A Dragon Born (38 page)

"Father, please wait."

"This body no longer draws breath, Borrican."

"I am sorry, father. I wish we had more time."

"I know, my son. I am sorry for so many things. I love you, son."

"I love you too, father."

"Borrican."

"Yes father."

"Give my thanks to your lady friend. I hope she lives a very long life. Goodbye, my son."

Cerric stood over the dying beast and watched its last breath slowly seeped from it in a dull puff of smoke. The Akandar might have lost its strength in battle, but the old king was no less determined as the dragons of old. Stubborn creatures, Cerric thought. That much had not changed. He surveyed the battlefield and saw the damage the creature had wrought. Many of his soldiers had been burned, which was something of a nuisance, but many thousands remained and they were already putting out the fires and reforming their ranks, preparing to march upon the city.

He noticed that the Darga had fled and caught sight of a few, slinking off into the darkness. It appeared the lizard warriors were not so brave, after all. Cerric considered rounding them up and having them put to death, but it would waste more soldiers and he could not be bothered. Not particularly imaginative creatures, having lost their leader, they would likely return to their swamps where they would continue killing each other in their own petty battles. Let them go, Cerric thought. He could always round them up later, which might make for amusing sport. Cerric walked over to Calexis and smiled at the pale expression on her face then, together, they walked through the flaming battlefield and the legions of soldiers, toward the city.

*****

"Ariana," Borrican said hoarsely, his voice a whisper in the dark.

"Yes, Borrican?"

"My father said to thank you and he wishes you a long life."

"I know," Ariana said. "I could hear him. I am so sorry, Borrican."

"The city will fall. It cannot stand against such a power. We must save the people."

"But how? There are so many of them and Kandara is surrounded by Cerric's army."

"This cavern opens up to a path that leads in the mountains. A short way along, it forks into two trails and one of them leads to the western range. You must lead the people to Elvanar and ask Queen Laurana to grant them sanctuary."

"What are you going to do?"

"I must stop Cerric, so the people can be saved."

"You heard your father, Cerric is too powerful to fight."

"He is powerful, but I do not have to win against him. I only need to slow him down. Now go, and gather the soldiers and the Elves. Lead my people to safety."

"How will you fight him, Borrican?"

"I will fight as Akandar."

Borrican pushed himself to his feet and began to walk away through the darkness toward the far side of the cavern, and, with every step he took, his footsteps became heavier and more powerful. Ariana grasped her power, using it to see through the darkness and she watched as Borrican begin to change into what he truly was, a dragon of Kandara. His wings spread out in the darkness of the cavern, catching the wind that blew in from further ahead and she saw him take a few steps forward, testing his balance and, with a powerful beat he leapt into the air and began to fly. Even with her power to aid her sight, Ariana only saw the dark silhouette of the dragon as Borrican passed through the opening at the end of the cavern and rose into the sky, screeching loudly, the call of a young dragon.

Ariana ran up the steps back to the palace and she found Keira waiting for her at the entrance to the passageway.

"Keira, we have to get the people out of the city, to safety," Ariana said. "Cerric has killed the king."

"There is another problem," Keira told her. "Fighting has broken out inside the city, at the gates."

"What's this?"

"One of the Guard brought the news to me here," Keira said, indicating that she had waited in the throne room while Ariana and Borrican were in the cavern. "Elric sent Nathas and the Maramyrian soldiers, along with many of our people, to fight Cerric's soldiers just after the dragon attacked. He claimed he would follow with the soldiers of Kandara, but then he did not follow through. Other than a handful of the Queen's Guard who have been helping to protect the people at the city gardens, most of our people are now outside the walls and Elric has cut them off. The gates are closed and Cerric's army now marches on the city."

"Why would Elric do such a thing?"

"I do not know. There is much about the Kandaran royals that does not make sense to me."

"They are difficult to understand," Ariana agreed, though she now understood so much more about the Akandar than most. "What about Nathas and the rest of the soldiers?"

"They fought for a time but have since fled the field," Keira said. "Even though the dragon caused much damage, Cerric's army badly outnumbers the defenders, especially now that Elric has split our forces."

"Nothing changes," Ariana said as they exited the throne room. "Eric's dying wish was that the people of Kandara be saved. They are innocent of all this. Do you think Laurana would give them sanctuary?"

"I cannot speak for the Queen," Keira said. "You sit one of the thrones in the Elven Court, so you have at least one vote."

They ran from the palace and informed the guards at the palace gate that they should expect the people of the city to arrive shortly. They were reluctant to agree without orders from a member of the royal family, but Ariana told them it would be on their heads if Cerric took the city and the people were captured and they finally relented. Keira had gone on ahead to the gardens and when Ariana arrived, she found the Elves and soldiers arguing with one another.

"What is going on here?" Ariana exclaimed.

"The soldiers won't let the people leave the gardens," Keira said.

"What is the problem?" Ariana asked one of the Kandarans.

"Orders, milady," said one of the soldiers. "We are to keep the people where they are."

"Whose orders?" Ariana asked.

"King Elric," the man told her. "He just sent a messenger. We are to make sure all of the people remain in their homes or here at the gardens where they will be safe."

It was strange that Elric would give such a specific order, especially right now, but considering what Keira had told her, something that she would otherwise have thought to be unthinkable dawned upon her. If Elric had somehow heard his father's thoughts the way Ariana had been able to hear them when he spoke with Borrican, he would know that Eric had told his son to flee the city and take the people to safety. Ariana realized that the way Elric had closed the gates on the city's defenders only made sense if he was planning to betray them. The fact that he did not want anyone to leave, made it even more obvious, for what would be the point of surrendering an empty city? Ariana had to figure something out, and quickly. If she were right, Elric would open the gates to the enemy before long, once the last of the defenders were cleared away. She decided to take a gamble, and hope that she was correct in her assumptions.

"Did Elric's messenger tell you that he is planning to surrender to the enemy?" Ariana made sure she spoke loudly enough for the people to hear her.

"What's this?" the soldier asked.

"King Eric's dying wish was that that people of Kandara leave the city. You all saw the king, the powerful creature who has protected this kingdom. For how long, how many generations have the Akandar stood guard over the people of this land? Not once have the people ever feared their lords. King Eric fought Cerric, who has become powerful and has the mage priests with him and he was killed, like Duke Boric. The king's last command was that the people of Kandara flee the city, for Cerric will come and the walls will fall, or the gates will be opened to him if Elric chooses to surrender.

"No doubt Cerric will offer terms, but he will not keep them. You saw what he did to his own soldiers. They are dead, victims of Cerric's death magic, and so shall you be. Cerric speaks only lies and, if young Elric is willing to believe what Cerric offers him, then no matter how good his intentions might be, he is a fool to trust him. There is a passage through the palace that leads to a way out of the city. Would you rather escape to the countryside or would you rather be trapped here?"

"Milady," one of the people called out to her. "Is it true? Is Elric thinking of surrender to the King of Maramyr?"

"Cerric is not the King of Maramyr. He wears a stolen crown, a crown for which he tried to have me killed. As for Elric, I do not know what he is thinking," Ariana said. "But I do know that King Eric fought and died to protect you and, at the very least, you will be safer in the palace and there is a way out of the city. If you stay here, you will be trapped."

"We cannot allow the people into the palace, milady," the soldier said. "Only nobles are allowed in the palace. King Elric said to keep the people safe and we must remain here."

"And what happens if here is not safe anymore?" Ariana asked, then she turned to the people who were gathered at the entrance to the gardens. "Would you rather go to the palace or wait here for the city to fall?"

Ariana thought it was pretty clear from their reactions that the people wanted to leave. She nodded to the Elves and walked up to the thicket of tree branches and vines that surrounded the gardens and used her power, willing them away, back to the way they once were. The Elves used their power as well and, within a few moments, the gardens had returned to their original state and the people were free.

"What are you doing?" said one of the soldiers.

"If you care about your people, you will knock on every door in the city as fast as you can, and help get them to safety. Kandara will fall, and you do not want to be here when Cerric walks through the city gates," Ariana told him then she turned to the people who were now clear of the branches. "Follow me to the palace!"

Ariana turned and began to walk toward the palace. After a few paces, she turned and saw the Kandaran people waiting, hesitating in front of the handful of soldiers who stood, blocking their way. Ariana was amazed at how timid the people seemed and she realized that they were mostly farmers and artisans, unaccustomed to war. Kandara had been peaceful for such a long time, protected by the power of the king that the people would have little experience with how treacherous war could be, especially to those who did not carry swords and know how to use them. In all likelihood, they were petrified.

"Have you ever been to the palace?" Ariana shouted. "Well, don't just stand there. Come on!"

The Kandaran soldiers were not sure what to do, but when the hundreds of people they had been ordered to protect began to move, they stepped aside and fell in line around them, following the princess and the elves, who had kept them safe from the attacks.

"What about the others?" Keira asked, reminding Ariana about the many people who still sheltered inside the various buildings and homes of the city.

"If the soldiers won't do it, then it falls to us," Ariana said.

"It is best if you lead the people," Keira told her. "They will follow you. We will do what we can to collect the other people of the city."

"All right," Ariana said. "Just be ready to run for the palace at the first sign of trouble. If Elric surrenders, then that one gate will be the only thing left to slow them down."

Ariana looked ahead at the palace gate, which, though formidable, was not even half as high as the city walls, nor as thick. She knew that Cerric's army would overcome such an obstacle with ease. They would have to hurry if they were to escape before her uncle discovered where they had gone. Keira and the elves ran off in various directions, heading for the residential areas in the city and places where groups of people were sheltering from the war.

Borrican flew out over the city, reveling in the immense strength and power of his dragon form. He could see so much further and with great detail, and his sight allowed him to see things he had never known existed. The world looked different now. It was more vibrant and alive, with energy everywhere in everything and there were colors that existed that he could not even describe and he was not even sure if he could call such things colors. Flying was easier than he imagined when he had leapt into the air in the cave. It came naturally to him and he soared around the towers of the palace, a darker smudge against the dull, black, night sky.

Ahead, he saw the city gates and picked out his brother, Elric, atop them, looking out over the advancing army. Borrican saw the Maramyrian soldiers and many of the Elven Guard fighting against the enemy soldiers at a position far to the west of the gates, and he wondered why they had moved so far, leaving the gate largely undefended. As he flew, high above the city, Borrican realized that there were no Kandaran soldiers among those fighting and he circled around and took another look at the open square inside the gates and he saw the soldiers simply standing there, doing nothing.

A moment later, he saw Elric wave his arm and the gates began to open. He banked his wings in a silent circle in the sky, high above, and watched Elric make his way down from the wall to the gates where he saw the unthinkable happen. A man and a woman, who Borrican knew could only be Cerric and his queen, Calexis of Xalla, walked through the city gate together, surrounded on all sides by their own soldiers. As they walked up to Elric, he kneeled before them. Distracted by furious rage, Borrican nearly fell from the sky as a gust of wind sheared sideways but he quickly recovered and fought to get his angered thoughts back under control.

He wanted to kill his brother for what he had done. Almost as the thought crossed his mind, he remembered how his father would sometimes speak to him, and Elric, saying such harsh things, and Borrican realized that the mind of dragon was volatile and the intensity of feelings made him feel like he was going crazy. It was what he felt like when he first heard his father's thoughts, as though he were allowing himself to go out of control. It was what he always feared, the madness and the rage of the dragon taking him over. He knew he did not actually want to kill his own brother, he just felt like killing him. These were the dragon thoughts, primal and visceral and he struggled to control the fire that burned within him, but the urge to do battle was overwhelming.

Borrican could not believe that Elric would willingly betray their father, and the people of Kandara to a man who had just killed the only two other members of their family and laid waste to the land he was sworn to protect, as its king. It made no sense, and part of him wanted to fly down there and demand an explanation while his dragon mind wanted to smash and burn his brother and the usurper king, Cerric. Borrican circled around and looked over city to see if any of the people were moving toward the palace.

He saw that the gardens were empty and caught sight of Ariana leading a large group into the palace. In the streets, he saw a few people walking in the direction of the palace as well, and he spotted the Elves of the Queen's Guard, moving through the empty streets, banging on doors, trying to rouse the people, but to little avail. Borrican wondered what they were doing, why they were not answering and his eyesight changed somehow, and now he could see through the walls and roofs of the dwellings. He could see the warm bodies of the people, hiding in their homes, huddled together and staying away from their doors when the Elves came to knock. It infuriated him that they would not even answer, that they were so afraid they would not even hear the voices telling them to find safety at the palace.

Borrican heard other voices and found that he could pick out who he wanted to listen to just by focusing on the sound of their voice. Two guards were arguing at the end of a street where an elf had just been. Several people emerged from small house and asked about what they had heard, if they should go to the palace, and the one guard told them to stay in their home, on order of the king. Other than those who were already at the palace, so few were following and it angered him further that his brother would keep the people in the city and then he realized that Elric knew what their father had said.

Now that Borrican understood the nature of his father, in the brief time they had shared, he realized that the dragon thoughts were violent and harsh on the outside, but inside, there was a place of calm, once the thoughts were understood, however the thoughts were the same, and even if Elric had not learned to speak with the mind of a dragon, he was Akandar and could certainly hear what was being said. Knowing that, and seeing soldiers rushing down to the gates to report to Elric that people were escaping the city, Borrican could barely control the dragon rage. There were still people trying to get to the palace, a few at least, and he would not let them be taken. Knowing that something had to be done, and wanting badly to strike at those who had given rise to his anger, Borrican gave in to his anger and he dove from the sky, streaking through the night, toward the castle gates.

The ground shook with the heavy impact of clawed feet and black scales as Borrican landed harder than he intended. Elric turned and saw the creature. He stumbled away in fright, feeling the rage, the anger flowing from the dragon, its eyes flickering with firelight beneath its glossy black scales Elric could hear it screaming at him with his brother's voice, berating him, just like his father had done. He did not want to hear, he did not want the raging voice of madness in his head.

"Elric," Borrican said, his voice loud and harsh, echoing against the city walls. "You have broken the oath and betrayed Kandara."

"Leave me alone!" Elric yelled. "You are a creature, just like him, a hateful thing. I am the king, now begone!"

"You are no king," the dragon roared. "A crown does not a king make."

"Akandar," Cerric said, his voice calm and even. "Have you come to submit to the authority of your god?"

"Never," Borrican screamed.

"Very well then. I will kill you as I killed the other creature, your father," Cerric said, and he did not think it would be difficult. This second son of the Akandra line was barely more than half the size of his father, and though something about him seemed sharper and sleeker, Cerric doubted he was much of a threat.

Borrican knew he could not fight Cerric. He could just barely fly, but he had to delay him as long as he could. The longer it took for the soldiers to report to Elric and the god-king, the better the chance Ariana and the Elves would have of getting the people to safety.

"What purpose would killing me serve?" Borrican asked.

"What purpose?" Cerric paused. "My purpose. What other purpose is there?"

"You seek power. You seek the power of Akandar, the power of the dragon," Borrican said. "Why?"

"I seek many things," Cerric said. "I need not explain myself to a barely hatched dragon. Now, let us see if you are a true Akandar, or just a pale shadow, like your worthless father."

Borrican let loose an ear shattering dragon scream and Cerric bounded toward him, faster than he anticipated, and growing larger. Cerric grabbed the dragon by the neck and swung him against the city wall, smashing stone from the walkways and crushing several of the soldiers below before they could take cover. Borrican snapped wildly at the god-king, and Cerric struggled to dodge his long, razor sharp fangs, which were much deadlier than those of the old king. This dragon might be younger and not as large, Cerric realized, but he was faster and surprisingly strong. Borrican slashed at his arm with his teeth and tore a long gash along his forearm. Cerric let go of the creature, surprised for a moment at the pain in his arm then he balled his fist and smashed the dragon in the side of the head, sending him skidding across the square.

Borrican's head was reeling from the impact of Cerric's fist, which was like iron, and he saw looked up and saw the city gate before him and his brother, Elric, standing behind a group of soldiers just outside the gatehouse. Borrican turned and, as his vision cleared, he saw Cerric running toward him, laughing and getting ready to hit him again. Borrican knew he would be in real trouble if the god-king hit him again. He hoped that whatever people were going to escape Kandara, they would have at least made it to the palace by now.

Just as Cerric took another swing at him, Borrican spread his wings and leapt into the air. He beat his powerful wings in the cold night air but he fell back to the ground with a crash as Cerric caught hold of his tail and pulled him from the sky. The god-king stepped overtop of him, pinning him to the ground and began pounding his head with fists that were like giant boulders. Borrican struggled and squirmed in Cerric's powerful grip and he scratched at him with his claws, but the god-king would not let up. Borrican was reeling and could barely see, and he did not know how many more hits he could take. He thought of Ariana and the people, and he hoped they were safe, away from the city. If he had succeeded in slowing down the god-king and his terrible army enough for his friend and his people to get away, then perhaps he had done enough.

Cerric began to laugh cruelly as he leveled another hit to the dragon's head and then another. His head swimming, and both his sight and hearing distorted, it was a moment before Borrican heard Cerric's deep voice, laughing, mocking him. It angered him that the god-king took such pleasure in causing pain, in taking what he wanted and killing to get it, without even a moment of remorse. Borrican thought of his father and his uncle, and the soldiers who had died, bravely protecting the people, and he thought of his brother, who had given up so easily against the tyrant and even opened the door to him. How could he knowingly welcome such cruelty? How could he betray everything their family stood for?

Borrican felt another blow smash into him, and the pain that had become a distant thing as the numbness of his mind slipped, became clear once again as his thoughts ran together and his anger began to burn once again deep inside of him. With every strike of Cerric's fists, he felt the pain even more sharply now and it only added to his anger. He felt the fire, bubbling and burning deep in the belly of the dragon and rising up with his rage. He felt Cerric's powerful hand reach down and grab him by the neck, lifting him up and Borrican took a deep breath and raised his head to stare at the god-king.

Cerric smiled, laughing at the dragon he had beaten, pleased that he would now be able to easily take the power that he wanted. Then he saw the look of defiance that burned brightly in the creature's eyes and he cocked his head in curiosity as a torrent of fire spewed forth from the dragon's mouth. The sheer force of it threw Cerric backward, away from the creature, and he felt the heat of the fire burning him. In shock, he reached for the power of the god, using it to ward off the blazing fire that burned white hot and washed over him. Even his power could not stop the fire, which began to burn away his defenses, cutting through the magic that protected him. Cerric stepped back, raising his arm to shield himself from the heat and then, a moment later, the fire stopped. He looked up and saw that the dragon was gone.

Cerric no longer laughed. He turned to look at the Kandaran soldiers who had run from the path of the fire, taking shelter in the shadows of the city gates and he saw the young king of Kandara cowering fearfully behind them. Flames that had dripped off him now licked around his feet, burning the ground as Cerric walked toward the Kandaran king and he returned to his former size as he let go of much of his power. The soldiers parted way as Cerric strode up to Elric Akandar and they did not dare try to stop him when the god-king raised his hand and struck the young king of Kandara in the face. Even without most of his power, the blow sent Elric flying and he smashed hard into the stone of the city wall then fell in a heap upon the ground. Cerric walked over to Elric's unconscious body and yanked the sword that hung from his belt. He turned to his soldiers.

"Bring him," he said. "And kill the rest."

The dead soldiers of his army surged forward, their weapons raised, and they began hacking the Kandarans to pieces. Several soldiers picked up Elric's fallen body and Cerric turned to Calexis.

"Come," he said, and together they made their way up through the city toward the palace.

As Calexis dutifully followed Cerric up through the streets, away from the flames and carnage behind them, she noticed that he glanced at the sword that now hung from his belt. It was a sword befitting a king, its hilt beautifully worked and weighted in the pommel with a flawless, polished black stone that seemed almost to glow, if such a thing were possible for something so dark.

They reached the palace gates and Cerric wrenched them from their iron hinges and continued into the tall, black, stone building, and Calexis felt a momentary pang of regret that her son would not share their triumph over Kandara, but she supposed it no longer mattered, for she could always have other sons. Calexis could tell that her body was once again entering a time where such a thing would be more likely and she hoped that Cerric would elect to stay in Kandara for a time, so she could bed him as much as possible. It would be better better to birth the child of a god or even a dragon than some weak lizard that had proved to be little more than a plaything.

*****

Outside the city, amid the dying flames and the wreckage left in the wake of the army, Draxis pushed himself free from the burning boards that had covered him. When the dragon had released him, he had been tossed aside and thrown toward an armory wagon that carried a store of weapons for the army. Barely surviving the crushing claws of the dragon, the crash into the wagon had nearly killed him. His body was cut in so many places from the sharp edges of steel, and a dagger had lodged in his lower leg, coming dangerously close to severing the tendon. Amid the flames and smoke, Draxis carefully pulled the sharp blade from his flesh and cast it aside then he pushed himself to his feet and limped away from the wreckage. He passed by several soldiers who were hobbling along on broken limbs toward the city, to rejoin their ranks but their milky dead eyes paid him no heed. It was as though he no longer existed.