The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1) (16 page)

When the Descendant had unleashed his power, a thread of fear had jolted for a tiny moment, but then he’d relaxed. Alderic was strong and healthy. He would be fine. Further, the Descendant was of the seed of Rhychard—
sama
. He would never be malicious and hurt him out of spite. The only one who would do such a thing would be Ludovicus, who would not hesitate in the slightest to destroy them.

He turned away from his son and made his way back to his chambers, Michel beside him. Where was Callen?

“Where is Callen?” It wasn’t often he didn’t have the young man at his side.

“I’m not sure,
Senpai
. Would you like for me to look for him?”

He shook his head. Everyone needed time to themselves. Indeed, perhaps the young man didn’t want to be next to the father of the man who had been unkind to him. “It is nothing.”

The next half hour was spent in preparing him for bed. It was hard to accept the help of Michel for his basic needs, but he had to. Old age had not been a good friend to him. When he was settled on the furs, Michel stated, “
Senpai
, you asked for any more developments of the Angry Son’s wrath. Would you like to see?” He pulled out a tablet, so out of place in their cave home. Isolation from the world was key to their survival, but they needed to be able to connect when necessary.

After the incident with the Angry Son, he needed as much information as possible. “Please.”

“…Tropical Storm Nathaniel continues to rage in Central and South America, so far in its second day, it has caused more damage than Matthew a few years ago. Rainfall is severe, and hundreds of homes have been destroyed. In a video gone viral, one brave camerawoman caught footage of a rare sight. Angel Falls, located in Venezuela and reported to be the tallest waterfall in the world, became a backward waterfall. Due to high winds from the tropical storm, the water is flowing upward.”

The Elder saw the phenomenon on the screen and was reminded of the images Gakunoik had shown him.

“World aid is on standby and meteorologists state the storm should dissipate by early morning hours tomorrow. Many are attributing this weather phenomenon to the planetary alignment taking place. If that is true, then our only question is this: will it get worse?”

He waved away the device, and Michel exited to stand guard outside his chambers. Bones popped as the Elder lay down. The stalagmites hung above his head like old friends. The woman’s words echoed in his mind.
Will it get worse?

There were five more of the Children waiting for their turn. This was only the beginning.

The ocean’s currents flowed over him as Ludo descended deeper into the body of water. Fish of assorted kinds and colors swam around him in a flurry of light and movement. Scales glinted under the little moonlight that made its way into the water. He kicked his legs and headed for the darkness in front of him.

Ludo brooded over what Callen had told him. Rhychard’s Seed – Kenzo – had access to his power. He had not accounted for that eventuality. All he wanted to do was to kill the Seed, complete his objective, and subjugate mankind. This Kenzo, able to tap into his power, was a problem.

The water around him grew dimmer as he swam. Light was a shadow now, compared to the surrounding gloom. Marine life still went about their purposeless lives, surviving on instinct. When he’d awakened he had thought himself so superior to them, but his lack of planning had caused a disturbance of his goals.

A school of jellyfish came into view. Their glowing bodies sparkled along the opaque backdrop of the ocean, reminding him of stars. He stopped and stared at their wiggling, moving bodies, transfixed by the sight.

His strength grew each passing day, a gift from the Sun’s Children. Each one in turn would aid him. Staring into the luminescent mass, he recognized he alone would not be the sole recipient of their power. Kenzo would also garner strength. The idea that Rhychard’s offspring would benefit enraged him. Rhychard was the reason they were in this predicament in the first place!

The fury heated the blood in his veins. He wanted to unleash his wrath on something – anything. Without another thought, he dove into the bloom of jellyfish. Their tentacles brushed against his body, the venom seeping out. Yet their stingers could not penetrate his scales. Blindly, he grabbed a jellyfish and shoved it into his mouth. He immediately regretted it when the stingers caused damage to the soft interior.

Long ago words rang in his mind. “You are foolish, Ludo. You act before you think, and that will be your downfall.”

The jellyfish’s bell, the dome protecting its innards, blocked his air passage. Spindly, glowing tentacles floated haphazardly around the opening of his mouth.

Ludo drifted downward as he struggled to breathe. The jelly inside his mouth writhed against the confines, stinging more and more as it fought for freedom. In the fight between prey and predator, his body became entangled in the tentacles of hundreds of jellyfish.

Soon he was lodged tight by the creatures and his movements imprisoned him.

Though he could go without air for a long time in hibernation, Ludo had the sneaking suspicion he couldn’t survive without air in an active state.

An errant thought crossed his mind. Why not surrender to the darkness?

He hated what he was – the man-like visage with two hands and feet. The limited capacity of movement. The confinement in the carcass of mortal flesh. Even now, though he had grown stronger, he was still weak. Would he never again soar into the skies and see the earth from the towers of the mountains? Feel the caress of the wind against his face?

Would he ever escape from the prison of himself?

Maybe he should let the inevitable happen – succumb to death by asphyxiation. His body would float downward until reached the ocean floor. Then nature would take its course and he’d rot away.

All alone.

A jerk went through his body even as dimness from the lack of air covered his vision. Ludo shook away the despondency as a pair of purple eyes came to the forefront of his brain.

He wasn’t alone.

Ludo straightened, and using his talons, worked to tug the jellyfish out his mouth. Various stingers still clung to the upper roof and inside of his cheeks. He ripped the jellyfish in pieces. Dismembered parts of the creature lingered in his mouth, but once he pulled out the bell and sucked in air, his breathing returned to normal. The taste of venom was sour on his tender tongue, but he forced the discomfort away.

He wasn’t alone. How could he have forgotten that?

The refrain lent new purpose to him as, with revived vitality, he picked at the jellyfish encased around him. It took time, but eventually he was able to free himself from their clutches. Once he tossed the last fish away, he swam to the surface. Standing on the beach, he stared down at the waters that a few moments earlier he had decided would be his gravesite. Now, they calmed his racing heart as he thought about his next move. With a renewed frame of mind, he touched the amulet at his neck, calm.

Kenzo may be able to tap into his power, but he was only a half-breed, not a Druman. He would never be as strong as him, but Ludo recognized he had to prepare for every contingency. That required getting reinforcement. Once more he saw a pair of purple eyes blink at him from distant memory. A long time ago he’d had planned to kill the owner of those eyes, but circumstances had made that goal impossible.

Now he needed help. He knew just where to get it from.

Three days later, Ludo reached his destination. It was easy for him to swim via the ocean to the small island. From what he remembered before he hibernated, the natives there had yet to interact with the rest of the world. Ships had passed by without ever stopping, so perhaps it still had yet to be discovered.

White sand greeted him as he reached the beach. In the distance he could see a relatively small but tall mountain range with three peaks sheathed by greenery. From his vantage point, a white mist towered over the trees, signaling the presence of a waterfall. Ludo dragged a partially eaten carcass of a giant octopus out of the water behind him. Tearing off part of an arm, he stuffed it in his mouth, chewing hungrily while he surveyed surroundings.

It hadn’t changed much in the last couple centuries. Densely populated with exotic trees, he could hear the slight scurry of wildlife moving back and forth along the edge of the forest line. He tore off another piece of arm to assuage his hunger. Leaving the rest of the creature along the shoreline, he ventured over the wide expanse of the beach and into the forestry.

Wind blew against his face as he traipsed through the trees. Wide, waxy leaves blocked the sunlight from reaching the ground. Animals hurried about, but they refrained from approaching him. Flaring his nostrils, Ludo searched for the scent from long ago. The scent only she could have. It didn’t take long till he came to a clearing occupied by a village. A number of huts made from the neighboring foliage lay before a raised stone dais that held a wooden structure far grander than their own humble abodes. The structure was backed by a body of water which had to be fed from the fall he’d observed earlier.

Once again the stench of humanity clogged his nose. The people were semi-clad in animal hides and painted with white clay pigment. Walking into the village, Ludo saw they were of various races of men. It meant she also had
juusha,
as did he and Rhychard.

At his entrance into the village, they all froze in terror. Their fear perfumed the air and he let out a satisfied growl. Yet, the
juusha
did not run from his presence; they all fell to their knees. He walked on, passing the prone bodies while their offspring wailed and tried to get away from him in fright. He headed to the wooden structure with a large opening and a slab made of stone, suspiciously stained in the center. An altar, then? Had his Druman sister set herself up as a Queen or Goddess?

“What are you doing here, Ludovicus?” The gravely, husky voice spoke from the dark opening of the structure.

“Greetings, Kaluwa.” Ludo stopped at the step of the dais.

She stepped out from the interior and the sunlight showcased her form. Glorious and powerful in a way only a female Druman could be, the light rippled over her figure. Scaly, jade colored skin sparkled like diamonds. Small, spiked, bony plates centered on the top of her head flowed down the back of her body. The purple eyes of his memory shone with hostility and fear.

“What do you want, Ludovicus? You come to kill me like you did Lord Rhychard?”

Ludo shrugged. “Not today.”

Kaluwa leapt into the air and alighted a mere foot before him. The purple eyes had dimmed to black while a snarl twisted her reptilian lips. “You killed my king. Now it’s time for you to pay the piper.”

Without another word she raised her leg and kicked him off the dais. Ludo flew back, wind rushing past him. A stray human broke his fall, but not before a sharp cry and the distinct snap of a bone told him it had come with a cost.
Juusha
scattered about like rats, their cries filling the air.

Kaluwa trembled under the light, the bone plates along the top of her head protruding higher than when he first observed them. Before he could get up, she jumped, spun into the air, and landed on his chest. Her three-toed foot slammed hard enough to crack his ribs. It pushed him further back onto the human that cushioned his descent and the crunch of more bones breaking beat against his ear.

Swiftly, he grabbed the ankle pressing into his body and twisted it, knocking her off balance. She used her hand to break her fall and somersaulted, landing on her feet. Ludo got up and winced a little at the pain, but it went away seconds later as his ribs knitted back together.

“Kaluwa, we need to talk—”

“You can’t kill me, Ludovicus. I’ll take you down first.”

Grabbing a fistful of dirt, she threw it at his feet. Three seconds later the dirt turned into a giant pit of quicksand. He started to sink.

“Wait, Kaluwa.”

“I am.” She circled around him, watching with narrowed eyes. “For your dying breath.”

Ludo knew he would have to take action. “Fine, if that how you want to play this.” He snorted and steam erupted from his nostrils in twin funnels of heat. It surrounded the quicksand puddle and evaporated all the water into dry, crumbly earth resembling dust. Shaking his legs free, he strolled out of the mound of dirt.

“Got any more tricks, Kaluwa?”

“You haven’t seen anything yet!” The earth fractured under him and he leapt out the way. The crack followed and he leapt again. It chased him, crawling along the ground like a monster with lightning speed.
Juusha
had left the area by this time and the huts quivered as the earth fractured. Yet, the ground never opened up. Kaluwa stood with her arms folded, a smug look on her face.

He had to teach her a lesson.

Just the crack reached his feet, he levitated into the air. With a sly look at Kaluwa, he increased the temperature on the island. It grew warmer in mere seconds, causing steam to materialize off the waterfall. The
juusha
who had taken retreat in the forest wailed as they sweated and then blisters appeared on their skin.

They all cried out to Kaluwa. She rose to meet him midair, the fire in her purple eyes blazing. “Ludo, stop this!”

The bony spikes had grown even larger and the hue of her skin had changed from jade green to a dark emerald. Her musculature had expanded.

A shaft of disappointment struck him. Why was Kaluwa pleading for these humans’ lives? He observed some of the humans loitering about. Some of the men were scarred with Kaluwa’s mate mark along the side of their face. Ludo’s lips curled in disgust. They were nothing, and yet she was making the same mistake of concern as Rhychard had done so many years ago. Were there no more real Drumans that longed for what they used to be? Had all the Drumans fallen in love with the humans?

He couldn’t keep the scorn out his voice as he spat out. “Why do you care? They are nothing.”

I’m their goddess,
she spoke to his mind, eyes hard and narrowed.
Do not usurp my authority.

Then will you listen to what I have to say?
He started a slow descent back to the ground.

Kaluwa followed suit, but her voice was fierce.
You killed my lord. Why should I listen to anything you have to say?

He lowered the temperature of the heat and landed back down the ground.
Do you want to be a dragon again?

Kaluwa froze as she stood before him, her eyes wide in shock. The spiked, bony, plates receded back along her spine.

“That’s impossible,” she said aloud, arms folded.

“Perhaps we should have this discussion in private and allow your
juusha
to put to right our mayhem.” He nodded back to the debris behind him. The village was still mostly standing, but several huts had been damaged by the heat.