by C. K. Rieke
The soldier's frustration and panic were evident as they yelled and tried to cut at the webbing, to no avail.
“What is this?” Burr asked, still trying to pull his feet from the sands. “This the Reevins doing? Or something else?”
“There.” Ezmerelda pointed to the north behind them.
Lilaci’s gaze shot behind her, with her body twisted as her legs were stuck facing southward. She saw them at once... another pack of Reevins, two dozen at least, all with their staffs waving, but not up to the sky, theirs were pointed down at the sand as they were glowing in dull white light, the same color as the webbing that still shot up at their legs.
“Bows!” the soldiers yelled then, as only four of them had their bows and quivers on them at that moment, the others were stuck with only their swords and armor. The Reevins were far too distant to be shot by one of them, but the four of them aimed arrows at the dark queen as she approached.
“Lilaci, can you use your magic to fight off this spell holding us in place?” Veranor said, “We’ve got to move, we can’t stay here. They’re planning something...”
“Something else?” Lilaci asked, “Do you know what?”
“I’m not sure, but...” He paused when he saw Ezmerelda glowered in a different direction now. She looked east, with her jaw hanging open.
Lilaci watched in horror as she glanced east. Another group of Reevins had crept over the horizon and were casting a spell of their own. Accompanying the spells that held them in place, unable to move, and the spell that was casting a giant orb around the attack, this new spell revealed to them then what the direst worry was.
She watched as from the sands that lay between them and the newest pack of old cannibalistic wizards rose a beast Lilaci never could have envisioned, whether in a dream or a nightmare. Dark clouds of smoke unearthed themselves from in-between the fine grains of sand. The smoke rolled up thick and heavy, gathering just above the ground, assembling itself into the form of a creature. As quickly as the spell was being cast, the smoke formed large wings that spread out wide, so wide that it nearly hid the dozens of Reevins behind.
Lilaci looked down in worry at Kera, who was holding both hands over her mouth as she couldn’t look away from the smoke monster that was flying at them. She was so stuck in shock; the thought came to Lilaci that she may not have even tried to run away—forgetting about the webbing that was reaching up to her midsection then. The wings were then soon accompanied by a long tail that flowed behind, and then shoulders, arms, and two necks. Then at the top of those two necks formed two heads, each with glowing yellow eyes which shown like dandelions on a black sheep’s wool.
“Is that—” Gogenanth asked, holding his hand over his brow, “is that a dragon?”
Lilaci knew his guess was right. The dragon of dark black smoke let out a snarling roar that sparked her back alert. The smoke dragon looked like a shadow as it flew forward, and as the smoke was a dull black color, the tips of its wings, and its claws and teeth were a sharp, metallic black that reflected in the sunlight. She then knew she had to act.
All right, I’m the only one who has any power to stop this beast. But the question is, which attack is more pressing to stop? The two-headed dragon of smoke? Or the Queen of the Reevins as she approaches?
With a rush of her hands, and the bright violet light of the Sanzoral flowing through her, lighting her eyes and hands, she let forth a sandstorm that rose from the sands and burst forth at the dragon.
“Lilaci!” Kera said, her voice quivered with fear. “Kill it! I can’t move. I’m stuck.”
The others noticed the attack, but they also awoke from their shock at the sight of the dark dragon and began to make effort to break free from the webbing that held them down, hacking and slashing at it. Gogenanth even began to cast his own magical orb over them, to hide their positions. He couldn’t hide the soldiers however, who were left even more shocked by the sight of the monster.
The smoke dragon saw the sandstorm rushing at it and let out another powerful roar that rang out like a crumbling mountain and continued to fly at them. It dipped its neck as the sands rushed at it, and just as the magical sands of the Sanzoral were at it, Lilaci saw the solid shape of the dragon faded. The fine definition of the two heads and wings misted away to a cloud of black smoke that only vaguely resembled a dragon.
The sandstorm burst harmlessly past the smoke, only causing it to rustle like willows in a breeze.
“Ready your fire attack,” Veranor said to Lilaci quickly. “Wait until it’s reformed into its solid state though.”
“I can’t get these things off of me.” Fewn slashed at the webbing.
“Fire!” The soldiers yelled as the only four of them with arrows, let loose their arrows at the dragon. The dragon was only just in range, and as it regained its shape after the sands had fizzled away past it, the arrows missed on both sides of it. The soldiers drew back another set of arrows and let them fly.
Lilaci was readying a fire attack, and even though she was already doubting the use of such an attack on smoke, she quickly glanced back over her shoulder to check on Erdüm. She saw that the queen in the flowing green dress still only walked forward at that same, steady pace. Lilaci turned back to the dragon. All right, you beast. It looks like it’s just you and me—for now.
Chapter Nineteen
The two-headed dragon of smoke flew at them at tremendous speed, its wings letting out a trail of thick black smoke behind them. Gogenanth had erected a spell of invisibility around, but Lilaci knew not if it would do any good against the dragon and Reevins. Their queen Erdüm led their attack this time, and Lilaci knew this was their biggest one yet, they didn’t mean to lose this time.
Brimming fires burst out from Lilaci’s fingertips. The magic of the Sanzoral was about to test the most atrocious magic of the infamous Reevins, and the dragon continued flying at them at its same speed.
“Lilaci,” Kera said in a panic. “You have to stop it!”
The fires shot out in a great inferno that created a violet wall of flames that ripped and tore through the air, masking the dragon beyond them. Lilaci felt relieved as the smoke dragon was veiled beyond the flames.
That relief was quashed quickly as the dragon’s form dissipated into a cloud of smoke, floating through the flames as they reached out to burn its dark scales. Lilaci drew her hands back and grabbed Dragoneye and Blackfire. As the dragon was almost upon them, the group only held their weapons at their sides, trying to free themselves from the webbing that grew thicker, holding them down.
The soldiers continued to let loose their arrows, but each of them, when on target, floated harmlessly through the black smoke of the beast.
“Kera, call Herradax,” Fewn said frantically. “Call the dragons. Veranor, call the Aridons!”
He seemed to be lifted from his own shock and brought the reed from his pack quickly to his lips and began to play the tune of the Aridons.
“I’ve already asked her to come,” Kera said, referring to Herradax. “If she’s going to come, she should be here any moment.”
“We don’t have much time,” Burr said, hefting his sword at his side, with his one eye glaring at the wide-winged dragon that was almost on top of them. “Aim for its eyes. They seem to be solid at least.”
The dragon dropped its heads down as it flew over, surprisingly not at Lilaci and the others, but each of its mouths opened, and even if the soldiers had the chance to run, they would not have been quick enough. Turning back, Lilaci saw that the dragon’s right head and teeth clamped down on a soldier, the left head grabbing two in one bite. The soldiers screamed in pain as the dragon’s sharp teeth tore into their bodies.
Arrows flew as the dragon lifted back into the air, chomping on the bodies of the three soldiers. Lilaci watched as the dragon, once high enough and far enough away, turned back around for another swoop back down on them. As it did so, each of the dragon’s heads dropped back, and let the soldiers fall into their mouths an
d necks.
“It’s eating them,” Kera cried.
“We’ve got to kill those Reevins,” Gogenanth said, still casting the spell of invisibility, with his hands glowing a misty blue.
“Yes, Lilaci,” Veranor said. “Attack the Reevins creating the dragon. Burn them to the ground!”
As the dragon swooped down at a ravenous speed, ready to sink its blood-spattered teeth into them, Lilaci let out a yell, pushing her Sanzoral fires to the brink of their limits. The wizards are so far off, I don’t know if I can reach them. I have no choice but to try though. Let the fires burn like they never have!
Another great inferno burst out of her fingers and arms at the Reevins on the dune in the distance. The wall of violet fire ripped through the air as they continued to cast their spell. Lilaci watched anxiously as the fires flowed over the desert sands toward them, but they didn’t falter in their spell. The fires continued over the sands toward them, and Lilaci was getting excited as the fires were halfway to them. She pushed the fires forth with newfound force, but her thrill was quickly washed away as she watched the fires blow away to the right, with a breeze that easily extinguished her fire.
She looked to Fewn in disbelief. “What happened?” she asked, “the fires wanted to keep going. They were going to burn those bastards to nothing!”
“Look,” Fewn said, looking back to the approaching queen of the Reevins. Lilaci watched as Erdüm held her staff up toward where the flames of Lilaci’s fire was washed away. Her staff glowed a rich, ominous green, and then the glow faded, and she dropped the staff back to her side, still continuing her stride toward them.
“She’s powerful,” Lilaci said. “I can’t reach the Reevins with my magic. I may have to try for her now.”
“Hurry,” Ezmerelda said looking up to the sky. “The dragon’s almost on top of us again.”
“Look!” Kera said, pointing to the north.
Lilaci looked and hope welled up in her soul again at the sight in the distance. They were only vague silhouettes that far out, but she knew right away what they were.
“Herradax!” Kera yelled. “Kôrran and the Aridons are coming for us!”
Lilaci could feel the exhilaration running through her friends. We have a chance now! They’re coming to save us.
The smoke dragon then flew down upon them, with Lilaci and the others holding their weapons firmly, ready to strike. Its heads dropped and its sharp teeth crunched onto four soldiers this time, taking their broken bodies up into the skies again.
“Herradax!” Kera yelled, “help us, help me!”
They watched as the two dragons and five Aridons flew toward them, and the pack of Reevins that was between them.
“They’ll kill the Reevins and stop their magic,” Burr said. “Then they can go kill the ones that are creating this beast. Once we can move, we can kill that queen of theirs!”
Lilaci watched Kera’s expression turn then from a wide smile of hope, to a blank look of disbelief. Lilaci then looked up to see that Herradax and Kôrran had not flown through the wide-spread orb the Reevins had created, but they flew into it. Clawing and biting, they were trying to break through the orb.
“Oh no,” Lilaci said to the others. “That spell isn’t to keep us in, it’s to keep them from getting in to help us.” She watched then as the smoke dragon turned to make another attack upon the soldiers. “I—I don’t know what to do...”
“This is a very fleshed-out attack,” Veranor said spitefully. “Every part has been planned out meticulously to stop our attacks. We need to figure out a way to break free, that dragon will be coming for us. I don’t know if Gogenanth’s spell is hiding us from its view or not, but it seems to be killing the Queensguard first. We’ve got to do something.”
“What?” Ezmerelda asked, eager for an answer. He only looked at Lilaci, who didn’t have the answer.
Lilaci looked to the pair of dragons on the outskirts of the orb that colored the sky all around them. The two attacked it viciously, clawing at it, letting out loud screeches that could be heard for miles. The Aridons had arrived at it too, and were desperately trying to break through, but to no avail. The magic of the Reevins working together was proving too powerful for even the magical Aridons to break through.
“They’re trying to get to us,” Kera said, “but they’re trapped on the other side. Lilaci we need to kill those Reevins.”
“I can try,” Lilaci said, lifting her hands out at the pack of wizards with their staffs lifted over their heads, with their long beards rustling in the winds. She was readying a burst of flame out into the distance, but Veranor reached out and pushed her hands back down to her sides.
“Save it,” he said, staring back at the approaching queen, who was two-hundred paces out now. “We may need the full strength of your magic to kill her.”
“Or there may be a way to stop the dragon,” Fewn said, brushing her blowing hair back in the winds as the smoke dragon rushed down from the sky at them again. “There may be a way we haven’t thought about yet, something we are missing?”
“Like what?” Burr said, eying the dragon as it whooshed down with its mighty wings, picking off another three soldiers, lifting them up into the air as the dragon’s tail zipped past. “The Queensguard are going to be all eaten soon. Then it’ll be after us.”
Lilaci watched the dragon up in the sky as it turned back around, swallowing the soldiers as it lined up for another swipe at them. Then her gaze went back to Erdüm who held out a long black dagger now, ready to stick into Lilaci’s neck. She looked then to the three packs of Reevins as they cast their dark magic spells that had left them all defenseless and unable to attack. Then she looked at Kera’s dragons and the Aridons as they wanted so badly to rip into the Reevins and release Lilaci and the others from the spell. But they were unable to break through their magic.
What do I do? My magic hasn’t failed me yet, but the queen has somehow figured out how to dispel the Sanzoral’s flame. If I can kill the queen, maybe the rest of the wizards will fall apart, fleeing back into the desert. I’ve got to kill her.
The dragon swooped down with its mighty jaws open, its pitch-black throat and tongue exposed as its sharp teeth prepared to grab its next victims. Gogenanth continued to cast his spell, unsure if it worked or not, but what else could he do? The dragon dipped its head, and the soldiers yelled for help and tried relentlessly to break free from the webbing that bound them to the sands, but the dragon’s maw grabbed another two pairs of them, lifting them back up into the sky. The Queensguard was disappearing quickly. Then Lilaci heard her voice, it was raspy and throaty, but dark and sinister.
“Dor Voritum endor pas Elienord Gorum Vorn,” Erdüm said as she held out her staff before her. Her size was more evident now, as she clearly was even taller than Gogenanth. Her eyes burned that wicked green glow with white specks of light at their pupils, atop her head was the black-wood crown that knobbed and curled up, inlaid with white diamonds. Her sparkling green dress that flowed down from her neck brushed against the sands behind her. Her staff of the same black-wood and white diamonds was pointed at Lilaci with her dark-skinned hand, the other hand held out the black dagger. The look on the queen’s face was that of full-focus. She’s casting another spell.
“What’s she saying?” Kera asked in terror, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
“Lilaci,” Veranor yelled, “it has to be now. Don’t let her speak again!”
The fires of the Sanzoral tore from Lilaci’s fingers at the queen, they twirled around each other in hot pillars of violet flame. They inched their way quickly at the queen, and as they reached her, she darted her staff to the right, sending the inferno careening off to the side and at the sands to her side.
“Dor Voritum endor pas Elienord Gorum Vorn, Enfirenmor, orf Neblendur pas,” the queen’s wicked voice said, her eyes still fixed on Lilaci.
“Lilaci!” Veranor yelled again, as the smoke dragon flew down, eating another two helpless soldiers
.
Lilaci shot up a quick burst of sandstorm from the desert floor all around, and the queen brushed if away to flow around her harmlessly.
“Lilaci?” Kera asked with her eyes full of tears.
“I—I don’t know what to do…” Lilaci said, panic running through her. “What do I do?”
None had an answer, they were all covered in webbing up to their chests, the smoke dragon was readying another deadly swoop, and the queen was only twenty paces off, almost upon them.
Lilaci threw Dragoneye at Erdüm, as the silver blade of Elderstone flipped end over end at her. As it reached her, the queen snatched it out of the air, now holding both that and her dagger in her hand. All I have left is my sword. What do I do? What do I—?
As Lilaci was desperately trying to figure a way to stop the queen, Erdüm moved her lips, ready to cast another spell, and Lilaci’s mind raced. Her heart was rushing blood through her arms and chest and sweat began to bead down her brow. This can’t be it... We can’t fail now... We’ve come too...
Just then, Lilaci heard a whistling sound, no, not one, many high-pitched whistles, they were coming from many directions. Erdüm heard them too, and her gaze darted around. She quickly waved her staff and frantically started to cast another spell, but the whistling sounds turned to the sounds of flesh tearing as arrows poured into the queen. She quickly collapsed to her knees as blood poured from her mouth. The arrows stuck into her from many directions—dozens of them. The arrows stuck into her back, head, and chest. One arrowhead enough shot directly between her eyes. It took Lilaci a moment to see the color of the arrows, but not Burr.
