Invasion and Dragons

by Jekka Jones

  The heat blasted Landon’s face, and he threw up his hands. Monsters and faceless dragons shouted and screeched in alarm. Everyone seated in the circle scrambled out of the way. If Landon wasn’t so terrified, he would have laughed at the sight of the monsters tripping over themselves.

  Sri’Lanca continued to blast the earth. His fire burned so strong that it was almost white. Landon stared at the blaze, trembling. It was the dead dragons’ rage again, except the amulet was their victim.

  As suddenly as the fire had started, it was gone. Landon blinked the light residue from his vision. He looked around, disappointed that no one appeared harmed. Everyone, including the Myra-monster, had retreated a good twenty feet from Sri’Lanca. Every flesh-toned, faceless head turned towards the place where the Wizard’s Seal had been.

  All that remained was a scorched patch of earth. The amulet was no more.

  Chapter 32

  It took a moment for the reality of what Sri’Lanca had done to settle. Landon’s eyes widened. “Sri’Lanca, are you sure we’re not going to need that?” he asked.

  His dragon ignored him. “That is your reason,” Sri’Lanca said to the monsters, contempt dripping from his voice. “Your Seers are dead, the Seal is gone, and your soldiers are on the verge of mutiny. Alyssa, Sierra, Diego, it is time you come home. The rest of you, take your men and go. Any who linger will meet the same fate as the Wizard’s Seal.”

  The king-monster in the white suit stood and asked a question. This caused Sri’Lanca to growl louder than ever. Landon’s terror grew again. “Sri’Lanca,” he squeaked, pressing his body into the spike. “Can we go? Please?”

  “Not until I see these invaders leaving,” Sri’Lanca replied. “I understand now why you keep calling them monsters, Landon. That is what they are. A hundred years from now, history will look at them as selfish, murderous things that tried to destroy a peaceful civilization. I dare you to deny it, Ebram!”

  The Ebram king-monster folded its arms and jabbered a reply that sounded like a challenge. Sri’Lanca’s muscles bunched beneath Landon, and he knew Sri’Lanca was going to attack.

  Before Sri’Lanca could act, another dragon’s voice shouted from the heavens. As every faceless monster and dragon turned towards the source, the smoky gray dragon landed beside Sri’Lanca. It began to speak at length, and Landon recognized Ti’Luthin’s voice. On the dragon’s back was a young woman with red hair. She turned her face towards Landon and raised one hand in peace.

  Landon recoiled from her. “Stay away from me,” he blurted.

  She sat still for a moment, nodded, and lowered her hand. Landon looked away and tried to ignore her. He felt her non-existent eyes watching him.

  The faceless Ti’Luthin spoke for a long time. When he finished, a low murmur began among the monsters and the dragons rustled their wings. The air became thick with fear and anger. Landon glanced at the Ti’Luthin-dragon. The blob on the end of the stout neck was pointed at the king-monsters, and smoke curled from the end. It terrified him. Emotions compounded on Landon’s already stressed mind until he thought his soul and body would burst.

  “Sri’Lanca, please tell me what’s going on?” he begged, shouting to be heard over the clamor.

  “The kings don’t want to admit defeat, Landon,” Sri’Lanca answered, bellowing over the noise until it quieted. “When the kings took you, they placed you and your parents in Kastunaka and Darrin’s custody. Issachar and Sayre argued against this, but the other kings were firm. They knew Sayre would torture you to avenge her husband and son. They knew I would bring all of Nircana upon them as soon as I felt your terror, and they would lose.

  “That was the excuse.” Sri’Lanca continued. “In reality, the Seers and kings thought you had absorbed the Seal’s power into yourself. You and your parents were kept near a Seer who wasn’t clouded by grief, in case you awoke. They hoped that if you had absorbed the power, it can still be controlled by a Seer. The thought of you having destroyed the Seal never crossed their minds.

  “But now that they know the power is truly gone,” Sri’Lanca raised his voice, “they think they can use you to seize the power protecting the burning shack in Hondel. They forget that you tried that while wielding the Seal, and failed. The power protecting that shack is bound to the Wizard Christovan and no man, dragon, or creature can use it. They have lost, and unless they want a long bloody battle that will end in their deaths, then they best go home!”

  Although they had no faces, Landon knew the king-monsters, their minions, and the faceless dragons wanted to murder Sri’Lanca. He could feel the hate rolling off them like the summer’s heat. The Alyssa, Diego, and Sierra-monsters stood and moved towards the Nircanian monsters. The Issachar-monster leaped to his feet and grasped the Alyssa-monster’s arm.

  Without warning, Sri’Lanca leapt at the Issachar-monster and swiped him with a foot. Landon, taken aback by the sudden movement, was thrown into the spike behind him. His hat whipped off his head and he dropped the canteen. He would have slid off if it weren’t for Sri’Lanca’s muscles flexing to keep him in place. Landon scrambled his way back to the spike and wrapped his arms tight around it.

  Equally fast, the Issachar-monster released the Alyssa-monster and drew his sword. He deflected Sri’Lanca’s foot, but it gave the three monsters the opening they needed. The creatures that possessed his parents’ voices ran to the Nircanian-monsters. The Nircanian-monsters formed a protective circle three lines thick that bristled with weapons.

  The king-monsters cried out in alarm, raising their arms to signal their minions to attack. Before their hands could drop, Sri’Lanca spread his wings to their fullest and blasted a stream of fire into the air.

  “This war is over!” he bellowed. “Anyone who says otherwise is asking for death! Do you want to go the same way as your precious Seers, Jerich? I will cut you all down as Landon did with the Seal!”

  The Issachar-monster stood in a guarded pose, his thick blade diagonal across his body. A series of threatening words emanated from him. His sword trembled, reflecting the rage in his speech.

  Smoke curled from Sri’Lanca’s nose. “You’ve lost, Borikan. And you will lose more if you don’t return to your country.” He spat a fireball on the ground. It hit the scorched patch of earth where the Wizard’s Seal used to be. “I don’t see any of you moving!” he shouted.

  Silence, made louder by the hatred emanating from the kings and their armies, permeated the air. The Ebram king-monster turned its head to the other kings and spoke. Landon watched each of the other king-monsters nod or gibber a reply. The Ebram king-monster then snapped a curt answer at Sri’Lanca, turned, and signaled to the dragons. All the dragons save the silver one took off. The silver one fluttered to the ground and allowed the king-monster to climb onto its back.

  The other king-monsters got to their feet, and with a show of dignity, climbed onto their mounts. They wheeled the horses around and galloped into the crowd. Their minions stood for a moment, heads turning to one another and to the Nircanian-monsters, and then they too followed their masters. It was a dignified retreat.

  One monster wearing clothes as fine as the kings but less elaborate lingered. The Juan-monster limped forward until they were several paces apart. They faced each other, and Landon strained his ears to hear what they were saying. The two looked almost related, with the same skin color and stature. He didn’t know why, but he hoped they would embrace. The feeling made no sense to him because the two were on opposite sides.

  The two monsters faced each other for minutes and then the other monster raised a hand in farewell and walked away. The Juan-monster returned the gesture, holding his hand steady until the other monster had disappeared among the cages. The Juan-monster turned, saw Landon watching, and nodded its head. Landon stared back, not sure of what had happened.

  The Ebram-monster and his dragon were the last to leave. Twenty Nircanian-monsters hung around them, fingering their weapons. The monster sat on the dragon’s back, the fac
eless head turned towards Landon. Ebram’s voice emanated from the flesh-colored oval, cold and decisive. Although Landon couldn’t understand a word of it, the tone terrified him. He knew the Ebram-monster wished death upon him.

  “Go. Or else I will tell the Guard the true reason why Hondel was destroyed,” Sri’Lanca snarled.

  The silver dragon snapped a reply and took to the air, joining the rest of the dragons.

  “What did they say?” Landon asked, his voice cracking.

  Sri’Lanca sighed. “Ebram said that if either of us crossed into Dagnor, he—”

  A roar from the Nircanian-monsters drowned out Sri’Lanca’s reply. Landon scrambled to his feet, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. He gripped the spike with one hand and balled the other into a fist.

  The Nircanian-monsters were waving their weapons and shouting like heathens. Large groups peeled away to follow the retreating army of monsters. They formed a barricade of spears, swords, and shields at the edge of the cages, their metal glinting in the sun. Monsters with knocked bows climbed on top of stone blocks, ready to shoot any stragglers.

  Movement closer to him caught his eye. The Diego, Sierra, and Alyssa-monsters had made a beeline to Sri’Lanca, and the Myra-monster stood with the Ti’Luthin-dragon and his rider. They weren’t shouting with the other monsters but speaking with each other. The Juan and Will-monster joined them, and their speech became more fervent. They kept motioning towards Landon. It was terrifying.

  “Landon?” asked Sri’Lanca, nudging him with his tail.

  Landon jumped. For the first time, he wished he knew what his dragon was feeling. Sri’Lanca wore an unreadable expression.

  “Can we go? Please?” Landon said, his voice trembling.

  Sri’Lanca continued to gaze at him, silent.

  Tears pricked Landon’s eyes. “Please, don’t look at me like that.”

  Sri’Lanca turned to the monsters clustered around him. “Landon and I need to have a private conversation. We’ll be in there,” he pointed with one claw to a small, unfinished building on the outskirts of the others. “Please keep everyone away for now.”

  The monsters stopped talking with each other. The Alyssa-monster jabbered a question, sounding concerned. The Ti’Luthin-dragon responded, and Sri’Lanca shook his head. “I think it’s best if he’s alone for a bit. I’ll call if I need anything.”

  Landon’s heart soared at those words. Privacy. That was exactly what he wanted right now. He sat down, for once not gripping the spike out of terror. His eagerness was strong enough to pull a small smile from Sri’Lanca. The dragon turned and began heading towards the building.

  Landon expected the monsters to stop Sri’Lanca, but they didn’t. They jogged alongside the dragon, calling to him in their strange language. Sri’Lanca always replied with, “To sort a few matters out. . . . We shall see.”

  Hearing this, the monsters went back to their vigile of the rival armies’ departure. Yet Sri’Lanca couldn’t go three steps without having to repeat himself. Landon wanted to scream at the Nircanian-monsters to go away, but he held his tongue. So far they didn’t care if he and Sri’Lanca weren’t one of them, and he was content to let that be as long as possible.

  After a few minutes, they passed the last group of monsters. Landon let out a sigh of relief and sagged against the spike. “Finally! I thought we would never be free of them.”

  Sri’Lanca shook his head. “If you were in your right mind, you would never say that. Ah, this is perfect.”

  The building had only three walls up, with the open end facing east, away from the monsters. The walls came to the top of Sri’Lanca’s back, and it was large enough for two dragons to comfortably lounge. A scaffold sagged against one wall, and several blocks of stone sat abandoned against another. Landon slid off Sri’Lanca’s back and went to one of the stones in the shade. He sank to the ground and rested against the block, closing his eyes. He rubbed his temples, aware for the first time of a growing headache.

  Sri’Lanca settled himself in front of Landon, spreading his wings on the soil. He studied the sun, shuffled a bit to one side, and sighed in pleasure. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a good sun bath.”

  Landon opened one eye. “Sun bath?”

  Sri’Lanca chuckled. “Don’t think there’s anything magical about it, Landon. It’s just nice and relaxing, and it invigorates the mind.” His face became serious. “Let’s talk about the monsters.”

  Landon stiffened. “What’s there to talk about?”

  All trace of the dragon’s good mood evaporated. “A lot of things. You keep wishing them dead, and you are about to die of fright every time one looks at you,” Sri’Lanca scowled. “I also don’t like being called a traitor.”

  Landon gritted his teeth. “You are working with them.”

  “Because they are our people, Landon.” the dragon answered soothingly. “You must believe me. None of these people are monsters.”

  “What about the Darrin one? And the kings?” Landon retorted. “You called them monsters.”

  Sri’Lanca gave a huge, exasperated sigh. “I meant that in a figurative term, not literal, Landon.”

  “So you say,” Landon muttered. “Can we not talk about this?”

  “No!” Sri’Lanca snapped. “You are hurting the people you love and therefore we will discuss this!”

  “I’m not hurting anyone!”

  “You are!” Sri’Lanca’s eyes smoldered angrily. “Your father, Diego, thinks it’s all his fault. Sierra is afraid that you will kill yourself, and both Alyssa and Myra can’t stop crying. Didn’t you hear your fiancé sobbing earlier? You’re breaking her heart!”

  Anger surged through Landon’s being. “Sri’Lanca, Myra’s a—”

  “She is not a monster, Landon!” Sri’Lanca cried, half rising. “That is your wounded mind speaking. No, don’t speak, just listen. Everything you see, everything you hear, is not the real thing. All the people on this side of the cages are Nircanians. Your people! They are the people you have given . . .” the dragon’s voice cracked, “given your life and sanity to protect. What you see and hear is because of the Wizard’s Seal. It tried to kill you, remember?”

  “I don’t remember anything about this Wizard’s Seal!” Landon exploded. “You say I did those brave things and killed those people, but I don’t remember it! How do I know you haven’t made it up?”

  Sri’Lanca’s eyes widened. “Is that what is holding you back? You think I am lying?”

  Landon nodded.

  Sri’Lanca pressed his mouth into a thin line. “You don’t remember that dragons always speak the truth?”

  Landon raised an eyebrow. “Really? First monsters aren’t monsters and now you’re saying you can’t lie?”

  The look Sri’Lanca gave him made Landon want to bury himself in a mountain and never emerge. He realized that of all the things to accuse the dragon of, accusing him of lying was the worst. Landon averted his gaze and stared at the dirt clods between his feet. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just don’t know what to believe anymore.”

  Sri’Lanca rose to his feet, his wings lifting slightly off the ground. Landon quailed as the dragon touched his chest with his snout. “Landon Durn-Dayn, of all the things I have told you today, I want you to know and remember this one truth: Dragons will not lie. Do you understand?”

  They stared at each other. Landon knew Sri’Lanca was listening to his emotions, whereas all Landon had to help him was the bond connecting them. It filled his body with warmth, doing nothing to ease his fears and doubts. And yet . . . he believed his dragon. He didn’t understand how a mortal being could always speak the truth, yet it made sense. Dragons were different from humans. They were wiser, kinder, and fiercer.

  “I believe you,” Landon said at last. “I believe you can only speak the truth.”

  Sri’Lanca held his gaze. “Which means, Landon, that everything I have told you is also true.”

  Landon nodded, guilt and fear tw
isting his stomach. “Sri’Lanca . . . do I have a face?” he asked. His voice shook with terror.

  “Yes,” said Sri’Lanca, nodding. “And you’re speaking Tarsli like everyone else.” He relaxed, resting his wings on the ground once more.

  Landon wanted to sigh with relief, but it wouldn’t come. He didn’t look like the others, but he saw them that way. None of the people he saw had been killed, except for Sayre and Darrin. They were dead now, along with Eli and so many others. Myra . . . he had screamed and run from her.

  The truth dawned on him.

  “Oh angels,” Landon groaned. “I called her a monster.” His stomach twisted with shame and horror. He got to his feet and began to pace, hoping the movement would ease his guilt. He trembled and sucked in deep breaths, trying to rein his emotions under control. The dead dragons had done more than torture him; they had broken him. They had turned him into a terrified, unreasonable monster.

  Sri’Lanca sat and watched Landon stumble back and forth. “Landon, would you like to read Christovan’s account?” he asked, gently.

  “Yes!” Landon replied, whirling to Sri’Lanca. “Yes. I want to read it.”

  Sri’Lanca nodded and rose. “Please don’t hurt yourself, Landon,” he said. “Our bond has kept you saner than I expected, but don’t give into thoughts of suicide. It will kill us both.”

  Landon nodded.

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  “Thank you.” Sri’Lanca turned and paused. “It’ll only take me a few minutes. Please try to stay calm until I return.”

  Landon nodded again, and Sri’Lanca launched himself into the sky. He blinked dust out of his eyes and watched as Sri’Lanca circled once and soared towards the mountains. The bond thinned and lengthened, giving Landon the sensation of his heart being spooled out like thread. It was the strangest thing he ever felt.

  “Nircana!” Sri’Lanca roared and was answered by a resounding cheer from the monsters. The cheering was deafening. It rang off the stone walls, and dust fell from the scaffolds. Curious, Landon walked to the entrance of the building.