Ascension of the Warlock (Book 4 of the Death Incarnate Saga)

by Jr H. Lee Morgan

  “I smell the blood.” She said and watched as he pulled out a canteen and stumbled to the ground to spit.

  A few seconds after he looked over and saw a bloody mess and ran straight to Daku’s side and poured his power in to aid in regenerating the lost limbs, blood, bone, muscle and fur. As his true partner, Cage’s efforts made the process doubly effective. Halfway through Daku stirred and Cage sent soothing thoughts and “Relax, it will be over soon?”

  Pain and a touch of deliriousness tainted the return thoughts. “The hatchery… did we make it?”

  “Your pain wasn’t needless. It is still standing and now everyone can see it. One more leg, femur… and there. You’re good to go.” Everyone stepped back as a blood soaked king rolled to his stomach and shook his head to clear it.

  Suddenly a lavender colored dragon roared for all to hear “Eggs! GRIFFIN EGGS!”

  “MOVE!!!” Daku roared and those words shoved his headache far away as he ran for all he was worth across the snowy ground. His newly regenerated limbs pumping him faster than any had ever seen him go. His eyes were wide as he aimed for a hole that had been ripped open, where a rusted shut human sized door once was secured. He had to shrink, but didn’t stop. He looked around where the dragon who roared had created light.

  Beyond words not even Draconian could express, Daku pealed out a shrill roar that made the pyramid resonate and the magic of it shredded the light in the process, as only white kings can do. It reappeared moments later to show Daku smiling while tears flowed.

  Cage stepped inside as no dragon could fit to find his partner standing in the center of a room, wing spread and crying happily. All around him were griffin eggs colored in mostly brown or gray shells, all secured in individual recess’s in the stone. A single walkway led to the center, but pillars showed an opening right above where Daku stood. Each egg resembled a precious teardrop in the cold room. He walked right up to his partner and ran a hand along his length before looking up in a dark hole. “Think there’s more?”

  “Wha…?” Daku came out of his emotional reverie. Then he peeled his eyes away from all the eggs and followed the gesture. Excitedly the king leapt, but not before Cage hopped on. Leaping like a jungle cat they entered another room and Cage created light.

  Even more eggs were found. And the last upper level housed even more.

  “We’ll… Daku, is it safe if I get close and see if any are still alive?”

  “Yes… Please do so. I need to know this is real!” He slid off and approached three and came within a foot before sending his power. Daku was impatiently anxious. “Well? Are they?”

  “Alive. Each of them. I found a heartbeat.”

  Again Daku yelled in joy.

  “We must get them back to the nest and make them hatch.” Daku said all in one breath.

  “Whoa, Big Fella, we need to find a safe way to transport them and just how can we make them hatch? There are too many and I tried lifting one with magic. They are also immune.”

  The excited king took a calming breath and said “The coolness keeps the cubs from hatching. I will show you, but they can be stuck to something magically. It is good we have so many dragons, but there are too many eggs to Jump. Do you have cloth to bind and send them one at a time by rope?”

  “You know I do, but first we should count them and empty the bottom level first. We do not want to trip and fall on them.”

  “That we do not. It will kill them if they do not hatch on their own. And meat… they will be very hungry.”

  “You go organize Gralla and tell her the plan. I’ll count.”

  Suddenly Cage found himself hugged and thrown to the floor. “Thank you, Cage. My flock can rise from extinction!” and then the embrace vanished as Daku flew down to the ground and ran to the entrance to find over a hundred eager faces. “Eggs! Hundreds! And they are alive!”

  Each dragon threw their head back and billowed a roar that shook the air itself as well as the ground. Afterwards Rex Gralla asked “What will you have of us?”

  “Myself and my partner will begin bringing them out shortly. Safely place them on your back. We will leave this place, go to his island and begin hatching them all immediately. Have an escort ready as soon as we leave this forest.”

  “Then it shall be done. The flock shall finally fly again!” She vowed on her very life. “And it will be protected till your species is no longer endangered.”

  “Thank you, Old Friend.” Daku ran back inside and began counting. About halfway through he stopped cold.

  It was a few minutes before Cage dropped down and said “What is it? Something wrong?” Daku’s beak was parted and had the funniest look. He came over and saw he stared at a grayish egg. “Hey, snap out of it!”

  The nudge got him back to reality and had him mumbling before shaking his head. “Cage, she is right there…”

  “She who?”

  “My… my mate. I feel her call.”

  Cage narrowed his eyes and saw the gray egg change color to pure white and mixed with a reddish brown. He laughed “So she is. Maybe your other true love is here too.”

  “Truly?” He asked with a thick voice.

  “Never know till you look right.” He grinned and began counting this room since someone was preoccupied.

  Not a minute later and up on the second lever the king shouted “Cage, she is here too! Both of my mates are here!”

  “Talk about the luckiest day of your life! And just so you know, there are three hundred and ninety three eggs and each one is alive!” more roaring deafened all other sounds.

  Chapter 17

  Waiting eagerly for them outside Frozen Forest just before dawn of the next day were over a thousand strong dragons and at the heads were the other four Rex’s along with Zikon, Theresa and all of the First Council. Something that has never happened before outside the protection of Twilight. Daku walked forward proudly from the forest, as large as Rex Nattan, largest dragon on Raliea. On his back sat Cage who cared for the two most precious of eggs to leave the hatchery. The remainder were guarded fiercely by all who followed.

  Zikon flew over while all others held their place. “It’s true! Never have I thought to see real griffin eggs. Boy, you never cease to amaze me.”

  “What’s going on, Grandpa? Why are you here? Gralla contacted only the other Rexs’.”

  “There are no more secrets between us and the dragons thanks to whatever you did to convince them. We were notified immediately when you found nearly four hundred eggs. I know you want to go to the island, but I would like to ask if you could bring them to Twilight? Our wards are…”

  “No.” Daku spoke in a tone that would not bend as he spun his head all the way around. “I will not risk my flock or un-hatched mates there. I would rather go to the southern colony beyond the reach of most, but Cage’s people are beyond approach. I trust them. There are too many dangers Twilight faces and my flock will be in less danger where I nest. And your people are not dragons. They can choose to do what they want regardless of what you tell them. Not so with the colonies. Once a Rex gives orders they are bound by more than honor. They cannot go against their Rex, it is impossible. Fewer humans mean fewer dangers to my flock and the island is safest. I will raise my flock there.”

  “I understand.” Zikon sighed. “But Theresa and I would like to fly to your home. And as per our agreement, I can come and go so long as I give ample warning and do no harm.”

  “I will permit it, but some of the other councilors wanted to kill my partner, if they had their way they would have doomed what he alone discovered and I will not have them near.” Four councilors and their familiars disappeared, knowing who they were and left in shame. “With that settled we must leave immediately.”

  Rex Nattan turned his head and growled “Take flight. We will safely protect what we once failed. We will not rest till the flock is again whole. Kill any who get in the way. Guard the skies and make way.”

  More than three quarters shot skyward and
blew apart the clouds to search for threats. Zikon pulled back and the remaining first class sorcerers on the council climbed either on Theresa or their now bound dragon. Daku, when Rex Nattan got word all was clear, took to the sky. Rex Gralla was right behind, carrying more than fifty eggs stuck along her spine.

  It took five whole minutes till all flyers were airborne and magic swirled through the sky, mainly to not be seen in any possible way. More than forty miles of air was protected, and in the heart flew the most precious cargo of all time on Raliea. The air pressure caused by mighty wings made the flight disconcerting, like thousands of small thunder strikes. To fill the time flying southeast Cage pulled up a sight mirror and said “Grandpa, any news on Granny? I would have thought she, Frill and Barbav would be here with Nattan.”

  “She wanted to, but Rex Nattan is using her as a liaison to help his colony to accept humans as partners in almost every way. She is quite busy especially when she explained Rex Nattan gave General Barbav clear instructions to prove we are worthy. I spoke to her a few hours prior and said progress is slow, but steady and to tell you, you are no longer a dimwit anymore. You’ve graduated to jackass.” Zikon smiled in the mirror beside a purple orb with which to speak.

  The two men laughed at that. After a report on events Cage switched channels to his home and found much of the tribe inside together, out of the rain. He told his family they were on the way, already knowing how good the news was.

  “So about three days?” Brooke clarified while embracing Rena in her lap.

  “As best I can figure. None of us will stop till we are safely home. How are the pools coming along?”

  “Two days until it is done. We are waiting for the rains to quit before going back to digging more tide pools. Eoin and Cody are at the forge making more shovels and picks while Poli and Ulon set up the remainder tasks. The pools will be ready to bring more babies into the world. And the meat will be close, but we can feed them.”

  “Alright, but we won’t need to worry about too much. Gralla is having six wyverns slaughtered and brought to the island as soon as the cubs come out of their shell. Apparently griffins have a ravenous appetite when they hatch and after two million years in a shell, I can’t blame them.”

  “Tell her we appreciate it.” Elder Metak chuckled.

  “I’m going to stop for a little while. I need to be ready for anything. All these eggs so close together, anything could happen.”

  “We love you.” Meeka said and he returned the words before ending the conversation.

  Over the course of the next hour’s flight no alarms were raised, but Daku’s flight became sluggish. Cage pulled the two eggs that held his partner’s mates closer and said “Hey man, you’re tired. Neither of us have gotten a wink of sleep in five days, but you are worse off than I. Let me take over for a few hours and we’ll trade places at sundown.”

  “No, I can keep going…”

  “Look, Daku, I’m not going to hold a debate. We’ll have our work cut out for us with nearly four hundred griffins born in four days. As a white king you will need to be fully capable of controlling them. And if you don’t do as I say my people will be in danger if you can’t keep the cubs contained. Now shrink your huge ass down and go to sleep!”

  “Fine! But you will need to do so after me.”

  “Promise.”

  Cage hooked a large teardrop egg beneath either arm and conjured his flying board and flew while heads turned to Daku when they felt his enormous release of power to shrink down to the size of a squirrel. He then flitted over and crawled into a pocket and curled into a ball to sleep. No one bothered him, but Rex Gralla flying over a hundred feet behind simply raised a scaly eyebrow, being the closest one who heard them.

  And at just past sundown Daku crawled out of the pocket completely refreshed and resumed his immense size. Five minutes later Cage was out cold and since his ascension he finally slept for more than two hours. By midnight though he came to and asked for any problems. Daku simply shook his head. So many dragons were impossible to even consider finding let alone be bothered and five mighty Rex’s meant serious protection.

  Midmorning of the third day there came a great sight. Cage Island. The whole area was magically swept both in the air and below the watery surface before Rex Gralla got the all clear there was no sign of danger and none would be capable of teleporting in for over a half a day’s flight. Waiting proudly on the landing platform to either side were Ulon and Poli’s defensive forms. They scanned everything and allowed plenty of room for one to land at a time. With so many giants shading the sky, the Utala people along with the former Blind Mountain colony General Xamii waited on the beach. Off to the west Cage even noticed a pair of great soldiers escorting a sailboat away at a much more increased velocity. He could only smile at the reaction of those people. Seeing a dragon was rare outside the great mountains, but here were more than a thousand.

  Daku got the thumbs up to land and angled perfectly for the platform and did so perfectly between Poli and Ulon who smiled brightly before returning to watching the sky. Cage asked “Is all ready to go?”

  Ulon nodded. “Go to the smoke. I have made all the pools necessary for them all. The other two-legs are keeping the stones hot until the moment you tell them to drop into the pools.”

  “Thank you for your efforts.” Daku said and walked briskly to the jutting pillars he towered over. Just about when he reached it Rex Gralla landed and followed. Cage gave the password and was allowed in and watched as another dragon landed behind his Rex, also carrying more eggs. Rex Gralla barely paused to give her password before keeping pace.

  The train of a hundred egg carrying dragons followed and last to come was Rex Nattan, right behind Theresa and Zikon. The remainder of the First Council had already returned to Twilight after realizing Cage would not let them have access to the island or would alter the wards to let others watch how griffins were born. They were pissed, but they knew he wouldn’t budge on this.

  Coming over the bridge, Cage found his people all ready and anxious. As soon as they crossed onto the beach Moril said, standing on Xamii’s forehead, “Welcome back, Protectors. Follow us to the pools. Rex Gralla, will you give my people permission to climb up your backs and check all the eggs and care for them to safely take them off your backs”

  “Not until the hatching pools.” The Rex gravelly spoke. “Unbind I must dangerous spells that surround their placement. To near now would kill.”

  “Alright. Please follow me and Xamii.” Moril said and the yellow giant began walking southerly along the beach.

  Three were not on horses racing around to reach the pools first and a simple spell levitated Cage’s true loves up to him. As soon as they landed Meeka cooed “So these are real griffin eggs?”

  The next thing she did made his jaw drop. He yelled “Meeka! You’re doing magic!” he said as he watched her touching the gray egg and send her mana into the shell to sense what lay inside.

  She smiled and showed her bare wrist. “And not just that, my curse is practically gone and I can touch the power that has been missing all my life. A true gift has happened, My Love.”

  “The same for me.” Brooke said as she raised a hand and created a green ball of light and snuffed it just as quickly.

  “And me.” Tohka said as she turned around and showed a golden ball too.

  “What the hell is going on?” He asked suddenly and narrowed his eyes.

  “Something amazing.” Meeka said with a bright smile. “Apparently the moment you found these eggs Poli and Ulon heard a voice from a Rare One and they created a spell that has bound the five of us into one. Ulon and Poli can’t explain how they did this spell, but somehow it reacted to the spell the Great Prophet did to me and Brooke. All that power we didn’t know what it was doing actually was some kind of advanced binding. Something about resonating on a frequency and the bond being as deep as an actual Summoner and Familiar. What is amazing is it has bound all five of us and so long as one lives
, they can bring back the others. And I can only hear Poli’s thoughts, like Tohka, but Brooke can only speak with Ulon and we can’t think to each other… I don’t know everything, but so long as at least one of us is alive, we all will be. Brooke even scared the life out of me when she stabbed herself through the heart and walked around for ten minutes before pulling it out. Ulon healed her immediately after thankfully… Oh, and I can now control my curse without your crystal.” She said with a huge smile. “But now my mana doesn’t get so consumed to do whatever it was the Great Prophet did to me. I have been clearly classified as an upper second class sorceress. Brooke is a first class sorceress and Tohka is a first class witch. Megdline told us this before she and Barbav left. We wanted to surprise you and I want to say I’m beginning to see now about the body I never knew about.”

  “Well hot damn! Now I don’t need to worry so much about you all.” He grinned. “And what do you mean about controlling the curse?”

  Meeka pointed to the beauty mark at the corner of her mouth. “Unless I send some power here I can kiss whoever I want without fear. And I’ve kissed almost everyone in the tribe, just a peck of course.” She said wryly.

  “And I still have no scent, and cannot control it, but my power is great and makes me feel happy so I can protect my women when you are gone. Tohka passed out when she does spells, but for some reason Meeka and I do not… at least with nothing big.”

  “That because you two have been having your power sucked for all your lives. Tohka never used a spell before and will need time to strengthen herself… If a Rare One taught the spell to Ulon and Poli it would make sense.” Cage thought up on the spot.

  Tohka brushed her fingers along the smooth surface of the reddish egg. “We will have much time later to learn and want you to teach us, Cage Love, but right now we need to have these odd eggs hatch.”