Offspring (The Sword of the Dragon)

by Appleton, Scott

  “Burn them out!” Vectra rose on her rear legs to an imposing height. Flames sprang from her tooth-ridden mouth and splashed against the arrow slits, turning squirming vipers into blackened, smoking skeletons. From either side of her the megatraths lumbered forward, opened their jaws, and took turns burning the vipers until they blackened the ancient walls.

  Oganna sprang to the floor, her sword swiveling in her hand. Its blade turned crimson, and her glowing silver dress replaced her former garment. The megatraths growled, rumbled in their throats, and threw open the heavy doors. She stepped into the doorway, drew on her powers, and blasted the ramp before her.

  A mass of desert vipers slithered around and over one another to reach the citadel. They covered the ramp a foot thick.

  “Take them!” She advanced with the megatraths lined up behind her.

  Everywhere she aimed, her sword sprayed fire upon the vipers. Megatraths flanked her, Vectra to her right, and another to her left. They added their flames to hers until half the length of the ramp had been charred black and the air smelled like steam and wet, burned wood. Before long many of the vipers receded from before her, disappearing into the maze of ruined buildings.

  The giants plowed into the streets, a thick mass of humanity that increased in number every moment. They raised their shields and advanced toward the ramp.

  Oganna parted a fold of her silver skirt, reached inside, and took her boomerang in hand. She drew back her arm and threw the crystalline weapon with all her might. It shot in a long arc, descended through the giants’ ranks, and lopped off several heads before it returned to her hand.

  Vectra shook her head and stumbled, shaking her head again. The creature collapsed beside her. Six more of the megatraths fell. Vipers swarmed over their bodies.

  “No!” With a single thought she reached out her hand and willed destruction on the vipers. Balls of energy gathered before her hand, then shot against the ramp, blasting with such force that the stones trembled.

  Fearless and angry, she raised Avenger and charged down the ramp. The standing megatraths roared and raced past her. They lowered their heads and spun into the first rows of giants, sending the large men flying over their companions’ heads. Oganna blasted the ramp with balls of energy. The glow in her hands spread up her arms, and most of the vipers perished at her hand.

  Vectra’s side heaved; her nostrils quivered. Oganna knelt at her side and laid a hand on the creature’s cooling body. She had to do something, but what? The poison had rooted itself in the creature’s blood.

  The giants lowered spears and pressed upon the megatraths, forcing them back to the ramp. Time was running out. Oganna raced to the ramp’s base and pulled aside a couple of the megatraths. She pointed up the ramp. “Bring those wounded into a circle around me.” The megatraths bowed to her and barreled up the ramp. They dragged each of their sickened companions into a circle, and Oganna stepped inside and raised the Avenger.

  As she held the sword in her hands, a pillar of smoke fell into the circle, and Death congealed before her. His bashed skull peered at her from beneath his cavernous hood. He raised his scythe with his only arm. She froze. Terror seized her like the morbid cold of a plague.

  The Reaper stabbed his blade into a fallen megatrath, and his black robe swung around his skeleton legs. The megatrath’s body convulsed, and its eyes glazed.

  “You vile creature!” She ran forward and swept Avenger’s blade from his head to his foot.

  He stood his ground, his jaws open in a soundless laugh, as her blade cut through him without so much as touching him.

  “No, no, no!” Oganna drew back, stunned.

  The giants grappled with the megatraths at the ramp’s base. They sank their huge blades into the creatures’ bodies and speared their sides. Two megatraths roared and threw themselves into the giants’ midst. And the giants speared them and marched over their corpses with a shout that rang in her ear. The remaining megatraths, except for the two with her on the ramp, fought under the insurmountable assault, but one by one the giants cut them down.

  Deep down Oganna realized that the battle could not be won. As she turned to face Death, she was powerless to stop him. His bashed in skull—a gift from her father—grew back as his blade sucked the dying breaths from the megatrath.

  As she stared helplessly, a figure coalesced between her and the reaper, a figure that held another scythe in its hand. Specter’s gray cloak shimmered as he faced Death. “At last we meet again.” Specter swung his blade toward the Reaper’s whole arm.

  With a quick twist, Death pulled its scythe out of the megatrath, and floated to the side. The two scythe blades clashed together. Specter dropped to the ground, spun, and kicked the Reaper’s feet. The specter of death fell, and Specter crashed his boot into its ribs.

  “Dragon child, tend to the megatraths.” Specter fell to the stones as the Reaper pulled his legs from under him, but Oganna knew he had spoken to her. Her eyes followed him as he rolled across the stone ramp, grappling with the dark being. He tumbled over the ramp’s side, pulling Death with him.

  Oganna focused on the megatraths. Back in the desert arena, Starfire had drawn the poison from her body and saved her life, but how had she done it? Oganna held out her hand, palm up, just as she’d seen Starfire do. She closed her eyes for an instant to strengthen her focus. When she opened them, she knew what she must do.

  Pointing her sword at the sky, she reached out with all her might to the heavens. Thunder rumbled; lightning cracked and then split the air. Another bolt of lighting followed, spiked toward her, and fastened itself to Avenger’s blade as if it were a lightning rod. The portion of clouds directly overhead parted, and Yimshi’s warm rays poured through onto Oganna and the wounded. Avenger’s blade glistened in the sunlight, and absorbed the tremendous energy the storm unleashed.

  Tendrils of electricity spiked from her crimson blade and latched onto the prone megatraths. The poison drained from their bodies, forming a sphere of venom above her hand. Their life forces were restored. Against all visible odds, the megatraths rose to their feet and shook themselves.

  She felt a thrill pass down her spine as the clouds continued to clear in the wake of her miracle. “Rise, my friends,” she told the megatraths. “Let us send retribution upon these vermin.” Thereupon she spun around, the sphere of venom hovering above her hands. Of its own accord, Avenger slid into its sheath. She lifted the sphere and flung it into the oncoming giants. It burst like an egg on a giant’s helmet and sprayed its poisonous contents over the line of the giants.

  Vectra and the other megatraths reared on their four legs and clawed the air, roaring. But Oganna focused cold eyes on the assembling giants. They had halted as if waiting for someone. She only hoped they weren’t waiting for Gabel’s enemy, Razes.

  Their ranks parted, and a human strode through the gap to the ramp’s base. He was clean-shaven and dark-featured. Scars spider-webbed over his face. Unlike the giants, decked out in heavy armor, he wore only chain mail protection on his head and around his neck to his shoulders, pitch-black leather pants, and an equally black breastplate. In his left hand he held a long handle. Serrated sword blades speared from both ends of the handle.

  He walked over the dead megatraths onto the ramp, gripping the leather handled weapon in both hands. A staff with a dark orb at its head was strapped to his back.

  Oganna held her breath. The effort it had taken for her to draw raw energy from the sky had taxed her strength. She needed rest. But she rebuked herself. Rest would not come any time soon. She might as well settle in and pray she and the remaining megatraths could withstand this horde. She glanced again at the man’s weapon and hoped he couldn’t handle it as proficiently as her father handled the sword of the dragon.

  A sneer curled the dark-haired man’s lips. “A girl? Ha! Battles have no places for women.”

  The viper reared its head and slicked its tongue at him. “Psst! Get closer leather-brain, and I’ll stick my fangs into
you.”

  “So, I see that you are in the habit of keeping snakes. My master also enjoys their company. They can be—useful—for the dirty work. Maybe after I show you a trick or two in combat techniques he will see fit to give you some lessons of his own.”

  She searched the crowding giants’ faces. “Your master. Ah, you must mean Razes. I know of one particular individual that is not too happy with him.”

  For a moment the man faltered, then he narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t know how you know my master’s name, little waif. But I’ll soon show you that making light of him is not a wise course of action.”

  The giants charged up the ramp and around her. They collided with the megatraths while the man sprinted toward her. Vectra would have to fight alone this time.

  The man swung his double-sword. She parried and followed through with a thrust at his abdomen. He also parried, but she swung around, drawing her boomerang, and sliced it along his arm.

  As the man’s blood oozed from the cut, the viper sprang from Oganna’s neck and inflicted its deadly bite on his neck. “Sssweet!” the viper slurred in his ear. “Taste death at the bite of one of your master’s victims.” It swung around his neck and sprang back to Oganna.

  Oganna sidestepped as the man stabbed at her.

  His blades whirled expertly in his hands, and he was adept at keeping her off balance. Nimbly she avoided him, letting him wear himself out and allowing the poison to do its work. He cursed profusely and stumbled back. “You are insignificant beside my master. He will have vengeance, and beneath his fury you will fall!”

  Not bothering to answer, she drew back and threw the Avenger through his leg. “Mark what I say.” The villain spat as his eyes grew bloodshot, and he dropped to his knees. “You think you’re strong. You think you can win? The battle has not even begun.” Drawing the staff from his back, the man held the sphere against his body, and his flesh closed around his wounds.

  She kicked his head and held Avenger’s point to his throat. “I could kill you, Auron. I recognize you now. You were responsible for my father’s insanity. I recognize your presence in my mind.”

  He cackled. “Truly the powers of darkness are harnessing Subterran for me and those like me.” He raised himself enough to spit on her blade.

  “With God as my witness, I must save this duel for someone else.” She twisted the blade in his skin, drawing blood. “Specter will deal with you. Your fate is in his hands.” Then she kicked the side of his head as hard as possible. His body went limp, and his eyes closed.

  She glanced at his scarred face as she held her blade inches from him. What a waste! A surge of hate for the enemy poured into her heart, but she suppressed the feeling before it took root in her soul. Hate, the mother of great wickedness—she would not give in to it.

  All around her the battle for Ar’lenon raged. The megatraths rolled into the midst of the giants’ forces, struck with their tails and claws, threw vapors and fire, yet they were heavily outnumbered and began to lose ground. Oganna retreated with them.

  “We cannot continue like this, Princess.” Vectra blew a weak flame and coughed. “We must retake ground.”

  Oganna raised Avenger and sprinted into the advancing giants. She slashed two giants’ legs and, as they fell, pierced her blade through another’s breastplate into his heart.

  Vectra swung her tail into the men, killing two more. She whipped it back, stabbing its boney point into a giant’s abdomen. Another megatrath rose to a great height on its hind legs and fell upon the giants, raking them with its claws. The remaining megatraths poured a mixture of flames and vapor in one direction and charged down the ramp.

  Standing alongside her monstrous allies, Oganna struck down giants on every hand. But, though dozens fell, more took their place. Thousands of them filled the city, yelling at one another and pushing past each other for a part in the fight. They poured through Netroth’s northern gates and flooded through the buildings.

  Oganna slashed a giant’s arm, then ducked as another stabbed his spear at her, sticking it into the street. Its shaft, as large as a small tree, quivered.

  But while she struggled to maintain her ground, the giants pulled down several megatraths. One giant rose above his fellows and swung a hammer of tremendous size, smashing several megatraths’ heads.

  “Vectra, we cannot win this battle.” Oganna blasted energy from her hand, killing another giant. “Help me onto your neck.”

  The creature knocked down several giants that stormed between them. She lowered her head and fire issued from her mouth onto the enemy ranks. “Climb aboard!” She slashed at their nearest enemies.

  As Oganna rose from the street on Vectra’s neck, she looked over the milling heads of the giants and pulled out her boomerang. With all her strength she flung it at the level of their necks. It spun through the masses and decapitated a dozen or more giants. It arced through the air and returned to her hand light as a feather. She secured it under her belt. Other giants were getting too close to Vectra and, in such tight quarters, the boomerang was less than effective.

  She held Avenger with both hands and dug her knees into Vectra’s scales to maintain balance. Yelling for all they were worth, they charged toward the giants, Vectra blowing fire and Oganna striking with her sword. They left a mass of wounded and dying giants in their wake, and finally a number of them fled.

  One giant swung a sword at Vectra’s side, and as Oganna blocked him with Avenger, she braced for the impact. The sword he was using had to be at least eight feet long. He pulled back and attacked again. This time she fed her power into her sword. Avenger’s blade became almost invisible, and when it met the enemy’s blade, it cut it in half. Her weapon flamed, and the attacker retreated into the sea of other giants.

  Several giants managed to separate another megatrath from its fellows. With halberds, swords, and battle hammers they pummeled it. Oganna directed Avenger’s blade in their direction and sent out a devastating fire that washed over their backs and burned them alive. Still, the megatrath fell.

  Vectra rumbled and snapped her jaws at her fellows. “Everyone get into the citadel! Now!” She stood alone with Oganna on her neck. Her claws opened giants’ arms, and she ripped their bodies apart as her faithful guards raced up the ramp into Ar’lenon. Oganna counted the survivors—there were only fifty left.

  Vectra drove the giants back from the entrance to the ramp with a cloud of vapors, then spun on her rear four legs, and dashed up to the citadel. The megatraths met them at the doors. Once they were inside, they closed them and barricaded the entrance. Oganna wiped her brow and dismounted. “This battle is lost unless we get reinforcements.”

  Vectra heaved a sigh. “Even if they did come, I doubt they could break through those lines to rescue us. No, I think we are on our own.”

  Oganna did not want to admit that, but it seemed to be the truth. But she said to herself, Father, if you are coming, please hurry! We need you.

  Ilfedo patted his Evenshadow’s neck. “Whoa, boy.” He sat up in the saddle and wiped his sweaty palm on his trouser leg. He would be glad to get out of the desert heat. Ahead of him lay a line of green hills, a welcome sight after the rocky wastes behind him. He held his saddle horn with his left hand and turned to the right. “What do you think, Ombre? Journey’s end?”

  Ombre smiled, but as he did, thunder clapped. His jaw dropped, and he pointed toward the sky. “Look!”

  In the distance, over the green land, heavy rain clouds stretched into the north. The clouds split open and a beam of sunlight followed a bolt of lightning toward the ground, only to be hidden behind the hills.

  The Warrioresses walked up between the men and gazed at the sight. “That storm is not of natural causes.” Caritha swallowed. “The power of the heavens has been drawn upon.”

  Ilfedo turned her way. “Do you think that is the direction in which we should head?”

  She did not immediately answer. She gathered her sisters in a circle. “If we uni
te our minds, then we may learn more.” She drew her rusted sword, and the others followed her example. The five weapons touched at the tips, and static energy buzzed along their blades. The sisters drew back their weapons.

  “Ilfedo!” She grabbed his arm and pointed north. “We must go now! Oganna and the megatraths are in serious danger. I sense a great darkness closing around her. We must get to her before it is too late!”

  He spun in his saddle, drew the sword of the dragon, and held it above his head. Flames licked from the blade and a torrent of fire spat into the air. Before him, stretching back into the desert as far as he could see, line upon line of sword-wielding men cheered. Seven thousand voices shook the earth.

  One thousand men emerged from the main force. In a steady, practiced line they marched forward. He raced his stallion to their lead. “Draw your swords, warriors of light!” The sweet sound of one thousand metal blades slipping out of their sheaths answered him. The desert rang with the warriors’ shout, and Yimshi glinted on their blades. A flash of light followed, and Ilfedo’s magnificent army was arrayed in white armor. Their blades glowed.

  Division after division of men stretched into the distance as far as he could see. Eight thousand men ready to follow his bidding. A tremor of reality struck him, but he wheeled his mount and urged it toward the green hills.

  He waved his hand at Ombre. “Will you do the honors, Commander?”

  “Gladly.” Behind him Ombre called to the regular troops, and a man clad in green armor brought forward the lord’s personal mount. Midnight whinnied as Ombre slid onto his back and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Forward!”

  The order passed from mouth to mouth with growing enthusiasm, and the army followed Ilfedo toward the rising terrain. He rode into the hills, stopping only a moment to cool his face in a stream and let his horse drink. The sound of eight thousand men tramping into the foreign land filled his ears as he left the stream and walked off alone into the hills. His army would need to refresh themselves at this stream before going farther.