by K. Dzr
Chapter Thirty
R E V O L U T I O N
The centaurs, led by Tahir and Oraden, stampeded through the woods to meet with Destiny and the others. By the time they reached her, she had an impressive base already built with hundreds of creatures seeking refuge in the magical forest. Almost as quickly, soldiers and bounty hunters scoured the woods for magics, reaping the reward for the corpses of sprites, gnomes, satyrs and unicorns.
It also didn’t take long for Kraven to build an army of his own. Soon, ogres and rogue Dracara that strayed from the teachings of Iltrepidore were attacking villages and burning them to the ground. The first round of attacks went unchallenged; Tahir had no way of finding out about them until it was too late. He came upon smoldering villages littered with the charred corpses of soldiers and families. Kraven was thorough; and he was merciless. The sight brought tears to Tahir’s eyes; every lifeless body brought back memories of his own destroyed village. If only he could find one living soul, save just one person—but there were none left to be saved. Defeated, he returned to base, determined to let that be his last failure.
The centaurs were getting restless. The Dracara were becoming rebellious. The small people were afraid, the unicorns disinterested. Gavin was getting paranoid and Tahir was losing hope. How could he defeat an enemy he couldn’t catch? One so quick? So powerful? Alas, Destiny gave him an edge.
“Tahir,” she called to him softly. “I have something to show you.”
He followed her into a hut in the center of camp. The air inside held dozens of swirling circles of light. He looked into one and saw a busy village; people selling and trading, gathering water, farming. It was as though he were standing on a hill overlooking the village. Every circle was a window with a view of a different town and city.
“With this Tahir, we can watch all the villages. If Kraven attacks, we will know immediately and can create a tunnel to pass straight to him.”
Tahir’s face lit up. He grabbed her excitedly and kissed her. “It’s brilliant! You’re so smart. This will work perfectly!”
“Just a little magic trick I learned along the way. We’ll set up shifts so someone is always keeping watch,” She turned to go. “I’ll send someone to take first watch so you can rest in a bit.”
He turned his attention to the swirling windows. All seemed to be peaceful: people busy with chores, children played, horses grazed. He found that he could command the window to move in closer or focus on certain things. It wouldn’t be long before Kraven attacked again. This time, they would be ready.
Four days went by without incident. Then, late on the fourth night, Gavin sat watching the windows. He noticed strange movement in the sky over the city near the castle. He watched the shadow for a moment until fire lit up the night sky and several buildings erupted in flame. He jumped from his seat and ran.
“To arms! To arms!” Gavin shouted. The centaur on night watch blasted his trumpet. The Dracara and griffins yawned awake and stretched their wings. Gnites cheered and back flipped. The centaurs, sleeping in their armor, bolted awake and grabbed their weapons.
Tahir burst from the tent as Gavin reached it. Gavin didn’t have to speak; Tahir knew from his expression that it was time.
“He attacks,” Gavin continued on, waking the others.
Destiny fought against waking. She rolled over, turning her back to the noise. Tahir ducked back into the tent and shook her gently. She snarled and shot him a demonic look that startled him. “It’s the middle of the night,” she hissed, her eyes glowing in the darkness. But she begrudgingly got out of bed and stretched her wings. Tahir gathered his weapons and left the tent.
Oraden was already up and stamping impatiently. “Ellic and Meelix, the Dracara, griffins and Gnites already took off for the city, Tahir,” Oraden shouted over the commotion. “I’ve never seen them fly so fast! They may already be there. Hop on, Tahir!”
The centaurs lined up behind Alexander. In his human form, the wolf-man drew a large glowing circle in the air. They practiced tunnel travel daily. There were no orders to give, no explanation necessary; they all knew what they needed to do. They knew what they were fighting for and the challenges they faced. This was it; Kraven had to be stopped. The tunnel flashed and the centaurs stampeded through, charging head-on toward the Dracara, ogres, wizards and trolls under Kraven’s command.
Oraden galloped full speed toward the tunnel with Destiny on his heels.
Fire erupted within the tunnel and giant ogres bashed soldiers with clubs. Surprised by the centaurs’ attack, many of the giants were felled by the skilled archers. Overhead, Dracara clashed as Ellic’s airborne support arrived. Gnites aboard their griffin steeds attacked the wizards head-on. They were few in numbers, but their skill against the powerful wizards was unsurpassed. Perfectly orchestrated, they spun and flipped, a blur of swords and fire, feathers and talons. They neutralized the wizards’ attacks and slay them where they stood.
Oraden’s heart pounded with his hooves as he galloped toward the swirling image of violence. He closed his eyes and leapt through the tunnel. They whisked miles in fractions of a second. His head spun, and he felt a little off balance as he landed, but he quickly regained his bearings.
Tahir watched Alexander, Destiny, and the last few centaurs teleport through and immediately charge into battle.
“Tahir!” Alexander shouted over the roars and screams. “I will find Kraven; you take care of the rest!”
The ancient wolf incinerated the trolls and ogres with lightening, and by the power of his mind alone, threw them out of his way. From above, Destiny showered lightning upon the ogres with precision the centaurs envied.
Tahir galloped through the fray, slashing at the smaller, uglier trolls. He learned of these vile creatures at Asymptier, but was not prepared for how ghastly they would be in person. The slobbering, armored, human-like creatures swarmed the streets, overpowering the King’s army. Tahir cut in and out of the crowd, grabbing frightened humans and pulling them to safety, and decapitating trolls that stood in his way. The screech of griffins pierced the air as the giant birds snatched trolls and carried them into the sky to be dropped to their deaths.
The sky burned where the Dracara clashed, belching fire back and forth. Darios flew head-on into one of the rogue Dracara. Their giant bodies slammed with such force that they both spun and tumbled head-over-tail before plummeting. They wrestled mid-air, clawing at each other, trying to rip open the other’s throat. The ground whirled toward them. Darios jerked back from the Dracara and then lunged at it once more, locking his jaws around its face. Spreading his wings, he shot up vertically, pulling his opponent with him. When he spun in a barrel roll the Dracara's neck snapped. Darios pulled up and belched fire over his enemy’s body. It crashed to the ground, crushing trolls and ogres as well as a few soldiers. Shock waves and a cloud of dust erupted from the crash site, throwing ground dwellers off their feet.
Oraden stumbled but managed to maintain his footing. He cursed the stupid monsters as he and Tahir weaved through the chaos, dodging the falling trolls and Dracara, the flying arrows and lightning bolts. They found one of the commanders of the Royal Army being overtaken and moved in to fight beside him. Oraden’s forelegs delivered bone-breaking kicks, and Tahir’s sword sliced the trolls into bloody pieces. Tahir aimed telekinetic blasts to knock the savage creatures off of the King's soldiers.
“We are on your side!” Tahir shouted to the commander between assaults. “Do not attack the centaurs, Gnites or the griffins,” Tahir yelled. “They are here to help!”
“What?” The commander recognized Tahir, but was suspicious; there was so much he did not understand. The trouble seemed to begin when this foreign man showed up.
“The centaurs…they are men with horse bodies,” Tahir explained as quickly as he could, trying to point them out amongst the carnage. “The griffins are like eagles. The Gnites look a little like trolls, but graceful, not ugly. Some of the dragons are good, others are b
ad; just leave them be. You wouldn't be able to hurt them, anyway. We will take care of the monsters. You need to get these people to safety!”
The Commander looked around at the mayhem, the burning buildings. He watched the horse-men and the bird-like creatures. They were protecting the humans and killing the hideous monsters, just as Tahir said. He turned to his men and barked orders for them to evacuate the city and leave their allies alone. He nodded to Tahir and galloped off to complete his task.
“Destiny!” Tahir called telepathically to his wife. “I need you to control these fires!”
Within seconds, thunder rolled. Black clouds cracked open and rain poured down, extinguishing the flames that were consuming buildings, bodies and fields. The Dracara roared in frustration, their favorite weapon now rendered useless.
Tahir and Oraden galloped, splashing mud in their wake, following their instincts in search of trapped survivors. When they came upon a home only partially destroyed, Tahir dismounted and entered. Oraden stood guard while Tahir climbed through the rubble, calling, “Anybody here?” A muffled sound came from beneath a collapsed wall. Heaving the pieces aside, he uncovered a woman and her children who appeared to have only minor injuries. He led them out of the charred house to find Oraden impaling a troll with his glowing red horn. Tahir pulled the family away from the carnage and grabbed the attention of a nearby centaur. He helped them get on the giant horseman’s back and commanded him to take them to safety. The centaur was angry to leave the battle, but obeyed, racing off to catch up with the soldiers who were escorting townspeople to safety.
Tahir continued his mission, galloping through the town, pulling unarmed townsfolk onto the backs of accommodating centaurs who would gallop them to safety. They were nearing another crumbling home when they spied an ogre careening down from above. Oraden stumbled backwards to get out of the way, knowing it was too late. Tahir closed his eyes and clenched Oraden’s mane, expecting the worst. Then, somehow, they were whisked from under the falling ogre. Oraden turned in circles, confused; he was sure of one thing: they were several hundred meters from where they had been.
“How…?”
“I-I don’t know,” Tahir mumbled, just as perplexed. It would seem they teleported, somehow; but Destiny and Alexander were nowhere to be seen. Teleportation was something Tahir never learned.
He didn’t have time to think about it. A Dracara tumbled from the sky straight above the house they had been heading for. From inside, came a woman’s screams. Oraden was already galloping toward it with his extra magical speed. It was not enough; they would be too late. Tahir focused on the frightened woman, wanting to reach out for her. Instantaneously, they were teleported to her side. He grabbed the woman and teleported to safety just as the Dracara crashed through the roof.
The battle was nearly won, but Kraven was still nowhere to be found. Alexander, in his natural wolf form, trotted through the chaos, obliterating those who stood in his way, wasting as little time as possible with peons. His sharp wolf eyes scanned the city with intense concentration, his nose quivering as he hunted. A troll crept behind him with raised club. Without Alexander so much as glancing back, the troll was struck dead by lightning.
He trotted, all senses alert, following his instincts, leaping over a dead ogre and onto the back of another of the giants. The monster stood tall as a building, and swung a giant spiked club at centaurs who dodged and jumped out of its way. The giant didn’t even seem to notice him; not that it mattered. The clumsy creature would not be able to defend himself against Alexander’s quickness. He scrabbled up its back to its neck where his fangs sliced deep, severing an artery. He dropped down, licking the blood from his mouth before the ogre’s bloodless body hit the ground.
He continued, moving in and out of the shadows, searching for Kraven’s scent, footprint, or unique magical signature; slaying beasts as he went. Until—he froze. His nose twitched. Kraven. His icy-blue eyes pierced the darkness and he locked on the scent. Oblivious to enemies around him, focused solely on his prey, he leapt and dove, never breaking stride as he raced toward the castle gates.
Kraven walked through the nearly empty castle. Cloaked in black, he made the perfect picture of an evil monk. Any human he saw, he struck down. Without raising his head or breaking his stride, they fell all around him as he made his way to King Francis’ quarters.
Alexander shook the water and mud from his fur as he entered the castle. Kraven’s scent was strong. The stench of death was stronger. Alexander raced through the familiar corridors—then stopped. He knew what Kraven was after! It only took him a moment to pick up Francis’ scent; maybe he could get to the King before Kraven did.
King Francis, fully dressed in armor, studied his reflection in the mirror. His assistants handed him his weapons. And then were immediately struck down before they even realized Kraven entered the room.
“King Francis,” he smiled and pulled down his hood.
“Kraven!” Francis unsheathed his sword. “Are you the one responsible for this? Stop this at once!”
Kraven chuckled and waved his hand. The sword flew from Francis’ hand and exploded in mid-air.
“No, Francis, I don’t think I’m going to be taking orders from you. But…” He paused at length. “Alexander, I’m really disappointed in you. I expected so much better.”
Alexander stepped out of the shadows in his naked human form. His wet hair stuck to his wiry, muscular frame. With eyes as intense and cold as they were in his wolf form, he stared Kraven down. He opened a teleportation passage at Francis’ side and telekinetically shoved the King through to safety. The portal closed before Kraven could react.
Kraven’s face scowled with disgust. He turned to face his former teacher and rolled up his sleeves.
“So, now what? You really think he’s safe? You think you can reason with me? Do you have some ‘great plan’ for me?” Kraven mocked. “Oh, no, you don’t have any plans; you just follow Demetrius’ orders like a good dog, right? Where is that coward hiding? Too afraid to face me himself?”
Alexander blasted him hard, hurling him across the room and slamming him into the wall. The wizard chuckled and picked himself up off the floor.
“Alexander, is that all you have?” He attacked Alexander with a blast of his own. The wolf-man waved his hand and deflected the blow, countering with his own blast that sent Kraven flying again. Kraven rose to cast down a lightning storm. But Alexander leapt through a portal to arrive behind Kraven and set him on fire. As Kraven frantically threw off his flaming cloak, Alexander blasted him again, this time striking him with lightning and sending the wizard spinning to the ground twitching and smoking.
Kraven struggled to his feet, but Alexander was already on top of him, knocking him back down as he transformed into wolf form. The man struggled to fight the wolf off; his own blood splattered on his face as Alexander mauled him. He finally managed to mentally shove the wolf off of him. Alexander slid across the room, kicking his paws across the floor, he scrambled to his feet. Using his mental capabilities, he grabbed Kraven and spun him around the room. He slammed Kraven's weakened body into every wall and pillar in the room and dragged him across the floor.
By now, Tahir, Oraden, Destiny, Meelix and Ellic had gathered together and stood silently watching the fight. None of them realized how much more powerful Alexander was than the rest of them. Kraven could barely utter a spell before Alexander bombarded him with attacks. They never witnessed his power unrestricted, unconstrained, unsupervised by Demetrius or the other wizards he worked for. Even when they fought Artemisios, his focus was on protecting the rest of them; he worked as a decoy, taking most of the sorcerer’s attention. This time he had no one to protect. He had orders from Xanderick to ‘take care of Kraven.’ This was Alexander as he was: a powerful, agile killer, far more powerful than his quiet demeanor and small frame would suggest.
He slammed Kraven’s trembling body into the wall one last time. Kraven coughed up blood as he struggled t
o his feet. All the swords and arrows in the room came to life and flew toward Kraven. The wizard struggled to blast them away, but he failed to stop them all. They pierced his flesh and pinned him to the stone wall. One of the swords that pierced Kraven’s arm to to the wall flew into Alexander’s outstretched hand.
“You could’ve been so much more.” In his cold blue eyes, there was a hint of sorrow.
Alexander walked toward Kraven, sword in hand. Shards of metal pinned Kraven's arms down. He was desperate. He knew he couldn’t hurt Alexander, but he may not need to. He hurled a blast at Tahir, sending him flying from Oraden’s back and slamming him into the wall. Oraden reared up, startled by the sudden attack. Destiny, Meelix and Ellic hurried to Tahir. The distraction was enough to grab Alexander’s attention, giving Kraven time to teleport away. He smiled at Alexander as he vanished from sight.
Alexander snarled and threw the sword down. He went and knelt beside Tahir. His clothes were singed and smoking; he wasn’t breathing. Alexander put his head to his chest; his heart maintained a beat, but it was erratic.
Tahir’s eyes snapped open and he gasped for air. Alexander jumped out of the way as a blast as powerful as Kraven’s shot out of Tahir’s hands. It charred the opposite wall and knocked the stones loose.
E P I L O G U E
After Kraven’s disappearance, things went as expected. Francis’ decree was fulfilled and magical creatures slowly disappeared. Our heroes eventually parted ways, each on their own journey.
Tahir, Destiny and Oraden traveled the world over, creating passages to lead all who accepted their offer to the secret haven in the sea that was created for them. It was much like Elysi, abundant in food, warm weather; truly a magical paradise.
Most magical creatures didn’t care where they were as long as they were free to live and roam as they pleased. It remained hidden from humankind for centuries. In time, magical creatures were all but forgotten; little more than a shadow of earth’s history. Distorted and distant memories existing only in fairy tales and children’s stories.
Ellic returned to the island of Iltrepidore, which was eventually invaded by humans and abandoned by the Dracara for refuge on the hidden island. Meelix rejoined his fellow gnomes and sprites on the island, telling and retelling stories of his adventures to eager audiences.
Alexander too, traveled the earth, in various forms, of course, searching for Kraven, observing mankind, and constantly on the lookout for sinister activity.
Kraven, humiliated by his defeat, retreated into the darkness where he was welcomed by an evil cult of wizards. They were more than willing to teach him all that Asymptier refused, and then some.
Ah, but what of the darker, more secret power that few knew of, and even fewer spoke of? An evil far more powerful than The Twelve, who were so easily defeated by a few poison arrows. An evil that lay dormant for centuries, waiting to be awakened. The Sons of Sphinx worked hard to unlock the secrets of the fairies and awaken their lord. Other groups worked equally hard to prevent such events.
As for me, I wait.
History’s Shadow I: Legend’s Born
A B O U T T H E A U T H O R
K. Dzr is a web designer, author and artist living in Detroit, MI. A long time fan of sci-fi, fantasy and superheroes, she began collecting comic books and reading Terry Brooks novels at a young age. She spent most of her childhood drawing, writing and dreaming of fantastical places and characters, a hobby she continues to this day. Despite positive feedback on early written works, she had little desire to pursue a writing career and instead focused her creative energy into drawing and music. It wasn’t until college, and after a lot of persuasion from her mother during a conversation about an idea for a comic book that she began writing her first novel, History’s Shadow.
K. Dzr lives in Detroit with her dog, Eerie LeighAnne Bartholomew III, and enjoys traveling, fighting zombies, learning languages, building and customizing things and going on adventures with her cousin, Bennie. Once History's Shadow is wrapped up, she will be working on her next novel: Mustard.
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