Much as Kat wanted to, there was no time for her to linger and appreciate the spectacle. Backing away, she pushed on through the lines toward where the enemy had broken through. Here, bodies littered the ground, soaking her feet with their blood after only a few steps.
She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. “Montromia Verunda! Inobio Mons!” Her voice was like tempered steel, each syllable delivered with dire intent.
In response, six figures rose from the earth, their bodies covered in green fire. Each held a sword in one hand and a whip in the other. With an unspoken command, she loosed them on the enemy.
Faster than even the quickest elf warrior, they set off to do her bidding. Hard pressed dwarves desperately fighting off two, three, or even sometimes four enemies at a time suddenly found they had little to do. Like an unstoppable flaming force, Kat’s creations slashed mercilessly at their Imperial foes with both sword and whip. Every single strike they made sank deep and was fatal: too much even for the most resilient of silent ones. The blood pouring from their wounds quickly burst into flames, devouring them completely in no more than a few seconds.
This was magic in its most lethal form, the kind that brought sheer terror to the hearts of dwarf, elf, and human alike. Kat almost wished Martok were here so that she could thank him personally for this particular lesson. When he had first described it, she had been repulsed. The pain it inflicted was of the most gruesome nature imaginable. Only the most powerful of mages had any hope at all of defending against it.
It took less than ten minutes for her creations to complete their lethal task. Behind her she could hear Maytra’s blood lust building as she continued to roast the enemy alive. Aside from the dragon’s roars, it was now elated cheers rather than the clashing of steel that had become the dominant sound on the battlefield. Kat moved further up the ridge. From here she could see clearly that the enemy was pulling back.
“I guess even those soulless silent ones know when they’re beaten,” said a young dwarf standing nearby.
Kat smiled but said nothing. Across the battlefield she could see arrows striking at the low flying dragon, though most were bouncing off harmlessly. The few that had managed to pierce her hide had barely penetrated – no more than scratches that Kat could easily heal later. This could be it. Maytra would not relent or show mercy.
“Katyana!”
She recognized her father’s voice instantly. He was riding at a quick trot, beaming as he approached. His tattered armor told that this day had been hard fought. Nonetheless, he leaped from the saddle with the vigor of a much younger man.
Kat ran to meet him, embracing him tightly as he spun her around several times. “Why didn’t you stay to the rear?” she scolded.
Yularian kissed her brow. “I tried, but the enemy broke through. It was fight or die.” He looked over to where Maytra was still busy decimating the silent ones. “If you hadn’t arrived when you did, I think I might well have ended up looking much worse.”
“Where are King Halvar and Keira?” Kat asked.
“I couldn’t say,” he replied. “I was planning to look for them once I’d found you and Ethan.”
Hearing Ethan’s name sent a knot to her throat.
The reaction on her face did not pass unnoticed. “I see,” her father said softly. “Come. Let us go find Halvar and Keira. The day is far from done.”
Six more horses rode up, the soldier in the lead bearing the insignia of captain. His demeanor was one of frustration and barely contained anger.
“Your Highness,” he said, saluting. “I must insist that you do not leave us behind again.”
Yularian chuckled. “Please forgive me, captain. I know how much it upsets you not to be at my side.”
“This is no laughing matter, Your Highness. You were nearly killed the last time we were separated.” His eyes fell on Kat and he bowed his head. “Princess Katyana. It is good to see you.”
Hearing someone refer to her as princess made Kat feel oddly awkward, but she said nothing to correct it. After all, she was in fact a princess. She recognized the captain from the time she had spent at her childhood home. She bowed in return. “Thank you. It is good to see you too. And if my father runs off again, you have my permission to chain him to your belt.”
Yularian laughed boisterously. “He would if he thought he could get away with it.”
His laughter had barely faded when Kat caught a flash of green light in the corner of her eye. It came from within a thicket at the far end of the battlefield. As the glow intensified, so it also began pulsing with rapidly increasing speed.
“What is it?” asked Yularian.
Her eyes shifted from the light to the low flying Maytra, then back again. A feeling of dread seized her. Knowing what was about to happen, she opened her mouth to cry out a warning. It was too late. Before she could utter even the smallest sound, she saw a stream of green energy shoot out, striking the dragon in the rear left leg. Maytra shrieked in pain and spun several times before landing with an almighty thud amid the chaos below.
Horror stricken, Kat burst into a dead run. By the time she reached the lines, a second blast had already struck Maytra, leaving her lying with her wings and legs tucked up tightly against her body. All around her the enemy soldiers were still retreating, some even passing right up close beside the felled dragon without so much as a glance. Then a third blast came. This time, such was its power, it propelled Maytra’s massive body more than ten feet across the earth, in the process sending bits of molten rock and scorched grass spewing in all directions.
Although still some considerable distance away, Kat instinctively cast a fireball at the source of the attack. She didn’t have time to see if it hit the mark. Without warning, strong arms wrapped around her from behind, holding her back.
“Get off me!” she screamed.
“Please, My Lady!” It was the captain. “It’s too dangerous.”
Kat would not be restrained. Squirming around to face him, she planted the point of her knee firmly into his groin, loosening his grip sufficiently for her to free one arm. That was all she needed. A sharp jerk of her elbow down onto the bridge of his nose was enough for his hold to fall away completely. Free again, she set off as fast as she could toward Maytra. With a grunt of satisfaction, she saw that her fireball had indeed found its target, and that the attacks on the dragon had now ceased.
After covering a hundred yards or so she began to encounter enemy soldiers. Not that this was a problem. Apparently oblivious to her presence, they were simply retreating at a brisk trot, every one of them stone-faced, silent, and staring straight ahead. The only thing that did slow her progress a little were the large patches of still burning earth where Maytra had recently unleashed her fury. These were quickly bypassed.
Much as she tried to deny it, in her heart Kat knew there was no chance whatsoever of Maytra having survived the attack. Only something of immense power could have brought her spinning down in mid-flight and then blasted her mighty body across the face of the earth with such ease. It had to be one of the legendary dwarf weapons made especially for the Emperor. Another of these had already been used to destroy Eylfoss – though from all accounts that one had needed to be augmented with the essence of Shinzan in order to accomplish such a mighty task. She did not think this current weapon had been treated in the same way. Even so, it was still unimaginably powerful.
Maytra had not moved and was still curled up into a ball when Kat eventually reached her. Frantically, her eyes searched the dragon’s body for a sign of injuries. But there was nothing. No indication of any damage at all. Even with her legs and wings tucked in, something should have been visible.
Perplexed, Kat placed both her hands on Maytra’s neck. The very instant they made contact, an enormous rush of biting cold raced through her veins. For several terrifying seconds, she was conscious of being totally paralyzed. Then – mercifully – darkness enveloped her.
* * * * *
As light
slowly filtered into her eyes, she became aware that a pillow had been placed behind her head, and that her body was covered with a woolen blanket. The roof of her mouth felt like someone had fed her a particularly large spoonful of rock salt. As for her hands and feet, they were tingling furiously, as if the circulation had been cut off and blood was only just now flowing back into them.
“You’re awake,” said a kindly male voice. “Your father will be happy to hear that.”
Her joints protested as she struggled into a seated position. With her vision clearing, she realized that she was inside a large tent with several empty bedrolls scattered about. A narrow-featured man with a balding head and dressed in a plain brown robe was kneeling a few feet away. He was busy crushing leaves into a pestle. On the ground beside him were several different sized bowls and phials, together with a variety of leaves and herbs all arranged neatly on a silver tray.
“Where am I?” Kat asked.
He gave her a sideways look. “In a tent, young lady. And that’s where you are going to stay until I say otherwise.” Though his tone was still gentle, there was a certain authority to him that said he was accustomed to getting his own way in these matters.
Kat, however, was not one to take orders. Pushing herself to her feet, she headed for the nearby exit. The man moved with surprising speed to intercept her.
“You must stay put!” he insisted. “The mere sight of you will frighten the skin off people.”
His words instantly stopped her. She had expected the healer’s argument to center around her health, displaying all the overcautious mannerisms that were common in most healers. But right now, her physical well-being seemed to be the last thing on his mind.
“What’s going on?” she demanded. “Why would I scare anyone?”
Before he could reply, the tent flap opened and Keira stepped inside. Quickly, she dismissed the healer.
After giving Kat a firm embrace, she led her over to one of the bedrolls, from inside which she produced a silver flask. Kneeling down, she gestured to the spot in front of her. She appraised Kat for a moment and then said in a gentle voice. “I see you are as confused as I expected.”
“I am. Tell me what’s happening,” Kat demanded the moment she was seated.
Keira opened the flask, allowing the scent of whiskey to fill the tent. She took a small sip and cocked her head. “Normally I don’t care for dwarf drink, but this isn’t bad at all.” She offered the flask over to Kat.
“I don’t want whiskey,” she responded sharply. “I want answers.”
After taking one more sip, Keira closed the flask and set it aside. “Answers. Yes…that would be something. Actually, I was hoping you could provide some. But it is as I feared.”
Kat’s patience was being stretched to the limit. “Keira, I love you. I really do. But if you don’t tell me something soon, I swear I’ll wring your neck.”
The elf smiled and held up her palm. “Forgive me. I’m not trying to be difficult, honestly, I’m not. But please bear in mind that I was a long way off. Much of what I know has been related to me by others. And after what has happened…”
She paused, but a low growl from Kat prompted her to quickly continue. “Yes, of course. As you will know, Maytra was felled by the dwarf weapon, and you ran to help her. Your father, who was following some distance behind, says that you reached out to touch her on the neck. To heal her, he assumed. Whatever the case, the very moment your hands made contact, both you and Maytra became engulfed in a sphere of blinding white light. That much I did see for myself, even from a distance. It was almost like a second sun had risen from the earth.”
Kat was straining to recall any of this. All she could remember was experiencing a biting cold…and then nothing.
Keira reached across to touch her on the hand. “Perhaps it will come to you in time. Your father can tell you about it in more detail, I’m sure. From what I was told, he ran straight into the light to rescue you. Not even his loyal guards were brave enough to follow. But such is the love of a father, I suppose.”
This brought a smile to Kat’s lips. “Yes. He is a good man.”
“I have learned this to be true,” Keira agreed. “And from here on, it might be much better if he were the one to recount events.”
As if in cue, the tent flap opened and King Yularian stepped through. Leaping to her feet, Kat immediately threw herself into his arms.
“You will be the death of me, child,” he said, his scolding tone a long way from being convincing.
“I’m so happy that you’re safe,” she said, gently touching one of the scratches on his cheek.
“Now don’t you go healing me,” he warned. “I bear my scars with pride, thank you.”
“Scars?” teased Keira. “Judging from the way your guards are hovering over you, you’ll likely not even get to scrape a knee from now until the end of the war.”
“Can I help it if my people love me more than yours do you?” he replied with a half-smile.
This was not like the formal interactions Kat had seen before. Keira and her father were behaving almost as old friends. In the same relaxed manner, after settling down with the two of them, Yularian’s eyes quickly settled on the flask. Without a word, he helped himself to a long drink.
“You had better save some for Halvar,” Keira told him.
He chuckled. “I would wager he has plenty more of this stashed away somewhere.”
When he offered the flask to Kat, this time she accepted it. “Keira was just telling me what happened,” she said after taking a small sip.
“She remembers nothing,” Keira added. “And I thought it better if you were the one who described what you saw.”
Kat leaned over to kiss her father on the cheek. “She hasn’t said very much, but she did tell me how you charged in to rescue me.”
Yularian’s aspect darkened. “I only did what any father would do. Though even my courage was tested to the full by what I saw. I nearly ran away, you know.”
Kat sniffed. “I doubt that.”
“You don’t understand,” he responded. “When I reached you, you were…changed.”
“Changed? In what way?”
“I can’t explain it. You were standing beside the dragon with your hands folded in front of you, talking to…well...to no one at all from what I could see. It was like you were looking down at some invisible child and scolding it for being naughty. You shouldn’t have done this, you said. Now you’ve complicated matters. Then you looked up at me and gave me the most curious look. And your face. It was mostly the same, but your eyes...they weren’t yours at all. I knew right away that I was staring at a stranger.” He reached over and touched Kat’s cheek. “That’s when I almost ran.”
She could see the shame on his face. “But you didn’t.”
He forced a smile. “No. I didn’t. But believe me, I have never been more afraid.”
“Why?”
Yularian shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve faced death before. But this was like staring into the heart of a great abyss from the very edge of a precipice. One small step further and I would be sent crashing to my doom. I moved closer to the dragon just to keep away from you. But you warned me not to touch her. She must remain pure, you said. A moment later, as if an invisible hand had seized me, I was jerked away from the fallen creature.”
He took a deep breath. “At this point I finally managed to regain a little of my courage. I demanded that you tell me exactly what had happened to you. And that’s when your voice changed. Completely. It was still female, but it now had a hollow sound about it, as if echoing from within a great hall – a strange mixture indeed of kindness and authority. Your child is unharmed, this new voice said. She has done a great service to the world, albeit unwittingly. You should be thankful. I asked her what exactly you had done, but received only a smile in return. You must fight on, she continued. Gather to you all those willing to resist the evil of Shinzan. It will be through your struggle that hope is kept
alive. What of Ethan Dragonvein, I asked? It is he who needs you the most, she replied. And now, there is a way. Thanks to your daughter’s bravery and sacrifice, new hope has arisen.”
Yularian shook his head. “That she mentioned the word sacrifice was enough to send panic racing through me. I insisted that she explain what she meant. I swear to you, she made me feel like an angry child being spoken to by a parent who knew I wouldn’t understand the goings-on of grown-ups. It was not a pleasant experience.”
“To her, you were the child,” Keira told him.
“Keira envies me,” he said. “She thinks that what happened to me was a privilege.”
“It was!” the elf insisted.
Yularian glanced at her for a moment before turning his attention back to Kat. “It certainly didn’t feel like one. But that doesn’t matter. What is important is her instruction that we must continue to protect the people of Lumnia to the very last. And of course, the revelation that somehow you have done a great service to the world.”
“What great service?” Kat shook her head in frustration. “What did I do exactly?”
“She wouldn’t say, only that it had been done unwittingly. I wanted to press her for more, but you collapsed before I could ask. Then, the moment I touched you, something incredible happened. The dragon stirred.”
Kat’s eyes shot wide. “Maytra’s alive?”
“Yes,” he affirmed. “She lives.”
“Where is she now?”
“I don’t know.”
Kat could see Keira leaning in, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
Yularian glanced quickly over in the elf’s direction before continuing. “I was afraid the dragon would accidentally crush you, so I tried to drag you away. But it was as if you had become impossibly heavy. I couldn’t move you at all. I was still trying to do this when the dragon rose right up and turned to face us.”
Dragonvein Book Five Page 16
