Gorn stood more than fifty feet tall. He was almost twice the size of Nath. Bigger than most buildings. “You are such a fool, Nath Dragon! My power is ten times yours. Now taste what true power is!” He opened his mouth, and a blast of dark-purple fire came out.
The scale-blistering heat made Nath let out an awful blood-curdling roar. “Bah-Ha-Roooooooooooo!” He fell to his hands and knees. He couldn’t breathe. Coated in excruciating flames, he was suffocating. The roar of flames was deafening, the unbearable heat terrifying. Stunned, he couldn’t think. He couldn’t counter.
Hang on, Nath Dragon! A voice inside his head said. Hang on!
Who said that? Was it him? Was it his father?
The flames stopped. Smoke rolled off his cooling scales. But the pain was still there. Mind-numbing pain. It was bad, but not as bad as Gorn’s laughter.
“How is that for a baptism by fire, Nath Dragon? Torture, isn’t it?” Gorn reached down and lifted up Nath’s chin. “That is what is in store for the rest of the world, and it seems there is nothing you can do about it. Ha! You are not ready yet. You could have been if you were patient and let your friends die, but you chose their lives for your death. How fitting for a fool.”
Gorn released him and let out a triumphant sigh. He slithered his great neck from side to side and bared his razor-sharp claws and teeth. “Now it’s time to pluck your beating heart out, one scale at a time.” He stepped around Nath and grabbed his tail. “But let’s soften you up a bit more first.”
Eyes swollen shut, Nath felt himself being dragged through the streets. He heard the dragons taunting him and praising Gorn. All of his strength had evaporated. Where had it gone?
I’m beaten. But I can’t be beaten. I can’t be!
Gorn slung him like a club into the buildings, one right after the other, and then dragged him back inside what was left of the cathedral.
CHAPTER 40
“It’s ready,” Laedorn said, sliding a small pack off his back and setting it on the ground. Haarviik did the same. The packs were made of a pale green elven wool that had a soft glow to it. “Within lie the Thunder Stones. Once we load them in the Apparatus of Ruune, we must unleash their power without delay.”
“I thought you said there were three of them,” Bayzog said, rubbing his neck. “Who carries the third?”
“I do,” said a strong female voice. Selene waded through the elves and dwarves and stood among them. A stone wrapped up in dark crimson cloth filled her hands. “I’d been saving it for other plans, but now it is yours to master.”
Bayzog waded in closer as they unwrapped the stones. His skin tingled. His heart flinched. Such power would make him or anybody invincible. He took a deep breath and found Selene staring at him.
The corner of her lip was turned up in a smile. “Tempting, isn’t it, Bayzog?”
He wasn’t sure what to make of her, or any of them for that matter. This historic alliance was strange indeed. It seemed the elves, led by Laedorn, had chosen to save her with the Ocular of Orray. But had they done it so she could help Nath Dragon, or had they done it because they needed her help with the Thunder Stones? It was an unlikely unification.
“Yes, it is tempting.” His neck hairs prickled. His violet eyes narrowed. “Imagine what you could do with the stones under your power. You would be just as powerful as Gorn Grattack himself.” He readied the Elderwood Staff in front of him. “Perhaps that was what you were saving your stone for.”
“What are you getting at, Bayzog?” said Brenwar, stepping along his side. “Do you smell treachery among us? Do you doubt her scaly hide?”
Laedorn and Haarviik stopped unwrapping the stones and fixed their eyes on Selene.
Her eyes were aglow. The clawed fingers at her sides flexed and stretched out. Eyes fixed on the stones, she swayed forward.
Bayzog and Brenwar’s knuckles whitened on their hilts. There was the scrape of weapons sliding from sheaths. The sounds quieted. The sky turned dim.
“What are you thinking, Selene?” Bayzog said.
Her dark eyes blinked. She shook the locks on her head. “I, I’m thinking it’s time to take down Gorn Grattack, but not at the cost of Nath Dragon.” She took two steps backward from the stones. “But I will not interfere.”
The tension eased, but the doubt in Bayzog’s mind remained.
“Laedorn, Haarviik, can you wait another hour? That would be enough time for our friend Gorlee to be released and returned. Perhaps he’ll bring news that can be useful.”
“Such as?” Haarviik said.
“Such as where in the world do you aim that thing?” Brenwar responded. “Pah. This plan is as bad as an ogre’s stench.”
“Bayzog!” Sasha exclaimed. “It’s Samaz. Look!”
Bayzog whipped around and fastened his eyes on his son, who stood alone and away from the crowd. He’s eyes shone a solid white, and he stood with his arms wide and on his tiptoes. He spoke quick words in Elven, repeating the same phrase over and over.
“What is he yammering on about?” Brenwar said to Bayzog. “My Elven is horrible.”
“He comes,” Bayzog said, glancing over toward Laedorn. “Fire the weapon. He comes. Fire the weapon.”
“We can no longer hesitate,” Laedorn said. He filled his hands unwrapping his stone. It was pearl in color with ancient gold runes engraved on it. Inside, it beat with mystic life.
Haarviik unwrapped his stone. It was a marble rock with red runes engraved on it. A red glow pulsated inside.
“Take the third,” Selene said to Bayzog. “They’ll need your wizard’s touch for this.”
Bayzog hesitated, then ambled over. He picked the stone up off the ground. The power he felt enlightened him from fingertip to toenail. Elation. Exhilaration. Temptation. His violet eyes flashed. A struggle within ensued. The vibrant man inside him collided with his pious elven self. A storm raged.
Laedorn and Haarviik, radiating power, lugged their stones toward the apparatus and fed them into its iron belly. Up the ladder they went, from there to take the bench seat behind the cannon. Haarviik grabbed the handles and turned the many bare gears. The Apparatus of Ruune’s barrel shifted over, rose, and aimed at the Floating City. The old dwarf eyed the line of sight and nodded. The elf and dwarf each slipped on a pair of leather goggles.
“It’s time, Bayzog,” Laedorn said. “Unwrap yours and load it.”
Bayzog felt his heart thumping in his ears. Could the weapon destroy everything inside the city? Nath would die, Gorlee would die, and hundreds of dragons who had been turned to the evil side would die. He glanced over at Sasha. Tears stood in her eyes, but her warm, pretty face had no answers. He turned away and removed the cloth from the stone. It was onyx marked with silver runes. He stepped over to the contraption and opened the door to its stomach. Inside, the pair of Thunder Stones throbbed in unison, beckoning for the third. Trembling, Bayzog set it inside the waiting furnace.
The belly glowed with life.
Whuuuuuum!
The ground shook, the trees bent, and Bayzog fell down. A stiff breeze swirled around them all, stirring the hairs on Haarviik and Laedorn’s heads. The Apparatus of Ruune hummed a tumultuous tune. A swirl of bright, mystic colors spilled from the barrel.
“Father! Father!” Rerry shouted over the howling winds. He was pointing down the road that led into the valley. “Someone comes!”
The other elves and dwarves pushed Bayzog out of the way. They latched their hands on the apparatus and began chanting.
Whuuuuum!
The sound became louder and louder.
Squinting, Bayzog watched Brenwar and Pilpin rush at the stranger coming up the road. He was waving his hands over his head, staggering as he ran forward. Brenwar and Pilpin cut him off, threw him down, and dragged him forward.
“Who is it?” Bayzog said.
The figure locked eyes with him, blinked, and started to turn. His skin was pinkish. His eyes were wide.
“Gorlee!” Bayzog exclaimed.
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Huffing for breath, Gorlee said, “I escaped, but they know you’re here and they’re coming!” He glanced at the pulsating apparatus. “What is that thing? Where is Nath Dragon?”
“He’s in the city!” Bayzog shouted over the wind. “Looking for you!”
“No! No! It’s a trap! It’s all a big trap! We have to get him out of there!” He tried to pull away, but Brenwar held him fast. “Let go! Let go!”
Bayzog and Brenwar started shouting at Laedorn and Haarviik and waving their arms.
“Stop! Stop!”
Haarviik, beard billowing, shouted, “Cover your ears!” And then with all his dwarven might, he shouted, “Fire!”
Kah—Kah—Kah—Roooooooooom!
A bright ball of energy blasted out of the barrel and soared through the sky. Bayzog watched in awe. The blue-green torpedo of energy was on a direct path into the very heart of the city. Bayzog sank to his knees. Sasha huddled at his side, watching with dread-filled anticipation. He barely heard the words she said.
“Balzurth be with you, Nath.”
CHAPTER 41
A pummeling. A beatdown. Nath felt like a child fighting a man. Gorn was bigger. Gorn was stronger. It took everything Nath had to keep himself together.
He can’t be this powerful. He can’t be!
Gorn wailed on him. He felt every blow in his bones. He struck back only to be swatted aside and assaulted again.
“I can’t kill you this way, but I enjoy delivering the pain!”
Nath, sprawled out on the ground, struggled to rise.
Gorn kicked him in the gut. Blasted him with more fire.
“That’s for your father! And after I finish you, I’ll finish him!”
Gorn drove his fist into him and kicked him once more.
Listless and wrought with pain, Nath lay on his back in the supine position as Gorn walked away. He’d hardly put up a fight. He was ashamed of it. It angered him. Selene had told him to hold back his powers, and as far as he could tell, he’d exhausted them all. Gorn’s powers seemed unlimited. They seemed to be growing. What was feeding the monster that made him so strong? He heard a voice inside his head.
Fear and doubt are our enemies. Evil feeds on them.
Bayzog had said that.
Sometimes you have to set your faults aside and be a hero.
Brenwar had lectured that.
Nothing can stop Nath Dragon.
Nath rose to his feet with a groan and pulled his shoulders back.
“I said that.”
“What’s this?” Gorn said, stomping over the throne where Fang was embedded. “Still some fight in you, I see. Hah hah hah!” Gorn plucked the tiny sword from the chair. “Let me show you true power, my full power.”
Fang sparkled and hissed in his palms and began to enlarge.
Nath’s golden eyes widened. “Impossible!”
“You think small, Nath Dragon. And with your precious sword, I’m going to sliver off your scales and skewer your heart.”
Nath crouched back. He felt more odds stacking against him.
How is he doing this? What can’t he do? Think, Nath. Think.
“You’d think you’d have your own sword,” Nath said. “Sad thing you have to use mine. It seems you lack many skills my father has.”
Gorn sprang across the room and swung Fang at his belly.
Slice!
Nath skipped away.
Guzan! That was close.
Gorn jabbed Fang at him again and again.
Nath twisted, ducked, and dodged. The cathedral was collapsing all around him.
“Stay still, you fool!”
Nath did no such thing. Gorn thrust. He moved. Gorn jabbed. He sidestepped. He narrowed his eyes. Nothing is faster than Nath Dragon. His dragon heart surged inside his chest, his confidence renewed. Gorn cut and chopped. He anticipated and moved.
Evil is overconfident.
Brenwar had once said that.
The wicked are powerful but often sluggish.
Bayzog’s memory reminded.
Nath felt his senses coming together now. Wary, Gorn waded through the city. He’d close in on Nath, only to see him slip away time and again.
“I tire of this!” Gorn growled. He looked up into the spires. “Dark dragons, pin him down!”
The dragons spread their wings and dropped from the sky.
Nath acted. He summoned his power and unleashed a cone of icy dragon breath.
Distracted, Gorn slipped on his next step and thudded into the street.
Nath unleashed his full fury, freezing Gorn’s legs and covering his chest and arms.
The dragons flew at him and latched onto his arms and legs.
He slung them off and pounced on Gorn Grattack.
Fang was frozen to Gorn’s hands.
Nath tried to pry him out.
“Ha!” Gorn said from his frozen cocoon. “You think to fool me, do you? Admirable try, but my grip is solid iron.” Flexing his scales, Gorn busted the ice off. He slugged the gaping Nath in the jaw with the hilt of his own sword. “Fool!”
Smaller dragons clawing all over him, Nath crashed to the ground. “No!”
Gorn was on his feet towering over him with Fang resting on his shoulder.
Nath strained against his living coat of dragon armor. They had him pinned. Gorn had him right where he wanted him.
Nath’s father’s words entered his head.
Evil is deceitful. Don’t close your mind for a second.
“Let go of me, brothers and sisters! You don’t know what you’re doing!”
“Save your breath, Nath. They don’t listen to you, they listen to me.” Gorn readied Fang over his head. “They listen to me from now on, forever!” He started into his swing.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire Floating City shook. Nath felt it tilt beneath him. Above, some sort of meteor skipped off a mystic shield he hadn’t noticed before. Gorn stumbled backward, and a sneer formed on his lips. He opened his mouth to speak again.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The Floating City trembled again.
“Dragons!” he roared. “Find that weapon and destroy it!”
Dragons by the hundreds took to the sky, darting through the shield and away.
Gorn leered down at Nath. “I suspected such a thing, but I control the jaxite’s power. Nothing but dragons can get in or out of this city.” He waggled Fang in the air. “The more dragons come, the more I control. And in moments, those distant heroes, no matter their force, will be torn into pieces.” He readied the sword for the final blow once more. “Don’t worry, Nath Dragon. You’ll never get to see it.”
CHAPTER 42
As he watched the magic torpedo fly, Brenwar’s chest tightened. Thoughts of not seeing Nath again raced through his mind. As the great missile sailed up, he ground his teeth and braced his mind for impact.
Behind him, everyone watched with rapt fascination.
Brenwar’s keen eye caught a quavering bubble that he hadn’t noticed before. It surrounded the city.
“Great Guzan! What is that? A shield? Bayzog, do you see that?”
The mage squinted.
Careening through the sky, the bright blast sailed toward the city, barreling down on the mass of buildings. There was a bright flash followed by a thunderous boom. An invisible dome appeared, saving the city. The ball of power skipped off the greenish dome and skittered into the sky before fading.
“Buckle my boot! It ricocheted!” Brenwar yelled. He felt relief. He turned back toward Haarviik. “Now what are you going to do?”
Haarviik stood up in his seat and pulled up his leather goggles. His weathered face was painted with fury. “It cannot be!”
Suddenly, coming out of the Floating City, dragons by the hundreds filled the sky. Black tailed and winged with glowing eyes, they soared straight for the Apparatus of Ruune.
“Fire again!” Haarviik bellowed, plopping down in his seat. “Fire!”
Laedorn and Haarviik
pulled back on their triggers and let chaos fly.
Kah—Kah—Kah—Roooooooooom!
Kah—Kah—Kah—Roooooooooom!
Kah—Kah—Kah—Roooooooooom!
Torpedoes ripped through the dark dragons, incinerating them before blasting into the dome protecting the city. But the blast only took a few of the hundreds that remained. The dragons swarmed toward them, roaring in fury.
“Pilpin, fetch the chest!” Brenwar yelled.
“Aye!” Pilpin said, scurrying into the barn.
The Apparatus of Ruune continued to rock, blast after blast after blast.
Kah—Kah—Kah—Roooooooooom!
Kah—Kah—Kah—Roooooooooom!
Kah—Kah—Kah—Roooooooooom!
The torpedoes destroyed dragons in their path but continued to ricochet off the dome.
Bayzog appeared at his side. “They’ll be on us at any moment. What do you plan to do?”
Brenwar cocked his eyebrow. “Fight! One last glorious fight!”
A series of roars erupted behind them. The good dragons who had been huddled in the hills took to the sky and surged toward the oncoming enemy. Brenwar could see that the good dragons were outnumbered at least four to one.
“When they get here, they’ll rip that apparatus apart,” Bayzog said, “and then it will be over. We have to protect it!”
“I thought you didn’t like it?” Brenwar said.
“Quite the contrary. It’s fascinating. I just don’t like Nath being on the other end of it.”
Pilpin scurried back with the dwarven chest in his arms. He set it down and peeled the ancient lid open. Bayzog kneeled down and started plucking out vial after vial. He tossed them to his family, the Roamers, Ben, and Pilpin.
“Just drink,” Brenwar said, pulling the cork off one and draining it down. “No time for questions.” He thumped his chest and burped. Eyeing a hesitant Pilpin, he said, “If I can drink, you can drink.”
Pilpin gave a quick bearded nod and swallowed the greenish potion down.
“Everyone, form a circle around the apparatus and stay close,” Bayzog said. He stepped underneath the weapon’s muzzle and readied the Elderwood Staff. “Have faith this isn’t the end.”
The Chronicles of Dragon Collection (Series 1 Omnibus, Books 1-10) Page 130
