by Robert Spina
“Mournbow, take Farrah inside and lock the doors.”
“I am staying with you.”
“I will help fight this intruder as well.”
Vegenrage walks to the top of the stairway as the blue dragon walks into the castle. “Go to where you came from, dragon. There is nothing here for you.”
The dragon smells the air and looks around. “Oh, I smell the tasty flesh of a human. I think there is plenty here.”
“I warn you, dragon, leave now or feel our wrath.”
The dragon walks toward the three at the top of the stairs. Farrah pulls out Vergraughtu and stands behind Vegenrage to his left and Mournbow to his right. The only thing the dragon is thinking about is feeding and heads right for the trio, looking to simply catch them in his mouth.
All the dragons are fantastic and truly beautiful. Swomairen is deep blue with a large horn on the top of his snout, like a rhinoceros’s. He has two fantastic tusks that grow out the sides of his head and come around facing the front, stretching out some feet in front of his face, with sharp points.
He walks on his front paws, which are attached to his wings. He wastes no time, moving quickly, lowering his head, and turning it sideways up the stairs to bite Vegenrage.
Vegenrage swings his right hand in an uppercut motion, catching Swomairen right under his head with a magical punch that sends his head high in the air. He then punches like a jab with his left hand, sending Swomairen rolling over his back and sliding into the front wall. “Take your warning with your life, dragon.”
Swomairen gets up looking at Vegenrage. “Not bad, magic user. Very impressive, let’s see how you handle this.” Swomairen thrusts his head forward, unleashing his Breath of Aquaisen. This is crystal-clear water in disguise. The water is actually a very toxic poison that softens flesh to the point that the blood in the body starts to leak out from within, causing the victims to die from blood loss.
Farrah points Vergraughtu. “I summon Vergraughtu, consume all breath.”
Swomairen’s breath is consumed by Vergraughtu. Swomairen raises his head and turns, flying out into the sky, looking for easier prey.
“Vegenrage, you have come to help us, and who is this with you?”
“This is Farrah.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, and I like that staff of yours.”
“Thank you.”
“Farrah, this is Mournbow, and this is his home, Mourbarria. Let me fix it up a little bit.” Vegenrage walks to the front doors, waving his hands, and the doors and all the debris swirl around and form to their original place. “There good as new,” he says, brushing his hands together. The doors and wall are back in place and locked up tight. “Mournbow, the Dragon Feast has begun. All the dragons will be out hunting any living flesh they can find. Those that do not hide quickly will be eaten.”
“When I was a boy in Shaspar, I heard stories of the Dragon Feast. I had hoped to never see one firsthand, and here it is. Come with me.” Mournbow leads them into the doorway to the west, and before they enter, a cry is heard.
“Wait! Wait for me!” Inglelapse comes running down the stairs from his room. “Vegenrage, you heard my call.”
“Yes, Inglelapse, I heard your call.”
Inglelapse comes across the floor, carrying his staff of power. “And who is this lovely being?”
“Inglelapse, this is Farrah.”
“Oh, it is so nice to meet you, Ms. Farrah.”
“Nice to meet you, Inglelapse.”
“Come, follow me.” Mournbow leads them through the room and up a flight of stairs, and they come to a large balcony where they can all stand and overlook the courtyard and Valvernva, which they can see has been leveled.
“Oh my god! My entire army has been eaten by the dragons. The entire village of Valvernva is gone. My grandfather told me stories of how the dragons will eat for days. They will eat every last human being alive. I could not even imagine what he was talking about, but this spells it all out.”
“The dragons will use Kronton as a planet to feed, filling their hunger before traveling back to their home worlds. There can be only one reason they have all gathered here. The waking of the white mare Gwithen.”
“Inglelapse is right. They have traveled here to see the white mare, and surely she has chosen a mate by now. Now that all the dragons have woke and ventured out, they need to feed. They will sniff out human and beast and feed on all.”
A massive brown dragon flies over from behind the castle wall and lands on it. It sniffs the air with its head high. “I smell the magic of those responsible for sending the dragons into exile. Where is Swallgrace? Where is Logantrance? I smell Behaggen, but the scent of his rightful owner is absent.” Bailseize walks down the guard wall, crushing and sending brick and concrete falling. He turns his head, looking right at Vegenrage as he walks down the wall, rolling his eyes to the left and up and back, staring at Vegenrage. “So Swallgrace has passed and Logantrance has passed the magical reins to you, Vegenrage. Your kind has proven itself most capable, and your kind has proven it can destroy dragons. You shall be our focus. We will start with you, and work our way down.” Bailseize inhales and shoots his breath all the way across the courtyard and straight at the four on the balcony.
Farrah points Vergraughtu. “I summon Vergraughtu, consume all dragon breath.”
Bailseize watches as his entire Breath of Broam is consumed. “Ahhahahaha! So it is true, you possess Vergraughtu. What other little surprises do you have?”
“Bailseize, you and your kind have eaten, destroyed, and caused panic to the humanoid races since the beginning of time. Of course, we will defend ourselves, and if pushed like you and your kind are doing right now, we will kill you, and I make no apologies for that.”
“Vegenrage, your name is befitting the nature of the words I hear from you. Be ready, Vegenrage, the dragons are feasting. The humanoid races are about to have a serious decline in population, and your allies, your friends, your mentors will feel the long-overdue wrath brought on by you and your kind. My brethren and I feed, but this time we do not go into hiding afterward. We will make the worlds of the Maglical System our free rein as once was and is supposed to be. This time, after the feeding has ended, we hunt the humanoids with powerful magic that was stolen from us, and we make their heads our trophies.” Bailseize flaps his wings and rises in the air. “Get ready, Vegenrage, we are coming for the magic users, and we know who you are.” Bailseize laughs as he flies away.
“I don’t like the sounds of that. Whatever he is talking about has to be from way before our time.”
“I don’t know, Mournbow, but we better take him and his words very seriously. If the dragons are out to destroy all humanoid life, then elves, dwarves, and humans are in great peril. This could be the start of the greatest war yet. The war for survival of humanoid life or dragon life may be upon us.”
“Well, I am ready. Vergraughtu and I will consume all their breath, and you will slay them with your magical swords and wicked magic. I’m not afraid. Let them come. We will have dragon steaks for dinner every night.”
Vegenrage, Inglelapse, and Mournbow all look at Farrah.
“Mournbow, have all the people here in Mourbarria been killed?”
“No, there are some of us hiding here in the castle.”
“Inglelapse, you are going to have to use your magic to block the scent of the people here, or the dragons will sniff you out and the walls here will not keep them out. You are going to be the biggest part of defense here, and your most challenging days are upon you. Think ahead and set the most deadly traps you can to protect Mourbarria. Farrah and I have to go and do some learning and get some much-needed information. Mournbow, I have to go now, but I won’t be far.”
“Vegenrage, be safe and watch your back. Farrah, if he misses something, you will be there to cover him, right?”
“I will do what I can. For right now, you guys take care of yourselves.”
Vegenrage draws a Dimensi
on Door, and he and Farrah walk through. They appear back in Vegenrage’s home. He walks over to a section of books all about dragons, and he has a lot of them, over six hundred books. A lot of the books talk and explain about a single dragon, and he is looking at a book devoted entirely to Bailseize.
“I thought you have read all these books.”
“I have, but that does not mean I remember everything. I at least remember enough to know where to look for the information I need.”
“What are you looking for?”
“I don’t know. I am just looking. Bailseize said some odd things like our magic sent the dragons into hiding. He also said they know who we magic users are and that we stole magic from the dragons. I want to see if there is any insight into what he was saying. I will start by reading what I have on him. You know what, let’s try something. Let’s see if I can help you with a very powerful gift, the power of absorption.
“What is that?”
Vegenrage extends his hand to a section of books, and a thick black book with golden stripes floats over to his hand. He physically pulls a book and walks over to his gold table and sits on the pillows in front of it followed by Farrah. “OK, this book is the book of how Vergraughtu came to be.” He hands the black-and-gold book to Farrah. “I am going to see if I can magically teach you to read like I do. I don’t know if we can do this, so let’s see. Put the book in your lap and put your hands on it. Now concentrate, pretend you are reading the pages of the book, see the written words, and understand their meaning no matter what language the words are written in.”
Farrah closes her eyes and concentrates, and Vegenrage kneels behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders, concentrating as well. She can feel a light tingling sensation throughout her body and tries to see the written pages. She can hear Vegenrage talking to her in her mind in a language she has never heard before, but she can understand the words. She smiles. “It’s working.”
“Just keep concentrating on seeing the written words in the book.”
They concentrate quietly for a long period of time, and Farrah can see words. She can understand a language she has never heard before, but it is not organized. It is like page 1 then page 30 or page 12 and so on. They keep concentrating, and Farrah is learning. She is thinking and trying with all her thought to bring organization and understanding to this process of absorption. She tries hard to see the pages in order. She can see them and understand them by not reading them but just by seeing marks on the page. She is fascinated, excited, and driven to know this ability and master it. She concentrates and learns to organize the pages in order, and after sitting for over two hours, she can flip the pages of the book without even opening it.
“Vegenrage, I can do it. I can see the pages. I can understand them. I know all about Vergraughtu, who made it and how, all its secret magical advantages, and how Vergraughtu was once a dragon—everything.”
Vegenrage falls beside her, lying on the pillows and is apparently sleeping.
“Vegenrage, what is wrong? Are you OK?” She shakes him gently.
“I am OK. I just need to sleep now. You must practice your new ability. Get books and practice, learn the absorption of words, and grow your magic. I have exhausted myself. I need to rest.”
“What happened? Why are you so tired?”
“I transferred my energy to you so you could learn and grow magically. My energy will return, but I need to sleep. You now have a great foundation from which you can learn magic. How much you want to learn and how much you want to know is at your disposal. Use the books in my library to help you learn the art of magic. I will need your help in the days to come for sure.”
Vegenrage falls asleep, very awkwardly lying on the pillows, which is a sign of how much he exhausted his energy. He actually did most of the work for Farrah, but the process imbued her mind, and Farrah truly concentrated and did her part in learning the art of absorption. Vegenrage put the magic in her mind, and she followed through, taking the magical transfer until she had control and understanding. Vegenrage could feel her passion, her desire to know, learn, and be able. He did not realize how much energy this took from him until he released her from his touch, and now he sleeps.
Farrah looks at him sound asleep and heads to the books, excited to practice her new skill. Vegenrage sleeps, and Farrah picks books to practice her skill and learn from, and all seems peaceful but it is not. The dragons are not in hiding. They have returned to their home worlds and are relentlessly hunting down all humanoid life and are feeding.
Logantrance is receiving magical surges, as are all the great magic users, for help. Towns, villages, castles, and the like are being targeted on all three planets, causing great chaos. Logantrance is calling to Vegenrage with no response as he is in deep sleep, so he travels to Vegenrage’s home with great warning.
CHAPTER 25
More Than a Feast for the Dragons
Logantrance appears just before the entrance to Vegenrage’s home and just in time as a maroon dragon is peering its head into the entrance of Vegenrage’s home.
“Meamante, that is far enough.” Logantrance is holding his golden staff, and he points it at Meamante, shooting a lightning bolt that strikes Meamante in the neck as he turns to face Logantrance.
This is a powerful bolt and strikes Meamante, more like an exploding missile than a bolt of electricity. The scales on Meamante’s neck explode, and a deep wound splatters flesh, blood, and scales as Meamante falls to his side. The wound is severe and penetrates all the way to his esophagus. He covers the wound with his left paw, backing away from Logantrance, staggering, and falling to his side. Meamante takes to the wing and flies through a Dimension Door, avoiding the second bolt of lightning that Logantrance shoots at him.
Logantrance looks around the plain, realizing that Vegenrage’s home is no longer secret.
Farrah comes out through the entrance to see Logantrance chanting. “Logantrance, I heard a loud noise and felt the ground shake. What is going on out here?”
Logantrance finishes the words to his spell of protection that he is casting over Vegenrage’s small realm. “Farrah, where is Vegenrage?”
“He is inside.”
“Why did he not come to the sounds of danger? Why did he not sense the appearance of Meamante?”
“He is asleep, and who is Meamante?”
“Asleep? This is no time for sleep. We are all in great danger.” Logantrance looks around like he expects visitors. He rushes past Farrah into Vegenrage’s home. “Vegenrage, wake up! This is no time for sleep.” He walks in to see Vegenrage awkwardly sleeping on the pillows. “Vegenrage, wake up!” Logantrance kneels by him, putting his hand on Vegenrage’s shoulder. “Farrah, what has happened to him? Why is he so weak?”
“He helped me learn the magic of absorption and afterward he said he was very tired and needed to sleep.”
“He helped you, all right. He transferred his magical energy to you, exhausting himself in the process. Young foolish thing to do.” Logantrance levitates Vegenrage and lays him in a more comfortable-looking position on the pillows for him to sleep.
“Logantrance, why are you so angry? He helped me a lot, and I am so grateful. I have used the knowledge he passed to me in the most effective and helpful way I know how. I have been studying and learning just like he asked me to do.”
“Oh, Farrah, I am not angry with you or Vegenrage. It is just that the timing of this could not be worse. The dragons are on full attack mode, and the users of magic seem to be the first targets on their list. They have found my home and now yours as well. We are in great danger, and Vegenrage is sleeping defenseless when he needs to be preparing for the worst.”
“Well, I am here with you, and I will help you prepare. How long will he sleep for?”
“I imagine he will need at least eight hours of sleep before he can wake, then he will not regain his strength for a little while after that. It looks like we are going to have to make a stand here, so let’s put the know
ledge of absorption you have learned to good use.” Logantrance looks at all the books on the shelves. “This is what I am looking for.” A book floats over to his hand, and he hands it to Farrah. “Here, tell me what this book is about.”
She holds the book and concentrates. “This is a book about dragons and the breath attacks most commonly associated with their color and the magic they are immune to depending on their color.” She continues to explain what the book is saying, when Logantrance interrupts her. “Good, very good.” He retracts four other books with his magic and hands them to her. “Here, study these books and meet me outside when you have finished them.” He exits the home, leaving Farrah with the books to study.
She can tell Logantrance is very concerned and gets right to the study of the books. She finishes the books in less than thirty minutes and can feel the knowledge expand her mind, and she knows she can cast more magic already. She rushes outside to meet with Logantrance. She gets outside to see something new to her. The sky is dark with bright stars lighting the night sky. There is no grass, just a carpet of fine dirt covering the ground. Logantrance has both his arms extended outward with golden staffs in each hand.
“Logantrance, what has happened to the sky? Why is it dark?”
“Farrah, this is very bad. I can feel they have found Vegenrage’s realm. They are coming, and they are coming in numbers. We cannot stay here. Hurry! We must get Vegenrage and leave at once.”
Before he turns to rush back inside, a green dragon appears from a Dimension Door followed by a gray dragon and a red dragon.
Farrah is wearing Cleapell and pulls Vergraughtu from Parnapp. “I summon Vergraughtu, consume all dragon breath.”
The green dragon swoops at Farrah, unleashing his Breath of Glasand. Gisewear is spectacular looking. He is a deep-fluorescent green with very smooth-looking scales, and he shimmers, turning black depending on the way the light hits him. It is nighttime, but the stars give off enough light for fairly good visibility. His breath attack shines a beautiful green as it pours out of his mouth. His Breath of Glasand is very destructive, and it pours out a green quarts type of material in tiny, very sharp shards, and they act as a sandpaper. This would grind up a person and turn them to pulp in seconds.