by Dean Cadman
It soon became apparent to Lusam that Driden was communicating with Aysha, but he wasn’t able to hear anything of their conversation. Suddenly the blessed weapon in his hand burst into life, along with every other weapon in the paladins’ perimeter. He saw a sudden movement in the treeline a few hundred paces in front of him, and was shocked to see six Netherworld creatures emerge from the shadows and race directly towards him. He desperately tried to earth-bind his weapon, but his arms wouldn’t respond to his commands. He knew he didn’t have enough magic left to erect a barrier capable of withstanding the creatures’ attacks, nor could he levitate himself to safety. Terrified, he turned to look at Neala one last time, and was surprised to see her shouting at him, and pointing towards the advancing creatures. But he couldn’t hear a word that she said.
More Netherworld creatures suddenly emerged from the trees all around the clearing, and began racing towards him. No doubt they had been attracted by the massive amount of magic he had just used, and now he watched helplessly as they bore down on him. He saw Neala battering against an invisible barrier, desperate to come to his aid, but unable to leave the confines of the paladins’ perimeter.
The lead Netherworld creature howled in anticipation as it leapt towards Lusam, ready to tear him apart with its razor-sharp claws. Lusam closed his eyes, and readied himself for his inevitable painful death; but it never came.
He opened his eyes just in time to see the second wave of creatures leaping through the air towards him, and his jaw went slack at what happened next. As the Netherworld creatures made contact with either the golden light of Driden, or the soft blue light of Aysha, they simply turned to dust in mid-air. No sign of the creatures remained, other than a fine powdery substance which dispersed quickly on the gentle night breeze.
***
“I warned you, sister. This time you will pay for your deception and treachery,” Driden said, locking his eyes on Lusam.
“It is good to see you again, brother. It has been far too long,” Aysha replied calmly, placing a protective barrier around Lusam and her paladins. Driden immediately retaliated by placing one of his own around Lusam, preventing him from retreating to the safety of Aysha’s temple foundations.
“Do not presume to charm me with your deceiver tongue, sister, for it will not work this time.”
“Deceiver? You almost sound like Aamon, brother. Surely he has not twisted your mind so much as to believe his untruths and promises?”
“How can you stand there and accuse our brother of such things, when you have done far worse?” Driden said vehemently.
“I have done nothing to warrant such scurrilous claims, brother. What occurred two millennia ago was by mutual consent, by both my Guardians, and your dragons. I conformed to our agreement in its entirety. I allowed the Guardians to die out as I promised I would do, and then no longer interfered with human affairs…”
“You perverted my creations by stealing their sacred hearts, and by doing so, denied countless generations of dragons the knowledge those hearts possessed. Then you used their stolen power to secretly hide your precious Guardian’s knowledge within the safety of your own temples, where I could not see it. But then your own verminous creations inadvertently revealed your deception, by placing one of my sacred hearts on full display above your pitiful High Temple. So do not stand there and deny your guilt, sister, for I have seen it with my own eyes.”
“Part of what you say is true, brother, and part is not. I did seek to preserve the knowledge of my Guardians, as insurance against exactly what is occurring right now. I saw the future, brother. A future where the power of magic waned heavily in this land. And I knew without that power, if The Great Rift was ever reopened by Aamon’s followers, we would not have the time required to teach such knowledge again before it was too late for this world. I did not steal your sacred dragon hearts. Those bonded dragons gave them freely upon their deaths. Just as my Guardians pledged their lives to the creation and protection of the information.”
“You lie! Even now your human vermin steal my sacred dragon’s hearts, and use them to power their twisted creations. Countless generations of knowledge are being plundered and destroyed, just so a few of your humans can have an easier life, and all while you stand idly by and do nothing, sister!”
Aysha hung her head at Driden’s words. “Brother, I am truly sorry for your loss, your words sadden me greatly. But I am powerless to rectify the situation, as I no longer have any influence over the humans of Podrana. As I’m sure you are aware, the Heretic King destroyed all of my temples shortly after he lost the war with Afaraon, then soon after he outlawed all religious activities there. And as my oath to you forbids me to interfere in human affairs, I have been unable to reinstate their religious beliefs. If you would allow me to appear and speak with…”
“ENOUGH! I will no longer listen to your lies and excuses, sister. It is time this world was rid of your vermin once and for all, and my dragons took their rightful place.”
“Brother, if we allow Aamon to escape his prison nothing will survive in this world, not even your mighty dragons. His abominations will destroy all of our creations, and after that, he will seek his revenge against us for imprisoning him within the Netherworld.”
“He has given me his word that my dragons will be spared, and that he will seek no such revenge against me.”
“Brother, surely you can see Aamon’s words are false? Do you not remember what he did here two millennia ago? How he unleashed the hordes of Netherworld creatures upon this world, with no regard for what they destroyed. He could no more control them then, than he can now. If they are allowed free access to this world, they will destroy everything in their path, human and dragon alike; and deep down you know that to be true, brother. Nor will Aamon rest until all of our work here is undone, and we are both dead. But let us say for one moment that he actually keeps his word to you, and allows your dragons to live. Did he also promise to leave all of the prey animals alive which your dragons feed upon, or would he see them slowly starve to death?”
“What would you have me do, sister? We both know there is only one way to re-seal The Rift, and that is impossible to achieve without a bonded Guardian. You have just admitted to me that your humans no longer possess enough power to stem the flow of Netherworld creatures while you create another line of Guardians. If this pitiful excuse standing before me is your most powerful mage, you would be lucky to hold The Rift until the first Guardian was born, let alone mature and bond with one of my dragons,” Driden said, looking down at Lusam.
Aysha smiled at Driden. “Do not be so sure about that, brother, for I have seen several possible destinies for this human standing before us. And more than one of those destinies end with him resealing The Rift. Only one I have seen where he dies, and that is by your hand, here, today, brother.”
“Impossible!” Driden exclaimed.
“I know not how, brother, but he is of both of us. He is both human, and dragon. Both of our power flows through his veins, just as it once did with the bonded Guardians and their dragons.”
“You lie, sister! It cannot be, unless you have deceived me once more, and you never actually ended the Guardian line,” Driden said, reaching his hand out towards Lusam’s head. A bright flash erupted just before he touched Lusam, and he quickly pulled his had away as if he had just been burned. Angrily he spun on Aysha, and pointed his golden armoured fist at her. “Release your protection on him right now, or I will destroy you, little sister.”
“Give me your word that you will not harm him, brother, and I will do as you ask. He is our last hope of saving this world. Please, do not end that hope here, brother.”
“I said, remove your protection. NOW!” Driden half-screamed at her. Aysha closed her eyes, and removed the protection she had placed around Lusam. If Driden killed him, it would all be over. Everything she had ever created would be undone, and the world she had helped build would be lost forever.
***
; Driden stepped forward and placed his heavy gauntleted hand on Lusam’s forehead. The instant it made contact, an icy chill ran through Lusam’s entire body. He had been subjected to mind reads before by Empire agents, but it was nothing like this. Driden simply stormed into his mind, and ripped free any information he saw fit. It felt like huge pieces of his mind were being shovelled around inside his skull, and he wasn’t sure he would ever be the same again once he’d finished. The whole process lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to Lusam as he stood there unable to move or defend himself in any way. When Driden had finally finished ransacking his mind for whatever information he required, he simply left. But not before Lusam heard the now familiar words echo loudly in his mind: BLOOD RECOGNISES BLOOD.
***
“Explain yourself, sister! How is this even possible?” Driden said, glaring at Aysha.
“I swear, I do not know, brother. I only first became aware of Lusam when he started displaying certain… talents, as a young boy. I traced his lineage and attempted to discover the information from his mother, but she was beyond my reach within Aamon’s temple.”
“You lie!” Driden said, turning back towards Lusam, and raising his hand.
“Brother, wait! I swear to you, it is the truth. Read my mind, and see for yourself. I do not, and never have, deceived you, brother,” Aysha pleaded.
Driden slowly lowered his hand, and turned to face Aysha. “You would allow yourself to be at my complete mercy, by allowing me unrestricted access to your mind?” Driden said, completely shocked that Aysha would even suggest such a thing.
“Yes, brother, I would.”
“Why? Why would you give me an opportunity to kill you so easily?”
“Brother, I am not your enemy, nor have I ever been. Our parents created this world to escape the perpetual God wars which continuously rage out there in the cosmos. I have no desire to join that war, brother, and I believe you feel the same way. When our brother, Deas, left this world in search of our parents, we both chose to remain here. We believed in this world. And I still do.
“That single human standing before you is our only hope of saving what we have built here. If you kill him, this world and all of what we have built here will be laid to waste by Aamon’s abominations. And without this world, brother, I simply would not wish to carry on. That is why I offer to expose myself completely to your power.
“I have faith in you, brother, that you will not harm me, and that you too want the same as me; for this world to continue, and our creations to do the same. That can only happen if we work together again. So kill me if you wish, brother, but know that you will only be condemning yourself, and your creations by doing so,” Aysha said, stepping towards Driden. She raised her palm towards him, lowered her defences, and awaited his next move.
Driden looked at her strangely, as if trying to decide if it were some kind of deception on her behalf. He was the older, and more powerful of the two siblings, but he knew that no God should ever be underestimated. He raised his palm towards Aysha’s, and prepared himself for her attack—but it did not come. Instead his hand met hers unrestricted, and he delved deep into her mind. A single thought from him could kill her now, but he valued the truth more than his sister’s death. He felt her open up fully to his search, holding nothing back from him.
What Driden discovered in Aysha’s mind both galvanised his love for his sister, and repulsed him in equal measures. She had told him the truth about the human and his lineage, and also about the reason behind why she had defiled his dragon’s hearts two millennia ago. It seemed that her intentions at the time had been sincere, but her methods certainly had not. The desecration he witnessed of his sacred dragon hearts was almost more than he could bear, and it took all of his willpower not to strike her down right then and there.
She openly showed him the three possible destinies which she had seen for Lusam, including the one in which he killed him today. Of the other two, only one clearly showed him sealing The Rift. The final one was far more clouded, with large unseen gaps in its detail, but still The Rift was eventually sealed. Driden did not share his sister’s gift for seeing the future, but nor did he need to. He knew now that the words she had spoken were the truth, and the human standing beside him was their only chance of sealing The Great Rift. Reluctantly, he relinquished control of his sister, and stepped back.
“Thank you, brother,” Aysha said bowing her head.
“Do not thank me yet, sister. You may have proven to me that your words and intentions were true, but your actions against my dragons are far from acceptable to me. I will not stand in your way this day, but nor will I assist you. For now our original agreement stands, and all the consequences which it entails. Tread carefully little sister, for I will be watching you closely…” Driden said, fading away before their eyes.
***
Lusam sagged to his knees as Driden faded away. His mind felt like it had been ripped out of his head, shaken up, and stuffed back into his skull with no regard for his sanity.
“Come my child,” Aysha said, as she moved towards her temple’s foundation. Lusam tried to stand, but almost fell face first into the dirt.
“Lusam!” Neala called, as she skidded to stop by his side, and tried to help him back to his feet. He attempted to speak, but even that seemed beyond him right now.
“Are you alright, lad?” Renn said, grabbing Lusam’s other arms and helping him to his feet. Lusam managed to lift a finger and point towards Aysha, but Renn and Neala were already dragging him in that direction. As soon as they were safely within the temple’s foundations, a wave of soft blue light washed over them, creating a sense of euphoria and abundant energy in them all. Aysha placed a hand to Lusam’s forehead, and his mind cleared instantly. It was like a thick fog being lifted from his thoughts, and all he could think about was Neala, and how easily it could have been the last time he had ever seen her. He pulled her into a tight embrace, and her face flushed brightly in Aysha’s presence. A moment later Lusam must have also remembered who was standing behind him, because he suddenly released her, and turned to face Aysha with a look of guilt on his face. Renn was already kneeling before his God, and Neala quickly followed his example.
Aysha smiled. “My child, you must go and seek out the one who still knows the location of The Pearl Isles, and find the Guardian book before it is too late. It will take time for my brother, Aamon, to regain his strength and begin forcing open The Rift again, but you can be assured that he will do so. My faithful paladins will attempt to hold The Rift until you return, Lusam. But you should know that I am still bound by my oath to Driden, and as such cannot interfere without dire consequences for all of humanity. Although Driden has agreed not to stand in our way, neither will he help us achieve our goals.”
“My Lady, if you allow it, I willingly renew my pledge to protect Lusam with my life in this endeavour,” Renn said, with his head bowed.
“Renn, my faithful paladin. Your service to me over the years has been exemplary, and your devotion to protecting Lusam flawless. But I am afraid this time your presence would be best served here, at The Rift, until Lusam returns. The battles ahead will be long and arduous, and I would have one of my finest paladins here, where you can make a real difference to the outcome,” Aysha said, smiling down on Renn.
Renn was stunned into silence, and when he eventually found his voice again, it was broken with emotion. “My Lady, I am humbled by your gracious words, and as always, I pledge my life willingly to your service.”
“Of that, I have no doubt, my faithful paladin,” Aysha said, in her sweet voice. She turned back towards Lusam, and smiled down on him. Her next words, only he heard. “My child, I can no longer see your destiny with the clarity I once did. Many things remain hidden, and that troubles me greatly. I have seen you entering a realm hidden from my sight. I know not what, or where this place is, but I do know that you must enter it alone. I can sense Neala’s burning desire to accompany you on this
quest, and I will not stand in her way. But know this, my child; if she enters the hidden realm with you, she will not return…” Aysha said to him, fading away from sight.
Neala was the first to move, and when Lusam turned to look at her, he found her standing with her hands on her hips looking directly at him.
“I’m coming with you,” she said, in a tone which left no room for negotiation.
Lusam smiled, and simply said, “I know.”
***
Acknowledgements
Thank you for reading LUSAM—The Dragon Mage Wars—Book Four. I hope you enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I very much hope that you will join Lusam and his friends again in the next epic instalment.
A big thank you to everyone who left me a review for the previous books, and I would very much appreciate it if you could do the same for this book. Positive reviews really help to stabilise my sales during the months that I spend writing the next book for you, and it means that I can stop trying to teach my dog to ride a bike and dance for his new Facebook career. (If any animal welfare people are reading this, that was a joke – besides, he spends far too long on the kid’s skateboard to teach him how to dance.)
I really would love to hear your thoughts about the series of books, because you, the reader, are the most important person to any author, and without you, there simply would be no point in us writing anything at all.
Once again, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you again soon.
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