The Darkness of Old; The Ancient Crown; The Winged One
Page 38
“So…” I said, breaking the silence first. “What do we do now?”
Epilogue
4 months later.
“There’s also that matter of rebuilding Zundif, my liege,” said Septimus.
“I told you to stop calling me that,” I groaned, running my fingers over my face. Septimus was the red dragon that had first believed in me back at the battle of Chundar. He turned out to be a great administrator, and I had hired him to help me manage Ra’Chok and the Dar’Ka.
“Of course, Your Highness,” bowed Septimus.
“That’s not exactly better,” I mumbled, shifting uncomfortably on the throne. I had meant to get this thing replaced, but I felt like it would be a bad PR move to spend a bunch of quat on renovating the castle before I finished rebuilding the parts of Ra’Chok that Ulrich had destroyed. “Let’s use the same crew we used in Hu’Qua for Zundif. They were quick and didn’t overcharge us nearly as much as everyone else tried to.”
“Shall I order the other builders to be executed?” offered the red dragon.
“No!” I shouted. “How many times do I need to tell you we don’t execute people, especially for minor annoyances?!”
“Sorry, sir,” said Septimus, writing down what I said. “Old habits.”
“I thought I heard yelling.”
Cassandra appeared in the doorway and smiled at us.
“Sorry if we woke you,” I said, shaking my head. “Septimus was trying to kill people again.”
“Maha! That sounds like him,” said Dhot, poking out from behind the elf.
“You can go now, Septimus,” I said.
“Yes, my liege,” he replied with a bow. I didn’t bother correcting him as he left.
“He keeps talking like that and you’re gonna have an even bigger head,” said Dhot, sitting down on his throne next to mine. “It’ll be like you’re wearing that mask permanently.”
I was thankful that wasn’t going to be the case. The Great Oracle’s mask had popped off when I changed back into a human, meaning I wouldn’t always be so massive whenever I decided to change into my half dragon form. With Ulrich out of the picture, I hoped it would be a long time before I needed to bring that mask out again.
Cassandra sat down in her throne on the other side of me, placing her hand over mine. My heart skipped a beat and I smiled at her. After things had calmed down and we found out I’d probably need to stay in Chundar, Cassandra had agreed to stay with me. Dhot and Braun apparently overheard me asking her and assumed they were invited, too. Not that I wasn’t glad they wanted to stay, just it had been a bit different with her. Things were going slowly between me and her, but well. It wasn’t like either of us were going anywhere anytime soon.
“To think this all started from bumping into you in the Swamp of Aiden,” I said. It wasn’t always pleasant, but there were some good times.
“You didn’t bump into me,” she said. “I bumped into you. You were caught up in a vine, remember?”
“Oh, yeah…”
“Anyway, I thought you’d like to know we had a visitor.”
“We do?” I asked, sitting up straight and adjusting Ludek’s crown. “It’s not Kiera again, is it? I don’t exactly know how to explain… you know…”
“Thankfully, no,” said Cassandra, apparently not liking the sound of that either.
An old man jumped into the doorway, dressed in a long gray robe. “Surprise!”
“The Great Oracle!” I smiled. It quickly disappeared and was replaced by a scowl as I leaned forward. I pulled the green dragon mask out from the side of the throne and thrusted it out toward him. “What was the big idea with not telling me about this?!”
“What about it?” asked the Great Oracle, tilting his head to the side.
“And where’s Braun?” asked Cassandra.
“H-He… He ran… He ran past me!” huffed Braun, finally making it up the stairs. “Blasted old man is… is fast!”
“Maha!”
“You never told me this could make my half dragon form even stronger!” I said, continuing to address the Great Oracle and Braun hurried over to his throne next to Cassandra. “I could’ve used it loads more!”
“Huh,” said the old man, crossing his arms. “I assumed you knew and didn’t want to use it until you absolutely had to.”
“Why would I-”
“We’re so glad to see you again,” said Cassandra, squeezing my hand tightly to get me to stop talking. “What brings you out here?”
“I thought about talking to Reimar in another dream, but decided to come speak to you all in person,” smiled the Great Oracle. “I wanted to say thank you. Not only did you save Yaerna from a terrible fate, but you kept me alive as well. I’ve already moved into my new place and it’s quite lovely. Roxbury sends his love, too.”
“We couldn’t have done it without ya,” said Dhot. “It was like having the teacher give us all the right answers before the test!”
“Not so,” said the Great Oracle, shaking his head. “The four of you had to play your part and risk sacrificing your lives. There were times I worried my prophecy was wrong, but it’s clear that you really are the Winged One and his friends.”
“I’m glad we could prove you right,” I smirked.
“More than right,” said the old man. “I also come bringing news from The Republic of Hur. It’s looking like the bill to allow the black and reds safe passage into their land will pass, and is being championed by Laurinaitis himself.”
“Wouldn’t have expected that!” said Braun.
“Definitely not,” I agreed. It was surprising to see how much Laurinaitis had changed from years earlier. Granted, he probably felt the same way about me. For all the horrible things that came out of this war, at least some of it was good.
Septimus poked his head out from the doorway. “Lunch is ready whenever you are all available, Your Highness.”
“You make them call you that?” asked the Great Oracle.
“Of course not,” I sighed. “Would you like to join us for lunch? You can feel free to stay as long you’d like. We’ve got plenty of rooms.”
“I just may take you up on that.”
I wasn’t sure how long I’d handle ruling over Ra’Chok and the Dar’Ka, but things hadn’t been going as painful as I imagined it would. I wouldn’t be able to step down until the black and red dragons were fully allowed back to the mainland, or else we’d risk someone ruining everything we had fought for. Being in charge had its perks, though. I wasn’t in constant fear for my life, although maybe I should be. I always had a place inside to sleep.
Most importantly, though, I got to lead with my friends.
The End.
Looking for more by Hans Bezdek?
A corrupt tyrant with untold power is gaining ground. Linsuk's biggest hope may hinge on an elf's lie...
Rumor has it that Lord Kutarm, a tyrant from the other side of Linsuk, wields an Arcane Staff and is searching for the other ones. Knowing the location of one of these powerful weapons, Zeke and his new companion agree to head north and steal it before Kutarm learns its whereabouts.
Check out The Elf Thief! - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BY8T9B3/
The Arcane Staff Trilogy:
The Elf Thief (Book 1)
Released April 2018
Lost Citadel (Book 2)
Released May 2018
Final Barrier (Book 3)
Released June 2018
The Half Dragon of Yaerna Series:
Tumbler Short
The Ilkas Diamond Job (Book 0)
Released February 2018
The Gathering Arc
The Shattered Sword (Book 1)
Released December 2017
The Time Shield (Book 2)
Released January 2018
Grimkell's Mace (Book 3)
Released January 2018
The Heralding Arc
Durnskeep (Book 4)
Released March 2018
Ravendale (
Book 5)
Released July 2018
Aelric (Book 6)
Released July 2018
Second Dragon War Arc
Darkness of Old (Book 7)
Released August 2018
The Ancient Crown (Book 8)
Released November 2018
The Winged One (Book 9)
Released December 2018
For a FREE copy of the prequel novella The Half Dragon of Yaerna: The Ilkas Diamond come subscribe to my mailing list at http://eepurl.com/dfZmfP