The Necromancer's Dragon

by C D Muller

  He’s blackmailing us!

  Thor growled and bared his fangs again.

  “I’ve been longing for this moment, as you’ve evaded me for months! You’re just a child! And a girl, no doubt!”

  Selena’s hands began shaking with fear. She lowered her hands a little, unsure of what to do next.

  Thor spread out his wings to make himself look a little more intimidating. Doragon did the same.

  Selena looked over at her dragon.

  Can we back down?

  Thor snorted in discontent.

  Not in a duel. Once it begins, you must fight until the end.

  “Wait until the Council hears about this,” Azrael began, “a girl disguised as a boy in their ranks. You two would be executed on the spot!”

  “And if the Council were to find out about you being one of the Order, you would be too,” Selena barked at him.

  “That does put a damper on our relationship,” Azrael said sarcastically, “but I’m willing to take that risk.”

  He laughed at his cruel joke. Doragon’s lips curved into a sneer. Thor dug his talons into the ground as if preparing himself to attack.

  However, before Selena could move, Azrael moved his hands sharply in her direction and summoned flames from the air. She fell to the ground from the blast of fire he unleashed, burning parts of her arms. She gritted her teeth, but immediately got into a defensive stance. Remembering how she first learned to channel the energy of the elements, she created her magma shell to protect herself.

  Azrael took a step back when he realized what she could do and smiled.

  “Wow, so you can use magic? You're not the only one,” he mocked her.

  Azrael slid across the ground and ordered Doragon to fly above.

  “Do not interfere,” he barked at him. Doragon nodded and did as he said.

  Thor bared his fangs, but Selena said the same to him.

  Are you sure?

  Just please do it. This is my fight. Do not attack unless Doragon does first.

  Azrael got into a more relaxed state and his hands hung low. A blue aura appeared around them and yellow spheres of energy floated to his fingers, creating two pistols.

  Selena's eyes widened as he re-positioned himself and aimed both of them at her.

  “I bet that you didn't know how to create weapons from pure energy itself,” he gloated.

  Selena tried to not let him intimidate her. Instead, she pulled some of the fire from her shield like before and created a sword with a curved blade. She cooled the pommel so she could hold it while magma dripped from the weapon.

  Azrael smirked at her and began to fire.

  The bullets were made out of energy as well. They easily pierced right through her shell. After the second shot, it shattered completely, leaving her defenseless.

  “How is that possible?” Selena asked.

  “Spiritual energy is much stronger than any one element,” Azrael explained with a dark sneer. “The only way that you could stand up to me is if you knew how to channel spirit. But all I see is that you are just merely a beginner who can barely manipulate fire!”

  Selena gripped her sword and dashed forward.

  “I am much stronger than you think!” she yelled at him. She held up her blade and attempted to crash down on Azrael. He did not seem fazed by her attack; rather, he held up one pistol and shot at the blade. The bullet destroyed it on contact.

  However, Selena quickly reached out with her other hand with a newly made sword and slashed it at his weapons to disarm him. His eyes grew wide; Selena knew by the look on his face that he was not prepared for her attack. His pistols disappeared as soon as they hit the ground.

  Before Azrael could react, Selena side-stepped him and, after creating a small dagger, she reached over and held it to his neck.

  Azrael swallowed hard.

  “I won't lie,” he choked up, “I underestimated you. I won't do that again.”

  Doragon roared and flew down to save him, but Thor blocked his path.

  “I will let you go if you leave me alone,” Selena said through gritted teeth, sweat dripping down her face.

  Azrael looked down at her dagger and blew on it. It immediately vanished.

  With a confused look, Selena staggered back a bit, dropping her fire sword. It dissipated into the air.

  “Halt! What’s with all the commotion?” one of the city guards yelled as five of them ran down the street with their weapons and shields drawn. They were immediately surrounded and were ordered to put their hands up. Ashur was following closely behind them with his hands clasped behind his back.

  “Are these two from the Air Force?” another guard asked him.

  “Yes, and I am very disappointed in both of you for breaking your curfew,” Ashur said threateningly. He leaned down and glared at both her and Azrael. “What were you two and your dragons doing out of bed this late at night?”

  “Nothing, we were just…” Selena tried to speak. She desperately wanted to tell them about Azrael and Doragon but she bit her tongue. Looking at Azrael from the corner of her eye, they stared at each other with such disgust, but the two were in silent agreement.

  “We were training,” Selena finished quietly and looked down at her feet.

  “Training this late? That’s reckless,” Ashur scowled. “Is this true, Azrael?”

  “Aye,” he grumbled but said nothing else in return.

  Ashur scanned the two of them before turning sharply.

  “Doragon and Thor, take your riders back to the barracks and it’s back to your stalls afterward,” Ashur ordered, “this will not happen again. General Araneus will not hear about it but if it happens again, he will receive a full report and disciplinary action will be taken. Am I clear?”

  “Yes sir,” Azrael and Selena said simultaneously.

  “Good. Dismissed.”

  As Ashur and the guards left the streets, Azrael spat to the ground before mounting his dragon.

  “Have fun in the morning,” he growled and he and his dragon flew away.

  Thor nudged her arm.

  It seems we don’t have much of a choice, Selena whispered to him.

  If he goes after you, I will attack. I don’t care what happens to me, Thor growled.

  He won’t. Because if he does, the Council will immediately know, as well as the rest of the Empire. He knows it’s not worth the risk.

  She attempted to board Thor’s saddle but her body was sore. She almost collapsed but her dragon caught her in his talons and carried her back to the barracks.

  *****

  “No…please…no more…”

  The pain was excruciating. Swallowed in utter darkness, Selena panicked. Her mouth filled with the most vile taste that ever plagued her lips. She lay curled up, shaking and trembling as she tried to control herself from vomiting blood.

  “Do you want to die?”

  The voice was dark and yet sounded shrill and childish at the same time. The words rang in her mind like the chimes of the Pyre.

  “I can give you death…I’ll show you that it’s so much easier to just give up and fade away…”

  Selena closed her eyes and opened them again. Instead of darkness, she found herself standing in the Hinterlands in front of the giant metal door. She instinctively tried to open it, but her attempt was unsuccessful. The door would not budge; it was sealed too tight. She was not sure what made her want to open it, but the mysteries and secrets concealed behind it were more than she could bear. The unknown was frightening, but at the same time, it captivated her.

  The doors swung open and she was swallowed into a black void.

  Her muscles ached when Selena woke up to the sound of the Pyre. Her heart was beating hard against her chest from the nightmare, and she found herself short of breath. The clock chimed three in the morning. She could barely move and decided to sleep in before she realized where she was. She sat up when she remembered her confrontation with Azrael, but it seemed more like a nightmare.
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br />   “That was terrifying,” she whispered to herself, “hearing that eerie voice telling me that I should die… I would rather confront Azrael than to have that haunt my dreams again.”

  She tried to get out of bed, despite the pain she felt throughout her body. She grabbed the clothes on her dresser and placing them under her chin to see how well they would fit before she tried them on.

  She changed out of her nightclothes and, after tying her thick cloth around her chest, got dressed in her new training robes. The collar gently brushed against her neck. The fabric was thin and light. Little black designs were etched at the end of her sleeves, curving in different directions. Underneath the pile of clothes was a sash that she picked up and tied around her waist. Her pants were baggy but they hugged her ankles.

  Erik moaned from his top bunk and stumbled out when he heard her muffling around the inside of the room. She had almost forgotten about him and felt her stomach sink.

  “Erik,” she called out as she climbed up the ladder and shook his shoulders.

  “What?” he mumbled and rubbed his eyes. Before Selena could speak, he pushed her hands out of the way. “I’m up.”

  The two slid down the ladder and he got dressed as well. She tried to look towards the corner of the room to give him privacy. Erik, on the other hand, did not take notice of her embarrassment. While she waited for him, she tied the laces of her boots and made sure that her other belongings were locked safely away in their chest. She did not want to get in trouble on her first day of basic training.

  Even though he did not say a word, Selena knew what was going on in his mind. The lines under his eyes showed that he barely got any sleep last night. His face held a cold and grim expression. She could not imagine putting herself in his shoes, having hope that he would have found a new beginning with possibly the only family he had left but then losing everything.

  “If you need to talk, I’m here,” she whispered to him.

  Erik gave her a gruff response before throwing his old clothes in a sack that hung from the top bunk.

  It was still dark out with barely a hint of light. The air was brisk and cold; Selena could see her breath.

  The two rushed towards the training grounds followed by the other half-awake recruits. There were not many, perhaps only thirty at most. Selena looked around to see everyone attempting to stand in single file and she followed suit.

  When the Pyre struck four, General Araneus appeared from the shadows followed by Ashur and someone whom Selena thought she would never see again.

  “Silver,” she whispered under her breath and smiled.

  Immediately Silver saw her and gave her a sly smile as he continued to walk beside Ashur. His usual attire was replaced with the same type of uniform that the General wore, but with different bands stitched into the sleeves to show that he was a lower rank. Ashur wore the same.

  General Araneus stopped and stood up straight to face the new group with his hands clasped behind his back.

  “Welcome to your first day of basic training. It will be the hardest, but I see that all of you are already here. This is the smallest group of recruits that we’ve ever worked with, but all of you will make fine soldiers for the Imperial Air Force. Allow me to introduce you to Captain Ashur Bel,” Araneus said and gestured towards him. Everyone bowed in respect, as did he.

  “And to Captain Silver Altessa, our newest to have advanced in rank in such a short amount of time,” Araneus finished.

  Silver took a bow as well.

  Selena’s eyes widened. She wondered if it was possible that he was related to Genesis Altessa, as that surname was not common.

  “Some of you may have difficulty with doing so, but you will obey your Captains’ every order. You will be surprised by how many have faced a court-martial for not following that simple rule. I will expect all of you to uphold your oath you made after the initiation,” Araneus’ voice roared.

  Selena turned to face Erik, who lowered his head to hide his sadness.

  Over the next few minutes, Araneus went over the same rules that he had discussed with Selena and Erik the night before. After he finished, he gave one final salute before stepping away, leaving Ashur and Silver in charge.

  “I’ll continue from here,” Ashur growled to Silver and took his place. Silver moved out of the way, but glared at his co-partner as if he wanted to object.

  “By the end of your nine weeks with me, you will all come to hate me, but all of you will learn discipline and respect. I will grind you into the ground so you will know how worthless you are! You are not dragon riders yet. You will have to earn that respect and that right! We will start by learning obedience. If any of you move by the time I come back here, I will see to it that all of you run the entire perimeter of Alfheim! Do I make myself clear?”

  “Sir, yes sir!” everyone shouted at different times.

  “I can’t hear you!” Ashur yelled again.

  “Sir, yes sir!” all of the recruits responded again, this time in unison.

  Silver looked as though he were about strike Ashur down himself, but he held his posture.

  The two of them turned around to leave them in the frigid cold. However, Selena faintly overheard their conversation.

  “Don’t you think that’s harsh?” Silver asked crudely.

  “I understand that this is your first basic training class, so I will forgive you for not seeing it my way,” Ashur responded coldly.

  “We’re supposed to start them off with drills according to General Araneus,” Silver scowled.

  “They will start drills after we teach them a lesson. This is to show them respect, diligence, and obedience. They will understand that they are just lowly pawns for the Council’s wars.”

  Silver abruptly stopped in his tracks and looked back, catching Selena’s glance before walking away.

  Selena could not tell how long they stood outside. Minutes turned to hours. The new soldiers looked around as if they were tempted to leave. The sun peeked above the Mustang Mountains and the Pyre chimed six in the morning.

  Finally she heard footsteps behind her, but she knew better than to move out of formation. Everyone else in the lineup straightened up as well.

  “I see all of you are still here, just as I ordered,” Ashur said as he walked in front. “Good. Perhaps you have what it takes to make it through the training.”

  Selena gritted her teeth, but she kept to herself.

  He pulled out a whistle he wore around his neck and blew hard to get everyone’s attention.

  “All of you will now head back inside to upkeep your personal hygiene and to clean your room. Your breakfast will be waiting for you when you finish in the great hall on the bottom stairs, at ten minutes before the Pyre chimes again. When you come back, we will begin drills. You are dismissed from my sight.”

  They all had less than an hour to complete their morning tasks. She rushed herself through everything to make sure that it got done. Unfortunately she had to remake her bed several times to make sure her sheets were not crinkled and that all of the corners were underneath the mattress. Erik had some trouble as well; it was more difficult doing it from the top bunk, so Selena volunteered to help him. The two of them rushed through their breakfast after being served corn meal and salted crackers with small pieces of an assortment of berries.

  By the time they finished, they met Ashur and Silver back at the training grounds where the real work began. They were instructed that most of their days would be filled practicing drills, as they were important in keeping the group together in times of combat, as well as to make sure everyone was battle ready at all times.

  It was a rough start. All the while, Ashur was teaching them command flanks as they marched around the training grounds. Everyone in the group were moving in different directions and tripping over each other while Ashur continued to yell. Silver, on the other hand, kept standing behind him looking as though he were annoyed. Anytime he attempted to give a command, Ashur immediately asser
ted his dominance by shouting out contradicting orders.

  After several hours of this, they were ordered to head towards an empty field beside the shooting range.

  Ashur immediately ordered all of the other recruits to run before he withdrew himself into the shadows.

  Selena attempted to run after them, but suddenly felt something hot strike her arm. She fell forward and gazed up at the blast of fire that disappeared as quickly as it came.

  She got to her feet and held out her hands in defense. When she heard footsteps behind her, Selena spun around on her toes, thinking it was her attacker. Without much thought, she immediately began channeling the energy around her and summoned waves of fire from her hands. However, when all was still again and the fire dissipated into the air, she saw that Ashur was standing before her with his hands up, ready to fight. Upon his face was a look of disappointment.

  “You failed that test, Liongod,” he said sternly as he lowered his hands to his side.

  “What?” she asked with a look of bafflement.

  Ashur closed his eyes.

  “I was curious as to how you handled your training duel last night. From what I can see, you reacted with rage and anger.”

  “I used magic to defend myself,” Selena said, feeling a little irritated.

  “You used magic as a way to seek revenge,” Ashur corrected, “I can sense it; you wanted to inflict as much damage as you could because I attacked you.”

  Selena became agitated, but she knew that he was right.

  She slowly lowered her hands to her sides, but Ashur quickly took advantage of this and attacked once again.

  “Don’t ever let your guard down in front of your enemy!”

  Selena fell to the ground, but she tried to catch herself with her hands. Her palms began bleeding.

  “Please, stop!” Selena yelled.

  “That is what the enemy wants you to do!” Ashur yelled back, “don’t just simply give him the victory he solely desires! Stand and fight, Liongod!”

  Selena got up on her feet just as Ashur sent another blast of fire in her direction. She crossed her arms in front of her to defend herself. She was forced back but she kept her position. Selena then spun around on her toes and waved her arms to create another large blast of fire from her palms that Ashur easily blocked.