Scourge of the Dragons (31 page)

“You are the only commander we could find,”
Amber replied.

The hunter nodded as he calmed down. Things
were worse than he had realized. They had all agreed that Lamont,
Bertram, Padraig, Wrotan, and Hadrin would be the four heads of the
army. If the other four couldn’t be found, they were likely injured
or dead and thousands of soldiers with them. He let out a sigh as
they led him toward the visitor. The majority of the survivors were
armed and ready for a fight. Whoever the visitor was, he was not
popular among the army. Wrotan nearly lost it when he spotted
Obrin. The night elf King was a large part of why everyone had been
in this situation in the first place. He was only able to restrain
himself when he realized that it likely meant that Hadrin was
seriously injured or worse. The night elf King dropped to his knees
and extended his neck forward, signifying that he was willing to
lose his head over the visit.

“Now is hardly the time for more death.
Stand up,” the hunter said.

“That is a kindness that I do not deserve,”
Obrin said.

“It isn’t for you. Isaack and Hadrin
wouldn’t want me to be the one to kill you.”

“Then what I do will be one final action to
honor them. Ungaroth is at castle Altarius. We must defeat
him.”

“Why should we believe you?” Hrimgur
asked.

“I have nothing more to live for,” Obrin
replied.

“It is true, I saw it with my own eyes,”
Alandra said as she slowly made her way through the crowd.

“Hadrin is dead?” Wrotan asked.

“Mariah, Bertram, Lamont, Hadrin, the spirit
warriors, and I believe Kade as well.”

“Gather the troops, I will have the dragon’s
head by the end of the night.”

Wrotan could barely contain his anger as he
headed toward his tent. He dropped down onto the floor as soon as
he got inside the tent. The weight of all the deaths felt as though
it would suffocate him. A single tear streaked down his cheek.
There was too much anger for anything more. His body was exhausted,
but his need for revenge fueled him onward. He pushed off his knees
and stood up. The dragons would pay for all the death they had
caused. He didn’t care if he survived the battle. His only goal was
to make them pay.

*

Amber stood with Attos and Zaira as they
waited for Wrotan to return. He came back wearing a suit of armor
that the Knights of Ardevale had made for him. In his hand, he
carried the standard of the dwarven realm. The tabard on his chest
had the emblem of the borderlanders on the front. His necklace held
a single crystal from the Arcane Academy. A wildlander battle horn
also hung over one of his shoulders. There was a noticeable protest
from those of the magic realm. Before Wrotan could address their
concerns, Zaira stepped forward and held forth the leprechaun
King’s sword. The hunter looked down at the sword for a moment.
Amber was uncertain of the significant of offering him the sword,
but many of the members of the fairy army seemed insulted by her
actions.

“King Padraig was a good man that did not
deserve death. I accept this sword from him only as long as his
people feel I am worthy of it,” Wrotan said as he placed his hand
on the hilt.

“I would not dare question my father’s
ability to judge one’s character. The sword is yours,” Zaira
said.

“Call it honor, revenge, vengeance, or even
hatred. I do not care what others think. My goal is to make
Ungaroth pay. My life is unimportant. I will do everything in my
power to ensure our casualties are at a minimum, but many of us
will die. Perhaps even all of us. The beast may be beyond all of
us, but that does not mean we should cower in fear. I, for one,
will give my life to see that foul creature put down a notch.”

The remnants of the alliance let out a cheer
at the hunter’s words. Amber had no doubt that they felt much like
he did. She didn’t think that any of them believed the dragons
could be defeated, but she knew that it wasn’t going to stop any of
them from trying. The crowd went silent as Obrin stepped forward.
Wrotan and the night elf King clasped forearms and nodded to one
another. Each of them, like most of those gathered, had lost
somebody close. Whether they trusted one another no longer
mattered. They both wanted nothing more than the death of Ungaroth.
Obrin moved to the side and opened up a large portal. Wrotan was
the first to step through.

*

Wrotan held his sword high above his head as
he began the march toward castle Altarius. Ungaroth perched atop
the main keep, looking as though he thought himself invincible. A
dozen dragons circled in the skies above. The remnant of the
alliance combined with some of Obrin’s elven army as they marched
toward the castle. Their archers readied their arrows as the first
of the dragons began to dive toward them. Within moments, all of
the dragons began diving down toward the army. These dragons were
not like the others. They were larger and more powerful. The
strongest of them being Ungaroth. He lifted off from the keep with
a loud roar. Wrotan let out a war cry as he began charging.

Obrin began using his magic to clip at the
wings of the oncoming dragons. Their first pass took out a large
chunk of the army, but it also left several dragons vulnerable.
Wrotan charged the closest of the downed dragons and leaped at its
neck. He attacked with such a fury that the beast was unable to
react quick enough. His blade sliced through the creature’s neck as
though it were a piece of bread. The hunter looked down at the
leprechaun King’s blade in wonderment. Perhaps the fight was not as
lopsided as it seemed. Ungaroth landed in the center of the
battlefield and called the other dragons to him. The night elf King
screamed as he ran toward the enemy’s leader. He thrust both of his
hands forward, sending tentacles at the creature. Several dragons
swooped down to intercept him and were caught up by the
tentacles.

The hunter ran toward the dragons and slid
underneath one of them. He jumped at the next one, slicing into its
belly. The tentacles began draining the life out of the dragons
that they had ensnared, allowing Wrotan to ignore them. He slid to
a halt as a massive gold dragon landed between him and Ungaroth.
Obrin used his magic to launch himself at the gold dragon. He
grabbed hold of the beast’s neck and began draining it of its life
force. Ungaroth shot up into the air and then spun around into a
dive. He can down and smashed into the night elf King and the other
dragon. Obrin sent out a massive blast of light that knocked the
dragons back. He collapsed to the floor, still trying to launch
spells at the beasts. Wrotan charged toward Ungaroth and the dragon
whipped his tail around and hit the hunter in the chest, sending
him flying back over a dozen feet.

“This isn’t over yet,” Amber said as she
knelt down beside him.

“You heal him, I’ll use my magic to
strengthen his attacks,” Josephine said.

Wrotan could feel the pain drain from his
body. He stood up and faced the leader of the dragons. Both sides
had taken heavy casualties and whether or not the hunter succeeded
at killing Ungaroth, they had succeeded at destroying his army. The
dragon let out a roar as it began charging toward him. He yelled
back at the beast as he took off at a sprint. Both dragon and
hunter leaped at one another. They crashed into one another and
Wrotan drove his sword into the side of the dragon’s face. The
force of the impact threw the hunter backward. He reached out and
grabbed hold of his sword, pulling it free. Despite the magicians
assisting him, the pain from colliding with the ground nearly
knocked him out. He gasped for breath as he slowly rose to his
feet. Blood streamed from the gaping wound just above the dragon’s
mouth as he launched himself toward the hunter. Wrotan charged
forward and raised his sword above his head. The blade sliced into
the creature’s underbelly. As Ungaroth reared back to attack the
hunter, Alandra and Attos led the last of the able soldiers in an
attack.

“Aim for areas where he is already wounded!”
The head of the Knights of Ardevale yelled.

The dragon was forced to give up his attack
on the hunter in order to save himself from the charge. He pushed
off from the ground and spread his wings. Hrimgur called forth the
dwarven ballistae and they unleashed several bolts at the dragon’s
wings. The ballista bolts tore through the leathery skin on
Ungaroth’s wings, forcing him back to the ground. He let out a roar
as he spun away from his attackers. Wrotan lunged forward and
grabbed hold of the dragon’s tail. He used his sword to climb up
onto the beast’s back. The dragon attempted to throw him off, but
he was able to drive the sword into the creature’s spine. Ungaroth
let out a labored roar as he came crashing to the earth. The hunter
was thrown free and slammed against the ground.

*

Alandra ordered the charge as soon as she
saw the dragon come crashing down. Attos and his Knights followed
closely behind. They descended upon the thrashing dragon and did
everything they could to finish it off. The elf continued hacking
at the dragon’s head. Even as exhaustion threatened to take over,
she still managed to raise her arm again and again. Attos and Amber
grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. The dragon had been
slain once and for all, but she still felt hollow. Her rage and
want for revenge had not been sated. The others pulled her back and
everyone regrouped. Josephine did what she could for the injured
before they gathered together to discuss the next course of
action.

“We need to find all of our dead and
injured,” Hrimgur said.

“He’s right, we may be able to save some of
them,” Amber said.

“Those that we can’t save still deserve a
proper burial.”

“Where is Wrotan?” Attos asked.

“I thought he joined the last attack with
the two of you,” Zaira said.

“We need to find him,” Alandra said.

*

Wrotan groaned as he awoke. The pain and
exhaustion from the fight were almost too much for him to handle.
He wanted to sleep some more, but somebody was shaking him. His
vision began to clear and familiar faces were standing around him.
He smiled at the sight of Amber and Attos. Alandra nodded to him
from across the room and Hrimgur smiled. Josephine stood with the
same mysterious look that she always had. Zaira had the
leprechaun’s sword in her hands as she stood next to the bed. He
looked around the room for others, but these were the only ones he
could see.

“Where are the others?” He asked as he sat
up in the bed.

“Cristoph already left for the spirit
monastery. He plans for keeping his promise about helping
refugees,” Amber replied.

“I can’t remember anything. Did we defeat
the dragons?”

“Thanks to you and a few others,” Attos
said.

“We suffered some loses. Don’t deny it, I
can see it on your face. How bad is it?” Wrotan asked.

“The majority of our forces didn’t make it.
It could have been worse though. Had Obrin not joined us in the
end, we may not have been able to kill the dragon,” Hrimgur.

“Then Hadrin is one of the casualties. What
of Bertram and Lamont?”

“We thought you would remember more of it.
Mariah didn’t make it out either,” Amber said.

“Not Kade, please tell me not him. He had so
much life ahead of him. If could, I would bring the dragon back to
life so we could kill it again.”

“We are pretty much the survivors. Was it
even worth it?” Attos asked.

“War is never worth it. All wars are
terrible, some wars are unavoidable, and few wars are justified.
All we can hope for is that ours will be looked upon as the last of
those,” Wrotan replied.

*

The next several days were full of sadness.
Wrotan led the others in their search for the fallen. It was
imperative that they hold burial ceremonies according to each
group’s custom. The hunter took part in each ceremony and did what
he could to dig as many graves as he possible. His companions could
see that it was taking a toll on him, but they knew better than to
ask him to stop. He returned to camp and sat staring at the fire.
Alandra was the first to approach him.

“Is it truly over?” She asked.

“We are victorious for the time being. I’m
sure other problems will arise given enough time, but they won’t be
as bad as facing dragons,” he replied.

“What will you do now?”

“I made a promise that I plan on keeping.
Things may have gone differently had more people survived. Hadrin
was not truly related to me, but he was related to my foster
father. Beyond that, he was a good friend. Bertram was a good man,
I would have liked to help him restore order where it is most
needed. I didn’t trust Lamont or Obrin, but that doesn’t mean I
wanted them dead. Kade and Mariah should be alive. I was supposed
to die instead of them. So many deaths that I was unable to stop.
It has been a long time since I have failed this badly.”

“Nonsense, you are the only reason we
succeeded. Their deaths are on Ungaroth, not you.”

“Even so, I do not see how any of us can
return to a life that is even remotely like the one we were
accustomed to.”

“I have no plan to do so. The elven lands
will be in turmoil without any of their rulers. Hadrin could have
made a difference, but without him I have no reason to return home.
If our paths never cross again, it was an honor to fight by your
side. I cannot bear to stay here any longer. May your years be
without strife, friend Wrotan.”

“Yours as well, my friend. You will be
missed.”

*

Hrimgur nodded to Alandra as they passed one
another. She had already accepted his invitation to the dwarven
lands so neither felt it necessary to say anything. He continued on
past her and waved to Wrotan. The hunter waved back and the dwarf
approached him. Hrimgur joined him in front of the fire and they
both stared at the flames without speaking. Wrotan let out a sigh
and the dwarf saw it as an opening.