"Then all is lost," frowned the king. "We are so close, but we cannot succeed without Fredrik. Get our people out of the castle, Alex."
Before anyone could move, two dragons appeared over the edge of the cliff. Niki squealed with delight as she saw Fredrik being carried by Wyka. She rushed over and held his body while the dragon gently released it. Balamor held Podil and eased her to the ground as Rylana released her grip.
"Wyka! Rylana!" shouted King Arik. "What are you doing here?"
"You gave us ogres and goblins to eat," shrugged Wyka. "This is where they are found, so this is where we must hunt for food. These two fell unexpectedly. We thought you would want them back."
"The dragons saved us," reported Podil as she stared Rylana in the eyes. "I personally thank them for their help."
Rylana fidgeted nervously as she watched for a reaction from Dragon Heart.
"You have done well," smiled King Arik. "Thank you for your help."
"We should go now," Rylana stated. "We don't want to draw any undo attention to ourselves."
"No," Jenneva said quickly. "Stay. We may have need of you."
Wyka looked to Dragon Heart, and the king nodded his agreement as he gazed at Jenneva questioningly. Podil was hunched over Fredrik, and Niki stared at her imploringly.
"Is he alive?" Niki asked nervously. "Tell me that he lives."
"He is alive," Podil nodded absently, "but barely. We must heal him immediately, or he will be lost to us. We should get him to Zalaharic quickly."
"But he must wield the Sword of Heavens," frowned King Arik. "He is the only one who can slay Sarac."
"Fredrik will not be slaying anyone for a long time," Podil shook her head. "He is lucky to be alive. It will probably be days before we can assure you that he will stay alive."
"Then all is still lost," frowned King Arik. "We cannot hold this mountain for even a day before Sarac's forces overwhelm us. "By the time Fredrik is healed, we shall all be dead."
"Wyka," ordered Jenneva, "we need to have Fredrik transported to the village of Lavinda. One of your dragons would be the quickest. Will you do it?"
"Do not scare the villagers," King Arik nodded his agreement. "Then return here. We may need help in getting off this mountain."
"I am going with him," declared Niki. "Take me, too."
"Podil and I may be of assistance to Zalaharic," suggested Balamor. "Fredrik will need all the help he can get to survive his injuries."
"Agreed," nodded Jenneva. "Do not forget to return promptly, Wyka."
Wyka nodded as she picked up Fredrik's body and invited Niki to climb onto her back. Podil and Balamor climbed aboard Rylana, and the two dragons flew off. Jenneva stood whispering in Tanya's ear, as King Arik walked over to the Sword of Heavens and picked it up. It felt comfortable in his hands.
"We need to get our people to disengage," decided the king.
"Where is Prince Midge?" asked Alex.
"He went to find out what caused the alarm," answered the king. "He probably already knows that we came out here. He will be along shortly."
It was just a few moments later that the fairy prince darted through the air and landed on the king's shoulder.
"Newt was discovered," Prince Midge reported sadly. "His charred body was plastered on the stone wall of the roof."
"I am sorry," Jenneva said sympathetically. "What is the situation inside the tower?"
"Sarac has two dozen Black Devils surrounding him in the library," reported the fairy prince. "The Knights of Alcea are still keeping the rest of the Black Devils from entering the tower. I found Bin-lu in the tower. He is searching for any stray Black Devils. I warned him not to go up to the library."
"Why does all this matter now?" asked the king. "It is pointless to continue onward. Let's save as many of our people as we can. We will have to come back when Fredrik is healed."
"Sarac will not be here if we leave and come back," Alex shook his head. "Surely, he will realize that he is free to flee."
"I knew a man once," smiled Jenneva. "He was a mystery to most who met him, including myself, but he taught me much of what I know. What I did learn about him, was that he left little to chance, especially where the Ancient Prophecy was concerned. After all, it was he who wrote the Ancient Prophecy."
"Master Khatama," nodded Tanya. "I suspected that the Mage wrote the prophecy. He seemed to know everything about it."
"He did," nodded Jenneva, "right down to the location of the Breastplate of Alcea, which King Arik will need today."
"I am confused," frowned King Arik.
"Prince Midge," Jenneva said as she ignored the king, "tell the Rangers and elves to break off their attack. Tell the dwarves to flee from the mountain. Gather the unicorns to help them get off the mountain, if that is what is needed, but I want our forces to return to Lavinda."
"That will leave Sarac's creatures free to race up here to the castle," Alex pointed out. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
"It is exactly what I want," assured Jenneva as she stepped forward and took the Sword of Heavens from King Arik's hands. "Only the Knights of Alcea need to be here, and they should be ready to leave quickly. Have our unicorns wait up here, Midge."
The fairy prince looked to the Bringer for his orders. King Arik shook his head slowly in confusion, but he finally nodded to the fairy. Prince Midge darted into the air and disappeared.
"I trust you enough to allow this," the king stated to Jenneva, "but I also want to understand it. What are you planning to do?"
"We are going to end the reign of the Dark One," declared Jenneva as she handed the Sword of Heavens to Tanya, "probably the way the Mage always intended for it to end."
"Now I am confused," the king shook his head. "Are you saying that Fredrik is not the descendent of Sarac?"
"Not at all," Jenneva shook her head, "Fredrik is indeed the son of Sarac and Aurora, and he was born in the year of the Collapse"
"But he is not the only descendent of Sarac born during the Collapse," interjected Alex as the two dragons returned from Lavinda. "You really should learn more about the family of your intended before you get married."
King Arik stared at Tanya with disbelief as she climbed onto Wyka's back. She turned and extended a hand towards the king.
"Ride with me," Tanya offered as Alex and Jenneva climbed aboard Rylana.
King Arik grabbed Tanya's hand and sat behind her on the dragon.
"You are really Sarac's child?" the king asked Tanya.
"Grandchild," Tanya replied. "Sarac is Jenneva's father, although he does not know it. He will know it before I am done with him, and he will pay for my grandmother's death."
"To the roof," Jenneva commanded the dragons. "I will explain our attack when we get there."
* * *
"Why are the others not responding to the alarm," snarled the Dark One. "They should have responded by now."
"I am sure they will be here shortly," Lattimer answered nervously as he snapped his fingers and sent two Black Devils below to check on the situation. "Perhaps they are already engaged with the boy king. There is nothing to worry about."
"Then why are you sweating all over the floor," snapped Sarac. "I want my rings of protection, and I want them now."
"Surely, two dozen Black Devils are enough to protect you from the boy king," Lattimer replied as he paced the floor. "It is not like we have to fear Fredrik any more. That is all that really mattered."
"I don't want your assurances," Sarac shouted. "I want my Black Devils by my side. See to it."
The Black Devils stared at Lattimer and the Dark One as they confronted each other. The shouting covered up the stealthy footsteps of the four Knights of Alcea who were sneaking down the stairs from the roof. Before the Black Devils knew that they had been infiltrated, they started dying.
Six Lanoirian stars flew from the hands of Alex, Tanya, and King Arik, while Jenneva threw fireballs at a frantic rate. The library erupted in chaos as the attack registere
d with the Black Devils. Sarac's minions had not even erected the inner circle of protection when the Knights of Alcea struck. Sarac turned and saw Jenneva. His face contorted with rage as he shouted for protection. The Black Devils scrambled to form the inner circle around the Dark One.
Jenneva aimed several fireballs at Sarac, but other Black Devils managed to get in the way. Alex and King Arik tossed four more Lanoirian stars while Tanya drew the Sword of Heavens and struck out at the closest Black Devils. Some Black Devils counterattacked, but most of them rallied to shield Sarac. King Arik was struck in the chest with a fireball. It burned his tunic, but not the Breastplate of Alcea. Alex drew his magical sword just in time to deflect a fireball thrown at him. Fireballs bounced off invisible shields surrounding Tanya and Jenneva.
During the initial chaos in the library, the four Knights of Alcea manage to kill a dozen Black Devils, but the other dozen managed to form a protective ring around the Dark One. Sarac, finally protected by his Black Devils sneered at Jenneva, while Alex went around the room and decapitated the dead Black Devils.
"Once again, you lose," cackled Sarac. "You always were just a little bit late."
"You have only your inner ring," Jenneva taunted. "Do you expect those twelve to stand up to me?"
"They do not have to hold you off for long," smirked Sarac. "There are three hundred others who will be here shortly. I will finally get to watch you die. It will be quite a pleasure."
"You certainly are rather confident," Sarac," retorted Jenneva. "And what if the other Black Devils never arrive?"
"That still matters little," Sarac countered smugly. "I am the Dark One. Without Fredrik, I cannot be killed."
"The Dark One?" laughed Tanya. "Are we supposed to be impressed? I see nothing but an old fool."
Sarac's eyes glared at Tanya as Lattimer whispered in his ear. "So you are the one who acts like a boy," scowled Sarac. "Tanya? Isn't it? You are a misfit even to your own people. I will let you watch Jenneva die before I attend to you."
Tanya stepped forward and shoved the Sword of Heavens into one of the Black Devils forming Sarac's ring of protection. The sword pierced the Black Devil's heart and his body fell to the floor. King Arik stepped forward and sliced the head off the fallen body before the revenant could rise.
"Oh my," taunted Tanya as Alex stabbed another Black Devil. "Did your servants neglect a physical shield?"
Sarac's face filled with rage as he threw a fireball at Tanya. The fireball bounced off an invisible shield. The Dark One's eyes immediately fell on Jenneva.
"You cannot protect them forever, Jenneva," he scowled. "Lattimer, erect a physical shield. We shall not let these fools play with my Black Devils while we wait for the others to show up."
King Arik tried to stab one of the Black Devils, but his sword met an invisible barrier. "We should have attacked several of them at the same time," he frowned. "Now they are protected."
"Ah," sneered Sarac, "the boy king gets it. Too bad the rest of you didn't get it before you reminded me."
"Actually, smiled Jenneva, "the physical shields will drain the Black Devils quicker than anything else. Keep poking at them."
Lattimer began to sweat profusely as the Knights of Alcea probed the remaining Black Devils with their swords. While he felt confident that the Dark One would survive the encounter, he began to realize that he might not.
"Stop shaking, Lattimer," snarled Sarac. "They are trying to break your concentration."
"Concentration?" laughed Tanya. "You hold them by a spell. Do you really think they would be protecting you if they had the choice? You call yourself the Dark One, Sarac, but you are nothing. You have nothing to call your own. You have lived within this cocoon for my entire life, and what do you have to show for it? You have nothing and no one. You have killed everyone who ever loved you."
"What do you know of my life?" snapped Sarac.
"More than you do," Tanya answered mysteriously. "You have tried to kill off everyone who ever meant anything to you. You tried to kill your children. You tried to kill your master. All you ever really succeeded in was killing off your wives."
"Wives?" puzzled Sarac. "What are you talking about?"
"You sent Black Devils to kill Aurora and her baby," interjected Jenneva. "Her baby, which was your son."
"And I finally succeeded today," grinned Sarac, "but you said wives. What other were you speaking of?"
"Kirsta," Tanya declared. "You killed her as well."
"What do you know of Kirsta?" glowered the Dark One. "She died long before your time. You listen to fairy tales told by Jenneva. What has she told you?"
Alex and King Arik kept testing the physical shield surrounding the Dark One. Jenneva stood quietly with her arms crossed as she glared at Sarac.
"Did you know that Kirsta had your child?" asked Tanya.
"Preposterous," Sarac shook his head. "I would have known."
"You would have known if Kirsta had wanted you to know," Jenneva stated. "Why do you think she disappeared on you? She went into exile to keep two things from you, the Origin Scroll, and your child. She wanted to deprive you of both, although she loved you dearly."
"Nonsense," spat Sarac. "If that were true, she would never have given the Origin Scroll to you, nor would she have returned to battle against me."
"Actually," Jenneva said sadly, "I wish she had not returned. She came back to save me from you, and it cost me her life."
"What does this have to do with you?" Sarac asked cautiously.
"I was the child that she kept from you, Sarac," Jenneva said with tears in her eyes. "She came back to save her daughter from you."
Sarac's eyes opened wide as he stared at Jenneva. He swallowed hard as he saw the tears falling from Jenneva's eyes, and knew that she spoke the truth.
"So that is why you have pursued me for so long," Sarac nodded as if everything finally made sense. "It did not make sense that Egam could instill such loyalty in a student that she would relentlessly hound me. It also accounts for your great abilities. Perhaps I can use your talents after this is all over. Perhaps I shall let you live."
Jenneva's face boiled with rage as both of her hands flew up. Handfuls of fireballs screamed off her fingertips and showered each of the Black Devils maintaining Sarac's shields. The bombardment of magic was intense. The room vibrated with magical energy as shields flared to brilliance as the Black Devils fought to maintain the protective ring around Sarac. With a final burst of rage and a wailing scream, Jenneva poured her energy into the attack. The remaining ten Black Devils flew outward and smashed into the walls of the library. Wisps of smoke curled upward from the bodies and spread over the room in a hazy layer.
Alex and King Arik hurried to the bodies and began decapitating them. Jenneva sank to her knees, her head swimming and her energy temporarily spent. The Dark One cackled with glee.
"You made a fatal mistake," Sarac sneered as his hand rose and pointed at Jenneva. "Never, ever, use the last of your energy in an attack unless it defeats your enemy entirely. Now you shall learn why that is."
Suddenly, Sarac's body flew backwards and was pinned to the wall. He looked up in confusion and saw Tanya staring at him.
"You know magic?" he gasped with surprise. "I thought you were a warrior."
"So you have just found out what others knew all along," smiled Tanya, "and that is, that you are not as smart as you think you are. In fact, Sarac, you are one of the most pitiful fools that I have ever encountered, but I am glad that I finally got a chance to meet you."
"Well," snarled the Dark One, "do not spend too much energy patting yourself on the back. Regardless of your powers, your beloved Ancient Prophecy protects me. Flee while you can."
"I think not," Tanya shook her head as she approached the Dark One. "You have not heard the ending of the story about the family that you threw away."
"Oh, spare me," groaned Sarac. "Now you will tell me about how poor Jenneva suffered because her mother died. Frankly, I delig
ht in causing suffering. Don't bother trying to impress me."
"She suffered even more," Tanya said bitterly. "When Jenneva had a child of her own, Dalgar came to her home. He came to steal the Book of the Beginning, but he caused the loss of her child nonetheless."
"What a pity," the Dark One responded sarcastically.
"Oh it ends well enough," smiled Tanya. "You see, the child was eventually found and raised by the Mage, the one you called Egam."
"Jenneva's child lives?" Sarac asked nervously. "When was he born?"
"Not he," Tanya grinned mischievously. "She. I was born in the year of the Collapse, Grandfather."
"No!" Sarac shouted as he tried to bring his arms down to cast a spell. "This cannot be. It is impossible."
"Even your magic is puny," taunted Tanya as she felt Sarac trying to break the binding spell she held on him. Now that you know the fruits of your life, it is time for you to reap what you have sown."
Sarac summoned his strength to break Tanya's spell, but the sneer on his face contorted in rage. As Sarac's fight increased, so did Tanya's hold on him. The smoky haze crackled with flashes of energy as Tanya tightened her magical grip on the Dark One. Finally, with small lightning bolts snapping through the room from the magical energy, Sarac's will melted. His body went limp and sweat poured off his face as Tanya's eyes sparkled with starbursts. Tanya stepped closer and shoved the tip of the Sword of Heavens deep into Sarac's heart.
Chapter 34
Life After Sarac
Bin-lu stood frozen at the far end of the library as he watched the magical confrontation between Jenneva and the Black Devils, and then between Tanya and the Dark One. His eyes peered through the smoky gloom as Tanya shoved the Sword of Heavens deep into Sarac's chest. Only then did the Lanoirian loudly exhale.
Instantly, King Arik whirled and reflexively tossed a Lanoirian star at the sound of the intruder. Tanya's head snapped around and gazed into the fog. She recognized the intruder, and one of her hands left the Sword of Heavens and reached out towards Bin-lu. Still awestruck, Bin-lu saw the Lanoirian star heading for his face, yet he hesitated too long to react to it. He closed his eyes as he prepared to die.
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