I was nineteen. He was showing me the mysterious silver rod from Earth for the first time. It was then that he revealed to me he was once the High Prince of Ithnez. He had given up all claims to the throne for mom and me.
I was twenty-three. He sat at the dinner table, trying not to laugh as I paced before him. I was ranting about how mom drilled me on the day’s battle lessons over and over. That night, he took me out to dinner and treated me to my first pint of ale.
I was twenty-nine. His hair was just starting to gray at the temples. He sat with mom across the room from me, a grim look in his eyes. A Healer passed between us. Her words echoed over and over, “Your heart is failing.”
I was thirty-one. I gazed upon his peaceful face one last time. I cried as the lid of the ornate casket slowly closed.
The memories faded away like tendrils of smoke on a breeze. I blinked through tears, a bit shocked that I had not noticed I was crying. I wiped away the cooling trails they left behind and tried in vain to force myself under control.
A wry smile touched Djurdak’s lips. “She remembers now.”
I stifled a sob and ran for him. He threw his arms wide and caught me in a loving embrace. He kissed my forehead as I wept on his shoulder. I held him firmly, never wanting to let him go.
“I missed you, Daddy.”
His breath hitched and he held me tighter, whispering gently in my ear, “I missed you too, my princess.”
We lingered together in that embrace for a long while; neither of us wanting to end it. It was Abaddon who finally tore us apart with a snide remark on how pathetic we were being. I sent the ghostly dragon skittering across the floor with a silent spell for a second time. He snorted in amusement and laid down where he stood.
I glared at the dragon, angry that he interrupted the first moment I had with my father in centuries. I was about to say something about it when I spotted a strange, red light over the crest of spines on his back. The dragon noticed this, and situated himself to follow my gaze. The movement revealed to me the source of the light.
Between two chairs, a deformed quartz-like crystal sat atop a gold pedestal. It was as red as a cherry and seemed to glow from an inner source. I made a quick comparison on sizes, realizing that the crystal was only a hand’s breath taller than I. Within the depths of the quartz, I could I make out the shape of a twisted shadow. The shadow seemed to be the source of the light that I had spotted.
“Ah. That.” Abaddon grunted. I detected notes of sadness and disdain in his echoing tones. “That is Agasei.”
My jaw fell slack.
“More appropriately, it is what was left of him after your mother kicked his sorry ass.” Djurdak laughed.
“What is he doing here? I thought he would be locked up in a deeper area of Havel, where the rest of the evil souls are sent for punishment.”
Ríhan clicked his tongue as he strode towards the twisted crystal. He stopped several meters away, as if he were afraid to draw closer. “The evil souls get sent to the bottom of the falls, to a misery beneath the island housing Havel. They spend centuries being purged of their crimes. But those are all mortal men and women.”
“Agasei is immortal and kept alive by dragon power; the same as you and Amorez.” Djurdak said. “The Gods were unsure what to do with him, so they locked him up where someone could keep a constant vigil over him. I was the first of many to be chosen for the task.”
“Then you buried me here three centuries ago,” Abaddon sounded bitter about that decision, “and the Gods charged me with guarding him. I have yet to see Their wisdom in the decision.”
Djurdak snorted. “Same here.”
The dragon growled.
“Don’t get me wrong, Abaddon, we are glad to have you with us.” I could tell Djurdak was speaking honestly. “It is just confusing to have a former Shadow Dragon guard his former Keeper.”
“Why did you switch sides anyway?” I asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father wince. Ríhan shook his head, closing his eyes as the dragon furiously snarled.
“Am I not good enough for you, little girl?” Abaddon’s voice grew rough and his violet eyes flashed red as he shouted at me. “Would you rather have only eleven? I am sure it would make your quest so much easier on you!”
“That is not what I meant, Abaddon.” I kept my voice even, as to not infuriate him further. “I was simply wondering what influenced you to leave the Shadow Dragons.”
A sound like rolling thunder escaped the dragon’s throat. “Look at me closely, child. Tell me what you see.”
I blinked in surprise at the friendliness in his tone. Did his voice just change? I thought to myself as I did as he directed. As before, I saw a near-transparent, jet black dragon with a terrible scar on his right side. I shrugged. “I see you.”
“Look again.” He growled.
This time, I walked straight up to him and slowly studied every nook, every cranny, every scale, talon, fang, and spike. As my inspection traced the edges of his scar, the dragon took a breath. That is when I saw something was amiss. The violet flesh moved as he drew in air, but his transparent exterior remained the same. A moment later, the transparent portion of him took a shorter breath while the violet flesh remained still. I shot him a perplexed look and he seemed to smile.
“What exactly was that?”
He craned his neck until his enormous head was a mere hand’s breath above the floor. His violet eyes stared straight at me. “Were you told of Taypax?”
I said I had been told a brief history of his fate.
Abaddon nodded. “During the final battle between Shadow and Light, both he and I were mortally wounded. As we lay next to each other dying, we made a pact. Because I was ghost element, I could possess him and, with what little remained of what would be our combined strength, heal our wounds just enough to allow us both survive. In short, it guaranteed that we would both live on instead of fading into memory like my brothers, Felwind and Adoramus.”
His voice took on that strange, friendlier tone again as he continued. “The plan had been to stay in our combined body just long enough for our wounds to heal and then go our separate ways. We didn’t realize that, as our wounds healed, we became forever fused together as a single dragon. Well, almost a single dragon.” He made a sound like a laugh. “There are times when I am in control instead of Abaddon and vice versa.”
My jaw dropped. “You are both Taypax and Abaddon?”
“Yes.” The dragon’s voice echoed as if two had spoken at once.
His voice took on a deep, gruff tone as he continued the story. “When Taypax and I discovered we could not separate as planned, we approached Amorez. We told her of our plight, but neither she nor Thernu could do anything to help restore us to our original bodies.”
The friendlier voice, which I realized was actually Taypax, spoke now. “When Amorez revealed her plans for the Shadow Dragons, she gave Abaddon the option to join the Light. It made sense to me as I knew she did not want to punish one of her own for something we had not been a part of.”
They finished their story as one echoing voice. “The decision was an easy one to make, for neither of us wanted to be sealed beyond the Dragons’ Gate.”
“That is just amazing!” I exclaimed. “I can just imagine how crazy my teammates are going to react when they meet you two.”
“Their story is unique amongst the dragons.” Said my father as he walked up to me. “And I believe that they have the advantage over all the others.”
I nodded in agreement. “With their two minds occupying one body, they would have a better awareness on their surroundings. It would be very difficult for an enemy to get the drop on them.”
“I’ve always wanted to know, Abaddon,” Ríhan pricked the dragon’s attention, “how did the other dragons react when they learned of your fused body?”
“The Shadow were furious, especially after they learned I had decided to become Light.” He snorted as if dismissing their disapproval. “Light, on th
e other hand, were wary about a hidden motive. I had none, of course; I simply wanted to survive. Still, it took over a century for me to gain their trust. With Zenith, it took even longer.”
“Makes sense.” Djurdak nodded. “Zenith has always been very protective of his Keeper and kin.”
“Zenith is the last dragon I have to find, and then it’s off to face Dimitri.”
“Best not to dawdle then.” Said the voice of Taypax. “I know for a fact Zenith despises being kept waiting, so Abaddon and I can rush you back to the living world.”
“But…” I looked longingly at my father.
He smiled sadly. “I know, kiddo, but you can’t stay here forever.”
“Yeah, Xy,” Ríhan was suddenly next to me, draping an arm over my shoulders and smiling like a fool, “you still have to kick the bad guys’ butts, get married, have kids. You know, all the good things in life.”
“Do you think I can visit again sometime?”
“I can’t say for sure, but anything is possible.” My father said as he leaned in to kiss my forehead. I captured him in a hug and fought the urge to break down crying again.
“We’ll still be watching over you, Xy, just so you know.” Ríhan said as I drew him into a hug. Not trusting my voice, I merely nodded. I finally broke away from them and moved closer to Abaddon. I paused to look at them over my shoulder.
“I’ll miss you.” I choked out.
“We both will miss you, Xy.”
“I love you, my princess. And give your mother my love when you see her.”
I nodded.
With the final farewells behind us, I knew I could linger no more. I slowly reached out to touch Abaddon. My fingers passed through his transparent scales until they touched the fleshy surface beneath. I gave him the all clear. He uttered three words in Kinös Elda. In a heartbeat the world fell away and everything went black.
I sit here, atop a summit within the Eyes of the Ages, and I cannot help but feel as though I am at the very top of the world.
– FROM “THE DIARY OF AMOREZ” BY AMOREZ RENOAN
Kitfox stood leaning against the Temple’s golden gate, staring outwards into the receding night. The suns were just starting to rise. Their warming rays painted the sky a medley of colors and the white ruins of Arcadia reflected the iridescence almost like a mirror. Even the perpetual, rolling mist turned to rainbows in the light. As beautiful as the scene was, he found no comfort in it. For his mind was elsewhere occupied.
Over a day had passed since Xy ventured into Havel, guided along the Path of the Gods by Nahstipulí Herself. In her absence, the tight-knit team separated, almost until the three had resigned to their own comfortable state of solitude. He had tried – in vain, as it turned out – to keep them together and keep spirits up. Shazza sought no friendship or conversation as she sat in a constant vigil before the doorway Xy had disappeared through. Thera was slightly more open to his company, but most of her time was spent talking gibberish with her younger sister.
So Kitfox had vanished from the Temple for a while.
During his solo escapade, he explored the ruins and walked around the island. As he did so, he located the ten Dragons of Light. They were all together on a beach, sunning themselves or dozing. Even little Visler had made a nest for himself in the hot sands. They had all greeted him warmly, asking how he and the others were. He had sat in the sand and lounged against Kkaia’s foreleg as he told them what was happening between him, Shazza, and Thera. The dragons had told him not to let the incident bother him, for everyone needed some time alone once in a while.
Still, the situation did not sit well with the Fox Demon. He feared that this ‘alone time’ might prove to be the team’s downfall. Especially if Vincent and what remained of his battalion were to mount a counterstrike against them. The dragons had only then told him that all of Dimitri’s forces – Wyrd and Nightshade included – had retreated from the island. They suspected they were planning on regrouping with the main army back in Bakari-Tokai. Kitfox had suddenly wished to be a fly on the wall when Vincent reported his failure to Dimitri.
The dragons did not want to be flies.
The remainder of that day had been spent on the beach with the dragons. He had talked and dozed with them until the day was old. Hungry, but not eager to return to the dreariness of the Temple for a meal of dry bread and jerky, Kitfox had decided to fish. He had completely disrobed and dove into the sea. That had turned out to be a huge mistake. Not minutes after he surfaced with his first two fish, Shazza strode from the trees. When she realized he was naked, she froze and went wide-eyed. After an embarrassing few moments of awkwardness, she turned around long enough for him to don his trousers. After that, she refused to look at him as she told him about something in regards to guard duty that night. He hadn’t paid attention.
As she spoke, Kitfox could have sworn he saw the ghost of a blush on her cheeks. The dragons could not figure out what had gotten into her to make her behave so strangely. Kitfox had not been in the mood to explain it to them. He had finished fishing – this time with his trousers still on – and hauled his catch back to the Temple to share with the others.
Kitfox sighed and folded his arms across his chest. He was in such a somber mood he barely notice his clawed fingers tracing the glyphs that formed the tattoos circling his biceps. Xy had asked him once what the scrolling letters meant. He couldn’t read the language himself, but knew what each word stood for: Protect, Guide, Honor, Love; the four virtues he vowed to live by when he joined Tahda’varett. And each of those virtues had come into play several times since starting this quest. He had guided those who had quickly become his closest friends, proven himself to be an honorable ally, and sacrificed himself to protect the one he loved. He wouldn’t be surprised if his guild promoted him to Alpha upon his return home to Zadún… If he ever returned home.
He sighed again and dropped his arms to his sides. He shook his head to clear it of the dark thoughts and once again wished for Xy to return. He longed for her company and her touch, her smile, even her laugh. He knew that she had no choice but to complete the task of acquiring Abaddon alone, but he worried about her. The thought of her in danger was eating away at him and nothing anyone said to the contrary cheered him up.
Something rustled behind him. His ear twitched at the sound. Light footsteps approached.
“Yes, Thera?” He said without looking behind him. The footsteps faltered for the briefest of moments.
“How did you know it was me?” Thera whispered.
He chuckled and swiveled his ears back and forth. “You have the second-softest footsteps out of the group. And the rustling of wings was a dead giveaway.”
“Ah.” She stopped beside him.
The two of them stood side by side, silently watching the painted sky lighten to a pale blue. Kitfox kept his ears swiveling, catching the sounds of waking creatures. A mouse skittered around the rocks, probably looking for food. A few of the heartier insects who did not suffer from the winter chill buzzed about. Several types of birds chirped as they bobbed along the branches of the alabaster trees. It was a strange melody, but one that managed to relax Kitfox’s nerves some. He yawned.
“You should get some rest.” Thera said quietly. “You haven’t slept since Xy left.”
“Yeah.” He muttered. “I’m just so worried about her that I don’t know if I can get my mind to be quiet long enough to sleep any.”
“I could use a spell to help you.”
“No, thanks.” He flashed a smirk as he turned into the Temple. “I’d hate to sleep through her return, too.”
Thera smiled knowingly as she watched the Demon retreat further into the Temple. He padded silently to the opposite wall and sat beside the doorway. He crossed his arms as he reclined against the wall. He let his eyes close, and a moment later, he was still.
Kitfox cracked an eye open after he was certain Thera was no longer looking at him. He sighed and looked sidelong at the doorway to Havel. “Co
me back soon, Xy.”
The final days of the quest were the hardest. Each one of us knew that, pretty soon, we would be facing an enemy that had so far proven to be unbeatable. Trying to keep our spirits up with that fact bearing down on us proved to be the toughest challenge of the Dragon Quest.
– FROM “THE DIARY OF AMOREZ” BY AMOREZ RENOAN
My stomach lurched as I twisted in the black void Abaddon had pulled me into. I felt like a leaf that had been thrown into white water rapids; spinning, twisting, tumbling, turning. I could not distinguish up from down or left from right. Everything was numb, backwards; alien. Only one thing was certain: the blackness.
A split second later everything went solid again and the dizzying spiral finally stopped. If not for a steadying hand on Abaddon, I probably would have fallen over.
“We have arrived in the Realm of the Living, young one.” The echoing voice of Abaddon declared. “You can open your eyes now.”
I waited a bit for the sick feeling in my stomach to recede. Only then did I dare to open my eyes. Abaddon was beside me, staring off into the distance as if something was calling him. We were standing in an overgrown, rectangular field. The sea crashed against the rocks behind us, spraying us with icy water that made me shiver. As I looked at the white ruins all around us, I realized then that we were about an hour’s walk away from the Temple.
“How did you get us all the way over here?”
The dragon snorted. “I used a warp spell.”
“I wasn’t aware dragons could use magic like that.”
“I believe Abaddon and I are the only ones who are able to use magic of likes which you witnessed.” Said the voice of Taypax. “I am not sure how this came to be, or if any of the other dragons now have the ability.”
“I doubt it.” Abaddon growled.
Culmination Page 26