Deke Brolin Rhol

by Doug Backus

  Orulla moved over to flank Phanthus. “What happened, Phanthus? What happened to the Pegapires that rode with you?”

  “They fought valiantly but three fell to the Phits and one to a Kruntulla. I am sorry.”

  “We need help on the ground. The Kaltaures still outnumber us,” Orulla exclaimed.

  Phanthus simply nodded and veered toward the ground followed by Orulla and Oisin. Suddenly he turned back and took to the sky.

  “What is it Phanthus?” Orulla asked.

  “The Lealians and the Kaltaures, they are entwined together in battle! If I attack with fire I will kill just as many of us. The best I can hope for is to back them off,” he answered discouragingly.

  With that he flew to the ground and landed in the heart of the battle. Phanthus stood on his hind legs with his wings pinned back, and sent a stream of fire over the heads of the warriors. It worked for a moment, but only briefly. A Kruntulla came out of nowhere, throwing a large boulder at the dragon. Phanthus reacted instantly jumping to the side. The rock missed its mark and flew by him crushing several warriors. In a fury, Phanthus charged at the Kruntulla.

  Orulla was amazed that Phanthus was able to withstand the blows of the Kruntulla as the two massive beasts savagely fought. They grappled with each other in a fight that few, if any, would ever see again. Claws and teeth fought against raw strength and size. It was hard to tell which creature, if either, had the advantage. Tense minutes lingered on into what seemed like an eternity and then, all at once, Phanthus dug his claws into the chest of his opponent and used his wings to drive the beast backward. The Kruntulla was unable to keep his balance and toppled backward crashing to the ground. That was all Phanthus needed. In seconds the Kruntulla’s head was transformed into a burning inferno. Its screams were not what one would expect, more like a long moan which Phanthus ended quickly by killing the beast with his massive jaws. It was the mark of a warrior; one never rejoiced in the suffering of a fallen enemy.

  “What is that?” Oisin asked in curiosity.

  Orulla looked toward the blue flash that appeared from the mountain ridge behind Phanthus.

  “I don’t kno...oh no, Phanthus look out!”

  Phanthus heard her, but it was too late to react to the three bolts of blue electricity that shot through the air striking his body. He fell to the ground stunned. The electricity coursed through him refusing to let go. It would eventually weaken him to the point of no return.

  “It is the Brawltug! Duffy has returned. Quickly, Orulla! They do not know Phanthus fights with us and not against! We must apprise them before it is too late!”

  Without hesitation, Orulla began to fly toward the mountain ridge. “Wait Orulla! The Kaltaures, they are advancing on Phanthus. We must protect him! Take me to him, I will stay here!” Oisin yelled.

  Orulla flew to the ground. Oisin quickly dismounted and ran to Phanthus’ side. The Kaltaures were already closing in on the ailing dragon that still lay there, unable to move.

  “Quickly!” Oisin yelled to other warriors fighting nearby. “Surround the dragon and protect him at all costs! We owe him that!”

  Phanthus was dazed and losing energy quickly. He could still see, and what he saw filled him with profound respect for the side he now fought for. He understood now that they, the Lealians, would give their life for anyone who fought beside them. It did not matter to them that he had been their enemy at one time. It was the present that mattered.

  They could well have left him to suffer the fate of death, but they rallied around him. He was surprised at Oisin’s power. His size was small and skinny, yet his heart must have been enormous. Three Kaltaures had already fallen by his sword. His speed, determination and swordsmanship were his strengths. He never wavered and his sword never slowed, as he fought to keep the ever advancing Kaltaures away from the dragon’s head. He was nearly decapitated on more than one occasion by the sickles that the Kaltaures swung toward him. It was a favorite and an effective weapon for them. Fortunately, it proved to be ineffective on Oisin as he rolled and ducked, slicing through the wooden handles, leaving nothing more than a stick in the hands of his enemy.

  Phanthus watched in admiration as one Lealian warrior worked off the other. They were masters at it. Someone was always watching the other’s back. There was complete trust between them which meant they never had to worry what was coming from behind them. If one Lealian was forced to duck, he somehow signaled the warrior behind him. There was no hesitation. The person at the back would roll away instantly and come up around the front, quite often disposing of the enemy. Then they would switch places and continue.

  It was sheer determination that allowed them to keep fighting with such aggression, but Phanthus knew determination would only sustain them for so long. Over time their strength would dwindle and they, along with him, would be pawns in the hands of the Kaltaures. They knew it too, yet they continued to utilize everything they had left to save him.

  “Phanthus, Orulla must have reached the Brawltug! Their weapons no longer impede you! Can you move?” Oisin screamed while still fighting the onslaught of Kaltaures.

  Phanthus tried but could not. “You have done what you could young Lealian. Leave me to die at the hands of these cowards. My death will not be in vain for I have seen you fight for my life, and that is something I could never have imagined. In the end, I will die honorably fighting for a worthy cause and with admirable warriors. That makes it a good day to die.”

  Oisin broke away from the fight for a mere second and stared deep into the dragon’s eye.

  “It may be a good day to die Phanthus, but it is a much better day to live. We will not leave a fellow warrior wounded at the mercy of our enemy. Only the end of this battle will determine which day that it is to be, but it will not be your day, it will be ours.”

  Without another word Oisin turned and continued fighting. Phanthus knew better than to argue, it would be futile. He was proud to die amongst them, and as the Lealian warriors began to fall at the hands of the Kaltaures army, he knew that the time to die was not far off. They still had their hearts, but they were losing their strength.

  It did not appear to him to be something to rejoice about, yet unless his ears were failing him, Phanthus could hear the sound of cheering in the distance. He was confused and wondered why. He was too weak to lift his head. His line of vision allowed him to see only brief glimpses of some sort of blue flash.

  Oisin still fought to the front of him. He was the only warrior whom Phanthus could see was still alive, but the battle had taken its toll. He was exhausted and barely able to stand. Phanthus noticed him glancing away occasionally, in the vicinity of the flashes. There was a look of anxiousness chiseled on his face, a look of hope.

  But whatever he hoped for would be too late in coming. Phanthus felt powerless and overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness as he watched Oisin’s arms give way to the weight of the sword he had so valiantly swung to save him.

  Oisin had nothing left in him, he was on his knees. His arms lay limp at his sides, his hand barely clinging onto the sword which had served him so well. He turned to look at Phanthus and smiled. Phanthus could see two Kaltaures running up behind him, mere yards separated them. Phanthus fought to get up, struggling as the Kaltaures closed in on Oisin. He had to do something. It could not end this way.

  “Oisin!” Phanthus yelled in vain.

  Oisin just continued to look deeply into his eye, smiling. “It appears the end of the battle has determined our fate, my friend.”

  Phanthus yelled again in desperation, still unable to move. “Oisin, behind you, Oisin!”

  Oisin could hear the soldiers behind him. He could hear the sword being pulled from its sheath, but he merely continued where he had left off.

  “In the end, it is a good day for me to die and a good day for you to live. Be well Phanthus.”

  Phanthus roared, but Oisin would not hear the dragons anguish. The Kaltaures showed Oisin no mercy.

  Seconds later
, Phanthus watched as a sword which was destined for him suddenly came to a stop in midair. The Kaltaures soldier who was wielding it bounced back and fell with an expression of confusion on his face.

  Phanthus could see three Brawltug standing in front of him. Each one held a Cortuc. The round ends of each instrument where pointed to the ground creating a shield that surrounded him.

  The Brawltug had arrived by the hundreds. Their Cortucs proved to be invaluable for both the Lealians and the Pegapires alike, acting as both a weapon and a source of protection against the Kaltaures attacks.

  In time, the Kaltaures numbers dwindled. They scattered and fled with the cowardly Abednego leading the way. The Phits had also felt the pains of battle and scampered back to the swamps to find refuge. The fields of Solace were suddenly barren. One lone Kruntulla stood in the middle. The daft creature was confused. It did not understand what it was supposed to do. It was not advancing, or becoming violent, so it was not met with any kind of attack. After several awkward minutes of contemplation, it simply turned and disappeared into the backdrop of the landscape.

  By now the torrential rain, wind and thunder had moved in from the mountains. It was deafening. It was the worst storm Phanthus could remember seeing, but despite the weather Phanthus could still hear the cheers from the warriors of Rhol celebrating their victory.

  Normally it would have been cause for Phanthus to celebrate amongst them but he could not celebrate, he could only mourn. He would never forget Oisin’s sacrifice for him. He wished he could have saved him or, at the very least, done something to help him. He looked down upon the fallen warrior, the proud Lealian…a friend…his friend. A tear gently rolled down his cheek and fell upon Oisin.

  Phanthus patiently waited, hoping...but nothing happened. The mighty dragon turned and walked away feeling dejected.

  The Ancients had been wrong. It was just folklore, a mere myth in which a dragon possessed a magic of sorts, a magic that could only be used once. One the dragon would never part with, unless he felt the deepest respect and admiration for an individual. It was a magic that they kept bottled up and hidden away inside of them, and it came hand in hand with extreme emotions. It was the magic contained within a single drop of water…the magic of life that was contained within a dragon’s tear.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The sacred baubles and treasures of the Phits’ contained within the cavern began to vibrate. Whatever was behind the blue light that slowly inched toward them was emitting some sort of unseen energy. It caused Mary’s hair to stand on end. She was holding Deke’s hand and her eyes were glued to the stairwell.

  Delca and Deo stood on either side of the wall at the bottom of the stairs hoping that their counterparts would have the time to change them into something that would be able to combat whatever crept toward them. There would not be much time to make a determination on what exactly that would be, but they had little choice in the matter.

  Deke was the first to spot what caused their anxiety as it floated down the last two stairs and made its way toward them. It was followed by hundreds of others.

  “Chilings!” Deke exclaimed.

  The Chiling that led the way stopped in front of Deke’s face while the others encircled the small room. Its blue light pulsed in front of him as if it was trying once again to communicate.

  “Kiran, is that you?” Deke asked.

  He thought he could hear some sort of muffled response and strained his ears in an attempt to decipher it but the sound slowly faded away and disappeared.

  “Why do you believe this Chiling to be Kiran?” Mary asked a little bewildered.

  “I can’t be sure, but when she died I watched her transform into one and join the others. When they felt it was time, they all flew away, except one that remained hovering in front of my face, much like this one. I believed it was Kiran. Something inside of me felt it, as I do now,” he answered.

  “The important question is why they are here?” Deo asked.

  “Because you asked for her, Deke!” answered Delca before anyone else could respond.

  “Don’t you remember? In your apology you wished for her to be here!”

  The words came flooding back to them. “Then perhaps they’re here to help free Elissa,” Mary eagerly said.

  “I think you’re right, Mary,” Deo said looking toward the Queen.

  They had been too busy staring at the Chiling hovering in front of them to notice that the others had completely surrounded Queen Elissa. They watched as the final Chiling took its place amongst the others. With the last one in place, they began to pulse around her, with their blue light fading in and out. It was not noticeable at first, but in time they could see that a black spot was slowly growing in the core of each one. Each time the light grew brighter the black spot would grow larger.

  “What do you suppose is happening?” Mary asked with curiosity.

  “I don’t know,” answered Deke looking at the strange growth within them.

  Their black core had almost completely consumed them. The light that once shone from the Chiling was no longer a calming blue glow.

  “I know,” answered Deo.

  “What is it then?” Deke asked.

  “They are consuming the darkness that holds her hostage. I have seen it before.”

  “What? When have you seen it?” asked Deke.

  “When I watched you do the same thing to free Delca and then Phanthus.”

  “I remember freeing them. I don’t remember becoming consumed with anything.”

  “I know you don’t,” Deo answered. “But every time you did it, you were drawn closer and closer to the dark side. I could see it in your eyes. I could feel it taking control of you.”

  “That’s absurd, Deo. Then why couldn’t I free Elissa’s binds when I tried?”

  “I can only guess that this is a much more powerful force, a dark evil force that Solharn concocted to prevent any one person from being able to penetrate it, to prevent you from penetrating it. It would have never entered his mind that so many would give up their very souls to save one.”

  “But if what you say is true then the souls, the Chiling, will not die. They will be consumed with darkness, with evil?”

  “Yes.”

  “And they will be forced to follow Solharn. They will live in an eternity of darkness. He will command their every thought.”

  “It’s their sacrifice, one that they choose,” answered Deo somberly.

  The Chiling were now completely black. As if they were all following each other to oblivion, they rose up from Queen Elissa in small bunches and floated toward the stairwell.

  Mary was crying as she turned with the others to watch the endless stream of Chiling make their way to their new master, to a fate worse than death itself.

  “Quickly, Deke Brolin! The amulet of Rhol, may I have it?” came a serene angelic voice from behind them.

  Surprised, the four turned as if they were performing a synchronized act. Their emotions took over them, their voices were mute. They had come so far in search of the one person upon whom so many depended. They could see why she commanded so much respect. She beamed energy that revitalized you. She emitted a soft white aura which lit the room. Her long blondish, white hair flowed almost to her waist giving off a glow that only enhanced her soft, pallid complexion. Everything they had gone through seemed quite trivial as they stood in the presence of an angel, the angel of Rhol…Queen Elissa.

  Queen Elissa stretched her hand out toward Deke.

  “Please Deke, the amulet.”

  With both hands he reached for the chain which had adorned his neck since he had arrived in this world, the chain that Kiran had given him to safeguard the Sacred Amulet of Rhol during his long journey.

  Deke placed the amulet in her hand, leaving the chain dangling from her long, slender fingers. Queen Elissa did not respond as she placed the chain around her neck. A blue circle of light began to form around her hands, not from the amulet itself, but fro
m her. The circle kept expanding until eventually it encompassed every one of the Chiling. Deke watched as their dark cores began to melt away. In mere minutes, the blackness in each Chiling was gone, returning them to their familiar glow.

  With this task completed, Elissa placed her hand upon the amulet. One by one the Chiling floated toward the amulet and then disappeared within it, with the exception of one that hovered in front of her for several minutes before floating away up the stairwell. Deke could sense the sadness in Elissa’s face following its departure.

  “Deke, Deo! Quickly! You must climb the stairs. At the top you will find Palto and Jayden. Jayden has been possessed by Solharn, he must be saved. Palto and his warriors need him. The Lealians’ need him!”

  “Your Majesty, is there another way, perhaps the Wall of Solace? Deke, he becomes…”

  Deo did not have a chance to finish his sentence before the Queen jumped in.

  “No, there is no other way. Once I was freed of my bonds that energy dispelled and returned to me. The Wall of Solace no longer exists and I doubt whether it would have helped anyway. I am sorry. There is no time for a longer explanation. Jayden will have to be taken out of his hypnotic state by Palto before Solharn’s curse can be removed. His eyes are Solharn’s eyes, and Solharn cannot know that I am free of my bonds, not yet. Please Deke. We must hurry!” Elissa said, handing the amulet back to him.

  Deke turned and ran up the stairs followed closely by Deo. When they reached the top, they could see that things had changed drastically since they had entered the cavern. The skies were black, rain and hail fell to the ground layering it with tiny balls of ice. Forks of lightning frequently crashed down from above. In the flashes of lightning, Deo and Deke caught brief glimpses of huge, powerful, black funnels of wind that stretched from the ground to the sky. It was horrifying to watch as they intertwined together, ripping and tearing into the ground, obliterating everything in their path.