by C. K. Rieke
“Would you like to begin? Who brought us all here, Presidix?” King Hollon asked, trying to hide his disdain.
Presidix Rin stood up slowly, and King Hollon sat loudly in his chair with a subtle grunt.
“I invited all of the royal families of Essill here for an important, yet not unknown, reason. That which remained dormant, is beginning to awaken,” Presidix Rin said.
“Ay, Armoz has returned,” said King Mordoth from Dillengrad.
“Yes,” the Presidix said. “We cannot let the Age of Peace end, here in the one thousandth year of the anniversary of the Battle of Dürmant, which vanquished the land of the evil of King Dür, and the Great King Asíl saved us from the oppression and servitude of Deities.”
King Hollon winced at that.
“Yes, Armoz has remained silent for a millennium,” King Rôagn of Garmos stated. “He has returned because of those few that Angela Dragus the Righteous hunted. “We should hunt them down and sacrifice them to Him.”
“If we do that, we are no better than those who sacrificed to the gods in the Olden Age, we would be slipping backwards,” Queen Seleste of Vallenhalen said.
“Fine, then let the dragons of Riverend swarm upon your city and not mine!” King Rôagn responded to her.
“I say we fight them, and send those undead creatures back to him screaming in pain!” Queen Seleste said.
“The fact does remain, however we deal with these dragons, and the two malevolent figures that sit atop Barrier Cliff, the more overreaching concern is the citizens of this country are going to start asking questions . . . divine questions. Seeing dragons and demons is naturally going to cause the populous to look to gods to protect them. Our question is, how are we going to deal with this?” Presidix Rin said.
King Mordoth stood up. “The punishment for practition of religion stands, death to any who worship. This is the one law that has kept our land at peace for one thousand years.”
“So what is the difference if we sacrifice those who Angela Dragus hunted or not? They are inciters into the practice of religion,” King Rôagn said.
“That is a valid argument,” King Mordoth said. “What say you, King Hollon?”
“I care not for the ones that Angela Dragus died trying to murder. She even had that monster Reizenthrōgz on her side, and failed,” he said, and the other showed great surprise on their faces, even Presidix Rin. “Yes, it is true. We found the giant ogre dead at the mouth of the Aurburn Plains.”
“This gets ever more grave every day, does it not?” Queen Seleste said.
“Armoz has awakened that which we hoped would never be seen again,” the Presidix said. “Now we have a decision to make. At the core of this decision, is whether to give Armoz what he seeks most, or, we support the ones who carry the Azulūz, try to defeat this last god, and forever be rid of the villainy of their lost race.”
“You speak of that magic as it were real,” King Mordoth said, laughing.
“It is real,” the Presidix said. “Why else would Armoz send the dragons of Riverend back from the grave? Armoz is afraid of its power.”
“This is absurd,” King Mordoth said. “Only children believe in such nonsense.”
“When we found Reizenthrōgz’s corpse on the ground, he was broken beneath a fallen tree ten times his size,” King Hollon said. “A week later, the corpse was gone, moved . . . taken back to the land of Armoz by men in black cloaks.”
“So? A tree fell over. Has that never happened before?” King Mordoth said.
“The tree was far outside of the forest, and no thirty men could lift it,” King Hollon said. “Let alone surprise such a monster. I believe it was Zaan Talabard who moved it with the Azulūz. That is what awakened Armoz’s fury. I believe that if we find that boy, and kill him, or give him up, this siege will end. Not only that, we will look like heroes.”
The other rulers looked at each other from around the table, with these new revelations swimming around in their heads.
“Let’s take it to a vote,” said King Hollon.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
LONG, arduous days ensued as Elindrill led the children of Barrier Cliff south to the safety of the Black Cave, where ironically, a prison would turn to a refuge. Stave accompanied her along with other parents, and a squadron of soldiers.
Along their walk the sky was clear, butterflies were plentiful along the plains, and the smell of sunflowers wafted in the air as their long necks followed the sun throughout the long days. As anyone knows, traveling with children makes things take longer, much longer, and when there are dozens, time can drag out. Elindrill expected the trek to take no longer than three days, and three had already passed, and at that pace she expected another full day and a half. The soldiers were burdened down with the food, and drug rickshaws full of supplies. In the back of her mind, if they were to be attacked out on the open fields, they stood little chance. She may be the only one who could hold up in a fight. Stave was being weighted down by supplies as well, sweat was constantly on his brow.
Again, they stopped because a child fell and began whimpering in the back. Elindrill nodded at one of the teenage girls to pick the child up, and carry him if need be. She looked over at Stave, dragging the rickshaw of sleeping supplies, sheets, blankets, small cloth pillows, and tents. He was breathing heavily. Elindrill stopped walking and put a hand up in the air, the party halted behind her. She peered out into the distance, up into the sky and back behind her.
She wore long, flowing, black thin robes that laid across her arms and shoulders. There were indigo seams and under linings that flickered as the winds blew them back behind her. Her hair was up, and tied with clips, but long gray strands fell and flowed behind her, glittering in the wind like melting icicles.
The group watched as she peered into the sky back behind them. The children looked back that way, and looked at each other. This was unusual for Elindrill, as she was usually the one pushing them on constantly. Stave set down his rickshaw, laying its handles into the dry dirt and tall grass. He walked over to her, catching his breath.
Her face was stoic and focused. Stave looked at her eyes, heavily laid on the sky back behind them. The wrinkles on her face twitched slightly as she glared, not blinking but once.
“Everything okay, ma’am?” he asked softly, his voice ever so slightly cracking.
She squint so forcefully, it appeared that her eyes were almost shut to Stave.
“Do you see anything?” she asked calmly of Stave.
He put his hand up on his brow to block the light, and peered out into the distance. He scanned thoroughly. “No. I don’t see anything.” He turned to look back at Elindrill. “Do you?”
She looked into Stave’s eyes, they were a dull grey, with a blue hue in the sunlight, his hair flicked in front of his eyes in the breeze. “I hope not,” she said. She turned back to the south and began to walk, the children started walking again behind her. Stave scratched his head and went back to the cart of supplies. Letting out a sigh, he grabbed one of the handles of the cart, and something caught his eye. Not knowing what it was, he looked to the northern sky.
He stood there as the children walked by, muttering about Elindrill. Whatever caught his eye appeared to be gone, his stomach began to relax, and he breathed a sigh of relief. But then, a black speck appeared in the distance. It was quite small, tiny, and hardly noticeable. As he watched, it began to get larger. Then another appeared. His stomach was up in his throat again. One of the soldiers watched him as Stave ran up the group back to Elindrill. He whispered something to her, and she stopped again and looked back into the northern sky.
“Ojiin protect us,” Elindrill said quietly, but nervously. Stave’s eyes showed shock. “Everyone get down!” she yelled and put her arms up in the air. “Get down and hide!”
The children now in front of her began to crawl down into the grass, and small children began to cry. “Quiet the children,” she said, and the older
children began to soothe the young ones, even though they were quite scared themselves.
The two soldiers walked over to Elindrill. “What’s the matter?”
Elindrill pointed out into the sky. “It is heading towards us.”
The soldier’s face grew pale as he watched the splotches of black in the sky grow bigger, and more numerous. “What do we do?”
“If it’s what we hope it’s not . . . we fight,” Stave said, gripping his sword.
“We wouldn’t stand a chance out in the open, and with all of these . . .” the soldier said frantically.
“Everyone needs to stay out of sight, the tall grass will help conceal us,” Elindrill said. “Now get down, and cover any metal with cloth.”
They stooped down into the tall grass and hid within the sunflowers. Elindrill and Stave held their eyes fixed out onto the sky. There was no doubt now, something was heading towards them. The sky grew dark, as if a dark cloud was forming.
Then, the ground began to move beneath their feet and a loud rumble of rustling grass began. “Stay down and remain quiet,” Elindrill said to the party. “Stay calm.” The rumbling got louder and closer. “It will be over soon, stay calm!” she shouted, struggling to be heard over the sounds all around them.
She then began to catch glimpses of bodies rushing past them in the tall grass. Tan bodies glided quickly past and she recognized their soft fur, and white streaks. “They are just deer,” she yelled out, trying to soothe the party. She then noticed the darker hide of a larger animal running past, and the ground shook more violently. Bison were running past too.
In all of the confusion, she took her eyes off the sky, and when they returned, it had grown dark, with thousands of specks, all heading towards them. “Stay down!” she yelled out in the chaos. She got down herself, and hid her face. Suddenly rushing over, were wings and talons, moving faster than anything she had ever seen.
Birds, thousands, tens of thousands even, flying over. She had never seen anything like it, and she was scared. They were not only high in the sky, but they clipped the tops of the sunflowers, as the sky was so full it weighed down towards them. The sun flickered through the sunflowers them as they shot past. It was like staring into the sun’s reflection in boiling water.
Stave crept over to Elindrill’s side. “What the hell is going on?” he yelled. “What do we do?” She didn’t respond right away.
“I don’t know,” she said, worrying Stave even more.
As quickly as it had started, it was over. The last few birds flew past, and the earth was still again. All of the children hung their heads low still, and Elindrill stood up and scanned the area. To the south, the sky was black with birds, and the trails of the herds snaked their way down the grassy plains.
She turned and looked back up to the northern sky, it was clear, as clear as she had ever seen in her life. All eyes were on her as she watched the sky. “Alright, everyone, let’s continue,” she said in a voice as casual as could be, as if nothing had happened.
She began to walk again south, not waiting on anyone. Stave rushed over to her side. “What was that all about? I’ve never seen a migration like that before.”
Elindrill looked over at him, and he her eyes spoke before her lips even moved. Stave realized the gravity of the events that had just occurred. “The dragons are on the move, aren’t they?”
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
THE earth was still, the air was wet, and the last light of the golden sun washed the clouds overhead in a vivid, red glow.
There was a quiet presence filled with nervousness and anxiety. “This is what war must feel like,” Gar said to himself. It was the waiting that made it so unbearable, the terrible, silent, waiting. He wished the dragons would just come so they could get this over with. The Major had taught him long ago, to strengthen the hand that carries the sword. The brain knows what to do, but the body must be faster than the mind, and that took honing a fighter’s instincts.
To Gar’s side sat Lily, trembling in nervousness. She was holding onto her arms, and her eyes were unwavering— Staring into the northern sky. He put a hand on her back softly.
“It’s okay,” he said, and her eyes met his. “It’s normal to feel like this. It’s your body preparing itself.” She gave no reaction, as she had fully given into the anxiety.
“Just stay out of sight, and remain here, unless someone tells you otherwise. You understand?” he said, looking squarely into her eyes. She gave a slight nod, and her eyes returned up to the sky.
Gar peered over and looked at Astor out in the distance. Holdenbrook was a village of scattered housing of wood and clay bricks. The courtyard in the center of town is where the Major was sure the siege would begin. He said they would come and land in the center at first, and then come in from the perimeter, surrounding them. So there in the courtyard kneeled Astor, cloaked in a think hood, almost invisible in the dying light.
There was a motion out of the corner of Gar’s eye. He looked over quickly, and it saw Zelestiana running from behind a shack to a spot next to a tree that was closer to Astor’s position. Gar felt slightly more at ease, seeing his warrior friends out in the courtyard. He didn’t see the Major or his battalion, but he knew they were hiding in the shacks.
Then, a chill came down hard on them, and it sent shivers down Gar’s spine. He looked out into the sky, but didn’t see anything. He looked at Lily, and saw her eyes widen. “They are coming,” she said, her lips only slightly moving.
A single torch was thrown from one of the upper levels of one of the clay houses, and it landed in the courtyard, on the dirt. Then another torch came tumbling down onto the dirt, and then one more.
Then, a strong voice said yelled out, “Remember, power in numbers. Don’t take them on one on one. Power in numbers, take the bastards down with force.” The Major walked out into the courtyard, he was in full-plate armor, and wielded a double-headed ax. “The demons of Armoz are here to take everything from you. Everything! They are here to take your families, your friends, and your lives.” He stopped and stood in the center of the courtyard, in front of a single stone pylon reaching up into the heavens. “But fear not. Ojiin will protect you, and guide your sword for you. We will not die this day. We will send these devils off with their tales between their legs. This is our city, our land, our home! So fight!” He raised his axe to the sky. “Fight to live another day, fight for the lives of the innocent! Fight for the heavens!”
The clacking sound of swords hitting shields echoed all around Gar and Lily. This calmed them, knowing how many of them there were, hiding. But it also got their blood flowing and adrenaline rushing. “You ready?” Gar asked her.
“Yes,” she said in a firm voice.
As they waited, Gar could hear Lily muttering to herself. Gar saw then the silhouettes of dragons in the sky, backlit from the now blood-red clouds hanging lowly above them. Lily continued slowly whispering to herself.
“What are you doing?” he asked, still looking at the sky.
“Counting,” she said, not taking her eyes off the crimson sky.
“Oh,” he paused. Then looked over at her. “How many?”
She whispered another moment to herself. “Twenty-four. That’s including the big one.”
“Well, it could be worse I guess. Wait . . . Big one?”
CHAPTER SIXTY
AS the dragons of Riverend reached the small town of Holdenbrook, they began to circle high above in the sky.
With his heart pounding, Astor stood watching the dragons fly high above, yet his eyes focused mainly on the dragon at the center of the spiral. He recognized it as the one that fought alongside Xelex in Barrier Cliff. That was the big one, the deadliest of the lot, there was no doubt. But he flew higher than the rest, watching, waiting.
The city was dark, but for the three torches circling the pylon at the center of town. Not a single person was visible on the streets of the town. Then, it sounded, the de
afening cries of the loud beasts above. It was a terrible, horrible screeching. They roared, and hissed so loudly the air itself began to shake.
His palms began to sweat as he watched the dragons begin their descent. “Here we go,” he said to himself. In a twirling motion, the dragons one by one began to drift down to the soft dirt. Each landing with a loud thud, and they screeched and growled. There was the lust of slaughter on their breath. At first, there were six dragons prowling the roads, then more came down, seeking out their first victims.
A muffled horn blew from one of the smaller, thatched-roof homes. Crackling could be heard then, and then faint light began to appear. Soon, the four homes at the corners of the square were lit ablaze. The dragons’ attention shot to the four surrounding homes, setting them completely on fire, and lighting the area. Then another horn call was blown, and with that Astor stood and emerged from the darkness.
He stood, and pulled his hood down from his head. Unsheathing his sword, he held it strongly at his side and pulled a dagger out from behind his back in his other hand. The dragons were too preoccupied by the fires to notice immediately. In a flash of speed, he was running at the nearest dragon, who didn’t see him quickly enough, and Astor leapt onto the back of the red dragon.
From the other side of the dragon, rushed in Zelestiana, sword lit in the firelight. They stabbed and slashed at the dragon’s scaly flesh as it thrashed.
One more horn sounded, and with loud yelling and hollering, Gylem ran at the dragons, his ax ready to bathe in dragon blood. Behind him, were the soldiers with their weapons raised, yelling out, ready for battle.
Swords clashed against thick, rotten dragon scale. The jaws of the dragons bit wildly, trying to catch something firmly within their teeth. They roared and hissed as they fought the soldiers who surrounded them. The dragons bit clawed, ripping through armor and soldier's flesh.
