As powerful as the young dragon was, Kaz doubted that Tiberia alone was a match for Infernus. She might have the raw power, but she lacked the red’s guile and experience. Infernus would deal with her swiftly unless someone could direct the hatchling, someone with more experience in combat involving dragons.
Why always me? Kaz silently grumbled. Why always me?
Infernus leaned back as he spoke, possibly due to his injured forepaws. “You challenge me, do you, Little One? You think you have the might? My kills, especially of your kind, number high. I’ve not had a good struggle in many years. I won’t kill you, of course, since I have need of you, but you will not fly for decades and you will always move with a limp, perhaps because one of your limbs will have been bitten off.”
His words were having an effect on the silver dragon, who had never fought before. Kaz saw uncertainty grow in Tiberia’s eyes, and the glittering wings began to twitch nervously.
Infernus was not paying any mind to the minotaur, the red considering the other dragon a more serious threat. Kaz waited until the larger creature’s head swayed away from him, then ran as fast as he could.
“Give up now, Little One,” Infernus was saying. “There is a place for you, too, if only you will see the way. There is—”
It was at that moment that Kaz leapt onto Tiberia’s back. The silver dragon jerked, but, fortunately, did not whip around to remove the sudden weight. What she did do, however, was back away abruptly from Infernus, the spell of fear broken by the minotaur’s action.
“Tiberia … Ty … back away farther, but let me get to your neck so I can sit there!”
The dragon obeyed, albeit a bit awkwardly.
“A dragon rider are we?” Infernus unleashed a throaty chuckle. “And where is your dragonlance, minotaur?”
“The axe and my friend will do just as well, Infernus!” Kaz’s words were meant more to instill some degree of confidence in his companion than to frighten the red dragon.
As he expected, Infernus did not take his threat seriously. “I will remember your sense of humor after you are gone, gnat!”
A whirlwind filled the chamber, tossing loose rubble directly at Kaz and Tiberia. The dragon managed to bash away the first few large pieces, but several easily flew past her guard. Kaz pulled himself behind Tiberia’s head and neck as much as he could, but stone after stone pelted him, marking his arms and legs with small nicks and cuts. Tiberia roared as stones struck her with considerable force.
“Surrender him, hatchling, and I will cease!”
“I won’t!” cried the silver dragon in a small voice. “I won’t!”
Kaz struggled upward. He needed to be high enough for Tiberia, and only Tiberia, to hear him. “A fireball! If you can make a fireball, aim at his—”
Tiberia unleashed a fireball, a good-sized one, at Infernus’s chest. The flames licked at the red dragon for several seconds, but the monstrous creature seemed barely affected by it.
“Fire? You send fire against me? I am a red dragon! Fire is my element more than yours!”
A ring of flame burst to life around the pair, causing the silver dragon to back up. The ring was so tight that Tiberia could move only a few steps. Infernus laughed.
Again he spoke so that only the silver could hear. “Listen to everything I say first, Tiberia! I want you to make another fireball! I—”
“It won’t hurt him!”
“Don’t worry about hurting him that way! Listen! I want a fireball in his eyes! The biggest and strongest fireball you can create! Do it now!”
Kaz held his breath, hoping Tiberia would do as he said. They needed to reverse the course of battle.
He felt the silver leviathan shudder. A sphere of flame larger than the red dragon’s head flew unerringly into Infernus’s visage. The smile of mockery twisted into astonishment.
“Now, Tiberia! While he can’t see! Jump and attack! It’s our best hope!”
The massive silver form leapt forward, crossing over the flames without hesitation. The young dragon trusted Kaz that much. Smaller than Infernus, Tiberia was still an enormous projectile. Infernus, still fighting to restore his vision, was unprepared for the force of a half-grown dragon falling upon him. The injured paws scratched at Tiberia, but there was no stopping the silver’s descent. The two leviathans crashed together, Kaz desperately hanging on and hoping Tiberia would not be forced onto her back.
“Again, in his eyes!” the minotaur cried.
To her credit, Tiberia managed a third, though smaller, fireball even while tangled up with the red dragon. Infernus roared as he sought again to protect his eyes.
“Hold him fast!” Kaz leaned to one side and, using his better arm, swung his battle-axe in the direction of the red dragon’s neck. Infernus twisted, however, and instead of the neck, the axe bit into his shoulder.
The red roared, throwing Kaz and Tiberia to one side. The silver’s great form crashed through the wall dividing the room from the audience chamber. Tiberia’s momentum was such that she ended up almost on top of the raised dais Infernus used when acting as high priest.
Kaz was astonished to find himself still holding on to his companion. Tiberia’s body had knocked a clean hole. The warrior felt as if he had just survived the hailstorm of all hailstorms unprotected.
“I will chew you slowly, minotaur!” Infernus barged through the hole without pause, causing still more masonry to fly and creating huge cracks that ran up to the ceiling. “I will shred your wings, hatchling!”
Kaz wondered just how much more damage this part of the temple could take before the ceiling caved in. While both Tiberia and Infernus were likely to survive such an incident with little more than a few bruises, Kaz was not so well armored.
The silver dragon stared at her foe. Another fireball formed before Infernus, but this time the red dragon reacted quickly enough to disperse it.
“No more of that trick, hatchling,” snarled the crimson terror. “No more tricks at all.”
Infernus charged. Tiberia tried to back up, but fell over the desk and the dais. The collision between the dragon and the dais was enough to shake Kaz loose. He fell over the front end of the dais and rolled down the steps just as the two dragons met.
The minotaur took one look at the two gigantic forms descending in his direction and scurried away toward the barred doorway as fast as he could. He had no plans to abandon Tiberia, but he would be little good to his friend if he were crushed.
Under the combined mass of the two dragons, the desk and dais were quickly reduced to rubble. Kaz gave thanks that the red dragon had seen fit to have the audience chamber built so vast; as it was, he was only a few yards away when the dragons’ heads finally struck the floor.
The pair fought with tooth and claw now, Infernus trying to tear out Tiberia’s throat with his talons, and the younger dragon simply trying to shield herself. There was no good target for Kaz, not yet, but he did have an idea.
“Tiberia! The injuries! Bite them!” Honor’s Face always struck deeper than a normal axe and always dealt more damage. Even now, it was clear the red dragon was experiencing spasms of pain.
Tiberia tried to snap at the injured appendages, but her position would not allow her to get close enough. In desperation, she sank talons into one of the red dragon’s injuries. Infernus hissed and backed away, the paw now covered in blood.
Using the respite to save herself, Tiberia pulled her silver form toward Kaz and the doorway. Kaz turned and tried to open the doors, but realized almost immediately that there was no way he could do so in time.
Infernus raised a paw and roared, “No! You will remain in here! I command it!”
It took Kaz a moment to understand why Infernus suddenly seemed so anxious. If Tiberia crashed through the doorway, the presence of dragons would be revealed. Infernus clearly did not desire that information known to anyone, not even the clerics.
The crimson behemoth started a spell, but there was not enough time for him to complete it.
Kaz threw himself to the side. The doorway and the surrounding walls gave way easily under the weight of the retreating giant. Kaz wondered if the clerics and guards still waited outside. If so, he almost pitied them.
The moment a gap appeared, the minotaur rose and darted through it. Tiberia was halfway out into the temple’s front hall with Infernus following close behind. Whether it was his rage or the thought that the silver dragon had already revealed the truth about what was happening behind the doors, the high priest moved as if he did not care who saw him.
The scene in the hallway was one of chaos. A number of bodies were scattered here and there, victims of the collapsing doors and walls. Infernus had spoken true when he had said that his chambers were proofed against sound. Kaz found he had no sympathy for the servants of the high priest. There were still several alive, but they were doing little at the moment, save gawking at what had burst out of their master’s chambers. Some of the more intelligent quickly turned and fled. There were some challenges even too great for minotaurs.
Kaz was caught up in conflicting choices. He wanted to get Tiberia out of here. The silver dragon could not maneuver well, and at close quarters the advantage would continue to belong to her larger, more experienced foe. Yet, fighting Infernus in the sky was not something Kaz wanted Tiberia to face, either.
As he tried to get nearer to the silver, who had by this time made it out into the somewhat cramped hallway, Infernus burst through what was left of the wall. Pieces of marble rained down on those nearby. One cleric died screaming as he was crushed. Kaz dodged the first two pieces that slammed into the floor near him, then tripped over rubble just as he was almost out of range. Twisting helplessly, he fell onto his back. His sudden upward view revealed yet another enormous fragment bearing down on him.
Before he could react, strong hands gripped his shoulders and pulled him up. Honor’s Face skittered away. Kaz finally pulled free of his rescuer’s grip and glanced over to where he had been lying. The fragment had embedded itself deep into the floor. He would have been crushed. Grateful to his rescuer, Kaz looked next to him and discovered a wide-eyed Scurn.
“You vanished during the rescue, Kaz!” shouted the scarred minotaur, finally looking down at him. “I knew you’d come here! I knew you’d try to rescue the damned human whelp, and I want to help, for what the cleric did to me!”
“Scurn! Never mind that! Just get out of here! Only a fool would stay here!” Which means me, Kaz silently added.
“What’s happened here? Where’s the female? Why’re there dragons, Kaz?”
He saw no use in lying to Scurn. “The girl’s the silver one, and your precious high priest is the red! They’re both dragons, Scurn! They’ve always been dragons!”
“Dragons? The high priest is a dragon? What nonsense is this?” Nonetheless, the other minotaur eyed the red differently.
“He’s always been a dragon, you fool! Every high priest has been him for centuries! He killed them and then made himself look like them! Just listen to him!”
Perhaps Scurn might have disbelieved what, even to Kaz, sounded like nothing more than a fantastic tale, but at that moment Infernus caught sight of them.
“Gnat … and the unfortunate captain as well! How appropriate this is! You will get to die together after all!”
The voice was not exactly Jopfer’s, but, from Scum’s horrified expression, he clearly recognized the high priest.
A silver form again blocked the red one’s path. “I said leave them alone!” demanded Tiberia. “Kaz is my friend! You can’t hurt him!”
“As stubborn as a red you are, hatchling, but more repetitious, it seems.” Infernus eyed the younger dragon again. “I see I must still beat that stubbornness out of you. You and your little friend have cost me dearly as it is!”
The two dragons faced off once more, their huge bodies wreaking havoc with the building each time they even moved a few paces. A portion of the ceiling caved in behind Infernus. Most of the remaining clerics and guards had retreated from sight.
“That’s … that is the high priest?” whispered Scurn.
“That’s a dragon, too, Scurn, one that thinks it should control our lives, our destinies! It thinks it has the right to be our master!”
“Our master?” The other minotaur’s expression grew grim. Kaz had touched the one point of agreement among all minotaurs. No one but a minotaur had the right to rule the race. Anyone else, anything else, was an enemy of the people. “He wants to be our master?”
The dragons snapped at one another. “That’s right, Scurn. Our master, body, mind, and soul.”
“Never … our master … Sargas take me for a fool!”
“Then we have to help the silver dragon! She’s our only hope! We have to do what we can!”
Scurn nodded absently, his eyes still fixed on the red form. Kaz wondered if he was thinking of all he had done in an attempt to ingratiate himself to the high priest. “You’re right, Kaz. You’re right.”
To the other minotaur’s surprise, Scurn abandoned him, fleeing through the temple entrance and losing himself in the streets beyond. The action was so sudden, it left Kaz stunned. He had not expected much aid from Scurn—what could the other minotaur do against a dragon?—but he had not thought Scurn capable of such outright cowardice, regardless of his flaws or their past enmity.
Scum’s flight did not go unnoticed by Infernus. “So much for your ally, minotaur! A sensible coward, that one!”
“But I’m still here, Infernus.”
“As if that makes a difference, gnat!”
With his tail the red dragon battered the wall to his side, sending fragments flying toward both Tiberia and Kaz. Tiberia swatted away what she could and actually used one wing to deflect others from the minotaur.
“Be ready for me, Tiberia!” the minotaur called. Fortunately, the silver understood what he wanted, for Tiberia lowered her back end, making it simpler for Kaz to leap aboard again. Kaz hooked both feet into areas where the scales gave way a little, effectively creating stirrups.
Infernus moved forward only a breath after Kaz had gained his mount. Talon struggled against talon. Then, while the two behemoths battled, Kaz extended his good arm and opened his hand. Once more, Honor’s Face returned to him.
The red dragon had attempted no further spells, perhaps preserving his strength for physical combat. It might even have been the result of Infernus having lived so long among the minotaurs. While they did not completely eschew sorcery, they preferred physical strength over the power of magic. A dragon who had worn the guise of a minotaur for centuries may have picked up some of the same tendencies.
Of course, even without magic, Infernus stood a good chance of defeating them.
Tiberia and the red snapped at one another, Infernus ever gaining advantage. Kaz struck whenever he could. Only one of his attacks had any effect on Infernus, a gouge in one paw. Anger fueled the red’s attack, though, and almost immediately the ground gained was lost again.
The minotaur felt truly ineffective. With a dragonlance, he might have had a chance to spear Infernus and end this with his life still intact, but, despite the power of his axe, he lacked the reach to do more than harry his foe. If he hoped to be at all effective, he had to be able to reach Infernus’s neck or strike his torso with the hope of piercing deep. Only then could he hope to do grave injury to the beast.
Kaz glanced at his favored weapon, wishing, for once, that it was one of the legendary lances of the war. With the lance, they could win.
Honor’s Face shivered in his grip and stretched. The mirror blade sank into the shaft, which grew longer and longer yet felt as if it weighed no more. A swelling near the minotaur’s hand became a protective guard. Another outgrowth stretched to the neck and shoulders of Tiberia, gently wrapping around her throat.
In the blink of an eye, before the gaping minotaur’s astonished gaze, Honor’s Face had become the very thing he needed for victory. Kaz now held a dragonlance, secured for battle.
He had always wondered about the origin of his axe and now he realized that it had always been linked to the lances. The dwarf craftsman who had given it to Sardal Crystalthorn might have been one of the same group who had presented Huma with the first dragonlances.
Kaz shifted the lance. Whatever the reason, he had what they needed. “Tiberia! Back away!”
His companion did. Infernus did not at first realize why Kaz had given the command until his fiery eyes caught sight of the long, majestic weapon trained on him.
“We have a knight among us,” he mocked.
“No knight,” Kaz returned, fixing the point on the dragon’s chest, “but a knight’s dragonlance. Forward, Tiberia!”
It was a sign of the young one’s faith that she obeyed this latest command without hesitation. Tiberia charged forward. Infernus roared contemptuously, attempting to swat the lance aside, but somehow it shifted, moving away from its original target almost of its own accord. The point dug into the red dragon’s wing, tearing through the tough membrane with as much ease as a burning knife in soft snow.
Infernus roared in pain, glancing at the huge tear. The lance bit again while his attention was diverted. Kaz barely had to make sure of his aim. The dragonlance moved like a creature with a mission of its own … which perhaps it was. There had always seemed to be something lifelike about the weapons. Kaz recalled how they rarely seemed to miss their targets, even if inflicting only minor damage.
Twice more the dragonlance nicked an increasingly baffled Infernus. None of the wounds was serious alone, but the total of the dragon’s injuries could not help but begin to take a toll, even on such a massive beast as the red.
Infernus backed up, destroying more wall and causing yet another segment of the ceiling to collapse. His eyes fixed on the dire weapon wielded by the minotaur. Kaz could almost sense the magic being deployed.
The dragonlance suddenly glowed. A crimson aura surrounded it, slowly turning it as black as pitch. Kaz felt the dragonlance stiffen, grow cold.
Land of the Minotaurs Page 29