Legacy of Dragonwand- Book III

by Daniel Peyton

  Markus was hit right in the back and tumbled over and over on his side as he was being blasted by the constant stream of dark energy. Hallond’s fierce rage was unrelenting. When the dark fire stopped and the agony was over, Markus lay prostrate the ground. But not as a dragon anymore, as a person; his staff at his side. He was hurt badly and had little strength left to even consider fighting.

  ***

  Hallond tried to fly toward Markus. Even with a broken wing he got up into the air. But this body was too far gone. He hit the ground and his body burst into a cloud of black dust upon impact. When the dust settled, Hallond had transformed back into his human form as well. The king’s old body was fully dead, only the tiny amount of magical energy from the enhancement potion was left to give him the strength to finish. Hallond used his hands to claw himself across the ground, dragging the dead body toward Markus. All the while an unholy energy emanated from his eyes and mouth as he prepared for the spell that would pass the souls across. He was nearly dead, but he had won.

  Markus fought to open his eyes, the pain was so great. Then a shadow fell across him and he saw the face of his enemy looming. He knelt beside Markus and thick black smoke began to pour forth from his orifices. “Tolen, you damned old fool. It all comes down to this. A fitting demise. Your own heir will be my vessel.”

  ***

  Markus’ sight was blinded as the black smoke streamed into him and tore his soul from his very being. It was a cold, odd, slightly painful experience that was nothing like Markus had expected. In the dark shadows of this little realm created between them, he saw the real Hallond standing before him; an ancient wizard with a long beard, wrinkled skin, and a sneer embedded into his face. He reached out and grasped Markus’ chest in this dream world. Markus gritted his teeth and grabbed Hallond’s arm to stop him. It was as though he had no strength here, for Hallond’s frail old arm was like an iron rod against him. Markus struggled and could feel his end nearing. Wait, he thought. He recalled his last lesson from Tolen; the last words spoken. “Tolen, help me, please, Tolen,” he whispered, speaking to the last shard of Tolen that remained inside of him. He gasped out the words with all the strength he could muster.

  Hallond laughed, and his voice echoed with an icy tone. “How pathetic, calling to a long dead ancestor.”

  “So, you want to hurt my grandson,” a voice boomed from the darkness.

  “WHAT!” Hallond screamed.

  Suddenly, the visage of Tolen stood in front of Markus and pushed Hallond back, as he retained his vice grip on Markus’ shirt.

  “TOLEN…NO...IT CANNOT BE!” Hallond yelled.

  Tolen snatched Hallond’s arm and pulled it free from Markus’ chest. He tossed the old wizard down and smiled victoriously. “We really should finish what we started, Betrayer. You’ve lived long enough. It’s time for you to leave this world.” Tolen’s essence raced right at Hallond and both souls seemed to intermix; one a light white gold hue, and the other a dark mist.

  Markus held out his hand toward the battling spirits. He knew this was the last piece of Tolen left in him, and it was leaving him for good. “Don’t…go,” Markus said weakly. The two souls got further and further away from him in the darkness.

  Markus opened his eyes in the real world and gasped in a fresh breath of air. He realized that his soul had returned to his body. Next to him, still on his knees, was Hallond. He looked dead. Just as Markus was about to nudge him, his eyes opened with a shot. “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” Hallond leaned back, arms raised over his head as if he was trying to rip something off of it. His eyes shifted between dark shadow and bright light. His skin wrinkled, growing older by the second as his hair withered away. “NOOOOOO!AAAAAHH!” Hallond screamed and the brightness in him won over the darkness. He opened his eyes and mouth with a beam of light exploding upward into the sky like a beacon. It was so bright Markus had to cover his face to block it from blinding him. In the middle of the light, a dark shadow lifted up and was tossed away, lost to this world for all eternity.

  Then, the king’s body turned and looked at Markus. The old man was smiling. “My grandson. I’m so proud of you.” He reached out and took Markus by the hand. “It is a new day. The new age of the Dragons has begun. Live, love, grow. Be happy always.” With that, the last lingering essence of life faded from the king’s old, broken body and he slumped onto the ground, finally allowed to rest in peace.

  Markus broke down into tears, wailing. Hallond was finally gone, but so was Tolen. A man he had never met before this adventure started, yet now he felt like a friend he had known his whole life.

  ***

  The Golem forces were unstoppable. Few were destroyed and more seemed to step around every corner. Crystal and her parents fought hard, but they were backed into a corner and the approaching armies gathered against them.

  Shio shoved his wife out of the way just as an energy blast hit him and slammed him into the wall. He fell to the ground and then held his chest where the energy met his fur.

  Crystal screamed, “DADDY!” and then thrust her wand out. “HRINDA STORR!” The spell boomed out, demonstrating a new level of power bursting forth from this young wizard. A huge field of magic hit the approaching army and threw the nearest golems into those behind them and all went flying backwards. The courtyard was littered with piles of stones. It seemed they had defeated this army.

  It took a moment for Crystal to settle down from her outburst. Her hand gripped the wand so hard it hurt her palm. Once she finally took a breath she came down next to her fallen father. “Daddy!”

  He coughed and smiled at her. “It’s okay, honey, I think I’m going to be alright. Just winded me. Your daddy is tougher than a pile of stones.”

  Crystal stroked his head. “Don’t worry, I know some good healing charms and...”

  Clattering and rumbling caught their attention in the distance as the stones rolled across the ground. In moments, several golems regained their forms. Dozens at first, then hundreds stood in unison, their arms extended.

  “Apparently this spell has a failsafe,” Shio said. “Once defeated, they reform a regroup.”

  “Look out!” Fiona suddenly shoved her daughter down and cast a spell over them. The golems had regrouped and were showering the family with a barrage of red energy blasts. “They can’t be stopped.” Fiona exclaimed, as she fought to maintain the barrier against all the abuse it was receiving.

  Shio held up his wand and strengthened her shield, which made it grow larger. Hundreds of wizards joined in and the shield grew larger and larger, until becoming so massive that it cut Thendor in two. Thousands of red energy bolts littered the surface of the shield; the glowing red explosions were so great that no one could even see through it. The harder the golems fought, the more pain the wizards felt.

  “This could not last forever,” Fiona said.

  Shio looked down to his terrified daughter. “Whatever happens, I love you.”

  Crystal bawled as she held her wand up. “This cannot be it. Markus can’t lose. I just got you back.” All she could believe was that Markus had failed.

  Then the silence came. The rain of red energy abruptly stopped and the cacophony of explosions faded.

  “Honey, look!” Fiona lowered her wand and stood up. “The golems...”

  The other wizards hesitantly followed, lowering their wands and dismantling the barrier they had created. No one moved. At any moment they were certain something would happen.

  Shio looked around at the unmoving enemy. “They’ve stopped.”

  Just then, the statues filling the City of Thendor began to make terrible shrieking sounds and shake. It was as if a small voice inside each one was crying out in terrible pain. The shrill screaming of the statues was deafening, especially to the Rakki who all held their ears firmly.

  Crystal yelled, “WHAT IS THAT?!”

  “I DON’T KNOW!” her mother yelled.

  An old lady pointed at the skies. “LOOK!”


  At once, in the distance, a beam of light erupted into the sky, breaking through the clouds and outshining the setting sun. At the same time, the golems began to explode into thousands of rocks. One by one they exploded and a mass of foul magical energy fell out of the rubble and faded into nothing.

  Crystal looked around at all the destroyed golems and listened for any further fighting. There was a cautious hush around the area, the silence of a battle won.

  Shio stepped up to a golem that had slumped, but not fallen over. He shoved it with his knee and it fell and smashed like a flimsy clay jar. “What...what just happened?”

  A Shlan wizard asked, “Did we win?”

  Crystal carefully and quietly stated, “I think he did it. I think Markus defeated Hallond.”

  Chapter 15: Recovery

  “You two, go help the Shlan,” Lord Kellus ordered as he waved a hand at two of his warriors. They bowed before hurrying off toward the Shlan district.

  Another pair of young warriors slid into view. “Lord Kellus!” they said in unison.

  “We finished building the make shift tents over the infirmary square,” one of them said. “It’ll keep any rain off of them while they work.”

  Kellus smiled at them, focusing most of his attention on the one who just spoke. “Thank you. Now, why don’t you go and help the Momar, they’re preparing food to feed everyone. I’m sure they can use a hand.”

  “Yes sire,” the boy replied. He nudged the other one and they quickly left him for the Momar estate, which was the least damaged.

  Norl came from another direction, bandages covering most of the left side of his chest. “My Lord. I’ve done as you asked. I found five couriers and sent messages to the other cities requesting aid.”

  “Good work. Now, why don’t you get some rest? You’re hurt.”

  “No, sir. You and I are leaders; our duty is to be strong and wise during times such as these.”

  A shlan approached Kellus and Norl, she bowed deeply to Kellus as was proper. “Wise asss alwaysss.”

  Norl smiled. “Thank you, Hssovk. I see that you escaped unharmed.”

  She opened her arms widely, showing deep burns across the insides of her forearms. “I wasss hit by explosion when those dragonsss fought. Fortunately, Shlan are quick healersss and can handle a burn better than human or Rakki. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Norl said.

  Hssovk looked to Kellus, and bowed again. “I came to thank you, my Lord.”

  “For what?” Kellus asked.

  Hssovk did not lift her head just yet. “I understand it wasss by your ordersss that the Rakki archersss help remove dead bodiesss. It isss not a pleasant task. With ssso many Royal Guard dead and our own housse guardsss executed, we had few aidsss at thisss time.”

  “It was the right thing to do,” Kellus quietly answered. He walked a few steps as he watched two of his soldiers carrying a body out of the city. Looking up at a distant hill outside of the city, he saw hundreds of white cloths, each concealing another dead body. “This is a lesson that all of Gallenor must learn and never forget.”

  “What would that be?” Norl asked.

  Kellus took in a deep breath and let it out, calming his urge to weep over the sheer numbers of slain people on that hill. The small cloths were the hardest to see. “It was the right thing to do. It was also the hardest choice to make. It was uncomfortable, but right. Had we stood up against all the wrong that permeated this land these past four years, this day would never have come. We chose the easy path of letting others make our choices. The real choice was to do what was right or what was easy.”

  Norl watched another pair of soldiers walk by, carrying one of their own. Their faces were stoic, but the weight in their hearts could be felt at a distance. “How did we let this happen? How could we have been so easily manipulated?”

  “Sso many died,” Hssovk said. “Sso many paid a heavy price for what we, the leadersss of thiss land, did not do.”

  Kellus let out another shaky breath. “That is why we cannot let this lesson fade into the history books. The cost for learning this lesson was far too high.”

  ***

  Crystal cast a healing charm and mended a broken leg. The man was a mess with blood and had dirt all over him, but he was healed. “You can go.”

  The man got up and stiffly walked for a moment, “Thanks.” The residual pain faded quickly.

  “Honey, that was perfect. You’ve been studying. You’ll be a fine surgical wizard in no time. Even rival me one day, no?” Shio hugged his daughter.

  “Is that why you’re so popular?” Crystal asked.

  Shio smiled widely and then ran off when another doctor was frantically waving at him.

  Crystal walked over to another patient, a little girl crying loudly with her arm held against her. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll help. Please, hold still.” Crystal cast a detection charm and saw that this girl’s wrist had been broken in three places. “This will not hurt, but you cannot move.” She cast her spell and the bones healed instantly. She hadn’t used this wand much for healing yet, but its great power sped up her work nicely. Unfortunately, the child was still bawling. Crystal held her now healed arm. “It’s better. Please stop crying. It’s better.”

  The child sniffed and held out her arm, considering it. “It does feel better.” She gave Crystal a big hug and then jumped down to find her mother, who was brought in with a terrible concussion.

  Looking up, Crystal saw a smile on her mother’s face from across the outdoor infirmary. She had dreamed of this day for so long it didn’t feel real. She was working with her parents healing people. What could be better? Yet, there was a bittersweet taste to it. So many dead bodies had already passed this outdoor infirmary; so many people were in serious condition with many more presumably on the way. Their work was far from over.

  Suddenly, she saw a shadow fly over the cloth tent protecting them in here. Crystal dashed to the edge of the tent and held onto a pole as she scanned the skies. To her dismay, it was merely a low cloud that had drifted passed.

  Fiona came to her daughter. “Honey, what are you doing?”

  Crystal softly answered. “He hasn’t returned yet.”

  “I know you’re worried about this boy of yours, but there are a lot of people in need. You must stay focused.”

  Crystal sighed heavily. “If I just knew that he was still alive and safe.”

  “If anyone finds him, you’ll be the first to know. I promise.”

  Crystal knew the problem: neither Fiona nor Shio fully grasped that Markus was the dragon they witnessed fighting over Thendor. If they had, surely they’d feel differently.

  Just then a soldier approached. “Are you medical wizards?”

  “Yes,” Fiona answered.

  “We have a few injured in the streets that we are afraid to move,” the soldier said. “Could you come and check on them?”

  “Is there a problem?” Shio asked, wiping his hands after his last job.

  “We need to go and check on patients in the streets they are afraid to move,” Fiona answered.

  “Alright. Let’s go,” Shio said. He smiled at his daughter. “All three of us.”

  Crystal couldn’t help but smile back. Together, the entire family left to find victims in need of help.

  ***

  Kiin’s arm was broken by a golem, but she placed a splint around it and did her best to help out. Though she was surrounded by people helping other people, she couldn’t find Crystal or Treb; a frightening reality indeed. She walked down a path that led back to the main square as she searched for either her husband or adopted daughter.

  To her great relief, she saw her husband standing over a pile of broken golems. He yanked hard on his sword that was still jammed into a large rock. There were a few singed areas of fur and some blood on him, but he looked like he was in good condition after all was said and done.

&
nbsp; She broke into a run quickly closing the distance between them and put her good arm around his and hugged him. “Oh, Treb.” There were real tears in her eyes, though she did not cry.

  Treb let go of his sword for a second and hugged her back. “Kiin, I was worried when Crystal couldn’t find you.”

  Kiin, still holding her man as best as she could, looked up with a smile on her face. “You’ve seen Crystal?”

  He nodded and put both hands firmly on the handle of his sword. He let out a deep grunt as he both said, “Yes,” and finally freed his sword from the golem he had last thrust it into. The motion nearly knocked over Kiin but he caught her. He didn’t set her back up, but instead, leaned her against him, hugging her with one arm. Resting his head on top of hers, he took in a deep whiff, enjoying her scent. “I was afraid you had…well…you know…died.” He was trying to sound manly without giving off the insecurity that came with the idea of her death.

  Kiin rubbed her head up against his muscular arm. “Not today.”

  Treb looked at his wife and just noticing the splint on her arm. “You’re hurt!”

  “Just my arm. I need a doctor to look at it, or a wizard, but everyone’s so busy.”

  Treb walked her away from the piles of golems. “Come, Crystal went this way to help out with the make-shift infirmary the other wizards set up.”

  Kiin was still nuzzling his arm. “Where?”

  Treb was rather enjoying her loving right now. “Down that way. A block down that road and to the left. There’s a little park they set up as the infirmary.”

  Kiin stepped away from him. “Good. I’ll go, you see if you can help out. They’re still digging bodies out of this mess.”

  Treb tucked his sword into his belt and nodded to her. “I will. I think I’ll see if I can find Donna. I hope she’s alright.”