by F. P. Spirit
“Fall back!”
Donnie glanced over his shoulder, and saw Elladan, the bard’s head turned upwards. Donnie adjusted his gaze, just as a huge shadow fell over them. His eyes went wide as they fixed on a giant stone hand passing overhead. The slight elf instinctively ducked, the huge hand no more than a few feet above their heads. Donnie quickly backpedaled out of the way, Elladan before him, as they made room for their comrades’ retreat. A glance behind showed Lloyd and Alana disengaging as well. The duo ducked down and backed away as the serpents’ attention shifted toward the colossal hand.
Donnie watched in awe as the large serpents writhed back and forth, trying to avoid the grasp of the colossus. The front two abruptly flattened themselves on the walkway, the giant hand barely passing over them, yet the rearmost serpents did not fare as well. The colossal hand closed on them, the smaller serpent getting caught in its grip. Donnie thought the huge serpent would be caught as well, but at the last second, the large creature twisted its torso, avoiding the grasp of the enormous stone hand. Still, that proved to be its undoing, as the serpent’s heavy torso tipped it way too far over the edge. The serpent hung there for a moment, trying to maintain its balance, then abruptly fell off the walkway, disappearing out of sight below. Meanwhile, the colossal hand continued to close on the serpent it had caught. The stone hand lifted off the walkway, the large creature disappearing inside its enormous grasp.
“Alana, Donnie, go!”
Donnie ripped his eyes away from the sight of the huge stone fist, and saw Lloyd rushing the two remaining serpents. He immediately spurred himself into action, trailing close behind the warrior and lady knight.
“Donnie, get ready!” Lloyd cried over his shoulder.
Donnie wasn’t quite certain what Lloyd was planning, but he kept his eyes glued on the young warrior. Lloyd closed on the serpent, the creature lunging for him. Just when it appeared it was going to catch him in its wide jaws, Lloyd suddenly vanished! The serpent couldn’t stop itself, continuing its forward motion, and chomping down on thin air. Donnie watched in amazement as Lloyd flashed into existence directly behind the large creature. The serpent, thrown off-balance, tried desperately to recoil, but Lloyd’s jet-black blade was already whistling through the air. It passed right through the serpent’s torso, the creature’s body going rigid. It stayed that way a moment or two, then the upper half of its torso went limp.
Abruptly, it dawned on Donnie what Lloyd wanted him to do. Alana appeared to have things well in hand, the second serpent unable to break past her guard. Satisfied, Donnie sheathed his sword, and took off at a run toward the dead serpent. He reached it just as it slammed into the walkway, and with a quick leap, vaulted onto its back. Donnie ran straight across the scaly torso toward Lloyd, the warrior waiting there with cupped hands.
The second serpent cast a brief glance his way, but paid for it dearly as Alana slashed its snout. Completely forgotten, Donnie traversed the last few feet, and leapt into Lloyd’s waiting hands. With a great heave, the young man sent Donnie airborne, the slight elf flipping high up above the other serpent. Drawing his rapier, he twisted around in mid-air, and plummeted toward the unsuspecting creature, point first.
Donnie slammed into the large serpent, driving his rapier straight through its skull. His sword sank deep into its head, the beast shuddering violently as Donnie held on for dear life. The creature continued to writhed back and forth, then Alana was there, stabbing deep into the serpent’s torso with her gleaming sword. The beast suddenly stopped thrashing, its body going momentarily rigid, then it sank to the ground, unmoving. Donnie slowly withdrew his rapier from the serpent’s skull, then gazed up and saw Alana standing there.
“Well, that was a nice little warm up,” she said with a wide grin.
Donnie grinned back at the winsome knight, but his answer was cut short as a roar sounded from above. His head snapped back, his eyes taking in a strange sight—the giant serpent that had fallen from the walkway now hovered high in the air above them!
“What in all of Thac?” he heard Elladan cry.
Donnie silently agreed. Serpents didn’t fly, and they most certainly didn’t roar, yet this was one was wrapped around something—something nearly as large as the serpent itself. From this angle, he couldn’t see much of the serpent’s prey, other than a long, spiney tail whipping around frantically beneath the hovering duo. The tail was yellow-brown with light green stripes, and had an almost metallic sheen to it. Donnie’s eyes suddenly widened as he realized what the serpent was wrapped around.
Elladan must have figured it out too, the bard’s voice filled with wonder. “Is that a bronze…”
“…dragon!” Donnie finished for him, equally astonished. What in Arinthar is a bronze dragon doing all the way down here?
“Quick! Somebody do something!” Elistra cried, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Don’t worry, I’ll fly up and…” Lloyd began, but abruptly halted. The young warrior let out a huge sigh. “Sorry, I forgot. Stupid anti-magic field.”
Donnie felt a brief pang of sympathy, but another roar drew his attention skyward. The combatants must have lost altitude—he could see them clearly now. The dragon could not have been fully grown. A full adult dragon would have dwarfed the serpent, and dispatched it with ease. As it stood, they were locked in a death grip, the serpent trying to squeeze the life out of the young dragon, the dragon in turn clawing and biting the giant snake. The dragon, however, appeared to be losing, the serpent’s deadly hold restricting its movements. It was a foolish tactic—the dragon’s wings were the only thing keeping the two aloft. Pinned as they were, the wings slowed their descent, but if the serpent didn’t let go soon, they would both die when they hit the ground.
“We have to help her!” Elistra shouted, sounding completely distraught.
Donnie shook his head in dismay. He had no idea how to help the young dragon. He dropped his gaze toward Elistra and saw Glo holding her, the seeress’ eyes brimming with tears. Donnie didn’t understand why she was so distraught, but he spoke sympathetically nonetheless. “Much as I’d love to help the dragon, I have no idea how. Maybe its best we just look for Ruka instead.”
Elistra glanced up, her violet eyes glaring with such intensity that it nearly made him wince. “That is Ruka, you dolt!”
Donnie’s jaw went slack, his entire world suddenly turning upside down. The dragon… Ruka?
Glo gave him a brief nod. “She’s right, Donnie. It all makes sense. She’s a shapeshifter, she’s young, so is the dragon…”
Donnie half listened as Glo ticked off point after point, softly muttering to himself, “Ruka’s a dragon?”
Alana abruptly pushed between them, the lady knight’s face flushed with anger. “We can sort this out later. Ruka or dragon, that noble creature needs our help!”
Alana’s chiding brought Donnie back to his senses. At some level he had accepted that the young dragon was indeed Ruka, and he was not about to let her die.
“I’m not sure what we can do,” Glo answered the lady knight somberly. “We have no magic inside this field.”
“Magic be damned!” Donnie cried, rushing forward to the railing. The young dragon and the giant serpent had spiraled below them, but they were still too far away to reach.
“Look down there!” Elladan shouted.
Donnie followed the bard’s finger—the colossus’ other arm rose from the depths, its hand opening to catch the duo. From what Donnie could tell, they would just miss it, but if he timed it right… A crazy plan suddenly formed in the slight elf’s head, but Donnie never shied away from crazy. He spun around to Lloyd and yelled, “One more time!”
Recognition sparked in the young warrior’s eyes as Donnie backpedaled away from the railing. Lloyd rushed over to the rail, and cupped his hands just like before. Donnie backed up as far as he could, then took off at
a dead run for the young warrior. He caught a brief glimpse of Alana’s face, her features frought with fear, then he leapt up into Lloyd’s waiting hands, and was flipped out far over the side.
Donnie dove through the air, straight for the colossal arm, Lloyd’s extra push giving him the distance he needed. The arm came up on him fast, the slight elf tucking into a ball just before he hit. Donnie slammed into the stone arm, his body wracked with pain, but he ignored it and rolled forward, leaping swiftly to his feet. The slight elf half-ran, half-slid, down the giant stone arm, reaching the outstretched hand just as the combatants spiraled past it. Donnie did not hesitate, swan-diving off of a giant finger after the falling dragon and serpent.
They were falling faster now, the young dragon’s wings tiring from the extra weight. Donnie flattened his arms against his side and sped his descent, quickly gaining on the spiraling pair. The ground was coming up fast—he would only have one chance at this. Donnie closed the gap until he was within arms’ distance of the large serpent, then reached forward, barely managing to grasp onto its huge head. So intent was the serpent on its prey, that it totally ignored the slight elf. Donnie yanked himself closer, and wrapped his legs around the creature’s neck. His grip was too precarious for either of his swords, so he leaned down and yanked a hidden dagger from his high boot. Lifting the dagger up, he plunged it into the back of the creature’s neck. The huge serpent ignored him at first, but Donnie pulled out the small blade and plunged it in once more.
“Stupid… thing! Why... won’t... you... let... go!” he cried, frantically plunging the small dagger over and over into the serpent’s thick neck.
Blood spurted everywhere, the huge snake just now realizing its peril. It swung its head back and forth, trying to dislodge the slight elf. Donnie had to drop his dagger and grab on with both hands to keep from falling. Yet, in its efforts to throw him off, the serpent had loosened its grip on the dragon.
Now the dragon came to Donnie’s aid, the bronze head lunging forward and sinking its teeth deep into the serpent’s neck. The huge serpent shuddered as the dragon tore into its throat. It made one last effort to pull away, then the serpent’s body went slack, slowly unwinding from around the dragon. Donnie held on for dear life as the serpent suddenly let go and fell away from the young dragon. It plummeted downward, the ground below coming up far too fast.
Donnie braced himself as the ground rushed up to meet them, resigned to the fact that he had made the supreme sacrifice. He only had a few small regrets, and death might reunite him with his greatest regret of all. About fifteen feet from the ground, something sharp jabbed into his shoulders, and he was suddenly plucked from the serpent’s back. He hovered there in mid-air, watching wide-eyed as the large serpent slammed into the ground with a huge thud!
Donnie cast a glance upward, and saw a large reptilian head staring down at him, its emerald green eyes hauntingly familiar.
“Ruka?” he said in a tentative voice.
The young dragon suddenly swooned and lost its grip on him. Donnie plummeted down the last fifteen feet, tucking and rolling as he hit the ground. He finally came to a stop, sore and aching all over.
“Well, that was a wild ride,” he quipped to himself, as he slowly rose to his knees. The flap of large wings drew his attention behind him. He whirled around in time to see the bronze dragon land a few yards away. Their airborne struggle must have carried outside the antimagic field—Donnie now watched in awe as the creature began to glow and the large form shrank down in size. When the glow finally faded, Ruka stood there in place of the dragon, smiling at him awkwardly.
“Thanks for the assist,” she said, looking as if she could barely stand. His body aching all over, Donnie nonetheless forced himself onto his feet and slowly limped over to her. Tears welled in his eyes as he observed her arms and legs. They were covered with wounds, puncture marks from the serpent’s fangs. Perhaps more frightening, her skin had turned a pale green.
“Do me a favor,” she asked breathless as he reached her.
“Anything,” he replied softly, his heart in his throat.
“Hold me a minute.” She smiled up at him, then the young teen swooned into his arms. Donnie caught her, gently lowering her to the ground. He knelt down beside her and placed her head onto his lap, gently stroking her short, sandy-blonde hair.
“You’ll be... fine...” His throat caught. “Aksel will have you healed in no time,” he told her, though he immediately knew it was a lie. From the looks of those wounds, and the coloration of her skin, she had been seriously poisoned. Donnie wasn’t sure whether Aksel could counter that.
Ruka smiled up at him. “Cursed snake… cough… had enough venom… cough… to kill a dragon...” She began to laugh, but it quickly turned into a coughing fit.
“Foolish child, you have only sped the poison by taking human form,” said an unfamiliar voice. It sounded like that of an old man, yet as Donnie’s eyes swept the area, he saw no one.
“Totally worth it,” he heard Ruka whisper as she buried herself further into his arms.
Donnie heard a noise that sounded like an exasperated sigh. “You would trade your continued existence for a chance embrace with this... elfling!”
It’s the sword, Donnie realized. Seth had said the blade could talk, but Donnie had thought the halfling was pulling his leg. He glanced at the blade, and tried speaking to it. “Can you do anything for her?”
His question was met with silence at first, then the old voice answered him in a tone clearly filled with sorrow. “I’m afraid her wounds are beyond my power.”
“Hang on, Ruka!”
That was Alana! Donnie glanced overhead, and saw a giant stone hand descending from above, carrying his companions in its palm. They all jumped off as it neared the ground, Alana leading the charge. She quickly reached their side and knelt down next to the duo. Alana placed one hand on Ruka’s head, and the other on her heart, glancing at Donnie as she whispered softly, “I may not be a healer, but Cormar has granted me some divine power.”
Ruka barely opened one eye. She fixed it on Alana and whispered, “Take good… care of him… cough…”
“Hold still,” Alana admonished her. “You’re not going anywhere just yet.” With that, the lady knight’s hands began to glow. They gleamed bright white, then healing light poured from them across Ruka’s still form. Alana held her hands there for a number of minutes, bathing Ruka in healing light. Donnie glanced up and saw the others gathered around, watching the spectacle with sad eyes. Finally, Alana’s light faded and disappeared. Many of the wounds had closed, but those that remained still festered, and Ruka’s coloring had not changed. The lady knight sat back and let out a weary breath. “That is all I can do. The rest is up to Aksel.”
Alana stood up and stepped away, making room for the little cleric. Aksel stepped forward and knelt down across from Donnie. He quickly ran his hands over Ruka’s body, then gazed up, his expression grim.
“How bad is it?” Donnie asked, his heart in his throat.
Aksel responded in a soft voice. “I can heal the rest of the wounds, but the poison is rampant throughout her system.”
“Is... is she going to die?”
Donnie glanced up to see Lloyd’s eyes filled with moisture. Glo and Elistra stood nearby, holding each other gently, their faces heavy with sadness. Elladan held the weary Alana, the lady knight’s arms wrapped tight around her own midriff.
“Don’t worry,” the bard tried to assure them, “Aksel will think of something.”
Aksel stood up, his eyes sweeping across the group. “I do have an idea, but she will need regular healing and a comfortable place to rest for the next few hours.”
“I’ll carry her all the way up the monolith and down again if necessary,” Donnie declared, meaning every word of it despite his aching bones.
Aksel peered at him,
a warm smile gracing the cleric’s lips. “That may not be necessary. On the way down I spotted another stairwell behind the colossus’ foot. It must have been underneath, but the foot moved when I extended the arm.”
“Seth! Can you check it out?” Donnie glanced all around, but the halfling was nowhere to be seen.
Aksel’s face fell. “That’s another problem. Seth’s disappeared.”
Donnie felt his anger rise, frustration spilling out of his lips as his eyes swept across the others. “Disappeared? He picked a fine time. And just where did he go? Doesn’t he know we need him?”
Elistra gazed upon the slight elf with keen sympathy. “I don’t think he has any idea of our current predicament. The last I saw him, he was chasing after the dark mage, the one who ran away.”
“I should go after him,” Lloyd declared, grasping the end of his cloak.
“No!” sounded a chorus of voices, all at once.
Lloyd halted in mid leap and spun around, gazing wide-eyed at his companions. A half-smile spread across Elladan’s face as he tried to explain to the young warrior. “That succubus is still up there, and you know what happened the last time you ran into her.”
“Plus Seth was invisible. The mage may not even know he is being followed,” Elistra added.
Lloyd began to waver, but still did not appear entirely convinced. Glo stepped forward and placed on hand on the tall man’s shoulder, a wry smile on his lips. “Seth can take care of himself. Aside from being almost impossible to find, he’s fairly adept with those knives of his.”
“Just ask Telvar and Voltark,” Aksel added, with a thin smile.
Lloyd let out a long sigh. “You’re right. I guess I just got carried away.”
Elladan gazed fondly at the young man. “It’s okay, Lloyd. Your heart was in the right place.”
Lloyd grinned sheepishly back at the bard, his embarrassment slowly subsiding.