Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising (11 page)

Before he had a chance to reach the
edge of the arena, the beast had already caught up to him. Picking
him up in its claw, a heavy crunch was heard as it split the man’s
body into two at his hips. His screams filled the air to the
delight of the surrounding Skeleton Warriors who shrieked with
support for their beast. The scorpion’s tail brought the man’s pain
to an end by crashing through his skull.

The dark army erupted in celebration
by banging their swords against their armour.

“
The spectacle is over,
return to your duties,” Shindar commanded.

Shindar ended the spell and turned to
meet Kassina’s wide, admiring eyes as his own returned to normal.
The beast immediately disintegrated into a pile of dust on the
battlefield.

“
Kassina, some spells only
last for as long as we are strong enough to devote ourselves to
them. You see now, we have much more to study together. You are yet
to discover your full potential.”

Chapter 8 : By the
Gods

“
I seek knowledge of who I
am, where I came from, and why I am here.

I love Aldorus dearly, but what are we
without purpose?

Destiny is calling to me and I believe
with all my heart that I am meant for something greater than what I
am now.”

(Anakari - Sorceress)

Fang Cliffs, aptly named, were located
on the Far East side of the island, in between two of Trahoterra’s
many ‘claws’. They featured incredibly detailed carvings of
dragon’s heads that appeared as if they were poking out from within
the island’s walls. They were a breathtaking sight to behold, said
to be carved by the ancients out of a sheer rock-face, shooting up
vertically out of the ocean, as a monument of their
alliance.

The carving’s teeth were formed from
immense crystals that served as beacons for dragons in flight;
another entry to the caverns was hidden beneath them.

Vartan stood tall on the edge of the
cliffs, admiring the view before him. The long, apple green blades
of grass whipped around his and Trisa’s legs by the powerful, yet
caressing winds. Sunlight sparkled on the seemingly endless bed of
ocean below, shining as if gems lay just below the waterline for as
far as the eye could see.

“
Now I know why Finn called
this view, Pirate’s Bay. It’s as if the plunder of fallen ships lay
on the sea bed,” observed Vartan, turning to Trisa. “I never got to
see these on my first visit to Trahoterra, or any of the wonders
outside the caverns. Karven was so focused on training that I spent
all of my time underground, growing paler by the day from lack of
sunlight. If he were here, he would likely be giving me a lecture
about responsibility right now.”

Vartan turned back to the magnificent
view.

“
Probably, but don’t worry
too much about that. If Karven returns whilst we are here, I do
have a good reason for this trip. I wanted to take you to the
Weeping Falls, which are only a short walk from here. If you swim
in the falls, I expect you to be strengthened by it,” said
Trisa.

Finn flew from below to land on the
nearest of the ten carved heads, stretching out his wings and
casually asking, “Where are we off to now, brother?”

“
To the Weeping Falls, I
think I need to have a swim,” laughed Vartan.

Finn jerked his head around
to glare at his brother, cocking his head in disapproval and
snapped, “A swim in the falls is forbidden, Karven would have
a
fit
if he found
out!”

“
Calm down Finn. Karven was
the one who suggested the swim, so I’m sure that it will not be a
problem,” responded Trisa before turning south toward the
falls.

She is telling the truth,
although there is of course the other small, insignificant detail
that you may not be thinking about,
said
Keturah.

Oh really, and what is
that?
thought Vartan, following Trisa down
the grassy hill. Finn took flight to watch them from far
above.

You are supposed to be
training, remember? Staying strong, keeping both of us alive. I
quite like the thought of us staying in the world of the living,
not wasting time sightseeing,
said
Keturah, her voice laced with fear.

I have no plans on dying
any time soon, but you do raise a good point,
thought Vartan.

They soon reached a tunnel under a
steep hill that led to the falls, their steps echoed deep into the
darkness. Luckily, the tunnels were inhabited by glow-worms that
provided enough ambient light to guide their way
through.

“
Trisa, did Karven mention
anything about my training to you?” asked Vartan.

“
Yes, you are to resume
your studies once you swim in the falls, and once he has returned
from Trahoterra.”

“
Surely he didn’t mean for
me to wait that long, did he? I think I’ll interpret his
instructions as ‘once I’ve had a swim
or
once he has
returned’.”

Trisa just smiled and
shrugged.

Finn landed far ahead of them, on the
other side of the tunnel. He was growing in size, but had not yet
reached a size that was appropriate to be ridden.

“
Are you coming yet? Who
knew that Vartan, the
almighty
saviour of the world, would turn into a tired old
man,” teased Finn sarcastically, as only his brother
could.

“
Yet another joke from my
side-splitting brother, Finn. Who knew that you would turn into a
grand jester?”

Trisa’s eyes narrowed and
she put her hands on her hips. Her voice was harsh as she said,
“Stop it, you two! Or I will pour the oil of unquenchable itch onto
somewhere
sensitive
while you are both sleeping.”

“
You wouldn’t dare!” they
said in unison.

Actually, she
would
, laughed Keturah.

“
Some things never change,”
said Leon, approaching the tunnel entrance beside Finn.

Vartan and Trisa winced in the bright
sunlight, trying to let their eyes adjust from the dark tunnel. A
blurry image of Leon limping toward him, soon cleared in Vartan’s
vision.

“
Father, what are you doing
here?” asked Vartan.

Leon smiled and said, “I am returning
from the falls to take these back for Nymira. I only need to carry
half the load now that you are back on your feet again.”

Vartan embraced his father, almost
knocking the water jugs out of his grip.

Vartan released him slowly and his
voice warmed as he spoke, “I haven’t made the time to thank you
father, and cannot express how much your efforts mean to me. If it
wasn’t for your help, I may have never made it back.”

Leon worked on regaining his
composure, as he was not used to open displays of affection from
his son.

“
You’re welcome, but it’s
no different from what any father would do, Vartan,” he said
sheepishly.

He turned to Finn, always conscious of
giving both his son’s equal attention. He put a hand on his son’s
scaly face, patting him gently.

“
Finn, what a fine dragon
you have turned into. Who knew that such a proud day would come for
a father? I am blessed to have you both, now please… enough with
the bickering. You need each other, like two halves of an orb.
Marithia also needs
both
of you to save us,” said Leon, “Now, I had better
get back to it. It’s a perfect day to visit the falls, enjoy your
time there,” said Leon, turning to walk away.

Vartan caught sight of Leon’s smile
spreading across his face. In that moment, he felt how blessed he
was to have such a family. Finn grinned at Vartan, and then took to
the skies once more, sending leaves and dirt flying below
him.

“
I’ll watch out for any
danger from above, brother,” said Finn.

“
Thank you,” responded
Vartan, resuming their walk through Trahoterra’s forest.

“
Karven left books of
advanced magic for you to read while he is gone, I will show them
to you when we get back to the caverns,” said Trisa.

“
That would be a great…” he
began, pausing mid-sentence as they cleared the forest, his mouth
widening in awe.

“
Welcome to the Weeping
Falls, Vartan,” said Trisa, taking a seat on a nearby
rock.

His voice was lost within the roar of
the magnificent falls as he blurted out, “My word!”

The falls were far greater than he had
imagined. Aside from where the water fell into the pool, the rest
was an almost still body of water surrounded by a bed of smooth
rocks, but that was not what gave his eyes a feast. The water led
into a giant mouth of a cave, and at the entrance to the cave, was
what appeared to be a towering water statue of a dragon, with its
wings spread wide open.

The water did not drop from the dragon
itself, but two waterfalls fell into the pool from the water
dragon’s eyes. At first, the surface of the water dragon appeared
solidified, but on closer inspection, it was clear that the entire
body was made of rushing water.

Finn landed on the Weeping Falls
cave’s crest, yelling to Vartan below, “Quite a sight isn’t she? We
call her ‘Mother Dragon’. She holds our memories, and links us with
the souls of dragons past. She is our deity and we pray to her
regularly. These waters are sacred to us and for you to be allowed
to swim in these waters is a rare honour. What are you waiting
for?”

Vartan turned to look at
Trisa.

She winked at him and
whispered, “Don’t worry young man, I’ve seen it all before. You
have
nothing
to
be shy around me for.”

“
I wasn’t…” began Vartan,
his cheeks reddening, “Never mind.”

He lay down his sword and undressed,
leaving his clothes behind. Walking carefully, he made his way
barefoot over the smooth rocks.

“
The rocks are warm!” he
exclaimed, “They feel soothing to walk on.”

“
They sure do, the water is
warm too. The rocks are heated by the falls. Even in the coldest of
winters, steam rises from the water. It is said that magic keeps it
from cooling,” said Finn.

Mother Dragon watched Vartan closely,
her watery eyes following his moving form.

Taking his first step into the water,
he felt his entire body immediately react to the warmth. A tingle
danced its way around his body. Letting a long breath escape, his
instincts urged him to dive in and soothe his aching muscles, but
he decided to walk slowly into the water until he was neck deep. He
felt his body involuntarily begin to float and as he lay back in
the water, he felt himself be gently carried toward Mother
Dragon.

“
Just relax,” yelled Finn,
“There is nothing in the falls that will harm you!”

I, I can hear them… there
are so many,
exclaimed Keturah.

As Vartan neared the water dragon
statue, the voices began to whisper in his ear.

Chosen one… One of us…
Choose… Become one… Spirits… we can help you… Strength…

The voices grew louder in his mind
until his head felt like it was being battered with noise.
Keturah’s voice screamed in fear.

“
Please,
stop
!” yelled Vartan
desperately.

Mother Dragon blinked her eyes and the
waterfall ceased to flow.

With a voice that sounded like the
most beautiful string instrument being played, Mother Dragon said,
“Silence, all of you.”

“
By the gods!” exclaimed
Trisa, now standing in disbelief with her mouth gaped
open.

Finn immediately bowed at the presence
of Mother Dragon, Trisa soon followed suit as the shock began to
subside. Mother Dragon folded her watery wings and picked up Vartan
in her claws. He sat upright, coming face to face with her and
bowed his head.

Mother Dragon nodded knowingly and
spoke softly, “Dear child, you come to me as freely as your mother
and father once did, but with a heavy heart and damaged body. I did
not grant them their human lives for you to be created and soon
destroyed.”

“
Mother Dragon,
you
created my parents?”
he asked warily.

“
To answer your question,
of course… but I speak of the gift of a human life, which in turn,
created you,” she answered, turning her head upward, “and your
brother, Finn, who has now been reborn in his true
form.”

“
I beg of you, help me. I
fought with every thread of strength and power I had, but I failed
at the…”

“
Hush child, it takes great
power for me to appear before you today and our time together will
soon come to a close. I may be far above this world, but I have
already seen the path which you have walked.”

Vartan looked to the sky and asked,
“Above?”

In a perfectly clear blue sky, a lone
star sparkled like a diamond.