Time Of The Knights (The Dragon Knight Order Series Book 2)

by Gabriel Vicioso

  “In case you are wondering, after those five seconds were up everything that happened became a future where he had consumed all of his magic, effectively killing himself because he drained himself dry of magic. The world simply erased him because his presence conflicted with the natural order of the world,” said Lord Vicis.

  “And the person who vanished was his last apprentice Kevl Marx perhaps the last true Warrior of Light in the House of Light,” said Master.

  “And which was the dragon he tried to save,” I asked.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” said Master, turning to the door.

  I followed him out and heard from behind me.

  “The only time dragon foolish enough to give away her power,” said Vicis in a very quiet voice.

  I looked at her, shocked, as she walked past me and followed Master.

  Return to the Academy

  It wasn’t long after we were heading towards the Central Academy. As we flew over the land, we came across several battalions of soldiers. It was impressive to see how fast word had spread and the speed with which the orders to move out had been executed. However I was well aware that the men and women below me were just those stationed in the central region of the Empire. It would take at least a month for them all to be completely geared up for battle and about another week after that to get all the elements of the Imperial forces to rally at their designated locations along the border. Those who were ready were most likely those already stationed at the border. It was still impressive to see how fast they acted.

  The Dragon Knights and Sentinels that had been present at the Capital had all been reassigned as our escorts to the Central Academy, where upon my arrival, I was to inform the student body of the war and of their role, and from there proceed with my escorts, fellow new Knights and Guardians to BlackStorm Keep to make further arrangements before I departed towards the front line. It didn’t exactly give me time to do much with my friends but I no longer had times for those things and should I fail there wouldn’t be friends to return to or a home for that matter. Talk about pressure.

  After all that was said at the capital between the Dragon Council, Rafurious, and myself, none of us were in a particularly chatty mood. I am pretty sure we were all focused on the war which was rapidly approaching. However more than that, I kept thinking about what would happen to me when I began to use time magic. Master and Lux has managed to frighten me quite well. I was conflicted on how to react, for a while I would have control over time. So much power yet none at all. If I let my curiosity get the better of me I could pull myself into the future and become stuck there or try to change something in the past like my parent’s death or perhaps the death of Thanos mate, or more important yet, the creation of the Irkanians. So many possibilities and I was to do nothing with them.

  “What will you tell them Alex?” asked Master in a quiet voice which did not match his usual rich deep tone.

  “I don’t know. The truth would only scare them but a lie would also make them underestimate their enemy,” I replied, while staring at Vicis who flew in front of us.

  “In my experience, men and women find courage in their leaders. Fear will paralyze them but it might also keep them safe. However courage and the will to live will make them push forward even when fear has gripped them,” it was a simple enough truth.

  “Tell them the whole truth. They don’t know how unique you are. If they know you can do it they might strive to do it themselves. After all you are only human to them,” said Lux.

  “And to you?” I asked without thinking.

  Vicis turned her head and looked at me with her bronze eyes but otherwise said nothing.

  “To me, to me you are all that I have learned to ignore and forget about, a bright student with a bright future in the middle of a conflict our ancestors started and which you have been dragged into and will most likely not survive,” he responded dryly.

  His bluntness caught me off guard but for some reason I smiled at him and answered, “At least you say what everyone else is thinking Lux. Thank you for your honesty.”

  He snorted, “You really are an odd human Kerm.”

  “I try my best not to disappoint,” I managed, trying at a joke.

  Even with the wind in my ears I could hear one of the dragons flying in our side chuckling.

  “If it is worth anything to you, Dragon Knight, I would like to extend my gratitude for saving Tromuelan during the siege of Zulia. He is a great dragon, and acts like those will carry you a long way in our world,” said one of the dragons in our escort. She was a deep blue color. I guessed an ice dragon.

  “It was a group effort; the one who should be praised is Vaurion. He is the real hero,” I said.

  “Your reputation of denying your deeds is well founded. There is no shame in accepting credit when credit is due. I hope to one day see you in action,” she said.

  “I bet you would be much more impressive than myself.”

  A few more chuckles from the dragons and this time I could see a Sentinel or two cracking a smile, as did one of the Knights.

  “I don’t know about that. I won’t try to level parts of the academy if that’s what you mean,” she said with a wink. It wasn’t meant as an insult just a mild tease.

  “Words spread fast among dragons I take it?”

  “Especially when my sister was present to see you blast a hole in the Central Academy’s training grounds.”

  “From what I heard it was quite the show,” said a bright red dragon to my left.

  Before I could ask for their names and who was spreading rumors about me the academy came into view. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the recent events but it was a sight for sore eyes. I felt relief just looking at it. So peaceful and so untouched except for the giant crater on the side. It then dawned on me I was about to destroy the relatively peaceful life style of everyone within its walls.

  “It’s time to get into formation. They will be waiting for us in the Dragon Hold, you know where you need to be so get ready,” said Lord Vicis.

  The dragons aligned themselves as an arrow head with Master and me in the center. And as one they descended towards the Dragon Hold. It took a few minutes before the entire student body came into view. They were all watching the skies as the team of Dragon Knights, Sentinels, and dragons descended down. All in all there were five Knights and four Sentinels with us which made for a pretty incredible escort.

  In clear view sat Adria, Ilean, Evey, Axcel, and to my surprise, Princess Karen at the same tables which had been used to greet Vicis and Lux when they came to introduce Ilean and Evey. On the other side sat three dragons each a different attribute, a forest dragon, an ice dragon, and a light dragon.

  They all watched us. Once we landed, claps and more than a few cheers were heard. I was initially concealed from view by the dragons but as the formation moved about to their arranged spots and I came into full view of everyone. There were quite a few people with their mouths wide open. I assumed most of them were Nobles.

  Chairman Zeak began to stand up to greet me formally but I motioned him to stay seated, much to his confusion.

  I took a deep breath before talking. I still wasn’t sure of what I was going to say but I figured I might just let it flow out of me.

  “It’s only been a few weeks hasn’t it?” I asked, not particularly focused on anyone.

  “But to me it has felt like a few months. A lot has happened since I left for the Capital to meet our Emperor. From there I learnt I was the last surviving Time Noble; as some of you can tell by this new uniform I am wearing. But that wasn’t the end of my discoveries in my time away. I have learnt that I am weak. I have seen death. I assume you have at least heard the rumors of the attack on Zulia, the elven capital. Rumors these are not, stone cold facts they are. I was there. I saw firsthand the overwhelming power of the Irkanian forces and the sick twisted spells they would use to achieve victory. It took everything we, the defenders of the city, had to push back and defeat
the attacking forces,” I paused unsure of how to continue and looked at Princess Keren. From there I let my eyes move along everyone on the table until I let them rest upon Adria. I was so happy to finally see her again. She gave me courage to continue, “When the rain finally began to wash away the blood from the streets we were left with questions and only one answer. War had finally arrived at our door step. After much pondering and arguing it was finally agreed on meeting our enemy in the field of battle, rather than wait for them to come to our cities, our homes, and our schools. We will face the monsters that are at our door and we shall be victorious. So I ask you all, are you prepared to fight for your right to live and to protect your homes?” I asked them all.

  It was silent at first but then Axcel stood up behind me “I am,” followed by Adria, Ilean, and Evey. They seemed to have inspired everyone else to do so because one by one everyone began to get up on their feet and yelled “I am.”

  I looked at Master and Vicis, they both nodded in approval. Even Lord Lux seemed pleased with the outcome.

  “I am ready as well! So let us all prepare and march to meet our enemy!” I shouted and watched as everyone began to cheer. It took me a second to hear what they were saying but then it became clear.

  They were shouting “Alex, Alex, Alex!” I felt bad, they were chanting my name like I was some kind of savior. Vicis seemed to think so and so did many others but I was certain I was not a hero, I had barely survived my encounter in Zulia and while I survived many others had not. This must have been the burden Master and Zetzu meant. The burden of surviving.

  I walked away in shame, in shame of having survived. I had heard this was called survivor’s guilt but I had never quite understood why someone should feel guilty for being alive but it’s not really guilt of being alive, in my case it’s of not having saved everyone.

  Without realizing it I had walked all the way to the same lake in which I had last seen Adria. I felt a tug of magic and suddenly from a tree’s shadow out came Andraxsccl’s head followed by his body. It was larger than last time. He was beginning to reach the length of a regular dragon, although his second pair of wings made him appear larger than normal.

  I gave him a small curious look. “I didn’t call you out,” I said, indifferently remembering he had come out before without me trying.

  “My heart is still mine. I just share it with you.”

  “You can speak a lot better.”

  “Yes.”

  “But still very short on conversation skills.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “So, why have you come out Andraxsccl? Stretching out your legs again?” I asked.

  “I sense your distress.”

  “Came to cheer me up?”

  “I came to listen.”

  “To listen you say. If only I knew where to start.”

  “The beginning is always a good place.”

  I gave him an annoyed look but then realized he was teasing me. “I am not ready for this hero stuff, people suddenly expect me to be doing things and deciding things which will impact thousands of lives. It’s a responsibility I don’t want but it is one I have been handed. I understand such is the way of the world and we don’t always choose the path we must take but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “Ancient Dragons used to have a very singular roll in this world before elves, humans, and current day dragons roamed these lands. We were the protectors of life, the guardians of everything living. We were brought into this world to protect life on it but the same world who gave birth to Ancient Dragons also allowed the appearance of the spirits who wished to destroy it. The spirits of those who could not fade away into nothingness attempted to create a world for themselves and thus set out to change all life to suit their future world. Which resulted in a war so devastating our ancestral home became the frozen waste land beyond the Frozen Sea of Varna.”

  “The frozen continent is the Ancient Dragons ancestral home?”

  “If that is the name by which it goes now, then yes. It was our home but the use of terrible spells by the spirits of the dead eventually lead to its permanent freezing. It was at that point we migrated to Varna and Elution and at which point Varnian Dragons and Elution Dragons began to appear. We told ourselves they came from our offspring’s reaction to the new land and climate differences but the reality was the world deemed us unfit to wear the mantle of protectors of life and had created them to replace us. Not long after that our kind entered into decline those who saw the truth of it choose to pass away while other remained to teach the newer protectors, others to explore and observe the passing of time, and a small group choose to defy our fate and continued acting as protectors in the way we saw fit,” he paused and looked past me for a second but then focused his eyes on me.

  “And for our defiance of our fate we created the monstrous Irkanians and now face a threat just as deadly as the spirits of the dead. You should accept your fate graciously Alex, for those who fight it are only bound to bring chaos and misery to this world.”

  “If that was your idea of inspirational you need practice,” I said, knowing full well what he meant.

  “The truth is not always inspirational, do you think your fellow classmates would willingly suffer the sort of wounds you have? Of course remembering you have in your two encounters been surrounded by several dragons who assisted you with your wounds later, but could one imagine for a second you would have to go through the normal heal process? Not a lot of healers have the amount of magic needed to heal a wound suffered from our magic. No, very few people, even us ancients, would accept the pain and suffering you have willingly.”

  “I am not willing either.”

  “And yet you didn’t run or give into Thanos’s twisted plans,” said Andraxsccl, who then looked past me.

  “Listening to others conversations is a bad habit,” he admitted.

  “Isn’t putting others’ lives at risk worse?” came an answer from Adria as she emerged from behind a tree.

  She then ran up and jumped on me, giving me a tight hug and squeezing even tighter, “I missed you,” she whispered gently into my ear.

  “I missed you too,” I whispered, hugging her back. This felt like home. I felt safe in her arms.

  “You know, I am almost shocked she did not mention the fact I spoke,” said Andraxsccl, clearly amused.

  “From the explanation my current dragon teacher and Princess Keren have given me, I sort of understand but you and I have already meet haven’t we?” she replied.

  I gave her a funny look, amazed she was going about it so naturally. It was a talking magic spell, but of course she had been told about Dragon Hearts by Princess Keren. Still, to keep her composure was incredible.

  “He could barely speak a day ago and know he is having full-fledged conversations and annoying me with his logic. I doubt you could have meet him before when I am still getting to know him,” I said, remembering the first few words Andraxsccl had managed when he first spoke in his Vorm form.

  “But, weren’t you the Vorm who protected Alex every time he was in trouble and the one that allowed me to get close to him when you first formed completely?” she asked.

  It was true, at the time of my little spat with Eric and Lester, that my darkness Vorm had a surprisingly calm and strong imitation of emotion. I never thought of it as a manifestation of my then dormant Dragon Heart.

  “In a way Adria, I have known since the day Alex found you crying in the forest around the orphanage and promised you he would always stay by your side,” I felt blood rush to my head at the mention of that particular day. I took a small peak at my side where Adria stood and she had her hair covering her face the way she always did when she was embarrassed but out of the tiniest of corner of my eye I could see her ear had turned red. Oddly enough that gave me a sense of relief. “I was the Vorm that allowed you to approach him, the one at the examination ground when the Irkanian kill squad came after him, the one that put the Reaper in its place, and attempte
d to protect him in Zulia and failed miserably.”

  “Hey, I am still alive aren’t I?” I said.

  “I don’t know for how much longer after we head to the boarder,” answered Andraxsccl grimly.

  “You’re supposed to be the optimist,” I said, trying for a mood change in him, which did not succeed.

  “I am sorry Alex, but the truth of the matter is simple. You have two Ancient Dragons to fight and they will not give up. It is a fight to the death, one even I couldn’t win. Rafurious might seem like a joke but he is far from it and you have already seen what Thanos can do. It fact, we are only here today because he thinks he can convert you to his way of thinking and because Vaurion intervened last time. Then there are the legions without end of Irkanians and Thanos’s personal lap dogs, the Death Knights. Perhaps if we had time, your body could adapt to my heart better and those eyes of the Reaper but as it is I can’t even sustain my actual form without weakening you severely, much less use my full array of powers even if for a brief amount of time,” He said shaking his head. “I am sorry if I seem grim but it’s part of that inescapable fate we were talking about earlier. If my full personality was here I would have been much more severe with my words. We can only hope Vicis’s plan works.”

  He then released himself and sank back down into the shadows.

  “So much for being the optimist of the two,” I mumbled to myself.

  “Alex,” said Adria, tugging at my arm gently, “What does he mean about Vicis’s plan?”

  The Plan

  “I still think the less people know the better,” said Lord Lux.

  “Axcel and Adria are in command of the Guardians, which means they should all be informed of what the real plan is,” I said.

  “You do realize, the more people know the easier it is to leak it to our enemy,” replied Lord Lux.

  “Are you suggesting one of us would betray the mission, Lord Lux?” asked Axcel.

  “I am merely suggesting, should you be captured, there are various ways to make the mind spill its secrets.”