by Trevor Booth
While Dengrid waffled on, Te’oma’s attention was broken by the moonlight glimmering in from the balcony. He looked out and daydreamed about roaming around the world freely. He was snapped out of his trance when the Shadow appeared on the balcony. The Shadow simply stared at him. The crowd started clapping. “Cheers!” they all said as they tapped their glasses together. Te’oma looked up and smiled at Dengrid.
Everybody’s attention was quickly taken by the food that had arrived at their tables and, while they all dug into their meals, Te’oma made his way to the balcony.
The balcony had a glass base. The trees below looked like a small specks. Te’oma put his hands on the handrail and breathed in the cool evening air. The wispy clouds hung in front of the moon, diffusing the light.
Dengrid walked up to Te’oma and stared out into the distance. “He’s coming, isn’t he?” asked Dengrid.
“Who?” asked Te’oma.
“You know who I speak of. We are not blind, young man. We’ve seen the Shadow trailing you, protecting you. Where the Shadow goes, dragons surely follow,” said Dengrid.
“You don’t need to worry. It’s a fight I plan to take on myself. You just need to get your people into the tunnels and away from his reach,” said Te’oma.
“We will not leave you to fight this beast alone. I have one hundred of my best men ready to follow you in the morning. I among them,” said Dengrid.
“I can’t allow that,” said Te’oma.
“I don’t recall asking for your permission,” snapped Dengrid. He turned to face Te’oma and looked deeply into his eyes. “Do you really believe that you and the Shadow can take on Antastus and his armies alone?”
Te’oma leaned over the balcony. “Can I ask you one favour?” enquired Te’oma.
“I will personally make sure she leaves with the others,” said Dengrid, knowing already what Te’oma was going to ask for.
“Thank you,” said Te’oma.
Dengrid turned around to face the hall. “She will not understand,” said Dengrid.
“And she can never know why it must be this way. If she knew what I was walking into she would surely not leave,” said Te’oma, as Dengrid walked back into the hall.
Julius walked out onto the balcony. “Were you planning on telling me?” asked Julius.
“I had hoped you would look after Ariana,” said Te’oma.
“She has Xerxes and Sky for that and, besides, these are my people. I will stand by your side,” said Julius.
“What about the lost city, and Jade?” asked Te’oma.
“If I ever found her again what would I tell her? That I turned my back on our people?” said Julius. Te’oma turned around and walked back into the room with Julius. Ariana stood on the dance floor with her hand stretched out towards Te’oma.
“We probably won’t return,” said Te’oma to Julius as he walked over to Ariana.
The two danced amongst dozens of Intari, but they may well have been the only two people in the world. They did not notice anyone else. They only had eyes for one another.
They danced long into the night, only briefly leaving each other’s embrace for drinks. The crowd slowly dispersed as the night wore on. Te’oma didn’t want to let Ariana go. In her arms, he felt whole, like nothing could hurt him.
With the early morning light came a new sense of purpose for Te’oma. He had put the doubting thoughts to the back of his mind and was ready to face what lay before him.
The dome arrived quite early, but the evacuation had been going on for some time. By the time Te’oma and Ariana arrived at the entrance to the tunnels there were already hundreds of Intari waiting to leave.
“Over here,” yelled Sky with a rather chirpy voice. Xerxes and Julius were already standing at her side. Te’oma walked up to Sky and gave her a big strong hug. Ariana looked curiously at Te’oma.
Xerxes grabbed Te’oma and Ariana’s bags. “Here, let me take those for you,” said Xerxes with a look of angst on his face. Te’oma looked across at Julius disapprovingly, knowing full well that Julius had told Xerxes of their plans. “Here, young lady. There is something you simply must see,” said Xerxes, as he quickly grabbed Ariana by the hand and pulled her towards the tunnel. The tunnel stuck out of the ice. There was barely enough space for people to fit through but, once they walked down the step, the tunnel opened up.
Hundreds of pods lay waiting at the base of the tunnel. The Intari people scurried around the pods, filling them with supplies. The lights on the roof of the tunnel seemed to disappear into the distance, as the tunnel bore deep into the ground.
Sky walked up next to them. “Have you ever seen anything like it?” asked Sky, as hundreds of Intari people streamed past them, making their way to the pods below.
Xerxes took Sky by the hand. “It’s so nice to see the wonder in your eyes,” he said.
***
Te’oma stood at the doorway as the last Intari made their way inside. He looked down at his sister, grandfather and the woman he loved. The pain was tearing at his heart, but he did not show any emotion.
The door to the tunnel slowly shut. It creaked and moaned as the years of ice that had formed around it broke away. Julius and Te’oma stared through the window. Ariana came rushing up the steps. She pleaded with Te’oma to open the door, but he could not hear her. The sound was muffled by the thickness of the glass.
Ariana banged at the door. Te’oma looked on, unmoved. On the inside, his stomach was churning. Julius cried as he looked on. Xerxes placed his hand on Ariana’s shoulder, trying to comfort her.
The ground shook as the whole tunnel began to lower down. Ariana banged and banged on the door, but Te’oma was unmoved. Just before the tunnel was about to disappear, Te’oma reached down and put his hand up against the window. “Goodbye,” he said. Ariana held her hand up against his as she disappeared into the ground below.
Te’oma and Julius stood on the ice for a while. Te’oma questioned whether he had made the right decision, not that there was any going back now.
It wasn’t long before Dengrid and his men arrived. They were heavily shielded in very advanced-looking armour. Dengrid offered a suit to Te’oma, but he refused. Julius, on the other hand, was more than happy to accept the protection.
The Shadow appeared before Te’oma. “Take some rest now. They will be here within the hour,” said the Shadow, before he disappeared.
“I wonder where he goes when he disappears?” asked Julius.
***
Darkness fell on the ice fields as the cloud cover above grew thick. Light rain began to fall on the men as they waited. Dengrid walked back and forth in front of them, trying to rev them up. It seemed to work on Julius. Te’oma, on the other hand, stood at the front of the group, staring into the distance as if begging their opponents to hurry up and arrive.
And arrive they did. Nothing could prepare the Intari men for the army that was heading their way. Five hundred hybrids, all pulsating with the fire in their veins, chanted as they marched through the ice. Hundreds of death hounds walked beside them, drooling and snapping their teeth. They had no armour; they had no weaponry – they needed none. They planned to rip apart the Intari with their bare hands.
Above the army, Antastus circled, gliding around like a general, watching his troops march towards his inevitable victory.
Te’oma stepped forward in delight. Finally, he could let himself go; let all his emotions free. Dengrid reached out and pulled him back. “Wait,” he said, as the hybrids drew ever closer.
A lone Intari soldier walked forward, carrying two small round devices in his hands. A blue light spun around him. The soldier walked out onto the ice and stopped near the hybrids. He got down onto his knees and closed his eyes. He held the two devices close and then pushed them together. A high-pitched ringing noise filled the air very briefly, before the device exploded, ripping everything within fifty metres of it to shreds, including the Intari soldier.
Dozens of hybrids and hound
s lay torn apart on the ground. Antastus roared from above as the entire army stormed towards the Intari. “Now,” said Dengrid, as he charged forwards with a diamond-encrusted sword in each hand. The Intari charged with him, their swords all drawn ready to taste blood.
The two armies converged. The Intari were brutal. They ripped limbs from bodies with absolute precision, but the hybrids and death hounds kept coming, jumping at them in groups. There were so many of them that the Intari were forced to fan out and try to disperse the beasts.
Julius looked at Te’oma. The two were dumbfounded. The Shadow appeared. “What are you waiting for?” said the Shadow, as he charged towards the army. Julius ran forward, the sword shaking in his hand. Te’oma watched on. The battle was more brutal than he had imagined. He couldn’t bring himself to move.
Suddenly, three death hounds circled around Julius and leapt onto him. They tore at his armour, their teeth so sharp that not even the strongest of Intari material could stop them. He screamed in pain as his skin started to rip. Te’oma snapped out of his trance and ran towards Julius. He grabbed hold of two of the death hounds that were on top of Julius. His hand grew so hot that they squealed in pain. He flung them away as they burst into flames.
He picked up the third hound, looked at the hybrids ahead and flung the hound at them as hard as he could. Julius got to his feet, his skin bruised and bleeding. “Stay behind me, and stay close,” said Te’oma.
Julius did just that. He hobbled behind Te’oma as he ripped through the hybrids. Dozens converged on him, tearing at his skin, yet Te’oma simply forced his way through, sending hybrids and death hounds flying in every direction. But the hybrids would not stop coming. One by one, the Intari soldiers were picked off. Their formation was strong at first, but the sheer weight of numbers forced them to separate.
Antastus grew tired of watching. He swooped down and, with one mighty blast, blew fire across the whole battle, not caring if he burnt his own soldiers along with the Intari. Dengrid looked up at Antastus gliding up into the air. As he did, a hybrid stuck his claws deep into Dengrid’s stomach. He screamed in pain and dropped to his knees. Julius heard his scream and immediately ran to his aid, but it was too late. The hybrid grabbed Dengrid by the head and wrenched it from his body.
“No!” screamed Julius. The hybrid turned around with a look of delight on its face and stormed towards Julius. Julius was frozen with fear. The Shadow appeared in front of him and dug his pale dead hands into the hybrid’s chest and ripped out its heart.
Te’oma looked back at Julius as he stumbled around the bodies that were piling up. Antastus suddenly landed with a thud, directly in front of Te’oma. The hybrids and death hounds instantly stopped fighting. Te’oma could see the disgust in the dragon’s eyes. “You are an abomination. You should not be,” said Antastus.
“I am what your brother made me,” said Te’oma with conviction.
“And you will suffer for his mistake,” replied Antastus.
The ice around them began to creak. Wind started to pull in like a vortex as Antastus sucked icy ait into his enormous chest, until it could fill no more.
Quickly, Te’oma ran, as Antastus blew out a raging torrent of fire. Julius and the remaining Intari scurried for cover. Te’oma ran behind Antastus, but Antastus was very quick. He flicked his tail at Te’oma, sending him flying across the ice. The hard, cracked ice tore at Te’oma’s skin as he skimmed along the surface. He quickly got to his feet, blood dripping from the gashes in his skin. Antastus stormed towards Te’oma, raised his wings up then slammed them down on the ice. Te’oma was knocked off his feet. He looked up. Antastus was standing directly above him. He put his foot on Te’oma’s chest and pushed down hard. Te’oma screamed as his bones were pushed to breaking point.
“Now you realise what you are up against. Sad that it’s too late,” said Antastus.
Te’oma looked across at Julius and the Shadow. He could feel the life draining from him. Julius started to run towards him. The Shadow grabbed him by the hand and stopped him. Te’oma closed his eyes and prepared for the end. All he could think about was Ariana.
The Shadow suddenly appeared next to him. “You have to get up,” said the Shadow.
“I can’t,” struggled Te’oma.
“You have to. I need you to,” said the Shadow.
“Why?” pleaded Te’oma.
“I made a mistake a long time ago. I trusted a dragon. I will never forgive myself for it,” said the Shadow.
“We had a deal,” said Antastus.
“I won’t make that same mistake again,” said the Shadow, looking Antastus in the eye. He looked back down at Te’oma. “You have Drake’s power. Embrace it. Now, get up!” said the Shadow.
“Enough!” said Antastus, as he slammed his other foot down on top of the Shadow, who disappeared in a cloud of dust. Te’oma placed his hands on Antastus’s foot and pushed with all his strength. He closed his eyes and strained. He could feel the power flowing through him. He opened his eyes and they had turned red. His arms began to glow as he pushed harder. Antastus looked shocked. His foot was being lifted and he couldn’t stop it. Antastus stepped backwards. Te’oma got to his feet, his head down and eyes closed. His chest heaved as he breathed.
His breathing got heavier. It was uncontrollable. Te’oma lifted his head. His body started to jolt. He dropped to his hands and knees as the jolting continued. The ice around him started to melt and steam rose from the ground, blocking Te’oma from Antastus’s view. Te’oma began to scream in pain, but the scream quickly turned into a deep roar.
Antastus slowly backed away. All the fighting had stopped and every set of eyes was fixated on the cloud of steam in which Te’oma was hidden.
The steam cleared and, standing before them, was a twelve-foot-high Kentaru. Te’oma had transformed into the biggest Kentaru Sentari had ever seen, and he was smiling with delight.
“Te’oma?” said Julius curiously.
Te’oma looked down at Julius. He seemed so small from up high. Te’oma roared so loudly that the ground shook.
Antastus stepped further back. Te’oma could see the fear in his eyes. Antastus flapped his wings and tried launch himself into the sky.
“Oh no, you don’t,” said Te’oma. He leapt forward and grabbed Antastus by the foot, pulling him down and slamming him into the ground.
Antastus swung around with venom in his eyes. He circled around Te’oma, swishing his tail in the air. He filled his giant chest with air and opened his mouth. A faint light grew brighter in his mouth until it was so bright that Te’oma couldn’t look at it. A giant flame burst out of his mouth. Antastus threw his head around in a fit of rage, sending flames everywhere.
Te’oma ducked and weaved as best as his giant body would allow. The flames were so hot that the hair on his body burnt away, revealing the scaly skin below.
Antastus looked straight at Te’oma. He blew with as much power as he could muster. The flame slammed directly into Te’oma. Te’oma closed his eyes. The pain was virtually unbearable but somehow he stood his ground. He opened his eyes and walked towards Antastus. He reached out and grabbed Antastus’s wing. He squeezed it as hard as he could.
Te’oma could hear the sound of bones breaking. Antastus roared with pain. He spun around and snapped at Te’oma’s arm, tearing his mighty teeth through Te’oma’s skin. Te’oma screamed in pain as Antastus leapt into the air. Te’oma dropped to the ground. Antastus quickly flew away and, as he did, his hybrids and death hounds fled with him.
The surviving Intari soldiers cheered. Julius quickly ran to Te’oma’s side. He had shrunk back down to his normal self, but the wound in his arm remained. Te’oma stared up at Julius.
“Is he gone?” asked Te’oma.
“Yes, my friend, thanks to you,” replied Julius.
Te’oma winced in agony. The Shadow appeared next to him. “He needs help,” said Julius. The Shadow put his hands on both Te’oma and Julius and the three disappeared from sight.
***
Far across the sea, at the top of the lone mountain, Kaven, the last king of the Kentaru, raised his head, sniffed the air and growled with delight. He ran towards the door as fast as he could. He ran to the edge of the platform and leapt off. He hurtled towards the ground with his arms and legs stretched out wide. Andes flew in below him, catching him. Kaven held on tight as the two flew towards the setting sun.
“Only fire can light the dark.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sentari started out as short story I wanted to write for my children. I had no idea of the plot; I just knew I wanted to tell a story about ice dragons.
It’s a long journey putting together a book, and with our youngest son having health issues, it became a welcome distraction from the real world.
There have been so many people that have influenced not only my writing, but also my life.
Music is the spark that lights my imagination so I’d like to especially thank Pat Monahan, Rob Thomas and John Ondrasik for their wonderful music.
I’d like to thank Zoe Naughten for her tireless efforts turning my messy work into something legible, and Margaret Menhennitt for going out of her way to sift through my early work and try to make sense of it.
Josh Hill, Damien Howe and Steven Triplow for their support through a very difficult time.
Ashlee and Luke Iliopoulos for being such wonderful friends to Eileen and me.
My children Thomas, Jacob and Harrison for showing me what’s really important in life, and finally to my beautiful wife Eileen: your endless love and support is the reason this book exists.
If you enjoyed Sentari: ICE, please consider my new series.
THE CONSTANT
Nathan Pierce was leading a normal life, he had a loving wife and two beautiful children, he was a partner of a failing business but he was happy, then it all changed, everything he knew was flipped upside down.
