Alderan nudged his shoulder. “Father?”
Nardus pulled himself back into the present. As he looked around the circle, he noticed the eyes of the entire group lay upon him. “I am here.”
Alderan knelt before him, his eyes glistening with tears. “Tell me you’ve figured out another way. Tell me Aria can be saved.”
“I’ve figured out another way, son. We will save your sister.” With a wink, he rose to his feet and gestured toward the stump he vacated. “Have a seat, son.” Alderan took his place on the stump.
Nardus slowly walked the inside perimeter of the small circle as he talked. “As you all know, my name is Cyrus Nithik, First Mage of Ūrdär Dhef Ƨäfn Dhä. You also know that I faced Cinolth once before and ripped his heart from his chest. Trust me when I tell you that we do not possess the strength or numbers as when I faced him before. However, that does not mean I am without hope. On the contrary, I have more hope now than I ever did that day, even more so than in that moment when the glow in Cinolth’s eyes faded.”
The entire group sat still, captivated by his every word. Only a breeze through the trees disrupted the perfect silence. He continued, “We can win, and we will.”
“How?” asked Zerenity.
Nardus turned and faced her. Despite his age, she’d experienced far more years than he had. Her silver locks and wrinkled skin proved it, yet her bright-blue eyes still held onto a youthfulness he envied. He held out his hand. “Give me the bracelet.”
Zerenity slipped the metal bracelet off her wrist and handed it to him. “I’m not sure how much energy is left in it.”
Nardus held the bracelet against the matching one on his own wrist. Light arced between the two for a split second as the energy from Zerenity’s bracelet transferred to his. The deed done, he stuffed the spent bracelet into his pocket.
He glanced skyward. Ƨäʈūr, let that be enough for what must be done.
“Thank you.” He paced again as he laid out the plan. “Zerenity, Alderan, Theyn, and I will face Pravus in the Arian Valley tomorrow morning. The rest of you will wait here and keep the citizens of Elatos and Vallah calm and safe.”
“I’m going too,” said Rayah. “My duty is to protect Alderan, and nothing you say will hinder me from doing it.”
Nardus sighed. “Very well.”
Alderan leaned over and whispered something to Rakzar, but Nardus wasn’t close enough to hear what he said.
“Count me in,” growled Rakzar.
“I go where he goes,” added Urza.
Ridan stood. “Since we’re not killing Pravus, I will retrieve Normak’s body in the morning and return home.” She left the circle and headed toward the tunnel.
Berggren stood. “Don’t think you can have all the fun without me.”
Nardus whipped around. “No, Iceberg.” His voice boomed. “I saw how the people in the stronghold responded to you and followed your command. They’re in desperate need of a good leader. They need you.”
Berggren crossed his arms. Muscles bulged like boulders. “Theyn does too. And I’ve yet to avenge Shaul’s death.”
Theyn stood and joined Nardus in the middle of the circle. She wove her fingers into his. “Nardus is right, Father. You must stay back and protect the people. Protect Niesha. They are the ones who still live. They matter more than risking your life for vengeance. Besides, you know killing Pravus will kill Aria as well. It’s not an option.”
Nardus held tight to Theyn’s hand. She’d become the physical anchor Vitara could no longer be, and her presence strengthened him. “If you won’t listen to me, then listen to your daughter, Iceberg. She is far wiser than either of us.”
Berggren grumbled and mumbled something under his breath as he sat back down.
Nardus looked around. “Shall I continue?” No one said another word. “Good.” He released Theyn’s hand and began pacing once more. Theyn sat back down.
“Look, the plan is quite simple.” He pointed at his wrist. “With the energy left in this bracelet, I’ll be able to stop time.”
Several around the circle gasped. Eshtak bounced up and down and clapped. Niesha’s eyes grew almost as big as her smile.
Nardus continued, “Holding time requires a lot of energy to begin with but holding it against another mage and a dragon will be far more taxing. Once invoked, I’ll only be able to hold them for about ten seconds.”
He turned toward Alderan. “This is where you come in. The bow you carry is far more special than you might know. Combined with its strength, the metal arrows you possess can be used to penetrate Cinolth’s scales. A perfect shot will pierce his heart. I’ve seen you in action, son. There’s no better shot than you.”
Nardus locked eyes with Zerenity. “The arrow tips are made to splay out and grab hold of whatever they’ve pierced. Once that arrow is loosed and meets its mark, you will rip it back out of Cinolth’s chest.”
Zerenity shook her head and scowled. “You cannot ask that of me. I refuse to be the cause of tens of thousands of innocent deaths.”
“And you won’t be,” said Nardus.
“Earlier, you said they’d all die if we killed Cinolth,” said Calen.
“I know, but I hadn’t had time to think it through. Now I have, and I believe everyone would still be safe.”
“Why?” asked Rayah. “What’s changed?”
“I lived with Cinolth’s heart lodged in my chest for weeks. During that time, he spoke to me and influenced my thoughts and actions. I thought I was mad at first, but his spirit lived on through his heart. Because of this, I am certain that his failsafe will not be triggered unless his heart is destroyed.”
Zerenity cocked her head and tapped her chin with her finger. “I can see the logic in that.” She nodded slowly. “I’ll do what you’ve asked of me but know that there will be retribution if what you’ve said turns out to be wrong.”
Nardus smiled. “And I won’t stop you from doing so.”
He approached Rakzar and Urza. “Since you insist on coming along, your jobs will be to distract Aria and Pravus long enough for me and Alderan to get positioned. Remember that anything you do to Pravus happens to Aria too. Use that to your advantage but do not kill either of them. Understood?”
Click-click!
Urza’s knives dropped into her hands. “Trust me, we’re quite good at causing distractions.” She twirled the knives a few times and sheathed them.
“Neither of them will be a problem,” Rakzar confirmed.
“Shardan—Alderan—son.” Nardus shook his head. “Forgive me. There are two important factors you must remember when taking the shot. A dragon’s heart is on the left side of their body, not the right. In addition to that, even with your arrows, you cannot shoot Cinolth straight on. His scales are positioned in a way that will twist and bend the arrow as it penetrates. A shot like that will be worthless. You must shoot him right through the armpit. It’s the only chance we have.”
“Then we’ll need to make sure his arm is raised before you stop time,” said Alderan.
Nardus smiled. “Precisely.”
“And what happens once we have his heart?” asked Theyn.
“We will take it to the one place Aria and Pravus can’t go,” Nardus replied.
“Räəllm Kenzhärd Dhä?” asked Zerenity.
“No,” said Nardus. “The Conjured Realm no longer exists. Removing Cinolth’s heart from Ʈämbəll Dhef Däd Dhä destroyed it.”
“Then where?” demanded Zerenity.
Something in the air made Nardus’s flesh crawl. He peered into the shadows surrounding the group but saw nothing. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. “This is no place to discuss such a matter. Rest assured that everything will fall into place as needed.” He clapped his hands together. “Now, let’s get back inside and get some rest. The morning will be here soon.”
Nardus grabbed Alderan’s arm as he walked by. “Wait, son. Ther
e’s one more thing.”
Alderan stopped and turned around. “What is it?”
“Cinolth knows he can’t use his fire to kill me, but he won’t hesitate to use it on you.”
Alderan frowned. “Aria wouldn’t allow it.”
“Do not be deceived, son. She has no control over that beast.” Nardus removed his necklace with the dragon amulet and offered it to Alderan. “Put this on. It will protect you from his fiery breath.”
Alderan backed away, his hands raised in front of himself. “No. I can’t take that from you. Your life is far more valuable than mine.”
Nardus gritted his teeth to stave off a torrent of tears. “You couldn’t be further from the truth. I would die a thousand deaths for you. You are the savior of the world, Shardan, not me. Ilia, your birth mother, prophesied it.” He grabbed Alderan’s hand and shoved the amulet into it. “Wear the damned thing.”
Alderan sighed. “Yes, Father.” He pulled the necklace over his head and tucked it beneath his shirt.
Nardus clasped Alderan’s arm and pulled him into an embrace. “Tomorrow, everything will happen as it should. Remember that.”
“I will.”
† † †
Wrik waited patiently for the last member of Nardus’s group to descend into the hidden tunnel before he flew down from the tree he’d perched in. He’d heard every word of their plan and began formulating one of his own. They would provide the perfect distraction for him to take Aria’s life. She’d never know what hit her.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Gooseflesh prickled Rayah’s arms as weeping, howling, and wails of agony and ecstasy filled the early morning. A symphony concocted of wretched and vile acts. She tried to block it out by singing a hymn in her head, but it surrounded her.
A full moon hung overhead, spotlighting the chaos that engulfed the Arian Valley. Groups of both man and beast tortured and raped women, children, and men alike, laughing, fighting, and drinking until they vomited or passed out.
Rayah shuddered and tightened her grip on Alderan’s hand. Ƨäʈūr, how can You allow such evil to exist? Come down from Your perch and lay waste to them before it’s too late.
Rayah breathed through her mouth to counter the pungent odor that stung her nostrils and burned her throat, but it didn’t prevent the taste of the air from roiling her stomach. She kept her focus straight ahead as she, Alderan, Nardus, Theyn, Rakzar, Urza, and Zerenity walked through the middle of the scorched valley. She didn’t look for them but knew Ridan and Bakkan watched from the overlook atop Silex Peak. Berggren and the others stayed back at the stronghold. The people there would need his leadership in the coming months.
Severed heads lined the path they followed, dipped in tar and set ablaze atop long pikes driven into the ground. Death flies swarmed around the pikes and nipped at Rayah’s arms and legs, some drawing blood. She swatted at them with her free hand, but it didn’t deter them.
The dead surround us, and you choose to feast on me?
After enduring the myriad trials over the last several weeks, she imagined that she smelled of death.
About a quarter mile ahead, two dozen giants began pounding drums six feet tall and at least as many feet in diameter. Their rhythm supplanted the beat of her heart and left her numb. She looked up at Alderan, but his gaze focused straight ahead. She followed his gaze with her eyes.
In the distance, a hill rose to meet a wide plateau, and at its brow sat two white thrones—undoubtedly fashioned from recently acquired bones. Torches lined the sides and backs of the thrones, shrouding the faces of the figures sitting on them in darkness, but enhancing the enormity of the obsidian dragon that squatted behind them.
Cinolth.
Rayah’s throat dried in an instant. Beads of sweat formed on her brow and ran down her nape and the center of her back. She swallowed hard, but it left a lump in the back of her throat.
She didn’t need to see the faces of the two people sitting on the thrones to know who they were. Fear rose in her gut and manifested as side-splitting pain. It nearly doubled her over. She set her jaw and clenched her free hand.
You will not rule me, Aria Rosai. Nor will you, Lord Rosai. I’d rather die.
Her chest convulsed with the thought, and she choked back tears. Alderan didn’t look at her but shook her hand forcefully. Distraught, she hadn’t noticed that she’d been squeezing it as hard as she could.
She loosened her death grip and reached out to Alderan with her mind. “I’m sorry.”
Several moments passed, and Alderan didn’t respond or even glance down at her. His gaze never left Aria. She seethed with hatred and glowered at the woman.
The giants’ relentless drumming thrummed in her ears, and the ground shook as their small procession passed through the middle of them. Rayah and the others stopped at the bottom of the hill, and the drumming ceased. Lord Rosai rose from his throne and raised his fist in the air. Within a handful of seconds, the entire horde quieted, save one large orc who continued to rape a bound and gagged human woman.
Rayah’s cheeks burned, and she gagged, but she couldn’t look away.
How can they be so disgusting and evil? Have they no shame?
Moments later, an arrow whooshed through the early morning and buried itself in the side of the orc’s head. His head lolled and drooped. He grunted and collapsed.
Rayah gasped and looked away, but not before witnessing Nardus flinch. She’d caught pieces of the story of how Nardus’s wife and youngest child had died, and his reaction to the arrow through the orc’s head pained her.
I’m sorry, Nardus.
She couldn’t imagine how much pain he’d endured losing those so close to him, and she feared she’d know soon enough.
Alderan…
Tears welled in her eyes as she turned to the side and dry-heaved.
“Rayah, calm yourself,” said Alderan. “I am the savior of the world, and Ƨäʈūr is on our side. You’ve nothing to fear.” His voice exuded a confidence she’d never known him capable of, and it settled her nerves.
Rayah took a deep breath and regretted it immediately. The air, permeated with death, smoke, and every other foul odor in existence, stung her throat and nostrils and left the taste of burned flesh and feces in her mouth and on her tongue. She spat on the ground, but the taste remained with her.
† † †
Pravus cracked his knuckles and glared at Cyrus, the festering thorn in his side.
You’ll die by my hand this very morning.
He rose from his throne fashioned from the bones of his enemies and sauntered down the hill, stopping a dozen paces from Cyrus. Pravus counted Cyrus and the others with his finger. Seven.
He chuckled. “Is it a coincidence that there are seven of you, or is this your pathetic attempt to reform Ūrdär Dhef Ƨäfn Dhä?”
Cyrus didn’t respond but glanced over at Alderan and nodded.
Alderan released the hand of the dryte who stood next to him and stepped forward. “As per our agreement, I’ve delivered my father into your hands. Take his life and end this damned war.”
Pravus cocked his head. Something seemed amiss, but he couldn’t place its source. He had little doubt Cyrus would show his face, but was the man truly so righteous that he’d freely give his life to save a world full of pathetic and unworthy people? Surely he knew his death wouldn’t end the killing.
So what is his angle? Has he come here to fight me?
No, he knows anything he does to me will be done to Aria as well.
Pravus brooded. Then what?
Cyrus glanced down at himself and smiled. “I’m not dead yet. Have you had a change of heart?” he mocked. “No, that would require having a heart to begin with.”
You know nothing of how truly heartless I am.
Pravus reached within and called upon his mezhik. It crackled at his fingertips, begging to be released. “For the longest time, I thought this day would never com
e.” A red fireball rose into his outstretched palm. He sneered, “I hope you burn in Ef Demd Dhä, you bastard.”
Suddenly, there were a dozen copies of Cyrus. The other six with him drew weapons and called upon their mezhik as they spread out.
Pravus targeted the original Cyrus and thrust his fireball. The Cyrus copy shattered like glass upon impact. His eyes narrowed as he conjured another fireball. For a split second, he swore he glimpsed Cyrus’s true location.
You cannot lie to the master of lies. Your illusion skills are pathetic compared to mine.
He sneered and loosed the fireball.
† † †
Nardus conjured a thick wall of ice between him and Pravus, easily blocking Pravus’s fireball. The wall wouldn’t hold for long, but he didn’t need it to. Rakzar, Urza, and Rayah would engage Pravus and keep him busy.
“Time to find—” The ground quaked as Cinolth dropped to the ground between him and Alderan, joining the fray. “Never mind.”
Flames burst from Cinolth’s open maw and engulfed Alderan and Rayah. He thanked Ƨäʈūr not only for having the foresight to give Alderan the amulet but also for the fact that Rayah had been touching Alderan’s arm. That single fact had saved her life. She likely wouldn’t be lucky twice.
The ice wall exploded toward Nardus with a thunderous crack, but the icy shards melted before they reached him.
Aria approached, arms at her sides and the left side of her lip curled into a snarl. Mezhik arced and crackled across her splayed fingers.
Ƨäʈūr, don’t make me hurt her.
Nardus turned to defend himself, but thick vines lashed out, wrapped Aria’s waist, and hurled her backward. Zerenity gave him a nod and then headed in the direction she’d thrown Aria.
A giant rumbled toward him from the right. Brinzhär Dädh sang as he unsheathed it. A somersault and three quick moves brought the giant down, but several zhebəllin and a couple of ogres headed his direction.
Theyn’s voice entered his mind as she lunged forward and shifted into her cat form. “Concentrate on getting Cinolth into position and leave everything else to me.”
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