Judgment of the Dragon (Book 7 of 10): Dragon Fantasy Series (Tail of the Dragon)

by Craig Halloran

  She took a knee and bowed. “It will be done.”

  “Hear this, servants. Forever is now your commander, imbued with power accordingly. To cross her is to cross me.”

  Isobahn, the brother titan, entered the chamber. His great body was a little bigger than those of the other giants in the room. Bones of men and dragons jeweled his neck and wrists. His features were cruel and terrifying. “Have you received word from the trial of Nath Dragon?” he asked

  “I’m well aware of it, Isobahn. My flock shrinks—by my own hand as well as those of my enemies. But I’ve found promise in this little one.” He patted Forever’s head. “Isn’t she a marvel?”

  “No. If you want to marvel me, then we need to finish off Nath Dragon.”

  “Nath Dragon will be ours soon enough.”

  “I don’t share your confidence, Eckubahn. Lotuus assured us that the trial would be the nails in his coffin. But he survived. Again.”

  “An enemy the likes of him should not be so easy to kill. I’m not happy, but I’m not surprised. Tell me, dear brother, how did you learn of his survival?”

  “I could ask you the same.” Isobahn walked right up to the throne. He leered down at Forever. “Move, puny creature.”

  She remained in place.

  Isobahn lifted his foot above her head.

  “Brother,” Eckubahn said, “Please don’t harm our most willing servant. Forever, you are dismissed. I’ll summon you later. Now, take your tribe of weaklings and punish them, thoroughly.”

  “As you wish, Lord Eckubahn.”

  The priests departed the chamber, leaving only the giants. Isobahn scowled. “Your fascination with these mortals is wasteful.” He kicked the treasures laid at Eckubahn’s feet. “It makes you weak.”

  Striking like a snake, Eckubahn locked his fingers around Isobahn’s throat. “Weak! You dare call me weak, brother! You would still be burning chattel behind the Great Dragon Wall if not for me!”

  Isobahn managed to sputter out, “Bunk! If not for me, you would have died at the hands of Balzurth! You would be dead in body and spirit then. How quickly you forget.”

  Eckubahn squeezed harder. “I’m not going to kill you now, brother.” He shoved his brother to the floor. “Consider the debt repaid.”

  Isobahn rubbed his throat. “You can’t kill me anyway.” He swatted away more treasure. “Your fascination with worldly things was always your weakness.”

  “We are conquering this world.” Eckubahn sat back down. “I’ll enjoy the spoils all I wish. I did not ask for these things.”

  Isobahn rose. “What is to be done with Nath Dragon?”

  “Brother, now is your time to shine. If you want Nath Dragon so bad, then go and get him. But I want him alive.”

  “I can’t promise that. A live enemy is a dangerous thing.”

  “Then stay here and I’ll send some of my pets.”

  “No, I’ll do as you wish. I’ll gather some forces.”

  “No, Brother, I want you to do it, and I want you to do it alone.”

  “You jest?”

  “Are you scared of the little dragon?”

  “No, I’m only scared of bad decisions. That’s what got us trapped behind the wall last time.” He headed out of the great chamber. “Goodbye, Brother.”

  “I’m unclear. Are you going to fulfill my request, or not?”

  Isobahn exited the chamber.

  With his head aflame, Eckubahn brooded.

  CHAPTER 17

  Hard rain came down so heavily that Selene couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. Soaked from head to toe, she stood in the entryway of an abandoned outpost. With its glory days centuries behind it, the old stone building was just big enough to host a few dozen soldiers. The stony spires were thick in moss and ivy. Two sections of the walls had fallen inward, making a pile of rubble and overgrowth. There were several places, however, that provided shelter from the heavy rain.

  Sansla eased in behind Selene. With a few quick flaps of his wings, he shook off the water from underneath the archway. The rain was so loud that she could barely hear his low voice when he said, “The rains have been more frequent and heavier this season. I don’t recall one such as this in my lifetime.”

  “Me neither.” She stood proudly in her glorious skirted armor, wringing water out of her hair and cloak. “It’s nothing to be concerned about, is it?”

  “The weather in Nalzambor has always been steady. Storms come and go, and there are even dry spells that occur in the seasons, but these storms disturb me. I’ve never noticed so many dark clouds in the sky before.”

  “I’ve heard that weather like this comes every thousand years or so.”

  “Perhaps. I’ve never paid much attention to it. But there is a saying among the elves that in Nalzambor’s last days, the world will be in travail. There are even scrolls that speak to great wars and horrible famines becoming commonplace.” His chin dipped. “We are in the midst of a second great war within only a few years of the last.”

  “What are you saying? Is the world going to end?”

  “Nothing we know of lasts forever in this world. Everything, everyone passes and fades.” He stuck his open palm out in the rain. It filled quickly. “I feel that if we don’t triumph in this war, this time there won’t be anything left worth fighting for.” He brought his hand in and sipped the water from his palm. “Indeed, the world will end as we know it.”

  Selene rubbed her shoulders. She felt a little cold for some reason. Not so long ago, she had tried to take over Nalzambor. She had been determined to destroy everything good and replace it with something else. She had honestly thought Gorn Grattack’s way would be better.

  How could I have been so blind? How could I have been so wrong?

  People had been miserable under her father’s oppression. Starving and depressed. Fear had ruled their lives. In the end, all it had done was make the wicked more powerful—and the powerful were the most miserable. She had hated everything during those times, but most of all, she had despised herself.

  A picture of Nath Dragon formed in her mind. He wasn’t perfect, but he stood for good. He would do what was right, even if he had to die for it. She had tried to break him, but she had failed. His faith in the good of Nalzambor was too strong. She had tried to change him, but in the end, it had been he who changed her.

  Nath, wherever you are, I miss you.

  The pounding rain started to lighten. She tilted her head. She swore she heard the clink of metal coming from down the hill. She looked at Sansla. His widening eyes were on hers. “You hear it too then?”

  He nodded.

  She looked back into the fort, searching for Gorlee. The changeling had been unusually quiet during their journey. I don’t see him anywhere. I haven’t seen him since we arrived.

  Another rattle of metal caught her ear, along with the sound of horseshoes scraping over stone. Coming up the hillside, the faint outlines of men appeared in the wind and rain.

  “We have company,” she said.

  Squinting, Sansla said, “Very large company.”

  The closer the travelers came, the larger they appeared. The first person up the hill led a horse by the reins. He was much bigger than a man, but he was not a giant. A sword that would take two men to swing hung from his belt. Behind him were more men of the same size. The horses they led were tremendous.

  Selene blinked, wondering if it was the rain and wind playing a trick on her eyes.

  Under his breath, Sansla said to her, “It’s the nuurg and their horse-spawned wrath horns.”

  “Why in Nalzambor are they coming up here? Do you think they found our trail?”

  Sansla shrugged. “What do you want to do? If we move now, we can slip out of here undetected.”

  “We need to locate Gorlee first.” She started backing out the entrance into the pouring rain. Before she turned to see where she was going, she bumped into somebody.

  “I’m here, Selene,” Gorlee said.
r />   “Stay close. We have company.”

  “I know. I saw them and heard you and Sansla. I have very good eyes and ears, you know.”

  “If that’s the case, then why didn’t you tell us they were coming?”

  “Oh, well, that’s why I came down from the wall—to warn you. But I was glad to see you had already caught on to it.” Gorlee shielded his head from the stinging rain. “So, should we stay, or should we go?”

  Sansla rushed over from the archway. “I say we go. Their numbers are growing.”

  “This way.” Selene led them toward an exit where the outer wall had fallen in. Just as she crossed the threshold, she saw and heard more of the nuurg soldiers coming right at them. She slipped behind the inner wall, dragging Gorlee with her. “What in the world are they doing here?” She could hear the heavy breathing of the nuurg and the snorting of more wrath horns.

  There must be a dozen of them.

  The rain eased up from heavy drops and turned to steady drizzle.

  She frowned as she said under her breath, “Now it stops raining, just when we need it most.”

  The nuurg spread out and surrounded the fort. Their weapons slid out of their sheaths. They positioned themselves in front of all the exits.

  Selene and company hunkered down behind the rubble. To Sansla, she said, “They move as if they know we’re here. I know we didn’t leave a trail so bad the rain wouldn’t wash it away.”

  Gorlee leaned over her shoulder and whispered in her ear in a familiar voice that was not his own, “You didn’t leave a trail, Selene, but I did.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Finally, after the elves and dwarves departed, the fetchers arrived. The special dragons—big as small buildings with ruddy scales—didn’t have horns, but their wings and paws were oversized. They landed on the ground with a gentleness about them. Their faces were smooth and pleasant. With the ease of a mother cat taking away her kitten by the scruff of the neck, they scooped up the dead dragons and flew them away.

  Everyone who remained, from Brenwar to Bayzog, watched the fetchers fly into the horizon with bated breath.

  Sasha clung to Nath’s arm and said with tears in her eyes, “They seem so sweet and gentle, and they’re beautiful.”

  “They are.” He let out a sigh. It was more a sigh of relief than of sadness. He was glad that the fallen would be well cared for now. It had been worrying him. “I guess they weren’t so comfortable with so many others around.”

  “I’d say so,” Slivver replied. “I learned something new about our kin today. They are so full of surprises.”

  “Are we going to stand here gawking at the sky, or are we going to retrieve Balzurth?” Brenwar said. “I think we’ve been standing around long enough since you made the announcement.”

  “I still don’t agree that it’s the best course of action,” said Bayzog. He was standing just outside of the fort’s edge with Rerry and Samaz by his side. Behind them, a portion of the fort’s wall had been knocked clean through. A handful of dwarven masons had begun repairs with tools such as hammers and chisels. “And I don’t believe Nath’s made a final decision.”

  “It sounded final to me.” Brenwar had been a little more irritable than normal since Glenwar had departed. “You and your little clan are more than welcome to do whatever elves do. Maybe you can plant some flowers or something while we do the fighting.”

  “We’d be happy to plant the flowers that will one day dress your grave,” Bayzog said.

  Rerry and Samaz gave their father a surprised look, and with a glance at each other, they chuckled.

  “No one—not man, dragon, elf, nor dwarf—better put any flowers on my grave. Unless they’re made of steel and iron.” He rubbed his jaw. “Dwarven steel and iron, that is. I don’t want that elven steel that rusts.”

  “Elven steel doesn’t rust.” Rerry pulled free the sword he’d been given by Scar and thumbed the blade. “It doesn’t nick either.”

  “Is that so?” Brenwar held out his hand. “Here, let me try it.”

  Rerry put the sword back in his sheath. “I’ll pass.”

  “Scared to put your metal where your mouth is, huh? No surprise there. Ho-Ho!” Brenwar spun on his heel and headed north. “I’m heading to Narnum.”

  “My mind’s made up, Bayzog. I’m going after Father.” Nath adjusted his sword belt, which crossed over his shoulders and back. With a somewhat grateful look at Ben, he snapped Akron into place in the special notches on the back of his armor. “You don’t have to come along if you don’t wish to. I’ll understand.”

  Digging his staff into the ground, Bayzog headed north as well, saying, “If you think I’m going to stay behind and let Brenwar get all of the glory over us part elves, then you’re mistaken.”

  Watching Bayzog go along with his sons and Ben, Nath said to Sasha, “What do you make of Bayzog’s swagger?”

  “So far, I like it.”

  “Have you noticed anything odd about him? There’s been something amiss with him since he came out of that well.”

  “I know,” she said, “But I trust that he’ll tell me more about it when the time comes. I’ve probed a little, but he’s not ready yet.”

  “I see.” Nath found Slivver. “So are you walking or flying?”

  “We silvers will take to the air and keep an eye out for the wurmers or any other adversaries. I’ll meet you back on the ground soon enough. I’d just like to stretch my wings.”

  “I swear, one day, you and I are going to finally fly side by side, Brother.”

  “I look forward to it.” Slivver took to the sky, with the other silvers flying right behind him. They quickly disappeared over the trees.

  “I sure miss that.”

  “I know,” Sasha said. “I feel for you, Nath. How horrible it must be to be a dragon and not fly.”

  “I keep reminding myself that not all dragons have wings, but once you’ve had them, it’s never the same without them.”

  “Yes, I can remember losing my ability to use magic. That was so hard, and a very confusing time. I’m grateful for what your father did for me, Nath.” Walking by his side, she gave him a serious look. “But do you really think this is the right time to do the right thing?”

  “It’s always the right time to do the right thing.”

  “Yes, but I feel like he’s using your father as bait.” She stopped and sucked air through her teeth, holding her side.

  Nath steadied her in his hands. “Sasha, what’s wrong?”

  Grimacing, she said, “I’m fine. That jolt from Lotuus had some lingering effects, even with the healing potion. This isn’t the first time that’s happened.” She let out a breath. “Let’s keep walking. Hopefully, my old knees won’t give out next.”

  “You aren’t that old. You make it sound like you’re ancient.”

  “Right now my muscles are so stiff, I feel like I am.”

  “You know, if you’d been born a dwarf, you wouldn’t have all these problems.”

  “Haha, don’t change the subject. Nath, are you certain this is what you want to do? The world can’t risk losing you.”

  “Sasha, I don’t plan on storming into Narnum like my head’s on fire. I know it’s hard to believe, but behind my handsome exterior, there’s a brilliant mind to match.”

  Holding her gut, she laughed. “Oh, don’t make me laugh, Nath. It awakens my aches and pains.”

  “You need another vial.”

  “No, I’ll be fine. That chuckle you gave me has me feeling better already. Please, continue. I believe you were about to unveil your brilliant plan.”

  He gave her a suspicious look. “Depending on what we discover when we get there, it’s possible I’ll ask Eckubahn for a parlay.”

  “A parlay. You would negotiate with such evil? I don’t like the sound of that, Nath.”

  “I don’t either, but I’m willing to do what I have to do to get my father’s body back.”

  CHAPTER 19

  With forceful
hands, Gorlee shoved Selene out into the open. She drew her sword. “You traitor!”

  Gorlee’s body took the form of a taller and thicker man, much like the nuurg but more human—and female. “Oh, no, I’m not a traitor. No, I am the captor of this exquisite body of your changeling friend, Gorlee.”

  “Tylabahn!”

  The titan woman clapped. “Very good. Was it my voice or my pouty lips that gave it away?”

  Selene watched the nuurg move in. The eight-foot-tall one-eyed orcs were more than a handful of ugly. One of them dangled a spiked mace with a ball and chain bigger than her head by his side. He sneered at her as he lowered his head and stepped through the hole in the wall.

  Selene backed toward the center until she stood back to back with Sansla. “You should go while you can. Get help.”

  “Come now, Selene,” Tylabahn said. “You must know that I’m too clever to let that happen.” She pointed her finger upward. Wurmers streaked through the rain. “I’m afraid you don’t have anywhere safe to go. You know, you should have just left me alone.” Her hair grew longer. Fingernails stretched out of her fingertips like claws. Her jaws widened, and her skin became shaggy. “But now, part of me wants to thank you. This new body that I host has unlimited potential. I can be anything I want.”

  “Could you at least turn into something more pleasant to look at? You’re making the nuurg look handsome.”

  “Jest all you like, Selene, but I am what I am, and I’m not ashamed to hide it—like you. Look at the both of you monsters. You’re a murderer, Selene. Sansla, you are an abomination. Embrace your identity, like I do mine. Only then will you make peace with the killer that lies within.”

  “We don’t walk down that dark path anymore, Tylabahn,” Selene said.

  “You will again, trust me.”

  As Tylabahn faced off with Selene, more of the nuurg lumbered inside the fort. They surrounded Selene and Sansla in a wide circle. She counted nine of them in all, not including the wurmers that landed on the broken parapets of the abandoned outpost.

  “We don’t surrender.”