“And what have you to show for yourself Vaurion? You, the all-powerful leader of the Ancient Dragons, are nothing but talk,” remarked Zetzu, with both contempt and sadness in his voice. I heard a distant thunder and the smell of rain in the air which meant what little remained of his magic was beginning to cause a storm, although I think it was not him willingly doing it so much as his emotions.
“Even I am weak in front of a monster like Thanos. I have seen many things in this world through my long years but never have I heard of a dragon eating another’s heart. He was completely overpowering, he sent me flying through the Gate with such force I would have made a crater in which a quarter of the city could fit. Thankfully I was able to break my fall.”
“Can you… can you do something for Tromuelan?” asked Zeztu, as if fearing the question.
“I can reattach his wing and heal Alex and Shadow with some luck, but it will severely hamper my ability to heal all the injured elves in the city. The magic Thanos used to cause their wounds is pure magic with no use of elements or spells or even thoughts. It’s magic in the most powerful form. Healing those sort of wounds consumes more magic than those caused by the largest of spells and I just came from fighting a whole lot of Irkanians, not to mention I teleported us across quite the distance not so long ago.”
Before they could say anything I stated the obvious solution to his dilemma, “Heal them all. I won’t die from a few broken bones.”
“I don’t mind a mild limp for a few days,” added Master Shadow.
“You have more than a few broken bones… You can’t even see can you, Alex?” asked Vaurion.
I looked up to where I guessed he sat, “How did you know?”
“I can guess the stress of using those red eyes would have some sort of backlash… That and you aren’t looking in the direction of any of us when we speak.”
“I guess that would give it away,” I said with a weak laugh which I regretted the second it left my mouth as pain ran through my whole body.
“Well, time to save some elves… GRAUTAR!” he shouted loud enough that if anyone in the entire city was still conscious they would have heard it.
Almost immediately after I could hear groans, most likely coming from Tromuelan as his wing was being reattached. I would have given anything to see Vaurion’s magic at work. He must have been glowing because of the amount of magic he was giving of.
“This will take some time and you have matters to discuss I am sure. Take Nostrous and Blight’s bodies with you to the Royal Palace. Princess Keren and a detachment of one hundred and twenty elves from the Black Legion are there providing a safe haven for the elves that can make it into the palace’s walls. The rest of the Legion is finishing off the remaining members of the Irkanian attack force.”
I tried to get up but found the task impossible. I quickly slouched against the part of the entrance wall I had been leaning against. I felt complete confusion when trying to move, every movement felt strange and out of place without my eye sight. Picking up on my struggle, Zetzu walked over to me and placed his hand in mine, slowly pulling me up. The pain was almost unbearable. I could feel my broken ribs poking at my insides with every move I made but after much struggle I was finally standing again. I could feel the sweat dripping down my forehead from the effort and I could just image how hard it would be to walk across half the city in this state.
“This is the hardest part of a battle,” said Zetzu, in a low and gentle voice devoid of his previous anger.
“Going around the city seeing the destruction and the dead?” I asked.
“No,” said Master.
“The ones who carry the heaviest burden are those that survive,” said Zetzu, stopping to change the position of his grip on me so I could put more of my body weight on him. “It’s because we carry the dreams and hopes of the dead. A hope of a tomorrow for those he loved and those that loved him. Most will cheer you on as a hero but some will despise you for surviving and not their beloved one… And a select few will hate you for it. But never forget Alex, after leaving a battlefield where your fellow men have died your life no longer belongs to you alone, it belongs to the hope of a tomorrow.”
I gave a small nod at understanding what he meant.
I stopped to lean for a moment on Master as Zetzu placed Blight and Nostrous on Master’s back. Then Zetzu came back to help me walk and we made our way down the stairs that led away from the Council Chamber toward the Royal Palace.
“Alex,” called Vaurion.
With some direction and help from Zeztu I turned to face him.
“You did well today regardless of the outcome of events.”
Again avoiding using words, which would undoubtedly cause me pain, I nodded and even that hurt with my broken shoulder. Then I continued down the stairs with a lot of help from Zeztu.
It wasn’t long before we meet a group of soldiers from the Black Legion. I could hear them whispering amongst themselves before their commander spoke up.
“Greetings Dragon Lords and Knight, I am Commander Purge of the Black Legion. We were ordered by the princess to help you in any way possible.”
“Several council members and military officers are wounded by the entrance of the Council Chamber and need help. Lord Vaurion is presently mending the wounds of Tromuelan and elves across the city so do not disturb him. I would also like for some of your men to make sure Magistrate Nostrous is taken care of, as he has fallen of exhaustion and finally,” pausing as if choosing the correct words, “I would like you to inform the family of Marshal Blight that he has fallen in battle.”
“No. I would like to do it,” I said, suddenly feeling responsible for the Marshal’s death. I felt Zetzu nod slightly, giving his consent, and since Master did not speak up I guessed he did as well.
The members of the Legion all started to move about as if nervous, like some bad omen had been spoken. “You can consider the message given Knight,” said Commander Purge with a mix of sadness and pride in his voice. He gave his men several orders, with all of them save for two, storming off to the Council Chamber while the two who remained approached Master in order to retrieve the unconscious Nostrous.
After they had left he spoke again. “If possible… could I see him?” he asked.
“We must make our way to the Palace,” stated Master plainly.
“We can spare a minute or two Master,” I said.
He considered it for a moment and I felt Zetzu nod his head in acceptance of the moment. I heard Commander Purge walk towards him. “You fought well little brother. Father would have been proud of you fighting side by side with dragons just like he had. We have had our differences… we were completely opposed but you were, and still are my little brother. I am sorry I was late,” I heard the sound of a gentle kiss. One of the few things I had learned of elves in the Academy. Kissing the forehead of a fallen family member or comrade was a sign of pride and honor at their death as well as a sign of love.
It was at that moment the sky decided to unload itself and rain started to fall. It extinguished the remaining fires and also lifted the smell of blood and death from the elven capital. It seemed fitting. The battle was over and all that remained was being washed away as if to cleanse the city. I had wondered if Zetzu was the one responsible after hearing the thunder earlier but I didn’t have the energy to speak anymore.
“Let us make haste towards the palace. You are all tired and hurt. You don’t need to catch a cold as well,” said the Commander going back to his stance.
We resumed walking in silence. The smell of the rain seemed more intense than normal and it was also the first time rain had ever felt so good on my skin. Usually I would have run from it to stay dry but this time it was relieving. It reminded me I was still alive.
Out of the blue a wrinkled hand touched my arm and it was followed by an elderly voice, “Thank you. Thank you for protecting our city and our families Knight.”
I heard a different voice call out. “Mother! You are s
till weak; you just woke up from fainting. The Dragon Knight has important things to do. Please let go of him and come back inside.”
“Someone should thank him. We, the elder generation are at fault for allowing you to take such risks. Know your hard work is not in vain.”
I felt so honored that I stopped leaning on Zetzu and stood up straight and placed both hands in the elder elf’s hand and managed the best smile I could muster through the pain of moving my broken shoulder and ribs.
“Thank you for your kind words madam,” I said as I spent the last tiny shred of magic left in as a very basic relief spell.
Her eyes widened and she thanked me again, then I felt her arm slide off as her son came after her and pulled her away while repeating he was sorry for the bother and thanking me for the generous gift. When I finally heard a door close I staggered back and would have fallen if Zetzu hadn’t caught me.
“You did well,” said Zetzu as he readjusted himself to hold me again.
I pushed myself away from him. “Thanks, but if that old lady can come out in this rain and thank me the least I can do is walk on my own. Just guide me.”
“Alex there is no need for…” he stopped as if waiting for something and then Master spoke up.
“If he wishes to walk let him. Consider it a test of his will. After all Zetzu, we are honoring Blight and it is only correct Alex walk besides his body,” he said as he continued to move, his heavy steps causing splashes in the puddles as the rain fell.
While it was very rare for a non-Dragon Knight to be honored by a Dragon Lord, apparently Master thought it fitting for Blight, and as part of the ceremony, those that witnessed this passing were to stand to his side until his body was delivered to his family, which would happen once he was taken to the Royal Palace.
The closer we got to the palace the more we encountered elves who thanked me. It was almost as hard as walking and the few pats on the back forced me to stop and collect myself before continuing as they sent massive shocks of pain through my entire body. It took every last bit of my self-control to avoid shouting in pain. It was not long before Zetzu warned me we had one final flight of stairs before reaching the Royal Palace’s main gates.
Princess Keren
Not twelve hours ago everything had been normal, or perhaps as normal as it can be for an elven princess. While I might not be the ruler of my people, there are still plenty of other responsibilities I have to attend to. There is always some sort of power struggle found inside the Harmony of Elution and it is my job to solve it. However some of these issues are so petty they become immensely boring. And yet here I stand, watching the rain put out fires all across Zulia wishing to go back to those boring tasks. I have grown up in Zulia and for the largest part of my life it has been my world. It causes me great pain to see our kingdom in this current state.
When the Irkanians appeared, several guards lost their lives defending me from them as we made our way to the Royal Palace. Blight and the rest of the council members stayed behind to fight. It had not taken long for the battle to extend itself across the entire city. In fact, it had only taken mere seconds. The city guard fought hard and managed to push the Irkanians back to the magical gate they used to come through. My own uncle gave his life in the defense of this city and in doing so transferred control of the Black Legion to me, a responsibility I did not want.
And here I sit hopelessly waiting for some sort of news on what is happening in the city. Are the citizens safe? How are Blight and the others? Has the city guard and Black Legion contained the remaining Irkanians? And why has the magical gate closed itself? What were those explosions and magical outbursts around the Council Chambers? So many questions and no answers as of yet. I cannot stand this silence from the Commanders of the Black Legion any longer.
I rushed towards the War room in the palace. It was behind the main building and was currently well guarded by members of the city guard and Black Legion.
“I demand access to the War room at once!” I said as I reached the main door.
“We were given orders by Lord Stain before his departure not to allow anyone from outside the city guard and Black Legion to enter,” said one of the guards.
Usually this sort of situation would have been handled by my personal guards or Blight himself but Blight was not here and most of my guards were busy fighting in the city. Those that had managed to make it here had fainted due to a strange magic drain that was affecting us all, though the weaker ones seemed to collapse first.
“In the absence of Blight and his commanders, I am the next highest ranking official of the city guard and I am also the current Lord over the Black Legion until someone more capable might be found. Therefore it is safe to assume I fit both of the requirements to enter the War room. Now open up!” I said forcefully. Idly sitting around had made me foul beyond measure and I was in no mood to control my temper.
The guards looked at each other nervously before caving into my demand and opening the door.
Everyone inside the room stopped what they were doing and looked at me as I walked in. There were a few whispers to the side questioning why I was there, which I ignored.
“Princess, you should be inside your quarters, in the palace. It’s still not safe; there are still reports of several Irkanians roaming the city. This is no place for someone of your importance,” said Marshal Dnailo, the Commander of the Black Legion and a ruthless elf by any accounts. He was callous and calculating and when he set a goal in his sights it was impossible to deter him. Especially if said goal was revenge.
“Don’t treat me like a kid Dnailo. After my uncle’s death you are now directly under my command not the other way around. This is exactly where I should be and I demand to be informed of what is happening in my city!”
“As you command my Lord,” came the cold reply. “We have dispatched well over three quarters of the Legion in order to secure the city. Ever since we received word of the attack on Zulia I have had my men sweep the city for Council Members and Lord Shadow but have not had much luck getting onto the other side of the portal until it collapsed. It’s like it divided the entire city in two. However our legionnaires seem to be unaffected by the portal’s magic drain which was reported all across the city.”
“How long until you have dealt with the remaining Irkanians?” I asked, concerned for the well-being of the citizens. With most of them being unconscious, it was impossible to defend themselves from the Irkanian brutality.
“At our current rate we should be in complete control by tomorrow morning. It depends on how fast this rain dissipates. Our search teams are hampered by it and-”
At that moment a courier ran in, saluted Dnailo and handed him a piece of paper. He read it to himself quietly. He turned his back to me and walked over to one of the tables with maps of the city stretched out on it. He placed both hands on the table and lowered his head. Then in a sudden fit of rage he lifted his arms and brought them crashing down on the table with enough force the table broke in half. The entire room stopped again. He turned around and said, “They have found the Council Members and several key people to the Harmony. Most are unhurt and simply fainted,” he paused without looking up, “However, we have also found the Dragon Knight Alexander Laiks, who has lost his sight and received several serious injuries; Lord Shadow, barely able to stand; Cardinal Lord Zetzu with serious, but not life threating injuries; and Lord Tromuelan, who has had his wings ripped off,” Several people gasped and covered their mouth with their hands. “That is not all,” he paused, looking up this time with his eyes bloodshot, “Marshal Blight has fallen in battle… Commander Purge has confirmed this himself… That is all, get back to work.”
Everyone returned to working, issuing orders, passing information on to their superiors, and sending out couriers. However I was sure Blight’s death was in their mind just as it was in mine. He was the youngest elf ever to achieve the rank of Marshal. Even by human standards he was far younger than normal to hold such a high ran
k. Perhaps that is what made him such a well-liked and respected elf, or maybe it was his kind and understanding personality. He was a friend to all elves, even if he disagreed with some of their ideas. Perhaps one of the best examples of this was his close friendship with Marshal Dnailo.
I felt tears forming in my eyes. I brushed them away, now was not the time for tears. It was time for actions and solving this crisis.
“As Marshal of the Black Legion I will be heading into the city to assist in the routing of the remaining Irkanians. I leave command operations to you as the new Overlord of the Black Legion,” said Dnailo as he ran out of the room before I could protest.
I had been trained for these sorts of situations but training was one thing and reality was far different. Everyone was running about or was busy doing something of importance. They had their orders and they followed them without the need of further direction.
After standing idly for a few minutes I decided to leave the War Room. There was nothing for me to do there and I felt no inclination to give any orders.
“Just what am I supposed to do at a time like this?” I said to myself.
Then, out of the blue I heard singing. I couldn’t quite make out the song but it sounded mournful. I began walking towards the source of the singing, which seemed to be the main gates of the palace. Once I got there I was surprised to see all the people who had come to the palace for protection were standing outside in the rain forming a sort of honor guard and singing. I understood immediately why they were singing - the passing of a hero.
A moment later two black wings came into view, followed by Lord Shadow’s massive head and the rest of his giant body. He was limping as he came up the stairs leading into the palace. Then came into my view Lord Zetzu and the Dragon Knight Alexander, who was practically being carried by Zetzu with his face looking down. I was unsure if Alexander was crying or if it was the rain pouring down his face. Purge was the last one in the group and he had a blank expression on his face. It was the look of an elf who had just lost a loved one.
Time Of The Knights (The Dragon Knight Order Series Book 2) Page 6
