by Sam Ferguson
The wizard launched an array of magical arrows that followed Lepkin upward. Lepkin looped over the nightwing and dove directly behind it. The magical arrows followed him at first, but they lost track of him as he turned to fly beneath the nightwing.
Lepkin rolled to an inverted position, reached up with a taloned hand and scratched at the beast’s underbelly. The nightwing flapped and tilted its wings a bit to catch an updraft, pulling away from Lepkin’s reach. Then it swung at Lepkin with its massive tail. Lepkin spiraled down toward the ground just in time to miss the spikes. He felt a sting in his left hind leg. He craned his neck around and noticed that the wizard had sent another flurry of magical arrows down at him, and one had hit.
Lepkin clenched his jaw and turned to fly straight up at the nightwing’s belly again. The nightwing’s tail swished at him, but Lepkin had been prepared for that. He blocked it with his forearms and then straightened his neck like a battering ram. He slammed into the beast’s belly, jolting the nightwing to the side. The two flying behemoths roared angrily as they grappled with their claws and bit at each other. Over and over they spun through the air. Blood streaked across the sky as their talons each found soft tissue and sliced through it.
Lepkin sneered as wickedly as his dragon snout would let him when he saw the wizard flung from the nightwing’s back. Lepkin struck out with his tail, clipping the wizard’s chest and head. It wasn’t a direct hit though. Lepkin had hoped to run the wizard through with one of his tail-spikes, but he only managed to hit with the side of his tail. Still, the blow was enough to knock the wizard unconscious. The man spiraled limply through the air toward the ground.
The nightwing dove to retrieve its master, but Lepkin grabbed its left forearm in his claws and bit down on the shoulder joint with all of his might. The nightwing snarled and turned its attention back to Lepkin. It clawed and bit at him. The two beasts flapped their wings crazily, struggling to stay aloft in the sky as they tore at each other.
The two beasts rose into the clouds, fighting and slashing all the way up. Then, they became entangled. All of their limbs were locked in battle as they desperately clung to each other in a grip of death. Lepkin felt a searing pain rip through one of his legs. The nightwing’s barbed tail had found its mark. Lepkin returned the blow by sinking the spikes of his own tail into the nightwing’s back, just between its wings. The move was enough to almost paralyze the nightwing, but now there were other things Lepkin had to worry about.
They had become so entangled that not even their combined efforts could keep them aloft. Now, with the nightwing being semi-paralyzed there was no way to escape the plunge of death. The two of them were careening end over end toward the jagged, rocky ground below. Lepkin knew for certain that at least one of them would be killed by the fall, if not both. And even if he managed to survive, the dark call of Nagar’s Secret was assaulting his mind. He would not be able to hold back the evil power for long.
*****
“Marlin,” Erik called out as he rushed through the magic portal. Lady Dimwater emerged behind him. A mighty roar, followed by a whooshing sound, caught their attention. Erik looked to the north and saw a mighty dragon torching men in the field beyond the wall. “What is that?” Erik asked.
“It is Lepkin,” Marlin replied solemnly. Lady Dimwater ran to the edge of the balcony as Lepkin rose up through the air to meet the nightwing.
“Who is the other dragon?” Erik asked.
“That is no dragon, Erik,” Marlin replied. “It may look like one, and perhaps it was one once, a long time ago, but that thing is now known as a nightwing.” Marlin could see the unasked question in Erik’s eyes. “A nightwing is a dragon that has been twisted by the power of the book.”
Erik nodded his understanding and went to the railing to watch. Bolts of lightning swirled around the two beasts. Erik looked to Lady Dimwater, but saw that she was busy muttering words he didn’t understand, with her arm outstretched toward Lepkin.
“She is shielding him,” Marlin whispered. “There is a wizard that rides the nightwing.”
Erik watched in horror as the beasts swirled around each other, and then finally collided powerfully. The sound of their collision was almost like thunder. They wrestled and fought ferociously until the wizard fell from the nightwing and Lepkin managed to strike the man with his tail.
“There, the wizard,” Erik shouted as he pointed him out for Dimwater. She nodded her head and a silvery cloud formed in front of the balcony. Lady Dimwater climbed onto the cloud. Erik turned to Marlin and reached for Lepkin’s sword. Marlin shot him a puzzled look at first, but then released his grip on the sword.
Erik climbed over the rails and jumped onto the back of Dimwater’s cloud as it started away from the balcony. He sank through the cloud, up to his chest before Dimwater caught him by his collar and pulled him up.
“What are you doing, get back with Marlin,” Dimwater scolded.
“I want to help,” Erik pleaded. “Please, can’t I help?”
Dimwater could see the earnestness in the boy’s eyes. She smiled softly and looked to the magical sword in Erik’s hand. The blade started to glow. “I think you mean may I help,” Dimwater corrected. The cloud jerked forward again. “Hang on to my cloak, or you will fall through the cloud,” she said.
Erik grabbed her cloak with his left hand and spread his feet a little wider than shoulder width apart for extra balance. The wind licked his face as they soared to meet the wizard. Erik looked back and saw the temple guardians cutting through ranks of Blacktongues with their long, bladed weapons. The fight was going in their favor, Erik thought.
Erik then looked up and noticed that Lepkin and the nightwing had disappeared into the clouds above. He hoped that Lepkin would be alright. Something slammed into the cloud and jarred it in mid-flight. Erik tried to look around Dimwater, but she held him behind her with her left hand.
“The wizard has righted himself,” she said. “Stay behind me and hold on tight. Lady Dimwater stuck her right palm out and sent a multitude of shockwaves at the wizard, who was riding his own cloud now. The wizard held his left forearm out and took the shockwaves. The force of the blows ruffled the man’s beard and hair, but caused no serious harm.
The wizard produced a staff from thin air and then pointed it at Dimwater. Dimwater similarly summoned her staff with the golden lion’s head and created her magical shield. The wizard’s magical arrows bounced harmlessly off the shield, sounding like rain against a tile roof. Dimwater smiled and summoned a gale from the east.
The wizard waved his staff in a circular motion and then pointed his free hand back at Dimwater. The gale turned dark and swirled in upon itself until the shape of a cyclone formed. The twister zigzagged around a few times and then came at Dimwater from the side. The force of the impact tilted her cloud. Erik fell to his knees, but he did not let go of Dimwater’s cloak.
“Have you ever jousted?” Dimwater asked Erik.
“No,” Erik said. “But I am always willing to try new things.”
Dimwater smiled at the boy’s courage. “Stay hidden until I say.”
“Lady Dimwater, look up,” Erik said from behind.
She looked up and saw Lepkin and the nightwing falling out of the clouds in a tangled mass of spikes and claws. “We don’t have much time,” she said. “Let’s finish this wizard.” She sent the cloud lurching forward with great speed. She summoned winds from the south to propel them faster. The wizard readied himself and pointed his staff at Dimwater. He too summoned winds to boost his cloud forward. Magical arrows flew out from his other hand, pelting Dimwater’s shield as they closed in on each other.
Dimwater focused her energy. The golden head of her staff glowed as it prepared to let loose a powerful ball of magical fire. Small, snaking electrical bolts writhed along the growing sphere of green and white flames. She could see that the wizard was preparing his staff as well. She knew she would have to time everything perfectly; otherwise this would be Erik’s first
and final joust.
The two clouds closed in on each other. Erik prepared to jump on Dimwater’s command. He focused in on the reason he needed to win this battle. The wizard was after the book, he knew. The book would consume everyone in the realm that he cared about. Lepkin, Dimwater and Marlin were powerless against the book. They would be the first victims to fall to its power. Then, it would take the whole land. His mother and father would be turned into demons and forced into serving the underworld. Erik’s rage boiled up inside of him. He could feel power coursing through him. He would not lose this fight.
“Now,” Dimwater shouted.
Erik came out from behind her. It took only a few seconds, but it all seemed to move in ultra-slow motion. Erik saw the wizards growling face. He was only a few yards away on his cloud, and they were sailing closer with every passing instant. A blinding ball of white and green flame shot forward from Dimwater’s staff. A ball of orange and red jumped from the wizard’s staff to meet Dimwater’s fire. Erik ran forward, holding on to Dimwater’s cloak until he leapt from the cloud.
He held the sword high with his right hand. As he began to swing the mighty blade, fire seemed to leap from Erik’s hand and cover the Telarian steel. The white flames dwarfed the two magical fireballs in magnificence, and felt as hot as any kiln Erik had ever been near. The wizard lifted his staff to block Erik’s chopping attack, but it availed him nothing. Dimwater swung in low with her staff, catching the wizard in the groin. The wizard stumbled forward on his cloud. Erik’s sword cut through the upraised staff as a knife through a bowl of cream. The white flames of the sword engulfed the wizard as Erik brought the weapon down to finish the swing. The wizard turned to a pile of ash on the cloud.
Erik landed on the cloud, but quickly fell through it as it dissipated. He fell down toward the ground, flailing his free hand up to Lady Dimwater. He looked to his left and noticed that Lepkin and the nightwing were almost parallel with him as they also descended. The beasts tumbled and turned until Erik caught Lepkin’s eyes. Erik noted that the eyes looked sad. He knew that Lepkin didn’t expect to live through this.
Erik looked up and saw Dimwater diving down on her cloud for him. “Save Lepkin,” Erik shouted. “The book is safe, save him!” But she did not heed his words. She maneuvered her cloud under Erik and caught him in its pillow like substance and then reached down fast as a snake to grab him by the wrist.
Erik watched, horrified as Lepkin and the nightwing closed the distance to the ground below. The earth shook and rumbled as the beasts collided into it. Lepkin and the nightwing both roared and snarled as a cloud of dust erupted around them.
“Come,” Dimwater said. “We must be sure the nightwing is dead.” The two of them flew over to the downed beasts. Both forms stirred. They wrestled with each other, wriggling and clawing free of each other.
“They survived,” Erik said breathlessly. His joy quickly turned to fear though. Lepkin’s left wing was broken and hanging limp at his side. The nightwing was almost free. Erik knew that if it was allowed off the ground, there would be no chance of stopping it. “Take me above it, and keep it down if you can,” Erik shouted.
Dimwater nodded and concentrated her energy. The nightwing slammed the side of its tail into Lepkin’s head, knocking Lepkin back. It then jumped up and flapped its wings. Dimwater thrust her left hand forward, casting the most powerful psionic blast she could muster. The force of the blow knocked the nightwing back to the ground, and tore a gash in its chest. It hissed at her, and fixed its eyes on the cloud. It recoiled and blew a stream of fire just as the cloud came over it.
Erik jumped before Dimwater could warn him. His magical sword was still covered in white fire. Dimwater quickly chanted a protection spell and encircled Erik in it as she maneuvered the cloud out of harm’s way.
Erik felt the heat licking and swiping at him. Sweat poured all over his body. He had never felt like this before. His head was dizzy and his vision was quickly shrinking in a field of blackness. He focused his mind on his reason for fighting. He used his power to keep his senses about him. He couldn’t fail now.
Suddenly the flames stopped and Erik could only see a gaping maw gnashing fangs as long as his sword. The nightwing was leaping up for him. Erik’s eyes went wide. There was no way out. He flipped the sword upside down. He decided that if he was to go down this beast’s gullet, he would go down sword-first. He would be the last thing the nightwing ever ate.
The nightwing jolted and the gaping maw turned away from Erik. Erik could see Lepkin down on the ground, clawing at the nightwing’s exposed belly. The nightwing went to make a strike for Lepkin’s neck, but in doing so it exposed the back of its own neck to Erik. Erik gripped the sword as tightly as he could and let out a mighty yell as he came down hard. He drove the sword through the nightwing’s neck, where the bone connected with the skull. The intense, white fire burned through the hard scales and bone as though the nightwing was made of cloth. The beast let out a final half screech before slumping to the side.
The force of the nightwing’s fall flung Erik from the beast to land on the ground with a hard thump. Erik heard a crack and felt a horribly sharp, fire-like pain rip through his left leg as he tumbled across the ground. He cried out in pain and darkness threatened to close in on him again.
Dimwater set her cloud down next to Erik and knelt by him. “I am here, Erik,” she said. She waved her hands over the boy’s leg. “It is a bad break, but I can lessen the pain.” She weaved her magic and blocked the pain away from Erik. Erik nodded through teary eyes and whispered something that almost sounded like “thank you.”
A mighty roar startled them both and they looked back to the nightwing. The black beast was dead. Lepkin’s sword was still stuck inside of it, and Lepkin was standing on top of the beast with his head arched back to the sky in a mighty victory cry.
“It’s over,” Dimwater said reassuringly. She looked to the wall of the temple. There were flames along part of the wall, but the temple guards were already finishing off the last of the Blacktongues and rushing to put out the fires. “It’s all over.”
Erik propped himself up on his elbows and smiled weakly. “That wasn’t so hard,” he said garishly. Lady Dimwater flicked his nose and then stood to her feet. Heavy footsteps approached from behind. “Why hasn’t he turned human again yet?” Erik asked.
Lady Dimwater’s face went pale. Lepkin should have changed his form back immediately after it was all over. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t risk the power of the book twisting him. Had it already been too long? Was it too late to save him? She turned to face Lepkin. “Come out of your dragon form, Lepkin.”
The dragon hissed and shot out a forked tongue. The appendage stopped just short of raking Dimwater’s face. Its eyes looked her all over and then moved on to look at Erik. Dimwater stepped between them. The dragon hissed. Swirls of smoke snaked out of its nostrils along with bright yellow sparks.
“Erik, he has been turned by the power of the book,” Dimwater said. “He must be put down.”
“No,” Erik said horrified. “I can not do that.”
“Erik, we must,” Dimwater said. “I will use what energy I have left to buy you time. Get to the sword, if you can.” She knew it wasn’t going to work. Erik’s leg was broken and she was exhausted. All she could hope for was that she could wound the twisted Lepkin before it finished with them and turned its fury on the temple.
The dragon roared and shot a fireball at Dimwater. She held her left hand out, the hand that another dragon had burned the thumb off of, and gathered all of the magical energy she could. The flames seared her hand and coursed around her magic, touching and grazing her sides. The heat was so painful that she cried out and wept. She fell to her knees, trying her best to maintain the spell that protected her.
Then the flames stopped. She looked up and saw Erik standing between her and the dragon. His hands were empty and all of his weight was on his right leg. He stared at the dragon and h
opped closer to it, almost falling to the ground more than once. Dimwater felt horror grip her stomach. She couldn’t let this happen. She tried to weave a magical attack but Erik turned back to her with his hand out. His eyes were no longer blue, but white. They emitted a burning light, similar to the flame that had engulfed the sword when he wielded it.
“Stay your hand, Lady Dimwater,” Erik said. “I can see Lepkin inside the dark energy that binds him. I can free him.”
Lady Dimwater watched in awe as Erik hopped on his one good leg to the dragon. The beast hissed and recoiled from Erik, but it did not try to attack him. Erik put out his hand fearlessly and reached for the dragon’s snout.
“Master Lepkin,” Erik whispered. “I know you can hear me. Focus on the reason you fight. Think of Lady Dimwater, think of Marlin, and think of all the other people of the realm. They are depending on me to save them from the darkness that threatens to take you now.” Erik leaned in and stared directly into one of the dragon’s eyes. “I depend on you, Master Lepkin.”
The dragon jerked its head, knocking Erik to the ground. Erik cried out as pain shot through his body from his broken leg again. The dragon sprang atop Erik and pinned the boy down with a claw on either side of Erik’s neck.
“Master Lepkin, fight it,” Erik shouted through the tears of pain. The dragon breath was so hot on Erik’s skin that it felt as though he was burning. The dragon brought its snout closer and snapped its teeth together twice. Erik wriggled an arm free and placed his hand on the dragon’s snout, right between the flaring nostrils.
Blinding white light erupted from behind and washed the dragon and Erik in its brilliance. Erik focused on his power, harnessing it as best as he could. The pain in his leg grew more intense, threatening to break his concentration, but Erik pushed it out of his mind. He focused only on Lepkin. He could see his master inside the darkness that wrapped itself around the dragon form. Erik knew he could banish the dark power. Something in his gut told him that it was possible.