| |
At the top of the mountain, they stood gazing out over the sea as the sun came up on the eastern horizon. Below them, as the light hit the water, were more than a dozen ships. They were heading towards the island, moving in and out of the fog that had rolled in during the night. Obsidian lay scattered all around them, catching the faintest bits of sunrise, the heart still glowing from its spot atop the plateau. Dusk could feel his own beating wildly in his chest. Staring into the face of battle was something completely new to him. Usually they were running from danger or cutting a path so they could escape. Never had he stood tall and ready to fight with an army marching in his direction. He thought back to that man who escaped the mines so long ago. He didn’t recognize him anymore. That man had been nearly feral with a desperate need for survival, but the man he was now didn’t back down. He had something and someone to protect and he would do it, no matter the cost.
“Aim for the sails of the lead ship,” Dusk said from his place near Lyra’s head. “We need to stop Nedarya from getting to the island. If we can cut them off from their commander, it will slow them down. But we have to be careful. We know what she’s capable of.”
“I’ll take you right to them,” Lyra growled, staring down at the large three-masted warship that was leading the charge towards the island. It broke through the fog momentarily and became fully visible, an ill omen on the rolling waves. “They’ll be at the bottom of the sea before they know what hit them.”
“The fog will give us some cover, but they’ll be looking and listening for our arrival. The men know there’s a dragon now, so they’ll be ready.”
“The ships will be outfitted with ballistae and you can bet they have them aimed towards the sky,” Lex chimed in. “Besides the magic, I’m sure almost every man down there can use a bow as well. If they see you coming, you’ll never make it to them.”
“We’ll make it,” Lyra grumbled, keeping herself low to the ground. “I’ve dealt with far worse than this, magical and mundane. They don’t scare me.”
Dusk turned to Lex, his father close at his elbow. “Get out of sight and don’t try to defend the mountain. There’s no reason left to protect it. If anyone makes it to the peak, send up the flare.” He looked to Lex’s forehead where a rune sat on his skin, the same Lyra had given him the night before. “We’ll be here as fast as we can.”
“Stay safe,” Lex said, pulling Dusk in for a hug. “Don’t you dare die out there.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, a smile spreading across his face. He leaned in and gave Lex a long kiss, savoring the feel of his skin and the taste of his lips as if it were the last time. “Are you ready?” he asked, turning back to Lyra.
“Almost. I have one last thing to do.” She turned and walked back to the edge of the volcano, lifted her tail, and smashed through the platform they’d used to go up and down the interior. “We’re not going to need it anymore anyway.”
She came back to the edge of the plateau and held out her arm. Dusk felt a hand on his shoulder as he began to climb. Turning back he saw Lord d'Ronja looking at him seriously.
“For my son’s sake,” he whispered, drawing himself close. “Don’t be a hero.”
Dusk considered him for a moment, looking over the man who stood in front of him, his station in life having no bearing on his person anymore. He didn’t reply, but nodded to Lord d'Ronja, not able to make such a promise out loud. There was a moment of recognition in the man’s eyes as he removed his hand from Dusk’s shoulder.
“You’re just like my wife,” he sighed. “Stubborn once a decision has been made. I suppose that means you’ll be okay, though. She always seems to be.”
Without a word, Dusk climbed up and positioned himself on Lyra’s back. He pulled the bow up so that it was slung over one shoulder and easy to get at. She took a few more steps, her claws resting over the edge of the mountain. Far below, the fog was beginning to burn away as the sun crept higher in the sky. If they were going to have the element of surprise, they needed to go now. Dusk took a deep breath and gripped the spike in front of him.
“Fly,” he whispered.
Over the side of the mountain they went, wind rushing in Dusk’s ears as they fell. His heart leapt up into his throat again, but this time he swallowed it down, focusing on the enormous task in front of them. Halfway down the mountain Lyra finally opened her wings, the air carrying them forward across the sea. The fog was burning away quickly and a breeze picked up. He looked down and saw many of the white sails were now visible, full of wind as they sped towards the island. The lead ship of the battalion wasn’t far from the shore, the others close behind. They were moving at a faster pace than seemed possible. He thought Nedarya must be aboard the leading ship, spurring the boats on with magic to bring them to land faster than the wind could carry them.
“Let’s stop them in their tracks,” Dusk shouted over the rush of wind. He pulled his bow forward and retrieved an arrow, tucking it against the string. “Get as many of the sails as you can. I’ll cover you from here.”
He felt a growl of approval vibrate through his legs that gripped Lyra’s sides. She aimed her nose for the lead ship, tucked her wings in, and dove.
They came hurtling out of the sky, dropping like a falcon for its prey. Lyra took a deep breath, her scales expanding away from one another, and she grew warm beneath Dusk. She splayed her wings at the last moment and shot over top of the ship, a gout of flame pouring from her mouth like liquid magma. Dusk felt the heat press against his face as he leaned over, keeping a tight grip on her spike. The deck of the ship was almost empty except for the helmsman, a pair of deck hands on either side of the boat, and the ballista operators. The canvas sails caught quickly, liquid flame dripping down to the deck. What crew was there shielded themselves from the flames, making them unable to fire back.
They slipped out of view as Lyra flew past at breakneck speed, making a large loop to the north before heading back towards the ship. Ahead Dusk could see the deckhands summoning up sea water and spraying it across the burning masts, their hands glowing blue against the orange light of sunrise. They extinguished the flames quickly, but the canvas had burned up almost immediately. It would take them hours to erect new sails. He watched as the ballista suddenly swung in their direction, massive harpoon-like bolts ready to fire.
“Look out!” Dusk shouted, a fraction of a second after Lyra saw them herself.
His chest banged into the spike in front of him as she suddenly shot straight up into the air, pain arcing through his skin. Dusk heard the familiar twang as the ballista shot. He braced himself for impact, unable to see anything beyond Lyra’s massive flapping wings as she climbed. Gripping the spike harder he turned to look down, daring to take a look. The ballista flew by, narrowly missing Lyra’s tail. Thick ropes were attached to the bolts, meant for dragging her in if they hit to stop her from flying off wounded. They crashed into the ocean below and as Lyra leveled out once more, far above the other boats, he saw a pair of ballista on each ship, all of them now aiming in their direction.
“Higher Lyra!” he called, hoping she could hear him over the rushing wind.
More bolts, some thinner and without ropes, shot into the sky. Lyra rolled and ducked as best she could, trying to climb higher. But she was too big of a target. Dusk watched as another bolt fired, heading in their direction. The instant it sprang free he knew it would hit them. Pulling his arrow back, he thought of Lex and the javelin back in Birchwood, and fired. Fayard’s bow didn’t let him down. The arrow struck the bolt’s shaft and buried itself in the wood, but it was too small to throw it off course. Instead the bolt flew up and through the membrane of Lyra’s right wing, causing her to cry out in pain. Blood streamed down her wing, blue-black against her bright red flesh.
Dusk was surprised how prepared the soldiers were. Nedarya hadn’t told them there was a dragon, but she’d outfitted them for the task appropriately. Somehow, even with the knowledge of an ancient beast living on the island, none of them seemed consumed by fear. They fought like men who believed in what they were doing. And if Gideon was anything to go by, they believed this would be the war to end all wars.
“We need to get back to the mountain! If we get any closer they’ll shoot us out of the sky!”
“You’re right,” he heard Lyra say in his mind with a frustrated growl. “Too many hits like that and my wings will tear away. They’ll be useless.”
She banked to the south, heading back towards the mountain, her snout pointed towards the plateau. Dusk glanced back, making sure there were no more bolts coming their way. It looked like they had stopped firing and instead the decks were swarmed with men dropping anchors and putting rowboats into the water. They’d be on the island in no time.
Dusk swiveled back in his seat, his eye catching a flash of white. On the south side of the island, just beyond the point, was a set of white sails. He assumed it was the caretakers and breathed a sigh of relief, happy they’d gone so far in such a short amount of time. But then his eyes focused and he noticed there were two sets of sails. Somehow a smaller ship had slipped through the fog and made chase towards the boat full of mostly-unarmed people. They wouldn’t stand any chance against the mages and even though they needed to get back to the mountain to get Lex and his father, he knew he couldn’t leave them behind.
“Lyra! Go south! They’re after Selussa!”
Lyra’s head snapped towards the longboat. A cry of rage split the air as flame shot from her mouth. Her wings doubled their speed as she clawed through the air. They moved so fast it made Dusk’s eyes water and he had to turn his head to the side. The land below them was racing by in a blur of green and gray.
“Hold on tight,” Lyra commanded. “Hold your breath when I tell you to and don’t let go!”
Confused, but unable to look forward, Dusk wrapped his arms around the spike in front of him and squeezed with his thighs. For a few seconds longer Lyra continued at an astonishing speed. Then, without warning, her wings flared outward and she flapped forward, slowing her headlong rush. Dusk saw the white sails come into view and locked his hands together, realizing what was about to happen. There was a massive crash as Lyra ran full into the main mast at an angle, wrapping her claws around it and holding on for dear life. Screams echoed from below them as the massive dragon, easily longer than the ship itself, was suddenly on top of it, clinging to the main mast. Lyra’s weight carried through and Dusk realized the ship was tipping to the port side. Many of the soldiers below were so busy trying to find something to hold on to that they didn’t have time to use magic or release their arrows. Glancing off the starboard side he saw the longboat full of the caretakers watching in awe. Arrows riddled the side of the ship, but it looked mostly undamaged.
“Take a breath!” Lyra yelled, filling every vacant space in Dusk’s mind and yanking his attention away from the other boat.
He took a deep breath and for a handful of seconds the world seemed to go silent as the water slowly came towards them. The ship finally slipped past the point of no return, the portside railing going underwater. Lyra kept her claws dug into the wood as both she and Dusk were enveloped by the freezing cold ocean that rushed up to meet them. For a few seconds Dusk clenched his eyes shut, gripping Lyra with every muscle in his body. Then the water quit moving around him and everything was silent.
Curiosity finally pushed him to open his eyes. Beams of sunlight streamed down through the water’s surface far above. Lyra still clung to the mast of the ship that was now completely upside down. It was a strange sight as Dusk saw supplies sinking past them into the murky depths below. Nedarya’s men kicked through the water, oddly suspended in this strange topsy-turvy world that they found themselves in.
After a handful of seconds Lyra let go of the mast, floating in the water for a moment. When the ship didn’t attempt to right itself, she began to kick through the water. Dusk’s eyes fell on a familiar thick figure with dark hair still near the deck of the ship. It looked like he had his foot stuck between the railings and was unable to pull it free.
“Save that one,” Dusk thought, reaching out with his mind to Lyra. He felt her begin to retort, but cut her off. “Trust me on this one!”
Obeying his order, Lyra swam up towards the man. Dusk watched as bubbles burst from Gideon’s mouth. He scrambled for his scimitar, but it came free of the sheath of its own accord and plummeted through the water, quickly falling out of sight. Not so gently, Lyra reached her claws up and broke the railing that held his leg. She snatched him around the waist and kicked off from the boat, gliding around it and towards the surface.
Dusk gasped for air as the water fell away. Lyra’s claw came out of the water with Gideon still held in her grasp. He coughed and sputtered, a mouthful of water bursting forth from him. He’d been seconds away from drowning by the looks of it. Lyra used her tail to propel herself through the water, coming up beside the longboat. She lifted Gideon out of the water and dropped him on the deck carelessly where he landed in a sopping wet heap. Dusk quickly jumped off her back and ran over to Gideon. Stooping down he drew a dagger from his boot and cut the leather pouch off his belt. Turning back he hurled it over the side of the boat and into the ocean. Gideon continued to cough up water behind him.. Dusk walked over, pointing the dagger at his throat.
“A-Alex?” Gideon asked, looking up at him and wiping the seawater away from his eyes. “What are you d-doin’ here?”
“My name is Dusk and I’m here to give you a choice, Gideon,” he said in a more confident tone than he felt. “Last night you told me what you wanted. After this war was over you wanted to go make a life for yourself. Is that correct?”
“Y-Yes? But why are you workin’ with that dragon?” He glanced back to Lyra, then at the caretakers on the boat before looking back at Dusk, realization dawning on his face. “You... you were a spy, weren’t ya?”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters right now is that I’m giving you a choice. You can go with these people to a new land in peace. You can have that life you wanted.” Dusk paused, letting it sink in. “Or you can die here and now.”
Gideon was quiet, looking around at the faces on the longboat all staring back at him. Dusk inched the blade closer to his neck.
“What will it be, Gideon? I don’t believe you are bad, just working for the wrong people without knowing the full story. Your general wants to burn the world to the ground and she’s sacrificing these men to do it.” Dusk pointed back towards the soldiers who were either drowned or swimming for shore some distance off. “Do you want to be sacrificed or do you want to live?”
Gideon’s head turned back up to Dusk, his eyes full of confusion. Dark wet hair matted around his young face and his beard was still dripping salt water. It was a long moment before he finally spoke.
“I choose life,” he confessed in a defeated tone.
“That,” Dusk replied, pulling the knife away, “is a wise choice.” He turned towards Selussa who was only a few feet away. “Put this man to work and if he turns against you, kill him.”
Dusk reached out a hand towards Gideon. He took it warily and Dusk helped haul him to his feet. He pointed at Selussa.
“This woman is the leader here. Do what she says and you’ll find the life you’re looking for. She’ll do her best to explain what’s going on.” Dusk sheathed his dagger and patted Gideon on the arm. “You were kind to me. I hope this repays that in full and then some.” He thought of Lyra’s words, looking Gideon in the eye. “Our choices determine who we are. Who will you become?”
Gideon opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off.
“Dusk!” Lyra shouted from behind him. “Look!”
He whipped around, following her line of sight to the north and the top of Anthurium Mountain. A glowing star of bright red light arced through the air and over the side of the plateau.
Lex was in trouble.