by Aaron Ehasz
Once all had crossed safely, they sought shelter in the secret fortress that Katolis had built on the Xadian side of the Breach. There they prepared themselves with the large armaments they would need to hunt the magma titan.
King Harrow turned to address the brave adventurers.
“The king of the dragons patrols the skies of Xadia from dawn until dusk. They say Thunder can see a thousand miles, so every minute we spend in Xadia in the light of day is a minute we risk attracting his devastating wrath. So, we cannot enter Xadia until sundown—and we must return with the heart of the titan before the first moments of the sun’s rise.”
Queen Neha eyed the three giant crossbows mounted on wheels. She seemed unsure. “Will these ballistas be able to take down a magma titan? Can they pierce its rocky armor?” she asked.
King Harrow looked at the ballistas. Though these were mighty by human scale, if Viren was right about the magma titan, it would dwarf the humans’ weaponry.
But Harrow believed that when a cause is righteous, providence guides the hand of the humble and courageous. He looked at Queen Neha. “If our aim is true, we will prevail,” he said.
Viren made sure that not a single person left the secret fortress before the skies were fully dark. Thunder took his patrols seriously—their only chance was in these few hours of darkness while the great dragon slept.
As the soldiers and queens began their rapid battle preparations, Viren lingered behind—weapons and warfare were not his areas of expertise. But locating the magma titan—that was a task for him alone. For miles around, there was nothing but boulders. There was no time to waste just looking for the titan.
Viren unpacked the items he needed for the location spell.
He lit a small fire and crushed the small rock from the titan—the piece of the monster that he’d tucked away in his secret office—with a mortar and pestle. Next, he opened a glass jar of glowing wisps that could only be acquired from a very special grotto. Then he mixed the dust from the rock with the powder from the fire’s ashes. With a flick of his fingers, he incinerated the mixture.
Viren could feel everyone’s eyes on him. “Ecnesse ruoy esuf,” he chanted in a deep, mystical voice. He felt the familiar dark magic energy take over his body—his eyes and fingers glowed with power.
He pressed his glowing hands around the jar of wisps. The wisps absorbed the energy and turned bright purple. Viren lifted the jar skyward and chanted again: “Natit amgam eht kees.”
When he opened the jar, the super-charged wisps shot out, arcing across the sky in search of the magma titan. Viren consulted his magic map, where a glowing purple line drew itself, showing the way to a craggy area.
“This way!” Viren yelled.
He started off for the titan, but stumbled a bit. The spell had weakened him temporarily. And all at once, he knew he was in the biggest battle of his life. This place held both the promise of salvation and the threat of destruction.
But what Viren found wasn’t anything like what he had expected. His map led them to the glowing wisps, which fluttered frantically near a deep chasm. The wisps drifted from the chasm toward what appeared to be an unusual pile of rocks. There was no monster.
Had the spell failed? Viren approached the pile of rocks. On closer inspection, he realized the pile of rocks was the magma titan. Of course, the spell had worked. But the monster was prone, completely still, lying on its back. It looked long dead.
Queen Neha panicked. “It’s dead,” she said. “What do we do now?”
“Don’t sound so disappointed, Queen Neha,” Viren said. “If it’s dead, we don’t need to kill it. We just … open it up and take what we need.”
“You mean its heart,” she said.
“Yes,” Viren said.
Queen Neha wasted no time climbing up onto the chest of the monster. General Amaya joined her, lugging a huge warhammer. Queen Neha positioned a giant chisel in the center of the monster’s chest.
Everyone watched breathlessly as they prepared to cut into it. Each time Amaya swung the hammer, it connected with a thwack. But for all her power, the chisel made only small dents in the magma titan. The work was steady, but too slow for Viren, who knew only too well how limited the time was.
Then there was one hard hammer slam that sounded different than the rest. Fissures appeared in the monster’s chest. Progress at last!
No sooner had they cracked the beast open than something stirred from deep within the dormant giant. Great rumbling noises shook the ground as the magma titan began to glow from within. The cracks in its body lit up, radiating with life.
What had looked like death was only a deep sleep. As the monster awoke, its body glowed with magma energy. Viren watched in horror as it rose—a beast as tall as one hundred humans standing on one another’s shoulders.
Then the monster let out an earsplitting roar. The ground shook and Viren shuddered, his heart suddenly heavy with fear and guilt. There’s no way they’ll be able to defeat this monster. This doomed mission was all my idea.
As the battle began, King Harrow and the queens Sarai, Neha, and Annika showed tremendous bravery. Viren felt sick knowing they could never conquer this beast.
When the magma titan stirred from its slumber and rose to its full height, Queen Sarai didn’t flinch. She knew there was danger on every side. The titan towered over a steep chasm. One misstep, or one vicious blow from the titan, meant the humans would plunge into the abyss—forever.
So Queen Sarai faced the titan head-on and started hurling spears at its body—but they merely bounced off the rocky creature. It was chaos, and she could only focus on what was right in front of her. All around her, soldiers were being crushed and trampled.
“Fire the ballistas!” Sarai yelled at the soldiers. The ballistas were stronger than any spear or sword—perhaps there was a chance.
“Aim for the cracks between the rocky plates!” Queen Neha shouted. “We can chain it down.”
They attached two bolts to chains and fired them off. Both hit their mark and lodged into the sides of the titan. Temporarily, the creature was under control. But the magma titan easily removed one of the bolts by its chain, swung it overhead, and tossed it away. The other it simply crushed in its hot, fiery hands.
Amaya and Sarai stayed close to each other on horseback, braving the terrain nearest to the giant. The two were so close they could communicate without speech, even without signs. Silently, they agreed to draw the titan’s attention toward them and began to coordinate an attack.
Harrow stayed with the queens of Duren and the ballistas.
“Take aim at the center! Fire right where we first cracked into it,” King Harrow shouted.
The soldiers fired another bolt, which successfully harpooned the center of the titan’s torso, its long chain still connected to the heavy ballista from which it had been fired.
“Now what?” Queen Neha asked.
“Push,” Harrow said. “Push it over the edge of the chasm!”
Brilliant! Queen Sarai watched the soldiers push the ballista off the ledge and into the chasm. The chained bolt was wedged into the giant’s rocky armor. When the ballista plummeted off the ledge and into the chasm, the chain grew taut and tore the rocky plate in the center of the titan’s chest right off.
Queen Sarai pointed at the enormous gap in the monster’s rocky armor. She winked at Amaya. But before they could execute their unspoken plan, the titan swung its arm out in anger, spraying loose magma in an arc. A stray blast of the searing-hot liquid rock grazed Amaya’s face and sent her flying off her horse.
Amaya stood up, fierce and defiant, despite the deep, burning gash in her cheek.
It was clear the titan wanted to crush her sister. Sarai didn’t have time to think. She charged the monster on foot. At the very last moment, Amaya lifted her shield up as a platform for Sarai, who used it as a springboard and leaped off the shield, plunging her spear deep into the exposed hole at the center of the titan’s torso.
The titan roared in pain. Its mammoth body shook like the beginning of an avalanche. It rocked back and forth on its heels and then fell to its knees, stunned. It hacked and coughed up lava.
For a moment, it looked like the monster might get to its feet again, but then it fell down. It was dead.
Everyone was silent.
A few moments later, the rocky armor crumbled away. Lava flowed from the dead titan, revealing the prize they had risked everything to attain: the titan’s heart. It was a stunning crystal, the size of a boulder. It was magnificent, clear and bright and captivating. It seemed to pulse with light.
Viren approached the heart with great care and knelt beside it.
“The legend was true,” he said, incredulous. “The heart of the titan—it radiates with life and magic.” He spoke with a sense of awe shared by the humans around him.
“So … do you think you can … use it?” Harrow asked.
“Yes,” Viren said. The hard edge was back in his voice. “We can save them all!”
Everyone cheered, and the queens of Duren embraced. “Our people … they’ll be fed,” Queen Neha said.
Sarai signed to Amaya, “You did it—we did it.”
But Amaya didn’t respond. She was standing nearby but she was facing away. She looked unsteady.
“Sister!” Sarai cried out and rushed to her. “Amaya!”
Amaya turned around when she sensed Sarai’s presence. Blood poured from her forehead and cheek and swam in her eyes.
Sarai folded her wounded sister into her arms and stroked her head. She examined the wounds while Amaya caught her breath.
“How does it look?” Amaya signed to Sarai.
Sarai could tell her sister was terrified. She laid her down, then signed, “Not great. But you should see the other guy.”
Amaya smiled.
Queen Neha, Queen Annika, and a few soldiers secured the giant gemstone-heart onto beams so it could be carried back to Katolis. Viren stood near Harrow, whispering. There was a familiar, scheming look on his face. Sarai strained to hear what he was saying.
“Time is short. There’s barely an hour until sunrise,” he said. “We can’t risk the wrath of the Dragon King. We must take the heart and hurry back.”
“Yes, of course,” Harrow said. “We’ll move as fast we can.”
Then Viren glanced at Amaya and lowered his voice even further. “The wounded must be left behind,” he whispered. “We can’t afford to slow down …”
Amaya was watching Viren closely. She was reading his lips. She turned to her sister and signed, “He doesn’t have to whisper … I’m deaf.”
“Hey, Viren,” Sarai said. “I get it—you think it would be safer to leave the wounded behind. Did you forget Amaya can read lips?”
Viren looked … he looked … embarrassed.
Sarai smiled. “But Amaya says she’ll be okay even if you leave. She just needs a little rest and then she can make it back.”
“We won’t leave you here alone,” Harrow promised Amaya.
Viren, however, said nothing.
“I’ll stay with Amaya,” Sarai said. “We’ll make it home together. Everyone else should take the heart back. Completing this mission is what matters most.”
Viren turned to Harrow. “They agree. Time is of the essence.”
“No,” Harrow said. “We leave no one behind. We do not leave our wounded.”
“You’re risking everything—trading the lives of many for the lives of a few,” Viren said.
“It’s principle,” Harrow responded firmly.
“It’s foolishness! You’re hiding behind your idealism, but you’re being selfish and you know it. You wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t your wife’s sister.”
Viren wouldn’t even look at Sarai and Amaya as he spoke. In that moment, Sarai hated him viscerally … but she also agreed with him.
“I’ve made my decision, and it is final,” Harrow said.
Viren marched across Xadia beneath the purple predawn sky. He was furious.
A few soldiers were carrying Amaya and another wounded warrior; all others walked beside their horses. On top of the beautiful crystal heart, these burdens were slowing them down. As a result, they were moving half-speed at best. Viren feared they wouldn’t make it back to the Breach before sunrise.
He saw the pinking dawn in the sky and picked up the pace. They were near the border, but still on the Xadian side of the Breach. The sun rose on the horizon, its first new day beams beating on Viren’s neck like the hot doom he knew was coming.
“There’s the entrance—we’ve almost made it,” Harrow called out from up front, doing his best to encourage everyone.
“Faster,” Sarai said. “All our strength now.”
Viren increased his speed and hoped the others would do the same. Maybe, if they all made one last push, they would all get out alive.
Minutes passed, and the humans drew closer and closer to the border. Their safe escape was in sight. Perhaps they would make it after all.
Then suddenly the heat evaporated and the morning light disappeared. Viren felt a chill as a shadow covered the sun.
“Thunder,” Harrow whispered.
The storm had come. The king of the dragons arrived in a burst of lightning. With a great booming crash, he landed just behind the humans.
Everyone scrambled up the mountainside toward the entrance to the Breach as the roaring dragon approached. But their organized march soon collapsed into fear. Viren knew they should have left the wounded behind.
“We’ll never make it,” Queen Neha said.
From her stretcher, General Amaya signed rapidly to Queen Sarai. She reached for her shield, which the queen kept away from her.
King Harrow turned to the others. “We have to hold off the dragon as long as possible so those carrying the heart can make it back,” he said. He looked back at the enormous, angry dragon. “Even if our lives buy only a minute …”
Harrow drew his sword, ready to go back toward Xadia.
“We’ll slow him down,” Queen Sarai said. She was ready to die alongside her husband. But as soon as they started to move, Queen Annika put her hand up.
“Stop,” she said. She looked at Queen Neha. “This is our day to sacrifice,” she said.
Queen Neha nodded. “You get the titan’s heart to safety,” she said. “Save all our people.”
Queen Neha mounted her horse. Queen Annika grabbed Harrow’s hand and pressed something into his palm, closing his fingers around it. She’d given him the ring she’d been wearing on her hand. It was a gold band with a large oval sapphire. Then she climbed onto her own horse.
The queens charged down the mountainside, knowing their fate.
Finally, Viren thought. At least the queens of Duren could think rationally. He watched as they rode off to fight Thunder. He admired their courage and nobility.
But Viren couldn’t escape the fact that all this fighting, bloodshed, and sacrifice had stemmed from his idea. He closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts. The only chance the queens would have would be with magic. Was he really ready to give his own life for thousands of regular citizens? People he didn’t know and would never meet? But on the other hand, he would be remembered forever as a hero.
“I can help,” Viren said to Harrow. Without waiting for his response, he turned back down the mountain. Even if he couldn’t save the queens, he could buy them some time, ensuring the safety of the others.
Viren pulled his primal stone from his cloak and traced an advanced rune in the sky.
“Aspiro frigis!” he yelled into the stormy chaos. And with all the air in his lungs, he blew a freezing blast at Thunder.
It worked. The spell generated enormous icicles around the Dragon King’s head, freezing him in place.
The queens didn’t waste a moment of Thunder’s vulnerability.
“For Aanya!” Queen Neha shouted as she charged the frozen behemoth.
They galloped at full speed toward Thunder
, rushing directly at his huge face. His massive eye stared down his human attackers, but he remained immobilized by the ice. The queens drew closer and closer. They raised their swords, prepared to strike the vulnerable eye of the great Dragon King.
But the ice wouldn’t hold any longer. Thunder’s whole body crackled with electricity. His power shattered the ice, blowing fragments in every direction.
With his head finally free, Thunder whipped around. The queens’ horses were terrified. They were now way too close to the very angry king of the dragons.
Thunder brought his massive tail crashing down where the queens stood. The impact was like an earthquake. It knocked Viren off his feet. With ice and debris flying around him, he lay still on the ground, listening to Thunder’s deafening roar.
King Harrow tried not to think about Viren, who had stayed behind to face the dragon. He focused on getting the titan’s heart out of Xadia. As they neared the Breach, he realized that they were going to make it after all.
“They bought us enough time. We’ve made it,” Harrow said to Sarai.
His relief was palpable. They had finished the mission and would feed all the hungry people.
But Queen Sarai wasn’t looking at the Breach—she was looking back. Harrow turned and followed her gaze. It was Viren. He was sprawled on the ground, injured.
“Without Viren to perform the spell, the titan’s heart is worthless, and this was all for nothing,” Sarai said.
Harrow knew she was right. But what could he do about it? Maybe they could figure out a way to use the heart back at Katolis.
Sarai had stopped moving toward the border.
“Sarai, what are you doing?” Harrow asked. He felt dread growing where seconds before there had been relief.
Queen Sarai mounted her horse.
“I’ll see you on the other side,” she said as she galloped toward Viren and Thunder.
But King Harrow never saw Queen Sarai again.
