“What about him?” Hannah said, pointing to the prone figure of Accadus. Whatever the sword had done to him, it hadn’t killed him. Luxon warily approached, to his surprise he could hear weeping. Pained sobs emanated from Accadus’s throat and his hands clutched his chest tightly.
“What’s the matter with him?” Hannah asked.
Luxon remembered what he had witnessed on the Isle. When Niveren had wielded Asphodel in the battle against Danon it had done something to him. Danon had appeared concerned as though fighting some inner conflict. He knew that Danon had not always been evil; he’d seen it with his own eyes.
“Asphodel must have lifted the darkness that had befallen Accadus,” he surmised.
Accadus rolled onto his side, and his tear-streaked, pleading eyes looked up at Hannah and Luxon.
“What have I done? All those people I’ve killed … all those horrors … Niveren, please forgive me,” Accadus sobbed.
“I almost pity him,” Hannah said softly. “I would forgive him if we didn’t know that he willingly gave himself over to Danon.”
A whirlwind of emotions filled Luxon as he looked at his oldest rival. A part of him wanted to kill Accadus for the crimes he had committed in Danon’s name, and for all the pain he had inflicted on him and Yepert over the years. Another part of him felt sorry for him. Accadus hadn’t had an easy life. The illegitimate son of one of the most ruthless men in the kingdom, and one born with magic to boot. He had been abused and unloved before being cast away to Caldaria where he had taken out his anger on those he deemed weaker than himself. He’d beaten Yepert bloody more than a few times in their youth, and had been the bane of Luxon’s life. Despite all the abuse at the hands of the Baron of Retbit, Accadus had remained loyal to his father, going as so far as to betray Caldaria and allow his father’s forces into the city. Unbeknownst to them all, the baron had been under the thrall of Cliria, the bride of Danon. After Luxon had driven the baron and Accadus out of Caldaria, and after Danon’s return and defeat at Eclin, Accadus had fallen under the sway of the dark lord. He’d murdered his own father and became Danon’s apprentice. Now, here he lay, a broken man, the sword of light having removed the darkness that had corrupted his soul.
“We can’t leave him here, Hannah. Whatever he was, I get the feeling that Asphodel has destroyed it for good. He will live with what he’s done forever and this way he can face justice.”
The chamber shook violently as the battle above continued to rage. Pieces of rock crashed to the ground narrowly missing them.
“We have to get out of here before this whole place comes down on us.”
Luxon passed Yepert over to Hannah and knelt down in front of Accadus. He looked into his eyes, and all he could see was guilt and horror. He held out his hand. Accadus shied away from it as though he feared that he would be struck.
“Come with us, Accadus. If you don’t, you’ll die down here.”
“It’s what I deserve.”
Luxon shook his head and gritted his teeth. It would have been so easy for him to have ended up where Accadus lay now. During his time in the Void, he had been duped by Danon, who had disguised himself as the wizard Aljeron. He shuddered at the thought of just how close he had come to being tricked into serving Danon willingly. He couldn’t kill Accadus, not when he could so easily have succumbed to a similar fate.
“No. You’ve been given a second chance. Get up and help us beat Danon. Redeem yourself.”
Accadus rubbed his eyes and tentatively took Luxon’s hand.
“I’m sorry for everything, Luxon. I … I will help you. It’s the least I can do.”
Luxon pulled Accadus onto his feet and pulled him close.
“Let’s go.”
*
They hurried back through the chambers and passageways until they reached the pile of bones they had landed in earlier. Luxon was carrying Yepert, while Accadus and Hannah searched the corridor. They found a rusty lever hidden in a cobweb-filled alcove. Hannah pulled the lever, and the sound of machinery sounded once more. Above, the platform began to descend towards them. Once at the bottom of the pit, a metal ladder slid down allowing them to climb. Accadus and Hannah used their magic to help Luxon lift Yepert up. The stone pillar in the centre of the platform had another lever built into its side, something they’d missed while dodging and evading the deadly blades of the First Trial. Luxon pulled it, and to their relief, no blades appeared. Instead, the platform rapidly climbed until they reached the surface.
Once at the top, they hurried towards the entrance. The ground shook violently as outside another dragon tumbled from the sky and crashed into the ground. The great beasts ravaged and burned corpse sent shockwaves across the Blackmoor as it struck. They emerged into the entrance chamber to find Kaiden, Ferran and Sophia on their knees, six Crimson Blades assassins guarding them.
“Wait here,” Luxon said to Hannah. He passed Yepert over to her once again and turned to Accadus. “Now’s your chance to show me that you’re willing to repent. Help me save my friends,” he said, offering his hand to his former nemesis.
Accadus looked at it for a moment. There was conflict in his eyes, and for a moment Luxon thought that the darkness hadn’t truly been removed. Then Accadus gripped the hand and squeezed it, a weak smile on his face.
“I will help you,” he replied with determination. “I have a plan, but you may not like it.”
*
“Look who I’ve captured,” Accadus said loudly, shoving Luxon into the chamber. Luxon stumbled forward; his hands bound behind his back. At seeing the two magic users, cries and shouts of anger and despair came from Sophia, Ferran and Kaiden.
“What of the wizard’s companions?” one of the Crimson Blades hissed.
“Dead. I made sure of it.”
“And the sword?”
Accadus smirked at the question.
“Buried forever under tonnes of rubble. I destroyed the chamber in which it resides; no one will ever be able to get their hands on it again.”
Accadus pushed Luxon closer towards the Crimson Blades. None of the killers suspected that Luxon’s hands were in fact unbound, or that the stumble was just for show to suggest he was wounded and weak.
“I’ll kill you!” Ferran snarled to Accadus.
Luxon caught the Nightblade’s eye and winked. He almost laughed at the brief look of confusion that crossed Ferran’s face. As quick as it had appeared, he hid it, his expression returning to an angry frown.
“You three. Come and take him. Lord Danon will be delighted with this gift,” Accadus commanded.
Three assassins advanced. Luxon pulled his hands out from behind his back. Each palm was crackling with channelled power. Lightning shot out of his fingertips and vaporised two of the killers. Next, he dashed forward towards the third and balled his right hand into a fist. Focusing his magic, he made the fist as hard as iron before punching the shocked assassin in the face. A sickening crunch sounded as the enhanced strike sent the Crimson Blade flying backwards, crashing into one of the remaining assassins. Accadus, meanwhile, launched a fireball at the killer standing over Ferran. The fire ignited the assassin’s cloak and sent him wheeling away in agony. Holding out his other hands he used telekinesis to rip Ferran’s captured tourmaline blade from the Crimson Blade’s belt. As it flew, he pushed the switch on the hilt, causing the blade to ignite and slice through Ferran’s bonds.
With his hands free, Ferran dove forwards into a roll, before coming up and using his own magic to call his sword to his hand. He then leapt at the nearest Crimson Blade and sliced him in two. The two remaining assassins were quickly dispatched by the three magic wielders, and Sophia and Kaiden were freed from their bonds.
Sophia ran over to Hannah and Yepert as they entered the chamber. Hannah was struggling with Yepert; his limp arms were draped over her shoulder. Dragasdol was strapped to her back was, and Asphodel was tucked into her belt.
“What’s happened to him?”
“We don’
t know,” Hannah replied her voice almost breaking with emotion. “Danon did something to him. Possessed him somehow. He won’t respond to me or any spell I’ve tried.” Yepert’s head was slumped against his chest. He looked like a puppet whose strings had been cut – limp and unresponsive.
Kaiden retrieved his sword and Sophia’s bow and quiver from the dead assassins, whilst Ferran faced Accadus, his tourmaline blade still active and aimed at the younger man’s chest.
“Did you do this?” Ferran growled. “In fact, why are you here at all? What happened, Luxon? There has to be a good reason why this monster is still breathing.”
Luxon took Asphodel from Hannah and held it out in front of him. The golden blade glinted in the faint light coming through the entrance of the tomb.
“We retrieved Asphodel. I used it against Accadus and … it’s done something to him. It removed the darkness from inside him somehow. A light engulfed him, and when he awoke, he was changed.”
“It’s true! I no longer feel the darkness within me,” Accadus said his voice earnest. “All I feel is remorse for all the evil things I have done. I know my words sound hollow but... but all I seek now is a chance to atone.”
Ferran exchanged a look with Kaiden. The two men did not trust Accadus’s words. It was Hannah who interjected.
“No offence, Luxon, but I cannot trust him. We have no idea if the effects are temporary or not. I for one would feel safer if we at least bind his hands. Whatever Danon did to him has made him far more powerful than he was before. he almost bested you.”
Luxon nodded in understanding. To everyone’s surprise, Accadus walked over to a pair of discarded manacles that had been used to restrain Kaiden and the others and held them out to Ferran.
“Tie my hands if it will make you feel safer. I am ready to face judgement. It is the least I deserve,” he said, handing the manacles to the Nightblade. Ferran shrugged and bound his hands.
The room shook again as the battle outside continued to rage.
“I think it’s time to leave,” Kaiden suggested.
“You’re right. It’s time for all of you to leave,” Luxon said. The others looked at him in surprise. “You need to get Yepert to safety, and none of you will be of help against an army of dragons. I, on the other hand, can be. I must help Umbaroth. Get back to Caldaria and tell Thanos to spread the word of our plan.”
He hugged Hannah tightly and kissed her on the lips. She knew better than to protest his decision, and he was right: only a wizard could face down a dragon.
The group hurried towards the exit of the tomb and emerged into a blackened world. Thick smoke blocked out the sun, casting the Blackmoor in a twilight-like darkness. Fires burned for a far as the eye could see and the massive corpses of dead dragons lay scattered across the landscape. Already Fell Beasts were swarming over the dead, hellbent on devouring flesh.
Luxon looked to the sky. Flying through the smoke clouds were the dragons, their roars booming out over the Blackmoor like thunder. Cupping his hands to mouth, he focused magic into his voice and shouted; “Tratos summoni!”
The magic words that Umbaroth taught him years before worked. The clouds broke as Tratos dived through them. The dragon flapped his large wings as he came into land outside the tomb. Wounds covered his body, and he panted from exhaustion. The dragon regarded Luxon with curiosity.
“Master wizard. I do not understand how you compelled me here. I …” Tratos said, confusion in his voice.
Luxon walked forward and placed a hand against Tratos’s snout.
“I made a promise to Umbaroth that I would not use that spell again, but time is short. Tratos I need you to take my companions to Caldaria.”
Tratos shook his head from side to side.
“I cannot leave this battle. Umbaroth needs me.”
“I command it,” Luxon said sternly. Immediately Tratos stopped his complaining and lowered himself to the ground. A part of Luxon felt bad for abusing his power, but he was right – he had no time to worry about the ethics of his ability to control the dragon.
Luxon faced the others and waved them forward.
“Get onto Tratos. He will take you back to Caldaria.”
Sophia hugged him tightly before climbing onto the dragon’s back. Ferran and Kaiden carried Yepert between them.
“Good luck, Luxon. We will make sure Yepert is safe,” Kaiden said with a reassuring smile. Yepert lay limp between the two men. Luxon placed a hand on his friends face; it felt icy cold.
“I will find a way to heal you, my friend, I promise,” he said softly, before Ferran and Kaiden carried him towards Tratos. Accadus nodded to him as he walked past, his hands bound. That left Luxon with Hannah. She threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Luxon smiled and kissed her again.
“I love you too. Now go,” he said, releasing her. He tightened his grip on Asphodel’s hilt as he watched her join the others on the dragon’s back. He waved to them as Tratos flexed his wings and shot off into the sky.
Now it was him alone against Drakis and his dragons.
24.
Luxon watched Tratos and the others leave. Satisfied that they were safe, he turned his attention to the battle above. The smoke clouds were obscuring his view, so he pursed his lips and summoned the wind to blow the clouds apart. Howling wind swept over the Blackmoor, and the burning flames were sucked up into whirling vortexes as the spell took effect. The clouds parted, revealing Umbaroth and Drakis. The two massive dragons were engaged in close quarters fighting. Both used claws and teeth to render chunks of flesh off the other. Luxon sprinted forward, magically enhancing his speed, allowing him to easily outrun any Fell Beasts that turned their attention his way. He ran until he was directly below the two fighting dragons, then he held Asphodel aloft.
“Umbaroth! I have the sword!” he shouted.
Above, Umbaroth looked down at him, and with a swing of his tail swatted Drakis across the face. The blow freed him from the black dragon’s grasp, allowing him to dive downwards. For a moment Luxon feared that Umbaroth was going to crash into the ground and squash him, but at the last moment the silver dragon opened his wings and landed with a thud in front of him.
“It’s about time. Hop on,” Umbaroth said, gesturing to his back with his huge head. Luxon smiled. Using magic, he jumped high into the air and landed on the great dragon’s neck. Luxon shouted a warning. Drakis dived towards them, but Umbaroth was quicker. With powerful hind legs, he launched them back into the air, narrowly missing the snapping jaws of the black dragon.
Luxon held on tightly as Umbaroth flew at death-defying speed across the Blackmoor. With Drakis close behind. Below, the ground whizzed past in a blur. Over hills and valleys, they went, until they could see the blue of the open sea on the horizon. From their height, Luxon could see the city of Blackmoor to the north, its stone towers standing proudly on the horizon. Located a few miles to the south of it, however, was something unexpected: a sea of tents. It was the tribes of the Great Plain, he surmised. Ferran had told him that Faramond had left to seek out his people; it looked as though Luxon had found them. Was the city of Blackmoor under attack from them?
Intense heat put all thoughts of the city and the tribes out of his mind. Behind them, Drakis had unleashed fire. Umbaroth climbed and spun to evade it.
“Drakis is too powerful. Danon has made him strong, too strong for me to defeat,” Umbaroth said over the sound of whistling air.
“Just get me close!” Luxon replied, doing his best to hold on and keep Asphodel in his grip. Umbaroth flapped his wings and turned south. The constant barrage of flame from Drakis was making getting close impossible. Luxon pressed his body close to Umbaroth’s. The wind was whipping his hair in his eyes, and the speed of the flight was making him feel dizzy. The ground flashed past at a staggering pace, making him wonder just how fast a dragon could truly fly. They passed over the edge of the Blackmoor and over the Westerlands.
Marshland and craggy, rocky ground suddenly gave way to lush forests and farmlands. Luxon could see panicked villagers fleeing as they spotted the two massive dragons in the sky. A few minutes on a southerly course and the terrain changed once again, this time to vast grassy plains. The plains of Bison. The two dragons had covered hundreds of miles.
“Where are you going?” Luxon shouted in panic. If they kept heading south, they would fly over the lands now conquered by Danon. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Drakis gaining fast, but behind the black dragon were the other dragons, all struggling to catch up with their respective leaders.
“We need to see what is happening there, do we not?” Umbaroth replied. “Now is the only chance we will get to do so.”
Luxon gasped at the dragon. “Now isn’t really the time for reconnaissance, Umbaroth. We have to deal with Drakis and the other dragons Danon has under his thrall!”
They flew on, taking evasive action when necessary, but Umbaroth was set on reaching Bison. Luxon was in awe of the beast. Even when his own kind was battling for supremacy, he still saw the bigger picture. Umbaroth shouted a warning and pointed.
The city of Bison towered above the plains. Even from their height, they could see that it was burning. On the ground, a mass of black shapes swarmed towards the city’s walls. Catapults and trebuchets were raining death upon the defenders, and magic was being unleashed by the attackers. The scene looked apocalyptic. The encounter with his future self, and the desolate wasteland in which it had taken place, filled Luxon’s mind.
Quest for the Sundered Crown (The Sundered Crown Saga Book 3) Page 19
