The Dragon's Apprentice

by Ben Marble

  The Chaos Dragon looked something like a nightmare. Instead of being brightly colored his scales were a charcoal black with dull silver tips giving him the appearance of molten darkness. He appeared more feral than a normal dragon as well. He had a ragged mane of barbs and a spiked fin that ran from his nose to the tip of his tail. His fingers were long and seemed to be almost all claw. The most arresting thing though was his eyes. Instead of bright orbs that could cut through the darkness, they seemed to be empty sockets of shadow until they moved or twitched. With a roar, he yelled defiance at Ember, and in return caught an ice spear across the face. Ember looked and saw Michael summoning another spear getting ready to throw.

  Xander had managed to get the apprentices in order, and along with Sierra, he was keeping Dell busy. Chandler, Michael, and Brianne were starting to throw different spells at the chaos dragon. They were fighting shoulder to shoulder in an impressive manner which made it all that much more horrible that they probably did not have a chance. By now the chaos magic would have started siphoning off bits of their energy.

  Throwing another fireball at the Chaos Dragon, Ember addressed her apprentices. "Get out the back entrance, you can't beat them. You don't know how to fight them. Shore up your defenses I will hold them off."

  Spitting on the ground Xander looked at her and shook his head slightly. He then started casting even harder at Dell who was deflecting everything thrown at him almost lazily. Of course, he didn't see the stone spike moving up behind him, Sierra was using her trick from the battle ground to outdo Torch’s apprentice.

  Chandler looked at her and then suddenly started looking intently at the magic being cast by Dell and the Chaos Dragon. Ember's heart stopped as Chandler's eyes lit up with understanding. "Get out of here!" She trumpeted again while cutting at the Chaos dragon with a knife of air."

  And then time seemed to stop. Chandler tore the energy in the same way that Dell and the Chaos Dragon were. Xander screamed at him but it was too late. A purple thunderbolt appeared and tore into the Chaos dragon making him focus on her apprentice. Chandler did not have the defenses in place that a practiced chaos user would have. Wisps of lightning flew back at him and burned at his face and hit his chest knocking him back. Dell cast something that drew Chandler towards him and grabbed the unconscious apprentice by the throat and held him like an extra shield. That was one apprentice down, four to go.

  A primal scream tore Ember's throat as she turned to face the Chaos dragon, only to find he had broken the distance between them when Chandler went down. Before she could cast, she felt a tearing sensation in her stomach. She looked down to see one of the chaos dragon's talons had pierced her. She gasped and fell backward onto the floor. She tried to see what was happening, but everything started going dark. The last thing she heard was Xander yelling something about a marble...

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Xander waited for Sierra to look at him out of the corner of her eye in acknowledgment. With a slight nod, she let him know that she understood perfectly. Now it was up to him.

  With a scream, he pulled all the light from the air. There was nothing, everyone was perfectly blind which suited him just fine. With a tug of energy, he pulled Ember to him from where he remembered her falling. He held the dragon in his arms where she felt surprisingly light and small. Reaching to his left he put his hand on Sierra's shoulder and then secured his grip on Ember. Sierra should have pulled Chandler away from Dell, though it might be trickier in her case.

  As he predicted their enemies had stopped casting when he had blinded them. You did not throw magic around when you didn't know what you were going to hit, and he guessed if you were throwing around chaos magic it would be twice as dangerous. He already felt energy pushing against the light-sucking black hole he had created in the air, so he knew they were running short on time.

  A squeeze on his shoulder told him that Sierra and the rest were ready. He had to trust they all had understood and she had managed to find them. He felt Sierra's marble pressed into his hand and gulped as he realized everyone's life was now in his hands. No helping it now, Xander picked up something on the floor that felt like a broken plate and threw it towards the tunnel that would lead to the emergency exit. It was an obvious trick, but he hoped it worked anyway. Instead of heading out he ran silently to the kitchen. He managed to make it around the corner to the supply tunnel right as his darkness spell broke. His ears almost shattered from all the lightning and fire that went off as soon as the darkness was gone.

  But it was not aimed at him. It was aimed at the other tunnel which he could hear collapsing in the distance. With luck, it would take them a while to figure out that he had moved in a different direction. So as the new dragon screamed in anger, he moved quickly down the supply tunnel that normally led away from the living areas to the larder, treasure room, and other storage.

  Not to mention further underground. Much further.

  Deep Underground

  Brianne sat in Sierra's closet with the rest of the group minus Xander and Chandler. She had expected to sway back and forth as they were taken to safety, but everything was still as any other room she had ever been in.

  She was glad that Sierra was so obsessed with clothing. The closet itself was a good twenty-five feet deep and half that wide. It was a little disconcerting to think that the only escape right now was magic, but for now, they were relatively safe, which was good because she was working hard to save a life.

  Ember lay on one pile of clothing unconscious, with Michael slowing her bleeding and keeping her vitals steady with his magic. He was doing some simple healing to some of the damage, but his skill was limited. Sierra's healing ability was non-existent, and Chandler's would have been decent if he were here, but they had lost him.

  Sierra had been unable to get the other apprentice away from Dell. Brianne could see the despair in her friend’s eyes at her inability to save their fellow apprentice. No one would blame Sierra, of course, they all knew that they had been unprepared to fight such magic.

  He was simply gone.

  There was a deeper haunted look in Michael's eyes as he watched her, then dropped his vision down to the floor. The memory of the magic when he had used it was fresh in his mind. Having seen Chandler in his last moments try something similar had to be extra painful for him.

  "We are still fine, moving deeper," It was eerie how Xander's voice carried in so they could hear him, even though there was no evidence of him in the room. He did not need to keep giving them updates every now and then, but she sensed he knew they needed the re-assurance he was still out there. He had flat out told them earlier that if it looked like he was going to get caught he was going to hide the marble and lead their enemies away. She knew that he was working on a shielding spell for the marble that would keep people from sensing its magic. He was preparing for the worst, and planning on making sure that everyone else was safe if that worst was to happen.

  "We have to do something other than sitting here." Sierra was sitting to the side tapping her foot. "There has to be something we can do instead of waiting for that creature to catch Xander."

  "There is nothing we can do,” Michael’s voice was low and slightly choked. “There was nothing we could do.” He amended and continued to look at the floor.

  "We could have done something.” Sierra's eyes went wide. "We did do something. We saved Ember and we escaped.”

  “For how long Sierra?” Michael turned hollow eyes to her. “We have a dragon and his evil apprentice chasing us? What do you think our chances are?”

  “Much better than if we had stayed in that cave and tried to fight. Brianne, keep your boyfriend quiet if he’s not going to help.” Sierra turned her attention to straightening up some of the clothes. "I should go out and help Xander." She looked up as if debating jumping out of the marble.

  "So like Xander you can find your way in the dark?" Michael said quietly as he looked at Sierra carefully. "Our best chance is to wait which sucks, but what are y
ou going to do that isn't already being done."

  "I'm just not used to being useless."

  "Then come hold this bandage to Ember's stomach while Brianne checks for more damage.” Michael beckoned her over.

  Sierra stomped her foot but headed over.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  It wasn't completely dark to Xander. Heat itself threw out different types of lights that his dragon eyes could pick up. His spell that he cast early had been crafted to draw in inferred light as well as any other type of vision source he could think off. It was something he would not have thought of if he hadn't been cursed with his eyes, but he was thankful knowing his foresight has saved their lives. He had, after all, devised the spell to be effective against dragons.

  The dragon that had appeared was nothing like Ember and her kin. Sure, it was still dragon shaped, but that was like comparing a panther to a house cat. The form was similar, but one was infinitely dangerous compared to the other. Not that regular dragons weren't dangerous, but suddenly they seemed a lot less so to him.

  The biggest problem he was having right now was the fact he was going deeper and deeper down into the earth. It was pure luck that Torch had built his cave on top of a network of caves just like Ember had. Or it was possible that it was a trait that dragons tended to share. Either way, this network seemed to go on endlessly from what he could sense. Xander was being careful not to delve with his senses too far or Dell and his friend might find him. He was sure that by now they had figured out he hadn't taken the other exit, and it did not take a genius to figure out the other direction that might offer some safety.

  His only hope was to keep moving and to leave as little evidence of his passing as possible. One little mistake would not only cost him his life but possibly the other apprentices as well.

  If he was lucky, Ember would be conscious soon enough to spell them out of there. He felt that to be unlikely though, as he had seen that other dragon's talon sticking out of her back meaning it had gone clear through her. It was not likely that he had missed all her internal organs and just caused a flesh wound. It was best to assume the further away from Torch's cave the better. If he was still down here in a few days he would start to look for a way up to the surface, but unless he stumbled across a path out of sheer luck, it was deeper and forward.

  He came to a fork in the caves, as he had several times before and stopped to examine the paths. He let his senses out far enough to see if there was airflow from any of the possible directions and came up empty. No path out yet then. He tossed a rock down each listened to the echoes and decided to avoid the right tunnel as it sounded as if it did not go very far down. Backtracking meant he was losing ground, and losing ground was not an option.

  He could always hide in the marble with the others, but that left him blind to whatever was going on outside. No matter how well he spelled it to blend in and hide, someone might see it and not just their enemies. There were other things that lived deep in the earth and plenty that you did not want to meet. They could very well wait for weeks inside that pocket dimension to step out and find that their enemies had them captive. It was an option if it came down to it, but it was the very last option he wanted to consider.

  A scuffing sound to his side stopped him cold. Xander pushed back into the wall and blended himself in the best he could. He dared only use a little energy to hide. He had no idea how chaos magic sensed order magic. It was possible that he couldn't hide from them no matter what he did.

  "I know you’re down here," Dell's voice cut the darkness. "I come in peace with an offer. I give you my word."

  Xander took the marble from his pocket and opened the portal just enough that everyone inside could hear anything that was said. If something happened to him, it was better that he risked exposing them, so they could know about it rather than leaving them in the proverbial dark.

  "I suppose I should assume your word is good then?" Xander dropped his camouflage and stepped out. If Dell knew he was there, not much could be done other than wait for the other apprentice to trip over him.

  "You should, I keep my word." Dell came around the corner and looked straight at him. Somehow the other apprentice seemed to see in the dark as well as Xander.

  "I guess I'll have to trust that for the moment." Xander sized up the other apprentice. "Fuego told me about your parents, it's not hard to figure out why you turned against Torch. Taking up with another dragon though? That doesn't make sense."

  "And it makes sense for you to be apprenticed to one." Dell quirked and eyebrow. "Tell me, was it three days that you were stuck in the car with your parent's dead bodies? I think I was told three. Poor Xander stuck in a car, blinded and unable to escape while you could hear the traffic a couple hundred feet away. As I understand it you were lucky that anyone found you at all."

  "My parent’s death was an accident. Your parents ran headlong into theirs." Xander studied Dell carefully. There was something he was missing. He wasn't sure if he should find a way to flee again, or if he should keep Dell talking. Both choices could be the wrong one and the last thing he needed to do was run straight into a trap. "I didn't expect you to catch up to me for a while yet. I don't think you would care to share how you managed that."

  "I wouldn't.” Dell smirked. “What is your plan, keep running? Explore all different types of rock?" Dell kicked at the ground beneath his foot. "Not much of a plan when I can give you a better offer."

  "Because that isn't the oldest trick in the book." Something was still bugging Xander, something out of place he couldn't put his finger on. He started studying the area around him as much as he could without showing it.

  "Well yes, it's cliché' Blah blah blah, give us your friends we will give you power," Dell shrugged and gave a wicked grin. "The part I think you would be more interested in is the truth. The truth as to why your dragons disappeared. The truth about their goals, their control." Dell approached Xander with his eyes glinting fiercely. "The truth about what they fear and how you can bring them to their knees."

  "I believe what you are suggesting is that I trade one dictatorship for another?" Xander shook his head slowly. "How does that make sense? It is a dictatorship no matter what the dragons want to claim, but at least it's a benevolent one. What is your master's view of control? Would he give us back our freedom? Or would the chains be harder and sharper? When he took the world from the other dragons how many would pay for it in blood and fire?" Xander turned his back on Dell for a moment and closed his eyes. "What you want is to start a war. I am not a fan of the dragons I can assume from your master's friendly approach that he doesn't want a peaceful sort of discussion."

  "It is what it is," Dell started to walk around Xander, and Xander's eyes snapped open when he realized finally what he had been sensing. "All my master wants is to have returned to him what is rightfully his. His kind ruled this world before your order dragons ever drew breath. They were Gods by right and power. Then when your masters rose from the slime, they threw them down to the ground and started the war. My master is the one who was wronged."

  "Have you studied history at all my friend?” Xander was pretty sure his suspicions were correct now, and he was getting ready to make his move. "Every society out there exists because they walked upon the bones of the people that lived before them. We are too civilized now for it to be allowed due to the dragons, but from the Americas to Europe, to Asia. They are all peopled by those whose ancestors conquered whoever was living there previously. The only merit to your argument is the fact your master is still alive to tell the tale from his point of view. That means they didn't totally annihilate his people."

  "Not for the lack of trying," Dell said.

  "Has anyone told you that you are kind of a Zealot?" Xander gave Dell a wicked grin. "I don't like zealots."

  "We are all zealots given the right cause." The other apprentice spat on the ground again. "You can join mine and survive, or you can keep running and we can hunt you down like the animals you are. All
you have to do Xander is walk the way you came, call out to my master, Call Nightfire and he will train you in all that you need to know."

  "Nightfire. Really? I guess your masters are not any more inventive than mine are." Xander casually picked up a stone and threw it at Dell before the other apprentice could react. The rock simply rippled through the other apprentice's image proving he wasn't there. "But since you aren't really here, I am not feeling too threatened. You have no clue where we are in the caves, do you? You sent out several shades of yourself and one got lucky and found me." Xander leaned against the wall where he hid the marble and palmed it so that Dell couldn't see what he was doing. "Fortunately, I know two things about shades. The first is that you can't track where they are once you've sent them out far enough. You can connect to them and speak through them, but there is not enough energy for you to narrow down their position which means you still have no clue where I am."

  "I know you're in the caves. I can track. Eventually, I will find you and when that happens it won't be too hard to destroy you." Dell laughed sharply. There was no doubt in Xander's mind that Nightfire's apprentice was missing a few important nuts and bolts. "What else do you know that might be important to me?"

  "Only that you see through that shade's eyes as well as if you were here,” Xander started channeling magic. "Oh, and they disperse with bright light." There was a flash as pure white light filled the cave where Xander was. Xander had the option of closing his eyes because he knew what was happening. Dell wasn't so lucky, a muffled scream told him that his eyes had been wide open when the flash went off. Even worse, those eyes would be adjusted to the blackness of these caves so there was a very good chance he had blinded Dell. That could be healed but it gave them more time to get further ahead and find a way to safety.

  Raising the marble Xander raised an eyebrow and spoke into it. "If Ember wakes, let her know I want to have a serious discussion with her about her distant relatives." Knowing that no answer would be forthcoming Xander moved further into the cave.