“Aaaiiiieeeeee!” Sasha screamed.
Fighting his way through the now flourishing garden, Bayzog found Sasha on her hands and knees. She faced two oversized stones the size of men that lay silent on the soft ground. Tears started to stream down her face and she said with riveting meaning, “They’re dead. My sons are dead!”
CHAPTER 4
“You know, Father,” Nath said to Balzurth, “you said that as if you weren’t planning on helping me with it.”
“Oh, so are you telling me the Dragon Prince isn’t up to it?” Balzurth chuckled in his throat. “And I thought my son was up for anything.”
Backpedaling, Nath swatted at some leaves in a nearby tree. “And I certainly would be, if I were in your condition. But alas,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders, “I’m just this.”
“Oh, I see. You’re pouting because you can’t turn into a dragon like me.” Balzurth leaned his head toward Brenwar. “What do you think, old friend?”
“He’s pouting for certain. If I’ve seen that lip stuck out once I’ve seen it stuck out a hundred times.” Brenwar shook his head. “It’s the redheaded ones that always seem so fragile.”
“I’m not fragile,” Nath objected. “And the both of you know I’m in no condition to take down the titans. We’d be dead ten times over if not for Fang bailing us out. I can’t always count on Fang, though. Sometimes he’s on it, and sometimes he’s not.”
“Oh, don’t bellyache, Dragon Prince,” Balzurth replied. “You’re only upset that you haven’t turned into a dragon yet.”
Nath perked up and approached his father. He grabbed one of the long claws on his father’s feet and held him fast. “You said yet? Does that mean I’ll get my powers back?”
“Not if you hide up here on this mountain, you won’t.” Balzurth tried to pull his foot away from Nath’s grip without hurting Nath. “Will you let go of me before I boil you like a fish?”
“Tell me how to get my powers back. I want to be a dragon again.”
“Don’t be so antsy. You made a sacrifice for Selene, and you should respect that. In the meantime, make the most of what you do have.” Balzurth looked up over his back at Laylana. “That will do, Princess. Thank you.”
She climbed down off the grand dragon’s back onto the ground and said, “My pleasure.”
Nath kicked at the dirt. One of the things that bothered him so much about his father being back was having to see a reflection of what he could be but no longer was. He didn’t have any regrets for saving Selene, but my, how he missed his powers. If he had them back, he’d take it straight to the titans in a heartbeat. He took a breath, pulled his shoulders back, and faced his father. “So what is it I need to do?”
“Stay the course, Son.”
“So you want me to go back to doing what I was doing before you arrived, which was essentially dying. Perhaps I should just turn myself over to the titans.” Nath shook his head. “Great Guzan.”
“Son, you called for aid and it came. Me and the dragons. Victory was snatched from the jaws of death, and you should be happy.” Balzurth lowered his head. “I know I am.”
“So what are you going to do while I’m doing what I’m going to do? I thought you were ready to take down the titans now.” Nath said.
“I’m not going to rush in there without a plan. I still need to gather one. While I do that, you and your friends can do what you need to do. Just think about it.” Using his tail, Balzurth uprooted a tree from the ground and started eating its leaves from the branches. “Mmmmmmm. It’s not cattle, but it will do.”
Nath tried to recollect where he’d been before his last adventure. What was going on in the wide world of Nalzambor?
Hm.
The giants were filling the cities and poisoning the minds of the people. Selene was comatose and hopefully safe with Sansla Libor. She should be in Dragon Home. There was the other item of issue too. The elves and dwarves were trying to hunt him down. They thought he’d murdered Laylana’s father Laedorn and the hero of the dwarven people, Uurluuk Mountainstone. He needed to bring the real menace to justice and clear his own name. He needed to find out how the assassin got his hands on his bow Akron. He needed to visit Bayzog and Ben to see what happened. Who stole Akron?
Crunching on the branches, Balzurth peered down at Nath. “Have you decided what you want to do yet?”
Aggravated, Nath said, “I guess we’ll just hustle off this mountain, leagues from where we need to be, and visit our old friend Bayzog. Of course, you could give us a ride and move our destiny along a little bit quicker.”
“No, the walk will be good for you, won’t it, Brenwar.”
“The only thing I like better than walking is fighting.” Brenwar was beaming. “Well, drinking and brewing ale aside, of course.”
“Of course,” Balzurth said.
Dumbfounded, Nath looked at his father and friend and said, “I suppose we should go then. It’s been good seeing you, Father, if brief.” He started to walk away. There was nothing quite like being in the presence of his father. Despite some understandable jealousy, Nath’s best times were with Balzurth, even though on occasion they could be boring. There was something different about his father now, though. That liveliness he’d known as a boy was back. He liked it. He wanted to bask in it. Boots marching over the ground and without looking back, he carried on.
“Oh, I can’t stand it,” Balzurth blurted out just as Nath and Brenwar headed over the mountain’s crest and down the bank. “Hold on.”
There was a rattle and snapping of branches. Nath whirled around.
The tree was there, but the dragon was gone. Only a rustle remained under the branches. Suddenly the tree moved and Laylana gasped. A man appeared under the thirty-foot oak tree, pushed it up over his head, and tossed it aside like a log for a fire. He dusted his hands off. “I need to be more careful next time I shape change. It’s been awhile.”
Gaping, Nath watched as Balzurth changed.
No longer a dragon, a broad-shouldered statue came to life. His eyes were as golden as the sun, with long red hair that flowed over his shoulders like the ripples in a river. He tugged at the fiery locks cascading under his chin.
Brenwar nodded and said, “That’s a fine beard. You wear it like any dwarven king I ever saw.”
Putting his arm around the dwarf’s shoulders, bearded man Balzurth said, “That’s a fine compliment coming from you, Brenwar.” Balzurth draped his other arm over Nath’s shoulders. A hair taller, he said to Nath, “Any objections to me coming along?”
With a smile as broad as a river, Nath said, “No sir!”
Balzurth smiled in return. “We’re off to see the wizard then.”
CHAPTER 5
Head aflame, Eckubahn the titan said, “It seems we have a deceiver among us. I do not sense the spirit of evil within this flea of a halfling.” He pointed at Zoose. “Come to me, insignificant one.”
With every one of his limbs shaking, Zoose tried to rise and shuffle forward but could not move. His shoeless feet were stuck to the floor.
Rybek reached around and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt collar and pulled him forward. The warrior gave him a hard shove straight into the foot of the stone dais that held up the titan’s throne. Zoose jammed his knee on the step’s edge, sending a sharp pain through his limbs to his eyes.
“I sense this one’s fear. It is great.” Eckubahn reached down with an arm the size of a tree and scooped up Zoose into his palm. He lifted the halfling into the air, holding him like a wingless bird. “Who do you serve, half-a-man?”
Soaked with perspiration and drenched in fear, Zoose pulled his knees into his chest and balled up like a clam. The searing heat from Eckubahn’s burning face made steam rise up from Zoose’s sweat-drenched clothes.
I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home.
“This halfling is not one of us. He has defiled the temple.” Eckubahn’s fingers closed around Zoose. His huge hand was slowly
crushing Zoose’s little body like a walnut shell. “Do not allow such vermin into my temple again, Rybek.”
The warrior nodded.
“As for this tiny defiler, let his life become an example of what happens to those who do not succumb to my power. I am Eckubahn. I will reign over all Nalzambor. Those who resist me shall be destroyed.” His hand continued to slowly, agonizingly close.
Zoose felt immense pressure building around him. Squeezed fiercely in the titan’s palm, he couldn’t even peep. And then a warm light pierced through the veil of his eyelids. It became brighter and hotter until he finally let out a horrible scream.
***
Goose watched in astonishment as her brother Zoose was enveloped in the titan’s hand. The giant’s hand glowed with a fiery light, and a muffled scream from within pierced the center of her heart. Eckubahn opened up his fingers, tilted his hand over, and the fire-charred remains of Zoose spilled out onto the temple floor. Her throat tightened, but there were no tears. All she could think was, “What a shame, what a shame.”
Eckubahn turned his attention to her. “Clean this up, half-woman. And be hasty about it. I don’t care for the dust of fleas.”
Scrambling forward, she dropped to her hands and knees and started scooping the cremated remains up into the lower length of her dress. The dust of her brother filled her nose, and the smell was awful. She sneezed, scattering halfling dust everywhere. Wide eyed, she glanced up at Eckubahn just in time to see his foot lift up and stomp right back down on her head.
Squish!
***
Rybek watched Eckubahn stretch out his hand over the remains of the halflings. An orange glow emanated from his fingertips and scorched the steps with a cleansing effect. No sign was left of the halflings. They were gone.
“Rise,” Eckubahn said to him. “What do you have to report?”
Rybek stood, keeping his chin down. “Balzurth roams the land again. I have seen him with my own eyes.”
“And you are certain of this?”
“Aye,” Rybek said. “Our enemies confirmed it in our very presence. You have drawn him out, my lord. Your plan bears the fruit of everything you have wanted.”
Eckubahn leaned forward. “Tell me what happened. What did you see?”
Rybek’s gauntleted fingers twitched. He lifted his head to face the titan’s fiery gaze. “We had Nath Dragon trapped by giants and wurmers with no chance of escape when Nath Dragon called out for his brethren. Within moments, dragons dropped out of the sky—and one of them was Balzurth. He turned the giants and wurmers into fire with one hot blast that set the mountain ablaze. Not a single giant or wurmer survived.”
Eckubahn pointed at Rybek. “But you did. How is that?”
Throat tightening, Rybek replied, “Nath Dragon had defeated me earlier, shattered my blade, and I lay woozy in the forest. By the time I came out of my fog, the battle was over and the hilltop aflame.” He glanced at the spot where the halflings once were. “I beg for another chance, milord.”
Eckubahn lowered his hand. “Let me see this shattered blade.”
Rybek took the scabbard out of a sack he carried, slid the broken sword blade out of the scabbard, placed it in the titan’s palm, and stepped back.
“With evidence comes truth,” the titan said, closing his grip around the weapon. “I hate the truth.” He opened his hand again, revealing the sword fully intact. “But I appreciate loyalty. You, Rybek, will be given the chance to redeem yourself, but not without superior help.”
Rybek took the sword. “It will be my pleasure to accept any assistance you offer.”
From behind the throne, an ominous figure emerged. Standing over twelve feet tall, a pasty green-skinned humanoid stood beside the throne. He was a ghastly giant, ugly from head to toe, covered with knots on this arms and legs that looked like boils. His arms and legs were long. He was broad chested but appeared out of shape. The wild hair on his head was shoulder length and his nose long. He wore a brown tunic with a huge brass-buckled belt wrapped around it. Deep, spacey black eyes resonated with evil.
Eckubahn made the introduction. “This is Bletver, a triant. He is going to aid you.”
Rybek nodded. He was used to seeing giants, but he’d never seen anything quite like Bletver before. The oversized hands and long nails at the end looked like they would tear a grizzly to pieces. There was something disturbing about how the triant carried himself. He stood with cunning in his eye and his own air of dignity.
Bletver said to Rybek, “A pleasure.”
Anticipating a little more company, Rybek said, “Who else will accompany me?” A sliver of ice raced down his spine as a shadow fell over his shoulder, and he turned.
A black shadow with a glow for eyes hovered right behind him.
Unlike his twin brother Kryzak, Rybek was more fighter than cleric. He wasn’t as accustomed to the supernatural, but he knew a phantom when he saw it.
“The phantom and the triant will accompany you as you seek out Balzurth and his son, Nath Dragon. Separate them. Destroy their allies. Their friends. Trap them. Hunt them. You will need this.” Eckubahn stretched out his hand to reveal a silver amulet on a wrought iron chain. A purple gem sparkled in the center of the amulet with the fire of a moody star. “Place this around the dragon’s neck, and you will be finished.”
Rybek took the amulet in his hand and tucked it away. “Anything else, milord?”
“All of my resources will be at your disposal. Make good use of what you have, and do not fail me again,” Eckubahn warned. “Remember the halflings. Your fate will be far worse than theirs, which was merciful.”
CHAPTER 6
Bayzog was back in his tower, eyes scouring his texts at his center table. Books floated all around as he shoved one book aside and replaced it with another. He hadn’t slept since he’d returned with Sasha. She’d spaced out just after she wailed over her hallucinations of the deaths of Samaz and Rerry. Now, his problems were twofold. Perhaps his sons had died—and his wife still needed a cure for the wizard’s dementia. He needed help and answers, and he had only one place to go.
“Umph!” a voice cried out. A man appeared inside the living room on a pile of pillows. The rangy, bearded man shoved the pillows aside and rose to his feet, shaking his head. “There has to be a better way to make an entrance in here.”
“Thanks for coming, Ben,” said Bayzog. It had been less than a year since the last time he saw Ben, but the man looked like he’d aged a decade. Brow perched, Bayzog asked, “Are you well?”
Checking the buckle on his sword belt and straightening himself, Ben approached with a little wobble in his legs, holding his stomach. “I will be once my tummy turns right side up again. Really, Bayzog, get another entrance. It’s no wonder you don’t have many visitors.” He headed toward the nearest sofa and flopped down, facing the fireplace. “It’s cold as the peaks in here, too.”
With a twitch of Bayzog’s fingers, the fireplace burst into flame, and ambient warmth filled the room.
The old rugged warrior clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back into the sofa. “Ah, that’s better.” Peering around, he asked, “How’s Sasha?”
“Asleep, but not well.” Bayzog grabbed a pitcher of wizard water and a pair of fine glasses and took a seat in a padded chair. He poured two glasses and said to Ben, “Again, are you ill?”
“Why, do I look ill?” Ben took the glass of wizard water and drank. “Perhaps this will make me feel better.”
Ben tended to be as refreshed as any human could be, positive and engaging, but now the creases in his forehead and the sacks under his eyes were a cause for concern. Ben’s eyes were avoiding his, too. “What’s happened, Ben?”
The man tensed up and closed his eyes. “Nothing.”
“Ben?”
Finished with his drink, Ben set the glass down. “You sent for me, I didn’t send for you. I came, so what do you want, Bayzog?”
Bayzog took a sip of the wizard water. It wasn’t
like Ben to be so defensive. Something was bothering the man. Deeply. “Fine. I need you to go track down my sons.”
“You know I’d love to help, but I’m too old to do that.” Ben rubbed his hands on the thighs of his pants. “And I’ve started another family of my own, you know.”
“Ben, this is serious. I need you. Your family can stay with me. I can’t leave Sasha. You know that.”
“It’s too dangerous out there for me. Giants roam the world like common men, and wurmers flock like fleas. It’s taking all we have to hold this city.”
Trying to sound reassuring, Bayzog said, “You’ll be fine. You have Akron.”
For the first time, Ben’s eyes found his. The man’s face filled with strain. With a heavy sigh, he said, “I lost it.”
Scooting to the edge of his seat, Bayzog asked, “You lost what?”
“Akron. I lost Akron.”
Bayzog scooted back into the cushions of his chair and sat quiet for a moment as if he was frozen in time. He’d come to expect the unexpected in his life, but the loss of Akron was disheartening—especially coming from Ben, who was as responsible an individual as you could get. Softening his tone, he asked, “What happened?”
Ben lifted his shoulder and shook his head again. “I hadn’t used it for quite some time, so I locked it up. This was years ago, and I hadn’t even thought of the bow in a long time. Then, a few weeks back, there was talk in the streets. You probably heard it.”
“Forgive me, but I haven’t heard anything of late. I’ve been very distracted. Go on.”
“Word came to the Legionnaires that Laedorn had been assassinated. A moorite arrow right through the heart.” Ben’s gaze landed right on Bayzog’s. “Witnesses say that a man fitting Nath Dragon’s description fired it.”
“Impossible!” Bayzog exclaimed. His fingers dug into the soft cushions of the padded chair. He glanced toward the hallway that led to Sasha’s room. “Sorry, but this news actually startled me.” He grabbed his glass and took a long drink. “My heart beats in my chest like a galloping horse. How did I miss this news?” He drank again. “Please continue.”
Eyes of the Dragon (The Chronicles of Dragon, Series 2, Book 4) (Tail of the Dragon) Page 2