Frostborn: The Dragon Knight (Frostborn #14)

by Jonathan Moeller

  The formation had been damaged, a crack running down its center, and shards of crystal had fallen to the sandy floor. There was a crater in the center of the crystal, and Ridmark saw that a soulstone had been ripped free with great force.

  “That was it, wasn’t it?” said Ridmark. “That was where Tymandain got his soulstone.”

  “Yes,” said Ardrhythain. “He took it from this cavern and fled, and that soulstone now powers the world gate of the Frostborn. This is where it began.” He beckoned towards another archway on the far side of the cavern. “But, in truth, this war began long before any of us were born. Come with me, and I shall tell you the truth of our enemy.”

  “The shadow of Incariel,” said Calliande.

  “Yes,” said Ardrhythain. “The shadow that threatens us all.”

  They crossed the cavern of crystals and reached the entrance on the far wall. Beyond a narrow tunnel sloped into the earth, illuminated by clusters of crystals in the walls. Ardrhythain went first, the light from his staff flickering.

  “A long time ago,” said Ardrhythain, “long before this world was called into being or most of the physical universe was established, there was a war against God. Your own scriptures speak of it. The rebels were defeated and imprisoned either outside of reality or within various locations within the material universe. One of these rebels was called Incariel.”

  “A fallen angel,” said Calliande.

  “A demon,” said Ridmark.

  “Both terms are accurate, though not all-encompassing,” said Ardrhythain. “Suffice it to say, Incariel was an order of life different than our own, older and more powerful and far more intelligent. It is powerful enough that our natural reaction would be to worship it as a god, and indeed, that is how Incariel would prefer to see itself. It is wholly evil and past the point of redemption. Indeed, it is no longer even capable of repentance. To his last moment, Tymandain Shadowbearer had possessed the capacity to turn back from his path of evil, but he never did.”

  They walked in silence. The wind continued to whisper up the tunnel, tugging at Ridmark’s hair and gray cloak. Ardrhythain seemed lost in thought for a moment, but then he kept speaking.

  “At the moment of this world’s creation, Incariel was imprisoned here, within a physical location,” said Ardrhythain.

  “The Black Mountain,” said Calliande. Ridmark looked at her, and her face was tight with a grim realization. “That’s why it was sacred to the dark elves and the dvargir, isn’t it? Incariel is imprisoned within that mountain.”

  “Very good, Keeper,” said Ardrhythain. “To be more accurate, Incariel is imprisoned within a small universe that has no access to the rest of reality, and the anchor point for that prison in the material world is the Black Mountain. That is the reason why both Tymandain and Imaria opened their world gates on the slopes of the Black Mountain, but we shall return to that shortly. When this world was created, and Incariel imprisoned here, there were also seven Wells of magic created, Wells that drew upon the great power of the world’s own magic. The nearest of the Wells is located within the Citadel of Tarlion.”

  “Which is why the high elves built Cathair Tarlias and the Tower of the Moon,” said Calliande. “To protect the Well.”

  “Yes,” said Ardrhythain. “At first, the only inhabitants of this world were the dragons. They were older than this world, and they guarded both the Black Mountain and the Wells. In time, the elves arose, and the dragons departed, handing this world over to us. Before they did, they left their bones and the sword of the Dragon Knight to use for the defense of the world, since both contained great power. The bones we concealed within Dragonfall. The sword we kept, though we had no need of it, not at first.”

  “Why not?” said Ridmark.

  “Because there was no war among us,” said Ardrhythain. “Our civilization covered this world, and we developed our arts and sciences to the highest degree. We lived in power and splendor, but for some of us, it was not enough. They desired greater power, greater mastery, and dominion over other worlds beyond our own. Chief among them was the archmage Tymandain, and it was he who discovered the power in the Black Mountain, and he who drew upon it. He damaged the prison enough that the shadow of Incariel fell upon him, and others could draw upon it as well.”

  “And he became the first bearer of Incariel’s shadow,” said Ridmark.

  “To our last sorrow,” said Ardrhythain. “What happened next, you have likely heard before from other sources. The elven kindred sundered into the high elves and the dark elves, and we warred among each other. The dark elves summoned other kindreds to this world to serve as soldiers and slaves, and sought to build an empire. What they did not know was that they served only as tools for Tymandain Shadowbearer, for Incariel’s goals had overwritten his own mind. He had desired power, but now he desired to free Incariel and unleash it upon the world.”

  “I wondered about that,” said Calliande. “What Shadowbearer really wanted. What Imaria really wants. They would both talk about freedom from time and matter and causality…”

  “What Incariel desires is to destroy both its prison in the Black Mountain and then this world,” said Ardrhythain. “It will then be free to remake our world in its own image, a nightmare of chaos and despair. That is what Incariel wants, and that is what it convinced Tymandain and Imaria to desire.”

  “How would summoning the Frostborn allow Shadowbearer to destroy Black Mountain?” said Ridmark. “Do the Frostborn know what Imaria intends?”

  “The Frostborn, I fear, are dupes,” said Ardrhythain. “Powerful and deadly dupes, who left unchecked will conquer this world and add it to their Dominion. Nevertheless, they have been fooled. They did not know what Tymandain planned, and they do not know what Imaria really wants. They think of Imaria as a useful but insane local ally, one that can be eliminated at a convenient later date. They will learn otherwise to their sorrow.”

  “If the Frostborn are dupes,” said Ridmark, “then what has Imaria duped them into doing?”

  “The Well,” said Calliande. “The Well in the Citadel of Tarlion. That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” said Ardrhythain. “To destroy the Black Mountain, the Shadowbearer needs two things. First, a functional world gate of great power upon the slopes of the mountain. Second, she needs access to the Well of Tarlion. If Imaria enters the Citadel and claims the Well for herself, she will enter the threshold and channel the power of the Well into the world gate. The gate will expand to enormous size, ripping open the Black Mountain and shattering Incariel’s prison, and the world will die.”

  They walked deeper into the cavern, their boots rasping against the rough floor. Ridmark remembered what the Warden had said about a hundred thousand years of war. Tymandain Shadowbearer had spent that long preparing to free Incariel from its imprisonment, and now Imaria would follow in his footsteps.

  “That was why you unlocked the Tower of the Moon for the first Keeper,” said Calliande. “That was why you convinced our ancestors to settle at Cathair Tarlias and found Andomhaim. You wanted them to defend the Well.”

  “I did,” said Ardrhythain. “Your ancestors arrived at this world by accident. So many world gates have been opened here over the millennia that it is now possible for wild gates to open at random. The Keeper and Malahan Pendragon stumbled upon one and used it to escape their pagan foes on Old Earth. When they came here, I thought they might be able to defend the Well, so I sent a vision to the Keeper and showed her how to open the Tower of the Moon. Indeed, you exceeded my wildest hopes. The magical defenses you built around Tarlion kept both the urdmordar and Shadowbearer from accessing the Well, and you broke the power of the urdmordar after centuries of tyranny and bloodshed.”

  “And that is why Shadowbearer decided that Andomhaim had to be destroyed,” said Ridmark.

  “Yes,” said Ardrhythain. “He summoned the Frostborn to destroy you, both to establish a world gate on Black Mountain and to clear the path to the Well
. When the Frostborn were defeated, he decided to poison Andomhaim before trying again, hence the creation of the Eternalists and the Enlightened of Incariel…and the reason you put yourself into the long sleep below the Tower of Vigilance, Keeper, for you recognized the danger when few others did.”

  “Then that is the whole purpose of Imaria’s plan,” said Calliande. “Or Tymandain’s plan, rather, since she inherited it when Ridmark killed him. The Enlightened were to have crippled Andomhaim from within, and the Frostborn would sweep aside the realm and seize Tarlion. Once Tarlion had been taken, Imaria would enter the Citadel, take control of the Well, and use it to rip apart the Black Mountain and free Incariel.”

  “Destroying this world utterly in the process,” said Ardrhythain.

  “Then the shadow of Incariel has been our true enemy the entire time,” said Ridmark.

  “That is the truth of this war,” said Ardrhythain. “That is our true enemy. Everything that has transpired from the day the elven kindred sundered into the high elves and the dark elves to the hour when Imaria Shadowbearer murdered the High King upon the field of Dun Calpurnia. All of it, every battle, everything, has been designed to allow the bearer of Incariel’s shadow to seize the Well of Tarlion and use its power to shatter the Black Mountain. And that is why the only path to victory is to destroy the world gate and kill Imaria Licinius Shadowbearer. Perhaps a new Shadowbearer will arise to take her place, or perhaps not. But even if the mantle of Incariel’s shadow passes to a new bearer, it will be centuries before the moons are in the proper alignment to allow another world gate to open on the slopes of Black Mountain.”

  The tunnel went through another turn, and then stopped sloping downward. It began to widen, too, and the white gleam ahead grew brighter.

  “Perhaps if we can tell the Frostborn the truth about Imaria,” said Calliande, “they will no longer consider her an ally. They might even turn on her.”

  “It is unlikely,” said Ardrhythain. “The power of the Frostborn is matched only by their arrogance. They considered first Tymandain Shadowbearer and then Imaria as unreliable and dangerous allies, but nonetheless useful tools. The thought that Imaria might be using them will never cross their minds until it is far too late. No. If Imaria and the shadow of Incariel are to be stopped, it lies in the hands of the men of Andomhaim. It lies in the hands of the Keeper of Andomhaim.” The golden eyes turned towards Calliande. “It will lie in the hands of the Dragon Knight if the Dragon Knight is to be found.”

  The cavern widened, and Ardrhythain came to a stop and lifted his staff. The light within the metal ring blazed brighter, and at the far end of the cavern, Ridmark saw a pair of doors fashioned from a gold-like metal, framed in white stone that gave off a pale glow of its own.

  He had seen glowing stone like that in his dreams as the spirit of Morigna spoke to him and the old knight watched him from the throne. The spirit of Kalomarus himself, most likely, guiding his successor as he came to claim the sword.

  “Our destination,” said Ardrhythain. “Behold the Tomb of the Dragon Knight.”

  Calliande swallowed. “That is where Kalomarus is buried?”

  “Yes,” said Ardrhythain. “He came here after you began the long sleep and entered the Tomb to begin his final rest. For that is the ancient tradition of the Dragon Knights. When the previous Dragon Knight was slain in battle, his body and the sword were brought here to await the new Knight. Those who felt the calling of the sword came to test themselves, and if they were worthy, they left the Tomb as the new Knight.”

  “And if they failed,” said Ridmark, gazing at the doors, “the sword devoured them.”

  “Yes,” said Ardrhythain.

  “Did the Knights always bring themselves to the Tomb?” said Calliande.

  “Kalomarus was the first to do so, just as he was the first human Knight,” said Ardrhythain. “All the other Dragon Knights, all the high elven Dragon Knights, perished in battle and were brought here. Which was why we brought the sword to the Hall of the Seers when you arrived. There had never been a human Dragon Knight, and there was much debate among the magi of the high elves whether to allow it. In the end, we decided to present you with the chance to wield the sword, and you know the results.”

  They crossed the cavern and stopped before the golden doors. They seemed to give off a faint humming noise. Ridmark looked at the doors and then at Calliande. Her face was tense, and he could tell that while she was trying to put on a calm mask, she was nonetheless frightened.

  She was frightened for him.

  “Hear me, Ridmark Arban,” said Ardrhythain. “Only you may enter the Tomb. The rate of time has been altered within the Tomb as a defense. For every hour you spend within the Tomb, only a minute will pass in the cavern.”

  “Good,” said Ridmark. He took a deep breath. “The sooner I can return with the sword, the soon we can go to the aid of the men of Andomhaim.”

  Ardrhythain nodded. “Go with God, Ridmark Arban. Your courage will do you credit. Remember that the sword will try to use your weaknesses against you.”

  “I should go with you,” said Calliande.

  “You cannot, I fear,” said Ardrhythain. “The Tomb will only allow him to enter, for the sword has called him. We must await his return here.”

  Calliande gave a sharp nod. “Very well.” Her eyes met Ridmark’s, tense and full of fear. “Please. Be careful.”

  “I will come back,” said Ridmark. He took her hand with his free one. “You’ve given me the best of reasons to come back.”

  She closed her eyes and let out a long breath. “Yes, you have to come back. You promised to marry me, and I’m going to hold you to that.” She opened her eyes. “I love you.”

  “I love you,” said Ridmark.

  They stood in silence for a moment, then Ridmark took another deep breath, stepped back and looked at Ardrhythain. “I am ready.”

  Ardrhythain struck the doors with his staff, and the deep clang rolled through the cavern. The golden doors swung open to reveal a narrow hall of white stone with a high, arched ceiling. Ridmark took one last look at Calliande and stepped through the doors.

  As he did, he heard the heartbeat in his head.

  It was the same heartbeat he and Calliande had heard in Tarlion, the heartbeat that had drawn them to the Tower of the Keeper and then to Cathair Solas.

  It was, he realized, the heartbeat of the sword of the Dragon Knight

  The doors clanged shut behind him with an unsettling finality.

  Chapter 14: The Order of the Vanguard

  The war horns wailed from the walls of Dun Calpurnia.

  Arandar waited atop his horse before the northern gate of the town, his armor heavy against his shoulders, Excalibur resting in its scabbard at his left hip. Around him waited the Swordbearers and Magistri of his guard. Sir Gavin, Sir Constantine, Kharlacht, Caius, Antenora, and Camorak were behind him, watching the scene to the north. Behind him on the walls of Dun Calpurnia waited thousands of the men of Andomhaim, crossbows and javelins and siege engines ready to rain steel down upon any foes.

  He knew that would happen very soon.

  To the north, the army of the Frostborn came into sight.

  It had been going on since dawn. The scouting parties had come galloping back from the Northerland one by one, reporting vast numbers of medvarth and khaldjari warriors marching down the Moradel road, flanked by locusari and guarded by groups of cogitaer wizards. Arandar and Dux Sebastian sent some of the scouts out again, specifically those comfortable using a short bow from the saddle. Hopefully, the horse archers could harass some of the outlying formations of the Frostborn, though Arandar knew they would only inflict scratches on the enemy.

  Scratches were better than nothing.

  A score of frost drakes circled and swooped over the gathering Frostborn host, flanked by squadrons of locusari scouts. Had the frost drakes come at the town in a rush, they might have been able to do terrible damage with their freezing breath before the bal
listae brought them down, but so far, the drakes had stayed out of range. Perhaps the frost drakes were too valuable to lose in large numbers.

  “It appears they are forming up about three miles to the north,” said Caius, shading his eyes as he watched the enemy. “Locusari in front, medvarth behind.”

  “A wise formation,” said Constantine, voice grim. “They can use the locusari warriors as skirmishers, while the medvarth serve as heavy infantry.”

  “The blasted things are heavy enough,” said Camorak. “I had to pull dead medvarth warriors off wounded Anathgrimm a few times. God and the saints, but the medvarth smell bad.”

  “It is too far to see what the khaldjari are doing,” said Constantine. “It looks like they are building something, though.”

  “Siege engines, most likely,” said Caius. “They can assemble them out of reach of any engines and archers upon our walls, and then drag them to within range when the battle begins and we’re bottled up within the town.”

  “If the manetaurs and the dwarves and the Anathgrimm arrive while the Frostborn are attacking Dun Calpurnia,” said Constantine, “we could inflict a smashing defeat upon them.”

  That assumed, of course, that they could hold out in the town long enough for help to arrive.

  “Does anyone see any sign of the revenants?” said Arandar.

  No one did.

  Arandar frowned, his hand itching to grasp Excalibur’s hilt. Perhaps the Frostborn had held back the revenants as a reserve. Maybe they were manning garrisons elsewhere. Or maybe the dark magic that animated the revenants was a temporary measure and had expired before the creatures could be used in another battle.

  He doubted it would be that simple.

  There was a pulse of blue fire in front of his horse, and Third stepped out of it, breathing hard, dark blood on her drawn short swords. On reflex, some of the Swordbearers of Arandar’s guard reached for their weapons, but Third only cleaned her blades and put them away.

  “You ran into trouble, my lady?” said Arandar.