Avondale V

by Toby Neighbors

  “The ship!” she shouted. “It’s gone.”

  She watched Tiberius look up, turning his head around and shading his eyes, but the ship was nowhere in sight. His face, red with the frenzied effort of their climb, hardened with anger. Then he looked down, and the anger turned to fear. Lexi looked down, too. The monster was still coming.

  Chapter 28

  Leonosis

  The demon wasn’t surprised when Earl Ageus didn’t send Tiberius to him as promised. When the ship from Avondale had sailed toward them, Draggah knew the Balestone wasn’t on it. He paced the command deck, and Leonosis, still a prisoner in his own mind, felt the demon’s curiosity. He knew that the ship sailing toward their fleet was a trick of some kind, and he could have ordered his own ships to blow it out of the sky or to sail out of harm’s way, but instead he just watched.

  When the crew abandoned ship, it became quite obvious that the earl meant to blow up the opulent vessel. Leonosis felt a pang of regret as he watched the ship that he’d always coveted explode. And just as he’d guessed, Draggah was prepared for the carnage. It wouldn’t have surprised Leonosis if Draggah had only used his power to protect the sky ship, leaving the war fleet exposed. There was no doubt that the demon would have reveled in the panic and fear of the soldiers as they died, but instead Draggah contained the blast and sent the destroyed vessel dropping harmlessly to the ground far below. He watched it streaking down and disappearing into the bank of clouds that covered the blighted lands.

  What Leonosis hadn’t expected was the thrill of magic as the demon conjured it. Leonosis still felt every physical sensation in his body, even though he was no longer in control. He felt the constant, gnawing hunger, the fatigue of Draggah’s relentless pacing on the command deck. He felt the weakness from lack of sleep and even the way his body stirred with lust when Draggah watched Queen Ariel in their private quarters. Yet in all the time the demon had possessed Leonosis’ body, he had only used magic sparingly. Ariel had done most of Draggah’s dirty work, but now the demon summoned great power. Leonosis felt it swirl around him. It was completely mental, but it felt as though the magic were flowing around and even through his body.

  The sensation at first was sweet, like the first fragrant aroma of honeysuckle. But then, as the spell the demon cast took hold, Leonosis felt the raw power of magic as if he were galloping on a powerful war horse. The sense of power built as it flowed so that Leonosis, even though he was completely impotent, felt almost god-like as Draggah surrounded the sky ship from Avondale in a bubble of magical power.

  The explosion nearly knocked Leonosis senseless. The kinetic force of the blast seemed to travel up through the flow of magic and to Leo it was like the war horse he’d been riding so confidently had suddenly run straight into the walls of Avondale. His body didn’t move, Draggah held him steady, but Leonosis had trouble regaining his senses.

  The next thing he knew, they were almost to the city. Draggah had ordered the sky ship to fly up and over the city, while the war fleet spread out and surrounded the city. Leonosis felt a sense of pride when he saw Avondale. The city was truly magnificent, and he had missed the beauty and symmetry of his old home. Sparlan Citadel was a cold, craggy fortress, and the city existed mostly underground. Avondale was a wide, expansive city and well planned.

  Anger shot through Leonosis as he felt Draggah’s excitement over the prospect of waging war against Avondale. The demon had no appreciation for Avondale’s greatness or the years that had been spent building the magnificent city. Instead, Draggah merely wanted to see it all destroyed, like a toddler who can’t resist knocking down a tower of blocks.

  They circled the city, with Draggah’s powerful eyesight taking in panic that was occurring in the city streets and the placement of soldiers and armaments on the city walls.

  “Your orders, my liege?” asked the captain after their second pass.

  “Prepare your signalmen,” Draggah said.

  Sailors with special flags would be used to communicate the demon’s battle plan. One signalman stood on the command deck to relay Draggah’s orders to the other signalmen arranged on the ends of the ship’s long masts that protruded out from both the starboard and port sides of the ship. Another was stationed at the vessel’s long prow.

  “They have artillery,” Ariel said. “We should raise our fleet and bombard them.”

  “And what good will it do us if we destroy Tiberius in the process?” Draggah asked, as if he were speaking to a child.

  “We need the stone, not the earl’s son.”

  “I want the boy,” Draggah said. “I want to know what he knows. I want to make him suffer for ruining my plans. I want to see the one you found so irresistible and yet let slip through your fingers.”

  Queen Ariel looked away. Draggah enjoyed teasing her. Leonosis got the impression that Ariel had been attracted to Tiberius, but she had never admitted as much. Draggah loved that it incited Ariel and hurt Leonosis, too. She had preferred his brother over him, and that fact galled Leonosis, who was now desperately in love with a queen he could never possess.

  “He was nothing but an apprentice, and I thought I had dealt with him,” Ariel said, her voice tight with anger.

  “And now see how troublesome he has become,” Draggah said. “We shall make him pay for his insolence. We will enjoy his pain.”

  Leonosis raged for a moment, even though he knew getting angry and letting his frustrations show only made Draggah want to torment him further. But Leonosis couldn’t help himself. He was surrounded by people and facts that were beyond his control. The last thing Leonosis wanted was to see Tiberius fall into Draggah’s hands, and yet he hated his brother more with each passing day.

  “What we must do,” Draggah said, explaining his plans to Ariel, “is show them our power and make them fear us. We don’t need to destroy them completely, but rather bend them to our will. We’ll make them bring the wizard to us, and the Balestone. Then our conquest can truly begin.”

  Leonosis wanted to somehow sabotage the demon’s plans, but he was helpless. Ariel leaned over the ship, using her own magic to inspect every part of the city.

  “We could land our troops in the fields,” she said. “Once they take out the earl’s war band, then they’ll have no choice but to give us the boy.”

  “That is one possibility,” Draggah said. “Give me another?”

  “I don’t know,” she said.

  “First we’ll soften them up a bit,” Draggah said. “We didn’t bring all those lovely fire bombs for nothing.”

  “I thought you didn’t want to destroy the city?” Ariel said.

  “I don’t—that’s why we’ll target the walls. The earl has the wizard hidden deep underground. I can feel the Balestone now. It’s so close.”

  For a second the demon let his guard down, and Leonosis felt the dark creature’s desire for the Balestone. The magnitude of Draggah’s need for the magical gem was enormous. Leonosis was left breathless as Draggah hid his thoughts and desires from Leonosis once more.

  “But if our ships are in range of the city walls, they’ll be able to fight back with their armaments,” Queen Ariel explained.

  “True, it should be an exciting show.”

  “They could shoot down our ships,” she said angrily.

  “We don’t need the ships anymore, my sweet,” Draggah said. “They may force several of the ships down, but they can’t destroy the war ships with their projectiles, only force them to land. The mountain won’t be far below them at any rate. We won’t lose too many troops. Then we can invade the city, wipe out any resistance, and take what is ours.”

  “Then do it. I grow weary of waiting,” Ariel said in a haughty tone.

  “Patience, my dear. First we must distract our enemy with a show of force,” Draggah said. Then he turned to the signalman. “Prepare to launch fire bombs against the city walls on my command.”

  The flags snapped as the signalman waved the colorful banners. Draggah stepped cl
ose to the rear railing of the command deck. Through Draggah’s enhanced vision of Leonosis’ own eyes, they could see that the wall on the opposite side of Avondale from the palace appeared to be unmanned. Leonosis realized that Draggah wanted to see the war. The destruction of the city could wait. First, he wanted to see the fighting, the desperate struggle as men fought for their lives.

  Then the thrill of magic once again took hold. The spell cast to contain the explosion of the earl’s sky ship had seemed protective and light, but the magic Draggah summoned this time was exactly the opposite. There was no giddiness to the sensation, only a lust for power and destruction. The magic was hot and ferocious, almost threatening to sweep Leonosis and the sky ship away before Draggah directed it down at the abandoned section of city wall.

  Avondale’s walls were built with massive stone blocks, and Leonosis had always thought of them as indestructible. Perhaps if a sky ship sailed straight into the wall, it might fall, but Leonosis couldn’t really picture that happening. The sky ships were incredibly expensive, and the walls were so tall and sturdy he wasn’t even sure that a suicidal run into them would shake them. He had walked on those walls, run and played there as a child. As a man he had inspected the walls, watched the soldiers practicing with the large ballistae that were used to repel any kind of monstrous creatures that climbed up from the blighted lands below. The walls were invincible, he thought.

  Then, to Leonosis’ utter amazement, a section of the wall almost opposite from the earl’s palace suddenly collapsed. Leonosis could feel the magic causing the destruction, but he still could hardly believe it. The magic didn’t just knock a hole in the wall—it destroyed an entire section of wall all the way down to the cobblestone street. Dust and debris filled the air, and Leonosis could see the king’s soldiers cheering in their war ships, even though they were too far away to hear the shouts of acclamation.

  It took nearly twenty minutes for the dust to clear, but when it did, Leonosis could see that the wall was down and the city was vulnerable for the first time in Leo’s life. Houses and businesses had been destroyed by the falling stone. Had wall merely been knocked over, the huge blocks would have caused much more damage, but the wall had blasted apart, with as much stone flying outward and down the mountain as what flew in. Most of the stone was no larger than a grown man’s fist by that time, and while the blast did plenty of damage to the city, even killing dozens of citizen who were near the wall, it only really paved the way for Draggah’s invasion.

  “Signal my ships,” Draggah announced after soaking in the carnage he had created, “to fire at will.”

  Chapter 29

  Tiberius

  One look was all it took to realize that the focusing light spell wouldn’t stop the creature. He could hurt it, perhaps even cripple it, but it was moving too fast, and there was no place for Tiberius and Lexi to go. The war ship, which should have been waiting for them, was gone, and Tiberius knew he had to do something fast.

  “Fulguralis, fulguralis,” he chanted softly.

  He felt the magic stirring around him. Lexi took hold of his arm, her grip so tight with fear that it was pinching, but Tiberius ignored it. He felt the portal high above him opening and he directed the flow of magic straight down the tunnel. They were standing dangerously close, but there was no time to move away. Tiberius assumed they could cross the forest canopy, but it would have to be a slow, methodical process, and they just didn’t have time to do it.

  “Close your eyes,” he warned Lexi, prompting an even more painful pinch on his arm.

  “Fulguralis!” he shouted.

  Every hair on his body stood on end, and there was coppery taste in his mouth. Then a blinding flash shot down right in front of Tiberius. Even with his eyes closed, the light was painful. Then came the crack of thunder, so loud it made him fall backward with fear. He was afraid that the lightning had missed its mark or that they were simply too close to the powerful spell.

  When Tiberius opened his eyes, Lexi was lying beside him. He couldn’t help but laugh at the way she looked.

  “What are you laughing about?” she hissed angrily.

  “Your hair,” he said. “You look hilarious.”

  Lexi opened her eyes, and she started laughing, too. Tiberius reached up and felt his own head. His hair was sticking out from his head just like Lexi’s.

  “What happened to the worm?” Lexi asked.

  “I don’t know,” Tiberius said. “If it isn’t dead, we’re in big trouble.”

  The roots were jabbing painfully into Tiberius’ back and sides. He got up slowly, the muscles in his back aching and every muscle starting to protest. He hadn’t gotten enough sleep and felt like there wasn’t a drop of liquid in his whole body. But he knew he had to get back to Avondale as soon as possible—only now that seemed like it might be impossible.

  He peeked back into the tunnel and saw the creature. Its tentacles were still holding fast to the branches and trunks that lined the tunnel, but its mouth and eyes were black and smoking. The creature hung lifeless, blocking the tunnel and already starting to stink.

  “It’s dead,” Tiberius said, his voice raw, his throat aching horribly.

  “Thank goodness,” Lexi said. “I thought I was going to die, but you…”

  Her eyes filled with tears, and Tiberius pulled her close. He had saved her from the monster, but he had no idea how he was going to save her from dying on the canopy of the twisted forest. Going back down to the ground wasn’t an option, not with the monster blocking the tunnel, and besides, they hadn’t seen any water on the ground. Their best chance was to try and cross the forest along the top. If their ship was anywhere near the forest, they would have a much better chance of being seen and rescued than of finding water on the ground.

  Tiberius began to cough; the smoke rising from the worm monster was getting thicker and more acrid. Tiberius backed up, still holding Lexi as the terror of their ordeal passed. Tiberius felt shaky as his own adrenaline began to fade. He was tired, hungry, and most of all, afraid. The fate of Avondale was like a millstone that had been tied around his neck. He felt hopeless, scared that he didn’t know enough magic and wasn’t strong enough to wield it safely.

  It wasn’t until Tiberius heard the telltale crackle of the fire that the reality of their situation broke through his fog of self-pity. The smoke was growing thicker and darker, and when Tiberius heard the popping of the wood as it burned, he realized they were in even more danger than before.

  “Lexi!” he shouted. “Fire—the forest is on fire.”

  “What?”

  “The lightning must have started a fire,” he said, his voice croaking and his chapped lips splitting painfully. “We have to move. Now!”

  He led the way, picking one sturdy looking branch, then another. It was hard to keep his balance, and there was nothing to hold onto. Still, after taking several steps, he looked back over his shoulder. Flames were already rising above the canopy around the tunnel, and Tiberius knew they would spread in every direction. He didn’t have time to worry or be afraid of each step. They had to move much faster if they were going to outrun the fire.

  “Run, Lexi!” he shouted. “Don’t stop, even if I fall.”

  “We’re better off together,” she said, grabbing his hand tightly.

  Tiberius knew there was no time to argue. Lexi could have danced across the forest canopy, but he was slow and clumsy. His legs felt shaky beneath him to begin with, and now he needed to use every bit of strength he had just to stay upright. They ran, bouncing from one place to the next, trying to stay on the sturdier branches. The wooden limbs sometimes swayed under Ti’s weight, but the fire was relentless behind them. They passed spaces where the limbs were obviously too thin to hold them up, forcing Tiberius and Lexi to circle around the weak areas, even though the fire moved closer and closer with every second that passed.

  Tiberius glanced up, hoping to see a rain cloud, but there were no clouds in the blighted lands, only the misty ba
rrier that glowed with amber-colored sunlight. That realization was only slightly disheartening, since Tiberius hadn’t really thought they would be lucky enough to be saved by a rain shower. But then the thought struck him that they might run out of light. He could magically conjure light for them, but the transition from day to night in the blighted lands happened so fast that disaster could strike if the world suddenly grew dark.

  His side was hurting so bad it felt as if someone were stabbing Tiberius with each breath. His throat was raw, and his tongue felt swollen. He was so thirsty that, had it not been for Lexi, he might have given up and let the flames consume him. But Lexi wouldn’t let go of his hand. She had no trouble keeping her balance, even on the shakiest of perches, and she often helped Tiberius stay on his feet.

  Tiberius could feel the heat from the fire behind them, and his focus was entirely on the branches and roots in front of him, so he didn’t notice Dancer swooping down out of the brilliant sky.

  “Dancer!” Lexi shouted in surprise and joy.

  The little wind glider landed softly on Lexi’s shoulder and nuzzled her cheek before bouncing up and down and trilling excitedly. Tiberius was glad to see the little animal but even more grateful for the short break. He was bent double, breathing hard, and praying silently for a miracle.

  “Show us the way,” Lexi said, tossing Dancer back into the air. “This way, Ti.”

  Lexi tugged his hand, and Tiberius started moving again. He had forced himself to keep moving as they climbed back up the tunnel, refusing to rest. It had been a foolish thing to do, he realized. And had they been able to simply trudge along, he could have pushed himself to keep going, but they had no time. The flames behind them were leaping into the air and sent up a huge blanket of black smoke. The fire was spreading even more rapidly below them. Tiberius could see the flames now, down through the spaces between the limbs, trunks, and roots that made up the canopy of the twisted forest. He knew it was only a matter of time before they were lost to the flames, but he kept moving for Lexi’s sake.