Erik And The Dragon ( Book 4) (21 page)

Aparen slowly stood up and brushed off his backside. He cast a glance toward Silvi, but even she was standing still and silent now. “Alright, what is it you ask of me?”

“To the north, there is a vampire. He has been terrorizing some of the local villages for the last several weeks. Normally I wouldn’t interfere, but his activities have started to encroach upon territory that I like to visit from time to time, and he is drawing attention to the area that I don’t appreciate.”

“You can’t kill a vampire?” Aparen asked.

“I can,” Dremathor countered with an impatient tone. “But I want to see if you can. If you complete this task, you will win Silvi back and I will help you.”

“And if I fail?” Aparen asked.

“Then you will not have been good enough to waste my time on, and you will be dead.”

“No,” Aparen said. “Whether I live or die, Silvi should go free.”

“That is an admirable thought, but I would not agree to such nonsense. If you want her freedom, you will have to earn it. Bring me the vampire’s black heart, and I will release her to you. Fail, and she will stay with me.”

Aparen looked to Silvi for a few seconds, staring into her desperate eyes. Then he nodded. “I have little choice. Tell me where I can find this vampire.”

“I will do better than that,” Dremathor approached Aparen slowly, deliberately. A round, red leather container appeared in the air before Aparen. “In this container, y
ou will find a map of three villages. The vampire lives in the wilderness near these villages, but the map does not show you where exactly. You will have to hunt him.”

Aparen nodded and grasped the container. “How long do I have?”

Dremathor shrugged. “Take as long as you need. Silvi isn’t going anywhere, so if you abandon the task and run away, no one will be any wiser for it. However,
if
you succeed, I want you to place the vampire’s heart in the container. When you do that, it will bring you back to me.”

“The container will?”

Dremathor nodded. “It is enchanted. Go ahead, open it.”

Aparen twisted the lid and looked inside. A golden, blinding light poured out and enveloped him. His stomach flipped and lurched as he lost his footing and fell over backwards. Instead of hitting the ground, his body spun continually, never touching anything as the light whisked him away to some unknown land. An instant later he was standing in a small grove of ebony trees with green moss hanging low from the branches. The scent of pine and dirt filled his nose.

“Your task has begun,” a voice said from behind him.

Aparen turned, but no one was there. He looked down to the container and pulled the map out with his forefinger and thumb. “Alright, let’s get this over with.” He slid his left hand down to his dagger and
looked around. It was dark here. The light of day had fully faded away now. What little light the half-moon gave barely sparkled above the dark trees. Not knowing which way to go, he decided to cozy up to the nearest ebony tree as best he could for the night and wait for the morning to set out on his hunt.

*****

Aparen began to stir as the morning sun broke through the branches above. He hadn’t slept well during the night, and his muscles were stiff and rigid from leaning up against the tree. Slowly he pushed himself up and stretched his arms and back. His stomach growled something fierce, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before. He looked around and realized he had nothing with him except his dagger and the small container that held the map.

“Perfect,” he grumbled aloud. “In a strange land with no food or water and absolutely no idea where to go.” He looked up to observe the moss hanging from the trees. He had heard before that moss would grow predominantly on the north side of trees, but these trees were absolutely covered with the stuff, as if they had been thick webs left by careless spiders ages ago.

So he looked up, through the branches as best he could, to see the sun. It had only just come up over the horizon, so as long as he kept the sun on his right and moved quickly, he could at least be certain that he was headed north.

He set off, picking his way through the brush and clumps of thick trees, ducking under the low hanging moss that smelled both pleasant and musky at the same time. He didn’t see any animals, but he could hear birds chirping in the branches above him.
The ferns bent gently away from him as he walked through. Soon he spied a blackberry bush and moved toward it, plucking the sweet fruit from the thorny vines and plopping the berries into his mouth. The first couple he crushed with his tongue, pressing them against the roof of his mouth and savoring the sweet nectar, but then he began shoveling them in as quickly as he could, hardly chewing before swallowing as he struggled to bury the rumbling sounds in his stomach with the fresh fruit. The bush was as tall as he was in most parts, some areas were even taller, sprouting thorns as big and wide as his fingernails on the thick vines. His hands became stained purple as he devoured the berries and made his way around the bush, plucking off anything within reach.

As he rounded the back side of the blackberry bush something snorted and the vines shook. Aparen paused and tried to peer around the bush to see what it was. A massive head covered with black fur rose up above the bush. A long, brown and black snout pointed up into the air, sniffing loudly before the bear looked down and locked eyes with Aparen. The round, fluffy ears almost gave the beast a cute appearance, but the boy knew better. Bears in the north were temperamental at best, and not to be trifled with.

His mind raced. What had his father always told him to do when confronted by a bear? Was he supposed to play dead, or was it try to act large and frightening?

The bear’s mouth opened and it bellowed a low warning sound as white spittle flung out from its open maw. Aparen t
ook a step back and frowned at the animal’s hot, horrid breath. The beast then dropped down behind the bush. Aparen slowly backed away, trying to put distance between himself and the bear. The bushes and vines shook again and the bear appeared around the left side of the blackberry bush, walking on all fours and head low to the ground with its large, black eyes fixed on Aparen.

The thought came to him that he could change forms, and overpower the bear, but something kept him from doing so. Even as the bear stalked closer, he remained still. He watched the bear as it meandered side to side instead of coming directly toward him. It sniffed the air a few more times and then snorted, apparently unimpressed with what it saw, and then turned to walk off in a different direction leaving Aparen and the bush. As he watched the large animal slowly lumber away he felt a different urge come over him. If he had so easily been able to absorb the energy of each skeleton, could he also consume the power of large animals?

His left hand twitched impatiently and his desire for more power bubbled up inside of him the same way greed might overcome a man standing near an unguarded pile of jewels and gems. Another pang of hunger struck his gut just then and he looked back at the berry bush.

“Fruit alone will not sustain a man,” Aparen said. He closed his eyes and summoned his true form. The transformation happened within seconds as his limbs broke and grew, wings sprouted forth over his shoulder blades, his skin took on the pale, gray color and the hardened texture and his horns and claws emerged from their hidden places. When he opened his eyes, he not only saw the animal before him, but also its energy swirling around it. He launched into a great leap, extending his wings and gliding over to land atop the animal’s shoulders and neck.

He pierced the bear’s thick hide with his claws and forced the creature down to the ground. It bellowed angrily and rolled its massive body over in an attempt to either throw or squish Aparen. Aparen released the beast and landed harmlessly on the ground. The bear then rose on its back feet and roared so loudly that it caused a ringing in Aparen’s head. A massive paw swung down and connected with Aparen’s left shoulder, sending him to the ground. He barely managed to escape as the bear lunged for the spot where he landed, snapping his massive jaws together.

Aparen turned and unleashed a fireball from his right hand that blew the fur clean off of the bear’s left side and seared the skin underneath. The bear growled furiously
and charged in again. This time Aparen took to the air, allowing the beast to sail harmlessly underneath and then he dropped like an eagle, digging his right claws into the back of the bear’s neck while latching onto the bear’s massive skull with his left. Aparen focused on the bear’s energy as he dug in with his claws as deeply as his strength would allow.

The bear’s energy, a strong maroon aura that enveloped the animal, suddenly was drawn toward the beast’s head. The animal lost its strength, collapsing onto the ground. Its back muscles twitched and quivered. Then, th
e beast exhaled loudly and the dark energy released from its forehead to be absorbed by Aparen’s hand. It flowed into him warmly, strengthening his limbs and expanding his mind. When it was over, he cleaned the beast using his dagger and then he roasted it with magical fire before eating his fill of the grilled, savory meat.

Mind and body now fed to the brim, he was ready to continue his hunt.

As he changed back into his human form he did not feel weak like he had before. He felt normal, or possibly even stronger than normal. He looked back to the half-eaten carcass and smiled as he now realized there had been no reason for him to fear an animal of the forest. He was now a master over such beings, and the bounds were limitless to what he might become.

Now as he walked through the forest he found himself traveling with purpose, almost as if the forest had become more familiar to him. He changed course by instinct, without regard for the sun’s position, crossing over streams, through groves and fields, and around hills until he finally came to a village of seven buildings surrounded by a couple of large wheat farms and pig corrals.

As he looked down from the forest at the old wooden buildings, watching the few visible farmers going about their work, he realized that when he had absorbed the bear’s energy, he had also absorbed its knowledge of the forest and the area.

What, then, might happen should he consume the vampire’s energy?

The thought was so delicious to him that he almost salivated. Without wasting another moment, he descended from the hill and walked into the village. He got no closer than one hundred yards from the closest wheat field before a bell rang out in the center of the village. The laborers stopped working and pulled rugged, crude short swords from their belts and moved into defensive positions in the main road. A couple of burly men hurriedly drove a horse-drawn wagon up behind the laborers and turned it to the side. Then they jumped into the back and raised some sort of large contraption that Aparen could only guess was some sort of missile launcher.

The large men alternated up and down as they cranked a large wheel. Even from where Aparen was he could hear the gears clicking and straining under the load. One of the men put a large shaft into the contraption.

“Looks like a modified scorpion launcher,” Aparen said to himself.

“Halt there,” one of the laborers shouted at the top of his lungs.

Aparen paused momentarily and watched the men curiously. “I mean you no harm,” he shouted back.

“State your name and purpose,” one of the burly men with the scorpion launcher bellowed.

Aparen decided not to use his name. “I have come from the south, I heard there is a vampire that lives in these parts. I have come to slay him.”

In unison the men all started laughing hysterically. It took them several minutes to calm down and it appeared as though a couple of them were wiping the sides of their eyes as they tried to stifle their laughing. Aparen resumed walking toward the town and one of the laborers grabbed a bow from the back of the wagon and fired a warning shot in Aparen’s direction.

He decided it was time to demonstrate some of his ability. He sent a fireball up and caught the arrow a few yards away from where he stood. “I have more where that came from,” he said. “However, as I said, I am here to hunt a vampire. I am in need of food, and information about the monster.”

The bowman stepped forward and strung another arrow. “A few paltry magic tricks will be no match for the vampire,” he said. “You are a fool if you think you can succeed where so many others have failed before.”

Aparen walked toward them quietly, keeping an eye on the men with the scorpion launcher. Once he was within a few yards of them he stopped and folded his arms. “If I fail, it will mean nothing for you, but if I succeed, then it will change your lives.” The men glanced to each other and then nodded.

“Alright,” the bowman said. “If you are set on throwing yourself at him, then I suppose that is your business.”

“What if he makes the vampire angry and he comes after us for revenge?” one of the other laborers asked.

“Sooner or later he will come for you,” Aparen said. “You can either help me put him down, or you can slink back to your fields and live out the rest of your days wondering when he will come for you.”

The other laborer snorted, but said nothing. The two burly men nodded and stepped away from the scorpion launcher. “Let him do as he wishes,” one of them said. Then they climbed back into the front and started driving back into the village without another word.