As they marched along, Damien scanned for dangers, but he did it on an unconscious level. His mind was largely preoccupied by the revelation that he was about to meet his third dragon. After encountering the Leviathan last year, he wasn’t eager to repeat the experience. Still, there was no way around it if they wanted to know what was happening.
“That explains the wings anyway,” he muttered.
Look on the bright side, at least it wasn’t a demon.
Damien choked back a humorless laugh. The Protector shot him a look but must have dismissed it as some human eccentricity. The Builder had sharp ears, not a surprise for someone with no eyes. They’d have to be doubly careful what they said around him.
You should know the Builder is a telepath. He’s been trying to read your mind since we arrived in the tower. I’ve blocked him so far, but I can do nothing for Dorius.
“Can he turn the professor against us?” Damien had to mouth the words since he still hadn’t fully grasped how to get his thoughts across without speaking.
I don’t think so. The ability appears to allow him to look into your thoughts, not control them.
That was something. Damien doubted there was anything the professor could do to hurt him, but he didn’t want to end up having to blast the old man. His job was to protect Dorius after all, not kill him.
The little group reached the hole and they stepped out. Once they were clear, the Protector gestured and the stone disk rose up, slid into place, and bonded with the surrounding stone so flawlessly Damien couldn’t even tell where the damage used to be. Under different circumstances, Damien would have happily spent months learning shaping from such a master. As it was, he might end up having to kill him.
“I can fly us there if you’d like,” Damien said.
“I prefer to walk, thank you.” The Protector didn’t even turn his way.
He didn’t want to get too friendly in case they ended up having to fight. Damien understood and respected the sentiment. Whatever else he might be, the Protector was clearly a warrior. His assessment of the Builder’s threat level rose a notch.
It took most of half an hour to cross the city and reach the sealed chamber. The Protector walked up to the lizards and they parted to let him pass.
He can control them telepathically. Be careful, Damien, we’re surrounded and your sorcery will be of little use.
Damien scratched his face, covering his mouth. “Can you block him?”
No, he has a direct link to them.
Not what he’d hoped to hear. Well, they’d been in tough spots before. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to a fight.
The Protector touched the door and soul forced surged out of him and into the stone. The floor trembled and a deep rumble sounded as the door swung inward. When the gap grew big enough, Damien sent light spheres through.
The mass of the dragon appeared, black scales glistening in the light. Its head was tucked under its tail like a napping cat. Damien guessed it measured seventy yards from nose to tail, though curled up as it was he couldn’t be sure. After the Leviathan, the Dreamer seemed a bit of a disappointment. The ocean dragon was at least three times bigger than this one.
Damien swallowed hard. The seething, insanely dense soul force in the dragon’s core told him that even if it was smaller physically, it could annihilate him in an instant, assuming it ever awoke.
Five separate circles of glowing runes carved directly into the stone surrounded the sleeping dragon. They must have been written in the Builders’ language since Damien didn’t recognize a single one.
“I have kept my end of the bargain,” the Protector said. “Let us see what Dreamer has to say.”
Damien blinked and found himself standing in a wasteland much like the Haunted Lands to the kingdom’s east. He was familiar enough with Lizzy’s psychic projections to recognize the scenery for what it was, but that didn’t stop him from being impressed.
Dorius stared around in silent wonder while the Protector remained impassive. Damien expected Lizzy to join him, but after several seconds it became clear she wasn’t going to appear.
Movement drew his gaze upward to a huge black shape soaring above them. The dragon dove, snapped open its wings, and settled in front of them. Upright and awake it made an awesome sight. Bright yellow eyes stared down at the puny mortals arrayed before it.
“Welcome to my world,” the dragon said. “Dahlmis, it has been long since we have spoken.”
The Protector bowed. “Dreamer. My work below has kept me busy. I intended no disrespect.”
“Hmm. And keeping those I called from reaching me? I trust you meant no disrespect by that either?”
“I am the protector of my people,” Dahlmis said. “If they interfered with the wards it might result in disaster. I refused to risk it. Freeing the heretics would be a catastrophe beyond anything I can fathom.”
“Your awareness is so limited,” the dragon said. “The universe is balanced on the edge of a sword and you fret over a handful of fools lacking in self-control.”
Dahlmis bowed again. “That is my task.”
“And my task is to protect the entire world.” Dreamer roared the last word with such force it shook the ground. “I must be free to seek the imbalance. You can deactivate the wards, or these others will do it for me.”
“I cannot risk the resumption of the war because you think there might be a problem elsewhere,” Dahlmis said.
“Arrogant fool!” the dragon roared. “I allowed your people the loan of my power. The negligible amount you use is nothing to me, but now the magic interferes with my perception. Defy my commands and a civil war will be the least of your problems.”
“Forgive me, Dreamer, but I cannot do it.”
The Protector had guts, Damien had to grant him that. Having a dragon for an enemy wasn’t an easy thing. Damien should know, the kingdom had one on its northern border.
The dragon’s eyes flashed and its head swung toward Damien. “You will free me. It is in all our interests that I discover the threat. This idiot may be too blind to see it, but you must understand.”
Damien nodded though he was still a little hazy about what had Dreamer so worked up. Anything that so unsettled a dragon had to be important. “I do, though given your strength I can’t understand why you don’t destroy the wards yourself.”
“I could do so easily, but it would require me to wake and I’d risk losing the thread of what I seek. Even taking the time to speak to you is dangerous.”
“Anything that concerns a dragon as much as this clearly does you is something we need to better understand,” Damien said. “I will do my utmost to release you.”
“No!” Dahlmis hissed and bared his fangs. “I agreed to listen, not allow this madness to proceed. We had a deal.”
“We did,” Damien said. “You opened the door and I didn’t smash the wards the instant they appeared. I judge the risks differently than you. Release the wards and I will do my best to help you and your people defeat these enemies you so fear. Try to stop me and I will kill you.”
“You will try.” Dahlmis attempted to move, but the ground wrapped around his feet. “What…?”
“You cannot be allowed to interfere,” Dreamer said. “I will hold him here. Return and destroy the wards.”
Damien blinked and found himself returned to his body. After a second of disorientation he gathered power and hurled a blast toward the wards.
The beam curved and was absorbed by the crystal lizards.
The constructs stalked toward them.
Dorius came shuddering to awareness. “What’s going on?”
“We’re in trouble.” Damien drew Lizzy and divine soul force crackled around her blade. “Is the Protector guiding them?”
No, his mind is still under the dragon’s control. The lizards are carrying out their default programing.
“Great.” He slashed off a tail that tried to crush his head. At least they weren’t bothering the professor. “Get out of here,
Dorius. I can’t fight them and worry about you too.”
Thank heaven he didn’t argue. Dorius ran across the street and hid in an alley. Unfortunately, there was now a squad of lizards between him and the wards.
Two backflips got him some breathing room. At least they didn’t seem inclined to give chase. Eight of the creatures was a hell of a challenge, but if he could wear them down he might have a chance. It wouldn’t be fast, but he could do it.
The Protector is breaking free of the dragon’s psychic control.
So much for wearing them down. He needed to get this done before Dahlmis freed his mind and sealed the door again.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Damien eyed the gathering of crystal lizards. How could he take out a bunch of them in one shot? Direct attacks were out and he couldn’t cut them all down with Lizzy, he’d be too wide open.
His gaze flicked to one of the nearby buildings. Considering all the demolition work he’d done over the summer, it was a wonder he hadn’t thought of it at once. Dorius would be upset, but he’d get over it.
A quick sprint brought him clear of the constructs’ absorption range. Drawing deep from his core, Damien wrapped the top half of a three-story building in a soul force bubble and crushed it into a tight boulder around five feet in diameter.
With a roar he hurled it toward the gathered constructs.
They opened their mouths to absorb the soul force propelling it, but the boulder had so much momentum it didn’t slow more than a fraction.
It crashed into the first row of lizards and sent them flying, several in multiple pieces. Those wouldn’t be a problem. The boulder bounced once and continued on toward the second row.
An instant before the boulder would have hit, a wall of dark stone sprang up, stopping it cold.
The Protector is free.
“So I noticed.” Damien drew Lizzy and raced toward the enemy. He needed to strike before they got organized.
Lizzy sliced through the front legs of a lizard and decapitated it on the back cut. That put four out of the fight, only four to go, along with Dahlmis.
The dull thud of crystal feet warned him a moment before a tail arced through the space his head had occupied a moment before.
Damien spun and sliced, decapitating the construct that had attacked him.
He rolled under the swipe of a claw.
This would be so much easier if he could kill them.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Dahlmis pointing his way. A pillar of stone shot up under his feet, sending Damien flying away from the door.
He turned the attack into a flip and landed on his feet.
A deep, grating rumble signaled the door’s slow closing.
Damien didn’t have time to play around any longer.
He ran out of range, gathered soul force, and shot himself like a ballista bolt toward the opening. Much like they had with the boulder, the lizards absorbed his power, but momentum carried him through the gap where he slammed into the dragon’s side.
The air rushed out of him on impact.
A stone wall would have been softer. Gasping and struggling to his feet, Damien slashed Lizzy through the innermost circle of runes. When the light went out of them, he repeated the process with the second.
A tingle of soul force was all the warning he got before stone spears shot up out of the ground.
He dodged one, sliced a second in half, but the third gashed his ribs, not deep, but bad enough.
In the doorway stood Dahlmis with his force of lizards behind him. He advanced into the dragon’s chamber, but the lizards stopped. Some of them paced in circles while another pair butted their heads together with loud cracks.
Dahlmis turned toward them, but nothing happened.
The dragon is blocking his control. It’s one on one now.
Damien grinned. He could beat anybody one on one if he had full access to his powers. But maybe he didn’t have to.
Lizzy stabbed into the stone floor like it was butter. Damien ran toward Dahlmis, cutting through the remaining circles as he went.
“No!” Dahlmis shouted.
He raised his hand an instant after Damien cut through the final circle. Outside, the lizards dropped to the ground, still at last.
Dahlmis slumped in a forlorn heap. “What have you done?”
“What I felt needed doing, the same as you.” Damien recreated his personal shield just in case his opponent wished to resume the fight. “You lost this round. Do you want my help for round two or not?”
Dahlmis raised his head. “You would still offer aid to my people after I opposed you in your mission?”
“Of course. I didn’t fight you and free the dragon because I hate you and the other Builders. I wish your people no harm. Whatever threat the dragon senses must be great if he went to all the trouble of bringing us here. I can’t do anything about that until he knows more. For now, at least, helping you is something I can and want to do. If, that is, you’re willing to accept.”
“I am.” Dahlmis held out his hand and Damien pulled him to his feet. “It will take time for the heretics to recover from their long sleep. We have a few days to ready our defenses. Come, I will introduce you to my people.”
They marched out of the dragon’s temple and maneuvered through the deactivated lizards. Dorius came running from across the way and fell in beside them.
“Who won?” the professor asked.
“No one, but the dragon is free to search for whatever has it so worried.” Damien turned to Dahlmis. “I know they’re your people too, but might it not be for the best if I go and wipe out these heretics now, before they’ve recovered?”
Dahlmis gave a pained sigh. “It might, indeed, be for the best, but the heretics have many servants forged from the Dreamer’s shed scales. They are highly resistant to pure soul force attacks. I fear if you went in under those circumstances they would tear you apart. Better if we face the enemy together.”
Dorius glanced back at the sleeping dragon. “Will he be in any danger from your enemies?”
“No,” Dahlmis said. “For all their mistaken beliefs, the heretics still revere Dreamer. They wouldn’t dare try and harm him.”
“I doubt they could harm him if they tried,” Damien said.
“That too. Come, we have many preparations to make.” Dahlmis led them back to the tower. Looked like Damien had another war to fight.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Damien and the professor followed Dahlmis down a twisting set of stone steps that the Builder said led to the rest of his people. Though they were supposed to be allies now, Damien’s gaze never stopped moving. If Dahlmis should prove false, he intended to be ready.
The passage was carved out of smooth, shaped stone. No water dripped and there was no sign of mold. In fact, the air was so dry it reminded Damien of the badlands. He tried not to focus on the comparison. His only visit to that inhospitable area hadn’t ended well.
Beside him, Dorius tried to soak in everything, a bright smile on his face. This must have been like heaven for the professor, to see the object of his quest come to life before him.
“Isn’t it exciting?” Dorius said. “When I publish my book everyone will be in awe of what I discovered. What we’ve discovered. Never fear, you’ll get all the credit you’re due.”
Damien didn’t give a damn about credit. He’d be satisfied with surviving whatever battles were coming and getting back to the surface alive. Anything else would be a bonus.
A faint, purplish glow lit the tunnel ahead of them. Dahlmis looked back over his shoulder. Though “looked” might not have been the right way to describe what someone without eyes did. “We’re here.”
They followed the Builder out into another huge cavern. The buildings were much like those on the first floor: one or two stories, flat roofs, and dragon decorations. Groups of Builders were outside, some walking around on errands and others tending what looked like mushroom patches.
There wasn’t
much variation in the individual Builders. For the most part they looked like Dahlmis, the only differences being height and build with what Damien took as the females being slenderer, with narrow shoulders and bigger ears, like those of a bat.
A group of seven kids came running out from behind one of the buildings. If they’d been human, Damien would have guessed their age at around ten. They took one look at Damien and the professor, turned, and ran back the way they’d come.
Other Builders also took note of their arrival. The older ones stared but didn’t run or make any aggressive moves. They seemed more curious than afraid.
Damien shook his head. He had to stop thinking of them as looking and staring. The way they orientated on him was the same as someone with vision, yet their faces were decidedly lacking in eyes. Perhaps it was a trick of soul force they’d developed after generations underground.
“This way,” Dahlmis said.
He led them down the main street toward a tall building near the middle of the town. The center of the building was a four-story tower that nearly touched the ceiling. Single-story wings branched off to the left and right. Looked a bit like a town hall.
There were no guards outside the main entrance and the doors swung open at Dahlmis’s gesture. The inside was dull, gray, and lit by the same purplish light. Why did the blind Builders have any light? He shook the question off and focused.
There was no furniture in the entry chamber, just a short hall that led to a staircase. Without so much as a word of explanation, Dahlmis started up.
Your mind has been probed by multiple individuals, all more powerful psychics than Dahlmis. I’ve blocked them, but whoever’s waiting at the top of the tower is strong.
Damien sent feelings of gratitude to Lizzy. It was hard to overstate how much he appreciated her keeping prying minds at bay. Pity she couldn’t do the same for the professor, but whatever they were doing didn’t seem to cause him any harm.
Dreaming in the Dark_Chains of the Fallen Volume 1 Page 13
