“You are far younger than I expected,” Leonidas said. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me? Decades of work imperiled. One of my most trusted allies killed.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t have tried to take over the world.” Yaz took a step closer. “Perhaps you shouldn’t have attacked my village. Perhaps you shouldn’t have sold my people into slavery. Perhaps you shouldn’t have handed my father over to lunatic cultists who spent months torturing him before killing him before my eyes. Perhaps you shouldn’t have locked my mother in a tower in the mountains, alone in the dark. For any of those crimes I would have opposed you. For the last two, I’m going to rip you to pieces and feed you to the giant dragon outside.”
Leonidas stared at him with sudden understanding. He threw back his head and laughed. “You’re from that ragged little village that sprang up around the first dragonspire. Unbelievable.”
Yaz had had enough talk. He threw his hands forward and sent a stream of dark magic at Leonidas’s head.
His blast struck a crimson shield. He kept pouring on the power, but somehow Leonidas was able to push him back.
When Yaz finally ended his attack, Leonidas said, “Don’t think this battle is going to go like our first encounter. You think you trapped me here, but it was I that lured you in. With the tower’s magic to draw on, I have an unlimited supply of energy. Can you say the same?”
There was a flash of crimson.
Yaz barely raised a shield in time to turn it aside. As the assault continued, he asked as quietly as possible, “Do I have an unlimited energy supply?”
No energy source is unlimited, including his, despite what he says. Your limit lies in how much of my power you can channel without burning out your mortal body. How much that is, I can’t say.
That was a useless reply.
The pressure on his shield vanished and Yaz risked a look around it. The moment he did, a ruby ray nearly decapitated him.
Power on power was a losing plan. He needed to think laterally. Outsmart his opponent.
“Are you just going to hide behind that shield, boy, or are you going to come out and fight?”
“If you’re so damn strong, let’s see you knock it down.”
“Arrogant pup!”
The first pulse of Leonidas’s renewed assault nearly broke through.
Yaz recovered quickly, strengthening his shield. It felt like fighting the dragon. He could manage a draw, but not a win.
He nearly slapped his forehead. The answer to his problem was sitting on the throne. If he could free Ariel, the two of them could defeat this guy no problem. The trick was getting that crown off her head without Leonidas noticing.
Yaz grinned. He had an idea how to do that.
Yaz flew towards the tower and Moz lost sight of him. They were on their own.
“That’s it,” Silas said. “I’m drained.”
Everyone’s weapons sparked with electricity. And not a moment too soon. Shadowy claws tore Yaz’s wall to wisps. An instant later the wights surged forward.
Moz’s blade sliced through one of the wights, blasting it to pieces. With the enchantment added, he had no trouble destroying the creatures, but there seemed to be no end to them. He didn’t even bother to try and keep track of how many he killed, assuming they were even alive. For every one that burst into a chill, black mist, two more emerged from the tower’s shadow.
They needed to find Rondo and his friends. They had to be maintaining the shadow portal. This battle would never end until they were dealt with.
Moz spun and slashed through a wight sneaking up on Callie’s flank. “Can any of the bards find the wizard that opened that portal?”
“I doubt it. If they’re out in the open, Tonia might spot them from the air, but other than that I don’t know.”
Moz double slashed through a pair of wights and found himself with a moment to breathe. No way would the enemy be somewhere out in the open. They needed magic to find them and the only wizard left was Silas. Hopefully the kid had his strength back. They were going to need it.
“You good?” Moz asked.
“Yeah.” Callie had always had a knack with the sword, for a bard anyway.
He clapped her on the shoulder and went to find Silas. Even in the chaos of battle it was easy to spot him. Helena and Brigid stood on either side of the wizard, protecting him from any wight that got close. As for Silas himself, he knelt, head bowed, like a man that had run a dozen miles.
Helena and Brigid knew how to use their staves. As Moz approached, more than one wight turned aside to find easier prey.
The moment he got close Helena asked, “How do we stop them?”
“We need to find the wizard that opened the shadow gate,” Silas answered for him. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Moz said. “Are you up to it?”
Silas’s smile was bitter. “Do I have a choice?”
Moz didn’t bother answering as Silas had already pulled a black amulet out from the folds of his tunic and begun to cast. Dark energy gathered around the amulet as he muttered in a language that sent chills up Moz’s spine.
Whatever Silas was doing, the wights didn’t like it. Every one of the monsters within fifty feet turned their way. He and the ladies shifted to form a triangle around Silas. If anything happened to him, they were in real trouble.
Moz slashed and stabbed, vaporizing any wights that got close. To his left and right the snap and crackle of the enchanted quarterstaffs told him Brigid and Helena were doing the same.
“I have them,” Silas said after what seemed a long wait. “Three life signs too far away to be of any use.”
“Where?” Moz asked between slashes.
Silas pointed toward the opposite side of the tower. “About a hundred and fifty yards that way.”
As quick as they’d attacked, the wights broke off and scattered. Silas straightened, his amulet tucked out of sight again. With the magic that had attracted them ended, the wights seemed content to look for others to kill. Moz couldn’t make up his mind if the creatures were intelligent or acted on instinct.
Moz took a moment to study the battlefield. His people were holding their own for the moment. Still, he didn’t dare call for reinforcements. They’d need every sword to hold off the wights.
“You three up for a fight?” Moz asked.
Silas blew out a long sigh. “I’m good for one more spell, maybe two.
Helena and Brigid just nodded, looking grim.
Moz set out toward the far side of the tower. An occasional wight made a run at them and he slashed it out of existence. At least the fire had burned itself out so he had one less thing to worry about.
“Where exactly are they?” Moz asked.
“I’ll know when we get close,” Silas said. “Opening that portal is strong magic. I’ll be able to sense the source.”
Moz asked no more questions. He had to trust that the kid knew what he was doing. It grew ever darker as twilight gave way to true night. He was about to say something when Silas’s pet skull burst into light. The dull glow wasn’t terribly bright, but it was enough to allow them to navigate around fallen stones and heaps of rubble.
“That building.” Silas pointed out a single-story stone structure about twenty yards ahead.
There was nothing about it to indicate anything magical was going on inside. He gave the young wizard a quick look, shrugged, and moved closer. When they got nearer it became clear that the building had a brand-new door made of heavy timbers and iron. This was definitely a place the Dark Sages had been using. His confidence in Silas rose a notch.
The question now was, how did they get in? That door would stop a small battering ram.
Without a word Silas pulled out the black amulet again and began murmuring. A dark mist flew from him toward the door. In seconds the wood rotted and the hinges rusted.
Three figures were revealed inside, Rondo, Domina, and the strange wizard who was seated in the
center of a magic circle that glowed with purple light. That had to be the source of the portal.
“Die, fools!” Domina pulled a vial from her satchel.
Before she could throw it, Helena hurled her staff like a javelin, striking the vial and shattering it.
Domina screamed as her right hand dissolved.
Moz and Brigid charged.
He went for the alchemist and she went after Rondo who had drawn a plain arming sword which he held like it was a snake that might turn and bite him.
Moz cross slashed at Domina’s throat, hoping to end the battle with his first strike.
She scrambled back, hissing in pain. “You’ll pay for that.”
He didn’t give her a chance to pull any more of her nasty concoctions. Instead he attacked in a nonstop barrage that forced her constantly back. There was only about twenty feet to each side of the building. Soon enough she’d have nowhere else to run.
She seemed to know it too. With a scream of inarticulate rage, she leapt at Moz.
He thrust with both blades, running her through the chest. Before he could free his weapons, she dipped into her satchel and snarled a bloody snarl.
“We die together.” In her hand she held a vial filled with crimson liquid.
An instant later Helena slapped it away to shatter against the far wall. The vial exploded on impact, blowing the wall out and sending bits of glass and gravel everywhere.
Helena and Domina glared at each other until the latter let out a long breath and died.
Moz hurled the corpse aside and turned to find Brigid standing over Rondo. Blood ran down his face, but he was still breathing.
All eyes turned to the wizard inside the magic circle. Moz drew a throwing dagger and hurled it at the man. The blade hit an invisible barrier and clattered to the floor.
“That would have been too easy,” he muttered. “Silas?”
The wizard sat facing his counterpart. “He’s strong. I won’t be able to open a gap for more than a few seconds.”
“That’s all I need,” Moz said.
“Guys?” Brigid had left the unconscious Rondo and moved to the doorway. “We’ve got company coming.”
Silas turned to look but Moz waved him back. “We’ll deal with whatever’s on its way. You just focus on getting that barrier down.”
He nodded and pulled out his black amulet.
Moz ran to the doorway and looked out. A horde of wights was heading their way. All he could make out were their glowing red eyes, but there were a lot of them.
“Can we hold the entrance?” Brigid asked.
“Wights can pass right through the walls,” Helena said. “We need to form a triangle around Silas.”
“My thinking exactly.” Moz took up position right next to the barrier.
Helena and Brigid formed the other two points of the triangle. Hopefully it wouldn’t take Silas long to bring down the barrier.
That was Moz’s last thought before the first wight slid through the wall. He slashed it to nothingness.
From that moment he had no time to do anything but hack apart anything black that got close. His arms felt like lead. His swords like crowbars.
At least the ladies seemed to be holding up. Their staves spun and thrust, destroying wights by the dozen.
Moz’s hair stood on end.
Powerful magic was gathering.
“Now!” Silas shouted.
Moz spun and thrust straight through a wight and into the enemy wizard’s chest. He collapsed and the magic circle vanished.
The wights, unfortunately, kept coming.
“What went wrong?” Moz asked as he scrambled to recover and resume the attack.
Silas lay unconscious on the ground.
Helena answered for him. “The portal may have closed, but plenty of wights had already made it through. We just need to hold on for a little longer.”
Moz hurried to take his place guarding Silas. He dearly hoped Helena knew what she was talking about and wasn’t just guessing.
After a few seconds, Yaz figured out exactly how much power he needed to maintain his shield. Through the raging magic, he could barely see Leonidas, both hands raised, a snarl twisting his features. He was clearly giving it everything he had, including every drop of focus.
Perfect. This was the moment Yaz had been waiting for. He conjured a thin tendril of dark energy and sent it like a snake slithering along the floor toward the throne. It climbed a leg and worked its way across the arm.
So far so good.
“Argh!” Leonidas roared and sent an even greater assault at Yaz.
His shield cracked.
He couldn’t strengthen it without using the magic he’d summoned to free Ariel.
He’d have to gamble.
Yaz let his shield crumble and dove out of the way of the incoming energy.
“You’re beaten!” Leonidas shouted.
Yaz twitched his finger and yanked the crown off Ariel’s head.
She blinked and slowly turned to face Leonidas. “You! You made me kill people! Destroy cities! I hate you!”
Leonidas sent a crimson blast at her.
Yaz conjured a barrier, turning it aside.
The side of the throne room exploded as the black dragon smashed her way in.
“Eat him! Tear the tower down!” Ariel screamed.
Leonidas appeared to have totally forgotten about Yaz as he conjured a shield to keep teeth as long as swords from turning him into ground meat.
The dragon snapped him up, but the shield held.
Her head shook like a terrier with a rat as she tried to break his shield.
If there was anyone that deserved to be eaten whole it was Leonidas. Yaz sent a blast of dark energy at him.
All his power was focused toward the dragon. Yaz’s attack smashed through the rear of his shield, wrapped around his right hand, and ripped the Black Ring off, finger and all.
The instant it cleared his hand, the dragon snapped her jaw shut and swallowed him. Ariel stared in fury. Clearly just killing her captor wasn’t enough.
Protect the empress.
Yaz frowned. That wasn’t the presence’s voice. He turned to find the black dragon staring right at him.
I must obey her and tear down the tower, but I would not see her harmed.
“Okay.”
He ran over to the little girl, wrapped them both in a dark bubble, and flew straight up and out the roof. Once they were clear he opened a gap so they could watch the dragon smashing the dragonspire to rubble. Yaz shifted his gaze.
The bards and rangers were gathered a safe distance away. He did a quick count and found everyone present. Thank the gods. If they’d lost someone to falling debris after winning the war, it would have been too horrible to think about.
“You should have left me,” Ariel said.
Yaz looked down at her. “Why? You would have gotten smashed.”
“I wanted to die. I’m a monster. I heard that bad man talking with his friends. I’m not even human. I hurt people. Everyone would be better off if I was dead.”
“I’m not totally human either,” Yaz said. “I was made as a weapon to kill Leonidas. But that’s not all I am. And it’s not all you are. We can be whatever we want. Leonidas won’t be able to control you now. The crown is nothing but a twisted piece of metal under all that rock. You’re free.”
“For now. How long until someone else decides to use me to hurt people?”
“You know, we monsters need to stick together. How would you like to live with me? I’ll keep anyone from bothering you. Plus, I know some really nice dragons I’m sure would like to meet you. Moz and Callie and my friends are waiting for us. Shall we go see how they’re doing?”
“Moz is here?” She sounded so excited he smiled.
“Yup. Everyone came to save you. If anything had happened to you, they all would have been sad. So no more talk about dying, okay?”
“Okay. I want to see Moz.”
“Sur
e.” Yaz began to descend.
Thank you for saving her. I knew what she wanted but was powerless to refuse her command. She will be safe with you. Take care of her. I will be nearby if there’s trouble, but my end draws near. I entrust her to you.
There was a rush of wind as the dragon flew away. Yaz swallowed a sigh. Taking care of the most powerful and dangerous little girl on the planet. How hard could that be?
As they landed, he pocketed the Black Ring. He’d have to find someplace safe to keep it.
“Yaz!” Brigid ran up and leapt into his arms.
It was an awkward dance as she was taller than him, but he managed to swing her around once before setting her down again.
“Are you okay?” they both asked at the same time.
They laughed. He spotted his mother watching from a few feet away, a contented little smile on her face.
Ariel had run over to Moz and the ranger swung her up on his shoulder. The white hummingbird dragon settled beside her.
Yaz nearly collapsed with relief.
It was over at last.
Epilogue
The cold air blew through Yaz’s hair as the black dragon soared towards Dragonspire Village. Riding a dragon turned out to be every bit as exhilarating as he’d ever hoped. The power of her muscles as her wings beat the air, the smoothness of her scales, it was an amazing feeling, even for someone who could already fly on his own.
There was a hint of spring in the still, brisk morning air. Maybe they’d have an early thaw this year. The gods knew it would be welcome. Ariel was seated ahead of him. Together they’d traveled to the other towers and set the dragons guarding them free of their duty. All that remained was to release Soto and the others.
Brigid, his mother, and Silas were approaching by wagon and should arrive a few minutes after them. Yaz wanted to make sure Soto and her companions were calm before anyone else showed up.
“This is nice.” Ariel looked back at him with a big smile.
He gave her a pat on the head. She was a sweet kid. Happily, she seemed to have gotten over wanting to hurt herself fairly quick. Maybe something resembling a normal life would help her settle down completely.
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