Once We Were Kings (Young Adult Fantasy) (The Sojourner Saga) (41 page)

He felt a bone snap, followed by an unbearable dull pain that ran amok through his body.

Again, another lightning burst.

And another.

Ashtoreth still did not loosen her grip.  She only paused her crushing jaws to inhale deeply.  The incoming air—frigid by comparison with the outgoing breath—rushed past him as he struggled in vain to free himself from her jaws.

Then came that sulfuric odor.  And the rumbling that came from within the belly of the beast just before she belched out a lethal flame.   Flapping her wings wildly, Ashtoreth began to roll as an alligator does before it dismembers its prey.

She was about to crush his bones, incinerate and devour him as she had Mooregaard.

CHAPTER NINETY-FOUR

Not only did the teeth grind against the bones in Render's arm, but the heat and acidic saliva dripping into his open wounds burned with intense pain.  It was so overwhelming he could not muster the strength to retaliate with even the slightest spark.

Hovering over the glowing hills, Ashtoreth held him in her jaws and gripped his limbs against his body with the foreclaws of both hands.  She only need pull in any direction and pluck off an arm or a leg and begin feeding on it like that of a roasted pheasant.

// INSIGNIFICANT MITE, you HAve FAILED UTTERLY.  WHERE IS your HELP NOW? //

Her jaws loosened just enough for her to laugh.  A series of ever increasing guttural convulsion rippled up through her throat.  Puffs of acrid green smoke choked Render as he tried in vain not to inhale.

But it was futile.

He had failed indeed. 

And would now die in that knowledge.

It was almost as painful as the teeth sinking deeper into his arm, as he dangled like a wounded mouse from the mouth of a cat.

A black cat...

Greifer...

Mother... would she live long enough see her son torn to ribbons by the hideous demon dragon?

The entire world turned dark.  Or were his eyes just shutting, his body relinquishing and accepting his fate?

Ashtoreth laughed and pulses of heat washed over his face.  At this close range, one blast full would burn him to a crisp.

It's over.

But his face did not burn.

Ashtoreth's claws loosened their grip.  Her entire head swung up, to the left, to the right, up again.  Dizzy from the shaking, Render opened his eyes.

A bright white flame blazed above.  But not from Ashtoreth's mouth.  It was on top of her head.

Above the bloody fangs, above the dripping snout, and clear past the reptilian eyes, the residue of white flames splashed out from behind the dragon's horned collar, which opened and retracted, opened and retracted frantically.

Muffled explosions accompanied by flashes of light burst out just above the dragon's head.

In that instant, Ashtoreth screamed.

Render fell from her jaws, the blood-soaked sleeve of his shirt tearing off and remaining like floss between the fangs.  Immediately he flew back, gaining a safe distance above her.

To his surprise, Ahndien straddled the demon dragon's neck.  Over and over, she formed what looked like spears of white fire in her hands.  Drove them into Ashtoreth's skull, her ears, through the fleshy horned collar.

Render shot a bolt of lightning, but the pain in his arm caused him to wince.  He missed by a great measure.  The bolt struck the rock face, sending up a shower of pebbles, smoke and dust.

With each fiery blow Ashtoreth swung her head wildly.  The dragon snapped its jaws at Ahndien, blew steams of fire all over, grabbed behind her neck but could not reach her. 

After suffering repeated fire spearing, her ebony scales began to open.  Green blood oozed out.  Ahndien shoved her fist into the opening.

A blast of fire and bright emerald blood erupted from the opening, splattering Ahndien's clothes and face.  Ashtoreth roared and flew straight up, sending Ahndien tumbling down the dragon's saw-edged spine.

"Hold on, Ahndien!" Render flew over and upward in pursuit.  Hanging by one hand from one of Ashtoreth's spine plates, Ahndien swung a foot around, then her other hand, and climbed up again.

For a dragon the size of a battle ship, Ashtoreth moved with alarming speed.  As Render flew after her, cold wind rushed through his hair, across his face and stung the open wounds on his arm.

Ashtoreth reached her apogee and leveled out.  Like a bucking horse, she kicked, arched and dove all about trying to shake Ahndien off of her back.  Render took that opportunity to shoot another bolt of lightning.  This time, it stuck her in the very jaw that had entrapped him.  Knocked her head to the side.

Then the dragon did something no one would have expected.  Leaning to the side so that her jagged spine—onto which Ahndien hung—would hit, Ashtoreth flew straight for the rock side of the mountain.

"Oh no" Render muttered.  "Ahndien, let go!"  Render flew with all his might.  Just as the dragon slammed her massive back into the rocks, Ahndien leapt off and flew out of the way.

Just a dozen or so yards away, Render threw another bolt at Ashtoreth.  But she swooped down after Ahndien and it only singed the tip of the dragon's tail.

However fast Ashtoreth could fly up, she flew down many times faster.  Render followed, but the dragon was already above Ahndien.  He reached out to her in his mind.

// ABOVE YOU! //

Ahndien screamed in terror as the hideous jaws snapped at her heels.

Willing himself to fall or fly faster, Render gained upon the demon dragon.

Just a few more yards.

Flames burst from Ashtoreth's mouth.  She'd caught Ahndien in her jaws.  But were the flames from the dragon or Ahndien?

Like a thousand castanets, the clacking sound of loosened scales fluttering in the wind grew louder.  Render could just about reach her.

The tip of the tail.

A few more feet.

Now inches.

Now...

Render grasped the tail.  Sinking his fingers as deep into the scaly flesh as he could, his entire body began to glow and hum as he accumulated all the energy he could for a powerful discharge.

Suddenly, all the weight, speed and force of the gargantuan black dragon yanked him down.  But Render would not let go.

"Let her go, foul demon!

At this, Ashtoreth snarled.  The sound, like that of a hundred tigers.

Ahndien called to him.

// GET AWAY, RENDER! //

// NO! //

// YOU’RE NO USE TO ANYONE DEAD! //

Diving headlong, Ashtoreth shook her head back and forth like a rabid dog with its prey in its jaws.  The ground was coming up fast.  A dragon of Ashtoreth's size might be able to withstand hitting the ground at this speed, but the impact would crush Ahndien instantly.

// I WON'T LEAVE— //

// YOU MUST, RENDER! //

Then it happened.

Cold from the core of Render's body, a huge surge of energy, as unstoppable as the Mighty Rapids of Jutundra expanded outwards.  It threatened to burst out of every inch of his body.  He squinted and gritted his teeth containing it, focusing it all into his hands.

Then...

A deafening thunderclap.

Blinding azure light.

From where he fell, Render did not see the manifold strings of lightning connecting with his hands from the four winds.  An explosion haloed the diving dragon, illuminated her entire body such that her black scales flew off of the greater part of her body.  With a deafening explosion, the halo glowed and shot outwards until it winked out with a frightful flash. 

Only from a great distance could it be seen; a huge mushroom-like cloud rising into the sky and beneath it, a ring expanding in all directions.

Ashtoreth's tail stiffened.  Her entire body convulsed.

The explosion knocked Render back.

He barely caught his balance and he came crashing into the sand, a great distance from the deadly fire ring, the shouting Sojourners and human warriors trapped behind it.  Render hit the ground hard and rolled on his side more times than he could recall. 

He stopped just in time to witness the dragon strike the ground.

The entire valley quaked from the impact.

"Ahndien!"

The dragon lay in the midst of a cloud of dust, its four legs twitching uncontrollably.  But its jaws were empty.  Only a red forked tongue hung out, flitting with each bodily tick.  Sparks of light crackled from the soft, exposed skin where black scales once shielded.

But Ahndien was not there.

He called for her again.

Then, a faint moan.

It was her!

CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE

So this is what dying is like. 

Lao-Ying managed to drag himself to the edge of the hill overlooking the valley, which seemed to blaze like a bonfire, its orange flames licking out over the mountain peaks.

He labored for every breath.

Five hundred years.

Only to end like this.

All he had suffered had been in vain because the one for whom he waited did not appear.  But Valhandra had made a covenant with him.  And five centuries should be no different from five days with The Almighty, His word must be true.  If this was the true Valhandra who granted his immortality back then, and granted his death just a few days ago, then he could not have lied.  The covenant must be fulfilled.

Lao-Ying shook his head and laughed bitterly.  Perhaps he was not nearly as wise as his many years led him to believe.  Trusting Valhandra came with no guarantees of receiving whatever you wished for.  He should have known.

His fingers ached.  Even flexing them open to grasp the limb of a dead Yascha Tree jutting out of the pale rocks hurt.  Pulling himself to a seated position, he leaned against the tree and turned his face to the valley.

Through tears and stinging perspiration, he discerned nothing but two figures on the ground next to...Ashtoreth!  

Horror of horrors!  He knew the insidious demon dragon might re-appear, but never suspected it would be this soon.  She lay there as though dead.

Upon a more careful look, Lao-Ying made out the two figures below.  Render and Ahndien.  She was injured, unable to stand.  They appeared unperturbed by the presence of the gargantuan dragon, because it lay unmoving.

But that is precisely what Ashtoreth would do to lull them into a false sense of security.  He tried to shout out to them but could not find the strength in his lungs.  Nothing but a feeble whisper came out.

// AHNDIEN!  YOU MUST BOTH GET AWAY FROM THERE, NOW! //

But there was no reaction.  She was not perceiving his thoughts, perhaps because of the distance, perhaps because of his weakened state.  Summoning all his remaining strength, he tried to transform.  But he could barely stand.  He grasped the tree and fell to his knees.

CHAPTER NINETY-SIX

As the dust cleared, Render saw Ahndien, pushing herself up with her arms.  She had freed herself and landed about ten feet from Ashtoreth's head.  He rushed over to her, pushing past the dust and green smoke rising from the fallen dragon's nostrils.

"You've got to help them, Render.  Don't worry about me."

He arrived and knelt beside her.

Gathered her in his arms.

She buried her face in his shoulder, her breaths stuttering as she tried to hold back sobs. 

"Can you stand?" Render asked tenderly.

She pushed back, sniffled and glanced at her legs.  "I think they're broken."  Reaching her hand up, she touched Render's face with fingertips that nearly singed his cheek.  But he didn't care.  She was alive, and he would not let her out of his sight again.

Just then, Ashtoreth heaved a heavy sigh.

Ahndien gasped.

Render turned sharply, extended a crackling hand in the dragon's direction.

But the light that glowed from Ashtoreth's eyes dimmed, even as the lids remained open.  All the smoke that streamed from her mouth and nostrils turned black, then faded.

One final jerk of the head.

And then with a long hissing sound, her chest rose up.

Then deflated.

The last puff of smoke stopped.  As did her breathing.

Ashtoreth was dead.

"By Valhandra!  You've done it, Render!"

He turned to Ahndien and kissed her forehead.  Caressed her shoulder.  "We did it."

"Look!"  Ahndien pointed to the middle of the valley.  "It's coming down!"

And so it was.

The wall of fire that had encircled the Tianese, Torians and Sojourners began to fall.  Even though the charred remains of hundreds whom it had consumed could be seen, a deep sense of relief filled Render's entire being.

Now that the people of both kingdoms had seen the truth, they would surely unite and embrace the resurrected Sojourners and the remnant in this part of the world.

Ahndien whispered to herself.  "But this is not how..."

"What's that?"

She met his gaze and blinked.  "It's nothing." With pained effort, she pulled herself over and leaned against him.  "Your time has come, Great Deliverer.  Go and speak to your people."

An anxious grin tugged the corner of his mouth.  "I'm not leaving you here..." he pointed his chin to Ashtoreth's still body "...with that."

"Just go.  They don't need to see you with a peasant girl with broken legs."

"To me, you're a princess.  Here, let me carry you."

She shook her head.  "This is your first appearance before them.  It would not be proper."

"But—"

"Render, please.  I will fly over quietly after you."

"Are you quite certain?"

She gave him a scolding look.  Go.

"Fine.  But I do so under protest."

Finally, the smile returned to her face.  As he stood and began to walk, she still gripped his hands until he noticed the pull against his fingers.  Render stopped and turned around.

Ahndien smiled, squeezed his hand lovingly.  "I am so proud of you."

"You are just as much their deliverer, as I.  If not more so."