by Garry Spoor
“Risa?”
“She’s in Fthak’thun, waiting.”
“No, that can’t be. Risa’s dead.”
“I know,” Kile said. “In this reality, yes, but in Fthak’thun, she still exists.”
Kile left Duncan in the throne room as she exited the hall to where Grim and Vesper were waiting for her.
-So, where are we going now?- the mountain pony asked.
“I don’t know,” Kile answered. “Ravenshadow said the Heart went east, but what’s east?”
-Balaa?-
“Why would they take the Heart to Balaa? It makes no sense.”
-Sense is something you’re going to have to figure out later if you still want to stop them.-
“We’ve been going in the wrong direction for the last four days. We’ve wasted too much time. How can we even hope to catch them now?”
“We have to try,” Duncan said when he exited the hall behind her.
Kile turned to face him. “I’m sorry. I meant to tell you about Risa before. I just… didn’t know how.”
“It’s fine,” he said, forcing himself to smile. “I should have known she was too stubborn to rest in peace. If she’s in Fthak’thun, as you say, she’s trying to help.”
“I don’t know how much help she can give us now,” Kile said. “I think we’re on the verge of losing this race.”
“There is no shame in losing, only in not trying.”
“Somehow, I don’t think clichés are going to help. If only—”
A shooting pain erupted in Kile’s head, dropping her to her knees. The inside of her head was on fire. Every sound, every sight, every smell overwhelmed her. All her senses had suddenly turned against her. Her world was crashing down around her and she was spiraling out of control. The darkness was upon her and in that darkness, she heard the laughter. It grew louder until it was all around her, drowning out every other sound, even the sound of her own screaming.
She was only vaguely aware of Duncan calling her name, but she couldn’t answer him. Even Grim, whose voice had often penetrated the darkness to find her, was drowned out by the laughter, but one voice did get through.
-Get up, child. Control yourself.-
It was loud, louder than the laughter, and the darkness was replaced by a blinding green light.
-Now is not the time to give up, for either of us.-
“I can’t.”
-You damn well can,- he shouted, and everything went silent.
For a moment she felt as if she was nowhere, floating in nothing. Did she actually die this time?
“Kile?”
So much for eternal sleep, she thought as she slowly opened her eyes. She was shaking, sweating, and her head still throbbed, but at least she could focus.
“Kile, you all right?” Duncan knelt down over her.
All right might be too optimistic at this point, she thought. Functioning was probably closer to the mark. She looked up at him, and he stumbled back, falling to the floor.
“What?” she asked, pushing herself off the ground. She had the taste of salt in her mouth, and her legs trembled when she tried to get to her feet. Duncan was still staring at her from the floor.
“What?” she asked again.
“Your eyes. They’re… green,” he stammered.
“My eyes have always been green,” she said, making her way to Grim. Digging through her pack, she found her canteen and tried to wash the taste out of her mouth.
-It’s him again, isn’t it?- Grim asked.
“What are you talking about?”
-Umingoth.-
“What?”
-Show her, furball.-
Vesper sat on Grim’s head and she saw what the yarrow saw. Her eyes weren’t merely green, they were two glowing emerald orbs. It had happened once before when she connected with the drake, but it had only lasted for a moment or two. This seemed more permanent.
“They look better than yellow,” she commented.
-Never trust a dragon,- Grim said.
“What’s going on here?” Duncan asked.
“The Maligar is free.”
“Are you sure?”
“I felt it. They released it somewhere east of here.”
“How far?”
“Far enough. I think it might be somewhere in the Shia Province.”
“Why there?”
“I don’t know,” Kile answered. She feared it had something to do with Riverport, but why would they attack her hometown? Were they trying to get back at her in some way? Even though her brother still lived there, it wasn’t like she had any connections to the place. It had to be something more, something bigger. She was just missing the pieces.
“So, next stop, Shia Province,” Duncan said, grabbing the reins of his light bay mare. The horse seemed nervous, but he managed to calm her down.
“We can’t,” Kile said. “It will only get worse the closer we get.”
“What are you talking about? What will get worse?”
“The corruptions, the disease, the madness, whatever you want to call it. The Maligar is infecting the natural world, turning it against itself as well as anything that stands in its way. It’s already affecting Linthoria, and we’re leagues away from it.”
“It doesn’t seem to be affecting Grim.”
“Probably not,” Kile said. “He and Vesper have been with me for a long time. Just as I take a part of them when I connect, they take a part of me. It’s possible they have more resistance against the Maligar, but I don’t know how much and I don’t want to find out.”
“So, how do we get there?”
“There may be someone who can help.” Kile pulled herself onto Grim’s back. “You remember where the stone city is?” she asked the mountain pony.
-I don’t like where this is going,- he said.
~~~***~~~
Kile wasn’t surprised to see the old stone city had not been spared the onslaught of the Terrabin Hunters. It was razed to the ground. If she thought they had done a thorough job on Burmstone, it was nothing compared to what they did here. There was nothing left, not a single building remained standing.
As they made their way through the deserted streets, Kile couldn’t help but think how pointless it all was. Thousands of valrik made this their home. Now there were none left to defend it. Their bodies dragged to the center of the city and left for the carrion birds. There were those who called the valrik savages. Would they think differently, if they saw this?
Duncan rode quietly alongside her, and although the Alva said nothing, his silence spoke volumes. He originally told her the Veller Hunters would not interfere with the activities of Terrabin Hunters, that they would go on as they were always meant to. Now, seeing the look on his face, Kile wondered if the reality of the wastelands changed his mind. How could the Veller Hunters not clash with the Terrabin Hunters? Their ideologies were so different.
It wasn’t until they passed through the city and were within sight of the mine entrances, Kile spotted something she had not seen among the rest of the carnage. A vir dressed in the green uniform of a Terrabin Hunter. He seemed so out of place, sitting up against the remains of a stone wall, she wondered if he was waiting for someone or simply dead. Turning Grim toward him, she wanted to take a closer look. The Hunter gave no sign he noticed them, and it wasn’t until the mountain pony snorted at him, that he moved. He fell facefirst into the dirt.
Duncan quickly dismounted and knelt beside the fallen vir. Lifting the man’s arm gently, he let it fall back to the ground.
“He’s dead,” the Alva said, overstating the obvious. It was clear there was no life left in the body. “Whatever threw him against that wall did it with such force that he’s… well… he’s powder.”
“And you don’t find this a little odd?” Kile asked.
“Why should I? You’ve seen what they’ve done to this place. It looks as if the valrik didn’t give up without a fight.”
“Well, I doubt if it was a valrik that di
d that to him, but that’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“Simply, him being here. I assumed the Hunters took their wounded and dead with them when they left. Why leave him behind? We haven’t seen any others.”
-I wouldn’t say that,- Grim said, nodding his head toward the mine entrance. -Looks like there’s another one right over there.-
The second Hunter was difficult to see from where Kile sat. It was probably because he’d been stomped into the ground. It wasn’t until Grim got closer that she saw his remains. The whole body was flattened and lay nearly twelve inches below the surface in an indention that resembled a large footprint. There was no doubt in her mind who was responsible for the death of both these Hunters.
“Come on,” Kile said, urging Grim forward. “I don’t think these will be the only ones we find.”
Sure enough, before they reached the mine entrances, they passed seven more bodies or at least seven they could identify. There were a few piles of blackened ashes scattered around that could have easily been the remains of a few more.
-Seems the vir aren’t as indestructible as they want to believe,- Grim said, carelessly walking through one of the ash piles, even though Kile tried to steer him around it.
“You know what did this?” Duncan asked.
“I’m afraid so,” she said. “They should have let him be, but I guess the draw of the last class A open script was even too much for the Terrabin Hunters to pass up.”
Dismounting, she stood before the mine entrances.
“Stay here with the horses,” she told Duncan. “I think it would be best if I speak with him alone.”
She didn’t wait to hear his protest and simply walked into the cave. The tunnels were cold and dark, but not too dark for her newly acquired vision. The green hue of her eyes carried over to her sight, and everything appeared bathed with a soft green light. It made traveling the twists and turns of the old mine easier.
When she reached Umingoth’s outer nursery, she was finally able to realize the full devastation brought by Ravenshadow on the dragon. The first time she witnessed the destruction when it was lit by a single lantern didn’t do it justice. Now, with the dragon’s vision, she could clearly see everything. It wasn’t a single clutch of eggs the Uhyre smashed, but thousands of them. The shattered remains of the shells were scattered throughout the cavern. An entire species wiped out in a single act. Now, there was only one egg left, and it was in the care of Sugorim until the time of dragon’s death, when Kile would become its mother.
Passing through the only other exit, she entered Umingoth’s lair, where she found him in the darkest corner, surrounded by the remains of the Terrabin Hunters. It would appear none of them made it back home, and although the dragon survived his encounter, he did not come out of it unscathed.
-So, you have returned, Orceen,- he whispered. His voice was not nearly as loud or as powerful as it had once been. As much as Kile didn’t want to believe it, Umingoth was dying.
The dragon laughed. -Do you mourn for me, child? To think a vir, even an Orceen, would mourn the death of one of my kind.-
“What happened here?” she asked, although the answer was obvious.
-It is a story not worth the telling. Let us say they came, and they died,- he said casually, shifting his weight. She could feel his pain.
-I must be getting slow in my old age. It should not have been that hard.-
“They were Terrabin Hunters,” she explained.
Umingoth cocked his head to one side as he looked at her and grinned. -Were they now? Strange. They didn’t taste any different.-
“You’re hurt.”
-There is nothing you can do for me now. It’s as I said before. A dragon knows when they are going to die. They might not know the hour or the means of their death, but they know when it is coming. They can smell it in the air, feel it in their bones. My time is close, this I know. Do you remember our agreement?-
“I do.”
-When I am gone, and the seasons have changed, my eggs… my egg will hatch, and she will be the last of my kind here on your world. None of my kin are left, not in your reality. There is no one who can come for her, no one who can raise her. It is up to you, Kile Veller.-
“I understand.”
-Good,- the dragon said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
-Then let’s get the hell out of here.-
“What?”
-You need to destroy the abomination that is, at this very moment, growing in the east. The vir cannot keep it contained for long, and I cannot have the last of my kind growing up in a world that is void of life.-
Umingoth slowly drew himself up to his full height.
-You cannot make it there without me. The closer you get to it, the more it will affect you. Already, nature is turning against itself.-
“But you’re hurt.”
-Yes, yes, and I am dying too, and I will be dead whether I leave this hole or not. Think about it, Orceen, what better way to go out, than in a blaze of glory. Let the world see they have not driven my kind from this reality yet.-
Umingoth turned and, gripping the wall, climbed up the side of the cavern toward the exit that only he knew about. Kile quickly ran back through the twists and turns of the tunnels until she reached the exit. Duncan leaped to his feet and drew his sword when she came running out.
“What is it, what happened?” he asked.
“Stay back, stay behind me,” she told him, running out onto the flats.
Umingoth came in low around the side of the mountain, passing over them once as he circled the stone city. Kile shielded her eyes from the sandstorm his wings created. If he was near death a moment ago, he did not look it now. This was a dragon of the old stories. This was a dragon of legend. He landed with a certain amount of grace on the plains of the wastelands.
“So, he still lives,” Duncan said, carefully approaching.
Kile quickly stepped between them. “Aaron Duncan, I wish you to meet Umingoth, the drake of the flatlands and the last of the class A open scripts. Umingoth. This is Certified Level One Hunter, Aaron Duncan, Guild Master of the new Veller Hunters.”
She still hated that name.
Umingoth eyed Duncan suspiciously and lowered his head to examine him more closely. Kile was afraid the dragon was going to eat the Hunter in one bite. It wouldn’t have been the first time he had done it.
“I remember you, Alva. You traveled by the name of… Leafler, yes, I do remember you,” Umingoth said with a malicious smile.
It did not look promising.
“Your friend here tried to kill me once. It might have been twice, although you looked much different back then, Alva.”
“Kile, what is the meaning of this?” Duncan asked.
“Umingoth has agreed to take me to the Maligar.”
“Are you insane?”
“Probably, but I trust him.”
“Trust him? It’s a dragon—you can’t trust a dragon.”
“There is no time for this, Duncan. I need to get to the Maligar and try to end this now before it goes too far.”
“But, Kile—”
“Enough. I will go with Umingoth. We will find the Maligar and stop this, I hope. You must go to Wooddale. Rally the Hunters. They’ll be needed in the Shia Province.”
“You’re right, of course,” Duncan said. “Just be careful.”
“Why start now?” Kile asked.
She approached Grim, who was eyeing the dragon suspiciously. When she got closer, Vesper leaped from the mountain pony’s head to Kile’s shoulder, but she carefully removed him and placed him back on Grim’s head.
-Go with Kile?- he asked.
“Not this time, Vesper,” she told the yarrow. “It’s will be too dangerous. The Maligar, it’s poisoning nature, and I don’t want you caught up in it. Grim, I need you to come by the long road again. I’m not sure how this is going to turn out, but I’ll try to meet you.”
-We will find you, Kile. Do not worry about us,- Grim said.
She wished she didn’t have to leave them behind. “Keep each other safe, okay?” She wrapped her arms around the pony’s nose. “I love you both. You’re the only family I have.”
-Oh, lay off the mushy stuff, will ya? Go kick this thing’s ass so we can get back to doing nothing.-
Stepping back, she wiped her eye on the sleeve of her shirt and smiled. “Always the charmer, aren’t you?”
-Come on, Orceen. I won’t be alive much longer,- Umingoth shouted in her head. If anything, the dragon sounded as if he was regaining his strength.
Kile turned to Duncan. “Take care. If I don’t see you again…”
“You’ll see me again,” he assured her.
She forced a smile. “Then can you at least tell Erin I’m sorry I tried to ditch her?”
“I think she’ll understand.”
“And let Alex know I’m sorry I never had the chance to tell him how I made it off the island. I did kind of tell Daniel, so he’ll find out eventually, and I’m sure his version will be much more entertaining than mine, and make sure he gets back to Emara.”
“Of course I will.”
“Oh, and one more thing. If you happen to see Master Boraro, stab him for me—six or seven times should do it. I was going to put a bounty of fish on his head and send a few bears after him, but I didn’t want to make trouble for the bears.”
“Consider it done.”
“Then I’m off,” Kile said as she walked toward the dragon, who waited impatiently for her. Climbing up on his outstretched leg, she made her way onto his back.
-Are we ready now?- he asked.
“I think so,” Kile said after settling in.
Umingoth stretched out his massive wings.
“Oh yeah, one more thing,” Kile called out. “Change the name of the Hunters.”
“To what?” Duncan asked.
“I don’t know. Anything is better than Veller.”
“How about the—”
But she never heard what he said. Umingoth, the drake of the flatlands, the last of the class A open scripts, took to the air, one final time.
