Vegenrage: Dragon Reclaim (3 page)

Gwithen returns to her lair, and her three draglets that have recently hatched are calling for her. She lowers herself down to them and walks past them. She sniffs the air and looks around as she heads to the wall just past her bed of gold. She raises her left arm, and the book
The Passing
floats over to the wall that absorbs the book, and it disappears hidden where only Gwithen can reach it. She walks over to the draglets that have just hatched the day before and still have their eyes closed. The smallest one is a beautiful sapphire blue, the second largest one is a platinum blond, and the largest is the color of shiny mercury. They already have tiny claws and very small but developed teeth. They are fantastic miniature dragons just waiting to grow up and be the meanest, strongest beings in the Maglical System. There is no threat in all the Maglical System that would concern Gwithen, not even a male dragon, but now, with the introduction of Vemenomous, which is the name given to the new dragon form in the book
The Passing
, she has a reason to be concerned for the safety of her young. Gwithen has read
The Passing
, and she is the only one that has. She will be the first to admit she does not believe in the prophecy, but the events that have unfolded over the past few days give her a reason to doubt her natural instincts. Dragons are the most unique species. They are obviously the largest and strongest of all species fierce and magical. They live mostly nomadic lives and, for the most part, only seek out companionship for reasons of mating and continuing their species. Male dragons will fight when they come in contact with one another in the wild a lot of the times, but this is not always true. Dragons are very intellectual and very smart. There are times when male dragons come in contact with one another and actually have very long and interesting conversations without fighting. Fighting erupts when there is something worth fighting for, such as good hunting grounds or establishing one as the dominant dragon or a suitable place to create a lair that has been discovered by more than one dragon. When female dragons send out the scent, inviting they want to mate, they attract all the dragons from more than one world, and the largest and strongest come. The largest and strongest do not mean the female will accept them, and in the case of Gwithen, the oldest and wisest of all the female dragons, she has turned away many dominant dragons in her lifetime. Female dragons are different from the females of a lot of species in that they seek out male attention for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it’s love, sometimes it’s simple attraction to a particular male, and sometimes it’s just for companionship and talk. Gwithen really liked Hornspire. She loved to listen to him talk about the future and was so curious about his predictions. She grew very attracted to him, and he sired half a dozen dragons with her. Female dragons are unique in that they can be impregnated at any time unless they are already pregnant. They can also target their scent to a particular area through the use of magic. Female dragons are not sneaky per se. They just get what they want, and usually, they want the dragon that wins their affection through combat. With the introduction of Vemenomous, Gwithen worries that while she is away gathering food, he will kill her young, but this does not change the fact that she has to feed them, and if Vemenomous attacks her young, she will, in this case, seek him out to destroy him. Do not let the fact that Gwithen is a female fool you. She is wise and supreme in the use of magic. A dominant male will not want to fight with Gwithen. Her powers are incredible and mysterious.

She heads to the Wickenfall Forest to gather food for her young and you have to see how Gwithen hunts. Gwithen loves the Wickenfall Forest. She does not like to kill, with the one exception of feeding time, and she loves the creatures of the Wickenfall Forest. The creatures here are mean and brutal. They are lethal and ruthless. Gwithen soars down from high in the Shandeltowen Mountains. She glides over the Pergungeon grasses that surround the Wickenfall Forest and are the favorite food of Rimsharben. The grasses are deep green, thick, long, and lush. She heads over the grasses into the darkness that befalls the eerily evil still forest. Gwithen is beautiful and snow-white as she descends into the dark forest where she is by far the most noticeable being here. She is massive and powerful, and few animals in all the worlds will dare tangle with her. She floats down to the dark wooded floor of the forest and tucks her wings tight to her back and seals them with magic so they cannot be harmed. She walks sluggish with a limp, implying that she is injured, and this works every time. She walks less than a quarter mile, and the howls begin. Before long, Lycans attack from the woods. They run full speed at her and jump onto her back and sides, digging their claws deep into her flesh, and begin biting her, ripping flesh from her body. Her snowy scales are soon red with blood, and she has eight Lycans gnawing at her back, sides, neck, and hind legs. She begins to chant. “Ouwee seeemee chinn glinn glurr srusurr oblegree chin glinn glurr seerisskrob!” A white ball of light spotted with blue grows from her, and the Lycans attached to her body are stuck to the light like flies on flypaper. The ball grows outward very slowly, and the Lycans are stuck, squirming in the light. They are drawn away from her body, unable to escape the sticky light, and the more they struggle, the more they become stuck and immobilized by this well-crafted spell of light and goo. Still, more Lycans attack from the surrounding forest, running right into the light and becoming stuck as well. Gwithen heals herself and jumps hard into the air, flapping her wings powerfully to break free from the heavy gravity, carrying her load of two dozen Lycans. They are her favorite food, and as she flies away, the ball follows her, becoming a bubble shrinking down and bringing all the Lycans together in the center. She has eaten more Lycans than she can remember, and they are very dangerous. They just do not have the size to be of any real danger to her unless she were to ignore them altogether. She is going to feed herself, but she also intends to feed her young with them, and this presents danger because they surely can kill her young and easily so. Sometimes when she is feeding her young, she simply drops the ball at the base of her mountain, and the Lycans die from falling, and she walks around, munching on all the broken parts, while she picks pieces for her young to eat. Sometimes she stabs them with her claws and extracts them from the ball and slices off their heads with a claw. Sometimes she removes the air from the ball, and they suffocate. Sometimes she compresses the ball until they are all crushed. There are so many things she can do. She is still worried about the threat posed by Vemenomous, so she hurries back to her lair with the ball of Lycans intact. As she enters her lair, she feels emotion like never before. She is actually worried about the safety of her young and is relieved to see they are fine. She glides down with the ball of Lycans, and they are moving around in the tiny space they have like crickets in a small bag, not knowing they are dinner. She rests the ball against the rock wall, a good forty feet from her young, and it sticks there. She stabs two of them through the ball with her claws and pulls them from within. When they are extracted, the wall of the ball covers them like honey, and this is like a sweet, sticky goo that her young will find sweet and good to eat. The ball remains intact, and the Lycans cannot escape the ball that shrinks now, holding them compacted tightly together. She uses another one of her claws to remove their heads so they are no threat to her young and heads over to feed her young their first meal ever—Lycan on a dragon claw. She eats most of them herself and feeds the rest to her young, and after a satisfying meal, she lies next to her young, and they all fall asleep.

CHAPTER 3
The Long Forest Happening

Blythgrin, Grenlew, and Trybill appear on the path about ten miles from the Long Forest. They arrived here hoping they would be close to Glimtron and the dwarves. Their calculations are very good, and they have arrived about three miles behind where the dwarves had just passed a while ago. Blythgrin concentrates, trying to summon Greeter, and makes contact with him easily. The three Dagi teleport to the band of dwarves, and they all take a rest to talk about what has happened.

Glimtron dismounts and welcomes the Dagi back. “It is good to have you back, Blythgrin, Trybill, and Grenlew. I think Greeter and Solmbus were getting lonely without you.” The dwarves laugh. “But seriously, it is good to have you guys back.” They all exchange handshakes and hugs. “We haven’t any time to waste. We need to make the Long Forest by nightfall. We have not heard from the elves at all, and Solmbus has been sending our coming telepathically with no response. I have a bad feeling, and the elves may need our help. We can talk as we ride.”

There are horses for the Dagi to mount, and they ride on, heading to Erkensharie. Grenlew and Trybill ride along with Greeter and Solmbus, while Blythgrin rides up front alongside Glimtron. The past events quickly spread through the dwarven company. Glimtron steadies his horse, while Blythgrin rides alongside him.

“
Blythgrin, it is good to have you back with us. How is Logantrance, and why did Limms and Breebellow not come back with you?”

“Things are much worse than we had thought. Limms and Breebellow have been killed by Salcendreepes and dragons. The dragons have summoned them, and much worse, they have planned all along to use Vegenrage as a vessel to further their form. Well, at least one of the dragons did, and that dragon has transformed.”

“Which dragon?”

“Vergraughtu. He was able to use the power of the Sapphirewell and the Octagemerwell and used Vegenrage as a vessel to rise into a new form of like lizard, human, dragon all in one, but this dragon may have all the powers of the Staff of Barrier Breath and Vergraughtu. Also, it may have the ability to cast magic without speaking. Vegenrage must have been the key all along. The dragons have been able to cast magic long before the races of man, so I believe, naturally, they have to be more advanced than us, but elves, dwarves, and human magic may have caught up to them, and Vegenrage, as far as I can tell in what little I have seen from him, is a dominant force like no other. Somehow the dragons captured him—Logantrance and the Dagi—and believe it or not, it was Oriapow, along with Cloakenstrike and a humanor, that saved us all. It was a humanor that killed Hornspire, and Farrah removed a wing from Blethstole, along with three of his horns. She used the Staff of Barrier Breath to do this, and we were all fighting the dragons and drove them away when Vergraughtu took form and had somehow planted Demon Seed in Vegenrage. He entered Vegenrage’s body and roused a horrifying dragon monster. I was scared, and this thing may have dragons in its sight, along with everything else I don’t know. We have to see what happens next.”

“So Vegenrage is dead?”

“No, he survived, but I do not know how. The Demon Seed grew and erupted from his body, so how he lived is very powerful magic indeed. I bet the only thing that can stand up to that monster is Vegenrage. I’m sure the Dagi, along with the Sapphirewell, can protect us against it, but I hope we don’t have to.”

“Well, for right now, we are coming to the Long Forest. We will camp here tonight and try to communicate with the elves. I don’t like being this close to Erkensharie and not hearing from them. You make sure you and the Dagi take all necessary precautions because dragons may appear at any time.”

“You have it, my king.”

They ride all day and reach the Long Forest just as night is coming, and Glimtron, who has made this journey many times in his life, is noticing that something is very wrong. Many of the dwarves are aware of this as well as they approach the forest. The path they follow takes them to the Nomberry Pass, which is a wide pass through the Long Forest that was cut with axes a long, long time ago by both dwarves and elves together. This was cut to make a trail to Erkensharie that could be traveled much easier than having to travel through the thick forest. The dwarves stop about a half mile before the forest and sit on their horses in a line, looking at the trail that has been overgrown.

“Glimtron, what is that?”

“I do not know, Silgeqwee. Blythgrin, this is some sort of magic, is it not?”

Blythgrin rides forward, telling the others to wait here. He rides up a ways and rides back. “This is very bad. The dark has ventured here from the south. I fear Erkensharie is in desperate need of our help, and we may not be enough to help them. I have never felt the dark here like I feel it now.”

Osworns and Fillismrend sniff the air deeply. “Bog wolves, yes, and I smell ogres too.” Cremnole and Nordiath smell the air too. The dwarves get antsy, drawing their weapons.

Fimble taps his left hand with his ax, motivating his friends, saying “Then we fight some more. That is why we have come to fight.”

Glimtron speaks in a stern voice, “Calm down, all of you. Fillismrend, are they close?”

“No, I don’t think so, but they have been here.”

Cremnole says, “I smell Meglasterns.”

Osworns says, “And I smell Crainatours.”

“Meglasterns and Crainatours,” many of the dwarves say simultaneously. “That can’t be. They never come this far north.”

Glimtron calls to Blythgrin, “Blythgrin, what has blocked the Nomberry Pass? Can we get through?”

“It is the Dark Bush, and we cannot pass here. We have to go around through the forest.”

Dark Bush is thorny black briars that grow thick. It is very dangerous to try and pass through. It is a dead plant that grows from absorbing the live vegetation all around it. It is very easy to cut through the briars with swords and axes, but the Dark Bush can spring back at any time, and getting caught in it is very dangerous because it is very sharp and thorny, causing multiple puncture wounds. The wounds may not be deadly but the Dark Bush is laden with strong bacteria that cause wounds that get infected and become deadly very quickly. Dark Bush is dead, and it burns very quickly, and this is a terrible trap. When ignited, it burns very fast and becomes ash in no time. But again, the Dark Bush can spring up at any time, and it grows very quickly to its full form. One scratch from this bush is enough to kill mostly anything that has been infected. Dark Bush is a very evil magic caste by a very powerful witch, warlock, or user of black magic. The most terrible thing about Dark Bush is that once it has been cast, it does not go away until the castor has been killed. Dark Bush is an evil trap that is easily cut through or burned, but once a living being is inside the area of growth, it springs back up, and a cut is usually made, which is lethal to the victim.

“Silgeqwee, what evil would have laid such a deadly trap?”

“I don’t know, Ahnkle, but whoever did sure meant to kill an awful lot of life.”

“Glimtron, this will add two days to our journey to Erkensharie. We should be there in two days from now. Who knows if we run into more Dark Bush in the Long Forest, we may be days more. Maybe we should turn back.”

“Trybill, your concern is mutual. Everyone, we set up camp here and rest. Let’s get a fire going and get the horses safe. No matter what, we need to rest tonight, and here is as good a place as any. Osworns, Fillismrend, can you keep watch over our camp tonight? This could be a very dangerous night.”

“We will keep the camp safe for you, Glimtron.”

“Blythgrin, you and the Dagi prepare safe haven for us here tonight. Use the Sapphirewell.”

“Okay, we will.”

The dwarves dismount and unsaddle their horses, tying them to logs that the dwarves stake in the ground and the trees that are around. They get a good fire going and start to boil a yummy stew.

“Blythgrin, see if you and the Dagi can find out what evil has spread this scourge.”

“We will see what we can find out.” The Dagi head to the Dark Bush to see what they can uncover.

“What are we going to do, Glimtron? You think we should continue on to Erkensharie?” Rifter asks.

“I don’t care what evil shows itself. We have left Glabor in search of dragons, and we get warlocks. It’s just an added bonus we will take them all out.”

“Yeah, Rifter, you fight them all. We will all sit back and watch you handle them all yourself.”

“What’s the matter, Churcher? You scared?”

“No, I ain’t afraid, Dormins. I will fight with every last breath I have.”

“All right, all of you. Here we are, and we have to keep our cool. The Dagi will come back with some answers, and we will decide how to move from here. We continue on to Erkensharie. The elves will be waiting for us, and together, we will set things back the way they are supposed to be.”

The Dagi are sitting close to the Dark Bush. They sit in a circle around the Sapphirewell just a few feet from the evil plant. Trybill and Greeter are sitting closest to the bush with their hands facing it, concentrating. Blythgrin has the Sapphirewell in his hands, and Solmbus and Grenlew are to his left and right. An image appears in the Sapphirewell, and they watch as a Changenoir, not a warlock, walks down the Nomberry Pass. It is in human form, except for its arms, which are crazy long, extending down from its shoulders to the ground with long claws, digging in the earth. As the creature walks down the pass, the ground turns black behind it as it passes. Behind the Changenoir grows the Dark Bush. The Changenoir infects the entire pass and, when finished, heads back south through the forest, most likely heading back to its homeland—the Changenoir Vanuary. Blythgrin and the Dagi head back to camp with the other dwarves.

“I have discovered what evil has done this. It was a Changenoir. This means all the creatures from the south are probably moving north. Maybe the dragons have killed off so many of the elves, or maybe the dragons have taken to hunting the creatures in the south, forcing them north, but why it casts Dark Bush here is unknown. One thing for sure is that dark days are on the rise,” Blythgrin says.

“Grenlew, can you and Solmbus make your way to the Erkensharie? We have to know how the elves are doing. I want Blythgrin to stay here with Greeter and Trybill in case danger approaches us tonight. We may need the protection of the Sapphirewell. Listen, we don’t know what has happened to the elves. The Mystical Erkens may have been destroyed, and for all we know, the Great Erken may have fallen. Slip in very quiet and see if Ulegwahn still lives. I cannot believe he and all the elves have been destroyed. Find them and see if somehow we can get past the Long Forest without having to travel through it. If need be, we will go through, but faster transport is preferred.”

“We will go, Glimtron, and if there is any way past the Long Forest, we will find it.”

“Be safe and return to us with good news.”

“We will.” Grenlew and Solmbus walk through a Dimension Door.

The sun has set, and the dark of night is on the dwarves. They talk and joke by the fire, but the feeling of uneasy weighs heavily on them. The fire burns, and one by one, the dwarves are falling asleep. A couple of hours later and all are asleep. The only sounds are those of the crackling fire and the night insects singing in the darkness. Fillismrend and Nordiath are guarding the south of the camp, and Cremnole and Osworns are guarding the north. Nordiath stands and sniffs the air. “I smell it too. Meglasterns.”

“Yeah, but that’s not all. We better wake the dwarves.” They head back to wake the dwarves, and they waste no time.

“Wake up, wake up. Meglasterns.”

The dwarves quickly rise, and Cremnole and Osworns make their way back to camp. The loud roars of the Meglasterns are heard, and you cannot mistake the shaking ground with the deep thumping of the Meglasterns’ hooves hitting the ground. The dwarves get up and gather, facing the oncoming sound of charging Meglasterns. Greeter casts a spell from his staff that shines light in that direction. The sound is coming from the south, along the outside of the forest, which is a flat grassland, and sure enough, here come five charging Meglasterns. They look like bulls with long, thick furry coats. They are very dark in color and have very big horns that grow from the top of their head outward then split into two very sharp horns that curve forward. They live in the gas swamps and bogs south of Erkensharie and almost never venture out. They weigh about 1,600 pounds and are all muscles. They don’t generally seek confrontation, but when they charge, they always follow through. Greeter and Trybill summon earth elementals that attack two of the Meglasterns before they reach the dwarves, and Blythgrin hits one with a lightning bolt that turns it into steak. The earth elementals attack quickly, jumping onto the Meglasterns, and begin punching them, but Meglasterns are very powerful and keep running at the dwarves. The fourth Meglastern is just about to the dwarves when Blythgrin casts a Wall of Force, and the Meglastern crashes into it. The wall holds, and the Meglastern does not fall to the ground but backs up and starts attacking the wall with its horns. A sixth Meglastern approaches from the northwest, and this one has a Changenoir riding on its back, and this Changenoir has a staff in its right hand. The elementals are pounding with their fists, but the Meglasterns are very powerful and keep bucking and slashing with their horns, which make the elementals fade in and out a lot, and so far, the Meglasterns are absorbing the punishing punches from the elementals. They ignore them for the most part, and this is smart on their part. The elementals are a powerful force with wide-ranging attacks that come in the form of punches and kicks. An elemental that is summoned to protect the Glaborian dwarves has a natural barrier that it must stay outside in order to ensure that the dwarves are not harmed by their attacks and the Meglasterns run right into the heart of the dwarven party and the elementals vanish. Ukker, who has been very quiet to this point, sees a Meglastern heading straight for Glimtron like it is set on him. Glimtron readies his battle-ax like a baseball bat and challenges the beast. “Come on, you wretched bull. Come and get me.” It charges its head lowered right at Glimtron, and he will be run over but stands his ground confidently. Ukker charges at the last moment to save his king, slamming his battle-ax down at just the right time to sink the blade right into the snout of the beast. It turns its head away with a load roar and then swipes back at Ukker, goring him with both tips of its right horn, going right through him. The Meglastern rises to its hind legs, shaking its head, unable to free the ax from its snout or Ukker from its right horns. It bucks and sways its head, coming down to meet the might of Glimtron, who is waiting for it to fall to its front legs. When it does, Glimtron swings his ax at just the right time to slice the throat of the Meglastern. His ax penetrates the right side of its neck and slices right through to the other side, sending blood and fur off to the side. Londwer comes in right behind Glimtron with his heavy two-headed battle club and slams the beast in the right side of its head, cracking its skull. The Meglastern stumbles around, trying to breathe as blood gushes from its neck, and falls dying. Londwer comes down again, finishing the job with a smashing blow to its head. He and Glimtron go to Ukker, who is stuck on the horns through his body.