by Hans Bezdek
The dragon let out a short laugh that ended in a cough.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, looking down at the defeated dragon. “You were wrong about me, and you lost.”
“The day… of my people… fast approaching…” he began, before coughing up an unhealthy amount of blood.
“What’s going to happen on that day?” asked Cassandra, an eyebrow raised.
“A… cleansing…”
With that, the dragon’s head tilted to the side, his eyes glazed over. The red dragon was finally gone.
Cassandra looked over at me, sheathing her weapons.
“Well,” I said, looking back at her. “That sounded ominous.”
Chapter 12
“What do you think he meant?” asked Cassandra, several hours later.
After poking the red dragon several time to make sure he was dead, Cassandra and I continued on to the west. I wrapped my hands in some extra clothes I had, which eventually helped stop the bleeding. We made it back into Truska and slowed down our pace. After casting so many spells in a short amount of time, I needed to take it a little easy in order to recharge.
“Stalrik?” I asked, playing with the homemade bandages as we walked. “Who knows. He was probably delusional since he was dying. That, or he was Dar’Ka.”
“He was surely Dar’Ka, wasn’t he?” she asked. “He was a red dragon.”
“So? Not all of them are part of that freaky cult,” I said.
“Have you ever heard of a red or black dragon that wasn’t?”
“Well… no… but that doesn’t mean they all believe it.”
“I thought Dar’Ka was just the name they gave the red and black dragons long ago,” she said. “You’re saying there’s something to believe related to it?”
“There is,” I nodded.
Most of the world didn’t care much for anything relating to the black and reds, so it wasn’t too surprising to hear Cassandra didn’t know much about the Dar’Ka. One of the benefits of growing up with the Tumblers was learning about all cultures, not just the more popular ones. This, of course, wasn’t out of some desire to better yourself or become more open minded. It was purely a business decision. It’s easier to sell things to people, even red and black dragons, if you can understand their motives and desires.
“Well?” she prodded. “Are you going to share with the class?”
“What do you want to know?” I asked. “I’m not claiming to be an expert on Dar’Ka beliefs and practices, but I know a fair amount. No point in dumping all the info on you, since you won’t remember it all, anyway.”
“Just give me the key takeaways,” she said, pushing a low hanging branch out of the way.
“Well, it’s a belief system that goes back to way before the Dragon War,” I shrugged. “No one really knows when it started, or how much of it is true. There’s rumors that it might be as old as some of the dwarven ones.”
“I think we can skip the history lesson.”
“I’m getting there,” I said defensively. “The concept is that long ago, dragons ruled over Yaerna. Particularly the red and black ones, although the other colors had some representation, too. They started to give more and more leeway to humans and the other races, until the dragons eventually found themselves to be a minority. Long story short, there will come a mighty dragon with some sort of symbol to unite the black and reds again, and they will cleanse the world of the races that usurped them.”
“Sounds a bit genocide heavy.”
“Never said it wasn’t,” I laughed. “Might be one of the reasons that only black and red dragons seem to be part of the Dar’Ka. That’s not to say there aren’t others, though. Some of the races outside of humans, elves, and dwarves will occasionally join up. The cleansing would supposedly only effect the big three.”
We continued on until the sun began to set. I wasn’t positive Cassandra knew where we were, and figured it would be a good time to setup camp.
“Wanna stop for the night?” I asked.
Cassandra looked away, not slowing down.
“Even with ears as filthy as yours, I’m sure you can still hear me,” I said.
“My ears aren’t filthy!” she shouted. “I just… I think we should keep going.”
“Why, though?” I asked.
“We don’t know if The Guild has stopped yet or not,” she said.
“We don’t even know if The Guild is headed straight out here or not!”
“The guy that sent us out here admitted that he told them where the Sword was! Why wouldn’t they immediately come this way?”
“I don’t know… maybe they wanted to load up on supplies first?”
“Let’s just go for a bit longer,” she pleaded. “I’m pretty sure the Willows of Wander are nearby.”
“Pretty sure?” I asked, pulling up to a stop. “Do you actually know where we are?”
“Uh… sorta,” she said, stopping a few feet in front of me.
“You’re lost,” I said. “How long have you been lost for?”
“I never said I was lost,” she said, not meeting my eye.
“Really? Then why-”
“Wait a minute,” she said, putting a hand up and looking to our right. “Do you hear that?”
“We both know I don’t,” I said, glaring at her. Did she have to brag all the time about her freakish elf hearing?
“Follow me, I think I hear people,” she said, pushing through some bushes.
“I think you’re making this up,” I said, but still I followed her. “It’s a little too convenient to have heard something right when we were arguing about stopping or not.”
“Are you calling me a liar?” she whispered over her shoulder.
“I’m saying, much like the Shattered Sword, you are playing make believe right now.”
“Go away if you don’t want to help me,” she said. “Since you’re only goal in life is to stay alive, I’m not sure continuing on from here is in your best interest. I don’t really know why you’ve stayed so long, to be honest.”
I wasn’t so sure either, now that she mentioned it. I initially left with her from Trenton in order to make sure she didn’t accidentally bump into Galdric. After that, she saved me from a certain death at the hands of Stalrik and his group, so I figured I owed her. However, I was the one that ultimately beat Stalrik after he changed into a dragon. Surely that made us even, right?
If I was being honest, I guessed I liked having her around. At least, some of the time. She was a good fighter, not bad to look at, and could keep up with my banter. I liked to think that we had become friends over the past few days.
However… maybe she was right. Maybe this was leading to death, and I should leave her to it. I told her all along how this was a fool’s errand. It was up to her if she wanted to continue on with it. I didn’t know why she was so obsessed with the thing, but it was likely going to be the end of her.
“Okay,” I said, making up my mind as we pushed through a few more bushes. “Maybe I wi-to the left!”
To our left was a slight clearing, followed by a much denser collection of trees. A group of four or five people walked towards the trees, talking rather loudly.
“You still haven’t told us what that pigeon you threw was about, Anders,” said a man in plate armor at the back.
“I told ye, it weren’t nothing,” replied a dwarf.
“That’s the dwarf that rammed into me!” I whispered to Cassandra.
“I think you’re right,” she nodded. “That must be The Guild.”
The group disappeared as the walked into the dense forest, and it instantly became silent again.
“Are those the Willows of Wander?” I asked, creeped out a bit by the complete lack of sound.
Cassandra nodded, taking a deep breath.
“Whats wrong?” I asked.
“The elves… we have stories about this place,” she said.
“What kind of stories?”
“Bad ones.”
“Many elves have left Aelric to venture into these woods,” she said. “No one has ever returned. When people go into the forest they are not able to tell how much time has passed or which direction they are going. Everything looks so identical, that they end up trapped there forever. They end up wandering around, until the horrible beasts that time forgot kill them.”
“You said no one’s ever made it out, right?” I asked.
She looked at me like I was stupid. “Have you not been listening at all?”
“If no one has ever made it out, then how would you know so much about the forest?”
She stared blankly at me.
“No one would know anything about what happens inside the forest if there wasn’t anyone to come back and tell people about it,” I reasoned.
Her eyes narrowed and she turned back to the forest as she thought it over. “Huh… that’s a good point…”
“Also, that homeless guy with the visor in Kra’Gar said that he saw the Shattered Sword. The only way he could’ve seen it was to actually go through the Willows of Wander. That means he made it out okay.”
“Yes, but I think he was stronger than he let on,” she said. “He fought a dragon and lived, remember?”
“And so did we, remember?”
She nodded, looking at the Willows of Wander again.
“Maybe there isn’t anything to worry about after all,” I said.
“Or maybe just a select few make it out, and tell everyone their horrible stories,” she said.
“Also a possibility,” I nodded. “We’ll just have to make sure we survive like they did, then.”
“You’re staying?” she asked. She tried to look disinterested, but I could detect a hint of hope in her voice.
“Of course,” I nodded. “We’ve come this far together. If the thing is really just on the other side of these trees, why no finish the quest?”
While there was some truth to it and I liked having the elf around, the big reason was because I wanted to run into that stupid dwarf again. Make him regret knocking me over back in Kra’Gar like I was just some nobody. I’d show him to treat people outside of The Guild with a little respect.
“I don’t know,” she said, rubbing her arm anxiously while she looked at the trees. “Now that I see the Willows, I’m not so sure if we should do this. Maybe I’d be leading us both to our deaths.”
“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” I said. “We’re only here because you want this definitely not real Sword. If you don’t think it’s worth the risk, let’s just go somewhere else.”
“No, I need this Sword,” she said, straightening up and heading for the forest. “I can do this. We can do this.”
“Alright,” I nodded, following after her. “Let’s do it.”
The two of us disappeared into the Willows of Wander.
Chapter 13
“Sure are a lot of trees,” I said, as we struggled our way through the densely packed forest.
“What did you expect a place called the Willows of Wander to have?” asked Cassandra. “A bunch of sand?”
“I could go with some sand,” I said, pushing my way through two trees that blocked my way. “It’s for the best there isn’t any, though. You’d end up getting stuck in it, as usual.”
“Ha. Ha.”
We continued on as straight as we could, until finally the sky turned to the dark of night. I couldn’t tell if it was the trees, or just heavy cloud cover, but it eventually became pitch black. It took a little convincing, but Cassandra finally agreed to stop once she smacked face first into three trees in a row. With all the vegetation around, we couldn’t risk setting up a fire for the night. Setting up a makeshift cover and removing my mechanical fist cover, I was the first to catch some shut eye while she kept watch.
With what little light there was, I quickly fell asleep.
I was suddenly in a large dark room. There was nothing around me from what I could see.
“Hello?” I called out. Only my echo answered me.
It took me a moment, but I realized I was dreaming. Figuring I might as well have some fun, I tried to have a ball appear in my hand.
Nothing happened.
I tried summoning piles of gold, magical weapons, and a beautiful woman.
Still nothing.
“This is boring,” I whined. What was the point of realizing you were dreaming if you couldn’t change what was happening?
Suddenly, a screen appeared on the wall opposite me.
On it, something like a portal opened, showing me a string of events.
Goblins, orcs, and kobolds ran as black and red dragons swarmed from Ra’Chok into Gorland. Fire rained down on the lands, turning to ash anything and anyone that remained behind. Truska quickly became a giant refugee camp, but it wasn’t far enough away. The black and reds soon tore into the land, bringing death and destruction in their wake. The people of the Republic of Hur, Brumark, and Aelric, instead of coming to their help, passively sat by.
One by one, the remaining territories fell. The defenders fought valiantly, occasionally dropping a dragon or two, but always more would take their place. All of the lands fell, and the dragons all let out laughter as one. One rose up among them, wearing a purple crown. He glanced in my direction, smirking.
The screen flickered, and the dragon was gone.
Cassandra was suddenly there, back to back with two smaller beings masked in shadows. Were those friends of hers? They were much shorter than her, so neither could have been me. Where was I? And who were they?
Before I could look closer at the two figures, Cassandra waved her weapon in front of her menacingly. Jewels were encrusted into the hilt, while the blue blade glowed with a bright light. Was that the Shattered Sword? It was real?
My excitement quickly disappeared as two red dragons hopped down on either side of the group. Cassandra and her friends raised their weapons high in a defensive stance, but it was no use. The dragons rushed them, swinging with their claws and shooting fire as they bore down.
“No…” I whispered, as the group fell.
The screen flickered again.
The black dragon with a strange purple crown appeared in the screen, closer this time, and smiling at me. Slowly, he began to push through the screen and into the space I was in. Panicked, I tried to back away from the dragon as much as I could.
It was no use. I soon bumped into an invisible wall, with nowhere left to go.
I was trapped.
Fully in view now, the dragon was larger than any one I had ever seen before. Was this the legendary Ludek? The false savior of the Dar’Ka that was responsible for the Dragon War centuries ago?
“There’s nothing you can do about what you’ve seen,” laughed the black dragon, closing in on me.
“S-Stay back!” I shouted. “I-I’m warning you!”
“And if I don’t?” asked the dragon, an amused look on his face. “You’ll what, transform into your half form? Maybe even a full dragon? Ha!”
With a single leap, Ludek closed the distance and landed right in front of me. His mass blocked out what little light was in the room. Even though I was fairly sure I was dreaming, I was petrified. I stopped breathing, as if he would suddenly not be able to see me anymore if there was no movement.
“The blood and darkness of old will rise again, Reimar!” laughed the dragon, inches away from my face.
“S-Stop!” I shouted.
“There’s nothing you can do to stop it, Reimar!” he said, laughing again.
“Stop!”
“Reimar!” he shouted, grabbing a hold of my arms with his claws and shaking me. “Reimar!”
“Reimar!” whispered Cassandra.
My eyes shot open as the elf gently shook me, hands on my arms.
“W-What’s wrong?” I asked, sitting up quickly and glancing all around. I was sweating bullets as my heart beat out of control.
“You were s
creaming in your sleep,” she said. “I was worried someone would hear you if I let you go on.”
“Oh… sorry,” I said, letting out a sigh of relief. It was just a dream after all. A really, really freaky dream. Borderline prophetic, maybe, but a dream nonetheless.
“What were you dreaming about?”
“Uh… I had a horrible dream that I was being forcibly married to a disgusting creature.”
“Really?” she laughed, a wide smile spreading. “What did it look like?”
“She was tall and lanky. Really hostile. She would call people she hardly knew really mean names. Worst of all, she had a bat’s head. Just like, the biggest ears you’ve ever seen.”
That killed the growing smile.
“What were you really dreaming about?” she asked, no longer amused.
“I can’t remember,” I lied, looking up into the sky. Whatever dark clouds that were above us when I started to sleep had moved on, revealing a starry night. “How long have I been out for?”
“A few hours,” she shrugged.
“You go ahead and get some rest,” I said, getting up and handing her the blankets.
“You sure?” she asked. “You still have some time.”
“Feel completely rested,” I smiled, lying through my teeth. I felt like I hardly got any sleep, but my heart wouldn’t stop racing from that dream. I didn’t want to worry her, though, so I kept it to myself. “Go ahead, I’ll keep watch.”
She watched me for a moment before shrugging and lying down. I felt around to a tree a few feet away and leaned back against it.
The next hours past by slowly. I tried to get the thoughts of Yaerna going up in flames out of my head, but whenever I did they were filled instead with Cassandra’s death or Ludek’s laughing face. Had I seen visions of the future? The past? Or was it just all nonsense like most dreams?
I leaned my head against the tree as I thought through the different possibilities, and accidentally dozed off. Thankfully, the dreaming didn’t continue.
I kicked awake sometime later. The stars and moon were still out, but a light was beginning to fight through from the side. Cassandra was still asleep a few feet away, and we appeared to be safe.
I let out a sigh of relief. I had to do better when I was keeping watch. It would’ve been my fault if something had crept up on us during the night. Wiping my hand over my face, I glanced over to the left and then to the right.