The Celestial King

by L Ward

  Evan’s mouth fell open.

  “You’ll be unstoppable,” said Will, gazing at Nath in admiration.

  Nath smiled sadly. “That’s the part I’m worried about, and I don’t think I can keep entering the Dead Country without effects.”

  “What we need is some news,” said Will.

  Nath stood up and they followed him to the drawing room. He found a signal shard and they tuned into a pair of bobble head news reporters with teeth faker than their looks of concern.

  “Reporters aren’t able to cross the border, but it’s said the destruction can be seen as far as Birmingham,” said the blonde woman.

  “The Dead Country are claiming that King Nathaniel has broken his own treaty and gone rogue. Forty of the lab workers have died in the major explosion which is said to have killed one of the King’s own major allies,” said the man.

  Nath closed his eyes in a long blink.

  “There was—" the woman was cut off, staring at something in horror off camera.

  The man jumped to his feet, gusts lashing around his wrists. Screams echoed down the signal and the wolfmen set upon them. The signal didn’t cut and they watched the reporters being mauled to death, other members of staff fighting a losing battle as they were overcome by experiments, all long limbs and blood-thirsty eyes,

  Evan couldn’t take his eyes off the largest one in the center, fangs bared and muzzle wet with blood. There was nothing in its eyes but death.

  Will took the shard and put it on the table. They stood in silence for a long time listening to the snarling monsters and occasional clangs of the has-been studio.

  “You thought you’d won didn’t you, Nathaniel?”

  Nath snatched up the shard so fast he nearly shattered it.

  A vibrating chuckle echoed down the portal and the large, lined face of Governor Undermouth appeared. He wore a grin that could charm the devil, eyes colder than an arctic frost.

  “Mark my words, even if you’re too busy frolicking like a young pup, you’ll hear my message soon enough. Your little stunt has earned you admiration among the weak and brainwashed, and while you may have killed a good friend and a few hundred experiments, my greatest monster is still safe and sound,” his smile could shatter the sky. “I haven’t seen you since you were a little cub on your daddy’s knee. I should’ve known then how much backache you’d give me, almost as much as your spineless father.”

  Nath clenched his fists so hard his knuckles popped.

  “So I’m extending a formal invitation to my palace. You may come any time before the full moon’s rise to swear fealty to me, or I’ll take your crown by force and unleash the monster to end all monsters on this world,” his face disappeared and the vision skipped to Belfast, the sky black as ebony, huge forks of lightning striking the ground as warlocks flew through the air casting spells and curses in brilliant shades of evil.

  Evan gasped.

  Nath pounded a fist on the table so hard it cracked.

  “Mark my words, wolf. You may be absent without leave, but I’ll find you. I have eyes and ears on you, and if you don’t come when called I’ll make sure your people die cursing your name,” he spat. The screen turned black and Nath stumbled back, shaking and pale.

  “It might be a bluff. We destroyed the labs, surely nothing could’ve survived that blast,” said Evan.

  Will shot him a filthy look. “We don’t have time for your stupidity,” he snapped.

  Nath shoved him back into the wall and pinned him there. “We don’t have time for your attitude!”

  “Nath—"

  “You heard his threat!” Nath shouted.

  A flicker of fear crossed Will’s eyes and he surrendered his palms. Nath backed away, eyeing him closely.

  “I think we need to calm down,” said Will. “All of us, and decide what’s next.”

  “We’re heading for the city tonight,” said Nath, shoulders heaving. “I’ll show him how much this little cub has grown. Evan, are your powers ready?”

  Evan crackled his knuckles. “Fully charged.”

  Nath’s grin was devastating. “Then prepare. At sundown, we attack.”

  Chapter 33

  Evan’s nerves were on the fritz as he mounted the dragon’s saddle behind his husband and looked back at the pretty medieval castle. He still felt tired but the mission was vital, especially after the studio attack. Nausea burned in his stomach and he heard Will sucking huge gulps of air. The dragon launched into the sky like a meteor heading home and Will clung to him for dear life.

  The sky was fluffy with clouds and the stars dazzled as they watched the world fly by. His magic bled into Will and quietened his racing heart.

  Towns and cities littered the earth and they could see violence in the distance. Sparks terrorised the ground and once beautiful sites were nothing more than smouldering craters. The view was incredible and if it wasn’t under such dark circumstances he would’ve enjoyed it.

  Before long, Nath pointed to a yellow glimmer on the horizon. “The city is up ahead,” he shouted.

  Evan’s heart and ass switched places. His fingers shook with fear as every second the light drew nearer growing more brilliant. The city was encased in a dome of magic spilling to the earth like Niagara Falls.

  They could see crowds gathering some distance from its border, they appeared to be protesters fighting with some of the guards.

  “Our soldiers are stationed east,” Nath yelled.

  The dragon ascended high and invisible against the clouds. Evan could feel Nath shifting around and watched as a tiny black spark shot through the air. He was making contact.

  “Now we attack,” said Nath.

  Evan’s stomach plummeted as the dragon took a nosedive towards the city. He clenched his eyes shut against the glare, felt the creature’s sides heave and flames erupted from its mouth colliding with the dome in a gargantuan roar. Smoke billowed into the sky and sparks tore the dome apart below. The dragon took aim again and the second blast rocked the skies. Magic rose beneath his skin and he whispered a prayer to the gods as they rushed the breaking barrier at break-neck speed.

  Heat engulfed them, suffocating and dry. Every colour of the UV spectrum dazzled his retinas and the city appeared through the dense cloud of smoke. Citizens screamed; the city came alive. Rows upon rows of cobblestone houses and pastel-painted flat conversions popped up all over the city with an enormous church of the celestial gods. He’d only ever seen pictures and as they drew nearer his heart sank. Two jade statues depicting Lunara and Solaris, old as time and twice as remarkable, rose in its courtyard spliced in half and miserable in death. Many major buildings were cursed wrecks, smoke billowing from their floors. The portal tower had been destroyed, the tethering station was on fire, and dozens of homes on the outskirts had been obliterated by the dome.

  “There!” Nath yelled over the roar, pointing to an enormous building in the city center.

  A jet of light shattered the night a depressing shade of blue. Curses flew at them as the warlocks attempted a counter attack. The dragon snorted billows of smoke and dodged with graceful ease, barrel rolling to avoid a particularly vicious bolt of black magic.

  Evan held his breath as a curse scorched his thigh his magic caught it before the blood could fall.

  The town hall was swarming with guards, barricading the building in a human shield; aiming their staves at the clouds, their screamed drowned by the roar of the inferno.

  He clung desperately to Nath as the dragon veered off course, the wind roaring with the fury of a scorned woman.

  Nath urged another nosedive and a stream of fire cursed the street.

  Evan couldn’t watch the warlocks go up in flames, running around like headless chicken, their bodies like distant candles dancing in the night. Another current caught its wings and they rose into the sky narrowly avoiding one of the town hall spires. The building began to spark dangerously as though carrying an electrical current, smoke pouring from the upper windows.


  “They’re creating another dome!” Will yelled.

  The wind was growing stronger wrapping them in its furious hold. Evan could barely think straight as they took more dives and turns trying to escape the ever growing vortex. Another sharp dive and the dragon fire blasted the dome with jarring force. The explosion was deafening and rocked the planet, scarlet smoke eclipsed their sight and all around them dimensional shards exploded. Evan could see everything he wasn't supposed to, glimpses of the Otherworld in all its lucky mundaneness. The flames rose higher, lapping hungrily at the clouds and Nath pulled the dragon into a dramatic ascension that sent a surge of panic through Will’s body so powerful he nearly cracked Evan’s ribs. They were high in the sky, protected by a blanket of black smoke below. The fire was spreading rapidly to nearby buildings, booms and screams eclipsed the night.

  “Look there!” Nath shouted over the din and, if Evan squinted, he could just about make out a brigade of comrades in the King’s livery marching the town hall all staves and white magic, cutting down warlocks and rebels in their path.

  A piercing whistle split Evan’s skull and below the earth rumbled.

  “They’ve got experiments,” said Nath. The town hall was impossible to see as it sparked, crackled and smoldered, its protective dome crumbling like stale sponge cake.

  “There!” Evan pointed over Nath’s shoulder to a huge black garage which burst open and monsters from hell crawled from its depths. Creatures with the bodies of scorpions and heads of mutated wolves scuttled at fleeing civilians with snapping jaws and lashing stingers. The soldiers met them with a furious cry and a battle ensued.

  Nath veered around and set a blast of dragon’s fire down the street toasting the overgrown insects into Thai delicacies. The buildings around them erupted, three crashing to the ground and splitting open the pavements; the soldiers changed course, waving up at the sky.

  “More!” Will pointed to the west where three banshees flew across the sky, wailing with their taloned fingers outstretched ready to rip out a heart. The dragon fire had no effect on them but the soldiers stood ground, two shadowmancers engulfing them in tendrils of darkness and wrangling them into submission.

  An explosion at the town hall sent them dramatically off course. The dragon swerved and Evan’s puke hit the top of his mouth and slammed back down into his belly. The warlocks were summoning the air and the smoke was clearing.

  They serpentined over the city, blasting monsters out of the way and clearing the path to the town hall while their soldiers grappled for ground control. The pavement rocked, a gigantic fissure piercing the heart of the building and it cracked like an egg, a brilliant blue orb glowing in its center. Evan could make out four warlocks wearing billowing robes, staves raised to the sky encasing them in barrier black magic.

  “We can’t touch it,” said Nath, pulling them high into the sky.

  “They’ve got Chairman Whittle!” said Will.

  Sure enough in the center of the mayhem a monster of a man rose, restraining him in a headlock.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Nath gasped as the wolfman stepped forward, a towering eight feet at least with bone-crushing muscles and fangs jabbing awkwardly from his elongated humanoid mouth. He was grinning like a mad man and staring at them through evil yellow eyes.

  Evan held his breath; the dragon dove.

  The warlocks reacted with badly aimed curses. The dragon swooped and dodged with remarkable accuracy and speed.

  Nath raised a palm and the clouds vanished revealing the moon in its early waxing gibbous.

  For a moment Evan was mesmerised as thousands of stars ruptured. A beam of moonlight screeched through the sky and Lunara's blessing struck the barrier, the god light pierced the center like a knight slaying a dragon.

  Heat exploded beneath them and they were thrust into the sky, the dragon's wings beating furiously trying to stabilise. Evan blanketed the four of them in magic pushing with all of his might as the pressure became unbearable and the demonic curse which created the barrier scorched his force field like acid. He screamed, fire shooting up his spinal cord. They broke free, gasping for breath.

  The city was a wash of coloured smoke and stank of rotting incense and fire. Evan couldn’t believe his eyes, never had it looked so beautiful but so devastating.

  The sky boomed and lightning forked to their right piercing the town hall’s spire. It exploded in a firework of mayhem and tumbled to the pavement. The rest of the building was a haze of violet smoke and sparks.

  Far below the streets were an explosion of curses and white magic.

  “They’re winning!” Evan shouted but his words were stolen in the roar.

  The dragon regained balance and they descended through the smoke.

  Nath’s body was bursting with light, he looked like an angel sent from the gods. Before they hit the crumbling barrier he threw his arms in the air and moonlight radiated from his body in a shockwave so powerful Evan was blinded by his light.

  Flames rushed to greet them; warlocks cursed them to the bowels of Hell. Evan drew a sharp breath and the magic exploded from his body, blanketing the three of them as Will thrust out an arm and stole the fire from the warlock's staff, extinguishing instantly.

  The smoke cleared and the dragon’s legs hit the ground; the trio slid from its back landing heavily among the rubble.

  Will was on the head warlock dressed in robes of crimson and ebony, he tore the inferno that burned from his arms, drawing the magic from his body. But he was strained, struggling to hold it for much longer. The smell of burning flesh assaulted his nostrils and Evan acted without thinking; he seized Will's arm and called upon the sun. The solar system in his heart answered with a ferocious burn and he gasped. It flooded Will's blood, supercharging his magic. His scream was harrowing but together they dropped the man to his knees.

  Nath finished him with a kick to the head and the man's neck snapped like a twig.

  “NATH!” Evan cried, rushing after his husband.

  The dragon swung a one-eighty and blasted a battalion of oncoming guards. The ones who evaded the flames, turned tail for the shadows, throwing up barriers the dragon obliterated.

  Nath paid them on mind, he rushed the wolfman and in his hands he brandished the holy blade of god light.

  Evan gasped.

  The beast threw the Whittle aside so hard he bounced several paces and went limp.

  Will launched a fireball but the beast dodged it with a furious snarl, crouched on its four bandy legs and charged at Nath ready for the kill. He threw another and another, they didn’t slow the agile creature, its feet struck the wall and it pounced at Nath with a predator’s roar.

  Magic erupted from Evan’s core and he belted Nath with his power. He skidded and dodged the first assault, but it swung round and struck him across the back.

  Nath gasped in shock but Evan refused to let him feel pain. He summoned more magic from his core, letting the pressure build until it was unbearable like an overfilled kettle; it burst coating Nath in an intense golden light as the monster sank its claws into his chest. It’s talons broke before they could pierce skin and Nathaniel thrust the blade of light through its heart.

  The wolfman howled and stumbled back on its hind legs. Evan watched the black blood and purplish curses seep from its wound. Blood and metal gargled up its throat; it stank of fetid potpourri. They watched it collapse and Nath pierced it one last time through the head, it’s thrashing limbs stilled in death.

  The dust settled and the sounds of victory filtered through the haze. Evan’s head thrummed with magic, his teeth were vibrating and he was struggling to hold it together.

  The blade in Nath’s hand vanished, he was pale, shaking and panting for breath. He looked up at the Chairman Whittle with wide, horrified eyes.

  Evan rushed to the man’s side, he’d been beaten and starved but otherwise his injuries were minor. He fixed him up and reached into the man’s mind drawing him back to consciousness wi
th a quick jolt to the heart.

  He bolted upright panting and blinking around stupidly. Evan was surprised, the man couldn’t have been more than thirty. “Thank you, Your Royal Majesties,” he gasped, eyes darting between Evan and Nath. “And you, young Sir,” he nodded to Will.

  A deep boom sounded behind them and they turned to find the dragon trampling a corner shop full of cowering warlocks. They must’ve run for cover only to be crushed to death under the creature’s weight.

  “Your Majesty!” They turned and a band of soldiers, bruised, blooded and tired lumbered towards them, still smoking from battle.

  “The majority of monsters have been apprehended; the city is under crown siege,” a young man stepped forward, cheeks black with soot and red with burns. More injured and exhausted soldiers arrived and Nath stared at the remnants of his comrades.

  “Thank all of you for your fantastic work and bravery tonight,” he addressed them as a group.

  “It is our honour, Your Majesty,” Officer Moorhead bowed low wearing a valiant smile. “But the warlocks who fled are contacting Undermouth, they’re unleashing forces on London.”

  Any other man would have sagged under the weight of the news, but not Nath. He looked across the city; buildings lay smoldering in ruin, the famous cobblestones were shattered to dust, corpses burned beyond recognition littered the streets, and a band of comrades gazed at him in admiration.

  “Are you able to secure the ground here? I must attend my army,” said Nath, brows furrowed.

  The comrades saluted him.

  “We’ll take care of everything, Your Majesty.”

  “Then I leave it in your capable hands,” said Nath.

  “But first,” said Evan. He held up his palms and walked around radiating energy into the soldiers and healing their wounds. Smiles were shared like birthday cake and it was soon time to go.

  They were saddled on the dragon in seconds and took to the skies, heading for London.