by Dante King
Bone Lord 5
Dante King
Copyright © 2020 by Dante King
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
25. Epilogue
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About the Author
Chapter One
I stared at the dragon statue, the oldest in Yeng and possibly the world, here in the last remaining Dragon Temple. The Warlock had built his tower on top of this ancient structure. As I looked at the statue, I couldn’t help wondering how closely it resembled the real thing
I would find out soon enough.
I’d just resurrected the Dragon Goddess, dead for a thousand years, but now living and breathing again. Her spirit was now melded with the nubile flesh and sharp-witted mind of Yumo, Rami-Xayon’s twin sister.
The stench of congealed blood and rotting corpses was strong in this defiled temple, but overpowering the stink was the sweet scent of victory. With my Death Titan, I’d crushed the Warlock, the most powerful opponent I’d faced yet. While I could revel briefly in my battle victory, the war was far from over. The Hooded Man, the Blood God’s chief earthly servant, was maimed and trapped in Prand, but still alive, and one final Blood Temple still stood. I’d found both Dragon Gauntlets, the Dragon Goddess lived again, but I still needed to resurrect a dragon, obtain one more Tear of the Lord of Light, and destroy the Blood God, his temple and the Demogorgon once and for all.
“You have much to learn of dragons if you wish to wield one as a weapon in war,” Yumo-Rezu, the gorgeous Dragon Goddess, said from beside me. “And I will tell you everything you need to know, but first, we need to leave this place. The Warlock’s desecration of my temple both angers and disgusts me to the point at which I cannot think. And the whole process of my memories merging with this mortal woman’s is confusing.”
“Let’s go up to the top of the tower,” I said to her. “The air is fresher there, and you’ll be able to get a look at the world you haven’t seen for a thousand years.”
Isu, dark-haired and sultry as ever, looking every inch the necromancer in this place of death and gore, glanced around the desecrated Dragon Temple.
“I’m going back to the chamber where the Warlock’s failed experiments were,” she said to me. “I may be able to learn something useful from his failures.”
Ji-Ko, the head of the Blind Monks, seemed more eager than anyone to get out of this place, despite his state of awe and reverence for the newly resurrected Dragon Goddess. Since this was the first he’d seen of the gory inside of an improvised Blood temple, with a huge vat of blood and rotting corpses on butcher’s hooks on the walls, I couldn’t blame him.
“God of Death, and Goddess of Dragons,” he said, bowing low before us, “I humbly ask if I may take my leave of you two for the moment, to tell my brother monks of the joyous news of Rezu’s resurrection.”
“That’s Yumo-Rezu to you, chrome dome.” Yumo-Rezu glared with sudden anger at Ji-Ko.
Yumo’s spirit was still very much a dominant part of this mortal-goddess union, it seemed, and I had to chuckle when a look of confusion came across Ji-Ko’s chubby face.
“Um, yes, of course, of course, Yumo-Rezu. A thousand apologies,” he said before scurrying off.
“Before Yumo-Rezu and me go,” I said to Isu, “what are you planning on doing with the Blood Jewel?”
“We have no choice but to take it with us, as dangerous an object as it is,” Isu said. “When we get to the final Blood Temple, you must cast it into the heart of the temple, and destroy it along with everything else.”
“She’s right,” Yumo-Rezu said. “If you try to hide or bury that thing, no matter how deep or how remote, it will end up in the hands of another corruptible mortal again, and another warlock will arise. As long as that Blood Jewel exists, a part of the Blood God’s spirit will remain alive. It must be destroyed.”
“Then that’s what I’ll do.”
Isu handed me the leather pouch, and I dropped it into one of my pockets. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Isu with it; I didn’t want to risk anyone else’s life for something that was my responsibility.
Yumo-Rezu and I headed up to the top of the Warlock’s tower, where all my other party members were. Everyone welcomed the Dragon Goddess with open arms, everyone except Rami-Xayon. Whether it was some old grudge between the two goddesses or mere sibling rivalry between the mortal sisters I couldn’t tell, but the moment those two got within a few feet of each other an icy tension in the air materialized, hard and sharp as the blade of my kusarigama. They both stared daggers at each other, and neither said a word to the other. Rami-Xayon excused herself and walked briskly out of the chamber.
“What the hell was that about?” I asked Yumo-Rezu.
“It’s a long story,” she said curtly.
“All right, but make sure that your sibling rivalry or goddess grudge or whatever this is doesn’t jeopardize our mission,” I said.
“It won’t, don’t worry.”
Anna-Lucielle, as one of the youngest goddesses, had never known Rezu when she’d been alive, so there was no bad blood between them. Elyse was her usual cheerful and friendly self, and Friya and Layna, who’d read up on a lot of dragon lore, were especially eager to learn more about these mysterious beasts from Yumo-Rezu. Rollar greeted her with the respect she rightfully commanded, but Drok simply gave her a grin and a wave between chugging bottles of brandy he’d looted from the Warlock’s pantry.
Yumo-Rezu then caught sight of the Dragon Sword that Rollar was carrying for me.
“My greatsword!” she gasped. “I never thought I’d see it again!”
“It’s my sword now,” I said, gently but firmly. “The price I charge for bringing you back from the dead.”
She stared wistfully at the greatsword and sighed. “Very well. All things considered, it’s a small price to pay; you may keep the sword, Vance. I trust you understand its full potential, and know how to use it?”
“I do, and trust me, it’s the perfect weapon for kicking the Blood God’s ugly ass.”
Despite this little spot of disappointment, Yumo-Rezu perked up quickly. Eager to see the outside world for the first time in a millennium, she headed out onto the balcony. She stared at the landscape beyond with a blend of wonder and sadness in her beautiful, almond-colored eyes.
“With my dragon eyes, I can see for hundreds of miles,” Yumo-Rezu said. “From this point, higher than any of the jutting mountain peaks around us, I can see much of Yeng. The City of Jewels, a sprawling metropolis, gleaming in the dusk like the burning embers of a forest fire. The Forbidden Palace, rising like a sublime sculpture above the city. There must
be hundreds of thousands of lights in the City of Jewels, maybe even millions. Then, the vast wilderness beyond; thick, steaming jungle from which innumerable karst mountains jut, and sprawling bamboo forests. Deep valleys with thousands of cascading waterfalls, plunging their issue into turquoise pools. Farms and villages where there were none before, hundreds of roads sprung up across the wild like long scars of brown. Forests felled, giving way to cultivated fields. The ocean beyond, a slash of deep blue across the distant horizon. In Gongxiong Harbor, though, there’s a light that seems…”
“That seems?” I asked.
“No, nothing, never mind. I can’t see clearly enough to say for certain.” She paused to reflect. “So many people, so many lives, yet so much death and destruction in recent times. I can see the dead rotting in fields, piled up in trenches and mass graves. A great tragedy has struck my land, and a terrible sadness has fallen over this continent. So much has changed. In some ways, I barely recognize Yeng. A great forest once stood here below us … now it’s all gone.”
“As are the dragons that once roamed these mountains,” I said. “We can’t bring the old forest back, but we can do something about the extinct dragons. I have the gauntlets, and you’re back in the world of the living.”
“Yes,” she said, her jaw tightening. “Yes, we can. Tell me, what do you all know of dragons?”
The others all told her what they’d read, what rumors and legends they knew of, fact and fiction alike.
“It looks like you’ve all done a bit of reading, but there’s still a lot you don’t know,” Yumo-Rezu said. “And the first thing you’ve got wrong about dragons is what they are.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Dragons are not beasts, but they’re not like men either. They’re not gods, but they’re like gods. Just like ancient deities like the Blood God, they are—were—some of the oldest life forms in this world. The time of dragons preceded the first age of man, and the first age of many beasts. They were alive when the world was little more than fire and molten rock, and the seas were empty of all but the most rudimentary lifeforms. They possess magic, magic of a primeval and potent nature, like that of the Blood God. Dragon fire and dragon lightning are not the same as pure elemental fire and lightning. Instead, they possess an additional intensity that neither of those raw elements contain. No magic wielded by newer gods, or men, can permanently destroy a being of the ancient times; only a dragon can do that.”
“But a thousand years ago, Uger and Kemji harnessed dragons and used them to defeat the Blood God and kill the Demogorgon,” Layna said. “If a dragon’s power can permanently destroy an ancient god, how was the Blood God able to come back?”
“Only his creature, the Demogorgon, was destroyed by Kemji and Uger,” Yumo-Rezu answered. “And, it seems, the Blood Jewel and some of his temples were left intact. While such things exist, the spirit of the Blood God lives. As long as the temples and the Blood Jewel are destroyed, dragon fire can take care of the Blood God and his Demogorgon too. Think of him as a very persistent weed; every one of his roots, however deep below the soil they are, must be destroyed to kill the plant.”
“So, dragons are these weird not-god, not-beast, not-men things,” I said. “Useful information for historians maybe, but I want to know how to resurrect one so that I can use it to blow the Blood God to the other side of the fucking universe. Tell me what you need to make that happen, and I’ll get right on it.”
“A number of things are needed,” Yumo-Rezu answered. “First, a willing human shapeshifter—”
“Right here!” Friya said eagerly, stepping forward. “I have the Cloak of Changing, and I have dreamed of my destiny all my life.”
Yumo-Rezu looked her up and down, sizing her up, and eventually gave a satisfied nod.
“You’re aware that, unlike when you shift into your werewolf form, this change is one way, and permanent?” Yumo-Rezu asked. “You will be able to visit friends and loved ones in their dreams in your human form, but after you change into a dragon you will never again be a human, physically, again.”
“I understand that,” Friya said, “and it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
“The next thing we’re going to need is a Dragon Heart,” Yumo-Rezu said.
“We’re going to have to break into the vaults of Luminescent Spires for that,” I said. “It’s just the biggest, most secure system of vaults in the world, no big deal.”
“The final piece of the puzzle, aside from me, is a full dragon skeleton. And your Death magic, of course.”
“That last item might be a bit of a problem,” I said. “A fully intact dragon skeleton is the one thing we don’t know the location of.”
A smile came across Yumo-Rezu’s face. “That, at least, is a problem you will no longer have to worry about. I can sense the bones of dragons wherever they lie, like a shark detecting blood across vast distances in an ocean. The only problem you will have will be moving the dragon skeleton; it will be huge and immensely heavy. I’d say that the only thing that could lift the heaviest dragon bones is another dragon, but we don’t have one of those.”
I grinned. “It’s not going to be nearly as much of a problem as you might think, Yumo-Rezu. Come around the other side of the tower with me, and allow me to refresh the mortal section of your memory.”
We walked through the chamber to the balcony on the other side of the tower, and a great smile of pride broke across my face as I took in the sight of my army spread out across the battlefield. Darkness had almost fallen, but there was just enough dusk light remaining to take in the magnificent sight. The Warlock’s troops who hadn’t been completely obliterated in the battle had joined my force as undead warriors, and my army was now forty thousand strong.
“Ah yes, some of those undead Jotunn will be ideal for hauling heavy dragon bones,” she said. “And the kraken, if it were a land creature, would definitely be strong enough to haul the whole thing. I still can’t believe that you pulled that off!” It was strange hearing the mixture of speech patterns from Yumo-Rezu. Sometimes, she spoke like a youthful assassin, and other times like an ancient and wise goddess. It was a little disconcerting to say the least.
“I can’t take all the credit for it,” I said. “Without your sister’s Wind magic, the kraken would still be lurking in the depths of Gongxiong Harbor.”
At the mention of Rami-Xayon, a sour expression came over Yumo-Rezu’s face. As quickly as it had appeared, it vanished.
“Yes, well, anyway, the undead Jotunn will do. Give me a minute or two to locate an intact dragon skeleton.”
She closed her eyes, and I could sense power pulsing from her being. I imagined that when she’d been at the height of her powers, when she’d had dragons and her Dragon Sword, and tens of thousands of followers, she had to have been one of the most powerful deities who had ever existed; a queen of gods. Now, however, she needed to make way for a king of gods.
After a few moments she opened her eyes and pointed to the distant snow-capped mountains.
“Up there, among the highest peaks, frozen deep in a glacier, is a fully-intact dragon skeleton,” she said. “It will be difficult to get to, and I’m not yet sure how we’re going to extract it from a block of ice the size of a great castle. But without it, you cannot resurrect a dragon. We must travel to the glacier and extract that skeleton.”
I stared at the jagged white peaks in the far distance, like the serrated teeth of a primeval predator biting at the darkening sky. If that was where we needed to go, then that was where I’d be heading.
I turned around to address my party. “You all fought bravely today, and I know you gave this battle your all. Get yourselves a good night’s rest; at first light, we’re going to find those dragon bones!”
Chapter Two
“These are some of the highest peaks in the world!” Yumo-Rezu said to me, shouting over the howling blizzard. “There are places here where the snow hasn’t melted for tens of thousands of ye
ars!”
“And that fucking dragon just had to die all the way up here, huh?” I said, leaning into the buffeting wind and blasting snow.
“It’s precisely because the terrain is so inhospitable and remote that this skeleton has remained intact!” Yumo-Rezu said. “Every other dragon skeleton has been broken up and stripped by treasure hunters, with the pieces carried off to distant corners of the world.”
“This is true,” Friya said, also yelling over the tempest. “Dragonbone is worth a thousand times its weight in gold. A fully intact skeleton could literally be a king’s ransom!”
“How much further?” Rollar yelled. Frost and icicles had turned his huge beard white. Even he, Friya and Drok, who were accustomed to the snow, frost, and ice of the Northern Wastes, were having a tough time with the blizzard. Layna, Anna-Lucielle, Isu and Elyse, as well as the twin sisters, who weren’t used to such extreme weather, were having an even rougher time dealing with the snowstorm. It seemed to have started just as we’d begun our trek into the mountains. We’d been pushing on for most of the day, and had to have covered a great distance, but in the face of the worsening snowstorm it felt as if we weren’t making any progress at all.
“I don’t know!” I shouted. “Put your heads down and keep going! We aren’t stopping until we get to the skeleton!”
Because of the blizzard’s ferocity, using Talon to do some aerial scouting was out of the question. As strong a flier as the undead harpy was, the force of the wind was simply too much for her to handle. The only guide we had was Yumo-Rezu’s sixth sense, which she’d described to me as feeling like an iron filing being pulled by a lodestone.