Erik And The Dragon ( Book 4) (27 page)

Lepkin stepped into the room and cut into the conversation. “I spent a lot of time there, at Ten Forts,” he said. “However, once we had put down the dragons along the southern border, I was transferred to the east. I spent several years scouting for Tarthuns and ensuring our eastern border was secure.”

“The Tarthuns knew how many soldiers we had lost in the south, and they smelled blood,” Tillamon cut in. “I also spent a couple years in the east. I had a few encounters, but they were nothing like what we had seen at Ten Forts. Given my experience at Ten Forts, I was asked to guard Gelleirt Monastery,” Tillamon added. “The monks there were trying to uncover the location of some ancient texts; historical anthologies about the dragons.”

“Why not use the library at Valtuu Temple?” Erik asked.

Tillamon snorted. “Because the temple keeps only the books that put the Ancients in a good light, or at least that is what some of the nobles thought. So the monks at Gelleirt Monastery were looking for other books that might paint a more holistic picture of dragons, and how to defeat them once and for all.”

“The monks were also trying to uncover where the Ancients were going
during their mass exodus when most of them fled the Middle Kingdom,” Lepkin put in. “You have to understand, we weren’t sure that Nagar’s Secret was limited by range, so we thought any living dragon would eventually turn into a nightwing, no matter how far they fled.”

“And a few of us were determined to hunt them all down,” Tillamon said. He sighed and wrinkled his nose. “Anyway, after some time I decided the monks weren’t going to figure anything out during my lifetime. So I retired. Lepkin was my replacement at Gelleirt Monastery. A few years later, the gods thought it might be funny to play a trick on me, and Lepkin was chosen as the next Keeper of Secrets.”

“I thought the monks at Gelleirt were in the same order as Marlin? And, if you had been hunting dragons, why would the dragons choose you to be the next Keeper?” Erik asked.

“Our hearts were in the right place, but our minds were not enlightened,” Lepkin said.

“Bah, I wouldn’t agree with that,” Tillamon said. “I still say the only good dragon is a dead dragon. They only bring destruction, and death.”

Lepkin folded his arms, but he didn’t bother staring down his old mentor. “I was shown a different path,” Lepkin said. “Beyond that, I was the best at what I did, and I was the most respected knight when it came to knowledge and experience with dragons and nightwings.” Lepkin stepped forward and placed his hands on Erik’s shoulders. “When I was told of the prophecies about a champion, the Champion of Truth, I knew that there was a better way to end Nagar’s curse upon the Middle Kingdom.”

Erik nodded. He understood. “But you brought me here so he can teach me more about killing Tu’luh.”

Lepkin nodded. “I have some preparations to make. I need to see to them personally, to make sure we are well enough equipped for what lies ahead.” He looked over to Tillamon and then back to Erik. “There is no one better in all of Terramyr than Tillamon when it comes to killing dragons. Listen to him and do everything he asks you to do. The things he teaches you might just save your life and give you the edge over Tu’luh.”

Erik nodded. “Alright,” he promised.

Lepkin drew in a deep breath and then turned to Tillamon. “
Just start with the dragon’s vulnerabilities,” Lepkin said. “He has already gone through your DDC challenge.”

Tillamon raised an eyebrow in much the same manner as Lepkin often did and looked to Erik. “Lepkin threw daggers at you and mad
e you either dodge, duck, or catch them?” he asked pointedly.

Erik’s eyes grew wide and he looked to Lepkin.

Lepkin shook his head. “I used rocks and sticks.”

“Bah,” Tillamon said with a wave of his hand. “Rocks and sticks don’t help develop the same kind of reflexes as daggers would, you know that. I used dagger when I trained you!”

Lepkin cocked his head to the side. “Erik is fourteen,” Lepkin said sternly.

Tillamon shrugged. “Well I guess two days isn’t really enough to get a benefit out of the daggers anyway,” he said. “I can show him what I know about the dragons though.”

Lepkin nodded. “I am going to go into town. Is Mercer still in command at Ten Forts?”

“No,” Tillamon said with a shake of his head. “Mercer was retired early after losing his leg in an accident. His lieutenant replaced him. A knight by the last name of Finorel, I believe. Don’t know much about him, other than the fact that he is from a noble house in Pinkt’Hu.”

“That’s a shame, I would rather have dealt with Mercer,” Lepkin said.

“Well, you can call on him if you like. He lives here in Stonebrook. He is in the little white house behind the general goods store.”

Lepkin nodded. “I will return as soon as I have gathered everything we need.” He started to turn and then stopped himself. “One more thing,” he said. “Tomorrow evening, can we use your garden?” Lepkin asked.

“For what?” Tillamon asked.

“Dimwater and I are looking to be wed before we leave Stonebrook. You would honor us by allowing us to use your garden.”

Tillamon smiled and his eyes seemed to soften. “Finally ready to do something for yourself for a change?” he asked. The old man struggled to his feet and stepped forward to pull Lepkin into an embrace. “You would honor
me
,” he said. “I will spare no expense. Tomorrow night, we shall have a feast to be remembered!” The two hugged for only a moment before Lepkin turned back toward the door and walked out of the house. As the door closed behind him, Tillamon turned and laid a hard, strong left hand on Erik’s shoulder. “You and I have some work to do.” He started limping to the wall and reached his left hand in over a bunch of books. Erik couldn’t see what he was grabbing, but something in the shelf clicked and that sound was followed by rattling chains and creaking gears.

A blast of dust shot out from behind the bookshelf. Tillamon coughed and waved the air in front of him away as he took a couple steps back. The bookshelf slowly swung out like a door, revealing a pathway in the wall behind.

“No matter how many times I clean this room, there is always a bunch of dirt that gets kicked up when I open this door,” Tillamon said. “Must be something to do with the draft down below.” He limped forward and gestured for Erik to follow. “Well, come on, don’t just stand there gawking at the old gimp.”

Erik quickly caught up and then realized that there was a metal staircase descending in a spiral. A series of large mirrors caught and reflected light from the library to illuminate the stairs until they reached the bottom. There, Tillamon pulled a large lever that triggered several more mirrors and crystals around them. As the light poured in, reflecting off the mirrors and crystals, Erik could see that
they stood in a great chamber that was easily twice the size of the house above, and held up with a complex system of beams and columns.

“That’s amazing,” Erik commented as the light continued to flow into the area.

“It’s an old trick I learned from some of the elves during my time at Ten Forts. They used mirrors to harness the sunlight above and reduce our reliance on torches within the fort. It helped reduce a lot of costs since we didn’t need to procure torches and candles as much.”

“What about at night?” Erik asked.

“If the moon is out, it’s enough to see by. Besides, it helps keep your eyes sharp for the night.” Tillamon walked to a large wooden box mounted to the wall and opened it to reveal a series of levers inside. “Now stand right where you are for a moment and don’t move. Have to test the system.” Tillamon pulled hard on the first lever. An instant later a large log swung down from the ceiling, grazing the floor in the center of the room. Erik couldn’t get a good look because it was moving so fast, but he thought he saw painted eyes and teeth on the log to resemble a dragon’s head.

“What is that?” Erik asked.

“Shh!” Tillamon said. He pulled the next lever and another, equally large, log sailed by in a different direction from the first. This log swung much closer to the ceiling than the first, and had an opening in the front. “Good, that’s two,” Tillamon commented to himself. He then pulled the third lever. A multitude of loud, echoing clicks and clacks sounded and then wooden poles shot out of the floor, ceiling, and columns. Erik’s eyes went wide at the sight.

Tillamon clapped his hands and rubbed them together. Then he pulled three levers below the first and Erik could hear the slithering metallic scrape of chains on stone as everything was retracted into place. “The machine is ready,” Tillamon said.

Erik shook his head. He instinctively rubbed his arms where Marlin’s gauntlet had given him a beating not so long ago. “What am I supposed to do?”

“For starters, you can lay your sword down over by the stairs, we wouldn’t want it to get damaged.”

Erik turned and loosened his sword belt, but all the while he was thinking it was ironic that Tillamon was concerned about the sword. “Am I supposed to dodge everything?” Erik asked.

“Of course not,” Tillamon said. “If all you did was dodge, how would you defeat a dragon?”

Erik shrugged and moved into the center of the room where Tillamon stood waiting for him. “The dragon has two vulnerabilities. You can’t cut through its armor with your own strength, even your magical sword won’t help much unless you exploit the beast’s weaknesses. The first is the eyeball, strike one of those and I don’t care how large the dragon is, it’ll go into a frenzy trying to escape.”

“I struck Tu’luh in the left eye,” Erik said proudly.

Tillamon stopped cold with his mouth open and tugged at his beard. “Well, with one eye down, you just might have a chance to take the demon down.” The old man pursed his lips and nodded for a couple moments.

“What’s the other weakness?” Erik asked.

Tillamon snapped out of his thoughts and held an old finger up in the air. “The neck!” Tillamon exclaimed.

Erik frowned. “But the neck is covered in scales.”

“No, no no, not the outside of the neck, the
inside
!” Tillamon corrected. Unless you have a ballista launcher you are not punching through a dragon’s neck, but when he opens his mouth to strike at you, he also opens up his biggest vulnerability. You get a spear, arrow, or axe thrown into the back of the thing’s throat and you can drop him within seconds.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

Tillamon pointed to the levers. “Go and pull the top middle lever,” he said.

Erik went to the wall and pulled the lever. Down came the log with the opening. Tillamon whipped his cane up in a flash. The outer part fell away, revealing a wicked blade affixed to the cane’s handle. Tillamon timed his move perfectly, throwing the cane sword like a dart and sticking it deep in the opening as the log swung by.

“Like that,” the old man said. “What do you say, kid, want to try?”

Erik nodded
his head. “Looks simple enough,” he said.

Tillamon nodded. “There are some practice spears on the far side of the chamber. Go and get seven of them. Erik did as he was told while Tillamon worked the levers to bring the log down, retrieve
d his cane sword, and then reset the machine. By the time Erik stood back in the center of the room, Tillamon was eagerly waiting for him.

“Lepkin said you already did the DDC training, but it hasn’t been something you have practiced for a long time, has it?”

“No, just started on the way here from Tualdern,” Erik replied.

“Well, I am going to put it into practice here. I will pull levers, but you are not allowed to watch me. You will have to react and strike either the eye, or the throat, depending on which dragon dummy comes at you. Are you ready?”

Erik nodded. He heard the lever drop, as chains rattled and metal
clicks
echoed through the chamber. Erik looked up, but something jabbed him in the buttocks. Something else swung into his back, knocking him forward. It was then that Erik realized that Tillamon had not pulled either of the targets. He had attacked. The boy ducked just in time to avoid taking a shaft to the chest, then rolled away from a trio of sticks shooting up from the floor. A bag of sand on a rope swung from the ceiling but Erik dodged and continued his dangerous dance until the danger had passed.

“Lepkin was right, you do have talent,” Tillamon said. “First rule of dragon fighting, they always use their minds as their primary weapons. If they can sneak, cheat, deceive, or trap you, they will. If they have minions, which Tu’luh most certainly does, they will send them first like pawns in a game of chess. Always expect that they know you are coming, and have prepared for you.”

Erik rubbed his backside and nodded. “I understand.”

Another lever dropped. Erik looked up, expecting one of the two targets. Again he was surprised to see a pole shooting up near him out of the floor. He dodged it, ducked under a pair of swinging bags,
and then jumped away from a series of poles stabbing out from a nearby column. He was so busy dodging the traps that he never heard the next lever. The dragon head swooped down. It missed him completely. In fact, Erik had his back turned to it and never even saw it.

“You’re dead,” Tillamon shouted above the din.

Erik looked up. “What do you mean, I dodged everything!”