by Jordan Baker
Draxis was irritated that the spikes he had made were having little effect on the giant creature and, now that he saw it up close, he knew just how fearsome the dragon really was. He had been caught by a splash of one of Eric's blasts of acid fire and his left shoulder screamed in pain from the burn. Draxis ignored the discomfort in his shoulder and focused on the task at hand. This monster had the power that Draxis dreamed of possessing and Cerric knew how to take it. All he had to do was capture it. He signaled his Darga to open fire and two dozen metal spikes were released at once, speeding toward the dragon.
With his keen dragon sight, Eric saw the metal spikes flying toward him from all directions and he realized that he had sprung a trap. He spun around, swinging his tail around to knock more of the Darga away, while putting his heavily armored outer scales in the path of as many of the spikes as possible. Most of them fell away but five of them stuck, all of them releasing more energy in to him. A single spike was a mere irritation, but five at once proved exceptionally painful and Eric roared as the parts of his body that were hit spasmed as the energy coursed into his flesh. This time they did not stop and Eric realized that there were mages at the other ends of the chains attached to the spikes. He sprayed acid fire and three of them were engulfed in flames.
The pain subsided and he was able to move a little more freely, though the chains still held him in place. He snapped one of them with his claws then he lunged toward a small group of Darga, working with one of the two remaining mages, baring his rows of sharp teeth at them. The mage died in an explosion of sparks as Eric's teeth cut the man's body in half and several of the Darga narrowly missed being chewed by the dragon. He snapped the chain and felt himself being pulled toward the ground as the other three chains that were lodged in his neck, the front of his shoulder and his right arm were pulled tight by groups of Darga.
Draxis ran forward with the giant axe he had taken from Boric and leapt high into the air over the dragon's head as his Darga warriors dragged the creature lower to the ground. He smashed the axe down hard, but instead of connecting with the dragon's skull, Draxis was hit hard from the side and thrown to the ground by one of Eric's thick, curved horns. He pushed himself to his feet and ran toward the dragon, swinging the giant axe at its forearm, which was reaching toward the Darga who were pulling on one of the chains. The axe cut through a thick scale and bit into flesh and the dragon roared and swatted at him, but Draxis yanked the axe free and jumped out of the way. He ran back along beside the dragon and swung the axe underneath it, aiming for its less heavily armored belly and the axe cut a deep gash in the creature.
Eric roared again as the axe bit him and he reached forward and crushed the Darga who were holding the chain attached to his right arm. He swatted at the strange half-Darga who had the audacity to use his brother's axe, but the creature was quick and he dodged away, leaping over Eric's back and attacking his left let. Eric managed to shift his knee around just enough that the axe came down on a heavily armored patch. It glanced off and Eric saw the half-Darga take a step back. Eric reached over and clawed at the chain that was in his left shoulder, cutting it in two, then he pulled the spike that was in the softer skin of his neck and ripped it out, causing acid blood to rain down on the Darga and soldiers who were unlucky enough to be below him.
Draxis knew he was out of time when he saw the last chain cut and saw the dragon rising up from the ground. He darted in toward the creature's stomach, swinging the giant axe but he felt himself being snatched right out of the air by a giant, clawed hand. The pressure of the dragon's claws felt like it would crush him, but Draxis felt himself being carried up into the air instead.
"You are the half-Darga, Calexis' whelp?" Eric growled as they soared through the air.
"I am Prince Draxis of Xalla, leader of the Darga tribes," Draxis told him, defiantly.
"Not for much longer," Eric told him. "You dare to use my brother's axe?"
"It is my right as the victor," Draxis sneered.
"You don't look victorious to me," Eric growled. "Let us see how Cerric and your mother, the Xallan Queen feel about who is the victor."
Eric flew toward the command tent, where he saw Cerric standing, calmly staring at him, with Calexis nervously stepping behind him as the dragon approached. Soldiers scattered in all directions as he landed before them.
"Cerric, you dare to break the peace with Kandara and you send this whelp to kill my brother," the dragon thundered as he held Draxis out for them to see. "You will pay for these crimes. Now order your soldiers to leave this land, or I will crush the life out of your wife's ill gotten whelp."
"I see you have failed in your duty, Draxis and I have little use for failure," Cerric said, looking at the half-Darga clutched tightly in the dragon's grasp. He looked up at the dragon and smiled."Go ahead, Akandar. Kill him."
"Cerric, please," Calexis said, behind him. He glanced over his shoulder at her.
"He killed the Duke. Do you expect this monster would let him live after committing such an act?" Cerric spoke calmly but made sure his voice was loud enough for the dragon to hear him. He shrugged then turned back to the dragon. "Eric Akandar, surrender your power to me, and I will let the people of Kandara live. At the request of my lovely queen, release Draxis and I will forbid the Darga from having their way with the people in the city of Kandara. Kneel before me and I will let your people live."
"You are a fool, Cerric," the dragon laughed. "Akandar kneel to no man."
"You will kneel before a god," Cerric told him.
Eric snorted and his deep laughter filled the air with great puffs of smoke. He sniffed at the man who stood before him, then blew a gust of wind and smoke.
"I can smell the power on you, Cerric. It is no doubt some trick you have played with these mages of yours, but even if you truly possessed the power of a god, I would no more kneel to you than I would to the cowardly man who could do no better than to envy his brother. If you were a god, you would know I will never kneel. Dragons do not kneel."
"You are correct, Akandar," Cerric said. "I never expected you to kneel before me."
"Then why would you make such foolish demands?"
"Curiosity," Cerric said. "I wished to know if the dragons had changed over these many years. It seems you are as arrogant as ever."
"You are one to talk of arrogance. Enough talk. I will roast you and your Xallan whore to ash and be done with you."
Eric drew in a deep breath and unleashed a river of fire directly upon them. Flames spilled out upon the ground as the dragon's acid fire spread out over the camp, incinerating everything in its path, but amid the flames, Cerric and the Xallan queen remained unharmed. Eric stared at the usurper king of Maramyr and he realized that the power he had smelled upon the man was no trick. Somehow Cerric had become powerful enough to survive even the raging fire of a dragon.
Calexis shuddered as the flames raged around her, but she felt little heat from it, only the warmth one might find sitting near a hearth. It was as though she and Cerric were cocooned in a blanket of cool, dry air. Her hand rested on the back of his shoulder as the flames roared around them and she felt something. It was as though he was growing larger in size, and her hand suddenly felt small and slid further down his back as the fabric of his shirt become coarse as even the threads from which it was made grew thick as ropes. She stepped back from him as the dragon fire turned to normal flames and smoke. The cool, air that had protected them dissipated and now Calexis felt the heat of the fire, though she knew it would not burn her, thanks to the changes that had come from birthing her Darga children. Cerric continued to grow in size and she looked past him and saw her son, Draxis, still held, helpless in the dragon's claws, but she knew there was little she could do for him. She used what little power she had to create a protective barrier around herself and she stepped away from her husband and the dragon, knowing their battle was about to begin.
Cerric leapt at the dragon with blinding speed and smashed his fist into t
he side of the creature's head. Eric roared in surprise and stumbled backwards, recoiling his neck away from another fast strike that narrowly missed his jaw. Cerric continued to grow and stood almost as tall as the dragon as he stepped forward and swung a fist at the creature's chest. Shocked at the power of Cerric's strike, Eric barely noticed when his claws reflexively opened and the half-Darga was thrown from his grasp. In furious rage, Eric snapped at the giant king but Cerric jumped back, just beyond the powerful jaws and the giant dragon teeth. He felt the dragon take in more air, and he laughed.
"Flames as weak as those will not touch me, Akandar," he said then he leapt forward and grabbed the dragon by the horns as Eric unleashed another blast of liquid fire, this one even hotte than the last.
Cerric felt the heat, but it was only flame and it washed over him, barely even singing the clothes on his back. This dragon king was as arrogant as his ancient brethren, but his power was pathetically weak in comparison. Cerric held tight to the dragon's horns and twisted in a hard, sharp motion, rolling the creature over onto its side. He put out his knee and smashed the dragon's neck against it and he felt the crunch of bones breaking.
Eric gasped as he felt his neck break. How Cerric could be so powerful was beyond comprehension, unless what the usurper king had said was true and somehow he had gained the power of a god. Even so, it did not explain how he could have beaten him so easily. Dragons had fought with gods many times in the last age, and though the gods were powerful, the dragons bested many of them. Cerric let go of his horns and Eric fell to the ground, unable to move, and he realized that perhaps it was he who was not strong enough. Breathing was becoming difficult and Eric could feel the fire within him beginning to cool. As the god-king stepped away from him, he reached out one last time to his sons and, for the first time, he heard it.
"Borrican?"
"Father?"
"Son." Eric smiled.
"What is happening, father?"
"I am dying, my boy. I have fought Cerric and he has won."
"How? How could a man such as him defeat a..."
"A monster?"
"That is not what I meant."
"It is what you meant, Borrican. Your thoughts are not so tidy as little words, but it is no matter. I am dying, and I do not have long. I am glad we can finally speak to each other, son, though it saddens me that we have so little time. There is much that I would share with you, but there are other things that are more urgent."
"Yes, father."
"Cerric claims to have become a god, and that may be the only truth he has spoken. Everything else about him is a lie, but he is powerful, too powerful. You cannot fight him and win. Not yet. You must do what you can to get the people to safety. Beg of the Elves. They are old rivals to our kind but perhaps the old hatreds will not extend to the people. They answered the call for aid, so perhaps there is some hope. You cannot save them all. Cerric seeks the power of Akandar. He must not have it. He is too powerful already, and I fear the balance has been lost. It is clear now that the oath has been broken, but do what you can for the people and try to honor the spirit of the oath. Do this not for me, my son, but because it is right. I must leave you now, Borrican."
"Father, please wait."
"This body no longer draws breath, Borrican."
"I am sorry, father. I wish we had more time."
"I know, my son. I am sorry for so many things. I love you, son."
"I love you too, father."
"Borrican."
"Yes father."
"Give my thanks to your lady friend. I hope she lives a very long life. Goodbye, my son."
Cerric stood over the dying beast and watched its last breath slowly seeped from it in a dull puff of smoke. The Akandar might have lost its strength in battle, but the old king was no less determined as the dragons of old. Stubborn creatures, Cerric thought. That much had not changed. He surveyed the battlefield and saw the damage the creature had wrought. Many of his soldiers had been burned, which was something of a nuisance, but many thousands remained and they were already putting out the fires and reforming their ranks, preparing to march upon the city.
He noticed that the Darga had fled and caught sight of a few, slinking off into the darkness. It appeared the lizard warriors were not so brave, after all. Cerric considered rounding them up and having them put to death, but it would waste more soldiers and he could not be bothered. Not particularly imaginative creatures, having lost their leader, they would likely return to their swamps where they would continue killing each other in their own petty battles. Let them go, Cerric thought. He could always round them up later, which might make for amusing sport. Cerric walked over to Calexis and smiled at the pale expression on her face then, together, they walked through the flaming battlefield and the legions of soldiers, toward the city.
*****
"Ariana," Borrican said hoarsely, his voice a whisper in the dark.
"Yes, Borrican?"
"My father said to thank you and he wishes you a long life."
"I know," Ariana said. "I could hear him. I am so sorry, Borrican."
"The city will fall. It cannot stand against such a power. We must save the people."
"But how? There are so many of them and Kandara is surrounded by Cerric's army."
"This cavern opens up to a path that leads in the mountains. A short way along, it forks into two trails and one of them leads to the western range. You must lead the people to Elvanar and ask Queen Laurana to grant them sanctuary."
"What are you going to do?"
"I must stop Cerric, so the people can be saved."
"You heard your father, Cerric is too powerful to fight."
"He is powerful, but I do not have to win against him. I only need to slow him down. Now go, and gather the soldiers and the Elves. Lead my people to safety."
"How will you fight him, Borrican?"
"I will fight as Akandar."
Borrican pushed himself to his feet and began to walk away through the darkness toward the far side of the cavern, and, with every step he took, his footsteps became heavier and more powerful. Ariana grasped her power, using it to see through the darkness and she watched as Borrican begin to change into what he truly was, a dragon of Kandara. His wings spread out in the darkness of the cavern, catching the wind that blew in from further ahead and she saw him take a few steps forward, testing his balance and, with a powerful beat he leapt into the air and began to fly. Even with her power to aid her sight, Ariana only saw the dark silhouette of the dragon as Borrican passed through the opening at the end of the cavern and rose into the sky, screeching loudly, the call of a young dragon.
Ariana ran up the steps back to the palace and she found Keira waiting for her at the entrance to the passageway.
"Keira, we have to get the people out of the city, to safety," Ariana said. "Cerric has killed the king."
"There is another problem," Keira told her. "Fighting has broken out inside the city, at the gates."
"What's this?"
"One of the Guard brought the news to me here," Keira said, indicating that she had waited in the throne room while Ariana and Borrican were in the cavern. "Elric sent Nathas and the Maramyrian soldiers, along with many of our people, to fight Cerric's soldiers just after the dragon attacked. He claimed he would follow with the soldiers of Kandara, but then he did not follow through. Other than a handful of the Queen's Guard who have been helping to protect the people at the city gardens, most of our people are now outside the walls and Elric has cut them off. The gates are closed and Cerric's army now marches on the city."
"Why would Elric do such a thing?"
"I do not know. There is much about the Kandaran royals that does not make sense to me."
"They are difficult to understand," Ariana agreed, though she now understood so much more about the Akandar than most. "What about Nathas and the rest of the soldiers?"
"They fought for a time but have since fled the field," Keira said. "Even though the drag
on caused much damage, Cerric's army badly outnumbers the defenders, especially now that Elric has split our forces."
"Nothing changes," Ariana said as they exited the throne room. "Eric's dying wish was that the people of Kandara be saved. They are innocent of all this. Do you think Laurana would give them sanctuary?"
"I cannot speak for the Queen," Keira said. "You sit one of the thrones in the Elven Court, so you have at least one vote."
They ran from the palace and informed the guards at the palace gate that they should expect the people of the city to arrive shortly. They were reluctant to agree without orders from a member of the royal family, but Ariana told them it would be on their heads if Cerric took the city and the people were captured and they finally relented. Keira had gone on ahead to the gardens and when Ariana arrived, she found the Elves and soldiers arguing with one another.
"What is going on here?" Ariana exclaimed.
"The soldiers won't let the people leave the gardens," Keira said.
"What is the problem?" Ariana asked one of the Kandarans.
"Orders, milady," said one of the soldiers. "We are to keep the people where they are."
"Whose orders?" Ariana asked.
"King Elric," the man told her. "He just sent a messenger. We are to make sure all of the people remain in their homes or here at the gardens where they will be safe."
It was strange that Elric would give such a specific order, especially right now, but considering what Keira had told her, something that she would otherwise have thought to be unthinkable dawned upon her. If Elric had somehow heard his father's thoughts the way Ariana had been able to hear them when he spoke with Borrican, he would know that Eric had told his son to flee the city and take the people to safety. Ariana realized that the way Elric had closed the gates on the city's defenders only made sense if he was planning to betray them. The fact that he did not want anyone to leave, made it even more obvious, for what would be the point of surrendering an empty city? Ariana had to figure something out, and quickly. If she were right, Elric would open the gates to the enemy before long, once the last of the defenders were cleared away. She decided to take a gamble, and hope that she was correct in her assumptions.