Age of the King, page 57
part #6 of The Echoes Saga Series
“Vighon Draqaro is to be crowned the king of Illian,” he stated, aware that he was close to sounding like a petulant child.
“And so he will,” Sarkas replied casually, his eyes on the next glyph. The Reavers, satisfied that their master wasn’t being threatened, faded back into the shadows.
Alijah paid them no heed and scowled at the wizard. “I don’t understand. You told me I was to be king. You told me that every day I was in that hell,” he seethed.
“What else did I tell you?” The Crow asked.
The half-elf took a breath, thinking back to his many lessons and conversations. “That my journey would begin in Erador…”
Sarkas blew on the new glyph and wiped it down. “And it will. Your training, though vigorous, isn’t nearly enough to prepare you for the duty of being the king. Your training was needed to ensure you survived the journey to the throne. Only on that path will you find yourself. It won’t be easy but, when you come to the end, you won’t just be ready to wear the crown of Illian, oh no. You will wear a crown befitting of the king who resides over all of Verda!”
Alijah took it all in his stride, his questions not answered. “What could I possibly find in Erador that will prepare me for such a fate? Long-dead kingdoms would be the last place I expect to find a journey.”
Sarkas cocked an eyebrow. “Who said anything about it being long-dead?”
Alijah’s jaw fell open as he attempted to find the words. “You… You said it was…”
The Crow shook his head. “I never told you anything of the sort. You arrived at that conclusion.”
Alijah turned away, contemplating the revelation. He should have been able to process the information at a better speed, but the idea of there being an entire civilisation on the other side of The Hox… it was unfathomable.
“There are humans still living in Erador?”
“Quite a few, yes. Their kingdom is much older, inherited by the survivors of The First War who were lucky enough not to have been in Illian during the last days. You will find them to be very different; they know nothing of magic, the old ways long forgotten.”
Alijah couldn’t believe it. “They’ve been there this whole time?”
“Shocking, isn’t it? Two civilisations, separated for ten thousand years!” The Crow went back to his work on the bone. “The northern lands, beyond Dhenaheim,” he continued in an unnaturally conversational tone, “are too harsh for travellers. And The Hox… Well, The Hox is an ocean twice as vast as The Adean and has long been home to the last Leviathan.”
Alijah had seen that great beast in Malliath’s memories and could easily imagine how it would devour ships whole. “Wait… What am I to do there?”
Sarkas spared him a look. “The same thing you’re going to do here, the same thing you’re going to do everywhere. Bring peace to the realm. They too suffer under a king, a tyrant like those before him.”
Alijah couldn’t wrap his head around it all. “So I’m to what? Replace this king? Rule Erador? I don’t—”
“I’m sorry Alijah,” Sarkas interrupted. “I can see that the training I have inflicted on you has made you somewhat reliant on me. But I’m afraid that time is over now. I have no more answers for you. Only you can decide what happens next. Go to Erador… Or don’t. I leave it to you.”
Inara braced herself as Athis came down beside Ilargo. The water splashed high into the air and the rocky beach crunched under his claws. Gideon and Asher had already touched down on the shore and were making their way towards the cave entrance.
“He must be inside,” Reyna observed, slipping down the side of Athis’s scales.
Inara spotted Malliath flying above and was inclined to agree. It had been Ilargo who first noticed the dragon had been without Alijah. Inara knew in her heart that her brother would recover from The Crow’s machinations, but she didn’t trust him to be alone with the necromancer…
Looking back over her shoulder, Inara had one message for Athis before entering the cave. Be ready for anything.
The red dragon exhaled a sharp breath. I always am, wingless one.
Beneath the city, the companions moved with caution and their weapons in hand. Reyna aimed her enchanted bow at every crevice and flickering shadow. It wasn’t long before they were following the sound of voices, two of them - one of which definitely belonged to her brother.
Inara wasn’t sure what to make of the scene they found. Under the arching bones of a giant beast, Alijah and The Crow were simply talking. The wizard was stripped down to his waist, revealing a pasty torso of scars and damaged skin. His appearance was entirely unthreatening - Inara had brought down larger foes in her time - but the ancient necromancer was wielding his wand. That alone made him dangerous.
Entering the cavern properly, it suddenly occurred to Inara that, beside Alijah, she possessed the greatest well of magic, surpassing Gideon and her mother, who was bereft of all her magic.
Gideon spearheaded their approach. “Alijah?”
The half-elf didn’t answer right away, his gaze fixed on The Crow. “He means to resurrect the Leviathan.”
“That I do,” The Crow confirmed, entirely unbothered by their arrival. “This particular Leviathan was rather troublesome in its time. Many dragons were lost in the battle.” The Crow paused as the undead Arakesh slowly slunk out of the surrounding darkness. “Atilan spent many years researching them, but I finished what he started. I categorised this one as a Cerbadon.”
“We’re not going to let you bring it back,” Gideon stated boldly.
The Crow smirked. “It’s already done. This entire island is a hub of magic thanks to the dragons who once called it home. There’s more than enough to breathe life back into these old bones…”
Reyna levelled her bow. “Enough.”
Inara was barely able to track the arrow that burst forth, whistling past Gideon’s arm. The Crow, however, casually shifted his shoulders as if he knew where the arrow was going to fly. The magically enhanced projectile missed its target and burrowed into the rock behind him. Inara had never seen anyone evade an arrow with such ease, especially when it had been fired by her mother.
Without missing a beat, The Crow simply said, “Kill them all.”
The Reavers closed in as one, their twin blades in hand. Inara was tempted to use magic and have done with them but, after dealing with the assassins, she would face The Crow, an enemy who would require all of her strength. With that in mind, her Vi’tari scimitar went to work.
Their close-quarters quickly prevented Reyna from using her bow again. Inara and Nathaniel stepped between her and the oncoming Reavers, giving her time to withdraw her blade. The Arakesh were furious but precise in their attacks, immediately forcing the Galfreys back a step. For Inara, this was her first time fighting an assassin of Nightfall, but for her parents it was like old times. They fell in beside each other, complementing their unique styles, as they matched the dance of the Reavers.
Gideon had already cut the arm off one Arakesh and the head off another. Mournblade flashed in the torchlight, clashing and slicing with every swing. Despite his skill, the Master Dragorn was pressed back with the others and kept from The Crow.
Asher more than proved his worth, challenging three of the assassins at once. His two-handed broadsword had been sheathed, replaced by his silvyr short-sword. The ranger ducked under a killing blow and rolled across the ground to pick up a Reaver’s discarded short-sword. Like them, he now wielded one in each hand and, for just a moment, Inara could see him as the assassin he had once been…
The young Dragorn rammed her scimitar into the head of her opponent and drove it to the ground. Beyond her victory, she witnessed Alijah fend off two Arakesh before decapitating a third. Inara had only a couple of seconds to watch him, but that brief glimpse was enough to reveal his new fighting style mirrored the assassins.
As disturbing as that was, nothing worried Inara more than The Crow’s chanting. Throughout their battle, the necromancer had been shouting ancient words into the air. The tip of his black wand was aglow, matching the glow of the symbols etched into the large bones around them.
He was raising the Leviathan…
“We have to stop him!” she yelled over the melee.
Asher gutted one of his foes and rolled over its back with his second short-sword in his other hand. Before his feet touched the ground again, the ranger launched the weapon at The Crow, his aim true. A quick flick of his wand, however, and the wizard sent the blade spinning away.
Alijah tried next. He cut down the Arakesh in front of him and threw his arm out at the necromancer, unleashing a storm of lightning from the palm of his hand. The destructive spell slammed into an arching shield that flared around The Crow, saving his life. The half-elf pulled back his hand and readied another spell, but he was quickly set upon by more Reavers.
Gideon rushed past his next attacker and charged at the wizard with Mournblade raised over his head. The Master Dragorn succeeded in deflecting The Crow’s first spell, but he didn’t have it in him to repel the second. His body doubled over in the impact and he flew back across the cavern in a tumble of limbs.
Inara dispatched the assassin in front of her and ran at the necromancer. Her dash was cut short when he fired a spell her way, but she raised her free arm and erected a shield to absorb the magic. He whipped his wand at her again and again, hurling one spell after another. Inara clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. The Crow’s relentless attacks were beginning to make her arm numb, but still she continued forward, her steps in time with his spells.
The collisions against her shield were momentarily blinding, often forcing the young Dragorn to keep her eyes down. She focused on the strength of her shield and the continued motion of her feet. The closer she got the louder the wizard’s words became. She had no idea how close to finishing the resurrection spell he was.
Keep going! Athis encouraged, lending her all the strength he had to give.
Inara’s arm and head were shaking with the exertion. The Crow’s magic was the most powerful thing she had ever stood against. Her grip increased around the hilt of the Vi’tari blade, drawing on the magic stored inside the crystal of the pommel.
It wasn’t long before she couldn’t hear anything except the stream of spells battering her shield and the roar that escaped her lips. A trickle of blood ran over her mouth and she tasted iron.
Keep going… Athis sounded distant now, but she could still feel the power flowing between them.
Inara thought about all the things The Crow had done to her brother and she focused that rage into one purpose. Her eyes snapped open and she thrust her scimitar forwards, through the maelstrom of clashing magic.
The flaring light disappeared. The Crow’s chanting ceased. Inara’s shield died away.
Looking up, her blade was almost entirely lost inside the necromancer’s body. Blood ran along the scimitar and dripped to the ground. The Crow dropped his wand and Inara withdrew her blade from his abdomen. As his wand bounced on the ground, so too did the Arakesh Reavers, their existence brought to an end.
Clutching his mortal wound, The Crow’s mouth twitched into a smile. “It is done…”
Despite the ringing in Inara’s ears, she could hear the rock cracking around them. The glyphs etched into the Leviathan were still glowing, only now there were traces of veins and arteries growing over the bones. It was coming to life!
The Crow dropped to his knees and more blood poured from his wounds. Inara was furious. She wanted to swing her blade one last time and watch the wizard’s head fly through the air as Karakulak’s had.
“You can’t stop it now,” he croaked. “Fate will have its day…”
Inara towered over him and rested her blade across his neck. “Your schemes are at an end.”
“Inara!” her mother shouted from the other side of the cavern. “We need to get out of here!”
The Crow shook his head with a soft smile. “You won’t understand… until the end, Inara Galfrey.”
That only enraged her all the more and she pressed the edge of her blade into his skin. “You have lost,” she hissed.
The Crow choked on his own laugh. Then he whispered so that only she might hear his words. Inara stepped back and looked down on the wizard, her expression pulling in different directions to cope with the confusion and anger that swelled within her.
“Inara!” her father yelled urgently.
The cavern was cracking, raining a light dust over them all. The ground rumbled under their feet. The Leviathan’s bones were concealed beneath muscle now, their appearance the source of the cracking rock.
The Crow turned to Alijah, off to the side. “I told you… I will be the monster…”
Inara met her brother’s eyes and saw alarm spread across his face. “He has the Viridian Ruby!”
By the time she looked back at the dying wizard, he had removed Hadavad’s ancient ruby from his pocket. Inara raised her scimitar as the ruby came to life in his hand. It flared once as her blade fell across his neck with finality. In death, the wizard’s grip released the ruby, but the flare from within the gem had lifted away and disappeared into the rock beyond.
It carried The Crow’s essence with it…
Alijah sheathed his blade and turned for the exit. “He’s going to inhabit the Leviathan!”
“We need to get out!” Gideon warned as larger slabs began to break away from the ceiling.
Inara took one last look at The Crow, his whispered words haunting her. There was no time to dwell on them now, however, his final act of evil moments away from killing them all. She put her scimitar away and ran for Athis.
They had one last battle to fight…
Alijah and Malliath took to the sky with Ilargo and Athis close behind. After borrowing his mother’s bow and quiver, they had left his parents and the ranger by the shore - all three a hindrance to the dragons in a sky battle.
Malliath banked around to the west, putting Dragorn on their left. The city’s population had no idea what was happening under their homes and businesses. Alijah could see devastating cracks run ragged up the stone walls, tripping up the soldiers on the ramparts. Inside the perimeter, the tallest spires collapsed, bringing ruin upon the narrow streets.
How big is this thing? Inara asked across their shared bond.
Alijah recalled the tooth he had seen mounted on the wall in The Crow’s personal chamber. It’s going to be the biggest thing you’ve ever seen, he replied honestly.
A chorus of screams erupted from the island as thousands of people scurried to the port. They filled the width of the massive gates, flooding the harbour in search of boats. Behind them, the city was falling to pieces. The very centre suddenly caved in, creating an enormous sinkhole, before it violently exploded. Tons of rock, and people, were thrown high into the air. There was so much debris that the emerging Leviathan couldn’t be seen until it was almost free of its grave.
A stunned silence settled over the bond shared between the three dragons. Not even Malliath could claim to have seen a monster such as this…
The Cerbadon ascended to the island with bat-like wings stretching to cast what remained of the city in shadow. A long, pointed tail curled up and out of the hole, only to come back down and flatten more buildings and people. As it pushed through the smoke and dust, the rest of its body took shape, reminding Alijah of a dragon, only much much bigger.
Its reptilian head pointed to the heavens above and a screeching roar pierced the air. This was followed by another roar and another head. One final ear-shattering roar cracked the sky and a third head rose from the debris.
Alijah cursed under his breath.
His trepidation was quickly wiped away by the all-consuming wave that was Malliath. The black dragon was overcome with a fury that had lived inside of him for over ten thousand years. Malliath looked upon the Leviathan and knew he looked upon his most ancient enemy, as if the need to kill the monster lived in his very bones.
We need a plan of attack, Gideon urged. A unified strategy is our best chance.
Inara agreed. We need to lure it away from the city!
That won’t work, Alijah told them bluntly. The Crow is in control of it. He wants to destroy Dragorn more than he wants to swat us out of the sky.
Gideon came back with, Then we need a plan that will see it brought down as fast as possible.
Alijah could feel Malliath’s intentions and knew he was about to launch them at the Cerbadon. We have a plan of attack, he told them. We kill it!
Alijah! Inara’s warning was lost on Alijah and he severed their bond.
The Cerbadon’s heads all turned in different directions and exhaled jets of fire into the city. Its tail thrashed and swept through the eastern wall, hurling tons of stone into the air. Malliath weaved and bobbed between them all as he flew towards the beast.
Alijah was tempted to jump off and attack the Cerbadon himself, but seeing the hulking monster up close only revealed such a plan to be folly. The ancient creature was too large for anything as small as a man to do any damage. This fight was left to the dragons.
Malliath glided in behind the Cerbadon and proceeded to fly up its back, following the tail spikes until he was at the base of the three necks. The dragon continued to climb up the middle neck, banking left and right to stay in line with its movements. Malliath soon reached the head and unleashed a torrent of flames across one of its eyes.
The Cerbadon roared in agony.
Alijah almost fell from Malliath’s back sheltering his ears from the deafening cry. Behind them now, the Cerbadon’s face bore a smouldering crater that oozed what was left of its eye. Looking back at it, Alijah stared at the remaining scarlet eye and wondered how much of The Crow was in there.
The answer would have to remain a mystery - the Cerbadon’s middle head was opening its maw of fangs. Malliath dived with all haste and they narrowly avoided the furnace that engulfed the air above them. The left and right heads took notice of them and curled their necks to angle their fire-breathing mouths.
