The Elemental Trilogy Box Set

by Toni Cox

  “I am sorry. I did not intend to harm your people,” he finally said. “It is best I leave now.”

  Ender nodded to him and then stepped aside. Blaid picked up his sword from the ground and sheathed it. He took one final look at the carnage around him and then stepped over the ruins of the gate to walk back into the mountains.

  The two dragons came together with an earth-shattering roar. All around Maia was chaos; horses whinnied and bucked, men screamed, Wolf howled; and on top of the crest Kanarel laughed.

  As the dragons took their fight higher into the air, the horses finally settled somewhat and Jaik immediately gave the order to advance. Wolf was away and running towards Kanarel before their horses were even in motion.

  By the time they had reached the crest, Kanarel was gone.

  Past the ridge, the ground sloped down about forty strides and then became a lightly forested area. Assuming Kanarel was hiding within the trees, they chased down the hill and spread out in the forest. Wolf had his nose to the ground, but he did not pick up Kanarel’s scent. Maia heard Jaik give orders to his men. Frustrated, she opened herself and tried to find Kanarel’s Eläm, but besides the warriors she was with, there was no one else in the vicinity.

  “He is not here,” she shouted to Riker and Rothea, who were, as always, right behind her.

  Quickly she turned Fire’s head and headed back out of the trees. In the open she scanned the area. It was possible that he was powerful enough to hide his Eläm from her, or even make himself invisible, but even if that was the case, they should be able to at least pick up his foot prints. Now, with her suspicions confirmed, she believed him to be more powerful than anyone could have suspected.

  An Ice Dragon, she thought, and looked towards the sky where the two beasts battled.

  Ice Dragons were the only dragons as large as Soul Dragons. She had never seen one, as they lived in the polar regions of their planet, but she had studied them during her years of training with Silas. They were bad tempered and vicious, with armoured skin, talons as long as her legs and about a hundred more teeth than Midnight. She shuddered now as she felt one of those sharp talons rip a deep cut into Midnight’s softer belly flesh.

  She had to find Kanarel. If he controlled the dragon, he would be able to call him off. Going on instinct, she turned east and tracked along the ridge. After about half a mile she noticed a slight disturbance in the air. It was almost too faint to pick up, but after her own excursion into invisibility, she immediately knew what it was.

  “He is close.” She quietly it said to Riker and Rothea. “Spread out.”

  Rothea took her left and Riker went to the right. Using all her senses, she concentrated on the vast area before them. Everything was still, yet she was sure he was there. Slowly she let Fire walk forward, carefully scanning the ground for foot prints and testing the quality of the air around her. It was almost imperceptible and she almost missed it, but then Kanarel moved and she was sure of his position. Quickly she signalled to her companions and they closed in.

  “Show yourself,” she demanded. “I know you are there.”

  The air shimmered before them for a moment and then there he stood; an air of arrogance around him. Wolf growled at him, but stood firm next to Maia.

  “And what will you do, Princess?” he sneered.

  “Lay down your weapons and no harm will come to you,” she replied.

  “And then? Should I come quietly? I think not, Princess.”

  “Riker,” Maia said, “bind him.”

  Riker jumped off his horse and, with his sword drawn, approached Kanarel.

  “Lay down your weapons,” Riker repeated Maia’s order.

  Kanarel smiled and a feeling of premonition so strong overcame Maia that she almost retched.

  “Riker, watch out,” she managed to yell, but it was too late.

  The Ice Dragon came swooping down from on high, faster than Maia thought possible for such a large animal, snatched Riker off the ground and flew off with him, Midnight in pursuit.

  “Kanarel,” she yelled. “If anything happens to him, I swear I will kill you myself.”

  Kanarel laughed and then the air shimmered around him and he was gone. Wolf ran to the spot where Kanarel had stood only a moment before, but then turned in circles as he lost Kanarel’s scent.

  Torn between Riker at the mercy of the dragon and the prospect of catching Kanarel, she hesitated a moment too long. One moment she sensed him there only a few strides from her, the next moment he had vanished completely.

  Midnight’s screams then focussed her thoughts. She looked up at the dragons in the sky. She noticed that Midnight was reluctant to attack as Shard still had Riker in his claws. Shard did not seem to be aware of his extra burden and attacked Midnight relentlessly.

  Maia and Rothea followed the flight of the dragons up and down the ridge and Maia tried to reach out to Riker to find out if he was still alive, but the distance was simply too great. They were eventually joined by Jaik and his men, but there was nothing they could do but watch in horror as the Ice Dragon chipped away at Midnight’s defences and Midnight was unable to retaliate.

  The dragons swooped and at one point they came so close that Maia managed to pick up Riker’s faint Eläm. He was alive, for now, but barely so. Feeling utterly helpless, she tried one last thing; she tried to connect to the Ice Dragon’s mind. Letting go of everything else around her, she focused solely on the dragon. He was a big animal and his Eläm glowed brighter than anything else around him. Even Midnight, having suffered so many injuries already, was dim compared to Shard. In her desperation, she reached out and tried to get into the dragon’s mind.

  Immediately she was hit by a force of anger so strong it made her catch her breath. She tried again, pushing against the anger to see what lay beyond, but what she found there brought tears to her eyes; there was nothing she could do for Riker. The dragon’s mind was beyond saving. He had been taken out of his home, forced to submit to the lowly creature who had dared to invade his territory and then he had been made to do unspeakable things. His mind was twisted, angry, scared, and completely without reason. It was only his rage that now fuelled him and, now that the creature that had ensnared him had let go of his hold on him, he would kill anything that got in his way.

  “No,” Maia whispered as she brought her mind back to herself, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

  The unthinkable happened; Shard opened his talons and Riker plummeted towards the ground. Maia screamed at Midnight to catch him, but without having to hold on to Riker, Shard now attacked even more viciously. There was nothing Midnight could do to save Riker.

  In desperation Maia urged Fire into a gallop, trying to reach the spot where she thought Riker might land. Maybe she could catch him, or cushion his fall, or …

  Riker’s body slammed into the ground and in an instant Maia knew he was dead. She jumped off her horse and ran to him. Cradling his head, she stared at the large hole through his belly from the dragon’s talon. Even if he had not fallen, he would not have survived such an injury.

  As everyone gathered around them, Maia sobbed. Wolf howled. She rocked Riker’s lifeless body back and forth and finally understood, even though she loved Blaid, she had loved Riker too.

  He watched the small form of Calm-Blue-Waters fall to the ground and he heard Bright-Shining-Silver-Star’s plea for him to catch him, but there was nothing he could do. Mad-One attacked, sinking his claws deep into his skin. Together they tumbled, whirling around each other, snapping at each other’s necks. Mad-One had no thought but to kill him and there was no point in trying to reason with him; he was unable to get into his mind. Finally, he managed to free himself from the grip Mad-One had on him and they both rose higher into the air. He released a blast of fire that engulfed Mad-One and the white dragon screamed in rage.

  The moment the fire stopped, Mad-One attacked again. The white one went for his wings and he screamed as Mad-One’s mouth clamped shut on his flight membranes. A
ngry, he retaliated and slashed at the mad dragon’s softer under belly with his claws, ripping open the skin in four diagonal strips. Mad-One screamed, letting go of his wing in the process. He twisted and turned, scratching and biting, but whatever he did to the white dragon, it only seemed to make him angrier and more dangerous. Mad-One was large and strong, probably older than he was by at least two hundred years. It was clear to him that Mad-One had more experience in fighting with other dragons than he did and it was all he could do to hold the older dragon off.

  Faintly he was aware of the heartbreak of the one that shared his soul and he struggled to block it out. Mad-One was biting his neck and he felt the sharp teeth sink deep into his skin. Again, he screamed and again he retaliated. Blood sprayed in all directions as both of them inflicted serious injuries on each other. They were now both struggling to stay in the air, as their wings were ripped. Flapping uselessly, they slowly descended to the earth, all the while biting and scratching at anything they could reach.

  The force with which they landed shook his teeth, but he was on his feet instantly and swung his tail at Mad-One, slicing open his side with the caudal spade on the tip of his tail. Mad-One turned and used his own tail to inflict damage. It hit him on the spiky part of his spine and glanced off ineffectively.

  Midnight’s limbs were tired and he was barely able to lift his wings, yet Mad-One kept attacking, seemingly unaware of his own injuries. He released another long burst of fire and could smell the exposed flesh of Mad-One’s wounds burn. Mad-One roared, jumped out of the stream of fire and sank his teeth yet again into Midnight’s wings. He could not twist out of his grip, so he attacked Mad-One’s neck, biting down hard and hoping to cut off his airflow. Mad-One did not let go of his wing; just bit down harder; and at the same time slashed at his chest with his front legs. Using the last of his strength, he bit down even harder on Mad-One’s neck. He worked his jaw and felt the flesh in Mad-One’s neck tear.

  The white dragon just screamed and carried on fighting. He felt his blood drain out of his many wounds, but he felt that the wound on his stomach and the damage to his left wing were probably the worst. Mad-One would break a bone in his wing soon and then he would never fly again. With one last effort, he bit down on Mad-One’s neck and just when he thought his strength would fail him, he heard a faint click.

  Almost instantly, the white dragon went limp. He felt the teeth release his wing. He opened his mouth and Mad-One dropped to the ground before him. He looked down at his opponent; a worthy adversary had it not been for his madness, and then sank down beside him. The smell of his own blood was strong in his nostrils and the pain from so many wounds was making him sleepy.

  He needed to rest. He needed to sleep. He had nothing left. He closed his eyes.

  “Maia,” Jaik said gently. “Come. Let my men take him. They will take care of him. You are needed.”

  Maia shook her head. She did not want to leave him. Riker had not left her side since he had been assigned to her and now he lay dead in her arms because of an order she had given him. She would not leave him.

  “Maia, please, look at me,” Jaik said, lifting her chin with his finger to make her look at him. “Midnight needs you.”

  It took her a moment longer to understand what he was saying. The dragons. They had been fighting. Suddenly alert, she gently laid Riker’s head on the ground and then jumped to her feet.

  “Follow me,” Jaik said, and ran.

  After about a hundred strides the two large humps, one black and one white, came into view on the plain before them. Maia increased her pace and was soon kneeling at Midnight’s head. Rothea was already beside him, stroking his nostrils. Maia was taken aback by the strange sight for a moment, but then she heard what Rothea was whispering to Midnight over and over.

  “She is coming, just hold on.”

  Midnight! she thought, pushing the thought out with force.

  She felt a flicker of acknowledgment in her mind, but it was so faint she almost missed it. Midnight was weak and for him to be in such a state, his injuries were grave. Kneeling beside his head, she laid her hand on his muzzle for a moment before she stood up again.

  “Let me have a look then,” she said, more to herself than anyone else.

  Jaik and Rothea stepped away to give her room. Maia barely noticed the other men standing in a wide semicircle around her dragon.

  Midnight lay flat on his stomach, with one of his front legs twisted oddly beneath him and the other stretched out at a crooked angle before him. His hind legs were bent to the side and were lying together, but, even without further inspection, she could see the deep scratch marks all along his flanks.

  There was a growing pool of blood forming on the ground under his stomach and Maia suspected that he had at least one severe injury on his underside. She would have to get him to turn in order to heal that injury, but she doubted he had the energy for that at this moment. She would have to see to some of the other injuries first in order to give him some strength.

  His right wing was stretched out wide to his side, but his left wing lay in a crumpled heap beside him. Blood was dripping from numerous puncture marks all along it. His tail curved around him, almost touching his head, and even that was covered in scratches and bite marks.

  Despair gripped her as she beheld the extent of his injuries. Never in her life would she have thought to see her dragon so. She had never met a beast bigger or stronger than Midnight and she cast a wary glance in the direction of the prone, white dragon. She felt nothing from him and was sure he was dead, yet she was still afraid of him. Bile rose to her throat as she thought about what Kanarel did to that dragon and now, inadvertently, to her own dragon.

  “Jaik,” she said, turning to her brother, “I will not be able to do this alone. His injuries are extensive and I do not have enough energy to heal him by myself.”

  “You know I will lend you whatever strength I have,” he answered.

  “It will still not be enough,” Maia said sadly, suddenly unable to voice her request.

  “You can have mine as well,” Rothea said, stepping forward.

  As Maia looked up, another of Jaik’s Guard stepped forward.

  “And mine, Lady Maia.”

  “Aye, mine too.”

  One by one, the men stepped forward and Maia felt her eyes fill with tears as the emotions overwhelmed her. Taking energy from another person was not done often and she did not enjoy doing it. Then she remembered that she had probably healed most of these men from their Syphon stings using Midnight’s energy and she realised that it was their way of repaying the dragon.

  “Thank you, my friends,” she finally managed to say. “I will try to heal as many of the larger wounds that are visible to us first. Once the blood loss has slowed, I hope to be able to get him to turn on his side, so we can see to the large wound on his stomach.”

  The men around her nodded.

  “Jaik will stay in contact with me, which will be the link. Rothea will hold on to Jaik and the rest of you can then all hold on to each other in whatever order you feel comfortable with, as long as you do not let go of Rothea.”

  There was a murmur of agreement and the men shuffled around to find their positions.

  “I will start with this wing,” Maia said to Jaik. “Let us hope the bone is not broken.”

  Together they walked over to the wing that lay crumpled next to the bulk of the dragon. The men shuffled after them. Carefully Maia examined the areas she could reach. The main wound was close to the shoulder and not within her reach, but as long as she was in contact with the wing itself, she could channel the energy to the wound. She closed her eyes and laid her hands on Midnight’s tough skin. The White’s teeth must have been extraordinarily sharp to cause such damage.

  “Brace yourselves,” she said loud enough for everyone to hear, “I am going to start.”

  She heard a few men gasp as she began to concentrate, but then they were still and she felt their energy flow through he
r. She would use only what she absolutely needed and she would have to monitor each and every one of them individually while she healed Midnight to ensure that she did not kill one of them in the process. Midnight was a large animal and the extent of his injuries would require large quantities of energy.

  She felt her way along the wing with her mind. She ignored all superficial wounds; they would heal by themselves with time. She concentrated instead on the wounds bleeding profusely and especially the large bite mark at the top of Midnight’s wing. She was relieved to find, although there were teeth marks on the bone, the bone itself was not broken. Some of the flight tendons, however, were torn, as were several muscles. She now had to draw on all the knowledge she had gathered while studying dragons with Silas on how to put the pieces back together.

  The wing alone took them close to an hour to heal and when it was done she gave the men a short rest.

  “Hold on for me, my darling,” she whispered to Midnight, resting her head against his muzzle for a moment. She felt a brief flutter of recognition, but he was still too weak to respond.

  “My Lady,” Rothea knelt beside her, holding up a small object. “I have this small flask of Silva which I always keep in my saddlebag. Can I share it out between the men?”

  “Rothea, what would I ever do without you?” Maia said joyfully; this was exactly what they needed right now.

  Once everyone had had a sip of the potion, Maia continued along the left side of her dragon. She healed the deep gashes in his neck and his flank, as well as on his legs. They were deep and bleeding heavily, but only flesh wounds and fairly simple to heal. The tail was more complicated, as one of his spikes on the lower third of his tail hung by just a thread. Holding it in place she tried to reattach it, but the complicated connection of tissue, sinew, nerves, and bones was impossible for her to replicate. There was nothing else to do. Drawing her knife, she severed the last bit of sinew that was holding the spike to the tail and then simply concentrated on sealing the wound. Midnight would not be happy about losing one of his spikes, but there was nothing else she could do.