Return of the Dragon (The Dragon's Champion Book 6) (29 page)

“Lepkin, if it was that easy, we would have destroyed
the book that held the spell,” Lady Dimwater said. “You know we won’t be able
to destroy the amulet if it has been imbued with Nagar’s spell. We will have to
wait until Erik arrives. Erik will be here soon, I know it.”

“Perhaps not soon
enough,
look!” Commander Nials shouted as he pointed the two toward the north.

They all turned to see the great silvery dragon flying
in from the north. He had circled around them for an attack. He blasted the
northwest corner of the fortress with fire as he swooped down from the sky.
Soldiers shouted and cried out for help as they died a terrible, agonizing
death by fire.

“Man the ballistae!” Commander Nials ordered.

Soldiers fired from the towers with the great ballista
launchers that had been erected as the fortress’ defense. Tu’luh, the great
dragon, dodged and evaded every missile that was fired at him. He swooped
under, and spun over and around every missile. Soldiers lined the walls of the
fortress, firing arrows at the silver dragon. The small shafts were nothing to
the great, metallic scales of the dragon. They bounced and ricocheted off like
rain on a metal roof. The dragon continued to dive and attack time and time
again, forcing the heroes to turn their attention to him and forget about
Marlin and Salarion.

Master Lepkin was about to transform into his dragon
form and engage Tu’luh, when he saw Aparen fly back over the wall in his
shadowfiend form. Aparen engaged Tu’luh, firing lightning and spears of ice
through the air at the great dragon. Tu’luh roared, answering with fiery blasts
and swipes of his sharp talons. Neither was able to land a hit on the other.
Instead, they danced a fiery, electrifying dance in the sky over Fort Drake
while soldiers died by the scores below on the ground.

Lady Dimwater kept her attention on Tu’luh, firing
spells to try and catch the dragon off guard. However, she lacked the strength
to make any of them very effective. A fireball she sent dissipated as it
collided with his great scales. A lightning bolt she summoned from the sky
missed Tu’luh and struck one of the towers instead. When she gathered a magical
arrow and sent it at the dragon, Tu’luh was fast enough to evade the dangerous
missile.

“Lady Dimwater, focus on Marlin. He is coming closer,”
Commander Nials said. Master Lepkin and Lady Dimwater turned to see Marlin
walking near one of the trenches. The amulet swung from his neck as he walked.
If he came much closer to the fortress, the battle would be over as all the
living would fall victim to the amulet’s power.

Lady Dimwater began chanting a spell calling a great
arrow of blue fire into existence. She sent it streaking downward toward
Marlin, telling herself that it was no longer her friend she saw in the body
before her. The arrow flew straight and true, but it did not strike Marlin. In
the last second, Salarion dove in front of Marlin and took the arrow in her own
chest. Her body vanished into nothingness.

“They are coming too close,” Lepkin said. “Get the
archers to fire on Marlin.”

A great howl rose up from the east and the four of
them turned to see a massive pack of black wolves. The wolves chased the
creatures that were battling with the dwarves, hunting them down and bringing
them one by one to the dust.

“That would be a friend of mine, Rjord,” Lady Arkyn
said as she came leaping up the stairs with a bow in hand. “He said he would
come after the snows had fallen. I didn’t realize it would take so long, but
better late than never I suppose.”

“Well at least we have some help,” Lepkin said.

Lady Arkyn strung her bow and went to the wall. In the
space of three seconds she fired seven arrows down at Marlin. They were the
last arrows she had in her quiver, so the heroes on the wall watched them fly
toward Marlin’s chest with not a little anticipation. Marlin must have seen
them too, for he was able to evade them with his magic. The first three arrows
disappeared as if they had never existed, and the last four were turned aside
and fell to the ground.

Master Lepkin climbed to the edge of the wall prepared
to leap over the side. “There is no more time. I must act now, or we will lose
everything we have fought for.”

In that instant a great and powerful beam of golden
light shot into the battlefield from the west. It burned through the skeletons,
turning them to gray ash in the blink of an eye. The zombies it caught in its
path fell to the ground dead. The heroes turned to see a young man running
toward the battlefield. Behind him were several thousand men clad in golden
armor and wielding great spears.

“Is that Erik?” Commander Nials asked.

Lepkin nodded. “That is the Champion of Truth,” he
said.

The ray of golden light then expanded into a great
wall. Crackling lightning blasted out each and every direction striking many
people in both armies. Zombies and skeletons burst into flame, while the human
soldiers of Fort Drake that were hit stood rigid and their skin took on a
golden luster and their weapons shone brightly. The golden wall then morphed
into a great dome, sliding itself over Fort Drake and protecting it from any
further attack from Tu’luh. Aparen was knocked from the sky by a golden bolt of
lightning, but he did not seem to be hurt or changed. Rather, the strike
stunned him. He landed on the southern side of the fortress near one of the
trenches the dwarves had dug

Tu’luh swooped down and cut Marlin’s body in half with
his claws as he ripped the amulet from him. The great dragon stood on his hind
legs and swallowed the amulet. Large, black spheres with silver lightning
streaking across their surfaces appeared in each of Tu’luh’s giant hands. Again
he was able to raise all of the fallen warriors from his army that had not been
reduced to ash, but this time he could no longer capture new ones. He dropped
down next to a squad of Fort Drake archers, but instead of bowing to his will,
they continued to fire directly at the dragon. Tu’luh, enraged, slammed his
tail down on top of the archers and crushed them into the earth, killing them
instantly. He then sent his great fiery breath at the Fort, but it was stopped
by the golden dome Erik had placed over it.

Tu’luh could see that he was beaten. Erik had only to
point his sword and direct a golden beam to cut down the skeletons and zombies
that Tu’luh raised from the dead. Each time Erik did so, those skeletons and
zombies were not salvageable. Tu’luh was unable to raise them again. His army
was diminishing faster than he could do anything about it, nor could the dragon
attack Erik head on, for he was backed by the Golden Army, the very spearmen
that had driven Tu’luh out of Hamath Valley. The Dragon blew fire in his rage
at Erik, opening his mouth as wide as he could. In that instant, Aparen jumped
up and into Tu’luh’s mouth. All that was seen from Lepkin on the wall was a
strange shell of white and gold around Aparen as he dove through the flames and
down the dragon’s throat. There must have been some other magic, for the dragon
seemed not even to notice the intruder.

An instant later the Dragon roared terribly. He reared
up on his hind legs again and clutched his stomach with his own talons, digging
at his scales. The screeching talons against his metal scales made everyone
nearby shake and tremble. Scales fell from his underbelly and blood burst out
from a hole in his abdomen as Aparen clawed his way through the dragon in his
shadowfiend form. In his hand was the yellow amulet.

*****

Erik saw the strange monster dive into Tu’luh’s mouth,
he was confused. Still, he continued to run toward the fight sending bolt after
bolt of the golden energy at the dragon and all of the enemies around Fort
Drake. When the monster emerged from the dragon’s belly with the amulet in
hand, Erik knew what he had to do. He commanded his soldiers with his mind to
sprint as fast as they could. He led the charge heading straight toward Tu’luh.

Today everything was going to end.

The dragon clutched at the hole in his stomach. Blood
oozed out onto the battlefield, but the dragon did not stop. To Erik’s dismay,
the hole in the dragon’s stomach healed before his eyes. Scales didn’t regrow
to cover the wound, but new skin developed over it and closed the hole that had
been there. The dragon smashed down with its great left foreleg to crush the
strange monster that had entered its throat. The monster was able to survive
the attack by creating another shield around itself, but it was obvious that it
was horribly injured. The magical shell creaked and cracked under the weight of
Tu’luh’s attack. Erik called upon his power for the last time. He knew he was
too young to change his form. He knew the dragon before him was far larger than
anything he had ever seen before. The silvery beast was well over one hundred
feet long from snout to tail. Erik was less than a third of that when he had
used Lepkin’s dragon form, and when he had used the special crystal to find his
own form, he was still only slightly larger.

Erik also knew that he had not been the original
prophesied champion. Doubts tried to remind him that he had a pattern of not
fitting in well and breaking the rules, it seemed. Erik was not going to give
any room in his mind for doubts, though. He embraced himself, and everything
that he was and yet could become. He leapt into the air, summoning every bit of
strength he had. He threw the flaming sword end over end to distract Tu’luh
while his power enveloped his body and changed him into his dragon form. His
bones snapped and elongated, while his muscles thickened and grew. The heat of
anger in his chest burned and morphed into a roiling fire that he prepared to
spew out over his enemy. While he finished his transformation, the thousand
spears below launched into the air as the Golden Army clashed with Tu’luh the
Red. They fought well, keeping his attention focused on them while Erik changed.
Tu’luh killed them by the scores without even leaving the ground. He cut them
down with his claws. He bit them in half with his fangs. He crushed them with
his tails and legs, and he bathed them in fire until they turned to ash. When
he was finally able to launch into the air, Erik was already diving for his
neck. The two collided with the sound of great boulders clashing together and
shattering in the air. They fell to the ground and shook it so much that a
large crevice opened up in the ground beneath them stretching all the way to
the fortress and breaking the southeast corner of the wall. All of the
remaining humans and dwarves on the outside of the fort rushed in for the
attack. The Golden Army continued rushing in as well. They hacked and slashed
at the great beast while he thrashed his tail and swiped at them with his
claws. Erik scratched at Tu’luh’s underbelly, ripping open the hole that had
healed already and then jamming his own claws up inside the beast.

Tu’luh reached around with his tail and smacked Erik’s
body, but Erik did not relent. He dug his talons deeper into the hole, reaching
inside for any organs he could find. Erik pulled, scratched, and tore at his
enemy, weakening him with every second. The Golden Army closed in around them chopping
and slashing at the scales on the beast. A silvery talon exploded through
Erik’s left shoulder, nearly severing it from his body. Erik howled in pain,
but he used his pain and channeled it into rage. The new rage he turned to
strength as he pressed his taloned hand up into the hole and seized Tu’luh’s
heart. He grabbed the beating organ and pressed each of his talons into it as
he turned and ripped his right forearm down and out through the hole. The heart
beat twice in Erik’s hand and then Tu’luh went limp.

Erik disengaged and tumbled backward to the ground in
exhaustion and shock from the loss of blood in his arm. Without a thought he
reverted back to his human form. The massive hole in his left arm remained and
he could not move. As numbness took over his body he craned his neck up and
around to stare at the disfigured monster that now held the amulet. Before
Erik’s eyes, the monster shifted forms to that of somebody he recognized.
Whether it was from the loss of blood, or the frenzy of the battle, Erik wasn’t
sure, but he could not remember who the familiar figure was exactly. The young
man, bloodied and battered from the battle, smiled at Erik and stretched out
his hand with the amulet in it.
Neither had the strength to
complete the transfer.
The amulet fell between them and both of them
lost consciousness as the Golden Army, or what was left of it, sprinted in
around them to give help.

When Erik opened his eyes again, he was in a
well-appointed room. Tapestries and paintings hung over neatly organized
bookshelves that lined the walls. The bed he was on was the softest he had ever
felt. He tried to move, but a pain ripped through his body that originated from
his left shoulder. He looked down see a large bandage covering most of his left
arm and part of the left side of his chest. Jaleal was next to him.

“How did you get here so fast?” Erik asked “I thought
you stayed behind with the Immortal Mystic so the spell would not affect you.”

“I did, but I left the palace four days after you did.
I knew I had to stay far enough away so your spell wouldn’t catch me, but I
wanted to be close enough to find you if you needed help.”

“It is a good thing he did,” Lepkin said from a chair
on the other side of the room. “He was the only healer who could help you.”

“Where is Marlin?” Erik asked.

Lepkin stood on his feet walked over to Erik. He took
Erik’s right hand in his hands and shook his head with a frown clearly painted
across his face. “Marlin is dead. He died while trying to take the amulet.”

Tears filled Erik’s eyes and he looked to the wall.

“Leave us for a moment,” Lepkin said. Jaleal left the
room. “Tu’luh is dead,” Lepkin said. “All that remains now is to destroy the
amulet, and the two books.”

Erik nodded. “I know how to do that.”

“Can you also tell me, what happened to the men and
dwarves who are outside Fort Drake when you arrived?”

Erik struggled to sit up and looked Lepkin in the
eyes. “The Illumination is the opposite side of the scale. It is the light that
banishes Tu’luh’s night. Unfortunately, it is essentially the same type of
magic. It enslaves whoever it touches. So, in a way I have given the soldiers
of Fort Drake a similar death. Except, Tu’luh would have made them corrupted
with evil, the Illumination overpowers them with good.”

“So you are saying the only way to save the realm from
slavery, is to enslave it with a different spell?” Lepkin asked.

“No. I am saying that it was necessary to use it on
those close
enough to Nagar’s secret that they would have
been enslaved anyway. In this way I was able to keep them fighting for our side
until I could stop Tu’luh from using his magic. However, to save the realm, I
must destroy both spells. There will be no slavery. Though, I am afraid that
those already under the Illumination will die once the spells have been
destroyed.”

Master Lepkin moved to a desk and picked up a bundle
wrapped in a black cloth. He turned and set the bundle next to Erik. “This is
everything that is left.”

“Can you tell me, where is my sword? I threw it on the
field during battle.”

Lepkin reached down to the floor and picked up the
sword, placing it on the bed next to Erik. “After you lost consciousness, and
the golden dome over the fort subsided, I retrieved the sword for you.”

“Master Lepkin, this is something I need to do on my
own. Please go out of the room, and I will tell you when it is finished.”

The large warrior nodded his head and turned to leave
the room. Erik watched until the door was closed and the latch was secured in
place before he
unwrapped
the bundle. The two books
were set one atop the other. The Illumination, which he had brought from the
Immortal Mystic’s palace, rested on Nagar’s secret. Next to them was a yellow
amulet with a golden chain. Erik placed the yellow amulet atop the
Illumination. He then placed the bundle onto his lap.

Erik placed his hand over the amulet. He could feel
the evil power emanating out from it. For a moment, he allowed himself to feel
the fear and torment this curse caused. Then he called forth his own power,
which was now augmented by the additional power he had been given at the palace
before he left after he had passed the exalted test of Arophim. It was
something very similar to what his grandfather, Allun Rha had used, but it was
more pure, and it was stronger. Erik now held the power to destroy both spells.

He recalled the ancient runes that he was shown at the
palace. He focused on them in his mind, but he did not speak them aloud. He let
his mind’s focus course through his body until it streamed out from his right
hand and into the objects on his lap. A red glow encompassed the books and the
amulet. Waves of heat danced before him. Soon a white fire ignited within the ball
of red and ate up the pages and the amulet. The flames did not destroy the
artifacts
however,
it melted them together into one.
Inside the glowing red globe a tempest of lightning and thunder erupted as both
of the books and the amulet protested their destruction. They fought against
him, trying to break his power and his concentration. Erik focused solely on
the runes in his mind.

Within a few minutes the artifacts were melted
together into one brick. It was not a solid object, but rather a gelatinous brick
that waved and jiggled as the lightning continued within the red orb. Erik slid
the brick and the red orb off of his lap and onto the bed.

He then took the flaming sword, holding it upside down
as high as he could over the brick. He called to his mind a different rune, one
that meant destruction or undoing, and he let that power course into the sword.
The sword ignited as it always did when Erik took it in his hand, but this time
the flame was black. He jammed the sword down into the brick. Lightning flashed
out into the room singeing the walls and the bookshelves and even the ceiling.
The sound of a strange, gasping scream was heard as the brick was pierced
through. The black flame devoured the brick. The destruction of the artifacts
not only drained Erik’s energy but also began to eat away at the Telarian
steel. The very metal that protected it from dragon fire was now melting away.
In the end, a great white flash exploded in the room knocking Erik back to the
far wall and opening his wound again. He held in his hand only the hilt of the
flaming sword he had used before, as the blade was now consumed and gone. He
did not need to look outside to know that all those who had been under the
Illumination’s control were now dead. The Golden Army, those who had been
trapped as the slaves of Allun Rha since the battle of Hamath Valley, were now
released from their prison and allowed to rest. Those who had been ensnared by
the magic during this most recent battle at Fort Drake were also let go.

Erik fell asleep again.

He woke again shortly before dinner, with Lepkin and
Lady Dimwater in his room. He looked to his shoulder and saw that he had new
dressings on his wound. He then looked to his bed and saw that the mattress had
been replaced and the hilt of his sword had been placed on the pillow next to
him. He sat up and looked to master
Lepkin,
he wasn’t
sure what to say. He felt at once a great wave of relief, but also a profound
emptiness and confusion. Master Lepkin must have sensed this, for he spoke
first.

“It is never easy for the warrior to return home after
the war is done. It is not uncommon for someone in your place to lose
themselves
in the past, or to forget who they are in the
present.
Things that you have seen, and the things that you
have done, are now a part of you forever whether you like it or not.
Those friends and family members we have lost will also stay with you in
memory.”

Erik nodded his head and shifted to sit up. “Where
will you go?”

Lepkin arched an eyebrow. “Is it so obvious that I am leaving?”

Erik smiled. “I am the Champion of Truth, Master
Lepkin. It is hard to hide your feelings from me now.”

Lepkin smiled wide and put an arm around Lady
Dimwater. “A son was born to us while you were away.” Erik’s eyes went wide in
surprise. “We hid him away before this last battle. We are going to go and get
him back now.”

“But you will not be coming back right away, will you?”

Lepkin shook his head. “No.”

“The orcs have been beaten,” Lady Dimwater said. “Not
a single member of their army remains. Those who survived the battles against
us at Ten Forts and Stonebrook were enslaved by Tu’luh. You destroyed the last
of them with your army. I imagine there are still a few nobles who will scheme
and try for the throne, but they will think twice before acting overtly.”

“So you both have finished your duty to the Middle
Kingdom then,” Erik said. “I hope you both find peace.”

“The dragon is dead, Erik,” Lepkin said. “Your task is
also finished. You destroyed the curse that threatened the Middle Kingdom. You
also vanquished the king’s most dangerous foe. I should also tell you that I
can now take my own dragon form at will without fear of what might happen. If I
can do that, then I suspect some of the Ancients, or any other dragons that
remain, might return someday soon.”

Master Lepkin and Lady Dimwater rose from their seats
and moved toward Erik. They both smiled at him. Lady Dimwater bent down and
kissed Erik’s forehead.

“I have a present for you before I leave,” Lady
Dimwater said. “This is the spell I use to summon Silverfang. Where we go, I
hope not to have need of him, but perhaps you can let him have some exercise
from time to time.”

“I would be honored to have such a companion,” Erik
said.

Master Lepkin bent in low and gave Erik a hug. “I am
proud of you, as proud as if you were my own son.”

Erik was not sure what else to say. His mind flashed
back to his training sessions with Master Lepkin and he recalled the rigorous,
strict lessons at Kuldiga Academy. He also remembered all of the times Master
Lepkin had been short or ill tempered. To hear such an open expression of
affection from Master Lepkin now seemed almost strange. However, as Erik let
the words sink in, the sentiment felt entirely natural. It was as if Master
Lepkin had never really been the gruff, stoic warrior he had portrayed himself
to be. Erik was now seeing the man for the first time, for who he really was.
Lepkin had the muscular appearance and the legendary traits any hero would
desire, but he had a much softer side as well. Perhaps that was the real reason
he was so legendary.

Erik understood then that only a warrior with a heart
could rise to such a status as Master Lepkin, for they are the only ones who
truly know what they are fighting for.

Erik nodded and smiled at them. He wished them goodbye
as Lady Dimwater opened a portal and the two walked through it. The young
champion looked down to the small rolled up piece of paper that held the spell
for summoning Silverfang. He looked at it for maybe a minute or two before the
door opened.

“Hey beanpole,” Al said with a soft wink.

“Hi,” Erik replied. Al’s face smiled, but his eyes
didn’t. Erik knew why. All of the dwarves that had been without the walls of
Fort Drake had been caught by his spell, which now meant they were all dead.

“I don’t need an apology,” Al said quickly, as if
understanding Erik’s mind.

Erik looked to the floor and sighed. “There wasn’t
another way,” he said.

“I said I
don’t
need an apology,” Al repeated. “I know why you did
what you did. Frankly, I am just glad you found a way to shield those of us
inside the fort. I wasn’t aware the magic of Allun Rha could be directed like
that. I have known for a while now that using it would prove fatal to anyone
caught by it.” Al took in a breath and slipped into the room. “You must remember
,
the dwarves kept the most accurate history of all. I know
the secrets of Hamath Valley, and I knew the price of being present in the
final battle with Tu’luh.”

“Then why did you come with me?” Erik asked.

“I couldn’t very well let you come alone, now could
I?” Al replied with a half grin. He clasped his hands together and the grin
disappeared. “I had hoped we would find a way to get the dragon alone, or at
least on an empty field surrounded by his own goons instead of my kin, but that
is the burden of being king. That is my stone to bear, don’t let it weigh you
down. You did what you had to do, and there was no other way to stop him.
Whether you came at that moment or the day after, my kin folk were already
dead. Tu’luh was here, and he had the curse. It worked out as well as it could
have.”

Erik nodded. “I asked the Immortal Mystic how I could
spare you,” he said. “By the way, I should tell you what I found when I went to
the immortal Mystic.” Al stared at Erik blankly as he closed the door behind himself.
He moved close and sat on the foot of the bed waiting for Erik to explain.

“The immortal Mystic is not a man.”

“He is the Father of the Ancients,” Al said.

“You knew?”

Al shook his head. “No, but after we found Tu’luh in
Valtuu Temple, I hoped for it.” The dwarf king smiled and then he rose from the
bed. “I just wanted to check on you before I left.”

“You’re leaving now?”

Tears slid over Al’s cheek, mingling with his beard.
He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice cracked and nothing came out. His
lower lip quivered and he wrung his hands for himself as he stared at the
floor. He nodded and then finally found the words to speak. “I have many
funeral pyres to build. My work outside the mountain is done. Now I must return
and rebuild what is left of my kingdom. There is a bright spot on the wars,
though. I received word that most of my warriors in the north who fought under
Grand Master Penthal’s command against the Tarthuns survived. Those
horse-loving Tarthuns won’t be back to bother the Middle Kingdom again any time
soon.” Al flashed his bright smile and nodded proudly. “We beat them twice,
actually. Faengoril led a force of five hundred against seven thousand.”