The King sniffed the air as if sensing the truth in the relic. "I recognize the relic from the drawings, and it has the smell of the ancient hand upon it, the same smell as the other relics." He looked over at Master Vhelan. "And so? Hand over the elven relic and I vow to leave Shaar'el unscathed."
"You expect me to believe the word of someone like you?" Master Vhelan scoffed and wagged his head in disgust. "Try going back to the part where you order your vile draenyx army to leave Shaar'el and return back through the portal."
"Kill him, Princess Sebine." King Braxion said, and narrowed his eyes in appraisal of the Princess. "If you ever want to win my trust and return home, you will do this thing." When she raised her hands to the old sorcerer, a sly smile formed on the King's face. Sebine knew it likely that Master Vhelan would ward himself, so she cast a quick spell to push him backwards, but with only the smallest power. The spell reflected back onto her and sent her spinning around at the force.
As the sorcerer scowled at her in puzzlement, she cast the stunning spell on him and cast another spell pulling the Mirror of Halien'shur from his hands. She anchored herself against the far wall and cast another spell that rocketed Master Vhelan and his dragon far out into the blackness. She knew he'd survive, it was all part of the plan.
"I've done it!" Sebine shouted, and displayed the two relics and a broad grin to King Braxion.
King Braxion frowned at Sebine, and cast a wary eye out into the dark sky where the sorcerer had been shot. "How did you kill him so easily?"
"You saw the remains of your brutalized draenyx warriors. I did that and more. I know Master Vhelan's tricks." Sebine gave the King a devious smile. "He casts a reflective ward on himself, so a light spell will break the ward. Then I cast a killing blow and stole his relic and knocked him out into the desert. Let the dogs eat his shriveled body."
Sebine raised her hand and displayed the ring. "I wield the Ring of Galdora, an ancient elven ring of power gifted to me by the elves. This gives me the strength to break through even the most dangerous sorcerer's defenses."
"Prove it," the King said, and pointed at a Hakkadian sorcerer hovering in the air. "Kill him."
Without hesitation, Sebine cast a small push spell and immediately cast a stunning spell. When the stupefied sorcerer fell to the ground, she cast the boiling spell and caused his head to explode in a burst of blood and shattered bone. The other sorcerers moved to fight against her, but King Braxion raised his hand to stop them.
"Very impressive!" He clapped his hands in a show of mock enthusiasm. "Now give me the relics. You've taken one step in proving your loyalty to me. It seems that you've indeed grown in power over your journey and represent a formidable addition to our cause. Prince Xanthes will be most interested in meeting you..."
Sebine strode forward and handed both relics to the King. Now each step she took was critical to their success. As the King shouted and stabbed down and shattered the relics with repeated strikes of his sword, Sebine pulled in all the power she could muster from the Ring of Galdora, and cast a small push spell against the Hakkadians sorcerers. As their protective wards went off, Sebine felt an unexpectedly magnified force that shoved her back to the ground. Disoriented, she forced herself to focus, but it was too late. From the shadows, the wizards of Shaar'el blasted the Hakkadians in an eruption of fire and ice.
Chapter Thirty-Five
MASTER SHALINOR RELEASED a heavy sigh of disbelief, unable to comprehend the depths of his grandson's foolishness. Would the boy ever learn to obey and act as a team? Gods, he was just as stubborn as his mother. The woman was impossible to reason with and needed compelling incentives to get her to cooperate with anything that wasn't her idea. And as he studied the eruption of violence atop the Malathian capitol, the wizard felt as if the devious nature of Gaa'el, the god of the earth, were wreaking havoc here tonight.
The Hakkadian sorcerers allied with Master Vhelan were clearly concerned by what they saw, and seemed to urge their dragons faster to join the battle. As they neared the chaos of elemental magic raging in the air, Master Shalinor spied tens of the draenyx assaulting figures across the courtyard. He commanded his dragon to dive, believing his primary goal was to eliminate the abominations from the field of battle. The magicians of Shaar'el would likely win a contest of magic against the young Hakkadians allied with the King.
One of Master Shalinor's favorite games as a child was knocking aggressive ants from tall, cone-shaped anthills found in the salt flats along the Ferelian Sea. The fat, red insects kept pouring out of the mouth of the anthill to greet the wizard's snapping finger as he flicked them far out into the sand. A wistful smile formed on his face as he pictured the lazy days spent playing on the beach. Weren't the draenyx kind of like those annoying ants that would love to crawl up his legs and bite him all at once?
He looked down at his fingers and chuckled to himself as he instinctively made the same flicking motion and out of the corner of his eye he saw a massive draenyx beast shrieking as it catapulted far out into the desert. It wouldn't be sufficient to just knock them down to terrorize the city's lower levels, they needed to be flicked so far they'd likely break their wings or snap their necks in the process.
A devious thought came to the wizard. Couldn't he just crack their pretty wings and snap them off with the ease of yanking off fly's wings? Those annoying flies that loved to buzz in his ears and eat his food. A fireball perhaps to roast their wings into crisps? He flicked his finger a few more times and added a layer of flame to the spell that caused the creatures to look like balls of fire arcing out into the desert. This was an immensely enjoyable game.
While the Hakkadians loyal to Master Vhelan sped down and launched waves of brutal attacks against the other sorcerers, the wizard hovered in contentment, relishing flicking the nasty looking ants off the anthill. Unfortunately he found himself tiring from the exertion, and as he paused and raised his hands to receive the power from the moon, he spotted hundreds more pouring in through the portal and clambering up the hill to join the battle...
Chapter Thirty-Six
TAEL STALKED TOWARDS King Braxion, hoping to intercept the King before he had a chance of escaping back through the portal. It seemed like their enemies were losing. Every second Tael spotted a draenyx being knocked far off into the darkness by some invisible hand, their bodies igniting into flame as they made their descent. And the young Hakkadians loyal to the King were faring poorly against the elder wizards and witches of Shaar'el. Did they actually have a chance?
A brilliant flash of silver caused Tael to snap his head around. What was that in Sebine's hands? King Braxion's terrified eyes gazed at the Princess. She retrieved a silver dagger from her purse and with one clean strike and a shriek of horror from the King, she used the shimmering blade to stab what looked like an amulet.
The King shielded his eyes from a blast of blinding light erupting from the shattered amulet. As Tael charged in to protect the Princess, the King raised his sword in rage, his rat-like face puffy and red, and eyes bloodshot and furious.
"You traitorous whore," shouted the King, spittle flying from his ugly mouth. "I'll murder you and your mother for that. Is this the thanks I get for providing you with everything you've ever needed?" Sebine shrieked in pain as the King seized her by the hair.
Tael leapt forward and brought down Balensaar and parried the King's blade as it was about stab her neck. Braxion whirled around and fixed his full attention on the new threat. Tael kicked the King in the chest and the man released his grip on Sebine and went tumbling backwards.
"The young whelp?" Braxion coughed out a mocking laugh as he came to his feet. "Come to challenge a King?"
I've come to kill a king, Tael thought, and narrowing the gap between them, tried a riposte after parrying a slashing strike. The King shifted aside, his feet deft as dancer's, and Tael recognized the movements as similar to the water dancing style his father had taught him.
"Surprised?" King Braxion gave Tael a cocky g
rin as he circled around and batted away several testing blows. "Thought only you and your father knew the style? Even a fool can copy another man's secrets."
Tael quick-stepped forward and swatted away the King's blade while spinning back-to-back around the old man. He stabbed down at the back of the King's knee, but a found a fist pummeling him in the face instead. Pain shot across Tael's face as blood erupted from his mouth and shattered nose.
"Didn't see that coming, did you?" The King took the chance to scan around and his mouth formed a broad smile as he realized a wave of draenyx warriors now surrounded their group. The young sorcerers had been defeated by the wizards and witches, but from their tired faces Tael could see they had no more power to battle the draenyx army. Already the magicians levitated far in the air above the draenyx.
"So what will it be?" King Braxion leveled his blade at Tael's chest. "Would you have one of those beasts rip out your heart? You must leave the girl for me. Her double betrayal demands death."
Tael answered the question by pivoting and issuing a fake jab at the King's side, then spinning around, he swept the old man's feet out from under him and knocked the King onto his back. With a speedy recovery, the King raised his blade to stop Tael's downward slash and leaned into the block and slammed his pummel into Tael's balls. Pain shot through Tael's groin and stars blossomed in his eyes as he stumbled backwards.
He clenched his teeth and fought against the urge to double over, keeping his blade aimed at the advancing King. This was a battle he couldn't lose, and with Sebine's life at risk, he knew he had no choice but to fight.
"Are you suicidal?" King Braxion sneered at Tael as several draenyx flanked him, sniffing the air as if they were hunting dogs. Their beautiful elven faces held a perplexed expression as if uncertain of how to handle the battle. The King waved them away and the creatures stayed back, crouched and ready to strike. "I don't need these beasts to fight my battles against young whelps like you. I rather enjoyed bloodying your face. Do you fight for your parents or fight for the traitorous little bitch?"
"Neither," Tael said, and spat into the King's face while charging him with the blade. Braxion batted Balensaar aside and lunged at Tael's face again with the pommel. This time Tael caught the trick and ducked down under the King's arm and brought Balensaar thrusting up underneath the King's arm. The sword tip bit and punched through the weak point in his armor, causing the King to gasp in pain and shrink away. Tael pressed his advantage and exploited the King's injured side, releasing a flurry of blows that the King desperately tried to knock away.
But Braxion was weakening, and the draenyx seemed to smell it, and out of concern they pushed forward to aid the King. Tael realized it might be his final chance to slay the King, so he pulled the shadows around his form and caused the King to flail his sword around in wild rage at his opponent's disappearance.
"Show yourself! Are you a thief or a warrior?" The King whipped around and winced in pain as he nursed his wound, but his determined face tensed as he tried to spot Tael.
"I am both warrior and thief," Tael said, and brought the blade slashing hard against the King's gorget, and Balensaar didn't disappoint. The blade cut clean through the armor and a spray of blood erupted from the King's shoulder. Tael screamed and swore at himself for missing the neck, and a surge of horror pulsed through him as the draenyx went to intercept the staggering King.
"You little bastard..." The King slapped at his wound and his armor made a clacking sound as he stumbled backwards and fell into the arms of a draenyx warrior. When Tael shot forward to delivery a killing blow, instead of fighting him, the draenyx lifted the King and dragged him backwards, flapping its wings and taking flight. The beast made a shrill, shrieking sound that caused the other draenyx to lift into the air and follow the first creature's retreat, until the whole group scampered over the edge.
Tael chased after the fleeing group, furious at himself for not striking true, but hoped the blood loss would be enough to kill King Braxion. He spied the draenyx carrying the King dive into the portal and disappear inside. The other draenyx didn't hesitate and poured back through the portal, and the confused Vizathian Knights followed after them.
The battle was over.
"Seal the portal," shouted one of the wizards of Shaar'el, and several of elders of their cabal flew down to the temple complex.
A grimace formed on Tael's face as the pain from his shattered nose and injured groin surged through him. Sebine rushed over to help, her eyes both concerned and proud, and in that moment he realized that all the struggle to save her life was worth it. He truly loved her and cared for her more than anything else in this life.
"You could have gotten yourself killed." Sebine raised a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his face.
"I failed." Tael squeezed his eyes shut and willed the shooting pain to go away. "A few inches closer and I would have landed a killing blow. Why do I always screw things up?"
Sebine placed a hand on his arm and cuddled close to him. "Look, you were amazing. At least they've left us and we don't have to worry about the draenyx army killing us and ravaging Shaar'el. I destroyed the amulet that protected him, and with the blessing of the gods, he will hopefully die from the wound."
A sigh escaped from Tael's mouth as he studied Sebine's face for signs of hope. She seemed inspired by his look and continued on with a determined voice.
"We've won the day and you fought the King very well. You beat him and would have killed him if the draenyx hadn't have dragged him away. And because of your battle we have hope for our long journey ahead. Don't you think we did better than we expected?"
Tael couldn't help but grin at her contagious smile. "We did all right, I suppose." He looked down at the mob of soldiers and sorcerers surrounding the temple complex, and inhaled a deep breath of relief at spying the now closed portal. They were safe, at least for now. "Considering that we're still alive and Shaar'el is intact, that is a blessing indeed."
"And we have you to thank for saving us. My magic was completely drained after battling the sorcerers and keeping the draenyx warriors from harming us. If you hadn't have severely wounded the King, we'd likely all be dead now. So keep that in mind when you talk foolishly of failure."
At her playful prodding of his side, Tael leaned in and raised an eyebrow suggestively at her, wanting nothing more than to find a quiet place and be alone with her. Their journey and the battle with King Braxion had drained him to the point of exhaustion. Now at least Tael was sure they'd find the full support of the Malathian royal family. Already war drums sounded across Shaar'el, and for a city unused to war and bloodshed, Tael could feel the electricity crackling in the air. The Malathian Kingdom was a place of peace no more. War was coming.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
IN THE MIDST of a fever dream where Sebine traipsed through a room of sleeping men and women lying naked in a room covered with silk pillows and discarded jugs of wine, she found the smell of roasted meat inciting a hunger in her growling stomach. She wasn't sure how she'd arrived in the strange room filled with debauched and drunken people, but then again, wasn't the dream world filled with bizarre things beyond all recollection and imagination? Compared to the empty world of heaviness and sorrow, the world of dreams offered tantalizing glimpses of unrealized desires and hidden fears.
She moved to a bedroom dimly lit with a waning candle, and at the smell of sex in the air, Sebine's eyes fixed on the writhing shapes underneath the bed. Her trepidation immobilized her for a moment, but finally her curiosity overpowered her hesitation and she pulled back the covers to find Tael undressed and entangled with the witch from Glar Bay and Sebine's lady's maid Eloise. He lay on his back while Eloise straddled him and ground her generous hips into him like a fiend. Her gloating eyes taunted Sebine and she moaned in rapturous releases from her gaping mouth. The witch's claw-like hands raked across Tael's beautiful flesh as she offered a nipple to Tael's eager lips.
Sebine found rage bursting up inside
her chest and she reached around for a weapon, craving nothing more than to murder the two harlots. Her hand found a dagger—the same blade as she used to destroy the King's amulet—and she stabbed down into Eloise's pale white skin until a beautiful shower of red erupted from her neck and chest and stomach, until Tael and the bed was wet and stank with the smell of coppery blood. As the witch went to speak, Sebine punched the blade over and over again into her open mouth until the witch's body finally lay limp, her eyes staring lifeless at the ceiling.
Tael stared at Sebine with euphoric eyes, as if all the violence meant nothing to him. He stretched his bloodied arms wide to her as if expecting an embrace. The scene was so horrible and pathetic and confusing to Sebine that she just turned aside and ran and ran outside into the blackness of night, until all the running and all the tears exhausted her fury. She collapsed beside a small pool reflecting the light of the full moon and wondered why she was so foolish in trusting Tael with her love and her body. He didn't deserve her.
Something in the surface of the mirror-like pool caught Sebine's attention, and she fixed her gaze at the eerie stillness of the sky reflected in the water. The shining, silver face of the moon studied her with ancient eyes filled with wisdom and malevolence. A shiver ran through Sebine as the moon darkened to blood and shadows, and soon the once placid face distorted to an expression of pure evil. To her horror, the face spoke to her.
"I am the one called Prince Xanthes, the son of a god, and lord and master to legions." The shadowy face narrowed its eyes at Sebine. "The world of light awaits my arrival. At last I am free. And from what I understand, I have you to thank for my freedom, as you were the one to hand over the final relics to that disappointing grandson of mine. Poor King Braxion, he did his best but he got himself beaten by a boy. All this foolishness will change once the world of light greets my army and me. The draenyx were toy soldiers compared to the creatures of Naverstrom now freed from their prison. It would have been better if you were never born to this world of pain and sorrow. Weep and pray that your death comes swiftly..."
Lord Of Dragons (Book 2) Page 22
