by Beam, Brian
Til’ turned his face away sheepishly. “Well . . .”
I closed my eyes and sighed. “Til’,” I reproved.
“I just took a few trinkets from Laurlan. Well, there and Auslin. And Raftin. And the house we slept in last night had these really neat marble figurines . . .”
The look of pure innocence in his eyes as he confessed pulled a laugh from me. “Okay, how about no more stealing, and once this is over, we’ll make sure you’re accepted back home. I mean, if you’re part of stopping an entire war that could otherwise consume Amirand, they kind of have to take you back, right?”
Til’ beamed. “Maybe they’d make me Chief!”
“Til’, you never cease to amaze me.” I pulled him into an embrace, which he returned. My gut twisted at the thought of possibly leading him to his death.
“So you’d be okay with me returning to Isaeron?” Til’ asked as I stood.
“Your life is your own, Til’. We can’t all stay together forever.”
Til’ nodded, his smile fading. “Well, you’d come visit, right?” He looked back up to me expectantly.
“Of course.” Sadly, my words felt hollow. I didn’t expect to live that long. I only hoped that everyone else would.
We joined Briscott, who was watching the sky as it took on the orange glow of sunrise. There was still no sign of the dragons. Sal’, Max, and Ithan made their way over as well. I put my arm around Sal’, holding her close as we waited.
“This is not looking good,” Briscott moaned, staring into the sky. “What’s blighting taking them?”
“They’ll be here,” Til’ insisted, though with less fervor than his earlier assertion.
“Let’s hope so,” I replied, staring across the flat, snowy land stretching out towards the horizon.
“There,” Max suddenly announced from his perch atop the pile of coiled ropes. We all followed his gaze to the west, over the town. Three black silhouettes approached, starkly visible against the brightening, cloudless sky.
“There are only three,” Sal’ whispered. “Why are there only three?”
I could only shake my head. Til’ wrung his hands, his eyes full of worry.
Wind buffeted us in short bursts as the dragons flew overhead before circling back in their descent. Rhyxis’s silver-black scales glinted in the emerging sunlight, the emerald dragon and the red dragon with the golden underbelly on either side of him.
My pulse quickened as I noticed tears in their membranous wings and scaleless patches on their bodies. The emerald dragon had a long, bloody gash stretching down one side. Only one blue eye glowed on the red dragon’s face. I knew from experience that harming a dragon was no easy task, yet these three had been seriously injured.
The dragons landed, shaking the ground, and sat back on their hind legs, drawing their wounded wings flat against their bodies. With a sinuous craning of their necks, they made a quick, wary assessment of the area. Soldiers and townsfolk watched intently from the edges of the town, but the remaining members of Sal’s Wizard Guard regiment were spaced out across Terafall’s eastern flank to ensure that no one attempted to harm the dragons.
Til’ rushed up to meet Rhyxis. “Rhyxis, what happened?” Til’ questioned frantically. “Where are Alyshine and Rhal?”
“Two of our brethren have fallen,” Rhyxis rumbled, his orange eyes closed tightly. “The one using Rizear’s power summoned forth eldrhims just west of here during the night. We felt their presence and attacked before they could descend upon your people.” The rising sun highlighted a giant teardrop as it trickled in a meandering path down the scales of his face. “Alyshine and Rhal fell to their dark power.”
With those words, anger started to blossom within my core. My muscles tensing, I dropped my arm from around Sal’ for fear of squeezing her too hard.
Til’ threw his arms around one of Rhyxis’s massive front legs, tears of his own rolling down his cheeks. My heart broke for him. He, like all Kolari, valued life to an extent that was sorely lacking in the world.
“We offer our gratitude for your protection, and our deepest sympathies for your brethren’s sacrifice,” Max told them.
“It is our duty to rid the world of such evil,” Rhyxis replied.
“Alas, our power was just enough to defeat the dozen dark servants of Rizear,” the red dragon boomed.
Time came to a grinding halt. Twelve eldrhims. The very thought of so many of them being summoned forth at once chilled me in ways that even the winter air did not. Summoning the evil creatures required not only a massive amount of negative energy, but also a tremendous amount of physical energy from the summoner. Who could possibly have the power to summon twelve at once? Were multiple wizards involved? Had Raijom or Prexwin found a simpler way of bringing eldrhims into the world?
Whoever had summoned the eldrhims and their method of doing so didn’t really matter to me at that moment, though. My hands balled into fists, my breathing rapid and fierce.
“Enough!” I screamed. “This ends today.” Everyone’s attention fell on me. With each violent beat of my heart, I was filled with a blossoming sense of purpose. True, we were only a handful of people against an entire army. By Vesteir’s blood, we were possibly against an entire world. But that didn’t mean we didn’t have a chance. Even the tiniest pebble can sends ripples across a pond’s surface.
I forced myself to control my breathing and took in our group. “We are going to stop this war,” I growled through clenched teeth. “We are going break the Link that allows control through the rocks. Raijom, Prexwin, Gualain’s king, all those responsible for this war—they will be brought to justice for their crimes.”
“Our enemies grow stronger,” Max added, his voice booming with what must’ve been some kind of magical amplification. “Their forces are growing. If we fail, Amirand will be consumed. Untold thousands could die.”
“We’re not going to fail,” Sal’ asserted, hooking her arm around mine. “We can do this.”
“Blighting right, we can,” Briscott avowed.
Til’ and Ithan just nodded with unwavering resolve in their eyes.
For once, the weight of the prophecy didn’t threaten to collapse me. Instead, it lifted me, filling me with strength. There was a reason I’d been sent away from Paigea. There was a reason Raijom had tried so hard to locate and kill me. It was time to validate that reason.
Rhyxis lowered his head down to our level, and his orange eyes flashed brightly. “We will do all that is within our power to ensure the removal of Rizear’s power from Amirand.”
The green dragon growled, a guttural sound that vibrated my entire body. “Our fallen brethren will be avenged.”
“And my family,” Briscott added, hefting his bow over his shoulder.
Ithan took a step forward. “And mine.”
I realized that my anger had been replaced with conviction as I took in everyone’s tenacity. I even smiled, wrapping my arm back around Sal’. We were no longer marching—well, flying—to our death, but to victory.
I swept my gaze across everyone. “We will pair up for the flight to Bherin. We have three wizards, so each should be in a different pair to help protect us. Sal’ and I will ride together. Max, you will accompany Til’. Ithan, you’re with Briscott.”
Max drew himself up, puffing out his furry chest. “No, Korin, I am staying with you. I am better suited to protect you than Salmaea,” Max argued. “I have spent my life ensuring your safety. I do not plan on stopping now.” If Sal’ was offended, she didn’t reveal it on her face, but she tightened her grip around my arm as if reluctant to be separated.
“Max, I’m sorry, but we need to remain apart until we’re dismounted and back on our feet. Being on the dragons won’t keep us from being attacked. By staying together, we’d risk dying together. If we both died before we even got there, we’d lose both your wealth of knowledge about what we face and the backing of the prophecy. We can’t afford to let that happen.”
Max blinked a
few times, still as stone, but nodded his agreement. “You have a point. Lunkhead.” He huffed and shifted his eyes to Sal’. “You had better keep him safe, Salmaea.” There wasn’t the least bit of humor in his raspy voice.
“He won’t die on my watch,” Sal’ countered, tightening her grip even more. I relished her closeness, making me realize just how much I had to live for.
“We must depart,” Rhyxis proclaimed, lifting his head back into the air. “Every moment that we waste is another moment for Rizear to strengthen his touch on Amirand.”
“Any objections?” I asked, looking to the others. No one responded. “Then let’s go stop a war.”
Chapter 52
Into the Nightmare
Man was never meant to fly.
That said, flying was incredible. The feeling of unadulterated freedom while soaring through an endless, brilliant blue sky, as if I could simply reach up and touch the sun, is something that I can’t even begin to properly express with words.
Sal’, on the other hand . . . I’m sure she would’ve preferred to have her feet firmly on the ground. I’d explain, but I don’t think she’d be very happy with her experience being recorded here. I’ll just say that I was wearing a good portion of her breakfast on my back.
Sal’ and I sat at the base of Tharax’s neck—he was the green dragon with the clotted gash down his side. I held tightly to the rope we’d rigged as a harness of sorts, with Sal’ having a death grip around my waist. We flew well above the few wispy clouds in an effort to stay hidden in our approach, the thin air making me lightheaded.
Rhyxis and Ghalien were nowhere in sight; we’d decided to keep the dragons spaced far apart so that even if one were to be seen, the other two would still have a chance of remaining unnoticed. Of course, Max hated this idea, but he was sated when given Saiyre’s ring, with me holding Sal’s. The ring wouldn’t let Max know if I were alive or not, but it would at least give him a connection he could use to find me if necessary.
As we soared above the land, Tharax informed Sal’ and me that all dragons shared a mental bond, one that allowed them to communicate over short distances. For us, that meant that if one of the dragons came under attack from below or found a clear path into Bherin, the others could be warned or notified as necessary. I hoped that Rhyxis had informed Max and Til’ of this ability to help put Max’s mind at ease.
Gualain’s snowy plains were spotted with the occasional splash of evergreen trees as we flew above them at a speed I would’ve never dreamt possible if I weren’t experiencing it firsthand. We passed over villages and farmsteads, the land around them dotted with dark spots that I assumed were people. Tharax informed us more than once when flying above these areas that he could feel Rizear’s power, indicating that there were likely undead below.
I only hoped that our distance from the ground was great enough to avoid notice. There was no telling if word could be instantaneously conveyed to Bherin in much the same way that wizards used Communication Stones. If our arrival were anticipated, our plan wouldn’t go smoothly.
After passing over yet another farm, dark smoke billowing up from its structures, Tharax announced that we were almost to Bherin.
****
Our descent into Bherin was greeted by arrows, catapulted rocks, and magical attacks ranging from simple flames to what I can only describe as concussive explosions of light. Scores of soldiers, undead, and wizards filled the streets, concentrating all their attention on us. Obviously, our arrival had been anticipated.
From what little I could see as Tharax twisted and turned to avoid the attacks, Bherin was a sprawling city that rivaled even the largest ones I’d ever been to. The king’s castle towered over the eastern flank of the walled city, its massive spires stabbing into the sky. I’d seen a few castles in my travels, but this one put them all to shame. Though it mostly just popped into my view as a blur during Tharax’s spiraling spell dodging, I could tell that there were at least two protective walls encircling it. Thankfully, we had the advantage of flight.
“Hold tight,” Tharax roared as if we had any plans to do otherwise. He followed up his command with a sharp ascent into the air, his body nearly vertical. Sal’s grip just about made me lose my own breakfast.
“Where are the others?” I screamed over the cacophony of beating wings, enemy soldiers, and explosive magic.
Tharax rotated his body to the side, nearly throwing Sal’ and me from his back as a blinding white ray of light narrowly missed us.
“I have warned them to change their approach,” Tharax rumbled. “For now, we will retreat and return with a unified attack on the castle.” Tharax continued his ascent.
Just as I was thinking that we’d risen high enough to escape the reach of the wizards’ magic and the soldiers’ weapons from below, Sal’ screamed, “Tharax, watch out!”
I never saw the spell that struck Tharax, the spell that ripped through his underbelly and tore out from his back just behind Sal’. Nor did I see the next one that made contact just beside it. Sal’s ability to sense magic was the only reason she’d seen it. The only problem was that she hadn’t seen it coming until it was too late.
Tharax roared, a sound reminiscent of Bhaliel’s own cry of death after the eldrhim’s fatal attack. Tharax’s wings went limp, his body twisted, and we began plummeting towards the earth at a frightening speed.
One of Sal’s arms pulled away from my waist. Moments later, my body was shoved flat against Tharax with Sal’ atop my back.
“Tharax!” Sal’ screamed.
The city was coming up at us at an alarming rate. As Tharax’s body spiraled towards it, I realized that the force pressing down on me was from Sal’s magic. She’d been able to keep us from slipping off the falling dragon, but I didn’t see how we’d survive if we crashed to the ground from our height.
As arrows ricocheted off Tharax’s scales on either side of me, I found myself wishing I could move enough to turn and give Sal’ one last kiss. I also wished I wasn’t too numbingly terrified to open my mouth and let “I love you, Sal” be my last words.
I was just about to close my eyes and allow my life to flash through my mind when Sal’s hand slapped down against Tharax’s metallic scales. “Sorry, Korin,” she yelled.
I assumed Sal’ meant she was sorry that she couldn’t save us, but I was proven wrong as a burning sensation ripped through my body. All of my muscles seized, and my heart started quivering within my chest. The paralyzing pain prevented me from breathing as my body violently shuddered. Sal’ tensed and convulsed against my back.
Tharax let out another booming roar, and his wings started flapping once again. Just a hair from crashing into a tall stone building, Tharax righted his body in the air and swept forward towards the castle. His tail smashed into the roof of the building, sending snow-covered clay tiles shattering to the ground below.
After Tharax leveled, the pressure let up from my back, and I was able to sit up. Pain still coursed along my nerves, but I could at least breathe, and my muscles weren’t so tight. A vapid, metallic taste lingered on my tongue.
I looked over my shoulder to see bright red blood hemorrhaging from the two holes ripped through Tharax’s back. His wings beat erratically, causing his body to alternate between descending towards the city and rising high enough to keep us from crashing into another roof.
“Tharax, are you okay?” I called loudly, surprised I could even speak through the pain and fear that still wracked my entire being. I know it seems a ridiculously stupid question, but I’d like to see anyone else who’d just been moments from a splattering death after a freefall atop a dragon have the capacity to say anything smarter.
After an abrupt dip followed by a jerking lift to avoid the onslaught of spells and arrows from below, Tharax craned his head back. “I am dying. I will take you to the castle before my life fades.” His voice was weak. Well, weak for a dragon. The lights of his eyes were dimmed. “I dare not attempt retreat now; I would fall before I co
uld withdraw to a safe distance. I will bring you to the castle and do everything within my power to ensure your safety until the others arrive.”
Tharax had seemingly accepted his impending death. I wanted to say something comforting, but nothing came to mind. I was too overwhelmed with anger for what had been done to him and paralyzing fear of what he was about to drop us into. If the other dragons weren’t even close enough to be seen, would they arrive before Sal’ and I were overtaken by the forces at the castle? If we died, would Max and the others have a chance? Was this all just a waste?
I didn’t have much time to dwell on those questions. As we neared the castle, Sal’ screamed, “Tharax, bank left!”
Tharax rolled sharply to his left. At our velocity, our bodies didn’t want to cooperate with the abrupt motion. Sal’ went sliding down Tharax’s flank with a frightened yelp, pulling me with her. I squeezed the rope as hard as I could as we fell, swinging underneath Tharax’s neck before snapping to a halt. The sudden, jerking stop sent searing pain through both my shoulders and jerked Sal’s grip from around my waist
“Sal’!” I screamed over Tharax’s roar as the invisible blast of magic Sal’ had tried to warn him of tore through a membranous portion of his left wing. Sal’s arms gripped my legs just above my knees, stopping her from falling.
Now, I wasn’t exactly the most able-bodied man. I was fit, sure, but my arms weren’t really built to dangle from a rope by my hands with a second body clinging to me. I could feel something tearing in my left shoulder, and even with gloves on, my palms burned. Still, I held tight.
Tharax’s injured wing sent him careening in an attempt to balance himself, flinging Sal’ and me around like rag dolls. Fire, crystalline projectiles, arrows, and gods know what else filled the air, impotent against Tharax and amazingly missing me.
Dizziness consumed me, disconnecting me from reality. Surely I wasn’t truly hanging from a rope around a dragon’s neck overtop a sprawling city as said dragon attempted to right itself in flight while trying to dodge dozens of spells and projectiles filling the air. Such nonsense only existed in stories told to children or in the minds of drug-addled miscreants and the insane, right? If only I could’ve been so lucky.
