by James Riley
The dragon nodded, his face now downcast. But instead of waiting, he grabbed Fort around the waist and dove into the portal, spreading his wings at the last possible moment before they hit the Dracsi cavern floor.
As soon as Fort could breathe again, he looked around in the dimly lit room, expecting to see, well, something. Not Dracsi, not anymore. But the elf should have been here, at least.
The cavern was completely empty, though. “Where are they all?” Fort asked the dragon as the Old One set him down on the ground.
The creature hissed as it landed, and Fort backed away nervously, his hands in the air again. “THEY HAVE ARRIVED,” he said, sending a cold chill down Fort’s back.
“The Old Ones? They’re here now?”
“THOSE STILL ALIVE,” the dragon said. “KETAS, MY BROTHER IN MIND; Q’BAOS, MY SISTER IN SPIRIT; AND D’VALE, MY SISTER IN THE ELEMENTS.”
So the Old Ones of Mind, Spirit, and Elemental magic, which was Destruction, if Fort remembered right. That only left Time and whatever the seventh form of magic was. That at least was fortunate: The last thing they needed was an Old One who could see the future.
Still, the three here could read and take over your mind, take over your spirit and force you into servitude, or… Destruction. So, blow everything up. That wasn’t much better.
But where had his friends gone? Had the Old Ones attacked the portal and taken them prisoner? If they had, why hadn’t they just passed through it? That was their goal all along, and without Gabriel and Rachel guarding it, the portal had been standing open for however long Fort had been gone.
No, if they’d known about it, they’d be on Earth now, and the dragon seemed convinced they were still in the Dracsi dimension. So what had happened to Gabriel and Rachel?
“THEY WILL SENSE MY PRESENCE,” the Old One hissed. “WE DO NOT HAVE MUCH TIME!”
“Do you sense any humans now?”
The dragon slowly nodded. “Two. They are with my brethren.”
And there it was. However it had happened, the Old Ones had his friends. And all because of him. Somehow, Cyrus had been wrong: In trying to save his father, he’d lost two friends, not just one.
“Then there’s nothing for it,” Fort said, feeling numb inside. “We have to face your family. We need to get them back.”
“THERE IS NO FACING THEM,” the Old One said, sneering at Fort. “PERHAPS ONE, MAYBE TWO OF THEM, BUT NOT THE THREE. THEY WILL DESTROY ME AND TAKE YOUR SPIRIT. YOU WILL BE THEIRS, BODY AND SOUL. WE HAVE NO HOPE AGAINST THEM ALL AT ONCE.”
“Can’t you paralyze them before they cast any magic?” Fort asked. “That’s your whole thing, you control bodies! You should be able to stop them before they’re even able to move!”
“THEY WILL TURN MY MIND OR SPIRIT AS SOON AS I APPEAR, AND I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO OBEY THEM,” the Old One said. “THEN YOU WOULD FACE FOUR, NOT THREE.” He lifted a claw, and Fort felt the dragon’s invisible magic squeeze all around him. “AND YOU ARE NOT A MATCH FOR EVEN ME. THERE IS NO HOPE, HUMAN. YOUR FRIENDS ARE LOST.”
No! It couldn’t end like this, not with him losing both Rachel and Gabriel! Cyrus had said he’d only lose one friend, and even that was too many. “There’s got to be a way!” he shouted. “If we can’t outmagic them, then we’ll have to out-think them. If they’re going to attack you first, since you’re the greatest threat… maybe we can use that?”
The dragon snorted. “HOW, BY HAVING YOU ATTACK THEM?”
Fort’s eyes widened. “No. By having me be a distraction.”
- FORTY -
DWARVES FILLED THE CITY OF Dra, lining the edges of the cavern on every level, from the very top to as far down as the eye could see. The huge roaring cheers were so loud that they were almost painful, and powerful enough to send tremors through the rock.
The dragon floated down slowly and carefully in circles around the enormous statue of the Spirit Old One that rose from the center of the city. On his back, a human boy wearing a silver amulet around his neck watched the dragon’s flight carefully, offering suggestions every few seconds that sounded vaguely like orders.
The packed crowds of dwarves weren’t cheering for the dragon or the boy, though. The object of their worship instead lay at the very bottom of the city, where three Old Ones posed regally in diamond chairs, sculpted individually to fit their forms. Before the Old Ones, lines of younger dwarves stood in silence, having yet to go through the Ritual that would take their spirits and replace them with absolute loyalty to Q’baos.
That would change in a matter of minutes.
As the dragon neared the ground, the dwarves’ cheers cut off at once, like someone had abruptly muted them all. The three Old Ones all rose from their thrones and turned to face the descending dragon.
A purple light glowed from the hands of Q’baos, the Old One immortalized in the statue that the dragon was currently circling. A matching glow appeared around the dragon’s head, and the dwarves began to cheer once more. The dragon’s heart now belonged to the Old Ones, they knew, and that alone was reason to celebrate, even if they hadn’t been controlled by Ketas, the Old One of Mind magic.
The dragon’s speed increased since it no longer felt apprehension about the Old Ones below, and the boy on his back was forced to hold on tightly to avoid falling off.
As they neared, dozens of elder dwarves cleared a path between the assembled younger ones, opening a place for the dragon to land. He did, though it was a bit of a rough landing, almost knocking the boy off of his back.
After landing, the dragon immediately bowed to the three Old Ones, who sat back down on their thrones.
To the side of the three thrones, two humans stood, one a girl, the other a large boy. Both stepped forward. The girl’s eyes were filled with hatred, controlled as she was by Ketas.
The boy, however, just looked worried when he caught the eye of the boy on the dragon.
“WE WELCOME OUR FORMERLY IMPRISONED BROTHER,” said D’vale, the Old One made entirely out of flames. “WE REGRET THAT HIS DISLOYATY NECESSITATES THE USE OF OUR SISTER’S POWER”—she nodded at Q’baos, the Old One of Spirit magic—“BUT WE WILL DO AS WE MUST, AS WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE.”
IT SEEMS THAT HE HAS BROUGHT US A GIFT, the master of Mind magic said, his words beating inside the skulls of everyone present. ONE THAT BELIEVES A TRINKET AROUND HIS NECK MIGHT PROTECT HIM. BROTHER, PRESENT THIS HUMAN TO US TO PROVE YOUR DEVOTION. IT IS THE YOUNG ONE WHO HURT US, WHEN WE LAST ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO OUR HOME.
The dragon nodded and lay down to let the boy climb off of his back, which he did. The boy then moved slowly toward the three thrones, his eyes on the Old Ones.
The young dwarves behind the boy began to shout in protest, but the Old One of Mind magic glowed yellow, and they all fell silent, still rebellious, but now unable to speak.
“You wished to find the last dragon?” the boy said as he stopped within a few feet of the thrones. “I regret to inform you that there are no more. The one you see before you is the last of his kind.”
The three Old Ones looked past him to the dragon. “THAT IS NOT THE LAST,” Q’baos said. “THERE IS ANOTHER.”
Ketas gestured at Gabriel, who stared at the boy sadly. THIS ONE HAS GIVEN US THE LOCATION OF THE LAST DRAGON IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS KIN. NOW WE WILL RETURN TO EARTH AND RETRIEVE THE DRAGON.
Gabriel stepped forward. “I told them where it is, Fort, in exchange for them returning my brother to me.”
The boy standing before the Old Ones raised an eyebrow at this, then shook his head. “I am afraid I cannot let that happen.”
“YOU?” Q’baos said. “YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE THE POWER TO STOP US?”
The boy nodded, and the Old Ones began to laugh.
“OUR BROTHER,” Q’baos continued, gesturing toward the dragon. “SHOW ME YOUR DEVOTION. USE YOUR MAGIC TO TURN THIS ONE’S BODY INSIDE OUT. BUT KEEP THE HUMAN ALIVE. WE WANT TO SHOW THE YOUNG DWARVES THE PRICE OF DEFYING US.”
The dragon nodded and scrunched u
p his face, like he was trying hard to do as ordered. A minute passed, then another, until finally, he let out a deep sigh, shaking his head. “I WANT TO DO AS YOU SAY, WITH ALL OF MY SOUL, BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW. I DON’T KNOW THAT KIND OF MAGIC.”
WHAT? Ketas leaped up from his seat, followed immediately by the others. He leaned in to the boy, to get a closer look, only for his tentacles to flail about as he hissed, retreating quickly. NO! he shouted. WE HAVE BEEN DECEIVED—
His words cut off as blue light surrounded the three Old Ones, freezing them all instantly.
“Unfortunately, all he knows is a bit of space magic,” the boy said, nodding at the dragon. “Perhaps if you had not been so arrogant, you would have checked his mind before stealing his spirit?”
The boy reached out his still-glowing hand, and blue light now flooded over the dragon. The creature’s wings shrank into his back, and his front legs pulled up, shortening into arms as his tail disappeared into his back.
As the dragon morphed into a human, the opposite happened to the boy, his body enlarging as it grew wings and a tail. A moment later, the Old One had resumed his dragon shape, while Fort stood behind him, staring down at his now-human hands in wonder.
“ONE MORE THING,” the dragon said, and Fort’s whole body began to glow blue, as did those of every dwarf assembled except for the young ones, and Rachel, too. A moment later, and all traces of Q’baos’s Spirit magic had been expunged from the assembled crowds. The effort seemed to have exhausted the dragon, but he still looked up at the Old Ones in triumph. “NOW, MY BRETHREN, WE SHALL SEE WHO IS PUNISHED FOR THEIR CRIMES.”
- FORTY-ONE -
THE ASSEMBLED DWARVES ROARED IN anger and began to rush the thrones, but the dragon snarled, stopping them all in their tracks. “THEY ARE MINE TO JUDGE,” the Old One told them.
“They’ve held us under their spell for generations!” one of the dwarves yelled.
“We’re owed justice!” shouted another.
“I CARE NOT,” the Old One said. “COME ANY CLOSER, AND I WILL DEAL WITH YOU AS HARSHLY AS I DO THEM.”
That did the trick, and the dwarves quickly backed off, only to turn their attention to the massive diamond statue in the middle of their city. “Tear it down!” one shouted, setting off a huge swell of shouts as they all ran for the base of the statue.
Up and down the city of Dra, Fort could hear the dwarves shouting and stamping their feet, sending massive quakes through the entire cavern, just as they had when cheering for the Old Ones. Yet this time their shouts were full of righteous anger, and their stamping threatened to knock down the whole city, not just the statue.
“YOU DESTROYED MY CHILDREN,” the Old One said, turning back to his brethren. “YOU IMPRISONED ME FOR MILLENNIA. YOU HAVE GIVEN ME NO CHOICE BUT TO—”
“WE NEVER HARMED YOUR DRAGONS,” D’vale, Old One of Elemental magic said, sounding almost amused. “YOU DID THAT. AND THERE IS STILL ONE DRAGON LEFT ON EARTH. KETAS HAS SEEN IT FOR HIMSELF, HAS BEEN IN THE DRAGON’S MIND.”
“LIES!” the dragon snarled. “I SAW THE EGG FOR MYSELF, THE ONE THAT MY ALLY TOOK AND HID. THE DRAGON WAS GONE!”
Ketas had been in the mind of the last dragon? Wait, but that meant—
“BELIEVE AS YOU WILL,” D’vale said. “BUT BLAME US NOT FOR YOUR OWN CRIMES.”
“Give me back my brother!” Gabriel shouted at the three. “You promised you’d return him if I gave you the location of the last dragon, and I did!”
Now that Fort wasn’t under the control of Q’baos, the extent of Gabriel’s betrayal hit him hard. Part of him couldn’t believe what Gabriel had done, but a smaller, darker part of Fort wondered if he himself would have done the same, if it had been the only way to get his father back. Would he have betrayed the entire world too? He couldn’t imagine it, but the idea of leaving his father behind absolutely ripped him apart inside.
But that was a question for another time. For now, he moved toward Gabriel, hoping to get some answers. But a fireball beat him there, flying straight at his roommate before Fort could move to stop it.
Gabriel saw it coming, though, and his hands glowed green as he opened a teleportation circle in front of himself, sending the fireball somewhere unknown.
Gabriel could cast Teleport? Since when?
“Traitor!” Rachel shouted, another fireball already on its way toward Fort’s roommate. As he dodged, she lowered her hands to the ground, and the earth beneath his feet jumped, sending Gabriel flying. He opened another circle in midair and emerged right behind Rachel, moving to bash her with his shield, only for Fort to teleport him away before his blow could land.
“What did you do, Gabriel?” he shouted, moving between the two.
“He tried to knock me out and go looking for the Old Ones!” Rachel shouted, lightning playing between her hands. “I got here after he told them where the last dragon was, but that one took over my mind before I could stop him.” She pointed at Ketas, the Old One with tentacles coming out of his skull helmet.
Fort turned to Gabriel, his mouth hanging open, but his old roommate just stared at Fort sadly. “It’s like I said, kid. You do whatever you have to do to save the ones you love. They have my brother. I hate them with every inch of my body, but I can’t beat them. So this was my only option.”
D’vale began to laugh again. “WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT HAS BECOME OF YOUR KIN. THE TWO HUMANS WE TOOK WERE MEANT TO TEACH US WHAT YOUR KIND HAD BECOME WHILE WE WERE EXILED. WHAT WE DISCOVERED, HOWEVER, IS THAT THE OLDER HUMAN NO LONGER HAD THE ABILITY TO CREATE MAGIC. BUT THE YOUNGER ONE WAS FULL OF POWER. AND WE UNLOCKED IT.”
Gabriel clenched his fists as he stared at the creature, then turned to the dragon. “You’re in control of them, right? Make them give me back my brother!”
“I CANNOT CONTROL THEIR ACTIONS,” the dragon rumbled. “AND I CARE NOT FOR YOUR KIN. I TIRE OF THIS, AND WILL HAVE MY VENGEANCE NOW!”
“Me too,” Rachel shouted, and sent lightning sizzling toward Gabriel. He dropped to the ground, then threw his shield right at her, but she slammed it with rock from the ground, sending it flying.
With Rachel distracted, Gabriel ran for the three Old Ones. Fort ran after him, not sure what the other boy intended, but it couldn’t be anything good. “Gabriel, what are you doing?” he shouted, but his roommate didn’t turn around.
“Stop him!” Rachel shouted. “Fort, he’s going to—”
Before she could finish, the dragon landed on the ground between Gabriel and the other Old Ones, roaring fire at the boy. Gabriel threw up a teleportation circle, but instead of using it to block the magic, he instead leaped through, emerging just past the dragon.
And that’s when Fort understood what Rachel had been warning him about.
“Gabriel, NO!” Fort shouted, and opened his own circle. He leaped through it to emerge at Gabriel’s side just as Gabriel opened another teleportation circle right below the three Old Ones, dropping them, himself, and Fort all through it.
They emerged in the now-empty cavern of the Dracsi, Fort’s momentum sending him crashing to the ground. He landed hard on his shoulder but quickly scrambled to his feet, a growing horror filling him as he turned toward the Old Ones.
All three were now moving, free from the dragon’s spell, thanks to Gabriel.
“There, you’re not paralyzed anymore!” Gabriel shouted at them. “Now return my brother. We had a deal!”
The Old Ones looked at him and laughed, the sound still so horrifying that Fort could barely comprehend it. “WE DID INDEED HAVE A BARGAIN,” D’vale said.
“WE WILL SHOW YOU WHERE YOUR BROTHER IS, AND ALLOW YOU TO USE YOUR SPACE MAGIC TO BRING HIM HERE,” said Q’baos.
Ketas raised his tentacles, and Gabriel shouted in pain as yellow light glowed around his head.
I HAVE GIVEN YOU AN IMAGE OF WHERE YOUR KIN IS, Ketas said in both their minds. BRING HIM HERE, AND LET HIM DECIDE WHAT HIS FUTURE SHALL BE. IF HE CHOOSES TO RETURN HOME WITH YOU, THEN HE SHALL. IF NOT, WE WILL DESTROY YOU
AND THIS ONE. He pointed his tentacles at Fort.
“Deal,” Gabriel said, and opened a teleportation circle.
- FORTY-TWO -
FORT WATCHED HELPLESSLY, KNOWING he couldn’t attack the Old Ones, as they could take over his mind, steal his spirit, or even destroy him. And he couldn’t just pull Gabriel away, not when Gabriel was so close to getting his brother back.
But the other boy had betrayed them all and freed the Old Ones, not to mention revealing to them wherever the last dragon was. And if dragons really did come from magic, then the whole world truly could be doomed.
But why did the Old Ones seem so confident that Gabriel’s brother, Michael, wouldn’t choose to return home? All Fort knew about Michael was what he’d seen in Sierra’s memories, back when she and Damian were still asleep beneath the Oppenheimer School. He’d seemed like a goofy kid, and Sierra had liked him. Michael had studied Destruction magic, and if Fort remembered right, had set his room on fire.
So, pretty normal all around. But then why would they take the chance? Had they used Spirit magic on him? That seemed pretty likely, but didn’t really fit with giving him the option to make a choice.
Maybe whatever had happened to Michael had been done to Fort’s father, too, and that explained why his dad hadn’t woken up? But Michael hadn’t been turned into a Dracsi, so that didn’t seem too probable.
Either way, they’d have to be ready to run at a moment’s notice, so Fort inched closer to Gabriel. From this distance he could see into the circle, but whatever lay beyond—Fort assumed it was the home of the Old Ones—was almost incomprehensible to his mind.
There was nothing solid there, just… madness. Shapes dissolved into sounds, and colors became ideas. Everything felt… sharp, like it could cut your mind the way a fever dream feels. Fort took a step toward the circle, drawn either by some sort of insane gravity, or through the horrible appeal of madness. He forced himself to look away.
