The Dragon Knight and the Light Read online

  Figuring he would blow it away otherwise, I triggered a dragon stone right after letting it go. With my prana reserve now my weakest point, I knew I needed to focus on overpowering my opponent at the onset of battle. I put more prana in my flame as I ever had when I gushed it forward. I expected to adjust its direction accordingly, but rather than dodging, the Advent stood his ground and cast a wind spell with his free hand. My flame pushed ahead at first, only to meet greater resistance the closer it came to the Advent. I sent a second outpouring of prana into my attack. He did the same.

  Unable to overtake the other, fire and air sought to climb over its challenger. Each element ascended higher and higher until they collapsed and burst forth. As dying embers extinguished themselves on contact with the ground, my sword confronted the Advent’s katana. Whistling, twirling air enfolded his blade. With a smirk on his lips he unleashed this stored air at once, pushing my sword away. He did this with every swing, putting me on the defensive.

  Why avoid the inevitable?

  I didn’t try avoiding the next swing. It landed on my shoulder and chest. I heard the dragon scales crack, but even with the extra air power, his blade could not go completely through. My steel slashed upward. Whatever protection he wore under his cloak’s sleeve did not stop me from splitting his bicep in half. He grunted, dropped his sword, and to keep me from thrusting through his heart, he blustered a wind spell out of his left hand, staggering me backward.

  “Robin!” said the wounded, flustered Advent.

  The extended gleam of a steel river aimed for me. I was forced to let the shards separate me and the male Advent.

  Laughing like a ten-year-old who could lead a choir, Robin said, “I thought you said you could handle him!”

  “Shut up!”

  “Just go, love. It’s time you transcend. I may join you soon.”

  The Advent, holding his injured arm, sprinted back toward Lady Vealora.

  “Love?” said Clarissa, forming a large water ball between her hands. “I thought you two were-”

  “Siblings? No. We’re cousins, actually.” Robin’s eyes tracked the captain, who circled back to attack either her or her cousin. Two rings of shattered steel revolved around her. “He’s an arrogant ass, but isn’t he gorgeous?”

  Robin’s left hand rose above her head to direct one ring to the griffin’s underbelly. Her right hand had the second ring unfurling to attack the vampire. While warning the captain, Clarissa expanded her water bubble to block the attack. A few pieces managed to pass through, though at a reduced speed and with less influence from its master’s will. The captain received the warning and his mount rolled out of the way. Regardless, he couldn’t evade the lightning bolt that vaulted from Lady Vealora. The griffin dropped almost all the way to the ground before his wings worked again.

  Robin’s foot stomped the ground, creating an earthen wave. I was already running in an attempt to flank Robin, but Clarissa could not move much without losing control of her shield. The wave rose higher when it reached Clarissa’s feet. The soil gripped her legs and pulled her down. As her water shield broke, I threw two dragon stones in the middle of the shrapnel, igniting them to interrupt her main attack. To counter, she reshaped her attack into a fissured metal wall. The heat welded most of it into one white hot chunk she had to drop.

  Clarissa got the time to free herself from her earthen bond. With her back in action, I said, “Use them!”

  She nodded and reached down to unstrap a small but full pouch hanging off her hip. She threw the pouch into a water bubble she regrew. I spread my flame outward to blind Robin to the act. Then I pushed the flame forward as far as her defenses allowed. Another steel wall formed and fell.

  “Now!”

  Clarissa shoved her water sphere into the opening. Robin still had plenty of steel left to intercept the wet assault. Of course, this attack was only meant to get as close as possible, not find its target. I ignited all the explosive stones inside the pouch. I sensed my prana take a big tumble after that, but I pressed on and used the diversion to flare up a dragon stone I threw in afterward.

  Despite most of the shards dropping after the explosion, my fireball hit something solid. The raging flames blew away the smoke and dust to reveal a shuddering nismerdon ward. My spell failed first, but hers failed right after when a large icicle cast by Clarissa impacted the ward. A fireball from overhead would have struck the defenseless woman if her returning cousin hadn’t flung a whip of air at it. He no longer held his injured arm. Greenish veins pumped blood on the right side of his neck.

  The battle with Qubura became quiet. I wanted to look back, but I dared not taking my attention away from the Advent.

  Steps away from his cousin, the male Advent said, “Robin, it’s like Omen said! I can sense them all. I’m calling them. I think they can hear me!”

  “Gods, you’re so lucky!” Her steel shards floated off the ground.

  “One is near. He’s coming.”

  “Good. I was actually starting to get worried.”

  Lady Vealora, with unnatural composure, entered the rings of fragmented metal. Her rigid movements and glassy eyes told me something was off with the noble turned cultist. Could she be corrupted? Or under a spell? Readdressing my attention away from her, five griffins united with the airborne captain at the same time I heard others in my party running to support me. Just before they did, a shower of steel and a slicing shockwave of wind dashed my way. This brisk squall cleaved Clarissa’s water wall in half, then struck both of us with enough force to knock us off our feet.

  The steel shards would have hit us next were it not for the very wind that made us vulnerable. The gust lasted longer than perhaps the caster intended, since its draft created a whirlwind that dispersed most of his cousin’s attack. Nevertheless, a few remnants of sword ripped my cloak and cut the hand I used to protect my face. Lowering my hand showed the cousins casting a nismerdon ward to defend against spells from above.

  While on the ground, I felt a steady rumble beneath me. I looked at Clarissa, who stared back at me with a countenance that expected dread.

  Smiling, the male Advent said, “He’s here.”

  Chapter Seven

  Odet

  Mercer separated from the group with Clarissa and the captain in tow. I wished he asked for more help, but I understood his reasoning, especially when I could smell the reason’s dank breath every time it snapped its jaws. If Mercer brought more help with him, then Lady Vealora might feel it worthwhile to dispatch her eidolon to the smaller group, placing them in greater danger. All the same, if I had time to argue tactics, I would have made Mercer take a couple more people.

  At the top of my lungs, I shouted, “Stick together! Move as one! Don’t let him catch you alone!”

  Swooping griffins, earth spells from below, and the occasional prodding from everyone else might keep Qubura too unfocused to attack effectively, but that was not the same as defeating him. No one here possessed a spell or weapon with the power to pierce the eidolon’s skin in one go, not to mention our endurance would not last long against such daunting physical opposition. I did not bother unsheathing my weapon when I knew I needed to use my ward to curb his blows. So how to aid in victory?

  Qubura, exasperated by all the pokes and jabs from so many sides, leapt a body length away. He shook the irritation off his bulk and turned to inspect us again. His leftmost eyeball bled a viscid droplet of dark red blood. For the briefest of eras, his other three eyes lost their savagery as his eyelids lifted only enough for me to notice that they did at all. A strained, puppy whine slipped out of his mouth.

  Was the old Qubura trying to resist? How could I help him do so? If I could just imbue to him what holy prana I controlled, then perhaps he might retake possession of his sanity long enough for him to sever the summoning bond Lady Vealora had sullied. He’d then be dismissed to his home realm, where his kin could purify him or mercifully end his tainted life. Gods, I hated what a despicable situation his once tr
usted friend and ally put him in! His realm might even go as far as cut contact with the Vealora bloodline, if not all humans.

  A whiptail rider named Kahoru tossed a fireball at Qubura’s head. I panicked for two reasons. First, no one else was attacking the enemy in that moment, giving the eidolon a clear target. Secondly, the rider either underestimated Qubura’s leaping ability or overestimated her own altitude. The griffin tried ascending, but an outstretched paw clawed the winged creature’s back leg and pulled it to the ground. Kahoru could not free herself in time. Her own whiptail crushed her as Qubura’s teeth and claws ruthlessly peeled open the griffin’s stomach.

  This pause in the fight gave two of Captain Shao’s men time to summon their steeds, which yapped in fright at the cruel sight and sounds of the mad eidolon. The soldiers got to mount their kingclaws and take to the air as Qubura’s eyes regarded us again.

  “We need to restrain Qubura for just a moment,” I told Gerard and Ghevont. “I know I can bring him to his senses long enough for him to break the summoning spell.”

  “He might resist the corruption better without his mind runes,” said Ghevont.

  “Can you dispel their influence?” asked Gerard.

  “Given the time. At worst I can counter their effectiveness for a short period, though I suspect it will be more straightforward to-”

  Qubura charged, his roar reaching us first. Desperate, anguished eyes glared right at me, suggesting that my scent was his only real muse for his delirious mind. That gave me and idea. I sprinted to my right, ahead of the group.

  “Odet!” called Gerard.

  “He’ll focus on me! Trip him up and restrain him!”

  “Stay behind her!” Gerard told at least one somebody.

  As I anticipated, Qubura’s eyes followed me and altered its direction accordingly. Holy shit did he get big fast! I ran backward and with my ward up, positioning Qubura so that his right flank was exposed to the improvised ground force. All Qubura had to do was take the tiniest of pounces to get his front paws on my shield. However, a wall of rock rose between me and those treacherous paws.

  The eidolon didn’t even have time to be surprised, if corrupted beings could react in such a way. His paw slammed through the blockade, inducing his first stumble. The next one came about when someone cast an earthen rope and lashed on to that same paw. Qubura collided snout first with the ground. He was on his way back up, then more stone and dirt sprang beside him. Cords and blankets of water merged with the hardier spells. They did their best to wrap themselves around Qubura’s body.

  Qubura, after resisting his elemental fetters with a few spasms of muscle, stopped moving. His eyeballs rolled halfway behind his head.

  “Ghevont! Dispel the hex!”

  My voice awoke the eidolon. Without being able to get back on his feet, he lunged forward with all his strength. His tusks punctured my ward, breaking it. I fell backward to avoid getting gored. My next vision was of a paw coming down to crush my legs. Something seized the back of my tunic and a clump of my hair to pull me away from the threat. A claw still ripped my left boot starting a few inches above the ankle and ending at my heel. My foot may have been cut, but I did not yet feel the wound.

  Looking up, I saw the alarmed face of Hanying standing over me. His dumbfounded mien turned into a steadfast one when he extended his hands to grab the lurching tusks of Qubura. He successfully stalled his next lunge, which, thankfully, had not been as powerful as the previous. He would have been overwhelmed were it not for three griffins adding their weight onto Qubura’s back, which included a kingclaw summoned by Ryosei Shi, the captain’s right-hand man. Shao’s other men had not yet returned from their mission to gather more warriors.

  With aid from the griffins, the earth and water spells gained a better grip on Qubura’s limbs, though it must have felt much like attempting to trap a tempest with a fishing net. Along with Qubura grunting from the load, I swore I heard a muffled meowing coming from Hanying’s chest. Forgetting the unexpected meowing, I rolled to get out from under Hanying and regain my footing.

  “Ghevont!”

  The adept scholar ceased casting his earth spell and ran closer to Qubura’s flank. He jutted out the head of his staff and used it to contact the largest of the mind runes. A purple spark spurt forth in opposition, but Ghevont fought through it and worked his green magic. Qubura snarled. Even with my ward reestablished I could smell the rotten fish rank his mouth secreted. Every speck of dirt and drop of water wobbled as he worked to free himself. Hanying somehow kept a brave grip on the bloody tusks. I suspect he was too shocked to let go.

  The mind rune simmered a brighter and brighter purple color, better revealing the zigzagging, curved, and angular symbols etched on to the victim’s skin. The rune designs nearer the staff’s tip glowed brighter than those farther away. Qubura’s eyes once again rolled back in his skull as his muscles deflated a touch. I dispelled my shield and lightly stepped toward his face. The sting in my left foot confirmed it had been cut.

  “Hanying, please let him go.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice.

  Gerard, sweating from his brow as he persisted in manipulating his patch of weaponized soil, said, “Odet?”

  “It’s fine, really. As soon as I touch him, get everyone but Ghevont to pull back. Trust me.”

  His visage was one of exasperation, but through the stress, he said, “It’s lucky I love your reckless boldness.”

  I gave him the most grateful nod I could under the circumstances and concentrated on bringing forth my holy power. With each judicious shuffle taking me nearer Qubura’s neck, I whispered, “Ylsuna, Mother of Night, help me, I beg of you.” I extended my hand farther out from my body, ready to place it on the creased space between neck and cheek.

  Almost as fast as a hummingbird beat its wings once, I closed my eyes and remembered all my training and experiences with divine magic—my mother’s lessons, what reading through a thousand scrolls taught me, and what I sensed glowing inside me when I used my grandmother’s crystal. Then, with stiff fingers tingling and hot, I touched Qubura’s cold, cold hide. Sounds became muddled in my mind while pulses of corrupted prana clashed against the meager power I had yet to master.

  My vision, however, remained sharp. I beheld Qubura’s eyes return to their proper place before looking down at me. They shivered so much I believed they might burst. Loose feathers floated to the ground as the griffins flew off of him. I blinked, releasing a pair of tears that each ferried half the water in my body.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have the strength to save you. I’m so sorry. If you can understand me, take my power and sever yourself from this world. Find peace in the next.”

  His eyes stopped shivering. All four eyelids shut and his body became as limp as an unloved doll’s. In a great whoosh of dust, the eidolon returned to its proper place, so that he at least got to die in his homeland.

  Chapter Eight

  Mercer

  The group behind me split down the middle when a gorge and its lashing tendrils rent the ground asunder. This rift continued opening wider and wider.

  Seeing a few people hacking at the roots, I stood up and shouted, “Just get away!”

  “It’s too late for that, dragon knight,” said Robin. “It’s been too late for a long time. Even summoning your dragon will not save Uratama or the other cities harboring nismerdon. Even so, it appears Omen was right about the pitiful state of your prana reserve. It’s not enough to call upon your fire breathing friend, is it?” She sneered when my irked face did not refute anything she said. “Too bad. You’ll have to die just like a regular ol’ nobody.”

  At her last words, her lover corralled the air, twisting it around both arms. As his hands jutted forward, an earthen wall rose in front of me to block the turbulent airflow. The five foot tall embankment lasted the same amount of time it took for the vampire to freeze her thick sheet of water. Her defense ultimately blew apart as well, but the Advent’s attack only had
the power to rumple our clothing by then.

  Robin’s shards rushed upward, targeting the griffins returning to release a volley of spells. The deft spell slashed the nearest kingclaw’s wing, forcing it to frantically flap away and do its best to make its crash landing as painless as possible. Gerard came up alongside us, his appearance prompting a lightning attack from the emotionless Alslana traitor. A crystal ward deflected this attack.

  Immediately recognizing something wrong with Lady Vealora, Odet asked, “What did you do to her?”

  Casting a nismerdon ward, Robin replied, “Nothing she didn’t wish for, princess. Regrettably, her age made it difficult for her to summon a corrupted eidolon with ease, so she endowed herself with the seed of a nismerdon. She could have lived far from here in peace, but she has given everything for the good of Orda. Go ahead, Lady Vealora, show them your devotion.”

  Like a marionette being jerked too far one way, the old woman leapt to her left to sidestep the nismerdon ward in her way. Her arms flashed a bright, electric blue, which she brought forward to strike Odet’s shield. Disregarding the pain a human would feel, Lady Vealora sustained the attack until the ward convulsed and ruptured. Facing away from the sparking lightning, I saw some figures flank the Advent, and I still heard commotion coming from the splitting land behind me.

  Rearing up for another paroxysm of some kind, Lady Vealora shrieked in the agony she should have experienced seconds ago. One hand, blackened and red from her blistering attack, grabbed her stomach. The other grappled her chest. Behind a flickering nismerdon ward, Robin and her cousin gave one another baffled looks.

  Not letting this chance slip by, the green knight pushed forward with his blade. Gerard aimed his slash at the screaming Lady Vealora, who did nothing to stop the sword’s edge from descending on the narrow area where her neck attached to her shoulder. She crumpled to the ground, squirming and still making a sad fuss of gurgling babble.