Angst Box Set 1

by David Pedersen

  53

  They had sprinted from the dungeon and abruptly stopped just outside the exit. Victoria looked at each of them impatiently. Angst and Tarness were resting on their knees, panting heavily. Dallow held onto Tarness, breathing fast but still upright. Hector seemed fine, rolling his eyes at the others.

  “My heroes,” Victoria said sardonically.

  “I’ve been sick for a month!” Angst said, excusing himself, gulping down large drafts of air like it was his favorite mead. “This...sword...is...heavy.”

  “No, it’s not,” Victoria snapped. “You know better than to lie to me.”

  “I thought you couldn’t read me anymore?” Angst half-whispered between hungry breaths.

  “I know you that well,” the princess said, also whispering.

  “Dallow is slowing me down,” Tarness explained.

  “Don’t blame me,” Dallow said, letting go of Tarness to adjust the bandage covering his eyes. “The blind man is keeping up fine.”

  The castle shook so violently that Victoria and Dallow dropped to their knees. Tarness tipped over, knocking Angst to the floor. When the quake abated, Angst rolled over and looked at Hector, who remained standing in a half-crouched position.

  “How many dragons would it take to do that?” Tarness asked.

  “All of them,” Dallow said in concern.

  “While you girls are resting, I’m going to run a quick errand,” Hector said over his shoulder. “Meet you at the entrance.” He took off at a sprint.

  Tarness looked at Angst curiously, but Angst merely shrugged, unsure what his friend was up to.

  “Let’s keep going,” Angst said, standing cautiously. His knee felt twingy, and he favored it as they made their way to the castle entrance.

  “What’s wrong now?” Victoria asked.

  “It does that sometimes,” Angst said under his breath. “I’ll shake it out in a minute or two.”

  “Are you all old?” Victoria asked in exasperation.

  “No!” Angst and Tarness said defensively.

  “Yes!” Dallow replied.

  “Ugh!” Victoria said, rolling her eyes before leading them out of the castle.

  “If you think we should go faster, you can carry us,” Angst teased.

  There was a haze of dust on the floor, as if the hallway had never been cleaned. The castle guard carefully guided staff to safety, ignoring Angst and his friends as they made their way through the chaos. They squinted as they exited the castle into the bright early-winter day. Angst peered across the city of Melkier to see a dark red blob in the distance. The large dragon hovered at the edge of the city like a fly preparing to join a picnic.

  “Oh good, there’s only one,” Angst said in relief.

  “Are you kidding?” Victoria asked.

  “It’s hard to see from here,” Tarness said, “but that thing is enormous!”

  “We’ll be fine,” Angst said. “Where’s Hector?”

  “Here,” Hector grunted, dragging a large bed sheet filled with their armor and gear. “I think this is everything. I found it while looking for your sword.”

  “You’re the best!” Angst complimented as he maneuvered into his greaves.

  “Yes,” Hector replied. “I am.”

  After suiting up, Hector nodded toward Victoria, who had remained in her chainmail top and skirt. Goosebumps covered her fair skin, and she shivered slightly in the cold air while looking at the large dragon.

  “Tori?” Angst asked. “Aren’t you going to be cold?”

  “Of course I’m cold. It’s freezing!” she said with a defiant shiver.

  Victoria rolled her eyes at the concerned look on Angst’s face and picked up her red cloak from the sheet containing their armor. She clasped it around her neck and stuck her tongue out at Angst.

  “Better!” he said with a smile. “Let’s go be heroes!”

  Upon summoning, his swifen instantly appeared, strong, no longer marred by sickness or insecurity. The ram was once more cast of solid steel, shining bright in the reflection of the morning sun. Dulgirgraut the Defender had covered the creature with an extra coat of heavy armor and a thick layer of confidence. A gentle burgundy hue now shone from the crevices of its muscles. The ram breathed in heroics and exhaled bravado, and Angst mounted it with all the conviction of destiny.

  Tori glanced back at Hector with concern. He stared at the swifen in disbelief and shook his head from side to side. Before she could voice her worry, Angst pulled the princess up to mount in front of him. Looking at his friends—Hector on his panther, Tarness and Dallow on Tarness’s stallion—he nodded once, and they rode.

  The city shuddered again, as if afraid of the lone dragon waiting in challenge just outside its periphery. In spite of his not-as-keen-as-it-used-to-be vision, Angst could make out great bursts of dragonfire from the creature. Angst felt anxious at their slow pace. He knew he could push the swifen, all their swifen, to ride fast—just as he had when they’d chased magic—but there were still people in the streets...

  “We should ride faster!” Hector yelled.

  “Who do you want to trample?” Tarness asked, pointing around at the crowd.

  They continued to ride, and the blob of dragon grew quickly. From a mile away, Angst couldn’t even guess the dragon’s size.

  “How big is that thing?” Angst asked in awe. “We aren’t even halfway there.”

  “I tried to warn you!” Victoria yelled.

  He sought Dulgirgraut for answers, but the foci remained silent. He cocked his head to one side, attempting to delve deeper into the sword. A cool barrier prevented all communication—Dulgirgraut offered no assistance, not even music like Chryslaenor. It seemed he had all the power yet none of the knowledge.

  “What’s wrong, Angst?” Victoria asked.

  “The sword. It’s different this time,” Angst said. “Something isn’t right...wait, how do you know?”

  She looked down at her hands in concentration, and a gentle pink hue surrounded them. Angst quickly covered them with his own so the others wouldn’t see. It would be so much easier if they knew, but it was Victoria’s secret to keep.

  “You’re doing it,” he said proudly.

  They stopped as the city became grass and field—their eyes wide and jaws agape. The dragon was so enormous it didn’t fit in his vision. It made the dragon from the Great Bridge of Melkier seem a child in comparison. Though if this were the mother, it wouldn’t be the mother of just one dragon—it would be the mother of all dragons in all time.

  The red scales were so dark they seemed brown. Protruding ridges about the dragon’s scale shot out like enormous stalactites. Great wings beat with such effort large trees were felled as though thrashed by tornados. A storm of snow and dust clouded the ground in gusts with every flap.

  They all stood in awe of the dragon’s size and ferocity. They shared a shiver, and not one of them was able to speak, reliving the dragonfear they had already experienced at the bridge. Angst turned his head from side to side as he took in the wingspan, which stretched the length of the city. If this wasn’t everything dangerous, Angst would have sat down and watched in amazement. This titan, this dragon, was every gorgeous unmitigated disaster that Ehrde could deliver, and a fascination to his eyes.

  “Looks like this is a job for Angst,” Tarness said enthusiastically as he reached over to roughly thump Angst’s shoulder.

  Angst urged Victoria off his ram swifen then dismounted. He stared at the creature, dumbfounded, before looking to Hector for guidance.

  “Well, now what, genius?” Hector asked, looking up at the giant red beast.

  “You’re not helping,” Victoria said.

  “What does that thing tell you to do?” Hector questioned, ignoring her as he nodded toward Dulgirgraut.

  “Nothing,” Angst said in exasperation. “I feel healthy. I feel power similar to Chryslaenor, but communication is gone. It’s like this foci is ignoring me.”

  “Try harder,” Hecto
r commanded.

  Angst took Dulgirgraut from his back, holding it high as he could. Chryslaenor would have been aggressive, urging Angst to shoot lightning while flooding his mind with spells and ideas to put him on the offensive. Angst concentrated, focusing all his will on the blade, struggling to attack the giant dragon with something. Anything. The foci glowed a dull red, but nothing else happened. Moments passed, and he lowered the tip of the foci to the ground.

  “It seems that Dulgirgraut doesn’t like lightning,” Angst said in frustration. “I’ll have to take the fight to the dragon.”

  “Maybe you need to hurry up and make friends,” Tarness teased.

  “Tarness could be right,” Dallow said.

  “But there isn’t time,” Angst worried. “I don’t know if it’s broken, or if I’m broken, but it will have to wait. We need another plan.”

  The ground shook, and Tarness looked about inquisitively.

  “What’s wrong, Tarness?” Hector asked.

  “Where are the earthquakes coming from?” Tarness asked. “I thought it was maybe from that dragon landing—”

  “Good question, but one disaster at a time. Angst, you need to destroy that dragon,” Hector said. “What about the Ivan thing? Slice that dragon up like strips of steak!”

  “Mmm, steak,” Tarness said.

  “Bad idea,” Dallow said quickly, touching his face. “If lava comes gushing out, there’s no telling if Angst could protect himself, us, or the rest of the city.”

  Angst nodded in agreement and looked at Victoria. Her face was paler than usual, and she shook her head, agreeing with their assessment. She stared off at the dragon as though analyzing the creature, but Angst knew she was trying to read the future when her eyes glowed pink.

  “Close your eyes,” Angst whispered.

  “The bones,” Dallow said, “destroy the dragon’s bones. It won’t be able to fly. It will just collapse in a heap.”

  “That I could do,” Angst said smiling excitedly and patting Dallow on the shoulder.

  “You’ll have to touch the bones,” Victoria advised, finally opening her eyes and looking at Angst.

  “But I was able to remove the black from all Melkier armor without touching it,” Angst said. “I’ve got this.”

  “I hate it when he says that,” Hector grumbled. “We should probably find cover.”

  Angst lifted a hand now glowing dark red and the ground rumbled as a rocky barrier rose and formed a half-dome. There was enough space to protect his friends, and it was thick enough to take damage.

  “I’ll be right back,” Angst said cockily, but when he tried to step away, Victoria held his arm.

  “Please be careful,” she said.

  “What could possibly go wrong?” Angst asked.

  She looked at him dryly.

  Angst walked away, holding her arm until it became her hand and then her fingers. Her fingertips escaped his, and he took a deep breath. It was brave time, and he reached out with the sword, carving a circular swath of rock around him. With a noisy crunch, a six-foot chunk of ground lifted into the air.

  He focused on anchoring his feet to the platform while flying toward the enormous dragon. He had, so far, gone unnoticed. Angst concentrated, urging his transportation to one side, and found it sluggish to maneuver, like trying to force a boat sideways. He pushed harder, finally using air to budge it and felt like he was shoving a tree. The gigantic dragon’s head whipped about to face him, and Angst reared back at a snail’s pace. Wet fire shot from its mouth, barely missing Angst as he forced the platform higher into the air.

  Streams of fire blasted again and again. Angst could only go up, down, or forward. This wasn’t the same as battling Ivan—the platform just wouldn’t maneuver. One hundred yards away would have to be close enough. Angst sought the dragon’s bones. He forced the platform to rise just in time as dragonfire shot from the great wyrm’s enormous diamond-shaped head. Angst could feel the bones, could feel their pores, and willed magic to fit into each one like a puzzle piece.

  Time slowed as he drew magic from Dulgirgraut and willed it into the bones. When he’d poured every ounce of magic he could into the dragon, when everything finally clicked into place, Angst urged the blue-black bone to dust. The dragon roared and, with surprising speed, spun in mid-air, swatting Angst with its tail. The blow tossed him off his rock platform, which fell and smashed into pieces. Angst plunged toward his friends.

  “Dallow, Angst is falling this way,” Hector said quickly. “Can you make a cushion of air about ten yards ahead of us?”

  “Twenty,” Tarness said.

  “Ten will be fine,” Hector replied.

  “Done!” Dallow nodded, his eyes glowing bright white behind his bandage.

  Angst dropped to the ground, crashing hard on the frozen earth, completely missing Dallow’s shield. He bounced once and skidded into the air-shield barrier.

  “I told you twenty,” Tarness yelled.

  Tori ran to Angst, sprinting past Hector as he reached out to hold her back. Angst lay still, and Victoria kneeled roughly, skinning her bare knees. She ignored the pain and grabbed his shoulders, trying to shake the unconscious out of him.

  “Angst?” she shrieked. “Are you okay?”

  He opened his eyes and inhaled deeply. “Ouch,” he let out with a squeak.

  Hector and Tarness arrived at his legs, pulling him back toward the barricade. Angst had his hand glued around Dulgirgraut as though in shock, dragging it with them.

  “What are you doing?” Victoria demanded. “He could be hurt!”

  “Better than being dead,” Tarness yelled. “Look up.”

  The creature’s body was now vertical and its wings beat slowly as it reared its head back. It took a deep breath, and Victoria ran with them. A gush of dragonfire was accompanied by a horrific gurgly scream. They sprinted behind the half-dome barricade just as the lava struck.

  “Ergh,” Dallow yelled. “Trying to reinforce with air, but—” Dallow grunted loudly, collapsing to a knee. Tarness put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I’m all right...just too much.” Dallow panted, attempting to catch his breath.

  “You’re doing great!” Tarness said as he watched streams of lava flow around them in a wide arc.

  “Angst, what happened?” Hector asked, ignoring Victoria as she kneeled beside Angst with her hand on his chest.

  “I can’t make the platform change direction,” Angst said.

  “What about using air to maneuver it?” Dallow suggested.

  “I tried,” Angst said.

  “Were you too far away to destroy the dragon’s bones?” Hector pressed.

  “No, but I think Victoria’s right,” Angst acknowledged. “I need to make contact with them.”

  “See,” Victoria said, kneeling beside Angst. She placed a hand on his face in hope of reading his future. “You should always do what I say.”

  “But I didn’t have to touch everyone’s armor to remove its protection,” Angst said, wincing from the fall.

  “When you first expunged the blue-black from the bone,” Dallow said. “Did you have to make contact?”

  “Yes,” Angst said.

  “You can remove the protection if it’s already been separated from the dragonbone,” Dallow explained. “But you need to touch the bone to remove it from the source.”

  “But I can’t get close enough,” Angst complained. “I think the sword hates me.”

  “We don’t have time for that,” Hector snapped. “We need to figure out how to get you closer.”

  “Can we survive another blast of dragonfire?” Tarness questioned. “We’re surrounded by lava now...”

  “Not unless you guys suddenly figure out how to make air shields.” Dallow said through gritted teeth, sweat beading his cheeks. “I don’t know how I’m holding the lava back.”

  “I know how to get to the dragon,” Angst said.

  Victoria pulled back her hand and immediately shook her head. Angst rolled the
top half of his body to one side, and grunted as his back popped loudly. He rolled to the other side and pushed himself up to standing. Angst took a slow step toward her.

  “No, Angst,” Victoria whispered, moving back.

  “Why feathers, Tori?” Angst asked as she shook her head.

  Everyone looked at them in confusion, but Angst ignored their stares as he kept moving forward.

  “No!” she yelled, her back pressing against the air shield.

  Angst popped that bubble of appropriate, placing his hands on Victoria’s cheeks. He stood so close their noses almost touched. He stared her in the eye. Victoria breathed quickly, looking from side to side for an escape. Angst appeared on the verge of kissing her.

  “Oh, not now you two,” Hector said in disbelief. “Of all times...”

  “Victoria,” Angst said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Why does your swifen have feathers?”

  Tarness let out a low whistle, and Dallow smiled broadly.

  Victoria blinked several times before her brows furrowed in anger. She slapped his hands down and struck him across the cheek.

  “I knew there was something,” Hector said under his breath.

  “You just put them all in danger,” Victoria spat. “Mom will kill them if they know.”

  “We’ll all be dead if you don’t help,” he said more gently. “I’ll ask again, why does your swifen have feathers?”

  “B...because she has wings,” she said. Her face was panic-stricken as she looked at the wary gazes of their friends. “I don’t even know if she can fly.”

  “Maybe if we summon her together,” Angst said hopefully.

  Victoria nodded slowly, her face brightening as she began to understand. Angst picked up Dulgirgraut and placed it in that familiar spot between his shoulders. He wished he had guidance from the sword. He remembered the chase to Unsel, wishing and willing his friends to follow closely behind him. That push was what she needed. Angst stood behind Victoria, embracing her with his hands touching her bare stomach. He placed the side of his face next to hers and concentrated. A burgundy cloud enveloped him.