The Vikkery had settled into their new home and resumed as normal a life as they could. They adapted quickly to their new surroundings, which was no mean feat considering all that had happened. They were respectful of Jared’s royal status and kept their word, offering various wares as remuneration in exchange for their dwellings, businesses and apparent security.
Jared did his best not to mingle with his new subjects. Each time one of them thanked him for bringing them to safety, his heart skipped a beat. Deep inside he felt that he had not. He had given them a roof over their heads and something to focus on in order to carry on, but safety was the one thing he could not guarantee. It troubled his mind greatly.
Then there was the issue with his father. King Tamor’s memory had returned, to a degree, but he was no longer the strong ruler he once was. Occasionally in mid-conversation, his mind would wander, and he would completely forget the subject that was being discussed.
But the nights were the worst time for Tamor. He would retire in good spirits, but Jared knew it would only be a matter of time before the screaming started. During the day his memories were not a problem as there were many distractions to occupy him, but the terrors of Tamor’s torture at the hands of Karrak came flooding back to him as nightmares each time he slept.
Whenever Jared would race to his father’s side to reassure him, Hannock was always by his side.
***
As Jared stood on the ramparts, Hannock approached him. Bathed in sweat, he bowed briefly, “Your Majesty,” he said, before leaning his head forward and thrusting it into a water barrel. “Oh, that’s better.”
“How’s the training coming along?” asked Jared.
“Awful… terrible… crap! Take your pick, they all fit,” sighed Hannock.
“They can’t be all that bad!” exclaimed Jared, “You’ve been training them for two months, well, longer than two months as memory serves.”
“There’s not one bloody soldier amongst them, Jared! They’re farmers, millers, blacksmiths, what use are they?”
“They’re all we have, Hannock! You should be grateful.”
“They’re refugees, Jared. No two of them come from the same village! They couldn’t agree on the colour blue if you showed them a famper’s nose!”
“So, they have some fight in them then?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, they do. But all they want to do is fight each other!”
“Perhaps you’re going about it the wrong way, Hannock.”
“Jared, I’m a soldier… I am used to training other men who want to be soldiers. I’m not used to turning a man into something he doesn’t want to be!”
“Oh really?” said Jared, raising his eyebrows. “You turned me into a king. I didn’t want to be the king, but somehow you talked me into it.”
Hannock frowned, “That’s different and you know it. Your father was no longer well enough to perform the duties of a king. I know it isn’t his fault and before you say it, I love him as much as you do but it was for his own good.”
“You believe it was for his own good?” asked Jared, smiling.
“He still thinks he’s the king! He doesn’t even realise that you now sit on the throne of Borell, he’s completely oblivious to it all!”
“Let me get this right, you can make a king, but you can’t make a soldier?”
“Well… what… what are you talking about?”
Jared laughed, “One soldier is useless, correct?”
Hannock nodded.
“We need them to need each other,” Jared said slyly, “I have an idea, Hannock. Come with me.”
***
Jared began to walk briskly ahead of Hannock, but even as he took his first steps he began to feel strange. His vision blurred and a dizziness caused him to stagger sideways slightly. He turned to face Hannock and was astounded at what he saw. Jared had stumbled at least two yards before he had regained his footing, but Hannock was still looking at where he had been. With his arm outstretched, Hannock was motionless. Jared placed a hand on his shoulder, “Are you alright, Hannock?” he asked, “Can you hear me?”
Not surprisingly, Hannock did not respond. Jared hurried to the edge of the ramparts and looked down into the courtyard. There were a few of the would-be guards there but none were moving. Returning to Hannock, he tried again, “Hannock! Hannock! Speak to me!”
“He cannot hear you.”
Jared lowered his head, “So, at last you have chosen to face me.”
Karrak drifted closer toward him.
Jared raised his staff, “Release Hannock!” he ordered.
“I have no hold over your friend, mortal. It is you who is changed.”
“Mortal?” ask Jared, confused. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Exactly the same as you, for there to be peace,” replied Karrak.
“Then leave.”
“As you wish,” replied Karrak. “But you must come with me if we are to put an end to this. It is our destiny.”
“What does that mean? What destiny?” His question remained unanswered as he and Karrak vanished.
***
“Jared!” Hannock began to panic. His king had vanished before his eyes. It could mean only one thing… Karrak. He whirled around hoping that Jared was still nearby and began charging across the ramparts calling his name. Then the screaming began.
Hannock scanned around, trying to ascertain what could be causing such panic. He saw one of the farmers glance to the heavens briefly, before screaming and fleeing for his life. Hannock peered into the sky and saw them. Descending slowly, their fiery breath seeming to ignite the clouds and set them ablaze, came three dragons. Their intent soon became apparent as their viscid expectorants rained down, adhering to the highest towers of the castle and engulfing them in flames.
They were here to destroy the last remnants of Borell!
Hannock watched in horror as the stone towers began to melt, such was the intensity of dragon fire. There was nothing he could do to defend against the ferocity of the dragons, he was as helpless as the rest. He slumped to the ground as despair took hold of him, Borell would surely fall this day! He was resigned to his fate, he would not flee and closed his eyes, waiting for death to take him. But he was premature in his assumption. Suddenly there was a loud crash. Opening his eyes he saw that a ruby dragon had landed in the courtyard and sat high on its neck… was Xarran!
“So, this is my home,” he shouted. “This is the birthright that was taken from me even before I was born. This is the luxury in which I should have been raised had my dear uncle not seen me as an embarrassment to the Dunbar name. I’m surprised he didn’t kill me whilst I was in the womb and have done with it!”
Hannock rose quickly and glared down into the courtyard, “Xarran, what have you done with Jared?” he bellowed.
“Ah, Captain Hannock!” exclaimed Xarran with glee. “How nice to see you again. We really should stay in touch, it’s been almost a year since last we met.”
“Answer the bloody question!”
“Ooh, you should be careful, Charles, or you may force me to change my plans. Now Uncle Jared…” he said thoughtfully, “Oh yes, he’s taken a little trip with my father. Don’t bother waiting, he won’t be coming back!” he added with a sneer.
“Where is he?” repeated Hannock.
“I think you may want to focus on your own predicament before you start worrying about anyone else’s,” growled Xarran.
“I already am! You want the castle and everything in it! Well you can have it.”
“Oh, you really don’t understand, do you? I don’t want it, I’m going to destroy it! Every stone and beam will be nought but molten rock and ash when I’m finished. As for you and your little friends,” he added, “by all means, run. It won’t make any difference. I’m going to destroy this castle and then, when I’m done with that, I’m going to kill you and everyone else in this pompous cesspit.”
Hannock shook his head in disbelief, “You’re insane!”
he hissed.
Xarran shrugged and tilted his head slightly, “I know,” he sighed. “But it’s so much fun!”
As he raised his hand, Fireweigh stretched to his full height. Opening his jaws he roared, a gout of fire erupting from them toward Hannock. Hannock dived to the side as the flames narrowly missed him. He watched as the stone where he had stood began to melt. Fire that could melt stone? He had never heard of such a thing. It seemed retreat was his only option if he wished to remain alive. Half scrambling, half falling down the nearest staircase, he hugged the wall to avoid detection by Xarran or Fireweigh. Picking his moments, he dodged from one hiding place to another. Glancing up, he saw Lodren, and was horrified.
***
The Nibby was out in the open. He was not only choosing not to hide, he was walking straight toward Fireweigh, tears in his eyes. “Why are you doing this, Fireweigh?” he shouted. “You’re a good dragon, you don’t want to hurt anyone!”
Xarran frowned at him, pausing the dragon’s attack, “It does as I command, shrimp,” he roared. He took a deep breath, “Sorry,” he said, quietly, “Forgive me, I do have a bit of a temper and it’s hard to control at times. Listen to me, Lodren. I always liked you, you’re a bit annoying at times to be honest, but I do like you. If you run along now and stop bothering me, I’ll make you a promise… I’ll kill you last! Does that sound fair?”
As Xarran burst into maniacal laughter, Fireweigh leaned down to Lodren, struggling to speak, “He has the crown, I must obey his commands.”
“You have to try!” pleaded Lodren.
“Don’t beg the dragon to help you, Lodren, it cannot. In fact, no-one can,” he said mockingly. “Just go. Go on, see how far you can get before I catch up with you.”
Lodren’s shoulders dropped as he turned and shuffled away. It seemed all hope was gone. As he passed a cart, Hannock grabbed his shoulder and dragged him behind it. Lodren looked at him with big, doleful eyes. “Hello Mr Captain sir,” he said woefully.
“What were you thinking?” hissed Hannock, “You could have been killed!”
“Looks like I’m going to be anyway, might as well get it out of the way.”
“You are not going to die, Lodren. Not if I have anything to do with it anyway. I know the layout of this castle like the back of my hand. There are tunnels we can use to escape, follow me and you’ll be fine.”
“But what about everyone else?” exclaimed Lodren. “They don’t know about the tunnels, how do they get out?”
“We’ll take any we meet with us, but many more will perish if we ourselves don’t get out of here. The safest place is the forest. Once we’re out of the castle we’ll head there.”
“The forest?” exclaimed Lodren, “It’s full of wild beasts.”
“Exactly!” replied Hannock, “So we have to head that way in case anyone else has the same idea. We are the only ones left to protect them.”
***
They gathered every terrified Vikkery as they went and eventually reached one of the concealed entrances to the tunnels. Hannock ushered them in one-by-one before instructing Lodren to follow them. He shuffled in. It was a bit of a tight squeeze for him, but the tunnels had not been dug for comfort. They were to give anyone unfortunate enough to be under siege, the chance to survive.
“Hannock,” hissed Lodren, “it’s pitch black in here! How will we find our way?”
“I may be able to help with that,” came a voice from behind them.
Suddenly a flame erupted, blinding them briefly. Their sight cleared, and they were relieved to see the smiling face of Drake.
“Where did you come from?” exclaimed Lodren.
“Powerful wizard now, you know,” sniggered Drake, “And I’m not alone.”
Faylore shimmered into view, “Quite an eventful afternoon,” she announced.
“Did you see anything?” Hannock asked them. “What were our casualties, how many did we lose?”
Drake shrugged, “None, so far as we could tell,” he replied.
“But, the dragons?” asked Hannock, puzzled by the answer.
“The two that landed outside the walls aren’t doing anything!” said Faylore. “They’re just lying there.”
“So, as long as they stay out there, we’ll only have to deal with one,” said Hannock thoughtfully.
“Oh good!” replied Drake, “We’ll only have to fight one dragon!”
The journey through the tunnels took hours. When Tamor had ordered them to be dug he had made sure that they would lead whoever used them as far from harm as possible before they ventured back out into the open.
“There’s daylight up ahead,” whispered Drake.
“I’ll exit first,” Hannock replied.
In the torchlight, Hannock saw Drake smile as he placed his hand on the captain’s chest. Holding up his staff, he disagreed, “Not this time,” he whispered. “A sword won’t offer much protection against a dragon’s breath.”
Hannock looked at the young wizard. Once he would have argued the point, but no longer. The inept young man that he had become so fond of no longer existed, before him stood a fully grown, competent wizard. “After you, Master Drake,” he said, gesturing with his hand and bowing.
Drake shook his head and smiled, “Barmpot!”
They were concerned that the grinding of the metal door would alert anyone nearby of their presence, but they had no need to fear. As they stood, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Lodren began to cry.
Faylore hugged him, “Lodren, what’s wrong?” she cooed.
“Fireweigh and the others,” he wept, “Xarran’s got them doing things they never would, and they can’t stop him!”
“Oh dear!” sighed Faylore, “Don’t worry, Lodren. We’ll stop him.”
“And I haven’t seen my best friend yet! Where’s Grubb? I know something horrible has happened to him… I just know it!”
“He’ll be fine, Lodren,” Hannock assured him. “You know Grubb, he’s as tough as old boots. A simple thing like a dragon can’t hurt him!”
Lodren wiped the huge tears from his eyes with his sleeve, “I suppose you’re right,” he sobbed. “But if they’ve hurt him, I’ll give that Xarran a good bashing with my hammer.” His expression changed, “Oh, no!” he exclaimed, “My hammer… I forgot my hammer!”
“Oh yeah,” said Drake, “how forgetful of me. Here you go, I picked it up for you. You really should be more careful with your things, Lodren.” As he held out his hand, Lodren saw a tiny hammer resting in his palm.
Lodren looked confused, “My hammer…” he said, shaking his head. “It’s a lot bigger than that, Drake.”
Drake laughed, “Oh sorry.” He passed his staff over the hammer which immediately grew to its proper size. It fell to the ground with a heavy thud as Drake danced around rubbing his shoulder. “Silly arse!” he exclaimed. “I should have put it down first, nearly pulled my bloody arm out of the socket!”
Faylore scowled at him, “Your magical prowess may be increasing, Drake. But your manners are suffering as a result!”
Drake looked sheepish, “I apologise, Your Majesty,” he said, “Won’t happen again.”
“Make sure it doesn’t!” Hannock warned him as he slapped him on the back of his head.
Some things weren’t ready for change just yet.
“Oh yeah,” added Drake, “I brought this as well. I just had a feeling it might come in useful.”
Reaching inside his robes he produced another tiny hammer, only this one was silver.
***
Treading carefully, they reached a large pile of boulders and concealed themselves behind them. Most of the Vikkery were exhausted and collapsed on the soft grass, many falling asleep immediately.
Lodren leaned back on the large round boulder at the foot of the pile and was quickly joined by Hannock, Drake and Faylore. “Bit like old times,” he sighed, “Out in the open at dusk, nowhere in mind as a destination. Feels free somehow.”
The warm bre
ath on their backs petrified them. Their hard cushion shivered as the deep growling voice spoke, “Going somewhere?” it asked. Their eyes darted from side to side. It was inevitable that they must turn to see what was behind them, although each suspected the same. They rose slowly before turning to face the inquisitor. The dragon blinked slowly, its huge fiery eyes studying them in turn. “Nothing to say?” it asked.
Lodren brandished his hammer, “Don’t you move!” he warned, “Or you’ll get a bashing you won’t forget in a hurry!”
The dragon’s eyes widened, “Really?” it asked. “Do you think you could crush my ‘ead as easily as you could a zingaard’s?”
Drake held up his staff, “He’d have a damned good try, and I’d help him.”
“How?” continued the dragon, “You’re just a boy with a stick. Ye ain’t scaring me ye know!”
Lodren eyed the dragon with suspicion, “You don’t sound like any dragon I’ve met before,” he said slowly. “There’s something… different about you.”
“No there ain’t!” protested the dragon, “I’m just an ordinary dragon, there ain’t nothin’ different about me!”
“You don’t speak the same as they do.” Lodren ventured nearer to the dragon, studying his scales and colouration. He was a magnificent specimen, that could not be denied, although he was slightly smaller than the dragons they had encountered before. Well, all but one. Lodren cautiously stretched out his hand, “Grubb… is that you?”
The dragon began to laugh, but as it did, the familiar squelching sound could be heard as Grubb shrank back to his normal self, “Had ye goin’ for a while though, didn’t I?”
“What were you thinking, we could have attacked you, you stupid Vikkery!” exclaimed Lodren. “You could have just waited until we got here and just shown us what you could do!”
“I had to be sure that it was convincin’ though,” argued Grubb. “You’d ‘ave said it was brilliant even if it weren’t… and that would’ve jeapordised my plan. Anyway, swords and arrows and stuff couldn’t do me any harm, it’d be like any one o’ you tryin’ to run yourself through with a bit o’ straw!”
The Cessation of Karrak: Ascension III (The Karrak Trilogy Part Three Book 3) Page 30
