by Travis Kerr
“There’s no time for that!” Raiste replied hastily. “We have to get out of here now! I managed to get away, just barely, a few miles from here, but it won’t take it long to find this place. We can’t be here when it does.”
“What are you talking about?” Drom asked urgently. He let the light from his magic subside once again, wanting neither to waste his energy or to alert anything in the area of their location.
“One of Bloodheart's spies found out that I was in Miani. When I left the city, they had that damn monster waiting for me. It chased me through the swamp, only a short distance behind me. I decided I would try to trap it in the swamp and dispatch it myself, but it proved to be too much for me. I managed to get away in the water, and swam the rest of the way here. We have to run!”
Drom thought about that. There were few things he could think of that the assassin would have trouble defeating, but one thing certainly came to mind right away, something that he knew had already been chasing them before. He heard a loud roar, not too far away but still out of sight, that confirmed his suspicions.
If they ran the journey would be hard, and dangerous. They would have to push themselves for days or even weeks, and even then they would be lucky to escape.
“I won’t allow Raine to have to go through that kind of hard travel right now,” Drom said seriously, ignoring the surprised and confused look on Raiste's face. “Besides, we don’t have time to run anymore.”
A second loud roar punctuated Drom's statement. Overhead, the massive red dragon flew over them. It turned quickly, practically on a wingtip, to land in the open area in front of the Hut, between them and the door. It lowered its head to eye Raiste. It was certain of its target, and it wasn’t going to allow him to escape again.
Trick let out a startled whistle, and promptly flew away. The dragonling's gigantic cousin absently sent a small trail of red flame shooting after it, but didn’t seem to care when the small creature escaped. The dragonling was not its target after all. The target was already in front of it, and the dragon wasn’t going to allow itself to be distracted. The dragonling had distracted it once already. It wasn’t going to fall for that a second time.
“What are you doing?” Raiste exclaimed, as Drom stepped in front of him, putting himself between the huge reptilian monster and its intended target. Drom ignored the question.
“If you want to harm my friends, you’re going to have to come through me!” Drom roared defiantly, staring down the massive dragon. He saw the tell-tale shimmer in the creature's wings. This beast was not a true dragon, but the shadow dragon that had been searching for them before. Dangerous, certainly, but only a fraction of the danger that a true dragon would pose.
During his studies each night, Drom had learned something of the nature of dragons. Dragons became more powerful as they aged. The older a dragon was, the more dangerous it would be. This dragon had the appearance of a younger member of the species, one that would only have just begun learning its true potential. A shadow dragon took on the aspect of the dragon it was created to mimic, though not as powerful.
So this beast in front of me only has a fraction of the power of a young, weak dragon.
Still, for all that, it was still a dragon. Raiste had already said that the beast had been too much for him to handle, and Drom was well aware of how dangerous the assassin was. He would have to be a fool to underestimate an opponent that he couldn’t deal with.
During the several months since the assassin had left Drom had learned to control his magic. He could bring on his magic with nothing more than a thought now, and could allow it to build slowly enough that his power would not create the wind that had, at first, accompanied it. Now, however, he did not want to build his magic slowly. He needed all his power if he would fight this monster.
The dragon snorted, a sound that Drom interpreted as a laugh, and looked down at him as a cat would look at a mouse. Any moment now the dragon would attack, Drom knew.
“Raine, get down!” Drom ordered without looking, his gaze locked on to the dragon facing him. He heard Raiste say something behind him, but couldn’t make it out. His concentration was on different words; words being spoken in his mother’s voice, from deep within the depths of his own mind.
Even the greatest of kings must bow before the awesome weight of the ocean. Mountains have toppled and entire civilizations lost with only one wave of the ocean's mighty hand.
The magic flowed into and through him in an instant, the current of power bursting forth from his body. Much like the first time he had used it, only far more powerful, the massive output of energy released created an incredible wind, as powerful as the force of a hurricane, with Drom at its eye.
Even with its immense bulk, the creature before him could not stand against such an unexpected blow. Instead of being blown over, however, it spread its wings and allowed the force of the wind to carry it back, away from the three friends, to land on the ground against several yards further back from where it had been.
As the area around him acclimated to the power being put out by his magic the wind subsided somewhat, though Drom could see that it still affected the trees around him, pushing them out and away from him. Drom afforded himself a quick glance back at his companions.
Raine had followed his order and had dropped to the ground at once, covering her head with her arms and tucking her legs up in a fetal position to protect her body and the unborn children growing inside her. Raiste, however, had not been so lucky. He had known the power that Drom's magic would bring before, but when he had left it had not been nearly as strong as it was now. In his apparently weakened condition, he could not stand against such power. He had been thrown backwards by Drom's sudden burst of energy, and now lay sprawled on the ground several feet away. As far as Drom could tell he at least appeared uninjured, but the assassin was not moving either.
Unfortunately, now was not the time to check on his friend. The dragon in front of him was still on its feet, and now eyed him with a look of suspicion. It seemed that it was not going to underestimate him either, Drom thought.
I just hope that I’m not biting off more than I can chew.
Taking the initiative, Drom charged at his larger opponent. This beast had no idea what he was capable of yet, and he hoped to end things before it realized just how dangerous he really was. His attack was fast, closing the distance between them in less than a second. As fast as it was, however, it was not fast enough to catch this wary opponent by surprise.
The dragon sent out a narrow beam of flame, right at his rapidly approaching enemy. Drom saw the flame at the last second and twisted away, the heat from the stream of dragonfire close enough that he could feel the heat singe his skin slightly near where it passed, though it had missed him by several inches.
He landed on a single foot and pivoted quickly, hoping to close the distance before the creature realized that it had not hit him. He thought he felt something coming toward him, and instead of moving forward like he had planned he dived to the ground, the massive claw of the dragon passing over him by mere inches.
It’s so fast! he thought quickly. I never even saw it coming!
As he rolled to his knees, he slashed out with Ocean’s Hand at the appendage as it retreated. Even as fast as he was, the dragon’s claw was out of range before the blade had reached it. Drom moved to stand once again, but once again sensed an unseen attack and rolled to his left as the claw came down, the weight of the blow sinking the clawed foot nearly a foot into the ground. Once again the dragon pulled back the appendage before Drom had the chance to strike.
Now Drom suddenly understood why Raiste had not been able to defeat this creature. When Drom was infused with his magic he was lightning fast, quicker even than Raiste, but somehow, for all its size, this monster was faster still. It shouldn’t have been possible, but Drom knew without doubt that it was true.
Sensing movement again, faster than he could see it, he rolled back to his right, then immediately
pushed himself backwards and on to his feet once again. A thick tail, covered in heavy spikes, slammed into the ground he had just occupied. Drom leaped forward, swinging Ocean’s Hand in a wide sweep. The very tip of Ocean’s Hand struck true, neatly slicing off one of the thick spikes on the dragon’s tail and raking a long, deep grove in the meat of the appendage before the beast pulled it out of range.
The monster roared in pain and surprise, glaring down at the small sorvinian who had managed to harm it. According to all of the books Drom had read on them, a dragon’s hide was one of the strongest natural materials in the world. There had been several stories of men attempting to combat dragons, and often those men discovered that their weapons merely bounced off the dragon’s thick hide.
This dragon must have thought that it would be nearly invincible to a sword strike. It must have come as quite a surprise to the dragon to learn that Ocean’s Hand would not be so ineffective. Still, a minor score on its tail was not going to take down this beast, Drom knew, and so far he had not been able to close the distance between them.
The dragon took a tentative step forward, seeing at its opponent in a whole new light.
It’s just been toying with me, Drom realized.
Up until now this beast had not even seen him as a possible threat, much like Raiste had felt about the trog he had killed the first time they had met. Now this dragon started to believe that perhaps he might prove more dangerous than it had originally believed.
Drom wasn’t sure if he should think of that as a good thing or not. On one hand, it appeared that the dragon now believed him to be a dangerous enough opponent to warrant caution, where it had not before. Maybe the dragon was right, and he was dangerous enough that he could kill this beast. On the other hand, it also meant that the dragon would now be taking this fight more seriously than it had been before. He had been taking this fight seriously from the beginning, but if this creature had only been toying with him before, it meant that it was likely to be far more dangerous than it had shown.
For the first time since he had summoned his magic, he felt a small trickle of fear. Not enough to paralyze him or turn him from his task, his magic brought with it a strong sense of calm that pushed away any such emotions, but it was there all the same. It was far too late for them to run, he knew. If he failed here this beast would kill him, it would kill Raiste, and, most frightening of all, it would certainly kill Raine and his unborn children.
He looked back at his friends, just a glance, to make certain that they were all right so far. Raine had crawled over to Raiste's side, where she had pulled the assassin to an upright position. She seemed to be fine, so far, and while he couldn’t tell if Raiste was even conscious, it appeared that he might be all right as well. As long as he succeeded in defeating this dragon that is, which would be no small feat.
He thought back on everything that had happened to him over the past few months. The first time he had met Raiste, who had introduced himself as Garan then, he had been overawed by the speed and power that the wiry assassin had shown. He would never have believed that such amazing skill existed. Now, however, he found himself facing an opponent that had proven itself too powerful for that man to defeat.
He thought back on Raine, when he had first met her as well. She had been huddled in a dark corner, cloaked both by the hood she had been wearing and the darkness that concealed her nature. When he had first learned that she was a feral he had been amazed. He had never dreamed of meeting one of her race. Now, she would soon be giving birth to his children.
Something occurred to him in that moment that, up until then, he had not before considered. They would soon be starting a family together, planned on living as husband and wife, and yet in all that time, he had never learned her true name. He had never thought to ask it. He loved her for who she was, not what name people knew her by. If he failed now he might never know the name of his future wife.
No!
His mind screamed at him in protest. He could not allow himself to die without knowing the name of the mother of his children! He could not die without ever knowing the name of the children that were growing in her womb! He would not allow them to die, never having a name of their own!
“No!” he screamed, this time out loud, facing down the monstrosity before him. The blue glow of his magic flashed brighter than ever before, reflecting off of the dragon’s glistening red scales to cast a bright purple glow on the ground between them.
Drom charged in to the attack once more, but the dragon was not caught unprepared. One claw flew out, blindingly fast, intercepting Drom's attack. Drom sliced down with Ocean’s Hand, just missing the top finger of the clawed hand before neatly slicing off the middle two. Before the blade could complete the stroke the bottom claw reached Drom, tripping him forward to fall between the remaining fingers.
The dragon roared in anger, but didn’t waste its advantage. Spinning in place like a dog chasing its tail, the beast spun around, whipping its heavy spiked tail Drom's way as he lay sprawled out on the ground.
Sensing more than seeing the lightning fast attack, Drom raised Ocean’s Hand above him, hoping to slice through the appendage as it came, using its own momentum against it. At the last second the dragon’s tail flipped higher in the arc, passing above Drom's mighty weapon. As the tail passed by Drom rolled himself to his feet, moving quickly to get prepared before the dragon was able to get reoriented.
The dragon, however, was not yet finished with its attack. It continued its spin, bringing its other front claw around in a vicious backhand. This time Ocean’s Hand was not in position to intercept the attack, nor was Drom balanced to avoid it. The back of the dragon’s claw smashed into Drom's side, hitting him like the blow of a hammer.
Drom's side exploded in pain. The force of the unexpected blow sent him rolling across the ground, to land several yards from where he had been standing. He gasped for breath, the burning heat on his side making it difficult to pull air into his lungs. The dragon glared at him cruelly. Drom knew that he wouldn’t be able to escape.
So this is how it ends?
Raine watched in shock, unable to do anything, as the dragon released a thick fountain of searing hot dragonfire. Drom moved Ocean’s hand in front of him, but did not have time to do anything else before the stream of flame reached him and enveloped him completely. As the dragon turned its ugly head to look at them, the only thing that Raine could see of what remained of Drom was a thick plume of black smoke, where the dragonfire had incinerated everything in its path.
The dragon stalked the remaining two with clear contempt. The sorvinian had been his target's last chance, it knew, and while that one had been powerful, it had not been enough. The dragon had been summoned with one purpose, to kill Raiste Goldstone, and slaughter any who stood in its way. It would destroy these two, and then its purpose would be fulfilled.
“I thought I told you, if you want to harm my friends, you’re going to have to go through me!” Drom shouted from inside the thick smoke. As it cleared, Raine could see that somehow, against everything sane, he had managed to survive the fire that should have destroyed him. Not only that, but he was slowly starting to get to his feet!
Joy, the likes of which she had never felt before, obliterated all other thoughts.
He’s alive!
The dragon began to turn back toward him, but Drom moved before it had the chance. Before it could face him he pointed Ocean’s Hand at the beast. The bright, blue flame of his magic changed along its length, turning a deep, vibrant red. In the blink of an eye, the red light reached the tip of the mighty sword, and the dragonfire it had absorbed burst forth in all its power.
The dragonfire struck the dragon directly on its midsection, the fire quickly encompassing the monster. Raine had to look away, the intense heat and bright light from the assault stinging her eyes.
As the flames of the dragonfire extinguished, and the magic on his blade went back to its normal blue, Drom collapsed to his knees. He had
not overused his magic, he knew. The pain in his side had simply made it too unbearable to stand. He looked up in horror at what the dragonfire had wrought.
Dragons contained the awesome power of dragonfire inside them, a constantly burning flame that they could release at any time. They were created to be able to withstand that intense heat. Drom had absorbed the dragonfire and sent it back, but fire could never harm a dragon. The dragon looked back at him and snorted. While it was surprised that this enemy was still alive, it knew that there was nothing more that the sorvinian could do.
It turned away from him and looked back at his intended target. It would kill Raiste first, it decided, and then it would have some sport with the sorvinian. Perhaps it would make the sorvinian watch as it ripped apart the feral woman. It could sense the young growing inside the woman’s belly, and knew instinctively who the father was. Yes, that might be a fitting way to return the pain the sorvinian had caused.
It knew, however, that once Raiste Goldstone was dead it would have to return to where it was summoned, to report its success and show what it has seen. It would not have time to play with the sorvinian like it would prefer. Far better to force the foolish man to watch as his friends were burned alive by dragonfire, it decided.
“No!” Drom shouted. Somehow ignoring the intense pain in his side, he leaped to his feet and ran at full speed between the dragon and his friends. With his magic infusing him, his friends movements seemed slow and sluggish, but the dragon’s motions were not slow at all. It lowered its head and released a strong jet of dragonfire at the two huddled together.
Drom stepped between the stream of flame and his friends just before it would have hit them. From behind him, Raine could see the intense red fire of the dragon’s attack hit Ocean’s Hand and pause. Some of the fire split, to flow to the left and right of the mighty blade, enough that she could feel the incredible heat of it begin to scorch the hair on her face, but it was not enough to burn her. Most of the attack, she could see, was absorbed into the blade itself, flowing into the great sword. The blue glow of Drom's magic along its length seemed at war with the red glow of the dragonfire, with the power infused in the blade slowly winning out.