Dragonvein (30 page)

Ethan was horrified. Had he really burned a hundred men to death? The idea made him grateful that it was gone from his memory. Though soldiers of the Empire were without a doubt his enemy, what Markus described was gruesome beyond imagining.

“Yeah,” said Markus, as if hearing his thoughts. “I wouldn’t want to remember that either. But something tells me it wasn’t really you. When you looked at me, it was like someone else was seeing me through your eyes. I mean, you were you. But not you. Does that make sense?”

Ethan shook his head, though Markus’ account did help a bit. Perhaps the dragon had somehow possessed him? He pushed it from his mind for the time being.

“And the dwarves?” he asked.

“You don’t have to worry about them anymore. After what they witnessed, they think you’re their savior and to blazes with what the king says. Right now a group of them is disposing of the bodies at the foot of the mountain.”

Markus’ eyes shifted to just beyond Ethan’s feet. “Jonas over here finally gave out. I guess that last sip of dwarf potion did him in. He fell asleep about two hours ago and hasn’t moved a muscle since. Birger said that if he doesn’t wake up by morning they’ll have to carry him.”

Ethan was relieved to hear that Birger was safe. “Where is he?”

“Helping with the bodies. He’ll be back soon.”

Ethan’s head was spinning. He knew Markus was telling him the truth, but his mind simply couldn’t take in the enormity of it all. He rested back down on his pack and closed his eyes.

“Are you all right?” his friend asked, sudden concern in his voice.

He nodded without opening his eyes. “I think I just need to sleep a bit more.”

Markus gave his arm a squeeze “You do that. Take as long as you want. I don’t reckon the dwarves will be going anywhere without you.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

We’re here. We’re
waiting.

“Where are you?” cried Ethan. A dense fog surrounded him and the stench of scorched earth was burning his nostrils. “I can’t see you. Help me.”

Come to us. We have waited so long. We need
you.

“I don’t know where you are.”

Time is running out. He knows you are here. He will move against you. You
must
come
soon.

The fog lifted and he found himself atop a grassy hill overlooking a vast plain. Flying high above were six dragons. Two were black, one crimson, one blue, and two pure white. They circled for a few moments, then went into an almost vertical dive. Their beastly roars shook the ground and forced the breath from Ethan’s lungs. When all six were only a few feet from impact, they exploded in a hellish fireball.

Ethan sat up gasping, drenched in sweat, heart thudding in his chest.

The sun was not yet cresting the horizon, but the orange and purple sky stated that it would be appearing very soon. The dwarves were gathered in several small groups near the tunnel entrance, speaking in hushed whispers and stealing glances at him.

“That must have been quite a nightmare,” said Markus. He was sitting nearby, alongside the smoldering ashes of the fire.

“It was,” Ethan said. “Or I think it was. I didn’t really understand what it was about.” He knew the voice in his dream was that of a dragon, but the rest was chaotic and confusing.

“After everything you’ve been through, I’m not surprised you’re having bad dreams.”

“And there is more to come,” added a different voice.

It was Birger. The dwarf took a seat beside Markus and stared at Ethan. There was a bandage wrapped around his head.

“What happened to you?” Ethan asked.

Birger smiled. “My kinsmen weren’t exactly happy to see me. It got a bit rough. But there’s nothing to worry about now.”

“So they’ve really changed their minds about me?”

“After what you did, even King Halvar will be forced to admit he was wrong.”

“Assuming he doesn’t kill me when I return.”

Birger sniggered. “He wouldn’t dare. Besides, you now have quite a few dwarves willing to protect you. Even if he was foolish enough to try,
they
wouldn’t allow it.”

This gave Ethan a good degree of comfort. Though he wasn’t actually looking forward to seeing the king again, at least this time he wouldn’t be defenseless – something he had felt all too often since arriving in Lumnia.

It wasn’t long before the dwarves began to grow restless. They wanted to be off as soon as possible, but none appeared willing to say anything directly to Ethan. From the snippets of conversation he could hear, they were uncomfortable about being exposed and in the open. Most of them had only been outside the mountain a few times in their life, and then only briefly. The brighter the morning became, the more agitated they grew.

“I suppose someone will have to carry Jonas,” Ethan eventually announced.

Two young dwarves stepped forward and bowed low.

“We will carry him, Lord Dragonvein,” said a young dwarf with a short blond beard.

Apparently, in anticipation of this possibility, they had already weaved a makeshift net from some rope. It was looped on each end and long enough for Jonas to fit in the middle. Within moments he was swinging limply between the two volunteers, who easily bore his weight.

“Not exactly a feather bed,” laughed Markus.

“He’ll live,” chuckled Birger.

At a normal pace, the journey back to Elyfoss would take almost twice as long as their flight out. Jonas awoke the next day, embarrassed and sore. It didn’t help his mood when both Markus and Birger teased him relentlessly about being carried along:
“like an old sack of
turnips”.

Ethan’s dreams were becoming ever more confusing and surreal. He could feel the dragons reaching out for him. And even though his actions after touching the creature were hidden from his memory, the events leading up to it were becoming clearer.

The old dragon who had saved them had not wanted to reveal itself. But it could not allow Ethan to be taken to Shinzan. It had been watching him from afar through the eyes of the tiny dragon he had first encountered. But something had happened. At first only the sorrow returned after recalling the moment when Hronso cornered him in the forest. But then the truth washed over him like a massive wave. The creature had sacrificed its life for him. It had destroyed itself to unlock Ethan’s dormant abilities.
That
was how he had driven Hronso away. Through the death of a dragon.

After this revelation, he wept for more than an hour. The dwarves looked at him with concern and confusion. Markus did his best to console him after he’d explained what was wrong.

“There was no way for you to know what it intended,” his friend said. “And if it hadn’t done what it did, you’d be dead right now. I don’t know what these dragons want from you, but whatever it is, they obviously think it’s worth dying for.”

“The Dragonvein family has always had a deep connection to dragons,” said Jonas, who had been listening to their conversation from his bedroll nearby. “It’s in your blood. And your particular connection seems to be extraordinarily strong. Stronger than I would have thought possible.”

“Was my father’s connection strong too?” asked Ethan, wiping away the last of his tears.

“I believe so. That’s what he said, though I never actually saw him
with
a dragon. He told me that he could hear them whispering to him. He didn’t talk about it often, but I do know there have been times in the distant past when the Dragonvein family actually lived amongst them.”

“Where are they now?”

“They live on the other side of the world in a land of vast jungles and rolling hills. They prefer to stay away from everyone – elves, dwarves, and humans.”

“There’s no jungle now,” said Markus. “The Dragon Wastes are about as inhospitable as it gets. From what I hear, Shinzan destroyed everything there after the war. Most people think he killed all the dragons too. But I guess they were wrong. Makes me wonder though. How many of them are left?”

“That would be something well worth knowing,” sighed Jonas.

They both looked at Ethan, as if expecting him to have the answer. He spread his hands. “How should I know? I’m still trying to understand all this. I suppose we could go to the Dragon Wastes and find out.”

Markus laughed. “Not a chance! Ships won’t go there. None that I’ve heard of, anyway. And even if you had your own ship and a crew willing to risk it, the trip would take months. It’s on the other side of the bloody world.”

“First things first,” said Jonas. “There’s still the matter of King Halvar and the prophecy. Once that’s sorted out, then we can move on.”

“Speaking of moving on,” observed Markus.

The dwarves had begun to gather their gear, ready for another march.

Ethan spent most of his time during the journey in quiet thought. The voices in his dreams were continuing to grow stronger and ever more urgent.

Come to us
.
Time is running
out
.

By the time they arrived in Elyfoss, his nerves were completely frazzled. He’d hardly slept for more than a few hours at a time and was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate. He hoped he would not be forced to confront King Halvar in this condition, but knew it was likely. The king had sent out assassins, who were now returning as protectors of the very person they were meant to kill. This was sure to cause something of a sensation.

The former assassins surrounded him and marched through the street as if they were an honor guard on parade. People rapidly gathered on the sidewalks and followed them as they made their way to the king’s manor.

On reaching it, the two guards at the door stepped forward and shouted for them to halt.

“You have no business here,” one of them said, his eyes centered on Ethan. “The council is still in session.”

“Step aside,” commanded Birger. “We come bearing important news.”

“I don’t care what news you have,” he shot back. “You’re not getting in. King Halvar was very clear that…”

Birger took a menacing step forward. “King Halvar will see us now whether he wishes to or not.”

The guard’s eyes shifted past Birger and moved along the line of armed dwarves staring at him unflinchingly. The crowd in the street behind them was growing by the second. It was an intimidating scene.

“Wait here,” he said after a brief hesitation, then turned sharply and disappeared inside. He returned a few minutes later, pale-faced and with an uncertain expression.

“Only Ethan Dragonvein may enter,” he said.

The dwarves lurched forward, shouting their objections. Ethan held up his hands until they had calmed.

“It’s fine,” he told them. “I will meet with King Halvar alone.”

“He’s already tried to kill you once,” objected Jonas. “Who’s to say he won’t try again?”

“I don’t think he will,” said Birger. “He knows what will happen if he does. All the same, you should be careful.”

“I will,” promised Ethan.

He allowed the guard to usher him inside. The council chamber door was already wide open with a line of council members filing out. Ethan spotted Lady Thora among them. She gave him an almost imperceptible nod and a smile.

When he stepped inside, the chamber was completely empty apart from King Halvar, who was still sitting in his chair. The monarch’s eyes bore dark circles beneath them and he was rubbing his chin as if in deep thought.

He pointed to a chair on the opposite side of the table and took a deep breath. “I see that in spite of my best efforts, you are still among the living.”

Ethan nodded, but remained silent.

“I hear that the dwarves I sent after you have actually escorted you back, and at this very moment are ready to charge in should they suspect your life is in danger.”

Ethan nodded again.

“Then it is safe to assume that something extraordinary has happened to change their minds.”

Ethan considered his words for a moment. “Your Highness, I understand why you tried to have me killed. If I were in your position, I might do the same thing.”

The king huffed a disdainful laugh. “You would, would you? Let me tell you something, boy. You can’t begin to imagine the responsibility I bear. I live to see my people endure. And regardless of what anyone says,
enduring
is the best we can hope for. The life my people are speaking of, now that you have appeared, is not possible. Even so, they are beginning to believe that it is. You have them preferring death to the life we have. The life we have had for centuries. The life that has prevented us from being driven from memory.”

He leaned in and narrowed his eyes. “Now, tell me why my men parade you through the streets as though you had cast down Shinzan himself.”

Ethan thought for a moment and decided to hold nothing back. He told the king in detail everything that had happened to him since leaving the manor – including what had occurred during his memory lapse.

“I never intended any of this,” he finished off. “And I don’t want your people to die. But I can’t control how they feel. If they want more from their lives, then there’s nothing I can do to change that.”

“You can leave,” Halvar shot back. “You can leave and never return.” He regarded Ethan for a long moment and then shook his head. “But you won’t, will you? Now that the dragon has revealed itself, you’re going to stay and be the doom of us all.”

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t decided
what
I’m going to do,” Ethan told him. “Ever since arriving in Lumnia, I’ve done nothing but try to stay alive. I haven’t had much time to think ahead. So far, almost everyone I’ve met has tried to kill me.”

Halvar chuckled. “I suppose that would be a bit off-putting. Well, you don’t have to worry about me any longer. I won’t pose a threat to you again. I swear it.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“I also give you leave to remain here as long as you wish…whatever the consequences may be. You already appear to have the protection of my people. So I will bend to their will and give you mine as well. I just pray that neither of us will live to regret it.”

The king paused then fixed his gaze. “Regardless of what I have done, or what you might think, I believe you to be a good and honorable person. And know that I felt my honor was sullied when ordering your death. But at the time I believed I had no other choice. I still foresee disaster looming, though for once in my life I want nothing more than to be proved wrong.”

He rose and walked toward Ethan. “Come with me. There is something you need to see.”

Ethan followed the king out into the receiving hall and through a door on the far right side. After making their way through a series of long hallways, they eventually came to a narrow stairwell that led into an empty basement roughly the same size as the council chamber. Moving over to the far left corner of the room, Halvar pulled on a brass handle set in a recess on the floor. In response, a trapdoor with a metal ladder attached to the side slowly opened. Halvar stepped onto the ladder first, then called for Ethan to follow.

Ethan looked down the shaft. The king had already vanished into the darkness by the time he had his foot on the top rung. While climbing down he could feel the air getting dramatically colder. After what he guessed to be about thirty feet, his boot touched solid ground. There was still no light, and the cold was causing him to shiver.

“I suppose if I really wanted to kill you, this is where I should have brought you.”

The king’s voice was somewhere off to his right. For a second Ethan wondered if he was simply having fun with him, or had really set up a trap.

“You’re fortunate I didn’t think of it before,” Halvar added. A dim glow appeared above where he was standing a few yards away.

Ethan forced a half-hearted laugh. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

The light gradually grew in intensity. Soon, several others appeared on the ceiling of a long but quite narrow passage.