Nath’s chest tightened. His fists clenched. He threw Fang away from him. “Why did you do this?”
CHAPTER 23
Sansla stood with his dark wings folded with the roamers gathered around. Hoven and Liam in particular had been scouring the land for the wurmer nests for years. Now, with frosty snow covering their backs, they spied what they thought was another nest. This nest was far north on miles of peninsula surrounded by the sea. With his breath misting in the cold air, he said, “It might be the last one, but we need to be sure.”
A flock of wurmers streaked through the cloudy sky. They flew south, out of sight, but Sansla knew they were only circling the area. There was more than one group of them, also. It kept him grounded. Anything that flew too high in the air would be slaughtered.
With his hands clasped over his belly, Hoven said, “We’ll carry on the same way we did with the rest of them. Liam and I will go. I need to move before my legs freeze over. It’s cold up here.”
“A ranger complaining?” Liam said with a shivering smile. “I never thought I’d live to see the day.” His teeth chattered. “I think the weather is lovely.”
“Exercise caution. If this is the last one, then the time to strike will come.” Sansla gave them a nod of his chin. Hoven and Liam hustled over into the frozen woodland and vanished through the snow-covered branches. With the others around him in the dimming light of dusk, Sansla unrolled a sheepskin scroll in his hand. It was a map of Nalzambor, a bit crude for an elven hand. He fingered the top of the map where they stood. “I’m confident this is the last one. It has to be.”
There were five spots marked on the map, and they weren’t in any particular pattern. There were two nests close together near the Ruins of Barnabus: the one he and Selene had destroyed which ended up unleashing Tylabahn, and one they had discovered in the heavy snows behind the mountains of Morgdon. There was a nest near Thraag, the orcen city, and another west of that. This one they were at now, near the Dragon Pool, was the last. There weren’t any south of Narnum. They’d looked, but the wurmers all came from the north, which was a good thing.
“Now that we’ve located them, we just have to destroy them.”
“If you’re confident that we’ve found them all,” one of the roamers said, “do you want to try and destroy this last one since we’re here?”
“We need to see what we’re up against.” Eyes on the distant peninsula with white foam waves crashing against the beach of stone, he said, “It seems very peculiar over there. I don’t see any giants or wurmers. I’m certain the last nest would be even more heavily guarded than the others.”
“The one in the icy peaks was only guarded by that treacherous terrain and a handful of yeti,” the roamer said. “If we only had what we needed to destroy it then. I don’t look forward to traversing those mountains once more.”
The roamers meticulously rode through Nalzambor tracking down every sign of the wurmers they could find. Though many were becoming more and more distorted, people gave a good account of where the vicious flocks came from. The two hives near Thraag had been guarded by countless wurmers and a small army led by giants. Eckubahn wasn’t taking any chances, not even now that Nath Dragon was gone.
“Let’s see what they find out.” Sansla produced an orb of destruction. “If we can destroy it, then we will destroy it.”
***
Hoven and Liam snaked their way down the icy peninsula, using the frozen vegetation for cover. They headed toward the tall peaks of rock at the end. They moved with the gentleness of a deer on footfalls as soft as snow, barely disturbing anything they passed.
The end of the peninsula was a mountainous rocky cliff that took a beating from the salty wind and sea. There were trees, tall frosty pines that bent stubbornly in the breeze. They crept up to the top, eyes searching the grounds for the slightest unnatural disturbance. Crisscrossing the jetty of land, they tried to find any sign of a cave or entrance but found none. They made it to the edge of the cliff and looked down. It was a two-hundred-foot drop into the numbing waters.
“Perhaps Sansla was wrong,” Liam suggested.
“He hasn’t been wrong yet. You heard the sea folk. The fishermen report seeing them coming out of this area of seawalls like bats.” Still looking down, he shielded his eyes from the wind. “There are seabirds nestled on the ledges.”
Liam leaned over. “Yes, birds, but not wurmers. Of course, we can’t get a clear picture from here, can we?” He lowered himself onto the lip of land. “Only one way to be sure.”
“You’re going to climb that wall of ice?”
“It’s not so bad.” Liam smiled. “Hoven, may I borrow your mittens?”
“At least let me tether you with a coil of rope,” Hoven said, fishing a strand from his pack.
“I’ll be fine.”
***
Liam, son of Shum and Hoven’s nephew, was the youngest roamer. Wanting to live up to his family reputation, he didn’t hesitate to face the next challenge. With fingers frozen to the bone, he climbed down the rocks from one narrow ledge to the other. And found himself eye to eye with a seabird perched in a nest. It honked at Liam.
“Oh, mind your business. I’m hungry, mind you. I’d hate to take the egg you lie on during my trip back up, but I will.”
The seabird honked again.
Liam moved on, foot after foot, hand over hand. He was halfway down the icy seawall when he caught a glimpse of a pitch-black hole swallowing up the wind. He waved up at Hoven, shimmied over, climbed farther down, and went inside. The hole was huge, a full thirty feet of doorway, and black as coal inside. The wind howled within the cave, making sharp whistles and shrieks. His elven vision adjusted. He could make the outline of the cave walls. Dozens of yards ahead, a seam of light caught his eye. He moved quickly, with the swirling sound of the wind covering his footfalls.
This has to be it. But I need proof. An egg, perhaps.
At the back end of the first part of the cave, Liam lowered himself down from ledge to ledge. The light grew stronger. The slopes and ledge angles steepened. Finally, he hit bottom, and with a strange mist hiding his feet, he headed for the light. A hundred feet later the sound of something cracking open caught his ear. He faced it.
A wurmer began to hatch. It squeezed out of the goo and shell like a winged worm. Liam slid out a dagger. His first instinct was to kill the little monster.
The fewer wurmers, the better.
He had only moved forward another foot when he felt the walls and floors coming alive with the mindless creatures. He saw more eggs: hundreds, perhaps thousands.
I think I have my proof.
He backpedaled, slowly at first, then picked up the pace. He put his dagger in his mouth and climbed back up toward the entrance. The wind started to moan louder. The hairs on his neck rose. It wasn’t the wind. It was something else. Something huge inside. He took off toward the mouth of the cave. A huge body lurched up from the ground with glowing eyes.
CHAPTER 24
“I can’t believe you cast your sword aside,” Selene said to Nath. They were in quarters designed more for men than dragons. Nath had stormed out of the Chamber of Murals, leaving Fang and Slivver behind. Selene had caught up with him. “That’s no way to treat a friend.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Nath said, “Friend? What kind of friend moves us forward in time so that we can witness the slaughter that we abandoned! He never does what I command him to do. Nor what I ask, for that matter. The Sultans know I’ve been more than polite about it. I can’t help but think I would have been better off without him.”
“Maybe Fang did what he did for reasons you don’t understand? Did you ever think to consider that?” Selene straightened the pillows Nath had been punching earlier. “He took us to the wurmer nest and helped us destroy the life gem. There must have been a reason for that.”
Nath stuffed his face in a pillow and screamed, “Yaaaargh!”
Patting him on the back, Selene said, “
Feel better?”
“No. Selene, maybe you should go. I have to think.”
“I think I’ll stay.”
There was a hard knocking at the door.
Nath rolled his eyes at Selene. “I’m not in the mood for any more company. Tell them to go away.”
“Tell them yourself, mighty King.”
The door swung inward. Brenwar stood small in the frame. “No disrespect, King, but I could hear your blubbering all the way down the hall. It’s disappointing.”
The words stung. Nath look a deep draw of air through his nose, closed his eyes, and gathered his thoughts. Selene and Brenwar were both right. This was no way for a king to act, nor even a prince. The worry on his friends’ stern faces only made it worse. Suck it up, Dragon. Your subjects are counting on you. Now’s not the time to be part of the problem. You need to be part of the solution.
He tossed the pillow aside and stood. “I apologize. I guess all the bad news was overwhelming. I suppose I should fetch Fang and make my apologies to him too. I can’t believe I did that.”
“Don’t bother,” Brenwar said. “He’s gone.”
“He’s gone! What do you mean, he’s gone!”
“I’m only teasing.” Brenwar chuckled. “Just making sure you cared. There’s no sense in slinging a fine piece of hardware around like that. Not now, not ever.” He stepped back into the hall and came back with Fang. He held him out for Nath. “Moment of truth.”
Eyes on the grand sword that had a shine in the steel that never dulled, Nath said, “I’m truly sorry, Fang. I hope you’ll forgive me.” He wrapped his fingers around the handle. The grip was cool. He lifted it from Brenwar. “I think he accepts.” The grip turned white-hot. “Yeouch!”
Nath dropped the blade but caught him before he hit the ground again. With his forehead bursting out in beads of sweat, he hung on to the handle that burned his grip. “Yes, I deserve this. I’m not letting go. Not ever again.” The scales in his palm smoked and smoldered. The pain raced up his arm and through his entire body. “Fang, you’ll have to either forgive me or kill me!”
The blade hummed with anger, sending another shockwave of energy through Nath’s body. His grip loosened, but using his other hand, he held on. The blade cooled. His hands steamed. “Ah, thank you, Fang.” He blew smoke from one hand, switched hands on the grip, and fanned his other. “Guzan, that was hot.”
“We noticed,” Brenwar said. “But if you can handle that, you can help me scoop hot coals out of a furnace next time.”
“Let’s make sure there is a next time.” Nath put Fang back in his sheath and slung him over his shoulder. “I think I need a good fight.”
“It’s coming. Follow me.” Brenwar led them down below the mountain, humming a dwarven hymn. It took hours to get where they were going, wherever that was. “I’ve had plenty of time to explore the mountain since I’ve been stuck here and you’ve been gone. It’s an interesting feat of natural engineering.”
“Engineering? What do you mean?” Nath asked. In all of his life, Nath had never been in the subterranean levels below the mountain. He’d never given them any thought. The Mountain of Doom was vast, but he hadn’t felt any need to explore it. At the base, it was over a league from one side to another.
“Give me a moment.” Brenwar grabbed one of the torches along the corridor wall.
The road they were on came to a stop in front of a great black expanse. It was like looking into a void.
The grizzled dwarf stepped into the dark cavern, climbed up a set of rock steps, and lit another torch that hung on the wall. “Watch this.” The yellow-orange flame from the torch danced with light. Then like it was some sort of fire sprite, it hopped away and lit another torch farther down.
“Flame fairies,” Nath said with excitement. “I haven’t seen the likes since I was a child.” The flames jumped from torch to torch. As one lit, another jumped, then another. In moments, flame after flame came to life, giving shape to the vast room. There were gargantuan natural columns of stone lined up by the dozens. Each had torchlight all around it.
Nath and Selene ventured farther inside. He felt like an ant crawling within the walls of a castle. “Brenwar, why are there columns here? It looks like they support the entire mountain.”
Smiling behind his beard, Brenwar said, “That’s because they do.”
Nath gaped up at the ceiling. It was over a hundred feet high. Centuries of stalactites lined the ceiling in icicles that hung like teeth. “Why are you showing me this? It’s not that I don’t have any appreciation for it, but I don’t see how this aids us in our current dilemma.” He ran his hands over one of the columns. There were words engraved in Dragonese. He traced the groove that made a number. “I don’t understand. Was this once a ceremonial chamber?”
“No, even better. It’s a trap. The greatest trap I’ve ever seen.”
Nath read pillar after column. He began to put the order of the numbers together. It was something only a dragon could read. He studied two more columns and then exclaimed to Brenwar, “You can’t be serious!”
CHAPTER 25
Hoven hunkered into a snow bank. Wurmers flew overhead, dipped in the air with their wings spread wide, and dipped out of sight along the sea cliff. His belly stirred. Liam had been inside the cave a little longer than he expected. The young roamer should have been out of there by now. To make matters worse, another group of wurmers had appeared on the northern horizon. He cupped his hands and placed them up to his mouth. Summoning his ranger sound—a mystic form of communication the roamers had—he let out a call. His howling mixed with the wind and other natural sounds only noticeable by the roamers’ ears to carry a message back to Sansla Libor.
Satisfied the message had been sent, Hoven climbed down the sea bank and entered the frozen cave.
***
All of the roamers stirred around Sansla. The message from Hoven was clear. Liam was in danger. Sansla spread his wings out over his massive back. He’d seen the first patrol of wurmers disappear into the berm and not reappear. Now, another flock of the dragon insects was coming. “I’m taking to the air. We’ll see how well I distract the wurmers. You go after Hoven and Liam.”
“It will be so,” the roamers said.
Sansla took to the air, remaining low at first, then picking up speed with wings beating fast and a few feet over the waters. He flew in a straight path that would lead him right underneath the wurmers. He’d stayed on the ground, avoided their probing eyes so far, but now it was his time for action. The distance between him and the wurmers closed to a few hundred yards. Flying them in a v-formation, the lead wurmer screeched. In a single unit, the wurmers descended.
Sansla aimed upward on a collision course for the purple-eyed fiends. In most cases, fully grown wurmers were as big as ponies, but there were plenty much bigger. This time, they were only pony-sized—not too powerful but plenty quick.
The lead wurmer spat a ball of energy at Sansla.
He swooped underneath the fiery orb, navigated back into the wurmer’s direct path, and collided with the monster. Using his bare hands, he grabbed the wurmer, and with a twisting wrench, he snapped its neck. The wurmer fell out of his arms. After splashing into the waters, it sank like a stone.
The wurmers struck at Sansla from all angles. Claws ripped at his arms and chest. He shrugged them off and made speed through the biting wind, allowing them to give chase away from the sea bank. He’d caught a glimpse of the cave opening though. He needed to get back there. Assuming there was another titan guardian, the roamers would need his help.
He arced upward, firing toward the field of gray clouds, losing the wurmers momentarily in the mist. Upward he went, punching out of the cloud and into the setting sun. The bright light was blinding, just what he’d wanted. The wurmers, he’d learned, became disoriented in sunlight. He did a backward loop in the air and plunged back through the clouds toward the sea. Diving, his speed increased. So did the wurmers trailing behind him.
Submerged, Sansla watched them sink then swam to the surface. The rough water made it difficult to take to the air. He folded his wings over his back and swam for a boat filled with fishermen who were screaming and gaping. By the time they put their backs into the oars, it was too late.
Sansla climbed in. Towering over the frightened men, he shook the water from his wings. “I see you don’t have much of a haul. Try casting your net on the other side.” Knees bending, he sprang into the air and flew straight for the cave.
His eyes narrowed on the activity within. The roamers were engaged with a huge monster with many arms. What is that thing?
Wings pumping through the air, Sansla slammed into the monster’s face. The monster’s neck snapped forward. It let out a roar from a mouthful of fangs. The roamers’ elven blades bit into the strange humanoid’s flesh. Its eyes glowed in the dark.
A voice spoke inside Sansla’s head. “You cannot kill me, Sansla Libor. I am invincible. I am the titan Carthage the Murderer!”
Sansla got his first close look at the spirit Carthage. His head almost hit the top of the cave. He had two faces, front and back, and was a giant covered in stone and flesh. He fought with eight arms and kicked out with four legs. He looked like four different kinds of giants that were once dead and brought back to life again, all sewn together.
“Carthage, let it be known your end is near!” Sansla drove his fist into one of the monster’s jaws.
Carthage laughed. He scooped two roamers up in his hands and slung them into the cave wall. One of the roamers fell unconscious. Carthage stomped him dead. The other sprang away, chopping into the giant’s wrist. The slice severed the hand at the wrist. “Argh!”
Wrath of the Dragon: (The Chronicles of Dragon, Series 2, Book 8) (Tail of the Dragon) Page 8