The Fall of Neverdark

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  Malliath the voiceless was certainly enough to be thinking about…

  Athis clawed at Malliath’s hind and coiled his tail around the black dragon’s tail, hoping to pin it in place. Malliath, however, was a larger and more experienced dragon than either Athis or Aldreon. One of his claws raked at Aldreon’s face, pushing him into the valley wall, while his enormous tail swiped around, uncoiling itself from Athis’s grip.

  Inara knew to hold on when the dragons uncoupled, for the sweeping tail forced Athis to skid around on the valley floor. The red dragon recovered quickly and turned his skid into enough momentum to dash back along the high wall and come down on Malliath.

  The black dragon roared as Athis’s claws sank into his back. Inara could sense everything her companion was going to do and knew exactly when to brace or shift her weight. Right now, she knew that Athis was about to clamp his jaws around the back of Malliath’s neck.

  A man looked up at them, giving both dragon and Dragorn pause.

  Inara saw a stranger, but Athis saw Asher, the ranger and hero of The War for the Realm. The dragon’s memories flooded Inara’s mind and she experienced flashes of The Battle for Velia. The same man who was the focus of those memories sat beneath her now, on Malliath’s neck.

  Impossible!

  Hold on!

  The black dragon took advantage of the pause and exhaled a jet of fire upon the valley wall. The inferno ran up the rocky slab and pushed off into Athis’s face. The red dragon was immune to the effects of fire, but Inara wasn’t. To keep her safe, Athis was forced to flap his wings and gain some height over Malliath.

  Aldreon and Edrik launched back into the melee, assaulting Malliath from the side. Looking down on the fight, Inara couldn’t believe her eyes.

  Asher reacted with a speed and finesse rarely seen in humans, and dashed across Malliath’s back and leaped onto Aldreon’s. The ranger was on Edrik before the Dragorn knew what was happening.

  Get me down there! Inara yelled across her bond with Athis.

  We have parted once already in this fight and you nearly died twice.

  Asher gripped Edrik’s collar and repeatedly hammered the man with a single fist, bloodying his face. Every hit took its toll on Aldreon, who shared the pain and knocks to the head. It was a disorientating assault that gave Malliath enough time secure a bite around the golden dragon’s front leg.

  Inara squirmed as Malliath shook the leg until it cracked and broke. Aldreon’s roar drowned out Edrik’s agonising cry.

  Asher was losing his balance on the pained dragon and made a quick run and a jump onto Malliath’s wing. The two demonstrated a bond that only existed between dragon and Dragorn after decades together.

  The black dragon waited until Asher was back in his saddle before continuing his slaughter of Aldreon and Edrik. Athis the ironheart, however, was far from being out of the fight. The red dragon had gained enough height to pick up some speed as he flew over Malliath’s spiky back.

  You can do it, Athis! Inara braced herself against him.

  The red dragon dropped down low enough to snare Malliath between all four claws. Inara could feel the strain on Athis’s muscles as he flapped his mighty wings and pulled up on the black dragon with all his strength. He was only able to lift the voiceless one a dozen feet off the ground, but it was enough to allow Aldreon the chance to escape.

  Malliath fell from Athis’s grip with a bloodied back, but the dragon failed to land, taking flight instead. Sand was kicked high into the air and the black dragon took off into the night, ascending quickly to melt between the stars.

  Aldreon is hurt, Athis commented.

  Inara looked down at the valley floor and found the golden dragon, limping with a barely conscious Edrik on his back.

  We need to—

  Inara became aware of Malliath’s return as soon as Athis’s heightened senses caught sight, sound, and smell of him. The black dragon came at them from the sky with enough speed to take them both from the air.

  The half-elf braced, all too aware of the only option left to her companion. Athis tucked in his wings and dropped towards the valley floor, which was much closer than either of them would have liked. Malliath cut through the air a couple of feet above them, but only a second later, Athis was forced to extend his wings and glide inches above the ground.

  Athis’s voice sounded as clear as her own thoughts. We need to gain height and take this fight into the sky.

  Inara agreed, recalling her training on dragon tactics. When facing a larger opponent, clashing on the ground would always give the bigger dragon the advantage of its immovable weight and deadly tail. In the air, where dragons of all sizes could dominate, the battle could become fairly pitched.

  Athis’s suggestion crossed the bond between dragons and saw Aldreon limping through the valley until he could take off. Edrik was only just holding on…

  If Malliath attacks Aldreon in the air, Edrik will fall! Inara tried to reach out and make a connection with Edrik, but he was too weak.

  Malliath is coming back! Athis warned before banking hard to the west.

  Inara shifted her weight to go against the sharp angle, keeping her firmly rooted. The black dragon was a spear hurled from the heavens, missing them with a sharp gust of wind. All three dragons had left the confines of Syla’s Pass now and soared through the air in circles as they searched for their angle of attack.

  Inara cursed the lack of training they had received on aerial tactics. There just hadn’t been cause to learn that much when all dragons lived in harmony together. Of course, no one had been thinking about Malliath, the only dragon to ever go into exile.

  Height is the key, Athis reminded her. Our underbellies are hardened and guarded by claws. The wings and neck are vulnerable spots.

  Inara called upon her lessons about dragon anatomy and visualised the drawings from the textbooks. The gap between the scales on the neck was larger to allow for more flexibility. It also allowed for teeth to sink between the natural armour. The wings were an obvious weak point on any creature that could fly.

  Aware that Edrik and Aldreon were already wounded, Inara gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around Athis’s spikes. Let’s bring him down!

  Athis growled deep in his throat and banked to the north as he gained some more height. Malliath and Aldreon were flying towards each other below them. From above, it was clear to see how much larger the black dragon really was. For just a moment, Inara doubted any of them would live to see the sunrise.

  Athis roared and angled his body to come down on Malliath. Inara called upon magic to provide her with enough air to keep breathing against the rushing wind.

  With only feet between them, it appeared Athis was going to hit Malliath with deadly speed and four legs of piercing claws. The black dragon, however, was not so easily ambushed. Malliath ignored Aldreon’s head-on attack and twisted his incredible bulk with enviable agility, bringing his claws to bear on Athis.

  Dragons, red and black, came together in a mad tangle of claws and limbs, their wings flapping furiously as they spun through the air. Aldreon glided past, missing the clash of dragons altogether.

  Inara groaned in pain as Malliath’s claws raked Athis’s legs and ribs. The half-elf could feel blood trickling down her own legs and side, making her job of holding on all the harder. The dragons snarled and gnashed their teeth, always trying to grip the other within their maw.

  Malliath used his superior wing size against them and flapped hard to take them all up, farther into the sky. The sudden change in momentum forced Athis’s head aside, opening his shoulder up for Malliath’s incredible bite.

  Inara added her own scream to Athis’s pained cry. Her left shoulder burned through to the bone and the Dragorn lost her grip. It was luck that saw her fall back through the air and avoid her companion’s thrashing tail.

  Inara! Athis desperately raked at Malliath in an attempt to break free of his hold and fly down to Inara.

  “Athis!” she scr
eamed through the pain that radiated from her shoulder and ribs.

  Aldreon’s lighter voice rang clear in her mind. Turn around! the golden dragon instructed.

  Inara flipped around in the air and saw Aldreon gliding beneath her. The golden dragon was losing altitude too, but he was slowing his descent foot by foot until they were both falling at the same speed. Inara gripped one of his spikes and pulled herself down just in time for Aldreon to flap his wings and prevent them all from hitting the ground.

  Rather than gain any more height, Aldreon opened his wings, filling them with air, and slowed to a stop. They were grounded on the flat ledge that stretched on to the eastern horizon, far above Syla’s Pass.

  “We need to get back up there!” Inara cried.

  No, Aldreon countered. Stay with Edrik. I will help Athis. Aldreon tilted his wing and allowed Edrik to slide down to the ground.

  Inara didn’t have time to get another word in before the golden dragon took off again, leaving her with a wounded Edrik. His face was swollen and cut, but his leg appeared mangled and positioned at all the wrong angles.

  The half-elf crouched down to check on him when more pain exploded up her back. Inara arched her back, lifting her head to the battle overhead. Athis had taken a pair of razor-sharp claws to the back, but the red dragon managed to awkwardly twist his head and clamp down on Malliath’s lower neck.

  Inara tasted the dragon’s blood in her mouth before his roar found her ears.

  “Inara…” Edrik managed.

  Doing her best to ignore the pain, Inara picked Edrik up into her arms, cupping his head in her hand. “It’s alright,” she said softly. “Together they will overpower Malliath. It will be over soon.”

  Edrik groaned in pain as Aldreon entered the fray above. Inara could do nothing but watch as new cuts and bruises spread across his face and hands.

  “We weren’t… trained for this,” he strained.

  “I know,” Inara replied, brushing his blond hair from his eyes. “But we are Dragorn,” she said boldly. “We are—”

  Edrik’s neck snapped.

  Inara gasped and sat back in shock. His lifeless eyes looked straight through her, but the Dragorn couldn’t help but be drawn to the bony lump in the left of his neck.

  Through tears, Inara turned her attention to the sky. Aldreon was falling fast. His wings were up in the air as his back slammed into the ground, sending quakes across the canyon.

  Athis came in hard and fast after that, landing directly in front of Inara. The red dragon was exhausted, his breathing ragged and tail laid low. A moment later, Malliath landed between them and Aldreon’s body.

  Reptilian purple eyes fixed them within a predatory gaze. Athis dug his claws into the ground and released a low growl to rumble across the plateau.

  Inara gently placed Edrik’s body down before drawing her Vi’tari blade. The Dragorn joined her companion beside his head and stood her ground, her hand trembling with rage. When Malliath next attacked, Inara knew she would meet him with all her mettle and fury.

  The attack never came, however, as Malliath lowered his head and Asher slid down. The ranger locked eyes with Inara and reached for his hip, pausing only when he realised there was no blade to draw. Not to be dissuaded, Asher opened his other hand and birthed a ball of blue fire.

  Then he stopped.

  Asher came to a halt mid-stride and turned his head to the south, as if hearing a voice on the wind. He closed his fist, ending the spell, and turned back to climb up Malliath’s scales. Without any further provocation, the pair took off and flew into the night.

  Inara took her first breath since the ranger had climbed down from the black dragon. Meeting him in battle would likely have spelled her doom, but meet him she would. For the first time in thirty years, since the death of Adriel, Gideon’s mentor, a Dragorn and his dragon had perished. It released an anger that burned deep inside of her, an emotion she shared with Athis.

  It also made her feel vulnerable.

  First, it was encountering the orcs, now this. The world was not as she had come to believe it to be. The Dragorn were not invincible. And immortals could die…

  I want to hunt him down.

  Athis spoke wiser words. We alone cannot defeat Malliath. The hunt will have to wait, wingless one.

  Inara sheathed her scimitar and crouched by Edrik’s side. He didn’t deserve this, neither of them did.

  They died in battle, Athis replied. A great honour for any Dragorn.

  Inara looked at Edrik’s battered and bloodied body. I think I can do without honour.

  We should put them together, Athis suggested. They should be together in rest.

  The Dragorn wiped away her tears and lifted Edrik’s body from the ground. The light of a new day was cresting the horizon as she placed him in the crook of Aldreon’s neck. There was nothing to see yet, but by the next sunrise, the magic stored within Aldreon would be released back into Verda’s soil. From their corpses, a small paradise would spread across the barren plateau.

  It would be beautiful.

  Inara stood there in silence, watching the sun bathe them in orange light. I’ve never seen the death of a dragon.

  Athis lifted his head to the south, his red scales catching the first of the rays. I fear Malliath’s return may spell the end for many more of our kin.

  Inara looked up at her companion. Was that really Asher? The Asher?

  I never met the man, but I did see him during The Battle for Velia. The rider we fought tonight is a perfect match to my memory.

  The Dragorn wiped the last of her tears away and looked to the south. How can he be back? How can he be bonded to Malliath?

  The answers will have to wait, Athis said. Malliath is still in the area, which means the skies are no longer safe. We should return to The Lifeless Isles and speak with Master Thorn.

  Alijah!

  Athis’s suggestion reminded Inara that her brother was in Syla’s Pass. The half-elf could have hit her own head for letting that revelation go.

  Athis turned his deep blue eyes on Inara. It was a relief to see Alijah, but we must report our findings to Master Thorn.

  Gideon’s going to have just as many questions as we do, if not more. I would bet both of my arms that my brother knows something. There’s no way his being in The Undying Mountains is a coincidence.

  Athis didn’t appear convinced and Inara could tell he was worried about the emotional implications of seeing Alijah again. It was no secret that their relationship had broken down over the last few years, before his self-exile.

  Even if I didn’t think he had answers, I would still need to see him, Athis. He’s my brother…

  I know, wingless one. But if he upsets you I cannot give you my word I won’t snap at him. The red dragon sniffed the air. They are still in the Pass.

  Inara climbed up the dragon’s leg, careful to avoid the cuts and gashes that mirrored her own wounds. They were both in pain and covered in blood, but they were alive. Seeing Aldreon and Edrik, it could easily have been them who suffered under Malliath’s deadly bite. With that in mind, Inara took little notice of the blood in her dark ringlets or the stiffness in her back.

  Before Athis launched into the morning sky, Inara took one last look over their fallen companions. “If there is something beyond this world, I hope they find it together…”

  The Crow walked out of the tunnel and back into the centre of Paldora’s Fall. The magic rooted in the crater continued to ripple over his skin, despite the dampening effects of the resurrection spell.

  Orcish blood ran between the fine cracks in the ground, weaving between his feet. He smiled. Everything had happened as it should have. The waters had been muddied, blurring the lines for the so-called heroes of Verda.

  The Crow stepped over the dead orcs and approached the hewn table. It had taken more lifetimes than he could count to come this far.

  “There will be peace…” he whispered.

  The flapping of great wings fil
tered through the floating boulders and found The Crow’s ears. The Dragon Knight had heard his master’s call.

  He waited patiently for Asher to find his way back to the dais. The man cut quite the figure, attired in dark armour and emerging from the shadows. Asher’s face spoke of a lifetime of hardship but, thankfully, his soft blue eyes told of a gentle nature. Muddied waters indeed.

  The Dragon Knight strode up to his master and took a knee. “I am ready to serve, Master.”

  The Crow’s throat rumbled with glee. “What a magnificent weapon you are.” He walked around the genuflecting Dragon Knight. “You have found Astari, new life, in the world. Yet… here you are, a slave to destiny once again, forbidden to rest.”

  Asher remained on one knee, his expression stoic and mouth shut. A product of two binding spells, the Dragon Knight was the most twisted form of new life, chained to the magic that shackled his mind. He was perfect.

  Morvir, The Crow’s first servant, strode quickly out of the orcs’ tunnel. The Crow held out a hand to silence the man before he spoke, his focus still on Asher.

  “Inara Galfrey is not to be killed,” he instructed the Dragon Knight. “You may do anything else you like, so long as it does not result in her death.” Asher remained completely still. “Does that name mean anything to you? Galfrey…”

  Without meeting his master’s eyes, Asher replied, “Nathaniel Galfrey, son of Tobin Galfrey. Formerly of the Graycoats. Abandoned his order in favour of courting Reyna of house Sevari, princess of Elandril. A proficient swordsman and expert marksman. He was a… good man.”

  The Crow arched an eyebrow. “Rise,” he commanded. The master took a confident step closer to Asher’s face and scrutinised those blue eyes. “How much of you is still in there, I wonder, clawing at the walls?” The Crow tapped his wand against the hardened leather over the Dragon Knight’s chest. “Claw all you like. This magic is older than both of us.” The Crow stepped back, noting the absence of a sword on Asher’s hip. “A Dragon Knight requires a sword. Perhaps one familiar to your grip…”

  Those blue eyes twitched and met The Crow’s with recognition. “Take flight then,” he ordered. “You will know my commands when you hear them.”