Each time the lightning crackled, I could see different parts of the Grand Capitol. As the intelligence reports said, the outer wall had sustained massive damage from Dimitri’s attack. The once black marble stone had been replaced with another material that looked like dull grey mud. Six of the twelve Shadow Dragons sat perched on the battlements. Beneath them, soldiers scurried to complete whatever tasks they had. I could not help but wonder where the other six dragons were lurking.
Just outside the wall, the fields were in shambles. Several farmers’ buildings lay in ruins and great portions of the streets had been reduced to gaping craters. I could barely see the shadows of soldier and citizen alike hunkering down for the night in whatever shelter they could find. It was a miserable existence.
In the heart of the city, the black palace stood proudly amidst the rubble. It, too, had sustained damage during Dimitri’s takeover. A large portion of the southern wing lay in rubble amidst the gardens. The palace was surrounded by a wall of black marble as well. Unlike the outer wall, this one appeared undamaged, save a gap in the top stones where a portion of the damaged wing had fallen.
Less than a quarter league separated the Army of Light and the outer most wall of the city. It was all flat land ahead; easily traversed even if soaked by the approaching storm. According to plan agreed upon by the generals, we would be upon the city before the suns rose. The soldiers were advised to rest well this night, but I could almost drink their unease. They, like me, would find little rest tonight.
“You should say something to everyone before the final trek into battle.” Zenith spoke so suddenly that I startled.
After a moment to recover, I replied, “What am I supposed to say to them?”
“Something moving to motivate them.”
“Have you ever tried to ‘move’ a Dákun Daju?” I laughed. “Not exactly an easy thing to do.”
“If there is one person alive today who can manage the feat,” the dragon snaked his head about to look me in the eye, “it is you.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Zenith, but I don’t have a clue what I would say.”
The dragon chuckled. “I am certain you will think of something, little one.”
“Eavesdropping on the future again?” I teased. Zenith merely hummed as he returned to his full height. I watched him stare off into the distance for some time. As I did so, I could not help but wonder what was going through his mind at that moment. Was the dragon as worried about the future of the world as I was? I found that unlikely. Zenith was the seer of seers after all. He knew everything about the past, the present, and the future. If something terrible was going to happen in the battle ahead, he would have said something.
At least, I think he would have said something.
“You should focus more on what you are going to say to the troops in the morning,” Muttered Zenith, “and less on what I am thinking.”
I gaped at him.
“And no, I did not hear your thoughts. I merely listened to what you said, just moments before you put your thoughts to words.”
“I am not surprised.” I said with a roll of my eyes. “You have always spied on the future, but you never really speak of the things you witness.”
The dragon chuckled and lay down. “I do not wish to alter the course of history by revealing the events I witness, whether they good or bad.”
I walked over to Zenith and sat on one of his giant forepaws. I marveled at the silver-brushed, sapphire scales as I took a moment to order my thoughts. Finally, I said to the dragon, “What do you see when you look into tomorrow?”
“You wish for me to reveal to you the results of the war? You know I cannot do that.”
“That’s not what I meant, Zenith.” I said, shaking my head. “I just want to know if you see any happiness.”
“Why do you want to know such a silly thing, young one?”
“Because I…” my voice hitched as I fought the urge to cry, “I’m terrified. If I am to go into battle, I at least want to know that whatever happens, there will be happiness in the future. That alone will give me hope.”
Zenith was quiet for a long moment. Slowly, he lowered his head so that I could see his beautiful eyes. I could see a sadness in them, as if he was upset that I was so scared. His ruby tongue snaked out to kiss away the tears that had rolled down my cheek. At long last, he spoke. “There will be much happiness, little one.”
I reached out to hug his snout, whispering ‘thank you’s as I took comfort in his words.
◆◆◆
The eastern sky had just begun to lighten. Dawn would soon be here. The call to arms had come at last.
With a sigh, I forced myself to stand up from Zenith’s forepaw. As I stretched and loosened muscles, I listened to the sounds behind me. The generals were rousing their individual battalions and calling them into formation. It would not be long before the entire army was assembled and ready to head out.
I decided it was time to face the inevitable and gather my friends. With a farewell pat on the dragon’s foreleg, I made my way into the camp. As I wove my way through the people and tents, I made sure to keep my head up and smile at passer-bys. I wanted to relay confidence to those who gazed upon me and let them know that, even though I was scared, I believed we could do this. We could win.
I found Kitfox in conference with Freya and Amorez. Upon seeing me, they uttered good mornings. I took Kitfox’s hand in mine as I returned the greetings.
“Are you ready?” Asked Amorez.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She merely nodded in response.
“Be careful today, okay?” Freya said as she captured me in a tight embrace. I returned it with equal enthusiasm.
“You, too.”
With that, we parted ways; the older warriors going off to gather their team while Kitfox and I went in search of ours.
Kitfox and I found Thera standing at the edge of a group of Feykin with her mother and sister. They exchanged a fond farewell. Then Thera joined us in the search for Shazza and Kkorian. We found the duo ready and waiting in the heart of the camp. The pair of them calmly made their way over to us. With my entire team finally back together, I felt more confident than I had the night before.
Without a word, I moved to the absolute center of the campgrounds. Once there, I uttered a string of Kinös Elda and a mound of dirt rose at my command. When I deemed the height of the mound descent enough for what I was about to do, I canceled the spell. With a deep breath, I cast a spell to amplify my voice. Then I spoke, loudly and clearly for all to hear.
“I call upon you; all of you! Hume. Feykin. Dákun Daju. Demon. Wakari. Grant me a few moments.” Countless soldiers paused in their tasks to heed my words. Some of them even moved to gather around the mound I had created. I made sure to look each one in the eye. When a giant crowd had gathered before me, I continued. “We all face a difficult time now, but we have cause to be joyous. For the first time in nearly five centuries, the entire world is united in friendship. The racism that had been plaguing our planet longer than anyone here can remember has finally been put to rest. Today, and in the days to come, we are all one race. We are Ithnezians. Let us pray that the battle to come will forever fuse the friendships we have made. For right now, in our darkest hour, we have found the light.”
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
I smiled and hopped down from the mound of earth. Many of the warriors clapped me on the arms as I made my way to my friends. Kitfox, Thera, Shazza, Kkorian, and I gathered in a circle. The rush of soldiers around us was forgotten for a moment.
“You guys ready to do this?” I asked as I met each of their gazes. Though their faces remained stoic masks as they answered, I could read the uncertainty and fear in their eyes and the tension in their bodies. They were as apprehensive about the battle as I was. I forced myself to smile, hoping it would ease their worries. “We can do it. Together.”
Shazza called my name and I looked to her. She to
ok a deep breath and crossed her right hand over her chest. A moment later she exposed her throat. It was a gesture of the highest honor, and one that I had never expected from the Dákun Daju. Slowly, she lowered her gaze to me. “It has been an honor to live and fight at your side. May we meet again in the face of victory.”
“We will meet again, my friend,” I affirmed with a smile, “and victory will be ours.”
Kitfox extended his hand outwards, to the center of our circle. “To peace.” He said.
Thera quickly put her hand over his and smiled. “To family.”
Kkorian mirrored them, resting his hand firmly on Thera’s. “To friends.”
Shazza followed suit, surprising us all with her words, “To love.”
I smiled as I rested my hand at the top of theirs. “To a world united.”
◆◆◆
I fiddled with the riding straps for probably the hundredth time. From my place astride Zenith, I watched as the Army of Light made their way across the fields. They moved silently in the predawn light, trying not to draw attention from the tower guards or the Shadow Dragons stationed on the battlements. They had made sure to pad their weapons and armor with cloth very well to reduce the noise. So far, it appeared to be working in our favor. In mere moments, everyone would be in position and the battle to decide the fate of the world would begin.
I adjusted the straps again and quickly ran through the plan in my head. Once the battalions were in place, my team, my dragons, and I would take flight and lead the charge through the wall and into the heart of Bakari-Tokai. After that, it was our duty to keep the Shadow Dragons occupied until the city was ours.
Sure, it sounded simple enough.
But I knew better. Nothing ever goes according to plan. And Bakari-Tokai would not be easy to take. So I mentally prepared myself for the worst and prayed that it did not come to be.
“Get ready, little ones.” Zenith announced.
I drew in a deep breath and gripped the saddle harder, preparing for the rapid take off that was sure to happen. I looked left, to Kitfox and Thera, then right, to Shazza and Kkorian. They were as tense as hardened steel; any more pressure and they might snap.
I felt Zenith tense.
His talons dug into the earth.
A low rumble of a growl escaped him.
I exhaled slowly.
This is it. Please, Gods, let us get through this.
“Now!” Zenith lurched forward, roughly jarring me in the saddle despite my readiness. The other dragons were right behind him, heads and tails low; streamlined. They bound over the land like a flock of birds as they spread their wings wide. Within seconds all of them were airborne in tight formation just meters off the ground.
The dragons divided into four wings of three and two of the wings pulled ahead of the others, then around to attack from the west. They streaked silently through the sky towards the sleeping Bakari-Tokai. Within seconds they passed over the waiting army and a few soldiers ducked in response to the dragons’ low flight path.
Meters away from the western side of the outermost wall of the city, Zenith reared. I felt as if I was going to slip out of the saddle as he pulled a vertical barrel roll. As he did so, I caught a glimpse of Nightshade before she vanished into the shadows. She looked both amazed and furious that we were able to sneak our way up to the city without their notice.
Well over the western gate of the city, Zenith flared his massive wings and seemed to hang in the air. Nexxa was at his side a heartbeat later. He loosed a magnificent bellow, which was echoed by the other dragons, and flapped his wings once. Nexxa was his mirror image. In an instant a mass of crackling blue energy and another of green shot out and slammed into the wall. Two massive explosions ripped through the wall and huge chunks of rubble rained down. Two more explosions rocked the northern portion of the wall a moment later.
The alarm bells of Bakari-Tokai rang out.
With a chorus of war cries and hollers, the Army of Light surged forward, towards the gaping holes in the wall. They met with little resistance as they streamed through the gaps and over the rubble-strewn streets.
My attention on the battle below was stolen away when a dark mass slammed into Zenith. The resulting tumble through the sky nearly threw me from the saddle. I resorted to using a spell to keep myself in place while I searched the near-dawn sky for our attacker. Zenith managed to pull out of the tumble a few meters above the ground and struggled to regain altitude. Our attacker turned out to be none other than Nightshade, but she was not alone. A smaller, splotchy dragon and one of the skeletal dragons were with her.
Zenith snorted in fury and annoyance. “I hope you are ready, little one. This is about to get rough.”
I gripped the saddle tighter as I shouted. “Let’s bring these Shadow Dragons down!”
Zenith roared, long and loud.
The other Dragons of Light echoed the call.
Nightshade seemed to hesitate for a moment before she issued her own challenge. She dove for Zenith as he raced skywards. The two dragons crashed together head-on with a resounding thunder. More crashes filled the air as the other dragons collided. They grappled, kicking each other with their hind legs while struggling to grasp the other’s neck between their jaws. Ivory talons loosed horrible screeches as they scraped across jewel-scaled underbellies. Fierce snarls and growls mixed in to make a cacophony of a chorus.
Nightshade was meters smaller than Zenith and her legs and shoulders were not as muscular. Yet her fierceness and flexibility in the fight more than made up for her slight disadvantages. Zenith was forced to break away from the smaller dragon and change tactics.
The Dragon of the Heavens bolted skywards, leaving behind the battle. Nightshade hissed and dared to take up pursuit. They climbed and climbed in dizzying spirals, bursting through the thick cloud layer and beyond.
“Cast the bubble spell to give you air.” Zenith growled. I quickly did as he said and a soft blue bubble formed around me. His rapid ascent quickened even more. The sky plunged into blackness and stars flickered to life in the vast emptiness. I couldn’t help but stare at the twinkling display in awe as Zenith continued to climb. I could recognize the constellations I had been taught long ago, but nestled among them were even more stars. It was like looking upon sparkling silver dust strewn upon black velvet. Magnificent.
At last Zenith pulled out of the deep ascent and flared his enormous wings. He came to a complete stop and hovered, weightless. I felt myself start to float out of the saddle astride him and held onto the straps tighter. The heavenly dragon looked down on the planet below and huffed.
I forced myself to look away from the dazzling stars. Peering between Zenith’s wing and neck I marveled at the beauty spread out below. The ocean was a deep aquamarine blue of likes I had never imagined. And the tops of the clouds that would otherwise warn of storms were painted a medley of colors. The spectrum of colors made the menacing clouds look almost harmless, perhaps even friendly.
The junction where the vast heavens touched the planet was hazy and curved just enough to betray the planet’s spherical shape. A brilliant, yellow light had just been born on a section of the eastern horizon. The suns would soon make an appearance on the battlefield far, far below.
Only one thing worried me: Nightshade was nowhere to be seen. That troubling fact did not seem to bother Zenith in the slightest. In fact, he seemed rather amused.
I frowned. “What’s so funny?”
“She believes her shadow will protect her, but she could not be more wrong.” He said. After a moment more of admiring the view, Zenith brought his forepaws forward, as if clutching a large ball. A glowing, blue glyph I could not read suddenly materialized in the space just below his paws. “Galactic Tsunami!”
The glyph pulsed with white light and a low hum reached my ears. A split second later, a mass of blue energy exploded downwards heading straight towards the surface of the planet. It started out as a mere ripple in space, but grew rapidly as it des
cended. As it sped away, the girth of the energy grew wider and wider, taller and taller until it was several kilometers across and high. Then it warped and took on the appearance of the strange, silvery liquid that formed the floor of Zenith’s lair. Within the bizarre water, I could see stars and planets, huge clouds of cosmic dust, and so many other heavenly things.
The moment the wave of energy solidified, Zenith tucked his wings close to his body, tipped forward, and fell through the sky. As he and I hurtled downward, I caught sight of Nightshade, trying in vain to outrun the torrent of cosmic water heading right towards her. A heartbeat before the massive attack struck, she loosed a horrid and furious scream. Then she was no more.
◆◆◆
Dimitri stood at the balcony railing, a glass of wine in hand and a placid look upon his face. He watched the battle in front of him with unblinking, crimson eyes.
The dead and dying littered the streets and the gutters ran red with torrents of blood. Howls of agony echoed off the rubble, adding an eerie tone to the chorus of clashing steel and angry shouts. Though his soldiers had suffered many losses, they were really nothing. To his enemies’ eyes, they appeared to be winning.
But he knew otherwise.
A smirk touched his lips as he glanced downwards. Nestled in the palace gardens, some two hundred thousand soldiers stood at attention. They waited as if on the edge of a blade for the perfect moment to strike. But that was still a while in the future.
A quick succession of thunderous booms from the northeast stole his attention. He frowned and quickly strode to the far right of the balcony to find the source. Just beyond the lattice steel gate protecting Bakari-Tokai’s harbor, eight ships sat. He scoffed and cast a spell to enhance his vision.
Culmination Page 33