by Brad Clark
King Illichian walked away from the tent and towards an open area where the dragon could land. After two more circles, it spread its wings wide and floated down, touching the ground with its hind legs. With a thud, it dropped from standing on two legs to all fours. She looked around, her head tilted as she could only see out of her right eye. When she spotted Marik, she bared her teeth and let out a low growl.
“You found the Ark of Life?” Myllia said.
Elissa let out a sharp cry at the sound of the dragon’s voice in her head.
“Yes, she speaks,” King Illichian said. He turned to the dragon and lifted his chin. “I am King Illichian, King of the Elves. Who are you?”
“In the language of the Humans, my name is Myllia.”
“I am familiar with that name.”
“You know her?” Marik asked.
“I know of her,” the King said. “In Elvish, her name is Jhirindrisendiea or Golden-Eyed Empress of the Dragons. If she is really Jhirindrisendiea, then she is as old as the mountains. Last of her kind.”
“Not last,” Myllia said, accompanied by a growl. She moved forward several steps, her nose held up to sniff the air.
Marik walked forward and stood next to King Illichian. “The Ark of Life is safe,” he said. “What is it that you want? I promised not to hunt you, but I did not promise I would not try and kill you if I were to see you.”
“The twig in your hand will not hurt me.”
“I have hurt you with less!”
Myllia thrust her head forward, and she opened her mouth to show her teeth. She did not fire her breath, but everyone could feel the heat coming from her.
“Do not provoke her!” King Illichian shouted out.
“I survived her once,” Marik said.
“Yes,” Myllia replied. “But you do not have the Ark of Life to protect you, this time. I could kill you in a hundred different ways, even before your friends could try and protect you.”
King Illichian put a hand on Marik’s shoulder to try and calm him. To the dragon, he asked, “Why are you here?”
Myllia took another step forward and lowered her head to the ground, her eyes moving from one Elf to another. Finally, she held her gaze on Elissa. Again, she lifted her head and sniffed the air.
Marik sensed that Myllia was looking closely at Elissa and he stepped over to stand between Elissa and the dragon.
“You protect this one, too?” Myllia asked. “She is different than the other. Untouched by the Ark of Life, but touched by more. Something bigger.”
“She is my queen!” Marik shouted. “I protect her with my life!”
“Of course you do.”
Getting exasperated at being ignored, King Illichian shouted out again, “What are you doing here? What do you want?”
“Want? What do I want? I want my brethren to be filling the skies again. I want to see the flight of dragons from horizon to horizon like I saw when the earth was young. That is what I want.” She let out a low growl. “I would also like to see Humanity wiped from the face of the earth.”
“And yet, you let this one live?”
“I let him live, for the Ark of Life needed to be found before the Deceiver or one of his slimy minions found it. I will even let Humans keep it, as long as they take it far away from the Deceiver. I am willing to let Humans live if the only other choice is to let the Deceiver destroy this world and all life on it.”
“The Ark of Life is safe,” Marik said.
“If safe means wrapped around the neck of a Human who uses it without so much as a thought to the power that he holds. To me, safe means that it is hidden under a mountain, or on the floor of the ocean, or on the other side of the world. You intend to take it into battle, do you not?”
“They intend to use it to fight the Deceiver,” King Illichian said.
“And you disapprove?”
“Of course.”
“Humans were never one to make the wisest decisions.” The single golden-eye turned to Marik. “Human with the little stick, the one others call Marik.”
Marik gripped his sword tightly. He itched to use it, even though he knew it could never cut through the dragon’s scales.
“I spared your life, and now it is time for repayment. There is another of my kind that has been imprisoned by the Deceiver. His name is Immerallis, and you will free him.”
Marik was completely taken aback by the demand. It took him several moments for the dragon’s words to truly be processed so that he understood them. “You want me to free a dragon so that there can be two of you that are killing Humans and destroying our cities? I don’t think so!”
“I am but one, yet with the two of us together, we can kill many more goblins and Stone Ogres. Soon, the Deceiver will regain enough strength to call forth another of his generals, or even a dozen more. If this world is to be saved, you will need the both of us.”
“And then when the Deceiver is defeated, you will return to killing Humans.”
Myllia thrust her head forward once more and snapped her jaws. Marik did not flinch.
“Marik makes a fine point,” King Illichian said. “If he were to help you, then what guarantees would he have that you would not kill him, or any other Humans?”
“I saved his life, he owes me this debt!”
“If you cannot free your Immerallis, what makes you think that this Human can?”
“With your help, he can. I know the power of the Elvenkind, and he will need it. Whether he takes this task on himself or enlists you Elves, I do not care. He will free Immerallis.”
“You took my life once,” Marik said. “And the Ark of Life gave it back. I owe you nothing.”
“You owe me everything! If you do not help me, I shall destroy you here and now.”
King Illichian started to call forth spells that he would need if the dragon attacked. “You can try. We may not be able to harm you with our spells, but there is still plenty that we can do to defend ourselves against you.”
Myllia took a step back and seemed to relax. “I fear you will need extra motivation. If you do this, if you free Immerallis, then this kingdom and its borders will be free from us. Any Human found within this kingdom will be allowed to live, no questions asked.”
“Not good enough,” Marik said. “Any Human, anywhere.”
Myllia hissed and growled. “You think you can barter with me?”
“Yes.”
With the speed that a creature her size should never be able to reach, Myllia leaped forward and knocked King Illichian aside with her nose. Then she took a swipe at Marik, sending him sprawling across the ground. Marik rolled, holding tightly to his sword. With trained grace, he pulled his legs underneath himself and jumped up to his feet just in time to hear Elissa let out an ear-piercing scream. Myllia had reached Elissa and gripped her with her front arms. He had not realized before that she had fingers that allowed her to grip things. Standing on three legs, she held Elissa above the ground.
Elissa kicked and tried to punch her way free, but the dragon’s grasp was too strong. It held her tightly, but not enough to hurt her or restrict her breathing.
Myllia let out a loud roar and then said, “When my Immerallis is free, so shall your queen be free.”
Without another word, Myllia leaped into the air and pumped her wings hard, taking her north, towards the mountains.
Marik, his heart pounding in his ears, could only watch in desperation as Elissa was helplessly carried away.
***
Marik fumbled with the improvised harness that the Elves had made for his horse so that it could pull the sled. It was comprised of ropes cleverly tied together, but his hands were too cold to undo any of the knots. Panic had set in as each moment passed, and the dragon got farther away. On foot, he had no chance of catching up, but with the horse, at least he would be able to keep pace with it. His mind swirled with anger at himself for letting the dragon escape and thoughts of Elissa being crushed to death by the beast’s claws.
A hand touched his shoulder, but he ignored it. The grip strengthened and tried to pull him away, but he shrugged it off. Finally, another hand gripped his other shoulder and pulled him away from the horse.
Furious, Marik spun and around and drew his sword. Before he could determine whom it was, his sword hand was struck, causing him to lose his grip. He started to leap towards his assailant when a second person grabbed him from behind, arms encircling his body. He grunted and cursed and tried to break free, but the grip was too strong.
From behind him, Kaelak said, “You must calm down, for there is nothing for us to do.”
“We can chase it down and kill it!” Marik screamed. “Let me free!”
“When you’ve calmed down, then I will release you.”
Marik struggled once more, but there was no moving out of the Kaelak’s grasp. King Illichian stood in front of him, holding his sword. At some point he had retrieved it from the ground, just in case he broke from Kaelak’s grasp.
“Now is not the time for rashness,” King Illichian said. “Now is the time for thoughtfulness and deliberation.”
Marik laughed. “Queen Elissa was taken by that beast from hell, and you want us to sit and think about what to do?”
“Despite some such as your friend Glaerion, it is the true nature of Elvenkind to not act rashly. So, yes, we must think this through.”
Marik squirmed more and shouted again, “Let me go!”
After a nod from the king, Kaelak released Marik.
“It is time for action,” Marik said, spitting out his words. “We cannot just let Queen Elissa be taken. We have to chase that beast down and kill it!”
“Where shall we go to find it? To the north? Into the mountains? Myllia is long gone and flies at a speed that even we cannot match.”
“I chased it before, and I caught it. I can do it again.”
“You very well may have chased it and caught it, but it let you catch it. It would do so again, and it would be waiting for you. This time, there would be no pool of water fed by the power of the Ark of Life to save you. There are more important things that we must fight for.”
His words made Marik even angrier, and he stepped forward threateningly. Other Elves had gathered around, but King Illichian did not back down.
“Could anything be more important than Queen Elissa?” Marik said, spittle flying out of his mouth.
“Yes,” the king replied with a stoic, but sorrowful tone. “I can imagine how much she means to you and to your kingdom, but you have to understand that saving the entire world is more important than saving one person. Even one as special as Queen Elissa.”
Marik did not want to hear the words, but he did. He knew what the king was saying was not only correct but wise. The adrenaline rush that had fueled his anger suddenly left, leaving him emotionally and physically exhausted. He turned away from the king embarrassed at his actions. He was a trained and disciplined Karmon Knight, and he had let his emotions control him. His head hung in shame.
“King Illichian, if I may offer a suggestion?” Kaelak said. “We had already planned on meeting up with the Human army at their castle. Now that we know where they are, we can march there and begin preparations for our war campaign. But, it will take some time to organize and coordinate with the Humans. We will need to spend some time training together, or at the very minimum coordinating our combat techniques. Then we will need to wait for the right time. We would not want to launch an assault in the middle of a snowstorm, or when the temperatures were so cold touching metal would rip our skin.”
“I am not afraid of fighting in the cold, nor should you!”
“None of us are, but it would be wise to be deliberate in our preparations.”
A hint of a smile crossed the king’s lips. “Long enough for a small force to free a dragon perhaps?”
“If the dragons are truly on our side, then two are better than one.”
Marik turned to look at Kaelak. “You cannot be serious? Those things hate Humans. They are not on our side!”
“There is an ancient saying that loosely translates into Commoner as the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Marik let out a grunt. “Karmon Knights once had a similar saying. It is a naïve saying and only applies as long as your ‘friend’ has something to gain from being your friend. If the only thing that aligns you with someone is a mutual hatred for an enemy, then what is left when the enemy is destroyed? What happens if we align ourselves with the dragons? We fight together until the Deceiver is destroyed, and then they turn on us when we are our weakest? I don’t think so.”
“Your anger and bitterness are making you blind. Elvenkind has hated Humanity for thousands of years and look at us, now. We are allies, are we not? The dragons can be our allies, too, if we let them.”
“You heard the beast, did you not? It declared its hatred for Humanity.”
“What have you done to convince her otherwise? You call her a beast and refer to her as an ‘it.' Her kind has existed longer than Humans. She was of the first races created by the One God. She is like you and me in that she thinks and speaks. Instead of walking on two legs, she has four legs and can fly. Their lifespan is nearly infinite, as their lifeblood is fed from the Web of Magic, just like Elves. Yet, they can bleed and be killed, just like all of us.”
“It…she…has done nothing but try and kill me and any Human that she has come across. Why should I not want to kill her, too?”
“You said yourself that she let you live so that you could hide the Ark of Life necklace, right? It is time for you to give dragons a chance. Show her that you wish to be allies, and she just might surprise you. Go with Kaelak and free the other dragon. It will not only allow your Queen Elissa to be freed, but it may just change her thinking towards Humans. If Elves can change how we think about you, maybe dragons can as well.”
Marik glanced in the direction that Myllia left. The king’s words caused him to pause and think. Surely the dragon hated Humans and would try and kill them all if she could, but having her as an ally would only help them in their fight against the Deceiver. Regardless, he really didn’t have a choice if he wanted to see Elissa alive again. The dragon had her, and the only way that she would be freed would be to find and kill the dragon or free the imprisoned one.
“What chance would we have?” Marik asked. “If a dragon is imprisoned, then the prison would have to be incredibly strong and protected by the best of the Deceiver’s soldiers.”
“There are many ways to fight a battle,” Kaelak said. “A full-frontal assault by thousands of soldiers is one way. Sneaking through the rubble of a demolished city is another way. I have seen your city from afar, and it has been thoroughly destroyed. There are large blocks of rock and debris everywhere. A small force could make our way through without being seen.”
Marik then turned to look out at the ocean as his thoughts drifted towards Conner. “It should be Conner that is here to rescue his bride.”
King Illichian answered, “I am sure he would rather be here as well, but he is not, so it is we that must stand in his place.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant,” Marik said with a slight smile. “Have you ever seen him fight? He is twice the warrior that I could ever be.”
Kaelak said, “You have survived this far, so you must be a worthy warrior as well. But do not fret, as you will have me and my daggers with you.” He turned towards his king and said, “Your Majesty, if you will excuse us, we have a dragon to free.”
“Of course. May the One God be with you and give you the strength to succeed. I will lead the rest of our forces north to Neffenmark Castle. How shall I find this castle in the mountains?”
Marik spent a few minutes describing the best path to take to the castle. It was likely that scouts from the castle would be out patrolling the perimeter, so as long as they got close, they would be found.
“Sir Gossmire is the knight in charge,” Marik added. “Make sure you speak with him when yo
u arrive. He is the one who orchestrated the capture of the castle and will help plan your next step.”
“We should not be too far behind,” Kaelak said. “Once we free the dragon, the two of us should be able to make it quickly north. I’ll make sure we locate a horse, so Marik keeps up with me.”
Hallendrielle stepped up to them. “The three of us. I am going, too.”
Marik glanced at her and then at King Illichian, hoping he would step in to keep her from coming, but the king remained silent.
“I appreciate the offer,” Marik said. “But, I am sure that…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Hallendrielle’s face showed the anger that was building inside of her. “Do not insult me. I am twice the fighter you will ever be! I have become very fond of your Queen Elissa, and I am not going to sit around and let you mess this up! I am coming with to help free the dragon so we can free Elissa.”
Even before Marik could open his mouth to reply, Kaelak put a hand on Marik’s shoulder and leaned in to say, “Say nothing more, unless you want the wrath of a female Elf.”
Chapter Eight
“The village is right there,” Nikki said.
With an outstretched arm, she pointed to a large cluster of buildings set on a sloping hill that rose towards a forest. The largest building was situated near the center of the village and had light coming out from most of its windows. Night had just fallen, and the sky was still lit by the recently set sun. There was enough light to get a clear look at the village, but soon enough, darkness would envelop them and village’s buildings. Even with nighttime coming, the village was busy with activity. They would certainly not be alone on the streets.
Nikki shrugged out of the straps that strapped her scabbards to her back. “Take off your swords. We’ll need to wrap them up and keep them out of sight. I brought some cloth for that.”
Conner took off his swords and handed them to her.