by Dave Skinner
“Over by those windows,” one of the soldiers responded.
Micka looked where the man pointed and saw a small group of men. They had their backs against two windows that still remained unbroken. Two men went down beneath the swords of the ogres. Another was beheaded by the sweep of a large demon’s hand. The remaining man swung his curved sword and removed the demon’s head.
“Adamtay!” Nailmoe screamed just as a huge claw crashed through the window at Adamtay’s back and closed around him. He disappeared from sight as the claw withdrew.
Nailmoe stood frozen. The ogres and demons mirrored him, but only for a moment, before they turned and charged towards the portal.
Nailmoe turned to Micka. “Time to go,” he stated, stepping forward.
Chapter 50
“Enough of this foolishness!” Verity roared.
Adel saw him step towards the crystal and throw out his hand. A burst of blue-tinted energy surged from him towards the crystal, only to break against a wall of yellow light thrown up by Andoo Toran.
“Stop, Verity, it is not the time. Trust Nailmoe and Micka,” the Waysley wizard pleaded.
“It is past the time. Those fools are doomed, but we still have a chance to save this world.” Verity stretched his hand forward. Adel could feel the increase in the power emanating from it. The blue tint deepened and became richer. Andoo stretched also and the yellow light pulsed brighter. Mearisdeana was trying to pull the one she called Neventay away from the play of energy. Bright embers from both conjurations were sparking at where the two met. Some showered down on Mearisdeana, and she screamed in pain before bringing up her dayskin and throwing herself across the prone man with her arms over her head.
Both wizards were struggling now, the strain of exertion written on their faces. Verity’s blue energy ran with strings of black that made Adel feel ill, as ill as Andoo looked. Something blossomed in Adel’s chest. Power exploded at her core. She held both arms out, pointing one towards each wizard.
“Stop!” she screamed. A charge of green energy flashed forth from each hand and struck the wizards. They flew backwards, hitting the ground and sliding on their backs across the grass. Neither moved. Adel stepped forward. “Get them out of the way,” she commanded, pointing at Mearisdeana and Neventay. Manda ran in from behind her and helped Mearisdeana to stand. Together they pulled Neventay away. Adel could feel something happening within the rift. Suddenly four Dragon soldiers stumbled through and sank to their knees. Nailmoe and Micka were moments behind them. Adel could sense evil coming after them.
“Move,” she commanded. The soldiers scrambled one way. Nailmoe scooped Micka up and spun the other, as a stream of ogres followed a large demon through. Adel’s energy drove into them. The skin of the leading ogres melted away before their skeletons crumbled to dust. The demon brought his hands up in time to shield him and the others. Her energy would not allow the creatures to advance, but neither could she force them back. And her energy was beginning to wane.
Suddenly, Neventay was beside her. His hand fell heavily on her shoulder. “Hold them, girl,” he whispered. “Mearisdeana... the crystal... throw it into the rift.”
“No. Adamtay will be lost,” she wailed.
“Adamtay is lost, child. Nailmoe would never have return if he lived. You must close the rift or his death will be for nothing.” With a cry of anguish Mearisdeana ran forward, grabbed the crystal, and threw it into Adel’s energy at the entrance of the rift.
The resulting explosion blew Adel backwards. Everything went black.
***
Adel became aware of soft weeping. She tried to move and groaned from the effort. Every part of her hurt. A cool hand was slipped behind her neck. “Drink this, it will help,” Micka said as Adel felt her head lifted. Something pressed against her lips, and then cool liquid trickled into her mouth. She swallowed. Strength and a sense of wellbeing blossomed as she felt the liquid seep into her. She opened her eyes. Micka’s tear-stained face looked at her. Memory returned in a rush.
“What happened?” she managed to ask. “Is Andoo okay? Are the monsters gone?”
Andoo appeared above her. “I am fine, Adel. A little wine took all my pain away.”
“A little wine,” Micka snorted.
“I am sorry, Andoo. Something bad was growing in Verity’s magic. I had to stop it.”
“We will talk of that later, girl. You must rest now. You saved the day, you did. The demon and ogres are dead.” Andoo stood up and moved away.
“Who do I hear crying?” she asked Micka.
‘The Dragon Lady, her husband was lost in the fight.”
“He died?”
“I believe so.”
“But you did not see it?”
“No.”
“Then there is still a chance for him. Does she know?”
“He was taken by a monster, Adel. Nailmoe and I both saw it. He thinks telling her will only make it worse.”
“I see his point.” Adel rested for a moment as images flashed through her mind. “You went through the portal!” she exclaimed.
“Someone with power had to keep it open, or he would have been lost.”
“You took quite a chance.”
“So did you.” Micka paused. “Where did you learn the spell you used? Did your Selkie friend teach it to you?”
“No, it just happened. It was the same thing that happened in Marshtown when Bray was hurt, only the magic was different.”
“I wonder how you know what to use?” Micka said.
“So do I.”
Chapter 51
The Sword of Sacrifice removed a demon’s head and buried itself in an ogre’s neck. Adamtay wrenched it free just as his name was called. Stepping back towards the windows, he looked up to see Nailmoe motioning to him. The window at his back shattered, and something grabbed him. He was wrenched from his feet and felt the back of his head strike something solid.
He regained consciousness with a start. Wind was tearing at his cloak. He was looking at the ground far below as he was carried higher into the sky. He still grasped his sword in his hand, but his arm was trapped against his body by whatever held him. He struggled to free it.
“Be careful with that sword,” a voice told him. “I spent too much of my life guarding it to graciously accept an injury from it. Stop struggling. I will put you down in a moment.”
Adamtay pondered what he had just heard. “You are the dragon that let us take the sword.”
“Yes, I am. My name is Ichaca. What should I call you?”
“I am Adam of House Tay, Crown Prince of KaAn.”
“That is a mouthful even for a mouth my size.”
“Call me Adamtay.”
“That is easier. Now wait a moment, I am going to land.”
Adamtay saw the peak of a mountain below him as their forward speed slowed. Turning his head he could see part of a giant wing being held still. They floated to the ground. The dragon settled on one foot and gently lay Adamtay down with the other. He rolled away so the foot could take some weight. Scrambling out from under the beast, he found a level spot and stood. The dragon furrowed its wings and settled.
Adamtay considered what to say. If he remembered correctly, on their last encounter he had questioned the dragon’s mental health, but then again it looked different now.
“You look different, Ichaca,” he said, “bigger and more colourful.”
“You witness the effects of good food and good living. Will you sheath your sword? It makes me itchy.”
Adamtay followed the suggestion. “Were you one of the dragons that destroyed our city?”
“No, although the Demon Lord’s wizards did try to recruit me to their cause.”
“But you refused. Was it because we set you free?”
“You flatter yourself. A dragon can only succumb to a controlling spell once. One was used on me by that cursed wizard who chained me in the cave with your sword, so I was immune to the one the demons tried.”
&
nbsp; “So why are you here then?”
“They told me they were fighting your people. I came to see what was happening.”
Adamtay looked around. “What happened to the other two dragons?”
“I killed the demons that controlled them, and set them free.”
“So now the three of you will share KaAn?”
“Share KaAn,” the dragon snorted, almost knocking Adamtay over. “No, this is not our home. I travelled to many dimensions after you freed me. I needed food, lots of food, and other things that your world could not supply.”
“You mean you can travel to other worlds?”
“Yes, easily. All the early races had that ability. The fairies and the demons all could. Dragons could do it the easiest, and we still can. It is more difficult for the others.”
“The demons can travel to other worlds?”
“Yes, using their magic. Well, the Demon Lord, can, the lesser demons do not have the ability. They have to be sent by him.”
“Then why did he want the crystals? Why destroy our world for something that allows him to do what he can already do?”
“Because the crystals allow him to do it with little effort. Without the crystals he has to exert large amounts of energy, and spend great amounts of time to focus on what he wants. The crystals make it much easier, but the crystals are gone now. The last one was just destroyed.”
“How do you know?”
“I am a dragon. I can detect many magic items and links across dimensions.”
“But the Demon Lord cannot. Now that the crystals are destroyed he cannot find my people again.”
The dragon considered this. “If there was something in that place that he wanted, he could send lesser demons to find it. It would take time and energy, but it could be done.”
“Do you think he is angry enough about the destruction of the crystals to try to find my people? Would he expend that much energy just for revenge?”
“Demons are malevolent creatures, and the Demon Lord is one of the worst. He could easily decide to pursue your people to exact revenge. You stole his crystals, after all, and destroyed them.”
“That wizard had the crystals. We took them from him, not from the Demon Lord.”
“Irrelevant. A KaAnian stole the crystals. A KaAnian destroyed the crystals. KaAnians must pay. I believe that is how he would think.”
“But he would have a difficult time finding them.”
“That would depend.”
“On what?”
“On whether he can detect the other link.”
“What other link?”
“There is something in that dimension that was originally linked to KaAn.”
Adamtay puzzled over what the dragon was saying. What possible link could exist between that world and his? Until Mearisdeana had been pulled through the rift, the existence of other worlds had not been known. Without Mearisdeana’s necklace he—the necklace, of course!
“It is a necklace,” he told the dragon. It must be destroyed, but how can I warn them?”
“I will take you there.”
“You will do that?”
“Why not? You freed me. I dislike demons. It makes sense to me. Stand straight so I can get a good hold on you.” The dragon reached out with a front foot and wrapped it around him. The mighty wings beat, and they were in the air again. The mountain top fell away.
“We go now,” Ichaca announced and they did. Freezing cold closed on Adamtay for a moment and then he was bathed in warm sunshine. Below them he could see an encampment. People were reacting to the dragon’s sudden presence, scurrying about, ducking under wagons and into tents. Men appeared with longbows in hand.
“Move away from them, Ichaca, or they will shoot at you.”
The dragon banked and floated away from the campsite before he swooped to the ground and let Adamtay free. Together they walked towards the camp. Men arrayed themselves between the camp and the approaching pair.
“We are friends,” Adamtay called. He turned to the dragon. “Will you stay here for a moment, my friend? I believe they fear you.”
Ichaca snorted. “Probably.” He stopped walking. Adamtay continued forward. He could see a group of men with longbows off to the side, and then a unit of KaAnian Lancers trotted forward. Their commanding officer stopped the advance, and they stood waiting. Adamtay raised his arm in the Lancer’s salute. The officer said something to the men and they all relaxed. He called behind him and suddenly she was there, sprinting towards him. He watched Mearisdeana come, marvelling at how much he had missed her. Then she was in his arms.
Sometime later he held her at arm’s length. “I want you to meet someone,” he told her and then he motioned for Ichaca to come. The dragon shuffled forward. “My Love, may I present Ichaca, my savior and friend. Ichaca, may I present my life partner, Mearisdeana.”
Mearisdeana stepped forward and placed her hand on the dragon’s massive chest. “Thank you, Ichaca, for saving him. I am in your debt.”
Ichaca bowed his head to her. “It was nothing.” His head bobbed up above them again. “Is that not the other one who freed me?” he asked.
Adamtay turned around. Nailmoe was striding forward with a big grin on his face. A young girl trailed behind him. “It certainly is, Ichaca.”
Nailmoe wrapped his arms around Adamtay and held him until Adamtay felt awkward. He could not remember his friend being that emotional before, but then again, they were all changing.
“I thought you were gone when that claw took you, but now I see that you tamed a dragon instead.”
“Not exactly. Do you remember the dragon that guarded the Sword?”
“How could I ever forget? Hello, dragon,” he said, turning to Ichaca.
“Hello, KaAnian. My name is Ichaca.”
“Mine is Nailmoe. Thank you for saving my prince.” Ichaca bowed his head.
“Ichaca told me the rift has been closed,” Adamtay said. “We still have a problem it seems, but before we discuss that. Did any demons make it through?”
“Some, but they were all destroyed.”
“Are you sure, Nailmoe, because I can detect some.”
Adamtay’s and Nailmoe’s hands went to their swords. “Where?” Adamtay asked. The dragon closed his eyes and concentrated. Andoo and Manda arrived while they waited for Ichaca to finish.
“What is happening?” Andoo asked.
“Ichaca can sense demons,” she reported.
The dragon opened his eyes. “They are far from here, very far.”
“Then they did not come through the rift,” Adamtay said. “But Ichaca can sense another link between our worlds. I believe it may be the necklace you gave to Manda, my love. The link must be broken. Does she still have it?”
“No. It was stolen from her in Marshtown, a short time ago.”
“Then its location is unknown?”
“I can sense it,” Ichtaca told them. It is that way,” he pointed off across the grassland. ‘However, the demons are not near it. I sense something else near them. If I concentrate, I can almost—” The dragon’s eyes snapped open. “I must go,” he declared as he sprang into the air. In moments he was lost from sight.
Chapter 52
For three seven-day periods Ran had been at peace, but this day he felt apprehensive. It was there when he awoke, but he had put it down to hunger. Garnock was at breakfast with others of their crew when he arrived. They were working a late morning shift for the next few days. Ran joined the Gnomes at their table.
“You are anxious, friend Ran,” Garnock observed.
“I am,” Ran admitted. “There is something in the air today. I can almost taste it.”
“You are excited about getting to work on the face, I think. Do not worry, my friend. You are a talented carver with a delicate hand. You will not make a mistake.”
“Perhaps you are right.”
Neither Garnock’s suggestion nor breakfast eased his anxiety. He returned to his room to gather his cloak
and found his hands buckling on his weapons’ belt, something he had not done since he arrived. The thought made him start to remove the belt, but the feel of the weapons on his waist eased his anxiety a little, so he left it. The Gnomes gave him questioning looks, but said nothing.
Usually the silence and peace on the carving floor flooded Ran’s being as he neared the dragon carving. It worked today also, but not completely. Garnock handed him a small pulling knife instead of the usual hammer and chisel. It was as long as his hand span with two handles between which a slightly curved blade was attached. Garnock had shown him how to use it a number of days before, and had answered his questions about it after shift on that day. Ran had practiced on parts that had a deeper ice barrier than the head he was about to tackle. The ice barrier on the face was almost gone. The depth of his little finger was all that was left before they would reach the image. Ran still did not understand how the Gnomes created the internal image. He assumed it was done with magic, but when he questioned him, Garnock’s answers made no sense. It is what it is and the Mother knows did not explain how the image had been created.
Ran worked on the snout, sliding the pull knife towards him. A fine curl of ice was freed with each stroke. He became lost in his work, but stopped before his shift ended because the snout was free of all ice that the pull knife could be used on. Only a layer like a film of water was left. Hanging the knife on his belt, he removed a glove and ran his hand down the surface. The heat from his hand smoothed away the ridges left by the knife. Ran was amazed by what he felt. It was almost like skin.
His hand was resting there when thumping sounded from above his head. He looked up. Something was on the ice ceiling above where the mound they were working on was located. Another thud sounded. Cracks appeared in the ceiling and small chips of ice fell around him. Ran and the Gnomes stood frozen in disbelief as more thuds occurred, until finally a small section of the roof broke open and a face peered in.