Knight Quest (The Champion Chronicles Book 5)
Page 42
As she neared him, he held out the goblet. She took it and drank deeply. The wine was a little sweet, but strong. She could see why he was drunk as it would not take much more than a single goblet to make one drunk. Well, make a Human drunk. The alcohol in the wine did not affect her. If she drank enough of it, it might, but one goblet only left a bad, bitter taste in her mouth. After she took her drink, he pulled it back to his lips and drained the goblet. With a satisfying smile, he tossed the goblet across the room.
“Unfortunately, that is all I have! When my attendant comes with fresh clothes, he shall bring me another pitcher of this sweet wine.” His eyes locked onto hers. “In the meantime, we shall have to find a way to occupy ourselves.”
With surprising quickness, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. It surprised her so much that she backed away. He pushed forward, but she took another step back.
Angrily, he asked, “Did you not come here for this?”
She could not understand what she was feeling. The touch of his lips both repulsed her and sent a wave of thrill through her body. Her kind procreates only for reproduction and not for joy, as she knew Humans did. Yet, there was something oddly appealing about Hargon.
He stepped towards her and took her by the arms and pulled her into him. Again, he pressed his lips to hers, and this time, she let him kiss her. Following his lead, she kissed him back. Her hands went up around his back and to his neck. Her fingers brushed across the Ark of Life and jolt of electricity zapped her hands, and she let out a cry.
“What was that?” He asked, his eyes suddenly clear. His heart pounded, and adrenaline filled his system, pushing aside the effects of the wine.
She didn’t wait for a second opening. Marila knew that she would never get another chance to steal the necklace. It was so close, just hanging around his neck, waiting for her to take it. Eyes blazing, and teeth bared, she jumped at him, striking him directly in the chest.
Stumbling backward, Hargon fell onto his back with her on top of him. All her weight fell right on his abdomen, knocking all the air out of his chest. He gasped for breath as she backhanded him across the face. The sudden attack stunned him, and he did not fight back, which she misinterpreted.
Thinking that Hargon was immobilized by fear or the strike to the face, Marila took the faster option and decided to steal the necklace rather than try and kill him. She remembered that Hargon was expecting Marik, and the Karmon Knight might just decide to show up in the middle of their fight. Once she had the necklace, she would simply outrun him to the castle gate. Even if they gave chase on their horses, she would still be able to outrun them. She was a product of the realm of the Deceiver and was superior to the Humans in all ways.
The chain was long enough to simply slip over his head. She grabbed the metal necklace, and more electricity flowed into her from her hands that touched the necklace. It was a big surge of power and energy, giving her the courage to know that she could easily escape these pitiful creatures. Just as she was about to lift the necklace over his head, a great ball of fire exploded between them.
She screamed from the pain. Never had she felt such a feeling and it caused her mind to lose all focus on the disguise that she had been maintaining. That natural illusion that she had been casting was gone, and anyone who looked upon her would only see her in her natural state.
The force of the spell only caused her to take a couple steps backward, but Hargon had been thrown across the room. His head struck the far wall, knocking him out. Ignoring the searing pain from the burns of the fireball, she took a step forward. Her heart pounded hard as she could see that the necklace was only a few feet away. It would be only seconds when she would have the necklace in her hands, and then in only a few hours of running, she would present it directly to the Deceiver.
Her mind was already spinning with the possible rewards that the Deceiver would bestow up her when a voice from behind her startled her.
She turned to see a young man holding a large pitcher of wine. His eyes were wide at seeing her in her true form. Her skin was pink, and there was not a hair on her entire body. As her disguises also included clothes and other accessories that were an extension of the illusion, she stood in front of him naked.
When she bared her teeth and jumped towards him, the young man dropped his pitcher and turned and ran. She could not have any witnesses, so she ran after him. The young man was fast, and it took two corridors before she caught him. She jumped on his back, pushing him to the ground. As they were falling, she grabbed his head and twisted just as his body struck the ground. With a sharp crack, his neck was broken.
Unable to take the time to restore her disguise, she would have to retrieve the necklace with the hope that no one would see her. At this point, though, she did not care. It was a mistake to chase after the young man, and she should have just stayed in Hargon’s chamber and taken the necklace.
Her heart sank the moment she peeked around the corner. All of Hargon’s friends had come to visit him. She let out a low growl, and there would be no chance that she could get the necklace, now. Maybe if she built another disguise, she might be able to get close again, but she doubted it. Hargon would likely now be suspicious of anyone that got close to him. She took a few minutes to build up a new disguise. It took her longer than she wanted as her body struggled to heal itself from the burns of the fireball. The pain was slowly subsiding, allowing her mind to be cleared so that the illusion would be rebuilt.
She took the form of the young man she had just killed. It was time to give up on the idea of stealing the necklace. Too many days had passed already, and the Deceiver was surely getting impatient. Knowing that the Ark of Life was here would be enough to placate, if not fully satisfy, the Deceiver’s needs. She might not get the same rewards as if she had brought it herself, but hopefully, he would recognize the effort.
She headed straight for the upper floors of the castle, ignoring anyone who looked at her or called out the young man’s name. Her only goal was to get out of the castle and run to the Deceiver’s army to report on her findings.
***
“Is that a dragon?” Glaerion asked.
Conner looked up but saw nothing but clear blue skies.
“A what?” Hemli asked. He was trailing behind Glaerion and stopped to look up into the sky, turning around and squinting into the sun. He pointed into the air. “Well, I see something up there. A bird, perhaps?”
“No,” Glaerion replied. “It’s a dragon, and it’s heading this way.”
Conner did not doubt Glaerion’s eyesight as he knew the Elf’s eyes were much better than his. Even though he could not see anything, his heart began to flutter, and a wave of adrenaline hit his body. Although much time had passed since the dragon had attacked and devastated South Karmon, the images of fire and death would never be lost from his thoughts. Fear was something that he had gotten used to, which both encouraged him and concerned him. He could not let it control him, nor could he push it completely aside and ignore it. It needed to be met head-on with confidence and determination.
Movement caught Conner’s attention. The Dwarves had been scattered about as they made their way through the foothills of the White Mountains. Now, they were converging on him and Glaerion.
Trying to maintain a calm, even tone and push away any thoughts of anxiousness or fear, Conner asked, “Should we spread out? What if the dragon attacks?”
“If we are close, then I can protect all of us,” Glaerion replied. “At least for a while.”
“That’s a mighty big bird,” Hemli said calmly.
Conner took a long look at the Dwarf, who now looked nothing like the man that he had met several weeks ago in the underground cell. His skin had darkened with the sun. It was not nearly as dark as Captain Jorge’s ebony skin, but it was no longer ghostly gray. His beard had filled out and was thick and bushy. More importantly, though, his eyes were full of life and vigor.
“You can see it?” Conner asked.
Glaerion answered as confidently as he could, “There is no place to run and hide. Fight is all we have. My magic will protect us, and the Spear might just be sharp enough to penetrate the scales and its thick hide.”
Hemli hefted the battle-ax and let the thick handle fall into the palm of his right hand. “My ax will do, too!” He turned to call out to his fellow Dwarves in his native tongue. They answered with a sharp reply and hefted their weapons. They were ready for battle as well.
Conner brushed past. “Sure, but can you shoot blue fire out like the Devil Beast?”
“No,” Hemli snapped. The secret to using the battle-ax’s power had eluded them. The blade was still sharper than any metal he had ever seen and would be a formidable weapon even without making use of its magic. “But, it’ll do more than your twigs!”
“What about the Spear?” Conner asked Glaerion. “Should we not use it?” He glanced back at one of the Dwarves that had been charged with carrying the two pieces of the spear.
Glaerion, drawing his daggers, kept his eyes on the dragon. “The Spear of Salvation has a tip that is sharp enough to slice through just about anything, but I don’t know if it can piece dragon scales. Your swords, though, are imbued with magic and will cut through its scales.”
Conner drew one of his swords with his good right hand. It still bothered him that he couldn’t use his left hand, but he couldn’t dwell on it now. “I hope so, but I only have one good arm, and it isn’t all that good right now.”
Glaerion shouted out orders for them to gather close so that he could deflect any fire that the dragon might breathe at them. He organized the Dwarves into ranks so they could attack the dragon with a constant stream of distractions to allow Conner, Glaerion, and Hemli, to get close enough to kill it.
It did not take long for Conner to finally see the large beast. Once it dropped lower to the ground and away from the bright sun, it was easier to spot. The wings pumped steadily. With each flap, the head bobbed up and down on its long neck. Its long tail swished back and forth. It did not act menacingly, but Conner knew that at any moment, it would rear its head back and unleash a torrent of fire right at them. He did not fear the fire, as he knew that Glaerion would be ready for it. Somehow, though, they would have to get it on the ground so they could attack it with their weapons.
He thought of Hargon, who would be able to use his magic to attack the dragon with offensive spells. The moment he thought of Hargon, his mind slipped to think about Elissa, and then his thoughts drifted into despair. They were truly no match for the dragon. It had power that they could not contend with, and unless something miraculous happened, this would be their final stand. So close to home, having survived so much, he could not help but feel their end was near.
The feelings that brought him down into hopelessness only made him angry. He twirled his sword in his hand and pushed aside all negative feelings and emotions. Because he had survived so much, he knew he would have to survive this battle. Somehow, someway, they would prevail, and he would see Elissa again.
The dragon did not slow as it approached them. It spread its wings wide and glided over their heads. As it flew over, it turned its head downward, and the creature looked right at Conner. One eye was a bright golden yellow. The other eye was dead and gray. He was so mesmerized by the look on its face, that he did not see that someone was clinging to its neck. There was life in the golden eye, which was something he did not expect. He had seen that same look in the eyes of animals that he had come across in the forests. It was the look of curiosity and not fear. Some animals feared him and his hunting bow, but others did not. It was the predators that feared nothing, even in the face of death.
It passed over them without unleashing its fiery breath. Several hundred yards away, it turned and banked sharply, and that was when he realized someone was hanging onto the creature’s back. Then he noticed the long, flowing blonde hair. Even from this distance, he had no doubt who had such long, flowing blonde hair.
Dropping quickly out of the sky, Myllia landed on the soft grass and lowered her head so that Elissa could slide from the dragon’s shoulders to the ground. With little elegance, Elissa clumsily dropped to the ground and caught herself before she stumbled. Then she stood and ran at Conner.
Conner drove his sword point-first into the ground and ran towards Elissa.
They said nothing when they met. Their embrace and tears said all that needed to be said.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Marila raced up the steep mountainside, jumping from rock to rock with ease. She had been running for hours but was still not tired. Knowing how strong she was and how strong the rest of the Deceiver’s army was compared to the Humans, she was surprised that the world had not yet been taken over. Even though the Humans that she had met had displayed admirable courage and determination, they were physically inferior.
It still had made her mad that she had not been able to take the necklace from Hargon. In retrospect, Hargon posed a challenge because of his magic. If she had not raced after that young boy, would Hargon have been able to fight back? The magic from his fire had burned her and hurt her badly, but her body healed quickly. In a fight, though, she would not have healed quickly enough. She just hoped that the Deceiver understood. It was likely that he wouldn’t, but at least she survived long enough to give him the information he needed.
When she saw him, her heart started pounding hard. He did not look like a god standing on a rocky precipice that jutted out from the mountains. With blond, curly hair, he looked like just about any of the Humans that she had come across. Standing next to him was a hairy beast that she had never met, but knew. Roddan was one of his trusted generals who was a genius at military concepts. With him in charge of the Deceiver’s army, even an equally powerful opposing army would have no chance. With Roddan standing next to the Deceiver, she knew that the army was nearby and ready to march on the Human castle.
With a final scramble up the steep, rocky cliff face, she was finally face-to-face with the Deceiver. She dropped to a knee and bowed her head. Even though she was not out of breath, her breathing was hard and labored. Although she knew that her mission was not to steal the Ark, but to locate it, she could not help but feel a failure. The Deceiver did not just expect results, he expected exceptional results.
“Their appearance appeals to you?” The Deceiver asked.
Marila was confused by the question and looked up into his eyes. Even though the rest of his body was Human, it was clear by looking into his eyes that she was looking at the pure evil of the Deceiver. She thought she would be excited at being in his presence, but there was a sense of fear that swept over her. The odd feeling caused her to hesitate, which in turn caused the Deceiver to cross his arms and glare at her.
Unsure what the Deceiver’s action meant, Marila glanced at Roddan.
Roddan answered the unasked question, “You still appear as Human.”
“Oh,” she replied. The illusion that she cast to appear as Human to those around her was still active. “I did not know you could still see it.”
“We see you as a young Human,” Roddan said. “But, it was obvious to us who you were.”
“Fewer questions if I were to come across someone,” Marila replied.
“If you killed them first, there would be no questions to ask.”
Marila did not know Roddan well, and the vitriol that Roddan was directing at her was surprising. “I needed to get here as soon as possible and did not want to be delayed by having to fight and kill any Human I came across.”
Roddan did not appear to like her response as he let out a grunt and turned away, but he didn’t continue the discussion.
“You do not have it,” the Deceiver said, his arms still crossed.
“No,” she replied. “It is in the hands of a powerful Human mage. I tried,
but he was too strong for me.”
Roddan let out a forced snicker.
“I am not immune to his powers, nor do I have the ability to fight one such as him. My mission was not to steal it but to locate it. That I did.”
“You touched it,” the Deceiver said. He stepped forward and squatted down to look her directly in the eye.
Inches away, she could feel his hot breath and smell the odor of his body. All her senses told herself that it was a Human that stood in front of him, but it was the unseen and unfelt feeling of evil that told her otherwise. She came from his realm and served him faithfully, yet her heart pounded with fear. “Yes,” she said meekly.
“If you were so close, there should have been nothing standing in your way to take it. By returning here without it, you have failed me.”
Marila shook her head and exclaimed, “No, I have not! I have done as you have asked! I went to the Humans and found the Ark!”
The Deceiver put a hand on her cheek, and she could feel intense heat coming from him. She almost jerked away, but she forced herself to be still.
With a soft voice, the Deceiver said, “I ask more from those that I have entrusted with my power. I brought you here into the realm to not just follow my commands, but to serve me. You have failed in that service. Now, instead of having the full power of the Ark of Life in my hands, I must send my army to their castle to retrieve it. Yes, it is only a slight delay of the inevitable, but every moment in which I do not command this world is a moment that causes me great pain.”
The Deceiver stood and continued to look down at her. “Roddan, we have no more use for her.”
Marila could not breathe. She had faithfully served the Deceiver, doing all that he had asked and now she was just being tossed aside. She fully expected that he would send her back to their realm, to live out the rest of her existence serving some menial task, but Roddan stepped forward wielding a long, curved blade.
Roddan smiled as he approached and lifted the sword.