“You should have run with them Lord Shadow,” said the taller of the two as he drew a large blade from the sheath strapped to his back, “A chase would have proven to be more of a challenge than your pathetic self just standing here.”
“You dare address me foul creature? That is an offense punishable by death,” replied Master with disgust.
“You know we do not fear death. We are beyond death. Death is our ally… Death is but a momentary stop for the truly powerful.”
“Speak your nonsense to those who care,” said Master as he leaped into the air in a sort of half jump half attempt to take flight, and dived head first into what must have been a Death Knight.
Terror in war
Master’s mouth connected with the Death Knight’s right arm. I expected the arm to be crushed in a split second by Master’s sheer physical power but it wasn’t. They were deadlocked and neither was moving.
“Has the Celestial Gate weakened you to such an extent that a dragon as accomplished as yourself has to resort to physical attacks instead of magic?” mocked the Death Knight.
A fatal mistake, as Master immediately consumed him in a curtain of black flames. The other thing, which had been standing idle during the entire exchange, backed quickly away but otherwise did nothing. I focused my attention on him and proceeded to confront him when all of a sudden…
“LOOK OUT!” shouted Blight.
When I turned to see what he meant I barely had any time to cast Brunas as Master crashed into me and slammed me against a side of the mountain along with himself. I must have lost consciousness for a few seconds, when I came to my head was spinning from the impact and I was unable to see what was happening, but I could hear Blight shouting in agony and Tromuelan roaring defiantly.
When my eyes refocused I almost threw up upon looking at what lay before me. Blight had been impaled into the ground with the sword the Death Knight had drawn when fighting with Master. He lay motionless in a pool of his own blood. Master lay motionless next to me but I could see the gentle rise of his chest which meant he was still alive. Tromuelan was in worse shape than before, although he was still standing. One of his wings had been torn off and he had several cuts deep enough to reveal bone. It sent a chill down my spine.
“You monster,” I managed as I stood and picked up my sword with a mix of rage and fear.
“You would call a fellow Dragon Heart recipient a monster? That’s not very Dragon Knightly on your part. Although I guess a Death Knight could be considered a monster by a Dragon Knight,” he said turning his head slightly towards me. His black armor had turned red from the blood of Tromuelan. “Go find the Heart while I play with this one,” he said to the other Death Knight who had been standing idle all along without intervening.
I wanted to warn Zetzu and Nostrous, hoping they would have better luck handling him than Blight and Tromuelan had with this one but I just couldn’t leave Tromuelan in this state, or Blight for that matter.
I focused my eyes on the Death Knight and began to draw out all the magic I could from him and channeled it into the strongest healing spell I knew. Last time I had fought a Death Knight I had been tired and weaker, this time I was better prepared.
“That’s your great plan? Drain me of my magic and heal this dragon? Not much good he was the first time around don’t you think.”
“Shut up. I am going to make sure you pay for this,” I said as I ran towards him with my sword at the ready.
As I approached I heard him whisper two words, Vaben and Brunas. In response to that I summoned a single darkness Vorm from under his shadow. To my surprise the single Vorm was massive and it had four wings just like Vaurion and the Vorm in my dream. Its thoughts were also more calm and cohesive than other Vorms. The Death Knight didn’t notice the Vorm and charged me as well. The moment our blades crossed sparks flew as my darkness magic made contact with his, although he quickly overpowered me and struck my right side with his blade. The resulting wave of energy threw us both back a bit. My Brunas cracked where it had connected with his blade and his blade also cracked where it had made contact with my Brunas. At that exact moment when we were both pushed back, my Vorm attacked him from behind, grabbing him by one leg and lifting him in the air. However his Brunas held.
“A quad winged Vorm… That confirms you have a Dragon Heart as well. I was correct in guessing it was you!” he shouted excitedly while dangling in midair.
Independent from anything I was thinking, my Vorm began to form a darkness sphere inside his mouth. It was planning to use a Dragon Blast midair. I watched from the ground as the Death Knight tried to free himself from the grip of the Vorm but he was only succeeding in annoying it. I could sense the sphere reaching the final stages before a Blast. It was going to be a big explosion.
I turned my attention to Tromuelan again as the Death Knight would soon be no more. Tromuelan had collapsed in the place where he stood. I began to heal the wounds I thought were life threating but was finding it considerably harder after each wound as they grew deeper and my tiredness increased. Keeping a Vorm double the size of a normal one in sustained flight, sustaining a cracked Brunas, and powering a Dragon Blast were no easy task but they were doable, they had to be. However the amount of magic I was using to heal Tromuelan was beginning to upset my very limited magical reserves. Had it not been for the effect of the Reaper’s eyes I might have already run dry.
Then finally I felt the sphere stop draining magic from me and that’s when I knew… “It’s coming,” I said in a low voice as I used what little was left of my magic to raise a wall of darkness where Master lay, and in front of Tromuelan and myself to protect us from the blast.
Then the blinding flash of light appeared and I felt the Vorm disintegrate, that feeling was soon replaced by a shockwave which followed as the blast bounced off both of the walls I was using to protect us. I looked briefly at the sky where the Death Knight and Vorm had been, the blast looked like the sun, then it suddenly got a lot bigger, it was blinding. When I looked down I saw the charred helmet of the Death Knight imbedded into the ground not too far from me and Tromuelan.
When I looked up at the sky again the explosion had ended and only the Celestial Gate remained in the background with the sun towards a corner as it was preparing to set. “It’s over,” I said sighing with obvious relief, releasing Brunas and the walls before I ran out completely of magic.
“It is only the start of this dance my young Knight,” said the Death Knight standing behind me.
I gasped as I turned and looked at his burnt face. He had barely survived the Dragon Blast from the looks of it. His armor had been ripped to pieces, with parts of it bending into his skin. It was grotesque to look at. He grabbed me by the neck and picked me up.
“I will hand it to you boy. It has been a very long time since anyone has challenged my power and tested me to such levels physically. Had it not been for a very well timed teleporting spell I would have been fried by that cursed Vorm. It seemed to resemble Andraxsccl so I am going to go on a limb here and guess you have his Dragon Heart,” he stated with dullness.
“How… did you..” I managed to say while he held his death grip.
“How did I know about Andraxsccl or your Dragon Heart or maybe using a teleporting spell? How would I indeed,” he said looking up, “Oh here is an idea. Why don’t we go pick up that sword Vaurion gave you.” He then threw me at the sword and I landed right next to it. I tried to stand but he was already there and had his foot on my head to keep me down.
“If you look at it you will notice it is glowing, and you know it’s only supposed to glow in the presences of an… ?” he asked sarcastically.
“Ancient Dragon,” I said pushing his foot away and trying tackle him, but before I was even half way up a sudden force slammed me into the ground with such power I heard several of my ribs break.
“Well you get points for trying. It’s been a long time since I have taken such damage. Then again I could have destroyed all of
you in mere seconds, but where would the fun in that be. Seeing you struggle and try is part of the fun.”
“Who are you?” I managed between agonizing breaths.
“Who am I? Names are given to us in an effort to attach to us a sense of identity…I had a name once, just as you were given a name, but my kind can no longer be adequately represented by a mere name. However, if you must address me then it shall be The Wingless One.”
“If you are…*gasp*… an Ancient Dragon…*gasp* why are you doing this?”
I heard him mutter to himself, “They always ask why… you would think… they would have figured it out by now.” Then, in a louder voice, “I am going to fight death,” he said it turning away from me and walking towards Blight’s body.
“You see, this is the end of the line for Marshal Blight here. His family will never hear his voice again, nor will they be able to laugh with him, hug him, kiss him, or tell him they love him. Perhaps he wasn’t a tender man but someone will miss him. That person will inevitably hate me for ending his life and they will have to live with that absorbing feeling for the rest of their life. Hate is something that destroys one’s soul after a while. It consumes their being and drives them to a near crazed state in order to obtain their revenge which is fueled by their hate. I wish to defeat the culprit of those feelings,” he paused and kneeled next to Blight, “You are probably thinking… if I hadn’t killed him then those feelings of hate and revenge would never have appeared. But that is simply justification because you refuse to see who the real culprit is… Death… It was not I who killed him but death itself,” he said, shaking his head and standing back up, “If there was no more death then he would still be alive.”
“You are insane, that makes no sense,” I managed, trying to get up for a second time.
“Maybe I am or maybe you are for running away from this truth but tell me, Alexander Laiks, How would you like to see your parents?” he said, standing up again, “Judging from those eyes, I will take that as a yes.”
“The dead are dead and they should stay that way,” I said, suddenly questioning everything I had been taught so far.
“But don’t you see. They don’t have to be. There is a way to bring them back.”
“Everyone must di-” I started, before he shouted angrily.
“You can never go back to being a part of that common way of thinking anymore! One day you will run head long into the same despair that I did! Why can’t you understand I am trying to save this world from that very same despair!” he said, his face suddenly completely red with rage and sorrow, “You will someday lose someone important enough to you, Alexander. Someone whose death will make your entire world lose all its color and collapse in on itself. And when that grey world comes you will arrive at the same conclusion I did. But that can all be avoided if you come with me and help me eradicate death with that Dragon Heart you possess.”
“Don’t listen to him Alex. He is insane. What he speaks of is impossible,” said Master, rising from the spot he had crashed into. He twitched slightly while getting back to his feet which meant just like me, he had a few broken bones. “It defies the reason of this world, all things must die eventually. In the end, time is unforgiving to us all… Ancient Dragons included.”
“Reason… can’t make things go away… the pain… the yearning… the regret, no I refuse to live in a world as cruel as this, which is why I will change it with the power of the Dragon Hearts and my own.”
“You are still a prisoner of your past Thanos,” said Master with sorrow in his eyes, as if he knew the reason Thanos was doing all of this.
Thanos was about to say something when he stopped and turned his back to us and stared at the Celestial Gate. Whatever he was looking at was the distraction I needed for using my last little bit of magic on one final Vorm, though this time it was a light one. I hoped that if a darkness Vorm and a light sphere caused a massive explosion which extended itself well beyond the initial impact area, a light Vorm and a darkness sphere would cause a sort of suction effect.
Only when the Vorm was complete and I ordered it to eat the very small sphere, as I was hoping for a very localized effect, did Thanos turn around.
“You don’t give up do you,” he said, as his magic picked me up and threw me against the entrance to the cave, causing the flow of magic to the Vorm to destabilize and collapse the Vorm. “You are lucky I need that heart of yours beating,” he said, turning again to face the Celestial Gate.
Hope
This time around I heard my head make a loud cracking sound and blood was coming out of my mouth. I slumped to the ground and sat there barely conscious, but still aware of what was going on.
“Vaurion will stop you Thanos. You won’t get away with this.”
“He can try Shadow. Just like your Dragon Knight over there did.”
“He defeated you once and he will again.”
Thanos stopped and look up to the sky and for a split second he seemed like a normal human in grief.
“I will bring her back Shadow, and there is nothing you or any other dragon in this world can do to stop me. If you stand clear of me and my objectives the death toll won’t rise any more than necessary.”
“And what are those objectives?” said a still shaking Master Shadow.
“I will collect all the Dragon Hearts and drain them completely of magic to bring her back.”
“There is no spell for that, you know it. Give up on this madness. You were once among the most respect of the Ancient Dragons.”
“We don’t have a spell for it but the Irkanians do, which is why I am helping them further their plans in exchange for their help with mine. And of what value is the past? It serves only to torment us with our mistakes.”
“To bring her back you will destroy the world?” asked Master, collapsing under his own weight. His broken bones and exhaustion must have gotten the better of him.
“If I had to destroy the world and everyone on it I would, but I have no intention of seeing the Irkanians succeed in their twisted plans, mine only require a relatively small sacrifice. The Gate is beginning to destabilize. Vaurion must have managed to interrupt the spell from the other end. I will let both the boy and Nostrous live this time so they can consider my proposal. Until we meet again Shadow,” he said, bowing before the both of us and disappearing into thin air.
I heard running behind me coming from the Council Chamber.
“Just… what happened here?” said the voice of Zetzu from beside me. My eyes sight was going blurry and I could no longer see individual shapes and then it suddenly went black.
“I can no longer sustain my eyes. I must sleep,” said the Reaper quietly.
I was about to protest that he told me I could use them indefinitely but I had no strength in me to do so. So I sent him a mental acknowledgement. I was extremely tired but it wasn’t over yet, not until the last Irkanian had left the city and the Celestial Gate had been closed.
“Is Nostrous okay?” asked Master.
“Yes, he is just fainted from the effects of the Gate. The Death Knight took off after he managed to get the Dragon Heart box from Nostrous. I ran after him but he seemed to disappear a few seconds ago. More importantly, I think you should know that the Death Knight I fought…” Zetzu stopped for a moment as he placed a hand on my shoulder, possibly worried by the blood on my clothing. I recoiled at the touch as my shoulder had also been broken in the slam against the rocks surrounding the entrance to the Council Chambers.
“Someone with a Dragon Heart?” said Master with a dry voice.
“How did you know?”
“Lucky guess,” said Master plainly and painfully.
“You have several broken bones Alex, and some internal damage. I will help mend some of it. Just stay still and…”
I pointed to where Tromuelan should have been laying and managed to say, “Tromuelan” before letting my arm drop back down. It was taking everything I had left just to breath. I was glad to hear Zetz
u stand up and run over to where I guessed Tromuelan laid. Tromuelan needed help more than I did.
I heard him whisper a quick line of curses and then he practically shouted Galdur. The spell was strong enough I could feel the itch of my cuts and bruises healing. I also heard a loud groan followed by several snaps which could only have been either Tromuelan’s bones setting or Master’s. I could understand why they called it the universal restorer spell.
“Stop it,” Master commanded.
I could feel my shoulder being healed by Zetzu’s magic but the intensity of it was quickly fading.
“You cannot heal them all and you cannot heal his wings, not against the sort of magic Thanos used. Healing a little and nothing is the same right now,” said Master barely holding his voice in check.
“You underestimate a Cardinal Lord,” came a cold reply.
“Maybe I do, but not after fighting a Death Knight with a Dragon Heart. Those wounds on your arm and leg prove otherwise, I am not underestimating you. I can’t move around and neither can Alex; we both need you to conserve your remaining magic in the event something else occurs.”
I felt the spell end. A crushing silence engulfed the area. The only sounds I could hear were the breath of the dragons and the crackling of the remaining fires from the explosion earlier.
“The gate is closing,” said Master.
“Won’t Vaurion be coming back though it?” asked Zeztu with a broken voice, as if he might cry.
“I am already here,” replied Vaurion. From the distance of it, I guessed he was sitting on the top part of the Chamber entrance which was just above me. “From the looks of it you had a run in with Thanos and his pet Death Knight,” it wasn’t a question, as he continued to speak, “And you lost. Several elves have died across the city and many are unable to continue fighting due to injuries. You also lost the Dragon Heart which was placed in the care of the elves long ago,” he let out a heavy sigh.
Time Of The Knights (The Dragon Knight Order Series Book 2) Page 5