Amulet of Souls (The Sentinels of Wizgrad Book 1)

by Hampton, Pegs

  “I…I did” Iris owned up. She hung her head low in shame.

  “What is your name?” The King bellowed.

  “I am Iris Kyro, Daughter of Airianna Kyro,” Iris said.

  “It is considered extremely offensive to look away from a King when he speaks” The Dragon King roared.

  The King extended his great claw towards Iris and the claw caught the underside of Iris’s chin. The King forced her to look up at him.

  “Especially those who have bestowed us something so beautiful. I am forever in your debt, young Iris Kyro” The King said with a grin.

  Next to the King stood another Dragon called Rhaegos. Rhaegos was entirely black with blunt golden spikes that ran down his spine, to the end of his tail. He had a blank but non-judgemental expression on his face. Rhaegos was the King’s Adviser in times of need.

  Next to awake was Mia, the soft and gentle one. She looked up at the tree in awe with wide eyes. Now most of the other dragons had started to awaken and flew down to the King.

  The last of the dragons to awaken was Mersoth, who even though he was one of the largest there, floated through the large branches and leaves of the magical tree, which spread thickly in the tower. He tucked in his wings and dived through a hoop in one of the many branches and landed on the floor beside the group.

  “You always were a show-off, Mersoth,” said one of the dragons

  “Well, what can I say, it’s been a few years,” he said proudly of himself. The others all chuckled.

  “It’s good to see we are all still alive, although it seems this was not how things were planned.” The King said.

  Rhaegos, The King’s Adviser, stood forward and looked directly at Aymon. “Now that we are all here, please tell us what has happened.”

  “It has passed almost two hundred years since we were frozen. My daughter, who was supposed to free us from the spell, was murdered, by a man who is now currently planning a war against many virtuous races of the land. It is only by luck that my Granddaughter Iris, came upon this place seeking aid for the war, and freed me from the spell. I, unfortunately, cannot tell you more than that, for everything else, you must ask these people here” Aymon said.

  “First I believe we should get introduced. I am King Tyrath, and this is the beautiful Queen, Arlia” The King said. The Queen bowed her head to greet them very politely. The King then proceeded to introduce the rest of his kin and he named them all one by one.

  There was such a mix of different Dragons that Iris would never remember them all. They were all different sizes, some had horns, some had large teeth, different colour skins and skin textures, but they all shared the same body shape.

  Aymon then prompted the others to introduce themselves. He knew as little about Iris and the others than the Dragons did.

  “I am Morton Harthorpe, a Wizard of the Legion of the Silver Snake. I was banished to this place as punishment,” Morton explained.

  “And may I ask why you were banished, Morton Harthorpe,” The King asked politely.

  “For being loyal to the true heir of the Legion Biren Kyro. For this, I was punished.” Morton explained.

  “If you are loyal to the Kyro family then you are an ally to me.” The King said. The King then glanced at Mireylon.

  “I am Mireylon Pearldream, son of Dunric Pearldream.”

  “Greetings Mireylon, may I ask, what brought you to this place?” The King asked.

  “I came here to try and rescue Morton after he was banished” Mireylon explained.

  “Very well, and you are?” King Tyrath asked. He then looked at Zelkith

  “I am Zelkith, companion and Remnant to Iris,” Zelkith replied.

  “Greetings to you Zelkith, again may I ask what brought you here?”

  “I came here to assist Iris, for why you should ask her,” Zelkith said.

  “Indeed, we should. This is the person who gave life to this tree which brings warmth and life to our lands once more, we are all indebted to her,” King Tyrath said. He looked at Iris as he talked, but he did not speak directly to her.

  “Please Iris tell us why you bestowed such a thing to our lands?” he asked.

  Iris was embarrassed, she had never been spoken to like that before and it was from the King of the Dragons of all people.

  “I really can’t take the credit King Tyrath. That tree was given to me as a seed by a philosopher named Sir Beckton Pannett. He believed that the seed contained the life of his unborn child and that I was the one destined to give it life.”

  “But why use it to save us?” The King asked.

  “Shortly after meeting my Grandfather for the first time, he explained who you all were and why he was here. We tried to save you by casting some spell. The spell did not work and while I sat in the freezing cold, I noticed a small plant grow out of the bottom of that pedestal you had. My first thought was the seed that I had with me from Mr Pannett. The Tree that it came from was much like this one and it warmed the entire village and shone a brilliant sky blue. I planted the seed in the soil and the tree began to grow and melt away the ice, and the place is…well, not how it was before.”

  All the Dragons listened carefully.

  “A most interesting story young Iris, I’m sure we would all be keen to learn more about you. However, it seems we have a more urgent matter at hand. Please tell me of this war”.

  Zelkith stepped forward to explain what he could. “I will try and describe this as briefly as possible, for time is short… Iris’s parents Biren and Airianna created the Legion of the Silver Snake after one of the largest battles this world has ever seen. Their aim was to unite all races and keep peace in the land. Airianna died in combat, Biren sacrificed his life to keep the Legion safe and also allow his brother to get closer to the enemy. We recently learned that our enemy has been under our nose the entire time. We now know that he has amassed an army of Dwarves, Yin, Seckle, Greelong, Dark Elves and Evil Men, and they number in the thousands. We have a small platoon of Gnomes, the reunited Great Wolves and hopefully the Kijiar people.”

  King Tyrath pondered for some time and whispered into the Queen’s ear. The Queen whispered back and the King nodded.

  “To me young wolf, it sounds like you lack forces?” The King said.

  “We could use any help from those who wish peace upon this lands,” Zelkith said.

  The King turned around and looked at all the other Dragons. They all nodded, one after the other.

  “It would seem that evil will no doubt rise again unless action is taken! We will aid the Legion in their conquest for peace. Let it be known that evil has no place in these lands!” The King shouted.

  The King turned to face the Dragons. “Let the wrath of the Dragons be known once more!” The King cried. The Dragons roared together. It was so loud that Iris’s ear continued to ring after.

  “Onto my back, we must stop this war before more innocent are killed,” The King said.

  “Where to?” The King asked.

  “Southport is where our forces are gathered,” Zelkith said.

  “Southport?” The King asked.

  “Head south-west,” Zelkith said.

  “Come my kin, to war!” The King yelled. He ran through the large open doors and took off in flight.

  “How far is it?” King Tyrath asked.

  “If we keep up this speed, less than a day” Zelkith replied.

  Mireylon looked back at what used to be a frozen desert and was now a beautiful Greenland full of life. He wondered how Roseflame was and how she would react to all that had happened.

  “It’s changed so much,” Aymon said to Mireylon.

  “Yes, a little warmer,” Mireylon stated in a sly joke.

  “Not just that, but the lands, there used to be so many villages and towns around here.”

  “Do you actually have any idea the damage your spell caused?”

  “Clearly I do not.”

  “Your spell desecrated this entire region into a frozen wasteland. It
became nothing but a blizzard night and day, its people like you who destroy and…”

  “Mireylon, that’s enough,” Zelkith interrupted.

  “I’m sorry,” Mireylon apologised to Aymon.

  “Don’t be, please tell me what you know, I must know the damage I have caused to try and do my best to repair it.”

  Mireylon explained all that he knew about the lands and the battles between the dragons. He also told of Roseflame’s life that he knew of and what she believed happened.

  Chapter 16

  “I must find Gelmink now!” Astrid said to himself.

  The Gnome King Gelmink had come to the town to try and persuade the people of the town to help. The bangs of cannon fire crashed around him as he frantically searched for his ally.

  Astrid cursed under his breath. He had no idea where Gelmink was and not only that the town was under siege and people rushed around everywhere in a panic.

  A cannonball smashed into a nearby building. He looked into what was left of the wall and noticed Gelmink pushed against a wall with a cutlass pointed to his neck.

  There were about a dozen men inside and they all looked dismayed at the cannonball that had torn through the wall.

  Astrid noticed six of the men run outside to meet him. They all had their weapons drawn and looked ready for a fight.

  Astrid took out a sword that he had by his side and the bandits smirked a smug grin. Astrid was a terrible sword fighter so he instead put it back and pulled out his wand.

  The six bandits started to run towards him and Astrid pressed his wand into the floor. Skeletal arms arose from the ground underneath the bandits and grasped the bandits’ legs from behind. The bandits fell to the ground and spiked bones came from the floor at their chests. The smiles were instantly wiped from their faces, they landed on the spikes with a terrible thud.

  Astrid then shot a powerful black bolt of energy at the person who held Gelmink hostage. The man swivelled slightly which caused the black bolt of energy to reflect off a shield he wore on his back.

  “Go and deal with the Mage,” The man ordered. Four of the men walked outside which just left two inside.

  “These people attacking will not spare or side with you, you will gain nothing from doing this” Gelmink said.

  “Me men control the seas ere, a few cannon ships dunt worry us. Once the fighting is dun we take arr plunder und riches” The man said back.

  Astrid watched as four more people approached him. They all wielded a sword and a shield, but the weapons looked different to standard ones.

  Astrid raised his wand into the air and the four men defended themselves with their shields before Astrid cast anything. They continued slowly towards Astrid and carefully stepped over the corpses of their comrades.

  As they approached something screeched behind them. Two of the men turned to look and Astrid took the opportunity to launch a black bolt of energy at their backs.

  The two men beside him interlocked their shields and blocked the attack. The bolt of energy flew back towards Astrid, who leapt out of the way at the last moment. These men were trained in fighting Mages and knew how to deal with counter attacks.

  “Square!” yelled one of the bandits. They formed a square and each stood a separate way.

  The bodies of the dead bandits behind them started to groan and they rose to their feet. The dead bandits launched themselves at the four shielded bandits in an attack.

  Astrid used the raised corpses as a distraction and ran into the building where Gelmink was held. He could hear the clanks of sword and shield as the four men took down his undead bandits with ease.

  Astrid had one more person to get past. Astrid flicked his wand at the man, but nothing happened. He tried again and nothing happened. Astrid cursed to himself and the other man just laughed at him.

  “Ran out of juice?” the last man snickered. The large burly man wielded nothing but a massive shield almost the same size of a door. Astrid drew his sword and had no other option but to defend.

  The shielded man ran towards him. Astrid knew that he would not be able to defend himself for long. Astrid threw the tables and chairs in the way, but the burly man easily shoved them aside.

  “Just run!” Gelmink shouted.

  “One more word and you’ll die!” the man said who still had a sword at Gelmink’s neck.

  The four-shielded men barged in with no sign they had been in a fight at all.

  “You’re finished!” said one of the men. He knocked Astrid over and he landed roughly onto the floor. Astrid grabbed his wand and sent a small bolt towards the man that held Gelmink.

  The bolt hit the man in the leg and caused him to collapse on one side. A corpse from beside Gelmink arose and plunged its dagger into the throat of the man who had held Gelmink hostage.

  “Let’s get them now men!” yelled the burly man, but he got no response.

  The burly man turned to see all four of his friends with swords through their backs and a look of disbelief on their faces. The corpses of the bandits were stood behind them.

  “You can’t kill those already dead,” Astrid said to the burly man.

  Gelmink pushed the corpse away from him and stepped away. There were now seven undead bandits under Astrid's control. They closed in on the burly man who stood alone in the middle of the room.

  “Ok ok! I give up, please don’t kill me!” begged the man. He got on his knees and laid down his sword.

  “It’s your say Gelmink,” Astrid said.

  “No, don’t kill him. I have a better use for him.” Gelmink said.

  Dozens of ships crashed into the harbour nearby and countless men sprawled out. “Get on shore men! Leave no survivors!” shouted one of the Commanders.

  The men killed anyone in sight. Men, Women and Children, there were no prisoners. They destroyed everything in their path and plundered anything they could get their hands on.

  << >>

  Plode and the others spotted several silhouettes on the horizon, which came towards them. The silhouettes approached slowly and were all armed with one large burly man in the centre.

  “The town is already overrun. However they have no intention of leaving until their backup arrives,” shouted a voice. It was Astrid, Gelmink, three of the undead fighters under Astrid's control and the large burly man that surrendered.

  “Where did ye get those shields?” Dakho asked in amazement.

  “We stole them from a museum” the Burly man admitted proudly.

  “I believed these to be forever lost,” Dakho said. He grasped one of the shields from the undead completely oblivious that the man was dead.

  “What are they?” Plode asked.

  “These are ancient dwarven shields, created even before the time we know. They are supposed to be able to absorb a spells power and reflect it back.”

  “There has to be some catch to something like that?” Gelmink said.

  “Yes, they hurt the wielder every time it deflects a spell. However in the hands of the undead…” Dakho said and he looked at the undead troops Astrid controlled.

  “We have no time to waste, let’s take them out before they get reinforcements,” Plode said.

  The Gnomes, Great Wolves, Mr Pannett and the two Foxes, along with Plode, Dakho, Efrundle and Astrid marched to Southport, but the Great Wolves were faster and arrived first.

  Southport was a very strange town. Strategically it was the best place to secure. It had a natural defence that was impossible to avoid. The small port was not very big and the docks spread the entire length of the coast. Around the town was a huge mountain range that circled around it on all sides. The mountains were so steep it was nearly impossible to climb. The only two ways into the town were by sea or through a small fortified gate that was carved out through the mountain at the other end.

  The Great Wolves effortlessly pushed through the open gate and swarmed the town. The men from the boats did not stand a chance against the massive wolves. The pack overpowered them by
size and number as they ran through the town swiftly and secured it before the others had arrived. The entire pack howled in unison. The howl resonated through the town itself in a powerful howl that would set fear in any enemy. Night had set in and there was no moonlight to light the way.

  “Not a single wolf injured, a great start” Loona said. Their mood was soon dampened by the look on the horizon. Countless more ships approached the docks. The torches on the boats lit up the horizon like it was sunrise. The bandits from before must have been a scouting party, now the real battle was about to get started.

  Dakho got down on his hands and knees, the floor began to shake violently. Spikes of rock shot out of the sea and pierced through the empty ships on the docks.

  “That should slow them down a little” Dakho panted. Many of the boats could not slow quickly enough and they crashed into the rocks.

  The rest of the boats kept their distance and did not approach. Plode and many of the others removed the debris from the front of the docks to make it easier to defend. They threw all the rubble into the sea to hinder the enemies further.

  “FIRE!” came a shout from one of the boats. An enormous wave of flames soared into the air as thousands of flaming arrows were shot into the air.

  Most of the Gnomes and men dodged the attack, but the Great Wolves were much larger and not able to defend themselves. If they did not die from the arrow itself, the fire would soon finish them off. The whelps of pain were heard through the town instead of cries of victory.

  “Get inside the buildings!” yelled Loona. She had taken an arrow through one of her paws. She snapped the shaft with her jaws, turned into a human and pulled the rest of it out with her hands.

  The buildings and docks had now started to set fire from the arrows and would soon be fully ablaze.

  “FIRE!” yelled the same voice.

  Loona hid inside a nearby building and on the next opportunity ran out to try and find a building that was not on fire. She soon spotted one, an old church made purely of stone. She turned into her wolf form and howled as loud as she could. She ran to the church and howled once more. Her second howl was echoed by several other wolves. Soon any remaining Great Wolves arrived at the church and took refuge inside. Astrid and many others spotted the Wolves run in one direction and followed them to the church.