by DM Fike
“I hate to be the bearer of obvious flaws,” Nobody interrupted.
“Actually, you love it,” Avalon muttered. She hoped the conversation would end soon so she could lie down. Despite the added rest, she was still worn out from yesterday.
Nobody winked at her. “Okay, fine. You’re right. I do love it. But you,” he pointed at Bedwyr. “What’s the point of dragging you into all this?”
“Gaea said it would take five Guardians to take on Braellia,” Avalon said.
“Yeah, I know that,” Nobody said, “but what’s Bedwyr supposed to be doing while the rest of us are flinging magic around and generally saving the day?”
“My goal, above all else, is to keep Avalon alive,” Bedwyr said.
“Did you expect her to get tossed about or something?” Nobody asked.
“We are at war,” Bedwyr observed. “It is a distinct possibility.”
This caused Kay to straighten on the couch.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Avalon said, mostly to calm Kay. “And we’re all better off with a healer with us. Gaea meant for him to be there.”
“Just like Gaea led us all here in the first place,” Nobody grumbled.
They next got involved in a heated discussion on who should hold the statue during the final confrontation. Kay and Desert Rose both volunteered based on their combat training, while Nobody argued it would be better if he had it since he would not be concentrating on creating eternal flame. No one mentioned Bedwyr for obvious reasons. Only Isolde wanted nothing to do with it, which is exactly how she ended up being voted to carry it. She did not appear pleased as she accepted the gold-stringed pouch.
Avalon could no longer feign interest as even her light magic could not ease the pounding in her head. Bedwyr must have noticed because he crossed over to her while the others moved on to the next debate.
Bedwyr casually placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you well?”
Avalon shook her head slightly so as not to rouse Kay next to her.
“May I take a look?”
She nodded.
He slid his hand upward to where her neck met her head, his aching light merging with hers to form a sensation like a hot compress. It felt wonderful at first, easing the pressure off her skull.
Then his magic ignited something deep in her brain, and Avalon’s vision flickered abruptly between the lavish guest quarters and an outside space full of grass and leafless trees. It vacillated between the two before it landed squarely at the base of Mt. Hornley. There, a hooded figure sharply turned toward her, green eyes bright with anger.
“L-Ladybug?” Avalon asked.
“Don’t use your light magic to shut me out!” Ladybug yelled. “I’ve been trying to warn you!”
“Warn me?” Avalon asked.
Ladybug pointed up at the mountain, where a strange, swarming cloud had formed at the summit. The cloud was compromised of tiny little dots, most of them arching their way over the mountain.
“They’re coming!” Ladybug cried.
Then Avalon flashed back into the front room, where she found Kay shoving Bedwyr away from her. He had his sword pointed at the dryad before Avalon could get her bearings.
“What were you doing to Avalon?” the knight yelled.
Bedwyr slowly lifted his hands above his head. “I did nothing. Someone else is inside her head.”
“Someone?” Kay demanded, but he didn’t get an answer because Desert Rose’s communicator crackled with static.
“Lady Desert Rose, they’re here!” a frantic voice yelled. “Dragons!”
Desert Rose pressed the button on the side to reply, already moving. “Group into elemental formation. We’ll assign squads to each dragon as soon as we get a visual.”
“Negative!” the voice replied.
This caused Desert Rose to halt in her tracks. “What do you mean negative? Do you not have visual confirmation of dragons?”
“We do have a visual, Lady Desert Rose. The negative is for squad assignment. We can’t take them on!”
“Why not?” Desert Rose demanded.
“There’s too many of them!”
Desert Rose threw open the door and rushed out onto the landing. She headed upstairs instead of going down, and in confusion, everyone else followed. Avalon trailed at the end, Kay acting as her crutch as the headache subsided only to be replaced with one final warning from Ladybug.
You can’t fight them all!
Avalon thought they might be running to the Earth Tower roof until Desert Rose stepped into the room Kay had blasted apart as a statue. Emerged Falls hadn’t had time to repair the Earth Tower’s topmost floor after the Guardians’ battle with Scawale. The now open space, though, gave everyone a clear view of what awaited them on the horizon.
Not five elemental dragons but dozens. Dozens of colorful dots zig zagging toward them, their very presence bending the forest beneath their powerful wings. Behind the gremlins’ dark magic barrier, their elemental magic clashed in an awful storm. Lighting lit up the sky like a dance floor. Tornados flurried, not only of wind, but of fire. Cold steam rose from shaking ground. And behind the swarm of dragons, the faint emerald green glow of an ethereal giant stalked behind, ready to claim her prize.
Braellia was coming.
CHAPTER 39
THE SIX OF them dashed down the Earth Tower, feet flying on stone in their bid to get to the ground floor. Desert Rose barked out a few terse orders on the communicator to be ready for battle. Avalon’s headache thankfully receded, although it was replaced by an overwhelming dread.
How would they get past so many dragons?
As they hit the ground floor, Desert Rose continued to charge down the large hallway toward the courtyard. Avalon turned to follow, but a movement made her pause. Standing in the doorway to the auditorium space, the Lightning Titan peered at them, clutching a shawl around her shoulders.
Avalon made the split decision to break from the group and race toward her. “Dragons are coming to attack Emerged Falls! Tons of them, like on Kryvalen’s Island!”
“Avalon!” Kay’s sharp rebuke echoed in the hallway. Still, she pushed forward until she stood in front of the elderly Aossi.
“Scawale’s with them,” she gasped between breaths, “possessed by the Child of the Statue.”
The Lightning Titan’s eyes widened, whether in fear or anger it was hard to tell.
“Avalon, come on!”
Avalon grabbed onto the Lightning Titan’s uncertain bony hands, the shawl falling to the floor. “She’s the one who stole Colin’s soul. We might be able to save them!”
Kay suddenly had Avalon by the shoulder, whirling her around. “What are you doing?” he demanded, refusing to look at his grandparent. “We’ve got to go!”
The fairy yanked her forward toward the others, who were already spilling out into the courtyard. Avalon yelled one last desperate plea over her shoulder. “Help us!”
The Lightning Titan stared after them, unmoving.
Kay scowled as they raced outside. “We don’t need her help.”
Any rebuttal Avalon could have made was lost in the chaos of the courtyard. Covert K knights and guards alike scrambled about, hastily throwing on gear, mounting horses, and zipping into position. Shouts rang out amidst bugle calls, the music of war. Kay decided not to mess around on foot and grabbed Avalon by the armpits, lifting them gracelessly up over the crowd so they could catch up to the others, who had already made it past the first castle wall toward the second, where the gremlins held their dark magic barrier.
They all met up where Mutt held the second towered gates. At this vantage point, far down the hill from the castle, they could barely discern the swarm of dragons coming at them. More visible was the magical destruction they brought with them, accentuated by the eerie green glow of their leader stalking behind them. It was a testament to the totality of the gremlins’ barrier that they could only see and not feel that much raw power. Only the barrier itself hummed an ominou
s low note like a horror movie soundtrack.
Avalon huddled near the gates next to Isolde, Bedwyr, and Nobody as Desert Rose and Kay called military groups into formation. They garnered cries from the guards and knights as they split, each with their own assignment. The shouts became more uniform, from individual bursts into cohesive units: a fairy group bobbing on the air, stomping elves shaking the ground beneath their boots, dwarves with fires shooting from metal gloves, merfolk with spears laced with razor sharp ice, robed Aossi with shadowy staves, and a final hodgepodge group with humans and Aossi alike, all raising weapons to the sky.
Avalon latched onto Isolde. “Are they sending them out to fight all those dragons?”
Isolde seemed as dazed as she felt.
“This was the intended strategy,” Bedwyr answered for her.
Avalon whipped her head between the incoming horde of dragons and their armed forces. Although Emerged Falls had a decent number of people ready to fight, they barely outnumbered the dragons two-to-one, not great odds. “They’ll be slaughtered!”
“Out there, glad I’m not,” Mutt agreed, his back to them.
Bedwyr folded his hands coolly in front of him. “We do not have much choice. We need some sort of a distraction to get us through to Scawale, else we are all doomed.”
A deafening crack of lightning struck not far from Avalon’s feet, encasing the scene in a brilliant, unviewable light. Avalon fell backwards into Nobody, who caught her and teleported her away from the strike. In the ringing aftermath, Avalon thought a lightning dragon had pierced through the dark magic barrier somehow. She raised her hand toward it to absorb its lightning.
Kay had the same idea because he ended up just inches away from the scorched earth where the lightning had struck, sword drawn. But instead of a dragon, he held his weapon to the throat of the Lightning Titan. Kay’s chest heaved as he stared at his proud grandmother, her head held high.
An ice dagger whipped toward the Lightning Titan, which Desert Rose managed to knock back with one of her own. “Stand down!” she yelled at the masses behind her. They murmured, weapons drawn, but kept their distance.
Avalon ran up to the Lightning Titan, getting as close as she dared with Kay still under full adrenaline. “You too, Kay,” she whispered. “Stand back.”
Kay hesitated for only a second before making a leap backward. He kept his sword at ready and close to Avalon though.
Avalon took hold of the Lightning Titan’s gaze. “You’re here to help, aren’t you?”
The Lightning Titan gave a curt nod.
Avalon pointed out toward the encroaching line of dragons, not far from Emerged Falls edge. “Distract those dragons, as many as you can. The six of us”—she gestured toward her Guardians—“will face the Child of the Statue alone.”
A fierce scowl formed on the Lightning Titan’s face, and she pointed widely toward the ethereal giant coming toward her. She then beat her chest and pointed with desperation at Kay. The fairy stiffened, not knowing how to respond.
But Avalon understood. “You want your son back. I get it. But that’s not something you can do. That’s something I have to do.”
The Lightning Titan slapped her hands on both of Avalon’s shoulders and squeezed. Her brilliant eyes shot sparks as tears formed there, a clear plea. It was a mother’s plea, the act of someone who will do anything for their offspring. Avalon recognized it from her own mother’s final days as she lay dying from Miasmis.
“I’ll do everything I can to get him back,” Avalon promised.
This seemed to please the Lightning Titan. She stepped backwards and as she did, years melted away from her elderly body. Wrinkles flattened, her white hair grew fuller and darkened to a golden hue. Her limbs lost their varicose veins, replaced with the muscle of a young athlete. She raised her hands to the dark magic barrier as everyone held their breath.
“Mutt!” Avalon shouted. “Let her through!”
Mutt skipped to the side, a small hole forming where his hands had been holding the barrier. A bolt of lightning snapped through it, and in its wake, the Lightning Titan disappeared.
As Mutt rushed to reseal the barrier, Kay flew up to the top of the second gated tower to pursue the lightning. Desert Rose ran to the tower’s base as he shouted his observations.
“The Lightning Titan’s at the southern boundary!”
Desert Rose cupped her hands over her mouth. “Is she engaging them?”
Kay waited a few beats before shouting. “I don’t see—”
A vast spiderweb of lightning boomed across the sky, blanketing everything in hot blue light. The buildings outside of the barrier swayed underneath the shock that followed. Even Mutt took a step backward, gritting his teeth as the dark magic barrier flickered in and out of existence before he could get it under control.
“Holy chip!” Nobody squeaked.
“Oh yeah,” Vimp whimpered in his arms.
Kay kept his attention on the horizon. “It worked! Most of the dragons are splitting off to focus on her!”
“How many left are coming this way?” Desert Rose called.
“Around ten!”
Desert Rose addressed the Emerged Falls crowd. “This is it!” she cried, pointing her sword toward the empty streets below. “FOR EMERGED FALLS!”
“EMERGED FALLS!” the knights and guards echoed back.
Mutt and another gremlin creating the barrier several yards away released their hold, exposing the entire front gate. Desert Rose directed the masses of knights and soldiers forward, charging to meet the dragons who had just flown over the city’s edge, barreling toward them.
Avalon meant to run with everyone else, but Kay held her back. “We let them go first!”
“What about Desert Rose?” Isolde wrung her hands.
“She’ll catch up to us.” He turned to Mutt. “Think you could spare a few gremlins to teleport us to Scawale?”
Before Mutt could reply, Nobody jumped in between them. “I’m sure he could. The question is, should he?”
Kay looked ready to murder him. “You want to waltz through the dragons to get there?” He gestured toward the screaming knights and guards weaving through the streets in their squads.
“Of course not!” Nobody shivered. “But that’s not the point. The gremlins are risking everything for Emerged Falls. Can’t you see the irony here? They’re defending a place that doesn’t even officially recognize them.”
A vein popped in Kay’s forehead. “What’s your point?”
“My point is that they should be compensated.” He threw his arm over Mutt’s weary shoulders. “Emerged Falls should recognize the Gadabout Gremlins at the next Gathering.”
Mutt grew alert at that.
Kay balked. “We don’t have the authority to do that. The Gathering is primarily an Aossi affair.”
Nobody wagged a finger. “But you hosted last year.”
“On request from the Titans themselves.”
“You’ll be there next year, I’m sure. Emerged Falls could call a motion to allow the Gadabout Gremlins a seat at the table. You have the authority to do that, don’t you?”
“We do but not to vote on it,” Kay said. “It’ll be wholly rejected by the Titans.”
“And that’s fine. I’m not asking you to give them a seat at the Gathering, merely recognize us.”
“Why does any of this matter, right now?” Kay crouched forward as if to strike.
Nobody also lost some of his composure as he bared his teeth. “Because my tribe has been trying for years to be considered ‘legit’ Aossi. And here we are, fighting for you. And for what? Food and water?” Nobody gave a mirthless laugh. “We could run off and hide in the woods and let you deal with dragons. See how long you last.”
Bedwyr surprised them by saying, “He has a point.”
Everyone turned to him. The dryad continued. “The non-elemental tribes are considered inferior to those with elemental magic. Even the humans have picked up on it. It is so ingra
ined in our culture, when the dryads disappeared, not a single Aossi tribe came to our aid.”
Kay paused at that, the sounds of battle cries and crumbling buildings beginning to filter to them. He looked at a heaving Nobody. “Is that all you ask in exchange for holding the dark magic barrier? A mention at the next Gathering?”
Nobody nodded.
“Fine,” Kay said. “I’ll do it.”
Nobody eyed him warily. “Can you guarantee that?”
“I will likely have a seat at some of the lesser hearings, as I had this year. And even if I don’t, I will convince one of the Guardians to do it. My parents if I have to. It’s the right thing to do.” Kay extended his hand forward.
Nobody slowly softened, a genuine smile spreading over his face. He poked Mutt in the ribs. “Well go on,” he prodded. “Shake the man’s hands.”
Mutt leaned forward and grabbed Kay by the wrist. “What this means to us, you have no idea,” he said, then using his free hand, he snapped his fingers.
Three more gremlins popped out of nowhere, two of them grabbing a startled Isolde and a stoic Bedwyr by the shoulders. “To Desert Rose, teleport her!” Mutt ordered the final free gremlin before popping out of sight with a bewildered Kay still attached to his hand.
CHAPTER 40
“HERE WE GO!” Nobody yelled.
The gremlin executed a rapid succession of teleportation, similar to how Mutt had moved Avalon across the base of Mt. Hornley before. She caught bits of the Emerged Falls and dragon clash—fairies keeping an earth dragon in check with tornadoes, a fire dragon roaring through a scattering group of merfolk—before the calmer forest took over. Fortunately, this trip was much shorter in distance than her previous one. Nobody stopped after only a dozen or so blips, well before she became nauseated.
She could not say the same for Kay, whom Mutt dumped unceremoniously on the forest floor next to her a few seconds later.
