Dragonvein - Book Three (27 page)

Both of them were slow to react. Another tremendous roar shook the ground. Dwarf and elf alike covered their ears, searching desperately for the source.

Ethan gripped Halvar by the shoulders and shook him to attention. “I said get your people inside the damn mountain.”

But it was too late. From above the treetops the dragon appeared, silver scales shimmering in the light of the morning sun. It hovered a hundred feet or so above the field and let out yet another roar, this one even louder than the first two. Any trace of order vanished. Elf and dwarf lines alike immediately began to scatter as the frightened soldiers moved back. But the sheer volume of their numbers was making it impossible to escape.

“Retreat to the mountain!” cried Halvar, running toward what remained of his lines.

Keira burst into a dead run toward the left flank without uttering a word.

Ethan grabbed Kat’s arms. “Stay here!”

She shook her head. “I’m not leaving you.”

There was no time to argue. Ethan chased after the king, with Kat right on his heels. Even from such a height, the wind from the creature's massive wings blew down on them like a storm. Halvar was desperately pulling his people back and pointing to the mountain, ordering them to retreat.

Ethan looked up at the dragon and reached out in an attempt to make a connection with it. But there was nothing. It was as if the beast did not exist. Somehow, it had been cut off from both its kin and the spirit of Lumnia.

Arrows streaked skyward from the elf ranks, but they simply bounced off the dragon's hide. By now, some dwarves had regained their senses sufficiently to fire their rods, but these too had little effect. A few seconds later, the dragon began descending. As it landed only fifty feet from the vanguard, a great sucking sound carried over the commotion of terrified cries. Anguish tore at Ethan. He knew what was about to happen. But he was helpless to stop it.

The fire spewed forth from its gaping maw, consuming at least twenty dwarves in a single burst. Screams of agony mingled with renewed cries of terror. It was then Ethan spotted a figure riding atop the back of the dragon. It was cloaked in a red robe, with the hood pushed back to reveal his features. Ethan recognized him immediately. Hronso.

Arrows continued to bounce ineffectively off the beast’s hide. While hundreds of dwarves tried desperately to escape to the mountain, the elves were forming a line on either side of the dragon. Another stream of blazing death enveloped the dwarves to the front of it.

Ethan looked to Kat. “Can you push back the fire?”

Without replying, she waved her hands and yelled “Vetrivi!” just as the dragon released another assault. A gale force blast of wind threw back the flames an instant before they would have consumed dozens of more victims.

As the enraged beast turned toward them, a burst of blue light shot from Ethan's hand, striking it on the foreleg and sending it lurching back. But it was a short-lived victory. It shook its head violently while recovering, very nearly dislodging Hronso from his perch, then immediately charged, cutting a broad swath through the crowd of dwarf soldiers.

Kat grabbed Ethan’s hand. “Run!”

The dragon was heading straight for them at amazing speed for something so massive; far faster than Ethan ever realized they could move. He muttered another spell, praying that this one would give them a bit more breathing space. Directly above the dragon’s head, three great eagles appeared. In a concerted attack they swooped down, clawing at the beast's eyes in an attempt to blind it. But this was no more than a mere annoyance. Three times in rapid succession it snapped its jaws down on its feathered attackers, each one blinking out of existence the moment it was bitten.

More arrows poured in from the elves. Some of the archers had moved in close enough to actually pierce the dragon’s hide – but only slightly. Certainly not enough to do any real damage. Kat paused long enough to shoot a series of flames at the dragon’s head. But this had no effect whatsoever.

“Fire doesn’t work,” Ethan shouted above the clamor of voices. He pointed Kat toward the elf’s left flank. “Over there. We need to lead it away.”

By now the dragon had renewed its charge, crushing anyone in its path. Some tried to hack at its legs with their axes as it passed, but if this injured the animal, it gave no indication. More dwarf rods struck, though with no better success than the arrows. Ethan looked back. The beast would be on them in moments. He sought his memory desperately for yet another spell that might delay it.

“
Jata Piasti
,” he shouted.

The ground erupted at the dragon’s feet, forcing it to veer sharp left. Infuriated, it spewed fire straight toward them. Kat was only just able to divert the blast upward before they were roasted.

As they neared the left flank of the elf army, Ethan spotted Keira directing her archers and shouting orders. She saw the pair running toward her and pointed to the dragon’s legs. “Slow the beast down,” she cried.

Dozens of arrows whizzed by Ethan before going on to strike the dragon’s legs, many of them passing so close that he could feel the wind on his face as they flew by. Again, he glanced back to cast a spell. This time the earth exploded directly beneath the dragon’s belly. But not even this was sufficient to hamper its progress. Thanks to its enormous weight, it remained solidly on the ground and barely broke stride.

More fire shot from the dragon’s mouth, but this time it was directed at the elves. They scattered with remarkable swiftness, though an unlucky few were still caught in the inferno. Their dying screams of agony ripped away at Ethan's soul. As much as this tormented him, he knew he must not stop running, or even pause for a second.

A blur of motion passed before his eyes. But before he could establish the cause, Kat was sent reeling, landing face first on the jagged ground. Ethan slid to a halt. General Hronso was standing right in front of him, a long curved blade in his hand and a vicious grin on his face.

“It's over, mage,” he growled.

Ethan’s fury erupted. Without thinking, his hand shot out to send a bolt of lightning sizzling into Hronso’s chest. The Rakasa staggered backwards, landing in an untidy heap several feet away.

Kat was just lying there, blood trickling down the back of her neck from where Hronso had struck with the hilt of his sword. Ethan moved to help her, but before he had completed so much as a single step, a mighty force slammed violently into his side. So powerful was the blow, it sent him sliding across the ground like a rag doll thrown aside by an angry child. Even before he rolled to a stop, intense pain shot through him. He knew straight away that his arm was broken, as well as several ribs. He looked over to where he had previously been standing and saw the dragon glaring back at him with empty black eyes. He tried to move, but then realized his right leg was broken as well.

General Hronso was already back on his feet, smiling fiendishly. “Take him,” he commanded.

The dragon took a step toward Ethan, its massive claws churning up hunks of rock and soil. He knew there was nothing he could do. This was the end.

A shadow overhead caught the corner of his eye. The next thing he knew, a white streak slammed into the dragon, the fierceness of the contact producing an ear-splitting crack. With a mighty roar of anger, the creature toppled over onto its side. Ethan could only look on with a mixture of wonder and relief. Maytra was atop the silver dragon, her claws dug deep into its mid-section. She had grown much since the last time he'd seen her – though she was still less than a quarter the size of her opponent.

Hronso stared in shock and disbelief as his dragon, which by now had recovered from the surprise of the initial attack, fought back ferociously. He moved forward to aid it, but a nearby group of elves set upon him, driving him away with a barrage of steel. Only the general’s unnatural speed and skill saved him from being hacked to pieces. Realizing that he had little chance against so many skilled warriors, he quickly withdrew with the elves hard on his heels.

Maytra was now clawing and snapping at the silver dragon's head and neck. Though much smaller, she was more agile and able to inflict several deep wounds. For a time it looked as if she would actually prevail. But then, in a flurry of movement, the silver dragon twisted and swiped at her with a taloned claw, striking Maytra just beneath her left wing. Blood spewed from a foot long gash and sent her hard to the ground.  Ethan cried out as the beast clamped down on Maytra's neck with dagger-like teeth. Her agonized screech tore into him. He could feel every bit of her pain as the mighty jaws tightened their hold.

Though still reeling from the dragon's blow, he struggled up into a seated position and extended his undamaged arm. A stream of blinding white light shot forth, striking the dragon squarely in the right haunch. It immediately released its hold on Maytra, allowing her body to fall limply onto the ground. Ethan’s heart froze. He could feel that she still lived…but barely.

His attack had left a smoldering wound roughly the size of a man’s hand in the dragon's hide. Its black eyes swung toward him, the low growl that quickly followed clearly stating its menacing intent. In a single leap it spanned the distance between them, landing with earth-shaking force, a huge front leg planted on either side of Ethan.

Heart racing, he tried to scramble back, but his shattered limbs would not allow this. Hot breath was bearing down on him. He looked up. The dragon’s snout was now mere inches from his face. It opened its mouth to finish its work, saliva mixed with Maytra’s blood dripping from its teeth.

A deep commanding voice called out. “No. He is for the Emperor.”

It was Hronso returning. With several arrows protruding from his back and a series of deep cuts across his arms and chest, he should have been staggering. Yet, incredibly, he still strode along with unrelenting purpose. There was no sign of the elves who had been pursuing him. They must either be dead or have given up the chase, Ethan considered.

Hronso moved in close. After pulling a small flask from his belt and opening it with his teeth, his steely fingers forced Ethan's jaws wide apart. Without uttering a word, he began pouring the contents into his mouth. Ethan tried hard to resist, but no matter how much he struggled and retched, most of the liquid was soon ingested anyway. Tossing aside the empty flask, the general then jumped onto the dragon's back.

The effect of the drug was almost instantaneous. Ethan’s head began swimming and his eyes lost all focus. The last thing he remembered was a rush of air as the dragon carried him skyward.

Keira stared up in horror at the dragon flying away with Ethan gripped firmly in its claws. But there was no time to dwell on this. Across the battlefield, the Imperial army had now let loose a huge barrage of arrows. The scattered and unprepared dwarves were taking the worst of it, the deadly missiles killing dozens of them in the first assault. A few elves were struck, but their numbers remained strong. Keira shouted for her archers to return fire. Without hesitation, they let loose three rapid volleys before the Imperials could manage even one more. This was enough to convince the enemy commanders it was time to charge.

King Halvar, seeing what had happened, began rallying his men to turn and fight. They still outnumbered the Imperials, in spite of the enormous damage the dragon had caused. But their lines were currently scattered, whereas the humans were organized.  Barking out orders at their backs, he desperately tried to position his forces well enough to withstand the initial attack.

The elves let fly their arrows twice more before the attackers managed to cross the field. Keira spotted Kat still lying unconscious near to where Ethan had been taken and immediately ordered two of her men to hurry over and carry her to safety. Just as they were lifting her up, the two armies finally collided in brutal, hand-to-hand combat. The ring of clashing swords and battering of shields was deafening. Cries of fury and pain swirled around the field like a macabre symphony.

Though the elves were managing to hold their ground on the flanks, the dwarves in the center were being pushed swiftly back. More than a thousand of them had fallen in the first few minutes of battle. But Halvar was not going to be so easily beaten. Raising his axe, he charged into the thick of the fray, pulling away from his personal guard and roaring out a feral battle cry. The mere sight of this was more than enough to inspire his people, rousing them to fight even harder. With their king a powerful figurehead battling in their midst, they had soon partly reformed their lines and managed to prevent the Imperials from advancing any further.

After an hour of furious fighting across the entire front, the tide finally began to turn. Out wide, the elves were now pushing the enemy to the very brink of retreat. Seeing this, the Imperial commander pulled some of his men away from the center and sent in all of his remaining soldiers.

This was just the encouragement the hard pressed dwarves needed. With each fresh surge they regained precious yards of lost ground. Further and further they forced the Imperials back until it became evident that the day would soon be won. Keira couldn’t help but admire the courage of her new allies. Halvar had to be practically dragged from the field once it was clear that victory was assured.

One of his personal guards came running over to her. He was covered in blood and carried a multitude of cuts on his face and hands. “My Lady,” he said. “Would you please join King Halvar at the rear?”

Satisfied that her fighters now had everything in hand, Keira did as requested. On reaching the king, she saw that he had suffered a deep wound to his left arm. His breastplate had also been hacked almost completely in two, and must surely be concealing serious injuries. Even the slight nod of welcome he gave caused him to wince in pain.

“I am pleased to see you,” he said.

“Are you hurt badly?” she asked.

“I will live. Though it will be some time before I am healed.” He looked down at his ruined armor. “That said, were it not for the skill of our smiths, I would most certainly be speaking to my ancestors.”

A series of short trumpet blasts sounded from the enemy, signaling their full retreat. Halvar breathed a heavy sigh of relief. As he did so, his exhausted legs began to wobble. Keira quickly took his arm and helped him into a seated position on the ground.

“You have done well,” Halvar said. “Your skill as a leader in battle has saved us all.”

“As did your courage,” she said, bowing her head slightly.

The king gave a labored chuckle. “And to think I imagined we would both be witnessing the battle from back here.”

“Having seen so much death up close, I almost wish it had been so.”

Large numbers of dwarves and elves were now giving chase to the defeated enemy. A group of elves had also surrounded the fallen Maytra, kneeling beside her with downcast eyes. The dragon was stirring, but was obviously unable to move.

“Can your people heal it?” asked Halvar.

“We will try.”

“And what of Ethan? He is in the hands of Shinzan. We must find a way to free him.”

Keira nodded. “Yes. But we must first attend to matters at hand. With a dragon to aid him, Shinzan has a weapon we cannot match. Even if we somehow manage to free Ethan, it is already clear that he is no match for the beast. We need to find a way of killing it, or this war will be over before it truly begins.”

Before Halvar could respond, a burst of fire exploding off to their left seized their attention. Keira leapt to her feet, instantly knowing the cause. She headed over at a fast run to where her two elves had been watching over Kat.

She was now on her feet, legs spread wide apart and fists glowing bright red. Her face was twisted grotesquely, giving her the appearance of a madwoman. “Where is Ethan?” she demanded.

The two elves in front of her were holding out their hands, trying to calm her down.

“Ethan is gone,” called Keira, attracting her attention before she could lash out and injure the guards. “Shinzan has taken him.”

On hearing this, Kat's lips trembled and tears instantly formed. Unable to contain her desperation, she let loose a huge tower of vertical flames, screaming hysterically. This continued for a full minute until abruptly, all energy seemed to drain from her. The flames vanished and she collapsed to her knees, her body shuddering from great sobs. Keira knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulders.

“I need you to be strong,” she said. “Your help is needed.”

When Kat refused to look up, Keira placed a finger under her chin and firmly lifted her head. “We will try to save Ethan, I swear it. But Maytra is in need of your help. She suffered badly when trying to battle the much larger beast.”

Kat gazed across the field to where the dragon lay. Having been unconscious when Maytra arrived, it took a short time for her to realize what must have happened. When she did, she shook her head. “I...I’m not a healer. Lylinora only taught me a few healing spells. I can’t heal a dragon.”

“You must try. If we are to have any hope at all of rescuing Ethan, we will need Maytra’s help. She
has
to live.”

The logic of this went some way toward firming Kat's resolve. She nodded and allowed Keira to help her to her feet. “Yes, I'll do my best,” she said, wiping her face on her sleeve.

Keira smiled. “My men will escort you over to her. For now, I must see to my people.” She gestured for the two guards to step forward and kissed Kat on the cheek. “Be strong.”

With Kat on her way over to the stricken dragon, Keira began assessing the damage done in battle. Those dwarves who were not pursuing the remnants of the Imperial force were already tending to the huge number of wounded. Keira stared out over the carnage. The price of victory was going to be high.

It was well into the night before she saw King Halvar again. With a fresh set of clothes and wounds bandaged, he now looked marginally better. Reports had come in that only a very small number of Shinzan’s troops had managed to escape their pursuers, and Keira had little doubt that those few survivors would very soon be reporting to him of their enemy's ferocity. Meanwhile, a large area at the base of the road leading into the mountain had already been transformed into a temporary hospital for the most seriously injured. Any wounded who could walk or safely be moved - both dwarf and elf alike - were being taken directly into Elyfoss.

On seeing Keira approach, Halvar gave her a respectful nod and invited her to join him in a small tent that had been erected for his personal use. Inside, a cot and a table with four chairs had been placed. Assisted by a young dwarf, Halvar sat down heavily. Keira took a seat opposite.

“How is the girl?” the king asked.

“Distraught, as one would expect.”

He nodded grimly. “I share her feelings. Without Lord Dragonvein, what hope is there?”

He motioned for the young dwarf to bring him a bottle that was sitting on the cot and then dismissed him. After taking a long drink of the whiskey, he offered the bottle to Keira, but she politely refused. “Though it is a terrible thing to admit,” he continued, “it would seem there really is no way to rescue him. Not if he is with Shinzan. Any attempt would be futile.”

“I can promise you that Kat will think otherwise,” Keira told him.

“Then we must convince her of her folly. The war is upon us. There is no turning back now. Even without Lord Dragonvein, we have no choice but to fight on. We will be needing her powers in the days ahead.”

“She will try regardless,” Keira pointed out. “And I suspect there is little either of us can do to stop her.”

Halvar thought on this for a moment, then threw up his hands in frustration. The sudden movement sent pain shooting through his body, causing him to suck breath sharply through his teeth. “My mind cannot focus on these matters for now. There has been too much pain and loss today. Much of it is due to my own blindness. I should have known the Emperor would not have sent such a small force to face us without motive. But I thought he was merely planning to unleash some of the powerful weapons we made for him. I never would have suspected…a dragon.”

“I should have known too,” Keira admitted, remembering the group of elves she had come across mysteriously consumed by fire. “I saw warning signs during my journey here.”

“You are new to leadership,” Halvar told her. “I am not. I am accustomed to seeing through subterfuge and deceit. But for some reason I thought my enemy a fool, when in truth that flaw rests only with myself.”

“There is no point in assigning blame, Your Highness. You rallied your people and saved many lives today. Even
my
people are talking of your valor.”

He waved a dismissive hand. “Saving people from a trap that I led them into in the first place is not valor. It is an obligation.”

Keira regarded him steadily, then said: “My father once told me that only a great fool tortures his heart over what cannot be undone. Learn from your mistakes, forgive yourself, and move on. You will be no good to your people should you fall into despair.”

Halvar pondered on these words. “You are right, of course,” he said, forcing a smile. “You will one day surpass his wisdom, of that I am certain. Thank you.”

A tall elf clad in battle worn leather armor pushed back the tent flap. His face was smeared with blood and grime, and the blade at his side was bent and chipped. “The human called Kat has collapsed,” he announced.

Keira and Halvar both shot to their feet.

“What happened?” Halvar demanded.

“We think she has exhausted herself healing the dragon. She lives, but we are unsure as to her condition.”

“And the dragon?” asked Keira, a hint of hope in her voice.

“Whatever magic she used appears to have helped. Though admittedly, none of us have any real knowledge of a dragon's anatomy. So it is difficult to know for certain.”

“Bring Kat here,” Halvar commanded. He turned to Keira. “Do you have any healers who are familiar with humans?”

“Humans are not so different from elves,” she said. These opening words caused a fleeting scowl to appear on the messenger's face, so she added by way of qualification: “That is to say, their bodies react similarly to our healing.”

“I will fetch a healer,” the elf said before hurrying away.

Keira ducked outside for a moment, quickly returning with a thick blanket and a clean pair of cotton pants and matching shirt. Another elf followed her in bearing a bowl of water and a rag.

A few minutes later, a fairly old female healer and the guards carrying Kat arrived. Halvar immediately exited the tent, allowing Keira the privacy to clean and dress her. With this done, she joined the king outside so that the healer could continue with her work unhindered.

“Did she stir?” he asked.

“No,” Keira replied, her expression solemn. For now, there was nothing else to be said.

More than an hour passed before the healer emerged. “The girl is suffering from extreme exhaustion,” she stated. “The magic she used has drained her utterly.”

“But she will be all right?” Halvar asked.

“I should think so,” the healer replied. “She is young and strong. But she must rest for at least two days before being allowed to rise. And I would advise that she refrains from undertaking anything too strenuous for at least a day beyond that.”

“How long will she be asleep?” asked Keira.

The old woman shrugged. “Until her body recovers well enough for her to open her eyes. I will return in the morning to check on her progress. But for now, there are many others who are in need of my care.”

In a subtle way, the healer was telling them that she was not best pleased to have spent time treating a human when her own wounded kin were in need of her. But she gave no other sign of disrespect and bowed courteously before leaving.