Draxxes reached up with one of his claws, snatching the hammer out of the air and taking it in between two massive black nails. Then, with what looked to be minimal effort, he crushed the weapon like a toy, creating a burst of multi-colored light and a shower of sparks. The Tears of Eternity were now free, and they rested in the middle of his clawed hand. He eyed the jewels for a long moment, then snarled and hurled them over the side of the mountain.
I’ll never again be subjected to his accursed yoke!
The Tears vanished from sight, disappearing over the edge of the cliff. Jasper swore and Camdyn cried out, but Razja merely stared in mute horror.
Those are our only hope, she thought, feeling numb. There is no other way.
Without thinking, she ran after the jewels, approaching the edge of the bottomless drop.
“Razja!” Camdyn shouted after her. “What are you doing?”
She ignored him, her mind focused solely on the Tears of Eternity. Gods, grant me strength, she thought, running toward the cliff. Magic, don’t fail me now. She embraced the aether, channeling everything she could through her bracers.
Then, she jumped off of the mountaintop.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The last thing she heard before the roar of the wind filled her ears was Draxxes’ booming laughter.
Razja’s stomach lurched as she plummeted over the edge of the sheer cliff, her robes fluttering wildly and her hair streaming behind her. Below, she could see a jagged ravine winding through the mountain range, a black maw that was slowly growing larger, eager to consume her.
Panic was the first sensation she felt. Her heart thudded painfully within her chest and a scream threatened to escape from her throat.
She forced the fear aside, instead reaching out with her magical awareness and trying to reach the stones. Come on, she thought, pushing her abilities as far as they could go. Come on... where are they?
Somewhere beneath her, Razja could sense something – a faint glimmer of an immensely powerful force. When she reached out and touched it with her awareness, it became amplified, sending waves of heat coursing through her body. It reminded her of the first time she encountered the ruby in the tower of Amun’Dar, only this time it was much more potent. The presence of the other two Tears seemed to augment the mystical energies, and when her own awareness touched them, they seemed to come alive.
Muttering a spell of retrieving, she reached out with her mind and pulled on the aura, willing the stones to come to her.
The ground was coming up fast, racing toward her at an alarming rate. Soon, she would collide with the cruel rocks below and her body would be smashed into a thousand pieces. Razja briefly found herself wondering if she would feel any pain when she died, but she quickly dismissed the thought, focusing all her attention on the Tears.
Soon, the power came to her, connecting with her own magical awareness and magnifying it a hundred-fold. The Tears reversed their descent and rushed into her hands, the ruby, the sapphire, and the emerald glowing fiercely with a bright inner light.
Razja was about to hit the ground when time seemed to stand still, her rapid fall stopping in mid-air. She heard a calm, gentle voice singing in her ears and her spirit leaped within her, strengthened by her connection to the long-departed Aeo. Peace, my child, the voice sang, and be of good comfort. I will not abandon your people to destruction.
LIKE A STORM, RAZJA returned to the top of the mountain, flying on the winds of a power greater than anything she had ever thought possible. The very air warped around her, bending to her will like grass in a tempest, and the elements acknowledged her authority as well. Her skin shone like the sun and she could sense everything around her with perfect clarity, from the tiniest insects in the forests of the Westlands to the foundations of the tallest mountains. So, this is what true power feels like, she thought, her mind calm like the glassy waters of an oasis. This is what it is like to be a god.
Jasper and Camdyn looked up in awe as she rose from the cliff, the Tears of Eternity spinning around her like the moons orbiting Thel’Varden.
Draxxes, who had been about to devour her companions, unfurled his wings and let out a shriek of rage. Stubborn, foolish mortal! he roared, looking up where she floated above him and baring his fangs. You think to challenge me with the magic of the gods?
Razja smiled serenely, her eyes alight like pure starfire. “Your reign of terror is over, Defiant One. No longer will your shadow threaten this world.”
The dragon opened his jaws and let loose a torrent of flame, the dragonfire arcing swiftly through the air toward Razja. Instead of immolating her, however, the fire parted before her magical aura, going to either side of her without inflicting any damage.
Draxxes shrieked again and began flapping his wings, making as if to attack Razja in the air.
She held both hands out in front of her and pushed, her willpower channeling the winds themselves. They smashed into Draxxes with a physical force, knocking him from the sky and pummeling him into the top of the mountain, snapping bones and tearing wings like paper.
She did not stop there.
With a flick of her wrists, boulders tore free from the cliffs and flew through the air, battering the dragon like stones thrown from angelic catapults. Clouds began to gather in the sky, and lightning began raining down upon the broken beast, scoring the ground and eliciting more screams of pain.
The mortal part of Razja’s soul was awed by the display. She felt detached, as if she were watching from somewhere very far away.
Draxxes tried vainly to fight against the assault. He attacked the stones with his claws and belched fire at Razja whenever he got the chance, shouting counter spells and attempting to break apart the clouds. It was not enough. Even the mighty dragon, the scourge of the ancient world, could not stand before the wrath of Aeo.
When the top of the mountain began breaking apart, she relented, releasing her hold of the elements and dispelling the storm.
The dragon snarled and pulled himself from the rubble, several of his limbs dragging uselessly behind him. Still, his eyes flashed dangerously, his toothy mouth a rictus of anger. You think I fear you, human? Do you think a few tricks will be enough to stop me? I am the embodiment of fear!
As if of their own accord, the Tears of Eternity fanned out in the air front of Razja, blazing with varying shades of red, blue, and green. Upon seeing the jewels, Draxxes recoiled in dismay, a low growl escaping his throat. With bright flashes of light, they began shooting beams of raw energy at the dragon, searing his scaly flesh and opening great, smoking wounds in his hide. He writhed in agony and let out a wail so terrible it echoed to the ends of the world.
“Camdyn, Jasper, ready yourselves!” Razja called over the dragon’s cries. “Now is the time to strike! Do not fear the light – Draxxes is the only one it can harm!”
Below, the sellsword and the assassin eyed one another, their trepedation palpable.
“Trust me,” Razja urged, still floating in the air above them. “You must attack – now!”
Shrugging his beefy shoulders, Camdyn led the way, unsheathing his bastard sword and approaching the dragon where he squirmed. Jasper was not far behind, both of his elegant, curved swords out and gleaming in the sunlight.
Using her power over the elements, Razja called upon the winds once more, pushing against Draxxes and suppressing any movement from his claws, mouth, or tail. The Tears continued their colorful assault, scorching his body and sending acrid pillars of smoke into the sky.
The warrior and the assassin climbed onto the dragon’s prone body. True to Razja’s word, the red, blue and green rays did not harm them, nor did they seem to hinder their ability to move. They clambered up onto the beast’s torso, their weapons held in uncertain hands. Then, when Jasper reached the long, serpentine neck, he lashed out with an experimental attack.
His blade cut through the dragonflesh like butter, opening a wide gash that bled dark blood onto the stone ground beneath. Camdyn f
ollowed suit, stabbing with his large sword where he thought the heart might be.
Draxxes shuddered under the attacks, but he did not move. He was completely immobilized by the Tears and Razja’s magic, left open to take the full brunt of their steel. Camdyn and Jasper worked tirelessly, hacking at the dragon’s body until it was flayed open and bleeding from a hundred different wounds.
Finally, Razja held up a hand and recalled her two companions, sensing that Draxxes’ life was hanging by a thread.
The two fled back a safe distance and the Tears halted their attacks as well, their beams winking out as they returned to Razja’s side.
Draxxes sputtered and looked up at her, appearing more pitiful than terrifying. His broken body was charred and bleeding, and his movements were sluggish and weak. His wings had withered to melted stubs and large patches of scales had been completely burned away, revealing pulsing, bloody swathes of exposed muscle. Despite these deformities, the dragon let out a rasping laugh, his white teeth stark against his blackened lips.
Never before... did I think... that a human could reduce me to such a state. Not even my brother... could do this to me.
“This was not my doing,” Razja declared, her voice carrying clearly through the mountain air. “Aeo granted me his powers, but this was ultimately your doing, Draxxes. Your actions brought this fate upon you.”
Bah, the dragon spat, propping himself up on one of his broken arms. You even sound like him. He was always spoke with high moral authority – even before he cast me into prison. However... have you ever considered... the implications of serving such a god? A god who abandons his own children... in their infancy?
“Aeo did not abandon us,” Razja countered. “He gave us his Tears.”
He did not give them to you, Draxxes snarled contemptuously. You took them... for yourself. You could keep them, you know... use them to turn yourself into a god. With those jewels, you could rule the world... you could abolish injustice and create a utopia for all those you deem deserving. The dragon narrowed his reptilian eyes. I can see that you’ve considered this... I can see that you are tempted by the possibility of godhood.
Razja fell silent. Draxxes was right, of course. A part of her yearned to keep the Tears for herself, to make herself a god and shape the world into what she thought it should be. She could punish the wicked and feed the starving masses, ensuring that no orphans would be homeless and that no evil would be committed again. Even so, her soul was repulsed by the temptation. She had seen firsthand what people turned into when they sought for power. She had witnessed the corruption power and wealth had on the human heart.
Draxxes laughed bitterly. If anyone is deserving of Aeo’s power... it is you. Of all the humans I have met... you are uniquely talented.
“No,” Razja said softly, shaking her head. “No, I will not take this power for myself.”
The dragon eyed her for a long moment, then snorted. Then you truly are a fool.
Razja smiled sadly at him. “Not seeking for power does not make me a fool. I will live my mortal existence as the gods intended, using my abilities to do good. When it comes time for me to die, my spirit will depart this realm and move on to a better one.” She paused, then added, “I do not think that you can expect such a fate.”
Draxxes spat, sending up a plume of fire and smoke. Go on, then. End it, mortal. He said the word like it was a curse. I’m ready to leave this world for forever.
Sighing, Razja reached out with her awareness and found the largest tree in the valley far below her. Then, she ripped it from the earth and brought it up to where she floated. It was a tall ironwood with needle-covered branches, a thick latticework of roots covered in dirt, and a sharp point at its top.
She brought the tree up before her like a spear and plunged, driving the sharp end into Draxxes’ chest and burying it into the rock beneath. The dragon gasped, his body shuddering as his heart was pierced by the ironwood.
As he breathed his last breath, his body burst into flames, his scaly flesh igniting like dry kindling. The tree went up as well, and soon, he became a pyre, a blazing inferno at the top of the mountain – a beacon to the world.
Razja slowly floated to the ground, where Camdyn and Jasper were both waiting awestruck. They shuffled away as she came down, as if frightened by being so close to her, but she placated them with a, upraised hand. “Don’t worry,” she said. “It is still me.” As she said this, the Tears gently landed on the ground between them, their lights growing dim as the godly magic seeped out of her. Her skin stopped glowing and the air surrounding her went back to normal, the all-powerful aura she had had going out like a snuffed candle.
The absence of the power felt strange to Razja, and for a moment, she though that she might pass out. The vertigo soon passed, however, and she stood standing – as a common mortal – before her friends.
“That was... quite the display, lass,” Camdyn said, clearing his throat gruffly.
“Yeah,” remarked Jasper. “Remind me never to piss you off, sorceress.”
Razja gave them both a warm smile.
Behind them, Draxxes continued to smolder. The flames that had only a few seconds ago been so high, had grown small and faint, the leviathan’s body turned to nothing but a burned-out husk. A cold mountain breeze blew over the peak, and when it passed the great corpse, large parts of it crumbled to ash and drifted on the wind. Draxxes the Defiant, the destroyer and the betrayer, had at long last been defeated.
“I can’t believe that we did it,” Camdyn said, glancing over his shoulder at the beast. “We actually managed to save the world.”
“Still no chance of us getting paid,” Jasper said wistfully. “The old man lied to us on that account.” His eyes drifted down to where the jewels rested on the ground, and his face brightened considerably. “Unless...”
Razja gave him a hard look. “No,” she said firmly. “We mustn't use the Tears of Eternity for personal gain.”
The assassin arched an eyebrow at her. “What do you suggest we do with them, then?”
She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. “First, I say we get off this mountain.”
Epilogue
The sun rose on a new day on Thel’Varden. It peeked above the Cascadian Mountains and brightened the world from a clear blue sky. Birds sang in the forested foothills and animals grazed in the meadows, making the warm, idyllic morning come alive with the sights and sounds of the wild.
Razja, Camdyn, and Jasper broke down their camp, splashing water on the coals and hitching their supplies to their newly-acquired mounts. After coming down from the mountain, they had happened upon a small town nestled in the foothills, where they had been able to resupply. They had left the next day, following the frontier road to where they hoped to return to civilization. A crossroads was now before them, a triple fork in the road, and though no sign marked the various paths, all three of them knew the general direction they would lead: north, south, and east.
“I never want to see another damn mountain for as long as I live,” Jasper complained as he secured his blades to his horse’s saddle. “Such places are suitable for billy goats, not assassins.”
Camdyn chuckled and gave Jasper a knowing look out of the corner of his eye. “For what it’s worth, I think you’d make a fine billy goat. You only nearly died a handful of times coming down.”
"A handful is far too many," Jasper answered dryly. "I'd rather risk my life on an assassination mission than scaling some miserable peak."
Razja listened to their banter with half an ear as she readied her own mount, her mind on other more serious topics. New travelling clothes fit snugly to her form as she moved, and a heavy satchel hung from her shoulder, the leather pouch weighed down by the three gemstones resting inside.
She had felt different ever since she held Aeo's power. Something inside of her had changed, and part of her knew that she would never be the same again. The world around her seemed dull and washed out. Her own magical abiliti
es felt mundane. The powers of creation had been at her fingertips – and compared to that, everything else was small and inconsequential.
Still, she knew that she had done the right thing. Together with her companions, they had saved the world from destruction and defeated Draxxes. The Tears of Eternity were safe from the clutches of the dragon cult, and Razja vowed that they would never be used for evil again.
Turning to regard the others, the corners of her mouth quirked up into a sorrowful smile.
“Everything all right, lass?” Camdyn asked, breaking from his debate with Jasper.
Razja nodded, though she could feel tears welling up in her eyes.
“She’s just glad to be leaving these cursed mountains,” Jasper said with a smirk. “Isn’t that right, sorceress.”
Again, she nodded, although she could not keep a single tear from rolling down her cheek.
“Don’t fret,” Camdyn replied, giving his horse an affectionate pat on the neck. “We’re well on our way out of here. The road to the Thaynia awaits, and beyond that, a well-earned rest.”
Razja cleared her throat, finally finding her voice. “For you, maybe.”
Cam’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I will not be going to the Thaynia.”
“That’s because she’s heading south with me,” Jasper said glibly. “The white sandy beaches of the Ædian Gulf are waiting for us, as are all the finest wine houses of Valæcia.”
Razja sniffed and shook her head, reaching up with a sleeve to wipe her cheek. “I’ll not be going to Valæcia, either.”
Camdyn and Jasper glanced at each other, each at a loss for words. After a long pause, the big warrior asked, “What are you saying, lass?”
Lip trembling, Razja looked at each of them in turn. “I am saying goodbye, my friends. This is where we must part ways.”
“Part ways?” Camdyn asked, incredulous. “But why? At least come with one of us to a decent city. You deserve to relax after all that you’ve been through.
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