Scourge of the Dragons (30 page)

“I remember you. My troops will tear you to
piece this time, hunter!” Lothrin yelled as he lunged at his
opponent.

Ophelia and her bodyguards were pushed back
by one of the paladins that Lamont had warned them about. They
continued to battle back and forth until the paladins were able to
gain the upper hand. Finrul did what he could with his magic, but
the Arcane Academy sorcerers used their magic to nullify his
spells. Yarryn rushed in to defend the Queen and managed to hold
off the attacking paladins. The elven sorcerer turned his attention
to Lothrin, but it was too late. He arrived in time to see the
hunter knock aside the King’s sword and then stab him through the
chest. The hunter yanked his sword free and joined the paladins in
their attack.

“Sound the retreat!” Finrul yelled as he
passed Lamont and Cristoph.

“The Queen is dead, our forces are shamed!”
A cry went up through the elven warriors.

*

Wrotan jumped back as the tall humanoid
warrior pulled his spear out of the Queen’s back. He lunged forward
and threw all his might into the attack. The spirit warrior brought
up his spear to block and it shattered as the sword connected. He
stumbled backward, leaving the hunter an opening. His sword whipped
around and severed the humanoid’s head. The surrounding warriors on
both sides of the fight stepped back and sheathed their weapons.
Cristoph strode forward with a white flag. Lamont and two elves
followed behind him as they approached the hunter. Each of them
fell down to one knee and their army followed suit.

“We surrender to your superior might,
hunter,” the head of the spirit monastery said.

“Treachery within your own ranks is what led
to your ultimate downfall. This foul warrior killed the elven
Queen,” Wrotan said as he picked up the spirit warrior’s head.

“I bear the brunt of that decision. My only
hope is that I can convince the remaining spirit warriors to band
together with us to defeat the dragons,” Lamont said.

“It is against my better judgment to allow
any of you to fight alongside us, but the need is dire. If any of
you decide to betray us before the battle is over, your fate shall
be the same as his,” Wrotan raised his voice as he held the head
high in the air.

“We have no time to discuss, our mortal
enemies approach,” one of the spirit warriors said as he pointed to
the skies.

The hunter yelled for his troops to reform
their ranks according to how they had been trained. He sheathed his
sword and took the spear off his back. The dragons swooped in and
began raining down fire on the unorganized army. Arcane Academy
sorcerers did their best to protect the troops from the attack, but
there was only so much that could be done. Wrotan and the spirit
warriors were the first to counterattack. They rushed forward with
their spears and let them fly. Several dragons let out cries of
pain as the spears tore through their wings, causing a few to crash
to the ground. The archers formed up and began opening fire as the
next wave of dragons attacked. Lamont and Bertram rallied the
spirit monastery troops together and charged the downed
dragons.

“With me lad,” King Padraig said as he
rushed forward.

Wrotan joined him at the front of the fairy
army. They were unfazed by the carnage unfurling before them. The
spirit monks, paladins, and spirit warriors were in the thick of
the fight and they were not faring well. Kade rushed forward with
the Arcane Academy wizards at his back. He unleashed a massive
spear of ice that skewered one of the larger dragons. His fellow
magicians began launching spells at the dragons to keep them out of
the skies. The battle on the ground was fierce as Wrotan and the
fairy army rushed in to reinforce the others. Lamont and the spirit
warriors were cut off and surrounded by the dragons, forcing the
others to focus on saving Bertram and his paladins.

“Get your men out of there!” Wrotan yelled
at the paladin as he engaged one of the dragons.

The creature let out a roar as the hunter
drove his sword into its neck. It thrashed about, trying to catch
him, but he was too quick. He continued attacking and dodging until
the dragon was too weak to retaliate. His final sword blow severed
the beast’s neck. Padraig and his men pushed back another dragon,
creating an opening for Bertram and his paladins. They retreated
back into the midst of the fairy army and the dragons pulled back.
Wrotan surveyed the battlefield, wondering why the beasts had
pulled back. He sheathed his sword and started to backpedal.
Something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

“We’ve walked into a trap!” He yelled as the
ground began to shake.

Two massive earth dragons burst out of the
ground on either side of the fairy army. They came together,
crushing the brunt of the army between them. The hunter yelled as
he rushed toward the closer of the two dragons. He started hacking
at the creature with reckless abandon. It whipped around and
knocked him several feet to the side. Kade rushed to his side and
used his magic to create a barrier between them and the dragons.
The beasts slammed into the magic shield, but were unable to break
it. One of the dragons let out a roar and all of the remaining
creatures pulled back. The battlefield was strewn with bodies from
both sides of the fight. Wrotan slammed his fist against the ground
before rising to his feet.

“We need you alive,” Kade said.

“I’ll kill every last one of them!” The
hunter yelled.

“My suspicions were correct,” Padraig said
as he struggled to sit up.

“Where is Josephine? We need a healer.”

“It is too late for me. The dragons were a
more formidable opponent than we realized. You’ve got to hold them
together. They’ll lose without your leadership. Treachery on the
part of the spirit warriors brought the elves under your command,
don’t let them change their mind.”

“Why me?” Wrotan asked.

“Because they believe in you. With good
reason, too. Promise me two things, Wrotan. Can I rely on you for
that?” Padraig asked.

“I will do what I can.”

“I know you will. First, take my sword and
avenge me. Second, ensure my people are safe. Keep them safe, keep
my daughter safe.”

“You have my promise,” Wrotan said as he
took the sword.

*

Hadrin nodded to Alandra and Mariah as the
dragons attacked from another direction. The other portion of the
army needed them to hold off these creatures so that they could
reform and amass for a counterattack. He knew well that it would
likely mean his own death. They ordered the archers to attack as
the dragons swooped down. The Arcane Academy wizards continued to
minimalize the damage done by the dragon’s fire, but there was
nothing they could do to stop the razor sharp claws and crushing
jaws of the beasts. Several dragons crashed to the ground as the
arrows tore through their wings. The elf raised his sword in the
air and shouted as he charged toward the downed dragons. A large
contingent of troops followed and battle was joined. He wondered
how Wrotan was able to keep a handle on things so well as the
battle descended into chaos. The casualties began to pile up on
both sides as the elven Prince found himself hacking and dodging
with no real rhyme or reason. Alandra and Mariah matched his
attacks with a level of precision that surprised him.

“Keep fighting!” He yelled as the dragons
began to push back.

The night elf Prince tried to dive out of
the way as the dragon tail swung at him. His chest erupted in pain
as the attack connected. He flew through the air and felt another
flash of pain as he hit the ground. The allied troops rallied
around him, but the dragons were too strong and too many. He rose
to his knees in time to see one of the creatures drive a claw
through Mariah’s stomach. His own chest erupted in pain as another
dragon punctured one of his lungs. He gasped for breath as he
collapsed to the ground. The pain was unlike anything he had every
felt before. He tried to cry out for assistance, but he couldn’t
muster the strength. His vision blurred as everything faded around
him.
I’m sorry, father
, he thought as the darkness closed
in.

*

Obrin fell to one knee as he grabbed at his
chest. It felt as though somebody had crushed his heart. Tears
streamed down his face as he pushed himself up. His troops rushed
to his side, but he pushed them away. Something terrible had
happened and he hoped it was not the worst case scenario. He took a
deep breath as he headed for the castle. Ungaroth perched atop the
keep as if it were some sort of small roost. The elf King motioned
toward the dragon, but the beast ignored him. He used his magic to
send a small wave of air at the creature. Ungaroth let out a roar
before lifting off into the air. He dove down and landed next to
Obrin with such force that it nearly knocked the elf over.

“What is it?” The dragon asked.

“I need to know where he is,” the elf King
said.

“With the friends he traveled with, likely
dead.”

“You allowed my son to die?”

“Foolish elf, we do not care for the
well-being of lesser races. You were allowed to live because the
services that you have provided us. Your son chose to fight and
die. He is the one to blame.”

The elf King shook with rage. He desperately
wanted to kill the dragon, but he knew that the beast was far too
powerful to deal with alone. There was only one option left
available to him, he only hoped that it was still viable. He used
his magic to create a portal back to his army’s camp. His troops
bowed as he strode through the portal. They were itching for
battle, but he suspected that his plan would give them no small
amount of pause. None of that mattered to him, he would see the
dragons eliminated with or without his army’s assistance. He called
together his Generals.

“We are joining the enemy,” Obrin said.

“What?” One of the Generals asked.

“You heard me. The dragons have overstepped
their bounds. We must stop them.”

“No offense, your highness, but that is
madness. They’ve nearly decimated the enemy force. True, many
dragons have fallen, but none of the powerful ones.”

“I don’t need excuses. You may stay here and
live under their tyranny or you may die at my side ensuring that
they are too weak to rule.”

*

Kade threw himself in-between the dragons
and Amber. He felt the power surge through him as he threw up his
hand at the closest of the creatures. The shadow dragons and the
spirit warriors had been foolish in using him a weapon. His time
spent under their control is what ultimately taught him how to tap
into his magic. He still lacked the control to specify what he
wanted the magic to do, but he didn’t care as long as it harassed
the dragons. The magic shot out of his finger tips and slammed into
the nearest dragon. He sent off several more spells before turning
to check on Amber. The Knights of Ardevale rushed to his side and
formed a wall of shields to protect them from the dragon fire. Kade
nodded to Attos in thanks.

“Get her to safety, I’ll keep them off your
backs,” he said.

The young sorcerer turned toward the
dragons. A massive earth dragon let out a roar as it bore down on
him. He threw his arms forward, unleashing a mass of stone spikes.
The dragon attempted to change course, but it was moving far too
fast. Kade used his magic to toss aside the corpse. The ease at
which he had dispatched the creature caused its allies to pull
back. They continued to slowly retreat as he approached. He smiled
as they continually retreated back. His newfound power came with a
dangerous overconfidence. The dragons continued to draw him further
and further from his allies. Kade realized his mistake too late. He
turned to head back and found that they had cut off his retreat.
The dragons rushed toward him. He began slinging spells in every
direction. His efforts pushed back the first attack, but the
creatures pressed forward.

Kade continued blasting them with spells. He
cried out in pain as one of the dragons managed to connect with a
tail swipe. His barrage continued as he fell to one knee. The
beasts continued to circle around him, looking for an opening. He
took several smaller hits and was unable to keep up the same level
of defense. The dragons closed in around him, treating it like a
game of cat and mouse. Kade closed his eyes and focused on the
magical energy inside of him. He drew upon as much as he could
muster and let it pour out of him. A massive shockwave shot out of
him. His body withered under the sheer power that was coursing
outward. The dragons tumbled into each other and slammed into the
ground as the torrent of magic threatened to break them. Kade felt
himself losing consciousness, but he refused to let up the assault.
He could feel his body breaking down, but he could also hear the
creatures crying out in panic. His final action pulled another
massive shockwave, crushing dozens of dragons between the two
waves.

*

Wrotan’s hands shook as he watched Zaira
slump to the floor. He rushed to her side and tried to comfort her.
Tears streamed down her face as she dug her face into her hands.
The hunter unhooked her father’s sword from his belt and placed it
on the floor next to her. She thanked him for telling her in person
and asked for a moment alone. He nodded and backed out of the tent.
The camp was a mixture of hate, despair, and resignation. The word
had spread far quicker than he had expected. There were more
casualties than survivors and the dragons still needed to be
defeated. Hrimgur called out to the hunter. The dwarf was standing
with Attos and Amber. All three of them had been arguing about
something.

“We have a visitor,” Attos said.

“Can’t somebody else handle this?” Wrotan
asked.