Soul of the Sorcerer - Part Three: Daughter of the Dragon (16 page)

Bethany smiled and watched as he used, what was hopefully, a familiar item of Edala’s to try and locate the Dragon-Girl.

Lloyd focussed his soul vision into the crystal and with hand clenched around the razor suddenly felt the miles fly past as his vision moved swiftly to the northeast.

He soon saw the rooftops and spires of Kon, flying repeatedly underneath his vision, as his sight was pulled ever closer to his love. The speed of travel slowed dramatically as it passed over a large bridge crossing a river. At the end of the bridge was a dried moat in which were several wagons. His vision got pulled towards an imposing wall and building which he could only imagine was the home of the Emperor. As his sight approached the wall he found it very difficult to go any further and he realised that something was pushing against him, very much like the beams of energy that had prevented them entering the gates. He looked away from the crystal ball and towards his friend, who had been tracking his mental journey using her own.

“You having difficulty getting beyond that wall too?” he asked.

“Yes, I think that maybe there are a lot of ward stones in the palace's walls to protect the Emperor against magic users like us” she replied.

Lloyd nodded “It would make a lot of sense I suppose; let’s see how close we can get to the main gate”

He focussed his attention on the crystal and steered his ethereal form towards the east following the palace walls as close as he could. When his vision finally reached the gates he nearly dropped his crystal ball in surprise...there, breathing a hard stream of fire into the large wooden gates, was a dragon!

He knew immediately that it wasn’t Edala. The memory of what she looked like having been burned with fear into the back of his retinas. This creature was a little larger than Edala had been and instead of the scales being purest silver they were flecked with blue. The creature’s eyes were also blue with an oval iris. The beast finished its breath of focused fire and rose onto its hind legs, breathing in deeply again ready for another strike of fire.

“I am Ingemar King of the Dragons and I demand to see the Emperor!” A bellow of a voice demanded, but again Lloyd had heard both Ingemar and Arden speak and this voice was much higher, definitely a female, definitely another daughter of the dragon and one of Edala’s sisters.

“We need to move fast!” he said to Bethany, “something’s going down at the Palace!”

She nodded and they quickly merged their air portals, before summoning the energies required to transfer the three of them all the way to the palace.

“I know we are getting good at this, but I’m not certain I will be up for much spell craft when we reach the palace...” the young mage said “I’m pretty certain this is further than we have ever translocated before” she concluded, her face a vision of focus and determination.

Maria, the Dragon, was not as large as her father; but if you asked any of the petrified soldiers currently fleeing from the walls, they would tell you of the imposing creature whose gaze stripped the bravest man of any courage; a gaze that wrapped a heart in fear.

She was just about to release her second blast of fire at the doors which were already ablaze, when a flash of light blinded her for a second and illuminated the night as if it was day. When the light faded, three humans, two males and a female with bright red hair, appeared about thirty feet away to her left hand side. Although it was dark they were clearly lit by the light of the blazing gate.

Maria had not contemplated the thought of actually killing people; her fire she had carefully directed and controlled so as not to harm those on the wall. However, if these three were going to attack and disturb the sisters’ plan, she would have to, with some regret she acknowledged, kill them. She spun to face them and immediately one of them, the man who looked like a soldier, collapsed in absolute terror from her dragon fear, she only had a little fire left in her but it would be enough; she arched back ready to breathe fire.

“WAIT! WAIT! We are friends of Edala!” the other male, who had a beard, yelled. She controlled her dragon fear and allowed them to approach. The one who had collapsed in terror approached a little reluctantly.

“Who are you?” she asked bringing her head down to their level.

“I am Lloyd, this is Bethany and Allen” he said nodding at his friends who now stood either side of him.

“You are the Sorcerer she was moping about” she said studying him closely. “I am Maria, Edala’s older sister; I suppose you have come to say sorry to her?”

“Yes I have, but I didn’t do it deliberately, it was the dragon fear!” Lloyd protested.

“Ha, you lie. I noticed that neither you, nor the girl, joined him on the floor when I looked at you a minute ago!” Maria said looking from Lloyd to Bethany and then Allen; who still flinched slightly at her gaze.

Lloyd had not even realised that he had faced dragon fear without a problem and he soon guessed that this was an unforeseen benefit of having the silver blood cells.

“I have changed since that day on the beach, when Edala’s uncontrolled dragon fear overwhelmed me, and I wish to find her to make amends” he said earnestly.

“Well she is currently in there, with our sister Justina, trying to rescue a possible relation of ours from the grasp of Daemen” she replied.

Lloyd looked from her to the walls and flaming gates. He was desperate to help Edala.

“We need to get in there, but the ward stones prevent both scrying and translocation spells from passing, can you break the gate?” he asked Maria.

Maria’s nostrils flared at the challenge and she stomped up to the gate, her dragon fear causing any guards who had returned to defend it, from above, to flee. She then spun and flicked her long tail like a whip against the double doors of the gate. She was rewarded with a loud cracking sound; as one of the gates splintered and twisted, leaving a gap just wide enough for Lloyd and the others to get through once the flames had died down. Lloyd decided to help them on their way; “Aquastream, Aquafast, stream of water, water fast!” he commanded, pointing at the gates, and a concentrated spout of water seemed to emerge from his pointing finger, swelling in size as it went. It hit the flaming gates with a hiss, causing a blast of fine mist to expand and envelop the watchers. Lloyd then led Bethany and Allen through the gap.

“See you later Sorcerer” Maria said with a bemused smile as the determined young man set off to find her sister.

Edala and Justina crouched over the two unconscious imperial guards, who had been standing watch in front of the large door into the royal apartments.  Edala had been a little reluctant to agree with the others that no one, other than Daemen, should be killed in the rescue attempt. This was, Maria had explained, because the sisters lived in the city and, if they got caught, did not want their image of kindness, in the eyes of the people, to be tarnished.

After all, if they were tried in public court, popularity might make the difference between a death sentence and freedom. Edala checked the cords binding the men, and the gags to keep them silent, if they awoke too soon.

Before entering the door, the sisters crept along the wall below several of the tall windows, to see what the occupants were doing. It seemed that Maria’s distraction, at the front of the palace gates, had resulted in the desired effect; with most of the palace guards and occupants either heading to the wall or fleeing back from it. The smoke from the smouldering gate was also beginning to spread out within the walls. This created an eerie veil which would hopefully help to conceal them later, when they try to escape with the girl.

Edala’s eyes peeked up above the ledge of a large window, where she could see into the royal lounge; the location where she had witnessed the rape of the Daemon called Themisia. The room was well lit with candles and she could clearly see that the dark girl, with long red hair, was still chained to the floor and sitting on the edge of the couch, upon which she had been assaulted. Edala and Justina crept back to the entrance door, where Edala carefully turned the black, ring shaped, handle, to ease up the latch on the other side. She then gently pushed the door inwards, to reveal a dark passage beyond it, lit only by two large candles on dark iron stands. These were placed in the centre of the passage, about thirty feet apart, to illuminate doors on either side. Edala headed for the first door on the left, which she could tell would lead into the lounge.

Then, as gently as she could, she opened the door and the two sisters crept in. It was with some relief that they discovered that the girl was currently the room’s only occupant and that the two other doors in the room, one on the adjacent wall and one opposite at the other end of the lounge, were shut. The ebony skinned girl turned with surprise to look at the two sisters; Edala quickly lifted a finger to her lips “Shhhh! we are here to rescue you” she said softly; while also cursing Justina who was not as good at being quiet.

Justina guessed her sisters annoyance from the look she got “Sorry Eadie, I just don't do stealthy!” she whispered.

They were soon at Themisia’s side, where Edala quickly reached for her thieves tools and began to work on the clasp lock around the girls smooth skinned leg.

“Who are you two?” Themisia asked as she watched the girl trying to free her; currently the girl’s tongue was peeking from her lips, highlighting her concentration.

“I am Justina and this is my sister Edala, and you are called Themisia are you not?”

“Yes, but how do you know that?”

“Eadie, here, witnessed what happened to you the other night, and we chose to rescue you because we believe we are related”

“What do you mean, we do not look related?” Themisia asked warily.

A click from below indicated that Edala had been successful and she gently placed the iron clasp on the floor. She then looked up at the ebony beauty with a smile.

“You ever hear stories about Ingemar King of the Dragons and the rumours of his daughters?”

A look of realisation and surprise crossed Themisia’s face, “YES! My Grandmother used to tell me bedtime stories about how her Grandmother was one of Ingemar’s chosen! So you are Daughters of the Dragon?”

“Yes, as it seems are you, or at least a great, great granddaughter” Justina replied. “Now come, let us be gone from here”.

They turned back towards the door to find Lameath and the midget JalTak standing in the door frame.

“Take the big one!” Lameath directed at the midget

JalTak immediately focussed on Justina and she seemed to freeze on the spot. Before Edala could react, Lameath’s gaze locked with hers and Edala felt overwhelmed with a compulsion to approach the dark haired beauty. But she felt something strange within her, almost a stirring in her blood, her silver blood, and just when it seemed that the compulsion would have her completely in its grasp, it suddenly passed. Edala, however, decided to play along and continued to approach the Daemon girl, who equally took steps towards her.

Themisia, fearing the worst, had retreated to her couch, legs pulled to her chest, tears of fear filling her sad blue eyes.

“Come my child” Lameath enticed Edala; “Kiss me” she cooed, moistening her lips, with her tongue, as her mouth approached the Dragon-Girl’s. Edala’s lips parted in anticipation, closer and closer they came.

“Kiss this bitch!” Edala said as she slid one of her long thin daggers through the Daemon girl’s jaw and, with an additional hard thrust, into her brain. An explosion of fire, at the same time, signified that Justina too had been able to break JalTak’s mental hold.

“I’m dumpy, not big!” she protested at the now hairless form of the midget, her fireball having burnt all hair and clothing from his body. Currently the creature was slowly rising to its feet, pain and malice consuming its evil yellow eyes.

A panicked male scream suddenly sounded from the adjacent room and within seconds the other door opened; Emperor Celeon bursting in, his faced full of terror.

“Mmmonsters!” he said pointing back towards the room from which he had come, he didn’t even seem to register the two strangers in the room or the fact that his betrothed now lay dead on the floor. A strange clicking and scraping sound from behind him made all of them focus on the doorframe.

“RUN!” Themisia screamed at them; already propelling herself, as fast as she could, towards the door at the opposite end of the room.

“The mistress approaches” JalTak said, brushing the ashes of his hair and clothes from his body.

Edala suddenly felt very heavy, also, so it seemed, did Justina as she too had sunk to her knees. Edala tried to move, but her legs felt like they were made from lead. The Emperor, too, had collapsed, only JalTak remained on his feet, but he now turned, and bowed, to whatever was now emerging from the room beyond.

First a black soul portal, about two feet across, entered the room, seeming to swallow the light around it. Then, although it was a struggle for
her
to get through the door, the
mistress
appeared. It was larger than a man, probably about eight feet tall and could only be described as ant like. It had a broad head with mandibles, that looked like they could easily separate a head from its shoulders; but it only had a single compound,
fly like,
eye in the centre of its forehead. Its body, on closer inspection, was not encased in a chitin like exoskeleton of an ant; but was an abomination of femininity. It had the soft ebony skin of its female brethren, but instead of just two breasts; it had six neatly arranged in three pairs. It also walked on four bent humanlike legs. Edala felt the eerie gaze of the compound eye upon her. Both she and Justina were now being pulled toward the black soul portal.

“Zephyrair, Zephyrmight, lightning storm arrow flight!” Edala screamed and threw about twelve darts of potent electrical energy at the creature. As soon as they cleared her hand, however, their trajectory changed dramatically and they vanished without a sound within the black portal.

“Blazefire, Blazemight, fire burst, burn bright!” Justina yelled, fear in her voice, as the black portal came closer to her. Again the fireballs did not reach their intended target and vanished, with a slight sucking sound, into the void of the black portal; a tiny discharge of energy visibly rippled across its surface.

Edala, panicking, threw a dagger at the creature, but again to no avail; the black portal swallowing all they could throw at it. Edala and Justina, weighed down by an invisible force, could do nothing to get away from the approaching oblivion.