by Dean Cadman
The following morning came without incident, and both men secretly looked forward to completing their mission and leaving The Dark Forest behind forever. As soon as they’d eaten breakfast, and the sun was well established in the morning sky, they set off towards the dragon remains. It took them less than an hour to reach the site, and Zedd wasted no time in starting to clear the trees that surrounded the ancient bones using his undead-minions.
A rhythmic thudding rang out through the forest, as the four undead-minions chopped relentlessly at the huge tree trunks. The immense beast had been killed during The Dragon-Mage Wars almost two thousand years before, and remained hidden by its close proximity to The Great Rift ever since. The trees had grown in an almost perfect circle around the dragon bones, but not a single one had grown within the confines of its gigantic ribcage. It was as if the very presence of the dragon bones had prevented anything from taking root there.
Zedd could clearly see the magic radiating from the dragon’s remains, but he couldn’t see anything that resembled a heart. For a brief moment, he wondered if the dragon heart had already been taken long ago by another dragon, and returned to their northern homeland as was their ancient custom. Or at least it was according to the books he’d read on the subject, back in the Thule Empire. Then he suddenly remembered, the information regarding the presence of the dragon heart had come from Aamon, not Lord Zelroth, so it had to be still there. Because, after all, how could a God be wrong?
Zedd soon realised that the massive bones he could see, were only a fraction of the entire dragon’s remains. The rest of it must have been buried over the countless centuries, leaving only the top third of its skeleton visible above ground. No doubt its heart still resided somewhere deeper underground, and would have to be dug out by his undead-minions.
Although Lord Zelroth had instructed Zedd and Cole himself regarding the many dangers of the dragon heart, he had failed to tell them about the simple things. Such as what it would look like, or how heavy it would be. Zedd realised that it no longer mattered, seeing as they’d soon have it out of the ground, and be able to see for themselves.
The tree felling continued for most of the morning, and by the time the sun was at its highest point in the sky, a clear path had been carved to the dragon’s remains. Zedd commanded his undead-minions to switch from axes, to picks and shovels, and the excavation work soon began in earnest.
“I bet you’re glad I found those minions to do the work now, eh?” Zedd asked, nodding towards his tireless undead workforce. Cole looked at him half-stunned, as a smug grin of satisfaction spread across his face. All Cole could do was grunt and nod in reply. He was dumbfounded to hear Zedd suggest that he’d simply “found” his undead-minions, in the same way someone might find a lost coin, or glove. He didn’t seem to realise, or care, that he’d slaughtered dozens of people to gain his few precious undead-minions.
Cole couldn’t deny that two of them had undoubtedly saved their lives when the dead tree branch had breached their circle of protection a few days before. But he couldn’t believe that anyone, including Zedd, could justify killing innocent people, simply to save themselves a little work. If he had been given a choice—which he hadn’t—he would have gladly done the work himself, even if meant spending a few extra nights in the cave while he did it. But he knew that trying to explain that to Zedd would be a pointless exercise, so he simply let his comments wash over him as best he could. “The sooner our mission is over, the sooner we can go our separate ways,” Cole thought to himself.
Ever since he’d first arrived that morning, Cole had been experiencing a strange intermittent feeling of being watched by someone, or something. He couldn’t quite explain it, but it almost felt like a mind-read, only much more subtle. Whoever, or whatever it was out there, was not using any type of mind magic that he recognised. And that made him very nervous. He hadn’t told Zedd about it yet, mainly because he wasn’t sure exactly what to tell him. Instead, he continued to focus on the strange presence while it remained, hoping that he could trace it back to its source, and discover exactly what it was watching them.
A multitude of possibilities occurred to Cole as to where the strange magic might be coming from, including The Great Rift, or even Aamon himself within the Netherworld. But only one made sense to him—the dragon heart. What he couldn’t understand though, was how it had gained access to his mind without forming some kind of link first. He slammed up his mental barriers against the intrusion, but the feelings of the strange presence within his mind continued. He redoubled his efforts, but still, the presence remained unchanged. He couldn’t believe that anyone, or anything could get through his mental defences so easily. He had blocked off his entire mind to the outside world, apart from his link to… Zedd!
“That’s it. It has to be,” he thought to himself, suddenly realising how the dragon heart had made its connection with his mind. It had likely accessed Zedd’s mind through the connection he had with his minions, then from Zedd’s mind to his own, using the secret link he had created. He didn’t want to sever his tenuous link to Zedd’s mind, as it was his only insurance against any future aggressions from him. But neither did he want the dragon heart gaining access to his mind, or Zedd’s for that matter. Who knew what it was capable of doing to them, or even making them do to each other?
Carefully, Cole began to reach out along his own connection to Zedd’s mind. The last thing he wanted right now, was for Zedd to become aware of his link to him, but he had to confirm for himself, that the dragon heart was indeed using that method to reach his own mind. He barely made a connection with Zedd’s mind, before a huge spike of pain erupted behind his eyes, sending him crashing to the ground holding his head. A scream of pure anger and hatred assaulted his mind, causing him to scream out too. He wasn’t alone either. Zedd was also on the ground holding his head, and had also screamed out at the intense assault on his mind. It only lasted for the briefest of moments, but it had been enough to sear the memory into Cole’s mind for the rest of his life. And he felt sure the same would be true for Zedd.
“What happened?” Zedd asked, as he tried to get back to his feet, still holding his head. Cole didn’t answer him right away, instead, he searched his own mind for any signs of the strange presence, but it had gone. For the moment at least.
“I think it was the dragon heart,” Cole replied shakily from the ground. He didn’t think his legs would support him yet, so he simply stayed where he was until he was sure that he could stand without falling over again.
“The dragon heart? How? We were nowhere near it,” Zedd protested. Cole quickly realised where the conversation was heading, and began to think of a plausible answer, to Zedd’s inevitable question.
“I think it used your own minion link to attack your mind,” Cole replied, pointing at what used to be an undead-minion, but was now nothing more than a rotting corpse. Whatever the dragon heart had done, it had either killed the minion itself, or caused Zedd to break off his link with it. Either way, the end result was the same: one less undead-minion. Cole sat patiently while Zedd digested what he’d just told him. He knew the question was coming, and Zedd didn’t disappoint.
“If it did use my own link to attack me, how did it attack you?”
Cole was ready for him. “When I saw you grab your head and scream, I guessed it was a mental assault of some kind. I tried to form a link to you so I could help, but the moment I touched your mind, I felt a searing pain in my head. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground screaming.” It was a calculated gamble for Cole, but one which seemed to pay off for him. Zedd nodded slowly, then returned his attention back to where his three remaining minions were still digging as if nothing had happened. He immediately recalled them away from the dragon heart, not wanting to experience another episode of pain, like the one he’d just suffered.
By the time Cole had got back to his feet and dusted himself off, Zedd was already cautiously approaching the dragon remains. He was less than five pa
ces away from the crater, when he let out another scream. Cole braced himself, half-expecting another mental attack from the dragon heart—but none came. He watched open-mouthed as Zedd formed a fireball in his hand, and launched it at the already dead minion, incinerating it on contact. He continued to shout profanities and scream in the direction of the charred remains of his minion. Cole had no idea what had upset him so much, but readied himself to take control of Zedd’s mind, just in case he showed any signs of aggression towards him over it.
Zedd paced back and forth, as if trying to decide what to do next. Cole had no intention of asking him what the problem was until after he had calmed down. He had seen Zedd descend into a fit of rage several times before, whilst climbing the mountain path to Coldmont, and knew the likely consequences if he started asking questions right now. He watched silently, as Zedd calmly walked towards the crater that his undead-minions had dug, and jumped down into the hole. Understandably, he seemed very reluctant to get too close to the dragon heart, but Cole saw him bend over and pick something up from the opposite end of the hole.
Cole knew the instant Zedd touched whatever he had entered the crater for, because he felt a sudden surge of magic pulse through his connection with him. No, not magic. It was… something else. Like the mind of a scared child. He saw Zedd stiffen at the exact same instant he’d felt the pulse, and guessed that he too had felt it—whatever it was.
It pulled at Cole’s mind, inviting him to join it… to help it… to save it. Whatever it was, it seemed lost somehow. It flooded Cole’s mind with a mix of emotions, pleas and demands, but he was easily able to block it out. He felt its sadness at his refusal to help, as it withdrew its consciousness away from him, and turned its attention back to Zedd instead.
Cole could see that Zedd had managed to climb back out of the crater, and put some distance between himself and the dragon heart while the child-like consciousness had been inside his own mind. But now, it re-entered Zedd’s mind, causing him to stop mid-stride. It was then that Cole noticed he was holding something in his right hand. At first, Cole thought it was just a fist-sized rock, but when he looked more closely using his mage-sight, he saw that it glowed like a small sun. His jaw went slack, as he suddenly realised what it was: a piece of the dragon heart. Zedd’s undead-minion must have accidentally struck the dragon heart with its pickaxe, and broken a piece off.
“No wonder it retaliated,” Cole thought to himself. All that Cole could think of, were Lord Zelroth’s final words of warning as they left Irragin: Do not physically touch the dragon heart, or you will die. Do not attempt to form a mental link with it, or you will die. And most importantly, do not allow any Netherworld creature to draw power from it, or I promise, you will die by my hand. It will require the full power of an untouched dragon heart to reopen The Great Rift …
Cole could not imagine that breaking a piece off the dragon heart would not lessen it somehow magically. And if that was the case, and it did now fail to reopen The Great Rift, there would be nowhere to hide for either of them. Lord Zelroth would never stop hunting them both until he had found them. And when he did… Cole shuddered at the thought. His recent memories of the time he’d spent inside Lord Zelroth’s torture chamber, were far too fresh and vivid in his memory. But he knew without doubt, that the pain and suffering they had endured the last time, would be nothing compared to what Lord Zelroth would do to them if they failed now.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Zedd could feel the strange entity tugging at his mind, trying to pull him under, away from his own consciousness, and into its own realm. It felt like he was drowning inside his own mind, grasping for the sides of some invisible riverbank that did not exist, simply to stay afloat. It called to him. Commanded him to let go and join it and become one with it. He could not. He would not. He thrashed frantically within his own mind, desperate to loosen the entity’s grip on his consciousness. The entity seemed to sense his reluctance to join it, and suddenly softened its stance. Instead of commanding him to join it, now it began to plead with him, as if recognising it was not within its power to force its will upon him.
Zedd sensed its sudden weakness, and began to build his mental defences against it. He pushed back, hard, and could feel its vulnerabilities. It was scared of him. No… not scared of him. It was scared of being alone. It was like a small child afraid of the dark, and he was the light. It offered itself freely to him, just as long as he didn’t leave it alone any more. He refused. The anguished cry of the entity rippled through him, like a sudden gust of wind through the treetops of a broadleaf forest. One final pull, and Zedd broke free of its grasp. He slammed up his mental defences against it, and felt the wave of fear that washed up against it. The entity pounded against his barriers, but Zedd had the upper hand now, and he kept it at bay easily.
It took Zedd a moment to become aware of his surroundings again, but when he did, he remembered the piece of dragon heart in his hand. He dropped it, and the incessant pounding against his mental barriers ceased immediately. He took a deep ragged breath, as if it was the first one he’d taken in a long time, then fell to his knees as his legs gave way under him.
“Are you alright?” Cole asked, genuinely concerned for him. Zedd managed a slight nod, then stared at the fist-sized piece of dragon heart by his side. For a moment, he thought he could still hear its distant anguished cries, but he decided it was probably only the wind, or maybe the after-effects of the entity on his mind. He knew he should simply walk away from it and not look back, but something deep inside him refused to allow it. Instead, he commanded one of his undead-minions to remove its jacket, and used it to cover the piece of dragon heart.
It took him several more minutes before he felt confident enough to try and lift it from the ground. Tentatively, he reached out towards the covered dragon heart shard, pausing just before making contact with the jacket covering it. He checked his mental barriers, took a deep breath, then carefully placed his hand on top of the jacket.
He felt nothing.
There was no trace of the entity at all, either inside, or outside his mind. He released his pent-up breath, as he realised he must have to be in direct physical contact with the shard for it to be able to affect him. If someone had asked him at that moment, why he even wanted to keep the shard, he knew he couldn’t have answered them. But some deep-seated instinct told him that he should hold onto it, and that was more than good enough for him.
He picked up the dragon heart shard, and wrapped it up tightly in the jacket, being very careful not to touch it with his hand. He knew Cole was watching him, but he didn’t care. He located a small bag which had earlier contained his lunch, then carefully placed the shard inside and retied the top. Then without a single word to Cole, he sent his undead-minions back to work. Albeit with new instructions to stay well away from the dragon heart.
Cole had no intention of reminding Zedd about Lord Zelroth’s parting words to them both. Judging by his violent reaction when he discovered that his undead-minion had broken a piece off the dragon heart, he felt certain that Zedd remembered them well enough already. Whether the power contained within the dragon heart would still be sufficient to reopen The Great Rift, they would only know when they tried. But one thing was certain, they had to keep what remained of it out of the reach of any Netherworld creatures which might want to feed on it.
Cole had no idea why the dragon heart had remained untouched for so long by the Netherworld creatures. He guessed that it must be for the same reason why no one else had discovered it over the countless centuries, including his God, Aamon. It was common knowledge that the Netherworld creatures were often drawn back to the location where The Great Rift had once been torn open, possibly in a futile attempt to return to their own realm. He could only assume that the creatures were somehow blinded to everything else, by their close proximity to it. But regardless of why it had remained hidden for so long in the ground, they could no longer assume it would remain hidden now they had excavated it.
It glowed almost as bright as the sun to Cole’s mage-sight, and he felt sure that come nightfall, every Netherworld creature within a several mile radius would be attracted to it; like a moth to a flame.
Cole looked up at what little of the sky he could see through the thick canopy above. He knew how unpredictable the weather could be in Afaraon at that time of year, or any time of year for that matter. They would have to protect the dragon heart within a circle of protection for the coming night, and the last thing they needed, was for a sudden storm to wash away its lines and render it useless. They may have already affected their chances of success by damaging the dragon heart, but at least there was still a possibility of reopening The Great Rift with it. If on the other hand they failed to protect the dragon heart from the Netherworld creatures, their fate would become far more certain: lose the dragon heart, lose their lives.
Both men agreed, that if they succeeded in their mission, Lord Zelroth would probably care little for what had happened to them if they failed to return to Thule as ordered. Hopefully, he would assume they had both been killed by Netherworld creatures during the process of reopening The Rift. But even if he believed otherwise, they both thought it unlikely that he would expend many resources searching for them. With Aamon finally released from his imprisonment, and an army of Netherworld creatures under his control, surely Lord Zelroth would have far more important things to do, other than track them down. But there was one thing they knew with absolute certainty; if they failed to reopen The Great Rift, Lord Zelroth would stop at nothing to track them down. And if they did fail, they may as well let the Netherworld creatures kill them, because it would be far quicker and less painful than anything Lord Zelroth would have planned for them later.
