Defenders of Kron - The Black Dragon

by Ritu Ghosh

  “You are too precious to lose to Lurgs Aaron” Alfadon said as he entered the room.

  They turned back to look at him.

  “I cannot just sit here, that will be cowardly” said Aaron.

  “I understand your concern, but there are very skilled men out there who will take care of it for now. You have a very important job to do. You are in charge of destroying the Evil from inside. You are not to go to battle son, we have many warriors for that” said Alfadon.

  Aaron understood what Alfadon meant. There were many soldiers who can go to war but the Defenders were meant to do a very specialized job that the other warriors can never do.

  “What about the others? What if something happens to them?” asked Aaron.

  “Nothing can happen to them Aaron. They have been fighting the Lurgs for ages now” said Alfadon.

  Before Aaron could say anything more, a loud roar suddenly broke their attention.

  “What was that?” asked Flynn as he held on to the chair he was sitting on.

  Alfadon looked outside the window.“Mordok” he said grumpily.

  “Mordok, the Dark Wizard who killed my mother?” asked Aaron with rage in his eyes. “I will not spare him” Aaron said and ran out of the chamber flinging the door open.

  “Aaron stop! Mordok is dangerous, you will get yourself killed” Alfadon yelled, but Aaron had gone already.

  Jane followed Aaron in an attempt to stop him, but Aaron was mad with rage. He wanted revenge for his mothers’ murder. He reached the open terrace. He could see the huge army of Lurgs outside the palace gates. There were more pouring in. The army of the Giants too was ready at the closed gate. But they were much lesser in number compared to the Lurgs.

  Dan was leading the army with Ony by his side. Belster was on the high terrace ready with his bow and arrows. Thodin was standing on the open terrace with few of his ministers and looking down at the armies. Bo was there too. The army of the Giants was waiting for Dan’s order, and Dan, was waiting for the King’s signal.

  The Lurgs were stumping and thumping their feet. They carried blunt swords, spears and shields. It seemed like they had no intention to go back. They wanted to fight and had no regards for their own lives. Aaron could see that the ugliest Lurg was commanding the lurg army. There was no life in his eyes. It looked as if, he was brought back from the dead and his only mission was to kill. The shouts and grunts of the Lurgs became louder and louder. They were now approaching the gates of the palace.

  Aaron looked around, the beautiful city of Arktor was uprooted, and there were ruins everywhere. The Lurgs had left the city destroyed and in pieces. The beautiful gardens were now trampled and were a mess. The roads and pretty fountains were all broken. The city was beyond recognition. Aaron felt a rage, how can they destroy something so beautiful? Thodin was looking at the same. His heart ached. The beautiful land of Arktor was destroyed in a few moments.

  Thodin worried about his men who were to fight against the ruthless Lurgs. The Lurgs never had any rules for fighting. They never showed any mercy. They were bred to kill. Thodin took a deep breath before he finally signaled Dan to attack. Aaron stood there as Dan commanded the army to get their axes and their swords ready. Jane stood next to Aaron. They heard the roar again, but still couldn’t see anything.

  The gates of the palace were opened and the army of Giants came out pouring. They screamed the name of Arktor and their king Thodin. Dan stayed back with his sword lifted high. When all of the soldiers were out of the gate, Dan and Ony joined them. Belster shot many arrows at the Lurgs from the high roof.

  Aaron could see how the Giants penetrated the Lurg army. The Giants were now fighting among the Lurgs. The Giant soldiers were only slightly bigger than the Lurgs. But they were thrashing the Lurgs in the numbers. The Lurgs started to fall down dead and beheaded. The shields of the Lurgs were useless against the Giants, the Lurgs were getting crushed under their own shields. But the Lurgs were swifter than the Giants. They were hitting the Giants with their swords and their spears.

  The Giants seemed to have gained control over the Lurgs. They had already killed hundreds of Lurgs. Each Giant soldier was taking down five or six Lurgs at a time. Dan joined in and was helping the Giants. He rode on his horse and killed many Lurgs who were unprepared for a man on a horse. But soon, Dan was circled by a group of Lurgs whom he was slaying one by one. More Lurgs came to complete the circle around Dan as the Lurgs fell.

  Finally, Ony joined in, swearing and holding two axes in both hands. He was fast with the axes as he swung them to and fro. With one stroke, he was able to get two Lurgs. He was fast too. A big pile of Lurgs lay in front of him. Few Lurgs ran away seeing Ony and his axes and he ran behind them. Belster remained on the roof and was now joined by some of the Giant’s archers. Many Lurgs fell dead by their arrows.

  Bo threw a few red balls onto the Lurgs which exploded on impact. The Lurgs fell far apart, Ony saluted Bo from the battle ground in appreciation.

  Thodin was very happy now thinking about how well his soldiers were performing. He cheered for them. The Lurgs were finally loosing, their numbers had thinned. Now, Aaron could see the Giants more clearly, fighting the Lurgs.

  Suddenly, a loud roar shook the whole place. The armies stopped fighting and looked at the sky. Nobody moved. They saw a shadow that covered the entire sky. Then, a black figure appeared that was approaching fast. As the figure become prominent, Aaron could see that it was a flying monster.

  The black figure was soon clear to everybody. It was the Black dragon. He had huge bat like angled wings. His claws were long and sharp. He had yellow-black eyes that sparkled in the dark. He was scaly all over. His long neck seemed endless; he had spikes on his head and his tail.

  His tail wiggled as he came towards the Giant army and pushed them hard. It flew and hovered over the Lurgs. Many Giants fell dead with the impact and the many tried to escape. Nobody had ever seen such a huge Dragon in their lives. They started to scream and run in all directions. There was big chaos. Dan tried to keep them under control, but it seemed impossible. The Dragon returned the second time and with its mighty tail, it knocked over a good number of Giants again. Bo got scared out of his wits seeing the Dragon. He ran inside the palace and hid there.

  Aaron also froze at the sight of the huge Dragon. He was able to kill Giants with just one single sweep.

  “Quick! Inside” Aaron pulled Jane by her hand.

  As they reached the entrance of the open terrace, the Dragon flew towards them and perched on the terrace right behind them.

  “Well, well, what do we have here?” The Dragon spoke in a heavy voice, looking at Aaron. “The boy in the prophecy…very interesting” said the Black Dragon.

  The Dragon came very close to Aaron. Aaron shielded Jane.

  “Who are you? And what do you want?” Aaron asked gathering some courage.

  “It’s strange that you don’t know me. Alfadon has kept you in the dark then, so much for protecting the boy. Ha ha ha…” the Dragon gave a wisp of smoke out of his nostrils. “I am Mordok, the Lord of the Dragons” said the Black Dragon as he opened his wing and stretched them. Some of the king’s men fell off the terrace and landed on the ground. Thodin remained where he stood holding onto the parapet.

  “You are not the lord of the Dragons Mordok. You are nothing but a liar” Alfadon appeared suddenly. He was standing between Aaron and the Dragon “You have stolen the magic of the Dragons”

  “Silence!” said Mordok and knocked Alfadon off his feet. “How dare you speak like this to me?”

  Mordok seemed very angry, but still remained where he was.

  “Alfadon, for the last time, I give you a choice. Join the Evil Force and you will be rewarded. I will make you the greatest Wizard that ever lived”

  “He is already the greatest wizard that ever lived, you filthy worm” said Aaron from behind Alfadon and stood next to Alfadon.

  “I am not afraid of you Mordok, you killed my mother and there i
s nothing that can stop me from killing you” Aaron said as he pulled out his sword.

  Mordok seemed amused. “What a brave boy, just like his mother. She didn’t even give in the temptation of bringing the love of her life back from the dead” Mordok lowered his gaze “Oh! What is this, your father’s sword? You think this sword will protect you from me boy?” Mordok laughed hysterically. “You fool, you think you stand a chance against me? Mordok?”

  Mordok moved his wings before Aaron; it gave out a gust of wind so hard that Aaron lost his balance. He held on to his sword tight and came towards Mordok. He managed to raise his sword high and drew it against Mordok’s right wing. The sword cut through Mordok’s wing a little, making him scream for a second before he realized what had happened.

  Mordok pounced on Aaron and stood over him with anger in his eyes. Aaron’s sword fell down. Mordok grunted “I will kill the boy who the whole world is waiting for and delight my master”

  Mordok had Aaron by his neck. His sharp claws pierced Aaron. He struggled to get out of Mordok’s clutches, but the more he moved, the more the claws hurt him. Mordok’s big black head was close to Aaron now. Aaron felt his warm blood oozing from his neck.

  “Mordok, Leave the boy alone” Alfadon screamed.

  Mordok’s clutches loosened as he was startled. Aaron fell down on the floor and Jane pulled him away immediately.

  “I will never join you and your disgusting friends. I have sworn to finish the likes of you” said Alfadon and raised his staff. A strong wind blew around Mordok and he could not keep his claws on the ground. He had to leave the ground and fly high into the sky. But soon, he came back on the terrace. Alfadon created a small tornado with his staff that caught Mordok. But Mordok was very powerful and in no time, he overcame the tornado.

  “Quick! Hide before he comes back” Alfadon said to Aaron and Jane.

  “No, we cannot leave you alone. Please let me help you” said Jane feeling helpless.

  “We will do whatever we can” said Aaron joining her.

  Alfadon looked at both of them and said “Didn’t you just say that I am the greatest wizard who ever lived? Then why are you afraid? Now go and find a safe place for yourselves”

  Aaron and Jane reluctantly moved away.

  Alfadon turned back. Mordok was almost out of the tornado that Alfadon had created. Alfadon took a deep breath; he dropped his staff onto the ground. He raised his hands towards the sky and took another deep breath chanting something under his breath.

  “What is he going to do?” Aaron was worried.

  “I don’t know, I think he is surrendering. I can’t watch this” Jane said and hid her face behind Aaron’s shoulders. She closed her eyes and teardrops rolled down her face.

  Something strange began to happen around Alfadon. He was surrounded by strange blue waves of light which were encircling him rapidly. The waves turned very bright. There was a big bright explosion and Aaron shut his eyes and covered Jane and himself. Mordok stopped in mid air for a second.

  Something flew off the ground towards the sky in a flash of light. Aaron opened his eyes and looked up.

  “Jane, look!” he pointed towards the sky.

  Jane looked up with her teary eyes and smiled.

  “The White Dragon” she whispered.

  Chapter 24

  The Final Flight

  ‘The White Dragon’ Aaron thought to himself. “The legends are true” he said.

  The White Dragon came back speedily towards Mordok. Mordok was really confused for a moment. He flew in the opposite direction, but the White Dragon tailed him.

  “That’s impossible!” Mordok said while flying “You couldn’t have learned that, how did you do that?” Mordok turned towards Alfadon.

  “You didn’t think you were the only one who could master Dragon Magic, did you? Yes, I learnt this magic from the Dragon Masters themselves. Unlike you, who stole the magic for your own benefit” said Alfadon.

  Mordok became enraged. “How dare you say I stole this magic? Magic has to be acquired. I acquired this magic. You may have transformed into a Dragon, but you will never be as powerful as me Alfadon”

  Saying this, Mordok roared and breathed fire at Alfadon. Alfadon was quick to escape the flames. Mordok flew after Alfadon. Aaron saw the two large dragons flying high in the sky chasing each other. Both of them looked equally big and powerful. The Lurgs and the Giants had stopped fighting and had their eyes fixed on the Dragons.

  Both the Dragons were moving in circles now. The White Dragon had both his wings open and was hovering in the sky. The Black Dragon wasn’t able to fly so well, since Aaron had damaged his right wing.

  Mordok pounced on Alfadon with his sharp claws and in a second, there was visible blood on Alfadon’s white body. He gave out a sharp cry. Mordok tightened his grip on Alfadon and knocked him onto the ground. Alfadon fell among the Lurgs and Mordok breathed fire at Alfadon again, but Alfadon rolled away instantly. With his mighty tail, Alfadon trashed Mordok. Mordok fell a few feet away. But he got up quickly and broke the building behind him out of anger.

  Mordok was filled with rage, he walked towards Alfadon. But Alfadon was still calm. Mordok flew high in the air again and thrashed another building wall of the palace, very close to the terrace where Aaron was standing. Alfadon was alarmed.

  Quickly, Alfadon flew towards Mordok and from above; he breathed blue flames onto him. Before Mordok could understand what Alfadon had done, his right wing had caught fire. He flew straight upwards in a great speed to put the fire out. With another great roar, Mordok came back and caught Alfadon’s tail with his claws. Alfadon felt a sharp pain in his spine. Mordok lifted Alfadon with all his strength and threw him far away. Then he followed Alfadon, flying in the same direction. Before Alfadon could land, Mordok caught him again in mid air and thrashed him onto the ground.

  Alfadon lay on the ground for a few moments. He was bleeding badly all over. Jane looked very worried, she crossed her fingers and prayed for Alfadon.

  “Is that all the strength you have old man?” Mordok mocked Alfadon. Then he turned towards the Lurgs and said “Finish them, what are you waiting for? Let us make Arktor a part of the Dark kingdom. Ha ha ha…”

  The fight between the Lurgs and the Giants began again. The Lurgs seemed to have become more powerful now. They were taking on the Giants easily. Many soldiers of the Giants were falling. Dan and Ony were fighting as many Lurgs as they could, but it didn’t look like they would be able to hold on for longer.

  Thodin couldn’t watch this anymore. He drew his sword and jumped on the Lurgs to fight them. He was fierce with his sword and his hammer. He alone took down hundreds of Lurgs, but the Lurgs had outnumbered the Giants and the fall of Arktor was now obvious.

  Mordok sat on a high building and looked down, he laughed at the Giants and the Defenders. He made fun of Alfadon and Aaron for thinking they could kill him. Aaron’s blood was boiling. He clutched onto his sword’s hilt.

  Alfadon slowly regained his strength. He got up and searched for Mordok. The blood retuned to Jane’s face seeing Alfadon get up.

  Alfadon straightened his wings and flew towards Mordok. He perched next to where Mordok was sitting. Seeing him Mordok growled. Mordok raised and hit Alfadon hard with his head. Alfadon lost balance and slipped. But he climbed up again. Mordok was ready for him now.

  “You won’t give up. Will you old man? I will have to finish you then” said Mordok and caught Alfadon by his right wing. Mordok flew towards the mountains with Alfadon in his clutches.

  “No! Where is he taking Alfadon?” Jane gasped.

  Alfadon tried to struggle and get off the clutches of the Black Dragon but he could hardly match Mordok’s strength. Mordok dropped Alfadon from a height onto the mountain below. Alfadon fell with a big thud. He was hurt badly but he didn’t give up. He stood up again.

  Mordok landed right in front of him and looked at him with his fierce red eyes “I will be the only greatest wizard alive in the wh
ole world, Alfadon. Your time has come.” Mordok slapped Alfadon with his powerful claws. Alfadon flinched and tried to fly. Mordok pulled him down abruptly and Alfadon crashed against the mountain rocks.

  “Say goodbye then, great Alfadon” said Mordok, and with his large tail, he hit against the mountain and many large rocks and boulders fell on Alfadon. Soon, Alfadon was covered with heavy stones and none of him was visible.

  “Rest in peace my enemy” Mordok laughed aloud and then flew towards Arktor again.

  Aaron was looking up towards the mountains for Alfadon to come back. But the only shape he saw flying back towards him was Mordok’s.

  Mordok looked at the Lurgs who were winning now. He knew that the army of Arktor will fall soon and that he will have another kingdom to rule upon.

  “What have you done to Alfadon? Where is he?” shouted Aaron at Mordok as he came near the terrace.

  “You have some nerve boy” said Mordok, landing on the terrace.

  Everyone else stood back, some even escaped “You want to know what happened to your beloved Alfadon? I killed him. And now it’s your turn” Mordok came towards Aaron.

  “Brandon! Come back here” said Flynn appearing from inside the door. Brandon was running in front of him, he paid no attention to Flynn. Brandon came straight to Aaron and stood facing him.

  “Aaron” Brandon screamed.

  Brandon was now standing between Aaron and the Dragon. He turned to look at the Dragon with his big eyes. Brandon froze with fear.

  “No Brandon, get away” Aaron said with his heart pounding. Mordok looked at Aaron and then at Brandon. Then he laughed again.

  “You little worms, I am going finish the both of you.”

  Mordok raised his claws to crush Bandon with a thrash. Bandon looked at the Black Dragon’s raised claws. Mordok moved his sharp claws towards Brandon but gave out a shriek himself.

  Somebody had shielded Brandon form the Dragon. He was holding a shield and a sword. He had cut the Dragon’s claws.