Dragon Scepter

by Angelique Anderson

  Furthermore, when they had met the king, she noticed the same madness that had been present in King Armand. She wondered if there was a dark wizard in Aequoris like there had been in Telluris. And if that was the case, is that where her sister was? She frowned. That was the biggest question on her mind. Where was Hekla? She visited the island, and Hekla wasn’t there. Instead, Aequoran guards came and took her away. They were dragged through the city and to the castle to meet with the king. If Hekla was in the city, she would have seen that. Perhaps Hekla was investigating the mysterious dark wizard controlling the king—if that was indeed the case.

  “Are you doing all right?” Jakobe asked as they sat next to each other in the orb.

  “Well, aside from being stuck in here with you all day, I suppose so.”

  “Would you rather be stuck with someone else?” Jakobe asked.

  Svana smiled. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I’m sorry I’m not more useful. I cannot do magic like your dragon.”

  Svana sighed. “We need to get out of here, but I know without this contraption around us, we die.”

  “Yes, we need to find a way to escape,” he replied.

  “I need my sister,” she said, a certain tone of heaviness to her voice.

  I need my dragon, she said in her mind. Svana didn’t want Jakobe to know just how worried she was about her guide.

  “I know, you do,” he replied. “We’re going to get out of here, I promise you.”

  “How’s that? Are you magical and you didn’t tell me?” she asked, elbowing him gently and smiling.

  “Only when you’re around,” he replied with a wink.

  “That’s almost funny,” she said.

  “I know.” He grinned, his dark eyes turning serious the next moment. “So, first thing is first, we need to get out of this cell.”

  “And how do you propose we do that?” she asked, turning her head slightly to admire his solid form. “Your muscles won’t work down here, you know.”

  “Well, maybe I can’t break open the bars with my bare hands, but what if we could propel this contraption forward hard enough to bust through the bars?”

  “And how do you propose we do that?” Her head tilted towards him incredulously.

  “We can work together to throw our weight against the front of it.”

  “Jakobe, we’re sideways, we’ve no way to maneuver the front to face the bars. Even so, I don’t think we could create enough momentum to break through those bars.”

  He didn’t answer, only sat back against the spherical back of the bubble prison and went silent as he stroked his chin.

  “Sorry to be so negative,” she said quietly.

  “No, you’re right though. It’s looks like we’re in a hopeless situation.”

  Svana glanced around the prison cell, searching for anything she could use. While she was negative, Jakobe was right. They had to find a way out. If Hekla wasn’t in the city, would she even know Svana had been captured? And how long would this orb encasing Jakobe and her last before they ran out of air. Surely it wasn’t magic like Hekla’s orb.

  “What if we build enough momentum to roll up the wall?” Jakobe asked.

  “What would that accomplish?” Svana furrowed her eyebrows.

  “Well… if we roll this orb up the wall, once we’re halfway up, we can jerk our momentum to the left and try and get the orb to spin around. If it works, we’d be facing the bars.”

  Svana scratched her chin. “What if we turn too far, or not enough?”

  “Then we keep trying. What have we got to lose? Besides, right now, we have all the time in the world.”

  Svana’s forehead creased. Jakobe was right. It wasn’t like they had anything else to do but wait. And if his idea worked, and if they could get out of the cell. Then what? Surely there were guards inside of the prison. Could they fight the guards while trapped in an orb? Perhaps they could just roll over them. If they got out of the prison, where would they go? She supposed it didn’t matter where they went, as long as they created enough of a disturbance to draw Hekla’s attention—wherever she was.

  “All right, let’s do it.”

  They held hands and worked with each other to rock back and forth. At first, they did it slowly so they could get in sync with each other. Then they rocked harder and faster, until they slipped and fell inside of the orb. The orb rolled to the wall, hit and rolled back. They were slightly off position and sitting on their behinds when they had to get back up and try again.

  The second time went smoother, and they rolled up the wall and to the ceiling, but they were still not able to twist the orb to face the bars in the jail. They had twisted some, but it wasn’t enough, and Svana was beginning to grow tired.

  “I don’t think it’s going to work, Jakobe.”

  “Perhaps you’re right,” he said, defeated.

  “But we can’t just sit here.”

  “Have you tried using your sword?” he asked.

  Svana had forgotten that the Aequorans hadn’t removed her sword. She still wasn’t sure why. Had it been an oversight? Or had they simply not been worried about it because of the orb surrounding them caused a barrier that the sword couldn’t penetrate.

  “I don’t see what the sword would do to benefit us,” Svana admitted.

  “It’s a magical sword, isn’t it?” Jakobe asked.

  “I—Lingaria makes it magical.”

  “Does he?” Jakobe asked. “Could he just go into any sword? Or was a special sword given to you to house him?”

  Svana furrowed her brows.

  “I’ve looked at your sword, Svana. I’ve studied it. I’ve seen it with Lingaria inside, and I’ve seen it with Lingaria outside of it. I’ve also seen it after Lingaria grew ill and we came here to try and save him. Svana… that is no normal sword. I should know… I’ve made hundreds of them. The weight, the balance, the strength of that weapon, it’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen—any metal I’ve ever seen. It isn’t something I could have made or could ever make.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “Yes.”

  “How would I use it?” she asked.

  Jakobe shrugged. “I’m a blacksmith. I can tell you about the weapon, but I can’t tell you how to use it. You are the one chosen by the Ancient Ones to wield it.”

  Svana sat and contemplated his words. She knew the sword was special. A part of her knew it was more than that, but she’d never spent the time to put too much thought into it before. However, what Jakobe said made sense. Svana didn’t think Lingaria could bond with any other sword. There was something special about it—and Svana had felt it too when she wielded the weapon. She had practiced with several swords in the past with her sisters at the volcano, but none of them made her entire body tingle every time she wielded it like the Dragon Sword did.

  She unsheathed the sword and studied it. The blade gleamed, lighting the darkened jail cell. Svana held it steady, then thrust it forward. The orb contorted around it, stretching forward with the sword. Svana’s eyes bulged as she moved the sword back to herself. Neither she nor Jakobe had been able to push through the orb. It was like solid glass to them and wouldn’t push out. However, her sword was able to stretch it and manipulate the shell.

  “I have an idea,” she said.

  Jakobe tilted his head.

  “We’re going about this all wrong. The orb is too large and too heavy for us to maneuver by ourselves.”

  Jakobe’s bottom lip stuck out and his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her as if he was trying to decipher what she was talking about.

  “I’m going to use the sword to force the orb to turn us around.”

  “How?”

  “You were right. This sword is magical. I don’t know what all it can do without Lingaria, but it is not a normal sword. It distorts the orb wherever it goes. We can use that to our advantage. We will roll the orb once again, as hard and fast as we can up the wall. Then, when I yell duck, I need you to fall down.
I will swing the Dragon Sword horizontally along the orb from right to left. The momentum of us moving, and the distortion the sword creates, should force the orb to turn in the direction we need.”

  “Interesting,” Jakobe said. “That could work.”

  “I hope it does,” Svana admitted.

  “But what will we do after that?”

  “I haven’t gotten that far yet. This is a one-step at a time sort of plan.”

  Jakobe smiled back at her. “Lead the way.”

  “One. Two. Three.”

  They rocked back and forth. The orb followed their movements. Instead of simply holding hands, they linked arms and kept themselves perfectly in sync as they moved. Svana squeezed Jakobe’s arm when she was ready to try to flip and together, they flipped over, pushing their feet out against the orb, causing it to propel forward and roll up the wall until it collided with the ceiling.

  “Duck!” Svana yelled.

  Jakobe complied and fell to the ground as Svana swung her sword as hard as she could. The orb contorted to allow her sword to pass, and followed it as it passed, causing the entire orb to turn to the left. They landed, hard, and tumbled to the bottom of the orb on top of each other. Svana still held the sword in her grip careful to keep it away from harming Jakobe. She groaned as she got to her feet and looked at the bars on the cell now in front of her.

  “Now what?” she muttered.

  Jakobe tapped his nose with his index finger. “I wonder how strong this orb around us is.”

  “What do you mean?” Svana asked.

  “Well, we cannot break out of it. And the sword seems ineffective at breaking through its exterior, which I’m grateful for since I don’t want to drown.”

  “What are you getting at?” Svana asked.

  “Is the orb stronger than the jail bars?”

  Svana’s eyes widened. “Jakobe… you’re a genius.”

  He smiled at her.

  Svana didn’t wait to try and think her plan through. Instead, she stabbed the Dragon Sword forward, between two bars, and slammed the weapon upward. The horizontal bar that crossed the vertical bars sliced in two, then collapsed onto the ground. It wasn’t the sword, but the orb around the sword that had cut through the bars. She grinned slightly, then got back to work. She slashed up and down and right to left. After less than a few minutes, all the bars fell to the ground.

  “I can’t believe that worked,” Jakobe said.

  “Let’s go,” she whispered.

  “How?” Jakobe asked. “This orb doesn’t exactly let us walk in it, and if we roll the entire time, we’ll be too dizzy to go for long.”

  Svana held the sword out in front of them and pointed it toward the ground, moving it from left to right. The orb contorted around the sword, stretching outward, and she took a few steps forward. Jakobe followed. The orb continued to stretch out as they walked.

  Jakobe laughed.

  They made their way through the hallways until they reached a door. Svana used the sword again to bust down the door. When they stepped through, three guards rushed toward them with axes ready. Svana stepped forward and used her sword. She fought them as if she weren’t trapped inside of an orb, and it transformed around her weapon. Unlike the prison cells, their weapons didn’t break. They must have been specially made to resist the orb, but Svana’s skill was still beyond theirs and she defeated them quickly.

  “Run!” she yelled after she knocked down her last opponent.

  They ran through the hallways of the castle. Svana had paid attention when they were brought to the prison, and she knew which way to go to escape. It took several minutes, but when she finally found the final door and knocked it down, they saw the outside of the Aequoran castle. The city was beautiful. The coral castle was beautiful.

  “Which way?” Jakobe asked.

  Svana had no idea where to go, but she knew they had to leave the city. She didn’t have time to contemplate which direction to travel.

  “Follow me,” she whispered.

  She continued to use the sword, and they ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They were being chased, and Svana heard a familiar voice behind them. It was William—Miralee’s son. He was after them. They would have to go faster.

  “We need to get out of the city,” Svana said, panting as she tried to gather her breath.

  “Agreed,” Jakobe said.

  “Hold on,” Svana said. “I’m going to try something.”

  She swung her sword against the inside of the orb over and over again. The momentum of the orb transforming to allow the sword to move through it over and over caused the orb to spring forward at a much faster pace than possible had they been running. She continued swinging the sword, and she imagined she looked like a raging lunatic. Jakobe laid on the bottom of the orb to avoid being struck by the Dragon Sword. After several minutes, she relinquished her efforts and held onto the sword tightly as the orb rolled forward.

  They were outside of the city, but Svana was too dizzy to see which direction they were going. She just had to have faith that wherever they went, it would at least be away from more danger. Her head spun and her and Jakobe’s bodies rolled with the orb as it continued on its reckless path farther and farther from Aequoris.

  Once the orb started to slow, and Svana’s head quit spinning quite as much as before, she sheathed her sword and looked ahead. She saw a canyon in the distance. And she saw a group of Aequoran soldiers heading straight for her from the canyon. She looked behind her, where she saw more Aequoran soldiers running toward her. Svana gulped. There was nothing more she could do. Svana would not be able to get out of this one. She was exhausted, and there were too many soldiers to fight.

  “What do we do now?” Jakobe asked.

  “I don’t know,” Svana said.

  34

  Hekla

  Peace is not an easy thing to achieve. There are few people who do finally achieve it, but you cannot ask them, because they have passed. And it’s best not to disturb them.

  Reidlesiul, The Bravest, Seventh Dragon Elder, Eighth Age of Verdil

  Hekla’s eyes opened. She glanced around. Where was she? Shivers traveled down Hekla’s spine. She was being carried. She shook as she struggled to get out of the hold she was in.

  “Hekla?” a soft voice asked.

  “Jetevius?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’m here.”

  She stood and looked at the blurry objects in front of her. They were humanoid in appearance, but light greens and blues with scales and webbed hands and feet. Aequorans. Everything was starting to come back to her all at once. The corrupted king. The dragon.

  The Dragon!

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “You were incredible,” Jetevius said, a smile on his face. “You stopped the dragon from chasing us—I don’t know how, but we ran. Then a bunch of strange creatures came after us. We had to fight through them. You used your magic to clear us a path, and you created a magical wall to prevent them from exiting the canyon to follow us.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed as more memories began flooding in. She did start to remember. Her energy had depleted, and she had collapsed. She was surprised she wasn’t dead.

  How did I do that? Hekla asked Speltus. I used the levitation spell on multiple people to get us out of there. You told me that could kill me.

  It could… but, Hekla… you’re much stronger now. When I first told you the dangers of the levitation spell, you were new at magic. And while you’re not a master yet, you’ve improved a lot. The more you use, the more magical energy you’re able to use. Think of it like a muscle. When you first start sword training, or archery, it’s really hard at first, and it’s easy to overexert yourself. But after time and practice, it becomes easier, and you can practice for longer. You’re no longer a novice at magic… though you still have a long way to become a master.

  Hekla smiled. Was that a compliment?

  Where?

  You said I’ve improved.


  You have, Speltus admitted, and you should be proud.

  “You did good, but we’re not out of the current yet,” Jetevius said.

  “Out of the current?” Hekla asked.

  “Well, you’re smiling a little too big. We did escape, but I don’t think that wall will last long. We still need to get out of here in a hurry.”

  Hekla’s eyebrow furrowed. “No, what did you mean by your statement?”

  “Oh… it’s an idiom of the Aequorans. It just means we’re not out of our problem yet. We’re not finished, or we’re not safe.”

  Hekla nodded. “So… where to?”

  “Back to camp. And hurry. I don’t know if these creatures are going to follow us, or for how long.”

  “All right,” Hekla said. “Let’s go.”

  After Hekla caught her breath, they all began swimming back to camp. Before they’d gotten too far, Hekla saw something in the distance. A large orb with two people inside rolled toward them. At first, it was traveling fast, but it began to slow down.

  “What is that?” Hekla asked.

  “It looks like an Aequoran orb,” Jetevius said.

  “A what?” Hekla asked.

  “It’s an orb, similar to the magical one you wear, that allows land-dwellers to breathe underwater. It used to be given to Tellurians and Caelestans so they could come visit our city underwater. But now—the king uses them to imprison Tellurians and Caelestans.”

  “Who’s inside?” Hekla whispered.

  “It looks like a woman with bright red hair, and a Tellurian man.”

  “Svana?” Hekla gasped.

  “Who?” Isabella asked as she stepped next to Hekla.

  “My sister.”

  “She looks like she needs help,” Jetevius said.

  Hekla looked past the orb, which had now stopped moving, and saw at least a dozen Aequorans soldiers. And they didn’t look friendly. They looked like they were the king’s guards.