The Cessation of Karrak: Ascension III (The Karrak Trilogy Part Three Book 3)

by Robert J Marsters

  “Perhaps,” said Drake, “but a bolt of ice up your jacksey may have stung a bit!”

  “I could have taken your leg off with the use of my wand,” added Harley.

  “But ye didn’t!” sniffed Grubb. “So everythin’s alright.”

  “Faylore had been listening a bit more closely than the others, “What plan?” she suddenly asked.

  Grubb looked up, “What? Oh yes, my plan,” he smiled, “We’re going to get your crown back for you, Your Majesty.”

  “Oh really!” exclaimed Faylore, sounding dubious. “And how are you going to manage that?”

  “Me and Lodren are going back into the castle, and we’re goin’ to take it right off Xarran’s head! Well, knock it off to be more precise… the crown that is. Then again, maybe we’ll knock ‘is ‘ead off and just pick the crown up after. Either way, you’ll get it back,” Grubb smiled broadly.

  “You’re going to march in there and just… take it off him?” asked Hannock, a rather bemused look on his face. “Forgive me for pointing out the obvious here, Grubb, but he is a powerful sorcerer and, now what was the other thing? Oh yes… he’s riding a fifty-foot dragon whose breath is hot enough to melt solid stone!”

  “I know that!” said Grubb haughtily, “And if you noticed, he’s having a great deal of fun destroying the castle! He doesn’t care what’s goin’ on around ‘im. That’s his weak spot ye see, overconfidence. He won’t turn a hair if another dragon comes in behind him, but by that time… it’ll be too late!”

  “And when were you going to tell me about this brilliant plan to put me in mortal danger?” asked Lodren, scowling.

  “I just did,” answered Grubb, screwing up his face and shaking his head. “Would ye like me to tell ye again?”

  Hannock exhaled loudly, “Oh my days!” he exclaimed, “He’s serious.”

  “Too bloody right I’m serious!” yelled Grubb. “If we don’t hurry up there’ll be nothin’ left of the castle and Xarran will be comin’ after us. We need to do this NOW.”

  Hannock shook his head as he stared at the ground, “It’s such a simple plan,” he said quietly. “Do you know something?” he asked rhetorically, “It might just work.”

  “Nonsense!” exclaimed Faylore. “You may ignore a dragon, but as soon as Xarran sees Lodren he’ll fry his bones.”

  “Then we’ll just have to make sure that he doesn’t see him,” said Drake with a wily expression. He glanced over at Emnor, “Know any invisibility spells?”

  CHAPTER 21

  Soon after, a small dragon approached the remnants of the castle gates. Astride his neck was the invisible Lodren who clutched the silver hammer tightly to his chest, “Are you sure nobody can see me?” he asked sounding slightly alarmed.

  “There’d only be a strange shimmer if you jumped about in front o’ someone, so if ye keep as still as ye can you’ll be fine,” answered the dragon quietly.

  “Before we go in,” whispered Lodren, “I’d like you to know that you’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

  “I know,” growled the dragon, “and you’re mine, now shut yer face or you’ll get us both roasted.”

  Xarran turned, eyeing the new arrival suspiciously. He had arrived with three dragons and this one was unfamiliar to him. He slid from Fireweigh’s back and approached Grubb with caution, “What are you doing here?” he asked slowly.

  “I was nearby,” replied the dragon, “Somethin’ was callin’ me, so I came.”

  Xarran raised his hand and ran his finger along the crown. Did it summon dragons by its own volition? He thought. If that was the case he would never be alone, protection would always be close at hand. He stared hard at the dragon, desperately wanted to believe his own thought. But deep inside something did not ring true. Xarran began to back away, “Destroy it!” he roared.

  Fireweigh immediately began to turn, a fiery glow appearing as his huge jaws began to open. Grubb recoiled, spilling Lodren from his back. Climbing to his feet as quickly as he could Lodren was just in time to see the flames that erupted from Fireweigh’s gaping mouth. Instinctively, he held the silver hammer in front of him. He was unsure why he did this, surely nothing would protect him from dragon fire? But he was wrong. The flames were somehow diverted around him as if he was protected by a magical, invisible shield. Those crafty wizards, he thought. But it was a thought on which he had little time to ponder.

  Xarran had smiled sadistically as the flames engulfed Grubb, but he had also noticed the anomalous re-direction of them at his side. It seemed that there were two intruders. His spell pierced the fiery wall, a pulse of energy that struck its target and sent it skidding across the floor. However, and luckily for Lodren, Xarran still could not see his hidden foe who lay dazed amongst the rubble strewn across the courtyard.

  “I will find you!” screamed Xarran.

  Grubb had his own problems. Surprisingly, he had not been incinerated, his dragon scales had protected him. However, realising that his demise was not imminent but also a little confused, it took him a few seconds to react. He charged forward, headbutting Fireweigh as hard as he could. The larger dragon stumbled, bumping into Xarran and knocking him to the ground. Rolling away to avoid being crushed by the wrestling dragons, he was unaware of the invisibly Nibby bearing down on him.

  Lodren raised the silver hammer as he approached, he tired of the tyranny of the sorcerers and one less would be a blessing. He closed his eyes ready to strike the fatal blow to Xarran. But his plan too, was about to be thwarted.

  The dragons with their slashing claws, were writhing on the ground trying to best one another. Grubb, being slightly smaller, had the advantage of speed and managed to get to his feet. Clamping his teeth into Fireweigh’s throat, he shook him as hard as he could. He was unused to being in the guise of a dragon and had not learned how to control all of his body parts at once, this was the issue that would affect the Nibby. Grubb’s tail lashed about wildly, catching the Nibby full in the chest and flinging him high into the air. To be fair to Grubb it wasn’t entirely his fault, Lodren was invisible after all.

  Then, good fortune came their way! As Lodren was launched, he lost his grip on the hammer and it sailed almost as high as he did. Once he had let go, it became visible and he watched it as it fell. As if in slow motion, it plummeted to where Xarran sat in a daze and struck the side of his head. The Thedarian crown was dislodged and fell to the floor with a loud ‘clang’ before rolling away. Lodren however, landed with a thump. He scrambled across the ground as fast as he could, snatching up the crown and raising it high into the air.

  “DESIST!” he bellowed.

  Fireweigh immediately pulled away from Grubb. His head snapped to the side, fire in his eyes as he saw Xarran. Two steps was all it took for Fireweigh to be upon him. Raising his mighty, clawed hand into the air momentarily, he roared before slamming it down where Xarran lay.

  Lodren had lowered his head. He knew that the sorcerers were evil and had been willing to end the life of this particular one. To bear witness to it being done by another was somehow far more difficult. He approached Fireweigh, preparing to apologise for attacking him and being responsible for him having to take a life.

  Fireweigh spoke first, “What will you do with him now?” he asked.

  To Lodren’s amazement, Xarran was alive!

  Fireweigh had him held down firmly, a large claw embedded deep into the ground on either side of him.

  Grubb shrank, “Ye should kill ‘im, Lodren,” he growled, “Face it, he was going to kill you.”

  Lodren sighed as he walked over and picked up the silver hammer, “I just wish there was another way,” he said.

  Standing over Xarran, he raised the hammer, “But I don’t think there is.”

  ***

  Lodren was not the type to hide his feelings, especially if anyone had the audacity to criticise his culinary skills, but they had never seen him like this before. His expression surpassed rage. He was red in the face and gripped his hammer so
tightly, they half-expected the handle to splinter at any moment. He stormed past them, Grubb hurrying to stay on his heels.

  “Well?” asked Hannock. “What happened?”

  Grubb looked up at him in disbelief, “Ain’t it obvious?” he asked. “We were killed! We’re ghosts!”

  “So your plan worked?”

  “O’ course it worked!” exclaimed Grubb. “We wouldn’t be standin’ ‘ere if it ‘adn’t would we?”

  “What about Xarran, did he escape again, or did you manage to defeat him?” asked Harley, eagerly.

  “No, ‘e didn’t get away this time,” sighed Grubb. “We got ‘im.”

  “So he’s dead?” asked Faylore.

  “You’d better ask him,” Grubb suggested, pointing at Lodren.

  Lodren couldn’t bring himself to face his friends, “I know I shouldn’t have,” he said quietly. “After everything he did, he deserved to die. He even said he was coming after us once he’d finished destroying the castle. I don’t know what came over me. I’m so sorry.”

  Faylore put her arm around his shoulders, “It’s alright, Lodren. Any one of us would have done the same, you had a responsibility to kill him if you had the chance.”

  “That’s the thing,” sighed Lodren, “I didn’t! I had him, he was lying on the floor defenceless, but I just couldn’t do it!”

  “You had the chance to end him, yet you let him live!” exclaimed Hannock.

  “Yes!” bellowed Lodren. “And for good reason! We might need him to bargain with!”

  “Well done,” said Faylore. “Do you have any idea of their plans?”

  Lodren looked surprised, “Oh dear,” he replied blushing, “I never thought to ask.”

  “I’m sure Xarran will tell us with a little… persuasion,” said Hannock, raising his sword menacingly. “Where is he?”

  “Fireweigh’s keepin an eye on him, well… a couple of claws to be precise. Which reminds me,” He held up Xarran’s wand, “Anybody want this?”

  “Hang on a minute!” Harley suddenly yelled, “Where are the kings? Where are Tamor and Jared?”

  “Well…” sighed Grubb, “… Tamor’s in the castle takin’ a nap!”

  “What!” replied his friends in unison.

  “Yeah… strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” continued Grubb. “Just after Lodren decided not to squash Xarran’s head, King Tamor appeared from the far end o’ the courtyard. Gave us a right royal roastin’ for disturbin’ ‘im ‘e did. He took one look at all the mess and told us to get it cleaned up by the time ‘e came back or he’d ‘ave us put in the stocks!”

  The companions laughed at the thought of Tamor in a confused temper, but Harley didn’t find it as amusing as the others, “And what about King Jared, where’s he?”

  “He disappeared,” said Hannock quietly.

  “Disappeared?” asked Drake.

  “We were on the ramparts when he suddenly felt dizzy. I reached out to steady him, but he vanished before I could get to him.”

  “Did you see anything else?” asked Emnor with grave concern. “Was there anything unusual?”

  “More unusual than him vanishing into thin air!”

  “Sorry, Hannock. What I meant to ask was, did you see anyone else, Karrak perhaps?”

  Hannock shook his head.

  “We could send out search parties,” suggested Harley. “He can’t be far away.”

  “Search parties?” said Hannock raising an eyebrow. “We have no idea where he might be, he could be a thousand miles away!”

  “We can at least try!” protested Harley.

  “It would be pointless!” argued Hannock. “Even if we searched from dawn ‘til dusk, we’d never cover enough ground.”

  “Unless…” said Lodren, thoughtfully. Reaching inside his tunic, he produced the Thedarian crown, “… We had a few friends who could help us cover more of that ground.”

  “Finding him won’t be the issue, I can do that easily,” laughed Drake. Realising he had suddenly become the centre of attention, he continued, “We’ll use the Tallarans Eye! All we need is a piece of his clothing and it’ll tell us where he is. However, if we locate him, Karrak might have hidden him another way and we may not know when he is.”

  “When he is what?” asked Grubb, seriously.

  “When he is, in time,” replied Drake.

  “In time for what?” asked the confused Vikkery.

  Drake sighed and closed his eyes, “Will someone please explain it to him. I must prepare.”

  Grubb was getting tetchy, “When he’s in time for what?” he exclaimed. “Faylore, what’s he on about?”

  CHAPTER 22

  Jared had appeared in an immense cavern and marvelled at the beauty of his unfamiliar surroundings. Jewels, embedded deep in the walls and roof, danced like a thousand blazing stars as they reflected the firelight from the braziers that surrounded him. The river of lava was also something to behold, and he approached it with interest as he once more glanced up at the fiery gems above.

  “Fascinating aren’t they,” echoed Karrak’s voice. “Dull, lifeless stones, but add a little light and they transform with a magnificence mere words cannot describe.”

  “Is that why you have brought me here, Karrak?” asked Jared, “To show me the pretty lights.”

  “No, Jared, I have brought you here so that you may join me or die,” replied Karrak.

  “Oh, I think you already know that I would never join you, Karrak. However…” Jared said calmly, “… I have no intention of dying either.”

  “There are only two options, Jared. Your survival having not chosen the first will inevitably mean that it will be the second.”

  Jared smiled, “If it were that easy, you would have already tried,” he said, “Now why don’t you face me and reveal your true identity? I know that you appear as my brother, but we both know that he would never have the ability to hold his temper for this long.”

  A shadowy figure drifted from the gloom, Jared could see the light from the Elixian Soul as it throbbed in its chest, “I am here,” it said calmly, the voice no longer holding the familiar tone of his brother. “Does it make a difference now that you see me?”

  Jared stared at the entity before him. There were no features, no eyes, nothing discernible for him to focus on. “Who are you?” he asked.

  “I am the beginning,” it replied. “And I shall be so again.”

  “The beginning?”

  “I have existed since the dawn of this world. From its birth until now, I have watched over it. Once, there was peace and silence, that peace must return.”

  “Is it that it must return, or simply that you yearn for it?” asked Jared.

  “That is none of your concern,” replied the entity, becoming agitated, “You have something that belongs to me, return it and I may provide you with the answers you seek. I may even allow you to leave this place.”

  Jared held on to his staff a little tighter as he glanced at the Heart of Ziniphar. “How do I know that I can trust your word?” he asked, turning his back.

  “You do not,” it replied. “I would have already killed you and taken what is rightfully mine if that were my intention.”

  Jared had noticed that the Elixian Soul was beginning to pulsate quickly and far more brightly than it had before. He laughed again, a new confidence building inside him, “From experience, I know that you have no qualms with murdering any who stand in your way. If I am to take you at your word, you must first prove your sincerity.”

  “You waste my time, Jared Dunbar. You should not test me!” warned the figure, tersely.

  “But you have been here since the beginning of time! Surely a few more moments are as insignificant to you as I am?”

  The entity floated closer, “Very well,” it hissed, “What is it that you want?”.

  “Release my brother!” snapped Jared. “Free him and then we shall discuss your request.”

  “You demand payment for what is mine!?”

&nb
sp; “Perhaps,” replied Jared, nonchalantly, “but I did not steal it as you stole my brother.”

  The entity studied Jared, circling around him as it pondered over his demand. “As you wish, I shall release him, then you must return my belongings to me.”

  “As I said before,” repeated Jared, “we shall discuss it.”

  “I warn you, do not try to trick me. Your own life is not the only one at risk here.”

  “I understand that,” replied Jared.

  “I do not refer to your brother,” said the entity, menacingly. “There is another. Follow me.”

  Jared followed at a sedate pace as his foe drifted ahead. To show concern would be perceived as a sign of weakness and, regardless of who was being held captive, he could not allow that.

  To strike his enemy with its back turned would be the logical choice, but what of the other life of which his enemy spoke? Although presented with such an easy target, Jared knew that he must bide his time. Deliberately slowing his pace even more, he stared at the cavern walls. Who could possibly exist in such a place? Despite its beauty, there would be no comfort to be had from bare rock. The answers to his questions came all at once as he saw it… In the distance, tethered to the ground with magical bindings, lay a golden dragon!

  Jared recalled the descriptions he had been given by Faylore, Lodren and Grubb as they related their story of their time with the dragons, and all became clear.

  As he grew nearer, a rage began to burn inside him. The pitiful sight of such a magnificent creature imprisoned as it was, was almost more than he could bear. He longed to free him, longed to blast his bindings apart but could not allow himself to fall into such an obvious trap. He must be more cunning than that.

  “Ha!” he scoffed, “Is this it? This is the life with which you seek to influence me? A beast?”

  “A beast it may be, but it is also your most powerful ally. A fact you know to be true,” it sneered. “Shall I kill it now?” it asked, menacingly.