by C. M. Gray
The caravan departed, and the crew mounted The Griffin and took to the skies. As they flew, Loras sat last in line, holding tight onto Pardigan and was quickly oblivious to anything happening around him. He sat deep in thought, muttering from time to time, trying to analyse how he had opened the rift on the battlefield and what he must have focused upon. He was desperate to search the markets and shops in Sterling to purchase more books. There wouldn't be a map of the demon realm, but there would be small bits of information that he should be able to piece together. It would take a little time, but he was sure he could do it.
Tarent sat at the front, guiding The Griffin towards the distant coast, his headscarf wrapped firmly about his face, gazing through a narrow slit towards the distant blue line of the coast.
Inside his cloak, Mahra was curled up as a cat, warm and fast asleep, and Pardigan was sitting in between Tarent and Loras, still sulking, still furious that he couldn't go into the demon realm and find his friend.
The deep desert so loved by the Dhurbar was a vast featureless place, especially when viewed from over a thousand spans high through bleary, wind-whipped eyes. It was cold this high, but the chill was a welcome change from the desert heat they had endured for so many days. They were used to flying and after a short time were all within their own little worlds of thoughts and dreams, only vaguely aware of the desert slipping away beneath them. Which was why they were all so alarmed when a great red dragon swooped down barely missing them, its claws brushing against Pardigan's shoulder as it passed, screeching insanely and belching out a great wash of fire.
* * *
Chapter 29
The Nature of Dragons
The Griffin drew back in alarm and let out her own cry of anger as the red beast flashed past and dropped below them. Tarent fought for control while the others clung on as best they could and cast about trying to see where the dragon had gone.
'Where is it?' Pardigan leaned out to the side and Loras gave a cry as he started to slide from The Griffin's back.
'Pardigan, sit still!'
'Well, where is it? I don't see it any…'
Tarent pointed low to their left. 'Down there, look… that's the Hawk on its back. They're coming around again.'
Down far below, the great red dragon was soaring close to the sand, searching for a warm updraft to give it lift. Every once in a while it would flap its huge leathery wings and sure enough, it was rising quite quickly.
'I think they'll come in from above us again,' shouted Tarent over the rush of the wind. He coaxed The Griffin around towards the coast again, and she flew on, her head turning as she eyed the dragon suspiciously. It wasn't long before the dragon was higher than they were, rising effortlessly through the warm air. 'We're still a long way from the coast. Loras, can you do anything?'
Loras leaned forward and shouted so Tarent could hear. 'I'll try, but I'm not sure my magic will work. I read somewhere that dragons are immune to magic. Just keep going and we'll just have to deal with it if and when we can.'
The dragon passed high above them. They could see the tiny figure of Matheus Hawk perched on its back. The Magician was guiding his dragon, turning it down into a dive to attack The Griffin once again. Tarent searched the ground for somewhere to land - this was no sky battle that they could win. He needed somewhere that they could make a stand, some rocks or trees, a cave… but he quickly gave up because there was nothing below them but sand.
'Here it comes!' shouted Pardigan as the dragon dived, a screeching roar filling the air as it fell through the sky towards them, mouth gaping and fire blooming as it closed.
'It's going to hit us!' Loras produced a ball of blue energy and hurled it at the beast, and it swerved aside, just at the last moment. It flashed past, all red scales and sharp claws, the wash of its passing almost unseating them again, rocking The Griffin, forcing them all to cling on, desperate not to fall. As it dived away, the Hawk tossed a red ball of Chaos energy up towards them, but with a wave of his hand, Loras swatted it away. They watched as below them, the dragon seemed to shake itself then it did something strange, it rolled, and they all heard the Hawk scream then shout insults at the dragon. They could see him tugging on the reins leading back from the dragon's great head, pulling them from side to side as he fought for control. The two seemed to have an unhappy relationship, but after a few moments the Hawk appeared to be back in charge, and the dragon stopped trying to shake him off. They could see it searching again for another rising current of warm air.
'What, by the Source, are they doing?' Tarent turned The Griffin in a lazy circle so they could study their adversary. As the dragon rose and came closer, they heard the Hawk screaming insanely in a shrill panicked voice.
'Obey me dragon… I am your master, you will not unseat me, you will obey, you…' The dragon suddenly folded its wings and plummeted through the air. The sound of the Hawk screaming in terror drifted across to them, 'Aaaaaghhhhhh… Nooooooo!' The crew watched in amazement as just above the desert the dragon unfurled its wings with a snap, and they abruptly stopped falling and soared over the sand dunes once again. Catching a rising current of air they began to gain height.
'That is one unhappy partnership,' said Tarent. He pulled The Griffin back on course, but they all kept their eyes on the dragon as it continued to gain height. The next time it dived they were watching more with interest rather than apprehension. It spun towards them, turning round and around with its rider shrieking long and loud.
'It's definitely trying to get rid of the Hawk,' shouted Pardigan, 'look at his face.' The spinning dragon passed them. There was no attack; it didn't even attempt to come close.
'Go down after it Tarent,' shouted Loras. 'There's more to this than just trying to attack us.'
The Griffin descended, circling gently, soon catching up to the dragon and the sickly looking features of Matheus Hawk as he sat hunched forward on the dragon's back. The dragon was again searching for an air current and showed no concern as The Griffin flew alongside, the crew studying the dragon and its rider. While the dragon ignored them, its rider stared back, his face a terrible mask of contorted loathing. With obvious effort, the Hawk sat back upright, rigid in the saddle and said nothing, just stared at his hated enemies.
They could see he was well strapped in, there was no way the dragon was going to shake him loose. He looked white and sick, but once again, determined. With a flick of his wrist, the Hawk summoned a ball of Chaos energy and tossed it towards them, but it was a half-hearted effort at best and fell away to the desert below before it got half way to them. Pardigan laughed out loud, and Loras sent a small ball of Order energy back. As it dipped below the Hawk they saw him smile, but then the smile vanished as he realised the ball wasn't aimed at him, but the strap holding his saddle onto the dragon's back. They watched as his mouth opened with an 'Oooohhhhhhh' and he slowly slid sideways, clutching desperately at the dragon as the saddle, with him strapped into it, parted company with the dragon's back. The dragon flew free while the Hawk simply fell heavily, landing some twenty spans below them in a rolling cloud of sand.
* * *
It was intensely dark, but slowly his eyes were beginning to adjust. It also stank, really badly, but so far his nose wasn't adjusting at all, it still stank as bad as when he had first arrived. The shelf of rock that he had found to hide on was about three spans from the cavern floor. Below him, the snuffling, wet-tearing sounds of the demons feeding upon the Emperor, Djinn Tsai's, body had become less, and he figured there was only one or two of them there now. The others must have slunk off in search of their next meal somewhere else. Beside him, Nhasic shifted, the little demon's eyes glowing dully as it glanced over the edge at the bigger demons below and let out a little whine of fear. 'Shhh.' Quint stroked the little demon's fur and tried to still his own beating heart.
Water, or something that sounded like water, was dripping nearby. In Quint's mind it was water dripping into a cool pool, he swallowed and licked his lips at the th
ought; he was thirsty. He hoped it was water and that the demons below would leave soon so he could go and find out, while they remained he wasn't going anywhere.
A warm breeze wafted around the cavern, carrying with it the heavy, pungent mixture of smells that he was already coming to loathe. Covering his mouth and nose in the fold of his arm, he willed himself to remain still and silent. He knew his friends would come looking for him, but until they did he had to survive in this terrifying place and that meant keeping quiet and avoiding the many demons that were prowling about.
A scraping noise sounded from below… close, and his attention snapped back, fear tightening his stomach. He carefully edged forward and glanced over the lip of his hideaway, the demon that was climbing up towards him took one look and burst upwards in a ferocious growling shadow of fury. Sharp talons slashed out, and Quint felt it miss his face as he drew back, but rip across the skin of his upper arm. The demon was suddenly on the ledge, hissing – hot, fetid breath washing over him. The evil looking creature moved in and snapped its head forward to bite, its sharp teeth very visible in the dim luminous confines of the cavern. As it sprang forward, Quint's hand stabbed up under the demon's jaw, the knife he had been clutching seeking the soft spot, tearing through thick heavy skin then forcing through and up into the creature's brain as it twisted and twitched like a fish on a hook, hot black blood splashed all over his arm. Watching the light go dim in the creature's eyes, he felt it shudder, claws skittering on the rock face before it stilled, dead. It wasn't a big one, thank the Source, but big enough. He let it fall away and heard it land with a dull lifeless thud onto the cavern floor. Silently, Quint tried to still the tremors of disgust and fear that threatened to overcome him as he wiped his hand and arm on the rocks attempting to cleanse them of blood, and listened, trying to keep his breathing low and controlled. Nothing else seemed to be climbing up for him, and there didn't seem to be anything running in to eat the dead body. He slid over the side and clambered down the sticky rock face as fast as he could, hating the feeling of his legs being exposed as he descended, almost expecting to hear a roar and the feel of a demon dragging him down, but nothing did.
He stood for a moment, panting, his heart beating loudly in his ears and strained to hear anything approaching, but the only sounds to reach him were the steady 'drip, drip' of the falling liquid coming from a small tunnel and the sounds of creatures prowling in the distance coming from two larger tunnels to either side of the cavern. With no demons close, he took a deep breath, regretted it immediately as the smells assaulted his senses and trying not to vomit, he moved off.
He entered the smaller tunnel in search of the water with Nhasic skittering along at his side and strained his senses, trying to hear and feel the approach of any possible danger. The air in the tunnel was hot and vile enough to make him retch finally, but there was nothing in his stomach to come up, so he just spent a moment coughing and spitting uselessly. 'Oh Source,' he whispered. He had to find water, he had to eat, and he had to get out of this awful place.
Nhasic came up to watch him. 'Come on little friend,' he whispered as the little demon stared up at him. He was incredibly grateful for Nhasic's company, and although they weren't exactly friends, they appeared at least united by their common interest of survival. He realised that it couldn't be easy being Nhasic's size in the demon realm, everything must think of him as food. 'Show me where to go. You know where you are better than me.'
Nhasic glanced behind them towards the cavern, and then quickly moved on further down the tunnel, chattering softly but urgently in reply to Quint's words. Quint had no idea what Nhasic was saying, but he sighed and hoped it meant there was food, water and somewhere safe to rest ahead. He began muttering softly to himself as he staggered on, desperate and terribly scared. 'Come and find me Loras, I know you can do it and I know you're trying.' He stumbled on. 'You have to be looking for me, I know you are, I know you are.' He bumped the side of the tunnel and clutched at his arm, feeling the stickiness of fresh blood and the sharp pain as he touched the deep cut the demon's claws had made. Two cuts, one above the other. Stopping a moment, he leaned against the rock and tore a piece of cloth from the sleeve of his thin jerkin. Wrapping it around his arm he tied it and hoped it would be enough to stop the flow. From further along the tunnel, Nhasic ran back several paces and chattered impatiently, probably telling me to hurry up thought Quint, so he stumbled on, his knife held out, sweeping the path in front of him in the gloom.
As the two shapes moved off down the tunnel, three small demons, much the same size as Quint, slipped in and followed. They had seen the other demon fall and watched the human climb down, but at the time had been content just to watch and see what the human did. They pushed each other on. Being smaller they were scavengers and certainly weren't the bravest of demons. However, they were quickly coming to the conclusion that the two ahead seemed to be easy enough prey and one, they knew, was wounded, they could smell the sweetness of blood in the air leaving a trail that made their mouths drip steadily with thick saliva. They were gathering their courage, following as closely as they dared. Almost ready to run in and tear the two apart, almost. They knew it had to be done soon before any other demon chanced upon them… these were easy prey.
The leader of the three came to where Quint had dressed his wound. It sniffed and pushed its muzzle to the floor, a long thin tongue slipped out to lick at two fallen drops of human blood. Eyes widening as the taste registered on the demon's senses, it leapt up and dashed forward ahead of his companions, eager to close and gorge on human flesh, there was no need for caution, this meat was human, humans were weak, it would be his.
* * *
Matheus Hawk was a mess, and he knew it. He gazed up into the faces of the three young people who stood over him and shuddered. It had all come to nothing, why was it always he that failed, he that ended grovelling in the sand. A movement drew his attention to the side, and he looked on incredulous as the small Magician stroked the nose of the great red dragon, his red dragon, without the dragon breathing fire into his face. Anger flared through him, but as he tried to move his arms the anger fell away, instantly replaced by pain as his broken body refused to move and tears of defeat and frustration ran down his cheeks.
'Loras will heal you, just enough so we can get you back to Sterling.' Tarent nodded to Loras who walked over and placed a hand upon Matheus shoulder. The Hawk winced as several bones snapped back into place and closed his eyes as the pain consumed him before ebbing away. Loras stopped and stood back long enough for Tarent to wrap a rope around the hunter, binding his arms to his side. Together with Pardigan they managed to sling Matheus over The Griffin's back, tying him down like a travelling pack so the hunter couldn't move. He turned his head ready to swear his vengeance upon them, when Loras waved a hand and a gag of air covered the hunter's mouth, silencing him. Then Tarent and Pardigan clambered on, and The Griffin leaped up into the air.
Loras and Mahra watched them go then turned to look at the dragon. It eyed them, then snorted a puff of smoke from one scaly nostril and shook its head.
Mahra eyed it back, suspiciously. 'Have you spoken to it Loras?'
Loras reached out and gently stroked the dragon's ear. It was hot, the scales of its hide hard and sharp beneath his fingers. 'Not really spoken to it no, not really… but we can sort of communicate with each other. I know it's very young, and if it were a dog it would be a puppy. I don't think it liked the Hawk very much. I think it's been trying to get him off its back for some time. I also get the impression, because that's what I get pictures or impressions that it had a sort of friend, which it lost, I think it means Nhasic, but I'm not sure. I just get the impression of a very small friend.' The dragon nudged him with its head again, one huge, yellow eye gazing up at him. 'It's going to take us to Sterling, and then it's going to try and find more of its kind. I told it to fly north, to the mountains because I think that's where the Hawk found it.'
They climbed gently up on
to the dragon's back, and it quickly rose up as soon as they were on. They had to hang on, grabbing hold of the spikes on its back to stay seated as it skittered up to the top of a dune like a huge lizard. At the top, it didn't stop, but leapt, its wings snapping out to catch the rising air current and they soared up into the deep blue sky.
In Sterling Port they reunited with Tarent and Pardigan and after handing Matheus Hawk over to the King's guard, they replaced the skulls in Sterling Temple and settled down in the cabin of The Griffin to plan their next move. Loras had already been into the market and bookstores of Sterling and had bought a collection of books and scrolls pertaining to everything they could find about demons and where they dwelt. When Magician Falk arrived he eagerly joined him, and they were soon drawing a map of the demon realm. It was days before they decided to open their first rift. Pardigan and Tarent were standing eagerly by, weapons drawn in case they could leap in and save their friend. But there was nothing in the first, and then rift after rift showed nothing but blackness and demons - there was no sign of Quint.
'I'm going to find him,' Loras repeated after every failed attempt, but firstly weeks and then months went by with no sign of success.
Pardigan and Mahra eventually returned to Bedlam and searched for the three children who had helped them cross into Mayhem. They found them in the same drain with Nipper still singing his song. The children were almost overcome with excitement that their friends had come back, and it didn't take a lot of persuasion to get them up onto The Griffin for a ride back to The Esmerelda where they met with their new, if not slightly reluctant guardian.
