Realm Of Blood And Fire (Book 3) (12 page)

While Pandellen slid Sinjenasta’s body into the water, Blayke looked on thoughtfully, glad Bronwyn was not awake to see—she would be devastated. Would the panther come back healed? And wasn’t the Sacred Realm where he and Bronwyn had met Devorum? He couldn’t believe they had been to heaven, well,
dragon
heaven at the very least. His expectation, despite the otherworldliness of this cavern, was that Sinjenasta would sink to the bottom of the lake, never to be seen again.

“We can’t do it.” Blayke
moved to stand next to Pandellen.

“It’s too late.” The dragon looked at Blayke and shook his head.

“Sinjenasta was going to die. But my sister may not. Can’t you just try and heal her?”

Arcon moved to Blayke and grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes. “It’s too late, Blayke. Nothing can be done for Bronwyn. This is the only thing left.”

“But—but, you don’t understand. We were there—we went to the Sacred Realm, and it’s just another realm. It’s not heaven. There are no gods there. Don’t you see? Sinjenasta is going to sink to the bottom of this lake and that’s it. He’s not coming back. I can’t let you do that to my sister. Regardless of whether we need her to save Talia,
I
need her. She’s my sister, and lately I haven’t been the best brother. I want to make it up to her. Please, please try and heal her.” Blayke’s vision blurred as he tried to blink tears away.

Arcon pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry, son. I’ll have a quick look at her, and if I think she can be healed by anything in this realm, we won’t go ahead with this, okay?”

Blayke nodded and sniffed. Arcon patted his back before going to the basket. He climbed in and sat next to her, placing one hand on her forehead, one on her heart. He flinched at the heat radiating from her. Focusing, he drew Second-Realm power and used it to transport his awareness into her body and look around.

Her organs, arteries and veins were glowing red and blistering in some places—it appeared how he expected it might if one drew too much Second-Realm energy, just before they spontaneously combusted. He noticed the conduits in her mind that she
drew power through were blocked, the hot river of red backed up behind it. What if he were to unblock it? Would that heal her? But what was that pent-up heat, and where would it go? Could it cause an explosion? So many questions: to try or not?  To send her over the edge, into Drakon’s territory, and trust the god who had proven he could not be trusted?

He turned to Pandellen. “Please take Blayke, Fang and Phantom and get out of here. I’m going to try something, but there is a lot that can go wrong, and I have no idea how it might manifest.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” the dragon asked. “Giving her to Drakon would be safer.”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Blayke’s voice trembled, like the barrier of a dam before bursting. “Can I say good-bye—just in case?”

“Of course, lad.”

Blayke stepped over the edge of the basket and lay next to his sister. He draped one arm around her and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry if I ever let you down, Bronny. You’re the best sister anyone could ever have, and I love you. If it’s up to you, please come back. Please. I don’t want to have to tell Mom and Dad that you’re not here when we finally get to meet them.” The smile he tried to force couldn’t push through the stream of tears. “Come back to us, Bronny,” he whispered before letting her go and rising to embrace Arcon. “Good luck. May the gods guide your hand.”

“Thank you. Now go. I’ll be up soon.”
If I don’t kill us all first
, he thought.

When he could no longer hear their footfalls, Arcon again knelt next to Bronwyn. He placed both palms on her head and closed his eyes. His corridor to the Second Realm came into view, but before he rushed in, he pondered how to remove the blockage. And after the blockage was removed, would that fix all the damage that had already occurred? Did he risk himself if he touched the diseased gormon energy?

“Blast.” He opened his eyes and tried to calm himself by staring at the hues that pulsed over the water like the last blush of sunset. Breathing deep, he closed his eyes and dove into the tunnel. Knowing the Second Realm was no longer safe, he drew all he could hold and cut off most of the flow, returning safely to his body. But where to send the gormon poison once he had unblocked Bronwyn’s channels? Could he fashion a container of power, but then where would he put it when he was done? The more answers he thought he had, the more questions piled on top of them.

Bronwyn groaned. Arcon looked down at her and noticed that her skin had a red flush that was not caused by the cavern’s otherworldly illumination. If he didn’t do something soon, she would
die. Opening his inner sight to Bronwyn’s body, he looked over her once more and noticed something—her ethereal link with Sinjenasta, the cord of energy, was still there. Was the panther still alive?

“Trust me.”

Startled, Arcon looked around the grotto. Seeing nothing, he bowed his head before looking up. “But you make it so hard.”

“Bro
nwyn is on the brink of death, and it is because of Sinjenasta’s pettiness.”

“What? It’s because he was saving Bronwyn from the gormons.”

“He has been trying to escape my servitude for years—he’d rather doom everyone to annihilation than help me.”

“That doesn’t sound like Sinjenasta, but if it is as you say, I would imagine he had a very good reason.” Arcon swore he heard the dragon god sigh.

“I’m disappointed to say that you’re right. That is why you have to give Bronwyn to me now, or she will die. It is time I kept my promise to Sinjenasta.”

“So why didn’t you help him before?”

“I have an agreement with the other gods. None of us can just resurrect someone and reinstate them to Talia—it could quickly get out of hand with people begging this god or that to return a loved one. It’s just not right, and there are enough of you down there as it is. Now, place her in the water before there is nothing more I can do.”

Arcon lifted Bronwyn’s limp body and carefully stepped over the edge of the basket. He hesitated while deciding feet or head first. Deciding on feet first, he leaned her on the edge of the lake and gently pushed her in. Nausea constricted his throat as he watched her slide under, her hair momentarily floating on the
surface before she disappeared.

“
Please don’t let me return without her
,”
he whispered into the silence.

CHAPTER 11

B
y the time Zamahl came into view, the sun had risen high enough to blind Arie.
How can you see, Warrimonious?

We have an extra eyelid under our outer eyelid that we can close. It blocks out most of the glare—kind of like a dirty window. We don’t see as clearly as normal, but it’s almost the same, just darker.

The young boy was impressed.
Gee, I didn’t know that.

What can you see, Warrimonious?
asked Astra.

We’re still fifteen minutes or so from making land. It looks like a narrow strip of sand then thick
bushland. To the south, along the coast, there are mountains, some high enough to have snow. And to the north I spy less trees, maybe a city?

The mountains are the Peaks of Inspiration—that’s a translation of course—and the city this close to the coast would be Tranquility.

What? Don’t joke.
Arie laughed

I’m not joking. Our whole ethos is supposed to be based around peace and happiness, but somewhere along the way
, things changed, even without external intervention. The old names and some of the old customs remain. They don’t speak Veresian, by the way. Do any of you know how to speak Zamahlan?

Zim answered
, I know some. I tried to learn before I came here last time.”

I’m afraid to say that I can’t,
admitted Agmunsten.

Neither can I.

Astra smiled.
Make sure everyone is with either Zim or I. Agmunsten and Arie, don’t get caught anywhere by yourselves. If you can’t explain who you are, they could lock you in a dungeon and execute you before we ever found where you were. They take trespass very seriously.

Agmunsten turned his head to the side to look at Astra.
They don’t sound too peaceful.

Astra shrugged.
As I said, the old ways have almost died out.

Where do you want to land, Astra?

Well, since we’re trying to impress them, Zim, nothing says “I’m not afraid” as much as landing on one of their main government buildings. Do you want to take our chances and go straight to Tranquility?

Warrimonious spoke.
We have the element of surprise, so hopefully we won’t get shot out of the sky by overzealous archers, and we are in a hurry. I think your idea is good, Astra.

On the roof of the councilmen’s building it is then. It sits on two city blocks and is two stories high with a flat roof garden. Since this is a power play, Zim, Agmunsten
, and I will go downstairs and shake things up. If everything goes to the Third Realm, we’ll mind-message you, and Warrimonious can take Arie away. That way, we can plan for a breakout if we need one.

Arie gasped.
But we can’t leave without you!

Arie, if things go wrong, better to save at least you two—then we still have a chance at escape.

Enough of that talk!
said Agmunsten.
Let’s just concentrate on what we have to do. The rest is out of our control for the moment.

All that discussion is distracting. Warrimonious and I need to concentrate.
Zim started to bank right, toward Tranquility. He saw a spout of water far below as Kaphos, the welpid, said good-bye. An updraft of warm air pushed against his belly when the water beneath them transformed into land. Villages lay on the city’s outskirts; each collection of families congregated at their village hall where they worked for the day.

Zim hadn’t
dared to come this close to the city last time and was surprised to see a giant statue at the eastern end of Tranquility.
Is that a giant dragon?
he asked.

Yes
.

Why a dragon?

It was here before we were. My forefathers decided to build the city there because they thought the dragon would guard and protect them. There is another statue I will show you later if we, well, you know, survive this.

The dragons slowed, flying lower—low enough that people in the neatly laid out streets began to look up and point. Arie smiled to see the swathes of purple, pink, yellow, red and blue that were splashed against the sides of the
four–and-five-level buildings. They were flying slow enough that he could yell and be heard. “Are they the flowers you were talking about?”

“Yes.” Moisture spilled over her lower lashes, and she tried to fool herself into believing it was from the sun or wind. She had been gone so long; worry that everything would have changed beyond recognition had plagued her for the entire journey. Even worse was that it hadn’t changed. Years of childhood memories filled her thoughts, overflowing like the flowers in the pots below.

Not able to yell through her tears, she used her mind-voice.
Over there, to the left. The low-set building with the grass and trees on top.

“Wow!” Arie called out. “It’s like a park. Isn’t all that dirt and stuff heavy? How come the roof doesn’t cave in?”

“I’m not sure,” she said into his ear.

Hold on,
Warrimonious warned before they alighted with a thump onto the rooftop grass. The realmists climbed down.

Agmunsten took his jacket off and shoved it into his pack. “It’s certainly warm here.”

“Our winter is almost as warm as your summer.” Astra laughed. She walked to the waist-high wall that defined the edge of the roof and looked over. Her heart raced as she took in as much as she could, including the enticing aromas of many breakfasts cooking. A mother and her child stared at them from a balcony directly opposite, their neighbors to the left staring open-mouthed. The city-dwellers wore bright-colored, loose clothing, and most had the same dark, curly hair as Astra. Many men and women hurried along the street—the day had well and truly begun.

The realmist waved at the
gawking woman and child then turned to her companions. “Well, we certainly managed to make an entrance. I guess it’s time to shake things up around here.”

Agmunsten looked at Arie. “Find a tree, go to the
bathroom, then sit near Warrimonious. You have to be ready to fly at a moment’s notice.”

“Again with the reminding me to go to the
bathroom!” The boy threw his hands in the air.

Astra hugged him. “Stay safe. With a bit of luck, we’ll be calling you down shortly to meet our new allies.”

“I hope so.” He returned the hug.

As Zim, Agmunsten and Astra found the door to the lower levels, Arie waved. “Good luck!”

“Thanks,” Astra replied as she grabbed the handle. The door was unlocked and opened easily.

Zim considered the
doorway. “I’m not going to fit through there. Why don’t I fly you to the ground, and I can flame the main doors open? That would be more impressive, as far as making an entrance is concerned; don't you think?”

Agmunsten rubbed his ear. “I think you’re right. Okay. Astra, after you.” She climbed onto Zim followed by the older realmist.

“This is going to be fun.” Agmunsten rubbed his hands together before holding onto Astra’s waist.

Zim walked to the ledge and stretched his wings out. His shadow darkened the road below. Pedestrians looked up. When they saw the hulking black dragon poised menacingly on the precipice of the rooftop, they ran for cover. In moments, the street
emptied. Zim pushed off with his thick legs, and within seconds they had glided to the ground.

The tall, black double doors to the building had large gilded knockers. Rather than use them, Zim took a deep breath. Exhaling, a gush of flames poured from his mouth. The doors ignited and quickly burnt to ash. Astra nodded. “Nice work, Zim. Sure beats waiting for someone to answer.” The dragon grinned, his teeth gleaming in the morning sun and causing a woman on the inside of the building to scream.

Zim ducked as they stepped through the still-warm opening, and Astra coughed on the smoke. Two short, stocky men with swords confronted them while the screaming woman ran behind a large reception desk and hid. A door at the back of the vast foyer opened and one golden-robed man strode through, his dark, curly hair contained with a triangular black cap. Two taller green-robed men followed. The man with the golden-colored garments called out something that Agmunsten couldn’t understand.

“
Amkal ophenstra apoukt,”
Astra replied. She glared at the men with swords and raised her hands. They half-heartedly lifted their swords but stepped back at the same time. Zim could smell their fear.

Astra mumbled a few words and gestured. The swords fell from the guards’ hands and clattered to the ground. They looked at each other and ran the other way, pushing past the robed men and through the other door.
Nice work, Astra. Stone Swords manifestation, I presume? Heaviest swords around.
He chuckled.

Why
, yes, Agmunsten. Good guess.
Astra put her hands up, palms facing the advancing councilmen. She said something else, which she translated for Agmunsten and Zim. “I’ve told them to stop or I’d call down lightning.”

“Tell them we just want to talk, but we won’t hesitate to start killing people if they won’t listen.”

Astra nodded before speaking to her countrymen. The three men conferred before the black-hatted one answered. Agmunsten folded his arms and tapped his foot on the floor. The man finally stopped talking, and Astra turned to her companions. “Well, do you want the bad news or the other bad news?”

“Give it to us straight,” said Zim.

“High Chancellor Calinsar, the one who hates the eastern countries, is in power. Secondly, it’s been ordered that any dragons seen are to be killed on sight.”

“What? Why?” Agmunsten turned his head to look back into the street, to make sure
reinforcements weren’t coming.

“Hang on. I’ll ask.”

Their leader spoke for a while, gesticulating to emphasize certain points. Just as he finished, more robed men entered through the far door.

Astra furrowed her brow.
“Alphenston, mangut ashestan. Melphin abustring alt ephinston. Lenst imish ephis.”

The leader looked past Astra and grinned.

“It’s time to run,” said Agmunsten, gripping Astra’s sleeve.

“I think we’re too late for that.” Zim looked at the score of soldiers
blocking the opening. “It’s time for more dragon breath.”

Astra put a hand on his arm. “Do we have to kill them?”

“Have you got a better way that won’t drain all your energy? You can’t draw Second-Realm power all day.”

“Better I draw it now than save it for later when it’s too late.” Astra lifted her hands and swept her arms in an arc.

One of the soldiers shouted,
“Craackt!”

There was no need for translation as the metal-armored soldiers ran
toward the realmists, weapons poised to strike. The first of them reached Zim, his sword aimed for the dragon’s belly. He stabbed it toward the dragon before stopping abruptly, his arm jarred. Another of the soldiers swung a backhanded slice at Agmunsten’s neck. He yelped and grabbed his wrist when the sword met the shield Astra had constructed. The barrier deflected blow after blow, although Astra winced.

“I don’t know how much longer I can hold this.” She gritted her teeth, and sweat dampened her brow.

“Astra,” Arcon said as he touched her arm, “the only way out is that way.” He pointed to the door. “A few of them are behind us, but we’re going to have to kill a few to get out. We need to regroup. And I won’t let them kill Zim.”

“I won’t let them kill me either. Sorry, Astra, but I’m past playing nice.”

“Okay. I’ll drop the shield at the front. Clear the way and we’ll run. On three.”

“Wait! You and Agmunsten get on my back first. We’ll take off and head for a high point just outside the city.” They climbed onto Zim
, and he counted. “One . . . two . . . three!”

Zim opened his mouth and sprayed fire from left to right. The six soldiers who stood in front of them had little time to react, each one lighting up like a macabre bonfire. Two of them had the sense to drop and roll on the floor, but once
it had started, dragon fire was difficult to stop. Stepping around the bodies, Zim rushed into the street, ran and spread his wings. Creating lift with Second-Realm energy, he took off and spoke to Warrimonious at the same time.
We’ve had a few problems and are taking off. Follow me to the west. We’re going to find somewhere just outside the city where we can discuss our options and keep an eye on things.

Okay. I can see you now.

Astra guided them to a set of wooded hills a few miles outside the city. They landed on a cleared flat where a disused lookout tower stood on an angle, one of its four legs cracked midway from ground to platform. From their vantage point, they could see in all directions for many miles—to the east lay the dark blue ocean; to the west, a small city called Inish created a dark smudge in the greenery; to the south, trees and mountains predominated, and to the north, more snow-capped mountains created an almost impenetrable wall dividing the north of Zamahl from the south.