The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark (33 page)

“What is it, my lord?” asked Topenga. He ushered Mikael, Kasa, and Rumin to retreat toward where he and the prince had stopped.

“Do you not see it?” asked Ramon.

With the rest of the party by his side, Ramon studied the seemingly abnormal tree. The glare from the sun had lessened as they continued to approach the twilight between the light and Dark Worlds.

“What is that, my lord?” asked Mikael, pointing toward the golden tree. He had dismounted his Ikrenum and took a few steps forward, with his axe firmly in his grasp.

Topenga also dismounted. He donned his helmet and, taking a few steps forward, gripped the hilt of his sword. The tree was now in plain sight, but seemed separate from their surroundings. The winds that blew hard from the north did not fluster any of its leaves, though the branches and leaves nearby swayed with each breeze.

“I do not know what that is,” Ramon answered finally. “In all the histories I have read, I know nothing of a golden tree, just miles from Sabudu.” The sweat continued to pour from his face. “It almost seems on fire. Its meaning must be understood before we go any farther.”

“But is that our mission, my lord?” Topenga began. He turned around to face Ramon. “We must not let anything get in the way of what we must—”

Ramon suddenly galloped toward the tree, ignoring the words of Topenga. Rumin and Kasa quickly rode after their prince, as Mikael and Topenga remounted their Ikrenums to give chase.

All five Ikrenums raced for the yellow tree, with an urgency matching that of their riders. Topenga pushed his transporter on, desperate to catch up with the prince. The closer Ramon came to the tree, the more apparent it became that it did not belong there, and the mystery grew when a glow began to emanate from the roots. The prince remained determined to ride right up to the tree. He had no idea what he would do when he got there, but something inside drove him toward the tree.

They rode for what seemed an eternity, and yet the tree maintained the same distance away. They were no nearer than when they had begun. Ramon wondered if it could have been a mirage, a mere figment of his imagination, but he knew that his comrades could also see it, and so it must be real.

Ramon’s men caught up with his Ikrenum, and they rode together, side by side. Ramon tried to avoid the glare from Topenga as he continued to whip the reins of his Ikrenum, urging it to move faster. Though the party did not seem to be making noticeable progress, they did notice that the glow from the tree grew brighter as they rode, becoming almost blinding.

With the light from the tree blurring their vision, the Ikrenums swayed from side to side. Topenga reined his Ikrenum back on course, growing more anxious and worried with each passing second. His sole reason for joining this quest was to ensure the protection of the prince, and this was a situation in which he had no control.

A few more minutes passed, and the tree still appeared to be in the same position on the horizon, emitting an evermore brilliant light. Suddenly, the ground beneath them started to crack. Topenga noticed two trees being uprooted. Soon after that, he lost count, as every tree around them seemed to separate from the ground. The destruction around them continued to escalate, causing even more confusion among the Ikrenums.

The Ikrenum carrying Mikael suddenly lost its footing and let out a piercing scream. It toppled to the ground, and the unsuspecting warrior went flying sideways, landing face first into a nearby tree. Seeing this, Ramon signaled the rest of the party to stop and motioned his Ikrenum to do the same. He tried to remain composed, as the winds continued to bellow and the ground quake, uprooting and throwing down even more trees around them.

Ramon looked at his warriors, trying to find the words to say, but could not hear his own thoughts. The noise around him grew louder and louder with each passing moment. With his hands over both ears, he looked toward Topenga and prepared to shout his orders, but then everything went quiet. The strong winds stilled, and the cracking of the ground ceased.

The prince slowly placed his hands by his side, as he and his comrades stared directly at the glowing tree, which burned even brighter than before. The silence around them seemed unnatural. Taking a deep breath, Ramon raised his right hand, but then a tremendous explosion threw each man from his Ikrenum and sent them all flailing and crashing in different directions. A thunderous shudder followed the blast, and enormous yellow shockwaves spread out across the desert. Every tree in the immediate vicinity crumpled and splintered, then toppled over.

The five warriors lay seemingly lifeless in the wake of the devastation. As the ferocity of winds lessened, Topenga slowly regained consciousness, and the feeling began to return to his numbed legs and arms. Disoriented, he looked around to see just what had happened. The last thing he remembered was being thrown from his Ikrenum, following the explosion. However, as always, his first thought was for the prince and his safety.

A faint cry caught his attention. Looking to his right, he saw his Ikrenum on the ground, motionless but alive. He noticed that the trail of destruction stretched as far as his eye could see. His attention then turned to the loud wailing of Rumin, who was being attacked by a number of large birds.

Initially unsure of what they were, he rubbed his eyes as the realization struck. They were large birds, with a wide wingspan and long, sharp claws that could easily wrap around a man’s face. Their heads seemed rather small compared to their bodies and were almost completely bald, devoid of normal feathers. The ruthlessness in which they moved left no doubt in Topenga’s mind that he was looking at a pack of Drailes, carnivores that fed on the bodies of the dead as well as the living.

As Rumin continued to scream, more Drailes descended from the sky. Another scream rose, slightly to the south, and Topenga recognized the voice as that of Ramon. He reached for his sword, but it was no longer at his side. Searching about, he found his sword lying on the ground a few yards ahead of him. He also noticed the familiar gleam from the edges of Rumin’s polearm fork. And lying a few yards east of where he lay, he found the sword and spear of Prince Ramon, along with all of their shields.

He sprang to his feet and ran straight for the weapons. As he did so, another group of Drailes emerged through the dust, right behind him. He felt their presence but did not stop or flinch. His only thought was to reach the weapons, which were now only a few feet ahead.

A single Draile swooped down ahead of the pack, and was within striking distance. Topenga could feel the heavy breathing and the sound of its claws nearly upon him.

Looking up, he saw Rumin on his feet, trying to evade the beasts of the sky, but without a weapon. Then he felt something sharp digging into his ankles. Before he knew what had happened, he was on the ground, the lone Draile pulling him backward by his feet with an iron grip. He clawed at the ground, pulling himself forward toward his weapon. The Draile’s grip tightened, and he started to lose the feeling in his leg, but the Draile was not strong enough to keep him back. With a mighty roar, the Colonoy grasped his sword hilt and swung it round, turning his body to face the beast in the same motion. The blade cut through the talons of the Draile, severing them.

The animal immediately released him and let out a loud screech, which alerted the pack that was attacking Rumin. The creatures turned their attention to Topenga, who stood ready to meet them, a weapon in each hand.

The Colonoy now had two packs of birds coming for him from different directions, but in the distance he could still hear the faint cries of the prince, and his mission was clear. With his last burst of energy, he reached to the ground and picked up Rumin’s fork. Charging toward Rumin, he bent over to grab the prince’s sword and continued to run as fast as he could. He threw the polearm fork in the direction of Rumin, who had finally managed to find his feet, then ran on to help the prince.

The Drailes closed in on Topenga with every step he took. As he got a clearer view of Ramon, he saw that the prince was on his feet, trying to fight off three Drailes with a tree branch. With the Drailes still unaware of Topenga’s presence, he came in behind them and planted his sword into the body of the nearest beast. Then he slashed the blade across the body of a second.

The last Draile turned to the Colonoy and flew at him, its huge talons spread and ready for attack. Topenga threw the second sword to Prince Ramon, who caught the weapon and drove it through the back of the unassuming animal.

As both young men caught their breath, they saw the terrified face of Rumin approaching them at a rapid speed, holding his fork in a firm grip. The two sharp prongs at the head of the weapon dripped with blood. Topenga grinned to see his friend alive, but the smile was short-lived, for behind Rumin flew the full pack of Drailes, charging forward with murderous intent.

Both Prince Ramon and Topenga screamed at the top of their voices and ran toward Rumin. Seeing his comrades approaching, Rumin turned around to face the incoming birds. Topenga and Prince Ramon came alongside him with their swords drawn, and the three young men faced the incoming beasts.

Ramon looked to his left and noticed Rumin trembling slightly with fear, but on his right Topenga stood full of confidence and grace, his dark braids almost covering his furrowed brow. At that moment, the prince realized the value of having such a brave warrior fighting by his side, and he knew that he could not be in better hands.

The Drailes were now almost within striking distance. Prince Ramon raised his sword forward and roared: “FOR CORIN!”

The warriors made a dash toward the approaching animals and, with a clang of steel on flesh, clashed with the creatures of the sky. The battle was thick and fast. The Drailes attacked from all angles, and the warriors tried not to lose their footing, as they swiped constantly at the slashing talons. Topenga was in the thick of it, alongside Rumin. They stood with their backs against each other, ensuring they were never caught from behind. Prince Ramon remained close to both of them, while fighting his own battle.

About midway through the encounter, the Drailes changed their strategy and began attacking from directly above, giving themselves a significant advantage by swooping down at the warriors’ heads. The prince also noticed that the dust had grown thicker, hindering visibility. “We need to use our spears,” he said to Topenga. “Our swords will not do much good now.” He continued to swipe weakly over his head at the mass of oncoming Drailes.

Topenga could not respond immediately, as the seemingly endless horde of birds began to attack both from high in the sky and at a ground level. Suddenly, Rumin crashed to the ground as two Drailes attacked simultaneously. His fork landed a few feet away from him, and he watched helplessly as a Draile zeroed in with its claws, aiming directly for his heart. All he could do at that point was close his eyes, which prevented him from seeing Prince Ramon throw a spear, which pierced through the beast’s chest.

The Draile’s body fell heavily on top of Rumin, and opening his eyes, he saw the prince running in his direction, continuously swinging his sword at the surrounding birds. With every ounce of strength Rumin had left in him, he pushed the Draile off his body and slowly shifted the deadweight of the massive creature. But in the midst of doing so, he noticed the stone glare of a single Draile stomping toward him, mouth wide open and dripping with saliva at the prospect of feasting on his body.

Rumin frantically pushed at the dead beast pinning him down, but the body would not budge. He screamed out to Topenga, who was a few feet away, still engaged in his own battle. Upon seeing Rumin, Topenga ran toward his comrade, his every move trailed by the Drailes.

Seeing Rumin’s fork on the ground, he called out to his downed comrade. “Rumin, catch!” Then he threw his own sword toward Rumin and continued running for Rumin’s fork.

The sword sailed through the air, and Rumin noticed that the Draile’s feet had left the ground, as it started to charge. In seconds, it would be directly on top of him. Topenga’s sword landed on the ground a few inches away, and Rumin stretched desperately toward it, ignoring the giant bird descending upon him. He grasped the weapon with his left hand and saw the shadow of the Draile drift over him. Then he tossed the sword to his right hand and rolled on his back just as the Draile landed, only to be impaled on the outstretched sword.

With two slain Drailes pinning him down, Rumin slumped to the ground and glanced around, looking for his comrades.

Ramon and Topenga fended off the last three Drailes, as the taste of sweat and blood filled their mouths. Topenga’s tunic had been ripped to shreds by the Draile talons, leaving his upper body practically naked.

The last remaining Drailes overwhelmed the increasingly fatigued prince and the Colonoy, and with no apparent reprieve arriving, the final outcome looked grim.

“I know not how much more of this I can take, my prince,” said Topenga, panting.

Dust filled Ramon’s eyes, but he continued to fight off the Drailes with what little strength he had left. “Nor do I,” he shouted. “We must place our lives in the hands of the gods.”

It did not seem that the gods were helping, however, as they were now surrounded by even more Drailes, with absolutely no room to maneuver. The increasing fatigue began to show when a Draile knocked Topenga to the ground with a gaping swipe. Sapped of all strength, the Colonoy could only look up at the prince, who continued fighting a seemingly losing battle. But then he heard something: a faint but familiar cry.

Through the dust and the haziness in his brain, he suddenly recognized the face of Mikael, aloft his Ikrenum, charging into the fray. The Ikrenum wrapped its talons around the neck of a Draile and forced it to the ground. Mikael then swung his axe at the body of the struggling creature, killing it instantly.

Kasa soon appeared, also aloft his Ikrenum. He held on to his bow with his left hand, an arrow resting in his right. The three remaining Ikrenums emerged a few seconds after.