by Brad Clark
“I must try!”
Myllia lurched forward, and then the Stone Ogres came to life. It was as if they were waiting for her to cross some imaginary threshold before she was deemed a threat. She thrust her head toward the chains, clamping down on the still hot metal, hoping to break it with her powerful jaws. Just as she did so, the nearest Strone Ogre jumped forward and struck her on the back. She let out a cry of pain and released the chain. She twisted her body, but too slowly. The Stone Ogre struck again, sending her body into the cold ground. She tried to scurry away, but the Stone Ogre’s fists were quick and powerful, driving bone-shattering blows through her body.
Immerallis began to thrust and yank on his chains, but the thick metal links that held him imprisoned kept him from moving more than a few feet. The other Stone Ogre moved closer to him letting his companion more freely engage Myllia, the larger of the two dragons.
Having underestimated the strength of the Strone Ogre as it continued to pound on her, Myllia began to panic. Her thick scales were protecting her, but the power of the Stone Ogres fists was more than she expected. Desperately, she tried to scurry away, but the chamber was too small for her to get away from its reach. Too late, she realized the second Stone Ogre had placed itself between her and the exit, blocking her from escaping. It would not take many more blows before she was seriously hurt. If she didn’t find a way to counterattack or escape, it was possible the Stone Ogre could crush her back.
With a desperate move, she rolled onto her side, exposing her underbelly. Although it was a risky move, it allowed her to clamp her jaws onto the Stone Ogre’s leg. It felt like she was biting into rock, but she grabbed on and jerked her head to pull its leg out from underneath it. Caught off guard, the Stone Ogre stumbled. It used an arm to catch itself before it fell to the ground and Myllia scurried as far away as she could. Before she was too far, she swatted her tail at the Stone Ogre’s legs, knocking it to the ground. As soon as it hit the ground, she pounced on top of it.
With a quickness that belied her size, she took the Stone Ogres head in her jaws and clamped down hard. She shook with as much force as she could, but the only thing she did was to make the Stone Ogre angry. The creature began pounding her on the head with its free hands. She twisted and pulled on its head, but even her razor-sharp teeth could not penetrate its skin. Exhausted from the battle and in pain from being struck so many times, Myllia knew she had no choice but to try and escape. If the Stone Ogre happened to get a hold of her, she might not have the strength to break free. With one last burst of energy, she jumped off its chest and scurried back out through the doorway.
Three Stone Ogres stood just outside the door, but they were too slow to catch her. Still on all fours, she ran across the open courtyard, dodging their wild grasps. Once at full speed, she jumped up into the air, spread her wings and pulled herself up into the sky. More than a dozen more Stone Ogres continued to chase after her, but they had no chance to catch her. Flying through the air, she was too quick for them. Eventually, they stopped giving chase as she rose to be but a small dot in the sky.
“I am sorry,” she said to Immerallis.
“You are hurt,” he replied. “I can feel your pain.”
“It is nothing like what you have suffered through. I will avenge you!”
“Do not worry about me. I am safe here. The Deceiver will not kill me, at least not for a long time. I am too valuable to him alive.”
“That is why I need to free you. He is using you to bring creatures from his domain. The longer that he has you, the more he can bring. I have already fought one of his creatures, and it was nearly indestructible.”
“Like these Stone Ogres?”
“Worse. It was pure evil and full of hatred for all life.”
“You cannot free me on your own. If you are to try again, you must get help.”
“There are no others. We are alone.”
“You and I are the last of our kind, but we are not alone.”
Myllia started to snap back a quick reply, but then caught herself. She knew what Immerallis was implying, but Humans were even more fragile than they were. They would have no chance against even one of the Stone Ogres, much less a small army of them.
“I will find a way to free you,” Myllia said.
“Do not try again! Not without help.”
“And you do not tell me what to do! I am still your Queen!”
Despite his circumstance, Immerallis found her statement humorous. If he could have laughed, he would have. “My survival is irrelevant if the Deceiver is victorious in this war. At one time when dragons ruled the skies, your rule and leadership were important, but that time is long past. We need to help this world fight the Deceiver, and you cannot do it alone.”
“You and I can do it together!”
“Yes! But, I am chained in a prison from which even you cannot free me. Do not let your hatred and fears control your decisions. Do not let your pride and arrogance rule your actions. Now, do not try to free me alone again.” Then Immerallis closed his mind from her.
Myllia let out a cry of anger. She could not just let Immerallis suffer and be tortured. He needed to know that there was a reason for him to be free, to help continue their species. Without him, their species would die out. Yet, she also knew that he spoke wisdom.
Anger and frustration built up inside of her that needed to be released. It manifested itself in the fires of her belly, and if she didn’t release it, she would be consumed by her own fire.
With a sharp bank, she turned around. Then she pulled her wings tight against her body, and her speed increased as she headed directly for the tower. The moment she reached it, she could no longer contain the fire in her belly. Hovering in place, she expunged the fire onto the top of the tower. When the last of the fire was gone, she looked at the undamaged stone that glowed a bright red.
***
The roll of the Elven fishing vessel made Queen Elissa’s stomach queasy, but the drink that Hallendrielle, Glaerion’s wife, had given her kept her from throwing up her latest meal. She leaned against the railing at the ship’s stern, her eyes scanning the open sea for the sight of a ship she knew would not be there.
“The Human captain is a sound seaman.”
Elissa glanced over to see King Illichian, king of all Elven-kind, standing next to her. His long hair was blowing in the wind, exposing tall, pointed ears. He was older than her Elven friend Glaerion, but there was no way for her to tell how much older. He looked as old as her father, but while he had died before seeing his fiftieth birthday, King Illichian had seen more than a hundred times that many years. She thought about asking his age, but that was a conversation for another day. Right now, her thoughts were only on her beloved Conner, who was on another ship far away from her.
“It was a bad storm,” she said. Although the Elves had protected their fleet of ships from the hurricane they had run into, it still had been a harrowing trip. The seas had crashed all around them, and the wind blew so hard she thought it would simply topple over the ships. Hallendrielle had stayed with her in the captain’s cabin to help calm her fears. In the end, they had come out of the storm unscathed. No ships were damaged, nor were any lives lost.
King Illichian’s voice hardened just a touch as he said, “The Human captain should have maintained course and followed us. We could have helped protect his ship from the strong winds and massive waves of the hurricane.” He paused for a moment as he saw the fear in Elissa’s eyes. His tone then softened as he continued, “However, by breaking away before he came across the strongest part of the storm, he likely skirted right around it. It’s entirely possible they hardly felt the effects of the storm.”
She looked up at him, with hope in her eyes. “You really think so?”
King Illichian gave her a fatherly smile. “We can only hope. I have a feeling that he and Glaerion and the other Elven Guard are safe. However, their path is not ours, for now. We cannot be looking behind us, we must be looking for
ward.”
He took her by the shoulders and turned her towards the bow of the ship. In front of them, Elven sailors were moving about the deck performing their duties. Between them and the horizon were several dozen Elven ships, all heading in the same direction.
King Illichian lifted a hand and pointed at the horizon. “Your kingdom lies directly ahead of us. That is where the war is raging. I can feel the power of the Deceiver as he pulls from the Web of Magic, and the further north we travel, the more I can feel his power. If he finds the necklace, the other part of the Ark of Life, his power will be so great, none will stop him. We must push forward, find that necklace, engage the Deceiver's army, and destroy it. We cannot let ourselves be bogged down by the past, or by our fears. We must move forward towards what the future holds.” He paused to let out a sigh. “I say this not just for you, but for myself and all Elven-kind as well. Elves have lived in exile for too long, hanging onto the past, hanging onto our anger. It is time for us to look towards the future and what it holds. That is why I am here, why we Elves have come north.”
“But not all came,” she said.
With sadness in his voice, he replied, “I know. Too many stayed behind. But there are enough of us to be a formidable army. We will fight by your side, and we will prevail against the Deceiver and his army. But, you are still the queen of your kingdom, and you must be the ruler that I see in you. You cannot spend your time looking backward to see if Conner is coming to catch up. We must move forward.”
“But, what if…”
King Illichian gently placed a finger on her lips. “There is no room in our thoughts for what-ifs. With the threats that we face, we cannot be wasting time wondering how our lives might be if one thing or many things were different. One day at a time, one threat at a time, we will face them.” A smile came across his face. “But remember, you are no longer alone. You have an army of Elves to stand at your side.”
An Elf that had climbed to the top the main mast let out a shrill whistle. He pointed directly forward, towards the horizon, and shouted out words in Elvish.
Before Elissa could ask for the words to be translated, King Illichian said, “We have arrived at your kingdom.”
A shiver went up her spine as she thought about what was to happen next. There would be fighting and more deaths. Even if they somehow won this war, many of those that she loved might not survive it. Maybe she wouldn’t survive it. She did not fear losing her life, but she feared living a life without Conner. It seemed as if they had spent more time apart in the past year than together.
King Illichian took her hand, warming her from head to toe. The chill of the northern winter went away. In its place was a feeling of confidence and power, something that she had not felt since she had first placed the crown of the kingdom upon her head. At that moment, she was reminded of who she was. Yes, she was Elissa, wife to Conner, but she was first and foremost Queen Elissa, ruler of the people of Karmon, ruler of people who were waiting for her return.
In silence, they stood together, patiently watching as the shadows of the horizon grew into a gray haze that were the cliffs that overlooked the Gulf of Taran. Atop one of those cliffs should have been her castle, but instead, a tall tower rose high into the sky. Just looking at the tower, she felt a sense of awe and despair.
Suddenly, the top of the tower was awash in fire. Everyone fell silent and stopped what they were doing.
“What?” Elissa asked. They were still a long way from shore, but the fire atop of the tower was clear as if they were standing next to it.
King Illichian muttered, “I cannot believe it.”
“What?” she repeated.
“Dragon fire. I thought I would never live to see it.”
His voice shook with either excitement or fear; she could not tell which one it was
In stunned silence, everyone watched as the fire continued to bathe the top of the tower. Elissa could clearly see the fire, but not the dragon. After several moments, the fire stopped, and the top of the tower glowed from the heat of the dragon’s breath. That was when she saw it. Even though it was miles away and hardly more than a splotch of black against the blue sky, she trembled in fear. The last time she saw it, it was tearing her city apart. For another heartbeat, it hovered above the tower, and then it slowly turned away. It pumped its wings as it flew inland and out of sight.
“The dragons have indeed returned,” King Illichian said. “The war for our world has begun in earnest. Soon enough, we will make landfall and join the fight. Are you ready for this, Queen Elissa?”
Elissa did not reply. As she continued to stare at the empty blue sky, she held her hands tight to her side so no one would see them shake.
Chapter Three
Ilasha walked through the cold corridors of the castle. Fires blazed in the fireplaces of the castle’s chambers, and even though some of the heat escaped into the corridors, it was still a cold walk to get from one part of the castle to another. Moving through the castle was only done when necessary and with warm clothes and boots. She missed her small house that was heated by a central open hearth. The exercise of chopping wood had kept her occupied through the long days, and she was rewarded by a warm bed at night. Now, though, there was little for her to do. There were plenty of women who could cook much better than she could, so she was shooed away from the kitchens after trying to help. There were plenty of menial tasks that she tried to help with, but her status as Sir Marik’s lady kept her from being allowed to carry buckets of water or shovel manure in the stables.
Her heart was warmed just by thinking of Marik, even though her nerves were frayed from thinking of him being out in the cold all alone. It was the second time in her life that she had fallen for such a man. Her heart had broken after her first love, Brace Hawkden, had chosen knighthood over a life with her. To some degree, she had accepted his decision, and it was probably the right one for him. It still hurt, and it had taken a long time for her to get over him and the heartbreak. Sometimes she wondered if her feelings for Marik were simply leftover feelings from when she had loved Brace. They were both knights, but that was where the similarities ended. While they were both strong and courageous, they had very different personalities. Brace was stoic and could come across as cold, while Marik was softer and as wild and free as a Karmon Knight could be. She was also much older and wiser now, which she hoped gave her a better perspective on life and love. The feelings that she had for Brace were the trappings of a love-struck young woman. What she felt for Marik was stronger and deeper. There was more than just youthful butterflies in the stomach. Her heart and soul felt complete by his presence in her life.
The corridor she walked down ended at a wider hallway that led to the castle’s great hall. Light from a large fire reflected off the hallway’s walls, and she could feel heat coming from the open doorway. Desiring to be warm, she walked into the great hall.
The large hearth was piled high with freshly cut pine logs. Flames reached high into the air, the scent of the burning pine filling her senses with thoughts of springtime. The cold, wet wood crackled and snapped and only burned because of the massiveness of the fire and red-hot coals from the previous evening's fire.
She walked over to the hearth and held out her hands to let the heat of the fire warm her. Keeping enough fires going to warm the castle and all its inhabitants were stretching the resources of the army. She knew the severe cold was over, but winter would still linger for many more weeks this high in the mountains. It was a testament to the courage and determination of the Karmon people who had banded together to ensure that there was enough food for everyone and enough wood to keep them warm.
A dark figure sitting at the far end of the hall caught her attention. She recognized Hargon’s jet-black robe and contemplated walking over to him. She had never actually talked to him, even though he had been a companion of Marik’s. There was something mysterious and dangerous about him, which had kept her at a distance. As she watched him hunched over a
book, she realized that he had never shown himself to be anything other than an asset in their war against the Deceiver. From a distance, he seemed polite and charismatic. The fear of what he could do with his power made her cautious. Not because she was afraid of him, but because she did not understand what he could do and how he could do it.
With little else to do, she took in a deep breath and left the warmth of the fire to approach him.
Hargon sat on one of the hall’s long benches that had been pulled up to a table. He was still hunched over his book and deep in thought when Ilasha approached. Before she could see what he was reading, he quickly closed the book and turned towards her. He had a strong, handsome face with deep, blue eyes. Until this moment, she had never noticed how mesmerizing his eyes were. Without realizing it, she became flustered and froze.
“What?” he asked. His voice was deep, but not too deep. The tone was sharp and authoritative, but not angry.
“I am Ilasha,” she said.
“Yes, I know who you are.”
“You are Hargon.”
“I know that, too. What do you want?” He asked with irritation now clearly in his voice.
“It is getting late,” she replied sheepishly. “But I was not tired, so I decided to wander the halls to see if I could relax.”
Hargon let out a dismissive grunt. His left arm was draped over the book that he was reading. The loose cuff of his robe covered most of the book so she could not see what it was. She said nothing and stood awkwardly, hovering over him.
She didn’t want to leave, as that would mean going back through the cold dark corridors to her chamber. Even though she shared it with four other young ladies, they were already asleep. If she did go back, she knew she would just lay awake waiting impatiently for sleep to overtake her. Her mind would spin, focused only on Marik and the fact that he was not with her. She knew that there was nothing she could do, but that just made it worse.