by Jordan Baker
Lexi stumbled over a ridge in the sand and fell to her knees then slumped to the ground. As she lay on the hot sand, she felt like crying but the tears would not come. She had only wanted to go somewhere far away from her home, from her mother who barely acknowledged her and from her brother who despised her, and both of them hating her for what she had done. She had succeeded in that at least, she thought, as she felt her consciousness begin to slip. She was far away from their anger and far away from anyone who would hurt her and from anyone she might harm. Maybe her brother was right, that she was nothing more than a worm, and she felt like it was probably for the best that she should dry up and turn to dust, so she closed her eyes and let herself drift upon the sea of sand.
She awoke to the feeling of something nudging her in the ribs. It happened again but she was too tired to move, even to look and see what it was. She felt her neck being pulled as her head was lifted, then her face landed heavily on the ground. A moment later, she felt herself being picked up from the ground and then laid on a flat surface. Her head was tilted up, and cool liquid dripped into her dry lips, running between her sharp, pointed teeth and onto her tongue. Her throat moved on its own as the flow of liquid increased and she swallowed, feeling a soothing sensation fill her body. Her head was released, more gently this time, and she lay back, slipping once again into darkness.
She did not know how much time had passed when she heard the voices.
"What is it?" asked one.
"I think it is one of the lizard man," said another, "of the swamp people from the east."
"It looks like a female," said the first.
She felt her robes being opened.
"I believe you may be right," said the other. "Let us make sure of it."
She felt a hand slide between her legs.
"Yes, it is female."
Lexi felt the hand touch her. She hissed and her eyes snapped open. She could not see but she tried to stop them, to push them away, but she discovered that she could not move either. Her eyes began to adjust and she discovered that she was tied to a wooden post inside the back of a covered wagon, her arms and ankles bound behind her on either side of the thick block of wood that was the support piece for the wagon's covering.
"Be careful," said the first.
Lexi hissed again and slowly her cloudy vision sharpened. There were two of them, wearing long cloaks, with cloth wrapped around their faces. They took a few steps away from her, then slowly they returned. Lexi realized they were speaking a strange language, one she had never heard before, but she found that she could understand their words, which did not surprise her, for the mage who had instructed her in the ways of the world had told her it was one of her gifts.
"Do not touch me," she said in words they could understand.
"It can speak!" said the first man.
"I am not an it," Lexi told him. "Let me go."
"And if we let you go, what will you do? You will try to eat us," the other man said. "I have heard of your kind. Eaters of women and children, you are."
"I will eat you if you do not let me go," Lexi threatened.
"See," said the first man. "That is not a way to gain our trust.
"She is an animal, an eater of people," said the other.
"I think you are correct. Should we kill it?"
"Not yet. Maybe it can be useful to us. Maybe we can sell it. Maybe it can fight," said the other man. "Can you fight?"
"I don't want to fight," Lexi said.
"I do not ask if you wanted to fight. I ask if you can fight."
"I don't want to fight anyone."
"I think it can fight," said the first man.
"Yes," said the other. "We will make it fight. It looks strong."
He reached out a hand toward her and Lexi snapped at him with her sharp teeth. The man jumped back but he laughed at her from behind the cloth wrappings that covered his face. The two men left her in the back of the covered wagon and she felt it begin to move. They had left her robes open and she wanted to pull them closed, but she was bound firmly to the heavy block of wood and, as weakened from exhaustion, hunger and thirst as she was, and tied in such an awkward position, there was no way for her to escape.
*****
Draxis ordered his Darga forces forward toward the town. They had easily disposed of the pathetic Kandaran riders who had intercepted them, ripping them from their horses and killing the beasts. After letting his warriors feast on the horses, they continued on and were now in sight of their target. On a hill above the town, guarded by a high, stone wall, stood a modest castle and Draxis could see the townspeople fleeing toward it. Let them run, he thought, it would do them little good. He had seen how the mages could blast the stone and he knew there were three of the black robes accompanying the regular Xallan troops who followed behind the thousands of Darga at his command.
One of his Darga subordinates, named Meznak, whose scales were shades of blue and purple, approached.
"Lord Draxis," he hissed. "The warriors want some sport with the Kandarans. When will you reward us with slaves? Our women think the Kandaran men might prove amusing pets, and the men are becoming lustful from the blood smells."
"When the crown city has fallen, Meznak," Draxis said. "Then you will be given an entire town to watch over. Perhaps even this one. Until then, we must show the Xallan regulars that we are soldiers, worthy of respect."
"I see how they look at Darga," Meznak said. "They do not wish to fight next to us, they see us as animals."
"Then let us prove that we are not," Draxis suggested, though it bothered him as well that Cerric kept the Darga forces separate from the other troops. "The Darga people will claim great honor in this war, but we must be patient, for it has only just begun."
"Do we attack now?"
"Not yet," Draxis said, sensing something new in the forest. "Call a halt."
"Halt, Darga," Meznak hissed to one of the nearest Darga warriors, who passed the order to the next one in line. Like a reptilian wave, the line of warriors stopped just at the edge of the trees outside the town as a group of Kandaran riders rode into view. A horn sounded and, with his keen eyes, Draxis saw another group of riders emerge from the castle and ride through the city toward the force that had just arrived.
"We wait," Draxis hissed and Meznak passed the message to the many rows of eager Darga.
Atop the walls of the castle, Duke Kaledra watched as just over a hundred of his men rode out to join the reinforcements. He turned to the mage, a small and unassuming fellow named Henton.
"I could only hold them until reinforcements arrived, however the remainder of my soldiers remain loyal to me," he explained.
"Clearly they do not fear you enough," Henton said. "I will inform my brethren of their betrayal and your weakness."
"They are a hundred men. I still have two hundred guards in these castle walls and another three thousand armed soldiers in the forest, awaiting my command."
"I will advise the Xallan commanders of this," the mage said. "If you serve them well, they might be willing to forgive your insolence."
"I have your guarantees that the townspeople will not be harmed?" Kaledra was not pleased with the way things were turning out. He had explained to his troops that the arrangement with the Xallan invaders was all or nothing, that if any of them broke ranks it could endanger the rest. Still, just over a hundred had gone, selfishly choosing to betray the decision of their lord and endanger the lives of the people.
"I will also advise the Xallan commanders that we have discussed such a possibility."
Henton stepped away and transformed into small, grey bird that leapt from the battlements and flew out over the town toward the trees.
"Damn," Kaledra swore. A short while ago, the mage had clearly assured him that the people of the town and both he and his family would be spared.
At the edge of the town, Boric dismounted and began unstrapping his heavy war axe from the saddle of a second horse that had carried it.
Even though Borica was a large man, the axe looked far too large for him to carry but he lifted it easily from the horse and hefted it in one hand. The sword hanging at his waist seemed like a toothpick in comparison to it and a number of the soldiers who had never seen him wield the giant weapon before were awestruck. They were even more surprised when the Duke took a step forward and his body began to change.
Boric's arms and legs thickened and grew longer and his face took on a reptilian look as he turned into something that was not quite human. Had the soldiers of Kandara already encountered the Darga, they might have thought that Boric had become one of the lizardmen but he was something different, larger and more fearsome. The horses shifted on their hooves nervously as they sensed the change, but their training held.
"Soldiers of Kandara," Boric growled through teeth that had become sharper and with a hint of smoke issuing forth from his mouth. "I am your Duke and sworn protector of the people of Kandara. Fear not, for you now witness but one portion of power of the House of Akandar, the noble line that has protected the people of these lands for countless generations."
"Duke Boric," said one of the men, "Are you one of the lizard men?"
"Bah. Lizard men," Boric scoffed. "Do not insult me. You speak of the Darga and I can sense them waiting just beyond those trees. They are but a shadow of the ancient power of Kandara, and they were banished long ago. Be warned though, the Darga are fierce and it will take all your might to fight them, yet they are nothing compared to the strength of Akandar."
"Sir Duke, over a hundred fighters come to join us from Kaledra," another soldier said. Boric turned and looked at the castle walls behind them.
"What of the rest?"
One of Kaledra's soldiers approached. She wore black leather armor reinforced with steel and had a sword and a dagger at her belt. Boric's sharp eyes immediately noticed the ring on her finger, with its green stone and knew her to be a Ranger.
"Kaledra has made a deal with the Xallans, sir Duke," she said. "He ordered us to stand down, but we disobeyed. On behalf of those who have come with me, I hope we are deserving of pardon."
"You are pardoned," Boric said. "And Kaledra will be stripped of his title the moment the King hears about this."
"Do the Rangers know about what is happening here?" he asked.
"They do, sir Duke," the woman replied.
"Good. Can we expect any assistance?"
"That I do not know. Word has been sent. Beyond that, all I have to offer are my blades."
"There," Borric gestured with his axe toward the trees. "That is where to point them. I will issue the challenge to these upstarts."
Among the trees, Draxis only half heard what the mage, Henton was telling him, for his attention was focused on the man with the large axe who had transforming into something else. The man's shape was almost like a Darga, except much larger and more powerful. Draxis felt a quiver in his stomach, the same feeling he had experienced when his sister had looked at him with the deadly eyes of a predator not so long ago. He now understood the feeling for what it was, for one of the mages had explained it to him. It was fear, but instead of cowering away the way so many of the Kandaran people did when his warriors advanced, Draxis found that he enjoyed the excitement of it. The man with the axe looked dangerous and he itched at the chance to do battle with one so fierce. Draxis also wondered about the man's transformation, and how he was able to change his shape, but he would have to ask one of the mages about it later, for the battle was about to begin.
The mage named Henton repeated whatever he had been saying about the people of the town and the soldiers of this Duke Kaledra.
"He is a traitor," Draxis said. "He will die like the rest."
"As you wish, Lord Draxis," the mage said and withdrew. "But might I suggest preserving the Duke and his family. They could prove useful hostages."
"Meznak," Draxis called to his subordinate. "Tell the Darga they may have their fun with anyone who hides inside the palace, except Kaledra and his kin. You may have a hundred of the townspeople to play with as well, but leave the rest. We have no use for broken slaves."
"Yes, Lord Draxis," he hissed and passed the word.
The large man with the giant axe roared into the forest and his voice shook the trees. Now was the time. He gave the word to Meznak and the Darga leapt forward almost at once. Draxis, drew his own heavy sword and leapt from the trees, racing straight toward the largest enemy.
Boric saw the Darga emerge from the trees, bounding from the shadows and into the open field and he charged forward, with his soldiers following close behind. He swung his axe at the oncoming lizard men and cleaved several of them in two and severing the leg and arm of two more. He inhaled deeply and held his breath as he swung his axe again, cutting through more of the creatures and then, satisfied he had waited long enough, he exhaled, blasting bright orange fire at a cluster of the Darga. Unaccustomed to fighting against a fighter more powerful than they, and with fire now filling the air, many of the lizard men began to break ranks, making it easier for Boric's soldiers to fight them, though the Darga were still difficult to match.
Draxis cut his way easily through several of the Kandaran soldiers, irritated that they would even be able to slow him down, but no matter how skilled they were, they were no match for his speed and strength, which was the best of both of the races to which he had been born. He clambered over the body of a fallen Darga and blocked the blade of a sword that swung dangerously close to his shoulder, stopping for a moment to gut its wielder, then he made his way to the man with the axe, who had become like a giant Darga.
"What have we here?" Boric rumbled, swinging his axe at Draxis' heavy sword. "I heard a story about Calexis making play with her Darga pets, but I did not believe it."
"I am Draxis, Prince of Xalla, Lord of the Darga," Draxis told him, proudly, determined that he would be victorious against such a foe. "You will die by my hand."
"Do not be so sure of yourself, youngster," Boric told him. "You have not yet witnessed the might of Kandara."
Draxis hissed and leapt at the man, swinging his sword hard. Blindingly fast, the giant axe was in front of him, deflecting his blade and Draxis had to twist in the air to avoid slamming into it. He realized that his normal approach of overpowering his opponents would not work with one such as this. This enemy was extremely powerful and very fast, but Draxis quickly realized that even though he was not quite as strong, he might be slightly faster. He changed his tactics and used the long reach of his sword and its quicker edge to slash and stab at his opponent, moving faster than the axe, while dodging the giant blade when it came swinging toward him.
Boric was surprised at the speed and agility of the half-Darga and he had not expected the creature to have such power. He wondered if there had been some shift or change in him because of his mixed parentage. Since he had discovered the Darga involvement in the destruction of the Xallan villages, he had taken the time to look up the history of the lizard people and the things he had discovered intrigued him greatly. That many of the Darga once inhabited parts of Kandara but had been banished, was something he already knew. He also discovered that there were once many different tribes among the Darga, known by their distinctive markings. The most documented of the Darga, those who lived near the lands of Xalla, had skin that was green, black or brown, with scales that could have varying colors and shades, their base colors being influenced by the swampy regions they inhabited, though it was said that their colors could change with their surroundings, and this creature's Darga scales were showing flecks of red, taking on the color of the blood that was flowing fast on the battlefield.
Draxis ducked in under the swing of Boric's axe and the duke put away his thoughts about Darga tribes. He could analyze the creature's parentage later, once he and the rest of the lizard men were dead. Boric leapt back as Draxis thrust forward with his sword, but he was not fast enough and even though the point of the blade missed him, its edge slid along Boric's upper leg,
cutting a deep gash. Boric roared and blasted the half-Darga with flames, driving him back. The other Darga fell back then they leapt at him, slashing with their claws and latching onto his arms as Draxis came at him again.
Boric reached down into the core of his being and drew upon the ancient power that flowed from his bloodline. His body grew once more and his skin turned darker, with iron hard black scales appearing on his arms and legs, and his face became distinctively more reptilian. The gash in his leg even began to close up as his regenerative powers increased to their fullest. He roared again and shook off the Darga, who were like playthings to him now, and he swung his axe at Draxis, meeting his blade with a resounding clash and sending the half-Darga flying.
The Kandaran soldiers had been fighting hard and taking heavy losses against the stronger and more powerful Darga warriors, who outnumbered them, but with every swipe of Duke Boric's axe a half dozen of the lizard men were dispatched and the Kandaran soldiers' morale became more resolute. The Darga responded with even more ferocity now that their pride as warriors was being called into question.
Draxis was amazed at the power of the Kandaran Duke and his ability to transform angered him. It was a power he now wanted and the reptilian part of his brain wondered if he could gain such power if he ate the heart of the monster he faced. He lunged forward, clambering over one of the Darga who had fallen to the Duke's axe and he attacked with a ferocity he did not even know he had. He slashed and cut at the Duke's scaled arms, darting his sword past the giant axe as he ducked around it. He slid past the Duke and brought his sword down hard on his shoulder but the steel glanced off the heavy scales underneath the shreds of fabric from the clothing that he had worn.
Boric saw the half-Darga slip past him as he swung his axe so he continued his swing, pivoting around with the heavy weapon. Draxis dropped low as the axe whistled past and caught a Darga warrior in the arm and he cut upwards with his sword, prying underneath the heavy scales on the Duke's shoulder. He was pleased when the steel bit into flesh and dark, black blood ran from Boric's arm, but smoke appeared on Draxis' sword as the steel began to melt. He realized that the Duke's blood must be like acid and he stepped away and wiped his sword on the uniform of one of the fallen Kandarans.