Empire of Blood, page 20
part #2 of Armageddon Series
How are the dragon eggs?
The eggs are safe. Doragon has them right now.
Selena nodded and went over to Kiba to help her walk. “We'll find a way to undo these bindings.”
“Wait. Follow me. You helped me, now I will help you. I’ll find us some shelter in the mountains.” Kiba shrugged Selena's hand away and ran deeper into the city.
“What in the Divine’s name is she doing?” Rahim asked. “She’s trying to get us killed!”
“Let’s go!” Selena ignored Rahim’s protests and followed Kiba. Both Rahim and Azrael grumbled, but they ran after her.
Keep an eye on her. I’m going to tell Azrael to have Doragon meet us by the mountain side!
Thor roared and took off in Kiba’s direction.
“Tell Doragon to follow Thor!” Selena called back to Azrael.
“I hope you’re right!” he yelled back but did what Selena said.
Kiba was quick and agile; Selena watched in amazement how she dodged the debris that fell from Ulrich’s wrath. While watching the wolf girl, she didn’t pay attention to the pile of rocks that were about to topple over her. Kiba, on the other hand, stopped and stepped to the side with her right foot. Part of the stone wall extended over Selena’s head. The falling rock hit and slid off the slab.
“Thanks!” Selena called out.
“Don’t mention it! Over here!”
The earth trembled once more.
Just as Kiba and the others made it to the mountain side, Doragon appeared and circled above with Thor.
Where is Ulrich now?
He is still rampaging around! Whatever Kiba is planning, she better do it quickly!
Kiba closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Within moments, she was covered in a green aura. She took a step forward and blasted a hole into the mountain side, creating a large enough cave for all of them to take shelter. “Quickly, in here!”
Everyone followed her inside. Thor and Doragon took their spots opposite of each other. Azrael sat down beside his dragon and crossed his arms, mumbling under his breath. Rahim sprawled himself out on Thor's saddle. When everyone was inside and made themselves comfortable, Kiba lifted her leg and stamp down hard. The ground beneath her foot rumbled like the waves of water and spiraled upward to seal the entrance.
Selena waved her hand and summoned a small ball of fire to light up their new hideout. “We need to stay in here for a bit until that dragon is gone. Thank you for helping us.”
“Don't mention it,” Kiba said. The ground around them rumbled once more, followed by a thundering roar.
Selena shivered in fear. “That was good timing.”
“Didn’t I ask you to trust me?” Azrael asked. Doragon nodded in agreement.
Selena sat down next to Thor and drew her knees up to her chest. “Yes you did. Thank you.”
“I don’t care! Do you know how terrifying that was, thinking you’re about to die?” Rahim exclaimed.
“Actually, I do.” Selena shot a glare at him.
“Wait… oh, yeah, right.”
“Hey, this is interesting and everything,” Kiba began, “but before we do anything else, can someone please help me out of these chains?” Azrael sighed and cracked his knuckles and walked over to her. He held out his hand and small orbs of light appeared around Kiba’s bindings. They circled inwards and formed a key. “How do you know that key will work?” Kiba asked. Azrael only shrugged and grabbed the metal collar around her neck to find the key hole.
“This might sting a little bit.” Azrael put the key inside. Instead of turning it, a jolt of lightning surged throughout the chains and they immediately snapped off. Kiba howled in pain. Parts of her body twitched. “You'll be fine!” he barked.
“Hey, I have a bone to pick with you!” Rahim pointed at Azrael.
“Ugh! What is it now?”
“If I wasn’t going to die just then, then when will it happen?”
Azrael formed his hand into a fist. “I already told you that I can’t tell you when!”
“True, but you’ve always given us hints. Can you give me one?”
Instead of arguing, Azrael held up his hand. He bent his thumb down and pointed out his index finger at Rahim’s chest. Rahim began to shake and his face grew pale. Azrael shouted at the top of his lungs: “BANG!” Everyone flinched and Rahim immediately cowered down. Yet he looked at his hands and inspected his body to see that he was fine. Azrael lowered his hand and smirked. “Just kidding.”
“That’s not funny!” Rahim cried.
Azrael shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “It was for me.”
It grew uncomfortably silent.
“Is it gone yet?” Rahim nervously asked from the safety of the saddle. Thor arched his neck and made Rahim flinch from his grumble.
Kiba stretched out her muscles and made her way back to the entrance and held up her hands. She took a deep breath and lowered them. The earth wall followed her gestures and sunk below. The group nervously looked outside to see Ulrich flying away at long last with one final roar.
“I think once it's completely dark, we should leave,” Selena whispered to everyone, “just in case he comes back again.”
Azrael was not satisfied. “We should leave now. Remember? We're still on a time schedule to get the eggs delivered.”
“Wait, going where? I need to go back home!” Kiba exclaimed.
“Of course, we have to help Kiba,” Selena said.
“Help Kiba? Do you think the Aynu will just allow us to walk through their camp?” Rahim asked.
“Actually, once they see I’m with you, they will.” Kiba looked over at Selena. “You told me in the dungeons that you wanted to help. I didn’t think it was possible, but now, I swear my loyalty to you. Since you helped me escape and returned the golden egg, you are welcome in our pack. Besides, I think you can use me in your group. I know the land like the back of my hand, and I can help you steer clear of the Emerald Dragon. It would be really stupid of me if I decided to trick you. I couldn't last against you and your dragon, let alone against two dragon riders.”
“Wait, are you telling me that I'm not a threat?” Rahim asked.
Kiba ignored him. “Just let me do the talking and everything will be fine. I need you to hold onto that egg for now until we get there. I want you to present it to Maru.”
Selena nodded. “I’m assuming I’ll know who Maru is when I see him or her.”
“Him and yes. He’s my partner and my mate. He is the Alpha Male, and I’m the Alpha Female, or She-Wolf.”
“How can you have a mate? You’re a child… right?” Rahim asked.
“I may look like a child but I’m much older than you. Of course, I was one once, about a hundred years ago.”
“It seems we always meet someone who is much older than we are,” Selena said.
“I believe it. I have Artio to thank for my longevity.”
“We’re used to being around elves from Alfheim. They can live hundreds, if not thousands, of years, and apparently dwarves can live nearly as long too.”
Azrael groaned. “I really hate hearing you guys talk about this. We really should head out before Ulrich decides to come back. But seriously, the Aynu are at the pass. We’ll be back tracking!”
“We’ll be there within a day, you guys will be fine.” Kiba smiled. “Besides, I think you’ll find that having us on your side will definitely be in your favor. We’ve never trusted outsiders before.”
“Ugh, fine! We will bring Kiba and the egg back, but we have to leave as soon as we’re done. I don’t want to waste anymore time. Who knows how long we have before the eggs hatch?”
Selena nodded and got herself on Thor's saddle. “You’re right. Kiba, you can ride with me.”
Kiba reluctantly climbed on board. “I have never flown before.”
“It will be a smooth flight once we get out of here. Thor is really good about it.”
Azrael, after getting on Doragon, snapped his reins. “Let's get out of here. I hate Rhumbek. I hope to never come back to this damn city.”
Chapter 20
Thor and Doragon flew quickly into the night side-by-side. Rhumbek, or what was left of it, was barely in sight as they headed northwest towards where the Raging River met the North Sea.
“What if we run into Ulrich again?” Selena asked.
“Not sure yet,” Azrael answered, “run away as fast as we can? I honestly don’t want to deal with him again.”
Selena looked back and saw a glimpse of Ulrich flying away and disappearing over the Aurora Peaks to the south.
“Did you two see how he reacted when I approached him and bowed? It was like he was afraid. Azrael, what do you think it means?”
He swallowed hard, and explained: “Being the Divinity Dragon in both blood and soul, you are almost our equal. Divinity Dragons are gods in their own right. I think Ulrich realized who you were, even in his madness. That’s probably why he didn’t attack you or Thor. When he’s sane again, you can always ask him yourself. Heaven’s Tear is his lair. I’m sure he’ll welcome you both.”
“Do you two think it’s wise to talk about this in front of Kiba?” Rahim nervously asked.
“It doesn’t matter, she’s with us now.” Selena glared at him.
“God or not, that was the same dragon that’s been terrorizing my home and destroying our forest. I will come back for it.” Kiba crossed her arms over her chest.
“I'm not saying that you should believe in what we believe,” Selena began, “but Ulrich is still a very powerful dragon and you would probably get yourself killed if you go after him.”
Kiba held her head up high. “It doesn’t matter if I do or not. When I do, I will be joining the great hunt with Artio in the afterlife.”
“As much as I love talking about death and the afterlife, I would hate to see what Ulrich will do if he sees us again,” Azrael grumbled, “just because he let us go last time doesn’t mean he’ll be as forgiving in the future.”
Kiba rolled her eyes. “Fine. The sooner we get to the pass, the better. Our pack lives in the waterfall where the river meets the sea.”
Rahim corrected her by saying, “You mean near the waterfall,” but Kiba shook her head.
“No. We made our dwelling in the rock behind the water. Wait until you see it.”
Selena grew weary of talking. She searched through her pack and pulled out two blankets: one for herself and the other she offered to Kiba. “You must be freezing. I don’t understand how you can’t be when you’re not wearing anything.”
“I have my fur.” Kiba changed into her wolf form and curled in a ball before going to sleep. Despite her objections, Selena still carefully draped the blanket over her. She then shifted and moved closer to Thor’s neck and patted his hide.
It has been such a crazy day.
Yes it has. How has Rahim been?
I can only imagine he’s still shaken up. When he’s ready, I want him to tell me what happened. Normally he’s really good at sneaking around.
True, but it’s no easy feat with trying to sneak past the royal guards. They’re guards for a reason.
Still. At least we won’t have to worry about them reporting to the Council. But that still doesn’t make sense.
What doesn’t make sense?
Shouldn’t we have forgotten about Rhumbek since it’s destroyed? Why do we still remember?
I… I don’t know.
Selena voiced her concern to Azrael.
He said: “I dunno. Maybe we spooked Ulrich because he wasn’t expecting us to be there. If you happen to see him again, you should ask him.”
The hatchlings are growing anxious. Thor said again. Earlier, one of them said it wanted to come out soon.
Wait, what do you mean?
When we’re still in the egg, we’re fully conscious and aware of our surroundings. That’s how we know how to speak and how we already know everything about your world. Even out of the egg, we can still communicate with the hatchlings inside. If need be, Doragon and I can ask them to wait for a little while longer before hatching.
Amazed by Thor’s words, Selena reiterated the news to Rahim and Azrael.
“Dragons are still such a mystery,” Rahim said.
“Let’s hope that they will be willing to listen,” Azrael pleaded, “it’s going to be a while before we arrive.”
Doragon and I will try our best when we reach the pass, but the hatchlings are antsy. They may or may not want to listen. Younglings never listen. Thor chuckled.
The flight turned peaceful. Kiba and Azrael had already fallen asleep, but Rahim stirred in his spot. Selena scooted closer to him and nudged his shoulder.
“I know that today was really rough for you. How are you doing now?” she asked him.
Rahim bit down on his thumbnail and shrugged. “I’m fine. Why?”
Selena looked up at the stars.
“Thor and I are worried about you. I’m sorry to have sent you in there alone. I should have at least gone in there with you to help.”
Rahim shook his head and shuddered. “It’s fine. It was terrifying to know that I was about to die. I know, I know. Azrael probably would have said something, but… damn! It’s hard to explain. You know when they say that your life flashes before your eyes? You better believe it does.”
“I’m still sorry. I never want to put you through that situation again.” Selena reached out and embraced him. “I would rather see myself in that noose than to see you or anyone else there.”
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up for it. It’s fine! I swear!” Rahim laughed as he hugged her back.
“That just means that we will need to work harder to save Niamh.”
“Aye. We won’t go back to Alfheim without her.” Rahim agreed. Afterwards, he wrapped himself in a blanket and fell asleep on top of his pack.
As much as Selena wanted to sleep, she couldn’t. Instead, she laid on her back and watched the beautiful northern lights. They took on different marvelous colors each night. Tonight, the aurora was mostly shades of green and blue. The lights were weak at first, but as the group continued their flight, the whole sky was burning.
She always wondered what it was like to go up there. Was there ever a point to reach, or did the sky continue on forever?
Minutes turned to hours. Just as there were first signs of light, Azrael pointed out the pass and ordered Doragon to fly lower. Thor followed suit and they dove through the first opening they found into the Hinterlands. As they flew in deeper, it became colder. They soon entered a winter tundra where the landscape was covered in snow.
Kiba jolted awake and excitedly looked around when she realized they were close to her home.
“We’re almost there!”
Although they couldn’t see, they could hear the rushing water from the falls.
Kiba shouted: “Land right here! I’m sure the rest of the pack are on their way here to figure out what’s going on. I want them to see me first.”
As soon as she jumped off Thor’s saddle, others wearing different colored wolf masks like Kiba jumped out of the bushes and trees as if to attack. Thor and Doragon bared their fangs, but Kiba stepped forth with her hands held up as she barked at the hunters. They immediately dropped their weapons to the ground and ran over to her to welcome her back.
Azrael watched intently and observed their behavior. “Huh, they really do act more like wolves than humans, or whatever they once were.”
Kiba’s pack members sniffed her; they yipped and howled in their joyful reunion. However, they immediately stopped when a dark haired boy with a black wolf mask stepped forth. He ran over and held Kiba tightly as the two nuzzled and licked each other.
“I’m assuming he is Maru.” Selena noted.
The two stopped and Maru eyed all of them suspiciously.
“Kiba tells us that you were her rescuers,” he began, “for that, we thank you. You are welcome among us, outsiders. Come. We will celebrate in our She-Wolf’s return.”
“Of course,” Kiba continued, “I will see to it that tonight, all of you will bear the marking of our pack.”
“Bear the marking? What does that mean?” Selena asked.
“It means that you will be one of us, outsider,” Maru explained, “the forest will always be your home and our blessing will follow you wherever your travels may take you.”
“That’s pretty wicked.” Rahim crossed his arms over his chest and gave a huge grin.
Selena smiled and bowed before digging out the golden egg from her pack. “I believe that this belongs to you.”
“As much as I would love to put it back, since you returned it, you will have the honor of putting it back in Artio’s shrine.” Maru stated. “I’m sure that she will be most pleased with your efforts.” Selena nodded and put it away for later. “Follow us and rest easy. Your dragons are free to hunt, so long as they pay their respects to their prey. Nothing should be wasted from a kill.”
Kiba explained, “Offer a small prayer to Artio before you hunt.”
“Of course, that is most gracious.” Selena bowed once more.
After Thor and Doragon made themselves comfortable and went right to sleep, Selena and her friends followed Kiba and her pack directly to the waterfall.
The Ankoku Pass was a breathtaking sight to behold. The housing structures made from rock were built beneath the overhanging cliffs. They were magnificent structures that stretched across the base of the mountains. Their hollow valley was covered in a white blanket, with dirt paths like molten gold circling in the middle. A smooth-edged statuette of a woman wearing a wolf headdress lay beside a black, stone slab. In the woman’s hands was a wooden plate.
“That is Artio’s shrine where we kept the egg,” Kiba explained. “Tonight, you will have the honor of putting it back.”
As Kiba and Maru walked closer to their settlement, more members of the pack came out in the open to investigate the newcomers. Selena was amazed by how many were part of the pack.
Rahim watched with enthusiasm as some of the women were bringing food to their vault.
He whined, “I’m so hungry.”
