“So what? You’ll just give up and die?” I demanded.
“It is no less than I deserve,” she answered.
“Helga wasn’t your fault,” I said.
“And the others?” she challenged me, the old glare starting to form. “Zimri, I have murdered hundreds of people for power. I have massacred children. You think I do not deserve death?”
It was hard to argue her logic. Just a few weeks earlier, I’d been ready to behead her for her crimes. But now?
“What good does dying do? It won’t bring Helga or any of the others back,” I said. “If you want to atone for your crimes, help me fight her. Undo all the damage she’s done.”
“What good can I do?” she retorted. “I am a monster. All I can do is destroy; it is all magic is ever good for.”
“She made you a monster,” I pointed out. “What you become now is your choice, not hers. You are free to be who you want. So be better; make the Eisenberge better. You owe them that much.”
Athala snorted. “You do not understand. I can never be free of her. She will always own my soul. That is why I want you to go home. If we confront the Mistress and it comes down to a choice between betraying you or dying, I know what I will do.”
“Do you want to betray me?” I asked.
“It does not matter what I want to do,” she shook her head. “I know what I am conditioned to do. I am a survivor, Zimri. I have been taught to survive at all costs, no matter who I must murder, betray, or placate. Please,” she looked at me, eyes pleading, “I do not want to betray you too.”
“Then don’t,” I said simply.
“It is not that easy,” she huffed, exasperated. “You just do not understand.”
She was right; I didn’t understand. Maybe I was being a fool for wanting to help her be better. It wasn’t her fault she was the way she was but that didn’t really matter, did it? A wolf doesn’t choose to be a wolf but that makes no less a wolf. Maybe she couldn’t change or maybe I was expecting too much too fast.
“I guess that’s a risk I’ll just have to take,” I shrugged. “You won’t turn me over to Aidan, will you?”
“Aidan? No, of course not. Why?”
“The way I look at it, we need to deal with Aidan before we tackle the Sorceress,” I explained. “For one, we both owe him payback for Helga. Secondly, I don’t like having him behind us before confronting the Sorceress. Thirdly, I really don’t like him having an Alkite prisoner.”
“Are you honor-bound to save every Alkite?” she snorted.
“If it’s the Alkite I think it is,” I said, recalling Baasha and Adam at Schwarztor, “I’d like nothing more than to let him rot. But Aidan clearly has something planned for him and I’m guessing it isn’t in Alkilion’s best interest. Better deal with it now.”
“Good point,” she allowed.
“You think Aidan’s going to mind control him like you’re planning on doing with me?” I asked.
Athala furrowed her brows in thought. “No,” she said pensively, “I do not think so. He would not require a Helga-level life force for that spell.” Suddenly her face lit up. “He would not dare, would he?” she exclaimed.
“What?”
“A metamorphose-curse,” she answered with a shake of the head. “It will transform him into your Alkite friend.”
“He…what?” I blinked, trying to wrap my head around that.
“Aidan will become the Alkite prisoner,” she explained. “He will look like him, talk like him, and for all appearances, be him.”
“So Aidan, as Baasha, will ‘rescue’ Ariadne and take her back to Alkilion,” I surmised.
“And become the next king of Alkilion,” Athala finished.
“That’s a disturbing thought,” I remarked with a shudder. “We definitely have to stop him.”
“You are not going to give up, are you?” Athala asked with a shake of the head.
“Nope.”
“Even knowing I will certainly betray you in the end?”
“Yep.”
“You are an idiot,” she shook her head and sighed.
“Yeah, but you already knew that,” I grinned at her, earning a gratifying eye-roll. “Partners?”
“Ya, partners,” she agreed.
Chapter 25-Zimri
“What’s that smell?” I asked the next day, wrinkling my nose at the sudden odor of rotten eggs overpowering the pleasant scent of pine I’d been enjoying. “It smells like your lab.”
Athala paused and sniffed. “It is sulfur,” she stated, “like the acid we used to break my cuffs off. Let us go check it out.”
“Let’s…what?” I blinked. “You want to go toward the stuff that eats through metal?”
She rolled her eyes. “We are not going to find a lake of sulfuric acid,” she said. “But sulfur is unusual and I am curious as to what is going on.”
“I’m not sure a detour is a wise.” I was unsure, “Especially to investigate burning rotten eggs.”
“I do not care,” she retorted. “I want to know what is causing that smell. We are going.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes but she was already marching off in the direction of the smell. I decided to let her have this one; she needed a win after Helga. Besides, what’s the worst thing we’d find?
Fire, apparently, judging by the smoky haze that began filtering through the trees.
“Uh, Athala, where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” I commented, looking nervously at the very dry pine needles crunching beneath my feet.
“Ya, most curious,” she commented, glancing up at the haze. “As is the sulfur smell. These are signs of volcanic activity, which—”
“Wait, volcanos!?” I exclaimed, eyes going wide. “Like with liquid fire that incinerates anything it touches?”
“If you are referring to lava, no,” she shook her head. “More likely volcanic gasses released by an explosion. I am wondering if my earthquake caused a volcanic eruption.”
“I’m not going to pretend I understand most of that but isn’t that something we should be going away from?” I protested.
“Relax, I am certain that it is perfectly safe,” she waved off. “The Eisenberge is not volcanic, or has not been in eons. That is what makes this so interesting. My earthquake may have triggered some long dormant volcanic activity that we did not know even existed!”
“Meaning…what?” I was confused as to the significance.
“I do not know,” Athala shrugged. “That is why I want to study it. There could be new metals or new soils for farming or sources of energy. Maybe I unlocked a hot spring, which would have medicinal properties. The possibilities are endless!”
I could see she was excited, or as excited as Athala ever got and it was heartening to see. But being around an active volcano made me nervous. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about volcanos, just that a volcano had blown apart one of the Kolur islands and buried another in scorching ash and liquid fire, killing thousands of people. That was not something I wanted to be anywhere near.
“Why don’t we come back later, after we’ve dealt with Aidan and the Sorceress and it’s had some time to cool down?” I suggested.
“Because I want to see before it cools down,” she curtly replied. “When did you become such a coward?”
“I’m no coward!” I snapped back.
“Then stop acting like one.”
“Fine,” I snorted, push ahead of her. “I’ll get to the volcano first!”
Following the smoke for another hour, we found no volcano or hot spring or anything resembling volcanic activity. Instead, we came across an enormous cave surrounded by recently-made clearing full of smoldering logs and scorched earth, the source of the smoke, along with intermittent puffs of smoke coming out of the cave. A chill settled over my gut as I started to put the pieces together.
“This is most strange,” Athala crossed her arms and tapped her foot, studying the scene before us. “This is not like any volcano I have ever seen. I wonder wha
t is causing that smoke. Has someone set up a secret forge? Let us go check it out.” She started towards the cave.
“What about a dragon?” I squeaked, sounding more like a mouse than a knight of Alkilion.
“A dragon? That is most unlikely,” she replied condescendingly. “True, this does have the appearance of a dragon lair but dragons never come to the Immergrün. Trees and dragons do not mix well together, which is why they stay on the upper slopes, above the tree line, and on the north side of the Branden Fluss, on the Regen Teppich. I have never heard of a dragon in the Immergrün. This must be something else and I want to find out what. Are you not curious?”
“No, not really,” I answered, still unconvinced.
“Stay here, then,” she shrugged and started for the cave. With a growl under my breath, I followed, not willing to be outdone by a woman.
The smell of the cave hit me like a wall upon entering. I’d more or less gotten accustom to the sulfur, although it was exponentially stronger now. But I was not prepared for the burned and rotted flesh, which was overpowering. Even Athala gagged a little.
Then I noticed the bones. The floor of the cave was littered with them. Most were animal bones: sheep, goats, cows, and some animals I couldn’t recognize plus I could’ve sworn I saw a couple human skulls mixed in. Some still had meat on them, although most were stripped clean. All were charred to varying degrees.
“This looks like the back of the kitchens after a feast,” I noted. “Are you sure there are no dragons here?”
“Of course I am,” she retorted, sounding definitely not sure.
“Well, something ate these creatures and I don’t want to meet it,” I stated uncomfortably.
“Maybe,” she said. “It is also possible that these were killed by whatever eruption burned the trees outside.”
“That isn’t helping,” I snorted.
We made our way deeper into the cave until the entrance was little more than a prick of light behind us. Athala and I were soon drenched in sweat from the oppressive humidity and heat. It was like being in a Shaulite sauna. The smell didn’t help either. Twice I had to pause to upchuck and even Athala looked on the verge of vomiting in the dim light of the make shift torch.
After an eternity of walking, we found ourselves in an enormous chamber. The torch didn’t light up most of it. We couldn’t see the ceiling or the far side of the room of the mostly empty room, except for a massive boulder in the center.
Beside me, Athala sighed heavily. “This does not make any sense,” she commented, aggravated. “It is so hot and humid in here, there has to be a hot spring or geyser but I can see no sign of one.”
“Unless there’s a dragon,” I offered.
I could feel the eye roll in the dark. “There are no dragons in the Immergrün,” she said in a tired, condescending voice. “I am going to work my way around the perimeter and see if there are any more passages. You examine that rock. Maybe that is the hot spring.”
Picking my way across the chamber, I found myself examining the strangest rock I’d ever seen. Whatever it was, it was clearly the source of the heat. I felt like my face was going to burn off. It was just under three meters high and seemed to be sloping up like a spiral. The surface was rough and broken up almost like…
Scales?
My heart started thumping as I worked my way around the “rock.” About halfway, something was draped over the rock that looked an awful lot like enormous bat wings. Looking closer, I saw a subtle but rhythmic expanding and contracting of the boulder, like breathing.
“Uh, Athala!” I called. “I thought you said there weren’t dragons here!”
“There are not!” she shouted back from somewhere in the dark.
“Then what’s this?” I asked, my voice squeaking a little.
“A rock. Stop being so jumpy,” she shot back.
“Do rocks have scales and breathe?” I returned.
A few minutes later, Athala appeared at my side, frowning as she examined the “rock.” “This is odd,” she commented, looking at a feature that looked an awful lot like a shoulder and leg. Reflexively, she reached out and touched the boulder.
“SCHADE!” she shrieked, yanking her hand back, like she’d been burned. Then the “rock” started to uncoil.
“Uh, Athala?” I squeaked in terror as the dragon turned its massive head toward us, golden eye glinting.
“RUN! RUN!” she yelled, already making for the exit.
I didn’t need to be told twice, bolting past her in a dead sprint. Behind me, I heard a sound like tiles being scraped together as the dragon rose and felt its massive footsteps as it thumped after us. As we reached the mouth, I heard a long intake of breath,
“DIVE!” Athala shouted as we reached the entrance, jumping to the left. Not bothering to question her, I dove right just as wall of flame exploded behind me.
“I thought you said there weren’t any dragons here!” I grumbled.
“They are never in the Immergrün!” Athala protested.
“Tell that to him!” I retorted. “How do we kill it?”
Just then, a terrifyingly huge slate gray beast emerged from the cavern and the question felt stupid. It was a good seven meters from snout to tail and four meters at the shoulder with another meter and a half up to the triangular head at the top of its serpentine neck.
“Kill a dragon?” she squeaked in terror as the beast regarded her, letting out a deafening roar. “Are you insane?”
“Obviously!” I shot back. Athala quickly scrambled behind some rocks as the dragon blew another jet of flame at her. “Can’t you use the tod-spell?” I suggested.
“Tod-spells do not work on animals!” she returned, “Not that I could get close enough anyway.”
“Are you kidding me?” I snarled. “So what do we do?”
“Run!” she shouted, sprinting from my cover, making for the forest. The dragon instantly spotted her, bounding after her with a speed and agility that shouldn’t be possible on those four stumpy legs. There was no way Athala was going to make it before getting torched. So, I attacked.
I had no idea what I was doing. Hacking at it with a sword seemed logical so I did that, which partially worked. I got the dragon’s attention off Athala and on me but the blade sparked harmlessly off the beast’s scales, shivering in my hand.
The dragon turned and regarded me with quizzical golden eyes for a moment, as if stunned that this tiny creature would dare attack it. Then it recovered, opened its enormous mouth filled with a dozen dagger-like teeth and snapped at me.
Thankfully my reflexes saved me just in time. I took another whack at the extended neck only to have my scimitar ring harmlessly off the impenetrable scales. The dragon turned to take another snap at me and I tried stab it in the mouth. Casually the dragon bit down, wrenching the weapon from my grasp and with a ferocious chomp, shattered the blade.
Now I was truly in trouble. Desperately I tried to scramble away and find some sort of cover. The beast chased after me, biting at me or swiping at me with its talons the size of swords. I managed to dive a rock as it blasted the area with fire, singeing my hair and giving me a few more burns.
“Bring him over here!” I suddenly heard Athala shout.
“What are you still doing here?” I shouted back.
“Saving your ass! What else?” she yelled. “Now lead him over to me! I have a plan!”
By now I’d learned enough to trust Athala’s plans. Bolting from my hiding spot, I sprinted between the dragon’s legs, figuring it would have the hardest time stomping me there. It bellowed and whipped its tail at me, catching me in the chest. I was sent flying a dozen meters but serendipitously in the right direction.
The beast bore down on me as I struggled to catch my breath, wondering if I’d broken my ribs this time. I tried to stand, only to stumble back down and forced to frantically crawl backwards towards where Athala was waiting.
In seconds the dragon was on top of me and I found myself looking dow
n its throat where no doubt soon I’d be going. I could see the heat building in its throat as it prepared to incinerate me and reflexively I turned over to protect my face.
A sharp twang sounded behind me. The dragon roared and suddenly there was an earth-shattering boom. I was enveloped in heat and felt small, gooey things pelt me. After an eternal moment, I dared to look up.
The dragon’s head and most of his neck were gone, the remains scattered about me in burning piles. I felt lightheaded with relief as all the adrenaline and fear drained out of me. Shakily I tried to stand, only for my legs to give out. A pair of slender yet surprisingly strong arms caught me.
“You need to lose a few kilos,” Athala grunted.
“I have,” I panted back. “Weeks of lousy food, constant walking, fighting, and running for my life. At this rate, I’ll be lucky if there’s anything left of me by the time we’re through.”
“It is unlikely there will be,” she remarked sardonically. Glancing down at my backside, she added, “Especially if your ass keeps burning.”
“My…what!?” I yelped, seeing my butt literally on fire. Like an idiot, I pranced around, trying futilely to pat the flames out only to have unceremoniously sit back down, rubbing my rear in the dirt.
Then I heard the strangest sound. It was like a combination of a bark, snort, and wheeze. Confused, I looked over to Athala, who was doubled over and shaking. Then she dropped to the ground, shaking with tears rolling down her cheeks. Wait a minute, was she…
Laughing?
At first, I was irritated that’d she’d laugh at my misfortune. But then I pictured myself hopping around, trying to put my flame butt out and I laughed too. Maybe it was all the stress of the past three days breaking us, but we both laughed like idiots in the middle of a stinking, smoldering clearing covered in dragon bits.
“You know this means I win, right?” I said when I managed to catch my breath.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, still grinning and chortling slightly.
I gave her my biggest and most triumphant smile.
“I told you I’d make you laugh.”
The Sorceress's Apprentice Page 16