by Jason Wilcox
“Hold it!” James barked from the side, while aiming his gun at the monster.
A blow hit the back of Caden’s head, but he held on. The tough scaly skin under his hands helped Caden keep his grip. Two more blows came. The second was particularly hard, causing Caden to black out for a moment and fall from the dragon.
“Wake up Mauldrin. If you’re even Mauldrin!” the deep voice roared.
After blinking a couple of times, Caden could see the dragon standing over him, nostrils flaring. The odd-looking robotic men circled him, one of them had James disarmed and pinned to the ground. Another held Caden’s arms behind his back and kept him contained on the ground.
Caden tried to pull away but couldn’t. The dragon drew closer.
“Now,” the dragon’s voice roared and shook the ground. “Explain yourself. And if you attack me again, I’ll allow my men to kill you and your friend.”
“Domblin killed my wife, and you helped him, didn’t you dragon?” Caden clenched his fists as he spoke. Gaps between the odd humanoids gave Caden a view of the soldiers that James led. All of them were contained, and their guns seized.
Looking at the others circled around him, Caden noticed one had taken his helmet off. He was surprised to find that it was just a human buried under the armor and electronics. The man was broad and tall, as all of them were.
“Dragon?” the dragon backed up and snapped, his sharp teeth gnashing. “I’m no mindless dragon. They’re filthy, evil creatures. I’m a guardian. And Domblin and I did no such thing! He felt terrible for the loss of your wife. He blamed himself for not getting there sooner to stop her death. Do not blame such horrendous acts on the man that gave himself up to keep you safe and protected.”
James tried to say something, but one of the robotic humanoids covered his mouth.
“You lie!” Caden pulled forward and got to his knees. “Others have told me about Domblin and his wicked ways.”
“Others?” The Guardian narrowed his eyes. “What others?”
“Azgiel for one.” Caden knew that was about the only one he had, but it was good enough. Azgiel had proven himself to Caden.
“AZGIEL?” The Guardian growled and showed his teeth. “Do you serve such evil now? Is that why you help a dark soul and show signs that you may not be fully human any longer?”
“I don’t serve him. I don’t serve anyone.” Caden stared the Guardian in the eyes. “But I would if he asked. He’s done more for me than most others. He even came close to dying while trying to save me.” His heart beat hard. He pushed against the metal arms that held him, squirming and pushing to get to the guardian.
“You’ve sold your soul!” The Guardian’s deep blue eyes grew heavy and he looked down. “You’re tainted and useless to us now.”
“I’m not tainted!” Caden’s anger began building again. How dare the Guardian call Azgiel and me evil! He threw himself backwards and hit the person holding him, trying to jerk away. Instead, he was slammed to the ground.
The Guardian chuckled and moved into Caden’s face. “Let me be very clear so there can be no more confusion. Azgiel is evil. If he’s appeared to help you in any way, he would’ve done it for a manipulative reason and would kill you in the end. He’s full of lies and deceitfulness, and if you chose him, then we shall dispose of you now.”
Caden gave the Guardian a glare. He tried to push up to get his face out of the dirt so he could breathe, but it only caused him to be pushed harder into the dirt.
“Domblin on the other hand…” the Guardian paused and let out a sigh, pulling back from Caden. “He has sacrificed much for you. Years in prison just to keep you a secret during the years you grew into a man. Now he is held in Triaad’s castle where he has been since the night you disappeared. He allowed himself to be caught that night to keep you a secret. I sent a small team to get you the next day, but you were gone. The only clue we had was information given to us that you had run off with Azgiel. Then we got another report that you started a fight with the dark souls, killing all in the cave and that was the last you were seen.”
“You’re a liar,” Caden said while he glared at the Guardian. He squirmed, and the man holding him let him up a little. “Azgiel proved himself. He fought for me and killed dark souls just to keep me alive. You, on the other hand, you’re holding all of us against our wills, treating us like prisoners. How can I trust you? What’s your proof? I saw you talk to Domblin, and as far as I can tell, Domblin left me for dead and flew off with Triaad. I was told he did that for show, and that Triaad and he work together. The next morning, I found out that an army of dark souls were on their way to kill me and would’ve if it hadn’t been for Azgiel trying to save me. I watched Azgiel kill multiple dark souls to protect me. I never saw Domblin kill one.”
The Guardian began laughing. “Proof?” he chuckled more, and others joined in. More of the soldiers with the dragon took off their helmets. “Look around you Mauldrin.”
Stretching his neck, the Guardian stood up. The man holding Caden let him up but kept hold of his arm. The men that stood in front of him let him see, and the Guardian spoke up again. “I do believe we have killed a fair number of dark souls. If you’re going to measure someone by the number of dark souls they’ve killed, I would say we’re looking good, wouldn’t you agree?”
Caden looked over the massive amount of charred dark souls covering the ground. The lights from the hovering vehicles lit the area well. The Guardian had a point, but it was opposite everything Caden had come to believe. If Domblin and the Guardian were good, then that would make Azgiel and Kaz bad. His head started to hurt and it became a burden to try and make sense of everything.
“Azgiel blamed the death of my wife on Domblin,” Caden said softly. “So, if you guys didn’t do it, who did?”
Taking a step closer to Caden, the Guardian spoke up. “Our time was short when I talked to Domblin just before he was imprisoned by Triaad. Unfortunately, all he told me was some men killed her. I don’t have any further information for you.”
In the distance, Caden could barely make out a couple of lucky dark souls that had lived through the blast. They kept their distance and watched more than anything.
“Did he mention which humans?” Caden looked back to the Guardian, beginning to believe his story. “Did he know anything about where they came from?”
Taking a deep breath, the Guardian looked to the ground. “That was a couple of years ago.”
Caden dropped his defenses slightly. What if Azgiel had lied to me? Domblin seemed sincere after Bridget died. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling overwhelmed.
“But,” the Guardian added, “I do think he mentioned men that killed her being from the group overthrowing the government. But truly, I could be mixing up details. I had other things on my mind that night, like your safety. We had hope in you that you would be able to correct this mess and destroy Triaad. There is great power in you, and if you have chosen evil, we shall kill you now and be on our way.”
Caden stood there in silence. If the Guardian was right, that would mean Matt or the loose cannon that served under him, Justin, were the ones that killed Bridget. He thought back to different times Tagen had tried to tell him that Azgiel was bad. A sickening feeling began to build in his stomach, and he felt like throwing up. He didn’t know who to trust, and was beginning to feel he shouldn’t trust anyone.
A moan came from a couple feet away. Caden noticed Tagen opening one of his eyes as he let out a moan.
“Tagen!” Caden moved to him and picked him up.
The Guardian made a screeching growling noise. All the men around him drew weapons.
“Stop!” He was feeling lost, and Tagen was at least someone who had fought for him, one of the few he felt he could almost trust or call a friend. “He’s not like the others. He’s chosen to be my servant, to have me as his master.”
“I suggest you kill the thing. They’re all evil,” the Guardian growled.
“Not this one
.” Caden stood tall and pushed his shoulders back. “He belongs to me, and he will tell me the truth.”
“Or lies,” the Guardian growled. “If you’re looking to point a finger at someone for being a servant of Triaad’s, he is definitely a true servant of his.”
As the Guardian spoke, Caden could hear Tagen trying to say something. Pulling him closer, Caden spoke up, “What Tagen?”
“Young…ling,” Tagen’s voice was soft and spent, and his black oily blood dripped to the ground. Slowly he closed his eyes and went limp. Caden wasn’t sure what to do or what Tagen meant. Then it clicked.
Pushing past a couple of the broad humans, Caden made his way to the youngling that was cut in half. He lowered Tagen to the upper half of the youngling and gave him an arm to chew on.
“Eat, my friend.” Caden pushed the arm against Tagen’s mouth. Slowly, Tagen took a bite. After putting Tagen down, Caden turned back to the Guardian. James was still being held. “Let him go.”
“I don’t think you understand the severity of your situation.” The Guardian stepped up to him with two men on either side. “I’m trying to decide if you have become evil. If you have, I don’t plan on leaving any of you alive.”
Caden needed to stall the dragon. He needed to know if what the Guardian was saying was true. “How did you know where I was going to be?”
“I have spies all over. They came to the planet I was on, to let me know you had returned. With that news, I immediately came to get you.”
Tagen let out a small groan, and Caden turned to check on him. The dark soul’s wounds were starting to heal, and he bent down to him. “Tagen, I know you’re weak, but I have important questions for you, and you mustn’t lie to me. It’s a matter of life and death for both of us.”
Still chewing, Tagen nodded to show he understood.
“You’ve tried to tell me that Azgiel is against me and would want to kill me,” as Caden spoke, Tagen nodded yes. “What about Domblin? Is he with Triaad? Did he kill my wife?”
Tagen tried to speak, but ended up coughing instead. He swallowed and tried again. “Domblin…is…your follower. He…” his voice sputtered out and he cleared his throat. “Enemies with Triaad.”
Caden backed up slightly. “Then was it Triaad and you that murdered my wife?” He was prepared to kill Tagen if he said yes. It was Domblin serving under Triaad, but Tagen was there too. Didn’t Domblin chase the dark souls off?
“No. Stupid humans…kill her.” Tagen’s eyes rolled upwards and he closed them.
Bending down to be close to Tagen again, Caden put more dark soul flesh by his mouth to help him rebuild his strength.
“So, your dark friend at least can speak some truth.” The Guardian stepped over to stand next to them. “He may not be as bad as I thought.”
“He’s come around since I found him,” Caden said, feeling deflated. So much that he had known was lies. “I trust him for the most part. He’s saved my life more times than I’d like to admit.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I had no idea a dark soul could do good acts.” The Guardian sat down with a loud thump. “Tell me Mauldrin, why do you look the way you do? What happened to you?”
“The dark souls caught me and were trying to turn me into one of them.” He held up his hands, showing the blackened veins and fingernails. “I was rescued by something before I became one, but now I’m stuck like this.”
The Guardian chuckled again and looked more relaxed as he slumped down on his front legs. “It’s time to show you who you really are and help you get your power back. Come with us, help us overthrow Triaad and get Domblin back. Lead the people that have been waiting for you for too long.”
Caden took a breath while rubbing his head. “How about first you let my friend James go, along with the other soldiers.”
The Guardian said something in a language Caden had never heard, and the man holding James let him go. James joined Caden and stayed back from everyone. The man that let him go said something in the language the Guardian spoke.
“What language is that? What are you saying?” James sounded upset. “Who are you? I shouldn’t have trusted you when you asked for Caden.”
“My name is long and unable to be pronounced by the human tongue, but you can call me Clovis, my human name,” the Guardian said. “The soldiers and I come from a planet known as Earth. We were speaking a language called English, that’s why you couldn’t understand us. We’re part of Mauldrin’s army, or as you like to call him, Caden. We have been awaiting his return for many years to take his place as our powerful king. The soldiers are a special unit called the Knuckle Draggers, even though that doesn’t sound right in your language. They are the best of the best, trained to kill practically anything.”
“The Knuckle Draggers.” Caden smiled. “I like their name.” He chose to ignore the other information, feeling overwhelmed and unqualified to be a powerful king.
“Are they with you or not?” James said softly. “I’m very confused.”
“It appears that way,” Caden said hesitantly. He still wasn’t sure who was good, bad, with him, or against him. But the Guardian was right, at this point Caden really couldn’t judge who was good and bad by the level of protection they had offered him.
“Mauldrin, we don’t have much time. We need to go. I can answer more questions on our hover ship.” Clovis, the Guardian, looked at James and the other soldiers. “We can give these men a ride home so you don’t need to worry about anything. Will you join us?”
There were so many questions Caden had before he would join anyone. However, if they were leaving, he didn’t want to lose his chance to ask questions. “I’ll go with you if you’re giving rides home, so I can get more information from you.”
“So be it.” Clovis gave what looked like a smile, his facial scales moving. He turned towards the Knuckle Draggers and spoke the foreign language again. The men moved into action. Putting helmets back on, the men looked like robots again, and everyone began making their way to the hover ships. Caden, after picking up Tagen, followed Clovis as they boarded the middle of the three vessels. James was right behind them.
“Stop,” Clovis ordered James as they arrived at the boarding platform. “Go with your men on the other ships.” His white scales glistened in the spotlights of the vehicles.
“Oh.” James looked a little startled by Clovis’s response. “Yes, that might be a good idea.” His words seemed empty as if he was disappointed by not getting to ride with Clovis and Caden. Without argument, he turned and walked to the closer vessel where a number of his soldiers lined up waiting for directions.
“Come Mauldrin, come inside,” Clovis spoke more softly than before. “Take a seat. We’ll talk once we get to our destination.” After he finished speaking, he walked off, his tail the last thing Caden saw before the dragon disappeared around a corner.
Tagen was a mess. He lay on the metal bench Caden sat on. His eyes were open and wild, wounds covered his body but were slowly healing.
“How are you doing?” Caden said as he looked over the wounds.
“I’ll live.” Tagen closed his eyes and turned away.
The rest of the time was spent in silence. Knuckle Draggers sat around Caden with helmets off. Occasionally they would whisper to each other and almost all of them kept looking at Caden. He didn’t know how to take their looks. It was as if they were examining him, looking at the man they had been told would be their king and leader. The concept was too much to swallow, so Caden pushed it aside and tried to ignore their looks.
Not knowing how much time had gone by, Caden felt relieved when they came to a stop. The awkward silence made the ride feel like it took forever. They hadn’t even come to a complete stop before Clovis came around the corner.
“We need to prepare the gate,” Clovis spouted off as someone quickly opened the back door. With his long neck, the Guardian swung his head back to Caden. “Stay here, we have to prepare to return.”
“P
repare to return?” Caden spoke under his breath, feeling confused. He couldn’t understand where they were preparing to go. The last thing Clovis told him was they were going back to the base.
Once Clovis stepped off the craft, Caden quickly walked over to the ramp that led out. One of the Knuckle Draggers said something, but Caden couldn’t understand the language, so he ignored him. The metal of the ramp clanked as he walked halfway down.
Lights from the hovercrafts lit the area as if it were daytime. Just past the hovercraft was an enormous boulder. To the right was a towering pitch-black tree that swayed in the breeze with large branches that hung over the top of the rock. Two rocks about the size of humans were three feet from the massive boulder. Each of them had what looked to be ancient carvings. If Caden had to guess, he would say they were runes.
Clovis walked up to the two rocks and stood in the middle of them. From where Caden was perched on the ramp, he couldn’t see what was going on. He tried to be quiet as he stepped down into the dirt and walked to them. At first he was sneaky, but after a couple of the Knuckle Draggers and Clovis looked at him and did nothing, he grew more confident.
Reaching out his claws, Clovis ran one down the length of the right rock with the symbols. He then reached over to the other tall rock and did the same. Something moved in front of the Guardian, but Caden couldn’t tell what it was. Being cautious, he kept walking forward but moved slowly.
As he walked up, he saw a flat rock sitting in the ground that he hadn’t seen before. Glowing symbols covered the rough surface. The Guardian again put one of his large hands out and dragged a claw through a well-used slot that ran down the middle. Images in the stone began to glow with a green hue. Caden was done trying to be discrete. He quickly made his way to them and stepped next to Clovis.
“What are you doing here? I told you to stay in the ship,” Clovis asked.
“I wanted to see what you were doing. I’m confused by your comment that we have to prepare to return,” Caden took a breath after he expressed the words, hoping to build an argument of why he was there. “I mean, where are we? What are we doing here? I thought you said we were returning. You were going to take the soldiers and me back. This doesn’t look like we’re back to me.”