Chapter 69
The dragon shrieked again, and spit out a green, foul-smelling liquid at the pegasi and their riders that had ventured too close. Both the elves and their mounts screamed and writhed in agony as they fell into the churning mass of undead below.
Many in the battlefield looked up momentarily as the awe-inspiring creature above flew into another set of pegasi and slashed them apart easily with its claws. Undead forces, seeing this powerful ally, took heart and surged forward to push the centaurs back toward Skull Lake and the defending humans. Goblin wolf riders, previously battered by the initial forces of elves and centaurs, rode to the rear of the army to attempt to outflank the dwarves. In so doing, the centaurs were unchallenged in their speed and managed to keep the undead forces from advancing very far. Some elves, instead of riding with bows, were equipped with staves. They exchanged spells with lizardmages and neither side was willing to give way.
Meanwhile, Rubin’s forces were deeply enmeshed with the enemy’s undead. Undead troops fought each another so bitterly it was hard to tell which side was winning. Time after time Rubin would chant in some arcane language, and any undead of the enemies who were struck down rose again to fight alongside Rubin’s forces.
Several enemy mages saw what was happening and attempted to get close enough to strike down the one-eyed sailor, but the skeletons closest to Rubin fought more viciously, being closer to their source of power, and effectively prevented anyone from getting near. Any magic that reached the sailor-turned-necromancer was harmlessly absorbed into the key-shaped talisman hanging from his neck.
Sir Galado’s forces were pressed into the same undead skirmish and the general also attempted to reach the one-eyed necromancer. Skeletons were a sea of white around the general as he fought his way through the masses on horseback. He struck down any skeletons who got in his way, not caring if they were friend or foe.
Then suddenly his horse went down, its leg sliced open by a skeleton’s rusty blade. Sir Galado sprang clear but the horse was finished. The general mercifully killed his injured horse before lunging into the sea of bones. Sir Galado sweated in his armour as he hacked unmercifully at the surrounding skeletons. He neared the enemy necromancer but encountered the elite of Rubin’s skeletons in the process. The skeletons pressed him back and one finally lunged with its sword. A dark blur flew in front of the general and the skeleton’s sword pierced it at that same instant.
The receiver of the sword thrust turned and clutched Sir Galado’s armour. It was Slader. He grinned foolishly at his superior officer before sliding to the ground in a heap.
Sir Galado released his lieutenant’s hands with detachment. What he saw in those eyes would haunt him for the rest of his days. The agony and fear, coupled with determination and admiration, were not something anyone could readily forget.
The general saw the skeletons advance, intent on finishing him off. He staggered backwards and bumped into something soft. He looked and saw that it was his faithful lieutenant’s horse. Without stopping to think, he mounted up and spurred the horse forward. He ignored the sea of skeletons around him. A few of his men, seeing his charge, rallied to him and helped to punch a path through the hordes. They burst through the last of the fighters and rode clear. Ahead, approaching at full speed, was a small detachment of cavalry.
Sir Galado once again spurred his horse forward and his men followed. Two, insignificant groups of cavalry charged at one another. All around, fighting raged on bitterly, but to the two charging forces, there was nothing else.
The general aimed his horse for the enemy’s lead horse. Oddly, a female was leading the charge. No problem, he thought inwardly. She would be easy to unhorse. But as she neared, Sir Galado thought there was something odd about her. She was not riding the horse—she WAS the horse!
They were upon one another before the general could think of what to do next. The centaur raised a spear and thrust it into Sir Galado’s shoulder, knocking him from the saddle. Sir Galado landed heavily, the pain in his shoulder hurting just as much as his fall. He tried to roll to his feet but fell back again.
Horses charged madly all around him and everything was a blur for a while. Then the horses were gone and there was only the sound of distant battle. A horse nickered nearby so he pushed himself up weakly and peered through the settling dust. Walking toward him from the horse was a large figure. As the figure bent down to examine the markings of rank on his armour, Sir Galado gasped. The features were unmistakable.
The figure looked curiously at the general.
Sir Galado reached up a shaking hand and touched the face of the figure. As unconsciousness claimed him, he whispered something the figure had heard many times before: “Guardian.”
A wet nose nudged Kazin as he pulled an injured man from under a pile of rubble. He turned and his eyes lit up.
“Frosty!” he exclaimed loudly, grabbing his snowy white familiar around the neck and hugging him tightly.
“Ugh!” grunted the unicorn. “Give me some air, will ya?”
Kazin let go of the unicorn and grinned. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Likewise,” said the unicorn. “Why don’t you throw that man on my back? I’ll take him to The Rising Moon.”
Kazin quickly complied and went with the unicorn, holding the injured man steady. The fighting was still severe here, but the second penetrating attempt by Perenia and Sherman had changed the odds in their favour.
Della had gone with Calin to bolster one of the weaker sections of the townsfolk’s defences, and Krendal’s group was already pushing the enemy back to the original barricades. Reinforcements for the enemy at this time were few and far between. They had their hands full with minotaurs and dwarves driving into their backs, undead forces chipping away at them in the north, and centaurs and elves denting their army in the southwest.
Kazin and Frosty encountered Sherman as he rode up with an injured man hanging over the back of his horse.
He jumped down off his horse, said ‘Hi’ to Frosty and Kazin, and helped Kazin take his injured man into the inn where the clerics worked busily.
“Lay him down over here,” ordered Milena when she saw them enter.
The companions put the injured man down on a vacant cot and Milena directed a cleric to take care of him.
The druid brushed her damp hair from her eyes and smiled wearily. “We’re getting there,” she said.
Sherman put a hand on her shoulder. “Just hang in there, Milena. We might just win this yet.”
“I wish I could agree with you,” said Milena sadly, looking around at the numerous injured.
“It’s true,” said Sherman seriously. “We just took out one of the enemy’s generals. I took him back to show my dad his armour markings. He confirmed the general’s identity as one of the queen’s elite guards. My dad’s homeland is the one that’s behind the war.”
“Your dad’s homeland?” queried Milena.
Sherman went on to briefly explain his background and history.
“Even so,” said Milena, “that doesn’t mean this war’s over.”
“Maybe not,” said Sherman, “but the general said ‘Guardian’ before he lost consciousness. That means he recognized me. If he did, then others are bound to as well. I hope to find out more, but I’ll need you to see if you can heal him first. He’s just outside bound to my horse.”
“Then bring him in,” ordered Milena.
Kazin and Sherman removed the general from Sherman’s horse and carried him inside.
“I’ll let you know when he’s ready to talk,” said Milena.
Sherman thanked her, and he and Kazin stepped outside.
A black-cloaked figure came running up to them and stopped, out of breath. He carried a large, blue shield. Kazin recognized him as Jarad.
“Hi,” panted Jarad. “I’m l
ooking for Arch Mage Krendal. Have you seen him?”
“Sure,” said Kazin. “Follow me.” He led Jarad and Sherman to the front lines where the arch mage fought. Frosty silently followed.
“I see you’re still working on that shield,” commented Kazin, eyeing the bright blue shield.
“Not anymore,” said Jarad. “It’s done.”
“Really?” said Kazin. “It doesn’t vibrate anymore when it gets hit?”
Jarad stopped. “How did you—oh! You were one of the ones who helped me test it a while ago! Kazin, right?”
Kazin nodded. “Good memory.”
Jarad smiled and resumed walking. “No, the shield doesn’t vibrate anymore. It’s light, solid, and everything-proof. Nothing can penetrate it.”
“Can I see?” asked Kazin.
Jarad nodded and handed the shield to the young mage, and Kazin nearly threw it up into the air when he lifted it.
“Wow!” exclaimed Kazin. “You weren’t kidding when you said it was light!”
Suddenly a dark shadow blocked the grey skies above and a large form came into view. The bone dragon swooped down and spewed its noxious acid over the defenders in the town’s front lines. Magical lightning bolts arced up at the dragon and struck it in one of its wings. It shrieked and awkwardly flapped out of range.
Kazin and the others exchanged glances and then ran to the front lines. Sherman drew his sword in anticipation. Some figures were gathered around someone on the ground. Kazin pushed through the throng and gasped.
Lying in a huddled, awkward heap, was Arch Mage Krendal. His skin was exposed in some areas through a tattered robe, and the skin bubbled as the acid ate into his flesh.
Stoically, the arch mage rose to his knees. He raised his fist. “Continue at your posts!” he ordered raggedly. “Valdez, you have command!”
“Yes, Sir!” shouted Valdez. He turned to face the defenders. “Come on, people! The enemy isn’t vanquished yet!” He ordered some men to take Krendal to the clerics for treatment and set off to continue to press back the attackers.
Two men hurried to help Krendal to his feet. The arch mage looked white and haggard.
Jarad caught the arch mage’s attention and showed him the shield. “It works now, Arch Mage Krendal!” said Jarad enthusiastically. “I’ve tested it and it works!”
“I told you to discontinue the project!” growled Krendal as he hobbled from the front lines. He grimaced as the acid continued to burn his flesh.
“I know,” stammered Jarad, “but—.”
“Never mind,” said Krendal irritably. “Right now, you should—.” He stopped in his tracks when he saw Kazin and Sherman walking with them. His eyes widened momentarily as he caught sight of Sherman’s sword, which he recognized as the Sword of Dead. “That’s it!” he exclaimed. “I was trying to think of a way to defeat that dragon, and it was right under my nose all the time! Kazin! You must transform—and take your warrior friend with you! He wields the one thing that can kill it! Krendal snatched the blue shield from Jarad’s hands and handed it to Sherman. “Here! You will need this!”
“But—,” began Kazin.
“Do it!” ordered Krendal. Suddenly he doubled over in pain. “Hurry!” he rasped, “and don’t get too close to the enemy mages!”
The men holding Krendal waited no longer. They lifted him by the arms and legs and hastened for The Rising Moon.
“I will back you up wherever I can, Kazin,” said Frosty, “but I cannot kill this enemy for you. Krendal is right. Sherman’s weapon is the only thing that can damage a bone dragon.”
“Great,” muttered Sherman. He didn’t relish flying again. “Well, if I must.” He looked at Kazin.
Kazin set his jaw. Krendal was right. Besides, the war was getting too bloody for his liking. Too many people were dying or getting hurt. He had plenty of rage building up inside of him and the voice was constantly taunting him to take action. If he was going to turn into a dragon, now was the time.
“O.K.,” said Kazin. “Let’s go then.” He transformed effortlessly into a dragon and Sherman reluctantly climbed onto his back. Frosty created his magical wings and the dragon and unicorn launched themselves into the sky. They set off in pursuit of the bone dragon, who had recovered and flown to another part of the battlefield to rain its acid down on some unprotected dwarves.
By now, it was getting dark and the undead forces were gaining strength with the absence of light. The clouds billowed ominously overhead but the expected rain did not fall.
Kazin flew rapidly toward his target. Frosty fell slightly behind but increased his speed to keep pace.
“I’m going to negate all magic directly below us to protect you from any spells directed at you by the enemy mages,” said Frosty mentally. “You’ll have to keep me between you and the ground for it to work. The higher you go, the safer it will be for you, and the easier it will be for me to negate the magic.”
“Understood,” said Kazin.
“Also,” added the unicorn, “you should still be able to use your magic to shield yourself.”
“I’ve never used magic in my dragon form before,” said Kazin. “How do I cast spells without my staff and spell components?”
“Just project your thoughts,” said Frosty. “It’s similar to the magic you used to destroy the portal.”
“Inherent magic?” asked Kazin.
“Exactly,” said Frosty. “All dragons have inherent magic; dragon mages even more so. I’m sorry I didn’t have more time to train you, but you’ll do fine. Just believe in yourself.”
“O.K.,” said Kazin.
“Don’t forget to shield Sherman too!” added Frosty.
Kazin nodded and looked down for a moment. Among the throngs of battlers below, he thought he saw a dwarf raise a milky white axe to salute him.
The bone dragon looked back and was temporarily thrown off guard at the sight of the dragon behind him.
“Well!” it thought smugly. “A worthy opponent at last!” It swerved around and flew toward its new opponent.
Kazin never faltered as he shot like an arrow toward his target. The opponent’s eyes glowed like orbs of red fire, and the air whistled through its bones as it flew. The two titans clashed viciously, and Sherman hung on precariously, unable to make any kind of attack with his sword.
The bone dragon noticed the rider as the two dragons separated, and spit out some of its greenish acid. Sherman frantically held up Jarad’s shield and the acid harmlessly spilled off its surface. Kazin was not so lucky. He didn’t get his shield up in time and was splashed by the poisonous liquid. He shrieked in agony as the acid ate some holes through his left wing, the leathery skin hissing and sputtering.
Kazin flew temporarily out of range and swerved around for another attack. This time when the opposing dragon was within range, Kazin let out a searing blast of fire, immediately before raising his shield. The bone dragon shrieked and sprayed some more of its acid at Kazin, but this time the shield was in place, protecting the dragon and his rider from the acid. The dragons flew past one another without touching and circled for another round. The bone dragon was slightly blackened, but otherwise unscathed.
Kazin blasted the bone dragon with some more fire but the bone dragon was ready with its own shield. Instead of returning fire with acid, the bone dragon raked Kazin’s exposed flank with its claws.
The shield was not strong enough to prevent the force of the attack and Kazin shrieked in pain again, the claws tearing into his side. He spun in fury and channelled all of his energy into his favourite spell. The lightning bolt, ten times stronger with his inherent ability, left his open maw and flew at his adversary. It struck the bone dragon’s shield, penetrating it as though it wasn’t even there, and zapped into the bone dragon’s tail. Pieces of bone shattered and fragments fell into the ig
nored masses below. The pieces of bone were small in dragon terms, but to the fighters below, it was as if the sky were falling. Many fighters were crushed by the fragments like insignificant ants.
The bone dragon shrieked in rage and flew a short distance away to compose itself for the next assault.
“Let me get a shot in, will ya?” snapped Sherman angrily. “You’re making me sick with all these acrobatics! I can’t hold on very well with my hands full!”
“Sherman’s right,” said Frosty’s calm voice inside Kazin’s mind. “The bone dragon knows your shield can be destroyed, and can use that to its advantage. You don’t have that option. By the time you take out bits and pieces of its body with lightning bolts, you’ll be full of holes. You have to get into close combat with the bone dragon in order for Sherman to strike. I don’t think the dragon will give you too many chances once it knows what you’re up to, though.”
“Just line me up for the job,” said Sherman through clenched teeth. “I’ll do the rest.”
“But I’ll have to leave my shield down for that to work!” objected Kazin.
“I know,” said Frosty, “but there’s no choice.”
Kazin didn’t have time to argue. “Hang on!” he cried. The bone dragon was almost upon them now. At the last possible moment, Kazin swung to the right, narrowly missing the acid the bone dragon had belched forth. Sherman stood up and slashed at the bone dragon’s wing as the two dragons narrowly missed one another. The sword struck true, slicing cleanly through one of the dragon’s wing bones.
The bone dragon flinched and looked back in surprise. The dragon rider had struck him! Not only that, but the sword had cut through his bone like butter! He swerved back for another attack, intent on destroying the impertinent little human. As he neared his adversary, he feinted to the side and then got above his head to concentrate on the dragon’s rider. As he let loose with a thin, but powerful, stream of acid, he saw something that made his heart leap to his throat. The figure, who raised his shield to fend off the acid, was none other than the Guardian!
Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 68