by Brad Clark
It was a risk that he needed to take, and he had no qualms taking it.
He could feel the power of the spell coming to its final release. Electricity started to crackle around him. Its tendrils touched him, burning his robe and singing his skin. Most of it was concentrated at a point chest high and directly in front of him. Starting just as a point, it quickly grew into a large rotating ball of white and blue lightening. The power and energy of the spell pumped through him, filling him with an incredible feeling of euphoria. It would be only moments until the spell was over and he would be physically drained. But for the moment, he enjoyed the fantastic feeling of superior power.
The ball of lightning stretched in a thin line down until it touched the ground. As the spell reached its apex, the spinning line of electricity split, exposing a dark gap. Long, thin fingers reached through, seemingly stretching for Farrus. After another heartbeat, the arm was fully through, and a body followed.
Farrus felt the power of the spell slipping away. If his general didn’t make it through before he lost control of the spell, he would be trapped between the two worlds. He would spend eternity stuck in limbo unable to finish the journey here or return back to his own world. His knees felt weak, but he knew he had to keep the spell going. Not only was the fate of this general in doubt, his ability to wage war on the earth would be severely limited.
If only he had the full power of the Ark.
His anger gave him the power he needed. With that anger burning inside of him, he forced the power of the web to flow for one more heartbeat, allowing his general to step through. Then in a clap of thunder, the spinning ball of lightning disappeared.
Farrus wanted to fall down, but to do so in front of his general would not be acceptable. He could not show weakness. With head spinning and his head pounding, he crossed his arms and glared sternly at his general.
The being that stood in front of him had two legs, two arms, and one head, but that ended the similarities with the humans of the world. Its skin was a pale white that seemed almost translucent. It had no hair anywhere on its body which made its large, round head seem even larger. It looked at him from behind big, red eyes that glowed in the dimness of the dreary day. When it talked, its yellow, pointed teeth showed.
“You finally called me?” the being growled. It turned its head, tilting it into the wind. “This realm smells funny. I don’t like it.”
“Gregarius,” Farrus said, forcing his voice to be strong and firm. His hands shook from weakness and his voice would too if he wasn’t careful.
Gregarius dipped its head and dropped to a knee in reverent respect. “Master, I come as you have called. I am here to do your bidding.”
Farrus lifted his head higher and looked about him. “What you smell is life. Its stench stings my nose, and we must do something about it. There is much life in this realm that must die. When we are done, the scent of pure death will once again fill your senses.”
Gregarius stood up and glanced around. His eyes caught the circle of dragon’s blood. “You brought only me?”
“The blood of the beasts of the air is limited. There are but two dragons left. I have one captured. The other is out hunting Humans.”
“One should be more than enough to call the rest of us.”
Farrus stepped forward until he was inches from Gregorius's face. In a voice that was calm on the surface, but ready to explode, Farrus growled, “Do not presume to know what should happen or what I should do.”
Gregarious dipped its head. “Yes, Master. Of course.”
“There are but two beasts, and I have plans for them both. The Queen of the Dragons is hunting humans, wreaking havoc ahead of my army. She will disrupt their defenses and damage their cities making our army’s job that much easier. Eventually, her usefulness will come to an end, and then I will consume her soul. The other dragon must remain alive to control the Queen. As long as her offspring is alive, she will follow my commands.”
“What of me?” Gregarius asked. “What is your bidding for me?”
Farrus held out his hand so that Gregarius could see the dark black stone that was the Ark of Life.
“The Ark of Life,” Gregarius said, his lips spreading wide to show is yellow teeth. “You have found it!”
Farrus shook his head and shoved the Ark back into its pouch. “That is but a one-half of the Ark of Life. The other half is missing. That is why I have called you here. You are to find the other half of the Ark and bring it to me.”
“Oh? Am I not to lead your army into battle to conquer the world?” Gregarious licked his lips. “It has been long since I have led your armies into battle. It would be the ultimate honor to do so.”
“In time. But first, I need the full power of the Ark in order to truly wage war. Without it, my power is no better than that of a powerful Human Mage. With it, none can stop me.”
“Where is this other part?”
“If I knew, I would have recovered it myself!” Farrus snapped.
“It is a large world. It could be anywhere.”
“The black stone was found here in this city. If the Creator wanted to ensure that the Ark could never be used again, he would have hidden it halfway around the world so that it could never be found. It is what makes sense, and it is what I would have done.”
“But it is not what you believe?”
“The Ark of Life was not meant to be hidden so that it could never be found and never be used. It was hidden until it was ready to be found and used. The two pieces would be hidden close to one another so that they could be joined together when they were ready to be used.”
“Is it hidden in the city?”
“Look around you,” Farrus said, pointed to the flattened city around them. “Do you not think I haven’t been looking? It is not here.”
“You are sure?”
“If it were close, I would have felt its power. That kind of power cannot be fully hidden. I may not have been able to discover its exact hiding place, but I would have felt it if it were nearby. No, it is not in the city.”
“Then where?”
Farrus turned to look to the east. “This land has another city to the east. I have sent part of the army to the east to find the city and destroy it. You will follow that army and recover it for me if it is there.”
“If it is hidden, how will I find it?”
Farrus pulled out the black stone once again, holding it out for Gregarius to see. “Do you not feel its presence? Any who can draw power from the Web of Magic can feel its presence when you are close enough. With the city destroyed, you simply need to walk among the dead and broken bodies to find it.”
“And if it is not there?”
“Scouts have found a castle to the north up in the mountains. It is well protected and defended. If I trust the word of the scouts, they say no goblin army could survive an assault upon that fortress. But I trust that you could find a way inside its walls.”
“Of course,” Gregarius replied with a wicked smile. “I will head east, and if I find no sign of the Ark, I will head into the into the mountains to find this hidden castle. What of you?”
“Humanity has spread itself across this land, and they will not die without a fight. I, myself, will lead the army westward to begin our war in earnest. Once you have the other part of the Ark of Life, then you will join me, and we will continue our march across the world. In time, your nostrils will be filled with the scent of death. And this realm will be ours.”
Chapter Ten
The group of twenty-three men stepped out of a thick section of the forest. Since they broke camp in the morning, they had pushed and cut their way through the thick underbrush. The rain had stopped, which made their travel a little less miserable. However, the ground and leaves were still wet, which kept their boots and clothes soaked. As a group, they came to a stop as the faint tendrils of black smoke could be seen high in the sky.
Julius turned to Marik and said, “There is smoke, should we not go faster
?”
They had been pushing as hard as they could and to push harder would mean they would arrive at the city exhausted. But to not go faster, they might arrive too late.
“We are still almost a full day away,” Marik said. “Fifteen miles at least. Probably more.”
Hargon said what they were all thinking. “If we can see smoke from this distance, is that not a sign the city is already doomed?”
Marik looked over at Hargon and was reminded of the amazing change that came over the former Taran emperor. It started soon after he cut his beard and hair and became complete when he surprised everyone by casting a spell. They all knew that he could heal and that it was some sort of innate ability. Glaerion had explained it all to them in incomprehensible detail. It was assumed, then, that he wouldn’t be able to cast spells. They had been wrong, and Marik was still not sure if that was good or bad. If he could use his spells to defend that kingdom, then that was a good thing. But the words of Glaerion and his fear of Human spellcasters was fresh in his mind. As much as Glaerion had shown disdain for Humans, he showed fear towards those that could cast spells.
Hargon was full of charisma and confidence, now. No longer was he the shaggy, dirty old man who had been poisoned by his brother. Cleaned up, he no longer looked that old, either. He carried a presence that reminded him of King Thorndale, the most beloved of all Karmon’s recent kings. But Hargon was a bit too charismatic and confident, which gave Marik pause when he thought of the power that he might wield.
“The main force of goblins is behind us,” Marik said. The goblins had chosen a safer route that avoided the deepest parts of Darkenwood. It certainly was easier to bypass the forest, especially for a large army, but it was also the longer route. By pushing as hard as they did, they at least beat the goblins to Tyre. But clearly, the dragons had their way with the city for some time.
“The city is large,” Sir Pelmik said. He was one of the twenty Karmon Knights that had marched with them. Although Queen Elissa had officially disbanded the knights by decree months ago, the events of the past week had changed everyone's thinking. Knights were once again called by ‘Sir’. They walked taller and carried themselves with a solemn confidence. They all knew that they would need it in the coming days. “There are still many that will fight back.”
“We will rest here for a few minutes,” Marik announce. “Eat and drink whatever you have. We won’t stop again until we get to Tyre.”
The twenty knights each found a dry spot to sit and pulled out what dried meat they had left. Hargon walked over to Conner and Julius.
“We have talked little about what will happen when we get there,” Hargon said. “What do you expect will be the state of your forces?”
“The knights will stand and fight to the end. They will do what they can to defend the city and provide a distraction to allow our citizens to escape. I would not be surprised to start seeing fleeing survivors heading for the forest.”
“Right to the goblins,” Julius said.
Marik gave a sharp nod. “If we see any, we will warn them. Our focus must be on the dragon. If it escapes us here, there’s no telling where it will go next, and we won't be able to chase it down.”
Julius turned to Hargon and asked, “If we do not kill it here, it will surely go to Taran, our homeland. Are you sure you can kill it?”
“I have seen the power that my brother wielded. That power can kill any living creature. I can kill it. We just have to get there in time.”
Marik glanced to the east. The smoke was still there. “Let’s get moving, then.”
***
They pushed hard, harder than what Marik wanted, but they needed to get to the city before darkness fell. His knights marched forward without complaint. They had stripped their armor off and strapped it to their backs. The air was cool and damp, but their furious pace kept them warm and sweaty. Hargon, unburdened by weapons or armor, marched behind Marik among the knights. Julius found himself continually behind Hargon as if he were the emperor’s protector.
The smoke was their beacon. It not only gave them direction, but it gave them purpose. With each step, it seemed the smoke became thicker, reminding them how important haste was.
It was only when they came upon the Tyre River basin that they stopped. The land to the west of the river had steadily risen, which made their eastward trek that much harder. Now as they came to the river basin where the city was located, they looked down upon a long sloping hill that led towards the city and forests beyond. The river was deep and slow at the big bend where the city of Tyre was located. A short pier extended out into the water allowing riverboats loaded with trade goods to be loaded and unloaded with ease. A large market was set up around those docks where villagers from miles around would come and buy and sell. The city grew out from there, extending across flat land right up to the trees of Darkenwood Forest. Unlike the capital city of South Karmon, there was no wall to protect the city. Miles and miles of thick forest had prevented armies from ever marching upon Tyre, making a wall seemingly unnecessary.
At the center of the city were the remains of a stone castle. It had been much smaller than the one at South Karmon, but when standing, it had been the largest building in the city. Its tallest spires had been knocked down, crushing walls below them. The stone rubble was blackened as fire had raged through it. A good portion of the city was still standing, which encouraged Marik. However, much of the city was on fire, and it had spread to the nearby forest trees. The smoke that they had seen was not only from the burning city but from the forests of Darkenwood burning as well.
Marik had witnessed forest fires before, but those had been during the scorching heat of summer when the sky refused to open up to rain. With the cool air and frequent rain of fall, he hoped that the fire wouldn't spread too far. With black smoke pumping out from the bright yellow flames, it was hard to imagine any sort of rain that could quench that fire.
“We have arrived in time,” a young knight named Sir Hartford said. “The city stands, and there are people about, trying to put out the fires. Maybe the dragon has left.”
Marik shook his head at the youthfulness and naivety of the knight. “If the dragon has left, then we have failed, for we cannot chase it across the world. We need to find it here. With the city not yet in complete ruins, hopefully, we can find the dragon still around.”
“You want to find that beast here?” Sir Hartford asked, trying to not let fear come into his voice. “Will it not kill us all?”
Marik looked up into the darkening sky, wondering if the dragon was circling high above their heads. “If we must face it, I would prefer to face it now before it has killed more of our people.”
He turned to look at the men around him. They were tired from pushing hard through the forest, but their eyes were cold and determined. There was still much fight left in them, Marik thought with pride. With a wave of his hand, he led them out from under cover of the trees.
As they started down the hill toward the city, the dragon made a sudden, dramatic appearance. It swept from the darkening sky like an arrow shot from the moon. It let out a screeching cry that preceded an explosion of fire from its mouth. Its target was not the buildings of the city, but the people themselves. Those that had been out to try and put out the fires of previous passes were now caught in the open. Even Marik had to turn away as bodies lit on fire and screams came from those caught in its fiery breath. Marik knew his men would react the same way as he had and he knew they needed a fearless leader that would not show any emotion in the face of danger. He turned his head back to watch, forcing himself to build up the anger that he would need to overcome the fear that threatened him.
After what seemed minutes, but was only seconds, Marik drew his sword.
“You’re kidding, right?” Hargon asked.
“Those are my people down there, being burned alive. I will not stand by and watch this. We will fight, and you will help us. Whatever it is you have learned, it better be enough
to kill that thing. For tonight, it will be either him or us!” He lifted his sword, and the rest of the knights drew theirs.
Hargon shook his head, but he did not say what was on his mind. He would never understand the mindset of a warrior where they would so easily allow themselves to be killed. Julius had also drawn his short sword and had the same look on his face as the knights. He indeed was glad that there were others willing to give their lives for someone else, as he knew he did not have the capability. Hargon followed behind them, trotting, but not running as fast as Marik and his knights. Julius was beside him, eyes forward, face grim. He knew the knights were more than capable, but he suddenly wished he had a full division of his own centurions around him.
It was farther to the city than they expected. Coupled with their exhausting trek through the forest, their run quickly became a slow jog. By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, they could only manage a brisk walk. Adrenaline was still pumping through their system, but their legs were heavy and rebelling. It would not be long before the excitement and anticipation of the battle would wane, and their swords would also become very heavy.
“What now?” Hargon asked, not hiding the deep breaths he was taking. He had hardly run at all, but he was still out of breath.
“Our weapons will do little against the beast,” Marik said. “But we must be ready for the goblins when they arrive. Sir Pelmik, take the men and find Lord Kirwal or whoever is in charge here. Coordinate their defenses until I can meet up with you. The goblins will be arriving late morning tomorrow at the latest, so they will need to be ready.’
Sir Pelmik nodded his head. “Yes, Sir Marik. At once.” He put a hand on Marik’s shoulder. “Luck to you, you will need it.”
Marik smiled. “It is more than luck. For some reason, the Creator has kept me alive to this point. I can only hope that he continues to keep me alive through the night. If we survive this, we will meet up with you. They will come from the west, just like us, so set up just inside the city. Let them come to you. The buildings and rubble will help you defend against their attack.”