Eclipsing the Darkness (The Dragon Chronicles Book 5) (8 page)

Eamon felt hands around him that pulled him away gently, helping him to his feet. He leaned against his rescuer, keeping his eyes on the druid as he absorbed and captured the defilers. Slowly, the chaos died down. The dark energy was consumed by Farouk’s magic, and the shouts and cries of the men quieted.

All was silent.

Farouk turned, standing among the remains of the fallen soldiers. He looked down at them in sorrow, knowing that their murderers had only done so out of fear for their own existence. He held his staff close to his heart, seeming to weep as he spoke softly into his gem.

Eamon turned to thank the person who had helped him up, locking eyes with a familiar—and hated—face.

“Eogan!” Eamon shouted, raising his sword to strike down his cousin once again.

“Eamon, no!” Farouk shouted.

The king turned back to Eogan, seeing the young man’s smile. He was wearing light blue robes, similar to the robes that Traegus wore. Behind him, a strange figure stood, taller than Eamon himself, and divine in appearance. At his side, another, smaller figure stood, wrapped in a cloak with its face hidden.

“It is I, Traegus,” the boy who looked like Eogan said. “I apologize for startling you. But I had to get you away from Farouk’s spell.”

“Traegus?” Eamon repeated. “But… how?”

“I am a wizard, Eamon,” Traegus replied, looking around at the approaching soldiers with a smile. “I do strange things sometimes. I hope you don’t mind that I took Eogan’s body. If you are upset, I understand.”

Eamon shook his head, scanning the crowd for his knights. “Well,” he said. “Eogan wasn’t using it anymore.”

Farouk approached him, his face grave. “I am sorry, Eamon,” he said. “We can no longer destroy the defilers. I promised them that I would free them.”

“We had no choice, Farouk,” Eamon replied. “One of them had to be destroyed.”

Farouk nodded. “Yes, and I am glad everyone is safe. But we must remember that these creatures can help us. We need to preserve as many of them as we can for use against the Lifegiver, and for the future.”

Eamon nodded. “I understand,” he said. “Let us make camp here and discuss it further after a short rest.”

Ulrich blew his horn into the air, signaling to the rest of the massive army that the battle had been won.

“Well done, men!” he shouted. “Time for a night’s rest.”

As the men cheered, Eamon turned back to Traegus, glancing briefly at the strange duo who had accompanied him.

“We shall take residence in the fortress,” he said. “And plan our route there.”

“King Eamon!” a soldier shouted, approaching with a terrified look on his face. “It’s Brynn. I fear he has fallen.”

Chapter Eight

Khalid watched the impressive line of Alvar soldiers approach from the north. They formed a perfect line, were spaced as evenly as possible, and were dressed in beautifully engraved suits of gleaming steel armor. They were the most beautiful people the priest had ever seen; tall, fair, and golden-haired.

At their lead, a grim-faced figure in darker, more elaborately engraved plate marched forward, keeping his eyes on Khalid. The priest stepped toward them as they entered the edge of the temple grounds, bowing low in respect and admiration. The leader shouted the order to stop, and his troops obeyed like clockwork; stomping their feet on the ground and snapping to attention.

“I welcome you,” Khalid said.

The leader stepped forward, removing his gloves and holding out his hand. Khalid took it gladly, nodding his approval.

“I am Tenegal,” the leader said, in a smooth, calm voice. “Captain of these troops. We are here at the request of our king, Faeraon. Command us as you will.”

“I am most honored to meet you, Tenegal, and have your assistance. I am Khalid, High Priest of Tel Drakkar.”

Tenegal bowed in respect, turning to his troops. “You will obey Khalid’s commands as if they were my own,” he said. “Should I fall in battle, he will become your captain.”

“Tell me,” Khalid said. “Have you seen the rangers that were sent? Did you cross paths with them at all?”

Tenegal smiled. “We passed them earlier as they took positions in the surrounding forest. They are very skilled at their craft. You may not see them, but they are here.”

Khalid chuckled knowingly. “Yes,” he said. “They are very skilled, indeed. Come then, my friend. Make yourselves comfortable in the temple. The Dragon welcomes you.”

“Thank you, friend,” Tenegal said. Then, to his troops, “Fall out!”

The Alvar captain joined Khalid as he returned to the temple complex. Tenegal’s troops followed loosely behind, admiring the architecture of the tower and the surrounding city.

“Tell me of this Dragon of yours,” Tenegal said.

Khalid sighed. “He is no more. But his spirit will live on. He is one of the Firstborn of this world, born after Leviathan, but before Kronos and Imbra.”

Tenegal nodded. Khalid continued.

“He is currently on his way to the center of the Earth to sever the connection between the Lifegiver and our Mother, Gaia. We hope he is successful.”

“Yes,” Tenegal said. “Severing that tie would be effective. Unfortunately, our Firstborn were too late to save our mother spirit, and they died with her.”

“I’m sorry,” Khalid said. “But your people are welcome here. Tell me, who were your Firstborn?”

“I was never very knowledgeable about such things,” Tenegal admitted. “My focus was always on protecting my people. But I followed the teachings of our land’s divine power, Ghaelioth. He was a wise warrior who helped our people defeat the Ougret clans.”

“Ougret?”

“There were a primitive reptilian species that existed on our world in the past,” Tenegal explained. “They were very destructive, hostile, and bred very quickly. We wiped them out many thousands of years ago.”

“Reptilians, eh?” Khalid said. “Interesting.”

“When the darkness came, it resurrected many of them, and we had to fight them once again. Though they were defeated, our world was far beyond repair. Our Mother had been drained of her power, the Firstborn had died, and our people began to fade.”

“And that is when Allora began her quest?”

Tenegal nodded. “Around that time, yes,” he said. “She sought out a Mother spirit that resided here in this realm. And, if I understand correctly, it is you and the Dragon who found it?”

“It was,” Khalid said. “And I have the feeling the Dragon knew it was there all along.”

“The Firstborn of all worlds are rather stubborn when it comes to knowledge,” Tenegal said, chuckling. “That is their nature everywhere.”

Khalid chuckled, as well, thinking back at how Dagda had spoken in riddles and withheld much information. He had always felt it was for a reason, though, and did not blame the Dragon for doing so.

“I suppose they only share information that one needs to know at the moment.”

Tenegal smiled. “That seems to be so.”

The two reached the southern edge of the temple complex, looking out over the valley and out to the shore. The moorcat was there, patiently keeping watch. Tenegal could already feel the presence of darkness nearby, and to Khalid, his disdain was obvious. Though the Alvar captain had never faced, nor heard of, the enemy that would appear soon, Khalid was very familiar.

In a matter of hours, perhaps a day or so, the Enkhatar and their darkling would arrive.

The priest was glad to have such a formidable force on his side.

Near the southern shore, Sulemain stood on the rocky sea floor facing the wreckage of the massive black vessel that had been sunk by Jadhav’s men. The vessel had brought not only the Prophet and the Enkhatar to the island over a year ago, but also a host of undead foes. Though the lower decks and hull had been utterly destroyed by the Devourer’s entry into this realm, Sulemain knew that the upper decks would still contain those wights that had not escaped when the ship went down.

They would be useful, as their undead nature would not allow them to drown. In fact, their anger at being trapped underwater for so long would only serve to fuel their ferocity, and allow Sulemain and his troops to lay waste to Tel Drakkar.

He strode forward, unaffected by the darkness and crushing pressure of the sea, and stood before the massive hole in the ship’s hull. Even in the water, he could hear the moans and cries of the trapped undead, begging to be released. They had felt the Enkhatar lord’s dark presence as he neared, and their struggles to free themselves began anew.

As the dark knight raised his hands, palms up, he cast a destructive spell that shot forth from his fingers like a massive pressure wave. The hull was shattered with the impact, and the water became clouded with the splintered bits of the ship. Among the debris, Sulemain could see the twisted bodies of the undead flailing their limbs as they attempted to rise to the surface. He hissed, seeing that there were still hundreds of them left.

Satisfied, he turned toward the shore and began the arduous task of walking back to the surface. There, his remaining Enkhatar would be waiting for him, and would round up the wights as they surfaced and clambered onto the sand.

Tel Drakkar would see its doom.

Deep within the Earth’s mantle, the Dragon barreled through layer after layer of stone, melting it away with his fiery breath as he made his way toward the core. There, the Great Mother’s spirit lay unprotected from the menace of the Lifegiver, and it was his duty as the embodiment of her strength, to protect her.

With his new found power, absorbed from Kingu, the Dragon would disrupt Absu’s link, and allow his son and his allies to directly attack the malevolent being. Without the link, the Lifegiver would be powerless to regenerate, and his essence would weaken. Then, the warriors gathered at Khem could converge and destroy the entity once and for all.

Or, at least, banish him from this realm.

As the Firstborn continued his downward trek, he called out to his mother, his heart quickening with the love he felt for her. Though weak, she did respond.

Dagda,
she said.
Do not sacrifice yourself to save me. It is a mother’s duty to protect her children.

“I will not allow you to die,” he replied, blasting the stone before him with impossibly searing heat. “I will save you. It is the only way.”

You are most noble, my son.

“All of your children are willing to die to protect you. We will prevail.”

Leviathan must not sacrifice himself. He will be needed during my slumber. The Earth must be rebuilt.

“My brother knows his duty,” the Dragon replied. “And the others know theirs, as well. Our sacrifice will make it possible.”

The Great Mother was silent. The Dragon felt her sorrow, pushing on at a faster pace to reach her and return to her loving embrace. It would not be long now.

“Fear not,” he spoke again. “I am coming.”

He felt the love of Gaia strengthen as he finally passed the outer mantle. Soon, in a few days perhaps, he would lay eyes upon her once more. His heart longed for her warmth, yet was broken at the thought of never seeing his own children again.

Eamon, Khalid, Erenoth, all of them. He would miss them greatly, but his sacrifice would ensure their victory.

For that, he was willing to give everything.

With renewed strength and resolve, the Dragon barreled on.

Kronos, Imbra, and Yin-Kai rested in the canyons to the southwest of Khem. The reddish rock shielded them from the blazing sun, and kept their presence hidden from the sorcerers who had the power to sense them. They were a day’s march from the Great Pyramid, the home of the Lifegiver himself, and would await the arrival of the armies of the free world.

Yin-Kai remained worried, as his own soldiers were on the opposite side of Khem. He thought briefly of going to them to reassure them of his support, but Imbra had warned him against it. Showing himself in such a close proximity to Absu would put the rest of them in danger. The Sun King and his samurai would be fine, Imbra had told him. They would arrive at the right time and join forces with Eamon and the other kings without any problems.

Imbra had called on his southland king, Mekembe, and had instructed him to join Eamon, as well. Tregar would be there to join them, and Kronos had called on Cannuck to support the armies with his own Northmen. The gathered army would be the largest force of men ever gathered upon the face of the Earth.

But they would face an even greater army; one of men, undead, and malevolent entities bent on the destruction of the world.

It would be a battle they could not possibly win, but would allow the Onyx Dragon to infiltrate the Great Pyramid and put an end to the Lifegiver. They would need the wisdom of the Grand Druid, the Great Wizard of Eirenoch, and even the alien force that had arrived through the rift.

Once the pieces were in place, the battle could begin. It was only a matter of time.

Chapter Nine

Garret followed Akharu closely as the demon jumped from rooftop to rooftop. He could barely see in the dim moonlight, and had nearly lost the creature several times in Thyre’s winding alleys. Fortunately, Garret’s newly-heightened senses allowed him to track the demon’s position, and his charge was completely unaware that it was being followed.

Knowing that Akharu was now on a mission to kill the Onyx Dragon, Garret wondered why Thyre was of any interest to him. Akharu could have bypassed the city completely, as the king and his allies had never set foot here.

So why was the demon here?

Garret’s only clue as to Akharu’s decision was that it would know Garret was not likely to risk fighting him in the middle of the city. Such a battle would draw too much attention. Still, if Akharu was unaware of Garret’s presence, or that he was even alive, then why the detour?

“What are you up to, you vile bastard?” Garret whispered to himself.

The assassin paused as Akharu suddenly stopped ahead. He moved into the shadow of a nearby chimney, peering around the corner at the demon as it sniffed the air. He briefly thought that the demon had become aware of him, but saw that something else had caught Akharu’s attention.