Empire of Blood, page 12
part #2 of Armageddon Series
Kain looked away and closed his eyes.
“Oh really?” Silver said with a huge grin on his face. “Oh that would be so wonderful for you! Now you can leave me and Selena alone!”
Kain slammed his cup down and threw one of his fists at his face, stopping when barely touching the tip of his nose. “That won’t give me a reason to not want to still bust that little skull of yours!”
“Enough. You two bicker worse than children.” D took one last sip of his tea before putting his mask back on. “We need to leave.”
“Oh, are we going to Rhumbek?” Silver asked as if he were pleading.
Kain glared at him. “That’s where the little princess will be.”
Phantom Dust shook his head. “No. We will steer clear of Rhumbek for the time being. Genesis will return to his post. Kain, I need you to go back to Dark Blood Hold and give my report to Godfrey.” D pulled out a sealed parcel and handed it over. “I need to get to Summerfall.”
*****
Selena awoke the next morning just as the sun rays peeked the sky. She saw that Rahim was watching Azrael like a hawk. He glared as his target walked off a little ways before bending over to grab a stick from the ground and started slashing the air with it like a sword.
“He hasn’t slept at all last night,” Rahim said with a huff.
Selena looked between to Azrael, then back to him. “Why do our trips always involve you being suspicious of everyone?”
Rahim held a pained expression. “Have you already forgotten what Azrael has done to you?”
“No, I haven’t. But I have forgiven him and made my peace.” Selena walked over to Thor and started digging through her pack on his saddle.
“Yeah, you made peace with Death!”
“Is that a bad thing?” Selena raised an eyebrow.
“Err… ugh… yes? No? I don’t know! Why am I still the only one who is uncomfortable with this?” Rahim threw his hands up in the air and started kicking the dirt.
Thor got up from his spot and walked over to Rahim unnoticed. He opened his maw and let out a low roar that made Rahim stumble and fall.
He is giving me a headache. It’s too early in the morning for this.
Thank you, I owe you one.
Rahim looked up at them both from his shame. He sniffled as he got up and dusted himself off. Selena took note of his demeanor and walked over to try to talk to him. However, he held up his hand to interrupt her and sauntered away.
“What’s up with him?” Azrael asked, approaching the scene.
Selena felt overwhelming remorse. “Rahim, come back! I just want to talk!”
Even though he kept ignoring her, she ran over to him. He eventually sat on a boulder after several minutes and gave a huff in defeat.
“Sometimes I wish you would listen to me,” he began, “you always seem to know what to do and how to do things, but I feel like I don’t always have a voice. I don’t feel like anyone special.”
“I don’t mean to make you feel like that. I just don’t want you to worry when there isn’t anything to worry about.”
“That’s another thing. You don’t see the problem but I’m still uneasy. You don’t understand! You’re only seeing it from your point of view!”
“Then explain it to me so I can understand,” Selena said again, “why do you not trust Azrael?”
“I don’t know! Maybe because when I die, he isn’t exactly the first person I want to see. Maybe because I don’t know what lies beyond life.” Rahim sighed. “I’m sorry. I know you said you’ve made your peace with him, but I haven’t.”
Selena placed a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t like to think death is the end. It may be for this world, but it’s a gateway to the next. It’s a beginning to a new journey. But that doesn’t mean that life isn’t precious. We should make the most of the time we have left.”
Rahim sniffed, but nodded in agreement. “You’re right, but then I want to feel useful. You and Azrael have your magic. Thor has his fire and now other abilities, and so does Doragon. But I don’t have anything.”
“That’s not true. You normally handle the map and tell us where to go! Without you, we would be lost. Not to mention, but Thor and I wouldn’t have been able to get into the Force without you.”
“I know but I want to be useful when fighting. I saw how brilliant you were against the Lich and I was a little jealous. I felt like I couldn’t do anything.”
Selena recalled her feelings from her fight against Venexus back at the dwarven ruins. She thought of herself as inadequate and that she could have done better. It was different seeing it from Rahim’s perspective.
“I’m really sorry that I didn’t see it that way before. I want to help you. I was drowning in self doubt, but I would rather see your success than for my ill-being to get in the way of things. What is it that you've always wanted to do?”
Rahim’s expression lit up. “Well, I can’t use magic, but maybe I can learn how to use a weapon.”
Selena heard Thor’s voice rumble in the back of her mind.
Isn’t there a small town nearby? Maybe we can take him shopping. I’ll forgo the idea of you buying me any more gifts.
Are you sure? That is very generous of you, but I still wanted to get you some jewels with the leftover gold I had.
I’m… sure. If it means that much to him, then of course.
Selena relayed what Thor said and a huge grin appeared on Rahim’s face.
“Really? Thank you!” He jumped up to give her a hug, then ran over to embrace Thor as well.
That’s an amazing thing you’ve done, my friend. I know he will never forget it.
I would rather see him happy than to have all the jewels and gold in the world. I know how much it means to you. Besides… Thor lowered his head down and rubbed his scales against his new bracelets, I have these. I’m still more than happy with them.
Shortly after, both Thor and Doragon went out hunting. Selena, Azrael, and Rahim hiked a short distance over to the blacksmith shop in Moonridge. Azrael stood off to the side while Rahim eagerly searched through the shop’s merchandise.
Most of the weapons were set up outside with a practice dummy in the corner. A forge was nestled to the side with an opening above to let the smoke clear out. The middle wall was covered with empty wooden plaques. There were two wooden racks near the store’s entrance filled with swords and daggers. Next to it was a metal safe filled with firearms of different sizes and calibers. Most were covered in rust with age and use, but there were a few that appeared to be brand new. Selena immediately knew that if Rahim decided to choose one of those instead of a sword or other melee weapon, she would have to help him pick one out.
“Maybe this?” Rahim picked up a longbow hanging from the first rack.
“Be careful! The draw is a bit heavy!” the blacksmith warned.
Rahim ignored his warning as he made his way to the practice dummy, but couldn’t draw it back.
“Are you sure that this is a good idea?” Azrael asked.
Selena shrugged. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because aren’t we forgetting that we’re supposed to reach Rhumbek? We don’t have time for this!”
“We’ll be fine. Look how happy he is.” Selena pointed out.
Rahim picked up a firearm that was hanging in the safe, completely ignoring their conversation.
“Ugh! He shouldn’t even be coming with us in the first place!”
“You’ll learn as we go on how we work together as a team. And besides, since he is coming with us, he will need to be armed so he can help us fight if we need to.”
Selena knew that Azrael was still unhappy with her answer, but he stopped arguing.
“Fine. I’m going to restock on supplies. We need to meet back with our dragons in an hour.”As Azrael left, Rahim ran over and grabbed Selena’s arm.
“I want to learn how to shoot a gun. Can you show me?”
He brought her inside and the blacksmith immediately burst into laughter. “She’s a woman! She doesn’t know anything about weapons!”
Selena suddenly felt vulnerable. She was more concerned about Rahim that she forgot to properly disguise herself.
“That’s not true!” Rahim shouted, but the shopkeeper ignored him.
“Why don’t you go back into the kitchen where you belong?”
Selena paid no mind to the blacksmith’s unkind words. When Rahim showed her the weapon, Selena wasn’t sure how to explain that he would make a terrible decision.
She pointed at his weapon of choice and said: “That’s a harpoon gun.”
“So? Imagine getting shot by one of these!”
“They’re not practical. You would prefer something that could carry more ammo. You would only get one shot from this and reloading is a pain.”
Rahim’s smile disappeared. “Oh.”
Selena quickly redirected him over to the other firearm selections that were available. “What about this revolver? It’s a Winclock too. This is the same model we use in the military. It can hold at least six rounds and you can fire a series of shots without needing to reload. That, and these are very accurate as well.” She held it up delicately as she inspected its design. The blued barrel was short and thick and it was closer to the grip. The dwarves who built them in Alfheim figured out that this resulted in better accuracy, and made it faster to shoot. “This was well taken care of and fairly clean, too. I can show you how to load it. It’s reliable, steady, and easy to shoot, making it the ideal gun to use on dragon back.” Both Selena and Rahim looked up to see the blacksmith staring at them with a shocked expression. “Will this cover the cost along with a holster and ammunition?” Selena asked with a smirk and tossed fifty gold pieces on the counter top.
As they left with their purchase, Rahim turned to the baffled blacksmith and did a fist pump to imply that Selena had won.
Rahim kept firing questions when they were making their way back to camp. Selena attempted to answer them all, but eventually, she said:
“How about I just show you? It’ll be much easier.”
She was a little exhausted and grew weary of his curiosity, but she was also happy to see his enthusiasm.
Thor and Doragon had made it back with their latest catch and were already tearing in. Azrael, however, was busy firing shots with his Aether pistols at his self made stone targets.
Azrael said, “It’s about time! We need to get moving soon.”
Doragon lifted his head from his deer and let out a long groan.
“I think he wants to rest.” Selena observed.
“Besides, Selena was going to show me how to shoot!” Rahim said excitedly.
“Ugh! If you two want to waste our time then fine!” Azrael shot down one of his targets before heading towards his dragon.
“Don’t pay attention to him. Here, I’ll help you.” Selena went through the explanation of how the gun worked, how to properly handle it, how to load it, and so on. Rahim remained intrigued with every piece of information she had to offer. She worked with him on placement and had Rahim practice shooting it with one of Azrael’s stone targets. Starting off at a short distance away, Rahim was able to get used to how it shot after a few misses. “You’re doing great!” Selena cheered him on.
“You think so?”
While they were busy, Thor immediately perked his head up and started growling.
What’s wrong?
I sense them. The Order are near.
Just as he said it, Selena began to hear the same screeching sound echo within her consciousness. It made her dizzy and almost sick. Azrael picked up on Doragon’s sense of uneasiness as well.
“We need to leave, now!” he shouted.
Before Selena and Rahim could get to Thor’s saddle, a small group of cultists from the Obsidian Order followed by two on dragon back appeared from over the hill. Their beasts were a little smaller than Thor was. One had a black and sleek hide while the other was crimson with ragged scales.
“Rahim, get over to Thor!” Selena ordered as she prepared herself for battle.
“What? No way! I can help now!”
Doragon roared as he caught their scent and immediately sought after them.
The red dragon went straight for Doragon and the two beasts were engaged in aerial combat. Azrael pulled out his sword and ran along Doragon’s spine to fight the rider. The clash of metal rang through the air.
The assassins on horseback stampeded in hers and Rahim’s direction. One of them pulled out a pistol and started firing shots at them.
Rahim quickly moved out of the way and jumped behind Thor while he attempted to get his weapon ready. Selena focused on keeping herself in the fight. She unsheathed her sword and used her shield to block the barrage of bullets.
Thor rushed over to aide her in battle, leaving Rahim with his lone weapon. He targeted the black dragon that was going after his rider and opened his gaping maw and exhaled an ice breath. The shards ripped through its wing membranes.
The dragon roared and attempted to nip Thor in the neck. He parried the attack and used his talons to push it back while breathing ice again to try to impair its vision. The cultist rider pulled out his pistol as well and tried to shoot Thor in the chest. Selena, from the corner of her eye, quickly summoned a large blast of fire in his direction to keep him from firing. The black dragon was scorched by her flames and Thor dove in for one last attack, slashing his talons across its bare neck. With all of its defenses down, he then snaked his head and clamped his massive jaws around its thin neck and crushed with a tremendous force, killing it instantly.
Meanwhile Azrael, after disarming his opponent, thrust his sword through the man’s chest. Doragon blinded the red dragon by clawing its eyes out and started ferociously biting at its neck. As he sank his fangs into the dragon’s hide, a black liquid oozed from his mouth. It was a flesh eating acid that acted fast. The dragon died within seconds of the vicious attack and Doragon broke free to carry Azrael away.
Selena got more into a relaxed stance as she prepared herself mentally to perform magic. She circled her hand in front of her, summoning a small string of flame that followed her movement. The ring of fire grew to surround and protect her. She closed her eyes and held up her sword and started swinging it through the ring to where the blade was engulfed in the flames. Selena then slashed at the cultists, sending waves of fire in their direction.
While she did this, Thor and Doragon dove in to attack the rest of the assassins as they were driven away by Selena’s magic. Thor reached out with his talons and tried to go after one of them, but the man pulled out a pistol and shot him in the shoulder blade.
Selena tightly clutched the hilt of her sword as she heard her dragon roar in pain, but tried her best to control her anger.
“I think I got it!” Rahim shouted and quickly aimed his revolver at Thor’s attacker. He fired one shot and the cultist dropped dead from a bullet to the head.
Thor arched his neck and opened his mouth for another elemental breath attempt. He opened his mouth even wider and exhaled deeply to unleash a devastating fire blast that he aimed at the last two followers. They burst into flames and their charred bodies disintegrated to bone and ash.
Azrael and Doragon quickly landed; Azrael dismounted and ran over as Thor crashed on the ground near Selena and Rahim.
Selena dropped her weapon and shield to rush over to his aid. “My dear, are you all right?” Even though the bullet hit just his shoulder blade, that did not stop her from worrying.
I’m fine. It’s just a nasty wound, but I’ll be all right. Do not fuss over me.
“That looks nasty, but you were brilliant,” Rahim said.
“You did great too! You are really good with a firearm,” Selena complimented. Rahim’s face lit up.
Azrael walked over to tend to Thor’s wound. “You will have to hold still for me so I can heal you.”
How are the dragon eggs?
Thor arched his neck and nodded to the crate that was still attached to his saddle. They’re still there. I made sure that they didn’t get their claws on them.
“Excellent,” Azrael said with a breath of relief. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together before placing them over the wound. His palms glowed and Thor’s hide began to mend itself back together. When he finished, Azrael stood up and dusted himself off. “We should be all right to move forward.”
Selena nodded. “We’ll just have to take an extra precaution, since the Order know what we’re doing. We need to head to Rhumbek as soon as we can.”
Chapter 11
Immediately after their confrontation with the Order, Selena’s group took to the skies and headed towards the Hinterlands as refuge.
The two dragons glided side by side to one another in smooth flight. Other than the earlier battle, Selena was feeling somewhat at peace.
Rahim dug through his pack and pulled out a map. “We should be almost there. If the Order attack again, we can use the forest as a shelter.”
Selena nodded, curiosity getting the best of her. “Azrael, have you ever been to Rhumbek?”
His eyes widened with shock. “I have, but it’s been a very long time.”
Rahim and Selena exchanged glances.
“When was the last time you visited Rhumbek?” Rahim asked.
“It’s been many years. The last time I was there, the city was being destroyed by the Emerald Dragon. He calls himself Ulrich because it’s impossible for mortals to pronounce his real name. I’m not sure why, but the dwarven city is his territory. He watches over them and decides their fate. I remember that Xyaxon and I were not allowed to interfere, as per our agreement. Ulrich is kind of a mad god. I shouldn’t even say that – he IS a mad god. I pray for those who are unlucky enough to cross his path.”
“Can I say that it’s both incredible and scary at the same time that you’re one of the gods we worship?” Rahim asked in nervousness.
“I told you, I’m not a god anymore! I’m just the shepherd of souls.”
“That still makes you a god. You’re Death.” Selena corrected.
