Son of the Dragon (The Netherworld Gate Book 3) (20 page)

Having already feasted on seraph blood, Drekk’hul was stronger. The purple bolt streaked furiously toward the seraph’s chest, crackling and burning a hole straight through the seraph’s chest.

“That’s four,” Talon noted to himself.

Another seraph rushed out, but it was cut down quickly by a group of drow.

A sixth seraph emerged, blasting through its door with golden beams of light that incinerated several nearby Sierri’Tai warriors.

A drow lunged in from the side with a scimitar. The seraph countered with a lightning-fast swat of its right wing. The flames of the wing burned the drow badly and the force of the blow sent him hurtling through the air.

Talon took a dagger and threw it at the creature, taking advantage of the opening it had created by extending its wing. The seraph moved his forearm in to block the dagger, letting the blade sink into its arm, and then shaking it out as if it were nothing more than an annoying briar.

Talon clenched his jaw, but then a great, black mass of fur and fangs leapt up and bit the seraph in the back of the neck. The seraph howled and tried to swing its sword upward at the phantom beast, but the gorlung hung from the seraph’s neck, dragging the winged creature down. Talon rushed in and thrust his sword deep into the seraph’s exposed chest. The flames on its wings died out, and the seraph jerked and twitched.

The gorlung snarled and released the bloody and broken neck. Blood dripped from its sneering maw as it turned to search out its next victim.

Talon pulled his sword free and felt another great rush of energy as Drekk’hul drank the seraph’s blood. Another seraph stumbled toward him, three Sierri’Tai warriors clinging to him and stabbing him violently as he tried to stay upright. Talon leapt out of the way as the seraph fell to his face and the flaming wings went dark.

There was only one seraph left.

It blasted two drow with beams from its eyes, then it leapt into the air and hovered above the floor with its wings as it stretched out its hands and poured fire down. The drow warriors joined together, countering the fire magic and pushing it back up toward the flying seraph.

It was a battle of wills at this point, the seraph desperately trying to push the wall of flame down while the Sierri’Tai used their mastery of fire magic to hold it up and push it back toward the seraph.

In any case, there wasn’t any easy way to reach the winged demon. Talon didn’t have a bow, and he couldn’t throw his sword that far and hope to be accurate. He fired lightning spells, but the distance between Talon and the seraph gave the creature enough time to react and dodge the spell. Then Talon caught sight of the gorlung. It was circling around behind the seraph. Could it jump that high?

The beast stood proudly and arched its back as it directed a mighty roar at the seraph. In addition to the thunderous sound, a wave of pale yellow light came out from the beast’s mouth. The wave crashed into the seraph, pinning its wings against its back and dropping it from its flight. The seraph lost its concentration, falling through the wall of fire unharmed and crashing to the floor. A moment later, a score of drow warriors pounced on the seraph, each stabbing and thrusting their blades into the creature.

The wings went dim and the battle for the temple was over.

Talon looked around and made a quick head count. There were forty Sierri’Tai warriors left. It wasn’t nearly as many as he had hoped to have at this point, and fewer than half of what he had left the Netherworld with, but they had made it this far. Perhaps it was enough to help Talon take down Basei.

Leflin approached Talon. “How do we reach the astral plane?”

Talon nodded and pointed to the large statue of Basei in the back of the room. “This is not the High Temple by accident,” Talon said.

Rampant knocking came from the front door of the temple.

“What’s going on in there?” someone shouted.

Talon looked back to the drow. “Have the others seal the back door, now!”

The warrior turned and interpreted quickly. Four drow rushed off to close the exit.

The assassin then ignored the incessant shouts and pounding on the door and led the drow to the statue. “This statue marks the very spot were Basei first transcended this plane and found his way to the astral plane. There are many connections to Terramyr, but according to the information I have, this is the one way that any mortal can access Basei’s realm.”

“Do we destroy the statue?”

Talon shook his head. “Bring the bodies of the priests. Meet me in the prayer room over there.”

Talon moved into a side chamber and sneered when he saw the smaller, yet still larger than life statue of Basei sitting upon a throne of bones. He moved in close and inspected the statue, looking for the telltale grooves where the blood was supposed to run. He didn’t find any. All he found was a bucket of ashes behind the statue, and a large brass gong.

Talon emerged from the room and asked the drow to wait before bringing the bodies. He had to find the right room. He inspected seven more prayer chambers, looking for the grooves that would mark the statue he needed to use for the ritual. Each of the prayer chambers had a statue, but none of them had any grooves for directing blood.

The assassin returned to the large chamber fuming and swearing under his breath. Perhaps the information had been wrong. It was wrong about the exit doors after all. Talon moved to stand before the large, central statue of Basei in the main hall. The monument was beyond huge. It barely had space for the head before it struck the ceiling. It was carved of brown stone and showed the same image as each of the prayer rooms. Basei was seated upon a throne of bones. The only difference was that actual bone was used as mosaic tiles over the stone.

“Where is the door, you clever snake?” Talon asked. His eyes traced the central statue, but even as he did so he knew that would have been too obvious. Still, he inspected all the way around the statue just to be sure. He found nothing.

The assassin circled back around to the front of the statue and kicked the base of it in anger. Talon turned away from the statue, but stopped when he heard a strange, high pitched
clank
like pottery falling and striking stone. He turned back to the statue just as a piece of white stone fell from the statue and shattered on the floor. Talon moved in closer and bent down to pick up the thin fragment and discovered it wasn’t stone at all. It was some sort of plaster.

Talon stood and looked for where the piece had broken out from. He found a section roughly two inches long, half an inch wide and half an inch deep. It was a groove. The plaster had been added to seal the blood grooves and hide them.

The assassin grinned as he took his knife and chiseled more of the plaster away. A few of the drow moved in to help. They dug and worked at the new plaster until it was all removed. Talon discovered that there were several grooves atop the seated statue’s lap that gathered the blood from sacrifices into one pool and then let them course out through the grooves and into the floor. More than that, the groove in the floor went all the way to the strange bowl in the floor where the priests had built their fire.

The drow used their magic to clear the stone bowl, discovering that there were grooves in the bowl that formed an ancient rune, the likes of which even the Sierri’Tai had not seen before.

“This is the doorway,” Talon said. “Take the bodies and drain their blood over the statue until this rune has enough to be activated. Go, now.”

Talon stepped aside while the others did the gruesome work of opening the seal.

It took a long time, but eventually there was enough of the crimson liquid that it ran into the rune and filled the grooves. The rune began to glow and a vortex opened as the stone in the floor fell away. Talon stepped to the edge. A few of the stones remained, spiraling down like a set of floating stairs that dropped into a void of blue and purple.

Talon looked to his followers. “This it is,” he said. “Follow me.”

CHAPTER 17

Talon cautiously stepped onto the first stone. It dipped down slightly under his weight, but didn’t fall. A strange, warm wind gathered around Talon as he made his way down. A pale blue light shot up through the opening, nearly blinding Talon with its intensity. It then faded as the light hollowed out, forming a tube-like structure around Talon. Lightning shot over the surface of the blue tube of light, preventing Talon from retreating, or the others from following him.

Talon’s stomach knotted once he realized what was happening. He was making the journey to the astral plane alone.

A fleeting thought came into his head as he watched the distorted shadows and figures of his warriors try to penetrate the magical barrier and come after him. Did Basei sense the intrusion? Was the demi-god waiting at the base of the stairs?

Talon steeled his nerves. He knew that if Basei didn’t yet know, he would discover Talon’s presence sooner or later. It was best to keep moving.

The assassin quickened his pace and held his sword at the ready. He dropped down the spiraling staircase until there were no more stones to step upon. There was only blackness below him.

The assassin peered down into the void and then took one more step.

Instead of falling, as he had expected, he plopped his foot down on black stone. He looked up and saw that the spiral staircase and the magical blue light of the portal were hundreds of feet above him. The portal closed and he was acutely aware of how alone he was. The black stone seemed to stretch for miles around him. Jagged shadows jutted up from the floor, obscuring his view. He might have felt entirely swallowed in the void, had he not caught sight of the faint, blue line across the horizon that was littered with small, white lights that resembled stars.

Talon walked carefully, turning his head this way and that, watching for any sign of life in this strange plane. What he wouldn’t give for his warriors to be at his back.

Then he remembered his bracelet. He summoned the gorlung beast to this plane, taking the tooth in hand and calling for his companion with his mind.

At first, nothing happened. There was no answer. No black mist emerged from the tooth. There wasn’t even a growl from the gorlung. Talon nearly gave up, but then he felt a rustle next to him. The beast stood on his right.

Takes longer to come here.

Talon nodded and set his hand on the gorlung. “I am just glad you could join me,” Talon said in a whisper. The two of them wandered for hours. There was no sign of life anywhere.

Then a terrible sound erupted and shook the entire plane. It was like a gong, but thousands of times louder. Talon and the gorlung both crouched low to the black stone and watched the sky overhead as a seraph flew into view.

“I thought we killed all of them,” Talon whispered.

We killed those at the temple, but perhaps there are other temples where they serve Basei.

Talon nodded. “Let’s follow him.” Talon mounted the great beast and the two of them made haste along the rocky ground as they kept an eye on the seraph. Eventually the flying creature led them to a vast expanse of black stone that floated in the void. Talon’s heart sank.

For the second time, he needed a rope and was unprepared.

The seraph landed on the mass of rock and disappeared from view. Several minutes later, the seraph left again, flying off in the direction it had approached from.

Talon slid off the gorlung and kicked at the ground. What was he to do? He could call out to Basei, but what if he sent more seraph down to fight Talon? Worse still, what if he used magic to attack Talon from the floating rock? No, Talon had to think of something that would not announce his presence. He began walking closer to the expanse of rock to see if perhaps the lowest portion that hung down might be close enough to reach, but the gorlung ran in front of Talon and stopped the man.

Can your eyes not see?

Talon cocked his head, but then noticed that the ground he was walking upon dropped off just a few feet beyond the gorlung. Had he kept walking, he would have fallen into an endless abyss.

“So I am trapped here?” Talon spat angrily. He shook his head and folded his arms across his chest.

Trapped? Why not call the other phantom?

“What other phantom?” Talon asked. “I know only of you. If you are speaking of Jahre’s ghost, he is long gone.”

The gorlung shook its head and looked to Talon’s sword.

Drekk’hul is like me. You have a piece of him, and yet you have never called upon him.

Talon looked down at the sword. “No, this was just a cursed sword, but the demon has been cleansed from the blade now. It is not like the tooth.”

The gorlung snarled impatiently.
How is it one like you could defeat me in life? You know nothing of the order of things.

Talon threw his hands up and then drew the blade. “Fine, tell me how I am supposed to summon a phantom with a sword. How does that work?”

The sword is made from a piece of the dragon.

“How would you know that?” Talon asked.

The gorlung emitted a sound somewhere between a purr and a growl.
Because, the dragon who forged that sword is the creator of the Netherworld. The Patron of Chaos is my father. All who walk the Netherworld know of his power. Give me the sword, and I shall show you Drekk’hul’s true power.

Talon hesitated, but only for a moment before he offered the blade to the gorlung. The beast took it in its mouth and closed its eyes. A moment later and the sword began to glow purple and blue. The gorlung offered it back to Talon.

Immediately, an old, familiar voice entered Talon’s mind.

Ah, yesssss. The hero who used me to vanquish the Svetli’Tai Kruks has called me back once again. I see you have been busy, assassin. The sword has drunk of human, elf, and… seraph blood! Oh how lovely! It is so good to reunite with you!

Talon moved to sheathe the sword, not ready to allow the demon back into his head.

The gorlung snarled.
Don’t!
It can help you.

Talon shook his head, but the voice from the sword reached out to him again.
I can help you, young warrior. The beast speaks true, though you are wise to fear me. When you held me in your hand previously I was a shade, a portion of my true self. Your foolish grandfather thought he could banish me from the blade I created out of my own body, ha! They may have cleansed the shade from the blade, but now it is I that call to you, the master of chaos, the father of deceit, and the cunning viper that plots in the shadows of death.

“How can you help me?” Talon asked aloud.

Ah, there is a good question, young warrior. I have been dead for many years on Terramyr, but here, in the astral plane, I have trapped a portion of my soul. I left a piece of myself here, much in the same way I left a piece of myself in the sword before you foolishly allowed yourself to be killed and turned the blade over to those nasty elves!

“A portion?” Talon echoed.

Enough to get you to Basei’s lair, if that is what you are asking. But, I will not fight for you, young assassin. Unlike the gorlung you have enslaved, I am not bound to your service just because you happen to have a physical piece of my body that can connect with my soul. I will help you this once, for you have released chaos upon the world. It is the least I can do to repay you for your service to me.

“Service to you?” Talon asked. “I have done nothing of the sort.”

Ah, foolish humans, always too blinded to see what ripples they might be creating in the ponds of time. No matter, the results of your actions do not concern you directly, so there is no need to discuss them. Are we agreed then? Shall I carry you to Basei?

Talon looked down at the glowing sword. “Tell me what chaos has been unleashed, do you speak of the four horsemen?”

No.

“Then what?” Talon pressed.

Is it not obvious? You created a war upon the mainland. There will be chaos there for years to come. Rebellions, executions, patriots and knaves. Oh it will be a delectable thing to watch, I assure you.

More than that, you released Klegin upon the Tomni’Tai! What a delicious treat that was to witness. Imagine the chaos that will ensue after the destroyed village is found by the Selemet Council. My name will once again be whispered in hushed circles and dark corners. You have been a most loyal agent of chaos, young assassin.

But, let us not forget, you opened the door to the Netherworld! You have reconnected Terramyr to my home, and the home of my creations. With one link established, and the greedy impulses of man and elf, I will once again stretch out across Terramyr. I may be dead, but I shall endure, haha!

Talon shook the thoughts from his head. He couldn’t let this prevent him from completing his mission. He was here to settle a score with Basei. If the old dragon’s ghost wanted to take pleasure in watching the war unfold across the mainland, what difference did that make to Talon?

“Take me up,” Talon said.

Very well, young one. But remember, I am agreeing only this once to help you. Do not trifle with me often, or you may find that I send other agents of chaos after you.

The voice disappeared and the glow dimmed on the blade.

A cold wind came in from the left and Talon turned to see a black phantom that was more shadow than form. Talon could see through the figure, but as the phantom became somewhat more defined, was most definitely the same, terrible dragon Talon had seen depicted several times on his journey. The one whose bones he had slept beneath during his time with the old drow on Svatal.

The long, serpentine neck bent down before him, and Talon moved to sit upon the phantom’s back. He found the phantom to be as cold as ice to the touch, but at least he could ride the creature. The phantom leapt up and its wings beat silently. It reached down and took the gorlung in its claws as it climbed higher and higher.

The massive expanse of floating rock grew larger as they approached. It must have extended for miles at the top. Spikes and hunks of stone clung to the bottom of the floating island, but there was no vegetation or life of any kind that Talon could see.

As they soared over the top of the mass, Talon was relieved to see that there was nothing on the edge near them. A fire burned off in the distance, but other than that there was nothing else he could see.

The phantom dragon deposited the gorlung and Talon upon the surface and the dove back down into the void.

Farewell, young assassin. I have truly enjoyed the gifts you have given me.

The sword hummed and vibrated in Talon’s hand, and then the voice was gone.

Talon looked to the gorlung. “Don’t summon that thing again,” he said.

The gorlung bobbed its head as if to nod.
By your command, master.

The two of them stealthily crept along the surface, making their way toward the large fire. They had to duck and take shelter near the base of a jagged spire when another loud gong rang out, announcing the arrival of yet another seraph. This one flew in from off to the side, and had wings of green flame. It dropped down near the fire in the distance, and then a few minutes later it flew off in the direction it had come from.

After it disappeared, the two resumed their travel.

It took nearly an hour to approach the large fire. Talon crouched near another spire of rock and peered around to look at the fire. The flames soared over seventy feet into the air. The base of the fire was easily fifty feet across. It was much larger than anything the assassin could have imagined, yet it gave off almost no heat, as if all of its energy were sucked up into the stars far above.

He circled around, weaving his way behind large spires to conceal his approach. When at last he could see the other side of the fire, he saw a large figure sitting upon a great throne. Before him was a small cauldron.

Basei was exactly the way Talon remembered him. Much larger than a man, but not quite a giant, with fiery eyes behind a mask of iron. Spiked armor covered his shoulders and arms. His torso was replete with scars from battles past, and a large, shield-like buckle was positioned over his belt and presumably held his armor on his legs. A massive sword was propped against the right side of the throne and what looked to be a shield was lying on the ground nearby.

The demi-god appeared to be relaxing, watching the fire burn. Talon mentally called out to the gorlung and commanded it to circle around the other way. If they could surprise Basei, then so much the better.

Talon waited for several minutes, knowing that it would take the cat some time to reach the other side of the fire and get into position. He watched the demi-god and nearly laughed wickedly when he saw Basei’s eyes close behind the mask. The fiery lights dimmed and the demi-god leaned his head back onto the chair.

Now was the time.

The gorlung called out to Talon. He was ready. Talon gave the order to strike.

They both rushed in, each from their respective hiding places.

Talon raised his sword, preparing to strike Basei’s leg and cripple the behemoth. The gorlung was sprinting furiously, aiming to leap up and attack Basei directly and go for the unprotected torso.