by Gwynn White
"Do you think they keep fires roaring day and night with their flame throwing?" he asked, to no one in particular.
"There are underground hot springs here," Ellora answered, but the Goddess spoke through her and her disdain for Christol and the others was obvious in her tone, posture and facial expressions. Ellora's face couldn't have held more disgust if she'd been sitting in a brothel, associating with its patrons.
Christol, fed up with the high-handed Goddess, could give as good as he got. "Interesting," he said. "Why don't you find one and go wash some of the trail dust off of your face. You are looking rather dusty and unfitting for a Goddess."
She, the Ellora/Goddess persona, didn't deign to answer the snub, but Christol could tell she was not pleased and he didn't bother to hide his own pleased smile from her. However, Christol could not see the battle waging inside his lover. Ellora fought to control herself, her life, her words, her actions, and she lost at every turn. Yet she kept fighting. It occurred to her that if the Goddess were to get distracted enough that she might break free, but she hadn't yet figured out how to tell the others without alerting the Goddess to her plans. As it stood, she didn't even know if the Goddess was aware of her thoughts or not. Ellora knew her thoughts were her own because she continued to fight the Goddess, and even Christol saw the shudder that racked her body at the thought of the Goddess controlling her mind as well as her body.
The steep decline ended without warning causing Christol to stumble forward dragging Jogli along with him. The both of them then crashed into Ellora while Riesa stood there and giggled - a twittering laugh with just a touch of hysteria. If Ellora had full control of herself, she would have rushed to her friend's side and offered her a hug and a few comforting words. As it was, she simply stared at her friend neither feeling nor caring.
The tumble extinguished the Goddess fire that had lit their path so Riesa's giggles soon turned to whimpers, which echoed off the walls, giving their small ensemble a good idea how very large a cavern they'd entered. Another sound joined Riesa's whimpering and it was the click, click, shushing sound of someone walking on rock while dragging a heavy sack. A flash of light, which blinded everyone momentarily, but Jogli, lit up the gigantic cavern. Still blinded, Jogli recognized the sound before the others could see them.
"They're here," he whispered.
Christol almost asked, "Who's here?" but then remembered where they were and let out an "Oh," of surprise. Ellora stood tall, at attention, looking more like the Goddess than she ever had. Riesa, without Stephye, stood behind Christol and Jogli, and had never felt more alone or afraid in her life.
Their eyesight returned with gradual sureness the way it does after you have been swimming in a cloudy pond. Christol and Riesa lifted hands toward their eyes to rub the last flickers of night blindness away only to rub them once again in disbelief. The surrounding walls looked as polished and smooth as a temple window, but the colors that shone from them were more varied than those found in a rainbow. There were hues of blue, and red and yellow and purple and green that they'd never seen. There were colors they had no names for, and both Riesa and Christol tried to explain to Jogli what they were seeing, but they did not possess the words.
The overwhelming beauty captured Ellora's heart and spirit, and for a few minutes, she overcame the Goddess's hold on her mind. Taking Christol's hand, she kissed it and then held it as if it were the last time she would see him in this lifetime. She turned to Riesa, and pulled her to her with a one armed hug. "I love you both," she whispered. "I don't know when I will be back, or what She will make me do, but I am here for the moment."
Turning to Jogli she said, "Remember the miner who used to come through town. The one from the southern mines in the Salt Mountains." Jogli nodded, and Ellora continued, "Remember the jewels he brought from those mines the emeralds, the rubies, the topazes, the turquoise, the aquamarines, the diamonds. Jogli nodded again with a small smile.
"And remember, how they would shine in the sun and sparkle like living rainbows?" Jogli's grin of happy remembrance spread to Christol and Riesa. "Well, that's what this cavern looks like only a hundred times more brilliant with a thousand times more colors.
All of them heard Jogli's sigh of wondrous rapture. "It must amazing to see," and all of them heard the wistfulness in his voice
"It is," Christol said, and then jumped back almost knocking all of them over again as the colors shifted and the cavern walls went blank. The colors, the lights, the brilliance moved showing only mirror-like walls, with two enormous, dazzling, dragons on each side of the small group. A smaller emerald color dragon stood in front of them, waiting for them to notice it.
Ellora, rather the Goddess, spoke first. "Your majesties. It has been too long since last we spoke."
"Not long enough," muttered the young green-scaled dragon.
"Quiet Cemark, you do not speak in front of your elders." The green dragon's head dropped to the floor in submission to his brood queen.
"What is it you wish? Asked King Jespar. "I do not wish to spend my time in frivolous banalities.
"The Wizard Vail has been enslaving your kind, and is now at the foot of your domain. I wish him removed and destroyed," said the Goddess.
"My kind are never enslaved by humankind. If they are there, they are there at my bidding. Tell me why I should help you," Jespar said, his grin showing his double row of pointed teeth, sharp as a barber's razor and four times as deadly."
The Goddess within Ellora raged at the King's words and her reply spewed from Ellora's mouth like molten lava from the southern mountains. "Because I am the Goddess, and I control this world, and you will do as I say!"
Riesa, Christol and Jogli, still tied to Christol stepped back to hug the mirror-like walls while the Dragon King and the Goddess argued.
King Jespar remained calmed and picked at a tooth with a claw before answering. "You are not the Creator of this world, and you are not in control of this world."
Deep inside, Ellora's world crumbled like a dead leaf in the drought-stricken land by the dragon's assertions. All the training, all the lore and mythology, everything she believed were lies, and she had been, and still was, a slave to those lies.
The Goddess's voice rose to a shriek. "You will do as I say."
"I will do what I want, not what you want. However, I will consider your request. You are dismissed. Leave my audience room immediately, and my tunnels before dark. I cannot assure your safety from my hordes of hungry dragons once the sun recedes and their hunting begins."
"Cemark, show the travelers the quickest route out of the caverns," commanded the Brood Queen.
"Yes, Milady."
"And Cemark, keep your thoughts to yourself."
Maura's cackle spooked the horses, almost starting a stampede as the kicked at their stable doors trying to get away from the madness they heard in her voice. She settled down, but her grin still stretched her wrinkles into new formations from which a unique puzzle of lines crisscrossed her face. With her magic sunk deep into the earth, she'd heard and seen everything, and couldn't be happier than cow whose full udder had just been milked. All the years of waiting, were about to end. The dragons challenged the Goddess's power and won. Soon, Mithlonde would have a new master and it wouldn't be either the dragons or the Goddess.
A frown of puzzlement creased Vail's brow when the expected attack didn't arrive. His spies told him when the High Priestess arrived, and he expected the attack to happen at anytime afterwards. But he waited, and waited and waited, and nothing happened.
He hadn't wasted the extra time; he set magical wards, traps, and planted unpleasant surprises for the High Priestess and her three followers. For Jogli he devised a particularly unpleasant demise. One that would flay him alive and roast him over hot coals, and then when tender yet still alive, feed him to his flock of hunting raptors. It seemed an appropriate death for a traitor. He had considered hanging, drawing and quartering him, but that would require the assistance of
a hangman and a butcher. Vail wanted the pleasure of killing Jogli himself and didn't want to share the experience with anyone. For the others, a couple of magical bolts of lightening would suffice. He'd faced off the High Priestess and her assistant before and wasn't concerned about the power she could wield. It was a shame about the young man. He hoped he could catch that one alive. His talents could prove very useful in controlling the dragons.
Vail shrugged. One way or the other, they were bound to lose the coming battle. His fortress was impregnable. He knew it and knew that they knew it. What he didn't know was what was taking them so long to attack.
I think that was a bit of fun, wasn't it my dear. Jespar mind-spoke to his mate and life partner. All the dragon-kin could mind-speak, but they kept it as secret as they would a map to their supposed hoard of gold. They already terrified most human, and they didn't want the magic-kin to know of this ability. It would either make them more fearsome in the eyes of the humans or bigger targets for the magic wielders.
It was interesting. The look on the High Priestess face was worth all the jewels on my scales.
Not to me it wasn't.
You're such a love. Have you decided what you are going to do? Queen Abeata scratched a golden scale on her nose, pretending disinterest. But, her mate knew her better than that.
You want me to do this, don't you?
She shrugged her giant shoulders, which caused a kaleidoscope of color on the mirrored walls.
Abeata, I know you. You want to flame this rodent into Athgaard's Charonyde where his spirit will burn forever.
He has been a bit troublesome, my dear. And, he really isn't a nice human. She turned her great eyes on him. They were swirls of color surrounding a cat-shaped pupil, a tiny slit of black that could open wide with fury as it was doing as she spoke. As far as humans go, he has less morals or humanity in him than a snake. And you know how I feel about snakes.
Just as I thought. King Jespar replied. Very well then, we will destroy him, but the Goddess must be taught a lesson first.
Agreed. Her great maw split into a grin at the thought of delivering a surprise to the Goddess. When?
Soon, tomorrow or the next day. I must plan this carefully.
Abeata smiled again. Her husband's plans were always successful and always sneaky. She look forward to destroying Vail and his memory from Mithlonde forever.
"What do we do now," Christol asked.
"We attack." The Goddess again controlled Ellora, and Christol could see the fear and loathing in her eyes.
"With what? Jogli asked. "You don't know him like I do. He is capable of horrors that will make you mind sick for the rest of your lives, and cripple you for life as well." He shrugged and murmured, "That is if you survive the first blast of his magic."
"I am more powerful than he is," Ellora countered.
"If that's true why did we have to ask the dragons for help?" This time Riesa raised questions to her mistress. She'd remained silent about Ellora's struggle to free herself from the Goddess. But watching her daily and seeing the true face of the idol she served, changed her opinions. Watching her through Ellora's actions rattled her certainty about the Goddess's true nature, and now she questioned all her training and presuppositions.
"We attack at dawn," the Goddess said ignoring Riesa's question.
All four of them shook their heads, but only Jogli voiced what they were all thinking, "This is a really bad idea. We won't be coming back. I can guarantee you that."
The attack, when it came, came at sunrise. The wizard prepared for this eventually knowing that the Goddess's power were strongest at sunrise and sunset. Yet. She'd had no sacrifices upon her sacred altar in a month or more, which should weaken her, or so he reasoned. However, Ellora's powers and those of Riesa, Jogli and Christol also fueled the attack, and he was not so stupid as to underestimate their combined powers.
He watched from the ramparts as Ellora rained down bolts of magic, striking his wards and shields with the furious charge of a thunderstorm. Yet, the shields held, and as he watched the High Priestess, he could read every emotion on her face. Loathing, self-disgust and fury played across her beautiful features turning her lovely face into mask of anguish. She doesn’t want to do this.
He stroked his chin and rubbed his mustache thinking how he could use this fact to his advantage. A particularly strong bolt of magic hit the shields guarding his fortress. The continual pounding, and his distraction with Ellora weakened the shield, a crack followed by the sounds of rumbling as loud as an earth shake followed. Hundreds of his men, stationed between the wards and the shield were lost as it brought down a mountainous pile of stone atop them. Those inside the wards remained unaffected and safe, for the moment.
The cracking of his shields brought Vail's attention back to the battle. Everywhere he looked, men lay crumpled like a children's forgotten rag doll. Dismembered body parts, bloodied or still pumping blood lay in great dark pools which were starting to glow bright red, and then dark red in the light of the rising sun. The wizard decided to go on the defensive after seeing the carnage. He wasn't concerned about his lost soldiers. It was his keep, and he wanted to keep the damage as minimal as possible.
He lowered one ward, held his hands out straight and shot the same type of magic bolts at Ellora and her small band of fighters. Ellora was hit first as it threw her head over heels off the back end of her horse. He targeted Jogli next. Giving him a good jolt, but not hard enough to seriously hurt him as he had special plans for the blind man who used to be his apprentice. Riesa he gave no consideration at all, but Christol felt the full force of his magic. It also knocked him from his horse while temporarily blinding him.
"He's playing with us," Jogli said.
"This is playing?" Christol asked, rubbing his eyes as if he could wipe away the blindness. If it were not for his ability to mind-speak to the horses, he would be as helpless as Jogli.
"He's right," Riesa added, "he is more powerful than this. He could have killed us long before the sun rose, and he has not done so. What is he waiting for?"
"He's waiting on Ellora," the Goddess answered. "He is waiting for her to battle her way free of me or become so worn out from battling internally and externally that he can just walk out and claim his victory."
She will never be free from me, the Goddess continued, she will die trying and I will take Vail with her."
"I told you this was a mistake," Jogli murmured.
Christol turned and faced Ellora. Arrows of magic blazed with fiery death all around them. His eyesight cleared, they both ignored the danger lost in each other's eyes. Her eyes begged him for help, and his eyes assured her he would. How, he wasn't sure, but he would figure it out. He chewed on his bottom lip, thinking while simultaneously moving his horse closer and closer to hers. When they were side by side, he curled up his fist and slammed it into her jaw. He knew the strength of his punches. It wouldn't hurt her permanently, but it would put her out for some time. A time during which the Goddess couldn't control her.
"Back to the stables," he ordered, grabbing the lead rope for Jogli's horse. "We're leaving as soon as we gather up our stuff.
"What about…"
"Vail?" Christol interrupted Jogli. "We'll let the Goddess figure that out without Ellora's help."
"Riesa?"
"I follow whoever is in charge, and right now that's you. When Ellora wakes up though…"
"Yeah, she is going to be hotter than a griddle cake on a cook stove. She doesn't like it when I take control away from her. But, I could see it in her eyes."
A magic lightening bolt struck directly in front of Christol's horse and it took all his attention to keep the beast from charging away during which time Ellora awoke.
"Not so strong are you stable boy?"
Christol groaned. They'd spent too much time talking and not enough time moving.
Ellora raised her hands and lightening shot from them. Aimed for the crack in his wards, it appeared to hit Vail
directly in his chest. A scorch mark the size of a dinner platter appeared there, and they all watched him fall face down on the cobbled stone turret of his keep.
"You may go now," said the Goddess.
Yes, now would be an excellent time. The Goddess thinks she has won the day, but he still lives. I can feel his life energy weakened but steady. Let us hurry and do our part before it is too late.
Jespar led the way, while Queen Abeata and several younger dragons followed behind. The younger dragons were solid in color, still beautiful to behold. But they wouldn't reach the rainbow scale stage for hundreds of years to come. However, for what King Jespar had in mind, they would prove useful. He led the small group through the tunnels with an expertise born of long years of experience. He never took a wrong turn or hesitated in making a decision about which way to turn. When they reached the coal bins beneath the keep, they put the younger dragons to work.
Dig. He commanded.
It didn't take the younglings long to reach the coal stockpile, and it only took one fire-filled breath to set the massive coal area on fire. Their next stop was the keeps woodpiles, and again the younger dragons dug, but this time Queen Abeata had the honors of lighting the fires. They had one more stop to make, the most dangerous one, but the most satisfying one of all.
Retract.
Immediately every dragon including himself and Queen Abeata retracted their claws in a manner similar to the way a cat can. However, for the dragons, this was an uncomfortable position and King Jespar wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Follow me and for the Creator's sake, be quiet! They all winced both at the shouting in their heads and the knowledge of the punishment to come to the one who gives them away. Holding their tails up to keep them from swishing on the tiles and with their claws retracted, they traversed the keep unseen as most of the humans were still outside finishing the battle. They gained the wizard's library and laboratory and with one mighty breath, it all went up in an explosion of flame and fireworks.
