Army of the Dead (71 page)

The group worked their way through the forest and onto the plains well away from the skeletons. The steady clicking of the choka claws was the only sound that emanated from the group as the warbirds sped across the dusty ground. The plains were desolate, and the sun sank low in the western sky. Marak had thought that Myka’s body would be easy to find as it was so large, but he had not planned on searching in darkness.

“Maybe this was a poor idea,” he remarked softly as the sun headed for the peaks of the Fortung Mountains. “We will never find her in the dark, and we must get back in time to discuss our plans with Avalar and Ukaro.”

“How far do you think she could have flown?” asked HawkShadow.

“They were fairly high up,” shrugged Lyra, “much higher than when Marak jumped.”

“You jumped?” StarWind asked with surprise. “Why?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Marak replied gruffly.

“She was tightly coupled with the demon,” Lyra continued. “They weren’t really flying. It was like watching a shooting star at night. I have no idea how far they could have gotten.”

“We probably are already past where they landed,” sighed Marak. “Let’s turn around.”

“No,” Lyra said adamantly. “This is important to you. I understand that even if you do not. Until you bury her, you will not put the episode out of your mind, and we need your mind to plan our attack.”

“Bury her?” questioned StarWind. “How?”

“That is my task,” replied Lyra.

“Over there,” shouted HawkShadow as he pointed to the south. “There is something large a ways off.”

Everyone abruptly turned to the south and followed HawkShadow. With the chokas kicking out a fast pace, the hulk of the demon came into view before the sun set. It was a grisly sight, a huge black stone-looking grotesque creature. HawkShadow looked around the horizon for Myka, but he could not find her. He continued riding southward, but Marak stopped next to the demon. The Sakovan assassin turned around and rode back.

“The demon deserves no funeral,” frowned HawkShadow. “Let’s search for Myka while we still have a bit of light.”

“In a minute,” Marak said tersely as he drew his sword. “There is something that I must know first.”

Lyra watched intently as Marak swung the Sword of Torak into the demon’s flesh. The flesh parted and a black substance began to seep out of it.

“Try your rapier,” Marak urged Lyra triumphantly. “And HawkShadow, try your sword.”

Lyra punctured the beat’s skin with her rapier, but HawkShadow could not even break the surface of the solid skin.

“I don’t understand,” frowned HawkShadow.

“Our swords are gifts from Kaltara,” explained Marak. “I thought they would be able to do what other swords could not. Now I know for sure.”

“But you didn’t know that then,” sighed Lyra. “Stop punishing yourself.”

“It is more than that, Lyra,” Marak responded. “There are three demons left. If magic does not work on them, our weapons are the only things that will.”

“Then this trip has already been a success,” nodded Lyra. “Let’s continue onward for a bit. We must be close.”

They remounted their chokas and continued southeast. HawkShadow figured that must have been the direction they were traveling by the impact marks the demon left. HawkShadow got excited when he spotted something large on the horizon, but it was only the beginning of the forest that ran along the Meliban River.

“How could she have come this far?” asked Lyra as she looked up at the brilliant stars overhead. “We must have missed her somehow.”

“I don’t think so,” StarWind said as she pointed at the edge of the forest. “Look at those trees. They were knocked over by something.”

“That must have hurt,” frowned HawkShadow as he saw large sevemore trees snapped off like you would find after a brutal storm.

“It didn’t hurt her any,” Lyra said sadly. “She was dead long before she hit those trees.”

“Let’s find her and do what we have come to do,” urged Marak.

HawkShadow led the way into the forest, following the trail of snapped trees. The breaks in the trees gradually got closer to the ground, and HawkShadow finally stopped next to Myka’s carcass. He dismounted the choka and cursed softly as he stepped into a river of blood.

“Be careful where you dismount,” he said to the others. “Her blood is all over the place.”

The dragon’s body was torn and distorted. Long raking cuts split her flesh everywhere they looked. Her wings were bent back at impossible angles, and her head was twisted to one side. A mass of broken trees rested under her body, and blood was flowing everywhere.

Marak dismounted away from Myka’s body and walked purposely towards her head. He ignored the streams of blood and knelt next to her head. As his hand ran gently across her face, Marak offered a prayer to Kaltara.

“How are you going to create a hole large enough?” StarWind softly asked Lyra. “Won’t that destroy the forest?”

“Let’s move away from here and discuss it,” Lyra responded just as softly. “Marak needs some time alone with her.”

“I guess they were close,” StarWind surmised as the three Sakovans moved off into the woods.

“Very close,” Lyra nodded with tears in her eyes. “You would never know it from the way Myka talked to him, but she loved him very much, and he knows it. He will never forgive himself for this.”

“Forgive himself?” questioned HawkShadow. “What did he do?”

“His faults are in his mind,” answered Lyra. “He blames himself for being on her when the first demon attacked, and he blames himself for not being on her when the other demons attacked. He is punishing himself for her death. That is why I think it is important to give her a proper burial. If I have to destroy this forest to do that, I will.”

“Will that really help?” asked StarWind. “Wouldn’t it have been better for him to remember her how she was instead of seeing this deformed pile of flesh and bones?”

“I will admit,” sighed Lyra. “I did not expect her body to look this bad. I guess I should have thought about that. I thought we would just see a dead dragon on the plains, not this.”

“This image will haunt him for the rest of his life,” HawkShadow said solemnly. “You must keep a close eye on him in the coming days. I would not be surprised to see him use his grief as a weapon and sacrifice his own life.”

“What do you mean?” asked Lyra.

“What punishment would he exact on someone who killed Myka this way?” asked HawkShadow.

“He would kill them brutally,” answered Lyra.

“And who does he blame for her death?” HawkShadow continued.

“No,” Lyra said adamantly. “I will not let that happen. While any of us may die in the coming days, I will not permit him to throw his life away. I will freeze him if I have to, but I will not stand by and watch him sacrifice himself for a lost friend.”

“Lyra!” shouted Emperor Marak. “Lyra!”

The three Sakovans looked up in alarm. HawkShadow and StarWind immediately drew their swords as they rushed back to the clearing where Myka’s body rested. The Star of Sakova ran after them, but she could see no attackers when she arrived. HawkShadow and StarWind glanced once around the clearing and then each of them darted into the woods in different directions. They both clearly thought that someone had threatened the Torak.

“Come here, Lyra,” demanded the Torak.

“What is it, Marak?” she asked. “Are you in trouble?”

“Not me,” Marak shook his head. “I think I can feel her breath on my hand.”

Lyra raced through the streams of blood and slid to a halt next to Marak. She pushed his hand away and substituted her own hand in its place. She held her hand over the dragon’s nostrils for several minutes, and finally shook her head.

“I think that is just the heat escaping from her body,” Lyra said softly. “Surely her breathing could not be so shallow. I can hardly feel it. A creature of her size would blow me over with the volume of air she must expel.”

“She is breathing,” Marak said adamantly as HawkShadow and StarWind came back into the clearing and looked quizzically at the couple near the dragon’s head. “Heal her.”

“Marak,” Lyra pleaded, “if only I could. I would do anything for you, but I cannot raise the dead.”

Marak leaped to his feet. He clawed his way onto the dragon’s snout and with both hands tried to raise Myka’s eyelid. HawkShadow, thinking that Marak had gone delirious, sheathed his sword and moved to pull Marak down. Lyra held up her hand to forestall the assassin’s move.

“Breathe harder,” shouted Marak as he struggled with the eyelid. “Show her you are alive.”

Suddenly, the eyelid popped open, and Marak fell backwards to the ground. A low rumble emanated from the snout of the dragon, but the pressure of her breath did not increase. Lyra stared up at the eye staring back at her.

“Praise Kaltara!” Lyra said as she jumped to her feet. “I thought you had gone crazy.”

“Can you heal her?” Marak asked as he picked himself up. “Can you make her whole again?”

“I don’t know,” admitted Lyra, “but I will certainly try. Go weave an air tunnel back to the camp. Have HawkShadow give directions for LifeTender to get out here. She knows more about healing than I do.”

“But you have the power,” frowned Marak, “and LifeTender is hours away.”

“I have the power that Kaltara gave me,” nodded Lyra, “but I do not have the knowledge. Just do what I told you to do, and let me get to work.”

Marak nodded and moved away to where StarWind and HawkShadow had retreated. He wove an air tunnel to the campsite and asked for LifeTender. The Sakovan healing mage’s voice came through quickly.

“What is it, Emperor Marak?” she asked.

“When we get done talking, I will let HawkShadow tell you how to get here,” instructed the Torak, “but I have a few requests first.”

“Certainly,” LifeTender said pleasantly.

“We found Myka,” Marak said quickly, “and she is not dead. Lyra has asked that you come out here to instruct her. I am concerned about the length of time that might require. Can you instruct her through an air tunnel?”

“Not without knowing her condition,” replied LifeTender. “What can you tell me?”

“She is in bad shape,” admitted the Torak. “The whole ground is covered with blood, and I am willing to bet that she has broken every bone in her body. Her breathing is so shallow that Lyra thought it was just heat escaping from the body.”

“That sounds bad,” responded LifeTender. “Loss of blood could easily kill her if her other injuries do not. Maybe I should bring some other healers with me.”

Marak frowned for a moment as he had hoped to use the air tunnel to give Lyra the instructions she needed, but it was clear that that was not going to work. LifeTender started to speak again, but the Torak interrupted her.

“I want every mage there to leave immediately,” ordered the Torak. “That includes the Chula and the elves. In fact,” Marak added, “move the whole campsite. Those that are not mages can donate blood, but I want the mages on the fastest chokas and cheetahs. The rest will have to walk.”

“Walking will take them the whole night,” HawkShadow said softly to the Torak. “What about the attack for tomorrow?”

“LifeTender,” Marak said into the air tunnel, “I want someone to contact the other groups, especially Bakhai. All attacks and preparations are cancelled until I give orders otherwise. Let the warriors at your campsite remain where they are. Instead you are to tell the Fakarans to send men down to donate blood. They are much closer, and they can be here quicker. We will light a fire to guide them here. Do you understand all of my instructions?”

“I believe so,” LifeTender answered hesitantly.

Marak sighed with impatience and StarWind stepped next to him and spoke into the air tunnel.

“Cancel all attacks,” StarWind said bluntly. “All mages are to come here immediately, and send twenty thousand Fakaran horsemen to us. If you have any questions let us know now.”

“No questions,” LifeTender said quickly. “We are on our way.”

“And hurry,” urged Emperor Marak. “I will not let Myka die again.”

Marak let the air tunnel drop and returned to the dragon’s side. HawkShadow and StarWind followed. They all stood watching Lyra as she cast some type of healing spells.

“Can a dragon’s body accept human blood?” HawkShadow asked softly.

“I don’t know,” admitted Marak, “but she must have some blood, or she will die. There are no other dragons. She is the last.”

“Talk elsewhere,” snapped Lyra. “I am having a hard enough time trying to find a heartbeat as it is.”

“Come help us build that signal fire, Emperor Marak,” suggested StarWind.

The Torak gazed upon Myka with concern etched deeply in his face, but he nodded and followed the Sakovan couple out of the clearing. They backtracked along the path of destruction until they reached the end of the forest. Upon the plains they built a huge signal fire and waited for help to arrive.

* * *

Emperor Vand walked out on the roof of the Vandegar Temple. He walked to the southern edge where others had gathered to view the enemy and gazed out over the plains. He saw the distant campfires of the Khadorans and the Fakarans and sneered at them.

“They did not put up much of a fight today,” quipped the Emperor.

“They thought it would be easy to conquer Vandegar,” nodded Tzargo. “They had not counted on your dead warriors. I think the Aritor clan might have ceased to exist today. There might be a few left in Khadora, but not one of them survived today’s ambush.”

“I am surprised that the loss of the dragon and the Torak did not cause them all to turn around and go home,” cackled Pakar.

“It took three of my demons to defeat them,” snarled Vand, “but it was worth it. Perhaps we should move out tonight and slay them in their sleep.”

“The daylight works against them,” Tzargo shook his head. “At night we would not see their counterattack coming, but during the day their every move can be watched from up here. We are best to just sit tight and wait for them to come and sacrifice themselves.”

“I like that,” grinned Emperor Vand. “Sacrifice. It sounds appropriate.”