Dragon's Keep: The Complete Dracengard Series

by Christopher Vale

  The King collapsed into his throne. He leaned his right elbow on the throne’s arm and buried his face in his hand while his left hand held the hilt of his sword, the point resting on the carpet at his feet. Like his men, King Alexandeon knew the end was very near. He lifted his head to look at his soldiers. Few of what remained of his army were professional soldiers. Some were reserves, but many were men and boys who had never seen battle before in their lives and were only pressed into service in the night’s defense of Avonvale. He saw their fear as they waited for the inevitable attack. He shared his men’s trepidation, but knew he had to present an air of strength and courage. He took a deep breath, then stood and summoned all of the courage he could muster.

  “Men!” he shouted to them. “My brave warriors of Avonvale.” The soldiers turned to look at their king. “I know everything seems hopeless. I know that all seems lost, but it is not. Soon the power that the seraphs gave us a millennia ago will be unleashed on these monsters. At this very moment, our Dracenstone is on its way to Dracengard. I know you have all heard the legends of the Dracenstone. Some of you might doubt their truth, but I can tell you that the legends are true. The Wizard, the Black Knight, and all of their draks will be consumed by the dracen’s fire. Your families will be saved.” The men watched him silently and attentively. “They will shout your praises and harlequins will sing songs of this day. The day you brave men, the bravest heroes in the history of the Middle Realm, stood your ground against the monsters of darkness. I pledge to fight with you to the bitter end. I will not surrender. I will die right here with my brave men, my sword in my hand.” He paused watching them. “For Avonvale!” The King shouted as he lifted his mighty sword toward the ceiling.

  The men looked at each other. Then a lancer, a seasoned veteran, drew his sword and also held it aloft. “For Avonvale!” he shouted. Then the other men, feeding off of the King’s courage echoed, “For Avonvale!” The cry was punctuated by the slamming against the door of the drakmere attempting to push their way in.

  The door began to splinter as axes chopped at it. The green skin of the draks appeared as the door slowly pushed open. Lancers rushed forward and pushed back, but the pressure from the hordes of draks was too much and the doors flung open. The drakmere began to force their way inside. The lancers fell back around the king as the archers shot arrow after arrow at the monsters forcing their way into the throne room. Drakmere fell in large numbers, but as each wave faltered more draks came through. Soon the archers began to exhaust their supply of arrows and many threw down their bows and drew their short swords. Every man knew the draks would eat him alive if he were captured and, thus, would fight to the death.

  As the drakmere forced their way inside the throne room, the lancers rushed forward impaling the monsters with their long lances. More and more drakmere poured into the room. Lances were lost and broken and lancers began drawing their short swords. As the men attacked the draks with their swords, the King stepped down and joined them. He gripped his great sword with both hands as he sliced and cut, chopping at the attacking drakmere. The men, now less than ten, realized the King had joined the fray and rallied around him. The draks pushed in from all sides. The men fought hard but were no match for the superior strength and superior numbers of drakmere.

  One by one, all of the King’s soldiers fell until the King stood alone, holding his sword. One of the drakmere stepped toward the King and hissed at him. “Surrender,” it said. The King answered by splitting the drak’s skull right down the middle with his great sword. He pulled his sword back as the monster fell, green blood spilling onto the stone floor from the gaping hole in its head. The other draks did not move but stood in place hissing and snarling at him. The King swung at them, but they simply dodged his blows without counter attack.

  “Come on! What are you waiting for?” he shouted at them. He did not have to wait long to receive his answer. The circle of drakmere parted, revealing the Black Knight.

  “Drop your sword, seraph spawn,” Rayfen hissed at Alexandeon.

  “Never!” the King cried. He charged at Rayfen and swung his great sword down at him with all of his might. In a blur of speed, the Black Knight caught the sword blade in his gauntlet and ripped the sword from Alexandeon’s hands. He then reached forward with his other hand and grabbed the the King by the throat, lifting him off the ground with one arm. Alexandeon began to gasp for air as Rayfen tightened his grip.

  “You are most fortunate that we have plans for you and that the Wizard has generously ordered that you be taken alive.” He then threw the King to the ground. “Take him,” Rayfen hissed to the drakmere. Several reptilian hands grabbed the King before he could stand and he was dragged away. The battle was over. Avonvale had become the Wizard’s latest prize and its king a prisoner.

  Chapter 7

  The carriage carrying Terrwyn and Taite rolled along the dirt road. Erec and Sir Gwillym rode in front of the carriage and six royal guardsmen rode behind. Taite stared out of the window at the river on their left before noticing Valko, trotting along beside the carriage. He was her best friend and she had raised him from a cub. Her siblings were both much older than she and a princess does not get too many opportunities to play with other children. She was very grateful to have Valko.

  Taite remembered the day she received the wolf three years ago. Erec had been on a hunt with their cousin Morgan, the son of Alexandeon’s brother, Lord Bronwyn. Morgan was a couple of years older than Erec and Erec thought he hung the moon. The hunting party happened upon a very large hart feeding on the edge of the forest not far from where they currently rode. Morgan told Erec it was his chance to kill a great hart. Erec notched his bow, took careful aim, and loosed the arrow. It flew true and hit the hart in the front shoulder causing the deer to stumble and fall. Morgan patted the young Prince on the back, but at that moment the hart regained its feet and ran off. The hunting party tracked it all day following its hoof prints and blood trail.

  Eventually they came to a place where the ground was drenched in blood, but the deer could not be found. It was clear that the hart had been dragged from there. They followed the trail to a place in a hollow under a large oak tree. There they discovered a gray mother wolf and her cubs feeding on the deer. The wolf realized the men were there and stood and growled at them, protecting her cubs and their meal. Morgan whispered in Erec’s ear that he needed to shoot the wolf. Erec notched his arrow and pulled the bow string back, but could not bring himself to shoot it. “She is just feeding her cubs,” he said. Not quite a man yet, Erec still had a boy’s tenderness, especially for a mother. Morgan chided him for acting like a little girl and then shot the wolf himself, with his own bow and arrow. She yelped and fell to the ground but still breathed. Morgan walked over to the wolf, removed the long dagger from the scabbard on his belt, knelt down beside her and slit her throat.

  “Kill the pups,” Morgan ordered his men as he stood up. The men obeyed, grabbing the wolf cubs and stabbing them with daggers. But Erec shouted at them to stop. He ran over to them and scooped up the last remaining cub, holding it protectively in his arms. Morgan stepped up to him standing a head taller than Erec at that time. “Give me the cub,” he said to Erec as his dagger still dripped with the blood of the cub’s mother. Erec shook his head and drew back pulling the cub into his chest to protect him. “Then I will take him, little Princess,” Morgan said and reached toward the cub.

  Erec slapped his hand away. “You will not,” Erec said sternly his eyes sharpening as he stared at his cousin. “I am the Crown Prince of Avonvale and you will obey me,” he said. Morgan was taken aback. Erec then looked at the other men. “Anyone who harms this cub will be severely punished,” he said. The men all bowed there heads in compliance. That was the last time Erec followed Morgan anywhere. They ended the hunt and returned to the castle.

  They had only been away for three days, but when they returned, Erec found his sisters weeping. His mother, Queen Genevieve, had just died in childbirth.
The child, a boy, had lived only a few more hours before also dying. Erec sought out his father who was completely distraught and unable to comfort his children. It was up to Erec to be strong, to be the man and comfort his sisters. Taite was only five at the time and Terrwyn and Erec were ten years older. They had lost several siblings during childbirth or as young infants to sickness before Taite was born. Terrwyn and Erec had doted on Taite and loved her very much. Erec could see how hard this was on his little sister. Harder on her than anyone, except maybe their father. Terrwyn, always strong, had already begun assuming the Queen’s duties. Her first duty was arranging for her mother’s funeral.

  To try and comfort Taite, Erec presented her with the wolf cub. Taite dried her eyes and looked at the small animal her brother laid on the ground at her feet. She picked up the cub and hugged him. “What is his name?” she asked her big brother.

  “He doesn’t have a name. You can name him anything you want,” Erec said smiling and stroking her hair.

  “I will name him Valko,” Taite responded. Erec smiled in delight. Valko was the name of the wolf prince in Taite’s favorite story. The prince in the story was turned into a wolf by an evil witch and needed to be kissed by a princess for the spell to break.

  “Give him a kiss and see if he’s really a prince,” Erec said. The little girl pulled the small cub to her face and kissed him on the head. He did not change into a prince, but he did lick her on the nose. From that moment on Taite mothered the cub as her mother had done her. She blocked the pain of losing her mother by becoming a mother herself.

  Taite now feared losing her father. It upset her that the King did not accompany them in their escape from the Wizard. She turned to look at her sister who was sitting across from her and realized Terrwyn was staring at her. Terrwyn smiled reassuringly. “We are going to be alright,” she said as much to reassure Taite as to reassure herself.

  Taite nodded and then thrust her chin into the air. “I am not worried for myself,” she said bravely. “I am worried about father.”

  “I am too,” Terrwyn admitted as her smile faded. She crossed the carriage to sit on the seat beside her little sister. She placed her arm around Taite and pulled her close. “But father is a valiant warrior. He can take care of himself,” she reminded Taite.

  “But he said we had already lost the battle,” Taite argued.

  “He also said the Wizard would not harm him,” Terrwyn reminded her.

  “But you and Erec told Father that…” Taite began, but Terrwyn interrupted her.

  “It doesn’t matter what we told Father,” Terrwyn said as she stared into Taite’s eyes. “Father knows what he is doing. He has been King for a long time, since before any of us were born. If he said he will be alright then he will be alright.” Terrwyn tried to comfort her sister, but failed to comfort herself. She knew she was lying to Taite. She laid her cheek on top of Taite’s head and hugged the girl. “Everything will be fine. We will go to Dracengard, as Father commanded, and once there we will raise an army and retake Avonvale. We will use the Dracenstone’s magic to destroy the Wizard and rescue Father.”

  “What does the Dracenstone do?” asked Taite.

  “I do not know, but Father said the Keeper will show us,” Terrwyn said.

  “But…”

  Terrwyn cut her off. “Hush now, my darling. No more questions. Close your eyes and try to sleep. Forget your worries. Everything will be fine.” Terrwyn pulled Taite into her bosom and stroked the little girl’s hair. She began humming a lullaby to calm her sister. Taite’s eyelids gradually became heavy and she closed her eyes and slept.

  Terrwyn watched the passing river through the window. She had to protect her sister. She had been like a mother to Taite for the last three years and felt it was her responsibility, since their real mother had died, to care for the child.

  Terrwyn had never missed her mother more than she did at that moment. She wished that she could lay against her mother’s bosom and have the Queen stroke her hair as Terrwyn stroked Taite’s. Tears welled up in Terrwyn’s eyes. She quickly wiped them away and fought back others. She had to be strong for Taite. She knew her father would not survive despite what she had told her sister. Taite and Erec were all she had left.

  Her thoughts drifted to the day her mother died. The baby was turned sideways and the midwife had to reach inside and straighten him out. When he was finally born, after many hours of labor, her mother could not stop bleeding. She called Terrwyn to her side. Terrwyn took the baby boy over to her, but Genevieve was too weak to hold him. Tears streamed down her mother’s cheeks.

  “Name him Theron, after my brother,” the Queen instructed Terrwyn.

  “We will, Mother,” Terrwyn assured her.

  The Queen gasped and Terrwyn handed the baby to Lady Elizabeth who quickly carried him away. Terrwyn then sat by her mother’s side. The Queen took her daughter’s hand and Terrwyn could tell that she had almost no strength left. “Take care of your brothers and sister. You will be the lady of the house now,” she said. Terrwyn nodded as tears filled her eyes. “And take care of your father. He will be lost without me,” she said mustering a small laugh. “Men are very strong on the battlefield, but in everything else in life they need a strong woman to care for them.”

  “I will take care of Father,” Terrwyn promised as she wiped tears from her cheeks. “Do not worry yourself.”

  “You are a strong woman Terrwyn. I have always been so proud of you. I love you and your brothers and sister so much.” She squeezed Terrwyn’s hand. “Darkness is coming,” the Queen muttered and with that drew her last breath.

  The next moment King Alexandeon burst into the room, but he was too late. Terrwyn turned to look at him and he saw the tears in her eyes as she shook her head. He looked at his wife whose body laid still in the bed. Terrwyn laid her mother’s hand down on the bed and stood, straightening her dress, and walked over to her father. She wrapped her arms around him and he began to cry, but he pushed her away and walked past her to stand over his wife. He knelt beside the bed and kissed his queen on the forehead. He then buried his face on the pillow beside her and began to weep.

  Terrwyn left the room without a word. She took a long moment to compose herself, wiping the tears from her eyes. She had to be strong. After taking a deep breath, she went to tend to her newborn brother. Theron was not doing well. His heartbeat was faint and he was barely breathing. She gently lifted him from his crib and sat in the chair next to it. She held the babe in her arms and sang a soft lullaby. He stopped breathing soon after and no matter what the nurse and midwife did, he could not be revived. Terrwyn sat alone in the nursery and wept. When she had no more tears left to shed, she stood, wiped her eyes, and summoned all of her courage.

  She found Taite playing with her dolls on the stairs not far from their mother’s bed chambers. Terrwyn sat down on the stairs beside her sister. The girl looked up at Terrwyn. She could tell Terrwyn had been crying.

  “What is wrong?” Taite asked.

  Terrwyn hugged the little girl. “Mother has died,” she said.

  Taite began to cry. “Is she with the angels?” she asked between sobs.

  “Yes, she is with the angels,” Terrwyn said.

  “Will I see her again?” she asked.

  “One day,” Terrwyn promised.

  “But who will take care of us?” Taite asked.

  “I will take care of you, my darling,” Terrwyn said crying and holding her sister tightly.

  Terrwyn wiped tears from her eyes and washed the thoughts of her mother from her mind as the horses pulled the carriage along River Road. Taite laid in her lap sleeping peacefully. Terrwyn had to be strong, for Taite and for Erec.

  Erec and Sir Gwillym rode in front of the carriage debating their next steps.

  “Your father, our King, ordered me to take you to Dracengard and that is what I intend to do,” Sir Gwillym said to the Prince.

  “I understand, Sir Gwillym,” Erec responded. “But we do not
know if Dracengard even exists. In fact, I do not believe it does. What if it is just a story told by the Priests of Avalon to keep the flock faithful?”

  Sir Gwillym was a man of faith and he believed. “Dracengard exists,” he said confidently.

  “Have you ever seen it? Do you know of anyone that has?” asked Erec. Sir Gwillym did not respond. Nor did he need to. They both knew the answer. He had not seen Dracengard, nor did he know anyone that had seen Dracengard. “Assuming it does exist, we do not know where.”

  “It is to the south, on the Isle of Avalon in the Glass Sea,” Gwillym said matter-of-factly.

  “So the legends claim. But where is the Isle of Avalon?” asked the Prince. Sir Gwillym did not have an answer.

  “We will find it,” the knight said confidently.

  “Instead of living on faith, I prefer to have a realistic plan. A plan that includes traveling to a real place,” argued Erec.

  “Like what?” asked Sir Gwillym.

  “We could go to the house of my father’s brother.”

  Gwillym snorted. “You mean your cousin Morgan’s house,” the knight corrected him. “The King’s brother died last year.”

  Erec bristled at the reminder. He did not want to go to Morgan begging for help. “Very well, we could go to Castle Greynault,” the Prince said referring to the home of his uncle, Lord Theron Greynault, his mother’s brother.

  “Your uncle is an honorable man, unlike your cousin Morgan, but he will be unable to protect you from the Wizard,” the knight countered. “Besides that is the first place the Wizard would look for you and your sisters. And, more to the point, we do not know where your uncle is. He is quite likely marching toward Avonvale at this very moment to come to your father’s aid, not knowing it will be too late.”

  “Then we should find him and warn him,” said Erec. “He could be marching to slaughter.”

  “We cannot run all over the countryside looking for Lord Theron,” the knight responded. “We would be captured for sure. However, I will be more than willing to send a man to search him out and warn him once you and your sisters are safely aboard the royal ship at port in Lattingham.”