A Dragon Born (12 page)

Boric saw the Darga emerge from the trees, bounding from the shadows and into the open field and he charged forward, with his soldiers following close behind. He swung his axe at the oncoming lizard men and cleaved several of them in two and severing the leg and arm of two more. He inhaled deeply and held his breath as he swung his axe again, cutting through more of the creatures and then, satisfied he had waited long enough, he exhaled, blasting bright orange fire at a cluster of the Darga. Unaccustomed to fighting against a fighter more powerful than they, and with fire now filling the air, many of the lizard men began to break ranks, making it easier for Boric's soldiers to fight them, though the Darga were still difficult to match.

Draxis cut his way easily through several of the Kandaran soldiers, irritated that they would even be able to slow him down, but no matter how skilled they were, they were no match for his speed and strength, which was the best of both of the races to which he had been born. He clambered over the body of a fallen Darga and blocked the blade of a sword that swung dangerously close to his shoulder, stopping for a moment to gut its wielder, then he made his way to the man with the axe, who had become like a giant Darga.

"What have we here?" Boric rumbled, swinging his axe at Draxis' heavy sword. "I heard a story about Calexis making play with her Darga pets, but I did not believe it."

"I am Draxis, Prince of Xalla, Lord of the Darga," Draxis told him, proudly, determined that he would be victorious against such a foe. "You will die by my hand."

"Do not be so sure of yourself, youngster," Boric told him. "You have not yet witnessed the might of Kandara."

Draxis hissed and leapt at the man, swinging his sword hard. Blindingly fast, the giant axe was in front of him, deflecting his blade and Draxis had to twist in the air to avoid slamming into it. He realized that his normal approach of overpowering his opponents would not work with one such as this. This enemy was extremely powerful and very fast, but Draxis quickly realized that even though he was not quite as strong, he might be slightly faster. He changed his tactics and used the long reach of his sword and its quicker edge to slash and stab at his opponent, moving faster than the axe, while dodging the giant blade when it came swinging toward him.

Boric was surprised at the speed and agility of the half-Darga and he had not expected the creature to have such power. He wondered if there had been some shift or change in him because of his mixed parentage. Since he had discovered the Darga involvement in the destruction of the Xallan villages, he had taken the time to look up the history of the lizard people and the things he had discovered intrigued him greatly. That many of the Darga once inhabited parts of Kandara but had been banished, was something he already knew. He also discovered that there were once many different tribes among the Darga, known by their distinctive markings. The most documented of the Darga, those who lived near the lands of Xalla, had skin that was green, black or brown, with scales that could have varying colors and shades, their base colors being influenced by the swampy regions they inhabited, though it was said that their colors could change with their surroundings, and this creature's Darga scales were showing flecks of red, taking on the color of the blood that was flowing fast on the battlefield.

Draxis ducked in under the swing of Boric's axe and the duke put away his thoughts about Darga tribes. He could analyze the creature's parentage later, once he and the rest of the lizard men were dead. Boric leapt back as Draxis thrust forward with his sword, but he was not fast enough and even though the point of the blade missed him, its edge slid along Boric's upper leg, cutting a deep gash. Boric roared and blasted the half-Darga with flames, driving him back. The other Darga fell back then they leapt at him, slashing with their claws and latching onto his arms as Draxis came at him again.

Boric reached down into the core of his being and drew upon the ancient power that flowed from his bloodline. His body grew once more and his skin turned darker, with iron hard black scales appearing on his arms and legs, and his face became distinctively more reptilian. The gash in his leg even began to close up as his regenerative powers increased to their fullest. He roared again and shook off the Darga, who were like playthings to him now, and he swung his axe at Draxis, meeting his blade with a resounding clash and sending the half-Darga flying.

The Kandaran soldiers had been fighting hard and taking heavy losses against the stronger and more powerful Darga warriors, who outnumbered them, but with every swipe of Duke Boric's axe a half dozen of the lizard men were dispatched and the Kandaran soldiers' morale became more resolute. The Darga responded with even more ferocity now that their pride as warriors was being called into question.

Draxis was amazed at the power of the Kandaran Duke and his ability to transform angered him. It was a power he now wanted and the reptilian part of his brain wondered if he could gain such power if he ate the heart of the monster he faced. He lunged forward, clambering over one of the Darga who had fallen to the Duke's axe and he attacked with a ferocity he did not even know he had. He slashed and cut at the Duke's scaled arms, darting his sword past the giant axe as he ducked around it. He slid past the Duke and brought his sword down hard on his shoulder but the steel glanced off the heavy scales underneath the shreds of fabric from the clothing that he had worn.

Boric saw the half-Darga slip past him as he swung his axe so he continued his swing, pivoting around with the heavy weapon. Draxis dropped low as the axe whistled past and caught a Darga warrior in the arm and he cut upwards with his sword, prying underneath the heavy scales on the Duke's shoulder. He was pleased when the steel bit into flesh and dark, black blood ran from Boric's arm, but smoke appeared on Draxis' sword as the steel began to melt. He realized that the Duke's blood must be like acid and he stepped away and wiped his sword on the uniform of one of the fallen Kandarans.

Before he knew it, the Duke was towering over him, with his heavy axe swinging down fast and Draxis barely managed to scramble out of the way before the steel slammed hard into the ground. Boric released a blast of flame from between his sharp teeth and Draxis felt his skin heat up, but he knew he would not burn. Even though he was only half-Darga, he could resist fire better than most of them. It was a gift from his mother, who had worked some magic upon herself when he was still in the womb. Draxis turned and walked directly into the flames and he enjoyed the surprised look on the Duke's face when the fire died away and saw Draxis already coming at him with his blade at the ready.

Boric stepped back and blocked the sword with the side of his axe and put his shoulder behind the wide, heavy blade and pushed, driving Draxis backwards. The half-Darga stumbled over the corpses of his warriors and the many Kandarans who had fallen and he barely managed to evade the grasp of the Duke's powerful, scaled hand that reached out toward him. Draxis knew he would be powerless if Boric got a hold of him and he sprinted away and turned back again, ready to resume the fight, but he stopped when he saw the battlefield.  Seeing him halt, so did the rest of the warriors. At the center of a sea of Darga, stood the monster, Duke Boric, along with barely a dozen of his Kandaran soldiers. They were all that remained of a force that, barely moments ago, numbered over a thousand.

Boric had not expected the Darga to cut through his soldiers so quickly and he knew there was little hope for the rest unless they could somehow find a way out. It looked as though only a few hundred of the lizard men had fallen, and with his heightened senses he had noticed thousands of Xallan soldiers standing by in the forest. He could also tell that they were accompanied by mages and he cursed himself for not noticing it earlier, having been so focused on the Darga. Boric knew the battle was over, and the wound he had taken in the shoulder was bleeding badly, but he did not intend to fall here. Kaledra's castle would not offer any safety, even if the Duke had not sided with the Xallans and the Darga. There had to be a way out.

"Ranger," he growled to the woman in black armor, who had joined him from Kaledra's numbers. "There are several dozen horses milling on the other side of the western wall of the town. I will clear a path, then I want you and the rest to get clear of this battle. I'll down these Darga until you get away."

"Duke Boric, we cannot leave you here."

"Don't be foolish," Borric told her. "You're dead unless you can outrun the Darga and you've no chance of that without those horses. Pass the word and be ready to follow me. We're going through the town."

"Yes, sir."

The woman relayed his instructions to the soldier next to her, who then passed it along the line. A moment later, Boric saw Draxis take a step toward him and a ripple moved through the Darga as they began to close in. Boric sucked in as much air as he could and bellowed his greatest roar, so loud that even the Darga faltered for a moment. Draxis only smiled at the challenge, but he was surprised when the Kandaran monster suddenly turned and ran from him, knocking handfuls of Darga out of his way and fled the battlefield toward the open gates of the town, followed by the last of his soldiers. Draxis screamed, furious that he might be denied his victory. He raced after the Duke, and then he began to laugh because he knew there was no way out of the town and no refuge, since Kaledra had already declared his support for the Xallan army.

Boric barely fit through the streets and he knocked stone and wood away from the corners of a few houses and buildings as he ran through the town. Thanks to his height, he was able to see the horses outside the walls but he knew that the animals were likely already skittish from the scent of blood and the carnage of the battlefield so he headed for a place that was close by but far enough away that they would not be alarmed by him or what he was about to do. Boric saw the city wall looming ahead and he put on a burst of speed then dropped his shoulder and rammed into heavy stone. With a crash the section of wall crumbled, toppling in a flurry of stone and dust as the mortar let go. Boric pulled himself clear of the wreckage and rubbed his shoulder. The impact had hurt, but he was glad to know that he was at least tougher than the wall had been.

"Now go, get out of here. Ride for Prince Borrican and tell him to pull back to the crown city," Boric said as the soldiers clambered over the broken wall and out into the field beyond.

Draxis heard the crash and rounded a corner to see the Kandarans escaping through the collapsed section of the wall, followed by the giant Duke. He hissed, knowing he had just been outmaneuvered by the Kandarans. He made it to the breach in the wall just in time to encounter another blast of flames from the Duke, which he sidestepped, taking up a position along the inside of the wall, next to the open gap. Draxis might be able to resist the effects of the fire, but being blasted by it was not a particularly enjoyable experience. A few of the Darga behind him dodged too slowly and were badly burned. Draxis waited until the fire stopped, then he stepped out and faced the Duke.

"Very clever," Draxis said. "You hope to hold us here, but I have thousands of warriors already circling this city."

"Not fast enough, youngster," Boric told him. He glanced along the outside of the city wall and saw a few Darga rounding the far corner but he also saw that the soldiers had already managed to catch the horses and were already mounting up and riding from the field.

"Do you expect to fight us all?" Draxis sneered. "That wound in your shoulder looks very bloody."

"You think you can scratch me again with that blunt blade you carry?" Boric scoffed.

Draxis looked down at his sword. Its sharp edge was gone and the steel was noticeably thinner in places where the Duke's acid blood had eaten away at it.

"I do not need a sword to finish you," Draxis told him, throwing his sword to the ground. "You are no match for our numbers, and you are slow, old man."

Draxis crouched low to the ground and leapt up, just high enough to grasp the top of the wall, which he did in one continuous movement and came to stand atop the stone. In the distance he saw the Kandaran riders now disappearing into the forest beyond the field that surrounded the city and, below, he saw hundreds of his Darga warriors streaming toward the Duke. He leapt down from the wall and landed a few paces away.

"That's a neat trick," Boric said with a grin. "But can you fly?"

Draxis cocked his head, not quite sure what the Kandaran meant, but the question in his mind was answered as the Duke stretched out his arms and the last vestiges of his clothing fell away from his back, revealing leathery wings that spread out and began to grow larger.

"What power is this?" Draxis asked.

"A power that you and your brethren will never have," Boric told him as he turned and with a few powerful strides of his legs, leapt into the sky.

Not far away, the black robed mage, Henton stood with two of his brethren. They had watched the battle and were pleased at how effective the Darga fighters were proving to be. For the most part, Draxis was showing himself to be an able commander, but there were yet limits to his prowess that needed to be addressed, which they intended to report to Cerric. The power of this fearsome Duke was a matter of greater concern and they wondered whether there were others in Kandara like him and they thought it likely that the other members of the royal family might pose a similar threat. Still, Draxis had managed to wound Duke Boric, and given the superior numbers of Xallan, Maramyrian and Darga soldiers, even if the Kandarans had more among them with such power, they would surely fall, especially since the mages had been commanded by their god-king to fight. Henton conjured a ball of energy, like a dark storm cloud that was rippled through with lightning, and he sent it flying toward the Duke as the two mages with him began to summon their own destructive powers.