Ithriana taunted Honoria, “I expected more from you, being a chaos demon!” She picked the Nephilim up off the floor by her neck. “Pathetic!”
Megildur, seeing his friend in trouble, unsheathed his sword and charged Ithriana. Without looking in the Aelfborn’s direction, she swung Honoria around using her as a club and pelted Megildur with her body. This bludgeoned Megildur but also rendered the Bard unconscious. Gaal saw his opportunity to attack. Ithriana turned her back. Being the Thief that he was, backstabbing was a common assault. He drew his serpentine daggers and crept up behind the Lich Queen, she held Honoria in her clutches. Before he could get within striking distance, Ithriana vanished from sight, dropping the Nephilim to the surface. Gaal spun around in a circle but did not see his opponent. An icy cold hand reached past his neck, followed by the rest of the freezing cold arm. The Lich Queen had materialized behind the Shade, squeezing the life out of him with her arm completely around his neck.
Ithriana bellowed, “You are all worthless and frail!” She continued to squeeze the life from Gaal. “I would be doing the world a favor by keeping you here to torture for an eternity!”
“So you can only attack us using cheap tricks and deceit?” Megildur scoffed, pulling himself up from the floor. The Aelfborn Lord knew this would be his lone opportunity to distract Ithriana. He hoped she would loosen her grip and allow Gaal to live.
“What’s this?” Ithriana chided as she released Gaal. “Do you dare challenge me, boy? I have crushed hundreds of men who tested my powers!” By this time, the Lich Queen had made it across the room and now had Megildur by the throat, lifting him from the ground. She used her other hand to impale Megildur through his chest. Her nails shattered against Megildur’s armor. If not for this elite armor, Ithriana would have pierced the Aelfborn’s heart and prematurely terminated his life…and quest. “Ah, what is this? You have the audacity to don my father’s armor in my presence? That will not save you!” The wicked Queen once again cackled at her prey. “What made you think you could come here and defeat me?”
Megildur chortled as the Vampire squeezed his throat, “Because I know your weakness!”
Ithriana boasted, “I have no weaknesses, feeble mortal! What are you babbling about?”
Megildur gathered his last bit of strength and spat, “Your arrogance!”
Ithriana wasted time crowing about herself and Gaal regained his energy. He picked up his weapons, one of them being the dagger Thurin gave him, and crept up behind the Lich Queen. The Shade plunged the dagger into her back. The weapon unleashed its fire damage upon Ithriana with a bright fiery light emanating from the wound. She let out an agonizing shrill, so high pitched that both Megildur and Gaal covered their ears. Once the Vampire released her grip on Megildur, he pulled out his dagger that Thurin gifted to him and plunged it into her chest. This dagger released its holy power with a light even brighter than the last one, but caused the same result in Ithriana, agonizing pain. She spun around, smiting both Megildur and Gaal in opposite directions. This action also forced the daggers from her body. The still screaming Lich Queen then faded away in a cloud of thick black smoke.
Megildur sat up from the floor and muttered, “Gaal, are you alright?”
“I feel like that Half Giant in Thieves’ Den sat on me, but I will be alright,” he replied. “Where’s Honoria?”
Gaal and Megildur rushed to Honoria, as fast as they could in their current condition. Megildur elevated her up slightly to try to revive the Nephilim. She was still in her chaos demon form. They would have to assess her injuries at a later time. She started to awaken after a few moments.
Megildur pleaded, “Honoria, wake up!” He shook her. “We have to move, now.”
The Bard opened her eyes and sat up further. “Where is she? Did you vanquish her?”
“I do not know about vanquishing her but she has retreated, for now,” Megildur replied. “Can you stand? We should vacate this place.”
“I think I can move,” she winced, trying to stand. “But I feel like a worg’s chew toy.”
Megildur and Gaal helped Honoria stand and continue on to the portal. The companions picked up their belongings along the way, since they figured they would need all their resources for the next part of the quest. The three stood before the Lharast Portal. Nobody knew what awaited them on the other side. However, anything at this moment was an improvement over Ithriana.
Gaal, of course, broke the silence first. “Well, we didn’t just come this far to just stand here waiting for the Lich Queen to return.” He released Honoria’s arm, now that she was able to stand on her own. The Shade looked at both of his friends and stepped into the green glowing portal.
Megildur and Honoria looked at each other. “Ready?” She asked.
“No, but do you want to wait and see if Ithriana returns?” Megildur smiled at Honoria and both of them stepped into the portal.
CHAPTER 34: The Terror of Terrors
Megildur again saw the glowing circles, similar to the ones from the runegate. Once the symbols faded, he found himself, and Honoria, somewhere else entirely. The air was dank and a dense mist enveloped the surround landscape. They could not see far into the distance, just a few yards or so ahead of where they walked. The Aelfborn also found it hard to breathe due to the thin air. It felt like they were at a high altitude, which would explain the cloud-like atmosphere. Honoria was regaining her strength and able to walk unassisted now.
“Where’s Gaal?” Megildur asked. They had not seen him since arriving. Honoria looked just as lost as Megildur. “Better find him before we encounter anyone else.” They walked a few feet. The Shade Thief materialized in front of them, and with a shocked look on his face.
Megildur scolded, “Gaal, you must stop doing that!” Both the Aelfborn Lord and Honoria had to catch their breath after Gaal startled them.
“You two are going to want to see this,” Gaal proclaimed. He turned and guided the others past a few dead looking trees, through some green foliage, and stopped next to a ledge. “Don’t get too close, but look down.”
The three of them stood next to one another and looked over the edge. All they could see were clouds and nothingness. Shocked, and a bit terrified, the companions took a few steps back.
Honoria stammered with a puzzled look on her face, looking at her surroundings, “W-where are we?”
“It’s supposed to be the ruins of Kierhaven, but I do not know where in Aerynth Kierhaven was supposed to be,” Megildur replied. “We could be at the top of a mountain peak or perhaps we are in the clouds above Aerynth.”
“Well, that would explain the atmosphere around us,” Gaal remarked, also looking at the surroundings. “Are you really thinking what I think you’re implying? Is that we are standing on solid ground floating in the clouds. Kierhaven is a hovering island!”
“Let’s survey the area, but stay close,” Megildur commanded. “And for All-Father’s sake, DO NOT fall off the edge!”
The three friends split up and went in different directions. Dead trees and harsh shrubbery covered the area, so they found it impossible to move silently with the constant snapping of twigs. Every bush snagging them like they had claws of their own. It was difficult to move about and eerie to think that each tug could be something other than just dead foliage. Each of them had to proceed with caution…wherever they were.
Gaal shouted, “Hey, the ground is…”
The Shade’s silence concerned Megildur. The ground trembled and the air was fouler. Megildur changed his direction toward Gaal, fearing the worst had happened to him. Before long, he saw much of the mist up ahead circling in a vortex funnel motion. Trying to investigate his friend’s location, and the mysterious behavior of the mist, he observed Gaal running in his direction.
“Get down!” Gaal shouted, diving for the Aelfborn Lord. He tackled him and covered his own head.
Unsure of why his friend just attacked him, Megildur looked back in the direction Gaal ran from. He noticed a giant s
tream of fire projected in the air above them. He too covered his head but could feel the intense heat from the flames on his back. A few moments of blistering heat, Megildur looked back to see the source of the fire…a dragon.
Megildur yelled, “Move Gaal!”
Gaal scrambled to his feet, followed by Megildur. Both scurried away from their behemoth aggressor. Honoria heard the yelling and sprinted toward them, but Megildur grabbed her by the arm and forced her to join them in evading the predator. Gaal found a spot behind some jagged rocks to hide and guided the others to him.
Megildur peered around his refuge to examine the monster. Crimson scales swathed the monstrosity from head to tail. The crevices between its scales glowed like molten lava, which matched the intense heat the dragon emitted. When it opened its mouth all that Megildur could see were rows of jagged teeth encompassing the inferno within the dragon. Two long spikey horns adorned the top of its skull, running toward the monster’s spinal plates. It stood several stories high with an even longer wingspan. Razor-like claws resided on each appendage except for the tail, but that appeared deadly due to its magnitude alone. The Aelfborn stared into the bright yellow fiery eyes of the beast and dread filled his heart. Megildur withdrew back to the safety of his friends.
“What are we running from?” Honoria demanded to know.
“A massive dragon!” Gaal exclaimed. “I explored the area and stumbled across him. He was just as pleased to see me as I was to see him!”
“That was not just any dragon,” Megildur added. “Did you see his eyes? One of them appeared wounded with what looked like a shaft of a spear embedded within.”
“Oh, by the All-Father!” Honoria gasped. “You mean it was…”
“Yes,” Megildur interrupted. “That dragon is the Terror of Terrors. The one the Irekei call Kryquo'khalin. The same dragon that awoke from deep within Aerynth centuries ago and almost destroyed the Elven race. It’s the reason Thurin crafted Shadowbane, so they could use the weapon to defeat him if he ever returned.”
“I heard the one weapon to wound the dragon was the Spear of Kolaur. Kolaur was a Dark Chaos Lord,” Honoria commented. “Kenaryn took the weapon as his prize for helping the All-Father and the other Gods defeat the hordes of chaos before Aerynth’s creation. Kenaryn renamed the spear Callanthyr. After he broke off the tip of the spear in the dragon’s eye, Thurin took the remaining piece of the spear to forge Shadowbane. Thurin used the metals from the chaos weapon and mixed them with minerals from deep within the world to…”
Megildur hissed at Honoria, “We do not need a history lesson right now! We need a plan to recover Shadowbane, not a lesson in Metallurgy!” The Aelfborn could see his words wounded his friend. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let the burning blood of my kin govern my anger.”
“Thank you,” Honoria responded. “As for a strategy, I can recall many tactics from epic battles but none of them involved a dragon. Most people avoid the drakes residing in the northlands, for obvious reasons.” She had a look of frustration on her face, “Even if we did have a plan, we have not found Shadowbane.”
“I spotted a stone tree, as the dragon discovered me,” Gaal added. “It’s in that direction.” The Shade pointed, remaining behind the rock formation for safety.
The ground stopped trembling for a moment, which made the travelers even more nervous. They heard a deep and sinister laugh that chilled them to the bone. This caused their bodies to quiver. Then the unexpected happened, the ancient drake spoke. “So you come before me seeking glory and riches, then hide like cowards?”
Megildur did his best to contain his fear. “Gaal, you vanish using your stealth and climb into that tree.” The Aelfborn pointed toward a distant tree. “Honoria, try to lure the dragon to you but do not get too close. The dragon will walk below Gaal and he will jump onto the dragon’s head and distract it by attempting to wound its other eye.”
Gaal’s eyes widened, a look of terror now filled his coal black eyes. With a terrified voice he spoke, “You want me to do what?”
“Unless anyone has a better plan, this is the best I can devise,” Megildur replied. “I’m the only one that can pull Shadowbane from the stone tree and I can’t do that if that dragon has roasted me alive!”
“We’re not certain anyone can pull that sword from the tree!” Honoria remarked.
“True,” Megildur sighed. “If retrieving Shadowbane is impossible, do you think the All-Father would have given this task to me? Or that Thurin would have returned to Aerynth, after being gone for hundreds of years, if they did not know I could?” His friends conceded. “I know you’re terrified just thinking about what we must do, but it’s that fear that lets us know we are still alive. Aerynth has been in complete anarchy since the Traitor used Shadowbane for that one treacherous act. This is our moment to restore that balance that the world needs so desperately. With this one act we can right the wrongs, open the gates to Heaven and Hell, and finally have a place we can call home.” The Aelfborn Lord placed a hand on each of his friend’s shoulders. “We must have faith that the All-Father knows best. I cannot do this alone. So are you with me?”
Honoria and Gaal looked at each other and the Shade replied, “It’s an insane plan. None of us will make it, but if we die here today, at least we can return again if we fail!” He smirked at Megildur, who shook his head in disbelief.
“We are with you,” Honoria replied. “Let me apply a spell to increase our resistance to fire. I will need to keep recasting it, but at least it will help against that dragon.”
“Thank you both,” Megildur sighed. “I will rush for the Stone Tree once you have the dragon’s attention. Good luck!”
Megildur watched Gaal vanish and Honoria move into a better position to see the dragon. The Nephilim waited for a few minutes and then she began making noise and waving, in order for the dragon to notice her. It did not take long until a fireball raced past the Bard. It would have struck her, if she had not jumped to avoid it. She led the dragon down a path, away from Megildur’s objective, and toward Gaal. The Thief dropped from the tree, once the beast was below him. He pulled out his dagger but found it challenging to attempt an attack, he hung on to save his life during this wild ride.
Megildur could see the back of the dragon. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted in the direction Gaal pointed out. He encountered dense mist on this side of the ruins, likely because no dragon existed here to burn off the haze. He stumbled around like a drunken blind beggar looking for his next mug of ale, but eventually found the tree. The colossal Stone Tree looked like other Trees of Life, except for its composition, solid rock. Embedded into its trunk he found a sword with a black blade and gold wire spun around the hilt. Megildur snuck toward the tree and could see this was truly Shadowbane. The guard of the sword had the mark of the same beast his friends now battled. The closer the Aelfborn Lord got to the sword, the brighter the rune markings shown on the blade. He gripped the hilt of the sword tight, closed his eyes, and pulled with all his might. The blade moved, but only budged an inch before something hit Megildur from behind. The force knocked him against the stone tree and then to the ground. He looked up to see the attacker had dark red skin and looked half-crazed, an Irekei.
The Irekei shouted, “I won’t allow you to harm Kryquo'khalin!” He grabbed Shadowbane and yanked with all his strength, but the sword would not dislodge for the desert dweller.
Megildur knew his companions could not contain the dragon and he needed to act fast to help them. He scurried to his feet, unsheathed his Jen’e’tai blade, and commanded the Irekei “Move away from that tree, I must vanquish the beast to save Aerynth!”
This displeased the Irekei, who responded by stepping back, drawing his sword, and striking at Megildur. The Aelfborn was able to block the attack and counter with his own. The agile Irekei dodged the assault. This exchange of swordplay went on for several minutes until the Irekei disarmed Megildur. The Irekei held his sword to Megildur’s neck and backed him into the
hilt of Shadowbane. It shocked the Aelfborn that he came this far and faced so many adversities, only to fail at the end of his quest.
“On your knees, half-breed!” The Irekei commanded.
Megildur was out of options for the moment, so once again an adversary forced him to drop to his knees. The red-skinned man raised his sword above his head to strike him down. Megildur knew it was now or never. The Aelfborn Lord raised his hands, grabbed the hilt of Shadowbane once more, and heaved with all of his remaining strength. Finally, the mighty sword escaped from its imprisonment in the old Stone Tree. However, the blade found a new space to occupy, the Irekei’s skull. The assailant dropped his weapon and collapsed, being the first one struck down by Shadowbane in over a hundred years. Megildur rose, planted one foot on the Irekei’s flaccid chest, and pulled Shadowbane from his head. He wiped off the blade on his rival’s apparel and for a brief moment held the sword up to admire its craftsmanship. That moment came to an abrupt stop. Megildur heard an ear-piercing scream from Honoria. The Aelfborn sprinted in his friend’s direction.
Megildur could hear the dragon speaking. “Now, my dilemma is whether to eat the pasty one first, or the spicy demon. Oh, what a difficult decision I have to make.”
The ancient beast let out another sinister laugh. He had Honoria pinned to the ground under his front left claw and Gaal gripped tightly in midair within his right. The dragon opened his gigantic jaw and pulled Gaal into range of its horrible breath. This was apparent by the nauseous look on the Shade’s face. Just before the beast could devour his pale friend, Megildur flew through the air from a nearby tree branch and landed inside the beast’s jaws. He grabbed onto one of the dragon’s massive teeth with his left hand and held onto Shadowbane with the other hand.
Megildur bellowed, “Try chewing on a half-breed!” He plunged the gleaming ebony blade deep into the roof of the beast’s mouth and into its skull. The dragon’s jagged fang pressed firmly against Megildur’s forearm but his armor proved its worth by averting the piercing of his limb. The monster began to thrash from side to side, which threw Megildur and Gaal away from the beast. This action also freed Honoria from the scaly claws of the dragon. The beast struggled in agony trying to dispel the sword and still manage to kill his prey. Alas, the dragon, unable to escape from the blade, reared up and collapsed. The ground trembled and shook as the giant dragon fell. The sky thundered, as if trying to announce the terror’s dreadful end.
Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn Page 22