Lord Of Dragons (Book 2) (30 page)

So she had spurned Tael's pleas for help and for her to fly north with him, and kept her heart cold, determined to complete the plan she held in her mind. As she watched Master Shalinor fly off with Tael and the other Hakkadians, she felt like her life was slowly slipping away, as if she were at death's door watching her loved ones fade into darkness. This might be the end.

And soon King Braxion and his dragon came flying into view along with Master Vhelan and a score of enemy sorcerers. Sebine's mouth gaped and bile formed the bitter taste of acid. She squeezed her hands and focused her mind on the feeling of the Ring of Galdora pulsing power through her body. She was ready to fight, but knew she had to present the image of the penitent daughter to the King. But she needed to first tell Master Vhelan her plan. When she had finished talking to him, she focused her full attention on the King.

"What do we have here?" shouted King Braxion. "The Malathian royal family and my traitorous daughter Princess Sebine? Hard to believe my luck in finding such a motley crew. Have you convinced my daughter to beg for the lives of your citizens? Do you think I will turn into the sappy father and spill tears at being reunited with lovely Sebine?"

King Braxion scoffed and spit a disgusting lump at Sebine's feet, and dismounted from his dragon. "I care little for the bitch, or should I say the vile product of Queen Marinel spreading her legs to the leader of the dark elves? Now you know your father's name, lovely Sebine. Jolrath, the schemer behind his race. But don't worry, he is safe, as he wisely let me and my army pass into Khalas Dralorn without so much as a look. A wise man, and perhaps some of that wisdom has rubbed off on his daughter?"

"I am truly sorry, Your Majesty." Princess Sebine bowed her head in submission to the King, holding still until she heard his voice once again.

"Enough of this! Say what you mean to say." King Braxion motioned for the young Hakkadian sorcerers to join him. "And beware of the trickster." He cast a glare at Master Vhelan.
 

"After my long journey here I have come to realize the error in my ways," Sebine said, and kneeled down in front of the King. "I humbly ask for your forgiveness. Being away from my family, and away from your protection, has caused me to desire returning home once again." Sebine knew she was taking a risk in choosing such a direct approach, but she hoped she would find success in playing to the King's vanity.

Deep, booming laughter escaped from Braxion's mouth and he commanded her to rise to her feet. "An ugly king is not an easy one to follow. Tis no wonder you were so easily seduced by a handsome young face and a righteous cause. Now do you truly realize the futility of your struggle? I have conquered the dwarves and the elves and the human realm, and soon will destroy the last two ancient relics that bind Princes Xanthes to his subterranean prison. It is wise of you to realize that you've chosen the losing side."

"Is there any hope for me?" Sebine kept her voice soft and rueful, hoping to lure the King's sympathy. But much to her disappointment, she glanced briefly at him and found his face hard and his eyes indifferent.

"Stay and die with your allies, or come home to your whore of a mother, it matters not to me. Though if you truly do desire to return, I must demand a proof of your loyalty. Bring me both the relics and kill all who stand in your way. Complete this task and I will consider your request to rejoin our family. I will stay my army's wrath for one hour until you complete this task."

Once Sebine had bowed again to the King, she turned and spied Princess Marei and followed her across the torchlit courtyard and into the golden building of the royal family. Sebine was used to sumptuous living and regal surroundings, but upon entering the palace of the Malathian royal family, she realized the meaning of true wealth.

The walls were covered in gold etchings done in floral patterns, and even the silk chairs seemed threaded with gold. The chandeliers were also made of gold, as were the candlesticks and bowls that held delicious-looking fruit. There was so much gold scattered through the room that Sebine wondered if they swam in pools filled with gold flakes. After hearing King Braxion complaining about emptying his treasury of gold to pay the Hakkadians, and swearing at the trading houses of Cranth for their exorbitant prices on goods, she realized that the true wealth of the world lay here in Shaar'el.

"Where does all the gold come from?" Sebine gave Princess Marei an envious glance.

"Legend has it that our ancestors mined the gold far in the northern mountains. We've always had massive stores of wealth, and without war or undue strain on our civilization, we have always maintained our vast stores of gold. It comes in very useful for times of famine or in period of disruption in the world outside. You may not believe it, but we've lent substantial sums of money to many of the noble houses of your kingdom."

"Tis a shame the King does not honor your kingdom more." Sebine glanced at a golden statue of a voluptuous goddess with wings outstretched in flight. "Were you hoping to offer King Braxion favorable trading terms in exchange for peace between our two kingdoms?"

Princess Marei nodded and gave Sebine a shrewd look. "You are wise indeed, Princess Sebine. It is too bad the King was too blinded in his rage that he did not sense our overtures. Not that it would have mattered, as it seems he was only interested in our golden relic, the Gilded Serpent, the god of death. It is said that when the Gilded Serpent is destroyed, the whole world will fall into darkness and death. Seeing King Braxion and his army of foul abominations, I believe it is true."

"And yet you trust me with your relic?" Sebine eyed the girl, and wondered if she should include the Princess in her plan.

"I believe you will do the right thing. And it seems now the difficult part is deciding what the right thing is. Do we sacrifice our city and our people to save the world? Or do we save our people and buy some time for us to defeat the Princes Xanthes? It is a difficult choice."

Sebine realized the care and feeling in the girl's words, and respected her concern for her people. "Just be prepared for anything when we return to King Braxion. If something happens, cast your shield of protection around your family. Master Vhelan and myself will be fine. The important thing is for you to be ready."

Princess Marei's eyes widened in concern, but she only bowed her head and did not pursue the questions that were most certainly playing in her mind. Past a squad of soldiers and several enchanted doors that opened at the girl's touch, Princess Marei led Sebine deeper into the heart of what appeared like the treasure room of the royal family. Compared to the vast stores of gold and gems and ancient artifacts on display here in the gilded chamber, the treasure stores of Trikar were pitiful. If the dragons were to discover all this gold, they would never leave Shaar'el.

Finally they reached a vault at the end of the massive treasure room, and Princess Marei leaned in to inspect the lock's shiny steel mechanism. Sebine had never seen such a magnificent metal, and the design reminded her of the smoky patterns on Tael's blade. But this metal shone with a light of its own and shimmered at Princess Marei's touch.

The princess mumbled an incantation and soon several scintillating rune characters came to life along the surface of the vault. After several clicks inside, the vault swung open and revealed the ominous golden face of the god of death. Princess Marei retrieved the relic and with trembling hands gave it to Sebine.

"The Gilded Serpent," said Princess Marei. "I entrust it to your care."

"When I give the relic to King Braxion," Sebine said, "that will be your signal to prepare for battle. Will you help me? I'm most worried about the Hakkadian sorcerers in the King's employ. Are you strong enough now to hold a magical shield and fight like you did against the draenyx?"

Princess Marei hesitated in her response, so Sebine reached out and held her hands. "Draw in power from me...I wield the ancient Ring of Galdora from the elves. Breath in the strength and you will be renewed."

The girl's eyes lit up with fear and exhilaration as she squeezed Sebine's hands. "Such a massive power! Is the ring the reason why you could slay so many of the beasts?"

"I cast simple spells as I only know a few, but the ring amplifies each casting with tremendous power. Wielding the ring also protects me from injury and attack, as the ring has shielded me many times from danger."

"You're not thinking of attacking the whole lot of them, are you?" Princess Marei gaped at Sebine, her eyes filled with dismay.
 

"No, of course not, I am quite weak right now. That's why I want you to summon all the wizards you can from Shaar'el and join us. The King foolishly gave us an hour to return with the relic, I'd say that's more than enough time to summon an army and for us to replenish some of our strength?"

"Are you crazy? You've fought the draenyx, there's no way we can defeat them! I only managed to kill a few, and even with your powerful ring you only slew perhaps twenty beasts. How do you expect us to win?"

"Like this," Sebine said, and gave the girl a mischievous grin. After she told the Princess her plan, Marei nodded as if it might actually work. Though in her mind she worried whether something might go wrong...

Sebine waited for a long while in the treasure room while Princess Marei went to summon servants to send word to all the powerful wizards in the various magical orders across the city. Unable to keep her eyes off the various artifacts mounted on pedestals across the room, Sebine spied one dagger that seemed to give off a huge amount of magical power. She sauntered over to the blade and bent down to inspect the runes etched along the silver surface of the steel. It was elven made, ancient with a golden hilt encrusted with a single sapphire. Just how old was the dagger? It was nestled off in a forgotten corner of the treasure room, but from Sebine's appraisal, it was the most precious artifact in the room.

When Princess Marei returned with around twenty serious-faced wizards and witches cloaked in white robes and wearing gold chains with various medallions, Sebine turned from the dagger to greet them.
 

"Have you found something that draws your interest?" Princess Marei said, and came with delicate strides over to where Sebine had inspected the relic. "Ah, this is a lovely elven dagger, Dragon's Kiss. I believe it is over ten thousand years old. As a girl I would wander through our treasure rooms and annoy our sages with far too many questions for one so young. If I remember correctly, we inherited the dagger from our ancestors, the ancient Saarians who first built Shaar'el."

With sudden inspired eyes, Princess Marei took the dagger and handed it to Sebine. "A gift, a token of our appreciation for helping our people. But beware, legend has it the dagger possesses a strange magic from the Saarian gods. Be careful when using the dagger with violent intentions, depending on the wielder, you can experience unexpected outcomes."

Sebine bowed and accepted the gift with wariness in her mind, but when she touched the dagger she only felt a clear, cool surge of energy pulse through her heart, as if the dagger was speaking to her. "Are you sure? This is far too fabulous a treasure to just give away. For some reason I feel the dagger needs me, or perhaps I need the dagger...at least for a time. How about I promise to return the dagger once that feeling of need goes away?"

"But...how is this possible that you know that?" Princess Marei stared in wonderment at Sebine. "I never mentioned the full legend of the dagger, but it has always been matched with heroes in need of its power. And you felt it? It is truly amazing how the gods move in strange and wonderful ways."

As Sebine followed the Princess out of the treasure room, she safely stowed the dagger inside her leather purse. She inspected the Gilded Serpent and noticed the onyx eyes glowed with an eerie green light. Once King Braxion held the relic, she was sure he would destroy it. Was she really certain about allowing the destruction of the very relics that kept the world safe from the plague of darkness locked up deep in the bowels of Naverstrom?

"We have commanded our allies to only strike once you hand the Gilded Serpent to King Braxion. Will this work?" Princess Marei studied Sebine, her eyes fierce and determined.

"Timing is critical. Wait until King Braxion holds the relic, and focus your attacks on the Hakkadians—but remember, Master Vhelan is on our side. I will handle King Braxion. He is likely invulnerable to your attacks until I can destroy the amulet that he wears around his neck."

"He is protected by a magical amulet?" Princess Marei stopped and thought about the words for a moment. "You must use Dragon's Kiss to destroy the King's amulet. It is likely imbued with very powerful magic and I doubt that anything other than an elven or dwarven-made magical weapon will destroy it."

Sebine nodded and reached in her purse to feel for the dagger. When she thought about stabbing the King's amulet, a coldness surged in her heart and made her body grow rigid. She let go of the dagger, worried at what causing violence against the amulet might do to her.

They reached the vast gold lounging room that led outside to the patio. Before they came in view of the windows, Princess Marei turned to face the wizards. "Wait here and summon our allies to prepare to strike once I give the signal." Sebine glanced at the bald-headed wizards bowing as they passed, and she hoped the Malathian magic would provide a suitable opposition to the Hakkadian sorcerers.
 

"It took long enough for you to return," shouted King Braxion, and Sebine inclined her head in submission at his impatient scowl. "I thought I might have to send my hunting dogs after you."

"My apologies, Your Majesty, it seems the Malathians have secured the Gilded Serpent far more diligently than we expected. At last, I possess the relic in my hands and willingly offer it to you."

The King sniffed the air as if sensing the truth in the relic. "I recognize the relic from the drawings, and it has the smell of the ancient hand upon it, the same smell as the other relics." He looked over at Master Vhelan. "And so? Hand over the elven relic and I vow to leave Shaar'el unscathed."