“I’ll be alright. He’s gone for now but see what I mean. He’s getting stronger. I can use his powers for now but it won’t be long before he uses me.” Calvin pulled himself up onto his knees and wiped his face against his sleeve letting up a cloud of dust from his beard.
“ You still didn’t answer me about the demons.” Darcy asked again helping Calvin to his feet. The two stood looking at each other in silence for a few moments. It was obvious by the way Calvin grimaced that he was in a lot of pain. He was an old man and although the powers of the possession had given him a new lease of life his body still was not prepared for the excursion Rinwid had just put it through.
“I don’t know for sure but I have heard an old story. One told by the monks of Brilanka. Back at the beginning of time the world was not separate from the spirit realm and the demons and ghosts walked here with mortals. The world was much bigger and gods watched over the living protecting them from the sway of the corrupt. It was the time of titans and lost powers. It was meant to really have been something to behold.” Calvin said and he felt his ability to see wobble. There was a vision there to be had but it was too far buried for Calvin to see. “But for some reason you would have to check with the monks the worlds were separated and the spirits we know as demons were forced elsewhere into a prison known as the spirit realm. They say it’s locked in place by the old gods.” Calvin had actually had the honor of meeting a Brilanka monk that came to the Tower a fair few years before and he was trying hard to remember his teachings. “Several places in the world that need the old gods to die, by bloodshed to unlock them. Most of the places have long since been destroyed and the others are known only to the monks.” Calvin’s mind mustered a hallucination this time and he sailed hundreds of miles across the ocean to the monastery of the Brilanka monks. “They are meant to be preparing for the time the prison is opened. Since the time of spirits one evil force has been controlling the world trying to tear open the veil but it’s only a story.” Calvin said but he started to fear there may be more truth to it than he had ever given the monks credit for but he wouldn’t know for sure unless he could unlock whatever vision it was that alluded him.
“ Do you think it’s true?” Darcy asked staring at the foreboding and dark mountains and quite easily believing something evil could be behind it.
“No, it’s just a story and easy way for people to give a reason for the bad things that happen in Valadfar. Don’t worry about demons sonny. We have more pressing things to worry about. Dragons for one, we need to get that bloody heart.”
Calvin said and he begun to hobble of up the rocky path leading towards the mountain. He didn’t share the last truth Rinwid had whispered before leaving.
The conversation had faded to a memory and Rinwid had seemingly remained silent as the fourteenth came to an end. Dawn brought with it warmer and still weather even on the slopped mountain edges. The duo had not discussed the events of the night before. Neither one wanted to breach the subject of what had happened with Rinwid. Darcy had no choice but to face what Rinwid said and he knew the demon was right. He couldn’t kill Calvin. He had never killed anything, he felt guilty when he swatted at flies or stamped on spiders. His big dream of killing a Dragon had been just that, the dream of a sheltered mind. The thought was far easier than the action. The words Rinwid had so carefully chosen had not just disturbed Darcy but Calvin too. He dreaded just how much longer he could hold on. Calvin made the harshest realization possible to a sentient creature. He had to accept that he was not coming out of this alive. It was not an easy thing for him to come to terms with but what choice did he have. Become a puppet to the demon or die. The choice made itself. So Calvin planned to find the heart which he could feel was close by. If the demon was telling the truth, then they would have to take it from the Dragons’ chest. Calvin had promised the demon he would destroy the heart but if it was one of the seven seals like the Brilanka monks spoke of he would never do it. Instead he would help Darcy out of the Scorched Lands back towards Neeskmouth. At least then maybe it could be of some use. Once Darcy was free Calvin would turn back into the Scorched Lands and pray he could travel deep enough into it that his body would die before Rinwid could walk it back out. Calvin did not want to become some kind of sick manikin. It would only take another day to reach the mountain’s peak and Calvin could almost see the magic power of the relic glowing in his mind. Rinwid’s growing power did not dissuade him from finding the heart. He couldn’t let it. Calvin had stopped eating and was feeling worn out but he needed to know that Rinwid would not be able to use him. Starving to death would be painful but it would be better than an eternity trapped as a passenger inside his own body. The demon seemed to have been sleeping since his display of power the day before and Calvin feared it was to gain the last of the energy he needed to take control. The pair toiled onwards towards what looked like a graveyard of Dragon bones. They must have been close to the point that the slaves first slaughtered the un-expecting Dragons. This was the place that started it all almost a millennium ago. A group of brave slaves had risked their lives to kill there oppressors and then taking the beasts teeth back to Neeskmouth. Once there they showed everyone that the common man could kill a Dragon. That was when the people razed the city and forced the Dragon king to flee to the mountains and the war started. Calvin and Darcy were close to the Dragons’ horde but they were not alone.
“ What was that?” Darcy said as he pulled himself up onto a ledge that was blocking their path between two slopes up the mountain path. The mountains were far taller than they had looked in the distance and they hid valleys full of sharp rocks. Hundreds of small fissures and tunnels lined the steep face of the mountains many curved sides. Broken statues could just be made out high above and served as a reminder that these hills once belonged to the Dwarfs. Darcy’s hand slipped knocking off a few loose stones. The chorus of clattering echoed back from the mountain walls around them. He strained his head up looking above. The mountainside was steep and made up of small ledges much like the low one he had pulled himself up onto. If they wanted to move forwards they would need to clamber up and drop down into one of the valleys.
“ I’m not sure. I thought I saw something run down from the valley over there but it’s hard to tell what’s really here at the moment.” Calvin said. The closer they grew to the heart the more intense his visions became. Even with Rinwid sleeping Calvin had pretty much lost his grip on the world. The only thing keeping him going was the memory of those bloody curtains. It was something so small but he had to hold onto it. It was something real. Something he had done that was good, something that was purely him and could not have been twisted by the demon Rinwid.
“I think something is coming .” Darcy said as a showering of small stones and dust trickled onto his shoulder. “You better have a fireball or something useful ready.” Darcy said light heartily expecting to see a bird flutter past. He stopped and slowly put down his satchel onto the floor, slipping his hand inside. He felt for the cold bronze of the knife, just encase. It was one of the guards that had given him the blade before they had parted ways. It was plain with a simple tube like handle. It had rusted to a dull gray finish but it was light to carry and well weighted. If Darcy had known anything about daggers he would have known it was a throwing knife and probably one that had came from the White Isle. The dagger might have had some value to it once but none of that was of any consequence as from behind an overhanging rock laden ledge a growl roared out in a deep booming tone. Darcy barely had the time to leap back falling onto his backside in the dust before a young Dragon dropped down sinking its claws into the rock where Darcy would have been standing. The beast was about the weight of a small horse. Its wings opened in a display of aggression and its amber green scales glinted in the sun. The young Dragon stood as a massive blockade to the mountainside behind it. From the tip of the creatures long and scaly tail to its teeth filled and snarling mouth the Dragon was around two meters in length. The Dragon was about
a quarter of the size it would grow to be but that did not mean it was any less deadly. Its head was the size of Darcy’s torso and smoke trickled from its nose a sign of the heat inside the beast. As the Dragon stalked towards Darcy in an almost catlike motion its huge claws dug into the rock like it was butter fracturing the stone.
“Calvin, why are you looking at it? Do something .” Darcy screamed as he scrambled to his feet holding out a suddenly rather weak looking blade in front of him. The cutting edge was only about twice as long as one of the Dragons’ fangs and Darcy did not have two rows of them. The dagger suddenly felt little more than a letter opener. The Dragons snake like eyes shot from Darcy towards Calvin and the beast turned expectantly. It arched up back on its hind legs and for the first time Darcy could see the beasts soft under belly. It was a lighter green, almost olive. Darcy thought for a moment about leaping at the Dragon and sinking the point of his weapon into the Dragons underside but he had no clue as to where the creatures heart was or even if he had the strength to rip through the thick blubber and scales.
“ Is it really there?” Calvin asked gazing at the Dragon dreamily. “In the makers’ name, yes its bloody there alright.” Darcy screamed.
“ Stand back.” Calvin called out and he let the power of Rinwid surge inside him. He felt the energy grow in his stomach. His eyes clouded black and he felt Rinwid awake. The clouds circled around Calvin and loose stones and dust swarmed into the sky in a tornado. Calvin shot his arm out extending his fingers towards the snapping Dragon. His gray hair clambered at his face like an angry octopus as the wind churned. The ball of energy conjured itself at first into small sparks that seemed to drip off of Calvin’s fingers singeing the soil at his feet. The sand turned to glass and crystals before the sparks seemed to grow and condense into a bluish gold ball in Calvin’s hand. It shot out as a lightning torrent. The blue, white and golden tendrils smashed against the rock shattering it. The Dragon caught between the fingers of electricity wailed in agony as they scraped away flesh and burnt him from the inside out. The beast managed to let out a pitiful puff of fire before he slumped lifeless to the ground.
“ You did it. That was. That was. That.” Darcy stuttered. He had known Calvin was a mage. He knew he would use magic but Darcy had not been prepared for that. Darcy wiped the blood and scales from his face that had been set flying free in the backlash of power as the lightning discharged itself. Calvin’s eyes faded from black to white. His hand dropped to his side shaking and was reflected in the perfect mirror at his feet.
“ That was incredible. The power was more than you can imagine and I had so much more in me to use. It felt like I could have moved the mountain if I had wanted.” Calvin said as he looked down at his wrinkled fingers. The power was intoxicating. It was better than any of the illicit drugs he had tried as a junior in the tower. He could see why the old stories were full of mages who had turned to demons for power. The bargain was almost worth it. If only he could find a way to control Rinwid but that was a dangerous thought he dare not think of.
“ It looks like you’ll get more chance to use it. Up there quick.” Darcy said as he pointed to the higher of the two ledges that lined the entrance to the valley. Three more Dragons that were slightly smaller than the last peered down with a snarl. Although they were smaller they were still dangerous and it was Calvin this time that had to leap backwards. This time not for a leaping Dragon but from a blast of scorching orange flame that rushed across the rocks. It barely missed him and Calvin could feel the heat of it. The hairs on his beard curled with a sizzle and the bottom of his long beard vanished into nothingness. The closest of the three Dragons’ sucked air into its huge lungs to fire a second blast at Calvin but he took the chance to scramble on his knees to hide behind the rock he had used to view the sky a few minutes before.
“ I can’t yet. That took too much out of me. If I used it now I would collapse.” Calvin said. He wished he was younger. He knew there was more magic to use but his body was just too weak. That was the thing with magic. The more you used the more energy it took out of you. Simple spells that the mages normally used in the tower took no more than a brisk jog would have. Whereas the power that Rinwid had unleashed through Calvin had made him feel like he had not slept for a month. It was unlikely that they could out run one Dragon let alone a pack of three but it was even less likely that Darcy with his little bronze tooth pick would be able to kill the Dragons so it left only one choice. “Run.” Calvin called out and without looking back he hitched up his robe and slip down the mountain making a beeline back into the Scorched Lands. The blast of flame bounced off the stone behind him barely missing him for a second time.
Chapter eleven – sacrifice Away from the Scorched Lands and the nostrils of the Dragons, smoke rose into the air from Neeskmouth. Hundreds of fires filled the dusk filled streets making the air thick. Harvey lay resting as he remembered the horrors of the last few days. The city had prepared itself for the siege that was making its way towards them one slow step at a time. The militia had been pulled together from the White Flags men and the rather rung out farmhands and disgruntled nobles. The mismatch of men and boys combined with fear made for a lot of crossed words and a few fights had broken out. The pubs and taverns had been closed by order of Harvey to keep drunken injuries to a minimum. This had not been as successful as he had hoped as a black market had sprung up almost instantly selling bootleg alcohol. This was most likely from warehouses that could not get their produce out to sea with their ships commandeered into the army. The city normally a hub of trade had grounded to a halt. The dockyard and harbor looked like shadows of their former self and were filled with motionless gloom. Leading up from the water’s edge ran the maze of common wooden houses filled with frightened youngsters. Bows in their hands they waited for the signal to begin the fight. It was the fifteenth but Harvey’s mind was well set back two full days. They citizens of Neeskmouth had been preparing and things looked like they were going well but then ‘they’ appeared on the horizon. The Pole army formed into ranks around eight hundred yards from the castle walls. The huge and iron glad men of the Pole army stood taller than anyone from the Handson kingdom and in the dull light of the thirteenth, it was easy to see why they had been known as the Iron Giants before Ingaild had renamed them. Their weapons held aloft pointing to the sky made the shadowy horizon look like a forest was marching towards the city. The wind calm carried the shouted voices over the plains adding to the fear that strangled the city. The two armies that had set out from the Western Reaches and Briers Hill had joined into one under the lead of Ingaild. They numbered only around four hundred strong. A small number of men to besiege a city, it would be unlikely that they would have the numbers to breach the walls of the keep, even as weak as they were and things had looked promising for Williams plan, but that was not how it played out. The heavy fire of the White flags archers and the gauntlet of the city itself should obliterate the Poles. The city although not walled per-say, had used the stone houses of the noble district and blocked alleyways between them to force the Poles down and in from the North. The opposite side to where they now stationed but they had seemed reluctant to move. As Harvey lay remembering the events of the thirteenth his mind settled upon the conversation between him and William that had sent so many to their deaths.
“Why do they just stand there?” Harvey had asked. He had left his throne room for the first time in days and stood atop the castle. The cool wind blowing against him ruffled the feathers in the cap he wore. He leant over the battlements for a better look the masses of gold necklaces around his neck sagged and shone slightly in the dim light.
“ Waiting us out it seems, nice little trinkets you have there.” William said standing close by. He could tell the medallions’ had been enchanted with something and probably were worth more than the rest of the castle put together.
“ They were my fathers. They bring safety to the royal blood line. They will not work for anyone else.” Harvey said as h
e cupped the golden circle in his hands. It showed the Handson family crest encircling a red gem that looked to hold a thick liquid.
“ That’s blood magic isn’t it?” William asked. He could already tell it was by the odd glow and the blood inside the gem that sloshed around in thick glop-like waves. William had seen enough bodily fluids in his time to recognize them and he had had the fortune to have come across a few magic items.
“ I’m not a mage William. I have no idea what enchantment is in this, all I know is it saved my grandfather and it’ll hopefully do the same for me today.” Harvey said fighting the draw of the medallion. It had an odd power over him but Harvey was more concerned with the huge machines that the Poles were pushing towards the west. “What are they doing with those trebuchets’?” He asked with dread settling in his stomach like an old friend. “Don’t tell me they’re planning to push them all the way through the city to get here.”
“ They would never make it. They do realize they could shoot the things from the south of the castle.” William said as he stood overlooking the grass plains around the castles battlements. This was far from the first battle that William had overseen but they were normally out at sea and with ships you could plan your moves and those of your opponent easier. Ships could only move in certain ways. If the wind was against them they would slow or turn. The only wind that seemed to be on Williams mind now was the wind of chance.
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