The Second Prophecy (Part 1 of the Dragdani Prophecies)

by R. Alan Ferguson

  Demala shook his head.

  “I had a little breakfast this morning,” said Peter.

  “Then we shall have a feast in your name, King Drago. Today may we lay the foundations for a new alliance between all our people!” The shouts and cheers rang out in a way those dark halls had not known for many a year.

  Peter sat at a short table too him for a chair, so he sat on a warm, fluffy blanket on the cold stone floor. There were about ten very long tables, and all were full.

  The boy could not see any Dwarves that even remotely looked female, for every one of them had beards. Peter was going to ask about this, but decided to say nothing in case, they would take offence. The boy was convinced that there were female Dwarves somewhere, for there were children, who looked like small versions of their parents. Peter tried to see were Demala had disappeared too. The Wolf sat away from the others, as he didn’t want them to see him eat. He was quite happy when Dayen brought him a bowl of wine.

  Peter had presented Eiaten with a few of the bottles that the people at Braten’s village had given them. Again, Peter found himself going through the events that lead to Braten’s injury, and he found himself wondering what his friend might be doing at that very moment.

  Soon, this train of thought ended, and the boy found himself enjoying the feast and the company of these wonderful people. And as the Dwarf Lord promised, they did feast. They feasted until it hurt their insides and they began to fall, drunk and content.

  The drunken young Draga-Wizard-Elf fell over one of the drunken Dwarves. He fell flat on his face then rolled onto his back and lay there along with Demala, Dayen, and the Dwarf Lord himself. There were hundreds more men, women and the odd teenager (who had a few sneaky drinks after waiting for their elders to drink themselves silly).

  There they stayed until sun-up.

  “Come on, up you get,” Demala said while nudging Peter with his head.

  “What time is it?” Peter asked sleepily.

  “It’s time you were up.”

  Peter lifted himself off the cold floor and had a long stretch. He was surprised that he slept at all, for all that could be heard was the snoring of those Dwarves who were yet sleeping.

  “Eiaten has asked that we join him in the main hall,” said the Wolf.

  They made their way through the room by stepping over the bodies of those who still slept.

  They passed some others running down the corridor they had taken. They heard them before they saw them, for they were shouting at the tops of their voices as they ran.

  Recognizing one, Peter turned and shouted, “WHAT’S GOING ON?”

  “I DON’T REALLY KNOW, BUT IT MUST BE SERIOUS! LORD EIATEN IS CALLING ALL OF OUR WARRIORS TO HIM!” said the Dwarf. He swiftly turned and continued on his way.

  When they reached the main hall, Dwarves were running all over. The place was hectic.

  “What’s happening?” Peter asked Eiaten as the Dwarf came into view.

  There came a shuddering scream from one of the dark corridors leading deeper into the mountain.

  “What was that?” Peter gasped after he nearly jumped clean out of his skin.

  “That was my youngest daughter,” the Dwarf replied. “She has been taken.”

  “Taken by what?” asked Peter.

  “By the Qurpeds,” said Dayen.

  “I asked you here because I need your help, if you’re willing,” said Eiaten.

  “We shouldn’t get involved in this, Drago. We should go as soon as we can,” said Demala.

  “These people have been nothing but kind to us. I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I’m going to do what I can,” said Peter with disappointment in his voice.

  Demala picked up on it. “Forgive me, it’s just that I’m used to looking after myself. It’s been a while since I’ve had to think of others.”

  “It’s okay, I had no right to say that to you after all you’ve been through,” said the boy.

  “That’s it! What do you know about me?”

  “I know a good bit. And maybe if you stick around, I’ll tell some day, but only when I’m ready.”

  “I guess this is what I get for keeping you in the dark about things you probably already know, huh?”

  “I guess so,” said Peter. “So, are you in or out?”

  “I’m in, but only because I want to know what you know about me.”

  “What are the two of you talking about?” asked Eiaten, who was completely distressed.

  “We’re with you,” said Peter, “but I’ll need my -”

  “Sword,” said Dayen, handing Yeluilat over to the boy.

  “Thanks.”

  By this time, the room had filled with Dwarves raring to go and save Eiaten’s daughter.

  “Now, does everyone know what has happened?” the Dwarf Lord asked all present. They answered with a single nod.

  “Good, then get your weapons ready; we’re going to hell itself.” After his short speech, Eiaten ran into a Dark passage, leading the charge toward the nest of their dreaded enemy.

  As before, when Peter set foot deeper into the mountain, he could see nothing.

  Peter drew Yeluilat from its sheath, and the shimmering light on the blade shone faintly on him and the walls, almost giving the place a watery look. Peter whispered its name, and the light intensified so it was giving off just enough light for them to see.

  “Someone’s snuffed out all the lights,” said Peter, for he could see streams of smoke rising from the tops of the torches lining the walls.

  “It was them. They’re trying to make it hard for us to find our way,” said Dayen.

  “Why don’t you do one of your tricks and get them to light up again,” said Eiaten.

  Peter wasn’t sure whether it would work, but he was willing to try. He concentrated on the torches and said to himself. “Light up, light up.” Nothing happened. “I’ll try again,” he said. But just then the torches lit up brighter than they were before.

  They walked on through the passageway and could see tunnels at both sides of them that were too small for them to use, but big enough for the creatures.

  “How bad can they be if they’re that size,” Peter said to Demala.

  “Bad,” said the Wolf, “very, very bad. There’s one thing you have to know before we find them. They are a type of parasite. They use a toxin on the tip of their sharp, spiky feet, if you can call them that. Just so you know to stay out of their way.”

  “What kind of toxin are we talking about here?” asked Peter, getting a little nervous.

  “The kind that turns you into a mindless slave,” said Demala.

  “I suppose we will have to be careful,” said Peter.

  They suddenly reached a crossroads.

  “So where now?” asked Peter.

  “We go straight,” said Dayen.

  “You’re sure,” said Eiaten.

  “Yes, father, I remember. It’s only a few meters away now.”

  “Is everyone ready?” enquired the Dwarf Lord.

  The small army reached a dead end; there was rubble, as though there had been a cave-in. They were uncertain whether or not it had been recent.

  “Maybe we took the wrong road after all,” said one of the Dwarves.

  “No, I know this was the way,” insisted Dayen.

  “He’s right,” said Demala. “Can’t you smell the girl’s scent,” he said to Peter.

  Peter stuck his nose into the air, sniffed, and nodded vaguely. “Yeah, it feels like its circulating round in my blood. It’s like I’ve been living in dreamland and I’ve just woke up for the first time in my life,” said the boy excitedly.

  “Your first time picking up someone’s scent is always a great experience,” said the Wolf.

  “If the two of you are finished,” said Eiaten, “we have to move all this rubble.”

  “That’s no problem,” said Peter clapping his hands together and then separating them a second later. The rocks, boulders, and even the smallest
stones jumped aside, and there was a round tunnel were it all once stood.

  “Just one question.” said Peter. “What size of creature or creatures caused this cave-in?” He gestured with his hand at the round tunnel. No one answered; they were thinking the very same thing.

  “We’ll have to crawl in,” said Peter. “And I think I should go first.”

  “No,” said Eiaten, “it’s my daughter they’ve taken. Therefore, I’ll be going first.”

  Peter stood aside for the Dwarf to pass. Then Peter went, closely followed by Demala, Dayen, and then the rest.

  When Peter reached the end, he saw that the room was completely empty. He stepped down and stood beside the Dwarf Lord.

  “So what now?” the boy asked him.

  “Now,” said Eiaten, “we get their attention.” He started shouting at the top of his voice while Peter and the others stood there in total silence.

  Suddenly, there was a loud shriek, which was soon joined by hundreds and then thousands more.

  “Get ready,” said Eiaten tightening his grip on the double-sided axe.

  They didn’t know it at the time, but they were being watched from above. A creature about ten times bigger than Peter was hiding in a crevasse high up in one of the walls. It was the one that called the others to arms. The smaller creatures flew round from every direction. They were all black, with five legs, two at each side and one at the back. There was a spike sticking out of their midsection which had a single red eye that looked more like a small dot. Their mouths were between their front legs and had tiny needle-like teeth.

  “That was a great idea you had,” Peter said to the old Dwarf.

  “What’s the matter, oh great Draga-Wizard-Elf, afraid?” said Eiaten mockingly.

  “No, are you?”

  “Know this, master Drago, Dwarves fear nothing.”

  Peter laughed. “Prove it,” he said, and without warning, he jumped right at the closest of the small deadly monsters. He fought wildly, not giving them a chance to get near him. The first of the creatures to jump at him was slapped down with his right hand. Another came at him from the ground trying, and he stuck the tip of Yeluilat into the thing, killing it instantly. The third jumped from behind the boy, but Peter was ready. He swung round and sliced the tips of its legs clean off, and then he quickly chopped it in half. It seemed to the creatures that Peter was an unstoppable force, though some of his comrades were not so lucky. Within the matter of a few minutes, half of the force had been stung and had become the creatures’ slaves.

  The Large Qurped saw that Peter was the strongest. Demala had killed just as many as the young King, but the creature saw that he seemed to take his orders from the boy who was fighting so fiercely. Therefore, it was keeping its eye on Peter, who seemed to be the leader of all the others. In its mind, it saw that if it were to get him, the enemy would lose someone very valuable, and it might end the battle and make it victorious.

  Those who had been enslaved were ordered to attack all put Peter, which left the thing’s children free to get the boy. But Peter was not prepared to go out without a fight.

  He fought valiantly, but in the end he knew he couldn’t stand up to all of those things. So he threw out his hands, which pushed the creatures back, and put up an energy field to stop them from reaching him. In that moment, he felt cowardly, as though he was hiding while his friends fought for their lives. Then he realized that the creatures were only attacking him. If he could hold the protection field up long enough to recapture the enslaved Dwarves, perhaps they could still win. However, he was so busy watching and so confident that he was safe, that he failed to see the one creature which had just made it passed the boarder of the energy field before it went up. Now it was slowly and silently crawling down the wall behind him.

  Peter heard a hissing sound coming from behind him, and before he knew what had happened he was stung by the One He Didn’t See.

  He stumbled as he tried to keep his balance while his whole body was going limp. Then suddenly and violently, he fell against the wall behind him and slid down to the floor. He couldn’t move at all. All he could do was watch as his colleagues were being attacked. The boy felt the urge to cry and cry out, as the toxin entered his bloodstream. It felt as though his blood was on fire and there he sat helpless with his back against the wall.

  To be continued in

  The Dragdani Colony

  R. Alan Ferguson

  I would like to thank you, the reader for reading my book.