Erik And The Dragon ( Book 4) (9 page)

“With respect, my lord, Nagar’s daughter rejected our order.”

“No,” Tu’luh said. “She rejected
your
order. Tell her I offer her the same thing that I offered her father. Tell her that, and she will come.”

“What is it you offered her father?” the man asked weakly with trembling hands held up before his face like someone might do if they expect to be slapped for their words.

Tu’luh arched his neck back and slid his tail up to curl around his legs. “She will know what it is,” the dragon responded. “Now go, and do as I have asked. The Black Fang Council will gather the lesser drakes and the others. I expect that you will prepare your members for war. We will march forth on Ten Forts soon.”

The elders looked to each other again and bowed several times as they back
ed out of the chamber.

Tu’luh sank back down into the pile of gold and let the sweet music fill his head again. He breathed in deeply, stretching his talons and forelegs through the coins and letting the cold, vibrant metal slither over him.

Erik was all too happy to stretch his legs while the others prepared an early breakfast. He knew the day ahead was going to be tedious and long. There were many miles yet before they reached Axestone. He walked to a small grove of birch trees and listened to the birds singing to the rising sun.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Tatev asked as he approached from behind.

Erik sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Ever since Lepkin had asked Tatev to tutor Erik, there was hardly a single moment where the librarian wasn’t spouting off about some fact or another that Tatev would swear was “most important to the quest at hand” and had to be full understood.

The boy turned around and forced a smile on his face. “It is a nice morning,” he said.

“Back in town, I was going to tell you more about Nagar, but we ran out of time when Marlin came out to announce Lepkin and Dimwater’s betrothal.”

Erik nodded and his interest perked up. At least this was a subject he
wanted
to learn more about.

“Nagar was a Sierri’Tai,” Tatev said.

“A what?” Erik asked.

“A Sierri’Tai. The elves are broken into many families, just like humans and dwarves are. The Sierri’Tai are one of two races that we commonly call drow, or dark elves.” Tatev took a drink of coffee from his tin mug before continuing. “Simply put, Nagar was a Sierri’Tai prince. They had a great kingdom in Tualdern. They erected a city there the likes of which had never been seen before in the Middle Kingdom. To the east, they traded mostly with the, the Pes’Tai, more commonly known as the sand elves. Over time, the Pes’Tai mingled with the Sierri’Tai. They never really intermarried of course, but the sand elves did purchase shops and land in Tualdern. Eventually, hostilities arose between the two societies. Some say that the Sierri’Tai kidnapped one of the Pes’Tai princesses from the desert, so the sand elves retaliated by laying waste to the city. Others say that the sand elves had intended to overthrow Tualdern all along, and slowly positioned themselves in Tualdern until the day came they were ready to strike. Other theories, which I tend to give more credence to, accuse Tu’luh of setting the two groups against each other. No matter which theory is accurate, the result is known all too well. The Pes’Tai utterly destroyed the Sierri’Tai in a great battle and forced the few surviving Sierri’Tai out of their homeland. Nagar then set to working on a magic that would not only conquer the sand elves, but pay them back for their treachery. It was then that he and Tu’luh created the magic that we call Nagar’s Secret.”

“They worked together?” Erik asked.

Tatev nodded. “Nagar’s and Tu’luh combined their forces together, using the magic to crush any and all who would oppose them until finally they marched toward Tualdern. All those who had been subjected to Nagar’s Secret now obeyed their every command. The dwarves, dragons, and humans joined forces with the sand elves in the Valley of Hamath. The battle was horrendous, carpeting the valley with scarlet corpses and ivory bones. So great was the army that Tu’luh and Nagar led that the battle raged for days without ceasing. It is said that as many as half of the dragons in the Middle Kingdom joined with Tu’luh. It was a very dark point in our history.”

“Why did the other dragons join with them?” Erik asked.

“The vision you saw,” Tatev commented. “The one where Tu’luh showed you the end of Terramyr. He showed the same vision to the Ancients long before he and Nagar created their dark magic. Knowing that humans were not prone to peace, Tu’luh said it was better to slay all of the humans and orcs to save the world. Hiasyntar Ku’lai rejected the vision, and Tu’luh’s suggestion. He said it was not right to kill the races they had sworn to protect. Tu’luh relented and went away for a season. When
he returned, he said he had discovered a magic so powerful that it could force living creatures to bend to their wills on a massive scale. He proposed forcing all creatures, not just the humans, to subject themselves to the Ancients so that the dragons might save the world. Hiasyntar Ku’lai loathed the notion and banished Tu’luh from the Middle Kingdom, along with any dragon who agreed with him.”

“If Tu’luh wanted the magic to save the world, then why work with Nagar?” Erik asked.

“Because the magic only worked by combining the magic of the dragons with that of the elves,” Tatev said. “There is a book, called ‘The Arcane Abyss’ which describes all of the magics that exist, and which races can use them. It also discusses the theory of combining different magics to make them stronger, or to create new types of magic. Tu’luh needed to combine his magic with that of an elf. More specifically, he needed the magic of a dark elf.”

Erik leaned into a nearby birch tree and his mouth dropped open as it clicked for him. “So Tu’luh used Nagar,” he said only slightly louder than a whisper. “That is why you believe Tu’luh orchestrated the attack on Tualdern.”

Tatev nodded grimly. “No one has ever been able to prove it,” he said. “But the most plausible event I have uncovered while studying various sources is that Tu’luh hired a group of Blacktongues to disguise themselves as Sierri’Tai and attack the Pes’Tai camps east of Tualdern. They succeeded in kidnapping the Pes’Tai princess, and the Pes’Tai were very quick to answer what they thought was an unforgivable offense. The sand elves had never been overly fond of the dark elves. It was exactly the spark that was needed to ignite the flames of war between the two civilizations.”

“How did Tu’luh know that his plan would work?” Erik asked.

Tatev shrugged. “I don’t know for sure,” he admitted. “Perhaps Tu’luh whisked Nagar away to safety, or perhaps he sent the Blacktongues in to help him escape. Either way, the point is that he got what he wanted. He created a vengeful drow who was willing to do anything it took to exact justice for what he saw as an unprovoked slaughter of his people. As a prince, Nagar was one of the more powerful drow sorcerers of the time. Once he turned to Tu’luh and the dragon suggested combining their magics, it was only a matter of time before the dragon had what he wanted.”

“He would have used me too,” Erik said. “He wanted me to help him use the book, he said it was the only way to save the world.” He shook his head as he thought it over in his mind. “Does Tu’luh need an elf now?” he asked. “I mean, does he need a drow to use the magic?”

Tatev shook his head. “Now that the magic has been created, and written into the evil tome, anyone who has enough magical aptitude can use the spells contained therein. That is why it is so dangerous.”

“We are lucky that he never knew it was in the same temple he hid in,” Erik said.

“I admit, I should have seen it. The plan is so obvious to me now, in hindsight. Tu’luh was lying in wait because he had his own plan. The book is not enough for him. He knows of the prophecy as much as anyone else does. He knows that there is one who can destroy the book. If the book is destroyed, then he can’t recreate the magic without the help of another Sierri’Tai sorcerer. Since Nagar died in Hamath, the task of finding another Sierri’Tai willing to work with him to recreate the evil magic would likely be as difficult as killing you, if not more so.”

Erik shrugged. “Everyone thought Tu’luh died at Hamath,” Erik pointed out. “I suppose it makes sense to see if he could kill the one who could destroy the book before going directly after the book.”

“With you out of the way, then he could have struck openly,” Tatev agreed. Then the man tapped a finger to his chin and his lips curled into a tight smile. “I also now believe that Tu’luh may have been resting, trying to regain his strength. He was lying in wait as a trap, that is certain, but I believe there was more to it as well. By all accounts I have read, Tu’luh died by Hiasyntar Ku’lai’s own hand. If that is not true, then surely the red dragon must have been gravely injured.”

“So he waited for me while recovering from his injuries,” Erik said.

“Precisely.”

Lepkin whistled at the pair from back at the camp. “Let’s get a move on, you two. Come finish your breakfast and let’s get on the road!”

“We can continue this later,” Tatev offered with a smile.

*****

Erik shifted in his saddle for the thousandth time, but it didn’t help. His lower back was sore, his tailbone was all but numb, and his rump kept fluctuating between losing all feeling and having tingles from sitting far too long. He directed Goliath over to the side of the road and struggled to slide down. He shook his feet and rubbed his thighs trying to get the blood to circulate normally again. To his dismay the only thing that happened was his feet woke up with the sensation of one million tiny needles poking through the soles of his feet. Erik stamped his feet, trying to squash the feeling.

“Just walk normally,” Jaleal advised. “That will help the fastest.”

Erik startled and turned around to see the gnome leaning against the base of a tall pine tree. “You scared me,” Erik admitted.

Jaleal grinned. “I am very, very sneaky,” he said with a wink. “It’s one of my better traits.” He whirled his shiny spear around before him and then stuck the butt-end onto the ground next to his boot. “Come, let’s walk together for a while.”

“I thought you were supposed to scout ahead?” Erik asked, pointing to the trees.

“Already did,” Jaleal said with a shrug. “I went about six miles out, didn’t see anyone, so I came back.” The gnome pointed off to the west. “A herd of deer is out that way.” Then he pointed due south, the direction they were traveling. “Only thing I saw this way was a band of three merchants. They each had a wagon filled with pans and pots. Looks like they make the wares themselves.”

Erik nodded, feigning interest. “So, where do you come from?” Erik asked.

Jaleal offered a
halfhearted smile. “An island to the west,” he replied. “I told you already about how we were driven out of our homeland.”

“No,” Erik said quickly. “I mean, where do
gnomes
come from?” The boy stopped and looked down at his friend. “Did the gods create the gnomes in the beginning?”

“Ah,” Jaleal said as he stroked his long,
wispy white beard. “
That’s
what you want to know, eh?”

Erik nodded.

“You could just have asked Tatev,” Jaleal pointed out.

“I am afraid if I asked him, I would never again get him to close his mouth,” Erik said sheepishly.

Jaleal laughed. “Yes, he does seem to lack somewhat in communication skills, but his knowledge is impressive.”

“I guess,” Erik said. “I would rather ask you, though, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Jaleal said. “Gnomes were not created in the beginning. We were created much later.”

“But you aren’t a Cursed Race, are you?” Erik asked quickly.

“No,” Jaleal said. “We were not created by the fallen god either,” the gnome clarified. “We were created after the gods withdrew from Terramyr. At the time when Atek Tangui rose to power and the bridge to Volganor was hidden from the mortal realm.”

“The gods created you then?” Erik asked.

“No,” Jaleal said with an impatient hand waving in the air. “We gnomes are one of the Natural Races, we were created by Terramyr itself.”

“Natural Races?” Erik echoed. “You mean like minotaurs, centaurs, and merfolk?”

“Precisely,” Jaleal said. “There are many more races besides those as well. There are satyrs, gryphons, and even vinnies, among many others.”

“What are vinnies?” Erik asked.

“Humanoid plants,” Jaleal said. “They are somewhat like spriggans, but they resemble vines in shape and flexibility.”

“Spriggans?” Erik screwed up his face. “I thought the Natural Races were just a myth.”

“The world beyond the Middle Kingdom is quite large, Erik, you would be surprised by what lies beyond your borders.”

Erik nodded. “How did the world create the Natural Races? I mean, the way you talk makes it sound as if the world is alive.”

“Ah, but it is,” Jaleal said with a big smile. He stopped and swept his arms out to the side, indicating the forest around him. “You may not see it, but Mother Terramyr is alive, and gives us all the sustenance we need. She waters us with the rivers and the rain, she clothes us with the cotton from her fields, and she gives us breath from her forests and houses from her stone. Terramyr has its own heart, and its own consciousness. That’s why she created gnomes, and the other Natural Races. When Atek Tangui forced the old gods away, Terramyr knew that she had to protect herself from the evil Cursed Races, or else she might be slain by their bloodlust.”

Erik tilted his head to the side. “You can’t kill a world,” he said incredulously.

Jaleal nodded emphatically. “Yes you can,” he insisted. “You most certainly can.”

“How is that even possible?”

“There are several ways, actually. Some are slower than others, but it is possible.”

“What are they?” Erik asked.

Jaleal shook his head. “I know them,” he said, “but I am not allowed to discuss them with others who are not part of the Natural Races. Please, don’t ask me again.”

“Sorry,” Erik said quickly. “I didn’t mean to…”

“I know,” Jaleal interrupted. “No offense taken, just making sure you understand. It is my duty to guard those secrets.” Jaleal wrinkled his nose and scratched his forehead. “I will tell you, however, that you did catch a glimpse of a possible future danger that could destroy this world, and everything in it.”