Culmination

by Selena IR Drake

  Amorez fought the urge to cry as her exhausted body succumbed to the agony that she was powerless to heal. She sheathed the sword she carried and picked the other from the ground. It took great effort, but she somehow managed to return to her feet. A wave of dizziness nearly knocked her down again, but she widened her stance and forced her body back under her control.

  Her attention was stolen as a pair of dueling dragons crashed into the water less than twenty meters away from where she stood. Seconds passed before the Shadow Dragon, Kula, roared of victory and took flight.

  She swore and cast a quick, but furious glance skyward. Looking beyond the fighting dragons, to the heavens where the Gods were sure to be watching, Amorez yelled, “Why won’t you help us?”

  She returned to herself and not a moment too soon, for a mangled corpse sought to claim her life while she was distracted. With an enraged roar, she lopped off its head. Instead of letting her rage spend the last of her energy, she used it and ran headlong into a large group of undead and living soldiers. In a flash of steel and blood, seven were felled never to rise again. She kept her momentum going and, like a juggernaut, sought out the next group, then the next.

  In the back of her mind, one a single thought burned: If I am to die today, then I’ll be damned if I go down without a fight!

  ◆◆◆

  Enormous, arching columns of granite loomed in the darkness far, far overhead. The very sight of them filling the cavernous void brought a smile to Pyrex’s face. Without a moment to even admire the ancient construction, he ordered the Wakari stone workers to quickly begin demolishing the pillars.

  They split into teams of six and surrounded nearly thirty of the granite columns. With a quick prayer unto their god to guide their hammers and chisels well, the Wakari struck up a song to soften the stone. As they sang, the pounding of hammers and chisels echoed in the cavern.

  ◆◆◆

  I watched awe as Thera skillfully maneuvered our reflections through the crowded lobby. The instant the soldiers had spotted them, they took up pursuit in attempt to kill. Thera always managed to stay one step ahead of them. Whenever a spell was needed to clear the soldiers away, the talented Feykin somehow managed to make it look like her reflection had cast it.

  After a few intense moments of fighting, our reflections managed to make it through mass of soldiers. They exited through the main entrance and scattered. The soldiers were obliged to follow, clearing out of the lobby in great swarms until only about thirty remained.

  Thera slammed the main door shut and sealed it with magic. In the precise moment the door closed, I burst from my hiding spot behind the pillar and my teammates were right behind me. We made quick work of the few soldiers that remained in the room. Then Thera set about sealing all other exits with magic enchantments that no one could cross.

  Now it was just the five of us against Dimitri and Hyperion.

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I let my gaze trace a route up the curving staircase to my right, then to the glass doors behind which Dimitri stood. After a moment or two to gather my nerves, I moved to the stairs. I glanced back at my teammates, making sure they were all ready. When they all nodded, I took the first steps onto the flight. It was a deliberately slow and quiet ascension, for we prayed that Dimitri was still unawares of our presence.

  I stepped off the final stair and paused to wipe the sweat from my hands and brow. The grip on my tessens tightened as I crossed the distance between the stairs and the doors. Glimpsing through the sheer curtain, I could see Dimitri. He was still at the banister with his back towards me. This restored some of my lost hope, for it meant that we had actually managed to get the drop on him.

  I took a few steps away from the door and readied myself for a rapid sprint. Glaring daggers at Dimitri’s back, I told Thera to shatter the glass. The second she started casting, I burst forward and passed through the doors just as the glass exploded outwards.

  Dimitri did not even have the time to turn before I was upon him. With a holler, I swung my tessens at his neck hard enough to smash through his spine. My war fans passed through him like a hot knife through butter, and I backed away to wait for his head to fall off.

  Even after several seconds, nothing happened; not even the appearance of blood. Dread seized my heart as I dared to step up to Dimitri. I jabbed him in the back with my fan, but the weapon went right through as if he was nothing more than air. I muttered a curse and reeled about as a chorus of dark laughs erupted from behind me.

  Between me and my dismayed teammates, Dimitri – the real Dimitri – stood beside the shattered doors, a smug look upon his face. He waved his hand in dismissal, and a slight ‘poof’ from my left signaled that his reflection spell had been canceled. I glowered at him, which made him smirk all the more.

  “Don’t look so upset.” He sneered. “I merely played the same trick on you as you did on me.” He pulled his weapon from its sheath and took a few confident strides forward. I dared a glance at Thera, silently begging her to cast something – anything – so long as it killed this bastard. Dimitri caught the hidden message in my look, and peered over his shoulder at my teammates. “I wouldn’t do anything stupid if I were you.”

  A dark laugh from above echoed like rolling thunder. I knew without even looking that it was Hyperion. I swallowed my fear and forced myself to look up at the enormous Shadow Dragon. He sat perched atop a guard tower, looking amazingly like a smoky gem accented by blazing rubies. Had it not been for the evil aura he gave off, I would have complimented him for his grandeur. I held my tongue and chose to glare at him instead.

  He snorted in amusement. “Do not think that by simply glaring at me, you can scare me off, two-legs. I am not like one of those pathetic lizards you call the Dragons of Light.”

  “Just you wait.” I growled. “My dragons and I will take you, your siblings, and your puny Keeper down.”

  Both Dimitri and Hyperion scoffed, but it was the dragon who spoke. “From where I sit, your dragons can’t even defend themselves against my brothers and sisters. What makes you think they stand a chance against me?”

  “We will find a way.” I said, my voice thick with furious determination. I finally looked away from Hyperion, to look Dimitri in the eye. “You’ll see. Light always breaks through the darkness.”

  “I doubt that you could break through my darkness, girl. After all, you are holding only a match against a never-ending sea of black that I and my dragons bring about.” Dimitri gloated. “Look for yourself.” He used his dual sword to point towards the bridge behind me. I did not dare to turn my back on him to look. “The army you raised in hopes of defeating me is dwindling down to nothing. Soon, there won’t be anyone left, not even Amorez or your dragons. Everything you have worked so hard for… everything you have done to get this far was pointless. Face it, you cannot win.”

  I silently prayed that what he said was not true. But the tone of his voice told me that it was. The Army of Light was dissolving into nothing but a memory. I glanced at my teammates, noting the mournful looks in their eyes. Everyone’s except Kitfox’s.

  He’s wrong. A slight smirk touched the Demon’s lips. We still have a good chance of winning this. The Wakari are working on it now, remember?

  I felt my despair ease slightly as I recalled the brave little Wakari and their mission. I squared my shoulders and looked Dimitri in the eye again. “You forget; I still have that match. I’m sure I can find some way to use it to my advantage.”

  Dimitri’s cocky grin faltered slightly. Then, without warning, he struck.

  ◆◆◆

  Zenith loosed a furious roar as the skeletal dragons, Wyrd and Anima, forced him out of the sky. The ground quivered upon their impact, and a great plume of dust and debris was sent skyward. After a moment to recover, the undead duo took to the air with horrid shrieks claiming victory. Zenith remained planted to the ground, struggling to take back the breath that was knocked from him.

  While he lay in
the crater of his impact, he stared up at the sky. He could recall a few times when Amorez had looked to the heavens and pleaded for help. Though he never could understand why she did that, right now he felt that anything might be worth a try if it meant rescuing them from this dismal situation.

  So Zenith allowed his eyes to close. His breathing slowed. His mind cleared. He relaxed into a meditation. Then he focused on a distant point in the heavens. It was nowhere in particular, but he hoped his voice would carry to whoever was out there. Whoever was waiting.

  Finally, with both mind and tongue, he spoke. “Forgive me, for I do not know your name. I was only made aware of your presence out here, amidst the heavens, through my friend and Keeper, Amorez.” A gentle lick of wind kicked up. Zenith snorted to clear his nose of the dust, less he sneeze and lose his concentration. “I come to you in a time of great need and on behalf of my Keeper, my friends, and my family. We are all facing our doom against a darkness that has taken over our lands.” The breeze stirred. “I ask you for help in lighting up the darkness and banishing the evil it bore. Any amount of assistance, in any form you can give, would ease an enormous burden placed upon our shoulders.” Zenith sighed and allowed his eyes to drift open. Keeping his gaze locked on that distant point in space, he whispered, “I can only hope that my message reaches you in time to save Amorez and those who fight with her.”

  A long minute passed with Zenith eagerly awaiting some kind of miracle to fall out of the sky. With the exception of the wind picking up even more, nothing happened. He growled his disappointment. Coming to the conclusion no miracle would ever happen with wishes upon the stars, he decided it was time to rejoin the battle. He would make his own miracle if needed.

  Just as he managed to roll to his feet, a violent gale nearly bowled him over again. He grunted and hunkered down against the sudden windstorm, growling even as it stole his breath away. The wind roared like a tornado as it spun faster and faster, picking up dust and debris and hurling it several kilometers into the air. Even corpses and soldiers from the battle upon the bridge were thrown skywards.

  As suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone. Zenith allowed himself to relax a moment and look around. The windstorm had spun over most of Bakari-Tokai, clearing it of much of the debris and death. But what bothered him about the tornado was its sudden appearance on a cloudless day. He knew it was not Vortex who summoned it, for the Wind Dragon was too wounded and exhausted to muster the strength. And it was not Ether, for she was locked in a furious brawl with Riptide.

  Zenith looked to the sky in wonder, watching as the swirling vortex of wind moved higher and higher. It seemed to reach a certain height, and then linger there. A brilliant white light exploded out of nowhere, and the battlefields immediately fell silent as every head turned to see what was happening. The windstorm and the light came together, coalescing in a shape all too familiar to Zenith: a dragon.

  This unknown dragon was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. He was armored in pearly white scales that shimmered like mother of pearl. His sweeping horns and razor-like talons were golden like a setting sun, and his eyes were as blue as the mid-day sky. He was held aloft by six paper thin wings which bent the light like prisms and threw rainbows in every direction. He was massive, easily about thrice the size of both Zenith and Hyperion combined. Yet he was lean and muscular, majestic and deadly. Perfect.

  Zenith felt his heart begin to race. He knew that dragon; Amorez had spoken of him many times before. The white dragon was none other than the God of Wind and Autumn, Khatahn-Rhii.

  And He was their miracle; their light in the dark.

  Zenith roared in delight, and his brethren echoed it. Khatahn-Rhii seemed pleased by their welcoming chorus, for He looked down at them with pride. Then He, too, released a roar. It was long and loud and seemed to shake even the heavens. Echoes of the sound went on for minutes long after He closed His jaws with a snap. The Shadow Dragons mewed like frightened kittens and darted for the relative safety of the ground. Khatahn-Rhii paid the cowards no mind. Instead, He folded his six wings tight against His body and dove towards the bridge and the stunned soldiers which stood upon it. Feather-like clouds and swirls of wind arose in His wake.

  Less than a hundred meters from the ground, He pulled out of the dive. Spreading His wings wide, He flapped once and the air shook with the sound of thunder. His flight leveled out and He glided gently over the bridge. As He did so, His eyes began to glow and white powder fell from His wings like snow. The powder touched the soldiers under Dimitri’s mind control spell, and they looked around as if waking from a dream. When the powder touched the undead, they burst into ash and were no more. The wounded soldiers that made up what little remained of the Army of Light found their wounds healed and their strength restored.

  Once completely over the bridge, Khatahn-Rhii flapped His wings again, this time to gain altitude. Several kilometers into the sky, He flared His wings to stop again. He looked down on the world below and released another magnificent roar. He vanished in a flash of white light while the echoes of His farewell faded away.

  There were three, But four will rise, On dragon wing, To uncharted skies.

  – FROM “DRAGON HOPE” BY REYNA

  Kitfox looked on anxiously while Xy and Dimitri exchanged furious blows. He yearned to rush in and help Xy, but Thera and Shazza held him back. He knew they were only trying to keep him safe from Hyperion, but their interference was aggravating. None of them knew exactly the Shadow Dragon would do if any one of them was to jump into the fray. For all they knew, the dragon would simply stand by and watch, but they did not want to risk it. So Kitfox was forced to watch as his beloved dueled with her greatest enemy.

  It was torture.

  A stupendous roar instantly brought everything to a sudden standstill. Everyone’s gaze turned towards the bridge just as a regal, white dragon swooped in. Kitfox gaped at this new dragon, for it made Hyperion look tiny and unthreatening. The white dragon took to the air and vanished with a flash of light and a second spectacular roar.

  Kitfox returned his gaze to the two Dragon Keepers. Judging by the looks on their faces, they were in silent conference with their dragons to figure out what had happened. Upon hearing Hyperion’s furious growl, he decided to eavesdrop on Xy’s exchange. She loosed a ring of laughter before he could focus on the connection.

  “What is it?” Kkorian begged. “What happened?”

  “Khatahn-Rhii brought the battle on the bridge to an end!” She cheered. “Every one of his,” she accentuated the word as she stabbed a fan in Dimitri’s direction. The Shadow Keeper glared daggers at her in response. “brainwashed soldiers has been cured and the hordes of undead are now at peace, never to rise again!”

  Hyperion emitted a growl so furious it sounded like an explosion. “It took divine intervention for you pathetic meat sacks to win the bridge!”

  “And it took you cheap tricks to even amass an army to begin with!” Kitfox snarled back.

  The dragon’s eyes began to glow red in fury. Immense pain suddenly racked Kitfox’s entire body and he collapsed in a heap with a howl. Shazza and Kkorian dropped to their knees beside him and Thera was quick to retaliate the attack. She hurled a glowing pebble at the enormous dragon and uttered a string of Kinös Elda. The pebble struck Hyperion’s shoulder and exploded with enough force to nearly knock him clean off his perch.

  The attack on Kitfox ceased and he lay on the floor panting and shaking. Shazza began whispering spells of healing, but they did nothing to stop him from fading out of consciousness. Before the darkness took over his mind, he could have sworn he heard the violent clashing of metal meeting metal.

  ◆◆◆

  Pyrex wove his way through the massive columns, checking the work of his comrades. Even in the pitch black of the immense cavern, he could see their progress clearly. Many of the pillars were now only as thick as his thigh. Yet the Wakari were not ready to let them break, so their song had change to strengthen sections o
f the stone and weaken others. The few remaining pillars would be down to the same size within the hour. Then, and only then, would the Wakari evacuate to safety. Their song would change after that, once again weakening the stone until it crumbled and gave out, plunging the palace of Bakari-Tokai into the water on which it had been built.

  Pyrex smiled as he turned his head to look at the Sentinel perched on his shoulder. “Go. Tell them we are almost ready.”

  The homunculus’ little, silver head bobbed as if in understanding. The creature took flight a moment later, soaring out of the massive cavern.

  ◆◆◆

  A groan escaped Amorez as she reclined against an undamaged section of the bridge’s low wall. Aidana was beside her, easing the pain of many of her wounds, especially the stump that was once her left arm. How the Elder Feykin still had the energy to work spells was beyond her, but she was grateful for the attention.

  While Amorez recovered, Blood Fang and Black Kat took charge. Though he limped from the angry gash in his right thigh, the Demon still maintained a ferocious appearance, and people were too intimidated to argue his demands. He ordered those who could still stand to assist the wounded, “Bring them fresh water and bandages.”

  He also made sure to keep a close eye on those who were once under Dimitri’s mind control. Almost all of them were in total shock over what had happened. Amorez and Blood Fang both listened as one soldier spoke to Zhealocera of how everything had gone awry.

  Apparently Dimitri had attacked in the absolute dark, when no celestial bodies were visible in the sky. He had seized control of the city by dawn and named himself king. Then forced the soldiers of the Royal Army and Navy into the palace courtyard, where they had come face to face with Hyperion and the other Shadow Dragons. After that, the soldier’s memories were a complete blank.