus shook his head. “Saving you freed me. It helped me finally grow up. Working with my dad, I had what I always wanted, but I wasn’t happy. Not even close. You helped me embrace who I really am. I never would have been happy any other way.”

  “But the dragons are hunting you now,” Kendra said.

  “Which should tell you all you need to know about my father,” Raxtus said. “It’s his way or nothing.”

  “That’s tough,” Kendra sympathized.

  “Forget him,” Raxtus said. “The Fairy King sent me with gifts. None are fairy talismans—such things would not be safe with Ronodin wearing the crown. But this is the king’s signet ring, made by unicorns. He suggests you wear it only at dire need. Powered by your magical energy, it will shine brightly enough to blind any who look at it, including you.”

  “Wow,” Kendra said, accepting the ring from his little hands. “I’ll treat it carefully. Hopefully I can return it to him when this is over.” It was hefty, like a class ring, set with tiny white stones that together formed the likeness of a rearing unicorn. The longer Kendra held it, the brighter the stones shone, and the more the silvery metal gleamed with inner fire.

  “See how it shines just from contact with you?” Raxtus asked. “That isn’t normal. Be cautious when you put it on.”

  “Is that adamant?” Warren asked, craning to better view the ring.

  “Yes,” Raxtus said. “Kendra, the Fairy King also wanted you to have this seed.” He held out a little seed, about the size of a cornflake, then handed it to Kendra. “Plant it in the rain of the Perennial Storm and give it instructions. The spruce
will grow, and a hamadryad will emerge. Her name is Cyllia, from a line of hamadryads known as the guardians. He suggests you instruct her to protect you.”

  “She’ll obey me?” Kendra asked.

  “Yes,” Raxtus said. “The hamadryads of her line serve the unicorns. Cyllia has already been prepped to heed the orders you give.”

  “Ronodin is a unicorn,” Kendra pointed out.

  “But Ronodin is a disgrace,” Raxtus said. “Unicorns despise him. The power of his crown mainly influences fairies.”

  Kendra slipped the ring and the seed into a pocket.

  “Potion maker,” Raxtus said, turning to Tanu. “The Fairy King thought you might benefit from these ingredients.” He held up three packets the size of tea bags. “Source water, unicorn blood, and powdered horn.”

  “Powdered unicorn horn?” Tanu asked, clearly excited.

  “Yes,” Raxtus said. “It can only be obtained after a unicorn dies.”

  “Rare ingredients,” Tanu said, his expression somewhere between wonder and delight. “Thank you.”

  “Thank the Fairy King,” Raxtus said. “I’m just the messenger. And . . . I guess I’m the final gift. I’m here to help.”

  “You’ll come to the Dragon Temple with us?” Kendra asked.

  “The other dragons already call me a traitor,” Raxtus said. “I might as well live up to my reputation. The Harp of Ages can slow the war—let’s go get it.”

  Kendra scrunched her brow. “Do we need to know how to play a harp?”

  “I know some basics,” Vanessa said. “It’s possible that using the Harp has nothing to do with musical talent.”

  “I hope it works like a magical music box,” Warren mused.

  A moment later, the rain turned into a drenching downpour. High winds propelled some of the moisture sideways into Kendra and her friends.

  “We’re not even by a window,” Warren said, wiping water off his face.

  After moving away from them, Raxtus expanded into his dragon form, a sleek specimen whose silver-white scales reflected prismatic sparkles of light. His body was a little larger than a horse’s, not counting the added length from his neck and tail. By stretching his body and spreading his wings somewhat, the fairy dragon turned himself into a windbreak.

  “Much appreciated,” Warren said.

  Bernosh came to a standstill. Howling wind drove rain against the portable dungeon.

  “We have arrived,” the giant announced. “So has the Perennial Storm. And we’re not alone.”

  “Who else is here?” Warren called.

  The giant turned around.

  Kendra and her friends ran forward to a barred window and saw they had stopped at the mouth of a box canyon. Two hundred yards away, visible through the driving rain, the canyon dead-ended against a tall rock face made exquisite by relief carvings of dragons. Fir trees lined the base of the cliffs leading to the carved rear wall, but the middle of the canyon floor was a sloppy mix of rocks and mud.

  At the base of the carved rock face waited an older man clad in black and a younger woman dressed in white. They stood unflinchingly as the rainfall doused them.

  “Are those guardians?” Kendra asked.

  “Not official ones,” Raxtus said. “Celebrant might have stationed them there to deny anyone entry.”

  “You know them?” Warren asked.

  “Purnag and Riotta,” Raxtus said. “A black dragon and a white one. Purnag has many breath weapons: fire, poison gas, or a sludge that disintegrates flesh. Riotta’s breath could freeze a pond in seconds. They have offspring together, and they like to partner in combat.”

  “Why are they in human form?” Kendra asked.

  “Maybe to take people by surprise?” Raxtus guessed. “Maybe it feels easier in this weather.”

  “Finally,” Bernosh said, unshouldering the portable dungeon and setting it down. “Dragons who want to stand and fight.”

  “Do you need help?” Tanu asked.

  Bernosh gave a snort. “There are only two. You’ll be on your own inside the temple, but out here, let me do you this favor.” He drew a sword longer than most of the trees in the area, crouched to pick up a boulder the size of a car, and stomped into the box canyon.

  “If he goes down, we’ll be in horrible danger,” Raxtus said.

  Tanu used a key to open the door of the dungeon. “Let’s get ready to flee. Raxtus, if it comes to it, fly Kendra to safety.”

  “And take Vanessa,” Warren said. “I know you can fly well with two.”

  “I have my sack of gales,” Kendra said, getting it out and holding it ready.

  Raxtus returned to his fairy form. “To fit through the door,” he explained.

  Beyond the doorway they saw Bernosh throw his rock at a relatively tiny figure ahead of him. The woman in white lunged to one side, barely avoiding the boulder. Within an instant, she expanded into a magnificent white dragon with spikes down her neck, and the man enlarged into a black dragon with a bony frill just behind his fearsome head. Neither dragon carried more mass than Bernosh, but from nose to tail, the length of Purnag rivaled the height of the giant.

  Wings spreading, Purnag flew upward, while Riotta attacked low. An icy spray whitened the giant’s legs, only slightly slowing his charge. Purnag sent a crop-dusting of dark gas down at the giant, but the wind and rain swiftly shredded the murky cloud.

  With one hand, Bernosh caught Riotta by the neck just below the head and began to repeatedly slash her body with his sword. Purnag flew over Bernosh, swaying unsteadily in the stormy air, gliding directly toward the portable dungeon.

  “I’ve got this,” Kendra said, stepping out into the full deluge, becoming almost immediately soaked as she readied the sack of gales.

  As Purnag swooped down toward her, Kendra opened the mouth of the sack, and a wind even stronger than the gales of the storm gushed outward. The wings of the black dragon ballooned like overtaxed sails as the furious creature was blown violently backward. Purnag tucked his wings and fell to the ground, only to get attacked from behind by Bernosh. Roaring, the dragon turned and clamped his jaws down on the giant’s upper arm. Bernosh went down, stabbing the dragon again and again until he finally managed to sever the neck.

  Kendra retreated into the shelter of the portable dungeon, where Vanessa greeted her with an embrace. “Well done,” the narcoblix whispered.

  Kendra watched in horror as Bernosh rose, both lifeless dragons behind him, and staggered toward the portable dungeon. Frosty ice crystals coated his lower half, and most of the flesh was gone from one shoulder to the elbow, with only a charred black bone remaining. He coughed and stumbled, dropping to his knees.

  “Now, that was a fight,” he said, his smile showing a couple of missing teeth. “More than I expected from a pair of dragons.” He blearily looked down at the fleshless portion of his arm. “Bit down and breathed right into me. Worthy beast. Might take some time to recover from this one.” From his kneeling position, using his sword like a cane, he got one foot out in front of himself and started to rise, then flopped facedown onto the rocks and mud.

  The giant did not move after that.

  “Is he . . . ?” Kendra asked.

  “Looks that way,” Tanu said. He leaned out of the doorway, searching the skies. “We better get into the Dragon Temple before more company shows up.”

  “Resolved!” Warren exclaimed. “If I am to be eaten by a dragon today, it will be indoors.”

  “Would Celebrant send more dragons in this weather?” Kendra asked.

  “Not normally,” Raxtus said. “But who knows? These are abnormal circumstances.”

  “Plant the tree, Kendra,” Vanessa prompted. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  While the others gathered gear, Kendra ran over to the nearest fir trees, where the soil seemed rich. Rain pelting, she crouched in the mud and scooped out a goopy hole with her hand. Water flowed into it, but she pressed the seed down into the bottom and pushed mud over it.
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  A bolt of lightning struck a nearby clifftop, accompanied by an immediate explosion of thunder that made Kendra jump and shriek. “Grow quickly,” she told the seed. “Come protect me and my friends as soon as you can, Cyllia. We’ll be inside the Dragon Temple.”

  A little green shoot rose out of the mud, stretching upward. It was strange to see it happening so fast, like watching a time-lapse film.

  “Are you ready, Kendra?” Tanu called.

  Kendra looked back to find Raxtus in his dragon shape and her three friends all waiting in the rain. Sheets of lightning strobed above, soon followed by thunder. Glancing up, Kendra glimpsed huge silhouettes of birds of prey made temporarily visible by lightning.

  “Yes,” Kendra called. “Coming.”

  She slogged over to her friends, who all started toward the carved cliff where they expected to find the Dragon Temple. Warren carried the key they had taken from Ptolemy.

  “I’d fly us forward,” Raxtus said, “but I don’t trust my wings in this weather.”

  The strongest gust yet nearly knocked Kendra off her feet before the wind subsided. Lightning blazed across the sky every few seconds, trailed by overlapping crashes of thunder.

  They passed the motionless body of Bernosh. Raxtus bounded over to his head and sniffed the huge neck. “He’s dead,” the dragon confirmed.

  Kendra avoided studying Bernosh. The giant had moved to protect them from the dragons so energetically, almost eagerly. And now his life had ended. She hoped it was not a sign of things to come.

  The rain fell even harder and the day darkened. Little waterfalls were taking shape on the clifftops, and a stream began to flow out of the box canyon. Hair and clothes already saturated, Kendra had the mild consolation that she couldn’t get much wetter. She trudged forward and, by the pulses of lightning, caught harsh glimpses of the dragon corpses.

  They paused in the lashing rain as they reached the rear of the canyon. “Where in a cliff do you insert a key?” Warren shouted.

  “That’s the seal of Abraxas, the first dragon, on the key,” Raxtus said. “He’s depicted in the middle of the wall, bottom row. See the notch where his heart would be?”