Scourge of the Dragons (11 page)

The elven guard raised their spears and
surged forward, but the elf King was too quick. He knocked their
weapons aside and dealt each of them a powerful blow. They each
drew back and dropped to one knee in surrender. Erlkan’s men came
rushing through the door and met three more guards. They quickly
overpowered the outnumbered dungeon guards and gathered them
together with the other two. The sun King sheathed his sword as he
approached the captives. He didn’t recognize any of them as having
served under him or under the Empress.

“I wish to know where the Empress is being
held. If you tell me, I won’t need to hurt any of you,” Erlkan
said.

“Do you think us mad? The dragons will have
our heads if we give up that information,” one of the guards
said.

“What makes you think that I will not?”

“You’re the sun King, they’re the sun
dragons. We’ve seen you pardon criminals, but the dragons have
never done so. Not when in the employ of the new master.”

“Who is this new master?” The King
asked.

“The sorcerer Elorhan, he is incredibly
powerful.”

“He is simply another obstacle to be
removed,” Erlkan turned to address his soldiers, “find them a
cell.”

His men nodded and gathered up the five
captives before searching for the nearest cell. Erlkan drew his
sword and headed in the opposite direction. He slowed down when he
spotted a robed figure outside one of the cells. There was another
man pacing back and forth behind him. The King held back and
watched as they opened the cell door and went inside. He crept
closer, making sure that there were no guards before stopping just
outside the door. Melisandre’s voice was easy to recognize, but he
couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“Peligrin here thinks that you should stop
this nonsense and pledge to support me. If I didn’t know better,
I’d think he cares about you. As for me, I made an idle threat. Do
not think that my next one will have no teeth behind it,” one of
the men said.

“Master, is there not a better way to go
about getting others on our side?” Peligrin asked.

“The contempt in your voice when you refer
to me as master has returned. Perhaps I should leave you in this
cell for a few days. It may rid your mind of whatever shortcomings
you believe I possess. I am not here to strike up an alliance with
the Empress. The elves gave up on me quite some time ago, my
friend. If I can even call you that. Perhaps you are but a parasite
like so many others. No matter, you’ve done nothing compared to the
elves and humans who sought to be rid of me. They didn’t even have
the decency to kill me.”

“I am no parasite, nor do I wish to spend
any time rotting in a cell with an elven Empress. The contempt you
hear is directed at me for being foolish enough to pledge to serve
another until one of us dies. Not that serving you is so bad, but
freedom is always preferable.”

“There it is. You’ve struck on exactly why I
am here to punish the elves and humans. My freedom was wrenched
away from me. That is not something you understand. However,
because I understand what it is like to live without freedom, you
are no longer indebted to me.”

Erlkan chanced a peek around the doorframe.
The two men were staring at each other and the Empress was standing
a few feet back from them. They took a step back, each looking
prepared to fight the other to the death. The sun King pivoted into
the room and drew his sword. Melisandre continued backing up until
she reached the wall. Peligrin and his former master both turned
their attention to the newcomer.

“You are outmatched, elf,” the hooded man
said.

“Together we can beat him,” Peligrin said,
turning to the newcomer.

“Why should I listen to either of you?”
Erlkan asked.

“I served him for countless years, I know
his weaknesses better than anyone.”

“Your treachery was expected, Peligrin.
However, the appearance of the sun King does put a wrinkle in my
plans. I could easily defeat either of you in single combat, but
that not an option. What is it that you seek?” The mage looked
toward Erlkan as he spoke.

“Freedom for my people and it shall be
gained with a sword through your heart. You’ve plagued the dragons
and threaten those most dear to me. That is not something I can
allow,” the King replied.

The magician extended an arm toward Erlkan
and a large fireball shot out of his palm. Before the King could
move out of the way, the fireball melted into a patch of darkness.
All three of the combatants took a step back as the room got
darker. The sun King heard a low growl behind him. He turned to see
a small dragon crashing through the cell door. It knocked him aside
and bit into the sorcerer’s shoulder. Erlkan backed up until he got
to the door and then motioned for Melisandre to join him. The small
dragon flung the magician into the wall before pouncing forward and
slashing him with its sharp claws. Peligrin started to move toward
the door and the dragon spun and clamped down on his torso with a
massive bite. He screamed in pain as the creature yanked him back
toward his former master.

Erlkan grabbed hold of Melisandre’s hand and
took off down the hall running. He could still hear the screams of
the two men in the distance. They came to a halt when he spotted
his men locking one of the cell doors. He panicked when he realized
that the screams had died down. The dragon would be looking for
another target. His men rushed toward him, but he motioned for them
to stop. They began to speak, but he held his hand up to his mouth.
He waited until he was next to them before he spoke.

“Open the cell door, we need a distraction,”
he whispered.

“I thought we were getting rid of their
master,” one of the elves replied in a hushed tone.

“We’ve got bigger problems now. Unlock the
door and tell them they are free to go.”

One of his soldiers managed to get the cell
door open just as the torches blew out. A low growl came from the
opposite direction of the dragon. The sun King ordered his men to
draw their weapons as he moved Melisandre into the middle of the
circle his troops had formed. Another growl came from the direction
of the first dragon. Erlkan ordered his men to protect the Empress
as he lunged toward the second growl. He made contact with
something and could barely see a shape moving toward him in the
darkness. It lurched forward and he jabbed at it with his sword.
The creature made a grunting sound as the blade pierced its hide.
Three of the elven soldiers joined him and attacked the dragon. The
other dragon plowed through the group of elves and smashed into the
King’s back just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow.

“Get the Empress to safety,” he yelled as he
crashed to the floor.

*

Melisandre’s heart felt as though it would
explode out of her chest as she watched her husband flailing wildly
on the floor. She felt two of the elven soldiers grab hold of her
and start dragging her away. Her voice failed her as she tried to
scream. Tears streamed down her face as she heard the cries of her
husband and his troops. The sounds began to fade as they rushed
toward the exit of the dungeon. Melisandre’s body began to shudder
as she fell to her knees. Her husband had come back for her and
given his life to save her in spite of how she had turned on
him.

“We need to get you to safety,” one of the
soldiers said.

“What do we do?” Another asked after seeing
her shake her head.

“We die with our Empress.”

*

Finrul dropped to one knee in front of the
great gold dragon. He had no intention of questioning the majestic
creature’s will. Fenzik stared at the dragon as he refused to
kneel. The massive beast placed the tip of her claw on the
magician’s shoulder. He took a deep breath and refused to bow to
the greater being. Elbereth whipped her claw back and then brought
it down into Fenzik’s chest. He gasped as he stumbled backward. The
dragon tossed aside the body before letting out a loud bellow. Two
silver dragons swooped down and landed next to her.

“This is my new representative for the elven
people. Finrul shall live among them and report back to us. His
position shall be high commander and no other elf will be above
him. Anyone that he declares as under his protection shall be left
alone by all dragonkind,” Elbereth said.

“The shadow dragons will not like it, great
Queen of the dragons,” one of the silvers said.

“I shall deal with them as I see fit.”

*

Obrin clenched his fist and took a deep
breath. The word of his cousin’s death was difficult to swallow,
even if he knew that it was coming. He shook his head in
frustration and began to pace back and forth. Ungaroth growled as
he drew back from the elf. The dragon curled up and watched the
night King. Obrin turned toward the dragon. He took a moment to
stare at the massive creature before approaching him. Neither spoke
as the elf sat down next to the dragon.

“It could be worse,” the dragon said.

“It still may be. We don’t know for certain
that my son will join us. Wrotan’s appearance changed many things.
Erlkan was easy to manipulate, as was that sorcerer of yours, but
the hunter is a different story,” Obrin said.

“He was no sorcerer of mine. Once our plan
is in motion, there is no reason to believe that they will oppose
us. Just because he doesn’t join us doesn’t mean we need to kill
him. He could live a long life in exile.”

“I hope you are correct, old friend. Other
than you, he is the closest family I have.”

“All will be well in time. For now, we must
return home and gather your army. They will be happy to see their
King reinvigorated. Then, we shall pay a visit to the other monarch
and see if she is as accepting as King Lothrin.”

Wrotan leaned back against the tree as he
watched Kade and Julian spar. They had come a long way since their
initial training, but they still had much to learn. Mariah let out
a sigh as she took a seat near the hunter. They had both spent the
majority of their free time training the others and it had started
to take a toll on each of them. The hunter nodded to the
guardswoman, but neither of them spoke. There was an unspoken
understanding that rest was more important than conversation at
times. Wrotan looked over to see Alandra, Hadrin, and Amber
discussing the uses of various herbs and plants. He knew that the
Prince had no use for any of that information, but he dared not
point that out.

“Careful, Kade, we aren’t trying to hurt one
another,” Julian said.

The hunter raised his hand and was about to
say something when his vision began to darken. He felt something
hit him in the chest, but he couldn’t tell what was happening. The
darkness closed in around him as he collapsed to the floor. Mariah
and Alandra were yelling something, but their voices sounded too
far away for him to hear. A dragon growled somewhere in the back of
his head. He opened his eyes and found himself standing on a stone
platform up on the top of a massive mountain. There was a lone
dragon on the platform with him. It roared when it saw him. He
reached down and drew his sword. The blade looked different than he
remembered. He closed his eyes and rubbed them with his free hand.
The sword in his hand looked familiar once again.

Wrotan clenched his teeth as the dragon let
out a massive roar. It shook his entire body to the core, but he
pushed the fear aside and charged. The dragon dodged to the side
with ease. It let out a chuckle as it dodged another of his
attacks. He let out a grunt as the dragon’s tail slammed into his
side and sent him crashing to the floor. The dragon continued to
toy with him as he failed to land any blows against the massive
creature. He fell down onto his knees as he tried to strengthen his
resolve. The dragon laughed once again, but this time the hunter
did not move to attack.

“You humans are even weak in your own minds.
Sure, some of you have an ego the size of a dragon, but enter that
mind and the man becomes like an ant,” the dragon said.

“What are you talking about? What have you
done to the others?” Wrotan asked as he stood up.

“Foolish and weak, that is a dangerous
combination, human. Allow me to enlighten you. Not even the elves
seem to grasp what I am about to tell you. Dragons do not just
create a bridge between their mind and the mind of another. They
invade that mind and make it their own. At the forest sanctuary,
that was not us controlling you from afar. I controlled you from
within.”

“Of course, what a fool I have been. You
will not find me so easy now!”

The hunter raised his sword and charged the
dragon. As the beast moved to dodge, Wrotan split into three
separate versions of himself. They worked in unison to drive the
beast back into a corner. The dragon unfurled its wings and lifted
off from the ground. Wrotan and his doubles each grabbed a spear
from their back and threw it at the dragon. When the spears made
contact with the dragon wings, a rope shot out from their end and
into the hands of the hunters. Each hunter pulled down on the rope
with all their strength and yanked the dragon back to the ground.
The creature bellowed in pain as the spears tore its wings to
shreds. Wrotan raised his sword and swung for the dragon’s skull.
All three swords contacted the same spot, killing the dragon.

*

Mariah tried shaking the hunter one more
time, but he was unresponsive. She looked up at the others. Kade
aggressively attacked Julian, knocking him to the floor. Amber
began to panic as Alandra and Hadrin crumpled to the floor. The
guardswoman watched in horror as Kade drove his dagger into
Julian’s chest. He ran off into the forest as she rushed toward
them. Julian grinned when he saw her coming toward him. She moved
to put pressure on the wound, but realized it was too late. Amber
arrived shortly thereafter and grabbed hold of Julian.