His heart began to pound as he realised his peril. There were five, no six, no… eight. His heart sank. Gripping the handle firmly with both hands, he clutched his hammer tightly to his chest. What to do, what to do?
“STAY BACK!” he suddenly bellowed, “I’ll crush your skulls, you nasty beasts! I’ll crush your skulls and break your bones! I am Lodren! Nibrilsiem. Dragon rider. Lord of the skies. Any closer and you will meet your doom!” he shouted.
Unfortunately, it was a bluff. Lodren was, in fact, terrified. He had the strength of ten men, admittedly, but he was no warrior. The wolves crept forward, snarling, their jaws dripping with saliva as they stalked, what they hoped would be their next meal.
“Last warning!” yelled Lodren. “You won’t live to regret it!... Oh dear,” he whimpered, “they’re not taking a blind bit of notice.” Apparently, he would have to fight for his life. Raising his hammer aloft, he planted his feet firmly into the ground. Then, a glimmer of hope, the wolves paused, they looked nervous. The snarling and gnashing of their jaws became louder, but it was through fear not aggression, it seemed. Lodren’s confidence grew, “Having second thoughts, are we? I would too if I were you. Dragon rider, see. Best be on your way whilst I’m giving you the chance.”
But Lodren was unaware of the scene directly behind him. He had backed up to the massive rock to prevent the wolves from surrounding him. Little did he know that it was that very ‘rock’ that was his real protection.
As the wolves had approached, the ‘rock’ shivered. Tiny pieces of shale and dust fell from it silently as Lodren bawled at the top of his voice. The eyes opened, the huge jaws beneath smoking nostrils were agape, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. It was no wonder that the wolves were more than a little unnerved by this, it would appear they were not about to dine after all. To take down the small being and devour him would be easy, to contend with a dragon however, was something a pack twice their size would not attempt. With many yelps and whispers the wolves turned tail and fled.
“And don’t come back,” yelled Lodren. He turned his hammer and placed it, head first, onto the ground. “You won’t mess with a dragon rider, will you?” he muttered, rubbing his hands together.
Thelwynn closed his jaws and eyes and lowered his head back onto the ground. Lodren looked around, feeling very pleased with himself. Slapping the ‘rock’, he began to dance a little jig. “Now,” he said, “time to deal with Grubb.”
He was half way back to camp when he noticed Grubb, mounted on Buster, heading toward him. Right, he thought, you’re going to get a piece of my mind, you nasty little Vikkery.
But his plan was thwarted as Grubb called out first, “Where ‘ave ye been? I’ve been worried sick.”
“Of course you have,” Lodren replied. “That’s obviously why it took you so long to come and look for me!”
“You stormed off! What was I supposed to do, grab ‘old of ye and drag ye back? I’m not your babysitter. If you decide ye want to go off into the night, that’s your business. Don’t blame me for you being on your own!”
“I don’t need babysitting by you or anyone else, thank you! But a bit of help to drive off a pack of stinking wolves wouldn’t have gone amiss!”
“What!” exclaimed Grubb, “Ye saw a pack o’ wolves?”
“Yes, I did. Unfortunately, they saw me as well. I thought I was a goner!”
“So ye hid where they couldn’t get at ye until they went away then?”
“No, Grubb, I did not hide!” snapped Lodren, “I raised my hammer and faced them down, told them I was the dragon rider and they should think twice before attacking me. They ran away!”
“These wolves?” asked Grubb, sceptically, “’ow many were there?”
“Ooh, at least a dozen,” replied Lodren, embellishing slightly. “They surrounded me, huge they were, massive teeth, slobbering and snarling. But once they saw how fearless I was, they knew better than to mess with me.”
“Yeesss, I can imagine,” said Grubb, slowly. “But it doesn’t explain why you’ve been gone all this time.”
“Well, erm,” Lodren squirmed as he tried to think of an excuse. He didn’t want to admit to dozing off as he knew this would only give Grubb another reason to ridicule him. Moments before, he had been ready to confront Grubb. Alas, all too quickly his bravado had escaped him. “I needed some time to gather my thoughts,” he announced, confidently. “Nothing wrong with that is there?”
“Nothin’ at all,” replied Grubb. “There must be a heck of a lot of ‘em runnin’ through that big skull o’ yours for ye to be gone that long though.”
“There are, and you don’t help when you start…”
“I know, and I’m sorry, Lodren. I was only teasin’ ye. If I’d known you’d get that upset, I would’ve kept me big mouth shut.” He smiled at Lodren, “For a change,” he added.
Lodren relaxed and smiled back, “I know I prattle on at times, but it’s only because I care. I want us all to be back together in Borell, safe inside the castle walls. It seems like it was only a dream, chasing around in that huge kitchen with all the pots and pans simmering and bubbling. I miss it so much. Sorry about the shouting and roaring about being a dragon rider, it must have been really annoying.”
“No need to apologise, Lodren. As a matter of fact, I think ye did me a favour.”
“How could my shouting my mouth off do you a favour?” asked Lodren, looking a little confused.
Grubb glanced furtively around him, “I’ve got something I want to show ye,” he whispered.
“Well?” said Lodren, warily, “Go on then, show me.”
“Not ‘ere. Let’s go behind that rock. I don’t want just anyone seein’ it.”
“Seeing what?”
“Behind the rock, come on,” urged Grubb.
Perplexed by the secretive Vikkery’s actions, Lodren followed him as he scurried behind the cover of the rock.
Grubb suddenly turned and pointed at him, “Now I don’t want ye makin’ fun of it,” he warned, “I know it’s not as big as a normal one, but I think the shape’s perfect. I can’t see it myself, so I’ll let you be the judge. I mean, if you can’t tell, who can?”
“What are you blathering on about? Get on with it!”
“Right,” said Grubb, “here goes.” He held his breath and strained. He started to go red in the face, but other than that, there was no change.
“So, you’ve learned how to hold your breath until you turn purple, wonderful! Can we go now?”
Grubb was panting, “Give me… a minute… I’ve only done this… once… before.”
Lodren folded his arms as he looked on at Grubb’s antics.
Grubb held his breath once more. His facial features began to stretch, his nose becoming a snout and his mouth growing wider and baring pointed teeth. His bottom stretched, becoming pointed as it grew. His skin was turning a deep, emerald colour and appeared to be quite scaly. With a sharp exhalation of breath, he suddenly fell backward, there was a noise like a wobbling jelly and everything returned to its normal shape, well as much as normal as a Vikkery is.
Lodren never said a word. He gazed at the exhausted Vikkery, watching as he lay on the ground, panting and mopping the sweat from his brow.
“Bless me horns, this one ain’t easy,” he puffed. “I nearly ‘ad it there,” Looking up at the expression on Lodren’s face, he wagged his finger. “Don’t look at me like that, it’s coming. I’ll get it this time, trust me. Bear with me, it’ll be worth the wait, I promise.”
Scrambling back to his feet, he closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he stretched his arms out to his sides. As he exhaled, the transformation began. He quadrupled in size, his face stretched, as did his ‘tail’. His legs grew thicker and huge claws appeared. His back arched and sprouted massive wings and his skin, now scaled, glistened like lustrous jade, glowing in the moonlight. Grubb had transformed into the perfect replica… of a dragon.
Lodren could not speak. He stepped forward and
stroked the scales of his friend’s transformation. The texture was identical to the real thing and he marvelled at the perfection of Grubb’s facsimile. He paced slowly around him, finding the desire to touch his creation’s wings, claws and face irresistible.
“Grubb,” he sighed, “you’re beautiful.”
Grubb snorted, “Don’t say it if it ain’t true, Lodren. Are ye sure? I ain’t missed anythin’ ‘ave I?”
“Not a thing,” whispered Lodren. “It’s absolutely perfect.” He looked away, a burning question had entered his mind and he tried to act as innocent as possible before he posed it. “Can you fly?” he asked, tentatively.
Grubb quickly lowered his head and went nose to nose with Lodren, his warm breath causing the Nibby to blink. “Oh, no ye don’t!” he snapped. “Ye can get that idea out o’ that big head o’ yours! Ain’t no saddle goin’ on this Vikkery’s back.”
***
Emnor, sat on a chair in the tavern, rested his elbows on his knees, “I’m still not sure about this, Yello. You could end up a raving lunatic.”
“He already is!” exclaimed Hannock.
Yello laughed, “I’ll be fine,” he assured his friend. “They can’t hurt me.”
“Famous last words! Dellurim said that and look how he ended up! He never spoke again, just sat dribbling down his front for the rest of his days.”
“Very true, but you’re forgetting something,” said Yello, confidently, “Dellurim was a blithering idiot.”
“And so are you for even contemplating this. There has to be another way.”
“You can babble all day, Emnor. I’m doing this and that’s settled. Anyway, I’ve already administered the potion to them both so there’s no going back now. I’m going into their minds, and I’m bringing them both back with me when I return.”
“If you return!” warned Emnor.
“How does this work, exactly?” asked Jared.
“You’ll see,” replied Yello. “But I warn you, it can look a little… gruesome. It’s not something that should be witnessed by the fainthearted.”
“Is that why you sent the boys out?” asked Hannock.
“On the contrary,” laughed Yello. “They wouldn’t turn a hair at something like this. No, I sent them away because this is as close as you can get to dark magic. The enticement of its power can seduce any who harbour any hatred or resentment in their heart.”
“How would that pertain to Drake or Harley?” asked Jared.
Yello’s tone changed. A shadow seemed to descend on the room as he spoke. “Do you not think that witnessing the carnage at Reiggan would affect them? That seeing the mutilated and charred bodies of their friends and colleagues would cause them to feel ill will toward Karrak and his followers? Do you not think that, given the chance, they would not exact their revenge upon any one of them? It is as close to hatred as one could be. I would not expose them to the lure of dark magic, for as strong as they are, it would be beyond their power to resist it.”
“Quite so,” said Emnor, loudly. The two Borellians seemed startled, which had been Emnor’s intention, “Get on with it then, Yello. It’s obvious that you cannot be dissuaded, so let’s get it over with. Don’t worry, old friend, if it all goes horribly wrong, I’ll always be there to wipe your chin.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” laughed Yello, “you really are too kind.”
Suddenly the door flew open. Drake stood, breathing heavily, a timid Harley shadowing him, “We were right outside the door. Did you think we wouldn’t hear what you were saying? We’re part of this, like it or not. You can’t cover our eyes or ears as if we were children, so get on with what you were about to do, because we’re staying.”
Darooq and Barden had been laid on tables beside one another at the far end of the room. Emnor had dressed them both in robes after washing the mud from their motionless bodies and Yello now positioned himself at their heads. Placing his hands on their foreheads, he glanced over his shoulder, “Wish me luck,” he muttered.
He closed his eyes. It was a few moments before anything happened, but suddenly Yello’s body jerked as if someone had pushed him. He sighed as tiny sparks began to arc across his fingers as they slowly began to sink, moulding into the brows they rested upon. Hannock grimaced at the sight of Yello’s fingers penetrating the skulls of the dormant men before him. Yello’s head fell forward.
Emnor spoke quietly, “He’s in,” he announced, “Yello has now entered their minds.”
“Will he be alright?” whispered Jared.
“Only time will tell,” replied Emnor with a look of concern. “All we can do now… is wait.”
***
Yello opened his eyes. It took a while for his sight to become accustomed to the gloom, but he appeared to be standing in a huge cave. “How predictable,” he mumbled aloud, his breath visible in the cold air. Thick clumps of ice clung to the walls, and frozen pools on the ground crackled as he peered through the mist that surrounded him. He ventured forth, taking tentative steps on the uneven cave floor. This was the construct of someone’s mind, admittedly, but the risk of a turned ankle or broken leg was still very real. Numerous narrow passageways sprouted in all directions, not one looking any different to the others. Oh well, he thought, each is as good as the next. This in mind, he headed toward the nearest. Yello was undaunted by the appearance of his surroundings, the sounds however, were something he had not expected. The unclear whispers of countless voices, the sound of sinister laughter from one far louder than all others and the faint screams in the distance were enough to put anyone’s nerves on edge. He shuddered slightly, “Come on, Yellodius,” he muttered to himself, “pull yourself together.” The one thing he was glad about was the fact that, although there was the danger of injury, his leg was completely devoid of pain. Carefully, he picked his way through passage after passage before eventually making a discovery. He noticed a strange shape against the rocks, it appeared to be someone huddled in an attempt to remain hidden. Cautiously, he edged forward, squinting to get a better look, “Hello,” he called. “Is someone there?”
“Shhh, keep your voice down,” came the anxious reply. “He’ll hear you.”
Yello tilted his head to one side, “Barden?” he asked, “Is that you?”
“Be quiet, you fool. He’ll find us,” replied Barden.
“Who, Barden? Who will find us?”
Barden’s eyes flashed as he looked about him wildly, “Lord Karrak,” he replied in a whisper.
“No, Barden. He cannot find us here,” said Yello, reassuringly. “You are safe, old friend.” The one thing that Yello did not think of Barden as was a friend, but this was not the pompous, self-absorbed man he had known for many centuries. Keeping his tone gentle would, he was sure, be far more advisable than a more hostile approach.
“Let him find us!” a voice announced from the mist. “He is our master, we should be at his side, not cowering in the darkness.”
Yello turned quickly, “Who’s there?” he demanded.
A figure emerged slowly from the mist. Dressed in grey robes, the stranger’s features were hidden. Confidently, he drew closer to Yello until, just a few yards away, he pulled down his hood to reveal himself. “You don’t remember me?” he asked.
Yello’s lips moved but he stammered slightly in disbelief, “Barden? But…”
“A thousand years old and you still cannot comprehend the obvious, Yellodius,” he sneered. “You always were pathetic. Too busy roaming the wilds and making friends, soaking your brain with cheap wine and seeking approval from worthless creatures!”
“Keep quiet, both of you,” urged the panic-stricken Barden.
“Be quiet yourself,” bellowed the confident Barden, “I’d end you now if I could.”
Yello stepped between them, “How, Barden? How did this happen?”
Before either Barden could speak again, yet another voice joined the conversation, “He did it to himself,” it announced. “So ashamed of his cowardice, th
at he severed it as one would amputate a festering limb.” The silhouette of a large man could be seen faintly through the mist.
“Darooq, I presume?” said Yello, loudly.
“You have me at a disadvantage, old man. You know my name, but yours is unknown to me.”
“Who I am is unimportant,” replied Yello. “Why I am here, however, is not.”
“So, you believe that we are important? Why would you think such a thing?” asked Darooq.
“Do you know where you are?” asked Yello. “This is not real. You are both unconscious, lying on tables in a tavern. In reality, you are gibbering wrecks, the pair of you, your minds scrambled by the very sorcery you hold so dear.”
“And you’ve come to free us from our bonds, have you?” asked Barden, insincerely. “You think that we will be so grateful to you that we would turn on our master to aid you?”
“Be quiet, I beg of you.”
“That,” said Darooq, pointing at the terrified Barden, “is what will become of you all if you stand in Karrak’s way.”
“He is but one man, powerful admittedly, but still only one man,” said Yello. “We are many and we shall defeat him. Stand with us if you fear him so.”
“Is that what you believe?” Darooq laughed loudly, his voice echoing about them. “You think that I fear Karrak?”
“Is it that you do not fear him, or is it that you are still loyal to him, despite what has become of you?” asked Yello. “For your loyalty is misguided if that is the case. I don’t see him here attempting to save you.”
“He’ll come for us when he is ready!” snapped Barden. “He knows we are devoted to him, he’ll come!”
“No, he won’t,” said Darooq, smiling. “We are as important to him as an insect that he would crush beneath his boot. If he did come for us it would be so that he could torture us a little longer. You see, old man,” he said, still addressing Yello, “the reason I no longer fear him is simply because I have no cause to. I have done his bidding and am now useless to him… as is this arrogant fool.” He nodded toward Barden. “Our part is played. Karrak will not waste his time looking for us.”
The Cessation of Karrak: Ascension III (The Karrak Trilogy Part Three Book 3) Page 9
