The Half Dragon of Yaerna: The Gathering Arc Box Set: Books 1-3

by Hans Bezdek

  An explosion rocked the front of the king’s staff as another one went off behind us.

  Everyone at the front crowded the king, trying to get him out and to safety, while everyone around us ran away from the blasts.

  Two more black balls flew from the back and collided near Anders and Nicole.

  I looked to the back, where the doors were wide open and a dwarf in silver and gray robes stood.

  “Oi, what’re you waitin fer?” barked Braun, summoning another ball of dark magic into his hand. “Get outta here!”

  Chapter 17

  Not needing to be told twice, Dhot pulled out two capsules from his bag.

  “Follow me!” he said, tossing them both at his feet. “Maha!”

  Smoke shot out of the two capsules, quickly filling the room with a gray cloud. Cassandra put a hand on the goblin’s shoulder while I grabbed hers, and the three of us rushed towards the back of the room.

  “Stop them!” shouted Erskine. “We can’t let them escape back to the blues!”

  “Don’t just stand around coughing!” came Nicole’s voice. “Get them, you idiots!”

  We quickly broke free of the smoke, where we met Braun holding the door to the outside open. The two dwarven guards were prone on each side of the room.

  “Did you kill them?!” asked Cassandra.

  “Nay, they just be sleepin,” he grunted. “Quit yer yappin and let’s get a move on!”

  The four of us hurried down the steps. I glanced behind to see a steady stream of smoke flowing up into the sky from the building’s open doors. Several dwarves passing by stopped and watched.

  “Is our king under attack?” one them asked another.

  “Just a simple grease fire,” I said as we ran passed them.

  Braun took a hard left down a side road as we followed after.

  “What are you doing?” asked Dhot. “I thought the front is the other way?”

  “It is,” grunted the dwarf, not turning back.

  “We’re not leaving?” asked Cassandra.

  “The king’ll send word immediately to be on the lookout fer us,” said Braun. “If we go out the way they’re expecting us to, we won’t stand a chance.”

  “You know a better way?” I asked.

  “Aye,” he nodded, taking us down a side road to the left.

  The four of us ran through the city, which caught the attention of dwarves everywhere we went. Dwarves hated running unless it was to battle or to food, so it was odd to see a group running through their town. Normally, I’d have preferred a quick walk, but it was just a matter of time before the whole city was after us. We needed to cover as much ground as we could before that happened.

  “There’s a hole up in this wall I’ve used dozens of times,” said Braun as we approached the eastern edge of the city. “It’ll take us to the mountain side, but we should be safe.”

  That couldn’t come soon enough. “How much further is-”

  Loud horns went off all around the city. All of the dwarves on the street stopped walking, while doors all around us flung open. Everyone was congregating into the streets to better hear the announcement.

  “Dwarves of Feldarkr!” cried a deep voice. “King Julfr Snowhammer has been attacked!”

  Everyone that we passed by gasped at the news.

  “We’ve got to hurry!” cried Dhot. We all knew what was coming next.

  “Don’t ya worry, goblin,” laughed Braun. “The hole is right… over… there…”

  We all came to a stop as the dwarf stared at a flat wall. The wall was beaten and a dark gray, except for a small light gray section to our left.

  “Oh boy,” huffed Braun, looking at it. “Looks like they finally plugged it…”

  I looked down the street behind us. Dwarves were standing in the doorways of all the shops, looking up to the skies as they listened to the announcement. We weren’t going to be able to run into a house or store to hide.

  “The attackers are Braun Graystrider, a large eyed goblin, an elven woman, and a human gang member!” said the voice, repeating our description several more times. “If you spot them, detain them and notify the guards immediately!”

  At nearly the same time, all fifty or so dwarves along the street turned and looked at our group.

  “Gang member, eh?” asked Braun.

  “I’ll explain latter,” I mumbled. “I think we’ve got a more pressing concern.”

  “They attacked our king!” shouted one of the dwarves in the middle. “Stop them!”

  The dwarves rushed at us, raising their fists and any weapons they had on them.

  “Maha!”

  Boom.

  An explosion rocked Feldarkr, stopping the mob in their tracks. I turned to see part of the city’s wall collapse in on itself, falling backwards and away. Chunks of the wall disappeared over the mountain. Dhot stood next to the decaying wall and waved at us.

  “You guys coming, or what?” he asked. “Maha!”

  The rest of us shared a quick look before following after the goblin. We ran out onto the crumbled gate, crawling down until we were on the steep mountain ledge. There was a deadly drop down to the next area with footing, which was followed by another serious drop.

  “You were really able to get down from here?” asked Cassandra, eyeing the drop with some concern.

  “Aye,” nodded Braun. “Although, there was a good amount more room to move before yer goblin blew it away.”

  “No thanks needed,” smiled Dhot. I don’t think he understood that wasn’t a good thing.

  “What are we going to do to get down now?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the mob of dwarves. They had come closer to us, but kept to the other side of the crumbled wall. It looked like they were wary of coming too close and meeting Dhot’s bombs. “It doesn’t look like we have all day.”

  “Nay, it doesn’t,” agreed Braun. “Only way to go is down. Best get to it.”

  The dwarf held his hands up, which began to glow with a dark light. It suddenly darkened and grew tighter, until it looked like Braun had black gloves on. Without a word to the rest of us, the dwarf leaned down and punched into the mountain side, before bringing them back out again. His hands went clean through the rocks!

  “What are you doing?” asked Dhot.

  “Making foot holes fer us to escape with,” he explained.

  “That looks like it’s going to take a while,” I said, nervously looking back again. There was no way the groups chasing us didn’t hear the blast of the wall. They were all probably on their way here.

  “Don’t see you tryin nothin,” said Braun, descending down and placing his feet in the holes he just made.

  “Out of the way!” cried Nicole’s voice from behind us.

  I looked back and saw the orc towering over the crowd of dwarves. We were out of time.

  “I don’t want to hurt any of the dwarves,” said Cassandra, looking at me nervously. “If we somehow get out this, we’ll need them against Ulrich.”

  “I’m not so sure we’re getting out of this,” I said, looking down the side of the mountain. It was quite a fall, but it was either that or being taken prisoner. Unless… we flew out of here. “Actually, I’ve got an idea. You and Dhot distract them as long as you can.”

  “What are you doing?” asked Cassandra as I moved over to the furtherest the ledge would go. I was just out of the eyesight of the hole in the wall. It wasn’t big, but it would have to do.

  “Just worry about keeping their attention!” I shouted back.

  Cassandra and Dhot shrugged at each other, then stepped out onto the broken down wall.

  “Oi, what’re ya doin?” called out Braun, peeking his head over the ledge at me.

  “Try not to freak out and fall while I do this,” I said, letting the dragon within me loose.

  I arched my neck back as my skin turned green, feeling the familiar scales form.

  “Uh, w-we surrender!” I heard Cassandra say. “B-But we have conditions!”r />
  My clothes melded into my body as my tail and wings began to form.

  “Conditions?” came Anders voice. “What conditions?”

  My feet and hands became clawed as I grew taller and wider.

  “While we’re in prison,” said Dhot, “we want cake. We want cake… two-no, three times a day!”

  Sharp teeth filled my mouth as my head elongated along with my neck. I could stop at my half form now, but instead kept going. I was going to need something larger.

  “Cake three times a day?” asked Nicole. “Are you mad?”

  I continued to grow wider and taller, until I was nearly as tall as the wall.

  “Mad for cake! Maha!”

  My transformation into my full green dragon form complete, I bent my head back to the sky and let out a roar. It had been a very long time since being back to this state.

  “W-What was that?!” cried people from the other side of the wall.

  “By Brumark himself…” muttered Braun, eyes wide and on me.

  With the beat of my wings I took to the sky, rising high above the city. I heard cries of panic and shock below, and I quickly shot back down. Fire forming in the back of my mouth, I let loose a burst of flames as I dove over the crowd, careful to keep my aim clear above their heads.

  More cries sprang forth as the dwarves ran in every direction, along with The Guild and the Gray Adders. I flew back around and landed between the few people still left and the wall.

  “Wow,” said Cassandra. This was the first time any of them had seen me like this, and was likely the first time they saw a green dragon at all. “Y-You’re… you’re…”

  “You’re freaking huge!” laughed Dhot. “Maha! No wonder you keep a low profile!”

  “A-A g-green d-dragon?!” gasped Anders, looking at me from around the corner of a building.

  “Hurry up and hop on my back,” I called to the others. “We’ve to get out of here.”

  Cassandra and Dhot ran over and jumped on, while Braun climbed on top of the wall and watched me with concern.

  “I’m not one fer flyin…” he mumbled.

  “Too bad,” I said, turning around and getting my back closer to him. “It’s that, or wait to be killed by this mob.”

  Braun looked past me at everyone staring.

  “Oh, let’s get this over with,” he grumbled, jumping on.

  “Don’t let him leave!” screamed Erskine, running over and holding his staff high. The tip of it flickered with magic, and suddenly the dwarves around him tensed up. A second later, and they raised their weapons high, shouting at us as they charged.

  “What are you waiting for?” shouted Cassandra. “Let’s go!”

  I roared as I took to the sky, intimidating the town a final time as I flew off.

  Everyone was silent as I flew us to the northwest, holding on for dear life. I tried my best to fly at a reasonable speed without putting them at too much of a risk of falling off, but it was difficult. The white ground beneath us quickly came and went. I spotted a group of giants off to the south, watching me fly far out of reach. After an hour or so, a village of trolls did the same to our north. Legends of a green dragon flying overhead would circulate for these creatures now. Few would probably believe them, and those that did would be interested in hunting me down.

  The flight to Ostad lasted nearly four hours, and I think we were all thrilled when we finally could see the blue dragon’s town. It was tiring flying for so long after not being in this form for years, and they were probably excited to be back on solid ground.

  As we neared the town, I saw the briefest movement to my left. Down below, still some ways from the town, was a white rider on a white horse. There they were again.

  “Do you see that?” called out Cassandra over the wind.

  “I do!” I said. So I wasn’t crazy, she could see it too!

  “The blues must think you’re a threat!” she shouted.

  “Huh?” I asked, looking up. Five blue dragons had taken to the sky, and looked to be waiting for us.

  I glanced back down, but the rider was gone again.

  “Seriously…” I groaned, but continued flying towards Ostad.

  The five dragons intercepted me as we got close, circling around us.

  “It’s us!” cried Cassandra from my back. “Don’t attack! We mean you no harm!”

  “Of course we know who you are,” laughed the blue dragon in front of me. Even in her other form, I recognized Kiera’s laugh instantly. “Looks like I was right about you, Reimar.”

  “Lucky guess,” I grinned. “Let’s touch down. There’s something we need to tell you all about.”

  I followed the blues back down to Ostad, landing in the middle of town. People looked out from their windows all around us, staring with wide eyes at me. Even if they weren’t having their emotions altered, a live green dragon was still a sight most wanted to see.

  My three passenger hopped off, Braun and Dhot bending over and kissing the ground.

  “I’ve never been so happy to be surrounded by blue dragons,” cried out Braun.

  “Calm down you two,” said Cassandra as I shifted back to my human form. “It wasn’t that bad.”

  “Bad? That was amazing!” shouted Dhot. “How many goblins do you know that have ridden on the back of a dragon before? One! And it’s me! Maha!”

  “Must say I’m surprised to see you back so soon,” said Kiera as the blue dragons all took on their human forms as well.

  “We are too,” I said. “Unfortunately, we’ve got some bad news.”

  “The dwarves are coming, and they mean war,” said Cassandra.

  “They do?” asked Darius, who had been one of the dragons to escort us down. “You’re sure of it?”

  “They know you have Grimkell’s Mace,” I explained. “The Guild and the Gray Adders told the king.”

  “Prepare the citizens,” said Kiera to Darius and the other guards. “The dwarves may make it here by tomorrow. We need everyone to be ready, even if they don’t seem right in the mind.”

  “We also think we found out how your people were cursed,” said Cassandra. “A human, who we believe is working with the Dar’Ka, has a staff that looks like it might control emotions.”

  “Is that so…” said Kiera, thinking over the elf’s words. “We shouldn’t be fighting the dwarves, then.”

  “It’s too late,” I said. “He’s already used it on some of the dwarves, and I’m sure he’ll use it on King Julfr if he needs to.”

  “So we have to fight to the death with people also under this man’s spell?” she asked, shaking her head. “This isn’t what either side would want.”

  “I don’t see what else we can do,” I said. “I’m sorry it’s come to this.”

  “And what about the man with the staff?” she asked. “Will we even be able to stop him? He’ll twist everyone’s emotions the second they come close, won’t he?”

  “Probably,” I nodded solemnly. Things were looking grim.

  “Don’t ye worry,” smiled Braun, taking a few steps forward. “I’ve got a plan.”

  Chapter 18

  I opened my eyes, finding myself in a familiar large circular room. I walked over to the window behind me, looking down at the mountains and the city below.

  “Really? Again?” I asked.

  “It almost sounds like you aren’t enjoying our little talks,” said a man behind me.

  I turned around, seeing the man in the blue robe looking back at me from among the scattered piles of books. He looked exactly as he did last time, and I couldn’t see his face or any other distinguishing features.

  “They’re thrilling,” I said flatly.

  The man laughed. “Well, the Gathering is coming to a head. It will be up to you and your friends to decide which group they will work with moving forward.”

  “You mean the blues or the dwarves?”

  “They would both make fine allies in the second Dragon War.”

  “They would,�
�� I agreed, “if their emotions weren’t being controlled.”

  “Yes, the Staff of Nul’Gu is a particularly nasty one, isn’t it.”

  “Staff of Nul’Gu?” I asked. “I didn’t know that’s what it was called. I’ve never heard of it before.”

  “No one on the mainland has,” nodded man. “Well, except for me, obviously. I’ve made it a point to study all legendary weapons, regardless of where they come from.”

  “Where’s this one from?”

  “Ra’Chok.”

  I didn’t know what I was expecting. The land of the black and reds was not well known to any of the other races. Even though I was given an overview of them as a child, I was being taught by people who knew less than a percent of that island’s history.

  “Was the Staff used in the Dragon War?” I asked.

  “It wasn’t,” said the man, shaking his head. “The Staff of Nul’Gu has never worked on black or red dragons, so for a long time they all believed it was a useless relic which had lost its power long ago. It wasn’t until very recently, when Ulrich started his campaign, that the Staff was given as a tool to use against the people of Yaerna.”

  “Wonderful,” I sighed. “Well, it’s going to lead to a lot of death tomorrow.”

  “It will… unless you can destroy it.”

  “Destroy it? How?”

  “No idea.”

  “No idea?!”

  “I’ve never personally come near it,” he shrugged. “Someone of my… powers… should stay far away from a weapon like that. I’d be too tempted to wield it myself.”

  “I feel like this chat hasn’t been particularly helpful,” I mumbled. Somehow destroy the Staff, but no clue how. That wasn’t exactly useful advice. “At least this is better than talking to Ludek.”

  The candles in the room flickered all at once, several going out.

  “What did you say?” asked the man, his voice hardly above a whisper.

  “Talking to you is better than talking to Ludek?” I said. “I had a dream involving him and the destruction of Yaerna before you started doing it too.”

  The man stared back at me, not moving or making a sound.

  “It was probably nothing,” I laughed nervously. “It was just a silly dream. It’s not like he could actually be talking to me in my dreams, especially now that he’s dead… right?”