by Brad Clark
Immerallis stretched out his neck.
“No!” Marik called out. He turned to Hallendrielle. “We must free him to free Queen Elissa.”
Hallendrielle hesitated and looked from the dragon to Marik. Turning back to the dragon, she said, “This does not make sense. You can heal and fight the Deceiver once you are free.”
“I will never be truly free. My blood is too valuable to the Deceiver. If I were to be freed now, he would hunt me down. Even if he kills me, he will have my blood to use. If you kill me now, allowing my blood to spill on the floor of this tower, it will be useless to him.”
“But my Queen…”
“I am sorry for your Queen,” Imeralliss interrupted. “I can sense that she means much to you, but is the fate of the world not more important than one of your kind? If your Queen could decide on her own, would she? Would she be willing to sacrifice her life to kill Deceiver?”
Marik let out a heavy sigh. “Of course she would. Any of us would.”
“Then kill me so that the Deceiver can never use my blood again. It is my sacrifice to make.”
“Will those things not attack you if we do this?” Hallendrielle asked.
“The sword that the Human holds casts a spell of disguise does it not? As long as he holds onto his sword, he will be able to get near me without those things attacking. They will not see a goblin as a threat to me. However, as soon as he slices me, they will attack him. I have enough strength in me to fight them off for a moment, which should allow him to escape. If he’s fast enough.”
“I cannot do it,” Marik said with a shake of his head. “I cannot sentence my Queen to death like this. The moment this dragon dies, the other one will kill Queen Elissa!”
The dragon let out a long sigh from his nostrils. “Have some faith in us. We are not the creatures I fear you think we are.”
“I have seen you kill our kind without pause or mercy,” Marik growled back. “The blood of thousands of my people are on your friend. The only reason that I spare your life is so that my queen will be freed. If not for her, then I would have no problem slicing your neck open and watch you bleed out and die.”
“Your people started a war thousands of years ago that killed all the dragons except for Myllia and myself. If you want to know why she hates your kind and is willing to kill you, it is because dragons never forget. She and I will never forget the screams of our dead brothers and sisters as your kind slaughtered them. So before you start talking to me about hatred, live with that hatred eating your soul for thousands of years. Then come tell me what you would do.”
Marik kept his eyes locked on Immerallis’. “I get that you hate us. There is a war going on right now, and we need a leader that can join all the armies into one. Queen Elissa is that leader. She brought Elves to fight alongside us. She might be someone who spent her entire life being raised as a pampered princess, but she is the leader who can lead us to victory over the Deceiver. She must be saved.”
“Immerallis,” Hallendrielle said. “Elves have reason to hate Humans nearly as much as you do, but we put that aside and so can you. You can continue to live in your hate, or maybe, just maybe, you can realize that there is something more important than just yourself and your hatred for Humans.” She turned to Marik and said, “the same goes for you, Marik.”
Marik glanced away, unable to look into her eyes. He knew she was right.
“Myllia has no intention of killing your queen,” Immerallis said.
Marik blinked and did not reply right away. It took a moment for him to process the dragon’s words. After a moment, he asked, “What does that mean?”
Hallendrielle let out a sigh., “It means that Queen Elissa was never in danger. The golden-eyed dragon took Elissa so that we would do her bidding, knowing that we would do anything to save her life.”
“What?” Marik exclaimed. “Is that true?”
Hallendrielle looked at Immerallis and said, “This would have been easier if we had known her intentions from the beginning.”
“Trust is as hard to come by as hate is to let go,” the dragon replied.
“Queen Elissa is safe, then?”
“It seems so,” Hallendriellie said. “The world is more complicated than good and bad. But, the world is not so complicated that we cannot see evil when it is right in front of us. The Deceiver is evil. Despite our hatred for one another’s race, the pure evil of the Deceiver is greater than our inconsequential grievances. The dragons have already come to terms with that, but their pride prevents them from outright agreeing to join us in our fight. Is that not right, Immerallis?”
“Hate is a petty emotion,” Immerallis said. “Yet, it controls us. You are right. It is now time for all of us to stand together against the Deceiver.”
Marik’s mind was spinning. As he gathered his thoughts, he asked, “If you are to be on our side, and the Queen is not in danger, then should we not free you and then we can fight together?”
Slowly Immerallis swung is head from left to right. “My time on this world has come to an end. The Deceiver has already used me to his end, and I will not let him use me anymore.”
“We can use you,” Marik argued. “I have seen first hand what you can do. You can really help us win this war.”
“The risk is too great for what I could offer,” Immerallis said. “If the Deceiver can bring forth more than the handful he has already brought over, then the war may be lost. I can feel his power, and it is now a fraction of what he could have. You must do this.”
Hallendrielle added, “We have not seen the worst of the Deceiver’s creatures, and if he has an unlimited supply of dragon’s blood, we will see them.”
Marik squeezed the handle of his sword and stepped forward. He was taking the chance that the dragon spoke the truth about Myllia’s intentions. He had no logical reason to trust the beast, other than a feeling. The Elves had taken a leap of faith and trusted Elissa and Conner when they journeyed to their land to ask for help. Now it was his time to trust.
As Marik took another step forward, Immerallis said, “You must make a slice across my neck from left to right. It must be as deep as you can make it, else you will only find flesh and muscle. It may take you several tries. Do not worry, for I am ready for this.”
When Marik reached the dragon, the two Stone Ogres perked up. They straightened their backs and locked their eyes onto Marik.
“Quick!” the dragon said.
Marik lifted his sword and drug it across the outstretched neck of the dragon. The scales on the underside of the neck were not as thick as the rest of its body, but they were thick enough to repel the sharp blade of Marik’s sword. They left a mark but did not penetrate.
The Stone Ogres recognized the threat. One of them stepped forward, its face showing no emotion, but it was clear what its intentions were. Marik tried to slice through the underside of the dragon’s neck again, but his sword only cut a shallow grove. It would take several more slices to cut deep enough, but he had no more time as the Stone Ogre was about to pounce on him.
The dragon twisted his body as much as he could to get in the way of the Stone Ogre, but the chains that held Immerallis down restricted most of his movements. Marik ran around to the other side of the dragon so that its large body was between himself and the Stone Ogre.
He was glad that the interior of the tower was too small for both Stone Ogres to attack at the same time. With some luck, the might be able to keep dodging until he could get back to the exit.
“The water!” Hallendrelle called out. “We have to free the dragon!”
With the Stone Ogre trying to crawl over Immerallis, Marik sprinted back to Hallendrielle and grabbed the bucket. He scooped out a bucketful of water from the barrel. He hesitated only a moment while Hallendrielle shouted instructions at him.
Immerallis did his best to keep the Stone Ogre busy, but it would not be long before the Stone Ogre was able to get around the dragon and then Hallendrielle and Marik would have a hug
e problem on their hands. There was no way they could fight the large gray beast.
Still not understanding how the water would cause the chain to break, Marik sprinted to the wall and began pouring the bucket over the metal chain and the clamp that held the last link attached to the wall. Almost instantly, a tingling sensation came over him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he could see shimmering in the air around the water and the chain. It was clear that not all the water that was poured over the chain made it to the floor.
“Stand back!”
Marik did remember the story of the exploding metal, so he did more than just stand back. He rushed to Hallendrielle’s side. Her eyes were focused, and words fell from her lips. He thought she was mumbling random words, but he quickly realized she was reciting the spell in her native language.
Behind them, the dragon bucked and snapped its tail to keep the Stone Ogre from reaching them. Frustrated, the Stone Ogre started pounding on the dragon’s sides. It would not be long before the Immerallis was beaten down and could no longer help them.
“Hurry!” Marik cried out.
Hallendrielle ignored him and continued her spell casting. Her hands shook from exhaustion, and she had to be extra careful to say the words correctly. If the spell weren’t cast exactly right, the spell would fail, and all their effort would be in vain.
With the spell casting complete, she dropped her hands and let out a long sigh. She continued to breathe heavily as if she had been running for several miles.
“Is that it?” Marik asked. “Nothing happened.”
“It worked. We just have to wait.”
“How long?”
“Not long.”
As the words came out of her mouth, there was a loud crack, and the chain broke free from the wall. Metal pieces rained down on them. A few pieces struck bare skin, which caused them both to cry out in pain.
As they were flinching from the metal shards, Immerallis found himself free enough to fight back against the Stone Ogre. Its hind legs were still chained, but his front legs and body were now free. With the Stone Ogre still on top of his back, Immerallis twisted his body and grabbed the large beast around its neck and pulled it down to the ground. The whole tower seemed to shake as the Stone Ogre struck the ground.
“The other chain!” Hallendrielle shouted out. She was on one knee, unable to catch her breath. When Marik hesitated, she pointed at the wall and yelled, “Go!”
Marik repeated the process. He scooped a bucket of water and poured it over the chain. He kept looking at the battle between the dragon and the Stone Ogre. The dragon had the beast by the neck, but the Stone Ogres large hands were pummeling the dragon on the sides. Sudden freedom had reinvigorated the dragon, and he began fighting back with more ferocity.
Once the bucket was empty, Marik started to run away. This time, he had to dodge the fighting beasts to get clear. Hallendrielle started her spell again, but Marik couldn’t get far enough away. The two fighting beasts kept getting in the way, keeping him from getting a safe distance away. He was close enough to feel a sharp chill in the air, and when he glanced back at the chain, there was a think coat of ice covering the metal. He knew it would only be moments before it exploded.
“Get away!” she shouted, even though she could see that he was trying.
Each time Marik moved to get clear, the Stone Ogre fought to reach him. Immerallis was just not strong enough to fight off the Stone Ogre. When the metal splintered and exploded, Marik dove to the ground, but not before small pieces struck him across the back. Ignoring the pain, he glanced back to see that Immerallis was fully free.
With a twist of his entire body, Immerallis was able to gain a firm grasp on the Stone Ogre’s neck, and now that his hind legs were free, he was able to gain enough leverage to snap the Stone Ogres neck, instantly killing it. It dropped to the ground a moment before the other Stone Ogres jumped on the dragon’s back.
Marik looked back at Hallendrielle, who was lying on the ground. For a moment he thought she was dead, but then her arm moved.
Immerallis and the second Stone Ogre were entwined in a close quarters fight, which the dragon was starting to lose. He could not get a grip with his strong jaws. The Stone Ogre kept punching away the snout each time he tried to grasp a limb or its neck. It was also much quicker than the dragon, able to strike the dragon with many body punches that caused Immerallis to let out painful grunts.
Marik could see that the Stone Ogre was strong and would soon defeat and likely kill the dragon. Once the dragon was dead, the Stone Ogres next victim would be him and Hallendrielle. Since Hallendrielle was still prone on the ground, she would not be able to defend herself. Knowing his sword was virtually useless, he moved to engage them.
The dragon caught his movement and said, “Stay back! Your sword can do nothing.”
“Its eye is weak! Just like dragons, their eyes are not protected. If I can get close enough, I can kill it!”
Immerallis did not reply as he was doing his best to fend off the Stone Ogre’s body blows. However, he had clearly heard Marik as Immerallis was now attempting to knock the beast to the ground.
Marik moved in, sword ready to strike. He kept his knees bent and loose, ready to jump out of the way, or into the fight, if need be.
If Immerallis were at full strength, it might have been an easy fight for the dragon. But, he had already expended much effort on the first Stone Ogre and now the second Stone Ogre was getting the best of him. Blow after blow fell without being blocked. With the dragon unable to protect himself, the Stone Ogres moved from hitting him in the body to striking him in the head. After several big blows, Immerallis toppled over.
With surprising quickness, the Stone Ogre left the dragon to die and jumped towards Marik. Marik could only lift his sword to parry whatever blow was about to come. None came. At least not right away. Landing right in front of him, the Stone Ogre bent over low and let out a loud cry, its hot breath curdling Marik’s nose. Marik shifted his body into a defensive stance, holding his sword with two hands near his right ear, sword point aimed at the beast’s body. There would be no way he could parry one of the beast’s fists. The Stone Ogre was simply too strong. It just needed to reach back and strike Marik with a closed fist. If he didn’t die right away, he would soon be dead with every bone in his body broken.
Marik knew he was going to die and it gave him a rush of adrenaline. He didn’t care about the future or what it might mean if he were to die. The only thought he had was of dying in the service of his kingdom. Anger and frustration filled his soul, and he bared his own teeth and let out his own deep, guttural cry. The Stone Ogre seemed slightly surprised at the smaller creature yelling back at it. In response, it bent over even lower and got in Marik’s face and let out another loud, open-mouthed scream.
With the beast’s face only a handful of feet away from his, he could have been frightened into paralysis, but his Knight training had instilled in him a fearlessness that surprised even him. When he knew he should have been turning and running scared, he was clear of mind and focused. With the beast screaming, its eyes were closed, and Marik knew he had only an instant to react.
With a spring in his legs, he didn’t know he had, he leaped forward, his sword aimed for the creature’s wide open mouth. He drove his sword up and as far as he could push. Shocked and surprised, the Stone Ogre began screaming and clawing at the sword that was stuck in the roof of its mouth. Panicked, it stepped backward, right into the dragon’s body, and then fell onto its back. It continued to scream and try and grab the sword, but its hands were too big and awkward to grab the small handle of the sword.
Marik darted forward to try and retrieve his sword and strike again, but its flailing arms and legs were in his way. If he got close enough, he would be painfully tossed aside.
Immerallis shifted his body and twisted his neck to reach the Stone Ogre’s head with his jaws. Too concerned with the pain in his mouth, the Stone Ogre did not see the dragon�
�s attack. Immerallis put his entire mouth over the Stone Ogre’s face and began chomping down. The Stone Ogre began kicking and thrashing, but the jaws of the dragon were too strong. After almost a full minute, there was a loud crack, and the Stone Ogre became still.
Immerallis slowly released the Stone Ogre’s head, letting it fall to the stone floor of the tower. He then let his own head drop to the floor. His chest heaved with exertion.
Immerallis did not move as Marik crawled over the dragon’s body to retrieve his sword. The force of the dragon’s jaws had driven the sword deeper into the Stone Ogre’s mouth. It took several pulls to yank the sword free, but eventually, it came out. By the time he got back to Hallendrielle, she had moved to a sitting position.
“They are both dead.”
“I saw,” she said with a smile. “You Humans are either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. You stood right up to that beast.”
“I had little choice,” Marik replied. He held out a hand to help her to her feet.
“Brave, I would surmise,” Immerallis said. He used effort to push himself up, so he was standing on all four of his legs. His snout hung low to the ground, and his eyes were blank and held no luster. “The stone creatures are dead. You can finish your job.”
Marik shook his head. “No, you are free! We can leave, now!”
Immerallis took a step, but his front legs collapsed. He collected himself and pushed himself back up. “I am too weak to even fly. Given several days to rest, I might regain some strength back. But there will be more of those creatures and the Deceiver will surely be back soon. No, you must kill me, and then leave to go fight your war.”
“We went through all that to just let you die?” Marik cried out, letting his anger get the better of him. “We almost died trying to save your life. Not a chance that I will kill you.” He pointed to the door. “If you can’t fly, you can walk out of here!”