“What exactly is down here, Master Xandahar?”
“Well, I’ve heard it’s black dragons, but no one knows for sure.”
“Acid, then.” El’Korr nodded.
“Yes. I’ve prepared a spell for us to help endure it if one was to breathe on us, but it is not able to withstand the full force of its power.”
Dulgin chimed in, “Cast away, Elfy. We will take all the protection we can get, at this point.”
“Dragons are crafty—very intelligent, very powerful. We must be careful,” El’Korr said. Xan took a step back as the group gathered together to receive the benefit of the incantation. Dulgin questioned him after he finished.
“How do we know it works?”
“I would suggest not finding out to begin with,” Xan replied. Each of them took the effect of the spell in faith and they continued on with their weapons ready.
Three hours had passed as they made their way deeper into the Dragon Caves, discovering several pockets of lava tubes branching out from the main cave along the way. They suspected those led to the Dragoon’s various lairs. An occasional distant roar of a dragon resounded, but the only other sounds were the drips of calcium-filled water onto the rocks. They finally reached an opening to a chamber that was beyond measure. They stood on the ledge overlooking an underground valley, awestruck by the breathtaking scene. Fingers of light from above penetrated the darkness with sharp distinguished lines, fading as they reached toward the floor below them. Clusters of crystal shards in various heights littered the cavern floor—some as tall as a horse, a few rivalling an inn. Echoes of flapping wings resounded further in the darkness—dragon wings.
El’Korr dismissed his flame. The light coming in from above was sufficient, and they didn’t want to attract the scaly creatures to their location. Abawken jumped off the ledge and floated down by the power of his sword. It was at least a five-hundred foot drop.
“Does anyone have rope?” Bridazak asked.
“We won’t need any,” El’Korr responded.
“How are we planning to get down then?” The Ordakian’s face contorted a bit.
“We are jumping, just like the human.” El’Korr pulled out a bone scroll case and slid out the parchment that was rolled inside. He began to repeat the holy words that were inscribed on it. Each of them suddenly felt as light as a feather. Rondee and El’Korr jumped from the ledge first, and Xan right after them. Dulgin waited for his friend.
“We will go together,” the Dwarf said.
“You mean you’re scared of heights and wanted me to hold your hand?”
“I don’t know what yer talkin about, ya blundering fool. Let’s go.”
Bridazak and Dulgin edged closer, and the Ordakian noticed his friend stiffen, his hand squeezing his forearm as they floated down together. “You can open your eyes, Dulgin.”
“Just gettin’ a little shut eye. Now leave me be.”
At the bottom, they inspected the huge crystal rock groupings throughout the area. The natural light from above met the stones and refracted out, sending colorful patterns in all directions. Deep blues and greens splayed across the volcanic rock. With such beauty it was hard to imagine that evil dragons infested the area.
“I suspect there will be another opening across from here, so be on the lookout,” Xan said as they began to head out.
Two more hours of exerted travel in the dimly lit environment had passed when they came to the edge of a large pool of dark water. Several formations of obsidian rock jutted out of the surface. Any view of the other side was blocked, so they agreed that moving along the edge of the underground lake would be the best option. Bubbling water gurgled in several spots, releasing the strong smell of bitter minerals.
Bridazak’s long history of mastering his thieving instincts told him they were being watched, and he repeatedly checked behind them.
Dulgin noticed, “What is it?” he whispered.
“A strange feeling that something is behind me, but I don’t see anything.”
“It seems quiet.”
“That’s what worries me. I haven’t heard the scurry of any animal for quite some time. Just the echo of dripping water.”
Dulgin noticed three of Bridazak’s magical arrows, which were slung over the Dak’s shoulder, pulse a soft red aura. “Your arrows. They are glowing.”
Bridazak withdrew one, and Ordakian writing he had not seen before sprang to life. “Dragon,” he whispered.
The Dwarf alerted the others ahead of them with a quick snap of his stubby fingers. Each of them put their backs to the rock crystal they had been edging along, looking in all directions. Bridazak moved to one of the jagged gem structures and silently notched the magical arrow. Dulgin backed into an obsidian formation directly across from him.
The light from the arrow intensified, and the Ordakian saw a slight movement in the reflection of the crystal. He looked closer—a black dragon head was coming out of the dark water just behind him. It took in the air to unleash its mighty breath weapon.
“Look out!” Bridazak screamed, diving behind the crystal. A blast of misty acidic steam poured out of its gaping maw. Dulgin witnessed Bridazak engulfed, but when the rock he was leaning against started to move, he realized it was not a rock at all, but another dragon, camouflaged.
“Ah great, just my luck,” he said under his breath, bringing his axe around to chop away at the monstrosity.
These pearly-black monsters stood forty feet tall. Their indeterminable length melded into the shadows as they prepared their assault. Two sets of ebony eyes and large, two-foot-long horns adorned their heads. Leathery, translucent wings with menacing claws stretched wide as they puffed up their darkly scaled chests to intimidate their prey. Their hind legs were muscular and their thick, charcoal tails slithered around, waiting to strike with the barbed end.
Water fell like a violent rainstorm, cascading from the dragon rising up behind where Bridazak had once stood. They focused their attention on the beast in the water, each hoping for a sign of what happened to the carrier of the Orb.
El’Korr launched his dwarven war hammer, impacting the side of its massive torso and causing it to flinch. The hammer was back in his hands ready to be hurled once again. The dragon’s head turned to face them.
“Continue on with that one!” Xan yelled aloud. “We need to put it down quickly!” He moved toward where the second monster engaged Dulgin.
Rondee the Wild ran directly toward the one in the lake while pulling forth his tiny golden hammer. Before he reached the edge, he jumped straight toward the darkest water, and instead of plummeting into the unknown depth, his foot landed on a magically conjured stone step. With each stride another step appeared, until he finally closed in on the monster. The black dragon turned just in time to see the Wild Dwarf approaching in reckless abandon, but it was too late for the beast, as Rondee’s weapon miraculously enlarged to a maul worthy of a titan. Everyone heard the crack as his hammer slammed into the left side of its head; the horn broke off and the eye gruesomely dangled from the socket, blood pouring from the opening. Rondee continued his stride and was now sitting on top of it, as it reeled back and gave a horrific bellow from the pain of his blow.
Abawken was also on the move. Blade in hand, he ran on top of the water. His first attack cut through the initial protective layer of scales.
Xan easily located the second dragon, following a trail of shattered crystals and the sounds of its agitated roar, and Dulgin’s taunts at every miss. He knew the Dwarf couldn’t keep on the defensive forever, he rushed to help him.
Seconds had elapsed, but it already felt like an eternity. Bridazak was still nowhere to be seen. They longed to assist him, but knew the only way for that to happen was to take out these formidable threats as quickly as possible. They secretly hoped the Orb had protected him beyond what the acid protection spell could do.
Another thwap of El’Korr’s powerful hammer caused several scales to shatter. The partially blinded dragon b
egan to flap its huge wings to fly away from the painful onslaught, quickly wrapping its tail around the human fighter and flinging him away with tremendous power. Rondee was trying to balance himself enough to get another strike in, but the dragon, in a panic, moved too erratically. Huge gusts of air washed over El’Korr and Abawken as it gained altitude within the cavernous underground valley. Rondee was almost bucked off, but the wild magic ability that raged inside him involuntarily sprang large metal spikes from his legs. They impaled the scaled monster at the top of its neck, which triggered a guttural hiss, and finally granted the Wild Dwarf some stability. He was getting ready to swing his mighty hammer, but before he could, the tail yanked him from his established position. Rondee’s spikes ripped out of the beast’s neck and caused another painful outburst. He was flung away and splashed into the dark water below. The black dragon was now high above, and again began to intake the air around him.
“He’s going to breathe!” Abawken shouted, running for cover.
“Dammit!” El’Korr responded while also taking refuge.
Before it unleashed its deadly mist, Bridazak rolled out from behind a crystal shard with his arrow notched.
“My turn,” Bridazak whispered as he released the special arrow.
It struck the chest and exploded on impact. There was a violent screeching as the dragon plummeted into the water below. A mighty splash caused waves to roll into the dry chamber. Smoke from Bridazak’s powerful blast billowed up, and parts of the dragon could be seen sprinkled on jutting rocks or floating atop the water.
El’Korr and Abawken came out of hiding to see the aftermath. The human sprinted out on the water to retrieve Rondee who thrashed wildly on the surface, as he could not swim.
“We need to help Dulgin!” his brother shouted.
Bridazak turned, beginning to notch a second dragon arrow, to start making his way toward them, but quickly spotted Dulgin coming their way in a slow walk. The lumbering behemoth trailed right behind him, moving cautiously.
“Dulgin, are you alright?” Bridazak asked, never taking his determined eyes off of the dragon, his arrow trained carefully on its every move.
The others had caught up now, only to discover what Bridazak already saw: the approaching dragon had Xan captured inside of its mouth. The Elf was pinned down between its teeth; the slightest pressure would mean certain death. The massive black beast brought its head low so they could verify Xan was still alive, and then rose back up again.
“Thank you for taking care of that bitch!” The dragon spoke inside each of their minds.
“If you let him go then we won’t kill ya,” El’Korr retorted.
“I have no intention of killing him, or any of you for that matter. I want to make a deal.”
“I had him good and tired until Elfy got too close,” Dulgin said in defeat.
“What do you want then?” El’Korr asked.
“I will give you back your Elf once you agree to parlay with me.”
“Parlay about what, Blacky?” Dulgin scoffed.
Its grey, massive teeth pressed in ever so slightly, causing Xan to groan under the tremendous pressure.
El’Korr stepped closer, “Fine, let us talk, but release him now.”
The black dragon lowered its scaled armored head and opened its jowls. Xan scrambled out and hustled to his friends. The creature raised its long serpentine neck and sat in confidence.
“Are you okay?” El’Korr questioned Xan.
“Aside from its bad breath, I am fine.”
El’Korr returned his focus back to the dragon, “What is it you want to talk about?” The group was ready for any hostile reaction. Bridazak kept his arrow at the ready.
“I want to make a deal.”
“We’re listening,” El’Korr responded.
“In return for safe passage through my domain, I require you to kill the Guardian.”
“Guardian? What guardian?”
“The one who guards the Tree. I will take you to it.”
“What’s in it for you? How does killing this guardian help you?”
“Once the Guardian is taken care of, I can take my rightful position as leader of the dragons—the Doonkah.”
Bridazak jumped in, “What is it, and why don’t you and the other dragons kill it yourself?”
“You keep those arrows ready, Halfling. Impressive, for such a small creature. As far as the rest of us, we are unable to attack it due to the power and protection of the Tree. I will tell the other dragons in the area to back away, so you can deal solely with the Guardian. You must be quick; do not delay once you see it.”
El’Korr was thinking about the deal. The rest of the heroes waited for the dwarven king’s response. Bridazak took a bold step forward with the Seeker and magical arrow trained on it, “El’Korr, we don’t have to agree to anything. We know what this arrow can do.”
Surprised by the Orb carrier’s challenge, El’Korr stood next to Bridazak, “We have the advantage now, and if you value your life then you will lead us to the Tree. We don’t make deals with dragons.”
It laughed heartily inside their minds, “Fools. I give you what you are looking for and yet you still resist me.”
“You no longer have any leverage.”
“Oh, leverage is what I need? Well then, let me present to you my full leverage. I can teleport to Manasseh’s door and warn him of your little army of dwarves.”
El’Korr warily narrowed his eyes. He peered back at his band of heroes and then into Bridazak’s eyes, who waited for his response. El’Korr returned his focus on the black dragon, “Once this guardian is killed and you have taken over as the leader of the dragons, I want your kind to pull out of the battle above. You believe we are capable enough to handle the Guardian, so I want to sweeten the deal for us.”
“Hah! Now it is you that has no leverage! But, I have been under Manasseh’s hand for far too long. I will take your request into consideration. Do we have a deal?”
“Not much of a deal, but we have one.”
.
15
The Guardian
“The army will be engaging King Manasseh’s forces anytime now.
I suspect we are right below the castle. Blacky, as my brother calls him, says the Tree is in the next chamber, and anyone approaching it will summon the Guardian. Any thoughts?” El’Korr asked the huddled group.
“We need to protect Bridazak and the Orb, so he needs to stay behind us, preferably at a high point with his arrows, while we take on the critter,” Dulgin suggested.
“Agreed. The protector of the Tree must be a dragon of some kind, as the black dragon alluded to Bridazak’s arrows,” Abawken added.
“It’s going to be one dead dragon after we’re done with it,” Dulgin clenched his fist in anticipation.
“Rondee will go first and trigger the Guardian to show itself, while the rest of us spread out through the chamber. We don’t want to be caught in any dragon breath situation. Hit it with all you have, boys. Don’t hold back.”
They all nodded in agreement and began to walk further down the large rock tunnel, Rondee in the lead. Everyone was on high alert, looking side to side, turning back to look behind them, and peering up towards the ceiling. A short hundred yards later, they reached the opening.
As they entered the massive chamber, made entirely of the same obsidian rock, they each felt a distinguishable sense of foreboding that caused their skin to tingle. Cut columns carved from the walls rose beyond their sight into the darkness. In the center stood a stone pyramid twenty feet tall with steps on one side leading to the pinnacle. On top was the Tree—a black, gnarled, leafless skeleton, its branches twisting out in all directions. An oily, opalescent sheen wrapped around the trunk and branches, like a disease. An eerie blue mist hugged the ground at the base of the Tree, and traversed the stairs, surrounding the structure it was planted on. The mystical vapor weaved through a graveyard below, and gave off an occasional flash of light accompanied by a mu
ffled crackle. The smell of death and decay was prevalent.
“Are those…” Bridazak hesitated to state the obvious.
“Skeletal remains,” El’Korr barely answered, as his focus was on the horrific, defiled gift to the world of Ruauck-El. The fallen state of the once glorious tree churned his stomach. He felt violated at its sight, anger beginning to boil inside.
“Looks like Manasseh made this a sacrifice site to the Tree,” Abawken surmised.
“Or this guardian has been well fed,” Dulgin added.
“Dear God Almighty,” Xan was the last to enter, and whispered at the sight of the disgraced relic atop the pyramid. It pained him to see it in this state. The petals of crystal were no more, the life was drained, and he felt the cancerous evil inside of it as waves of dark energy bombarded his heart.
“Stay focused, Xan. Everyone spread out. Rondee, kel-forteh,” El’Korr commanded. “Bridazak, stay back and cover us. Make your arrows count. Xan, you will support us with your spells.”
Bridazak continued to stare at the endless pile of blanched bones. Had his father come this far in his quest? Had he… met his end, here? “Bapah,” he whispered, surprising himself. He couldn’t remember ever having used that word—the Ordakian for Father.
Suddenly, breaking him from his thoughts, the earth moved beneath them. They heard loud thuds and noticed dust falling from the darkness above with each concussion.
“What was that?” Bridazak asked.
“That was Raina, saying hello to King Manasseh. Give them hell, Raina. Now, let’s do our part.” He refocused his attention and moved away from the Ordakian.
As the explosions continued above, they all focused on Rondee near the base of the pyramid, stepping on the many skulls that littered the floor surrounding it. The mist shifted with every step he took. It chilled his skin, and the smell of death intensified. He fearlessly took the first step onto the stone stairs leading to the Tree. From behind him he heard the rattling of the bleached white bones.
The Orb of Truth (The Horn King Series) Page 16