by Thomas Rath
Calling up a gust of wind, Thane shot it forward with just enough force to cause his opponents to blink. Not waiting, he took a chance and jumped in front of Jne hoping she would see him and not take off his head. “Get in,” he called, feeling the passing air of one of her swords near his neck where she’d pulled a killing blow only millimeters from slicing into his flesh.
Wanting to argue, but knowing better at the moment, Jne backed through the portcullis clearing the way for Thane to follow. Slowly, he backed into the middle of the opening while whirling his swords back and forth in an attempt to hold back the onslaught. He couldn’t let them follow him in. Luckily the opening was small enough to only allow one attacker at a time but he was now facing an enormous troll that was going to take more than a few strikes to take down.
Jne rushed to the rope that held the gate up and readied her sword. “On three, Thane,” she called. “Jump back and I will drop the grate.” Thane only nodded feeling pressed as the ground shook from another assault by the passing gray dragon. He put his foot back; readying himself to jump away when suddenly the troll lurched forward. Thane dove to his right and yelled, “Now!” as the troll crossed over the threshold falling face first onto the cobblestone floor. Just as Jne’s sword severed the rope she noticed a large white body jumping off the troll’s back and passing into the building as the portcullis dropped, its sharp spikes impaling the rising troll with a sickening thwack.
“Erl!” Thane called.
The wolg just waged his tail in greeting as Jne finished off the troll who still struggled under the weight of the gate. “Let’s go, Thane,” she called, backing away from the portcullis that was now being hammered against by another troll. “We still need to find this ‘king’s road’ and catch up with the others.”
“This way,” a young voice suddenly called. “It’s this way.”
Thane smiled. “Domis!”
The young stable boy blushed at Thane’s recognition. “I waited for you,” he said. “You saved my life.”
“Consider it payment for your help with my friends,” Thane answered and then motioned with his head that it was time to move.
Backing away quickly, they turned and rushed deeper into the building until they reached the room with the metal covered hole. “This is the king’s road?” Thane asked a smiling Domis who stood on the ladder, his body half in the opening.
The boy nodded his head. “Is this your wolg?” he suddenly asked excitedly.
Thane smiled back. “This is my friend, Erl.”
“Hi, Erl,” Domis said, tentatively reaching out a hand to scratch his ear. Erl wagged his tail and then licked his hand to the boy’s utter delight.
“Now,” Thane said, putting away his swords. “Why don’t you show us this king’s road so we can get out of here before the trolls take out the portcullis and come after us?”
Domis’ smile disappeared and he nodded his head. “It’s down here,” he said dropping into the hole. “Just follow me. It’s only about twenty feet down.”
“How about him?” Jne said pointing to Erl. “How will we get him down the ladder?”
Thane looked around a moment and then rushed back toward the front. “I’ll be right back.” Grabbing the rope that was left from the portcullis, he pulled it out of the wheel mechanism and dragged it back to the hole. “We don’t have much time before they break through.”
Jne just nodded, taking the rope and tying it securely around Erl’s back legs and then under his chest. He sniffed the rope and whined slightly but allowed her to finish. Grabbing the other end near Thane she nodded.
“All right, boy,” Thane said, “down you go.” Erl sniffed the hole for a moment looking back at Thane and then dropped his front legs onto the ladder followed by his hindquarter. Grunting under the weight, Jne and Thane lowered him down until he finally reached the bottom where Domis removed the rope. Jne followed, and then Thane dropped into the hole, pulling the iron door down on top of them before engaging the lock.
At the bottom, they found Domis holding a lit torch and revealing a small room opening into three separate tunnels. Though the walls were dirt, the floor was fitted with cobblestones that expanded into all three tunnels. Thane figure it was meant to mask any footprints that might be left behind and give away a person’s direction. Taking the rope from Domis, he rolled it up and dropped it around his shoulders and then looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow. “You know which one to take?” he asked, but before Domis could answer, Erl let out a little yelp and started down the middle tunnel.
Domis watched the wolg disappear and then looked at Thane. “It’s that one,” he said, smiling and then fell in behind Erl. Jne and Thane started to follow but stopped as a loud bang echoed through the small room from the trapdoor above.
“They’re in,” Thane said as more banging quickly followed. Jne merely nodded and then raced after Domis. Thane looked at the floor to ensure they left no obvious marks and then followed after Jne.
The tunnel continued on straight for what seemed a mile before finally coming to another room just like the one they’d left behind. This one lacked a ladder though and the cobblestones were conspicuously absent. This time there was no need to wait for Erl to make a choice as it was obvious which tunnel the previous thousand people had taken. Taking the torch from Domis, Thane went after Erl into the middle tunnel followed by the stable boy and then Jne. Within moments, Thane called a halt. Listening intently, he turned his head back up the tunnel and paused. “They’ve broken through the trap door. It would be my guess that they will split up and take all three tunnels at once. We must hurry.”
Taking the lead he picked up the pace to a quick run going only as fast as Domis could comfortably keep up. For another mile they ran until again finding another room with three choices. Now the others could hear the calls of the enemy as they closed the gap between them. “We could take a different path,” Jne suggested.
He thought for a moment and then shook his head. “No. Even if they didn’t follow us we don’t know where these others lead. The whole black army could be running down the king’s road now for all we know. It’s best we follow and try to catch up to the others.”
Jne merely nodded her agreement and they raced down the center tunnel, this time going a little faster. Domis was breathing hard but hadn’t complained so Thane kept to the pace. Better the boy be worn out with a fast run and they catch their friends then for them to be caught alone with the enemy at their backs.
They went at least another mile when Thane suddenly broke the silence. “I see light ahead. I think we’ve caught them!” Slightly picking up the pace, they soon found that he had been right. In the darkness, just ahead, a light bobbed along the tunnel. “Hold,” Thane called.
The light suddenly stopped and a person called back. “Who follows?” was the barked command.
Though he’d not heard it often, Thane recognized the voice. “Jace, it is Thane and some other friends. Hold until we can reach you.” There was no answer but the light remained in place.
Finally seeing Erl rushing at them, Jace hissed and reached for his sword. “What treachery is this?”
Thane reached out his hand. “Hold your sword, friend, Erl is with us.”
“A wolg is with you?” he demanded still holding his sword.
Thane sighed. “Yes, a Tjal-Dihn, a HuMan boy, a wolg,” and then lowering his voice so only Jace could hear, “and a Chufa. We make quite a group, don’t you think?”
Jace harrumphed but pulled his hand away. “A strange group indeed,” he said. “The rest are not far ahead.”
“Good,” Thane countered, “because the enemy is not far behind.”
Jace just nodded, a strange smile tickling his mouth as if welcoming the prospect of wetting his sword with some blood.
“How far until the end?” Jne asked.
Jace just shrugged. “No one knows. Could be a mile, could be a day or two. I guess the farther we go the better.”
Jne nodded, as did Thane before Jace turned and started them forward again. It was not long before they caught the rest of the group waiting at another room having the same three openings from which to choose. Jack rushed to Erl, quickly dispelling the fears of some of the others, hugging the wolg and scratching his ears as Erl licked his face in quick succession. Tam threw her arms around Thane and pulled him in close, much to Jne’s chagrin.
“We thought you lost,” she said, hugging him still harder.
Thane smiled. “I would think you would know better by now.”
She pulled back and scowled at him. “You would think,” she said and then hugged him again.
Gently pushing her away, Thane addressed the others. “We must hurry. The enemy is at this moment biting at our heals and I fear it won’t be long before we will have need to turn and fight.” Singling out the prince, he asked, “Do you know how much further the tunnels go?”
Ranse shook his head. “These tunnels are old. I had forgotten they still existed, truth be told.”
“Then our best course is forward,” Braxton said. “What is left of my men have been sent on. It would be to our advantage to catch them ere the enemy catches us.”
“Agreed,” Thane said. “Though tight quarters might aid in a fight, I would prefer to die above ground should that be our fate.”
The group turned as one and rushed forward, again following the obvious tracks left by the escaping soldiers and townspeople. Their pursuit continued to gain ground, the grunts and howls behind them growing louder. They were at least five miles or more from the city before Dainz, who had taken the lead, called out. “There’s light ahead.”
“The other soldiers?” Braxton called out.
“No. It’s daylight. We have reached the end.”
Sure enough, a beam of light broke down through the ground ahead where a mound of dirt lay leading upward. Those who had gone before them must have dug there way out leaving the dirt pile as a ramp to climb up.
“Let’s hurry up,” Ranse said, “before our friends catch up from behind. I agree with Thane. Better to die breathing fresh air then rot in a hole in the ground.”
Dainz didn’t wait for anymore instruction, running up the dirt ramp and out into the open. Turning to get a better idea of their whereabouts he whirled about just in time to see the dragon’s claws as it gripped him in its talons and ripped him from the ground. A horrified scream was all the warning the others had, holding them where they stood. Thane rushed forward climbing almost to the top before slowly peeking his head out of the hole.
“It’s the dragons!” he called down. “One of them took Dainz! The other harrows the escaping townsfolk.”
“What do we do?” Domis ask.
“We fight,” Jne and Jace said at the same time soliciting wicked smiles from both.
“They’re right,” Jack said. “It’s either above ground or below. I can see the torches coming up the tunnel now.”
“Right,” Ranse said, pulling his sword. “Up we go then.”
Thane nodded his agreement and then peered over the lip of the opening checking the sky to make sure it was clear. Waving his hand, he motioned everyone forward and in a rush they all topped the mound exiting the king’s road. They had come a good distance from the city but not so far that the dragons could not find them. To the east a large group of people ran for a small copse of trees herded by the remaining soldiers who tried to assist in their escape. A quick glance at the field revealed the fallen and mutilated bodies of many of the men and townspeople who had been taken in the dragon’s sport. Large charred patches of ground dotted the area as well as places where the dirt looked as if it had simply erupted.
The shrill sound of a dragon call chilled their bones as the black one dropped in for a pass over the fleeing people. They could only stand and watch in horror as it swooped down releasing its awful liquid right into the middle of the group almost instantly dissolving them in mid-stride. The rest scattered, their shouts of terror filling the air as they tried to make it to the bit of protection offered by the trees. Thane looked up and saw the gray dragon circling lazily overhead as if waiting its turn or merely enjoying the spectacle. Growls coming from the hole brought his head down and he called out to the rest. “To the trees! It’s our only chance!”
Without argument, the small group broke into a run gaining fifty yards before the hole spewed out the filth that had given them chase. Thane held back, while the others pushed ahead, keeping his eye on the black and gray dragons as the black circled around again. The townspeople had finally made it to cover but the dragon had spotted them and was dropping down fast, eager to pick them off.
From the hole the enemy also poured emitting at least a hundred orcs and trolls along with a few wolgs. Concentrating on the dragon, Thane called the air to him as he had done before, swirling it above his head in a cyclone of fury he shot it at the dragon just as it was about to make its attack. This time his aim was not as sure and he merely clipped it pushing it off course. It was enough. The dragon broke off it attack leaving them untouched—for the moment. Another hundred yards and they would make it to the trees.
Stopping, he turned his attention to the hole from whence they’d come. There were too many following for the defenders to fight off by themselves. They needed help and he knew just where to find it. Driving his senses forward he shot them into the mud embracing the voices that converged on him like water in a cool lake. As before, he felt the pull of the earth sucking him in, begging him to stay, covering him with its promises of eternity. At first he was surprised at how strong the pull had been, almost losing himself to its demands before finally fighting it back enough to regain a sense of self. No. He had something to do. He was the earth child. He would ask and they would answer. He started forming the need in his mind, calling forth the desires in his heart but suddenly felt ripped from the dirt. No longer were his senses attached through his TehChao Tane to the ground but instead were now drifting uselessly in the air. Coming back to himself, he became aware of the ground falling away and the tight squeeze of talons gripping him about his chest. The gray dragon.
He had not been watching for it thinking it out of the battle with it circling lazily overhead. Grabbing one of its talons, he held on tightly as they continued to gain altitude. The dragon fear was stifling, gripping his heart with a vice-like terror that almost made him let go and wish to fall to his death just to escape. Suddenly, the claws did open but he held on. For a moment the dragon hesitated not sure as to why its cargo was not falling to its death. Screeching, it shook its leg trying to jar him loose but Thane’s grip was sure. Howling its frustration, it dropped its head and shot toward the ground. Thane held on as tightly as he could but his grip started loosening against the blasting wind.
It was no use. He couldn’t hold on much longer. A hand slipped free jerking the other away and he found himself suddenly airborne, tumbling in a headlong rush towards the ground. He tried to call the wind trying to force it around him in an attempt to buoy him up but he couldn’t hold his concentration. He closed his eyes trying to regain some sense of calm so he might reach out to the wind when suddenly he hit something soft and felt a hand latch onto his arm.
“Are you alright?” a young voice called.
Thane opened his eyes to find he was on the back of a giant bird with a young blond haired boy holding onto his wrist. “Where did you come from?”
“Get up here and hold on,” the boy called pulling him forward. “Tchee is going to chase this one away.”
Thane scanned the sky suddenly overcome by a sense of doom. Turning his head he saw the black dragon coming up behind them as the boy maneuvered his bird down toward the gray.
“Watch out behind you!” he shouted just as the bird dropped onto gray dragon’s back. Thane felt his stomach heave at the sudden motion and then found himself tumbling backwards grabbing at feathers but to no avail as he fell free of the bird. With a thud, he landed hard onto the gray dragon just bel
ow its shoulder blades. The white bird twisted around, just barely escaping the black dragon’s talons before shooting away, out of reach.
Thane felt himself sliding and quickly reached out for a handhold latching onto one of the massive spines growing off the dragon’s back. A shudder shot through him as he realized that had he not landed where he had, he very likely would have been impaled. The gray dragon screeched, feeling his weight but doing nothing to try and dislodge him knowing its scales protected it from any weapon he might possess.
Banking left it took Thane for a sweeping look of the battlefield before changing its course and chasing after the people now huddle amongst the trees. Swooping low it dropped to mere feet above the ground shooting toward Haykon’s refugees. Thane knew what it planned. With its ability to fire missiles of compacted air, the trees would be no protection against a head on assault. He had to do something. He thought of using the QenChe Tane and incinerating it even though that would mean his own death, but instinctively knew he wouldn’t be able to while he was still touching it. His next thought was to call the wind into a vortex but didn’t think he could hit the dragon right while perched on its back and moving. He was frantic. He had to do something. He was almost out of time. His friends were mixed in with the people seeking shelter in those trees and he knew that a blast from the dragon would kill them all.
Gelfin’s words suddenly slipped into his thoughts as he feverishly searched for some clue as to what to do. It is easier to pull water than fire. “Pull water. Pull water. But how?” Placing a hand on the dragons back he reached for a connection; something, anything that felt like water. If he was going to pull it out, he needed a connection with it. He needed to communicate with it so he could get it to come out.
There was no time; in moments the dragon would reach the trees. Closing his eyes against the horror of the situation, he reached down, searching, feeling, delving for anything that joined him to the dragon’s body water.
He could feel it taking in breath preparing to unleash its ravenous force. His time was up. Pressing harder he thought he found something but it slipped away. The dragon suddenly slowed. It was stopping. It was going to land. Of course, it couldn’t use its wind power effectively unless it was down at their level. It had to land first so it could reach the people in the trees instead of shooting over their heads.