Invasion and Dragons

by Jekka Jones

The joy coursing through his body peaked, and the place between his shoulder blades twinged. His body spasmed in time with a tree cracking into bits or being ripped from the earth. Landon turned to the canyon mouth, watching in frozen terror as the pines swayed and fell, moving closer and closer to the group.

  Oni redoubled his efforts to push Landon into the canyon and knocked him to the ground. He hit the earth hard, and the words sprang from his mouth.

  “Dragon! It’s the dragon!”

  The line of trees in front of Landon trembled and exploded. Pines were flung up and out in a spray of dirt and rock. A branch whipped out of nowhere and struck Mr. Higgins’ face. Myra’s father cried out and Juan grabbed him. He pushed Mr. Higgins towards the thicket, ducking as half of a shattered trunk crashed into the brambles. Eli ran to Landon and grabbed him by the arms, but another gust of wind knocked them both to the ground. More trees spiraled and crashed through the air.

  “Pup, are you okay?”

  “Lan! Get up! Get up!” Juan shouted.

  “Nick!” bellowed Temmings. “Find the others and get help. Go! Go! Go! The rest of you with me!” The chief judge and the four remaining men ran towards Landon and Eli.

  Oni was racing in circles, screaming and rolling his eyes, torn between protecting Landon and fleeing to safety. Landon stumbled to his feet and helped his adopted father up. His heart pounded in his ears, and his body shook. He blinked dirt from his eyes and found himself facing the pass opening.

  Standing in a ring of broken and uprooted trees, wings outspread and a crazed smile plastered to his face, was Sri’Lanca.

  “Hello, Landon,” the dragon purred. “It has been a while.”

  “Go away,” Landon yelled, stumbling back. The dragon looked as ecstatic as the feeling gushing through Landon’s body, overpowering his terror. “Leave me alone! Stop smiling!”

  Sri’Lanca laughed, and his pupils dilated. “We have some unfinished business, you and I.” He let out an earsplitting laugh and launched himself into the sky. Every eye in the vicinity followed the dragon as he looped once and streaked towards Landon.

  “Move!” Temmings yelled. Landon and Eli snapped out of their stupor and bolted for the thickets. Oni screamed in terror as Sri’Lanca flared his wing to swoop over the fleeing men, his front legs dangling a few feet from the ground.

  Landon noticed this and yelled, “Duck!”

  The three of them threw themselves to the ground. A blast of wind grabbed at Landon’s hair and clothes, and something hard brushed his back. A second later, Juan shouted and was pulling Landon to his feet.

  Landon blinked dirt out of his eyes and looked up. Sri’Lanca was coming around, cackling like a madman. He made another swoop at them, and they once more threw themselves to the ground. One of Sri’Lanca’s claws grazed Juan’s shirt, tearing it almost in two. Oni ran into view.

  “Oni, run!” Landon screamed, but it was too late. One foot lashed out and sent the horse flying. Landon watched in horror as Oni soared through the air, legs kicking in panic, and into a pine tree. The horse’s back struck the tree and broke with a resounding crack.

  The snap of bone pierced Landon like a hot dagger. Oni bellowed and crumpled to the ground, kicking his front legs and swinging his head back and forth. Oblivious to Eli and Juan’s warning cries, Landon scrambled to his feet and shot towards his horse. One hand went to the pouch at his belt. . . .

  Except he didn’t have the Seal. Too late—he remembered that Diego had the Wizard’s Seal and was now deep in the mountain. There was nothing he could do, yet he ran to Oni as if he could save his horse.

  “Not so fast, Dayn!” crowed Sri’Lanca, and Landon was forced to the ground as the dragon made another pass. He twisted onto his back, catching a brief glimpse of Temmings and the others throwing rocks, branches, and anything they could get their hands on at the dragon. Johnston was screaming for bows, but no help was coming. Either the others were too far in the tunnels to hear the commotion, or they were struggling through the thicket.

  Swoop after swoop, Sri’Lanca kept Landon, Eli, and Juan pinned to the ground. Landon couldn’t take two steps before needing to dodge a low-flying talon or tail. The joyous emotions sharpened to a fierce glee that hurt. Landon wanted to vomit, but he had to get to Oni. As obnoxious as the horse was, he had to help him. He couldn’t do that from a hundred paces away.

  He was almost to his struggling horse when Sri’Lanca began to laugh. “I’m bored, Landon! Entertain me!”

  “Just go away, Sri’Lanca!” Landon screamed.

  Sri’Lanca’s resounding laugh was like a madman’s cackle. “The only way to stop me is to kill me, Landon!” He soared into the sky, looped, and came around again.

  Landon’s eyes locked with Sri’Lanca’s. He saw the madness and ecstasy contorting the dragon’s features. Sri’Lanca landed like some demented bat on the canyon wall. He dug his claws into the rocks and flung himself into the air, ripping boulders and scree free. He soared across the canyon, dropping the boulders like sand through fingers as he went. He landed on the opposite wall, ripped free more rocks, and flew to the other side.

  The dragon flew back and forth, showering boulders and rocks of all sizes into the canyon. It took all of Landon’s concentration to keep from getting crushed.

  “Stop!” Landon screamed, but his cries were drowned by the dragon’s laughter and crash of rocks on earth and tree alike. Desperate, he scanned the chaos for Eli and Juan.

  Juan was on the ground, scrambling away from a fallen boulder that had begun to tip. The massive rock groaned as it fell, and with a cry of terror, he rolled to the side. The giant stone smashed onto the ground, barely missing his leg. Eli appeared at his side and helped him up, pushing him towards the thicket.

  A sob of relief escaped Landon, and he was forced to move as a rock the size of a melon fell towards his head. He leapt aside, colliding into a fallen stone. His momentum carried his body along the rock. He felt the rough face scrape his clothes and skin, but he barely felt the sting. He fell to his hands and knees and scrambled across the ground, digging his fingers into the soil for purchase. He crawled back to his feet, his shoes slipping with each impact of a fallen boulder. A rock glanced off his shoulder, but he was too focused on throwing himself out of a boulder’s path to notice.

  The stones continued to shower into the canyon. Amidst the cries of Nircanians and Oni’s dying moans, Sri’Lanca’s voice sang over the chaos.

  “One boulder, two boulder, three boulder, drop! See how the humans ru-un amock! One boulder, two boulder, three boulder, drop! Let’s kill a human and make him flop!”

  Sri’Lanca sang the song again and again, changing the words as he saw fit. Landon could do nothing but spin and twist about to avoid the boulders. It was an inescapable nightmare—a hellish dance he was forced to participate in.

  He couldn’t hear Oni’s cries anymore, and he knew his horse was dead. He looked to where Oni had fallen, taking in the fiery coat lying still beneath several rocks. Grief surged through Landon, clashing with the ecstasy racking his being. He fought back the tears, wiping his eyes as fast as he could before his vision blurred.

  “Landon, jump right!” Juan yelled.

  Landon made to throw himself in that direction, but his foot slipped. He stumbled, trying to get his footing as an irregular shadow grew larger and larger on the ground in front of him.

  “Gotcha, pup!” shouted Eli, and a pair of hands were thrust into Landon’s side. He went flying, rolling a couple feet before he came to a stop. The ground shuddered. Landon’s teeth rattled as the boulder he had barely dodged thudded into the earth. Juan’s scream ripped through the air, mixing with Sri’Lanca’s shrieking laughter.

  Terrified, his heart pounding so hard he thought it would burst, Landon pushed himself up and looked around.

  A large boulder sat on the lower half of Eli’s body. Eli was struggling to pull himself free, his face white and strained. Landon choked. Sri’Lanca and his rainstorm of rocks
were forgotten as he sprinted towards his adopted father.

  “Dad! Dad, hold on! Hold on!” Landon shouted, but his calls were lost among the tumult of the sounds echoing in the canyon.

  “One boulder, two boulder, three boulder drop! A daddy’s been caught, hear him pop!” Sri’Lanca redoubled his efforts, tearing larger boulders and rocks from the wall. They thudded around Landon, causing him to stumble like a drunkard.

  “I’m coming Dad! Hold on! Please . . . angels, please!”

  Eli scrabbled at the dirt. He paused when he saw Landon coming towards him. “No!” he cried. “Get out of here, pup! Go back!”

  “Not without you!” Landon retorted. A stone thudded beside him and the force sent him into the splintered remains of a tree. The wooden shards tore at his clothes and skin. He screamed in fury, pain, and helplessness to the heavens.

  “Landon!”

  Landon looked up. Eli had propped himself on his elbows, a thin stream of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes begged Landon to leave. He mouthed, Go.

  “No,” Landon shouted, furious. “I’m not leaving you.” He rose for another sprint towards Eli, every sinew and bone crying for rest.

  A large boulder smashed into the ground next to Eli. It swayed and began to fall.

  Time slowed down. Landon watched helplessly as the boulder tipped towards his father, the man who had raised him, who loved him despite being a nobleman’s son.

  “Dad!”

  Eli turned towards the stone and raised one hand as if greeting a friend. The boulder’s shadow eclipsed Eli and crashed onto his head. More so than when Oni’s spine broke, the crunch of Eli’s bones ripped through Landon. His voice failed him.

  Eli’s exposed hand spasmed and fell still.

  Chapter 18

  It took a second for Landon to realize he was howling in pain, screaming his agony to Paradise. He couldn’t hear himself, but he felt his larynx vibrating like a rattleviper’s tail. He threw himself forward, scrabbling to reach Eli. He had to move the boulder. He had to pull him free. Nircana needed him. Landon needed him!

  Hands appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him. Someone was speaking to him, telling him it was no use. Eli was gone, and they needed to get to safety.

  “Let me go! Let me go!” Landon bellowed, his ears registering his voice at last. “Dad! Dad, get out of there! Dad!”

  “Landon, he’s gone,” said the voice. It was Juan. “Lan, I’m sorry, but we can’t stay here.”

  “I’m not leaving him!”

  “David, Ashley, grab his arms. Quickly, it’s coming back!” said another voice, Judge Temmings’.

  Hands and elbows twined themselves around Landon and hauled him backwards. He resisted, thrashing and screaming, but there were too many people latched onto him. He kicked up pebbles as he was dragged towards the thicket hiding the tunnel entrance. As he stumbled and squirmed, Landon could not tear his eyes from the boulder hiding Eli’s body.

  Rocks stopped falling from the sky and Sri’Lanca’s ruckus was replaced with the steady thump of wings. Sri’Lanca landed beside the boulder covering Eli and folded his wings against his sides. The dragon grasped the boulder and pulled it away. Landon saw a dark red smear on the underside of the rock, with a darker mess beneath.

  Sri’Lanca examined the bloody mess for a moment, then threw back his head and laughed.

  “Fantastic! Not what I had planned but it will do.” The dragon turned to look Landon full in the face. “Now we are even, Landon Dayn. We are both murderers.”

  Landon stared in shock. Slowly, painfully, he acknowledged the truth.

  Eli was dead. Dead like his horse.

  Rage flared in Landon’s body and soul. It collided against the ecstatic feelings coursing through him. The joy faltered, then retaliated. The two emotions fought each other as fierce as a battle between the samurai and Borikans. The feelings melded into a sensation so raw and unadulterated that it left a foul taste in Landon’s mouth. He felt neither rage nor joy, but hate. That’s what it was: pure, immaculate hatred.

  “Murderer!” Landon screamed. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you, you murdering bastard!” He redoubled his efforts to break free of the men holding him, but they tightened their grips until Landon lost all feeling in his fingers. Branches and twigs whipped at his face, scratching his skin and catching his clothes, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was to permanently wipe the smile off that damn dragon’s face.

  “Whatever you do don’t let him go!” shouted Temmings.

  “Not planning on it,” said Juan’s voice in Landon’s ear. “Lan, you got to stop this! There’s nothing you can do!”

  “Lemme go! I’ll kill him!”

  But it was useless. He had seven grown men restraining and forcing him into the cave.

  Landon saw Sri’Lanca’s head rise high into the air, high enough to be seen above the foliage, and then darkness engulfed him. The slit-like opening of the tunnel receded to a sliver of light and disappeared entirely. It was replaced by a smaller light from a lantern or candle, but Landon barely registered it. The image of the dragon’s wicked grin and the blood-smeared rock seared into his brain.

  The hands and arms pulled him deeper into the mountain. Landon was dragged for what felt like miles, kicking and thrashing. He had given up yelling and instead turned his anger to his muscles. His hatred gave him the strength of devils, and he almost broke free a couple times.

  It wasn’t until the tunnel opened into a small cavern that he was released. It was unexpected, and he fell to the stony floor, grunting in surprise. He scrambled to his feet, determined to run back the way he had come, but every single person converged on the tunnel. They stood shoulder to shoulder against him.

  “Let me through,” Landon hissed, his chest heaving. His throat hurt and fatigue pounded his bones, but he didn’t care. “Get out of my way right now.”

  “And let you get yourself killed?” Mr. Higgins challenged, stepping forward. “No. It’s not what Eli would want. He risked his life for you.”

  “No, he didn’t,” Landon retorted. “That boulder should’ve hit me. Me! If I hadn’t stumbled—”

  “That wasn’t your fault, Landon.” Mr. Higgins grabbed his shoulders. Landon tried to throw him off, but he held on. “Listen to me!” he shouted, tightening his grip until his fingernails dug into Landon’s skin. “He was doing what any father would do, what I would’ve done. He saw you were in peril and he pushed you to safety.”

  “If I hadn’t—” Landon tried again, yet Mr. Higgins interrupted him.

  “Stop, Landon,” Myra’s father said gently. “I know what you’re going to say, and wishing you could change the past won’t change the present. It was bad luck that on the threshold of our sanctuary the dragon attacked.” He allowed his arms to drop, his gaze pained and tired. “It is not your fault he died.”

  Landon was silent for a moment, turning over Mr. Higgins’ words. “You’re right,” he replied, trembling. “It’s Sri’Lanca’s fault. Eli’s dead because of him.”

  “And Ashrin’s dead because of you,” Juan blurted. He appeared next to Mr. Higgins, his dark eyes intent on Landon’s face.

  Landon jerked as if Juan had slapped him. “That’s different, Juan!”

  “No, Landon, it’s not.” The Caborcan moved forward and Landon stumbled back in surprise. “You are screaming for blood and vengeance exactly like Angen. Before you go dashing back to the canyon, ask yourself this: How are you going to kill a dragon, Landon? Throw rocks until Sri’Lanca swallows one and chokes on it?”

  “I’ll think of something,” Landon said, picturing the Wizard’s Seal in his hand. He could almost taste the power. It wouldn’t be difficult to get it from Diego, he just had to find him before anyone else did.

  Juan threw back his head and laughed. The sound echoed through the cavern, grating Landon’s ears. Temmings stepped forward, his eyes flicking between Juan and Landon with concern.

  “The Wizard’s
Seal,” said Juan. “Right. You’re going to take the power of the wizards and get even, just like Angen. What will you do first? Beat him? Blind him? Will you flay him within an inch of his life then deny him death when he begs for it? How long will you torture Sri’Lanca before Eli’s soul is avenged, Lan?”

  “I won’t . . . I’m not . . . I’m not Angen. . . .” Landon tried to argue but the words wouldn’t come. He was so full of hate and grief that he couldn’t make sense of it all. He wanted to hurt Sri’Lanca, hurt him so deeply that the dragon could never heal. He wanted to plague Sri’Lanca’s dreams, warp them into nightmares so that the dragon woke in the middle of the night crying like a child. A year from now, Landon wanted Sri’Lanca to flinch at the scent of blood. It was only fair. It was what Angen had done to him.

  Juan reached out and grasped both his arms. “Don’t be like the Borikans, tomodach.” He squeezed with each word. “I know how you’re feeling. My father’s alive, but he’s as good as dead to me now. I yelled at you that night for the same reason you are now. It hurts, and it will still hurt. But you know how pointless revenge is. You know killing Sri’Lanca will only damn your soul.”

  “But Dad . . .”

  “He is in Paradise now, Landon.” Mr. Higgins replied. “He is with your grandfathers and grandmothers, uncles, and aunts, and cousins, and every person you are related to, be they Hondel or Nircanian. You will see him again. You know that.”

  Emotion wadded in Landon’s throat. He thought of the place between this world and Paradise, where his soul visited as he lay dying in Marleth’s Pits. It had been peaceful there, and he had met his uncle, Castiel, who had died in Hondel. Castiel had called it a way-stop, a place where human souls waited before moving on. It had appeared as Hondel before it was destroyed. Animal souls went there too, though they stayed in the forest to greet and protect departed souls. Landon could almost see Eli standing in the trees, dressed in white and looking around in wonder.

  Yes, he knew his father wasn’t gone forever, but how was Landon supposed to get through this war without him?