Barely… but if we use it for all of us… we may not make it, or at least, not conscious.
I don’t see any other option… do you?
No, Speltus admitted.
Very well, Hekla said. If this is the end… thank you for everything.
Don’t say—
“Levitatum Personaes,” Hekla shouted.
All of them began floating to the top of the canyon faster than physically possible. They left the creatures in the bubbles as they practically flew in the water. When they reached the top of the canyon, Hekla barely had enough energy to direct her scepter back to everyone.
“Levitatum Personaes Ceasum,” Hekla whispered.
The spell’s effects stopped, and all of them came crashing to the ground at the top of the canyon. Hekla got to her knees, but she couldn’t get to her feet. Isabella rushed over to help her to her feet. They began to run the other way, except for Hekla who was nearly out of energy, and Isabella who was helping hold onto Hekla. Isabella tried to drag Hekla with the others, but Hekla refused. Instead, Hekla slowly approached the canyon cliff. She looked down, seeing thousands of the creatures climbing up. They didn’t seem to tire, but she was very tired, and near complete exhaustion. And her allies wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace once the creatures reached the top.
Hekla clenched her teeth. If she didn’t do something, they’d all be dead. It didn’t matter that she was completely out of energy. She needed to stop them. Even if it cost her life.
She focused, raising her scepter to aim at the canyon.
“Aquum Purum Seperatum Expandum,” Hekla said.
A wall of water formed at the top of the canyon, blocking the entire opening. The first creature reached the top, and when it tried to climb onto the top of the canyon, the wall blocked it. The creature snarled as it fought against the water barrier.
Hekla’s strength was failing fast, and she could no longer stand of her own accord.
“Come, we need to run,” Isabella whispered.
“I… can’t,” Hekla answered.
Isabella searched Hekla’s face, then nodded, and taking a deep breath, lifted Hekla onto her shoulder. Hekla felt like a sack of potatoes as she was draped over the young woman’s shoulder. She was impressed with how strong Isabella was. Without further word, Isabella began running after the others.
Hekla smiled. She had saved all of them. Well, a few of the soldiers had fallen to the creatures, but she had saved most of them. But she began to wonder at what cost as darkness consumed her, and her eyes closed.
32
Astrid
All life has purpose and value, even those who have committed monstrous, inexplainable atrocities. In darkness we find our light, in darkness we find the reason the light needs to exist. It is up to us in those moments to choose that light and pursue it until it illuminates every black spot in our existence. This is where true warriors are born.
Nuldronian, The Protector, Fifth Dragon Elder, Sixth Age of Verdil
Astrid gripped tightly to the man’s robe, as they flew low and quick into the darkness. “Can we go any faster?” she begged of the Vizier, heart pounding out of her chest as the minutes seemed to tick by.
“Patience child,” he said curtly, guiding the beast and then pulling him to a stop outside the caves.
Astrid quickly jumped down, hoping the urgency in her actions would encourage him to go faster, but he was more aged than she. His abilities wouldn’t allow him to move at a quicker pace, as he slowed by the slight hunch in his back and his fragile bones.
“Come, he’s over this way,” Astrid said.
The vizier moved with slow, fluid movements, clearly hindered by his age. His wings stretched behind him, lifting him off the ground.
“I hope you don’t mind if I glide with you, I can move much quicker that way.”
She nodded. “Please.”
Astrid ran off ahead of him, leading the way into the tunnel where a dying Quimby awaited. It wasn’t far off from the entrance, and the moment she saw his pale face she knew the situation was dire.
“How is he?” she asked Cayden, who had stayed, diligently kneeled by his side, holding the cloths and applying pressure to the man’s arm.
The grand Vizier moved gracefully through the air, and Astrid was grateful for the time being that the man who had ordered her to kill the Tellurians, for the time being seemed to be just as concerned with Quimby’s life as she was.
“What happened here?” the Vizier questioned, looking from Cayden’s face to hers.
“Vizier,” Astrid took a deep breath. Did she dare tell him what she had discovered? She still questioned whether he was a friend, and for all she had seen, the Vizier was fiercely loyal to the king. There were certain things she would keep to herself for the moment. “We came here, looking for help. We found these caves, hidden from sight of the Caelestans, never searched. On our way out, these short beasts attacked us.” Astrid motioned to the hairy bodies that lay lifeless on the floor near the walls of the cave.
“How did you find this place?” he asked, “and what else did you find here?”
She saw a flash in his eyes and realized that he knew something.
“You already knew about the caves,” she said.
“Is there a question there?” he replied, his wings tucking in, as he knelt beside Quimby’s body.
In the empty silence, she could hear his labored breathing, and she wondered if she had taken too long to return. As fast as she had run, as quickly as the vizier had acted, maybe it just wasn’t enough time.
Calm yourself, Astrid, you have done everything you can. You must learn to trust! Aronus urged her.
She shook her head, watching the Vizier, as he took a two small tinctures from the inside of his robe. The contents swirling around in the glass bottles as he pulled off the blood-soaked cloths and poured the concoctions on the deep wounds. Quimby had gone unconscious. Cayden stood and came closer to Astrid, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“How are you, Cayden?” Astrid spoke first, afraid that if Cayden offered her comfort she would begin to cry and there wasn’t time for such things. Not until she was sure that her friend would be all right. She studied Cayden’s face, then her eyes dropped to the wound. The bleeding had stopped, and he seemed to be walking well enough.
“Don’t worry about me, Astrid. I’m well enough. It was merely surface scratches. I’ll be all right.”
She continued staring at the wound, wondering if he was being truthful, or if he was just so concerned for her well-being, that he was lying to her. She had witnessed the fight, and while Cayden hadn’t been struck as much as Quimby, she still remembered seeing him being hit several times. “Cayden, if you require more help, please just tell me the truth.”
He shook his head. “I assure you, I’m all right. Don’t worry so much.”
She nodded, shrugging off his hand from her shoulders, and making her way to Quimby, kneeling opposite the Vizier, as he worked to clean out the wound and apply fresh cloths.
“Is he going to be all right?” she said softly, studying the wrinkles that were so clear in his face now.
“He will, but I will have to remove his arm.”
“His arm?” Astrid gasped.
The Vizier nodded.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m afraid it’s the only way. I’m not sure all that happened in this battle, but those creatures nearly ripped off his arm. It’s not salvageable. The cartilage is too damaged. If we don’t remove it, it will become infected, and his chance of survival will be even more slim.”
“I wish my sister were here,” Astrid whispered.
“Why? Is your sister adept at reattaching arms?” the Vizier scoffed.
“I’m sure she is,” Astrid muttered.
The Vizier raised an eyebrow.
Astrid realized she’d said too much and chose at that moment to press her lips tightly together.
Aronus, is there anything you can do? Can you
save Quimby’s arm?
I’m sorry, Astrid. There’s nothing I can do. I’m not skilled at healing like Speltus. I could heal minor injuries with difficulty, but this is beyond me.
Astrid clenched her teeth as she tossed her hair behind her shoulders. She felt defeated.
“I will need you to hold him down.”
Astrid’s eyes bulged. “Hold him down?”
“Both of you,” the Vizier said.
“He’s unconscious,” Astrid said.
“He won’t be for long,” the Vizier said as he pulled a serrated knife from his belt.
Astrid gaped in horror at him. “You can’t be—”
“Do you want Quimby to live?”
“I—”
“Do you want him to live?” he repeated.
Astrid gulped, then nodded.
“Hold him.”
Astrid moved into position behind Quimby with Cayden by her side.
She held his right arm tight as the Vizier began sawing into Quimby. Quimby’s eyes opened wide and he began screaming. The pitch was ear deafening, and higher than anything she’d heard from a man before. It sounded almost birdlike. The Grand Vizier shoved cloth into Quimby’s open mouth then continued to work. Astrid gripped Quimby’s arm as hard as she could while she pressed her feet into his side to keep him held steady. Quimby tried to thrash, but Astrid and Cayden’s grip didn’t faulter. The process was not quick by any means. The Vizier worked at sawing off the arm at the shoulder for several long minutes that felt like hours.
Astrid heard a snap, and a scream louder than any she’d heard in her life. As she dared turn to see what had happened, she slipped. Astrid slid across the cold, damp ground until she nearly hit her head against the wall. Astrid shook her head, trying to figure out what had happened. She hadn’t let go, had she? Her grip had been solid. That’s when she realized she hadn’t stopped holding his arm. She looked down to see it in her grip. Her eyes widened and she dropped the arm and stood. Blood covered her body and she saw a trail of it from her all the way to Quimby. His arm was gone. She’d ripped it off of him. Her stomach began to turn as she thought about it.
Quimby’s eyes were closed. Astrid rushed over to him and knelt by his side. The Vizier began bandaging up his stub with cloths as he tried to stop the bleeding.
“Is he going to be all right?” Astrid asked
The Vizier looked from her to Quimby.
“He’s unconscious,” Astrid said.
“Mmmhmm. He’s passed out from shock and blood loss. He should be all right, but we need to bring him back to Caelestis to have proper care.”
Astrid took a deep breath, avoiding the Vizier’s eyes. She didn’t know what to feel. She’d never imagined Quimby losing his arm. Astrid never thought she’d have to witness such a gruesome experience.
“This will be a difficult blow for him when he awakes. He will need all the friends he can get,” the Vizier said.
Astrid nodded, the cool of the ground seeping through her thinly covered legs. The stale air of the caves continuing to assault her senses. “I would never leave him, he is my best friend,” she whispered. Realizing that he may very well be her only friend, she looked to the Vizier. “Please, Vizier, you said you knew of the caves. Can you tell me anything else?”
She needed to find out the truth about the deep scarlet dragon they had encountered deep under Caelestis. It was imperative to know if the beast truly was evil, or if he had been locked up there against his will to serve Caelestis for the rest of his life.
“How much do you know?” the Vizier countered, still bent over Quimby.
He knows about the dragon.
“I confess that we met a beast far below the surface, deep into the great mountain. A beast who said it was his magic that held up Caelestis. He said it was his punishment for the things he had done many, many years ago.” Astrid pushed her green hair over her ear.
The grand Vizier nodded his head. “That part is truth.”
“So, if that is the case, why is he still chained up doing the will of the Unseen ones? Has he not served his sentence? Surely there is another who could take his place?” she asked, beginning to fear for the aging dragon’s life. How much longer would he be able to survive chained deep into the center of the mountain?
“Child,” he said with a sigh. “It is not up to us to decide who is worthy of what punishment. That beast did much evil in his time, long before evil should have been given opportunity to exist so freely. His punishment is relevant to the crimes he committed. Dragons were supposed to protect us, and he did the very opposite of that.” The man continued, not meeting her eyes.
Astrid was desperate to get the beast help--for someone to see that Xolderan deserved a life, just as any deserved life.
“But…” she paused.
“No, Astrid… it is not for us to determine.”
“Vizier, Xolderan is old and dying. It is he who causes the trembles in Caelestis. Even now as we speak, he loses strength. He’s too old to continue on, you have to trust me on this. His magic grows weaker by the day. Soon, he won’t have enough magic to hold up Caelestis, and all who live there will fall with it. We have to figure out a replacement. We have to.”
The Vizier stopped working, sitting back on his richly colored robes, on the cold earth. With his head bowed down, and hands folded in front of him. She worried that he was contemplating something dark, or perhaps that he didn’t believe her at all.
“Please, Vizier, we have to help him,” she pleaded with him again.
He lifted his head and nodded in agreement. “All right, I don’t know what we can do at this point, but I can beseech the Unseen Ones to see if they can send help… or a replacement. You return to Xolderan and watch his health. Return to Caelestis if he worsens. We’ll figure this out. In the meantime, I must get Quimby back. He’s lost more blood than I can account for, and he desperately needs rest. These caves will only foster infection. I’ll send for help as soon as Quimby is situated.”
“Are you going to tell the king?”
The Vizier’s eyes clouded over, as he thought about the prospect. “I don’t know. Part of me wonders if he knew that our time as a sky kingdom was coming to an end and that is why he has become angrier and angrier, demanding the blood of our enemies more and more. I don’t know what I will do, Astrid. It is my duty as his Grand Vizier to follow him blindly and do as he says, but I have a greater obligation to our people to make sure they live.”
Astrid nodded. “And that is where my loyalty lies… with the people.”
“Then as long as that is our goal, we are on the same side. I will leave with Quimby, return to the beast and I promise we will figure this out.”
She nodded, as his wings emerged once more. Standing to his feet, he lifted Quimby’s body heaving and grunting as he did so and flew him out of the cave where she knew the sky ethereal would be waiting. She was convinced the man would be all right, and that perhaps the Vizier she had known was a man who truly cared about the Caelestans. She had to trust that, or else she had nothing to hold onto.
“Come on, Cayden, we need to return to Xolderan, to tell him help is on the way. Maybe that would be enough to give him the strength he needs to keep pushing forward. Perhaps that’s all he needed to hold for just a little bit longer.
Cayden nodded. “Very well, lead the way.”
“Aronus, I need your light, please help…” she pleaded.
The orb that had guided them before, reemerged, showing the way for them, as they journeyed farther and farther down. Above them, she could hear the ground trembling. There was no doubt they were running out of time, and if she didn’t do something quickly, they were not only going to lose the dragon, but the whole of Caelestis.
As they approached the larger cavern, the smell of damp dirt grew stronger. Astrid could sense they were close.
Emerging to the beast’s lair, he lifted his tired head, yellow, cat-like eyes watching their every movement.
; “So, you’ve returned?” he asked, blinking weakly, then laying his head down.
Astrid nodded. “Yes, I’ve come to tell you that help is on the way.”
“Help? There is no help for me,” Xolderan said, closing his eyes, his breathing heavy as if every inhale was difficult.
“I promise you; we have help. You just need to hold on a bit longer.”
“I will not,” he said. “I have suffered my entire life for something I did many centuries ago. Even now as I lay dying, I still have to help the kingdom of Caelestis? Why? What’s in it for me? A longer life of service? Or death?”
She shook her head. “No, the Grand Vizier petitions for your release, you just have to stay strong.”
Around them the entire mountain started to tremble. “Do you feel that? That is me, sucking what life force I can from the mountain so that I can keep Caelestis afloat. Your time is limited,” he said, his eyes flashing dark. “If I am not freed, I will do what I must to survive, even if it means that I allow Caelestis to fall.”
Astrid nodded. “I understand.”
With that, her and Cayden turned back. It was clear they needed to return to the Vizier and urge him to speed things along if possible.
“I promise we will do all that we can, so that your health and freedom are restored.”
He nodded. “I’ll hold you to it.”
They left the cave, following Aronus’s light out and hurrying quickly through the tunnels until they reached the surface.
33
Svana
There is great evil in the world, but there is also great good. As long as one believes in the purity and sincerity of magic, there will always be good. It is when that magic is abused that evil wins. Always take care with magic then, children. If you take care of it, it will take care of you.
Eonnueth, The Clever, Sixth Dragon Elder, Seventh Age of Verdil
Svana rubbed her temple. She was growing greatly discouraged. There would be no way for them to break free from their prison without the help of a certain kind of magic. The kind of magic that Hekla was capable of with her dragon, Speltus. They had been able to accomplish insurmountable things, and even as Svana thought that, she wished she could send word to her sister.
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