The Estian Alliance

CHAPTER 12

Night of 2nd September - Kerrallux City - Eratur - Mynae

Jake West had been faced with many terrifying situations since finding the box of stones and learning of his destiny. Death had only been a heartbeat away for the young Keeper at times. Too many times in fact, now that he stopped to think about it. However, despite the turbulent and world shattering events of the recent past, Jake had never been so certain of his own demise as right now!

He was staring at a multitude of ferocious Thargws. All of them were armed to the teeth and clearly intent on taking his life. His only companion was the guide sent by the Heynai to help him. But, unbelievably, the old wizard seemed able to do absolutely nothing to help. The fearsome warriors were inching their way menacingly towards him, shaking with excitement and breathing heavily through their flared nostrils. Astonishingly, given his vast age, knowledge and experience, Tien appeared to be frozen with fear. His paralysing concern was not for himself however, it was for the fate of the Keeper, and for what his death might mean for the future of his people, the future of his entire world. Tien was genuinely petrified for the first time in hundreds of years, gripped all of a sudden by a fear of the unknown, which was the worst fear of all for a wizard used to knowing what was going to happen. He had no answers to the thousands of questions which had popped into mind. He had seen no visions. The future was an open book, with blank pages yet to be written, and words which fell drastically short of what he had expected to find, promising nothing now but disaster and death.

When he gazed into Jake’s eyes for one last time however, the fears which had gripped him so strongly and left him almost unable to move, were suddenly eased a little. The young boy simply winked at him to let him know he had accepted whatever fate had in store. Then, Jake went down on one knee and closed his eyes, placing the tip of his sword on the ground as if he was praying.

The moment he did, everything around him seemed to slow to a virtual standstill. The first of the Thargws were only yards away as Jake then opened his eyes and began his attack. He launched into a frenzy of action, hurling his sword and wounding or killing scores of enemy warriors, as well as moving forward and managing to shield Tien at the same time. It was an astonishing, miraculous display of swordsmanship, an exhibition of remarkable precision, power, speed and skill. The Thargws were amazed, but they were also infuriated.

Thargws are a courageous and bold race. They live for war and they do not fear death. The incensed beasts just kept on coming at him, time and time again. Eventually, they swamped Jake through weight of numbers and he was at the very limit of his ability and endurance. Bodies were strewn all around him, but the fearless warriors simply stepped over them to reach the Keeper and continue the onslaught. To make matters worse, at the head of them now was the Thargw Emperor himself, their greatest swordsman.

The colossal beast was an awesome fighter. Jake was absolutely shattered and his muscles were burning fiercely. He desperately needed to rest. He had had enough and he knew that he couldn’t go on for much longer. The Emperor engaged him and due to Jake’s condition he soon gained the upper hand. Jake was left frantically trying to block the powerful blows from the battlesword that were raining down upon him. He cried out to Tien in desperation.

“Save yourself if you can! I’ve had it!”

The wizard leapt forward, sword in hand. In one final act of courage, he threw himself upon the nearest group of Thargws, even though he knew that his ability with a sword was such that the fight would probably not last long.

And then, out of the darkness of night, came a tremendous roar of anger. It was an ear-shattering noise unlike any other, full of pain and suffering, wrath, and a thirst for revenge!

Everyone in the city stopped what they were doing, including those warriors attacking Jake and Tien. The sound was so frightening, so powerful, that the Thargws all looked anxiously up at the moonlit sky. Thargws were scared of nothing but the unknown, and such a cry of murderous intent had never been heard before.

Suddenly, a ball of fire screamed down upon them. Thargw warriors were killed in droves, disappearing instantly in a sea of flame. Then, another fireball fell from the sky, and another, and another… Kerrallux became a storm of fire. The whole city was under attack!

The Emperor immediately broke off his attack and ordered his warriors to find cover, before forgetting all about Jake and fleeing to save his own skin. Jake was astounded, he was out on his feet and hardly able to hold his sword, astonished and amazed to still be alive. He checked Tien for any sign of wounds, but there were none. Then he stared up at the flame-lit sky. He saw the silhouettes of a host of dragons flying rapidly over the city, swooping down viciously upon its luckless inhabitants, taking them out systematically, setting the entire place ablaze.

Every now and then he saw the flashes of light shoot from the creature’s eyes, as they turned individual targets into black stone. This battle, this war, had just escalated beyond measure. It was now being waged on an unimaginable scale. And this fight at Kerrallux was nothing short of a massacre, murder. It was retribution, pure and simple.

No part of the Thargw city was left unscathed, except for the stable block where Tien and Jake were standing and watching in awe as the attackers destroyed the rest of the city. The roaring flames came nearer and nearer, blown by a gentle breeze, but a solitary dragon swooped down and landed in the square, not far from the two weary companions. It searched anxiously around with its eyes, looking for Thargw warriors, but the city defenders had all gone to ground by now, or been killed.

“Do not linger, climb upon me now!” the dragon bellowed.

Jake and Tien did not need a second invitation. They sprinted to the dragon as fast as their tired legs would carry them and climbed onto his lowered neck. Within seconds, they were flying away to safety, leaving behind them a scene of utter carnage, a blazing inferno, all that was left of the mighty fortress city that was the Thargw capitol. Kerrallux had been reduced to nothing in a matter of minutes by the dragon’s swift and deadly attack.

* * *

It was still the dead of a world-shattering night in Eratur. On a vast, blackened desert known as the Wrainx, the army of dragons landed. Once the lead creature had allowed his passengers to dismount, Jake and Tien found themselves surrounded by five of the awesome beasts, with their leader in the centre. The dragon shuffled backwards a little and bowed his head slightly. He said nothing. He appeared to be waiting for those he had rescued to begin the conversation.

“Err… Okay, I’ll go first then,” said Jake, eventually. “I am…”

“Please? We know who you are,” interrupted the dragon, in a strong, bold voice.

“You do? Yes, I suppose you must, seeing as you rescued us just in the nick of time? Gellsorr must have told you about me, about us?” Jake suggested.

“He has. He did,” corrected the dragon, the pain and hurt immediately evident in his bright orange eyes. His despair was such that he looked as though his heart had just been smashed into a million pieces, as if he had lost every single member of his family in one awful day. Both Tien and Jake could feel it deep in their souls.

Another awkward silence was once again ended by Jake, who felt compelled to say something. “I… I’m really sorry, I can’t tell you how sorry we are. We… He was the bravest of us all, the most noble guy I have ever known.”

“He was. And now he is gone,” said the dragon.

Jake couldn’t tell if the comment was meant as an accusation, or if it was merely a statement. However, before he could respond to it, Tien replied with an accusation of his own. “Gellsorr came to you, to ask you for your help. Why did you forsake…?”

The dragon stared angrily at the old wizard. Smoke billowed from his nostrils and his eyes narrowed, halting the question before it was asked. “He came. We did not listen to what he was telling us. And now, he is dead. The first of our kind to die in over three hundred years. His death call was heard by us all. It has brought us to you.”

Jake and Tien looked at each other, surprised. “Death call? Really? You actually heard him, from so far away?” asked Jake.

“We did. Heard him, and felt his energy depart from us. When his life force ceased, every living dragon shared in the moment, in the pain. We are connected to one another in ways you probably will never comprehend. When one of us perishes, we all feel the agony and desolation. For us, it is as if a part of us has left with them, and we know that we will never be whole again.”

“Oh, I see. Then, you must hate us for what we have done? And that being the case, I don’t understand? Why did you save us? I mean, you’d already decided against helping?” said Jake.

“It was you,” answered the dragon. “You are the one who freed Gellsorr and returned him to us. By doing so, you have unlocked memories and feelings which have lay dormant alongside his sleeping body, recollections of alliances forged, promises made, and vows broken. He was the eldest and wisest amongst us. His mind held more within it than any other, things which were long since lost to us. Since he returned, we have wrestled daily with our decision. Since turning him away, we have examined every inch of our conscience, searched our souls. If we had decided to return earlier, he would still be alive.”

The creature’s eyes were now full of guilt and shame. He lowered his head a little, as those around him also lowered theirs. It was silent again for a few seconds, until Jake spoke once more.

“Look, nobody’s perfect. You’re here now. I don’t know much about your history, only what I’ve been told, but the alliances you made with the Estians worked well once. Together, you defeated all those who stood against you. You beat off armies and wizards, everyone and everything who tried to enslave you. And you lived together in peace. It can be that way again, if you want it to? I will help to make it happen. However, I won’t lie to you. It’s far bigger than you could ever know. We’re facing creatures and warriors who…”

“Revalkas? Graxoth?” interrupted the dragon.

“Yeah, and then some!” replied Jake, suddenly sounding more like his old self. “I know they’re your natural enemies and that they hunted you in years gone by. You’ll have to face them again. The battles ahead will be hard fought. If you join us, many of you may die. I think it’s only fair to warn you of that, of what you’re letting yourselves in for?”

A faint smile suddenly appeared on the dragon’s lips. “Gellsorr was right about you.”

“Eh? What?”

“He told us you were honourable, and that you would tell us the truth, no matter how painful it might be. Though, that was maybe a little too honest of you?”

Jake and Tien laughed. “Ha, ha… Yeah, s’pose so. I haven’t quite mastered the art of deception as yet, or being a little more economical with the truth. I’m gonna have to work on that one,” Jake replied.

“Krrmmn… Know that when you do, Keeper, we shall in all likelihood leave,” stated the dragon, in a tone of voice which told everyone that he was being deadly serious. “…I am Resus, the elder, now that Gellsorr has gone. Those you see around you are all that are left of my kind. We have lived in peace for hundreds of years, in self imposed isolation. But, thanks to Gellsorr and you, we know now that we have been living a lie, Jake. We have denied our heritage and abandoned our friends, forgotten who and what we were. In such circumstances, sleep is hard to come by and peace is overrated, when you understand exactly what is missing, and all you have sacrificed to attain it. We will return with you now to the days of old, Keeper. We would very much like to reclaim our place in Estian history, present and future. Lead us as you see fit. Command us and it will be done, without hesitation, for as long as you stay true to yourself, to your beliefs and code of ethics. Gellsorr has opened our eyes and spoken for you. A new age has dawned. We are yours!”