by Vinn Winters
“No!” Vyra shouted, as she struggled to rise. “I made a promise that as a knight I would protect those who were in need of it. And I will uphold that oath, no matter what!”
“You’re not a knight yet, little one,” Eygodon purred. “And they are not the only one you made a promise to.”
The warlock reached under his black leather vest to pull out a glowing red gem that was connected to a silver chain wrapped around his neck.
“That jewel… it’s…,” Vyra breathed, struggling to rise.
“We will form a pact,” Vyra remembered the words of The Midnight Wolf, “I will grant your wish, but I may ask a favor of you in the future. You must agree you will grant my request, when it is asked of you in the future, no matter what it is.”
“It’s you, Wishcaller,” Eygodon said with a smirk as he held up the gem. “There’s more of your essence in this little jewel than in your whole body. Our connection through it is my assurance that you will hold up your end of our arrangement, and I plan on seeing this deal through to its completion.”
“Take it back,” Vyra forced the words between flinching from the increasing pain. “You can take back my end of the deal. Becoming a knight isn’t worth hurting others.”
“That’s not how magic works,” Eygodon explained, shaking his head. “You can’t go backwards, you can’t cheat it. It exacts the price you said you would pay… one way or another.”
“Release her!” Aldrean yelled. Vyra could hear the clanking of his armor as he struggled to rise. “Your fight is with me!”
“That’s what I’ve been saying!” the warlock replied, throwing his hands up in the air.
“Though, I’d stay down if I were you,” Eygodon advised. “You barely survived our last dance, Lord Aldrean. And I hadn’t even used the full extent of the Dakka Mor—”
“Witch’s Blight, do you ever stop talking?” Vyra shouted through the pain.
“Very well, no point in enjoying the moment further, I guess. All good things do come to an end,” Eygodon said, as he raised his hands.
Vyra gasped as the pain she was experiencing magnified. She could hear Aldrean’s screaming in pain behind her.
Not like this. I can’t die like this, Vyra thought. Her head was pounding. Her vision began to blur.
“My parting words to you: most would have succumbed to madness by now, but somehow you’re still resisting. You are indeed a fighter, Wishcaller,” Eygodon mused. “I knew you had potential when you first came to my doorstep, but even in this overwhelming darkness, you shine ever brighter. For what it’s worth, I was impressed.”
Not like this. Not like this, Vyra’s mind raced.
With the last of her strength, Vyra pushed herself off the ground. With a shout of defiance, she lunged at the warlock and thrust her sword towards Eygodon’s chest.
The warlock’s hand swung in a blur of motion.
Vyra’s sword fell to the floor.
Her feet rose off the ground, as she was being held in the air by Eygodon, his hand wrapped around her neck.
“You’ve got to be kidding me? That was your master plan to save Aldrean? What a ludicrous idea! Did you think I’d miss striking you?” Eygodon asked, staring up at her, his amber eyes dancing with the crimson glow.
Vyra tried to reply, but choked as the warlock’s grip tightened around her neck.
“That would have been fine from any other Kae-koon. But from you, Wishcaller, I expected better,” Eygodon said as he tilted his head with an insidious grin.
“I…,” Vyra choked.
“What was that?” Eygodon asked as he loosened his grip slightly. “I thought we were done talking, but you have something to say? Okay, fine. I’ve waited so long for this moment; I guess I can savor it a little longer. Now, what did you have to say, little Wishcaller?”
“I…,” Vyra said, her voice raspy.
“You… what?” Eygodon replied impatiently.
“I didn’t miss,” Vyra breathed.
“What do you mean by—?” Eygodon asked, his mouth fell open as he looked down at his chest. The crimson crystal around Eygodon’s neck was cracked. Light glimmered out of it as more tiny fissures formed on the gem.
“What have you done?” Eygodon roared.
Light poured out of the jewel as it cracked and shattered. A burst of red erupted from the crystal, causing a shockwave that sent them both flying back in opposite directions.
Chapter 9
Orbit opened his eyes; the ground around him was swallowed in fire.
Is Orbit dead? Has Orbit descended to a world of demons? Orbit thought.
The gnome warlord looked down at his hands.
“Orbit is unharmed,” Orbit said out loud. “Orbit is unharmed!”
“I really do have to do everything around here,” a voice said, followed by a large sigh.
“Who said that?” Orbit asked.
“Rise, Orbit,” the familiar voice commanded.
Orbit turned around to see a tiny striped cat next to him.
“King Sargedon!” Orbit yelled, falling on his face as he attempted to bow.
“I said rise, Orbit,” King Sargedon replied with a growing tone of irritation.
“Certainly,” Orbit replied, struggling to rise to his feet. “But my liege, shouldn’t you be fleeing to safety?”
“If this dragon is triumphant, there will be no place befitting such title,” Sargedon replied solemnly as he licked his paw.
“Then please let Orbit protect you, your majesty!” Orbit interjected. “Orbit will fight to protect you to the very end!”
The ground trembled as Dregeldune landed nearby. His claws dug into the earth as he swiftly crawled towards them.
“What form of magical jest lies before my eyes? This tiny creature, not even a snack, challenges Dregeldune, the crusher of kingdoms, the Devourer of the Sun? Every other creature of nature is wise enough to flee, not that it matters, for none ever escape unless I permit it.”
“You’ve fought bravely, Orbit, but I will take over the battle from this point,” the feline replied with a big stretch.
“But… you’re still just a cat,” Orbit said, scratching his helmet.
“Get out of my way, Orbit,” Sargedon said with blatantly growing annoyance.
“Yes, your highness,” Orbit rose and quickly limped away.
“I am the Lord of this domain now, and I did not permit you leave,” Dregeldune snarled. The dragon opened his mouth, a fiery glow burning within.
“Orbit, run!” Sargedon yelled.
There was a loud clanging of metal as Orbit tried to limp away as fast as he could.
“You give him false hope. It will make no difference,” Dregeldune said. The dragon’s throat glowed brightly as he turned his head towards the fleeing warlord.
“Your fight is with me, dragon!” Sargedon yelled.
“You are not worth my time, you are merely insignificant,” the dragon replied, arching its head in preparation to exhale.
“I am the king of these lands, and you will bow before me!” Sargedon screeched. The amulet around the feline’s neck glimmered brightly, releasing a thin beam of light that shot through the air. The beam hit the dragon in the face and erupted in a massive explosion.
Dregeldune reared back and fell to the ground, half of his head covered in flames. Sargedon glanced back to see Orbit disappear behind the debris of a building. The sound of clanging metal faded.
“Finally, that’s one less idiot I have to worry about,” Sargedon said, then turned back to the fallen dragon and began scratching his ear. “I told you that you would bow before me.”
“Dregeldune bows before no one!” the dragon roared as he swiftly rose off the rubble. The dragon turned towards the cat and exhaled, swallowing the cat in a river of flame.
When Dregeldune stopped, a path of fire had been carved out before him, and in the center of it stood an unharmed cat.
“What is this?” Dregeldune mused with a tilt his giant head.
“Somehow, you still stand before me. Only the strongest of magic can withstand my might. Your significance must be greater than it appears.”
“I am King Sargedon, the ruler of Ancantion, and you are in my city!” Sargedon shouted.
“Ah, a battle of kings? How peculiar,” Dregeldune replied.
“You live in the mountains, dragon! You are no sovereign!” Sargedon countered.
“You are wrong, little king. Everything touched by shadow belongs to me, and I can stifle the sun as I will it,” Dregeldune growled.
“You’ll block out nothing if you are merely a corpse rotting in a field!” Sargedon yelled, releasing another quick beam of light from the collar. It hit the dragon’s chest and exploded, causing the dragon to stagger backwards.
“You exist only as long as my amusement persists, and I am amused no longer!” Dregeldune thundered as he unleashed engulfed Sargedon and a wide area around him in fire.
Another beam of light surged from the sea of fire, striking the dragon in the face again.
“And yet, I still stand,” Sargedon stated proudly, stepping out of the flames.
Dregeldune bellowed and leapt back on his feet, the rumbling making Sargedon stagger for balance. The dragon tilted his head.
Staring up at the dragon, Sargedon tensed as he realized his mistake. The dragon whirled around, and a black wall flew at Sargedon’s side. The dragon’s tail struck the cat, sending it flying into the stone rubble nearby.
“You almost had me fooled, little king,” Dregeldune said with an exultant growl. “Your collar is an amulet that protects you from elemental might, but you are still vulnerable in close quarters. A clever trick, but merely just a trick.”
“It does… more than that,” Sargedon replied, leaping back to his feet.
“You fought well, little king,” Dregeldune said as he approached the cat. “You succeeded at keeping me at bay while your subjects escaped. An honorable act, if honor had any meaning outside of your kind.”
“Honor means everything!” Sargedon protested.
“It makes your warriors foolish. It makes you foolish,” Dregeldune thundered. “But I enjoy your honor, for it makes it easier for your soldiers to fill my belly. I should have harvested your kingdom sooner. Your people will make for a satisfying feast. ”
“You have said enough!” Sargedon screeched, unleashing another beam from the amulet at Dregeldune’s chest, followed by another, and another. The dragon cried out as it was swallowed up in a barrage of explosions.
Sargedon’s eyes did not leave the foggy mist that ensued from his attacks. The cat’s stance faltered for a moment, but he immediately straightened his posture.
Dregeldune stepped out of the haze, his dark scales covered in blast marks from the attacks.
“I will crush you to tiny dust, little king,” the dragon said as he lumbered towards the cat.
“I will keep firing, over and over,” Sargedon warned the charging dragon. “Even if you kill me, I’ll make sure to bring you to the grave with me!”
The dragon lowered its head so its face was right in front of the feline. Dregeldune unleashed a deafening roar. The king slid backwards but did not falter. Sargedon hissed back.
“Your heart beats calmly. You are indeed prepared to die,” the dragon said with low snarl.
“For my kingdom, I will do anything,” Sargedon replied defiantly. “But is it worth it to you, one who can take many kingdoms, to die to claim this one?”
Dregeldune leaned back, seeming to ponder what the cat had just said; then he tilted his head upwards. He roared as he exhaled, filling the sky with fire. Then the dragon looked back down at the cat.
“No, this ruined city is not worth something as precious as my life.”
Dregeldune roared once more, and then took to the air, flying back in the direction of The Fallen Mountains.
King Sargedon waited until he could no longer hear the flapping of the dragon’s wings, and then collapsed against the stone rubble beneath him.
“I can’t believe it,” Sargedon said to himself. “I gave it everything I had and it worked. My strength… I still got it.”
“King Sargedon! Your majesty!” The gnome’s voice reached his ears. King Sargedon’s vision blurred heard the familiar clanking of approaching armor.
“My leg and ribs are broken, at the very least,” he said through wheezing breath.
“We need a cleric over here! The King is critically injured! Someone get a damn cleric!” Orbit’s voice began to sound muffled.
“To bluff a dragon, a most dangerous game,” Sargedon muttered with a weak chuckle, then quickly slipped into unconsciousness.
~
Vyra gasped as she hit the stone floor hard. The pain seemed to echo, as if she had hit the ground many times all at once.
She took several deep breaths to steady herself, and then slowly pulled herself to her feet.
Vyra’s eyes opened wide as she watched sparks of ruby lightning arch across the stone floor. Her eyes shifted to Eygodon, who had already risen. He looked more injured than her; strands of his dark hair messily fell over his face, though parted at his bright amber eyes, not hiding his glare at her.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Eygodon snarled between deep breaths.
“I freed myself from your trickery,” Vyra said as she moved towards her sword.
“You couldn’t be further from the truth,” the warlock snapped. “Did you hear nothing I said? You cannot cheat magic. It always demands a price.”
“Well, you thought I owed you, but now you cannot control me… and I feel perfectly fine,” Vyra said, smirking as she shrugged.
“Oh do you?” Eygodon asked. He quickly picked up a small jagged rock from the debris at his feet. Standing back up and staring at her, he cut a short line across his cheek, just beneath the line Vyra had given him earlier.
“You can cut yourself all you want,” Vyra said as she bent down to pick up her sword. “It will change nothing when I slay—”
Vyra paused as she felt a singe of pain. She raised her hand to her cheek and felt a warm liquid.
“No…,” Vyra gasped, pulling her hand away and staring at the red drops on her fingertips..
“Yes,” Eygodon growled. “Our fates are intertwined, and now tied to a knot.”
“You’ve cursed us both!” Vyra snapped.
“You broke the gem!” Eygodon shouted angrily. “Trust me; I would never commit an act this reckless.”
“Well, you were choking me!” Vyra countered.
“That’s not always a complaint, depending on who you’re asking,” Eygodon added with a shrug.
“You were trying to kill me.” Vyra stared down her opponent.
The sound of distant shouting and the clamoring of armor caught both their attention.
“Oh great… reinforcements,” Eygodon said, rolling his eyes. “We better go.”
“We?” Vyra asked, taking a step back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Well, it’s either we escape, together, or we both wind up dead,” Eygodon explained.
“Aldrean will tell them I’m innocent,” Vyra said, holding her head high.
“Oh yeah? You mean that Aldrean right there?” Eygodon asked, pointing behind her.
Vyra looked over to see the paladin unconscious against the throne room wall.
Witch’s Blight! He must have been knocked back from the blast too. It looks like he might have hit his head, Vyra thought anxiously. Without him, it’s just my word against Radek’s. The word of a squire versus the word of the captain.
“I’m not sure what happened; but from the look on your face, I get the impression you’re just as excited about those guards as I am,” Eygodon mused.
“They’re coming here to help me fight you,” Vyra shot back.
“No… there’s more to it than that,” Eygodon said as he approached her. Vyra grabbed her sword and raised it at the warlock.
“One more step a
nd this blade will go through your heart,” Vyra warned.
“You’re a quick learner when it comes to combat,” Eygodon observed, “yet you seem surprisingly dense when it comes to the ways of magic.”
“A knight does not need magic to claim victory,” Vyra replied, holding her head high.
“Well both King Sargedon and Aldrean used magic in battle, just not as well as I do,” Eygodon said, shaking his head.
“You lie,” Vyra accused.
“Believe what you want, it’s irrelevant at this point. What I’m trying to say is, well, you might as well say your blade will go through our hearts,” Eygodon said, cracking his neck. “Our lives our bonded now; any harm that is inflicted upon me, is also inflicted upon you with equal measure.”
“You make up stories, you’re just trying to manipulate me,” Vyra countered.
“I only wish,” Eygodon said, rubbing his temples. “I would never intentionally create a bond like this. Our lives entwined like this is an incredibly dangerous level of magical intimacy. I wouldn’t have even done this with The Duskpetal Witch; and frankly I would have a much better chance at surviving bonded with her, than, well… you.”
Vyra paused, not knowing how to reply. She did not know whether to be relieved or insulted.
“Well, undo it then!” Vyra said after a few moments.
“Oh yeah, great idea! I’ll just undo it,” Eygodon said sarcastically. “One of the most complex enchantments in magical lore. I’ll just open a book or throw a newt into a cauldron, maybe carve a rune on my forehead.”
Vyra stared at the warlock blankly.
“Well… can you?” she asked.
Eygodon sighed so loudly it almost echoed.
“I’m not sure… maybe,” he explained as he rubbed his temples. “But it would take some incredibly rare materials; and you would have to be there.”
“Why would I have to be there?” Vyra protested.
“Because you broke my amulet, you caused this curse,” Eygodon countered.
“So now it’s a curse,” Vyra said, crossing her arms.
