by Sam Ferguson
A large, pot-bellied man strode into view from the side of the dais carrying a large, oversized axe in his hands.
Erik rushed forward. “Stop!” he yelled.
The executioner maintained his gait and moved to put himself in line with Lord Lokton’s neck.
Lord Lokton closed his eyes and held his head up slightly. “I am no traitor,” he said defiantly.
The executioner was upon him. He raised his axe high above his head.
Erik threw his sword. The flames hissed as the blade whirled through the chamber. Senators gasped as they watched the sword spin end over end until it cleaved through the large axe, dropping the massive blade on the dais. The executioner staggered backward and dropped what was left of the axe’s handle.
“You have shown your true colors,” Bracken hissed. He waved his left hand and sent a blast of air into Erik, knocking him backward several yards.
Erik landed hard, almost knocking his shoulder out of socket, but he grit his teeth and forced himself to stand back up. He could feel blood starting to seep from his recent wounds, but he paid it no mind. “And you have shown yours, warlock,” Erik said.
“Using magic does not prove I am a warlock,” Bracken retorted.
“Reveal your true form,” Erik said. He waved his hand, calling upon his power to dispel Bracken’s magic.
The shouting ceased and all eyes turned to the pulpit. Senator Bracken’s spell dissolved, revealing his true form for everyone to see. The warlock sneered and gave a slight nod of his head. “You are more intuitive than I would have guessed,” he said. “I would have thought that only the boy could have…” the warlock’s words caught in his throat and he stared hard at Erik. His eyes widened suddenly and his mouth fell agape.
Erik realized that somehow the warlock had looked past Lepkin’s body and discovered his identity as well. Erik turned his gaze to the balconies. “The warlock must be brought to justice!” he yelled. As he scanned the balconies he used his power to ascertain which senators he could trust. Many of the men were already scrambling for the exits, obviously wanting no part of what was to come.
The warlock raised his fist high above his head. “All hail Tu’luh the Red, and Nagar the Black, the true prophets of our time!” He turned his attention to Lord Lokton. “Your house shall be no more!” he shouted.
“No!” Erik yelled. Again he started to rush forward, but this time something else awoke in his body. With each step his leg seemed to grow exponentially, his arms too. He felt the fire of his rage burn within his chest as it had with the Blacktongue assassin back by the stream, but this time no light erupted from within. Instead, he felt his body expanding, growing, breaking and transforming. Pain tore through him for an instant, and then it was as if he were towering over the warlock, looking down on the evil man as though he were no larger than a mouse. The warlock looked up with a shriek of horror and turned his spell up to Erik. The blue blast of lightning scorched Erik’s face and neck, but he withstood the blow and roared back at the warlock.
Erik’s roar shook the entire chamber, and it was then that he felt an immense power running through his chest. He opened his mouth and a stream of fire flowed out to engulf the warlock. Erik could hear shouting and crying as the senators scrambled around him. His hearing seemed more acute than normal, allowing him to hear every leather sole’s scrape against the stone floor and every heated, quickened breath from each person in the room. It allowed him to know everyone’s position in the chamber without turning his head.
Out of instinct he reached out with his right hand and snatched the executioner up just before the man could bury a sword in Lord Lokton’s back. Erik turned to regard the now puny man and crushed him between his sharp talons.
He discarded the executioner and turned back to the warlock, who was still alive, using a magical shell to keep Erik’s flames at bay. Erik let his instinct take over. He snapped down with his massive maw and crushed the warlock’s defensive shell with his mouth.
Somehow, the warlock escaped out to the side but Erik swung his heavy, spiked tail and caught the warlock through the chest. The man gasped and twitched, then he slid down the wall to the floor in a heap of blood soaked white robes.
Erik could hear Al’s approach as the dwarf went to work on the chains that bound Braun and Lord Lokton. The clicks and scrapes of the locks almost echoed they seemed so loud. Erik turned to cover his friends. A few senators had already escaped the chamber, but others seemed frozen in place. While some of the senators who had sided with the warlock appeared to have been manipulated or tricked, many of them held evil intentions within their hearts. Erik’s wrath was quick to punish the crooked senators.
As his fire purified the senate chamber, the walls and seats in the room were charred or altogether disintegrated, leaving barely a skeleton of the grand room that had been before Erik unleashed his power.
When he was finished only Al, Braun, Lord Lokton, and Senator Mickelson remained in the blackened hall. Erik looked around and clawed at the stone floor. His talons cut through the granite as though he were slicing through cream. His breathing slowed and puffs of smoke snaked out from his elongated snout. He turned his eyes down to Al and could almost hear the dwarf’s thoughts.
“Enough” Al said. Except, the dwarf’s mouth didn’t move. Erik cocked his massive, scaled head toward Al and scrutinized the dwarf more carefully. “Erik,” Al communicated with his mind. “This is enough, you must stop. We have to flee.”
Erik wasn’t sure whether to respond vocally or if Al could also hear his thoughts, so he just nodded his head. He looked down at his hands, really looking at himself for the first time. During the heat of the moment he had understood what had happened, but now his mind was catching up with his instincts. Only now did it fully dawn on him. Somehow, he had turned into a dragon.
The boy within him became afraid. Would the book snare him now? What had he just done to the senate hall? What would Lepkin and Dimwater say?
Al came up and placed a strong hand on Erik’s forepaw. “Calm down,” Al communicated. “Close your eyes and think of your human form.”
Erik’s heart slowed and he did as Al instructed. The fire in his chest dwindled, and as it did he felt himself compress, as though a thick band were wrapping itself around him and squeezing him back to his normal form. Though it seemed to take several minutes, the transformation only last a couple of seconds. When Erik opened his eyes, he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Braun and Lord Lokton.
“That, was…” Lord Lokton started to speak but couldn’t finish his sentence.
Braun simply nodded in disbelief and cast his eyes about the room again.
“We must go, quickly,” Al said. “Perhaps we should split up.”
“Why?” Erik asked.
“Given what just happened, we might have a better chance of all escaping if we go in pairs. Surely the guards will be looking for four men.”
“Three men and a dwarf,” Braun corrected. “Any way we split up, you are going to draw attention, I’m afraid.”
Al nodded. “Let’s not waste time discussing it.” Al pointed to Braun and Lokton. “You two make your way to the southern gate. A block away from there you will find a well. You can go down the well to an underground river. That river will take you out to the east, where it will emerge from the ground through a cave. If you are careful, you won’t need to go in the water as there is a small path along the bank.”
“How do you know that?” Lord Lokton asked.
“A few decades ago I was on the crew that dug that well and plotted the underground river. There is a gate at the cave, but you should be able to pick it easily, just take care as there are usually a pair of guards nearby.”
“Sounds better than trying our luck at one of the gates,” Braun said.
“We’ll go out the same way, but first I think we will need to get to the king.
“To the king?” Braun asked skeptically. “The two of you are just going to walk in an
d ask him to speak with you after this?”
“We have to tell him what happened here,” Al said. “We have to show him that Bracken was really a warlock.”
A shapely dark form dropped from a nearby balcony, catching their attention. A long, golden braid bounced over the woman’s shoulder as she somersaulted to the floor and began to walk toward them. “I will go with you,” she told Al. “I was investigating Senator Bracken, and I have some information that may help you prove your case to the king.”
“Who are you?” Al asked. His hand gripped his hammer.
“It’s Lady Arkyn,” Erik said. He would have recognized her green eyes anywhere.
“It is good to see you again, Master Lepkin,” she said.
“Can we trust her,” Al whispered to Erik.
“Yes, you can,” Arkyn replied. Al shot her a confused look. “I am half-elf, and my hearing is excellent,” she explained with a shrug. “Besides, Lepkin can vouch for me.”
Erik used his power to scan her intentions. He found them to be pure. “We can trust her,” he said.
“Very well,” Al said. He turned back to Braun and Lord Lokton. “The two of you should get moving. Hang around the mouth of the underground cavern until we come out, then we can head down to Hovart.”
Braun nodded his head and clapped Al on the shoulder. “Good luck,” he offered.
Lord Lokton extended his hand out to Erik. “Master Lepkin, you have my undying gratitude.”
Erik took his father’s hand and fought the urge to reveal himself. His throat caught so he nodded and shook his father’s hand.
“Come,” Al said. “We must go.”
Erik could hear shouting from afar off. He nodded and they split up. Erik and Al were joined by Lady Arkyn. The three of them stopped just short of the hallway, where Senator Mickelson stood waiting for them.
“What you just did,” he started. “That will throw our land into civil war, there will be no way for me to keep the nobles from going at each other’s throats. How can I prepare the king? What do I do?”
Al looked up to Erik. It was obvious that the dwarf wanted an explanation as well.
“Take us up to see the king,” Erik said. “What I did, I did because there were those among the senate who would abuse their power to seek the throne. They sought to do away with the law and subdue the kingdom to feed their own greed. Those who were spared, I spared because their intentions were honorable. It will be hard, but it is better to rebuild a kingdom with solid stones, than to use a faulty foundation.”
Mickelson nodded and scrunched his brow and nodded. “Very well, Keeper, I trust that you have proof.”
“You did see Senator Bracken turn into a warlock, didn’t you?” Lady Arkyn chided.
Mickelson stiffened, glancing between the three of them. “Alright, let’s go see the king.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“What in the name of Hammenfein happened here?” Rory gasped.
“I’m not for knowing,” Jasper replied. “Come on, let’s look around.” The two guards quickly scoured the chamber. Rory went along the right side, going from corpse to corpse. Jasper scurried on by the left side trying to hold his breath while examining each charred body for a moment before moving on, hoping to find someone alive. He halted at one of the balconies where he saw a man squirming slightly.
He tested the stone railing before climbing over. It was hot, but he clambered over it anyway, shaking his hands out after vaulting over the side to land next to the severely wounded man. Jasper cupped a hand to his mouth at the sight of the senator’s injuries. There was no way for him to identify which senator lay before him.
“Can you hear me?” Jasper asked.
“Help,” the man pleaded through labored gasps.
Jasper looked the senator over. There was nothing to be done. Jasper shook his head, fumbling for something to say. It didn’t matter though. The senator gasped his last and became still. Jasper sighed and moved on. He walked through the back hall, kicking up soot and dust with his footsteps.
“Jasper, come quick!” Rory called.
Jasper ran through the back hall and stopped on the dais. “Senator Bracken.”
“He’s been stabbed,” Rory said. He rolled Senator Bracken to his side and began checking for vital signs. “It’s weak, but he still has a pulse.”
“How is that possible? He must have been stabbed at least four times,” Jasper noted. Jasper quickly pulled his satchel up over his shoulder and retrieved a roll of bandages out. “Here, let’s get these on him as quickly as we can.
Rory took them, shaking his head all the while. “It’s hopeless, the injuries are too great.”
Senator Bracken slowly raised his left hand and placed it over Rory’s arm. “I still have some fight left in me,” he said softly.
“Of course, Senator Bracken,” Rory said shakily. He removed Bracken’s hand and went to work with the bandages.
“What happened?” Jasper asked. “Can you tell us who did this to you?”
“Lepkin,” Bracken sputtered. “He and his dwarf friend came in and attacked us to free the traitor.”
Rory looked up to Jasper. “Master Lepkin?”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Jasper agreed.
Senator Bracken struck out with lightning fast reflexes, pulled Jasper’s dagger from his belt and slid it up under Rory’s armor and into his abdomen. Rory’s eyes went wide. Jasper looked up, but Bracken reached out with his left hand and seized Jasper’s arm. He dug his nails into his flesh and before either guard could move, the warlock drained each of them of their life forces. As their faces paled and drained, the warlock’s wounds healed and closed. His strength returned to his body and he could feel his magical reserves coming back as well.
When he was done he dropped the two corpses, cast a quick spell over their bodies to vaporize them, and then waved his hand in front of him. An egg of purple mist formed in front of his eyes and twirled, expanding with each second until a cloud of black and purple mist the size of a door hovered in front of him. He reached up and grabbed his amulet. He rubbed the cold, golden image with his thumb and spoke an incantation. Upon his command the mist opened to reveal a bright yellow tunnel. He stepped through and disappeared.
*****
Eldrik stepped up to the apple stand and dug around his pocket and pulled a copper coin out. “How much for two?” he asked the short man behind the stand.
The man looked at Eldrik’s clothes and smiled wide, revealing big white teeth. “One copper for three,” he said.
Eldrik gave him the coin and picked three apples. He tucked two into his backpack and immediately tore a bite out of the third one. A bit of the juice squirted out onto the front of his chin. He wiped it with the back of his sleeve. He wandered down the road, glancing over the nearby buildings to the black tower reaching high above them.
“First time in the city?” a voice asked from behind. Eldrik turned to see a pair of boys standing a few feet away. He looked them up and down and kept walking.
“Hey, where are you going?” one of the asked.
He could hear their shuffling steps trailing after him. He quickened his pace, taking a sidelong glance over his shoulder at his followers. Eldrik spotted an empty side street and turned down it. He didn’t need trouble, but he couldn’t have anyone following him either.
“Hey little man,” one of the boys called out. “Wait for a minute. We can help you find what you are looking for.”
Eldrik stopped and turned in place. “I don’t need any help,” he said.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” one of them said.
The other nodded his head. “He must be lost, otherwise why would someone like him come to this part of town?”
“Someone like me?” Eldrik asked. “I think you should turn around and leave,” he warned.
The two laughed and rolled up their sleeves. It was then that Eldrik noticed the scars over their knuckles. They were roughly the same size as Eldr
ik. Though they seemed a bit skinnier than him, they looked tough enough to fend for themselves.
“What do you want?” Eldrik asked.
The blonde haired boy stepped forward. “We’ll take your backpack.”
The brown haired boy pulled a short club from under his belt and slapped it in his other palm. “And I saw you had some copper coins in your pocket, you can give us those as well.”
Eldrik shook his head. His father’s crossbow was hidden in the backpack. There was no way he was going to let them take it away from him. He pulled the bag off and set it to his side. “I’ll give you each a copper piece to turn and walk the other way.”
The blonde haired boy turned to the other. “If he offers us money to keep his bag, then there must be something good in the bag.”
The other nodded and stepped forward, raising his club up in the air.
Eldrik glanced behind them. The side street was empty. There would be no witnesses. His time to strike was now. Eldrik waited for the boy with the club to approach. He put his hands up, as if to wave him off. The boy with the club smiled and slapped his palm again. Eldrik burst into movement, striking out at the boy’s right knee with a sweeping kick, followed by a heavy bottom fist strike to the boy’s nose. The combination dropped the boy onto his back. Eldrik finished it with a kick to the boy’s ribs.
“Bad move!” the other boy growled. He drew a knife out and advanced on Eldrik. Eldrik deftly snaked his right arm up under the boy’s wrist, twisting it around and jerking the arm forward. The boy stumbled forward. Eldrik spun around his foe and dropped a savage elbow strike on the boy’s spine just between the shoulder blades. The boy flopped forward, tripping over his partner. Eldrik bent down, took the club from the first boy and slammed it into the knife-wielder’s tailbone. The boy cried out and rolled off of his partner.
Eldrik dropped the club and quickly made his exit out the other side of the alley. As he did so he found himself staring at a black haired woman sitting inside an azure tent with golden stars painted over the opening. He glanced up and down the street, trying to decide which way to go, but something about the woman in the tent compelled him to go forward.