The Cursed Lands

by Timothy L. Cerepaka

  At first, the dragon looked like it was about to leave, but then it made a sound that sounded kind of like a sigh. Its white scales glowed even brighter, their brightness totally engulfing the dragon and obscuring its whole form from sight.

  But the light was bright only for a few seconds. A couple of seconds later, the light faded, but the dragon was no longer standing there.

  Instead, there stood before Sarzen a normal human man wearing a necklace of Raugus beads around his neck. He had long dark hair and his brown eyes looked at Sarzen with a mixture of regret and resignation, as if preparing himself to do what he had avoided doing for so long.

  Sarzen was shocked to see the person standing before him. He couldn’t believe his eyes; it had to be a trick. It was the only explanation.

  Still, Sarzen managed to find the courage to say, “It can’t be … Rothel?”

  Rothel Oran, Sarzen’s best friend and one of his traveling companions on the quest to find the Dragon Gods, smiled apologetically. “Yes, it’s me, Sarzen, and I owe you and Helnia a big explanation for why I didn’t tell you my true nature sooner.”

  ***

  Chapter Thirty

  Sarzen still did not believe his eyes. He looked at the assassin’s corpse, but now he thought it might also be an illusion. He looked over at Helnia; she looked just as astounded by this revelation as he.

  “I see that you’re surprised,” said Rothel. “Not that I didn’t expect you to be.”

  “You can’t be real,” said Sarzen. “You’re just … no.”

  “I’m real,” said Rothel. He patted his chest. “This isn’t an illusion. Everything I’ve said and done so far is one hundred percent real.”

  Sarzen put a hand on his forehead. He was starting to feel lightheaded from the revelation. Of course, it might also have been that the adrenaline from the fight was almost gone, so maybe he was just getting tired, but regardless, Sarzen felt like he had walked into a dream, a dream that seemed far too realistic to be a mere dream.

  “How?” said Helnia, who had walked over to them by now. “Rothel, how did you become a dragon? Shape-shifting isn’t possible, even with Raugus.”

  Rothel smiled. “That’s because I am a dragon. More specifically, I am half-dragon. My father is Errat, one of the Dragon Gods, and my mother is human. I’m a demigod.”

  “You’re really the son of Errat?” said Sarzen. The words felt weird coming out of his mouth, but he had to say them anyway.

  “Yes,” said Rothel. “I’m also much older than I look. I’m about a thousand years old, give or take. I don’t really remember.”

  “You don’t remember?” said Helnia. “How can you not remember your own age?”

  Rothel rubbed the back of his head. “Because my memory was taken away from me, that’s why. I remember my true nature, but there is a lot about my past I don’t remember.”

  “Okay, hold up,” said Sarzen, holding up his hands. “Start from the beginning. And by ‘the beginning,’ I mean your birth.”

  “All right, because I do owe you both an explanation,” said Rothel, folding his arms over his chest. “A thousand years ago, shortly after the Dragon Gods killed the One and drove his followers out of Yores, Errat, my father, fell in love with a human woman who was said to be the most beautiful, kind, and gentle woman in the world. She returned the love and they had me, their only child.”

  “But the legends say that the Dragon Gods didn’t want to have children after their children were killed by the One,” said Sarzen. “How can you exist, then?”

  Rothel chuckled. “Even the Dragon Gods can sometimes be swayed by their passions, Sarzen. My father could not help himself, but when I was born, he treated me like his own son just the same. The other Dragon Gods weren’t exactly thrilled about that, however, but I never interacted with them much.”

  “So you’ve lived in Yores for a thousand years?” said Sarzen.

  “Not exactly,” said Rothel. “I left Yores with the Dragon Gods five hundred years ago and only returned within the last ten, shortly after you two lost your hometown to the Draymens.”

  “Then that means you know where the Dragon Gods are,” said Sarzen excitedly. “Right?”

  Rothel shook his head. “No, I don’t.”

  “What?” said Helnia. “How can you have gone with them but not know where they are?”

  “As I said, my memory was taken away from me,” said Rothel, tapping the side of his head. “For whatever reason, my father sent me to live in Ars, but he also took away my memory. That’s why I volunteered to come on this journey; I want to find my father and the other Dragon Gods and find out the truth about why I was sent here, away from them.”

  “But …” Sarzen put his hands on his head. “Why did you not tell us this sooner? I thought you were my best friend.”

  “I am, but I just didn’t think it would be wise to reveal my true nature to you or anyone else,” said Rothel. “I sensed that I was not supposed to reveal my true nature to anyone, which I think has something to do with the reason I was sent here. But now I don’t see any reason to hide it from you two.”

  “Where is the rest of the caravan?” said Sarzen. “Are they still okay?”

  “They’re still outside of the Temple,” said Rothel. “They saw me transform, so they know my true nature as well. I told them to stay put, because I didn’t think they would be very helpful in a fight against that assassin.”

  “Are you even really a mage?” said Helnia. “You’re wearing a necklace.”

  Rothel grabbed his necklace and tugged on it slightly. “This? It’s a fake. My body generates Raugus energy on its own, which allows me to perform many different spells, including several that you can’t. I only wear the necklace so no one notices me casting spells without it and realizes what I truly am.”

  “You mean that was you back in Sinmo?” said Sarzen. “You were the Miracle?”

  “Indeed,” said Rothel. “That’s why I ‘disappeared’ during the fight. It’s because I had transformed. It was the first time I’d done that in a while; you see, I rarely transform because I don’t want to draw undue attention or suspicion to myself.”

  Sarzen didn’t want to believe any of what Rothel said, but when he thought about it, it actually made a lot of sense. He had always thought there was something different about Rothel, something that set him apart from every other person Sarzen had ever known in his life. He had not, however, expected that his best friend in the world was a son of a Dragon God, much less the son of the most powerful Dragon God of them all.

  “Why didn’t you use your power to help save the plains from the Draymens?” said Helnia. “It would have been useful to have a dragon on our side.”

  “Because I saw how your people treated the Dragon Gods,” said Rothel. “Most of your people no longer even believe in them anymore. I thought that I might be attacked if I just came out and told them the truth.”

  “Did you know that the Elect are actively working with the Draymens to destroy Yores?” said Sarzen.

  Rothel’s eyes widened. “They are? I had no idea. I mean, I always suspected they were up to no good, but I didn’t realize they were actively working with the Draymens to undermine the country.”

  “That’s what the assassin told us,” said Helnia. She pinched her nose, no doubt due to the stink coming from the assassin’s corpse. “He explained it all. And he would have killed us if you hadn’t stepped in at that moment.”

  “I knew there was something wrong when you two did not return quickly,” said Rothel. “I actually thought you might have been killed, but thankfully I found you just in the nick of time.”

  Sarzen suddenly broke into a smile. “I can’t believe it. I’m friends with a son of the Dragon Gods. This is yet another sign—maybe even proof—that the Dragon Gods truly are with us.”

  “Do you think they sent me here to help you find them?” said Rothel.

  “Perhaps,” said Sarzen. “We won’t know until we find them an
d ask them ourselves, but that doesn’t matter. Whatever your mission is, you can still help us find the Dragon Gods. Once we find them, we can find out why they took your memory away and sent you among us.”

  “Good,” said Rothel. “I thought you were going to be angry at me for not telling you about this sooner.”

  “I’m not angry,” said Sarzen. “You saved us, after all. Had you not intervened, the One of Shadow would have risen again, and we would all surely have died then.”

  Rothel nodded and glanced at the shattered statue. “You’re right, but I doubt this will be the last we will see of the Draymens. They will likely regroup and try to resurrect their god again. The Draymens do not give up easily.”

  “That’s why we will find the Dragon Gods before they succeed,” said Sarzen, punching his fist into his other hand. “And I think that, with your help, we can do it.”

  Rothel nodded again, while Helnia said, “What about our parents? The letter that I had was fake.”

  “Our parents are probably still out there somewhere,” said Sarzen. “Remember, the assassin said they crossed Ferro’s Pass. If we just keep heading south, we will find them eventually, I’m sure.”

  Though Sarzen said that, deep down he had his doubts about their parents’ survival. The way he saw it, they would either find their parents alive and well … or find their bodies, most likely left rotting in the open by whoever had killed them. He did not say that aloud, however, because he didn’t want to make Helnia depressed.

  “What about Ars?” said Rothel. “You said that the Elect are working with the Draymens to destroy Yores, didn’t you? How can we warn the people about this before Ars and the other mountain cities are destroyed?”

  “Someone needs to head back to Yores and tell the people about this,” said Sarzen. He stroked his chin in thought. “But it will be a difficult journey back, whoever chooses to undertake it. The Draymens are going to want to kill every last one of us, especially once they learn that we stopped their god’s resurrection. I can’t do it, because I need to keep going to find the Dragon Gods, but someone still has to do it.”

  “I can,” said Helnia, causing Sarzen and Rothel to look at her. She looked determined. “I’ll take one of the carts and head back through the Cursed Lands back to Yores. Then I’ll go to Ars and tell as many of the people about the Elect’s betrayal as I can.”

  “No way,” said Sarzen, shaking his head. “I will not allow it. You’re too weak and defenseless. You’d be killed before you crossed the border.”

  “Sarzen, I will be fine,” said Helnia. “I need to do it. We have some extra Raugus necklaces in the supplies, so I can take a couple of those with me so I don’t run out of Raugus. Because it will just be me and a couple of others, we should be able to make it back to Ars very quickly.”

  “But what if you are attacked along the way?” said Sarzen. “Even with the Dragon Gods looking after us, I don’t want you out of my sight.”

  Helnia looked Sarzen straight in the eyes with more strength than he’d ever seen in her before. “Sarzen, I appreciate your concern, but I have to do it. I’ve already put a lot on the line already to save the country. If I have to put my life into danger again, then I’m willing to do it. Plus, I have students at the school where I work; I’d do anything for them, even if that means sacrificing my own life. Please understand.”

  “Helnia makes a good point,” said Rothel. “Splitting up the party is not usually a wise idea, but someone has to warn the people about this, and she’s the only person aside from yourself who truly understands the dangers that our country faces. She’s the most qualified person, aside from yourself, to raise the alarms and hopefully avert a catastrophe before it happens.”

  “Also, there’s the fact that the Draymens need both of us in order to resurrect the One,” said Helnia. “If we’re separated, then it will be much harder for them to bring back their god.”

  Sarzen bit his lower lip. The idea of being separated from Helnia, even if it was for a good reason, was painful to him. He hated being apart from her, even now knowing that their parents were probably still alive somewhere, but at the same time, he couldn’t deny the logic and reason in her argument.

  So Sarzen nodded and said, “All right, then. Helnia, you and a couple of the other guys can head back to Yores, while the rest of us will continue our journey south to find the Dragon Gods.”

  But even as Sarzen said that, he found himself wishing that he hadn’t. He sensed that Helnia and he would be stronger together, united as one, rather than separate.

  But just because we may not be together physically doesn’t mean we cannot be together spiritually, Sarzen. We are both going to work toward the same goal: The rescue of our nation from the threat of a powerful enemy. Let us hope we both succeed.

  ***

  Epilogue

  Councilman Agon Cyra walked through the halls of his mansion, a scowl etched across his features. At his side, his assistant, Patia, did her best to keep up with him, but his legs were longer than hers and she had to take two steps to match his every one. Not that Agon noticed or cared. He was too angry to pay attention to such tiny, insignificant details.

  As he stormed, Agon glanced down at the letter in his hands, the letter he had received a few days ago. He was tempted to rip it up and throw it into the fireplace, but he also knew that that would achieve nothing. He would have to bring it with him to the meeting that he was going to, if only so he could make sure that his angry rants at his allies would be based in fact rather than fancy.

  “Sir Councilman, why are you up so late?” said Patia, sounding out of breath as she tried to keep up with him. “It is well past your bedtime and you have an important meeting early in the morning with the rest of the Elect.”

  “I am aware of that, Patia, but it is an emergency,” said Agon. “It should not take me very long, but I must ask that you do not enter with me no matter what. Understood?”

  “Yes, Sir Councilman,” said Patia in a breathless voice. “Of course, Sir Councilman.”

  Soon, they arrived in front of a large wooden door that was locked tightly. Agon undid the lock and then entered, closing the door behind him before Patia could ask how long he was going to be in there. He also made sure to lock the door again, just so that Patia or anyone else would not be able to interrupt him.

  Turning around, Agon touched his necklace and created a ball of light, which he divided into four smaller balls. He sent the balls of light into four glass tubes hanging from the ceiling, immediately illuminating the room.

  It wasn’t a very large room; there was only enough room for one person to enter and stand, mostly due to the six tall mirrors that stood in a semicircle before the entrance. The mirrors all showed his reflection, which let Agon see his own angry scowl. He would have thought he looked ugly if he cared, but right now he was too angry to care about how he looked.

  “Elders, I am here,” said Agon, the anger rippling through his voice. “I hope I am not late for this meeting.”

  There was no answer. Agon almost thought that the Elders had simply decided not to attend the meeting (even though they had been the ones to call it, the bastards) when he saw movement in the mirrors.

  His reflections started to change. They became darker and less human-like; they grew fangs, wings, and horns, their skin becoming as pale as the skin of corpses. His reflections changed so drastically until soon Agon would not have believed that these were his reflections if he hadn’t seen them already.

  “Councilman Agon Cyra,” said one of the reflections, the middle one. “As impatient as always.”

  “That’s because I am important man who doesn’t have all the time in the world to waste on pointless meetings, especially so late at night when I am normally asleep,” said Agon. “I don’t know how you Draymens view things, but among humans, it is considered the height of rudeness to call a meeting late at night and then to be late for it.”

  “We see time … differently than yo
u humans,” said the Elder. “We have longer lifespans, measured in centuries rather than decades. Our sense of time is not quite the same as yours.”

  “Regardless, I am very much tempted to walk out of here now and leave you with nothing for this offense,” said Agon. He raised up the letter, however, so that all of the Elders could see it. “And I would have done that, if I had not received this letter with news from Ferro’s Pass. What is the meaning of this? How did those two brats escape alive? They were supposed to be sacrificed.”

  “They had help from a son of Errat,” said the Elder in the mirror to his right. “They also smashed the statue of the One of Shadow, meaning we will have to begin the resurrection process anew and construct a brand new statue.”

  “What?” said Agon. “This is ridiculous. I was told that the One would be resurrected tonight. Are you telling me that ten years of work was wiped out in a single night? Perhaps I and the rest of the Elect should rethink this alliance, which has already caused us more trouble than help anyway.”

  “It would be unwise for you to do so,” said the Elder in the middle mirror. “We have agreed to spare you and the others only because you have sworn allegiance to our god. If you reject our alliance, it will be the same as if you had spat on the One’s grave, in which case you would not be allowed to leave this room alive tonight.”

  “I know,” said Agon. “But still, this is a huge setback. How can we possibly recover from this? And if Helnia returns to Ars and tells everyone about our plan, then the people will revolt and kill us. Trust me, the people already distrust us; they just need a reason to revolt against our rule.”

  “It is a setback, certainly,” said the Elder in the mirror to his left. “But it is not unrecoverable. It will take the young woman sometime to return to Ars, even if she does not delay, perhaps two weeks at the least. What do you think a good propaganda campaign among the people of the city could do in that time?”