Knight Quest (The Champion Chronicles Book 5)

by Brad Clark

  “Your ancestors saw us as their enemy and a threat to their existence. Rather than try and coexist, they decided to eradicate us from the world.”

  “It was our ancestors, not us,” Elissa said. “You, your kind, the Elves, they all have a reason to hate Humans, but it was the Humans of many, many generations ago. The world has changed. Humanity has changed. You don’t have to be angry at us anymore. The Elves were like you, hating us for reasons lost to history, but we convinced them to join us in the fight against the Deceiver. You, too, can join us. You once thought that Humans and dragons could coexist. I believe they can, but this world will not survive with the Deceiver’s army running free across the continent. Join us in our fight, and I assure you that we can live together in peace.”

  Myllia let out a snort and lifted herself off the ground. “I believe your words are sincere, but they hold no weight in this world.”

  “I am the Queen of Karmon!”

  “Queen of a land ravaged by the Deceiver’s army.”

  Elissa stood up, anger replacing fear. “It was you and the other one that destroyed our city and our kingdom as much as their army!” She marched forward until she stood right in front of Myllia. “The blood of thousands of my people is on you!”

  Myllia dropped her snout so that it was inches from Elissa’s face. Elissa could feel heat from her dragon breath, but she felt no fear.

  Myllia said, “The blood of millions of dragons is on your kind.”

  “But not me,” Elissa retorted. “I didn’t kill one of you. I didn’t come to your homes and slay your babies in their sleep.”

  “No,” Myllia replied. “You didn’t, but your kind did, and I cannot forgive you for that.”

  Elissa shook her head in frustration. She simply could not understand the anger that Myllia held onto. She hadn’t understood why the Elves held onto their anger, either, but she was able to convince them that Humanity had changed and was deserving of being helped. Although the creature that stood in front of her looked like a beast from her nightmares, there was intelligence to her, just as if she were Human. Whether she could convince Myllia to help Humanity was doubtful. First, though, she needed to convince the dragon to set her free. Or at least not kill her. She would need to stay alive long enough for Conner to arrive and rescue her, for she knew that he would soon come.

  “The hatred in your heart will burn you up,” Elissa continued. “You may be protected from your own fire within your belly, but you are not protected from the fire of hate. What is it that you want? Do you want us to beg and grovel at your feet? To beg for forgiveness for something that happened thousands of years ago?”

  “To see the skies filled with dragons once again, that is what I want.”

  “Do you have to kill all Humans to have that happen?”

  Myllia was silent for a long time. Her head stayed near Elissa, eyes locked onto Elissa’s. After several long minutes, Myllia twisted her neck to look behind her, towards the darkness of the back of the cavern.

  “There are but two dragons left in the world,” Myllia said. “Myself and Immerallis. He is the last of the males, as I am the last of the females.”

  “That is good, then, right? You can make little dragon babies and repopulate the earth!”

  Myllia slowly shook her snout back and forth. “No. Well, not unless Immerallis is freed.”

  With a quick twist of her body, she turned to face into the darkness, past bones that were strewn across the cavern floor. She spat a small ball of fire that splattered against a wall hidden by darkness. The rock glowed, but not as brightly as the rocks that received a full blast of her breath. At the base of the wall was a nest, similar to what a bird might make. It was round, made up of large twigs and branches, bent into a circle. Long grasses and hay were intertwined to make a comfortable spot for a large egg.

  Elissa, amazed at what she saw, walked past the dragon and up to the nest. The egg was about twice the size of her head and oblong just like a chicken’s egg. But instead of white or brown, the shell was a mix of green and brown speckles. She kneeled at the edge of the nest.

  “The last dragon egg,” Myllia said. “It is a dead egg, though, until a male dragon seeds it. With that, the egg is touched with the Web of Magic and becomes alive. After a hundred cycles of the sun, the baby dragon will force its way out of the shell and enter the world. But without a male to seed it, it is nothing. If Immerallis dies, so does our species. I will survive for many more years, but eventually, time will catch up to me. I will be the lone, last remnant of the first of the One God’s creatures.”

  Elissa felt sorry for her. Even though the dragon was responsible for so much death and destruction, to know that the end of her kind was just around the corner was heartbreaking. She could not imagine what Myllia was going through, but that still did not excuse her from all that she was accountable for. The deaths of so many people were on the dragon and even though seeing the egg in front of her was pulling her emotional strings, she could not let those emotions cloud her judgment. They could use the dragon’s help, but not at the expense of doing what was right. She didn’t want vengeance from the dragon, but maybe a little acknowledgment of wrongdoing would be a start.

  “I am sorry for that,” Elissa said, forcing her voice to be as cold as she could make. “But I find it hard to be sorry for you when you have done what you have done.”

  Myllia sat down on her haunches, her front legs straight out in front of her. “You know I could not ask for your help. I needed to force you to help me.”

  “You don’t know that. You never asked.”

  “After all that has happened, would you have really helped me voluntarily?”

  Elissa did not respond, as they both knew what the answer was.

  “I know your kind better than you think I do. Despite what you might think, I have no intention of harming you.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  Myllia stretched out her neck so that her snout was right next to Elissa and looked at her through her one good eye. She then dipped down and sniffed right at her belly.

  “The life that grows within you. It surprised me.”

  “My what?” Elissa was taken by surprise, and at first, she thought she had not heard Myllia right. As the words began to sink in, she understood what the dragon was saying, and she knew it couldn’t be true. Yet, her hands went to her stomach, and she knew that the dragon was speaking the truth.

  “The life that grows…”

  “I know what you said!” Elissa snapped back, her emotions suddenly overwhelming her. She sat down on the cold ground, her hands shaking with emotion and surprise.

  “I can feel it, as it touches the Web of Magic, yet you do not.”

  Tears starting falling down Elissa’s cheeks. She was not sure if she should be happy or sad. Being with child should be a special and incredible event, but not with the world falling down around her. Not only would it complicate her life, but she would also be bringing in a new life into a world filled with war and death.

  “Conner is Hurai,” she said. “The father of this child is Hurai.”

  Myllia lifted up her head and stood up on all four legs. “Hurai is a name that I have not heard in a very long time. They are Humans, but more. Their blood also touches the Web of Life, just like that of Dragons and Elves.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  Myllia was silent for a moment, watching Elissa cry. Eventually, she asked, “You did not know?”

  “That I was with child?” A burst of tears came out, followed almost immediately by a burst of laughter. “No, I did not.”

  “It is why I took you and not any of the others.”

  “What?” Elissa exclaimed. “How? Why?”

  Myllia turned her head away. “I felt the feeling of life in you, just as I wished to feel with my own offspring. Maybe I was jealous of you. Maybe I was trying to protect you.”

  Elissa sniffled, and the anger came back. “I do not need your help. I
have friends for that, friends that you took me from. Take me back to them!”

  Myllia, her snout still facing away, shook her head. “I cannot do that. I need Immerallis freed, and you being with me is the only way that will happen. If I release you, then your friends will not help me. At best, they will run away. At worst, they will try and fight me.”

  “If you join us instead of fighting us, they will help! Trust me.”

  Myllia twisted her neck to look back at her. “Trust in a Human is one thing that I cannot do. There is no creature better at lying and deceiving than a Human.”

  “Give it a try, this one time! You must know that you can trust me!”

  “Any trust was lost many, many thousands of years ago. There is no getting it back.”

  Elissa felt despair again. For a moment she thought she had a connection to Myllia, but it was fleeting. She didn’t know what else to say, or what else she could say to help convince Myllia to join them to fight the Deceiver. The thought of what the dragon did to her people still sickened her, but if she could somehow be convinced to join in the fight against the Deceiver, they just might have a chance for victory.

  Myllia let out a snort and stretched her wings with two quick flaps. “You will be hungry, and I cannot have you die of starvation. I will leave to hunt meat for you. You may think that you can escape, but you cannot. I will not be far, and I will see if you leave the cavern. And if you do decide to try and run, it is a long way down the mountain. It is cold, and you do not have any provisions.” She lowered her head to be closer to Elissa’s. “I promise that I will not harm you. I need you alive more than I want you dead.”

  Elissa closed her eyes and shook her head. “Your promises mean nothing to me. If you cannot trust me, how can I trust you?”

  “So be it. The stones will burn for some time and will keep you warm.”

  Without another word, Myllia spun around and raced out of the cavern, disappearing into the bright light of the day.

  Elissa let her emotions flow out with tears. She could not believe that she would soon be a mother and Conner would soon be a father. It excited her for a moment, and then it frightened her. Motherhood was something a young princess always dreamed of, but not in times of war. She simply could not imagine bringing a child into this world. With her head in her hands, she continued to cry and sob, fearful for her life, Conner’s life, the life of all her people, and now for her unborn child.

  Chapter Ten

  Instead of heading directly for the city of South Karmon, Marik led Kaelak and Hallendrielle away from the main road and into the thick woods that surrounded the city. They wanted to be sure to avoid any patrols that the goblins might have sent out. The last thing they needed was to be discovered walking up to the city and attacked by a horde of hundreds of goblins. Although the small creatures could be easily dispatched by warriors as skilled as the three of them, even they wouldn’t be able to survive against hundreds.

  The woods around the city showed clear signs of battle. The goblins had ambushed Taran Centurions as they had retreated out of the city after they had attacked South Karmon. There were still bodies that had not yet been devoured by the local scavengers. Fortunately, the freezing cold weather and snow kept the bodies from rotting and smelling. By springtime, though, a great stench would fill the trees. Marik knew that if they survived to spring, they would need to gather up the bodies and burn them, else a massive stink would drift down to the city.

  Then he looked through the leafless trees and saw the ruins of South Karmon. For a moment, he had forgotten of the utter devastation of the city. It wouldn’t matter if north winds brought a stench to the city, as no one would be living there. Eventually, once the war was over, they would rebuild, but the bodies in the forest would have decayed by then. Regardless, it was a problem for another day. Their immediate issue was making sure they got into the city without being seen.

  Deep in the trees, they found paths that had been cut by the Tarans. Still on horseback, they followed them until they came to a clearing with a large tent. It was in remarkable condition, despite having been left untouched through the winter.

  “We should rest in there,” Marik said. “We can build a small fire to cook some food before we head to the city.”

  Kaelak had already guided his horse away from the clearing. “We should keep moving,” he said. “The longer it takes us to free this dragon, the longer it will take to free your queen. And with her in the hands of that beast, we cannot be sure she will survive for too long.”

  Marik glanced at the tent. He had been on the move for many days, and a night inside a warm tent sounded like a wonderful luxury. Although he didn’t want to admit it, Kaelak was right. They needed to keep moving and get the dragon freed as soon as they could. With some regret, he followed Kaelak towards the edge of the woods. Hallendrielle, silent as she had been for most of the trip, came up behind them.

  As Marik looked upon his city, he could not help but feel shame for letting it be destroyed. Although he knew that he had no real control over the outcome of the battle, he played it over through his mind wondering if there was something that he could have done differently. They had been attacked by two overwhelming forces. First, the Taran Centurions had attacked them, and even though they had initially repelled them, the Taran’s assault had done plenty of damage. When the Deceiver’s army attacked, there was little that they could have done. The goblins were easily killed, but there were so many of them. The Stone Ogres, though few, were nearly impossible to kill. It had been Conner that had shown him the vulnerability of their eyes, and he had used that same idea on the dragon.

  The most obvious change to his city, however, was not the rubble of the walls or the destroyed homes and businesses. It was the tall tower that stuck up straight into the sky. Adding to the insult of using the city’s own stone to construct the tower, the incredibly tall structure was built directly where the castle had once been.

  “How could such a tower be built so quickly?” Marik asked. He tried not to let his tone show that he thought it was a marvelous accomplishment. He felt embarrassed and angry at himself for thinking the thoughts, but he was amazed at it.

  “The power of the Deceiver is not yet endless,” Kaelak said. “But it is far beyond what any of our kind can do. Such a feat would be accomplished with much effort but would be possible with just half of the Ark of Life. It allows him to channel more power and access spells in which he would not need to learn. Ripping apart stone into its smallest pieces and then putting it back together is indeed an amazing feat, but we have to remember that it was through evil that it came about. Yes, you can marvel at it, but don’t forget who did it.”

  “Can you destroy it?”

  “With my hands?” Kaelak laughed.

  “No! With your magic.”

  Kaelak glanced at Hallendrielle. She confirmed his answer with a slight shake of her head. “Not likely. If it were pure stone, then Myllia, the big dragon, would have been able to knock it down or at least damage it. It is surely imbued with the Deceiver’s magic, which would make it nearly impossible to destroy. Maybe there is a weakness, but we would have to be close to it to determine what it is, or even if there is one.”

  “I do not see any goblins near the ruins of the walls,” Hallendrielle said. “There are plenty farther within the city along with the Stone Ogres. Clearly, they are not expecting an attack.”

  “Or they don’t care,” Kaelak said. “They would certainly notice a large army moving towards them, but three riders? Just the three of us are no threat to them.” A partial smile crossed his face.

  Hallendrielle winked back at him. “Just three lonely survivors struggling to find a warm place to spend the night.”

  “We’d look more like survivors if we weren’t on horseback,” Marik said.

  “It’s a good mile from the edge of the trees to the city. You really want to run that far?”

  Marik shook his head. “Not run, walk. Like desperate surv
ivors would do.”

  Kaelak looked thoughtfully across the empty expanse. “You do have a good point. Even at top speed, it will take the horses a couple minutes to cross that distance. If anyone is watching within those couple of minutes, they will be alerted to us.”

  “But if we are walking, it will take many minutes,” Hallendrielle said.

  “It’s about the perceived threat. If they were concerned about being attacked, they would have guards posted along the wall and patrols in the forest. They care little for protecting the city.”

  “Or they have other means of protecting the city and the tower,” Marik said.

  “Like what?”

  Marik shook his head and said, “I would have no idea. What I've seen over the past year has stretched my imagination to the limit. You would know more than me what might be facing us. Fear the worst.”

  “Fear the worst? The Deceiver could bring far more dangerous creatures to this realm if he were to gain the necklace. The dragon that we are to rescue? They are probably the strongest, most powerful creatures in this world, but to the most powerful of the Deceiver’s creatures, they would be as those goblins are to us. Easily killed.”

  “Is that how the dragons were killed off? Creatures of the Deceiver that killed them?”

  Hallendrielle looked away.

  Kaelak looked directly at Marik and said, “No. It was Humans. Your ancestors killed them.”

  Marik thought about asking more questions, but the tone and facial expression of the Elves told him all he needed to know. Someday he’d get details but now didn’t seem like the time.

  “So we tie up the horses and walk to the city?” Marik asked.

  “We’ll look like helpless survivors,” Kaelak said. “If they send out goblins to greet us, it would be a small force that we could easily take care of. If we looked like a threat, they might send more than we can handle.”