Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising (8 page)

She sprung to her feet and launched at
his direction, her words spat from her lips, “You, little,
insect!”

She flew unnaturally through the air
and collided with him. The force of the blow sent him crashing to
the ground—Kassina straddled his body, grinding against him
mockingly.

“
Is this who you want?” she
growled, tiny droplets of blood splattering on his face with each
word. Her head shook with such ferocity that it blurred until he
saw Kassina’s face change to Helenia’s.

“
By the gods,” said
Vartan.

The skin on her back ripped open as
eight spider-like legs expanded to pound through the floorboards
around him. Two of them pinned his hands to the ground. Her other
arachnid legs stroked his body. Blood from her mouth now dripped
and oozed over his neck, the heat and stench of it bringing bile to
his throat. As much as he struggled, he couldn’t break free from
her tight hold.

Her face shifted back to her own and
gazed at him with piercing eyes.

Kassina laughed through blood soaked
teeth. “You think you can defeat me?”

“
I will take your precious
little Helenia from you and drag her into the underworld from which
she will never return! She will become our toy, something to amuse
us when we are bored. And you, will be mine!” she
growled.

She leaned in to kiss Vartan, forcing
his mouth open with her hands and sliding her elongated demonic
tongue deep into his mouth. Blood filled his throat and he began to
choke.

“
No!” yelled Vartan,
jerking upright and striking the air before him. Suddenly awake,
the glow of crystals and Trisa’s worried face quickly reminding him
that he was in Trahoterra.

Vartan let out a sigh of relief and
wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“
I must have been
dreaming,” he said through a pale face.

He turned to Trisa, pulling her close
to him in a flurry of panic. “But this wasn’t a pleasant dream
Trisa… it was horrible,” he said, releasing her. “It had better not
be a vision, or I think I am really going to lose my
mind.”

She gently pat his shoulder
and gave him a reassuring smile as she said kindly, “That may be a
side effect of the herbs that I had to use to heal you. Don’t
worry, they
will
ease over time.”

He stood up slowly, rubbing
his eyes. “That
side effect
as you called it, was awful,” he
replied.

Vartan stretched out carefully, trying
hard to forget the images still fresh in his mind.

“
I don’t see myself
sleeping again for some time yet. Do you care for a walk? I could
use some fresh air,” he asked, his voice betraying his feeble
attempts to mask his worry.

Trisa sensed his distress, and
realised that he needed her help to calm his nerves and calmly
suggested with a smile, “Of course, let’s head to the Fang Cliffs,
the dragons are all out hunting and it’s been a while since I’ve
been there. Leon can tend to my duties for a short time while we
are gone. Now that I only have one of you to save, I can venture
out of this cave.”

Vartan started heading to the passage
that led to the surface, but stopped when he saw Nymira’s body
lying in a pool of water.

Vartan slowed his walk, staring at
Nymira’s body, “Trisa, why is the dragon queen on display like
that?”

“
She is not on display; she
is being preserved as best as my powers can preserve her. It is all
I can do to assist Karven in his mission,” she answered.

Vartan raised an eyebrow
and asked, “Mission?
What
mission?”

“
Karven believes that there
is a way to bring her back to life, an artefact from another star.
But for it to work, he says that her body must be well enough for
her to return to it. I don’t know if that artefact exists, but I am
sure we will find out one way or the other.”

Vartan’s eyes widened at the news and
his voice turned serious, “He has gone to She’Ma’Ryn on his
own?”

Trisa nodded.

He sighed, shaking his head and his
voice strained as he spoke, “I should be there with him, not laying
around here, completely useless to anyone.”

Trisa laid her hand on his shoulder
gently.

“
Vartan, I
know
you feel the
pressure of the world on these shoulders. Karven told me himself
that when you woke, I was not to let you follow. The woman you love
is still alive and waiting for you, and Marithia needs you. You
need to save your strength. I’ve done all I can, but the rest is up
to you and it should not be long until you’re back to your old
self.”

Vartan smiled at her and
spoke warmly, “Your kindness reminds me of Helenia. Thank you for
your generous words, but back to my
old
self
will not be good enough. I need to be
stronger if I am to save our people. I have been beaten by Kassina
once, so unless I am able to become more than what I was, how can I
ever hope to save Marithia?”

A familiar voice entered
his mind like a long lost pet returning home,
“Then we have a lot of work to do, and where have we been? I
feel like I’ve been asleep for some time, but I remember nothing
since the Battle of the Elven Woods.”

Vartan stopped in his tracks and
beamed.

“
What is it?” asked
Trisa.

He held up the necklace to come face
to face with Keturah and placed a friendly kiss on her head. “An
old friend has returned to me and I’m glad to have her
back.”

“
Now, let’s not get carried
away. You will make a girl blush,”
she
giggled.

Trisa’s face contorted in a
combination of confusion and concern. She softly asked, “Your
necklace is an old friend? I don’t understand. Vartan, are
you
sure
you’re
feeling okay?”

Vartan put his arm around Trisa’s
shoulder as they continued their walk and spoke with confidence,
“We have a long walk ahead of us, let me tell you about my own
mission I had at She’Ma’Ryn and the artefacts I found
there.”

Chapter 6 : Birds of a
feather

“
Doubt is a poisonous
emotion that can infect the soul.

It is in these times, where our hearts
are wounded, that we are most in need of a sign.

May the gods bring us the hope we need
to strengthen our resolve.”

(Queen Andrielle of
Veldrenn)

The island of Trahoterra was run like
a well-defended fortress. Dragons circled day and night, keeping a
watchful eye for anyone foolish enough to attack them. Others
searched the surrounding lands for food, supplies and spread the
word to humans and elves that Veldrenn needed them.

Karven could not bear the loss of
Nymira. With the loss of his soul mate, he was driven by the
burning determination to seek out a way to bring her back to him.
Other dragons did their best to console Karven and encouraged him
to change his mind and to accept the events that had taken place.
They feared their king was on a swift path to disappointment, but
had to tread lightly to avoid having their loyalty questioned. They
may have eventually succeeded, if it weren’t for a messenger dragon
rekindling the fire in the great dragon king’s heart.

The messenger had made an advanced
trip to the council of She’Ma’Ryn, the City of Wonders.

She’Ma’Ryn was a trading port for
visitors from other worlds, and brought many artefacts, weapons,
and foods to Marithia that otherwise would never be found there. It
enriched their world in ways that they hadn’t imagined possible.
The city was built by dragons in the time of the ancients far
before any Marithian could remember, and was fiercely protected by
magic and guardians who nobody would dare to cross.

Its location was commonly known by
Marithians due to a great beam of light emanating from the city’s
centre and reaching high into the heavens, shooting into the
blackness among the stars.

The messenger dragon made a special
request on behalf of their king, which the council reluctantly
agreed to in Karven’s absence, given the nature of the request. A
desperate message describing Nymira’s fate and asking for help in
restoring the dragon queen’s life was sent out into the stars.
Within seven days, a response had been received and a message was
brought to Karven.

In a race against time, he abandoned
the protection of the island to travel to She’Ma’Ryn. He was
determined to resurrect Nymira at any cost and he knew his window
of opportunity was swiftly closing. It would not be long before her
body could no longer be saved.

Karven was unaware that Nymira had
observed all of these events and now held onto this new glimmer of
hope with every thread of her being.

She’Ma’Ryn’s inhabitants had become
restless with the changes in Marithia. The Blood Red Moon unsettled
them and many traders had already fled the city in fear. Their port
to this world was not feeling as safe as it once had been. The
traders all knew something awful had happened once Karven had
arrived so hastily to meet with the council. It had been quite some
time since the dragon king had made an appearance, and word of the
war with the Forces of Darkness had spread like wildfire in the
trade city after Vartan purchased a bounty of weaponry fit for an
entire army.

Trade was becoming scarce and prices
of goods soared with the lack of competition. Not even the annual
trade festival could revive the city’s profits. As a result, less
traders were coming to She’Ma’Ryn and were opting for safer
destinations in the stars.

Makya, the trader who had provided
Vartan with the cache of supplies, smoked his pipe, deep in
thought. His phoenix quietly nestled on his shoulder, resting her
head on his. Every so often she squawked in his ear.

Makya blew a ring of smoke into the
air, then sighed as he breathed out his words, “I know Shanka, you
can feel it too. But it’s not so simple, and how do I know if they
will even let us leave the city?”

Karven, the great dragon king walked
slowly by the District of Bloodshed, the deep thuds of his steps
echoed throughout the almost deserted building that housed Makya
and a handful of remaining traders. His giant head hung low and the
scales on his back glittered under the glow of the great beam of
light. The guardians of the city bowed as he passed
them.

Makya eased himself up, brushed some
dust off his shoulders and began walking toward the entrance to his
district. His hands rested behind his back and his pipe poked out
of the corner of his mouth. Shanka squawked excitedly at him,
gently stretching her wings.

He reached up to pat her back and
whispered to her, “Don’t get ahead of yourself, they may not even
let us near the building.”

Makya trailed the dragon king on his
journey through the trade city. Once they turned onto the forbidden
street heading toward the council building, Makya knew he had to
act now or he would miss his opportunity. Two guardians posted as
sentries to the council building were having a discussion with
Karven as to his business there. Makya, fearing he wouldn’t reach
the dragon king in time, launched into a run. Shanka, startled by
her master’s sudden flight, instinctively leapt into the air and
burst into a ball of flame, preparing for an attack.