Legend Warrior

by Liara Woo

  Fear not, Legendheart, for this is not where you die, murmured a sweet, gentle voice—the same one he'd heard urging him to run all those weeks ago in the demon camp. He could feel the presence of the stars around him, although he knew that because of the Darkness in the land they couldn't be with him for long.

  Sorry, he thought in response to the voice. But I'm pretty certain I die here.

  The Verdecolossal, called Gorzog, approached him. It was growling like thunder, and as it neared, it lifted him in its teeth by the back of his tunic. Then it shook him around like a chew toy. It finally let go and flung him across the arena; he hit the wall hard. Pain exploded in his back. There go a few of my ribs, Halthren thought dazedly. He moaned feebly.

  The dog came at him again. It swung its thorny tail down on him, puncturing his side at least three times. Each spike went down horribly deep into his flesh. Barely able to breathe, Halthren watched the dog come again. It snagged his tunic with one claw and hurled him over and over and over again into the ground. Halthren groaned, feeling his entire body throbbing and stinging with pain. The Verdecolossal slammed its paw down on his chest and pushed him down, smashing him between the stone floor and its paw. Just end it! Halthren begged, not frightened by death any longer, unable to bear any more pain. Let my life end! Please!

  A soft, gentle voice entered his mind again. Endure the pain, Legendheart. Don't give up. You are needed. Without you, Darkness will win and even the Earthling will be unable to vanquish the Shadow Lord. She must be guided by the heart of the legends, remember? The heart of the legends. Legendheart. The prophecy refers to you.

  And that was the last thing he was aware of before everything went black.

  * * *

  "Here it is," Joran panted, pulling the lever down. The wall opened up and the raced into a stone arena just in time to see a massive green dog creature slam one paw down on a limp, motionless figure clad in dirty rags. The figure was covered in reddish-silver blood.

  "Halthren!" Joran screamed. He drew his sword and charged, fierce anger shooting through him. He leaped high in the air and sank his blade into the creature's side. The dog-like monster yelped and snapped at him, but Joran dodged and pulled his sword loose, dropping back to the ground. He stabbed at one of the massive paws, and the creature growled and snapped at him.

  Joran raced beneath it and plunged his sword upwards. The monster roared angrily and dropped to the ground, trying to crush him. Joran rolled away. Instantly the spiked tail swung at him, catching him in the side and flinging him into the stone wall. Winded and bleeding, he tried to get up but couldn't. The monster advanced.

  Suddenly Fen and Dewrion were there, leaping at it with swords held high. Strengthened by their courage, Joran jumped to his feet and rejoined the fight.

  The watching demons cheered; to them this was all part of the show.

  Fen clung to the beast's tail, cutting off the spikes with her blade—her intent was to render it harmless, not to kill. Dewrion was grasping the dog's floppy green ears, struggling to hang on while the creature spun and bucked, wildly shaking its head. Eventually it managed to get rid of Dewrion, flipping him through the air and into the wall.

  Dewrion slid to the ground, unconscious.

  "Over here!" Joran yelled before the monster could pursue and kill his companion. The beast changed direction, bounding towards the elven prince.

  Joran ran to meet it, his eyes flashing and his sword blazing orange in the torchlight. With a scream of rage he rolled under the beast's head and plunged his sword upwards, into its fleshy neck. It gurgled vilely for a few moments, and then its eyes rolled back and it toppled to the ground, directly on top of Joran. For a few moments he was crushed and suffocated; then he felt someone tugging on his ankles. After a few short, painful pulls, he came loose. Fen was looking down at him.

  "Thanks," he panted, staggering to his feet. Looking around, he saw that the demons in the crowd were angry that their champion had lost. They still thought it was some sort of show; many were getting up and leaving.

  Desperately Joran scanned the arena, his gaze landing on a thin, unmoving body lying face-down on the stone floor.

  "Halthren!" Joran exclaimed, racing over to his friend and kneeling beside him. "No…No! Hang on, Halthren! We'll get you back!" Gently he turned Halthren face-up, and tears sprang to his eyes. Halthren was horribly pale under a layer of grime; he was barely breathing; bruises darkened his flesh; several bones were broken; his ribs were showing; blood drenched his side. There was a particularly nasty gash on his chest, right over his heart. It looked infected.

  "Halthren, no!" Joran whispered, grasping his friend's hand and pressing it to his cheek.

  The elf stirred. His silver-blue eyes were out of focus. "Joran…" he rasped. "Can that possibly be you?" His voice was hoarse and his breath rattled in his throat.

  "I'm here, Halthren," Joran breathed, his eyes watering. "Don't worry; we'll get you out of here, just hang on. Don't give up yet, please!"

  Halthren coughed. The action shook his entire frame. There was blood on his chapped lips. "I can't …do it…Joran… I won't…ma… make it…" His eyelids fluttered shut. He was unconscious again.

  Joran gripped Halthren's hand tightly. Focus. We'll get him back. It'll be alright. He'll be fine. "Fen, is Dewrion alright?" he asked abruptly, trying to think about anything but the very real possibility of Halthren's death.

  She nodded. "Yes; he's just bruised. What about you? You're bleeding."

  Joran blinked. In his concern for Halthren, he'd completely forgotten his own pain. Now he realized that his side was aching where he'd been stabbed, and his tunic was drenched in blood. Joran swallowed, suddenly feeling rather faint. "Wh-what do we do now?"

  "It looks like you guys need a lift."

  Joran gasped and spun around. Katie stood in the entrance to the secret passageway. Beside her stood a small, black haired girl with bright green eyes, dressed in a tunic that seemed to be made out of silver scales. Joran stared at them, incredulous.

  "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

  * * *

  Five days after Joran had gone, Katie had been in her room, bored to death. Desperately searching for something to do, she'd wandered around the city, eventually coming to the mansion, where she meandered around the rooms, finally finding herself on the roof. She stood admiring the view and turned around when she heard the trapdoor opening. A girl with dark hair and bright green eyes climbed up. She wore an odd scaly tunic that reached her knees, and her leggings looked like they were made out of leather. She seemed about thirteen or fourteen years old, and there was something strangely familiar about her.

  "I need some help," the girl said. Katie instantly recognized the voice.

  "Your name is Loriina?" she asked. The girl nodded. "Weren't you a dragon a few days ago?"

  "Yes," the girl said, her face reddening slightly. "And I can transform any time I wish, but I can't fly or do much else anymore."

  "Why?" Katie asked. "What happened?"

  "I was flying over Kylaras as ordered," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "I bet I could have been flying over Kratchene and wiping out all those nasty demons instead and I'd have been much more useful…"

  Katie cringed at the jab to Joran's strategy; the dragon-girl had a valid point. "Well… if you'd been killed doing that, you wouldn't be able to help us anymore," she responded slowly, trying to defend the prince.

  Loriina shrugged and continued her story in a dull, listless tone. "Anyway, I was attacked. I was flying along the border when I heard an elf screaming in agony, so I flew down to help him. A net was thrown around my head; it was enchanted and it sapped my strength so I couldn't fly anymore. A massive demon, twice the size of the others, charged me and stole my Stone. A moment later he fled, probably to Vernisgard. I was able to free myself from the net, and I found the elf who'd cried out; he was cruelly wounded. He must have been a messenger of some sorts, because he was dressed for travel and had a very
light, swift horse with him. I transformed into a human and rode back here on that horse, holding the elf on the saddle with me."

  "Is he alright now?" Katie asked.

  "He died of his wounds an hour ago. They were truly cruel; they crisscrossed his chest and went in deep. One of his arms had been snapped."

  Katie grimaced. "That's terrible. What's your Stone?"

  "A magical amulet that enables me to fly, breathe fire, ice, and acid, and control the wind. It won't work for anyone except for me, but I don't like to think of what that monster-demon could do with it. And I'm useless as a giant reptile with only razor sharp teeth and claws instead of magic and wings."

  Katie blinked. Right. Useless. Because razor sharp teeth and claws don't help at all, she thought sarcastically. "Well, we should get it back, then," she said.

  "Any plans?" Loriina asked hopefully.

  "Not really," Katie sighed. "But I think I know where to start looking. Or, I know who to ask." She'd heard Bloodthorne say the names of the two spies who'd been injured: Relenthus and Krenej. "Do you know where to find someone who's been wounded?"

  "Unfortunately I do," Loriina answered, a note of sadness entering her voice. "That's where I took the elf I found on the border. Follow me."

  The dragon-girl led her down the spiral staircase to the ground-level floor, and then even further, to a mossy cavern lit with hovering balls of Light. A small trickle of water spilled from one of the rugged stone walls, and there were shelves hewn into the rock on either side of it, laden with jars full of strange herbs and liquids. Katie saw one labeled "Dragon Tears" and another labeled "Lizard Fat." There was a cauldron in the middle of the cave.

  Loriina led her past the storeroom and into a large side chamber with at least twenty comfortable-looking mattresses on the ground. Two were occupied, by male elves looking a bit green in the face. Only one was conscious, and as Katie and Loriina approached him, he struggled to sit up but couldn't. A thick blanket slipped from his bare shoulders as a result of his attempt.

  "Sit down," Loriina soothed. "We're just here to wring the necks of those filthy little cowards who dared touch my precious Stone."

  The elf's sky-blue eyes widened in shock. "I didn't touch it, I promise you! Please; what honor would there be in attacking an elf who can barely sit up?!"

  "Not you," Katie said, giving Loriina a reproving glare. "She was talking about some demons and their leader—an even larger demon."

  The elf's pale face went even whiter. "Nashgor!" he gasped. "You've seen Nashgor?"

  Loriina shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. It was a demon twice the size of the others. What do you know about him?"

  "He stole your Stone?" the elf asked in response, tilting his head. "Why would he do that?"

  Loriina was getting irritated. "Well I don't know but I sure would enjoy getting it back," she spat. The elf shuddered, drawing away.

  Katie decided to intervene. "I'm Katie, and this is Loriina. We're wondering where Nashgor would hide something he stole."

  "Vernisgard, without a doubt," the elf replied. "I'm Relenthus. And are you missing your Stone as well, Katie?"

  Katie blinked. "Umm…I don't know if I have one," she admitted.

  "You're not a dragon, then?" Relenthus's eyes widened. "So you are the Earthling!"

  Katie bit her lip at the use of 'Earthling.' It was really getting on her nerves. "Yes, I am," she grumbled. "How do we get to Vernisgard?"

  "Go directly south from here. When you come to the top of a ridge near one of the volcanoes and see a tall tower rising up, you're there." Quickly Relenthus told them about the secret passageway, the levers, and everything else he'd told Joran. Then he managed to sit up, and for the first time Katie saw the wound Bloodthorne had spoken of. It was just under his right armpit and ran diagonally down his chest to just above his diaphragm. It was narrow and thin and sealed over by a dark red scab that made his skin seem even paler. Katie's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

  "Why isn't that bandaged?" she asked, pointing.

  Relenthus shrugged. "Wounds caused by enchanted and poisoned blades are tricky things for elves. Bandaging them keeps the poison from rising out on its own and makes the wound worse. Besides, the poison burns through any material placed over it. So I am doomed to wait here until there's no more left."

  "How can you tell when it's gone?" Loriina asked.

  "The greenish color leaves my face," Relenthus grinned. "And I look more like a normal person again…and less like a corpse."

  Katie put her hand on Loriina's elbow. "We'll be going now. Thanks for everything, Relenthus."

  "You're welcome. It was an honor to meet you."

  They left the cavern without another word. Katie couldn't get the image of the terrible wound out of her head. It was the first time she'd seen something like that outside of a movie, in actual real life. This place is not a game, she told herself. One mistake means death.

  "So we go south," Loriina said confidently. "Can you ride?"

  "Yes," Katie responded, still dazed. "But it'll take a long time to get to Vernisgard."

  Loriina smiled. "And how good are you at extreme speeds?"

  Katie shrugged. "I like roller coasters," she answered. Loriina looked at her with a confused expression on her face. "Roller coasters are machines that go really fast on Earth," she tried to explain.

  "Are the machines like dragons?"

  Katie blinked. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "They don't look like dragons, if that's what you mean…"

  "Then they're not as fast," Loriina boasted. "Nothing is faster than a dragon."

  They reached the courtyard in front of the castle and Loriina swiftly transformed into a towering silver dragon, sleek as an arrow. There was only one difference: her wings were gone. "Get on," Loriina invited.

  Katie smiled widely, the memory of Relenthus's injury all but forgotten. Even without wings, riding a dragon—an actual dragon—would be incredible. She walked closer to Loriina and put one foot on her scaly elbow, launching herself upwards and grabbing one of the long, smooth spikes on her back, gripping it tightly with both hands. "I'm ready," she said.

  Loriina reared, pawing the air with her front feet and letting out a terrible roar that shook the ground. Then her muscles surged like the waters of an ocean and Loriina lunged forwards, bounding across the grass and through the streets of Velana, leaping high and running on the rooftops so as to avoid accidentally harming any passersby. She jumped high over the wall and landed squarely on all four legs in a crouch.

  "Now the real fun begins," she hissed at the open prairie before her. She kicked off of the ground and shot forward like a silver arrow from a bowstring, veering south and charging into the colorful forest. Her legs were a blur; her flexible backbone weaved with her motion, and her long tail snaked back and forth behind her. Her claws gripped the ground hard and vaulted her forward again as she raced through the woods.

  She ran like a cheetah, with front legs moving together and hind legs moving together. Her fore feet shot forward and gripped the ground, pulling her body forwards, and then her hind feet burst out and pushed her body on as her front legs came free and reached out again—all in one fluid motion.

  Katie could make no sense of her surroundings. Everything was a colorful blur stretching on horizontally. Her hair streamed out behind her and her eyes were narrowed against the wind. Loriina was infinitely stronger and faster than any roller coaster, and she was built for speed. She hurtled across Kylaras without breaking her stride, without once pausing for a breath of air. She ran until the sun was at its highest position and still didn't stop as she rocketed into Kratchene. Then, and only then, did she slacken her pace.

  Katie lost track of time, but she knew it hadn't been more than a day when they reached a tall ridge near one of three volcanoes they'd passed. Katie could see a tower rising up behind the ridge.

  Loriina slowed to a stop, her head hanging, panting heavily. "This...is it…" she ma
naged. "Let's…go in…at nightfall…"

  Katie stumbled off of Loriina's back as the dragon lay down on the black stones. Her legs felt weak and wobbly; unsteadily she sat down beside the dragon. "I don't think there is nightfall here," she said breathlessly, running one hand through her windswept hair.

  "Then…after I take a nap," Loriina mumbled, closing her eyes.

  An hour later she awakened, and they hiked down the other side of the ridge. Loriina turned back into a human as they crept to the shadows of the northern wall of Vernisgard.

  "There should be a symbol on one of these bricks," Loriina whispered. "Look for an elven rune."

  Katie blinked. I don't even know what an elven rune looks like, she thought unhappily, but she joined Loriina in her search, looking for any strange scratches on the bricks.