Caia. That city is ruined and annihilated.
Which is why we need to drag Ragnor there, away from here.
It might just work!
Eric snapped his fingers, but the idea came to him incomplete. He knew that if they got Ragnor to return to Caia, it wouldn’t spend its time destroying Mathos. But how would they get it there? How would they get it to stay there? And what could he and Yeva do?
“Yes?” Yeva asked, wondering when Eric would speak.
“Caia’s already ruined, right?” Eric said. “So why not make it even more ruined? No one could possibly still be alive in that city after what Ragnor did. So what if we entice Ragnor to come down? And then Zelda can fight the beast? And then we can provide supportive attacks?”
Eric had some level of consternation giving the major to task to Zelda, but not as much had Zelda not requested to take on the challenge of Ragnor on her own. The idea of putting the essence of battle on the shoulders of one person felt unfair, yet still necessary.
“And we can support you, Zelda, however we can,” Yeva said. “Fight its summoned dragons or just distract it. I think it could work. You’ve got all the crystals. I’m a strong mage, but nothing compared to you.”
“Yeah,” Zelda said, finally lifting her head and making eye contact. She seemed confident in her fighting skills, if not in what would follow. “Yeah, I think that can work.”
“I know dragons well, so I can help plan our attack,” Eric said. “Although the way you two handled Ragnor and his army, I don’t think you needed much help.”
Yeva rolled her eyes.
“Yes, because when you’re next to a goddess, you need so much help.”
Eric laughed, although he cut his laugh short when he saw that Zelda didn’t take the joke so well.
“So how are we going to do that, then?” Yeva asked. “I agree the heat of the battle will have us supporting Zelda. But how are we going to spring a trap for Ragnor?”
Back to square one. The question that keeps tripping us up.
He couldn’t come up with anything that would attract Ragnor. The crystals of the other dragons, perhaps, but Ragnor hadn’t gone for Zelda because of her possession of Indica’s essence. Nor had it gone for Bahamut’s corpse. Either Ragnor couldn’t use the essences, or they repelled it somehow.
It wasn’t like they could draw in the dragon with food. Eric didn’t imagine something supernatural needed something as natural as nutrition. A preemptive attack might set the terms, but…
A preemptive attack.
Someone goes into the southern lands, taunts Ragnor before it can come out, and then hightails it back to Caia where the other two are waiting. Ragnor’s a monster, but an easily manipulated monster. Someone can trigger the fool’s arrogance.
And by someone…
“I have an idea,” Eric said. “You’re not going to like it, though.”
Yeva waited patiently, though her eyes fluttered nervously.
“We’re going to set camp in Caia, the three of us with our dragons. Zelda can summon some supporting dragons if she would like, but that’s up to your abilities and energy. From there, someone is going to fly to the southern lands, taunt Ragnor, and as soon as they get its attention and anger, they’re going to fly back to Caia where the other two will join the battle.”
The silence that followed left Eric quite nervous that the girls thought his plan insane.
“And you think that’ll work?” Yeva said, her voice shaky. She knows who’s going to Ragnor. And she doesn’t want them to die.
“Actually, yes,” Zelda said. “Ragnor’s pride can easily be shaken. It’s something I saw with Chrystos and Iblis. The latter has a level of arrogance that it hates being taunted. We saw what happened to Ragnor just when we did some damage. Imagine the fury we can invoke by talking to it.”
Eric beamed with pride. He had come up with a pretty solid solution. Of course, it might lead to someone’s death, but everything that he could come up with might lead to someone’s death. No plan guaranteed their lives.
“So who’s going to go?” Zelda asked.
“I am.”
Both girls turned their eyes to Eric. Feeling buoyed by his self-granted role, Eric sat up a little straighter in his chair.
“Zelda, you are way too powerful to risk yourself as bait on a mission like this,” Eric said. “And Yeva, with all respect, you’re not someone who knows how to taunt people.”
“And you are?”
Eric shrugged.
“I’ve spent just under half my life around Tyus and other dragon hunters whom I dislike. I think I know a thing or two about taunting my enemies.”
Yeva could only shake her head. She knew the truth. And Eric knew there was no other alternative.
“You might want to increase the volume on my voice before we go,” Eric said to Zelda. “Make sure I can humiliate him in front of his entire forces.”
“Oh, that sounds horrible, I like it,” Yeva said with a laugh. Sounds like a defensive laugh, though.
The spirit in the room felt much better than it had minutes ago. Eric imagined many of the lines he might deliver to Ragnor and laughed at a few. He made sure to store them for when the occasion finally came.
“So when should we go?” Zelda asked, her morale not quite as high as the other two.
But she already knew the answer. So did Eric. So did Yeva.
“Tomorrow at dawn,” Eric said. “Or once we wake up. If Ragnor is recovering, we don’t want to wait to fight it on his terms. We need to fight on our terms. We’re healthy. You’re as powerful as you’re going to get. We have dragons. We’ll fly to Caia, find a place to lay low, decide if you need to summon more dragons, and then once we’re set, I’ll fly. When you hear Ragnor, that’s when you know it’s time to do battle. And you know you’ll hear Ragnor.”
“Indeed,” Yeva said in awe.
It all sounded so certain and so simple. Eric couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought of some flaw in the plan.
What if Ragnor didn’t respond to his taunts? Unlikely. He could goad the beast. And if Ragnor responded, it would respond with all its fury.
What if Ragnor didn’t engage the three dragon riders? That seemed unlikely too, for if Ragnor defeated them, nothing would stand in its way.
What if Ragnor, as a means of drawing the humans away, went for Mathos?
… I have no answer for that. We’ll have to pray to Chrystos that this works. I suppose no plan is perfect.
“Then it’s settled,” Eric said. “I’m staying here tonight. The two of you can take Abe’s old room. I’ve got my loft upstairs.”
Eric stood and tucked his chair under the table. The girls, however, did not move.
“And you want to go to bed already?” Yeva said. “How can you sleep at a time like this? I have so much energy, so much nerves, so much fear. I do not think I’ll fall asleep tonight.”
“Then just pretend that the battle with Ragnor doesn’t happen until, say, a week from now,” Eric said, but he knew his advice wouldn’t work at all. He’d established what would happen, and no amount of mental tricks would work, even for a magi.
Yeva tilted her head to the side and gave an exasperated look. Eric, looking for the best response to ease her tension, just laughed. Even Zelda laughed a little, although she bowed her head shortly after. I’ll have to keep an eye on her. Stress of war is really getting to her.
And there’s not really much I can do. I can’t relate. All I can do is try and make things as normal for her as possible.
If that’s even possible.
“Do we need to discuss anything else before we head for bed?” Eric said.
Neither girl said a word. Neither girl looked like they even had a thought forming. Both looked at peace with what would come. Or they’re just exhausted.
Eric found solace in what would come too. Everything that he could control, he felt he had accounted for. Everything that he could not control, he left up to the dec
isions of the gods. Whatever happened, happened. He could think of no better plan that didn’t risk their greatest asset—Zelda and her control of the three essences—to save the world.
Save the world. I just started wanting to know my parents’ killer. I didn’t really ask for this either.
But I guess we don’t get to pick what tasks we have. We ask for an inch, and the gods give us a mile. If that’s how life goes, so be it. We’ll walk that whole mile, even if we trip along the way.
“I’m going upstairs,” Eric said. “Don’t make too much noise talking. I do need to rest at some point.”
Yeva rolled her eyes jokingly. Zelda smiled and gently grabbed Yeva’s arm, pulling her into Abe’s old room.
For the first time since he’d entered the house, though, it hit him that Abe would never return. He hadn’t processed Abe’s death yet, not with everything that had gone on and the need to plan.
But now that he had about twelve hours of peace, twelve hours to sleep, twelve hours to enjoy his last moments of normalcy and calm, he felt an overwhelming sadness and grief.
Perhaps he had never known his father, Auron, even if he had played a major role in keeping his family alive as long as he had. Perhaps Auron was as responsible as anyone for putting Eric in his current spot.
But Abe played the role of father figure in his life for so long that if anyone got the title of “father,” Abe did. Abe had taught him the basic life lessons of responsibility, respect, and devotion to a job. Abe had scolded him when he’d failed, supported him when he needed a lift, and celebrated with him when he succeeded. But most of all, Abe had stood by his side from the day Eric learned his parents had died to the day Eric killed his family’s murderer.
And now he was gone.
And Eric had not yet finished his greatest dragon hunt.
How would Abe feel about their plan? Would it work? Would he scold him for being too bold, or would he slap him on the shoulder and wish him luck?
Then Eric remembered, weirdly, how he had already done something similar to this.
In his last hunt before departing for Caia, he had gone to a dragon’s cave to collect blood. An audible slip had awoken the dragon, and he had to hurry back to the guild where he got support before finishing off the beast.
Granted, he had not gone into the cave with the intent of taunting the dragon. And he had not relied on a magi to kill the dragon. But the parallels of distracting a dragon and bringing it back to his reinforcements definitely struck Eric. He’d done this once before. Nothing would prevent him from doing it again.
Perhaps Abe would approve after all. Perhaps Abe would say that having defeated Artemia meant he’d already accomplished his greatest goal, though a man as prone to preaching and philosophizing as Abe was probably wouldn’t have said that upon seeing Ragnor.
He had a feeling, though, that Abe would feel proud of him all the same.
Once the two girls had shut the door to Abe’s room, Eric let out a long sigh as he leaned on his chair.
“Well, Abe. And Mom and Dad. And Rey. I sure hope this plan works.”
He waited for a second, and then laughed. He couldn’t speak to the dead. Maybe magi could, but not him.
And yet he couldn’t help but think that if he could speak to the dead, his family—whom he considered Abe a part of by action, if not by blood—would say the plan had a chance.
He went upstairs to his loft, ducking his head as he crawled on the bed. Just as he had last time, he relished every sensation that the bed provided him. The comforting mattress, soft and conforming. The pillow which allowed his head to feel like it lay upon the clouds. The pure air from the window just on the other side, allowing the gentle winds but not the precipitation that would sometimes follow.
Depending on when he went to bed, he might sometimes hear the gentle, amiable chatter of his neighbors, but that did not come on this night.
No matter. Tonight, he would simply sleep as best as he could. He wouldn’t listen to conversation.
After an hour of coming no closer to sleep, he began to see that Yeva had a point.
His mind kept flipping between his family and the battle tomorrow. He wanted nothing more than to make his family proud. It differed slightly in meaning from giving their souls peace, but it meant the world to Eric.
Instead of having his mind consumed by rage, revenge, and rancor, a sense of pride and duty filled it. He felt a pleasurable obligation to make his family name stand out among all the legends of Hydor. He did not want the Syrast name to go down as the one that had most assisted humanity. He wanted Garland to be the name that generations would speak of after. The greatest legend of the war, aside from Zelda—who was basically a goddess with her magic, even if he shouldn’t have said that out loud—would be the Garland blood line.
Not just him, for helping defeat Ragnor and then leading humanity back out of the safety of Mathos. But his entire family, for inspiring him and putting him in a position to succeed. And his descendants, whoever they would be, for keeping the peace in Hydor.
As quickly as he took pride in that, though, he resumed his repetitive analysis of the battle tomorrow. What would happen if Margol couldn’t fly fast enough to escape Ragnor’s clutches? What would happen if Margol wouldn’t fly? What would happen if… if… if…
Eric tried to tune out the thoughts, but he never could quite fall asleep. Tomorrow mattered too much for him to have any semblance of rest.
After a couple hours, he heard footsteps. Thinking it was Yeva or Zelda, he rolled back over and tried to go to sleep.
Then he heard the front door of his house. He found that a bit odd, but it shut quietly after. Perhaps one of the girls had needed to get fresh air. Eric hadn’t gone into Abe’s room much, but he did remember it only had one small window that didn’t provide much circulation. It could easily get too hot in that room to sleep well.
Then he heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. A robber. Of all nights.
Eric quickly got onto his knees, the best position he could muster with the low roof. He grabbed his sword from the side of the bed and held it out.
“Stop!” he hissed. “I know you’re there!”
“You clearly don’t know who it is, then.”
Eric felt a rush of embarrassment as the voice of Yeva reached his ears, followed by her laugh. He put the sword down, his face blushing.
“That’s Ragnor’s job to kill me, not yours.”
“I just heard the door, and thought—”
“That a soldier had come her to kill you?”
I hadn’t thought about it. But sure, that sounds like a good excuse.
“No one’s going to kill you. No one, I think, even knows we’re here.”
“So then where’s Zelda going?”
“I think she’s just going to meditate,” Yeva said as she came closer. Eric sat with his legs crossed. His heart started to beat a little faster as Yeva approached. “This whole situation is wearing on her. I can’t imagine being the only person who can save us all. Sure, it sounds heroic, but think of how much pressure that must take.”
“And to do it with her family dead by the empire, only to be told the empire is dead and your job isn’t done,” Eric said. “I can relate to that.”
“I think it’s more than that,” Yeva said. By now, she’d reached the edge of the bed. She hadn’t gotten on, but her posture with her hands resting on the edge and her body leaning forward suggested her intention. Eric’s heart now beat uncontrollably. “It’s that she doesn’t have anyone else who can relate to her. I’m a mage her age. I’ve lost my parents to the empire. I lost my… I lost Norius to the empire. We shared many friends in common in Dabira. And I can’t relate to her at all.”
Yeva sighed. She sat on the bed, though she kept some distance. Invite her closer. She wants to be closer.
“I worry for her. We need to include her in rebuilding humanity as much as we can.”
“We will,” Eric said, though he hadn’
t even given that step of the process any thought. It made no sense to. “She’s too important and been through too much to not have a place.”
“I know, but she might be resistant. Humanity has pushed back on her so hard, I don’t think she’ll anticipate having a genuine acceptance back. I could see her trying to get away from it all.”
“Maybe,” Eric said.
An awkward pause came as the conversation reached a natural lull. Eric could feel the same feelings hitting him that he’d had when he kissed a young Kara. The butterflies. The sudden difficulties in finding the right words. The anticipation.
“What are you doing?”
He felt so stupid for asking such an accusatory question. He knew exactly what she was doing, but to frame it like that felt the opposite of charming. It felt like a rebuff of her advances.
“It’s our last night here,” Yeva said. “If Zelda’s going to meditate, I don’t want to spend it alone.”
Eric’s eyes widened. He felt grateful that Yeva could not see them, or else she might mock him for how wide they had gone. Did she leave so we could be together?
“I don’t either,” Eric said.
OK, maybe a little bit better, but still! Be more forward.
“You want… you want to stay up here?”
Even in the dark, even with her face hidden by the night, he could make out her smile. He leaned back and patted the bed by his side. He lay down and she lay next to him.
He wanted to cuddle her, but he felt awkward initiating it at first. For the first several seconds, the two rested side by side, motioning as if they might curl up onto each other, but neither making the complete move. Eric started mumbling to himself, aggravated that he could fight dragons that could destroy the world but couldn’t move two inches closer to a girl he liked.
“What did you say?” Yeva said, followed by a short laugh.
“Oh, oh,” Eric said. “I, uhh, I sometimes talk to myself when I sleep.”
That’s what you’re going to say? Thank Chrystos as a leader you don’t have to charm women.
Yeva just laughed.
Legends of the War (War of the Magi Book 3) Page 33
