by Eric Vall
The head that faced me fell limp, but I wasn’t sure if the other one was still alive, so I yanked the beast up over the edge of the cliff and tossed it onto the plateau. The second head moved sluggishly, but it was definitely still alive.
“I’ll handle this one,” Nike snarled.
The noble leaped forward and plunged the Sword of Light into the second serpent head. Black blood bubbled over the hole and down its green scales as it twitched for a moment and then was motionless.
“He can have that shit back,” I muttered as I flapped my wings, wrapped my claws around the serpent’s narrow body, and flew up over the Breach. “Return to sender, asshole!”
I dropped the long, lifeless body into the giant rift and hovered until I heard the shrieks of the demons below. Then I turned around and flew back toward the cliff where I had to do a double take.
Laika and Nike both had their swords raised, but I couldn’t see anything.
“There was something right there!” Aaliyah shouted and pointed to the edge of the cliff.
“It seems to know how to disappear,” Laika observed with narrowed gray eyes that searched the grassy area. “See!”
I looked down and saw the impression of feet in the blades of grass but couldn’t see who they belonged to.
“Let’s see if this one will burn,” I muttered as I zoomed over the invisible intruder and bellowed a column of fire.
Eskandar quickly flew over next to me and joined in the roast, but nothing happened. Our fire seemed to disappear as though the invisible beast consumed it. I started to get frustrated when Rodion stepped out of the barrier spell and held out one hand.
“Ostiendo!” he thundered.
A bolt of his stark white magic leaped from his palm and charged for the invisible creature below us, and I knew the moment his spell hit as the creature screeched and came into view.
It looked like it had already been roasted before with charred, black skin and disjointed arms that hung loosely at its sides. It almost resembled a human, but it was only about a third of my human size, and I couldn’t figure out what the hell it was. Then it took a menacing step toward the king, and I growled before I called on my nature magic to pull a wall of soil up in front of the burnt beast.
“Not a chance,” I snarled as I dipped down and grabbed the creature’s limp arm with my talons.
The beast hissed at the contact, and I felt the warmth of fire that bubbled just below its surface. If anyone else had touched it, they might have been burned, and I knew I needed to keep it away from my people.
“It’s a Malassa!” Rodion yelled from the other side of the wall. “Use your lava magic!”
“I don’t see any volcanos!” I hollered back with obvious confusion and then nearly crashed to the ground when the Malassa’s arm snapped off in my claw.
Before the king could explain, an orange trickle of liquid flowed out of the joint where the beast’s arm had been, and I had my answer.
I called on my lava power, and I could see the Malassa’s hardened expression change from angry to confused as I moved the molten liquid inside his body. Then I imagined the lava exploding, and the creature’s tarred skin split open as gallons of the liquid fire burst out of its insides.
I looked around for the words in my vision that would show a new ability, but nothing happened. Then I remembered I could only assimilate powers native to Inati, and this bastard seemed distinctly underworld-y.
Damn, no invisibility power for me today.
As I released the wall of soil and pushed it back into the ground, I glanced over just as Nike took a step back from another invisible creature. This time, I didn’t hesitate before I flew closer and threw a fire shield in front of Nike. Then I exploded the second Malassa, and the molten liquid splashed up onto the fire shield with a hiss.
“Thanks,” Nike chuckled.
“No problem.” I smirked as I hovered over him. “See any more of them?”
“Not yet,” he muttered.
“They usually attack in pairs,” Miraya said in a muffled voice behind the barrier. “But they also don’t usually venture this far from volcanic terrain.”
“It seems our foe in the Breach has a few tricks up his sleeve,” I grumbled. “I’m not sure--”
I was interrupted by a wild scream that almost sounded like a siren, and I whirled around just as long, branchlike fingers curled over the edge of the cliff.
Fuck, the asshole in the Breach was pulling out all the stops, huh?
“What is that?” Isabella gulped.
Then the fingers were followed by what looked like four walking trees. The branches and trunks were black and reeked of miasma, and their eyes glowed purple in the thinnest part of the trunks.
“By the gods,” Rodion gasped. “It can’t be.”
“What is it?” I demanded. “And how do I kill them?”
“Are those Tammany Queras?” Naomi covered her mouth with shock.
“Yes,” the king confirmed before he looked over at me. “You must completely destroy them. Even without miasma poisoning, they kill everything they can and gain power with every kill. Watch out for their branches.”
On cue, one of the Queras snapped its branchy arm like a whip, and the wood popped in the air between us. I knew my scales would keep me safe, but I wasn’t sure how well swords would fare against these horror movie trees.
“Everyone in the barrier!” I ordered. “I’ll take care of these.”
Nike, the king, and my women rushed inside the magical dome, and Eskandar hovered above it with a watchful eye on the approaching tree creatures. I flew next to the cliff and whirled around to whip my tail across the Queras’ trunks. The blow was solid, and two of the trees went flying, but the other two only stumbled before they continued toward the barrier.
Okay, so wood burns, right?
I opened my maw and blew fire over their branches, but the fire only took hold for a second before it sizzled out. They were more like wet wood, and I grunted as I tried to think of another plan.
I decided to focus on my lightning magic, and I summoned four bolts of lightning that zinged out of the sky and connected with the Queras’ upper branches.
They released more of the siren-like howls as the electricity shot through their branches, and I took advantage of their slowed progress. I used my nature magic to pull the soil up underneath them, and they wobbled as they tried to continue walking over the uneven ground. They may have been ruthless, but they weren’t very coordinated.
Then I swooped down and grabbed two of them by the branches in my talons and slung their trunks together. The crack of wood against wood was satisfying, and the two tumbled to the ground in a daze. Then I grabbed another Quera and shoved my talons into the wide, purple-tinted eyes.
Its screech was nearly deafening, but I continued to gouge my claws into its eye sockets until it no longer made a sound. When I pulled my claw back, black goo dribbled down my scales, and I curled up my lip in disgust as the Quera fell in a heap on the ground.
The crack of a whipping branch resounded in my ear as I felt a pinch of pressure from the attack to my backside. I whirled around to find the other Quera had homed in on me, and I grinned as I dove down and tackled the giant tree to the ground. Its branches continued to lash at my back, but my scales prevented its wooden whips from meeting my skin.
I tore into its trunk with my talons and shredded the wood of its body until only a pile of kindling remained and its purple eyes faded into blackness. Then I leaped into the air again to find the last two.
“Lord Evan!” Isabella screamed.
I flipped around and grabbed the Queras before they crashed through the barrier spell, and I tossed them back to the other end of the cliff.
“Fucking scrap lumber,” I snarled as I called more lightning bolts from the sky and launched them into the weakened Queras.
Their wild howls pierced the air, and I slammed my giant body down on top of both beasts. Then I plunged my claws into th
eir trunks and ripped the wood from their bodies. The same black ooze soon covered my talons, and I finally stopped when their eyes no longer glowed the neon purple of miasma.
“You must burn the remains, Lord Evan!” Rodion called out. “It’s the only way to ensure their complete annihilation.”
“No problem with that.” I smirked as I rounded up the Queras with Eskandar’s help.
Once we had a pile of the gangly tree creatures, we both lit the pile on fire, and this time, the beasts were ablaze with our flames within seconds. When the fire finally disappeared, the ashes blew away with the wind and took the scent of miasma with them.
“Are there any more fucking giant, pissed off trees I need to worry about?” I growled.
“Not that we can see, my lord,” Alyona said as she stifled a smile.
“We’ll do a quick sweep, just to be sure,” I decided with a nod to Eskandar.
The white dragon and I took off on a wide loop around the mountain and over the Breach. It didn’t look like anything else had found its way to us, and it seemed Eskandar agreed.
We were in the clear.
I veered back toward the cliff, and I swallowed the bile that quickly filled my throat as I looked down at the three piles of ashes below us. They had landed on a lower cliff at the edge of the village, and even now, I could still smell the miasma present in the ashes.
“What do you want to do with them, my lord?” the white dragon asked in a soft voice.
“They should be better cared for,” I muttered. “Let’s get the ashes.”
He followed me down to the stone outcropping that held the remains of the corrupted phoenixes, and we scooped them into our claws before we flew back up to the cliff. By the time we landed, the other two bodies had disintegrated into piles of ash as well, and we gently poured the other three with them.
Then we shifted back to our human forms as Alyona and Naomi released the barrier spell.
“Were those…” Alyona trailed off with a look of horror.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “Now, we’re going to treat them the way they deserve.”
Alyona nodded and reached into her spatial storage to remove a small urn, and we swept the ashes inside without another word. Ravi had told us the way to keep a phoenix from being reborn was to get their ashes wet, and it seemed like the most humane way to ensure these creatures weren’t born again under the power of the miasma.
I closed my eyes and called on my nature magic. I felt the presence of a stream that ran down the side of the mountain to the west, and I pulled some of the water toward us. It flowed through the air, and if it wasn’t such a somber moment, I might have found it amusing, but for now, I focused on putting the airborne stream of water into the urn.
The ashes sizzled and hissed as the water poured inside, and I pursed my lips until the stench of miasma finally disappeared.
“Now, they can be at peace,” Alyona whispered, but there was a deep sadness in her purple eyes. “What do we do with the ashes?”
“Ah, the only tradition I know is to spread them out in nature,” I answered. “I could fly over and do that.”
“I’ll join you,” Eskandar said in a firm voice. “I had to take one of their lives, as well.”
“Their lives were already gone,” I pointed out. “This was just that thing’s way of trying to get in our heads. I’m just glad Ravi wasn’t here for this.”
“Me, too,” Laika agreed as her ears flattened on her head.
“But, speaking of that thing, what was it?” Vala asked, and her face was pale as she trembled from both pain and fear.
“I don’t know,” I muttered and looked to the king for guidance.
“I didn’t recognize it either,” he huffed. “I’ll be doing some research once we return to the palace.”
“What if it comes back?” Vala nearly whispered as she rubbed her belly. “I have to keep my son safe-- ohhh, gods!”
“The contractions are coming faster,” Yazmin remarked with a narrowed gaze on me. “Are you ready to do whatever you need to? This baby will not wait much longer.”
“We have to hurry, my lord,” Miraya said softly as she took the urn of ashes from my hands.
Everyone rushed back to the cliff’s edge as Rodion opened his book once more.
Then I sensed a shift in the air, and I whirled around with the Sword of Healing gripped in my hand. The tall, athletic figure appeared in the blink of an eye, and I sheathed my sword when I recognized the jet-black hair and neon-blue eyes of our newest ally. He smiled to reveal a set of perfectly straight, white teeth, and my attention was caught again by the crest on his breastplate, but I had a more important question to ask at the moment.
“Aeron?” I was surprised to see the God of Punishment waltz onto the ceremonial cliff as if he was an expected guest. “What are you doing here?”
“I can see why your father wasn’t thrilled with your manners,” Alyona murmured, and I turned to see the princess and everyone else had already dropped to one knee. “Great God of Punishment, we are honored by your presence.”
“Oh, right,” I muttered as I bowed before the god alongside my group. “I didn’t expect to see you again, Your Godliness.”
“I noticed,” Aeron chuckled before he motioned for us to rise. “I told you I would do what I could, so here I am.”
“I thought you ran out of things you could do,” I wondered with an arched eyebrow. “New plan?”
“Same plan,” he replied and waved a dismissive hand. “You must continue with the Redimi Vincio, and I will bless the bond myself.”
“My son and I are honored,” Vala gasped as she lowered her head. “I do not deserve this, but he will.”
“You are in the midst of something not many people would volunteer for,” Aeron insisted as he lifted her chin to face him. “You have been brave and true, and even the gods notice these things.”
Vala’s face flushed a deep shade of red, and her turquoise eyes swam with tears as she nodded and swallowed almost loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Great Aeron, God of Punishment, shall we begin?” King Rodion asked carefully.
“Proceed,” the god said with another flourishing wave of his hand.
I guided Vala back to the king, and he began the ceremony. There wasn’t as much fanfare this time, and Rodion pulled the Blade of Wystonia from the pocket of his robe. He quickly sliced through the sage, then cracked the ivory, and continued to add ingredients to the bowl that Castor held in front of him. Alyona poured a small vial of water that I knew came from the Lake of Life into the bowl, and then Rodion nodded for my finishing touch.
I blew a small flame into the concoction, and the fire began to burn the contents. Then the king looked over at Vala with a look of concern before he handed her the ceremonial dagger.
“Draw the blade across his palm and pour the blood into the bowl,” he commanded her.
Vala winced as I held out my palm, and I offered her a reassuring smile. She gripped the blade, and after she took a deep breath, she dragged it over my skin until a thin red line appeared. Then she flipped my palm over, and the blood droplets landed in the fire and sizzled before my wound closed. When she turned my hand back over, her eyes widened at the absence of a wound, and I grinned to remind her I could heal.
Vala smiled back, passed me the Blade of Wystonia, and held out her hand. I moved fast to avoid hurting her, and within seconds, her blood dripped from her hand to the bowl, and I healed the wound on her palm.
She glanced at her palm with a twinkle in her eyes before we both turned to Rodion as he held the bowl above his head.
“Great gods of the land and sky,” he declared and then glanced at Aeron, who nodded. “And punishment! We present the dragon and the Child of Light in his mother’s womb for your eternal blessing as they bond their magical souls!”
Thunder rolled overhead as Aeron stepped forward and placed his hands on both of our shoulders. A surge of power seemed to electrify every atom in
my body, and I had to close my eyes as I drank it in.
“I, Aeron, God of Punishment, give my blessing and that of my allies to this bond,” he bellowed, and I opened my eyes to see a bolt of lightning streak across the sky. “May you use your power for the good of this land.”
As soon as Aeron’s lips stopped moving, another bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky and hit the bowl in Rodion’s steady hands. The flames rose higher as the clouds erupted in a rainbow of colors that lit up the sky, and for a brief moment, my bones felt like mush, and my legs almost buckled before a jolt of energy flowed into me.
I felt the warmth of the sunshine through the clouds, the light and truth of the world around me, and the electricity of the lightning bolts overhead. It was like I could reach out and grab one, and I realized I had already seen one person use light as a weapon.
Nike.
I felt the power of the Child of Light, and it was even stronger than I’d imagined it could be. I’d sensed its weight at first, but now, I experienced its strength instead, and I knew I was stronger with Elian’s bond.
“My lord?” Alyona asked as she took my hand and jolted me from my daydream. “Did it work?”
“Yes,” I murmured, and I finally blinked and looked down at her. “I can feel his power. It’s… incredible.”
“Brilliant!” Aeron boomed and clapped me on the shoulder. “Then my work here is done.”
“Thank you, great God of Punishment,” my wife praised as she fell to her knees again. “We are forever grateful.”
“I will continue to bless the ceremonies for you,” he continued as he looked from the princess and back to me. “We want nothing more than for you to succeed.”
“Does this mean we’re friends now?” I joked and then grimaced as Alyona whacked me in the shin. “I mean, thanks for everything.”
“You must press on, Lord Evan,” he said without acknowledging me. “There will be obstacles, of that I am certain, but nothing is more important than completing this task. The world and the heavens are at stake.”
