War Dragons

by C. K. Rieke

  “Lezeral wants to be a goddess?” Kera whispered, her eyes dropping back to the dirt. “Kill one god, and another rises.”

  Entering back into the nook of the city, Lilaci could see the perturbed look on Veranor’s face. Burr as well seemed agitated, sitting with his arms folded, he didn’t rise as they returned. Fewn jumped to her feet, seemingly excited to make the decision that had to be made about their pact with the queen.

  “Well?” Fewn asked, with her hands on her hips.

  “We know what the stone is,” Kera said, “and now we have an important choice to make.”

  “It’d be easier on all of us,” Burr said, still sitting, “if we were all fully informed before the decision is made—together.”

  “Burr,” Lilaci said, standing strong next to Kera, “you know as well as I do this is Kera’s decision. She’s the only one who needs all the information.”

  Veranor scoffed, looking away.

  “You have something to add?” Lilaci asked. “If not, we can go ahead and move forward.”

  “All my respect given,” he said, clearing his throat and looking at Kera, “it’s almost always in a queen’s best interest to listen to well-educated advisers. If you share the knowledge Gogenanth has of the stones, I will share my years of wisdom with you so that you may make the most informed decision.”

  Kera brushed her cloak over her shoulder. “I appreciate your concern, but I have my most trusted adviser standing next to me in all my decisions.” She clearly was standing next to Lilaci, who couldn’t help but smile wide. “Your knowledge of all things in these lands have and will prove invaluable. But for now... the information I’ve learned about the stones with stay with us three, at least for now.”

  Veranor lowered his head to her. “As you wish.”

  “Burr?” Lilaci asked, as Gogenanth still stood stoically next to her.

  “Yes?” he responded flatly.

  “Will you be able to move past your frustration?” Lilaci asked him. “We still have an important decision to make, and if we choose not to ally ourselves with Lezeral and the kingdom, we will have an even more difficult path ahead of us. We will need your strength, either way.”

  He stood slowly, with his back sliding up the rock wall. “You know I stand with you. I only wish you would trust me more with my discretion.”

  “It doesn’t have to do with you or your discretion,” Kera said. “This secret is going to stay with the three of us... for now.”

  Burr bowed. “I do have one more question...” he said, with his head still bowed. But instead of raising his head up to Kera, he turned it sideways to look into Veranor’s eyes. “Up there, after we left. What did you and the queen discuss?”

  Veranor glowered at him, and his lips curled down.

  “Yes,” Gogenanth added. “What is it the queen wanted to speak to you in private about?”

  “I refuse to answer that question,” he said. “At least for the moment.”

  None in the group seemed to like that answer, as they all shifted their positions, looking around at each other.

  “I’m afraid that’s not going to do,” Lilaci said. “If we’re going to be a team, we’re all going to need to trust each other.”

  “Then you’re going to have to trust me that it is fine to stay with me... for now.” He folded his arms over his chest and spread his feet out shoulder-width.

  “Why won’t you tell us?” Fewn asked. “Is it that bad?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Fine,” Lilaci said. “If you want to keep it to yourself, that’s fine. But you have to share it with Kera. That, you must do.”

  He lowered his head, and dropped his lean, strong arms to his sides. “I will do that then, if Kera wishes.”

  “I do,” Kera said.

  The two of them went off then, to the same area in which Gogenanth spoke of the stone. Lilaci trailed, not to listen in, but just as a precaution to keep an eye on Kera. The two of them only spoke a few moments, and then they all returned to the group.

  “Now,” Kera said, looking around at all of the party members. “To join forces with the kingdoms or not?”

  “Which way are you leaning?” Gogenanth asked Kera.

  “I’d rather ask each of you first,” Kera said, “then I will make my decision. Burr?”

  He reached out with a solid fist of his right hand, and then extended his thumb and swung it down. “We don’t need them, we have the Whiteblade, and the dragons. That will be enough to reach Arralyn and Firen-Ar.”

  “Fewn?”

  She stuck out her fist with a thumb up. “I don’t want to have to fight those armies and go to war with our old tribe. We’ll have enough of a battle with the gods to deal with.”

  “Gogenanth?”

  He sighed, and raised his strong arm, with veins gliding down its muscles, raising a thumb. “I concede, that is a long journey to take, and if we are at war with those armies, I fear we may lose much in our journey. Time, resources, and lives.”

  “Commander?”

  “I agree with Gogenanth,” he said.

  “Lilaci?”

  I’m torn, I want to go with Lezeral. But she wants to become a god if we win this war? That’s quite a prize for victory—immortality. Although, I must admit, she would appear to be a more benevolent deity than any ruling now. But that’s quite a risk, who knows how the stone could change someone in other ways…

  “I begrudgingly agree we should move forward with the kings and queens at our side,” she said. “But mostly I just want safe passage through these lands for you.”

  Kera looked up, her eyes clear and fixed heavily on the blue sky. “I’ve made my decision... we will move forward with the armies of the Arr at our side. This is no easy decision to make. But this is our best move, if not our only move. This is a decision that will impact generations to come, and I hope that it unveils itself to be a good one. Raise the white banner. Let Lezeral know my decision and let her extend her olive branch.”

  Fewn went over and grabbed a white cloth they’d found on their walk back from the palace, she tied it to a long pole that sat in the corner of the alleyway. Then the cloth rippled in the air as it was hoisted high above the wall behind them. She waved the flag back and forth so the palace, and presumably, the queen could see that the Dragon’s Breath had made her decision.

  After a few moments, Fewn lowered the flag and let it fall to the ground with a thud. A light puff of dirt came from the ground. “Well, I suppose that’s it—”

  “What is that?” Lilaci said, looking to the northeast. “You hear that?”

  After she asked that, they all focused that direction, and they didn’t have to wait long to hear what Lilaci had noticed. They heard the screams, and the fear that trailed behind it. Directly overhead, as they all drew their weapons, the head and neck of a great red dragon flew with its sharp-scaled wings. Then its enormous torso, wings, and tail whipped past, rushing down a powerful wind upon them.

  It flew past, and along with a powerful burst of hot air in its direction, flames rose high into the sky. The city had turned to panic and frenzy. A dragon had come to Voru.

  Chapter Eight

  Feeling the ravaging heat rush down the long roads of the city blow hot in her face, Lilaci saw the hairs on her arms singe. The smell sent a familiar shiver within her; it was the smell of dragonfire.

  From the sight of it flying overhead, she hardly recognized it as one of the dragons they’d recently fought back in the desert. However, it indeed was one of the same ones they’d fought but was easily four times the size and reached eighty feet in length from sharp-toothed maw to tail. The dragon that was attacking the city now had deep-colored red scales that came to sharp points at their tips. It had spikes of long red fanning from the top of its head down its neck in three rows, and it had the same familiar black spots on its strong arms and stout legs.

  Lilaci’s eyes shot up at the sky in all directions, trying to decipher which direction the dra
gon had flown. The city was so immense, and with the screams coming from every direction, it was difficult to tell.

  Then there was another eruption of dragonfire coupled with the roar of the dragon, it echoed fully throughout the city, deafening out any other sounds. Once the dragon closed its maw and flew on, she could hear the dragon already moving to another section of the city.

  This dragon has come for one reason; to kill. Kill ruthlessly. The gods have sent this dragon as an act of war. They’re going to let it burn this city back to the sand. Would they rather kill all, and start a new nation from scratch? Is this the beginning of the end of the Arr?

  “Lilaci,” Kera said with wide eyes, “we’ve got to help them.”

  “You recognize it?” Gogenanth asked to Lilaci.

  Fewn responded first, “Yeah, I do. It’s way bigger than only a couple of days ago.”

  “She’s young and vibrant, too,” Burr said. “Either the magic they used when they raised the dragons has developed, or this is some new witchcraft to tear apart the kingdoms.”

  “It’s sticking to the skies,” Veranor said. “Smart.”

  “Smart?” Kera said with a raised eyebrow.

  “This city doesn’t have the air-defenses to take a dragon out of the skies anymore, those were all taken down long ago. If the dragon stays to the skies, I’m afraid all the queen has to protect her city are spears and arrows.”

  “Argh,” Burr spat. “No arrow’s gonna take down that beast. You need catapults! Traps! Heavy weighted nets!”

  “No need for them,” Veranor said. “Until now. The city has catapults, but they are all placed upon the perimeter of the city, and they only face outward.”

  Lilaci sensed someone rushing down the road toward them, she drew her sword, Blackfire, with a sharp ringing sound, the others did the same. Kera even drew her dagger. Another roar of the dragon erupted from behind, followed by the explosion of incinerating dragonfire. As Lilaci and others readied their position, Ezmerelda shot around the corner. They lowered their weapons.

  “What took you?” Gogenanth asked.

  “They told me to leave the palace library once the attack began,” she said, sucking in fresh breaths as she’d surely ran all the way from the palace to meet her friends. “I guess they didn’t trust me in there by myself. They are gathering all of the troops for the defense of the palace.”

  “It won’t attack the palace,” Veranor scoffed, brushing his long hair back on the top of his head with his hand. “The gods won’t have their statues ruined by dragonfire. The entirety of the city will be burned to ash before it even touched Erodoran. The queen has abandoned her city.”

  “What choice does she have?” Burr asked, scratching his beard. “She has no weapons to fight it off.”

  “No, she doesn’t,” Lilaci said with a violet glimmer in her eye, “but we do.” She caught a smile come to Veranor’s face as she said that.

  “You’re the only one with any power that could fight that monster,” Fewn said. “If you brought it down, we’d have a chance.”

  Another plume of fire roared to the west of their position. They ducked as the heat washed over them.

  “What about your dragons?” Ezmerelda asked Kera. “Are they ready to fight again? Can she fly?”

  “I don’t know,” she said with a trickle of concern on her voice. “Herradax is healing, but I’m not sure if she’s able to fight again. Kôrran is still too small. That dragon could crush my baby in a single bite.”

  “So...” Burr said, “bring down that dragon Lilaci, and let's have us another battle with a dragon.”

  “Should we all go after it?” Gogenanth asked, looking around to the smoke and embers wafting heavily up in the air. “The people need help as well. There are many trapped and in need.”

  “We’ll need all our strength for this one,” Veranor stated.

  “Ezmerelda and Gogenanth,” Kera said. “You go do what you can for them and be quick. Do what you can, but don’t linger in one place too long. Rescue as many as possible but remember there’s only so much you can do. Help those in most dire peril first and move to the next. We’ll fight off the dragon. If we need you, Lilaci will raise three pillars of sand high in the air, that will be the signal.”

  “You go with them,” Veranor said. “You’ll be safer with them.”

  “I’m safer with Lilaci,” she said.

  “She’s staying with me,” Lilaci said, with Blackfire twisting in her hand and her other fist clenched. “Don’t you ever say she leave my side again.”

  Veranor raised his chin and let out a breath from his nostrils.

  “Is the Sanzoral rested?” Fewn asked. “She needs to be strong for this one.”

  “Yes, it’s rested,” Lilaci said with closed eyes. “I’m concerned the last attack I used may not work on this new, healthy dragon. Before, I was able to let my daggers of sand creep through that black dragon’s scales as they were aged, cracked, and separated.”

  “Just bring it down,” Burr said, with his back straight and shoulders squared. “We can handle the rest.”

  “Go,” Lilaci said to Gogenanth and Ezmerelda, who both quickly went off, running around the corner of the stone wall and disappearing into the city.

  “It was a mistake letting them leave,” Veranor said, looking at Lilaci.

  “You doubt the words of the Dragon’s Breath?” Burr asked him scornfully.

  “No,” Veranor said flatly. “But I know that personally when face to face with a dragon of that size... we need every skilled sword we could use. That’s what my experience has told me.”

  “The great Veranor is finally afraid,” Burr scoffed with a laugh.

  “I’d be a fool not to be of that dragon. So would you.”

  Chapter Nine

  The road beneath their boots shook from the explosions of dragonfire being spat down upon the city. Towers toppled to the ground with thunderous booms as the dragon dug its mighty claws in and rushed by at great speed. Bloodied faces of the fear-stricken rushed past them as Lilaci, Kera, Veranor, Fewn, and Burr ran farther into the chaos. Lilaci watched as a woman, driven to uncontrollable tears carried the lifeless body of a girl in her arms no bigger than Kera.

  At that moment, Lilaci saw the true horror of dragons. She’d now fought the full strength of them, and she’d lost one of her own to their wrath, but this was different. The devastation being caused by the ancient creature was living up to its infamy. Many generations had come and gone since a dragon has gone on a full-out rampage on one of the cities. In the past, the gods would intervene and stop the dragon, but this time, they were the ones behind it.

  The red dragon rushed overhead, seen between the two tall, white clay houses on either side of them that were two stories each. Good god, that is a gigantic dragon, how am I going to bring that thing down?

  Looking up, they watched as the long neck turned to a strong torso, and then an endless tail that seemed pulled taut as the dragon was flying so fast. The winds that blew down on them nearly toppled Kera over. Hot sand blew all around them like a whirling sandstorm. Lilaci had intended to use her magic but was so awestruck by the size and might of the dragon, she didn’t gather it in time.

  I need to be quick and summon the Sanzoral with full force at a moment’s notice. Nothing about this is going to be easy. Now... I’m starting to be concerned about Kera being here...

  “We’ve got to get into an open area,” Burr said, holding his hood atop his head in the biting sands. “We need to lure it to us, draw it away from the people here.”

  “Veranor?” Fewn asked, looking to him for an idea.

  His gaze shot north, west, then back north. “Follow me,” he said, running down the length of road in that direction. They quickly followed.

  Rows of people huddled into the alleyways where Gogenanth and Ezmerelda ran. The people had disappeared from the main roads, cowering in their homes or under the canopies of the alleys. Neither would provide adequate protection fr
om dragonfire. How do you escape a dragon’s wrath? Run out into the desert?

  “There are so many,” Ezmerelda said. “We’ve never seen anything like this from one of them.”

  “We’ve never seen a dragon anything like this,” he replied, running next to her.

  As they passed, they saw people’s faces and skin covered in dirt and blood. Many were crying, or had blank expressions of shock.

  Up ahead the dragon swooped down with its mighty wings expanded. They could see fully, framed by the long alleyways walls that the red dragon flew down and perched upon a church’s golden dome that was raised forty feet from the ground. Its long tail full of sharp, red-scaled spikes wound around the base of the church. Arching its serpentine neck back, they could see the dragonfire brimming within its chest, and just as it was about to unleash it, the red dragon’s eyes now glowed a fiery, golden hue.

  “That dragon’s under a spell,” Gogenanth said, raising his hand to his mouth. “The gods have driven it mad with their magic. It's not here of its own will, they’ve sent it to destroy!”

  With that, the dragon’s neck shot forward, with its long muscles glistening under the bright sun, and the dragon opened its mouth wide, unleashing a torrent of dragonfire that rent everything and everyone in its path asunder. They watched as the dragon then unexpectedly began to sway its head back and forth, casting a swath of fire wide before it. Then it quickly swung its head in their direction. They were almost too late, as Ezmerelda grabbed him by his sleeve and they ducked behind a building and drove both of their chests to the ground.

  Only the tips of the dragonfire rushed down the alleyway they were on, and it vanished quickly, but they noticed something eerie. The dragon’s fire faded, and it lifted back to the sky with strong flaps of its giant wings. They rose and found that the eerie lack of noise—yells, screams, and pleas of help—was now replaced by rows of black corpses, frozen in place, waiting for a gust of wind to blow them away from existence.