The Dragon's Test (Book 3) (31 page)

“What do you mean?” Erik asked.

“Look down,” the dragon said.

Erik looked and a great army came out of the forest. Their gleaming armor reflecting the sunlight as they marched to the temple. From the temple emerged ranks of priests and warriors, as well as a sizable army of dwarves. The two forces clashed together and within a matter of moments the green valley was stained red.

“You have seen this kind of scene before,” the dragon said. “I know of the battles you suffered.” The dragon snaked his neck around to look at Erik. “Even if you destroy Nagar’s Secret, this kind of war will continue. Mankind has never been a race of peace. They are, and ever have been, petty, jealous creatures that take by force what they cannot earn by virtue.”

“What are you saying?” Erik asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” the dragon replied. “I am showing you the true nature of mankind. You would risk everything you are, everyone you love, to destroy a book that has the power to prevent this.”

Erik shook his head. “But there would be no choice,” he said. “I cannot abandon everyone to become what I saw in that first book you showed me.”

The dragon sighed. “There is more to this,” he said. “Watch the sky.”

Erik looked up and saw four pillars of fire descending quickly. One went to the far east, another went to the west,
and one streaked overhead, fire roaring and sparks trailing behind. The fourth dropped far to the south. A moment after it disappeared beyond the southern horizon a great plume of smoke rose up and a wall of fire grew like a tidal wave.

“Are they dragons?” Erik asked.

The dragon shook his head. “They are worse than dragons,” he said. “They are worse than anything this world has ever seen.”

Erik watched wide-eyed as the wave of flame rushed toward them, devouring everything in its path. A moment before the fire crashed into them, they were back in the temple. Erik was still standing in front of the pedestal, and the dragon was behind it, looking at him intently.

“What you saw, is the end of Terramyr. If the world continues as it is, it will be destroyed by powers greater than anything that has ever walked this plane.” The dragon hung its head low and a single tear emerged from its right eye. The great, sparkling droplet fell and crashed to the floor.

Erik looked down at the small puddle and then back up to the dragon’s eyes. “So, you are saying it is better for the world to be overrun by demons?” Erik asked.

The dragon shook his head. “No,” he said. “But the power of Nagar’s Secret can be used for good as well. Someone with a pure heart can alter it, and use it to create peace.” The dragon leaned in. “An everlasting peace that will save the Middle Kingdom, and the world, from both of the fates you have just witnessed.”

Erik thought for a moment, trying to understand everything he had just seen. “But I thought the Champion of Truth was meant to destroy
Nagar’s Secret.”

The dragon nodded. “That is true,” he said. “But I have had many years, centuries actually, to meditate upon our future.” The dragon turned his head so that his right eye was only a few inches away from Erik. “What would the Champion of Truth do?” he asked. “Would he save the kingdom only to condemn the world? Or would he rise above them all to save everyone from a doomed future?”

*****

Jaleal used the shadows of the giant clouds above to cover his tracks. It proved useful in evading the dwarves, but he knew that it would provide little protection against the temple guards. As he neared the southern wall he glanced around. He didn’t see any guards nearby. He slipped his tiny, agile fingers into the spaces between the rocks and went up and over the temple’s outer wall as skillfully as a lizard. He dropped down into a soft fern and flattened himself against the ground. A pair of guards came around the western corner and started walking near him.

The gnome used his magic to expand the leaves, effectively shielding himself from their sight. After the guards passed he sprinted for the temple and ascended up. Occasionally he would glance back, ensuring there were no guards looking his way, but he doubted anyone would be looking for a gnome climbing the outside of the temple.

Just in case,
he hurried up the side as quickly as he could, pausing underneath awnings or behind window shutters as guards passed by below. After a few minutes, he reached the second floor from the top. He moved to a window and slowly poked his head around to look inside. Seeing the room was empty he put his hand to the glass and gently slid the pane up just enough to slip inside. He crept to the door and bent low to look through the space underneath. He couldn’t see anything, so he put his ear to the door and listened for footsteps. He heard nothing. He softly turned the knob and pulled the door open enough to peer down one side of the hall.

He spied the room where Lepkin was laying, but there were a pair of guards standing in front of the door. Jaleal jerked his head back and pushed the door closed. He scrambled back to the window and went back outside. He quickly worked his way around the temple building until he was on the north side. His hands moved quickly, finding grooves just big enough for him to dangle from as he climbed sideways to the window where he supposed Lepkin’s room was.

The gnome climbed above the window, then turned himself upside down and slowly lowered his eyes down to look through the window. He saw a pair of men standing over Lepkin, with their backs turned to him. He moved one hand down and tested the window. It was locked.

He pulled himself back up. “You made it before,” Jaleal told himself. “There are only two of them this time.” He climbed up and grabbed hold of the beams in the awning above him and thought of a plan. He positioned his feet against one beam with his back against the opposite beam to let his arms rest. Then he pulled a small flute from a pouch around his neck and wet his lips. He put the instrument to his mouth and worked his fingers as he blew into it, but no sound came out. He continued to play vigorously, as though he was playing for a royal court, but no music emitted from the end of the bone flute.

A few minutes later a red-headed woodpecker flew up and lighted on his knee.

“Hello there,” Jaleal said as he took a short break. “I have a task for you.” He cupped a hand to the bird’s head and whispered to it. Then he went back to playing the bone flute. The bird flew down to the window sill and began tapping on the wood below the window.

Tap tap tap. Tap-tap. Tappity-tap-tap.

Jaleal grinned and played the flute while the woodpecker continued his rhythm below. A minute later the window flew open and a man shouted at the bird.

“Be gone, pest!” Jaleal saw the man sweep his arm at the bird. That was his opening. The gnome dropped down from his hiding spot, landing on the man’s forearm. He sent a deft kick to the man’s jaw, knocking his head back. Then he came in with a series of quick strikes to the man’s temple. The healer lost consciousness and fell backward.

Jaleal sprinted forward, fast as the wind. The woodpecker flew in above him, landing on the other healer’s head and pounding the man’s skull for all he was worth.

“Argh!” the healer cried out as the bird pulled out bits of hair.

The door flew open and in rushed the two guards. They ran in toward the healer, but never saw the gnome coming. Jaleal mentally called out for his spear and it magically appeared back in his hand. He spun the weapon around and cracked the first guard’s nose. Then he spun it back around and jabbed the blunt end into the base of the man’s neck. He grunted and fell to the side. The gnome then flicked the spear and whacked the guard across the back of the man’s head and he fell to the floor.

The second guard had caught on and was now running toward Jaleal, leaving the other healer to fend off the angry bird. The gnome slid on his knees under a sweeping halberd and then lashed out stabbing the guard’s right wrist with the tip of his spear. The gnome then jumped up and kicked the guard in the groin as hard as he could. As the guard fell, face twisted in agony, Jaleal slammed the side of his head with the blunt end of the spear.

After the second guard fell the gnome went to the healer. He agilely ran up the man’s backside and reached around his face to cover his mouth while he used his left arm to pinch a nerve in the man’s neck. The healer twitched and convulsed, but ultimately he too fell to the floor.

Seeing that his obstacles were now out of the way, Jaleal saluted the bird and then closed and locked the doors to the room. The bird flew away without another sound, leaving Jaleal to his task.

The gnome bounded atop the bed where Lepkin lay and crouched in close, placing his left hand on Lepkin’s chest, exactly over the man’s sternum. Then, he pointed the tip of his spear into Lepkin’s skin just between where Jaleal’s thumb and forefinger rested.

“Forgive me,” he whispered to Lepkin. Jaleal raised the spear high as his hand would go and then closed his eyes. A moment later he brought the spear down to Lepkin’s chest. At the exact moment the tip pierced Lepkin’s skin a bolt of lightning coursed in from the window and struck the end of the spear. Jaleal and Lepkin were bathed in silver, shimmering light for a blinding instant and then a crack of thunder ripped the two apart from each other. Jaleal careened through the room, crashing to the floor with his spear tumbling after him.

The gnome struggled to lift his eyes and looked at Lepkin. A blue, silvery flame rose up from Lepkin’s chest for just a moment and then it flickered and died. Lepkin’s body convulsed and his back arched up as he gasped and choked. Then his eyes opened and he slowly turned to his side, moaning. The man coughed and sputtered for a few seconds and then his eyes met Jaleal’s.

Jaleal smiled. “Nice to meet you, Keeper,” he said.

Lepkin shook his head and pushed himself up, looking around the room. “What happened? Who are you?”

The gnome chuckled through gasps for breath and then nodded. “We’ll have time for introductions later. We need to get to Erik.”

Erik stood in front of the dragon. He could see the merit in the dragon’s words, but he couldn’t believe that everything he had been through, all of his training, and the suffering that the others went through, would lead him to this.

“You hesitate,” the dragon said, breaking the silence. “Do you not understand what I have said?”

“I understand,” Erik said.

The dragon breathed in deeply and let out a small spark of fire with his next sentence. “You have the power to use
Nagar’s Secret for good. You can prevent this world from perishing in a lake of fire.”

“The book is evil,” Erik countered. “It can’t be used for good.”

“You misjudge,” the dragon said. “Think of a sword.” The dragon waved his claw and a great, shining sword appeared on the pedestal. “Is a sword good or evil?”

Erik thought for a moment. “It is neither. It is only a tool,” he said.

The dragon nodded. “As a sword may either hew down the weak if wielded by an evil hand, so to it might protect the same if wielded by an honorable hand.”

Erik shook his head. “There is no honor in this magic,” he said.

“Not so,” the dragon said. “Even the wizard Allun’rha saw this. How do you think he stopped the power of Nagar’s Secret during the battle of Hamath?” The dragon paused for effect. “He turned the spell against itself. Just as those who seek the book would use it to warp men’s souls, it can be used to perfect them. By so doing, you can create an everlasting peace and end all suffering on this world. It would become a paradise.”

“Paradise?” Erik echoed. He thought for a minute and then the conjured sword before him vanished. He looked up to the dragon. “If th
at is true, then why didn’t Allun’rha do that at the battle of Hamath?”

“He did not understand the full potential of the power he had,” the dragon replied simply. “But I do, and now I present the opportunity to you.” The dragon reached forward with a single claw and gently pressed it to Erik’s heart. “You are pure,” he said. “You have the power to use this for the right reasons. You will be hailed as the greatest of kings for all generations to come. All will know that it was Erik, the Champion of Truth, who finally dispelled all evil from Terramyr.”

The dragon then backed away and looked down to Erik with a smile.

Erik smiled as he thought about it
. “Can you show me?” Erik asked.

The dragon nodded and blew a gentle breath on Erik. As with the previous magic, the temple fell away and Erik found himself on the same green mountain overlooking the valley. The dragon came and stood next to him, causing the ground to tremble under his weight.

“Look to the forest now,” the dragon said.

A horde of men, women, and children marched out from the forest. They wore plain clothes and pulled carts behind them filled with various goods and food supplies. Then, from the temple issued a great throng of priests, but instead of holding weapons, they went out with open arms to the people and when the groups met they embraced and sang songs.

“Look,” the dragon said as it raised a claw to point to the temple.

Erik looked up and saw himself standing on the balcony of the temple, wearing a crown of gold and jew
els and dressed in a robe of red and white. Marlin stood next to him, and the golden dragon circled above with a triumphant roar as it landed atop the temple.

“What are they doing?” Erik asked.

“The people of the Middle Kingdom have come to pay tribute, and to establish a new order wherein no one suffers. No one goes hungry. No sons kiss their mothers as they depart for war, and no more fathers will bury their sons. Order will be restored.” The dragon then leaned down close to Erik’s ear and whispered, “And there will never be another orphan, lost and forgotten by the world.”

“Paradise,” Erik said as he listened to the joyful singing below. Then he turned and looked to the dragon. “What of the four pillars of fire?” he asked.

The dragon shook his head. “They will never come,” he said.

Erik looked back to the scene and started to walk a few steps down the mountain. Then, just as he was about to agree, something nagged at the back of his soul, tugging at his gut. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it at first, and then he realized what it was. It was there before him as clearly as a pile of manure dropped by a careless dog on its master’s bedroom floor.

The boy turned back to the dragon. “But, to do this is not really any better than what Tu’luh would do,” he said. “Either way it robs people of their will to choose. The world would be a hollow paradise, void of virtue or real honor.”

The dragon hissed and nodded its great head. “You are a wise boy indeed,” it said solemnly.

The spell faded away and they were back in the temple as before.

“So that is the test, then?” Erik asked. “To see whether I would allow myself to fall prey to the temptation of the book?”

The dragon stood motionless, peering into his soul. “You would rather let the world burn?” he asked.

“Life without choice would be empty, and meaningless,” Erik replied. “Why trade Tu’luh’s tyranny for a different version of the same?” Erik then realized why the dragon was trying to persuade him. He called forth his power one more time and scanned the dragon.

The dragon scraped its claws along the stone, gouging the blue granite and causing Erik to shudder at the sound. “I had hoped to convince you otherwise,” he said. His golden scales melted away like dirt being washed from a porcelain statue and revealed fierce, red scales beneath. The horns and spikes along his spine lost their shine and instead glowed from within as though fire was inside. The two massive horns on his head curved down around his snout and the green eyes changed to the color of molten lava.

“You are a nightwing?” Erik gasped.

“No,” the dragon hissed. “I am Tu’luh the Red!” he bellowed. Then he reared up and stretched his mighty wings out beside him.

Erik stumbled over backwards and gasped. “No, how could you be
here
?” he shrieked.

Tu’luh stepped forward, crushing the pedestal underfoot and leaned down with his massive head. “There was a dragon left behind by the Ancients,” he said. “One that was to give the Exalted Test of Arophim. But he could not withstand the power of
Nagar’s Secret. Not even here in this… temple.”

“Where did he go?” Erik asked.

Tu’luh stepped aside and revealed a ragged tunnel clawed through the granite in the back of the chamber. “He tore his way out,” he said. “There was a fountain there, for the dragon to sustain himself during his long sleep. But this chamber could not protect him. After the blight drove him mad he came to me. He was twisted, warped. He was no longer a dragon, but a nightwing, as you call them.” Tu’luh growled low. “You met him when the wizard Erthor came to the temple.”

“Lepkin killed him,” Erik said.

Tu’luh nodded.

“If you were here, why not attack me when I first arrived?” Erik asked.

“The battle of Hamath nearly killed me,” Tu’luh explained. “I needed to recover my strength. So when the other vacated the temple, I came here. It was the perfect place for me to convalesce while simultaneously keeping an eye on the temple.”

“You were the one who told the other prelate to force me to take the test,” Erik guessed.

Tu’luh nodded. “If I could have gotten to you then, I think you would have seen things differently.” The dragon slammed his tail into one of the massive columns, breaking it apart and causing the chamber to quake. “Last chance, boy,” the beast hissed. “Join with me and we can still make the world a paradise.”

“And if I refuse?” Erik asked with trembling voice.

“Then the future you saw in the Chronicle of the Spurned will come to pass. Either way, I will rule.”

“You’re a monster!” Erik shouted.

Tu’luh slammed his great foreleg down, a claw landing on either side of Erik and pinning him to the floor. “I am a savior!” Tu’luh roared. “I want to save this world from its end. I thought you would understand that!” The beast coiled its neck back and angled its snout down toward Erik. “However, I am willing to rule over a kingdom of demons and monsters if that accomplishes the same end. The world of men may end, but the dragons will be able to live on.” A great rumble sounded deep within the beast’s body and an orange glow shone through the scales of its underbelly. Tu’luh then opened his mouth and a great light shined forth.

Erik squirmed and wiggled, but he was pinned.
The light in the back of Tu’luh’s throat grew more intense and Erik could hear the roaring fire welling up the beast’s neck. He kicked furiously, but he couldn’t free himself.

Just before the fire spewed out of Tu’luh’s mouth, a flash of silver flew through the air and slammed into the dragon’s snout. The dragon snarled and recoiled away, misdirecting its fire to a wall. Next came a flourish of flame near the back of the beast’s foreleg and the dragon launched
itself forward between the pillars and crashed almost one hundred yards away, sliding into a column and shattering the stone. A hand reached down and Erik’s eyes went wide when he saw Lepkin pull him up by his shirt collar.

“Behind me!” Lepkin shouted.

“Fool!” Tu’luh growled. “Not even you can defeat me!” The dragon spewed roiling, red flames at them.

Erik and Lepkin took shelter behind the remains of a column as the fire wrapped around them. Lepkin held Erik in close to the s
tone until the flames subsided and the dragon snarled again.

“Where are you?” the beast roared.

Erik drew his brow together, but Lepkin held a finger to his mouth. Then the same flash of silver spun back through the air. Erik looked around Lepkin to see Jaleal, the gnome, holding the gleaming spear in hand.

“I am here, foul beast,” Jaleal shouted in a voice that should have come from a much larger creature. “Come and feel the sting of Aeolbani’s wrath!”

Tu’luh hissed. “I know the gnome who forged that spear” he growled. “I thought I destroyed his line long ago.”

Jaleal stood in the center of the chamber, in full view of the dragon.

“We should help him,” Erik said.

Lepkin nodded and motioned for Erik to remain quiet. “When the time is right.” He then reached behind him and retrieved a second sword. He handed the blade to Erik. “This won’t do much more than anger the beast, so wait until I give the signal.”

Erik nodded. Then a chill went up his spine as he heard the rumbling sound of the fire building in the dragon’s throat again. Tu’luh rushed forward, shaking the chamber with each step. Then a rush of fire washed over them again. Lepkin pressed harder into Erik this time, and Erik could feel the heat of the flames much more intensely. He was sure the gnome was caught this time, but an angry snarl and hiss from Tu’luh was quickly followed by Jaleal’s cackling laugh.

“Never were good at catching gnomes, were you wyrm?” Jaleal taunted the beast from somewhere down deeper in the chamber. A sudden crack, like the sound of bursting thunder rumbled through the chamber and shards of rock flew overhead.

“Now,” Lepkin said. “Stay with me.” Erik got up and tried to keep pace with Lepkin, but with his leg still knotting up in the middle, he found it difficult to do. Lepkin stopped behind another column and motioned for Erik to take cover.

Erik ducked down just as Tu’luh’s head poked through an opening between two pillars. Erik’s mouth fell open when he noticed the pair of deep gashes in the dragon’s snout.

“He’s bleeding,” Erik whispered to himself.

The dragon turned and his big red eye looked down and saw Erik. “Champion!” he growled. The beast opened its mouth but Lepkin rushed forward with his flaming sword and sliced diagonally across the beast’s snout. Tu’luh recoiled and his head bent low enough for Lepkin to jump onto the back of his head. Lepkin raised his sword to strike down at Tu’luh’s eye, but the beast snapped its neck back and jerked its body to the side. Lepkin connected with the side of Tu’luh’s snout, but missed the dragon’s eye as he toppled off and crashed to the ground.

Tu’luh snarled again and disappeared from view. Erik scooted around the other side of the column and saw Jaleal quickly working his spear on the back of Tu’luh’s left hind leg. The scales were thicker there, but there was still one line of blood from where the gnome was able to slip his spear up under one of the scales.

The dragon snapped down at the gnome with its teeth, but Jaleal dodged out of the way and ducked behind a column as a fireball sailed by him. Tu’luh then shattered the column with his tail and lunged forward with his claws to get at the gnome.

A fog filled the room then, covering all but the bottom six feet of the chamber. Erik watched as Lepkin rushed out into the middle of the chamber and gave a mighty swing of his blade to Tu’luh’s foreleg again. The blade connected hard, showering sparks around Lepkin and a scale broke in half. The dragon roared and Erik saw a great light above the smoke as a wave of fire rolled across the ceiling. Lepkin then ran across the chamber and hid behind another pillar just as the flames turned down and descended on the spot he had been standing in.

Lightning struck out from the thick fog, stinging the great beast and causing him to spin around wildly, swinging h
is tail and snapping his maw at everything the way a dog might fight off a swarm of bees.