Ethan Wright and the Alchemist's Order, (Book 2)

by Kimbro West

  Lawrence nodded and tipped his hat. “Yes, I will do that — without his medallion, he’s harmless.”

  Chapter 19

  The Lake Hunter

  Water rolled off the back of the giant drake. He stretched his wings out wide while more water dripped onto the cavern floor. Satisfied, the dragon folded his wings alongside his back. The creature’s black scales glinted with light that reflected from the lake overhead, casting a greenish blue hue. His long claws broke through the surface of the ground as they dug into rock and dirt. The drake’s scale-armored jaw hung open, exposing long rows of bone-white razors that Ethan assumed were a dragon’s version of teeth. The blue tint of the tongue squished and slithered as the figure inside took form. The fisherboy stood up inside the tongue and smiled devilishly.

  “My master says he has you now. He protects this place and you have broken his rules. You are now in his domain,” giggled the fisherboy. “Just as the djinn — you now belong to him. I think he would have you dead … just my guess.”

  Ethan and Auren looked at each other and then back at the door they had come through. Ethan knew it would be difficult to escape back to the double doors. ‘It’s a long way to go when a dragon is chasing you,’ he thought to himself.

  “The Lake Hunter’s … a dragon?” stuttered Auren.

  “Yeah — seems so,” answered Ethan, in shock.

  “Would have been nice for Father to mention that,” griped Auren, not breaking eye contact with the drake.

  “Didn’t you read about this in that book of yours?!” exclaimed Ethan as he stared into the dragon’s enraged yellow eyes.

  “Didn’t get to that part yet!”

  “You will, of course, be eaten now,” added the fisherboy.

  “RUN!” yelled Ethan in a panic.

  They both turned and sprinted toward the door. The dragon’s chest heaved as it let out a horrible ROAR. It lunged forward and extended its claws, tripping Auren and knocking Ethan off balance. Ethan looked around desperately as he regained his footing. He saw a crevice in the wall of the cavern that was very close by. He darted inside with a shout to Auren, who scrambled after him. They both pushed their way through the tight crevice until the gap widened slightly, giving Ethan just enough room to maneuver.

  “What do we do?” asked Auren, discouraged.

  “Dunno — why was your father telling stories about poking the Lake Hunter with a stick? Did he know it was a dragon?!” grumbled Ethan.

  “Did Odin know it was a dragon?” argued Auren.

  “Maybe they only saw the tongue.” Ethan pulled a miracle torch from his pack and lit it. He looked around the fissure and discovered there was no way out. He wedged his way in as far as he could; Auren forced himself over, until he was crammed right next to the Orobori. “Who knows for sure — wonder how long we can hold—”

  “I see you went into the crevice … he wanted you to go in the crevice,” taunted the fisherboy, slithering up right next to Auren. “He has killed so many that have hid inside the crevice — you can’t get out … there’s nowhere to go but in his belly. That’s where they all go — those who fall into his traps. But do not worry; I will keep you company on your way down.” The miracle torch’s flame glimmered on the boy’s face as he menacingly closed the distance to Auren.

  The Faryndon boy desperately reached for his sword, but there was not enough room for him to pull it from his scabbard, as his hand hit the wall. He turned sideways but it was too late; the fisherboy latched onto him. The sticky tongue stuck to Auren’s side. Ethan reached for his friend, but he was ripped from the crevice — out of Ethan’s sight.

  “NO!” yelled Ethan as he pushed his way back to the tight entrance to see if he could reclaim his friend. The Orobori was instantly confronted with scales and claws, so he retreated back into the fissure. Ethan stayed just out of reach from the dragon, but remained close enough to see the eventual fate of Auren Faryndon.

  Auren, who was stuck to the dragon’s tongue, was jerked wildly through the air as it flailed about. Auren gasped as he was draped over the bottomless pit. At first he tried to escape the sticky tongue of the Lake Hunter, but now he found himself clinging to it for dear life as he stared fearfully into the deep abyss.

  “HELP … ETHAN!” pleaded Auren desperately. “ETHAN WRIGHT!”

  The drake’s tongue unexpectedly released Auren, causing him to tumble through the air as he fell. To Auren’s delight, he hit the ground. At the same time, he winced in pain as the wind was knocked from his lungs.

  “Auren! Hold on! I’ll figure something out!” echoed Ethan’s voice from inside the wall of the cavern.

  The dragon swiftly put its front paws over Auren’s torso, pinning him to the ground. Auren’s alchemy jacket reacted and kept some of the drake’s weight off his chest. He tried to pull his sword, but it was no use; even the strongest boy of his age could not lift a claw of the giant drake.

  The fisherboy slithered up next to Auren and gave him a look of disbelief. He continued on past the Faryndon boy, dragging the mucus-ridden tongue behind him. The blue-tinted appendage trailed over Auren’s face, leaving a sticky coating of mucus all over him.

  “Ah … YUCK!” he complained as he moved his face to one side to try and avoid the slime.

  The fisherboy headed toward the crevice, walking very slowly, as if playing a game orchestrated by the Lake Hunter. He poked his head inside the crevice to look for the drake’s prey. “Hello in there … you want me to come in and get you? We have your friend — don’t you want to come and see him?”

  Ethan tucked himself as far in as he could. He turned the miracle torch as high as it would go, aiming it toward the crevice’s exit. He started rifling through his pack for the map, hoping he could shield himself from the blistering heat of the fire sword. He knew it would be risky pulling it out in such a tight space, but felt he had little choice.

  The fisherboy slowly proceeded into the crevice with his hands up in front of him. “You…,” said the fisherboy, surprised, “you are, in fact … Ethan, aren’t you? Ethan Wright, the Orobori?” He could see Ethan’s face, flickering with the shimmer of the torchlight.

  “Yeah — is this part of your game as well? What … you want to get to know me now?” snapped Ethan as he continued to dig through his pack.

  Suddenly a great deep voice came from outside the crevice. “BOY — GET HIM OUT HERE, NOW!” The booming voice terrified Ethan as he fumbled around in his pack, still frantically looking for the map.

  “No, dragon … I will no longer be under your control. This experience was a significant part of my maturity, but has ended for me now,” replied the fisherboy precisely.

  Ethan was shocked by what the boy had said. “Wait, you mean … you’re not going to let him … um, eat me?”

  “I meant only to experience what a dragon would experience — his hold on me still exists as long as I remain inside the creature’s tongue, but my bond can be severed. Besides, one cannot defy the will of the Oroborus; the rules do not allow it. You must go out and save your friend now,” answered the fisherboy.

  “But … how? I mean … that’s a dragon!”

  The giant black drake stuck his beak in Auren’s face and sniffed. “YOUR FRIEND WILL BE OUT SHORTLY,” snarled the dragon. He saw that Auren was not suffering under the weight of his giant paw as much as he should be. “AN ALCHEMIST JACKET, EH? I’LL CRACK THAT OPEN LIKE A PEANUT BEING SHELLED.” He applied unrelenting pressure on Auren’s chest. The hardness of the jacket adjusted to withstand the additional stress.

  “Ethan, I am connected to this creature — our minds bonded — trapped inside the creature’s tongue for almost a thousand years. I can tell you, he is going to kill your friend,” announced the fisherboy.

  Ethan grabbed his pouch with the life stone that Auren had touched last. He held it in front of the miracle torch. Black smoke swirled violently inside the transparent sphere. Terrified of what was going to happen next, Ethan looked back to the fi
sherboy for help.

  “Don’t be afraid, you are the Orobori … you can only be killed by another Orobori — that is the will of the Oroborus — I’m sure of it,” stated the fisherboy.

  Ethan started to reach for his sword. The heat was already unbearable and he quickly recoiled from the mighty weapon. He went back to rummaging through his pack, looking for the map, when he inadvertently came across something unexpected.

  Auren pushed as hard as he could against one of the long talons of the dragon. His face turned red and veins squeezed from his neck. He felt as if he moved the creature’s hold slightly, but was unable to exert the amount of force necessary to do anything more than that. He relaxed again, as he remained pinned down. He noticed that his arm could just reach the handle of his sword now. He slid it out from its scabbard as discreetly as he could.

  “THINK YOU’RE STRONG, DO YOU?” The Lake Hunter snorted. “LET ME TELL YOU — YOU’RE NO GHISLAIN, BOY.”

  “No,” answered Auren. “I’m his son,” he exclaimed. With all the strength he could muster, he flicked his wrist and hit the dragon’s giant paw.

  The Lake Hunter recoiled for a moment but then stomped back down with all his might. Auren quickly turned his sword upward, with the hilt wedged firmly against the ground. It went right through the dragon’s paw, sending blood running down the Losalfarian-crafted blade. The black dragon did not even flinch. He reached his head down, clenched the sword with razor sharp teeth and pulled it through his own scales. The drake spat the sword over by the crevice entrance, tempting Ethan to come out and take the weapon. Shock came over Auren, as his attempt to hinder the dragon had failed.

  Ethan pulled out the torture device that had trapped the Lady of the Mitan. He seized an arrow and held the small device to the tip. He then held both next to the damaged sleeve of his alchemy jacket and concentrated. The loose threads raveled around the arrow and torture device tightly, affixing them together. The threads separated themselves from his jacket as Ethan quickly checked his work.

  “GHISLAIN’S SON INDEED. I’M GOING TO CRUSH YOU AND DRINK YOUR BONES LIKE JELLY,” said the Lake Hunter as he angrily pressed down on the young alchemist.

  Auren was extremely relieved he had his alchemy jacket on, but the dragon was testing its limits. He felt the pressure caving in. His chest was getting heavy and he was having difficulty breathing. “I … erraaghhh!”

  “WHAT, BRAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU — DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?” boomed the voice of the drake as it pressed down on the Faryndon boy.

  “I … have … you, in my trap now … dragon. My friend’s gonna finish … you,” threatened Auren while struggling to breathe.

  Ethan nocked the arrow. He took a deep breath and pulled it back, aiming directly at the fisherboy’s head. “You may want to duck,” said Ethan calmly.

  The fisherboy nodded, withdrew from the crevice and glided away.

  Ethan’s heart was racing. His hands trembled as he took aim at the giant water drake. His alchemy jacket relaxed, becoming less rigid and more flexible, allowing Ethan to pull the arrow back a bit farther. He thought of Auren. He thought of Loka being trapped and their promise to find him. He thought of his friends who had gone in another direction and how if he did not succeed, they would surely come back here looking for him and Auren. Finally he thought of nothing. He cleared his mind completely, until he saw nothing but a pair of yellow eyes reflecting the watery light that flickered throughout the cavern.

  “Now,” whispered Ethan as he gently released the bowstring.

  “WHAT, BOY?” bellowed the water drake as he sneered and laughed. As his tongue withdrew from the crevice, he sharply turned his head to peer inside. “WHO’S GOING TO KILL M—”

  The torture device hit the drake square in the beak. The metal net wrapped around the creature’s mouth and its hooks latched into the mesh. The mechanism clicked as the gears zipped up the excess wire and then slowly tightened around his mouth, pulling his beak shut. The drake rolled onto his back, clawing at the net, while his wings flailed furiously. His teeth clamped down on the tongue still sticking out of his mouth. The wire tortuously sawed through and sank into the drake’s beak. As he frantically clawed at the torture device, a few strands of metal broke, but the rest held firm.

  As the dragon struggled, he ROARED nasally and lashed about violently. Auren still lay on the flat of his back in agony. Ethan put the bow over his shoulder, grabbed his pack and darted out of the crevice to check on his friend. Just then, the boys heard a CRUNCH as part of the drake’s beak broke from his armored jaw. The wounded foe attempted to regain his bearings, but instead stumbled sideways into the pit. Ethan ran to the edge as the dragon tumbled into darkness. Several djinn bottles followed the creature down into the depths of the inky chasm.

  Ethan crouched down next to Auren.

  “Like a coffee table,” snickered Auren, in obvious pain.

  Ethan smiled as he thought of Wegnel’s table that had snapped into pieces, but then remembered that a giant dragon had been standing on his friend’s chest.“You alright then?” he asked, concerned.

  Auren had green slime on his face and jacket. He stuck his fingers in the goop and held it up. “Yeah … think I’m alright. I definitely think we should’ve gone down the other hallway, though.” Auren wiped his hand on the cavern floor and stared at the lake that glimmered above him. “I knew you would help me.”

  Just then a slimy-wet squish noise came from behind Ethan. Ethan quickly turned and Auren propped himself up on his elbows to locate the source. The dragon’s tongue lay on the floor like an empty bag of blue flesh, and next to it stood a confident young boy who was free from his entrapment and any clothing to speak of.

  “And I knew both of you would help me. Thank you,” said the fisherboy. “Been trapped in that mouth for a thousand years … started to smell in there,” he chuckled.

  “Who’s the naked boy?” laughed Stanley, who was entering the great double doors. Ethan turned again and saw Stanley helping Loka Tattur into the giant cave. Availia was supporting Loka on his other side, but was also averting her eyes from the sight of the nude boy.

  “Ahh … he is of the Airmoor,” smiled Loka. “I believe, if memory serves me correct, you must be Sila — from the people of the Fountain.”

  Sila nodded as Stanley pulled some spare clothes from his pack and tossed them over to the Airmoor boy.

  “You found Loka!” exclaimed Ethan, standing up. “Is he alright — I mean, are you alright, Loka?”

  Availia sounded disheartened. “He was tortur—”

  “I wasn’t shown any hospitality, and I’m afraid the accommodations were dreadful — glad all of you came to get me, but I think it’s best if we should take this opportunity to leave, as our gracious hosts may notice my absence,” answered Loka with little strength but much sincerity in his eyes.

  Ethan pulled Auren up and patted him on the back.

  “Is that blood?” inquired Stanley.

  “Dragon blood!” exclaimed Auren. “I’m never washing my face again!”

  The Airmoor boy quickly spoke up. “Um … nope. The dragon had a cold … those are bogeys.”

  “Did he say dragon?” asked Stanley as the six of them walked out of the cavern.

  Auren panicked and started wiping his face. “Did he say bogeys?!”

  “Nevermind the dragon … or the bogeys — was that a lake … floating … on the ceiling?” exclaimed Availia.

  “There is much to discuss,” said Loka with a chuckle.

  Chapter 20

  To the Airship

  An overcast sky loomed high over the six as they approach the closed gate of Losalfar. Ethan had never seen the enormous gate open before, as he had always entered the city from the platform above. He looked up to see the airship parked in the same spot they had left it. The ship itself was a beautiful sight, even with the grey clouds above. Ethan admired the work he and Stanley had put into it. His admiration was interrupted by a clamorous noise of th
e gate moaning and creaking as it resisted the mechanism that opened the gigantic entrance. The gap created was just enough to squeeze two bodies through at a time.

  Loka Tattur complained quietly to himself as he employed the support of Auren and Stanley. With the light that seeped through the overcast Ethan could make out numerous bruises on the old Losalfarian, wherever skin was exposed. Even with a battered body, the old Mitan continued to put one foot in front of the other until he passed through the gate. To Ethan’s surprise, the gate started to close just after Loka had passed through. Stanley passed through with Loka, quickly followed by Auren, Sila and Availia. Ethan turned sideways and quickly darted inside before it shut with a deep, towering BOOM.

  They were greeted by Raikenai, who, aside from her own painful injuries, was very happy to see Loka. She embraced him briefly and whispered in his ear. He looked disheartened and then promptly nodded. The Lady of the Mitan nodded back before touching her forehead to his.

  “What happened to you, my daughter?” asked Loka, his voice straining. He looked her over, spotting many bandages and minor wounds on her face, arm and torso.

  In turn, Raikenai looked over her father’s injuries. “Don’t worry about me, Father — if it weren’t for Auren and his friends, there would be need for concern.” She touched her father’s face. “You need to get to the infirmary … right away.”

  As Auren heard his name, he blushed. He was not used to being recognized for his heroism, let alone being acknowledged before Ethan. He stood up slightly taller and gave Ethan a sharp elbow to the ribs.

  “Ow,” complained Ethan, keeling over, grabbing his ribcage.

  “Yes, these extraordinary individuals came to my rescue as well,” replied Loka, taking his daughter’s arm in place of Auren’s. With her free arm, Raikenai took Auren’s arm as Stanley remained on Loka’s right side. They continued walking to a small infirmary that was prepared for Loka’s arrival. “I fear I may have been introduced to an unfortunate end had you all not come for me. No words can describe the gratitude … I am forever in your debt, for all that you have done for my family and I.”