Lorik The Protector (Lorik Trilogy) (35 page)

Lorik picked up a body and hurled it down on top of the men trying to ram the tower. The ploy worked: the body hit two of the foremost raiders and knocked them down. The log slammed into the ground and the raiders were forced to back up and try again. But there were plenty of men to carry the log ram and Lorik had to time his throws carefully to stop the rammers. The other Norsik raiders were clearing the bodies from the base of the tower and Lorik took a moment to close the trapdoor and pile three bodies on top of it. After an hour of throwing bodies, even Lorik’s arms were aching with the exertion, and he was almost out of bodies to drop on the raiders below.

The sun was high overhead and birds were beginning to circle in the sky. Lorik saw the shadow of a great flock of carrion birds every once in a while, but the Norsik, with hundreds of men waiting to take their turn on the battering ram, were relentless in their attack.

When Lorik tossed the last of the bodies, except for the three on the trap door, he knew he had to make a decision. The next blow from the ram shook the building and Lorik saw dust from between the massive stone blocks waft up in front of him. Only one option remained: he had to go down and fight the raiders on the ground before they knocked the tower down around him.

He slid the bodies off the trapdoor and flung it open, only to find more bodies stacked from the stairs to the ceiling blocking his path. He grabbed one and pulled it up, then another. He was determined to break through the barrier of the Norsik fallen warriors when another blow from the battering ram shook the tower. This time a hole appeared in the wall where the ram had broken through.

Lorik kept pulling bodies out of his way and found another layer of bodies beyond the first. His mind raced as another blow rocked the tower. He wasn’t going to get out this way. He grabbed one of the bodies and tossed it down onto the battering ram. That bought him about a minute. He checked the ropes that were still attached to the crenellations, but they were all severed or broken. He could try climbing down to one of the windows, he thought, but he didn’t think he could hold on well enough the way the tower was shaking from the battering ram. And there might be warriors just inside those windows waiting to hack him to pieces. He had been transformed by the magic of Drery Dru, but he wasn’t invincible. He tried desperately to think of a way out of the situation he was in, but there was no escape. Perhaps once the building fell, he could leap free and clear of the rubble. He wasn’t sure if his body could withstand a fall that far, but he would have to try, and he would have to time his jump perfectly to land clear of the rubble.

Another blow from the battering ram caved in a whole section of the tower, and the structure began to lean. Lorik thought about what Hennick had told him. His decision to fight from the top of the watchtower had effectively sealed his fate. He knew he wouldn’t live, but what bothered him was that he wasn’t sacrificing himself to save anyone. There were still hundreds, perhaps thousands of raiders who would eagerly attack the settlements of Lorik’s countrymen again and again. And now Lorik wouldn’t be there to stop them.

Another blow from the ram rocked the tower and it swayed a little more, the slippery, bloody rooftop tilting toward the harbor. Lorik sheathed his swords and ran to the lowest edge of the roof, climbing out onto the crenellation and trying to brace himself the best he could.

Another blow did the deed. The tower rocked, then it creaked and groaned. The stones that were held in place by the thick timber beams began to grate on one another. The raiders were cheering and Lorik was glad to see they were moving back from the tower. If he survived the fall, he might have just enough time to get on his feet and draw his weapons before the raiders fell on him.

The timbers cracked and the stones inside the tower shattered. The sound was like lighting strikes. Then the tower shifted again. Lorik readjusted his feet on the wall, and then the tower toppled. It seemed to happen in slow motion. The tower teetered, then fell. Lorik’s plan might have worked if the tower had fallen like a tree in one long swoop, but instead the tower cracked in half and the top portion flipped so that Lorik was falling down and the tower was falling toward him. He jumped anyway, more out of instinct than hope. He knew, even as he jumped, that the rubble would crush him. The last thought that slipped through his mind was of Vera and Stone, lying together, arms around each other. He was happy they had each other.

Then something hit Lorik’s shoulders. His head snapped back and he saw a flash of green before everything went black.

Lorik was only unconscious for a minute. When he came to he was flying over the Norsik camp toward the massive redwood trees of the Wilderlands. He thought for a moment that he was dead, and then he saw the huge, green talons gripping his shoulders, and fear made him go stiff as he looked up. All he could see were huge legs covered in green scales. There was a
whoosh whoosh whoosh
, and then they were slowly descending.

The talons released Lorik when he was only a few feet from the ground. He dropped and rolled, coming up on his feet and drawing his sword, which he nearly dropped when he saw the great green dragon up close for the first time. The beast was huge, with wicked-looking horns on its head and a long, spiked tail. Then the great leathery wings folded back, and to Lorik’s surprise he saw a man on the dragon’s back.

The rider was barely more than a boy, and he reminded Lorik of the volunteers who had ridden with him and died under his command. The young man slid off the dragon’s back and limped toward Lorik.

“Hell of a fight,” the man said. “I hope we saved the right person.”

“Who are you?” Lorik asked.

“I’m Zollin, Wizard of Yelsia. And this is Ferno,” he said, waving to the dragon, who roared so loudly that Lorik instinctively covered his ears.

“And you are?” Zollin asked.

“I’m Lorik.”

“You from Ortis, Lorik?”

“I’m from Hassell Point in the south. On the coast, past the Marshlands. I just volunteered to help guard the border when the king’s troops went south.”

“So those are Norsik you were fighting?” Zollin asked.

The raiders were staring at the dragon in awe, to afraid too continue the attack and too mesmerized to flee.

“Yes, they’ve invaded and taken a lot of captives. My friends and I rescued a group of nearly a hundred women and children.”

“They’ve got five times that many in chains on the far side of their camp,” Zollin said.

“I’ve got to save them,” Lorik said.

“By yourself?”

“If I have to.”

“Well...” Zollin said, smiling, “don’t make me ask twice.”

“Would you help us?” Lorik said, still not quite believing what he was seeing.

“I think we could,” Zollin said. “Go ahead, show ’em what you’re made of, Ferno.”

The dragon roared again and jumped high in the air. Then the great green beast’s mighty wings flapped hard and propelled the dragon into the air. Lorik watched in awe as the dragon dove and bellowed flame. It took only one pass to scatter the Norsik. Most fled toward the Wilderlands and those that came too close to Zollin and Lorik were batted aside by invisible waves of magic.

“Are you doing that?” Lorik asked.

“Yes,” Zollin said, focusing on the fleeing raiders.

It took less than five minutes to clear the plain of raiders. They abandoned everything, all they had pillaged and all the slaves they had captured. Lorik looked at Zollin.

“I can’t thank you enough,” he said.

“I have news, and most of it isn’t good,” Zollin said. “Why don’t you rest here while I go see about freeing those captives.”

“All right,” Lorik said.

He had tears in his eyes as he watched Zollin rise suddenly up into the air and fly across the field toward the captives, whom Lorik could barely make out in the distance. He fell to his knees watching the green dragon follow the wizard. He didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. And then he heard Stone behind him.

“What the hell happened?” Stone said.

“You won’t believe me,” Lorik said.

“You did it,” Vera said in shocked disbelief. “You defeated a whole army by yourself.”

“No,” Lorik said. “Not by myself. You see that blob in the distance?”

“Not really,” Stone said.

“Well, you’re going to see it real soon. And when you do, just try and stay calm. It’s on our side.”

“Lorik, what are you talking about?” Vera asked.

“I don’t think I can explain it,” Lorik said. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

They didn’t have to wait long. Less than five minutes later Zollin and Ferno returned. As the dragon approached Stone grabbed Lorik’s arm.

“Is that... is that a—”

“A dragon, yes,” Lorik said.

“I can’ believe it,” Vera said in awe. “It’s beautiful.”

“Is that what we heard roaring?” Stone asked.

“Probably,” Lorik said. “It was so loud it shook the ground.”

“Did it knock down the watchtower, too?” Stone asked.

“No, the Norsik did that. I was on top of it, and they would have killed me if the wizard and the dragon hadn’t saved me.”

“Did you say ‘wizard’?” Vera asked.

“Yes, here he comes.”

They watched as Ferno landed. He growled and then curled himself up. The women and children behind Lorik were fearful at first, but slowly they came out of the trees to get a better look.

Zollin walked slowly, favoring one leg as he moved over to where Lorik waited with Vera and Stone.

“Zollin, meet Vera and Stone, my very best friends,” Lorik said.

“It’s nice to meet you both. I wish I were here under more pleasant circumstances.”

“You’re a wizard, huh?” Stone said, his voice cynical.

“Liam!” Vera said.

Zollin just smiled and raised his hand. Stone rose slowly into the air and began thrashing and shouting.

“Hey!” he roared. “Let me down! Put me down!”

The children watching from the trees laughed as Zollin lowered Stone gently to the ground. Stone hobbled to keep his balance on his injured leg. Then Zollin’s face grimaced and he stared at Stone’s leg. Stone felt a warm feeling in his leg, as if someone were pouring hot water over his knee. He grabbed onto Lorik’s shoulder, expecting the pain to intensify, but instead it dulled and after a moment it disappeared all together. After another moment, Zollin took a deep breath, as if he were coming up out the water.

“Believe me now?” Zollin said with a smile.

“I never doubted you,” Stone said, trying to smooth his clothes, but his heart was racing. “What did you do to my knee?”

“Try it out?” Zollin said.

Stone put his weight on the leg, but instead of pain it felt strong. He bent the knee, then lowered his body down into a squat and straightened back up.

“It’s fine,” he said. “I can’t believe it. You did something to my knee.”

Zollin just smiled.

“We are very pleased to meet you,” Vera said. “And it is a great honor to see your dragon, no matter what the circumstances.”

“Oh, that’s Ferno, but he isn’t mine. I’m more of his pet project. It’s a long story, but one for another time. Right now, I need to tell you what has happened in Osla.”

“Osla?” Lorik said. “How does that concern us?”

“Well, for one, your king and most of his army were destroyed there. I’m afraid King Oveer came under the power of a very evil witch. She led your king away and forced him to bring along all his troops, which is why your border was left unprotected, I suspect.”

“Why?” Vera asked. “What is going on?”

“When King Belphan and King Zorlan attacked Yelsia, Osla was left undefended,” Zollin explained. “Your King Oveer was supposed to lead his army north, join with the Basklan army and attack Yelsia from the east. Along the way he fell under the witch’s spell. I went south to confront the Master of the Torr and we were both attacked by the witch. She has delved into some very dark magic, and I’m afraid she’s unleashed a terrible horde of monsters on the Five Kingdoms. I’m looking for people to fight this evil and help those who need it. The Yelsian army and what’s left of the army from Falxis are going to make a stand at the Walheta mountain range. I’m going to convince King Ricard to bring his troops south and hopefully stand with you here along the border.”

“What about the people in the southern part of the kingdom?” Lorik asked.

“I’m afraid many of them are already lost,” Zollin said. “The creatures the witch unleashed are capturing people and carrying them back to Osla, where she is building an army.”

“And you think that army will come here?” Vera said.

“I fear so,” Zollin said. “I can’t be sure of who or what exactly is coming this way, but I am certain the witch intends to rule all of the Five Kingdoms. I’ve got to stop her, but I can’t do it alone. Can you help?”

“What can we do?” Lorik said. “You saved us today. The whole of northern Ortis owes you a debt we cannot repay.”

“No,” Zollin said. “I think you could handle the Norsik. I’m hoping that with a little help you can fight whatever the witch sends against you. But you don’t owe me anything. I would stay and help you, but I have to move on. I have to warn King Ricard, then I’m going to the Northern Highlands to find more help.”

“I’m not sure what we can do, but we will spread the word,” Lorik said. “If King Ricard will join us, we’ll make a stand here at the Wilderlands.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Zollin said. “If I get a chance I’ll come back this way.”

“We would like that,” Lorik said.

“Very much,” Vera added.

“Consider it done,” Zollin said.

He walked over to the shining green dragon and rose up in the air in one smooth, effortless motion, then descended gracefully onto its back.

“Man, that is unbelievable,” Stone said.

“You aren’t kidding,” Lorik agreed.

They watched as the dragon jumped up and flew into the air. The children behind them squealed in delight.

“Well?” Stone said. “What now?”

“We have to see to the needs of those other captives,” Lorik said.

“And find a place to set up some shelter,” Vera said. “We all need some rest.”

“That’s for sure,” Lorik said. “And then we need to get word out about what Zollin warned us of.”

“Monsters? A witch and her army? Do you really think anyone will believe us?” Stone asked.

“I doubt it, but I’m not betting against a wizard and his dragon,” Lorik said.

“Nor will I,” Stone agreed.

Lorik spent the rest of the day helping the huge group of captives accept that they were safe. They had no supplies or shelter other than what the Norsik had left behind. Vera oversaw the gathering and redistribution of the supplies. As night fell they looked out over the makeshift city they had fashioned for the refugees.

“You think there’s any chance the Norsik will come back?” Vera asked.

“Not soon,” Lorik said, “but eventually, yes. They left behind a lot of treasure. I’m going into the forest tonight. The Drery Dru should be able to tell me what the Norsik are doing.”

“You have to go so soon?” Vera said. “You need rest as much as anyone.”

“There’s no sense arguing with her,” Stone said. He was sitting on some plush cushions, and a fire crackled nearby.

“I won’t argue,” Lorik said smiling. “You know I have to go, but I will get some rest first. I just don’t need as much as I used to.”

“It’s so good to have you with us, Lorik,” Vera said. “I don’t want to see you run off to rescue someone else.”

“I promise I’ll be back before sunrise,” Lorik said. “And whatever I do, I won’t do it without you. I’ve learned we work better together.”

Vera and Stone both smiled. Then Lorik turned and hurried off into the darkness. One huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders only to be replaced by something even worse. He had to find out whatever he could, and he had a feeling the Drery Dru knew more than anyone else.