It was morning before Tig returned and by that time Selix had arrived too. The huge, golden dragon was tired from flying nonstop to obey the King, but Felix didn’t care. He was ready to move and intent on reaching Luxing City by nightfall.
Tig relayed mental images of the capital city of Falxis to King Felix. The images were stark. The city seemed abandoned and in disarray. Many of the homes and buildings were smashed. Black scorch marks showed where buildings had burned down. There was no sign of any people, but of course it was the middle of the night when Tig had scouted the city and King Felix chocked the lack of people up to the late hour.
They marched on and only stopped to rest at noon. Corlis was surly, and the temperature which would have been pleasant under normal circumstances, was driven up by the blazing sunshine and the choking dust.
“Ready your men, General,” King Felix said imperiously.
“Yes, my King,” Corlis said with a short bow.
By late afternoon they were less than an hour from Luxing City. Selix and Tig were still circling overhead, their heads sagging from fatigue, their wings beating tiredly. Just before the army resumed its march, two more images popped into King Felix’s mind. He saw two more dragons approaching; there was a huge, bull of a dragon with forest green scales and a male rider. The other was a smaller dragon with a short neck and short tail, red scales and a female rider.
“Blast,” said King Felix.
“What is wrong, my liege?” Corlis said lazily from the saddle beside him.
“We’re being pursued,” Felix said.
“Where? By who?” Corlis asked, standing in his stirrups and looking behind the long column of soldiers.
“Dragons,” King Felix said. “I suspect Brianna and the wizard are with them.”
“Form up around the King!” bellowed Corlis.
The King’s Royal Guard surrounded King Felix and Corlis. Then a full squad of one hundred mounted soldiers surrounded the Royal Guard.
“Send the dragons to fight them,” Corlis urged.
“No, let us hear what they want.”
The two approaching dragons landed, although Ferno roared defiantly. The riders talked for a moment, and then the man slid off the green dragon and began walking toward the army. The woman, her red dragon and the green dragon, took to the air again.
An image of the lone man approaching filled King Felix’s mind. He saw the young man, tall and lanky, walking with a slight limp. He wore tattered clothes, his hair was long, his chin clean shaven. He had no discernible weapons, but that gave Felix no confidence.
“That’s close enough,” King Felix shouted when Zollin was still a hundred paces away from him. “What do you want?”
“King Felix,” Zollin shouted back. “Why are you marching to Luxing City? Didn’t Brianna warn you of the army marching north as we speak?”
“I see no army but my own,” Felix cried. “I do not jump when you speak because you are a wizard, boy.”
“Please, my lord, don’t do this. Turn your army north and join us at the Walheta Mountains so that we might have a chance of success against the army that pursues us.”
“I’ve heard enough of your fear mongering speeches, lad. From now on, I’ll hold my own council about what is good for Yelsia.”
“Send the dragons south; let them scout the approaching danger for you.”
“Nay,” Felix responded. “First, I will lay claim to the throne of Falxis,” he said with a smile. “Then I will turn my attention to Osla.”
“Sire, let me accompany you,” Zollin said. “Let us reason together before it is too late.”
“Fall in at the rear of my forces, and do not try to interfere with my plans. I have designs set in motion to ensure that no harm befalls me or those you care most about will die with me.”
“My Lord, I will not harm you in any way, I swear it.”
“Fall in then, we have ground to cover.”
Zollin walked to the rear of the army, while Brianna and the two dragons with her circled the entire force. Selix and Tig flew slowly, doing their best to stay directly over King Felix. It was almost twilight when another dragon approached. Brianna, Embyr, and Ferno flew to the smaller dragon. It was one of the pride members that had joined Zollin in the Northern Highlands. Brianna had sent the dragon south to scout out the army they expected was marching north. The dragon was just now returning from its mission.
The dragon slowed and circled with Ferno and Embyr, and then it flew on to the north. Zollin was hit with image after image of what he could only consider to be a nightmare. As far as the amazing sight of the dragon could see, was a vast army. The front rows were Leffers, but behind them came a ragtag army of grotesque deformities. They walked upright and had the distorted features of men and women, but they stood much taller, their muscles bulging at unnatural angles. They dragged weapons, swords mostly, with thick metal blades that were more like axe blades than thin, sword blades.
Zollin used his magic to leap high into the air, and then levitate toward King Felix.
“My Lord,” he shouted as he approached. “We must turn north, immediately.”
“Hold your tongue, boy,” Corlis shouted. “Or I’ll cut it out.”
Zollin ignored the General.
“King Felix, please. Listen to me. A scout has just returned. The army of the witch is only a day away from here. Open your dragons’ minds and let them tell you what the scout that just passed by us saw.”
Felix was about to dismiss the claim, but there was something in Zollin’s eyes that made him hesitate. He knew that it could be a trick, but he was still worried about the fact that he hadn’t seen a living soul across the vast plains of Falxis. The image of the abandoned city still played in Felix’s head, so he nodded at Zollin and whispered to Tig to open up to the other dragons.
It only took a moment for the blood to drain from King Felix’s face.
“Stop the army,” he said to Corlis.
“What? Tell me you aren’t buying this fool’s lies.”
“Do as I say Commander, or you’ll find yourself mucking the stables in Felson,” King Felix roared.
Corlis looked angry, no longer trying to hide his disgust.
“Make way,” the King said, as he steered his high stepping destrier toward Zollin, who had come down to the side of the long column of soldiers.
“Is what I saw the truth?” he asked.
“I’m afraid it is, your majesty,” Zollin said. “It is as we feared. Gwendolyn has created a horrible army from the innocents she captured with the Leffers.”
“Leffers?” the King asked.
“The flying horses with the scorpion tales. Did you see them?”
“Yes,” Felix said.
“They captured people and carried them back to the witch’s lair in the underworld. Everything Brianna told you is true. If you will come back to the Walheta Mountains, King Zorlan will confirm our story. He was at the battle of Osla.”
“Fine,” Felix said. He looked visibly shaken. “We shall turn north and return to the mountains with you.”
“Thank you,” my liege. “Thank you,” Zollin said.
He immediately communicated their success with Ferno, so that the dragon could relay the message to Brianna. He watched as the dragons turned and flew back toward Zollin.
King Felix rode back to Corlis and ordered the general to turn the army north.
“My Lord,” Corlis said, “we are less than an hour from Luxing City. Your conquest is within your grasp.”
“You didn’t see what is coming,” Felix said patiently. “I did. We march north, immediately.”
“You can’t be serious,” Corlis said, his face pinched in anger.
“I am,” the King said, turning his horse around. “Give the order.”
Instead, Corlis drew his sword and stabbed King Felix through the back. The King arched, his muscles in spasm and hard in pain, and then he toppled backward off his horse.
Zollin saw the a
ssassination, his mind refusing to believe what he saw. Finally, as Corlis reached out for the royal crown of Yelsia, Zollin shouted.
“The King is under attack!”
But the Royal Guard didn’t move. The soldiers in the army looked around dumbly as Corlis placed the crown on his own head. Zollin saw the general’s lips move, and then Selix and Tig roared in unison and dove straight for Zollin, bellowing fire as they came.
Chapter 32
Zollin and Brianna had flown through the night trying to catch up with Selix. They caught sight of the army late the next day. Zollin knew that trying to persuade the King was a long shot at best, but he wanted to distract Felix from Brianna’s efforts to find out what had caused Selix to leave her and join the King. When they saw Tig flying with Selix, Brianna had been crushed. They had spoken little through their long flight. Ferno seemed strong, but Embyr was struggling to carry Brianna on the red dragon’s back.
They landed and Zollin took the opportunity to say what he really felt to Brianna, before approaching King Felix.
“I know you love me,” he said.
“Zollin, now isn’t the time-” she tried to say, but he interrupted her.
“It may be the only chance I have,” he said. “I will always love you. I don’t know what made you change your mind, but I will always be here for you. I will always love you, no matter what. Be safe.”
Then he slid off of Ferno’s back and started walking toward the King’s Army. Brianna looked down from Embyr’s back as they flew back up into the air. She noticed for the first time since they had reunited in the Walheta Mountains that Zollin was still limping. She thought he was so selfless, always helping others but not himself. He needed someone to love him and take care of him. She longed to be that person, but she was still afraid that King Felix would have her family killed. So she pushed the feelings down, closed her eyes, and tried to talk to Selix.
The great golden dragon would not respond to her. She could see, even at a distance, that both Selix and Tig watched her as she flew. She thought she could see them pleading with their eyes, but she didn’t know what had happened to them, or why they wouldn’t respond to her. She had never asserted herself as head of the pride, now she wished she had.
All afternoon they circled the huge army. Thousands of troops marched slowly across the grassy plains of Falxis. Some were on horseback; others led a long line of wagons filled with supplies for the army. Most marched on foot, wearing ill-fitting armor and carrying weapons they probably had no confidence using. She had to leap onto Ferno’s back to let Embyr rest. The red dragon had great stamina, but the added weight was just too much for the smaller dragon to carry anymore. She tried over and over to reach out to Selix and Tig, but they rebuffed her every effort.
An hour before sunset she saw another dragon in the distance. She called to it mentally, and the beast changed its course. She waited impatiently to learn what the dragon had seen. She had sent it south to scout out the witch’s army and now it was returning. Before she could even ask her mind was flooded with images. She was horrified at the creatures she saw, the grotesque figures lumbering along behind the Leffers. There were so many that her heart sank. She couldn’t imagine how they could ever turn back such a tide of evil.
“Ferno, send those images to Zollin,” she told the green dragon.
Ferno rumbled and then she saw Zollin, who was meekly marching at the rear of the army come flying forward, his power seeming to radiate off of him now with the urgency of their mission.
She watched as Zollin communicated with the King, then finally, Selix reached out to her. She saw an image of chains around the dragon’s long, graceful neck. It was a cry for help; a message that conveyed that the great golden dragon was a prisoner somehow. Another image flashed of the King and his lackey general on the rooftop of the castle in Orrock, while commanding Selix, Tig, and Gyia. Brianna’s blood boiled, but she knew she had to put those feelings away and help Zollin.
She sent Selix the images that she had seen in her mind. And then she saw the King ride out to Zollin. She and the other dragons were circling wide. It would be several minutes before they were back on the same side of the massive army as Zollin. They were too far away to hear what Zollin shouted. They were all watching the wizard when the King was slain. Ferno had just turned toward Zollin, instinct ringing in all their ears that something was wrong when Selix and Tig dove. Brianna couldn’t believe her eyes; the dragons she had created and that she loved, were attacking Zollin.
Zollin immediately raised a shield around himself that protected him from the fiery breath of the dragons. He knew that someone or something was controlling the great beasts. He had spent time with Selix and with Tig. They were not the type of creatures that would turn on someone. He dropped down onto his stomach as the flames roared around him. His magic was churning inside him even hotter than the flames outside his shield. He felt the bump as Selix tried to snatch up his body with the golden talons, but his shield held.
Immediately, he rolled to his back where he could see. Tig and Selix had passed; both were climbing back up into the sky before turning for another pass at him. Zollin looked back and saw Ferno roaring as the huge green dragon sped to the wizard’s aid. Brianna was standing up on Ferno’s back, although how she kept her balance or kept from being blown backward by the screaming wind was a mystery to Zollin. He pointed at Selix and Tig and mentally pushed the thought, keep them busy.
Zollin ran forward, straight toward the army. There was only a squad of light cavalry in front of the King’s Royal Guard. The rest of the army was spaced out behind the King and his generals. Felix had fallen onto the ground and the horses around the king’s body were prancing nervously. Zollin wasn’t sure who he needed to fight, but he knew that Corlis had killed the King and there was no way that Zollin would let the arrogant knight get away with it.
The Royal Guard, however, formed up around General Corlis as if he were the King. The general shouted an order and the light cavalry wheeled in formation, coming around the column to attack Zollin from the side. He didn’t want to kill them, or even hurt them. He couldn’t understand why the soldiers were obeying Corlis when the traitor had just murdered their king. Perhaps it was discipline to obey orders, or maybe a grand conspiracy, but Zollin didn’t care. He didn’t have the time to work out who was right and who was wrong. He needed to stop General Corlis and he needed to do it quickly.
Brianna was spending all her mental energy trying to break the hold that had come over Selix and Tig. It wasn’t working. The smaller blue dragon sped past them not bothering to engage but trusting that its speed would see it past Embyr and Ferno.
“Stay together,” Brianna shouted, sensing that Embyr wanted to turn and chase Tig.
Selix flared its huge golden wings, billowing fire and raising the massive talons. Ferno, not bothered by the flames, dove directly in front of Selix, drawing its own green wings in to keep them from being slashed to ribbons by Selix’s talons.
Brianna waited until the last possible moment, and then she leaped into the air with her back arched, her arms and legs spread wide. The hot air from Selix’s fiery blast blew her upward and she flipped, guiding her decent and landing lightly on Selix’s back. The golden tail whipped up and crashed into the dragon’s back, but Brianna had already swung around on the dragon’s neck, as agile as a spider on a web.
Ferno and Embyr looped back up, forcing Selix to dive forward. Brianna turned and saw Tig diving for Zollin. The wizard, trying to avoid the horsemen, had levitated up, but he was now an easy target for the blue dragon. Brianna screamed Zollin’s name, but Ferno had already warned Zollin of the danger.
Zollin let his magic pour out as he propelled himself up. He didn’t want to be caught off guard and was thankful when Ferno flashed an image in his mind of Tig diving for him. The image was there and gone in less than a second, but it was enough of a warning. Zollin felt the dragon entering his field of magic. He clamped down on the dragon’s
wings while simultaneously sliding himself out of the way. Tig couldn’t fly, and came hurdling down toward the group of guards who were massed in front of General Corlis. Zollin knew, at a glance, that Tig’s crash would kill most of the Royal Guard, but Zollin didn’t want the men dead. He strained to lift the falling dragon and released his hold on the beast’s wings. It gave Tig just enough boost to keep the dragon from crashing, but the men all hit the deck in anticipation.
Zollin threw himself forward, thinking that he could attack Corlis while the guards were off balance. He was almost close enough to hit the general with a blast of his magical energy when he felt the huge dragon behind him. He threw up a hasty magical bubble around his body, just as Selix’s teeth clamped down on him. Zollin wasn’t hurt, but Selix carried him away from the army, flying higher and higher, the golden dragon’s teeth grinding against the invisible bubble of Zollin’s shields.
Brianna saw what was happening and for a moment she was frozen in terror. When Selix snatched Zollin out of the air, she expected to see blood and gore, but there was nothing. She could see Zollin’s legs sticking out of Selix’s mouth, and she could only hope that he was okay. She knew as Selix climbed higher and higher that she needed to do something, even though she was loath to hurt the dragon that had been her constant companion for so long. She let her hands heat up and placed them on Selix’s neck. The dragon’s scaly hide was impervious to fire, but Brianna’s heat could melt solid rock. She quickly made the dragon so uncomfortable that it released Zollin and swatted at her with its tail again.
Brianna jumped away from the dragon, flipping and spinning. She saw Ferno flash past, catching Zollin on its broad back. Then Embyr was streaking under her, and Brianna touched down on the red dragon’s back. The small dragon tucked into a tight curve and hurtled back toward the action.
Five Kingdoms: Book 06 - Evil Tide Page 30