Realm Of Blood And Fire (Book 3) (30 page)

Blayke’s angry gaze darted from his girlfriend to Avruellen. “You’re just saying that. She wouldn’t. She
. . . she loves me.”

Avruellen’s eyes held sympathy for her nephew.

Blayke turned to Corrille. “Is it true?” Her snarl was enough to tell him the truth. “What do we do with her now?” The young man’s gaze hardened.

“I’ll gladly deal with her.” Aimee smiled.

“No, you have to keep those fireballs coming, dear.” Avruellen turned to Toran. “We’ll put her over there. Can you please sit on her for me?”

“Gladly.” They dragged her a few feet away, retrieved her knife and
laid her on her stomach. Avruellen had to release the power, but Toran had already straddled Corrille’s back, and she couldn’t move. “Now, enough of the distractions.” Avruellen put her hands on her hips and readied to draw more power.

“She wasn’t lying about the most horrible gormon coming to get us.” Everyone followed Bronwyn’s gaze. Flying past one of the latent spires, Kwaad descended. His shield protected him, the dragon fire and burning arrows having no effect.

“That’s Kwaad.” Agmunsten swore. “We need to do this now.”

Arcon directed the realmists to stand in a circle around Bronwyn and Blayke. The youngsters pulled out their amulets and faced each other. Blayke reached for his sister’s hands. The amulets lay together between their joined right palms. Arcon, Avruellen, Astra, Zim and Agmunsten stood surrounding the pair and linked arms, their chests pressing against Blayke and Bronwyn.

Agmunsten was the first to draw power. The others followed until the thrum from the Second Realm prickled everyone’s skin. Bernard and Aimee watched in awe at the amount of power flowing through The Circle.

The scream of Kwaad reached them, but they would not be taunted or swayed from their task. Agmunsten shouted over the cacophony of battle.
“We stand here today to unlink the last piece of the chain that binds our salvation
.
Realmists, I order you to link with Quie, the fire corridor to the Second Realm. I now link with Zaya, the corridor to the gods, and I seek the blessing of Drakon, god of the dragons.”

Drakon’s words boomed throughout Vellonia. Fighting ceased briefly while soldiers, dragons and gormons listened. “This is the time for sacrifice. It is up to you now, Bronwyn and Blayke. The balance of the Realms must be found. Banish my wayward children and save Talia. Once the portals have closed, the ways between realms will be closed forever.” Silence expanded from the space left by
his all-encompassing voice . . . until Kwaad’s scream echoed across the valley, and his minions returned to burning and skewering Talians and dragons, their need more desperate than before.

As The Circle fed energy into Bronwyn and Blayke, the youngsters felt the amulets grow hot. The pain as the amber sunk into their palms caused them both to cry out. Bronwyn felt the amulet swell. An icy burn scorched her veins as the drop of dragon blood that
had been encased in the amber mixed with her blood. Her skin rippled, growing outwards. She screamed and realized Blayke screamed too, their agony feeding Kwaad’s need.

Avruellen faltered when she saw how her niece and nephew suffered, but she held fast.

“We need to draw more power.” Agmunsten grunted through gritted teeth. He stretched the corridor open as wide as he could, the Second-Realm power pouring in. His temperature rose, and Avruellen whimpered, holding on as best she could. The power rushed through their veins, buffeting them, threatening to consume them from the inside out.

Aimee, Toran and Bernard stared, mesmerized by the transformation taking place in
the middle of the circle. A dark shadow in the shape of a dragon rose from beneath the ground. It towered over Bronwyn and Blayke, who were warping and expanding, forcing the members of The Circle outwards until they could barely hold hands.

The shadow opened its gigantic maw and enclosed the young realmists in its mouth, swallowing them whole. As it did, it spoke into their minds.
Accept my domination, or doom Talia to the gormons. You are leaving your human forms—this is your sacrifice.

Avruellen and Arcon cried in pain. Arcon sent a desperate
mind-message to his lifelong creatura companion.
Good-bye, my friend.
Phantom dove from the sky, blood covering his wings. He needed to reach Arcon. His realmist was dying, his blood boiling in his blistering veins.

Flux howled as the searing heat stopped Avruellen’s heart. Thick blood slowly trickled from her nose, and her eyes rolled back in her head. She collapsed, her skin flushed red and dry, all the moisture having evaporated.

Agmunsten blocked the flow to the Second Realm now that The Circle was broken. Arcon lay at his feet, his once-mischievous blue eyes staring unseeing at the sky. Fang squealed and scurried to him as Phantom landed on his chest and hooted mournful notes.

Sinjenasta went to Flux and bowed his head. Fang, having said
good-bye to Arcon, appeared at the panther’s side. He tapped a gentle paw on Avruellen’s limp hand before climbing the panther’s leg and settling on his back. He stared at the black dragon that towered over Zim.
What happened to Blayke and Bronwyn?

Sinjenasta answered,
They’ve been turned into a dragon—so we’re on equal footing with the gormons, considering they have Kwaad.

Bronwyn floated, finally, without pain. It was pitch black where she was, and she could feel two others near her.

Bronwyn, Blayke, open your eyes
.

She recognized the voice
. Devorum?

Yes. We are sharing one body and must fight Kwaad.

Relief and wonder filled Blayke.
So that was what the nightmare was about. He swallowed me but didn’t eat me.
Leaving his human body was not ideal, but there were worse things than becoming a dragon.

Bronwyn opened her eyes. She looked down on everyone. It was like having climbed a tall tree. But wait
—who was lying on the ground?
No. No!
She saw Flux lying next to Avruellen, nuzzling her cheek. Her aunt’s dark hair fanned out around her head. Blood smeared her face.
How could this happen? Auntie. . . .
Bronwyn wanted to feel the sting of tears in her eyes, their coolness on her skin, but she was . . . nothing. She felt like a spirit cocooned in a safe presence, but the only physical sensation she had was the dragon body around her.

Arcon lay on his back too. Phantom stood on his chest and
every time someone approached, he would flap his wings and open his beak. No one dared touch Arcon lest Phantom bite off their finger.

Agmunsten’s head hung low.

Blayke had known this was coming, and he had chosen to follow through. He was responsible. Sorrow swelled around him.

Devorum’s
tone was firm when he spoke.
You’re not responsible. This was your test and your sacrifice. They chose their path before you were created. Do not let it all be for nothing. Kwaad is growing in power. If we do not stop him, the dragons will be collared as slaves, and the humans will survive only to feed the gormons. Help me draw power and create a shield.

Devorum opened a tunnel to the Second Realm, and with Bronwyn’s help,
he spun a shield from the power. He covered the surviving realmists and Edmund.

Around the valley, the struggle against the Inkrans and gormons raged.
Talian blood formed pools on the ground—the gormons preferred not to burn their victims, wanting to eat them afterward.

Dragons and gormons circled each other in the sky, the dragons having a slight advantage when it came to fire-breathing distance and the archers on their backs, but the gormons had far superior numbers. Valdorryn watched his
citizens struggle and sent mind-messages to warn who he could of gormons approaching from behind or overhead. He had helped save many of his dragons, but too many had been bitten and torn by claws while breathing fire at an attacker coming from another side.

Kwaad hurtled from above, a pack of gormons surrounding him,
Kerchex at his side. They landed near the grieving group. Kwaad stared at Devorum.

Zella
had stopped throwing fireballs and approached Calinsar. “I need your belt buckle.”

“I beg your pardon?” He looked taken aback.

“Your five-pointed star—I need it.”

“No. Are you crazy?”

“We don’t have time for this.” She looked at the gigantic terror from the Third Realm, its teeth glistening with acid, its claws promising pain and death. Drawing power from the Second Realm, Zella cut the buckle from Calinsar’s belt and levitated it to her. She grabbed the star and ran for the Heart of Vellonia.

Calinsar
, shocked at the stealing of his buckle, turned when he heard an earsplitting roar.

Devorum stood in front of the realmists and faced Kwaad, whose gormons lined up behind him, hissing and growling.

Kwaad gestured to the surrounding valley. “Surrender now and some of your dragons will survive. We can put them to good use.”

Devorum shook his head. “Prepare to be banished.”

The gormon demi-god laughed, and Edmund heard Leon’s voice in the mess of sound. “Brother, is that you?” The king stepped out to stand beside Devorum, Pernus protecting his back.

“Ah, the coward shows himself. Would you like to hear what happened to Bayerlon’s people,
brother
?”

Edmund stared defiantly at the Third Realm creature. “You’re not my brother—you’re an abomination not even worthy of being called a gormon.”

Kwaad sniggered. “That’s no way to talk about Princess Verity’s father.”

Edmund’s mouth dropped open, and he blinked several times. “I knew you were insane, but this
. . . .”

Kwaad seemed to smile as he drew on King Edmund’s pain.

Pernus stepped forward, but Edmund put a hand on his arm.

Kwaad’s eyes glowed brighter. “Am I? Haven’t you felt that your wife has been keeping secrets from you? Why don’t you get Gabrielle out here and ask her?”

The King of Veresia shook his head. “Yes, she has kept secrets from me. Like why she always wanted her chamber doors locked.” Edmund thought back to when it had all started. The day was . . . the day after his wife had been out riding all day and had gone to bed early. Leon had been absent from dinner, pleading sickness. Had he forced himself on Gabrielle? She had watched his brother with wary eyes ever since that day. “You bastard!” The king ran at the gormon, sword raised.

Kwaad cackled and quickly dropped his shield, releasing a hurricane of fire.

“Come back!” Devorum rushed forward and scooped the king up. Edmund looked at him with hate burning in his eyes.

The fire passed harmlessly over Edmund, Pernus and Devorum. “You almost ran out of our protection. Go to Vellonia and seek your wife. You can do no more here.”

The spikes on Kwaad’s back stood erect. “Enough! Now get out of my way. We’re claiming Vellonia. I will turn Verity into one of us, kill your wife, Edmund, while you watch, then it will be your turn.” The gormon, shield intact, spread his wings and attempted to fly into the mountain city.

Devorum launched into the air and blocked Kwaad’s path. The two beasts collided in midair, bouncing off each other to land back on the ground.

Agmunsten spoke to the giant dragon.
This could go on indefinitely, or until the gormons blast your shield enough to wear you down. We’d better get at it first, before they realize. Release us from our shields, and we will serve Talia.

No!
Bronwyn cried.
We’ve already lost too many. We have to think of another way.
The image of her aunt lying pale and dead consumed Bronwyn’s thoughts.

There is no other way.
Blayke sounded resigned—he had committed to a path, and he knew this was the only way to see it through.

Devorum nodded at Agmunsten.
We all need to agree. Bronwyn, don’t fight me on this, please. You need to let me access the power to drop the shield.

Bronwyn turned the dragon’s head to look at her dead relatives before surveying the ongoing destruction of the valley and its inhabitants. It wasn’t what she wanted—for Talia to be turned into a wasteland. She let her guard down and helped Devorum and Blayke draw power into the giant dragon body they inhabited.

They dropped the realmist’s shield. Agmunsten called, “Link hands. Link hands.” The realmists obeyed and formed a circle of five; Zim led this time, as the head realmist was more drained than he.

Zim opened the dark corridor to the Second Realm. The others followed. He imagined a whirlpool of fire surrounding the gormons and Kwaad. A wisp of fire twirled around the gormon’s feet and quickly grew. It rose first to Kwaad’s knees, then his shoulders and eventually covered his face. The gormon laughed. “Fools. You can’t touch us.”

Kwaad spoke into his gormons’ minds.
We can outlast their attack, and when they can expend no more energy, we will drop our shield. I want you to fall upon them with your fire.

Valdorryn watched Edmund and Pernus retreat into the mountain while the whirlpool of fire spun around their enemy. It was hard to tell from this distance, but the realmists looked tired. How much longer could they go on? Then he saw more gormons approaching.