◆◆◆
From my place astride Zenith, I could only watch helplessly as the inferno tore through Bakari-Tokai, bathing the city in flames and destruction. The Dragon of the Heavens released a sound like a growling whine as he, too, watched the annihilation unfold. We were both powerless to stop it.
I lost track of the time, for it felt like forever as the hellfire raged uncontrollably. At long last the attack faded into nothingness, but fires still smoldered over much of the city and smoke choked the air. Glowing motes were strewn into the air; becoming black ash that drifted downwards like rain fit for a funeral.
“Land.” I said through distraught sobs. Zenith must not have heard me for he made no movement. I repeated the command louder, harsher.
He looked at me over his shoulder, concern all too evident in his white eyes. “Are you certain?”
“Just do it.”
Zenith lingered in the air a moment, and then slowly began to drift towards the ground. Brothers, Sisters, to me. Our Keeper needs us now.
In one voice the other eleven replied, We come.
Zenith dared not land on the charred bridge that connected the palace to the city. Through the smoke-filled air, I could see the stone beneath us glowing; pulsing from the heat it had withstood. Though it was beginning to grow dull and gray, it would probably be days or even weeks before the stone cooled naturally. As I widened my gaze to take in the city from this new perspective, I began to wonder if anyone was even alive to continue this campaign. Save for the sound of countless crackling fires, the city was as silent as a graveyard.
Wildfire was the first of my dragons to arrive. She sauntered along the hot stones completely unaffected by the heat. She nodded her great wedge of a head in respects as she folded her wings and lay down on the bridge to wait.
“Freezing Wave!”
I recognized the voice as Atoka’s and sighed in relief as her ice storm blanketed the area in cold. Huge clouds of steam erupted from the ice as it struck the searing hot stone and evaporated instantly. It took the Dragon of Eternal Winter a few more tries to cool the stone enough that the ice could linger. Only then did she and the others land and the riders dismounted.
I promptly ran to Kitfox and he gathered me in a tight embrace. He whispered soothing words in my ear as I buried my face in his tunic and cried.
“What do we do now?” Thera asked, her voice a mere ghost of its former self.
“What can we do?” Shazza snarled. “Everyone was wiped out in that inferno! Now there is no way of taking the palace and forcing this all to end. That bastard, Dimitri, has won, and we are left with nothing!”
A mourning silence descended upon all of us. Even the dragons grew quiet. We all stood together on the bridge, lost in our own thoughts and misery. I looked into every one of their faces, and could see the mix of hatred and despair swimming in their eyes. I knew they were desperately looking for a path; anything that would take this day away from Dimitri.
I sighed. Placing a gentle kiss on Kitfox’s cheek, I peeled away from him. I felt like I was in a daze as I slowly made my way to the edge of the bridge. I gazed upon the sapphire water for a long moment, marveling at the simple beauty of it. Then I closed my eyes and began to whisper prayers for the dead. Grief took me over. Hot tears fell like rain. My throat constricted. And still, I prayed for them. For every warrior who was felled here today, I prayed.
I was vaguely aware of the water sloshing, then dripping onto stone. Somebody softly called my name. I chose to ignore the summons and focused more on the prayers. Someone suddenly grasped me by the arm, causing me to jump and open my eyes. To my supreme shock, it was Amorez; drenched, dirty, slightly bruised, but otherwise in one piece.
I looked around in awe, learning that several more people – including Blood Fang, Aidana, and Vitaani – were being helped out of the water by my friends and dragons. Most of them appeared unharmed, but handfuls more had been severely burned in the blast. The surviving spell casters quickly went to work healing the wounded. My attention slowly returned to Amorez.
She flashed a wry smile. “You are an honorable priestess, my daughter. I am sure the dead are grateful for your prayers.”
I could only nod.
Amorez turned away to behold what little remained of the Army of Light. She sighed in a mix of frustration and sadness. She muttered, “Curse you, Hyperion.”
“Freya?” Kitfox’s call rang out over the din. When he got no answer, he called again. “Where’s Freya? Has anyone seen her?”
Grim faced, Blood Fang approached the younger Demon. He mumbled something to Kitfox. I watched, heartbroken, as his face contorted with misery before he hid it with his arms. He fell to his knees and howled his lament.
Freya was no more.
That fact brought forth new tears from my eyes. I quickly made my way to Kitfox and knelt beside him. I put my arms around him and held him close. I whispered a special prayer for Freya, asking the Gods to guide her safely to her next life. The words seemed to ease some of Kitfox’s pain, but I could tell it would be a long time before he would be okay.
“What are we going to do now?” Asked a voice in the crowd.
“There’s nothing we can do.” Replied another. “Not with so few of us left.”
Murmurs of surrender swept through the crowd.
“Aren’t you all forgetting something?!” Zenith growled. An awkward hush fell over the army as they gazed upon the heavenly dragon. “Nearly five centuries ago, during the final battle against Agasei, Amorez did not have even two hundred soldiers with her. Not counting the dragons, they were outnumbered nearly sixteen to one. Still, they dared to take on the Shadow Keeper and his dragons. It was a long and difficult battle to be sure, and many were lost. But everyone worked together that day to bring down the darkness! You are many more and I firmly believe that this day can still be won.”
“Zenith is right!” Exclaimed Amorez. She quickly moved to Zenith and hopped up on his front paw so she could be seen by everyone. “Right now, as we speak, the Wakari are hard at work on a plan to dislodge the Shadow Dragon, Hyperion, from his perch atop the palace.” She pointed to a spot on the opposite side of the pulsing red barrier. Excited murmurs escaped the lips of many in the crowd. “With that ugly lizard dislodged, his field will drop. Our goal of storming the palace and ending Dimitri’s reign are well within sight. We can do this! We can win!”
It had been three days since the Rising of Khatahn-Rhii; three days since King Proteus Za’Car II passed into Havel from the illness he had long fought. The world still mourns for him, yet celebrates the upcoming coronation of his eldest daughter, Princess Tenna. She will make a grand High Queen.
– FROM “THE CHRONICLES OF ITHNEZ, VOL. VII” BY BRAM MOORE, COURT HISTORIAN
With some of the army’s morale restored, the few remaining generals gathered at Zenith’s feet to discuss new plans. It was then that Amorez and Thernu told us of the exact details of the Wakari’s work. I could not help but take a moment to wonder what the palace would look like when it was sunk.
“The main problem is, we have no idea how long it will take Pyrex and his crew to knock out the supports holding the palace aloft.” Thernu said. “I doubt Dimitri will let us sit here and wait for that to happen.”
“Agreed.” Growled Blood Fang. “If we were wise, we would try to get a small force beyond the barrier to keep his gaze focused elsewhere.”
I had to agree with him.
“That would not be a very safe task.” Said Aidana, with a flutter of her ivory wings. “Because we do not know precisely when the palace will begin to sink, an escape for the team that goes in is very unlikely.”
“And good luck finding volunteers for a suicide mission.” Vitaani added with a snort.
“I’ll do it.” I said. Everyone gaped at me in utter disbelief. I repeated my words, this time much more firmly.
After a moment, Kitfox took a step forward and said, “Me, too.”
“Sign me up
.” Kkorian smirked.
Shazza nodded. “Same here.”
“And me.” Thera added without hesitation.
If the five of us took Amorez by surprise, she was good at hiding it. “You are all very brave to volunteer for such a daring mission, but I’m afraid it will not work. Thernu and several other Feykin have already tried to drop the barrier, and they have met with no success.”
“Then we do not drop it.” I said, looking up at Zenith with a smirk. “We simply bend space around it.”
The Dragon of the Heavens made a sound like a laugh. “You are still a spitfire by heart, little one!”
Thernu frowned as she looked up at the dragon. “Can you manage it, Zenith?”
“Of course.” He nodded. “The only problem would be Hyperion’s sensitivity. There is a very real possibility of alerting him to the rouse the moment I distort his shield. Then again, he might not feel anything at all.”
“Alright.” Amorez nodded. After a moment of thinking, she faced me with a serious expression. “What is your plan once you are in there? Do you have one?”
“I am going to find Dimitri and I am going to kill him.”
She frowned. “That’s it? That is your plan?”
“Look, no one – not even you – knows exactly what Dimitri has hidden away in there. For all we know, he could have an army hidden in the courtyard. Therefore, the best plan is to simply find him and kill him.”
“She has a point, Amorez.” Replied Vitaani.
The former Keeper looked to her oldest ally for advice. When Thernu said nothing to contradict what had been said, Amorez looked at me. I looked back at her with fierce determination. Finally, she gave in. “Alright.” She said with a sigh. “Just promise me one thing, Xy.”
“What?”
She captured me in a fierce hug. Slowly, awkwardly, I wrapped my arms around her and returned the embrace. “End this.” She whispered. “One way or another.”
I nodded. “I will.”
After a moment, we released each other. Then, without a word, she took the lead in the short jaunt to the pulsing barrier. Zenith followed in our wake, his ivory talons clicking against the charred stones. This movement caught the attention of several, and they all stood up to form a semi-circle around us. When they realized what was about to happen, they started applauding.
I glanced at my teammates; they were ready. I gave Zenith the command to begin. The heavenly dragon brought his left paw forward until it was a breath away from Hyperion’s force field. A strange, amethyst glyph appeared on the pulsing surface. A second later, the glyph turned black and grew into a gaping, black hole.
“Hurry, little ones, and be safe.”
I took the lead in the rush to the portal. Kitfox and Thera were right on my heels and Shazza and Kkorian were a pace behind them. We entered the portal with just seconds between us, then everything went numb. A chilling blackness surrounded me, and in that blackness, complete silence. I felt weightless. Burning hot and yet freezing cold.
The queasiness from the spacial distortion lasted for only a moment, then everything turned back to normal. I found myself standing on the bridge less than a meter from where I had passed through the portal. My four teammates were with me, gawking as if they could not believe what had just happened.
I took a good look at this side of the force field. Unlike the other side, everything here was still in pristine condition. It was like going back in time, to before the war and the dragons’ attacks had ever happened.
At long last, I returned to my senses. I freed my tessens from my belt and flared them. Without bothering to look back at my team, I started jogging forward, over the bridge and to the palace.
◆◆◆
“Did you have to destroy the entire city?” Dimitri grumbled, glancing sideways at the red and black dragon atop the spire.
Hyperion merely snorted.
“You have no idea how long it is going to take to rebuild Bakari-Tokai after this.”
“Would you have preferred to have been wiped out by that wretched Zenith and his Galactic Tsunami?”
“No, but –”
“Then stop complaining about my tactics!”
“Hey!” Dimitri roared as he stormed towards the end of the balcony closest to Hyperion’s perch. “I am the Keeper here,” he jabbed himself with his index finger, “not you! You take orders from me! See that you remember that, Dragon!”
Hyperion’s eyes flashed with rage. “What you have failed to realize, my Keeper,” he laced the word with venom, “is that I only unleashed Tetra Vortex as a means to save your life. Ignoring the fact that I leveled the city as a result, you have to understand that I have done nothing but follow your orders to protect you at all costs.”
Dimitri took a few deep breaths to calm his temper. Then he spoke, making sure to keep his voice level. “I understand what you did, Hyperion. I really do. And I am grateful. But I was seriously hoping to have most of Bakari-Tokai still standing after today to celebrate our victory.”
“The only victory that would have been celebrated today would belong to them.” The dragon jerked his head to an area beyond his force field.
Dimitri admitted the dragon was correct in that matter.
“So what are your orders now?”
The Shadow Keeper’s gaze fell upon the ocean of troops still at attention in the gardens. “Sweep the city for survivors.” He said and looked up at Hyperion. “If any are found who are not willing to surrender and swear fealty to me as their king, execute them.”
“What about the other dragons and their Keeper?”
“Same thing.”
“They will not be easily turned.”
“Then they will be destroyed.”
“Very well.” Hyperion nodded his head once. Then he retreated inwards, focusing on his connection to his siblings. Taimat?
Yes, Hyperion? The raspy, wraith-like voice of the Dragon of Death echoed in the back of Dimitri’s mind, and the Keeper shivered.
Rouse the dead into battle and gather the Shadow near the barrier. Hyperion growled like a bloodthirsty animal. It is time to end this campaign once and for all.
It shall be done. Their mental connection was severed.
Hyperion glanced at Dimitri. The Keeper smirked and nodded. The dragon nodded back, then directed his attention to the waiting army below. “Follow your king’s orders. Search the city for survivors. Kill any who do not surrender.”
The army pounded their weapons against their shields and hollered wordlessly. Then a horn sounded from among them, blaring in a low, ominous tone that lasted nearly a minute. As one, the army marched briskly forward to the tune of many feet. At their head, in gleaming black armor, rode the fat Judge, Vincent, upon a black wyvern. He carried his enormous, golden axe in his right hand and a tower shield in the other.
A devilish sneer constructed its way across Dimitri’s face as he watched the army move out, across the bridge.
◆◆◆
Amorez stared at the pulsing barrier, worry eating away at her. Had Xyleena and the others gotten through safely? Did Hyperion sense the disturbance in his field? What sort of horrors lay in the area beyond? These questions and more filled her mind.
“If you keep chewing on your bottom lip like that, soon you will not have one.” Blood Fang quipped.
Amorez smiled in spite of herself and looked over her shoulder at the Demon. He sat cross-legged on the ledge of the bridge a short distance away. He watched her with his one good eye, and grinned like the wolf he was. Amorez clicked her tongue and made her way to him.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Feel free.” He nodded. “It’s not very comfortable though; stone rarely is.”
That tore a chuckle from her as she sat beside him. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”
He shrugged. “Depends on what it is you ask.”
“Do you have any children?”
“Mmh.” Blood Fang shook his head. “Not really. Freya did
adopt Kitfox as her pup, so I guess – in a way – he is mine as well, but he shares none of my blood.”
“I’m sorry. I did not know you and Freya were mates.”
“She was never one to brag about herself.” A sad smile touched his lips. He sighed and scratched his ear. “And being the Tahda’varett Alpha’s mate is as boastful as one can get.”
“Have you spent much time with her and Kitfox?”
“Freya, yes. The boy, no. He and I never really got along.” Blood Fang chuckled and pointed to his scarred eye. “He did give me this though, so he should be proud.” His ear flinched and he shook his head as if bitten by an insect. “What is that awful noise?”
Amorez’s brow furrowed. “What do you hear?”
“A shrill and eerie cry that could wake the dead.” He growled.
Amorez’s gaze quickly swept over the army, realizing that many of the Demons present were experiencing the same thing. Her search turned skywards, drawn by a growing shadow on the horizon.
“Everybody arm up!” Zenith bellowed.
Amorez hollered over the sudden rush of activity. “What is it?”
“The Shadow Dragons are on approach and Taimat is using Corpse Song!”
Panic seized her heart in an instant. If Taimat was using his technique to raise the dead, they were in for a very miserable battle. She bolted to her feat, shouting. “You heard the dragon, arm up!” It took them longer to gather their weapons and form up than she liked. Frustrated, she continued shouting, trying to get them to move faster. “Quickly, you fools! Quickly!”
“Spell casters with me at the rear!” Thernu shouted, her voice amplified by a spell.
“Those at the front, form a wall with your shields!” Shouted Amorez as she made her way to Zenith. “Middlemen, make sure nothing gets past you, and whatever you do, protect our spell casters!” Then Amorez turned to Zenith. “Take the Light airborne and keep the Shadow from wreaking havoc on us.”
Culmination Page 35