She stood back on the beach, making sure she had full control of herself. She looked to the spot where a young Garo and Tetra had been. She could not even see footprints, let alone a full presence of people.
Perhaps she had simply imagined it. But she knew that a lie.
She knew the truth. She’d seen the past, the moment from over two hundred years ago. And she’d heard Garo’s words of advice.
Would it help? Zelda didn’t know. She only wanted to win the battle tomorrow.
But Garo had not yet steered her wrong. He’d taught her to read, to fight, and to find a purpose.
She headed back to the house, not sure if she should yet believe what she’d experienced but at least willing to consider its validity.
CHAPTER 25: ERIC AND ZELDA
Dawn broke. Eric awoke in his bed, Yeva still by his side.
He gently slid his arm away from her and kissed her on the forehead. She murmured in her morning slumber, but did not move otherwise. Eric smiled and did not bother to move her. Whatever remaining moments she had of peace, Eric wanted her to have them. It might be the last few that she had.
He moved down the stairs with ease, making sure his feet did not thud on the floor. He saw the door to the other room remained open and he peered inside. Zelda had her back turned to him, resting on her side in the bed. Her side gently lifted and fell, a sign of her deep slumber. Eric didn’t bother to close the door, worried that doing so would awaken the young girl, the most important part of the upcoming battle.
Instead, with a quick run to a nearby stand that had just opened, he prepared the same breakfast that Abe had made him before leaving for Caia—sausage, bacon, and toast. That meal had let to the downfall of all the legendary dragons. Eric didn’t see a reason to change what worked.
That, and he loved that meal more than perhaps any other combination. The excessive meat and the crunchy toast satiated his hunger in a more satisfying way than any other meal. If Eric would not have another meal in his lifetime, he knew he might as well make it the juiciest, most delectable meal he could create.
He finished cooking the meats, leaving enough for both Yeva and Zelda, and took a seat at his table. He looked at the empty chairs, thinking of who would’ve sat there had he had a normal life.
Abe. Auron. Mom. Rey.
Today, I make sure no one else joins you. Today, I embark on my final mission as a dragon hunter. I become my own master today.
I hope I make you all proud.
Strangely, Eric felt mighty good and relaxed as he thought about his deceased family. He didn’t have to wonder when he’d get a chance to fight. Vengeance didn’t burn his soul, melting everything around it.
The morning had a sense of utmost finality to it. True, he’d had that feeling before when he fought the fake Ragnor and Bahamut, but now, he knew nothing truly stood on the other side. And more importantly, he knew his family rested in peace. At this point, the battle became less about defending their honor and souls and more about protecting the living and the sanctity of Hydor.
“That smells delicious.”
Eric, about to take a bite of his bacon, laughed. He stood, turned around, and saw the beautiful Yeva two stairs up, smiling at him with weary eyes. She did not look like she’d gotten much sleep, but she didn’t seem to mind in the least.
“It’s nothing compared to you,” he said.
OK, that’s a little better. Not much, but better.
“You’re a bad liar,” Yeva said as she came down the stairs and approached him. “But it’s OK. I don’t think you do it too much.”
With that, she leaned forward and kissed him. Eric wouldn’t say it out loud, but in many ways, he enjoyed that kiss more than the one from the night before. He could’ve easily chalked up that kiss to the heat of the moment, the intense emotions, and the way night seemed to invoke the most fiery of passions. This morning’s kiss came from a place of genuine desire and interest.
“You’ll change your mind when you taste this food.”
“I’ll change my mind about the smell of it?”
Eric just rolled his eyes and laughed. He found his laughter came easily, confirming what he’d suspected about his temperament.
“You seem at ease,” Yeva said as she took a bite of a piece of bacon Eric gave her.
“Today’s what it all comes down to,” Eric said. “We’re taking the fight to Ragnor. That’s as much as you can ask for.”
“Perhaps so,” Yeva said. “I think it speaks volumes about you, though. If we win, I’m not making you emperor. I’m making you king.”
Eric flipped a sausage as she spoke, nearly dropping his fork. King? Me? I’m not even an adult!
“Like the citizens are going to follow a sixteen year old,” Eric said.
“A sixteen year old who evacuated them to safety on the back of a dragon that got summoned into this world,” Yeva corrected.
Eric didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about it. He didn’t want to imagine himself with too much power, fearful that it would turn him into the next Rufus Syrast.
But, he had to admit, he liked the sound of King Eric Garland. The Garland Kingdom. It had a nice ring to it.
They heard Zelda awakening in the other room with some murmurs and gentle footsteps. Eric quickly prepared her meal for her and placed it at the empty chair. If Eric had emerged with a calm demeanor, Zelda looked sharply focused. Her eyes seemed set on the hours ahead, not the moment at hand. Eric hesitated to speak to her, fearful he might draw her ire.
“Where did you go last night?” Yeva asked.
“The beaches,” Zelda said. Her tone gave away what Eric had suspected. She had her mind elsewhere. “I heard from Garo. He told me I’d figure things out after today. That was good enough for me. Focus on the battle today, solve the rest tomorrow.”
It’s something I’ve felt all too well, Zelda. When this is all said and done, you and I will have a long chat about finding our purpose. Perhaps together, we can figure a way forward.
“Let’s enjoy our food, though,” Eric said. “If it’s our last meal, I don’t want to spend it thinking about anything but the taste.”
“Don’t forget the smell,” Yeva said, drawing laughs from everyone—even Zelda.
***
After they finished, the three dragon riders wasted no time. They made their way out of the house and headed for the guild, where Emera, Margol, and Luca awaited.
Zelda took note of how surreal the day felt. The citizens had their concerns about Ragnor and the changing landscape of the planet, sure. Many of them constantly looked for the sky, permanently scarred into looking above for signs of danger.
But many others seemed to have no idea what would transpire within the hour. They moved about their day, searching for food or work to do. They moved without haste and, in some cases, without serious purpose.
Zelda didn’t know whether to envy them or not. They didn’t have much concern. They just went about their day. It seemed so mundane, boring, and unfulfilling. But it also seemed like something people could share and bond over.
Still, Zelda paid it no mind beyond a cursory thought. She came to Emera and petted its face.
“Ready?”
“I fly!” Emera said. “I attack! I serve Zelda!”
“We’ll do well together,” she said. She looked to Eric and Yeva, who both had some words of encouragement to their dragons. She wondered about their speech patterns and if it might indicate a lack of intelligence that would be needed in battle. Perhaps if she won, she’d try and use her magic to improve their brainpower.
The riders mounted their dragons. Zelda closed her eyes, taking a few last breaths. Mama. Romarus. Roland. Garo. Tetra.
All of you who have perished. I fight for you today.
And Garo. I will not forget your words from yesterday.
“Shall we?” Eric said.
Zelda opened her eyes and nodded. Hydor had blessed them with a day without clouds and good warmth.
The elements would not play a terrible role in their battle. Only their skills and cunning would decide their fate against Ragnor.
“To the remains of Caia!”
The dragons lifted. Zelda never imagined that she would feel comfortable flying on a dragon, but for right now, she could tolerate it. Especially since the flight across the sea wouldn’t take but an hour.
As they flew across the sea, Zelda glanced down, wondering if any monsters of the depths might ever try and attack land. She found it odd that for as much as they broached the surface, none seemed intent on coming to the land. Perhaps they felt that that land belonged to the dragons and would not intrude.
She looked to Eric and Yeva, who flew a short distance to each of her sides. She could shout to the two of them, but turning got her just slightly off balance. Fearful of even the slightest mistake, she did not turn more than her neck. Her chest and hips remained pointed straight ahead for the duration of her flight.
Then, finally, it came into view.
The ruins of Caia.
From afar, it was remarkable how much debris had settled into the streets. Just walking into the actual city would be difficult, let alone trying to settle a dragon as large as the ones that they had. If humanity ever came across it and tried to rebuild, Zelda couldn’t imagine the level of difficulty it would take. To say nothing of the army of monsters that Ragnor has built. This continent belongs to the beasts now. Not humanity.
Fortunately, the library still stood, although cracks crawled over its ceiling, looking like a spider’s web. The whole building looked on the verge of collapsing, but as long as it still stood, she would have a chance.
The palace, though—the lava which it had turned into had cooled, but it seeped into the ground, lowering it as it had burned what lay beneath it.
The three hunters landed at one of the few open spaces near some buildings on the east side.
“All right, Zelda, this is where you come in,” Eric said. “I want you to summon as many dragons as you can without exerting yourself. Let’s see how long it takes to summon a few.”
“It’ll be the weakest of my spells, but I will try.”
She closed her eyes, her hands grasping the small essence of Ragnor. On her left hip, however, she felt the power of Bahamut surging to meet the power of Ragnor.
She paused for just a second.
“I’m not going to make them like ours,” she said. “I can’t… I can’t just create something conscious and self-aware as a sacrificial battle piece.”
Eric said nothing, knowing Zelda would find the right balance.
Suddenly, instead of straining to create three dragons, she had about a dozen before her. They all looked the same—in this case, they bore black scales with yellow underbellies, three horns, and claws. They were not as big as Emera, Luca, and Margol, but they had enough size that they would hold their own against the monsters Ragnor had summoned.
“Nice!” Eric shouted as he saw the dragons around.
Even Zelda had to smile. The essence of Bahamut not only gave her great physical magic, it enhanced the other magical powers she had. Her elemental and summoning powers had increased rather exponentially.
“Fight Ragnor!” many of the dragons shouted. Though Zelda had not eliminated their ability to talk, they all sounded as simple as possible, avoiding the worst of the guilt Eric knew Zelda must have felt.
Zelda repeated this until she had over a hundred dragons at her disposal. Each summoning session brought forth their own unique batch of color, some red and green, some blue and orange, some gold and brown, but all of them willing to fight by the side of good. Let’s hope this is enough.
“I think we’ve got plenty,” Eric said. “Ragnor will have some monsters, but you know what? I feel pretty good about my chances with the number of beasts we’ve got over here. I think it’s time for me to go stir up some trouble.”
Zelda chose to focus on creating more dragons. Until Ragnor’s appearance summoned her to the sky, she would continue to create a bigger and better army for them.
“Zelda,” Eric shouted.
She briefly broke her concentration, though not before finishing her spell and bringing forth another fifteen dragons.
“Good luck,” he said.
Zelda smiled. She would feel confident as long as she had Eric’s leadership by her side and the crystals in her pockets.
“You too,” she said.
Then she saw the small essence of Indica around his neck. She had an idea.
“Before you go,” she said.
She, too, slipped off of Emera and approached Eric.
“I’m not—”
“No, not like Yeva,” Zelda said.
When she got close enough, she held out her hand.
“Let me see the bit of Indica’s crystal,” she said.
Eric took it off without question, handing it to her. When she grasped it, she concentrated on calling the power of Bahamut and enhancing what Eric had. She felt the warm surge coming from the crystal near her hip pocket rising to the essence in her right hand. She did this until Eric asked what was happening. She’d given enough, and she handed it back to him.
“I gave you more power,” she said. “I don’t know how long it will last, but it should help. Hopefully, it will help.”
Eric smiled.
“It’ll give me false confidence, if nothing else.”
With that, he and Margol roared simultaneously, rose to the skies, and flew west toward Ragnor.
***
I’ve truly lost my mind, haven’t I? I’m about to fly into the land of Ragnor, taunt it, and then fly back as quickly as I can.
I sure hope Zelda and Yeva know what they’re doing. Because I sure don’t.
Eric watched the mountains separating what remained of Caia and Dabira with careful interest. He looked for any sign of Ragnor, but none came to sight. In fact, aside from the ruined city that he had just come from, he did not notice anything different yet.
But as he got closer and closer, the humorous thoughts that had kept him present faded in favor of nervous, steeled focus. He had picked up on Zelda’s intense, narrow single-mindedness as he approached the mountains.
Just before he reached the range, he heard the distant echo of Ragnor’s roar. The sound made him jump, and he got into position to use his sword to fire magic, but a swivel of his head revealed nothing.
When he got over the mountains, though, his legs tightened around Margol.
Beneath him, the land swarmed with monsters of horrifying kinds. Behemoths roamed the lands, often fighting each other just for food. Dragons swooped all around him. Other unidentifiable monsters which looked like a terrible mixture of lions, goats, and snakes ran about, bellowing incomprehensible sounds. Other monsters which looked freakish caught Eric’s peripheral vision, but the sea of behemoths, dragons, and other monsters left him so stunned he couldn’t look at details.
The land beneath him hadn’t just turned into a nesting ground for Ragnor’s army. It had become totally uninhabitable by humans. Unless defeating Ragnor, in turn, brought about all of the summoned monsters’ demise, humanity wouldn’t venture to this land for centuries. Dabira would never get rebuilt, not with the beasts that roamed here.
Still, he had Margol and his dragon’s speed to protect him as long as he remained above the ground. And with his grip on the dragon, he left no room for him to slip even in the most sudden of sharp banks.
“Fly south,” Eric said, trying to make sure that his voice remained calm and collected. Easier thought than said.
It only got worse. Monsters that looked made of stone stomped through the land. Trees came to life as thorns and vines reached out for Margol and Eric. Eric had to raise the dragon several hundred feet more in the air to avoid the most obvious dangers, and he became more paranoid about a dragon attacking—
He turned just in time to see a massive yellow dragon diving for him and Margol.
“No!” Eric shouted as he
lifted his sword.
In doing so, he used the essence of Indica to power his blade with fire, preparing to chop the enemy and burn its wing in the process. He succeeded, but before he could swing his sword, he did something he did not expect—he launched a massive column of fire at the dragon.
It didn’t have the power that Zelda’s magic or even Yeva’s magic had. But it did enough to send the yellow-scaled dragon off course, groaning and roaring in pain. Perhaps it alerted Ragnor in the process, but no matter. Eric hadn’t come to be quiet and unnoticed.
No other monster approached for the duration of Eric’s flight, though he certainly noticed many monsters taking note of him. By now, he felt all but certain that Ragnor would know of his arrival. Good. Ambushing the dragon would only give him the first strike, but it would not give him the fatal strike. Only Zelda could provide that—if anyone could.
The mountain which he had had to scale to reach Ragnor’s temple originally came to view. Eric saw a spot from which he could perch Margol and had his dragon make haste for it.
When he reached it, he looked down into the area of the temple below. A great fog surrounded where Ragnor would lie. Eric, remaining on his dragon, cleared his throat.
“Ragnor!” he shouted with all his might.
His voice echoed across the valley. Nothing happened. At first, Eric nervously glanced around, anticipating a surprise attack from some point he hadn’t anticipated.
But then, seeing nothing had happened and he was in position to escape, he decided to taunt Ragnor. Let’s pray this doesn’t kill me early.
“I have come to fight you and you hide in the fog?” he said. “And you call yourself an incarnation of Iblis? I would have surely imagined that you would hide in flames at least.”
Again, he got no response. He did, however, notice the fog thickening. He glanced behind him and saw storm clouds from the west moving toward him, far too rapidly for it to occur naturally.
“What is this, a game of hide and seek?” he shouted. “You’re not playing very well. I’m hiding, and you’re seeking, and this is a terrible job on your behalf. Indica and Bahamut would’ve found me much quicker.”
Legends of the War (War of the Magi Book 3) Page 35