DARK HOURS
Chapter 11
It was early
evening the next day before the outer walls of Noranye came into view. Long
before then, they’d spotted the massive black dragon flying overhead. It was as
if the creature had been waiting and watching for them. After it finally spied
them, it swooped low overhead, frightening the horse to where the animal almost
unsaddled both Kayge and the priest. It took great effort from the Centurion to
calm their mount enough and continue onward.
One thing they
both silently agreed on was that Gola was now aware of the fact that Father
Matthias had managed to find Kayge, delivered her message, and Kayge was
returning to reclaim his beloved Emers.
The guards and
soldiers were expecting them. Kayge eyed the men lining the upper walls as he
and the priest approached the drawbridge. He recognized many of them,
especially those who had served directly under him, but not a single face
showed the same familiarity. Every pair of eyes gazed back at him with vacant
expressions. Gola had their souls completely under her command.
When the dragon disappeared from sight
as the first turret came into view, Kayge wondered where it had gone. He
suspected it could be within the confines of the castle, but he wasn’t certain.
Neither could he worry about it. Not yet. Right now his focus was on the
confrontation with the witch before he faced her Hell-spawned creature.
The drawbridge lowered and they
were allowed to cross it. Entering the courtyard, they were immediately
surrounded by a phalanx of guards. Slowly, Kayge dismounted. Father Matthias
joined him as the captain of the guards approached. Again, Kayge studied the
man’s face for some sign of familiarity. He knew Obred Tayson of Kimmsin. Had
known the man since their initial days in the military academy. They’d bunked
in the same barracks. They’d fought together. Advanced through the ranks
together. And they’d been promoted to Centurion together. Yet the man’s eyes
were dark, blank, and lifeless.
“You will come with me,” Tayson
intoned in a flat, emotionless voice without greeting.
“Can the priest come as well?”
The Centurion never glanced at
Father Matthias. “We have been instructed to bring you both.”
There was no movement to relieve
him of his weapon, which did and didn’t surprise him. The witch was so
confident in her abilities, she believed herself to be impervious to any
attempts he’d make to come after her.
The soldier turned and began
walking toward the main doors. Kayge cast a glance at the priest before
following after the man.
They were led directly to the
throne room. Gola was seated on the chair, as he expected. Two long lines of
guards flanked her, protecting her. Kayge found their presence amusing. Gola
had the power to eliminate any man with an incantation and a wave of her hand.
These men were being used merely for show.
He resisted the urge to rest his
hand on the butt of his sword. Although he knew the witch wasn’t afraid of him,
he didn’t want to test the possibility that her guards might take his action as
a threat and descend on him to defend her.
Kayge stopped at the foot of the
dais but refused to bow or show her any sign of allegiance. Instead, he locked
eyes with hers and waited, almost daring her to make the next move. Beside him,
Father Matthias halted and also remained silent.
Gola’s gaze broke away from the
Centurion and went to the priest. “You have done well, old man. I take it you
delivered my message?”
“He did,” Kayge answered for him.
The witch turned back to the
soldier. “Tell me what he said.”
Kayge didn’t try to hide his
amusement. She wanted to be sure the priest had delivered it correctly. “If I
want to be reunited with my beloved Emers, I have to kill the heart of the
dragon.” It wasn’t an exact quote, but it was enough to confirm what he’d been
told. It was also enough to gain a thin smile from the witch.
“I take it you have returned to do
just that,” she said.
“I have returned for my Emers,”
Kayge stated.
“Whatever it takes?” Gola pressed.
Kayge found it odd that she would
say that, but confirmed it. “Yes. Whatever it takes.”
“Then follow me,” she ordered.
Swishing her purple cloak about her shoulders, she strode off in the direction
of the hallway that Kayge knew led to the inner, private courtyard saved
exclusively for the royal family.
The soldiers fell in line behind
him and the priest as they made their way to open outside area. Lit torches
ringed the area as dusk gave way to the darkness of the night. As Kayge
expected, the dragon sat at the far end, waiting for them.
A second chair had been placed
here. Kayge recognized it as the late queen’s throne. Gola placed herself upon
the tufted cushion, and her guards spread out in a semi-circle behind and
around her. Waving in the direction of
the immense beast, she smiled.
“There is no need to delay this any
longer. Begin!”
Kayge shoved the priest out of the
way and drew his sword. The beast eyed him, an almost identical smile to that
of Gola’s on its face. Was the creature waiting for him to charge?
In the back of his mind, Father
Matthias’ words whispered to him.
“I believe its every action is
dictated to it by the witch.”
Realizing his back was to the
woman, Kayge instantly pivoted to where he could keep an eye on both. He
twirled his blade experimentally to see if the animal would react. It did,
rising up on all fours and spreading its wings so far, the tips brushed the
walls of the nearby keep.
“Come at me, beast.” He gave a come
hither motion to it. “You think you are invincible?”
“We do not think it. We know it,”
Gola replied with a hint of bravado.
Hiding his smile, Kayge glanced at
her. “Then tell it to attack me.”
“Only when you get closer,” the
witch smirked.
“I believe its every action is
dictated to it by the witch.”
Kayge suddenly sprinted toward the
creature, sword raised as if to spear it through the chest. The dragon roared
and sat back on its hind feet, lifting its front paws, claws extended.
Instead of continuing toward it,
Kayge abruptly changed course and lunged to its left, putting the animal
between him and Gola. The dragon twisted its body as it reached out for him. At
the same time, it leaped toward him.
Too late, Kayge noticed how close
the thing had been by the far wall. A clawed hand came down to trap him against
the ivy-shrouded rocks, when he dropped and rolled. The paw missed crushing
him, but a couple of its talons raked down Kayge’s back, shearing through the
leather straps that kept the metal pieces of armor tied to his body. A hard,
almost debilitating jerk nearly lifted him off his feet, and Kayge felt his
breast and back plates fall away.
He kept rolling to avoid a second
strike as the beast raised its claws again. The front paws came down, shaking
the ground when they landed. Kayge ended up on his back, staring almost
directly up into the open maw.
The dragon roared again and lowered
its head when it inexplicably stopped. Kayge threw up his hand holding his
sword, but the creature continued to hesitate, then inexplicably took a step
back. Its gaze focused on Kayge’s chest.
Confused, Kayge let his training
and years of experience take over. He rolled away from the animal and staggered
to his feet, when pain lanced up his right leg. A familiar warm wetness
trickled down his calf, letting him know his wound had reopened. At the same
time, the dragon’s nostrils flared, which told him the creature also smelled
blood. It rose up once more, exposing its breast as if to taunt him.
“What is the matter, Centurion?
Already starting to weaken?” Gola cackled in anticipation.
Kayge kept his eyes on the dragon
but a kernel of an idea was forming in his head.
“I believe its every action is
dictated to it by the witch.”
How? Why? Was it tied somehow to
the witch? Or was it…
To win back his Emers, he has to
kill the heart of the dragon.
“Gola!” He glared at the witch.
“How do I know that if I plunge my sword into this beast’s chest that I won’t
also kill my beloved?”
That made the woman laugh even
harder, but it gave him his answer.
Killing the heart of the beast
would also kill Emers. Gola knew it, and now he did as well, placing him at an
impossible stalemate—kill the dragon and kill his beloved, or let the animal
live and allowing Emers to remain in eternal torment inside it.
“I would rather release her from
her purgatory, even if it means slaying her!” he yelled, raising his sword. He
barely caught the witch’s movements as she signaled the animal to retreat. The
dragon bellowed but obeyed. Once again, Kayge stared at the two. At the way the
dragon obeyed her command…
It obeyed her command, but its
back is to her. It cannot see or hear the witch, and Gola did not say anything
to it, yet it knew. It knew!
To win back his Emers, he has to
kill the heart of the dragon.
A wild, almost impossible thought
went through him, but it was one that might, might, give him and Emers a
chance. But he had to know. He had to know for certain, or else all of this
would be in vain, and he would lose the only woman he had ever truly loved.
He changed his strategy. Instead of
rushing toward the creature, he began circling it. All the while he kept his
gaze on the animal, watching its eyes in particular. Waiting to see if the
thing would glance at its mistress. At the same time, he was aware of the
soldiers behind him. Their shapes reflected off the massive creature’s red
eyes. He didn’t stop until he caught sight of Gola over his left shoulder. She
made a move, raising her hands, fingers curved like claws. Simultaneously, the
dragon rose up on its hind legs and lifted its front paws, talons extended. It
opened its mouth, letting out a roar and exposing its Stygian throat.
Kayge backed up, aiming his sword
at the thing, when his right leg buckled on him. Gasping from the pain, he fell
to one knee, dropping his sword as he clutched his wounded leg.
The dragon stood up, spreading its
wings, and prepared to crush him with its front claws. Kayge steeled himself as
he pulled the knife he had in his belt. With one hard and sure throw, he
twisted around and flung the weapon directly at the witch.
She shuddered when the blade sank
into her throat. Before the woman could recover from the shock of his
unexpected attack, Kayge grabbed his sword and rushed her where he plunged the
honed steel into her chest. Into her heart.
A scream unlike anything he’d ever
heard came from behind him. Kayge forced himself to remain calm as he continued
to press the woman backwards until she stumbled and fell onto her back.
Standing over her, Kayge gave the sword one final, hard thrust, until the witch
was pinned to the ground.
He continued to hold onto the hilt,
not letting go, and watched as Gola tried to raise her hands and conjure up a
spell to defeat him. To remove the two weapons from her body. But the knife had
punctured her throat to where she was unable to utter a single word, leaving
her hand gestures ineffective.
Minutes passed. Around him the
soldiers remained stonily silent and unmoving. He was aware the dragon was still
behind him, but like the soldiers it didn’t move, didn’t react or cry out
again. When at last the witch ceased struggling, and he was certain the light
of life had faded from her eyes, Kayge released his grip on his sword and
stepped away.
Now it was time to retrieve his
Emers.
He turned around to find the dragon
hunched down on all fours. It was breathing heavily, but it seemed to be
broken, as if its connection to its maker had been severed. It was exactly what
Kayge had hoped for.
He didn’t dare remove either of his
blades from the witch for fear she’d be able to restore herself. He eyed the
swords of the nearby soldiers, but he also feared his move to relieve one of
them of their weapon would reactivate them, and they would fall on him to
avenge the loss of their leader.
A movement. Kayge glanced over to
see Father Matthias watching, fear turning the old priest’s face a deathly
white. Seeing that the Centurion had spotted him, the man nodded.
“Keep the faith, my son! The Lord
will guide your hand. Remember, you are doing this for your lady!”
Hearing the dragon move, Kayge
whirled around to find it trying to lift itself up off the ground. It managed
to rise up on its hind legs, front claws extended, but it didn’t try to advance
toward him. It clearly wanted him to come to it so it could eviscerate him with
its talons.
Pausing, Kayge studied the animal’s
appearance. Like before, its focus never wavered, even when the body of the
witch could clearly be seen reflected in its gaze…
To the side. Kayge
straightened. The beast was staring at him, not at the witch directly.
The animal was focused on him…
No, not on him. He narrowed
his eyes and took a couple of steps closer to the creature. The dragon’s
attention continued to be centered…
Lifting his hand to his chest,
Kayge grasped the crucifix hanging from the silver chain around his neck. The
cross Father Matthias had blessed. Emers’ wedding gift to him.
“Keep the faith, my son! The
Lord will guide your hand.”
He slipped the necklace from around
his head and held the cross up to the dragon. The animal reacted with obvious
fear and backed away until the far wall stopped its retreat. Yet Kayge
continued to advance haltingly and fought the spears of pain zipping up the
back of his right leg.
Unable to go any farther, the
dragon opened its mouth and hissed a warning. It tried to lift its wings, but
Kayge could tell the thing no longer had the power of flight now that its
heart, the witch, was dead.
“Return her to me, foul beast!
Return my Emers to me!”
Without warning, the dragon lunged
at him, bringing down its front claws in an effort to slice through him. Kayge
saw his opening and took it.
Holding the crucifix like a knife,
he brought down his arm with every ounce of strength he had left and stabbed
the creature in the chest, but the beast kept charging, unable to stop its
momentum. Clutching the silver cross with both hands, Kayge continued to rip
into the thing as it dragged him along, tearing through skin and scales as if
they were butter. Blood poured over his face and arms, yet Kayge somehow
managed to keep his grip on it.
The beast stumbled to a halt and
tried to reach him with its beak, but the damage had been done. Entrails the
thickness of Kayge’s arms fell from its abdomen. A second flood of blood gushed
from its body, and a membrane, like a large bladder, oozed out of the opening.
It hit the ground, splitting open, and Kayge stared as a small, naked figure
sprawled almost at his feet.
Releasing the cross that was still
embedded in the beast’s belly, he scrambled over the thick pool of mucus and
bile until he reached her. She coughed as he pulled her into his embrace, and
behind him he heard Father Matthias cry out in praise.
“Thank you, oh, merciful Lord! She
lives!”
TO BE CONTINUED
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