Road To Shandara (Book One of The Safanarion Order) (37 page)

When the boulder moved enough, Sarah slipped inside and emerged with a stooped figure. Garret and Sarik relieved Sarah of Colind’s weight and gently laid the old man upon the ground. Aaron released the bladesong and the boulder dropped down shaking the earth beneath their feet.

They gathered around Colind who lay unmoving upon the ground. Aaron leaned his head against his chest and couldn’t hear a heartbeat. Aaron brought his fist down twice upon Colind’s chest. The old man sucked in air and coughed and the others sighed in relief. When his breath steadied he opened his eyes and met Aaron’s gaze.

Garret approached from the other side and eased a water skin to Colind’s lips urging him to drink. They watched in silence as Colind slowly drank the water. He looked at his hands flexing his fingers, then down at his toes, which he wiggled and then let out a hearty laugh until he could barely breathe. It was an infectious laugh that soon had most of them joining in.

The clothing he had been buried with had long turned to rags so Aaron reached into his pack and pulled out his cloak wrapping it around Colind’s shoulders. Colind thanked him and struggled to get to his feet. When Aaron began to protest Colind waved him away.

“I’ve been asleep far too long my boy,” Colind said. He took a few steps and stretched his arms out before him. Colind was tall approaching his own six foot four inch height.

 
“I don’t suppose any of you brought any food, I haven’t eaten in years,” Colind said with a twinkle in his eyes. Then he turned to Aaron reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder, “Thank you for saving this stubborn old fool. I don’t know what it must have taken to get you here, but I appreciate all of you coming.”

“It was Aaron, My Lord Guardian,” Garret said, “He was determined to come here and the story he told was so compelling that we decided to join him.”

“Garret the last I saw you there was much less grey in your hair,” Colind said seeing him for the first time and reached out to shake his hand.

“It has been a long while,” Garret replied.

“I see you made it to Prince Cyrus’s court at Rexel.” Colind said looking back at Aaron.

“Yes,” Aaron replied.

“I’m afraid I must apologize to you Aaron,” Colind began, “Reymius forbade me to interfere after our last meeting. He insisted that you find your own way. The way back to your world was closed to me. Unable to be of use I roamed Shandara and began to doubt that you could ever reach this place. After so many years in my prison I allowed the darkness and guilt of this place to consume me.”

Aaron nodded thoughtfully, “Is he gone then?” he asked quietly.

Colind looked at him for a long moment before answering, “Yes. He held out long enough for you to reach the city and the sacred tree of the Alenzar’seths. And now you know of the trust that has been placed upon your house.”

The dark rift flashed before his eyes, “We have to find a way to close it. Whatever is on the other side is trying to get through. Even now it’s weakening.”

“Close what exactly?” Vaughn began to ask but was cut off as a group of Ryakuls streaked into view.

A lone Ryakul perched atop one of the towers still standing and the Drake unleashed a piercing howl that grated his nerves. The call silenced everything around them. The challenge had been issued and Aaron knew he had to answer. He took a brief glance at the others who were all watching the sky, except for Sarah who watched him. Trying to run at this point would be foolish. It was getting harder to deny the ancestral blood. Their yearnings eclipsed his own. Maybe he could buy the others some time.
 

Aaron sheathed his swords and took the rune carved staff from Sarah. The dragon tattoo stirred beneath his skin and the voice of his ancestors rage began to roil to the surface. The Drake was here searching for him and perhaps it was time for him to face the beast after all.

“Keep them safe Verona,” Aaron said quietly to his friend.
Keep her safe,
he said with his eyes. Aaron squatted down and the runes flared to life. Drawing energy from the staff, he hurled himself toward a nearby tower to answer the Drake’s call.

Sarah began to follow, but Verona grabbed her arm, “We’ll be right behind you.” Sarah nodded and followed after Aaron as best she could.

Oh you fool. You stupid...stupid...fool. You’re not alone anymore.
But it was that same quality that made him do the things that he does that made her love him. She couldn’t match his strength or his speed, but please let her be fast enough.

C
HAPTER
30

THE DRAKE

HE LANDED HARD upon the top of the tower jolting even his enhanced muscles and bones. The medallion grew cool against his chest and the staff glowed, pulsing in rhythm with his beating heart. The dragon tattoo felt alive on his skin as the power from the staff coursed through him. He turned his gaze to the Drake and felt the rage and bitter despair of the ghosts of Shandara feed into him. Shandara had become the broken heart of the Alenzar’seths, from the rubbled remains of this once great city to the dying land beyond.

But
he
was here. Against all hope and probability. Reymius had succeeded because he, Aaron Jace, the last scion of the house Alenzar’seth stood upon this tower in Shandara. It wasn’t fair for a child to inherit the problems of his father, or in this case his grandfather, but what other choice could he make. In life there were no guarantees or entitlements to fairness.

There are no perfect solutions, not in life son,
his father’s voice resonated through him.

 
The forces at work here he could never run from, nor would he even if he could. After the visions from the tree he knew what he must do. The breach between realms was tied to the Alenzar’seths and should he perish as the last, the invading horde would be released into the world of Safanar. That is what the Alenzar’seth’s had fought and died to protect. Through Reymius and his grandmother Cassandra’s sacrifice, this world gained a small reprieve from the coming war. The Drake was a Sentinel for the horde and an alien being in the truest sense of the word. The Drake was not of this world or even from that of earth. That was all he understood and if fortune were to smile upon him, he would seek the Hythariam, for they were tied to this, of that he was sure.

Aaron reached for the small curved ax from his belt running his fingers upon its curve. It was his last one.
In case you miss with the first one
, he smirked at the memory. He wasn’t going to miss. No, he intended to make his shot count.

The Drake’s call echoed throughout the dead city, dripping its acidic challenge, which sowed the deaths of so many before him. Instead of suppressing the ancestral voices within he gave in to their urgings and was flooded with their command that he face the Drake. He brought the rune carved staff up and slammed it down upon stone floor of the tower sending a thrum of energy away from him. The figure atop the Ryakul snapped its head towards him and Aaron roared his own challenge.

Like a hound on the hunt, the Drake launched the Ryakul into the air and the beast roared from its gaping saber tusked maw. Aaron spun and unleashed the ax, using the energy from the staff and the wind pushing the ax streaking through the sky. The ax burned through the Ryakul’s head leaving a gory mess and the dead beast plummeted toward the ground.

The Drake quickly jumped from the beast to land upon the far side of the tower across from where Aaron stood. It had to be over seven feet tall with yellow eyes that smoldered like liquid steel from within the horned helmet. The dark armor radiated a slight purplish charge that surged throughout its overlapping layers down to the feet, which ended in black claws. It raised a large armored hand revealing emerald reptilian skin and a device lifted itself from its forearm sending a thin red beam toward him. The beam ran the length of Aaron’s body instantly and was gone before he could react.

A scanner? Did it just scan me?.

The Drake reached behind and pulled out a long metallic rod. The rod extend, doubling its length and twin blades emerged from either end. The Drake brandished its bladed staff and charged.

Aaron rushed forward with blinding speed to meet the Drake’s attack. The staffs met and sparks bursted forth. Aaron spun halting his momentum as the Drake did the same. Each approached the other more slowly and Aaron lashed out. The Drake countered and with each bone jarring blow Aaron was driven back. He sidestepped and punched, delivering a decisive blow to the beast’s chest. As the Drake was knocked back it grabbed his arm and pulled itself back up. Then rained down a blow, sending a shock wave through him, pushing him off balance.

He stepped back, regained his footing, gasping from the blow. It hurt, and he could feel blood trickle down the side of his head. This whole fight was out of balance. Being off balance meant death. The ancestral bloodlust flared inside him, but he clamped down upon their urgings. While they had helped him in the past he couldn’t keep a clear head solely under their influence. If he didn’t take back control he was going to die. He was his own master. He banished them to the far corners of his mind, but he couldn’t erase their yearning entirely.

Shaking his head to clear it, the Drake charged him again. His feet were swept out from under him and Aaron rolled to the side as twin blades struck the stone floor where he had been a moment before. Aaron spun planting the butt of the staff into the Drake’s chest and swung around with a powerful blow to its head knocking it back. He snapped a kick to the knee sending the Drake down.

The Drake reached out to grab his foot, but Aaron jumped away. Frustrated, the creature ripped its dented helmet off and tossed it over the side. Rows upon rows of teeth took up the inside of its mouth curving in fiendish delight.

Aaron leaped up to the edge of the tower balancing upon the very edge ignoring the dizzying depths below. The creature rose to its feet, leveled its staff aiming the twin blades at him.

Aw, hell.

Aaron leaped off the edge just before a screeching blast demolished the spot where he had been standing. The wind ripped passed him as he plummeted down the tower. He used the wind to slow his decent, but he was still falling too fast so he shifted the wind to push him to the tower wall. The rubble strewn ground was closing in. His timing needed to be perfect. He drove his feet into the tower wall launching himself away and into a large building where the wall had partially caved in. A blur of rafters streaked passed his vision until he crashed in a heap on the ground.

Aaron rose shakily to his feet.
A gun! The Drake had some type of gun.
He hadn’t anticipated that. Taking a few seconds to study his surroundings he realized he was in the remnants of some type of church. Most of the wooden pews were left standing and on the far side was a statue of a woman standing resolutely with her head lifted high. The statue was the same as the one the dragon led him to all those weeks ago. The fountain below had long since crumbled to dust. She seemed to regard him cooly and almost challengingly in a way.

Fate has chosen you for this.

The dragon’s voice whispered in his mind. Aaron stood up straighter bringing his right fist over his heart and bowed his head in respect. He didn’t know if he believed in the Goddess, but he had been through too much for it be happenstance. It would have to be enough.

I don’t know if you’re out there, but I could use little bit of help on this one.

A loud crash drew his eyes skyward. The Drake had followed him somehow. Aaron jumped up to one of the broken windows on the second floor and heard several screeching blasts. He gritted his teeth and dashed forward onto the adjoining roof. A glint of metal caught his eyes and Aaron headed toward it.
 

His ax!
 

He kept glancing back over his shoulder as he retrieved the ax, which was in good shape considering. Now all he had to do was get a shot in before the Drake tried to shoot him again.

Aaron could hear the stomps of the Drake’s footsteps throughout the church. It wasn’t taking any care to hide its position, or it was trying to lure him into a trap. Aaron reached out with his senses and the rune carved staff snatched his attention. There was power there. More than there had ever been before, like the staff had been infused with energy. He could draw upon the staff’s energy instead because as he observed the balance of energy here in the city, it reminded him of a battle weary ship limping along where one rogue wave could sink it for good.

Out of the corner of his eye a shadow moved along the roof of the church and Aaron ducked behind the remnants of a stone pillar.
Sarah...that stubborn...
He
knew
she would come. She, like him, would always come for the other. Her cat like blue eyes challenged him to protest. Not with the Drake so close. He gestured inside the church and Sarah nodded pointing inside, at him, and back at herself. Aaron frowned in thought. She wanted to use him as bait. He tapped the roof loudly with his staff and the noise from within ceased.

Aaron watched the window with unwavering focus waiting for the Drake to emerge. His breath caught in his throat as the Drake suddenly appeared crouching on the far side of the roof, its yellow eyes narrowing when it noticed Sarah for the first time.

“Behind you!” He shouted.

Sarah rolled forward and down to the lower roof out of the creature’s line of sight. The Drake quickly trained its weapon on him and fired. Anticipating the shot Aaron was already jumping out of the way when the blast scorched the spot he had been a moment before. He turned in the air and drawing upon the energy from the staff, he sent his ax streaking into the Drake’s chest, which sent a shower of purple sparks into the air. Aaron landed lightly on the ground and headed toward where the Drake had fallen.

The alien creature was lying on its back with sparks crackling along its chest armor.
Advanced technology?
There was no time to consider further as the armor began repairing itself even as the Drake came to his feet. Aaron gritted his teeth and dashed forward. His ax had barely penetrated the armor and green blood oozed down the creatures side. The wound barely slowed the creature down as it met his attack. The Drake leaped back and howled to the sky and was answered by the Ryakuls closing in on their position.