The Blood Stone

by Jason J. Nugent

  She brought it home and named it Brida and their strong bond began to grow.

  She was never taught the effect halflings had on other animals. Halflings were to be despised and hated. Killed, even. They were a scourge on their people, tainting the race with their vile, mixed blood. She’d been witness to many executions in Kulketh. The Order was adamant about making sure the people viewed the events, especially since Myrthyd’s ascension. The Kull was ruthless in his quest to destroy all halflings and demanded to do so publicly, claiming they were part of the reason so many were suffering.

  Her father was no better.

  Alushia remembered Lailoken’s tales of hunting dragons and the excitement in his eyes as he recounted tales of the hunt and finding halflings trying to disguise themselves in Tregaron. He helped hunt them as well, bringing them back to the Tower for judgement. Would he do the same with her?

  She stopped on the worn dirt road to consider what he might do to her once he found out. The thought that he’d turn her in never crossed her mind. Going to stop him from his mission was all that mattered if Avess were to be believed. But would her father turn her over to that wicked Myrthyd, or would he come to terms with the truth?

  “Doesn’t matter. I have to stop him. That gem cannot fall into Myrthyd’s hands,” she said to Brida and looked around when she realized she spoke it aloud. If anyone heard her words and reported back to Myrthyd, she’d have more trouble than she intended.

  The road was clear and she continued on, losing herself in her thoughts.

  Traveling alone wasn’t common practice. There were too many bandits along the route and other natural dangers to fear. Alushia worried about these, though if an animal should come at her, she had Brida to protect her.

  Three days and nights they travelled, hiding along the side of the road when other travelers were in sight. A woman alone was an invitation for problems, though the large snowcat at her side would be a deterrent to most. She could defend herself well enough, but only if she needed to. She preferred to avoid confrontation if at all possible. The visible short sword and the dagger hidden within her sleeve had tasted blood before and might very well do so again if needed, but still, it didn’t hurt to be extra cautious.

  On the fourth day on the road, it was nearing dusk when she heard voices ahead of her. Brida had run off in search of food, leaving her alone. She wasn’t paying attention earlier and didn’t notice the small band of people. Hiding in a thick stand of trees off the side of the road, she waited until she thought the travelers had passed. After their voices faded, she waited a few minutes more before coming out. When she did, she was confronted by two men and a woman. They were dirty and stunk of animal dung. The woman was missing an eye and the empty eye socket yawned obscenely, causing her once beautiful face to contort into an ugly grimace. The two men were both thin and looked barely alive. Their clothes hung loosely on their skeletal frames.

  “Aye, look what we have here,” one of the men said. His dirty blond hair was matted with something brown. He wore wool pants and a dark blue shirt with questionable brown and red stains.

  “A pretty little one, she is,” the woman replied, brushing her brown hair back from her face. Her once-white tunic was now a dingy gray. Her leather sandals looked new compared to everything else.

  “Me thinks she’s lost. Not a good thing for a little girl,” the other man said. He was slightly taller than his companions and twigs and leaves stuck in his long brown hair. He wore a torn tunic and holey leather boots.

  “I’m not lost and I don’t mean any trouble with you,” Alushia replied.

  “I think she needs our help, don’t you, Trenton?” the taller man asked the other man.

  “I was just telling Gerthe we needed a new woman around here, wasn’t I, Gerthe?”

  The woman nodded. “She’s a pretty one, too. Rolan, think we can keep her?” she said to the tall man.

  Rolan grinned, exposing a huge gap in the front of his mouth where his teeth had rotted away. “She won’t be no trouble at all, will ya, little girl?”

  Alushia pleaded with them. “Please, I mean no harm. I don’t want to cause any problems. Just let me be on my way. That’s all.”

  “Where ya going?” Rolan asked.

  Alushia paused, unsure she wanted to give away her true purpose. “To Woodpine. I have family there.”

  “They ain’t ever gonna find you, girl,” Gerthe said. The one-eyed woman lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. Alushia rolled with Gerthe’s weight and pinned the woman to the ground.

  “Don’t make me do this!” she yelled at her.

  “Get her, Gerthe! Don’t let no little girl get the best of ya!” Trenton called out. The men goaded their friend and it seemed to give Gerthe a second wind. She struggled against Alushia’s grip and broke free, toppling her. Gerthe jumped up and kicked Alushia in the ribs.

  “No little pretty thing gets the best of me!” she screamed. Gerthe produced a large blade from under her tunic and flashed a wicked grin. “I want one of them pretty eyes. Then no one will want to touch you ever again. You might even be good enough to eat. Food is scarce out here, ya know.”

  Alushia pushed herself away from the woman but ran straight into one of the men. She looked up to see Rolan. He sneered and grabbed her arms to prevent her from going any further as Gerthe slowly stepped closer, grinning madly.

  “Come on, Gerthe, take it! Take it quick! I want my turn!” Rolan said, encouraging his friend.

  Alushia’s angered swelled. A fire blazed inside her like never before. Her eyes flashed red.

  “Did you see that?” Gerthe said, backing away. “Her eyes! They…they changed!”

  “Have you been drinking ale already. Take the eye!” Rolan said.

  Alushia felt the warmth surge through her and Rolan let go, yelping.

  “My hands! She burnt my hands!” he yelled.

  Brida growled behind them, and they all turned. The snowcat dropped the hare in her mouth, snarling at the attackers.

  “A snowcat?” Trenton cried. He turned to run, but Brida was faster, pouncing on him and tearing into his flesh with her large claws.

  Alushia seized the moment and pulled out her dagger, lunging at Gerthe, distracted by Brida’s vicious attack. Alushia plunged the blade in the woman’s chest, the metal slipping within her flesh, and puncturing the soft organs underneath. Gerthe screamed and flung her arms at Alushia, striking her on the head. Alushia fell back, Rolan grabbing her and holding a knife to her throat.

  “Call off the snowcat or I’ll kill you!”

  Alushia struggled, the warmth returning to her. She felt her skin grow hotter, forcing Rolan to let go again.

  “She’s burning me!”

  Alushia spun and slammed into him, forcing him to the ground and landing on top. Brida pounced in their direction. “No!” Alushia said. “Get her first.”

  Brida leapt to Gerthe, the woman screaming as Brida finished what Alushia had started.

  “What are you?” Rolan asked.

  “A woman you should’ve left alone.” Alushia drew her dagger across his throat. A fountain of blood spurted and splashed on Alushia. She stood, leaving him to die on the ground. When she turned to Brida, the white cat’s face was red with blood, flesh hanging from her mouth.

  “Thank you, girl.” Alushia looked around at the mess they created and felt sorry for the people. She didn’t want to kill them, but they’d left her no choice. Fortunately, she had Brida with her. “Let’s go, girl,” she said to the large snowcat. She grabbed her pack and sought the nearest stream to clean up and rest, Brida at her side.

  The next morning, sore and weary, the pair set off toward the south. “We can stay in Woodpine. My father will return there from the mountains on his way back to Kulketh. If he has the gem, we can stop him there. I worry that if we go into the mountains, we’ll never find him.”

  Brida grunted as though she understood, making Alushia smile. They were far from safe, but the two t
ogether were a pair to recon with.

  As the day progressed, Alushia thought about the attack and how her skin grew hot, as though on fire. It had never happened before and surprised her; even frightened her. What was that? Was that proof of my dragon blood? she thought. Asking someone about it would create unwanted attention and possible execution. If she ever met Avess again, she’d ask him. Until then, it would be her secret.

  CHAPTER

  Twenty-Eight

  Lailoken stood with the slayers in the dark cavern, Etain’s lovely face suddenly flashing in his mind. Indrar’s lies came back to him, making him more eager to slay what lay ahead and force the end of the Drakku. Their deceit and treachery knew no bounds. He’d be the one to deliver their salvation from dragon lies by acquiring the Blood Stone. Matched with Myrthyd’s power, they’d have the means to eliminate dragons and their horrid halflings forever. Hunger would be eliminated and their fields would once again produce their fruits. Their quest was close to an end and so were the Drakku.

  If they were in the right cave.

  Indrar’s words at the point of death carried weight for Lailoken, though his lies about Etain were something he’d never accept.

  Etain might not be alive. Surely, she would’ve tried to return to her family if she were. To claim she was a dragon was preposterous. That would mean in her human form, she seduced him to capture his humanity and give birth to their halfling Alushia. It was all a lie. Every last word, deception on the part of Indrar, but why?

  Why would Indrar lie to him? What did he gain from it, other than a moment’s respite when Lailoken was ready to slay him? Was it all a ruse to escape? Was there something more to the lie? How did he know who Etain was, anyway? Had she been captured by the dragons and held captive? They’d all die for it. Every last one of those flying evil creatures would lose their life because of his fury.

  Lailoken looked to his fellow slayers. “We are about to embark on a journey that ends in death. I for one do not intend to die.” The slayers nodded their assent, Jor talking up their prowess to the group.

  “We’re stronger and smarter than any dragon. Those things run on instinct. We’ve got intellect to guide our way. We’ve got training to bolster our wit. Those things have strength without direction. They fight out of animalistic urges and nothing more. We can do it! We can kill what lies ahead. I want one of their eyes to parade around Tregaron so that everyone will know Jor is a true slayer!” She nodded toward Lailoken’s sword with the dragon eye embedded in the pommel. When the speech ended, he sheathed the sword.

  The others voiced their agreement. Lailoken understood her bravado and had witnessed it first-hand. She believed every word she spoke, and from the looks of the rest of the slayers, so did they. Driano was the only one who appeared unsettled, but he always did.

  “You three stay here,” Lailoken said to the two Magus and Tozgan. “We’ll scout deeper ahead. Be prepared for dragons attempting to enter the cave.”

  “We’ll get a fire going,” Driano said. Since their time in the mountains, the man’s demeanor had changed subtly. Instead of an instant backhand to Belthos, he gave the boy the tiniest bit of respect, and it made Lailoken not hate him as much.

  Belthos along with Tozgan went in search of wood and Driano used his powers to keep himself warm, his gem glowing.

  Lailoken scanned the cavern. The dead Jade dragon lay to the side of the cave, its blood clotting on the dirt beneath it.

  One less evil beast to deal with, Lailoken thought as he lit a torch. May Menos guide those souls to rest, he prayed. Human body parts were strewn around the cave in a horrific display of the Drakku’s evil.

  “Come, let’s find what’s inside.” He led them deeper into the blackness ahead.

  The cave echoed with the voices of the men discussing wood and the fire. The howling wind at the mouth of the cave created an otherworldly sound that made Lailoken turn around several times in fear of a surprise attack. Darlonn, Jor, and Ori were behind him. Nothing would get past them.

  He hoped.

  The cave itself narrowed a bit before dropping down and to the left. He followed carefully, hoping the flame didn’t go out before he could return to the entrance. Soon the voices of their friends were silent. He had no idea how far they’d gotten, but the darkness around them seemed bleaker in the light of the flickering torch. He moved deeper and farther away from the entrance of the seemingly endless cave.

  “I don’t like this,” Jor said, breaking their silence.

  “Are you afraid of the dark?” Darlonn asked, a hint of humor in his voice.

  “Of the dark? No. Of what’s hidden in the dark…yes. What could possibly be hiding in here, guarding a magical stone? It certainly can’t be anything commonplace. How would it live in here?”

  “Maybe it’s some kind of spirit?” asked Ori.

  Darlonn laughed. “If it is, our swords are useless. I don’t fear anything that I can see through.”

  “Ori, spirits aren’t real. In all my travels, they’ve never been proven,” Lailoken said. “Most likely, it’s an old tale to warn off intruders like us, to prevent us from even trying to find the gem. For all we know, it’s nothing more than a rock of no significance.”

  “Then why are we here? I’m not excited about dying for something with ‘no significance,’” Jor replied.

  “Fine. It’s a magnificent gem that if nothing else will fetch us a lot of dracs, especially if Driano infuses his magic into it,” Lailoken replied. And, because of Etain. He promised…

  That seemed to end the discussion and the group fell silent again, continuing into the ever-increasing darkness of the cavern.

  They’d been gone at least an hour when the long narrow path widened. The cave also widened to reveal an enormous dome that appeared to occupy the entire inside of the mountain.

  In the distance, bright green and blue glowing orbs of light illuminated the cavern. Their warm glow gave the illusion of stars painted on the ceiling. They marveled at the strange sight, the torch almost unnecessary under their light. An orb on the wall caught Lailoken’s eye and he approached it carefully. “What is this?”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Darlonn said.

  “Me neither,” Ori replied.

  It glowed a wondrous shade of blue. Moss-like in appearance, it had a mesmerizing glow. “These are spectacular,” Jor said.

  “I know.”

  Lailoken’s heart jumped into his throat. Swords were unsheathed and Ori squeaked. They spun. Standing only a short distance from them was the older dragon-man with eyes glowing red.

  “You! Your days are over!” Lailoken dropped the torch and clutched his sword. The dragon-man laughed.

  “You still don’t believe me, do you? Why is it so hard to hear the truth? Your wife Etain lives. She commands my brethren. Her power is known amongst my kind and we honor her with our loyalty. Your daughter Alushia is a halfling. One day she, too, will come to know the truth and no longer will we have to do this pathetic dance. We aren’t evil, Lailoken; we never were. Your Magus would say different, but then again, they were the rebellious ones Deavos tried to bring to the side of right.”

  Jor and Darlonn were stunned and their mouths fell open at the words spoken. Ori pulled back from the group, unslinging his crossbow and knocking an iron bolt.

  Lailoken roared and rushed the dragon-man. In a poof of red smoke, he transformed into his dragon form, flapping his large leathery wings and soaring high into the cavern. He was the same dragon that saved Indrar. If this dragon was here, Indrar was probably not far behind.

  The dragon belched fire, overpowering the ethereal glow of the plants on the walls.

  Why must you be so hard headed? the dragon’s voice came slow and deep in Lailoken’s mind. I want nothing but to reunite you with Etain. You must come to terms with the truth. Don’t force me to act in anger.

  “Come to me and fight! One of us will die this day!”

  The dragon roared. If only I
could! He spit fire at the ground far enough away not to harm them.

  I’m sworn to protect you, but the rest of them are mine, the dragon said in his mind. Lailoken cast a glance at his friends and his heart beat faster.

  “No, leave them be!”

  “Who are you talking to?” Jor asked. It hadn’t occurred to Lailoken that they didn’t hear the dragon. What does that mean? he wondered.

  A roar behind them made Lailoken spin around. An immense Opal dragon appeared like a ghost above them, flapping its tattered translucent wings. It howled and screeched.

  You have awoken Chepon, the Lady of the Skies. I hope you are prepared to die, slayer, the Garnet said in Lailoken’s mind. Chepon flew across the cavern, roaring hideously.

  “Evros, you dare enter my lair!” Chepon said.

  “Evros?” Jor asked. She turned to Lailoken. “Did that dragon…speak?”

  “I heard the name!” Ori said, “I heard it say words.”

  The Garnet roared back. Chepon, I do not come to steal your treasure. I have come to rid the world of this slayer. Lailoken heard the words but wasn’t sure if the rest had.

  “I yield to no man and to no dragon! Be gone, Evros, or face my wrath.”

  The Garnet—Evros—howled and spit flames at the ceiling, burning the glowing plants. Then in a furious beat of its wings, it flew out the way the slayers entered, leaving them alone with the great Opal hovering above. It twisted in the air and landed a good distance from them. She glowed like the plants on the walls and he could see through her form.