by Brad Clark
The alternative to Immerallis being freed weighed heavily upon her. She knew the Deceiver was using Imeralliss’ blood to help open the portal to the Deceiver’s realm of darkness. It had only been used twice and for a short period of time. But, if the Deceiver was able to find the second half of the Ark of Life, he could probably use the rest of Immerallis’ blood to keep the portal open long enough to bring legions upon legions of soldiers from his realm and into this one. If that happened, there would be nothing on the earth that could stand up against them. The Humans and Elves were going to be hard-pressed to battle the Deceiver’s creatures that had already come through the portal. To add thousands more powerful soldiers into the war would bring quick victory for the Deceiver.
She didn’t like where this was leading. If the Humans and Elves couldn’t free Immerallis, her beloved offspring, the last male dragon in existence would have to die. She would gladly take his place, and maybe it would come to that. She had to be prepared to sacrifice him to save the world. Or at least give the world the chance to survive. She knew he understood the situation, and that is what scared her. If Immerallis became too desperate before the Elf and Human could free him, she just might lose him as well. The thought of him becoming a martyr was not consoling. She wanted him to remain alive.
As she reached the city, she followed the outline of the fallen wall. She felt satisfaction at the destruction she had wrought, but a twinge of guilt started to creep into her thoughts. There was a lot of death and destruction below her. She reconciled her thoughts by seeing a pack of Stone Ogres pushing their way through the city, knocking down the last of the standing buildings. They certainly had done more damage than she had.
But the guilt that had started to come wasn’t going away.
A flash of movement caught her eye. Something was flying out from the rubble. It was much bigger than a bird but smaller than a dragon. It looked humanoid in shape, but with wide wings that flapped quickly through the air, propelling it after someone that it was chasing.
It was one of the Elves that was running away from the city. Her first thought was that they had decided to give up on their commitment to free Immerallis However, there had been three of them, and this was only one. Of course, the other two might have already been killed by this creature. She pulled her wings in tight to increase speed to head towards them in a sharp dive.
The female Elf was going to die. She could see that the flying creature was faster than the Elf and it was only a matter of time before the creature caught her. For a moment, she hesitated. It really would have meant nothing if she kept flying on, but she knew she couldn’t just leave the Elf to die. Elves weren’t quite as bad as Human, so saving one wouldn’t be such an egregious act.
Pumping her wings, Myllia picked up even more speed. The flying creature was just about to reach the Elf, and Myllia was still not sure that she would arrive in time. She pumped her wings even harder, trying to gain enough speed to get to the creature in time.
She was just a split second too slow.
The creature landed right on the back of the Elf, driving her into the ground and pushing her several more feet through the snow-covered ground.
Myllia let out an ear-shattering screech to get the creature's attention. Rather than finishing off the Elf, the creature looked up at Myllia and let out its own deep, guttural roar. The distraction was enough to allow Myllia to save the Elf’s life.
Ignoring the smaller Elf that was lying still on the ground, Targiss turned towards the oncoming dragon. Myllia kept her speed going as fast as she could instead of slowing down to attack the creature. As she passed her, she dipped her lower body so that she could grab the creature with the claws from her hind legs. She sunk her sharp talons into the thick hide of the creature, eliciting more high-pitched screeching. Grasped by both hind legs, Myllia had a firm grip on the creature, even as it squirmed and slashed at her. Old wounds were opened, but Myllia ignored the pain. She could withstand any amount of pain for a few minutes.
Continuing to pump her wings, Myllia cruised across the ground and headed towards the Gulf of Taran. When the shoreline was but a thin line behind her, she opened her claws and let the creature drop into the water. It thrashed and kicked for a moment before it slid beneath the cold waves of the ocean.
Myllia banked to turn back to the city and did not give the creature another thought.
Chapter Twelve
“What are those?” Marik asked.
The two large, four-footed wolf-like creatures paced in front of the entrance to the tower. They looked vaguely similar to the wolves that lived in the northern forests of Karmon. Their bodies were covered with a thick dark gray fur, unlike the lighter gray coats of the Karmon wolves. Their heads were also much larger to allow for their overly large mouths. Two long fangs hung down from their top rows of teeth, which dripped a steady flow of saliva.
“The creatures of the Deceiver are many,” Kaelak said. “Most are aberrations. These two things are grotesque beyond belief. I would call them a wolf, but wolves are beautiful creatures. These are not.”
“But they are flesh and blood, right?”
“Who can say?”
“There is but one way to find out,” Marik said. He stood, exposing himself to the beasts. As soon as he appeared, both spun towards him and started to growl with bared fangs and fierce, red eyes.
Kaelak stood as well. “I do not know if you are showing courage or foolishness.”
“Can you do what Hargon can do? Throw balls of fire at them?”
Kaelak shook his head. “Elven magic is powerful, but we do not have those abilities. Plus, if you want me standing next to you and fight, I cannot cast spells.”
“Stay tight, then,” Marik said. He started to move forward, putting one foot in front of the other, sword up and ready to make a quick stab or slash.
“Should we not split up?”
“Those beasts are big. Bigger than us. They may not be able to attack us both at once if we stay close. If we can quickly kill one, then the other should not be a problem.”
Kaelak glanced at Marik. The Karmon Knight had a stone face and showed no emotion or hint of fear. “Confidence, now? Or is it still foolishness? Humans are known to be fools, but I do not see that in you.” Kaelak hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I have dealt with worse creatures in my time.”
Marik glanced over and asked, “Really?”
“Of course, not! I was just being confident.”
With a quick shake of his head and a slight grin, Marik turned back to their dire situation. His eyes scanned left and right, making sure that there were no goblins or Stone Ogres ready to pounce on them from behind. They had avoided many of them on the way to the tower, and most seemed to be preoccupied with their own tasks and not the defense of the tower.
The ground leading up to the tower’s entrance was hard-packed dirt that was completely devoid of any of the rubble that filled the rest of the city. Before the city had been torn apart, the streets around the castle had been cobblestone, but there were hardly any remnants of those stones, now. He could only assume that the stones of the street and castle had somehow been used to construct the tall tower. Even one year ago he would not have allowed himself to believe such craziness, but so much had happened that he knew anything was a possibility.
When they were about a hundred feet from the entrance, one of the wolf-like beasts started to walk forward. As it walked, its large head bobbed back, and its growling became deeper and louder.
“Attack it?” Marik said. He squeezed the leather grip of his sword in anticipation of using it.
“Might as well.”
Marik was glad that Kaelak was on the same page. Being aggressive might throw the beast into confusion for a split second, giving them an advantage. They would also be taking the fight to it, instead of letting it dictate how the fight would happen. He had no idea what the true capabilities of the creature were, but he could only assume that it would be more
powerful than a typical Karmon wolf since it was larger. Being from the realm of the Deceiver, it was also possible that it had other abilities as well. Wolves were quick and agile and made for a tough kill. He hoped that the larger size made them not quite as quick. It might be the only way they could defeat them.
After taking a deep breath, he lifted his sword and charged at the first one. It did hesitate, as it had not expected to be charged at. It crouched low on its front legs, its hind end sticking up in the air. When they were about twenty feet away, the beast launched itself into the air. Halfway between them, it suddenly dropped straight to the ground. Marik had seen that before, but he was still surprised when it happened. Kaelak had cast a spell that made an invisible wall between them and the beast struck it at full speed.
The force of hitting the invisible wall had stunned it. It tried to stand up, but its legs were wobbly. Just as Marik reached it, it had recovered enough to stand, but it was still too slow. Marik had a clean shot at its shoulder and drove his sword into it as far is it could go. It let out a scream and twisted its body to get away, but that was all it had left in it. Without another sound, the first wolf-like creature dropped to the ground and did not move.
Marik yanked his sword out, thankful that the beast’s heart was in the same place as the wolves that he was familiar with. The second beast did not wait for the first one to die before it pounced on Marik.
Marik barely had time to bring his sword up to defend himself, but he still wasn’t fast enough to land a defensive blow. The beast landed on him, digging its claws into his chest and side. It tried to bite his head, but Marik was able to punch its lower jaw to distract it. Thick gooey saliva continued to pour from its mouth, covering Marik’s face and chest. It dug its claws deeper into him, treating his thick leather armor as if it were parchment. With desperation, he tried to strike his sword up into the belly of the beast, but his arm kept getting pinned down by one of the beasts big paws.
Just as Marik was about to run out of strength to fight back, the creature spun around and jumped off of him. Kaelak had jumped on the creatures back, driving both his daggers deep into its shoulder. It bucked and lashed out at Kaelak, who hung on and continued to drive his daggers into the beast.
Marik didn’t hesitate another heartbeat. He jumped up and ran towards the beast, sword ready to plunge into its side.
Although it had Kaelak on top of it driving daggers into its back, it still noticed Marik and lashed out at him with its sharp teeth. Marik dodged aside, but couldn’t get to its side for a killing strike. Instead, he gripped the sword with two hands and swung at its head. The sword bit deep, slicing across the creature’s nose and sending blood splattering over him. The creature let out a yelp and jumped away. It tried to slash a paw at Marik, but he saw it coming and was able to step aside.
Kaelak called out to him with an open hand. The noise of the creature thrashing and yelping made it hard to hear what the Elf was asking. Then he realized Kaelak wanted his sword. Dodging another swipe by the beast, Marik tossed the sword towards the Elf. With quickness and dexterity Marik could not imagine, Kaelak stretched out and grabbed the sword. With one quick thrust, he drove it down between the creature’s shoulder blades, and it dropped instantly to the ground, unmoving.
Kaealk dropped forward onto the creature’s neck and shoulders and took in a series of deep breaths. A few moments later, he rolled off the creature and handed the sword back to Marik.
“You okay?” Marik asked.
“Of course,” Kaelak replied. He looked at Marik and his tattered armor that was soaked with blood. “You?”
Marik wiped his blood-splattered face. His wounds were bloody but superficial. He would bleed some, but he knew he would be okay. As he was about to reply to Kaelak’s question, he noticed a tall man standing in the shadow of the doorway that led into the tower.
Kaelak noticed the look on Marik’s face, and he turned towards the tower.
The man stepped forward and into the sunlight. He looked normal enough with long brown hair, a chiseled jaw, and steely eyes. Standing with his arms crossed, the man did not portray a threat, but Marik sensed a danger that could not be explained.
“It is him,” Kaelak said softly.
“Who?”
“I can feel the power coming from him. That man who stands before us is the one we call the Deceiver.”
Marik started forward with no fear or hesitation. The surprise of seeing the man who had caused so much devastation did not phase Marik at all. His heart pounded, and adrenaline pumped through his system just like it did whenever he stepped onto the battlefield. He had seen and fought a dragon. He had stood against a horde of vile creatures that rampaged across his kingdom. First-hand, he had seen his own city destroyed by the creatures brought forth by the man who stood in front of him. There was little more that could surprise him.
A firm grip on his shoulder stopped him.
“He is but a man,” Marik said, shrugging out of Kaelak’s grasp.
Kaelak shook his head and said, “Do not be deceived. He might bleed, but he is no man.”
“We can end this right here.”
It would take just one quick slice of his sword, and the war would be over. He took another step.
In a loud and confident voice, the Deceiver asked, “You have no fear, do you?”
Marik paused. He had expected it to be booming and powerful, something that shook the ground. It was still the voice of a man, and his confidence grew. This man, god, or whatever that stood in front of them could be killed. Marik let a smile cross his face as he continued walking forward, sword in hand, ready to strike.
“What is your name?” the Deceiver asked.
“I am Sir Marik. I am a Karmon Knight, and I will avenge the deaths of my people!”
The Deceiver laughed.
“You walk tall and proud. Your people must be honored to have you stand up for them.”
“They will be more honored when I deliver your head to them.”
“My head? Whatever for? I am but a sergeant in the Taran Army. I am nobody.”
From behind him, Kaelak said, “Do not listen to his words. Do not let him convince you that he is vulnerable.”
“I do not know who you think I might be. My name is Farrus. Do you not recognize the Taran accent in my voice?”
“You are not dressed as a Taran Centurion,” Marik said. He stopped five steps away, his sword up and ready.
“I was in the first wave that attacked this city. I regret that I was involved in that battle and that I killed several of your fellow soldiers. It was war, but I do accept responsibility for what I have done.” The Deceiver spread his arms wide. “You must accept my apology.”
“I accept your apology. Now stand aside so that I may free the dragon.”
The Deceiver lowered his hands, and the smile fell from his face. “Free the dragon? What dragon?” He turned to look through the doorway and pointed into the shadows of the interior. “In there?” He laughed. “How could a dragon be in there? Dragons don’t even exist!”
“I have seen them first hand. I saw them the night they arrived as they breathed their fire across the city. I faced one on the battlefield. I even struck the eye out of one, and when I see it again, I shall finish the job.”
The Deceiver let out another laugh. “You would slay the dragon that you are about to free?”
“The other dragon!” Impatience started to boil inside of him. This man, the Deceiver, had spent too much time talking. It was time for action.
Marik took his sword in both hands and leaped forward, his sword arcing towards the Deceiver’s exposed head. The man did not move, even though cold, sharp steel was heading right for his head. Then time seemed to slow down. It seemed as if his heart was taking several seconds to beat just once. The berserker scream coming out from his mouth became a long, drawn-out guttural shout. The air around him seemed as if it were frozen, holding back his sword strike. Painfully slow, the sword arced
towards the Deceiver’s head. Even though he was moving so slowly, the Deceiver was not.
The Deceiver’s hand was held up, the smooth facets of a black gem exposed through his fingers. His lips were moving, and so was his entire body. He moved out of the way well before the sword was even ready to come down onto skin. Marik tried to force his sword to move quicker, but it would not. Easily out of the way, the Deceiver smiled at him. Marik tried to yell a curse, but the words were stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Then the sword moved with speed and force, crashing into the ground, sending Marik toppling onto the ground as well. The Deceiver was standing several paces away, having moved there in what seemed an instant. From the ground, Marik looked up, surprise and confusion clearly on his face.
Surprise quickly changed to anger, and he stood up. “Fight like a man!” Marik shouted. “Do not hide behind this magic. If you truly are this all-powerful Deceiver, then what do you have to fear from me?”
“You try and insult me to get me to fight you? How Human of you.” Suddenly a sword was in his hands. “But this is your realm, so I shall do what Humans do.”
The Deceiver stepped towards Marik and held the sword in front of him awkwardly.
Marik wasted no time and sprinted forward, his sword arcing towards the Deceiver’s unprotected body. With as much strength and power as he could muster, he twisted his hips and swung the sword with the intent of cutting the Deceiver in two. Instead of striking a body, his sword only struck air, which caused him to end up off balance. He could not catch himself in time as he stumbled forward and then fell to the hard ground. As quickly as he could, he jumped to his feet and looked at the empty place where the Deceiver had been just a heartbeat before.
“It is almost unfair,” the Deceiver said from behind him.
Marik spun around, his sword up and ready to parry a blow, but the Deceiver was unarmed. He stood with his arms across his chest and a wide smile on his face.
Kaelak was quickly at his side. “This is a battle you cannot win. He does not have the full power of the Ark of Life, but he has much more power than you can imagine.”