by Mike Shelton
Kanzar stepped back, off of Onius’s crushed body, and Mericus let his hands fall to his sides, but Daymian’s sword continued to move. Without the ability or time to block it, Kanzar opened his eyes wider as Daymian plunged the sharp end of the sword deep into the former High Wizard’s chest, driving its tip through his chest and out of the back side. Kanzar wobbled for an instant. Then his eyes froze and his body fell backward to the ground, dead.
Onius tried to get up on his knees, but he fell back down again. Bakari’s young friend Kharlia ran to his side, trying to offer help. Silence filled the air, and the two of them looked up into the sky.
Bakari had jumped off of Abylar while the dragon was still in the air and, with the power he held, pulled the discs back to himself and continued to float toward the ground, landing next to Roland.
“Talk about dramatic,” Roland mumbled next to Bakari, having stayed out of most of the fight himself. “How did you do that?”
Onius tried desperately to push the blackness from overcoming his mind. He, too, was interested in the answer that Roland sought.
Bakari’s cheeks reddened. “The power of the spirit, Roland, the fourth power, the power to bind all other powers. It is the power the dragons hold. With it, I blocked all the wizards from using their powers.”
The power of the spirit! Onius had never imagined such power. He closed his eyes and let Kharlia try to tend his wounds. Her touch was gentle and her heart was good, but Onius feared he would not live out the day—let alone the next hour.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Roland stood next to Alli and, with affection, looked down at Onius. The old counselor’s breathing was labored, and blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. Kharlia had bandaged him up and given him some sedative to dull the pain. Onius reached up one bony arm toward Roland.
“You were a good apprentice,” Onius whispered. “Be a good wizard and High Wizard also.”
Roland knelt down next to him. “I can heal you, Onius.”
Onius shook his head. “It’s my time. This is an era of change. My season of influence is over.” His sentences were short, his breathing growing shallower with each breath.
Roland turned his head to watch Daymian limp up next to them, blood and dirt covering his armor. “Counselor,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, “thank you for all you have done.”
“I wish I could’ve done more,” Onius said. “I wish Kanzar wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
“So do we all, old friend.” Daymian knelt down and grasped his old counselor’s hand.
Onius took a breath, smiled briefly, and then closed his eyes. One last breath followed, and then Onius Neeland, mighty counselor wizard to three chief judges, passed on.
Roland closed his eyes for a moment. He felt more fondness for his old master than he had shown. The wisdom of Onius would be missed. As Roland stood back up, he reached over and helped the Chief Judge to his feet.
The group stood silent for a moment, each seeming to give personal thought to the impact that the famous wizard had had on their lives.
Alli, watching from a few feet away, caught Roland’s eye and moved closer. He put his arm around her and drew her in nearer to himself. Her small body molded into his.
Daymian took a step back, toward Mericus who had also been watching the exchange, and Roland leaned closer to listen.
“Thank you for saving my life.” Daymian’s eyes still glistened from losing his old friend and counselor. “I may have misjudged you.”
“I have done things I am not proud of, Daymian,” Mericus admitted, wiping at some blood on his outer armor. “And I admit that I may have received my judgeship from Kanzar stretching the law.”
“And you took advantage of the situation,” Daymian added, his face grim.
Mericus nodded. “But,” he added, putting his finger up in the air, “Kanzar pushed me too far, and I changed sides.”
“Have you?” Daymian said, and Roland saw anger flash across Daymian’s face.
“What are you implying?” Mericus stood dressed in black, his face a mask of emotions. “I have been doing all I can for Alaris since the time I made my decision to leave Kanzar’s employ. Don’t you believe in redemption, Chief Judge? Don’t you believe a man can change?”
Without replying to these questions, Daymian asked one of his own. “Mericus, you just referred to me as Chief Judge. Does that mean you still recognize my leadership?”
Mericus thought for a moment.
Then, with a swipe of his arm toward Roland, Mericus answered, “Our friend Roland, here, just pledged himself and all of the wizards to the Dragon King. But, as a judge, my accounting should be to you. That puts me in a very difficult situation. I do indeed proclaim my allegiance to Bakari as High King through Roland, but Alaris needs a king, too, sir. No disrespect to your leadership, but, as Onius said with his last breaths, this is a time of change.”
“And you would be that king?” Daymian let out a long breath.
Mericus only nodded.
Then Roland took a step forward, to put forth a plan. “Sirs, the original agreement was to put the choice to a vote. As High Wizard, I will monitor the voting. With the help of the dragon riders, we can gather each city’s votes in a manner of days and get the answer quickly. The worst thing for Alaris would be to have no leadership.”
Daymian put his hand on Roland’s arm. “The counselor in you still shines through, Roland. Onius did a good job of teaching you. I will honor those terms as I did before.”
“As will I,” Mericus agreed.
Then the Chief Judge, along with the help of Mericus, took charge of gathering the troops back into Cassian, sorting through who would be let go and who needed to be held and tried in court for crimes. Whether a king or chief judge prevailed in Alaris, Roland knew that it would still take some time for events to be settled.
* * *
Bakari knew that soon the riders would begin to disperse across the country, to gather the vote and learn the will of the people for the future of Alaris. So Kharlia had decided to stay in Cassian and help tend the injuries from the battle. He was moved once again by her compassion and desire to help others.
Bakari saw Roland walking over to him and the dragon riders with Alli next to him. So Bakari pulled Roland and Alli aside.
“I have a small gift for you, Roland,” Bakari said. Roland raised his brows but said nothing.
“How would you like to ride on a dragon?” Bakari motioned toward Abylar.
Roland opened his mouth but didn’t seem to know what to say.
“As a friend and High Wizard,” Bakari clarified. “Not as a dragon rider.”
“I guess I can’t have everything, huh?” Roland winked at Bakari.
“No, but close,” Bakari said. “How about I take you and Alli up on Abylar and back to the Citadel? Roland, you need to form a new Council.”
“And I do need a battle wizard to teach the apprentices.” Roland winked at Alli.
Bakari noticed Alli look over at Mericus briefly; Roland followed her gaze also, and his lips tightened. Alli seemed to come to a quick decision and turned back to Bakari and Roland.
“I…I guess I could manage being around you for a while,” Alli said to Roland. Then her pouting lips turned up into a full grin. “But only if I am made Battlemaster.”
“Done.” Roland laughed and took a deep breath. “This is going to be fun!”
All three laughed as they walked back over to Abylar. Bakari excused himself for a moment and moved toward Kharlia.
Kharlia reached out and held Bakari’s hand. “I’m so proud of you, Bak.”
Bakari looked down in embarrassment. Kharlia reached over, and putting a finger under his chin, raised it back up. She leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the lips.
Bakari’s stomach fluttered and his heart raced. “Will you be all right here, Kharlia?”
Kharlia’s eyes flashed. “I can survive without you, Bak.” Then she softened her
tone. “But not for long. Hurry back, please.”
Bakari gave her a hug and turned to walk back to Abylar. After a few steps, he turned around halfway. “You really are amazing, Kharlia.”
Her grin stretched wide, and she wiped a tear from her eye and waved for him to get going.
Reaching Abylar, Bakari seated himself first. Then Alli and Roland climbed up behind him.
“Hold on tight!” Bakari yelled over his shoulder. Then, to Abylar, he instructed, Have as much fun as you want, my friend.
Soon after taking off, Abylar flew straight up and turned hard, at full speed, until they were facing north. Roland was screaming—at first, with obvious fear, then with apparent delight. Then Bakari heard Roland groaning as if he was feeling sick.
So Bakari asked Abylar to slow down.
“What’s the matter, High Wizard?” Alli purred over her shoulder. “Stomach can’t take the heights?”
Bakari turned in his seat and saw that Roland’s face had turned pale.
“If you want to know,” Roland said, “I didn’t eat much today, and I am hungry. It is so wonderful—seeing Alaris from so high—but now my stomach is roiling with discomfort. It isn’t fair, Bakari. I don’t see you getting sick.”
Bakari just laughed and enjoyed the freedom of flying over the land on his dragon.
Soon the Citadel became visible as a small speck in the distance.
Alli pointed at something above the Citadel. “Bakari, what is that?”
Bakari peered closer, pulled on the dragon’s powers, and then groaned.
“It’s Kolo and his abomination.” His words turned hard.
As they came closer, Bakari saw that Kolo and his dragon were flying around the top of the Citadel. Then Sephtis Kerboros breathed out flames of black fire down on the Citadel, bursting through its roof and burning many of the top floors.
Abylar! Fly faster, Bakari directed the dragon.
Coming up to Kolo and his dragon, Abylar reached his claws out toward the other dragon, which was now almost all black.
Sephtis screamed, and Kolo turned to Bakari and said, “I am freeing him.”
“Who?” Bakari asked. “Who are you freeing, Kolo?”
“The man that gave me this dragon,” he said. “The most powerful man alive.”
Sephtis blew out more flames of black fire, and the men and women of the Citadel began to scatter out of the building.
Roland groaned, as if his stomach had turned over again. But Bakari guessed that it was not from the flight but from the realization of what was happening.
“The Chameleon,” Roland yelled to Bakari. “He intends to free the Chameleon from the dungeon. I guess we underestimated his power.”
Now it was Bakari’s turn to groan. He had indeed underestimated the man, but he was in such a hurry to find the other dragons and settle the war that he hadn’t thought clearly regarding the dangerous man.
The black flames of Sephtis went deeper, toward the Citadel’s dungeons. Men and women continued to run out of the building and into the practice yards as dark black smoke billowed from the center of the Citadel.
Abylar dove for Sephtis again, knocked him to the side, for Abylar’s strength was twice that of the younger dragon’s.
“Bak, can you reach his mind?” Roland asked.
Bakari closed his eyes, trying for a brief moment. There was an evil barrier blocking the dragon’s mind. He pushed on it further, but the mind of Sephtis made him sick to touch. He shook his head. “There is too much evil there. Kolo controls him with the power of the Chameleon.”
Bakari directed Abylar to the ground, and they landed fast and hard.
“I need you two off.” With this command, Bakari almost threw off Roland and Alli. “I need all my attention on Sephtis.”
The dragon and Bakari rose back up in the air.
Circling the black dragon, Abylar dove in for another attack. At the last minute, Sephtis rolled to the side, Kolo barely staying on. But Abylar’s claws scraped its side. Then Kolo brought his dragon back around and, with surprising agility, came up under Abylar, butting his head into Abylar’s stomach.
The force of this blow caused Bakari to lose his balance, and he began to tip. Throwing up a wall of air, he pushed against it and righted himself once again. Back and forth, the two dragons screeched and roared, with the black one spitting out more black flames down into the center of the Citadel any chance that he got.
* * *
My Citadel! Roland thought, pulling Alli forward with him.
They ran up outside stairs to a balcony portion of the Citadel that was not burning yet. Standing as close as possible to where the dragons were fighting, Roland and Alli brought forth streams of fire, aimed directly at the black dragon’s belly. Roaring, it turned toward them. But, as it did, Abylar reached down from above and dug his claws into Sephtis’s fresh scales. Sephtis wailed and flapped his enormous black wings harder in an attempt to get away from Abylar. Then Sephtis flew straight up in the air, Kolo barely hanging on.
A deep rumble from under the ground made the Citadel’s walls shake. Then they heard a loud shriek emerge from deep inside the underground rooms. Roland wondered what might happen if all the strange magical artifacts got loose. He realized that he might not have to wonder for long.
A white billow of smoke rose from the depths. Then Roland heard voices, externally and internally. Alli covered her ears, shaking her head, and Roland knew full well what those voices could do to a person.
The voices eventually stopped, and Roland grabbed Alli’s hand. “We need to fight together.”
Alli nodded her head. “We are two of the most powerful wizards around; an evil dragon shouldn’t be a problem for us.”
Roland knew she was boasting as a means of coping with the situation, but he also knew that their powers together could indeed rival that of a newly hatched dragon.
Roland and Alli gathered their significant strength and signaled to Bakari that they were ready for one final strike.
Bakari flew down closer to the two, and power crackled in the air around him. Roland saw Bakari’s irises turn blue once again, and then he nodded to Roland. All at once, the three young but now powerful wizards threw their combined force toward the black dragon, hitting him over and over, in the chest, stomach, tail, and face.
Fire, wind, and lightning tore into the evil dragon. Sephtis faltered, trying to flap his wings to stay aloft.
Roland reached deep into the recesses of his own mind, where he wanted to never go again, where only magic existed. This is where he had found his redemption in the dungeon of the citadel. He could feel the artifacts, down under the Citadel, and he felt the Chameleon emerging. Then he sensed Bakari’s mind and even that of his dragon. He could see sparks of light in the darkness of the magic stream. Bright flares that represented Bakari, Alli, and Abylar.
I WILL NOT LOSE THE CITADEL!
Roland grabbed hold once again of the cylinder in his pocket and then let it loose. A dark, black power emerged. Wrestling with this power for a few moments, Roland gained control and then tossed the cylinder high up into the air, trails of black smoke flying toward the black dragon. The cylinder hit the dragon and enveloped him. Sephtis bucked and Kolo went flying through the air, falling hundreds of feet down to his death in the midst of the burning Citadel. The dragon turned to midnight black and then began to break into a million pieces.
Suddenly, Roland felt Alli grab his arm and slap his face.
“Roland. Come back,” she screamed at him.
Roland felt the pull of Alli’s voice and let go of the dark, black power. Looking up into the sky they watched Sephtis continue to explode. Roland sank to his knees. As he did so, he heard a loud roar from deep below.
Out of the destruction at the center of the Citadel, from deep down underneath it, an immense black dragon arose, flying straight up into the air. It swooped back down lower and glared at Roland. Then, with a loud roar, it sent fire rushing out of its great m
outh.
Alli hastily threw up a barrier of air that blocked all of the fire and most of the heat. Still, she and Roland turned their faces away, but not before Roland saw the yellow eyes of the evil dragon.
“The Chameleon,” Roland screamed to Bakari.
But Bakari was too far away to hear him.
Roland watched his friend try to race back toward the new black dragon, but Abylar was too tired.
With one final roar, the Chameleon—in the guise of the dragon, turned and flew off east as speedily as he could.
As Abylar landed on a stone patio nearby, it groaned with his weight. Then Bakari came running over to Roland and Alli.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” Bakari asked.
Roland put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath, and nodded his head. “Yes, the Chameleon has now taken the form of the black dragon.”
“He could be very dangerous,” Bakari said.
“We should go after them.” Alli pointed east.
Bakari shook his head and said, “No. We need the other dragon riders with us. First, we need to settle the peace in Alaris; and then, we will take care of the Chameleon.” Turning to Roland, he asked, “What was that power you used to destroy Sephtis? It felt evil.”
“It was evil,” Roland said. “Sometimes you have to fight evil with evil.”
“Just be careful, Roland. Be very careful.” Bakari looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t.
Alli harrumphed. “He doesn’t know how to be careful,” she said, moving up closer to Roland. “But I will stay here and make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble, even though our new High Wizard does seem to have a flair for dramatics.”
“What happened to Kolo, the dragon’s rider?” Bakari asked Roland.
Roland shook his head. “He fell from the sky. I don’t think anyone could have survived that fall.”
“I will need to inform his father.” Bakari said sadly. “Greed killed Kolo, but his father will still grieve for him. Find the body if you can and have it sent to Mahli.”
“Sure.” Roland agreed.
“I will return to the Citadel after the king question is settled,” Bakari said to Roland. “Then we need to discuss the terms of your oath and allegiance to me.”
