“Why are the centaurs still here?” asked Sherman. “They should be escaping! Weren’t they given their instructions?”
“There was no time,” said Zylor. “It was all I could do to get them to leave the prison yard.”
Suddenly a legion of zombies stumbled toward them, ending further discussion.
Sweat poured down Milena’s forehead. She needed all her concentration just to get the trees to close ranks around the wolves. A few wolves whined at first but none acted until the trees had already blocked off any means of escape.
Now the wolves howled in fury and hurled themselves at the trees, tearing and clawing, but to no avail. They were trapped. Some goblins had arrived from camp but couldn’t gain entry either. As soon as they got close, they were wrapped in branches and torn to pieces.
Milena hoped her contribution in all this was not in vain. She was weak from her initial casting and decided not to jeopardize the others by leaving her post. If the trees were breached, the wolves would escape, and the centaurs in the camp would be mauled. Moreover, any centaurs escaping would not be fast enough to outrun them.
One thing dominated her thinking at this point. Where was Kazin?
Zylor struck down the lizardmage who controlled the zombies surrounding them. Then he smashed the staff the mage carried. Any zombies who remained standing suddenly collapsed, leaving the companions standing in the midst of bodies.
“Well done,” said Sherman, slapping the minotaur on the arm. His own arm was bleeding from a sword wound.
“You trained me well,” said the minotaur.
“Let’s pull back,” suggested Harran. “Sooner or later they’ll close in on us.”
“Good idea,” said Rubin.
Suddenly Perenia, Della, and Frosty trotted up.
“Where’s my father?” asked the centaur.
“I thought he went looking for you,” said Harran.
She shook her head. “I haven’t seen him.”
“I’ll go and find him,” said Frosty. “The rest of you pull back.”
“I’ll go with you!” said Perenia.
“No,” said Frosty. “I will find him. Have faith.”
Perenia was about to object but thought better of it.
“I wish I knew where Kazin was,” said Sherman, looking around.
Suddenly a piercing cry echoed above the enemy camp. A huge, leathery winged dragon swooped down and blasted a wide swath of fire on the encampment, scorching tents and foes alike.
“It appears you have just found him,” said Frosty.
Everyone gaped at the unicorn in disbelief.
Chapter 48
Kazin learned much from his position high above the enemy encampment. First of all, he knew immediately that the freed prisoners were not escaping as they should. Instead, they were creating a commotion in the northwest end of the camp. Their speed easily kept them ahead of their enemies, and somehow they managed to come across a cache of weapons, so they were doing a fine job of stirring up chaos.
The enemy camp was severely disrupted as it was, with a trail of blazing tents leading right through its center. Della, Perenia, and Frosty had done their job well.
Secondly, Kazin had noticed a contingent of centaurs coming up from the south. Apparently they were planning to make the most of the commotion by helping to free their allies. Their presence was not noticed by the enemy yet, and Kazin hoped it would remain so for a while longer. This led him to conclude that additional commotion was going to be necessary.
With his mind made up, he scanned the encampment below to determine where to strike. The southeast side of the camp was quieter, and several groups of the enemy were amassing in tightly grouped formations. Some of them were already moving toward the chaotic portion of the camp. Even with reinforcements on the way, the centaurs were outnumbered by at least ten to one. The odds needed to be altered.
Kazin swooped down with an ear piercing shriek and covered a good swath of area with fire. The formations of mercenaries and goblins were set alight and many ran screaming in all directions. Others were instantly killed.
Kazin continued his low glide and spotted some mages frantically trying to organize their zombies. One mage spotted the dragon and shot what seemed like a small fireball at him. It felt like a pinprick against the dragon’s tough hide. Kazin responded with a lethal blast of fire, incinerating the annoying mage and all the zombies in his vicinity.
Now Kazin was beginning to enjoy himself. The voice inside his head laughed and this time he embraced it. His heart pounded as he flapped his wings for additional altitude.
Now the entire camp was in an uproar. Those who were not fighting fires or centaurs were mobilizing into an organized killing machine. Goblins and zombies were flanked on one side by a phalanx of trolls and on the other by a battalion of mercenaries. They trod unmercifully over their own men on their way to reach the centaurs. Mercenaries on horseback were already ahead of that group, holding off the valiant but inferior numbers of centaurs.
Kazin briefly saw Frosty flitting among the centaurs, apparently looking for someone. The unicorn didn’t seem to be aware of the large force approaching them from the south. Kazin wasted no time acting. He showered the imposing force with blasts of fire. The ranks thinned out but doggedly continued to advance. Kazin was now past the front of the advancing force and felt the pinpricks of arrows tickling his underside. He coursed over the skirmishing cavalry and centaurs and began to ascend to prepare for another attack on the mobilized army.
At that point he saw another, smaller force moving north. Beyond them, he could see several of his companions, stumbling along toward the shelter of the mountain’s trees. They appeared exhausted and the force following them was gaining rapidly. It did not look like the companions would reach the shelter of the trees in time.
One companion turned and shot an arrow at their pursuers. A goblin fell with an arrow in his chest but others simply walked over their comrade without slowing.
Kazin’s belly burned with rage. He glided up to the enemy pursuers and one of them turned and spotted him, warning the others with a shout.
Kazin didn’t give them time to react. With a tremendous blast, he released his inner fire on the hapless victims. When he was done, all that could be seen was a mound of smoking and burning bodies.
The companions halted for a moment and cheered, their cries reaching up to his keen ears. He swooped past them and doubled back to the carnage in the encampment. He had to do what he could to aid the centaurs.
“Fry them! Burn them!” shrieked the voice in his head.
Frosty nudged the centaur king in the direction of safety. “You must go now, Mython!” insisted the unicorn. Lightning bolts crackled harmlessly off the shield he had created for both of them. One mage somewhere was trying to weaken his shield but the unicorn magic was too strong to be weakened.
“I seek my Perenia!” cried Mython. “She saved us and I will not flee until I find her!”
“She is safe!” insisted Frosty. “I am a unicorn! I do not lie!”
“You are the only unicorn I have ever seen,” said the centaur king. “How could I know if you always tell the truth?”
“You must flee now!” insisted the unicorn. “My word will have to suffice!” Another lightning bolt shattered against Frosty’s shield.
“I must find Perenia!” insisted Mython.
“I am here, father!” cried a voice. Perenia bolted out of the shadows and embraced her father. Fortunately, Frosty had the presence of mind to raise his shield for just a moment, averting an accident.
“Perenia, my child!” exclaimed Mython, embracing his daughter heartily. “I thought you were dead! How could I have lived with myself had you saved me only to lose your own life?”
“I am quite alive, father,” said Perenia. “My companions w
ere few, but they have been heroic in their efforts.”
Suddenly another centaur ran up to them. “They are too many! We must flee or we will fail!”
Just then another shriek rent the air and a bright blast of flame was unleashed in another part of the camp.
Another centaur ran up suddenly and saluted the king. “Fifth detachment reporting, my king. We have engaged the enemy in the southeast. I suggest making a run for it while the enemy is thus occupied.”
King Mython smiled. “It’s good to see you too, Josman. I knew you would come through for us.”
“My king,” reminded the first centaur.
“Yes,” said Mython. “Fall back, centaurs!” he cried loudly. As one, the centaurs remaining made a dash for the western edge of the camp. Cries arose from the enemy as they ran after, but they were soon outdistanced.
Frosty ran with them, eager to be out of the heart of the action. He looked back at the fiery carnage wrought by the dragon’s flames. Suddenly he saw a black cloud emerge from the large black tent in the center of the camp. It had somehow remained unscathed in all the commotion. The cloud shimmered and coalesced into the form of a giant, red-winged, thick-hided, lethal-clawed demon.
Frosty stopped, stunned. Someone had summoned a demon! Only a black arch mage had the magical power to handle that kind of creature safely, and none of them would attempt such a thing in the first place if they had any intelligence.
If the mage who summoned it was not strong enough in will, the demon would destroy him and be unleashed upon mortals.
He found his answer a moment later. The demon shrieked and reached down into the tent. He pulled up the lizardmage who had summoned him and held him up. The lizardmage was screaming in horror. The demon smiled wickedly and bit off the lizardmage’s head, cutting off the horrifying scream instantly.
Then the demon reached down and pulled out the tall mercenary Kazin had seen earlier. The mercenary tried to cut the demon’s tight grip with his sword but to no avail. The demon threw the mercenary high into the air and the mercenary landed several yards away on the hard ground. He was instantly killed.
Then Frosty’s heart nearly stopped. Kazin had noticed the demon and was flying toward the otherworldly creature, screaming in outrage. The demon turned to the challenger and grinned with delight. The unicorn knew that the only way to defeat the demon was to send it back to the netherworld. Kazin didn’t. Kazin was going to attempt to kill it!
Enemies were closing on Frosty but he was already in motion. Wings suddenly sprouted from his sides as he soared into the air. Weapons swung vainly at his rising form and cries of dismay trailed after the unicorn as he winged his way toward the aerial battle.
Kazin let the demon have a blast of flame point blank. When the smoke cleared, the demon was unscathed. Reaching up, the demon raked his long, scissor-like claws on the dragon’s belly as he flew past.
Kazin screamed in pain. Until now, he had never been harmed as a dragon. Now, his assumption of invincibility was shattered. Blood spurted from where the claws had gouged him, making the pain in his belly all the more unbearable. He circled back and was surprised to see the demon in pursuit. He veered away from the unusual adversary, blasting him with flame again. This time the demon’s wing caught fire. The demon slapped it out but pain was evident on its grotesque face.
Kazin swung for another attack and tried to claw at the demon. This time he managed to draw some blood from his adversary, raking the beast’s arm with an extended fore claw.
The demon shrieked and clawed back. One flailing hand caught hold of the dragon’s leathery wing and held on. In the next instant the demon was on Kazin’s back.
Kazin tried to shake the demon off. He flapped erratically, spinning and turning, but to no avail. Then he caught sight of Frosty, winging his way up to them. The unicorn looked puny compared to the enormous demon on his back.
“Get away, Frosty!” cried Kazin. “You’re no match for that thing!”
“Neither are you,” said Frosty sternly, winging his way around to the demon on Kazin’s back. Fortunately Kazin’s antics were keeping the demon from doing any major damage to his mount.
Kazin looked back over his shoulder and watched the clash between the unicorn and demon taking place on his back. The demon looked surprised and then afraid at the sight of the unicorn. Viciously, the demon clawed at the unicorn, but Kazin helped the unicorn avoid the blows by leaning away and increasing the distance between the two. The demon gouged his claws into Kazin’s back to maintain balance and Kazin screamed.
Frosty lunged at the demon but it dodged the blow and dug its claws into Kazin in a different location. Kazin screamed again and writhed in agony. This time the demon lost its grip and slipped over Kazin’s side. With a last ditch effort, it clawed the dragon’s side and hung on, the long gashes made by the demon filling with blood.
Kazin began to feel dizzy as blood poured from his wounds.
The unicorn swooped toward the precariously dangling demon but the demon flapped its wings and regained Kazin’s back. The unicorn flew by harmlessly.
“Kazin,” said a voice soothingly. It was Frosty. “You must remove yourself from this battle. Listen carefully. The demon uses you as a support and a shield, making it harder for me to get at it. You must go higher in altitude. When you are high enough, you must follow my instructions precisely.”
Kazin did as directed. His wings ached but he flew higher.
Frosty charged at the demon several more times to keep it occupied.
“That’s high enough,” intoned Frosty’s voice. “Now listen closely. You must transform yourself back into a human for just a moment. Then—.”
“But I’ll fall!” screamed Kazin inwardly.
“Listen!” came the unicorn’s firm reply. “Once you have transformed, the demon will let go of you and fly for itself. It cannot hold onto you and fight me at the same time. As soon as you are released, change back into a dragon immediately and fly to safety! Can you do it?”
Kazin looked at the ground far below. Lights flickered in the encampment like fireflies, some larger than others. What he was being asked to do now was nearly insane. The voice inside his head laughed insanely, proving his point. He had to change from a human back into a dragon before he hit the ground. What Frosty didn’t know was that the reason he was a little late to join them in his dragon form earlier was because he was still having trouble with his transformation.
Claws raked his back as the demon dodged another of Frosty’s lunges, and Kazin was brought back to the question at hand.
“I think so!” said Kazin mentally. A brief image of the demise of the mage who had summoned the demon flashed before him and he suddenly wanted to back out of what he was about to do.
“Do it!” commanded the unicorn.
Kazin thought he was going to have problems with the initial change back into a human but the loss of blood and the dizziness accompanying it made the transformation occur quickly.
Suddenly he was falling with the weight of the enormous demon directly on top of him. The demon instantly let go of the mage and flapped its wings to maintain altitude. It looked down in surprise at the falling mage but was suddenly distracted by the swooping unicorn. An epic battle occurred above Kazin but he was too weak to notice. He slowly turned so he was looking at the tiny fires below.
The wind whistled past his ears as he fell, and the cool air woke his drowsy mind. Down he fell, the lights below becoming rapidly larger. Suddenly he remembered to concentrate on his transformation. What was he thinking?
He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out the sights and sounds. “Come on!” he murmured. “Come on, Kazin, change!” He opened his eyes. Nothing happened. He was still falling. The ground was unbearably close. He squeezed his eyes shut again.
“Change!” he moaned. “Change no
w!” It wasn’t working. He was becoming desperate.
He opened his eyes again. He was now only seconds away from the ground. He had failed. His life flashed before his eyes. He saw a vision of his friends after his death; Della tearfully stooped over his crumpled body. Suddenly he was angered. How could he allow this to happen? This, after all they had all been through?
Kazin clenched his jaw and concentrated. He stretched his arms out and braced for the inevitable landing which he could not possibly survive. He opened his eyes and screamed at fate in frustration and rage—and soared back up into the sky.
It took him a moment to grasp the reality of the situation. He looked down at his torn open belly. He was alive! Despite his overwhelming pain, he rejoiced. He did some painful somersaults in the air to express his happiness in time to see Frosty swoop under the demon’s outstretched arms and penetrate its tough torso with his horn.
There was the clap of a loud explosion and a bright flash of light. When the light vanished, Kazin saw the unicorn flying alone, shining in the moonlight. The demon was gone. The unicorn flew raggedly back toward the mountain and its sheltering trees.
A wail of despair washed over those in the army who had witnessed the battle. Kazin screamed in his dragon-like voice and swooped down on the remaining enemy forces.
Morale was at an all-time low among the mercenaries, goblins, and rock trolls. They had lost their mage and mercenary leader, and the demon the mage had called up to help them had been destroyed. They lost the lives of many of their allies, and the prisoners they were supposed to guard had escaped.
Kazin couldn’t resist blasting the enemy one last time as he swept over them. He was exhausted and worn out, and rest and healing were more important right now. They had done their part. No more could be done right now.
As he fried a group of zombies and their mages, Kazin noticed the rock trolls gathering in large groups.
Curious, he circled back to see what they were up to. It didn’t take long to discover that they were abandoning the incompetent army. Mages milled about within their ranks, pleading with them to stay, but the trolls were unmoved in their decision.
Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 49