Choice (Majaos Book 3)

by Gary Stringer

  This was it. She told her superiors in her Order that this was the sign she had been waiting for. A sign from Patrelaux himself. They understood her calling and gave her leave to re-enter the world, pausing only to offer a prayer to Patrelaux to thank him and ask him to guide her feet. A pity they hadn’t known she was a dragon or they could have asked him to guide her wings as well.

  Eilidh reminded her of Ellie. Even the name was similar. In fact, for a moment, when Hannah first spoke of her, Callie misheard it as `Ellie`. Even when she realised her mistake, she found that she could not turn away. Perhaps helping this Eilidh would help her to atone for abandoning Ellie.

  Only she'd done it again.

  After the events at Marina Fells Mine, she left her new human friend and hooked up with Loric to live on a dragon timescale once more. She was almost sure she'd called out, “I'll be right back!” and heard the reply, “See you later!” Just like when she flew away from Ellie. Now she was paying the price.

  “And quite honestly,” she told herself in despair. “I deserve it!”

  * * * * * Phaer woke with a start to find a large man towering over his bed - a man Phaer knew to be a dragon. The fabled Black Dragon of Avidon, otherwise known as the obsidian called Loric. The half-elf groaned at the rude awakening. For once he had actually been asleep - truly asleep, not just passed out.

  And this great lummox has to come back just at this moment, he grumbled to himself, inwardly.

  “You're back, then,” the ranger observed.

  “Obviously.”

  Phaer raised an eyebrow. “In as good a mood as ever, I see,” he noted, dryly.

  “I could easily get in a bad one.”

  “Well, have you passed your exams?”

  “Three out of five segments of the Penta Drauka. Done.”

  “And the dragon healer?”

  “Ready and waiting. Just got to get Callie to him.”

  “Which means fighting past the dragon predator,” Phaer concluded.

  “Right.” It was strange: Phaer felt a wave of energy wash over him and suddenly fatigue left him. His skin still looked bad, but there was no discomfort. No headaches assailed his mind. No mist or fog veiled his senses. He felt sharp and ready for anything. In one fluid movement, he threw off the bedcover, rolled over to the left, slipping his feet into his soft boots whilst simultaneously his hands found the hilts of his short swords where he had left them the night before. Rolling back over the other side of the bed, the swords found their scabbards and he was off and running, slipping his bow and quiver over his shoulder as he went. He rushed through the canvas flap of the caravan and jumped lightly to the ground, scaring his Knight guard half to death and rebounding immediately to continue his run, uninterrupted. Phaer glanced behind him to see a rather bewildered-looking Loric standing flat-footed at the caravan entrance and the Knight guard torn between escorting the dragon man through the camp and running after their half-elven guest.

  Phaer made the choice for him, calling for somebody to sound the alarm. The call to arms spread like wildfire and in a few heartbeats, the camp was a flurry of activity. Orders were given and carried out, fires were doused, tents were dismantled and caravans made ready to move. Everywhere there were Knights running, leaving Loric and the Knight guard little choice but to follow suit, racing after the now distant ranger.

  Phaer skidded to a halt outside the command tent, respect for the Supreme Knight Commander's authority making him pause and request an audience. Well, respect and the presence of the quad of Knights who flanked the entrance as his personal bodyguards. Honoured guest or not, there was no way they were going to allow anyone to just barge in.

  “Let Phaer pass,” commanded Sir Marcus Braithwaite's voice from within, “and Loric, too.”

  Phaer bowed slightly as the guards moved aside, and Loric just caught up as he stepped through the open tent flap. Lady Air was just putting the finishing touches to Sir Marcus' armour when their guests walked in. Air stepped back to admire her handiwork and to admire also the man who had captured the heart of a dragon. Ah, but he was handsome! His proud demeanour and his bushy, curly moustache gave him the bearing of Knight Heroes of old, but there was another side to him that was intelligent, free-thinking and forward-looking. He was the very model of a modern Knightly general. Knight Heroes of old were two a penny, as far as Air was concerned. She had seen them come and go, and while they had merit, to be sure, never had there been one to match her husband.

  Marriage. That was an interesting concept, she considered. A symbolised union of love. `’Ti l death do us part` said the vows - an expression that was meaningless to most dragons who simply lived in this world as long as they chose to and then moved on to the next when they got bored. Afterlife was taken as fact in draconic culture. Human lives were so fleeting and Air had learned that even the most devout religious ones held doubts about anything after the death of the body. In that context, then, `’Til death do us part` was the most profound vow any human could possibly make, or so it seemed to Air.

  She was terrified of losing Marcus - in battle with an enemy or battle with time made no difference to her, though it probably did to him. She knew it would happen soon - in the blink of a dragon's eye - but that brevity made her love for him burn all the more fiercely. Matching, she knew, his for her, which she felt pierce her heart with every glance, every stare from his magnificent eyes. That was a good analogy for human life, Air considered. Humans lived so fleetingly, and yet they were somehow more fiercely alive than any other race. That's what she had learned from Marcus - it wasn't the time one lived that mattered, but the kind of life lived for whatever time it may last. There were many things humans would do well to learn from other races, but in this she believed they were the teachers.

  Laid out on a table before Sir Marcus was a large map of the area in which lay the entrance to the Fire Realm. Phaer seized on it immediately. “Ah, excellent, sir! Exactly what we need!” He was talking very fast, body language highly animated. He hoped it came over as confidence and eagerness to be about to initiate action after all the waiting around. In reality, he could feel the buzzing at the back of his mind that he knew was just gathering itself to explode in a blaze of pain. He couldn't let them see it this time. Otherwise they would sideline him for his own safety. But he was beyond thoughts of personal safety. His condition was going to kill him and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Before that happened, he was determined to undo some of the damage his people had done to the natural order: A dragon predator had no place in this world.

  Phaer spun the map around 180 degrees so it was the right way up for him, and upside down for the leader of the Knights. “Now obviously,” he continued, “we don't know exactly where the magical barrier is, because it's invisible and the terrain is pretty devoid of markers. But let's just say, for instance, it's about here.” He pointed to an area roughly in the centre of the map. He paused to ask, “Has anybody got a pen?”

  One was produced - he didn't really notice who it was who gave it to him - he just drew a circle where he had previously indicated.

  “Where does the nearest Corridor exit?” Phaer asked. Air indicated a point to the South East.

  “Good. Now, Loric, will you feel the pull as soon as you exit the Corridor?”

  “Should do,” he replied. “I can feel the general direction already, even from this distance. It seems to get stronger each time I pass a section of the Penta Drauka.”

  “I'll be there, too,” Air put in, “and I have a pretty good idea where it is.”

  “Will you need to actually go into the Fire Realm?”

  “Yes, we will," Air confirmed, nodding. "Remember, Fire doesn't know a thing about our plan to save Callie. I'll need to explain it to him.”

  “Right,” Phaer acknowledged. “Obviously, we need the sharpest eyes at the front…” he mused. “OK, here's the plan...”

  Phaer reminded the others that the dragon predator hated magic, so they wouldn't h
ave to worry about it hiding too close to the Corridor. “That means we have the element of surprise and should take full advantage. Loric and Air will go first and head straight for the Fire Realm at full speed. A small group of sharp-eyed Dragon Cavalry should go next to note where they disappear. It will be their job to carefully probe the perimeter of the barrier, giving a clear boundary to the main force of dragons who will be right behind them out of the Corridor, ready to intercept the predator if necessary. Having this clear boundary marked out should prevent nasty accidents due to flying into the barrier at high speed.”

  Air and Loric winced at that thought. The ranger recommended that as far as possible, the main dragon force should have riders. An extra pair of eyes could be crucial in spotting the dragon predator before it was too late. It would be invisible until the moment of its attack, so they wouldn't have much warning.

  “I've seen your Dragon Cavalry work well in organised groups in close formation. They'll need all their skill and training to avoid getting caught by the creature without suffering mid-air collisions with other dragons. Maintaining order is vital. Remember, the point is to distract the creature, not to kill it. We want to avoid casualties we've got enough to handle with the one casualty we've already got.”

  In order to keep the creature's attention relatively safely, Phaer knew they would have to threaten it with quick, darting strikes, glancing blows, hit and run. “It’s absolutely crucial that nobody uses magic, and no lightning breath, either,” he reminded them. “There's no telling how much damage you could do to yourself and your comrades with that. Teleporting is OK and Haste, too.” Loric had seen the ill-fated red dragon use those effectively. “I'm no magic expert obviously, so I can't give a definitive list. All I'd say is: avoid any spell that could have a negative effect if you reversed it. Extra strength might get reflected and sap yours from your body instead. It's not worth the risk. Tooth and claw, movement and teamwork are safe and reliable.

  “Behind the dragons, out of the Corridor, should come the regular Cavalry. They will be carrying the empty bier to the barrier.”

  They wouldn't feel the barrier at ground level, but they would know where it was, thanks to the Dragon Scouts marking out its perimeter.

  “I suggest they stay a short distance from the barrier itself, initially, away from the dragons. That way they and the bier will be safe. The dragon predator won't even notice them.” They would bring the bier closer when it was needed - they would have plenty of warning. Finally, the infantry would emerge and patrol the area for any other threats: chaos creatures or regular animal predators.

  “All threats must be eliminated to make sure no random element can interfere with the operation.” Phaer insisted. “At some point, Loric and Air will emerge with Callie -how will you get her out, Air?”

  “Levitation,” Air replied. “If Fire and I work together and really concentrate, we should be able to keep her flat and immobile until we get her onto the bier.” “That's fine. At that point, then, it will be up to the Dragon Scouts to protect Callie, in case the dragon predator suddenly decides to go for easier prey and breaks through the main dragon force. The cavalry riders will be in position to secure Callie to the bier, and as soon as that's done, they will remount and the cavalry horses will take up their precious burden.”

  “I can lighten their load,” Air volunteered. “I may not have the power to fully levitate Callie by myself, but I can use the same magic at a lower level to make her weigh less.”

  “That'll be a big help,” Phaer agreed. In the end, if all went to plan, Loric, Air, and Callie would enter the Corridor with the cavalry and end up at the aquatic kingdom. When the Knights were relieved of their burden, they would return by Corridor to the base camp, but only after allowing plenty of time for the main dragon force to break off their harassment of the dragon predator and get to the Corridor as fast as they could fly.

  The camp would need to be completely clear for their return, because Corridors preserved momentum: if the dragons entered at high speed, they would exit at the same velocity. “We don't want to risk anybody getting in their way at this end,” Phaer advised. “With all the dragons gone, the dragon predator will no longer be a threat to us, and the infantry should be able to make a tactical withdrawal back through the Corridor. It doesn't matter if some chaos creatures follow them - better to fight them here where you can use your Dragon Cavalry safely.

  “Sir Marcus, I'll leave it to you to organise the details of any battle that happens here after the rescue.”

  “I'm glad you left me somethingto do,” Marcus remarked.

  Chapter 11

  It all started so well. Loric and Air exited the Corridor at pace, a handful of Dragon Scouts close behind. Ignoring any other concerns, Loric followed the pull of the Penta Drauka magic and the others, in turn, followed him. Without incident, flying straight as a pair of arrows, Loric and Air reached the invisible barrier that would take them into the Fire Realm. As the scouts watched, the two lead dragons began to shimmer, indicating that they had crossed over. A moment later, they disappeared from view and the scouts carefully probed the area until they found the invisible wall that kept them on the outside. Four of them circled sunwise at a medium height, while the other climbed to the top of the barrier, to mark out that third dimension.

  The main Dragon Cavalry force emerged in two waves, quickly establishing a defensive lattice formation, covering a wide area, while allowing each individual dragon sufficient personal space in all directions to manoeuvre in case of any attack.

  The regular Knight Cavalry divisions emerged next, slowly and steadily carrying Callie's bier to where the Dragon Scouts guarded the barrier. Infantry came last, splitting into smaller units to comb the area for any hidden dangers. They were many leagues from any civilisation and this place had no strategic military value, so all they had to contend with were a few stray chaos creatures and the occasional rattlesnake.

  It was the middle of the desert: barren, dry, and deathly quiet - too quiet. Even the desert supported some kind of life. Perhaps not thriving, maybe just barely clinging on, but alive nonetheless. Something around here had the local wildlife terrified enough to stay absolutely silent, hidden and still. They knew what that something was, they knew it was there somewhere, but where?

  Sir Marcus called Phaer over. “Any ideas, Phaer?”

  The ranger was troubled, and not just by his latest splitting headache. “I don't know. I don't like it.”

  “I wish it would just attack,” said the Knight leader.

  “No, sir,” Phaer contradicted, “you really don't.”

  “Yes I do,” Marcus insisted. “At least we'd know where it was then, and be able to fight it. Waiting for it to strike is worse.”

  “I think you might change your mind when you see it, sir.” “What do you mean?” protested Sir Stefan Argall, the Knight Commander who acted as Sir Marcus' right hand man on the battlefield. It was his job to relay all orders by means of the hunting horn. “You haven't seen it, either.”

  Phaer opened his mouth to refute that ridiculous assertion, but stopped himself, when he realised the Knight was technically correct. Still, Phaer knew what it looked like. He could see it in his mind as clearly as he could remember Eilidh's face. He didn't understand how he knew, but he did. More than once, Bunny had warned him not to get so caught up with what was going on in his own mind that he forgot to pay adequate attention to the world outside. In this case, though, he was absolutely, irrationally certain the image in his mind was accurate. He wasn't sure which terrified him more: the image itself or the possession of knowledge that was not his own.

  “Strategically,” Sir Marcus reasoned, “the key is the Corridor. If I were an opposing army in this position, I would attack the Corridor entrance. Our forces will ultimately have to converge on that point and our numbers could be nullified. Therefore it is important to keep a tactical reserve guarding that position.”

  “With respect, sir,” Phaer returne
d, rubbing his temples, into which invisible needles were currently being inserted, “your army of Knights is magnificently irrelevant to what's out there. It's your dragons who are its enemy. You're not dealing with an army here; what you're fighting isn't sentient. It doesn't know anything about Corridor entrances - it just has a natural aversion to magic and therefore won't go anywhere near it if it doesn’t have to. It doesn't think in terms of strategy. Well, it doesn't think at all, per se. It simply reacts on instinct, a predatory instinct. Like any predator, it's stalking its prey, observing it, picking out a target that seems weaker, more vulnerable than the others. Ideally, a target that is somehow alone, separated from the group. When the conditions are right, when the odds arestacked in its favour, it will attack.”

  * * * * * Air watched with pride as Loric flew by her side, matching her stroke for stroke. He had learned quickly. He wasn't thinking about his flying now, of course, his mind fully focussed on rescuing Callie. It was interesting that his wings now beat with a natural steady rhythm when his mind wasn't getting in the way.

  They approached the volcanic area that lay at the heart of the Fire Realm. The heat was stifling and borderline uncomfortable, even for a dragon. Of course, red, ruby and gold dragons thrived in extreme heat and the Elder Dragon of Fire equally so.