by Logan Jacobs
“I am dead on my feet,” Elissa groaned after an hour or so of walking. “How much further?”
“You can sleep all day long once we reach Bronzeberg,” I said with a sympathetic smile. “Not much further, I promise.”
We didn’t stop for any breaks since everyone was anxious for the night to be over, and the moon was high in the sky by the time we reached the small village. I sighed with relief when I spotted the inn, and we all quickened our pace until we made it to the last remaining business in Bronzeberg.
“Y-Y-You’re alive!” The innkeeper, Gurgi, seemed astonished by our sudden appearance in his establishment, if his slack jaw was any indication.
“The dragon is dead,” I informed him with a proud lift of my chin.
“Oh, thank the gods! Your rooms are on the house,” Gurgi replied, and the man bowed his head numerous times. “If there’s anything else I can do for you, please let me know.”
“A wagon would be helpful,” I said. “Any chance you’d be able to sell us one?”
“I have a horse cart that wasn’t damaged during the dragon attack.” Gurgi nodded vigorously. “I’d be happy to give it to you.”
“I’ll pay for it,” I insisted. “You’ve had enough bad luck to last a lifetime, but I am grateful for your generosity.”
“Anything for the man who slayed the dragon,” Gurgi persisted. “I couldn’t accept a single coin.”
“I appreciate it, but it’s really not necessary,” I pressed. “Really, I’d be happy to pay. I insist, really.”
“Very well,” Gurgi sighed. “Your wish is my command.”
After the horses were unsaddled and tied out, we all collapsed into bed in an exhausted heap. I was almost too tired to realize Evangeline had crawled into bed beside Mahini, but I smiled to myself as the two women snuggled up against each other and went to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my name being called from outside.
“Sir Sebastian?” a man’s voice called out. “Great One?”
The sun glared through the window with an intense heat, and I cursed the dragon for burning down any of the shade trees that could have blocked the rays. Then I climbed out from beneath the pile of sleeping women, pulled on my clothes, and ducked out of my room to see what was going on.
Riondale, the rest of the men, and Sarosh’s followers waited for me outside, and they flashed me relieved expressions when I stepped out of the inn.
“You live!” Thom declared, and the group erupted into loud cheers.
“Didn’t you see the dragon’s head?” I asked as my gaze flicked to the skull stacked neatly against the front of the inn. “The beast is dead!”
“Hooray!” the people before me cheered and pumped their fists into the air. “The beast is dead!”
Everyone looked incredibly happy as they hugged each other, and then I was swarmed by everyone coming to congratulate me all at once. Riondale clapped me on the shoulder and grinned with pride, Thom and his brothers all shook my hand profusely, and the widows pressed me into warm hugs.
“Alright, alright,” I laughed as I pushed back the squeezing arms of Cristal. “Let me go, and I’ll show you the dragon’s head.”
Everyone liked that idea, so I led the small crowd over to my treasure, the dragon’s skull. Its tongue hung out the side of its gaping maw, and its ruined eyes were rolled back into its head.
“How did you conquer the fire breath?” Jorgen gasped.
“A god has to keep his secrets,” I quipped, but I knew the hunter had seen me use my ice magic before. He was just amazed by the kill I’d managed and wasn’t thinking clearly, but I wasn’t about to correct him.
A short while later, the women woke up and joined us outside. I’d recounted our adventure up the mountain while they slept, but they filled in the details I’d left out once they joined the party.
Then we got the cart from Gurgi, and with many helping hands, we made light work out of loading the dragon pieces onto the cart. I strapped the vehicle to two of our horses, and then we went about packing up the rest of our items on the remaining steeds.
Once we were ready to head out, we waved to the few people left in Bronzeberg, thanked the innkeeper again, and departed for Vallenwood. It took us an entire day of steady travel before we reached the capital of Sorreyal, but the golden walls were a sight for sore eyes when we finally arrived.
Word must have spread of our arrival, though, because we were greeted at the gates by a large crowd of people. Children ran through the streets ahead of us, trumpets blared from some unknown sources, and women giggled as they fluttered their eyelashes at my men.
We were returning heroes, vanquishers of the dragon’s terror, and saviors of Sorreyal.
It was fucking amazing.
The king met us at the steps of the palace, and his eyes took in the sight of Smiguel’s skull greedily. I knew he was just as excited as I was to see the end of the beast’s horrors, but I wondered what sort of magic the king’s wizard could cook up with that much dragon.
I made sure to keep the egg hidden, though, since I didn’t want to explain to the king why I was keeping it. The less people who knew about it, the better, and I barely trusted Sarosh’s followers with the secret. The elven-like priestess already knew of the egg’s existence, though, so I didn’t think there was any point in hiding it from the twelve people.
“Sir Sebastian of Bastianville,” the king said in a loud voice that echoed out over the gathered crowd. “You have conquered the dragon and freed Sorreyal from its reign of terror. On behalf of the kingdom, I thank you for your service.”
“You’re very welcome,” I replied with a grin. “Now, about my title.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” King Frederick chuckled. “You are now officially His Grace, Sir Sebastian, the Archduke of Bastianville, and Dragon Slayer.”
“Don’t forget God of Time,” I reminded him.
“Yes, yes, of course.” The king laughed, and he clapped me on the shoulder. “Are you ready for the feast in your honor? The people haven’t had this much cause to celebrate in a very long time.”
“I would like that,” I said. “As long as my men and the rest of my followers have a seat at the table as well.”
“Yes, there’s room enough for everyone,” the king answered, and his gaze flicked across the faces of my loyal followers. “Anyone who serves the Dragon Slayer will be rewarded for their bravery.”
“Now that the dragon is dead,” I said in a serious tone. “Are you going to tour the countryside to get to know your people better?”
“If you insist,” the king sighed. “I suppose it could be good for the crown to get out and about every once in a while.”
“It will be good for all of Sorreyal,” I pointed out. “What good is a ruler if he is unfamiliar with the people he leads?”
“You make a valid point, Your Grace,” the king replied with an incline of his head. “But let us focus on the feast for now. We have so much to celebrate, let’s forget these affairs of state and just enjoy the evening.”
Well, I couldn’t really argue with that.
We partied with the king for several hours before we returned to our rooms in the west wing. It was a little more cramped than our previous stay since Sarosh and her followers joined us, but there were plenty of beds for everyone.
The next morning, the elven-like priestess strode into the dining room while I was eating breakfast, and she cleared her throat loudly to get my attention. The room fell silent as all eyes latched onto her timeless face, and the silver-haired older woman smiled radiantly at me from across the table.
“Goodbye, Your Grace,” she said with a curtsey. “It is time for us to part ways.”
“You don’t have to leave so soon,” I argued with a frown. “Stay and enjoy breakfast.”
“I must go.” Sarosh shook her head. “The further I am away from you when my master comes to visit me, the better. I fear the worst will happen if you are nearby. His
wrath can be volatile.”
“I don’t want him to hurt you.” My frown deepened. “Are you sure I cannot convince you to stay?”
Sarosh shook her head again, but a sad smile pulled at her lips. “You have convinced me to live, that is more than I expected even a god to be capable of. I will see you again, once my master agrees to meet with you in person. I’m sure I will be by his side.”
“Good.” I relaxed my frown and gave the priestess a grateful smile. “That makes me happy. You promise you’ll be okay?”
“Yes, I promise,” Sarosh laughed, and the musical sound reminded me of wind chimes clinking in the breeze.
“It was nice to meet you,” Elissa said with a charming smile. “I’m glad you want to live now.”
“After witnessing the Great One’s power, I realized there is so much magic left in this world for me to see,” Sarosh explained, and her usually sharp features softened. “Thank you all for welcoming me and my people. I will never forget your kindness.”
“It was the least we could do,” Eva insisted, and she took the older woman’s hands in hers and squeezed them warmly. “Travel safely, Sarosh. Until we meet again.”
“Until we meet again,” the priestess replied before she nodded to her followers, and they all left the west wing as a group.
“That was an adventure,” I quipped once they’d left the area. “I can’t say I’m happy to see them go, though.”
“Thom and his brothers were good men,” Riondale noted. “I hope to see them again someday.”
“At least you stopped them from performing that horrid ritual.” Elissa shuddered. “Not only did you save Sorreyal from the dragon, but you saved all those people from suicide.”
“All thanks to one dragon’s death,” I said with a grin. “Easy, peasy, dragon killy.”
“You are so strange,” Mahini laughed.
“That’s why you love me, though,” I countered, and I wiggled my eyebrows at the desert goddess, which made her giggle.
After breakfast, we all packed up our belongings once more, and then we began the trip back to Castle Bullard to confront the duke for what I hoped to be the final time.
I almost felt bad for the guy. The last time I’d come to town, I’d brought the news of his son’s death by my hand. This time, I was going to have to tell him his daughter and nine of his men were going with me. I hoped the old man took it in stride and didn’t try to start a war, because he would lose.
As an archduke, however, I was sure he wouldn’t be in any position to argue with me. Plus, I had the king’s blessing, and I knew he didn’t like Bullard.
I wasn’t worried about anything now that the dragon was dead. I could return to Bastianville as an archduke, and no one would interfere with my dominion over the small copper mining town.
I couldn’t wait to introduce Evangeline to the rest of the townspeople back in Bastianville, and then I would begin the work of expanding my house until it was fit for an archduke.
Maybe someday I’d have a palace fit for a king, but I was ready to go home and take a break from adventuring. At least for now.
With creepy masters, mythical creatures, and other bad guys roaming throughout Sorreyal, I was sure my adventures were far from over, but I was happy with what I’d accomplished so far.
We hit the road to Bullard shortly after breakfast, and I rode between my three women at the front of the group.
“I can’t wait to see my father’s face,” Evangeline snickered. “He’s going to explode. It will be hilarious.”
“I cannot wait to get back to my father,” Elissa mused. “I’m sure he misses me terribly.”
“While you guys talk about your fathers,” Mahini quipped, “I’m over here fantasizing about sharpening my sword’s edge.”
“All three of you are absolutely perfect,” I informed them with a proud grin. “I couldn’t ask for better companions.”
“We are lucky to have you,” my wife cooed.
“I wouldn’t follow anyone else,” Mahini assured me.
“What adventures come next?” Eva asked with an arched eyebrow.
“All of them,” I replied.
My wife might consider herself lucky to have me, but I felt like I was the lucky one. I had three beautiful women by my sides, nine loyal soldiers at my back, and an arsenal of powerful weapons and magic at my disposal.
I was the unbeatable, unbreakable God of Time, and Sorreyal was my playground.
End of Book 3
End Notes
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 by Logan Jacobs