Fallen Sepulchre

by J D Franx

  I take it back, in this form she is stronger. Akai quipped. But she is beautiful.

  The spirit and the dragon’s words took the fight from his fury as he remembered his first of many horrific nights in Talohna. The foreign entity in his body, the sparkling black magic, the healing—all of it finally made so much more sense on how he had survived.

  Akai was right, she was amazingly beautiful.

  “Tell me the truth,” he panted. “Can one goddamn person in this fucking world tell me the truth.” With his anger spent because of the amazing sight in front of him, he released his weapons.

  “I am,” the dragon growled. “It saved your life, but...I...” He could feel her regret radiate through her aura, and as if her own words had deflated her anger, the dragon calmed. As she shifted back to Human-form, he stared in awe. “You paid a terrible price,” she said. “The god’s magic left you defenseless for when you encountered Sythrnax. I am sorry for what you suffered. It was not my intention.”

  Kael shook his head. “I can sense your regret—guilt even—but understand that I have been pulled by strings since the moment I got here. I am tired of it.”

  “In a way, you have. Unfortunately, it is the way of this world. We are not merely fighting for our lives, but for the existence of our races,” she told him. Her determination washed over his senses. “And you are the only weapon we have. I wish to be your ally, Kael, not another enemy.”

  Finally, he took a deep breath and sighed. “Very well,” he said. “What exactly do you want from me?”

  The Queen cocked her head and smiled. “Simple, Kael. Take my daughter and these eggs to a dimension where time moves faster—five times faster than it did in the afterlife. Take however long is required to make sure she will be safe while there and then return. After all you could spend a year there and only be gone from here for just over two days. Do so and Giddeon is yours.”

  “I knew it,” he spat and shook his head in disbelief. “Cracking dimensional barriers isn’t something I’ve had a lot of experience with. None, in fact. What you’re asking… Free the Northman, Kasik and make sure he is returned to Corynth, and I will consider it.”

  “Saving your complete goal until an opportunity presents itself. Well done, Kael. Most people would have asked for Giddeon and Kasik at the same time. You have a deal.”

  “My willingness won’t make it any safer,” he snorted.

  “It is extremely dangerous. Yes. I am well-aware of the dangers of dimensional travel. However, you have already cracked the most difficult dimensional barrier... the one between life and death. Surely, this will be much easier. Besides, Saleece returning in a year’s time with seven full grown dragons is well worth the risk, and it will give us an edge against our ancient enemy.”

  Kael frowned, missing something. “I am not staying in another dimension for a year… wait… seven?” he asked.

  “You disappoint me, Kael,” Queen WhiteScale said. “I heard that mind of yours was quite sharp and unique.”

  She had not even finished mocking him before he realized his mistake. The Queen had said earlier that only a queen could hatch the eggs, yet he knew Queen WhiteScale would never leave Talohna. “Of course.” He sighed. “Saleece wasn’t born, was she?”

  “Of course not. She is the heir to the Superior Dragonthrone and only a century away from being mature. A thousand years will make her unstoppable,” the Queen answered.

  Kael shook his head. “Surely the Fae Matriarch would help you?”

  “Of course, she would, but we need to return in a year’s time. The Fae will not open a gate twice for anyone. But you can, can't you, Kael?”

  “Maybe…” he replied, unable to restrain the disbelief in his voice. “I’ve never opened a doorway to another dimension before, let alone a specific one. You do know that I didn’t open a doorway back to the living. The tree of life brought me here.” It was partially true.

  “I can give you all the details you will need,” the Queen said, smiling.

  “Fine,” Kael snapped as the Queen returned to her throne. “You have a deal. Just don’t bitch about it when I kill us all and I flash cook six dragon omelets.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Do not engage an enemy more powerful than you and if it is unavoidable and you do have to engage then make sure you engage it on your terms and not on your enemy’s terms.”

  Sun Tzu, The Art of War

  VER KARMOT, DRAGON ISLES

  BLOODKIN CASTLE

  Kael shot from his dimensional vortex as if being launched from a catapult. Unable to control his momentum, he crashed into several DragonKin royal guards, and they all tumbled across the floor before slamming into a crystal wall. He opened his eyes and saw he had made it back to BloodKin Castle alive.

  “What happened?” Queen WhiteScale snarled.

  Groaning, Kael rolled over onto his stomach. He rose to his knees but knew there was no way he could stand yet. “You’d better hope I get a better handle on this dimensional travel shit over the next year, or your daughter and those eggs are long gone.”

  “What went wrong?” the Queen demanded a second time.

  Struggling to stand, it took him a few tries to reach his feet. “You picked a dimension filled with active magical energies. It reacted with the vortex when I opened the doorway back to here.”

  “Then you had better practice, Kai’Sar, because I expect you to be back here in Ver Karmot exactly one year from now in compliance with our deal.”

  “Yeah,” he muttered. “Unlike everyone else in this world, I actually keep my bloody word. I’ll be here. Now, you have something of mine.” He struggled to remain standing, but he finally managed to stabilize himself.

  The Queen gave him a quick bow. “I, also, keep my word, Kael. Commander Zatassa, please bring Giddeon up from the dungeon.” Turning to Kael, she added, “You are lucky that Giddeon has recovered over the past few months. He is nearly back to full strength. Thanks to my daughter’s insistent pleas for his mercy.”

  “Good,” Kael said, frowning as the crystal doors opened. Zatassa led Giddeon into the throne room and pushed the ArchWizard to his knees in front of Queen WhiteScale. Kael stared at the man who had caused him so much pain and just barely managed to suppress the urge to kill him on the spot.

  “Giddeon Zirakus,” Queen WhiteScale began, “it has been one year since you have been accused of treason against the magical races of Talohna. Under normal circumstances, after the one-year mark, you would be dragged from your cell and executed. You have been spared this sentence because another representative of the magical races has asked that you be placed in their custody.”

  “Do what you will, Queen WhiteScale,” Giddeon said and sighed. The man was a shadow of his former self. Kael almost felt sorry for him… almost.

  “I will,” she replied. “I have granted his request. You are no longer my problem, Giddeon Zirakus, though you will remain a constant concern for me. May the gods grant your soul mercy. You are now the problem of the only true Kai’Sar to ever live.” She extended her clawed hand toward Kael, but Giddeon did not turn.

  Kael sensed Giddeon’s stomach drop as it were his own and the man’s aura flooded with confusion. He did not understand what was happening. The ArchWizard turned slowly and blinked several times as his eyes settled on Kael.

  “No,” he whispered. “You’re dead. You can’t be real.”

  Kael covered the distance between him and Giddeon in less time than it took the old wizard to blink, again.

  “I was dead, and I am very real,” Kael growled. He grabbed Giddeon by the scruff of his neck and glanced at the Queen. She nodded. Kael pulled Giddeon to his feet and spun, using his free hand to open a vortex. Stepping through, he used the rush of magic to push Giddeon through to the far side and out into the crumbling top floor of Jasala’s Black Arc. Using the momentum from the jump, he slammed Giddeon into the stone wall as the magic doorway closed behind them. “Why?”

  Giddeon gr
appled at Kael’s hand but could not break himself free. “We didn’t know, Kael. I am so sorry.”

  “Not good enough,” Kael growled. He whirled, tossing the wizard across the room into the other wall as he vanished in a cloud of black. Black smoke trailed behind him while he reappeared and snatched Giddeon before he fell over the edge to his death. Kael curled his fingers around the wizard’s throat and squeezed.

  “How could we... know?” Giddeon spat and gurgled as Kael squeezed harder. “We lost...”

  Kael screamed wordlessly and turned Giddeon around. Jasala’s memories vibrated inside his head. Her fear, her agony and her exhaustion assaulted his senses. “Look!” he bellowed. Pointing out across the Forsaken Lands battlefield before the Black Arc, he pushed Giddeon further over the edge of the broken wall. “This is where your kind began hunting mine! This is where your kind started killing innocent children! This is where mothers and fathers began murdering their own newborns!”

  “We were wrong, Kael!” Spinning again, he pushed Giddeon into another wall. The ancient brick and mortar cracked but held.

  “Did you know about the assassin in Kazzador City?” he demanded.

  “Of course, not... but I should have known,” Giddeon said as he struggled against Kael’s grip. “King Bale always had a contingency plan... I should have seen it coming… I didn’t want you to die, Kael...”

  The urge to snap Giddeon’s neck nearly overwhelmed him, and he was shocked when Akai’s voice slid into his mind.

  Easy, Kael. If you kill Talohna’s only ArchWizard, you will be hunted forever. It will distract the world from the true threat.

  “I don’t care anymore,” he growled.

  “Who are you talking to, son?” Giddeon asked. “Are you hearing voices? This is why I wanted to talk you when we caught up to you. Let me help you.”

  Kael laughed. “Always the witless fool, aren’t you?”

  “Come with me to see King Bale—”

  “King Bale is dead,” he snapped. “Corleya sits on what is left of the Cethosian throne.”

  “That can’t be true.” Giddeon’s voice trailed off. “By Inara’s grace, what has happened since that day? How long has it been?”

  “For you, a year. When you abandoned your search for Corleya and turned it toward me, you drove Cethos into civil war. It opened the door for a coup by the Grand Duke. King Bale died several days ago.”

  “How?” Giddeon said, frowning in confusion. “Why?”

  “Didn’t you hear?” Kael mocked. “The Ancients have returned.”

  “I heard,” Giddeon said. “That can only be a good thing.”

  Kael’s anger flared again, and it dawned on him that this idiot in front of him—birth father or not—would only hasten the downfall of Talohna.

  “I doubt Joran Bale would agree. That’s why you must die, Giddeon.” He raised his hand and magic ignited in his palm.

  “Don’t do this, Kael.” Giddeon begged of him, but it only made the magic blaze brighter while Kael struggled to hold on to his anger. “This will eat you alive,” Giddeon said quickly.

  “No more than crushing an angel like a bug,” Kael retorted. The magic in his hand flashed, extending past his fist before solidifying into a black and purple spike. “Good bye, Giddeon,” Kael said and swung.

  “They’re still alive!” Giddeon shrieked. Kael pulled the spike at the last moment, and it exploded against the wall beside his head.

  “How dare you?” Kael growled.

  “It’s true. I swear,” Giddeon told him.

  “You told me they died.” Kael frowned as a storm of emotions rushed over him. “You said—”

  “I lied,” Giddeon sputtered. “I lied. I’m sorry. I didn’t know at that time what I do now.”

  “Tell me the truth, you goddamn shit,” Kael hissed. “Or I will rip your soul from your body and feed it to the WraithLords in this tower.”

  I’ll take it. Akai offered lightly in his head, but quickly retreated as Kael snarled internally.

  “They’re alive, Kael,” Giddeon repeated. “Or they were. I swear, they couldn’t have been more than an hour behind us when we found you in Kazzador City. I swear, it is true. Queen WhiteScale told me Ember and Max were with the king and queen of DormaSai. They should be in Drae’Kahn.”

  “An hour?” he said. “That can’t be true. She lied.” Kael released Giddeon and stepped back. “She lied. It had to be, had to be... had to be a lie...” Memories true and false rolled through his mind. and none of it made any sense.

  “Who, Kael?” Giddeon asked as he approached cautiously. “Who lied?”

  “The demon queen,” he answered and collapsed to the floor. “She partially lied… but it’s true… or did she lie about it all… but why? Why only half truths... it doesn’t make any sense,” he mumbled and grabbed his head.

  “Blessed Lady Inara. What happened to you?” Giddeon asked as he crouched beside him. “Tell me. For once, let me help you, please. Tell me what to do, Kael.”

  Kael wanted nothing more than to kill the man before him, but his fight and his anger fled as the insipid burn of insanity crept in on him. “The demon queen told me Max and Ember had found me shortly after I died, and that Sythrnax killed them right after,” he cried. “But it wasn’t real… the Dreamscape. The demon queen, she.... she... it’s not real, this can’t be real. None of this can be fucking real!” he shouted.

  “It’s all right, Kael,” Giddeon whispered and grabbed him. “Gods, what happened to you?”

  “This can... can’t be real... not real. More illusions… more dreams… am I back? Really? Really back… am, am, am I even alive Giddeon?” Kael stuttered. Thoughts and images tumbled violently through his head, and reality slipped further away as insanity ate into his mind. “It can’t be... r... real, real. Sythrnax knows. Sythrnax... where’s Sythrnax?”

  Giddeon shook his head. “You are alive, son, I promise you. I don’t know about the rest. May I?” he asked, touching Kael’s chest. Lost in his swirling thoughts, Kael merely nodded.

  Giddeon pulled Kael’s armor down a little and gasped. “You were in hell, Kael. You’re marked with Reetha’s Ichor. How? How are you here in the living world if you were dead?”

  “Here?” Kael said. “Killed. Fought… not back yet… this… is not real. DreamScape has… has to be still...”

  “Come on, Kael,” Giddeon said. “We need to get you back to Corynth. Maybe the Priestess of Rule can help.”

  “No,” he barked. His mind settled the slightest bit, and he focused on the one thing he knew for sure. “DormaSai. If I can’t find Sythrnax, then DormaSai… Sephi… real or not, afterlife or not… she will answer my questions. You want to go home?”

  “Kael, let me help, please,” Giddeon pleaded, again.

  “Last chance,” Kael barked.

  “Yes,” Giddeon replied. “Of course, I want to go home.”

  Kael jumped to his feet and grabbed Giddeon by the scruff of his neck once more as he opened a portal to the Cascade Citadel. He stepped through and let the magic carry him away, but he dragged Giddeon with him for the ride.

  EAST OF ACROPOLIS

  DORMASAI

  Ember stared out across the plain of Peddler's Valley. The expansive mountain valley was DormaSai and Ellorya's most traveled trade route. From the edge of the DormaSain war camp, she could see miles ahead of their location to where the bulk of the Elloryan army remained camped. They were already on DormaSai land. The start of battle was less than an hour away.

  “Damn,” she whispered. “A lot of people are going to die today.” Her stomach twisted, making her groan as her Fae empathy worked overtime at the prospect of the fighting growing closer and of the lives that would be lost. The DeathDogs had been operating hit and run campaigns against the larger army for several days to slow their progress and limit their access to supply lines while Nekrosa marched his army to war. Max led the gorilla-style attacks but was due to return at any time. He was charged with lead
ing the bulk of the DormaSain army against the Ancient-reinforced Elloryan military machine.

  “Terrifying sight, isn't it?” Yrlissa asked, stepping up beside her.

  “Yes. We're outnumbered at least three to one. I can sense the DeathGod’s reapers below us. There are hundreds.”

  “Any sign of...”

  “Dathac?” she asked as Yrlissa’s words trailed off. Ember shook her head. “No God of Death roaming the field that I can tell. I doubt he’d care enough to show in person.”

  “Well, that's a good sign, then. Perhaps we are going to win.”

  “No, we're not,” Max told them as he approached from behind. His voice held a hard edge Ember was unaccustomed to hearing. She turned, and he took her into his arms.

  “You made it back in time.” She sighed, returning the hug. Her nose twitched, assaulted by the sour stench of blood. The acidic reek of stolen magic burned her nostrils. Pulling back, she questioned, “Magic? The Ri'Tek wasted mystics against hit and run attacks?”

  “Yes and no. They wasted nothing. Our last strike nearly cost us an entire unit of DeathDogs. One of the Ancients was wearing Elloryan soldier armor, and we had no idea he was there until it was too late. He killed four soldiers with one attack. We lost another three as we retreated. Please tell me you have a solution to them. Ember? Yrlissa?”

  The powerful assassin shook her head. “Now, you know why we nearly lost the war ten thousand years ago. Besides Kael’s kind, the Dragon Behemoths were the only thing that even slowed the Ri'Tek and their stolen magic. We are going to risk losing Queen WhiteScale and some of the Fae now. This fight is going to turn into a war of attrition. We'll have to fight them battle-by-battle, town-by-town. Possibly even sacrificing units while we regroup at times.”

  “God in Heaven, a lot our warriors are going to die fighting that way.” Ember sighed. “If our intelligence is right, there are only two seals open. What happens if the Sepulchre falls and the other four open?”

  “I don't know, Ember,” Yrlissa replied. “I can't see how we win this without the rest of Talohna behind us and without more DeathWizards. It took six of them last time and thousands of fighters were sacrificed to give them the time they needed to complete the Animus Rituals.”