Logan Marsh: A Thrilling Fantasy Novel (Action Adventure,Mystery, Y/A Book 1) (25 page)

"I told you we can make it," Logan rose when the dreadful noise ended.

No one replied.

"De-Stik," Logan called worriedly, "De-Stik!"

Logan ran to the place where De-Stik was sprawled and did not move. His face was pale. His armour was singed and torn, and the tips of his boots were scorched and black.

"De-Stik," Logan called and kneeled beside him, tears pooled at the corner of her eyes.

"Ahhh," a sudden scream erupted from De-Stik's throat. He jumped to his feet and swung the quarterstaff in his hand. Logan leaped back and screamed herself.

"Where is he? I don't want to miss a thing," De-Stik called, his face contorted with emotion. Suddenly he noticed the dragon's body. "L…L…Logan… The head of Klaxes… is… missing…"

Logan smiled.

"By the gods, you have done it, Logan. You have defeated a dragon without a yelp," De-Stik called with joy. "But, eh, of course, we should not ignore my help."

"Come on, De-Stik," Logan said, "let's go find that horn."

Suddenly a noise sounded behind them. A part of the wall moved up and revealed a staircase behind it. A battle roar sounded from the opening, and a grey elf entered the hall with his sword drawn, running while shouting, but stopped and froze when he saw the great body of the dragon.

The grey elf looked at De-Stik and Logan. Logan's eyes looked at his eyes, and she herself froze, unable to move.

"How… who… he looks like… that's the thing," De-Stik called when he saw the stone, "Who is it, Logan? My gods, this is amazing."

The surprised grey elf turned back and ran back to the staircase. Logan followed him without hesitation, De-Stik hurrying after her.

Achtisanor, Krunch and Kiril found themselves at the door of a large and ornate room illuminated with a dim light. To their right was another opening and beyond it were stairs leading down. In front of them was a large window facing to the east, showing the darkness in all its glory. In front of the window, looking outside, was a tall and old grey elf, his hair long and white as snow and his skin rough and pocked. He wore grey robes and in his hand was the horn. The stone turned to them with a devilish grin.

"Sernin Crouzar," Achtisanor said.

"Claude Achtisanor," Sernin said with his rough voice and hid the horn in the folds of his robes.

"Where did Highmage Scroo disappeared? What have you done to him?" Krunch called.

"Highmage Scroo is standing right in front of you, Krunch," Achtisanor said.

"What?" Krunch said in surprise, and suddenly he understood why Highmage Scroo covered his features all the time.

"S. Crouzar," Krunch muttered, "S. Croo. I should have guessed. You lowlife and wicked creature, you are the reason that the wizard betrayed us."

The grey elf clapped.

"Finally, you understood, Krunch," he said, "and because of you, we have succeeded…"

"Because of me?" Krunch said.

"You think that I gave you the high position in the Academy for your skill?" Sernin snickered. "I knew that you would lead me to my goal. For thirty years, I have been waiting for this moment. After Patrickiomaris turned the draconic fireball at me during the battle of Bjorn, I have teleported myself to Sahoun desert. I laid wounded until Omar, a Language monk, found me."

"The translator," Achtisanor said.

"I really felt sorry when I returned to the desert to kill him before you've reached him, Achtisanor. After all, Omar healed me and took care of me for three years," Sernin continued. "He taught me the tongues lore and the magicks of good. This was a good opportunity to blend in with your society.

"A day before I left him, Omar saw a vision for me. He passed it to me in a scroll."

"The dark tongue," Achtisanor hissed. "You murdered Patrick."

"That's right," Sernin smiled wickedly, "I needed to fulfil the prophecy. I needed to initiate the birth of the Orostone, and I could not think of a better revenge – to rape the wife of the elf that has wounded me in front of him… ha, ha, ha," Sernin cackled a horrible laugh. "Afterwards, I have murdered the headmaster of the Sorcerer's Academy, and from there it was a short road since I was elected to be the academy headmaster and started to build my wizards' army… Of course, I hid the sweet news that by fulfilling the prophecy, I will eliminate the dragon that killed my father."

Achtisanor leapt with a shout of rage toward Sernin. Sernin closed his eyes, lifted his hand and pointed toward Achtisanor and Kiril.

"No," Krunch lifted his own hands.

Achtisanor and Kiril froze.

"Ha, ha, ha," Sernin's cruel laughter sounded when Achtisanor and Kiril stopped in their places, "don't you dare do a thing," he pointed at Krunch, who lifted his hand in retaliation.

"Of course I will dare," Krunch called. "Come wind and gather storm. Hit him hard as you are born!" Krunch pointed toward Sernin. A great wind blast threw Sernin back and pinned him to the room's ceiling.

At the same moment, Sernin disappeared, and his laughter was heard from Krunch's left. Lightning bolts sprang from his fingers toward Krunch, who turned around in panic. Krunch hid quickly under the large desk.

"Hit so hard, table and chair, show him the fury of furniture," Krunch called. He rose quickly and gestures with his hands to all the corners of the room. Artefacts from the desk, chairs and boxes surrounded Sernin before they hit him from every angle.

A scream erupted from Sernin’s throat. He lifted his hands, and all the furniture was pushed away from him and crashed into the walls around him. A black ray sprang from Sernin's finger and hit Krunch's brow.

Krunch tried to murmur something, but fell to the floor and stayed still.

"Potion teacher…" Sernin chuckled at Krunch and turned to frozen Achtisanor.

"Well," Sernin said in his rough voice, "such a shame. First, you master and adopting father, Patrickiomaris, and then Carinian, your beloved – she died by mistake. I have waited for you that night, but after I saw her enter instead of you, I could not think of a better target. It was a sweeter revenge, and after all – I have got exactly what I wished for. You quitted the guard, and all my troubles ended. And now, you've come back, straight to my hands, ha, ha, ha…"

Achtisanor’s eyes burned with rage, his lips did not answer his commands.

"What?" Sernin said with pleasure, "Do you want to say something? Oh, I see that you have trouble with speaking. If my memory serves me well, Patrick also could not move or talk when I slowly moved the knife across his throat. You thought this would be a happy end… well, I am glad to give you one last sad ending."

Sernin approached the large desk and took from his drawer a bright silver dagger.

"And your end will be the saddest of them all, Achtisanor, and this gives me comfort," Sernin continued, "the knight who failed in his last missions, and he will be the one to answer the gods why he had failed – and caused the destruction of the universe."

Narook suddenly entered the room from the north door.

"Narook," Sernin said, turned to his son and laid a hand on his shoulder, "I want to introduce you to Kiriliosmaris." He turned to frozen Kiril, "This is my son Narook, or perhaps you recognize him, since you left him in the forest to die not long after he emerged from your mother's womb."

"Hmmm…" Narook approached the petrified golden elf and looked at him with burning hatred. "So this is my scum of a brother that left me helpless near a roaring river. It seems that you are the helpless now," he slapped Kiril with all his might.

Achtisanor was appalled when he saw Narook. He looked so much like Logan
;
so it could not be a coincidence.

"Did you think that I would abandon my child?" Sernin said. "Of course I would take good care of him, I worked so hard to bring him into the world – you mother was not so compliant that night, especially since your father was there to watch the whole thing," he smiled.

"By all forces of heaven and hell," a low voice was heard from the corner of the room, "I command to break this spell." Krunch's little hands were lifted and pointed toward Achtisanor and Kiril, and he passed out again.

At the same moment, Achtisanor jumped and hit Sernin on his head with his sword hilt. Kiril and Narook started fighting with their swords.

Sernin lifted his head and saw Achtis moving toward him. He disappeared. Achtisanor looked around in surprise, wondering where Sernin had gone. A painful jab came from behind.

Narook and Kiril continued fighting, destroying every piece of furniture that got in their way.

"Are you sorry that you did not kill me then?" Narook said behind clenched teeth.

"No," Kiril said. "When I kill you today, my conscience will be clearer."

"I wonder what Logan would have said if she knew that she exited the womb along with me," Narook said.

"Don't flatter yourself," Kiril said, "only when Logan opened her eyes, we decided that we cannot kill you and chose exile, you small and horrible grey stone."

The two of them fought for a long time. Kiril jumped on the desk and from there to Narook's back. He kicked Narook, threw him to the ground, and pointed the sword at his throat. Sernin turned his attention from his fight with Achtisanor and shot a magic arrow toward Kiril. Kiril tried to leap away but reacted too late: the arrow was lodged in his thigh.

Achtisanor waved his sword toward Sernin, but Sernin ducked, kicked him in the gut, and pushed him back. Another arrow was shot toward Achtisanor, but he managed to lift a chair and block the arrow with it.

"Sernin Crouzar!" a voice echoed in the room.

"Lagwanamaris," Kiril called with joy when he saw his sister. She took Narook throat in her hands and threatened him with her sword.

"Lagwanamaris," Sernin smiled when the fighting stopped, "I see that you have wisely chosen your weapon."

"Shut up," Logan called. "De-Stik, go and check Krunch."

"It seems that his situation is not that bad," De-Stik said when he examined Krunch. "He is just unconscious, probably from a hit on his head."

Achtisanor rose and laid Achtis on Sernin's chest.

"You are too late, all of you," Sernin called. "By the second call, the dragon was destroyed by my son Narook the bloodstone," Sernin said proudly, "exactly as the prophecy foretold."

Narook was silent.

"You are wrong," Logan called, "I killed him."

"Is that so?" Sernin turned his eyes to his son, who nodded in fear near Logan's invisible blade.

"Ha, ha, ha…" Sernin laughed, "And you thought that by doing so you will stop the prophecy from being fulfilled. Ha, ha, ha…"

"And this is what I did," Logan said.

"You are wrong, my daughter," Sernin said. "You are my blood, Orostone, just like the twin brother you threaten to kill."

Logan was shocked and looked at the older grey elf standing in front of her. She did not know what to think. She looked at Kiril, but he just lowered his eyes in shame.

"Nonsense," Logan called. "My father is Patrickiomaris."

Sernin continued to laugh, "How could Patrickiomaris be your father, when he was tied to a tree all the time I raped your mother?"

Logan threw Narook to the floor. They looked at each other. "The dreams…" Logan said, "The visions… it was all real… I looked through your eyes."

"My daughter…" Sernin said.

"I said shut up, you monster," Logan called.

"In order to create chaos in the universe," Sernin said with a mocking voice. "It is enough to start by creating chaos in one good family."

"The horn?" Logan asked.

"In his robes," Achtisanor said. "Take it out."

Sernin reached his hand into his dark robes and took out the horn. Achtisanor approached Sernin and tried to take the horn from his hands, but Sernin retreated.

"No," Sernin shook his head and a grin split his face. "Look over there," he said to Achtisanor.

Four goblins, Zed among them, stood at the west door of the room. Their crossbows were loaded and pointed toward Logan, De-Stik, and the unconscious Krunch.

"Well," Sernin said, "It seems that the tables have turned."

Logan took Narook and turned toward the goblins.

"Give up, Logan, and put down your sword," Sernin called.

Logan lowered slowly her sword and so did Achtisanor. Sernin took Achtisanor's sword from his hands and threw it down the staircase. "I am glad that I have all the members of Tigertief and my extended family in this room," Sernin said. "Thank you, Tigertief, for delivering the horn from the castle of reflections, and I thank my daughter, Logan, for killing the stupid dragon. Now you can see my anointed as king, and how the chaos will reign over Nature and this entire dimension."

Sernin pressed the horn to his lips. Logan suddenly leapt from her place, landed beside one of the goblins, and moved his hand so he shot his friend. With a dizzying speed, she turned toward another goblin and left his body on the floor. De-Stik also reacted quickly and landed his heavy quarterstaff in a third goblin, grabbed Zed, and lifted him high.