Rodrick kissed her deeply, eliciting a moan from her as he pulled her tight. He slowly pulled away and smiled as he turned her back toward the fire. His lips returned to her slender neck as he kissed down one side and back up the other. As he did so, his fingers found the ties of her gown and he began to unlace them one after the other.
Soon, all of the laces were unbound and Rodrick slipped the gown from Gwyndalin’s shoulders and allowed it to fall to the floor at her feet. She took a step out of the gown crumpled on the floor as Rodrick turned her back toward him. He kissed her gently on the lips before slowly lowering himself to his knees in front of her. He brushed his lips across her belly as his hands slid to her rear. His tongue slipped out and caressed her skin evoking a sigh before it found her belly button. She gasped as his tongue moved further down.
Rodrick then stood lifting her up, turning and laying her down upon the feathery cushions of her bed. He straightened and began to unlace his own shirt, removing it and tossing it upon the floor with a wry smile. Gwyndalin spread her legs as he unlaced his pants. He climbed on top of her and pressed his lips against her.
“I do love you,” he whispered.
“I know,” she said before a moan escaped her lips. She was just about to tell him that she loved him in return when the room began to shake violently. Gwyndalin sat up as Rodrick leapt from the bed. “What in the Three Realms is going on?” Gwyndalin asked as the knight dashed to the window overlooking the northern peaks and peered out over the Scorched Mountains. When he turned back to her, the expression that etched his face sent a chill up her spine. She had never seen fear in his eyes before—not like that. “Rodrick, what is it?” she asked, fright causing her voice to crack.
He did not answer the question as there was no point in describing it. This was something she needed to see for herself. “Get dressed!” he shouted. “Quickly!”
***
Aura stood atop the white polished wall of Caerwynspire staring out over the mountain peaks north of the city. She wore no hood or cape for there was no need for a disguise now. At that moment, she would gladly welcome the sudden appearance of Herja and the Valkyrie. Instead of the hood and cape, Aura wore her battle armor. Her swords remained in their sheaths, but she knew they would soon be in her hands. She felt her daughter Ashleen gripping her leg tightly.
“Mama,” the little girl said and Aura could hear the fear in her voice.
“Yes, my darling?” Aura asked in a calming and soothing voice.
“Mama,” the little girl said again and Aura glanced down to see the child reaching for her, the tiny fingers opening and closing as Ashleen stretched her small arms as high as she could reach. Aura smiled lovingly as she bent over, lifting Ashleen into her arms. Ashleen could sense her mother’s fear and began to sob.
“It is alright,” Aura lied as she smiled comfortingly at her daughter, before turning back toward the Scorched Mountains. There she saw a giant black cloud of smoke erupting from a far peak and spreading outward through the sky, blotting out the sunlight. Aura swallowed hard.
“General!” she heard a voice cry out and turned to see Gwyndalin and Rodrick running along the wall toward her. They stopped just a few feet away. No words were spoken. They just stared at each other for a moment.
“Take Ashleen,” Aura said to Gwyndalin, breaking the silence and handing her the child. “Gather your daughters and flee as quickly as you can,” she said.
“But what is that?” Gwyndalin asked perplexed as she nodded toward the black smoke.
“The Great Darkfall,” Aura replied as she once again faced north. “The armies of Abaddock are on their way. We haven’t much time. You must go now.
“I don’t understand,” Gwyndalin said.
“Shebath is blotting out the sun, Gwyndalin,” Aura snapped at her. “His armies cannot fight in the daylight.”
“Blotting out the sun?” Rodrick swallowed hard.
Aura nodded. “This black cloud shall cover the whole of the Middle Realm eventually. With it comes death.” She took a deep breath. “Now please, take my daughter and yours and get as far from here as you can. I shall lead your armies to hold the shedom at bay for as long as possible.”
“No,” Gwyndalin said shaking her head. “You must fly to Auraehalis and bring back help.”
Aura swallowed hard and let her head drop, staring at the ground. “There is no help in Auraehalis,” she said softly.
At that Gwyndalin’s face turned dire. “Then there is no hope for any of us,” she said.
“You must go!” Aura shouted, annoyed now that Gwyndalin continued to delay. “Warn the other kingdoms. Stand together and fight. Maybe together…” she let her words trail off.
“Yes,” Gwyndalin said. “But you must warn the others, not I,” Gwyndalin said as she handed Ashleen back to Aura. “Take your daughter and fly far from here. Warn her father and please warn Lisabeth in Ephenee and my brother in Talisaria,” she said as tears poured down her cheeks.
“No, I shall stand and fight,” Aura replied.
Gwyndalin shook her head. “I could never warn the others in time for them to prepare a defense. Only you are fast enough to do that. It’s our only hope Aura.”
Aura turned and stared up at the dark mass moving toward them. She knew Gwyndalin was right. She turned back, nodding. Gwyndalin wrapped her arms around Aura. She kissed Ashleen on the cheek causing the little girl to giggle. “I shall miss you little one,” she whispered. Gwyndalin pulled away.
Aura’s eyes leapt to Rodrick. “They will not attack until the cloud is well over head. You have until then to prepare.”
“Thank you, General,” Rodrick said.
Aura took a step back. “I wish you all a dracen’s luck,” the seraph said with a sympathetic smile and then, with a mighty flap of her wings, bolted into the sky and out of sight.
Gwyndalin and Rodrick watched her for but a moment before Gwyndalin turned to her knight. “You will take my daughters south to Avonvale,” she commanded.
Rodrick shook his head. “You are coming with us,” he said.
Gwyndalin narrowed her eyes at him. “Do not think that just because I took you into my bed that you get to command me.”
Rodrick sighed. “You must…” he began, but she interrupted him.
“No, my love,” she said as tears built in her eyes. “I am a Caerwyn and we stand and fight until the end. That is why we are here. I will stand and die with my people fighting the forces of darkness.”
“I am a Caerwyn, also,” he said. “I shall stand with you.”
“Please, my love. Please take my daughters and a contingent of Paladin and leave. Live,” she said as she grit her teeth. “Live so that you may help Lisabeth avenge me. Avenge all of us.”
Tears began to stream down Rodrick’s cheeks, but he nodded his consent.
***
Gwyndalin stood atop the wall wearing Ashleen’s golden battle armor. Under normal circumstances, the Paladin would not allow her to wear the gold. These were not normal circumstances. Gwyndalin stared south watching as a caravan of carriages carrying her daughters, as well as all of the young children and their mothers that could be assembled so hastily, fled the city under a guard of ten Paladin and two score of cavalry. Everyone else remaining in the city knew they were to fight to the death to give the others time to escape. When the caravan had disappeared behind the hills to the south, Gwyndalin wiped the tears from her eyes and turned back to face the northern peaks.
Sir Auberon stood beside her staring north as well. “How long do we have?” Gwyndalin asked the Paladin commander.
“Not long,” he said without taking his eyes off of the cloud. “Less than an hour, I would guess.”
Gwyndalin nodded. “I will see to our people,” she said through dry lips. Auberon nodded. “I shall return soon.”
Gwyndalin walked slowly along the walls touching the arms of each of the men, women, and children as she did so. All were soldiers in Caerwynspire. “We ar
e Caerwyn,” she said as she passed each soldier.
“We are Caerwyn,” they would repeat softly back to her.
“We are Caerwyn,” she said as tears built in her eyes. She saw no fear on their faces. Unlike her, they had all been raised in Caerwynspire, believing that this day would come and they would fulfill the duty for which they had been born. The duty for which they had trained their entire lives. “We are Caerwyn,” she said as she attempted to fight the tears away. “It is our duty to die so that the Middle Realm may live.”
“We are Caerwyn,” the people replied to her.
“We are Caerwyn,” a young girl no older than ten replied to her with a confident smile. Gwyndalin knelt beside her. The girl’s bravery and confidence reminded her so much of Ashleen.
“We shall arise victorious,” Gwyndalin whispered to the girl before kissing her lightly on the cheek. She then rose and continued on to see the others.
Gwyndalin made her way down from the wall and to the streets of the city. There, she wandered through the ranks of the soldiers gathered in the streets ready to fight the demons that breached the walls. “We are Caerwyn,” she said to determined faces. As she walked among her people, an elderly man in armor that had grown much too large for him, grabbed her arm turning her toward him. He bowed at the waist and kissed her hand.
“Thank you for standing with us, Your Majesty,” the man said. “The King would be so proud of you.”
Gwyndalin nodded with a smile, but turned quickly away. She wanted to thank him for the kind words, but knew that if she were to try to speak or even remain there a moment longer, she would not be able to slow the rush of tears that would come pouring from her eyes.
Gwyndalin made her way through the city and back to the wall, completing a circle and ending behind the northern battlements beside Auberon and the few remaining Paladin.
“You returned just in time, Your Majesty,” Auberon said as the cloud darkened the sky above their head blotting out the sun and casting a dark shadow over the land. “Darkness has fallen,” he mumbled before placing a gauntleted hand upon her shoulder. “I fought beside Commander Artur. I fought beside Commander Ashleen. I am honored that my final battle shall be at your side.”
“Thank you, Commander,” she smiled at him. They both turned to face north and soon saw something moving against the darkened sky. It did not take long before they realized what it was. “Dragons,” Gwyndalin whispered. “So many dragons.”
Several terrifying shrieks pierced the air as the drakons flew nearer and nearer. Auberon and the Paladin drew their swords and Gwyndalin followed suit. “Archers ready!” the Paladin Commander shouted and the bowmen along the walls notched arrows and drew back their strings aiming high into the sky. Auberon raised his sword high into the air and waited. The wait seemed to last an eternity as he delayed until the dragons were closer, closer still, until they were so close Gwyndalin could swear she smelled the smoke on their breath. “LOOSE!” Auberon shouted as his sword fell.
A barrage of arrows flew forward at the incoming drakons and their shedom riders. Flames leapt from the mouths of the beasts disintegrating many of the arrows, but some still found their mark, though no drakons fell from the sky.
“Archers, loose!” Auberon shouted as the bowmen scrambled to release another volley upon the attackers. This time the closer range did manage to knock a pair of drakon from the air, but that was hardly enough to slow the assault.
“Ready!” Auberon shouted as the soldiers on the walls raised their swords.
Gwyndalin’s heart was pounding as if it were trying to beat its way out of her chest. Her breathing was so heavy she worried she might pass out. She understood then that a willingness to remain and fight did not equate to desire to die. She saw the black skulls of the shedom as the drakon dove toward them. She gasped when she noticed a human woman riding the drakon leading the charge toward her. The woman was white as the nearby snow peaks, yet seemed to burn red hot.
Gwyndalin raised her sword as she shouted “WE ARE CAERWYN!” Just as the words left her lips, flames leapt from the drakon’s mouth and Gwyndalin was no more.
Chapter 13
Erec and Sephene strolled through the Queen’s gardens at Avonvale holding one another’s hands, their fingers intertwined. Sephene laid her head upon Erec’s shoulder, a look of contentment on her face.
“It’s so nice to be home,” Erec said.
“It’s nice to be out of our rooms,” Sephene laughed. “I did not know if you were going to ever let me out of bed.”
Erec stopped walking and turned to stare down at her. “It was not so bad was it?” he asked.
Sephene took him by the back of the head and pulled his lips to hers. “To the contrary,” she said as she pulled her lips away. “It was wonderful.”
Erec wrapped Sephene up in his arms as he pulled her close to him. He leaned down and kissed her deeply. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love…,” he began, but was suddenly interrupted by what sounded like a meteor impacting nearby as gravel sprayed them.
Erec and Sephene broke away from one another and turned, shock upon their faces. “Aura!” Erec shouted as the seraph straightened revealing a young child in her arms.
“General Aura,” Sephene said, irritation evident in her voice. “This is highly irregular. If you wish…” she began but Aura ignored her and stepped toward Erec.
“This is your daughter,” Aura said matter-of-factly and without any salutation, as she handed the child to Erec.
Erec’s eyes grew wide with surprise and he heard Sephene gasp beside him. Erec shook his head. “That’s impossible,” he said. “This child is a toddler, if you and I had a child it would be…”
“Almost six months old,” Aura said. “She is.”
Erec gazed at the small child. “That is incredible,” he said as tears built up in his eyes.
Sephene watched them, a hand over her mouth, another across her belly, too stunned to say a word.
“What is her name?” Erec asked Aura.
“Ashleen,” Aura said softly.
Erec smiled. “Hello Ashleen,” he said. “I am your father.” Then he squeezed her tight.
“I need you to keep her for a while,” Aura said.
That was enough to jar Sephene from her stunned silence. “Wait, Erec can’t be expected…” but Aura ignored her once again speaking directly to Erec.
“The forces of Abaddock have breached the seal,” Aura said. “The Great Darkfall is upon us. I promised Queen Gwyndalin that I would warn Lisabeth in Ephenee.”
“How do you know this?” Erec asked.
“I saw it,” Aura replied. “I saw Shebath’s black cloud rising from the mountains. The White Fortress has probably already fallen.”
Erec swallowed hard. “I’ll come with you,” he said.
“No!” Aura and Sephene spoke in unison. Erec shot a sharp glance to Sephene, silencing her, before turning back to Aura.
“I need you to take care of our daughter,” Aura said as she reached out and gently touched Erec’s hand. “I shall return as soon as I can. Will you do that?”
“Of course I will take care of her,” Erec replied as he looked into his daughter’s beautiful eyes.
“Erec, you can’t be serious,” Sephene blurted out.
Erec turned to her, a fiery anger in his eyes. “This is not the time, Sephene!” he shouted causing her to stop, choking back the words she wanted to shout. Her eyes leapt to Aura’s then back to Erec before she spun and ran away as tears streamed down her cheeks. Erec watched as she disappeared into the castle. He hated that he shouted at his wife, but there simply was not time for her jealousy. They would speak about the matter later. He would allay her fears. They had much greater fears now.
Erec turned back to Aura. “Please warn Terrwyn and Dillan in Riversmeet,” he said and she saw the fear and desperation in his eyes.
“Of course,” Aura said with a warm smile. Her attention turned to her
daughter and she kissed the small child on the forehead. “I shall return soon my little darling,” she said. “Mommy loves you.” With that, Aura took a few steps back and spread her great wings wide before flapping them and bolting into the air.
Ashleen began to cry as she reached skyward with her little hands trying desperately to reach her mother. “It’s alright, Ashleen,” Erec whispered in her ear. “Daddy has you now.”
***
Terrwyn was screaming as she bolted upright in her bed. Her gown was soaked through with sweat and her auburn ringlets clung to her skin. Dillan was standing fully clothed beside her bed, hands gently on her shoulders. “Terrwyn, it’s alright. It is only a dream,” he said.
Terrwyn’s eyes leapt to his as she swallowed hard. She nodded and then wrapped her arms around her husband weeping into his chest as she remembered the terrifying dream. Her cousin, Anne, and an army of shedom killing Dillan and her babies. Killing Erec and Taite. Killing everyone, even Avon.
Dillan held her close. “Calm down—it is only a dream,” he whispered. “You are alright.”
Terrwyn pulled away. “Anne is back,” she said as she looked into his eyes. “She’s not dead. She is back and she is coming to kill us,” she said in a cracking voice between her sobs.
Dillan nodded. “I know,” he said causing Terrwyn to tilt her head quizzically.
“How can…” Terrwyn began. “Did you have a vision, too, or…”
“I came in here to tell you that General Aura has arrived.” Terrwyn’s eyes went wide. “Get dressed,” Dillan said as he swept Terrwyn’s sweaty curls from her face and pressed his lips to her forehead. He stood, turned, and walked out of the door closing it behind him.
Terrwyn sat in her bed for a moment, letting the news sink in before she let her feet drop to the cold stone floor. She stood from her bed, stripping her gown from her body and letting it fall to the floor. She rushed to her wardrobe and found a pair of brown pants and a white shirt. She threw the shirt over her head and pulled it down. She then pulled the pants on and quickly took a pair of stockings and placed them over her toes, pulling them up her calf. Once her stockings were on she pulled on her boots and rushed for the door as she swept her hair back behind her head, securing it with piece of blue ribbon.
Dragon's Keep: The Complete Dracengard Series Page 83