by Dean Cadman
“Did you find it?” she half-whispered.
Lusam smiled and nodded. “And that’s not all I found,” he said, then his eyes suddenly went wide as he realised what was about to happen. He broke their embrace and rushed towards the cliff edge.
“MOVE THE SHIP!” he shouted, waving his arms around, but it was already too late. He saw the blue flash with his mage-sight, and a massive shadow appeared under the water. He immediately extended his spell to conceal Ryuu and his father, then watched slack-jawed as the massive dragon broke through the surface of the water. Ryuu grew before his very eyes, his wings doubled in size, and his already massive body became truly immense. The small boat lifted a dozen feet out of the water and rode a wave back towards the Pelorus, but not before both men had jumped out of it screaming in terror. Thousands of gallons of water cascaded off Ryuu’s body back into the ocean below, and he announced his arrival with an almost primaeval roar that shook the very sky around them.
Lusam could hear the terrified voices of the men aboard the Pelorus, as Ryuu beat his gigantic wings to gain altitude. The ship rocked violently as the huge wave struck her bow, and three men were catapulted overboard into the ocean below. Lusam watched in complete awe as the full majesty of Ryuu’s transformation became apparent. His iridescent scales had turned jet-black, and two large horns now graced his massive head. Lusam had thought him impressive before, but now he was truly magnificent.
Lusam’s feelings of awe, however, were short-lived, as he suddenly remembered the plight of his father. He strained to see him on Ryuu’s back as he circled high above the island, and gasped with relief when he finally saw him sit upright on his back. He closed his eyes and silently thanked Aysha, then watched as Ryuu slowly descended towards the ancient ruins of Lohlaen. He knew immediately what Ryuu’s intentions were, and was surprised to see his father dismount and start walking towards them alone. If what his father had told him before was true, and he had no reason to doubt him, it had taken Ryuu a very long time to recover after losing his mate and then her heart, the way he did. He just hoped that revisiting those memories now would not serve to unbalance him again in the same way. As if to emphasize those concerns, Ryuu released a mournful howl, and a powerful wave of sorrow washed over everyone there.
As his father got closer, Lusam couldn’t help gasping at his appearance. Gone were his ragged shirt and pants, and the worn boots that Lusam had been used to seeing him in. Now he wore the full armour of a Guardian of Aysha. His hair was tied back in a warrior’s braid, and he wore his blessed shield and sword across his back. His studded armour shone not only in the sunlight, but also to his mage-sight. Whatever magic it had been imbued with, it was certainly potent. Neala suddenly tapped him urgently on the shoulder, and when he turned to face her, he saw her mouth working but no words were coming out.
“It’s… it’s… a… it’s a Guard…” she babbled, pointing at the advancing figure.
Lusam couldn’t help chuckling to himself at the look of astonishment on Neala’s face. “Arlo, this is Neala,” Lusam said when his father was close enough, “and Neala, this is Arlo… my father.”
Neala’s mouth fell wide open and she looked between Lusam and Arlo, then back again.
“Fa… father… how?” she gasped, still looking between them.
“Pleased to meet you, Neala. I’ve heard a lot about you over the past six months,” Arlo said, offering her his hand. Neala nervously reached out to take his hand, as if she was about to shake hands with a ghost.
“What? … wait… did you just say six months?” Neala asked, looking more confused than Lusam had ever seen her before.
“I did, but it’s a long story, Neala, and we must leave this place as soon as possible,” Arlo replied, looking at Lusam.
Lusam nodded. “Why don’t you both head back over to Ryuu, whilst I quickly tell Captain Waylon what’s going on. I’ll meet you back at the ruins shortly.”
Neala turned to look nervously at Ryuu, then glanced back towards Lusam. “Don’t worry,” Lusam said, chuckling, “Ryuu, won’t eat you. He’s a friendly dragon… most of the time.”
Neala was apparently too overawed to reply with one of her usual witty remarks, and simply allowed herself to be led away by Arlo without saying another word. Lusam quickly levitated himself into the air and set off towards the Pelorus. He could see the last of the three men who’d ended up in the water climbing up a rope ladder back onto the ship. A fresh call went up when the lookout noticed Lusam’s approach, and Captain Waylon immediately appeared at the ship’s rail with a worried look on his face. He raised a hand in greeting as Lusam came into land on the deck, but he continually glanced in the direction of where he had last seen Ryuu disappear.
“It’s good to see you alive, Lusam,” Captain Waylon said. “We were getting a little worried there for a while, and not only for you.”
“What do you mean?” Lusam asked, a little confused.
“Your good lady can be very stubborn when she wants to be, eh, Charlie?” Captain Waylon said. A man with two black eyes and a swollen nose suddenly appeared by his side.
“Aye, Capt’n, that’s one way t’ say it,” he replied, sheepishly.
“We’ve had some rough weather whilst you’ve been gone, but Neala flatly refused to leave the island. She said that she wouldn’t leave until you returned. I feared for her. I really did. I left her what supplies I could, but trying to force her to leave… well, it didn’t end well,” Captain Waylon said, nodding towards his crewmember and grinning.
Lusam grimaced. “Sorry about that,” he said, to both of them.
“Bah, his injuries will heal,” Captain Waylon said, waving his hand dismissively. Then with a broad smile, he added, “But I’m not sure about his reputation amongst the other crewmen. Getting beaten up by a teenage girl is going to take some time to live down, I would imagine. Especially when they hear of it in the taverns of Fairport.”
“Thanks, f’ that, Capt’n,” Charlie said, sarcastically.
“Captain, I’m really sorry to have to do this, but I must leave you immediately and head for The Rift. I’m very grateful for everything that you’ve done for us. Especially for looking after Neala whilst I was gone. I promise that I will repay your kindness as soon as I can.”
“Nonsense. You owe me nothing, Lusam. What you have done for Fairport and her fleet is more than enough. I only wish there was enough time for me to get a closer look at that magnificent beast you came back with. I am right in thinking it was a dragon?”
“Yes, his name is Ryuu. And I’ll see what I can do about getting you a closer look as we leave,” Lusam said, with a grin.
Captain Waylon’s eyes went wide. “Not too close, mind you,” he called out after Lusam, as he levitated himself off the ship.
“Goodbye, Captain. And thank you again,” Lusam called back over his shoulder.
A few moments later Lusam arrived at the ruins to find Neala and his father already in the saddle. Neala looked truly terrified, and never said a word when he strapped himself in behind her. He leant forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
“Don’t worry, I’ll secure you in place with my magic,” Lusam whispered in her ear. Neala nodded and held tightly onto his hands around her waist. It felt good to feel close to each other again. “Ryuu, please could I ask a favour of you? Could you fly over the ship near the portal? The Captain is a good friend of mine, and he told me that he thinks you’re magnificent and would love to see you again before we leave.”
Arlo laughed loudly. “Of course he will. Dragons love to bask in their own glory at any given opportunity,” he said, gaining himself a deep snarl from Ryuu.
Ryuu sprung into the air without warning, causing Neala to squeal and dig her fingertips painfully into Lusam’s arms. Three beats of his enormous wings and they were already a hundred feet into the air. He circled the island one last time, then swooped down towards the Pelorus. The men onboard dived for cover, but Captain Waylon stood h
is ground at the ship’s rail with a beaming smile etched on his face. Lusam heard his faint calls of good luck as they passed overhead, and then they were on their way to The Rift.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Alexia stared at the swirling blackness covering The Rift. Its movements were almost hypnotic, and its strange beauty belied the dangers it hid.
“Ma’am,” a paladin said, startling her out of her reverie. She turned to face him and saw him pointing towards the distant treeline. “The priests have arrived from Lamuria.”
“Oh, thank Aysha,” Alexia half-whispered, with relief. “Have their leader report directly to me as soon as they arrive.”
“Very good, ma’am,” the paladin said, rushing off towards the approaching priests. A sudden feeling of guilt struck Alexia when she realised that she didn’t even know the paladin’s name. In fact, she didn’t know the names of most of the reinforcements that had arrived from Lamuria. Yet here she was, expecting them to follow her orders and risk their lives on a daily basis. The least she could do was learn their names, she berated herself. She decided at that moment that she would speak with Renn about it later, and see if he could help her do just that.
“Praefectus,” the priest said in greeting, as he approached, “I am brother Marcell. I understand that you wish to speak with me?”
“Yes, thank you for coming, Marcell,” Alexia said, looking over his shoulder at the other priests. Their numbers were few, and every one of them looked terrified to be there. “How many healers did the High Temple send us?” Alexia asked, hoping that at least some of them were already tending to the wounded out of sight.
“Four, including myself, Praefectus.”
“Four! That’s it?” Alexia exclaimed, angrily. “Do they not know what we face here? Have they no idea what will happen if we fail?” Renn suddenly appeared by her side and placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.
“I saw more than four people enter our camp,” Renn said, nodding towards the temple foundations.
“You are correct, sir,” brother Marcell said, bobbing his head slightly. “Five of the coastal refugees also volunteered to join us when they heard of your plight. And although they are still largely untrained in the finer arts of magic, they are not without their own merits when it comes to healing. Most were once healers in their own towns or villages, and I believe they will be of benefit to our cause here.”
Alexia took a deep calming breath and sighed it out again silently. “My apologies, brother Marcell, I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful for your efforts. It’s been a difficult time of late, and I haven’t slept very much in days. Our wounded are being kept within the safety of the temple foundations. I suggest that you and your party also reside there, as you will be safe should any Netherworld creatures breach our defences. We have over twenty wounded men and women there. Many are struggling to hold onto life, and will die before the sun sets if they are not tended swiftly. In many cases, it’s not their wounds which threaten their lives, but the poison coursing through their veins.”
Brother Marcell nodded. “I understand, Praefectus, I will ensure we start their treatment immediately.”
“Thank you, and may Aysha guide your hand,” Alexia replied.
“Indeed,” brother Marcell said, bowing and backing away.
Alexia waited until he was addressing the other priests before turning to face Renn. “Four priests!” she hissed, “That’s all the High Temple could spare us?”
“Four or forty. I doubt it will make much difference to the outcome of this fight anyway. And you shouldn’t underestimate the healing skills of those refugees either. I saw first hand what they were capable of when I was looking for survivors in the coastal towns and villages. Some of them are really quite skilled.”
“I’m sure they are, but what did you mean when you said that you doubted it will make any difference?”
Renn sighed and looked around just in case anyone could overhear them before replying. “I don’t know how many of those creatures escaped into the forest, but I would say it was at least several hundred. We’ve killed a few, sure, but nowhere near enough to have any real impact on their numbers. And then there is the curious disappearance of all the other Netherworld creatures to consider.”
Alexia gave him a blank look, and he sighed again. “Think about it, Alexia. Hundreds of Netherworld creatures hide themselves within the black cloud, and instead of trying to escape individually, they all appear at the same time to make their escape. We had no warning that they were even there. No sounds or movements, and not a single one tried to make a run for it alone. Then they simply disappear, along with every other Netherworld creature that managed to escape. My guess is that someone, or something is controlling them. I don’t know if it’s Aamon, or another Netherworld creature, but I don’t like it one bit.”
“I think you’re forgetting about the few that keep attacking our camp.”
“No, I’m not,” Renn replied, shaking his head. “I think those attacks are only a diversion, intended to keep us all in one place until they’re ready to launch their real assault on us. A reminder if you like that they are all still out there, so we don’t send out patrols into the forest again.”
Alexia took a breath to reply, then paused. She felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The air around them suddenly felt charged with energy, and a distant sound of chattering could be heard from deep within the forest. Several sentries posted outside their defensive lines came sprinting back towards the camp yelling their warnings.
“They’re coming,” Captain Garett shouted to Alexia, as he ran between the earth-bound swords.
“How many?” she asked. But she need not have bothered. His face told her everything that she needed to know.
“All of them!” he replied.
“Seven Hells!” Renn cursed, under his breath. “May Aysha watch over us all.”
“Just for once, couldn’t you have been wrong?” Alexia said, with a nervous laugh.
“Trust me, lass, I wish I had been.”
“TO ARMS!” Alexia commanded, and every able-bodied paladin took up their positions on their northernmost perimeter. Alexia looked at Renn, and he nodded encouragingly. She was terrified. Not because of what was about to assault their camp, but because she might make a mistake which could cost someone their lives. She closed her eyes and prayed to Aysha for guidance in the coming battle, and a sense of calm filled her. She turned to face her paladins, and was proud to see the resolve in their faces. “Aysha be with us all,” she called out, and her troops echoed her call.
The high pitched chittering grew louder by the second, until it sounded like the whole forest was alive with insects.
“Captain Garett,” Alexia called out.
“Aye, Ma’am,” came the instant reply.
“Reduce the size of our defensive perimeter, but leave the weapons in place nearest The Rift. I want a double line of earth-bound weapons around our camp. If those things break through our first line of defence, I want them slowed enough to become easy targets,” Alexia commanded.
“Yes, Ma’am!” Captain Garett replied. A moment later he issued his command and their defensive perimeter quickly reduced in size, allowing a second line of earth-bound weapons to be placed inside the first. Silence filled their camp as the chittering noise grew ever louder. The occasional howl or screams of other Netherworld creatures could also be heard over the insect-like sounds, signalling that it wouldn’t only be the new creatures that they soon faced. But when they eventually emerged from the treeline as a gigantic writhing mass of black death, not even Alexia was prepared for what she saw. Thousands upon thousands of creatures moved as one towards them. Gasps and curses rang out amongst the paladins, and several even took an involuntary step back at the staggering sight.
“Seven Hells!” Renn cursed. “All this time they’ve been reproducing. That’s why they didn’t want us in the forest.”
Alexia didn’t reply. It
was obvious by their vast numbers what had happened, but now wasn’t the time to debate it. “FIRST LINE, ADVANCE!” she commanded, over the deafening chittering sounds. And as one, the front line of paladins stepped beyond the inner circle of earth-bound weapons. Alexia raised her bow, knowing that her limited supply of arrows would do little against such a horde. She also knew there would be little chance of retrieving any of her arrows after she had used them. Reluctantly, she lowered her weapon again. She couldn’t afford to waste her arrows. She would save them until it was absolutely necessary. And as the leading edge of Netherworld creatures crashed into the barrier of Aysha’s light with a tumultuous screech of defiance, she knew that time would not be long in coming.
***
Lusam was disappointed that Ryuu had chosen to fly high above the cloud cover, but he understood his reasoning. The fewer people who witnessed a dragon flying overhead, meant less chance of the Gods discovering them too soon. It might only take a misplaced curse to Aamon, or even the Gods in general to pique their interest. And every minute they remained hidden, meant a greater chance of keeping the location of the unprotected Guardian book a secret.
Neala seemed more relaxed now that they were underway. Her vice-like grip on Lusam’s arms had slackened considerably since they had left the island, and he was starting to regain the feeling in his hands again. His magical barrier held them both firmly in the saddle, whilst allowing them to talk without the howling wind battering at their faces. Neala, as expected, had been full of questions regarding his recent trip through the portal, but he had been unwilling to elaborate too much just in case they were being monitored by Aamon, or anyone else for that matter. Fortunately, she understood, and he promised to fully indulge her curiosity once they reached the safety of Aysha’s temple.
It was impossible to know how far they had travelled, but less than thirty minutes after leaving the island, Lusam felt Ryuu suddenly tense underneath him. Arlo turned in the saddle to face him and shook his head.
