“He knows we’re here!” said Islar.
Elias put his finger to his lips. “Remain calm, and stay behind me. If this goes south, I want you to run. I’m going in. It’s time for me to face him.”
“We’re coming in with you,” said Sisren. “You can’t defeat him on your own.”
They stepped inside the throne room, with Elias leading the way. Vosper was facing the window, and his two necromancers were floating nearby.
Hanko and Charlight were chained in the corner. Charlight’s muzzle had been wrapped with steel cable to prevent her from breathing fire. The wire was wound so tightly around her mouth that blood streamed down her neck. Even worse, her wings had been shattered. They hung limply at her sides, broken in a dozen places.
Hanko had been stripped to the waist and flogged. He sagged in his chains, weakened by blood loss. His dragon stone had been ripped from his chest again and lay on the floor near his feet.
Vosper turned to face Elias, and the other two necromancers moved into place behind him.
“Sssso… we finally meet,” said the emperor. “You’re younger than I expected.”
“And you’re deader than I expected,” said Elias.
Vosper’s black eyes narrowed. “Do you ssssee your friend Hanko? My necromancers brought him down from the sky… in an instant. The fool wasn’t strong enough to maintain his concealment spell. You dragon riderssss shouldn’t attempt elvish enchantments. The magic is really beyond your… capabilities.”
“Speak for yourself, Vosper. I don’t think you’ll find me an easy target.”
Vosper looked at his necromancers. “Kill them. But not the boy… or the white dragon. Thosssse two… are mine.” Uldreiyn and Uevareth shot from their positions behind the emperor, their gray mouths gnawing with anticipation.
The necromancers passed right by Elias and engaged the others. Uldreiyn reached out to grab Rali, and Aor blocked the necromancer with his forearm. Aor’s tattoos glowed faintly, their power activating against the necromancer’s magic.
Sisren faced off against Uldreiyn, who struck her immediately with a paralyzing spell. Unable to counterattack in time, she froze, overcome with pain.
Elias kept his eyes trained on the emperor, even after he heard Sisren cry out behind him. Elias raised his glowing hands. “Let Hanko and Charlight go.”
Vosper laughed. “You’re in no position… to make demandssss. Do you really… believe yoursssself a match for me, boy? Even with the help of that hulking dragon, I’m ten times… more powerful than you.”
“Release them both,” said Elias, not dropping his guard. Nydeired stepped forward, growling defensively.
On the other side of the room, Hanko raised his head. Even in his dazed condition, he understood what was happening. After everything he’d done, Elias was still trying to save him.
Vosper laughed again: a hissing, bubbling sound that chilled Elias’ blood. Then the emperor raised a glowing hand and lashed out. “Forn-hatt!” he screamed, and a sound like a thousand firecrackers filled the chamber. The sound was deafening.
“Sound familiar?” said Vosper. “It’s the Sprite’s Shriek. It won’t kill you, but your pain will increase until you’re unconscious, and then I’ll be able to play with you at my leisure.”
Nydeired howled as the noise intensified, threatening to burst his eardrums. Elias covered his ears with his hands, but it was no use. He could feel the sound down to his bones. The noise got louder and louder, and the others fell to their knees.
The necromancers were unaffected. Uldreiyn floated over to Sisren and absently plunged a knife into her chest. She clutched her chest and fell, her mouth opening as she struggled to breathe.
Aor remained standing and maneuvered his body over Rali’s. The young king writhed on the floor in agony.
Elias searched his memory for a counterspell and remembered one from his grandmother’s spellbook. “Forn-vel!” he said, and a pale bubble enveloped them, muffling the awful noise. Elias extended the protective barrier around everyone but Hanko and Charlight, who were chained on the other side of the room. Elias could still hear the sound, but it wasn’t loud enough to harm them.
Vosper tapped on the barrier with his finger, which wobbled like a soap bubble under his touch. “You expect to sssstop me… with this little protection spell?” The emperor’s voice sounded muffled, as though he was speaking through cotton.
Aor propped Sisren up so she could breathe. The knife stuck out of the middle of her chest. The wound bled heavily, and Sisren’s face was very pale.
“She’s going to die if we don’t get her out of here,” said Rali.
“I know,” said Elias, “but it’s taking all my concentration just to maintain this shield. It will protect us for the time being, but once I drop the barrier, Vosper will attack again.”
Nydeired’s dragon stone pulsed brightly as he shared his strength with Elias. The spell was draining them both.
The necromancers circled like wolves around a wounded animal. Every once in a while, they reached out and touched the barrier with their hands.
“What are we going to do?” said Islar. “We’re trapped in here.”
“Vosper is going to wait until you tire, Elias,” said Rali. “Even with Nydeired’s help, you can’t hold this spell forever. And Vosper has all the time in the world.”
“Maybe I won’t have to,” said Elias. “Look at Hanko and Charlight.”
With Vosper and the other necromancers occupied, Hanko had managed to free himself and reach the dragon stone lying at his feet. Then he crawled over to Charlight and released her chains. The shackles dropped to the floor, and Charlight collapsed, overwhelmed by her injuries. Her shattered wings sprawled in every direction, and her head hit the floor.
Hanko tore frantically at the wires around her mouth and nose, but it was too late.
Charlight was dead.
Hanko’s dragon stone turned slowly from red to gray. Then it cracked, right down the middle. “No… no! Charlight, wake up! Please come back to me!” he said. Hanko cradled her head in his lap and howled with anguish. Even through the barrier, Elias and the others could hear his grief-stricken cries. Vosper turned around and raised an eyebrow, looking bored. He called the necromancers to his side. “Finish him,” he ordered. “He’s lossst his… usefulness.”
Uldreiyn floated over and calmly raised one hand to strike a death blow. Hanko grabbed the necromancer’s wrist. Vosper cocked his head to one side. What was he doing?
Hanko, driven mad with fury and despair, rose up and struck, mouthing a vicious spell under his breath. An explosion erupted from the necromancer’s chest, blowing a hole in it the size of a man’s fist. Foul blood splattered everywhere, spraying Hanko’s bare face and chest. Uldreiyn buckled to the ground, thrashing in agony as blood poured from the gaping wound.
Elias was shocked. “How is this possible? When did Hanko get this strong?”
“He always has been…” said Sisren weakly. “He’s hidden his true powers for years. I’ve always known he was stronger than he let on.”
Elias maintained the protection spell, drawing extra power from the gemstones in the enchanted crossbow. What was Hanko doing?
Hanko turned to face the emperor. “You’ve taken the only thing that mattered to me,” he said, his voice ringing with pain. “Now you’re going to pay.”
“I doubt it,” said Vosper. The emperor didn’t look afraid, but he wasn’t laughing anymore, either. “Your powerssss… are no match for mine, dragon rider.”
“You’re wrong,” said Hanko. “Did you know that I’m a spirit conjurer? A fairly competent one, too—except that I haven’t used those powers in years. It’s an exceptionally rare gift in human spellcasters. I was afraid to conjure; I thought it would kill me. But I’m not afraid anymore. Charlight is gone. I have no reason to live, and for that… you’re going to die.”
“Bah! I can conjure sssspirits… more easily than you,” said Vosper.
&nbs
p; “Yes, but there’s a difference. You conjure spirits and trap them against their will. I do not,” said Hanko.
“That’s impossible,” said Vosper.
“It is possible. How many dragons have you killed?” said Hanko, trembling with unspent rage. “How many spellcasters have you murdered? Hundreds? Thousands? I’m going to give them a chance for vengeance. And I won’t have to trap them—they’ll come willingly.”
“You couldn’t,” said Vosper, who now looked alarmed. “You won’t be able to control them. The sssspell will… kill you.”
Hanko smiled. “Exactly. Now you understand.”
Vosper’s eyes widened.
Hanko raised his hands. Instead of the normal blue light that appeared during spellcasting, Hanko’s palms turned black. “Dreyma-lita-purs-krellr,” he whispered, and the room grew cold. As cold as ice. As cold as death. It was a ghoulish scene—Hanko’s face and chest were smeared with the blood of the necromancer. The black blood mixed with his own, running from dozens of wounds on his bare chest and arms. Hanko didn’t even seem to notice.
The blackness in Hanko’s palms expanded, and a dark, swirling maw opened in the center of the room. And they came—the spirits of the dead riders and their dragons. First there were only a few, and then there were dozens, and eventually the throne room was full of them—a throng of shimmering figures, glowing all the colors of dragonkin.
“See? I don’t have to control them,” said Hanko, his body slick with blood and sweat. “All I had to do is call them, and they’ll do the rest.”
A great roar rose from the spirits, and they descended on the emperor and the remaining necromancer. Vosper shrieked as the frantic horde tore him to pieces. A few minutes later, there was nothing left of the emperor except a black smear on the cobblestones.
Hanko, unable to maintain the spell any longer, fell to the floor, unconscious.
“Don’t drop your spell, Elias!” warned Islar. “The spirits will kill us all!”
“No,” said Elias. “They won’t.” He ended the protection spell and paused. The spirits closed in around them. Islar screamed. But Elias remained calm, and spoke softly. “I am Elias Dorgumir. I am a healer and a friend.”
One of the spirits, a beautiful female with glowing blue eyes, reached out to touch him. Elias didn’t flinch as her cold fingers ran down his cheek. Her face looked so familiar, and Elias struggled to remember where he had seen her. The spirit-woman pointed at Hanko. “You must save him,” said the woman.
“Elias, you must heal Hanko,” whispered Islar frantically. “He’s the only one who can re-open the portal to send them back. If he doesn’t, the spirits will be trapped here, and they’ll destroy us all!”
Elias walked slowly to Hanko, who was lying unconscious on the ground, lying in a pool of his own blood. Elias put his hand on Hanko’s chest: the heartbeat was very faint and his skin was blue from the cold.
“Curatio,” said Elias, and healing magic flowed from him, curing Hanko’s injuries. The cuts on his back and arms sealed up, and color returned to his cheeks. The scar from the dragon stone on his chest remained inflamed, but Elias was able to stop the bleeding.
“Hanko? Can you hear me? Wake up,” said Elias gently.
Hanko’s eyes fluttered open, and he groaned. “No…” he said, as his eyes filled with tears. “Why did you heal me, Elias? I don’t want to live anymore. I can’t go on without Charlight. Please, just let me die,” he whispered, covering his face with his hands.
“We need your help,” said Elias. “The spirits need to go home.” Elias lifted Hanko up gently, supporting his back.
Hanko continued to cry.
“Please, Hanko. Won’t you help us?” said Elias quietly.
Hanko’s body shuddered, then he took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll do it,” he whispered. “Dreyma-lita-purs-stodva,” he said softly, and the black portal opened again. The spirits left silently, one by one, filing out of the room and back into the darkness of the afterworld.
One spirit lagged behind—the woman who had touched Elias’ cheek. She floated over to Elias and spoke one final time. “Thank you for saving me, my son.”
Elias looked up, stunned. “Mother?”
“Yes, I am Ionela. You released me… from a prison—the life of a necromancer. You freed me, and I was able to move on to the next life. I love you, and I’m so proud of you. Farewell, my son.” Then she walked away and into the portal, which sealed up and disappeared.
Elias was speechless, trembling with emotion. Islar’s voice shook him out of his reverie.
“Elias, Sisren needs your help. She’s dying,” Elias wiped away the tears on his cheeks and walked over to Sisren. “Lift her up,” he ordered, and Aor lifted her gently so that she was in a seated position. Amazingly, she was still conscious.
“Sisren, listen to me. I’m going to take out the knife. It’s going to hurt more coming out than it did going in. But I need you to stay awake, okay? I’ll have a better chance of saving you if you remain conscious. Do you understand?”
Sisren nodded. Elias grasped the handle of the knife with both hands and pulled it out in a swift movement. Sisren cried out as the knife tore her flesh anew. Blood shot up like a fountain. Elias put his palms on her chest, crossed over the wound. “Curatio,” he said, and the tendrils of his healing spell entered her body, closing the severed veins and sealing up the horrible wound. When he was finished, he sat back on his heels and exhaled.
“Thank you,” said Sisren weakly. Her breathing was labored, but she would recover.
“I can’t believe it,” said Rali. “We did it. We defeated Vosper.”
“With Hanko’s help,” said Elias.
They all looked at Hanko. He had crawled back to Charlight’s body and was crying softly into her neck.
“I was wrong about him,” said Rali. “I was certain he would betray us, and you were the one who vouched for him. If Hanko hadn’t been here, all of us would have died.”
Elias looked over at Hanko, feeling pity for the distraught spellcaster. “Maybe. We’ll never know for sure,” said Elias. “None of us could have done this alone. We defeated the emperor because we fought together.”
Elias walked over to Nydeired and put his hand around his neck, thankful for his dragon’s strength and friendship. Nydeired purred and nuzzled him gently. How do you feel, Elias?
“I’m glad it’s over,” he said. “Now let’s go home.”
Epilogue
A year had passed since Vosper’s defeat, and rebuilding was underway. As the sole surviving heir of the Five Kings, Rali assumed leadership of the capital and its troops. The Nine came to Morholt and took their place as Rali’s personal guards, as they had done at Parthos.
Sisren returned to Miklagard with Hanko, who went on trial for treason. Elias declined to testify against him, and the charges were eventually dismissed for lack of evidence. After a period of deep depression, Hanko began teaching in Miklagard, training students in the art of spirit conjuring. He eventually attained the rank of Master Teacher, and helped Galti and Holf finish their training. The young dragon riders then went back to Parthos to help patrol the city.
The siege of Mount Velik ended as abruptly as it began, and the empire soldiers returned to the capital after the emperor’s death. Rali accepted the soldiers back into their regular positions, but dismissed Vosper’s old commanders.
The dwarves fared badly after the assassin’s attack—Hergung was seriously injured, two clan leaders were dead. Bolrakei was removed from office and branded a traitor. After losing his leg, Hergung became a recluse, overcome by fear and anxiety. With more than half their leadership gone, the dwarf clans fell into disarray and eventually into civil war. Two splinter factions were formed, one that supported King Hergung, and another that opposed him. The rebel faction was led by Utan, the surviving leader of the Vardmiter clan, which had for centuries been treated like untouchables by the other clans.
Tallin and Duskeye remained
among the dwarves for most of the year, trying to broker peace between the two factions, but even they could not salvage the situation. Utan’s faction left Mount Velik permanently, moving west to the Highport Mountains, where they eventually settled. The Orvasse River became a de facto border for the warring clans, and any dwarf from the opposing side that dared to cross was captured and killed.
The elves left Mount Velik without even saying goodbye. They returned to Brighthollow with their dragons one morning before the sun came up, refusing any telepathic communication from other spellcasters. Although the elves initially tried to assist the dwarves in settling their differences, they left in frustration when the infighting escalated.
Sela recovered fully from her injuries, except for the blindness in her left eye, which was permanent. She took over as Rali’s regent in the desert. Even with Vosper dead, Parthos remained a target. Balborites and orcs made frequent attempts to breach the city’s defenses. The attacks failed, but they lost many good men. During the last attack, Sela engaged an assassin in hand-to-hand combat. When the assassin laughed, Sela discovered that her attacker was a woman. Skera-Kina had survived, and she was stronger than ever.
Elias spent months traveling through the countryside, working as a healer. Elias earned the nickname Gentle Hand, because he was able to heal so many injuries without causing additional pain. As his reputation and skills grew, he chose to take on an apprentice, a young woman named Haiba. He and Nydeired visited the Elder Willow often in order to spend time with Chua and Starclaw, who still lived peacefully in the magical grove.
It was there that Tallin finally tracked Elias down, during one of the many visits to his father. Tallin and Duskeye arrived at dusk after Chua and Elias had settled down to eat. Elias sat on a short wicker stool and Chua lay nearby, reclining on a folded blanket. Haiba sat by a small fire, preparing plates of cooked mushrooms and fresh greens.
“Tallin? What a pleasant surprise,” said Elias. “Please sit. Share our meal with us.”
“Thank you, Elias, but this isn’t a social visit,” said Tallin. “All right,” said Elias. “What’s on your mind?”
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