“Wait!” she shouted. “Turn back.”
She sent a mental image of Embyr and Ferno landing well away from the soldiers. They both agreed and turned wide, arcing turns that kept them and their riders well away from Selix who was hovering over the army.
“What’s our plan?” Zollin shouted, as they came down on the grassy plain over a mile away from the army.
“I don’t know,” Brianna said. “But if we keep this up someone is going to get hurt.”
“How do you fight dragons without hurting them?” Zollin asked.
“I’m not sure, but however they are being controlled, I can’t get through to them.”
“I can scare them,” Zollin said. “At least I think I can. I scared the black dragon away from Orrock.”
“How?” Brianna asked.
“Lightning.”
Both dragons growled at Zollin.
“I won’t hit them with it,” he said.
“If the person controlling them doesn’t allow them to leave, it could ruin them,” Brianna said.
“So what can we do?”
“You have to attack the army.”
“We need the army alive.”
“So don’t kill them,” Brianna said. “Whoever is controlling Selix and Tig is in that group of soldiers. We have to take them out.”
“And General Corlis too; he killed King Felix.”
“Alright, so those are our targets.”
“How do we know who is controlling the dragons?” Zollin asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Great,” Zollin said.
* * *
Tig would have been vulnerable going after the others alone and General Corlis refused to let the huge golden dragon leave the station directly above them unless they were under attack. He could see the wizard and the other dragons waiting and plotting their next move, so he decided to go on the offensive.
He called up the cavalry. Most of the King’s horse soldiers had marched south from Felson, but General Corlis had one hundred light horse soldiers and two hundred heavily armed knights on horseback. He ordered the light horse soldiers to attack. The riders had helmets and shields, but no other armor. They carried lances, but the horses were not armored and were bred for speed.
“Attack them,” he told the commander. “Move straight toward them and drive them away.”
“Won’t their dragons burn us up?” the commander asked.
“No, I don’t think they will,” Corlis said. His eyes grew narrow as he saw the commander looking at the body of King Felix lying crumpled on the ground. “You can obey me, Commander, or join him.”
“Yes, Sire,” the commander said.
Corlis smiled. He knew that if he could convince the Royal Guard to side with him, the rest of the King’s Army would follow. Once he had the crown and control of the dragons, no one could stop him from taking the throne in Orrock, perhaps not in any kingdom.
“I don’t think they want to harm the army, so charge straight at them,” Corlis instructed. “If they land again, charge again. Don’t let them rest. Understood.”
“Yes, Sire,” the commander said.
Corlis stood in his stirrups and watched as the cavalry galloped forward, kicking up dust in the fading daylight. He watched as the dragons took flight again and then an idea struck him. If the wizard and dragon lady could ride on the huge creatures, why not him.
Down! He ordered Selix.
The huge, golden dragon landed next to the column of troops. Corlis swung down off of his horse and was about to walk over to the dragon when General Grigg drew his sword and attacked. Grigg had once been a formidable warrior, but years of command had slowed his reactions and weakened his sword arm. He kicked his horse which leapt forward, but Corlis had been expecting resistance from the other generals. He jumped clear of his horse and drew his own sword, but it was an unnecessary reaction. Three Royal Guardsmen attacked the general with their throwing knives. One glanced off the general’s polished breastplate, but the other two found their mark. General Grigg toppled out of his saddle and lay moaning as his life’s blood leaked out on the ground.
Corlis smiled cruelly and then walked confidently toward the massive, golden beast. Selix growled angrily, but Corlis was confident in his control over the dragon.
On your belly! He commanded. He preferred to use mental commands over spoken ones. He thought it made him look more powerful to his troops. Selix lowered the massive body to the ground and extended one leg. Corlis climbed carefully up onto the golden dragon’s back. Then, the huge dragon took to the air. Corlis held on tightly, forcing himself to stay calm as the ground receded below him. He needed time to get used to flying on the big dragon; there were no stirrups or reins to hold onto, not even a saddle horn or blanket. He sat just behind Selix’s long neck, using his legs as well as his hands to hold onto the rough scales. He leaned forward and watched as the other dragons circled even farther away than before.
* * *
“We should wait until dark,” Zollin said. Then I could sneak into their camp and take them out.”
“Do we have time for that?” Brianna asked.
“Not really.”
He considered his options again. The renegade general had sent the cavalry against them, causing them to fly up and further away. It was clear that he wouldn’t make the mistake of letting Brianna draw the dragons away from the army so that Zollin could attack him.
“There’s only one way to do this,” Zollin said after having considered his options.
“And what’s that?”
“We go straight at them,” he said.
“Wait,” Brianna said. “The general is getting on Selix.”
“You mean he’s going to ride the dragon?”
“It looks that way.”
Zollin couldn’t see as well as Brianna and the dragons, but they watched as Selix rose back up into the air. Ferno sent Zollin a mental image of General Corlis on Selix’s back.
“How do you think he’s planning to protect himself from a fiery attack?” Zollin asked.
“I don’t think he is,” Brianna said.
“Let’s do it.”
The dragons flew forward, separating so that they could come toward Selix from different directions. Tig shot toward Ferno. The smaller blue dragon was fast and instead of making a strafing run, the dragon barreled straight into the bigger, green dragon. Ferno rose up at the last second to protect Zollin. Tig crashed into Ferno’s stomach with such force that it knocked the bigger dragon backward in the air, snapping ribs in the process. Tig fell, and the smaller dragon had broken its leg and one wing. It spiraled down and crashed hard on the ground, breaking more bones.
Zollin was thrown by the impact. It took him a moment to regain his senses. As his magic slowed his fall, he was almost on the ground. It took a huge effort on his part to reverse his own momentum, but he managed to land without hurting himself. Ferno, on the other hand, was barely able to stay in the air.
Zollin let Ferno know he was okay and they both turned to see Embyr and Brianna’s attack. Selix was waiting to swat Embyr out of the sky with its huge tail, but Embyr stayed out of range. Brianna produced huge balls of orange fire, which she hurdled across the distance at the golden dragon and its rider. Selix twisted, so that the fire hit the golden scales, not its human rider. Brianna didn’t stop, as Embyr flew around the larger dragon, she hurled fire bombs as fast as she could. It seemed like Selix was forced onto the defensive, but then suddenly the bigger dragon darted forward, the long neck stretching out, the huge mouth gaping open.
Zollin saw Brianna perform a rear flip, summersaulting off of Embyr’s back. The smaller, red dragon tried to twist away in midair, but Selix was too fast. The golden dragon’s razor sharp teeth snapped down, tearing into Embyr’s neck and swinging back and forth before tossing the lifeless body of the smaller dragon away, like a dog attacking a squirrel.
Ferno roared in anger, and Zollin dropped to his knees. The dragon h
e’d spent the night with in the storm, the same dragon he’d bonded with over countless miles, was now gone. He felt the loss deep in his gut, and he sent his magic up into the sky. He could feel the tiny particles there, floating harmlessly. He began to swirl them, letting the particles clash and rub together, letting the energy and heat build.
Brianna flipped and twirled quickly down to the ground. She knew that Embyr was dead, but she didn’t have time to be sad. She knew Selix was coming for her next, and the fire balls wouldn’t hold the big, golden dragon back. She needed a way to move out of the dragon’s reach, but she couldn’t fly on her own.
As soon as her feet hit the ground she was running and looking up over her shoulder. Selix was diving, but the human on its back was having trouble hanging on, so the dragon was forced into a slower, shallower dive. It only gave Brianna a few seconds, but it was enough time for her to escape. She let her heat build and build as she ran, then she stopped and sent all of her fire into the ground. The intense heat melted the soil and then the bedrock underneath. She slipped into the molten hole that opened beneath her and disappeared.
Chapter 33
Zollin was terrified for Brianna. He knew she could handle the fall, but he wasn’t sure how she would survive after that. Still, he knew his best chance for saving her lay in his power and the spell he was casting now. It was really the only hope he could think of. He felt the heat from his magic blowing through him and up into the sky. Billions of tiny particles swirled and clashed. He was so intent on his spell that he almost didn’t hear the thunder of one hundred horses charging toward him. In fact, he felt the ground rumbling before he realized what he was hearing.
He didn’t know how close the horses were, or if he would even survive, he only knew that if he didn’t complete the spell he was working on, Brianna would have no chance. He sent a quick mental message to Ferno asking for help, then returned his attention to the spell.
Ferno had wanted to fly to Brianna’s aid, but the pain in the big dragon’s side made fast movement impossible. The huge, green dragon was able to stay in the air, but just barely. When it got Zollin’s message, a quick glance revealed the danger. Ferno dove, roaring in pain as it flared its wings to land. The wings fluttered under the pressure and Ferno dropped the last ten feet, landing with an earth shaking crash between Zollin and the cavalry that was almost upon him.
The horses reared and Ferno roared again, blowing fire up into the sky in an angry display that spooked the horses. Several of the riders were thrown from the saddle and a few were even injured in the fall, but the charge failed and the cavalry commander called his troops back.
Zollin just needed a few more seconds; the energy was building. He felt the little flashes as the lightning charged from the friction of the swirling particles. Then, at last, he released the energy and a dazzling bolt of lightning arced across the sky. The resulting crackle and boom of thunder caught Selix’s attention. The big dragon, which had just seen Brianna disappear into the earth, swerved away from the army and started flying south.
Then, just as suddenly, it turned back, roaring in fury as it flew back toward the army. Zollin released another bolt of lightning; this one slammed down to the ground and the pop was so loud that it even startled Zollin. Ferno moaned like a scared puppy. Tig, still on the ground from its injuries, lay flat against the earth. Selix, who was closest to the lightning, swerved suddenly, and General Corlis nearly lost his hold on the dragon. The crown slipped from his head and for an instant, Selix and Tig were free. They both cried out to Brianna for help, but she was nowhere to be found and Corlis risked his life to move the golden circlet back in place.
Selix swooped to the ground and Corlis climbed down. Zollin was focused on his magic, but Ferno was sending him mental images of what was happening. The cavalry was trying to flank Ferno and charge at Zollin again, while the army commanders were having trouble keeping the foot soldiers from breaking and running. Chaos seemed to be everywhere, but General Corlis sent Selix after Zollin.
The wizard saw the dragon launch itself into the air and fly toward him. Ferno roared, and Zollin knew the green dragon would sacrifice itself to save him. Zollin had to risk something. He couldn’t let Ferno get hurt any worse, but he couldn’t take out Selix without at least some risk to the golden dragon. He made up his mind and hoped that Brianna would forgive him, and then he dropped a lightning bolt directly into Selix’s path. The energy was growing, and the lightning was hard to control. Zollin tried his best not to hurt the big, golden dragon, but the lightning struck too closely to the dragon’s face. The light blinded the dragon, and the energy singed the golden scales. Selix tried to swerve away, but the tip of its wing was caught in the bolt and burned away. Selix crashed to the ground, gouging a long crater in the soft, grassy earth.
Zollin felt bad that he had hurt Selix, but now he had to act, to stop Corlis from usurping the throne and getting the King’s Army killed. He ended the lightning spell and levitated himself forward. The Royal Guardsmen were forming up in front of Corlis who had remounted his charger. Zollin lowered himself to the ground barely a hundred paces from the mass of guards around Corlis just as the sun cast it’s last scarlet rays across the sky. There was still enough light to see by, but it was fading fast.
Zollin raised a magical shield between himself and the guards, several of which hurled their famed throwing knives at him, but the weapons merely bounced off the invisible barrier.
“Stop this madness, Corlis,” Zollin shouted. “Your dragons are beaten; release these men before anyone else gets hurt.”
“Never!” Corlis cried. “I am King of Yelsia now, and no one will stop me.”
“You’re mad,” Zollin shouted again.
Suddenly, Corlis’ horse began to jump and buck. Heat rose from the ground in a massive wave, and the horse’s hooves sank into the red hot soil. The horse screamed and jumped, trying to get away, throwing Corlis to the ground and sending the royal crown inscribed with the names of the dragons flying. In that instant when the royal guards looked back at their General, Zollin sent his magical barrier rushing toward them. It hit and knocked the first row of men backward. The magical push hadn’t been strong enough to kill, and Zollin only hoped none of the elite soldiers would be injured. The first row of men were knocked back into the others, and chaos erupted.
General Corlis screamed in pain, his hair singeing from the heat as he scrambled to his knees, which sank into the turf as his trousers caught fire. Then Brianna, covered in molten flame, rose up behind Corlis like a fiery god of the underworld. The entire army froze, every eye turned toward Brianna. Corlis turned too, screaming as Brianna wrapped her fiery arms around his chest and pulled him down into the ground, which was glowing now and starting to bubble like molten lava. Corlis screamed until he disappeared under the ground.
Zollin knew that he had only a moment before the entire army broke and ran in panic. If that happened, Yelsia would be lost, along with the other kingdoms. He magically amplified his voice so that everyone in the army could hear him.
“Wait!” he shouted. “Don’t flee. Listen to me. I am Zollin, Wizard of the Five Kingdoms. General Corlis’ treachery has been witnessed by you all, and so has his punishment. Now is not the time for panic. We must work together.”
General Tolis rode toward Zollin. He was an older man, proud and strong, yet he had been cowed by General Corlis and now his king was dead. His only thought was to get the army to safety.
“What would you have us do?” he shouted.
“We must return to the ships,” Zollin said. “An evil army is marching north. We must join the other forces massing at the Walheta to stop them.”
There was a murmuring across the army, but Zollin, his voice returned to normal, stepped toward General Tolis.
“You must lead them back,” he urged General Tolis. “Sailing north is the only way to get to the mountains before the army of the witch overtakes us.”
“And what will you do?” the
General asked. “Are you taking up the crown of Yelsia?”
“No,” Zollin said, the pain of what he knew he had to say sent pain straight through him. “Yelsia has a king,” he said, “Prince Willam. The Prince will be in the mountains. He leads the cavalry from Felson.”
The general nodded, satisfied with that answer. He turned his horse, and Zollin amplified his voice again.
“King Felix has fallen. We will honor him. Prince Willam is with the King’s Cavalry in the Walheta Mountains. We will go to him.”
There was more murmuring, and then someone shouted, long live King Willam! Others took up the chant, and General Tolis gave orders to the commanders. The Royal Guard picked up King Felix’s body and carried it on their shoulders while the rest of the army began to slowly turn back toward the coast. The light cavalry picked up their wounded and moved back toward the long column of soldiers and wagons.
Zollin, exhausted, fell to his knees. Tears spilled from between his eyes. He was so tired of fighting, so tired of death. He mourned for Embyr and even for King Felix, but more for what the King could have been than what the man was in life.
“You give a good speech,” Brianna said from behind Zollin.
He turned and his heart nearly skipped a beat. She was clothed in dancing flames, her hair blown back by the heat and her face radiant. She was so beautiful that he thought he could sit and stare at her forever.
“What?” she said, self-consciously.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said.
“Zollin!”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I guess I shouldn’t say that but I can’t help it. You were amazing.”
“As were you,” she said, her gaze so penetrating that Zollin thought his heart was heating up in his chest.
“I hurt Selix,” he said sadly. “I didn’t mean to.”
“It couldn’t be helped,” Brianna said. “I can heal the dragons.”
“Even Embyr?” Zollin asked.
“No,” Brianna said sadly. “Embyr is gone forever.”
Five Kingdoms: Book 06 - Evil Tide Page 31