Power of the Dragon (The Chronicles of Dragon, Series 2, Book 9 of 10): Dragon Fantasy Series (Tail of the Dragon)

by Craig Halloran

Nath shook a vial in front of his eyes. “No fighting. Supplies are limited.” He closed the chest. “There aren’t enough items to get us all through the way I hoped.”

  Samaz bent down, reaching for the chest.

  Brenwar stepped in the way. “I’ll carry it. You just hang on to that staff of yours.”

  “Slivver,” Nath said.

  Slivver popped his head up from behind Selene.

  “Here.” He threw his brother a healing potion.

  Slivver drank it down. “Somehow, I know you have something in mind,” he said with a grin.

  “I’d like to have you and the silver shades create a diversion.”

  “Let me guess, you want us to lead the wurmers on a chase? How riveting. I won’t let them blindside me like they did that last time. When shall we get started?”

  “Right away.”

  “And what are we going to do, Nath?” Ben asked.

  “We’re going to form a wedge and bust right into Elome.”

  “Suppose the elves don’t want us?” Brenwar said with his foot on the chest.

  “We’ll learn the answer to that when we get there.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Night arrived. Slivver led four more silvers into the sky, speaking to them in their minds, in their own dialect of Dragonese. “I want those wurmers divided. The whole flock won’t follow us all. We need to split them up. We’ll fan out: north, west, and south. Be careful, my brothers. Follow my lead.”

  Wurmers soared through the sky in the hundreds, but thousands more were on the ground. They crept over the plains and through the brush. Many nestled in the camps. More were perched on their hind quarters, eyes alert, watchdogs for the armies.

  Giants of tremendous size milled about, barking orders. There were nuurg fighters, the one-eyes, riding on the backs of wrath horns. Ogres and orcs worked side by side with hosts of men. All of them worked hard, building and amassing armor and weapons. Wagon trains of equipment in the hundreds rode in. Great siege machines were built. Oversized orcs carried spears twice the length of normal men.

  Slivver had never witnessed so many of the foul races working as a single unit before. His scales grew chill. There was more than enough of the enemy to wipe the elves from their thriving fields forever. He flew into the clouds. The ground disappeared beneath him. He had a sense of where his brethren were. They were all connected.

  He tried to stay focused. In his flight back to Dragon Home, he’d been blindsided by a wurmer that came out of nowhere. For the most part, his mind was elsewhere, so the creature had caught him off guard. In an instant, a small host of wurmers had swarmed him. It would have been a nasty situation if Nath hadn’t appeared when he did.

  Now, it was time to summon powers of his own. He dipped out of the clouds. The other silvers followed suit. Spread out thousands of feet above the camp, they dove.

  His descent increased with marvelous speed. He was knifing downward through the sky when an unsuspecting flock of wurmers blocked his path to land. His speed increased. The scales of his body transformed into a bolt of living lighting.

  SCRAKOW!

  He ripped three wurmers like they were piles of straw. The monsters exploded into ash. He eyed the ground below. Faces of the countless soldiers looked up. Their eyes widened at the sight of the silver meteor coming right for them. They went for their weapons. It was too late.

  Slivver spread his wings, changing his direction a split second before he hit the ground. Wings wide and glinting with living lightning, he cut through the camp. His entire body was a weapon. His wings halved two nuurg riders. Heads of wurmers were clipped. He tore through over a dozen men and beasts on the ground before he took to the sky again.

  “Upward, brothers! Upward! Fan out!”

  He knifed through wurmers shrieking in the sky. Leaving a trail of carnage behind him, he flew west. His lightning power faded. His work was done. Below, he and his brethren had wrought shock and devastation. Scores were dead. Tents were burning. Smoke started to rise.

  “If I could only do that a hundred times a day, this war would be over.”

  Wurmers of all sizes came by the hundreds in pursuit. The same amount went after the others. Slivver hissed at them. “Come and get me!”

  ***

  “Uurluuk’s Beard!” Brenwar exclaimed. “Will you look at that?”

  Five trails of silver flashed in the sky like shooting stars. Each of the scintillating streams cut through the wurmers in a dazzling display of power. The lightning tore through the shocked ranks of the titan army, sending out howls of anger and fear. In a flash, the silver dragons shot back into the sky again. Wurmers gave pursuit from all directions.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so amazing before.” Ben’s jaw hung open after he spoke.

  Nath pushed Ben’s chin up. “Slivver’s a show-off. I expected nothing less, but I have to admit, that was more fantastic than I envisioned. Let’s go.”

  Approaching Elome from the south, he decided to split between two camps that were entrenched about a hundred yards from one another. All eyes were on the sky. The distraction of the fires would give them a chance to slip through unnoticed. Poised in the mountains, he checked to see that everyone was secured on their dragons. Sasha rode with Ben on a steel dragon that was much bigger than a horse. Rerry and Samaz were gathered on a crimson dynamo. Selene rode a bull dragon. That left Brenwar. It was a fight to get him on top of a gray scaler that was every bit as stubborn as he.

  “I don’t like this one. I miss Waark,” Brenwar said. The grey scaler hissed at him. “See, he’s mean.”

  “I’d be mean too if you sat on me,” Ben said. “You weigh a ton. Are you made of lead or something?”

  “No, I’m made of dwarf.”

  “Enough chatter.” Nath’s wings unfolded. There were leagues of elven acreage ahead. He hoped to soar unnoticed over them. Initially, he had thought they’d have to fight their way into the elven lands, but Slivver’s idea turned out perfectly. “We fly in low, while all their eyes are up. Follow me now. Quickly.”

  He jumped off the overhang. His chest dusted the treetops. At the bottom of the hill, he glided less than a handspan over the grasses. To his left and right were the enemy camps. Bonfires burned that would obscure their vision. Nath counted on that and how every head was tilted toward the sky.

  Perfect!

  His wings flapped, silently pushing him forward. He barely heard the whistle of the others behind him. In seconds, they cleared a few hundred yards from the camps. He kept going as far as he could. He took a glance over his shoulder. Everyone was together in a perfect formation.

  Yes! We made it!

  The tall oaks, elms, and pines in the distance thickened. Lights twinkled in the lush vegetation. His eyes narrowed. There weren’t any signs of elven soldiers. Not even one heat signature.

  That’s odd.

  Nath smashed face first into an invisible barrier. One by one, the others collided into it too, landing in a giant pile of scales, talons, jostled wings—and a grumbling dwarf.

  “Dwarves don’t crash!”

  CHAPTER 8

  Nath stood up on woozy legs. Everyone in the party was rubbing or craning their necks. He rushed over to help Sasha to her feet. “Are you injured?”

  “Just rattled,” she said. “What in Nalzambor did we hit?”

  A wagon-sized copper dragon butted his horns against an unseen barrier. Next, he spat black acid on the invisible wall. The spit bounced and sizzled in the grasses.

  Nath patted the copper dragon’s neck. “Easy.” He tapped the barrier with his knuckles. It was solid as glass, but it rippled, blurring the view on the other side when he hit it. “We might not be able to get through it, but I don’t see why we can’t fly over it. Only one way to find out, I suppose.” He launched himself into the air, wings beating, tapping the wall all along the way. At thirty feet up he hit nothing. He dropped down on the other side.

  “Now that’s a wall,” Rerry said.
He stood across the barrier from Nath. “I didn’t know elves were capable of this. It’s amazing.”

  “It’s magic. It won’t last.” Brenwar gave it a whack with Mortuun. The see-through barrier warbled. “The walls of earthen works are best.”

  “I don’t know, Brenwar,” said Nath, “this is pretty impressive. Perhaps the elves are in better shape than we thought.” A few hundred yards away in the direction they had all come from, he noticed members of the titan army beginning to advance. “It looks like we’re going to have company. Everyone, get over here. Make haste!”

  They all mounted their dragons again. Wings spread, the scaled beasts took to the air. One by one, they landed on the other side.

  “Let’s move,” Nath said, “Quickly.” The moment he turned toward Elome, the ground came to life. Elven warriors popped up from the tall grasses. They wore almond-shaped helmets. Each carried a spear longer than themselves. The elven-steel tips gleamed. Great humanoids twelve feet tall made of bound-up grasses appeared from the trees in the forest. They marched forward.

  “What are those?” Rerry whispered.

  Nath could see the faces of elven soldiers peeking out of the chests of the shambling automaton bodies. The very elements of the earth had been turned into natural giant suits of armor. With bodies made up of bundles of long grass and hands and feet made from saplings, the shambling figures hemmed them in.

  “That’s the silliest armor I ever saw,” Brenwar scoffed.

  “I kinda like it,” Rerry said, edging toward the soldiers. “It’s the perfect camouflage—and huge.”

  Nath raised his hands. “I am Nath Dragon, friend of the elves. We are here to help. I request to see Laylana.”

  A soldier approached him. Sticking the spear in the ground, the soldier removed the helmet. Black hair spilled out over her shoulders. “And you have found her, Nath Dragon. Or rather, she has found you.” She embraced him. “It’s grand to see that you are well.”

  “My heart swells at the sight of you, Laylana.” He pointed at the oncoming forces. “Are we going to fight?”

  “No. Just be quiet. Watch.”

  An elf in a rich set of robes appeared among them and stood before the barrier with his arms spread wide. He began to chant in mind-bending syllables. The barrier shimmered. He stepped back, gave Laylana a nod, and said quietly, “It is done.”

  A small force of the titan army stopped several yards short of the barrier, looking from side to side, necks craning and eyes squinting. Nath’s company and the elves were only a few dozen yards from them. The enemy soldier seemed to look right through them. Their leader, a one-eyed nuurg, snorted the air and spat on the ground. He turned and led his forces back where they had come from.

  Once the enemy force was out of earshot, Nath said, “That was impressive. They couldn’t see us. Were we invisible?”

  “They only saw an image of nature’s natural state, not us. It’s something the elven mages like Inslay”—she put her hand on the shoulder of the elf beside her— “control.”

  “That’s quite a spell, Inslay,” Nath said to the droopy-eyed elf who appeared to be centuries old. “There’s so much land to cover, though. Is all of Elome protected?”

  “I wish I could say it was,” Laylana continued, “but no. Doing what we do keeps us on our toes. The truth is, Nath, you couldn’t have come at a better time. You bring me hope. I hate to admit it, but I was of the belief that you were dead. But you live, and, well, your new body is extraordinary.”

  Selene wedged herself into the conversation. “Are we here to discuss Nath’s excellent figure or the fate of the world? Perhaps we can continue this conversation somewhere other than the wilderness. Some of these mortals are cold and hungry.”

  “I’m neither,” Brenwar said. “And I’m in no mood for the elves’ glorious assortment of fruits and vegetables. I could go for some black-horned stag, though.”

  “Please, come with me,” Laylana said.

  “All of us?” Nath said.

  “Yes. Man, dwarf, dragon, I welcome all of you, but not all the others will. Come.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Nath left the dragons outside the heart of the city. Elome was a vast network of small homes and shops built in the forest out of massive, carved-out trees. Suspension bridges crossed branch to branch in a network of walkways. The streets were wide and paved in natural stone. Every branch, road, hut, building, or storefront flowed together in a wondrous network that made up the divine city that seemed to go on forever.

  Elven children hung on Nath’s arms. They grabbed Selene by the wrist. Many of them made ugly faces at Brenwar. Nath tossed a boy high in the air and caught him upside down by the ankles.

  “That’s enough, children.” Laylana shooed them away with her hands. “Sorry, but we don’t get many strangers these days.”

  A group of elven citizens hustled by the group with wide eyes. Some of them sneered, but others showed delight. They moved into the market, where all sorts of buying and selling was going on.

  “Uh, Laylana, your people don’t seem too concerned about the enemy that lies at your doorstep,” Nath said. “I’m curious as to why they’re going on with business as usual.”

  “Because they’re insane.” Brenwar stomped his foot at some children. They sprinted away, squealing in delight. “They’re born that way.”

  “Mind your manners, Brenwar,” Nath said. “You wouldn’t like it if the elves said the same of you in your land.”

  “I could not care less what elves think.”

  “It’s fine, Nath. I’m plenty familiar with Brenwar’s lack of courtesy. I think everyone is.” Laylana wrapped her arm in his. Selene, standing on the other side of Nath, gave her a look. She held fast. “The elders don’t want to panic the people. Don’t get me wrong, they know what’s going on. Most everyone has a relative fighting the enemy on one front or another. But the children, well, they go about life as they normally would, thriving in our sanctuaries. We will not cower or worry. That’s weakness. That’s what the enemy wants. We aren’t weak—as the titan army has learned.” She clenched her fist. “We are united and strong.”

  “I have to say, I’ve never seen a siege as pleasant as this—”

  “There’s nothing like this merrymaking in Morgdon right now, I’ll grant you that, Nath.” Brenwar stuffed his skeleton hand in the faces of a pack of children who had tried to sneak up on him. “Boo!” They scattered in more delightful squeals. “Stay away from me, you overly clean urchins!”

  “As I was saying, it’s bizarre.” Nath arched a brow at her. “Are you certain that all of your minds are intact? After all, the spirits…”

  “I know, Nath, and we’ve taken every precaution to weed out that invisible enemy. We seem free of it, but I can’t be certain.”

  “I don’t think anyone can be. So, where are you taking us?”

  “To a place where you can rest and refresh yourselves while I notify the Elven Counsel of your coming.”

  “Wait!” Brenwar said. “This is the King of the Dragons. He waits for no one! I remember the last time we waited. It was months before we met.”

  “It wasn’t as long as that,” Nath said, referring to the time way back when they had sought the aid of the Ocular of Orray.

  “It was to me. All that did was try to bloat me with sugary plants and vines. The wine was awful.”

  Laylana led them up inside a stone house much like the one they had visited decades ago. All the furnishings were chiseled from the very stone they stood on—tables, benches, beds, and chairs. All were padded in soft natural colors.

  Elven maidens brought in trays of food and set them on the tables.

  Ben nudged Rerry. “This is the best part of an adventure, the succulent rewards.” He plucked a large, juicy, red grape from the vine and bit into it. Wiping the juice from his chin, he said, “Mmm… that’s fantastic. I have to admit, suffering this long for another round back here was worth it.”

  Sasha, Rer
ry, and Samaz sat down together on one of the benches. Their eyes were at their feet.

  “Make yourselves comfortable, everyone.” With a wave, Laylana departed.

  Nath made his way over to Sasha and her sons. “Er, Sasha, Rerry, Samaz, you should eat. Refresh yourselves. You never know when you’ll have a chance to relish food like this again.”

  “Boys, you should eat,” she said, slowly nodding yes.

  “We won’t if you won’t, Mother.” Rerry’s eyes flitted up at Nath then down at his feet again.

  “What’s going on?” Nath asked.

  “I’ll tell you what’s going on. It’s this elven snobbery.” Brenwar sniffed a clear bottle of wine. He frowned. “You didn’t see the looks the elves gave them. You were too busy—”

  Nath shot Brenwar a look.

  “Apologies, sire.” The dwarf took a seat on a bench with Selene. He propped his feet up on the chest.

  “Is this true?” Nath said. “My apologies for not noticing. I’m certain you didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “No, Nath, we’re used to it. The high elves have always frowned on the likes of us,” Sasha admitted. “Or at least Bayzog and my sons. It just isn’t fair to them.”

  “If the elves are bothered by you, too bad. They’ll just have to get used to you. There is nothing wrong with either of you. You should be proud of the blood that flows in your veins.”

  Inslay, the elder elven mage, crept into their sanctuary. He had the beginnings of crow’s feet beside his bright green eyes. “Pardon me for eavesdropping, your majesty, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I certainly hate to hear about this sadness, but the truth is, your perceptions are mistaken.” His probing eyes landed on the Elderwood Staff that Samaz held upright at his side. “Bayzog is not disdained because of his split bloodline. It’s because of what he did.”

  Rerry and Samaz bristled.

  Sasha leaned forward and asked, “And what did he do?”

  “Why, he did the impossible when he acquired the Elderwood Staff. Many elves have been in poor spirits about it ever since.”