Vegenrage: Dragon Reclaim (25 page)

Gannream and Gairdennow halt the five smaller dragons from entering the Erkensharie Forest. The dragons have landed on the outskirts of the Erkensharie Forest as the sun is rising. They have many Wall Gliders behind them, resting on the ground and waiting for instructions. “What is it, Gairdennow? Why do you not want us to seek out the elves?”

“This is a very dangerous place, Wisekee, even for dragons. I want to wait here. Let us see how the minions of Ilkergire fare in the forest first.”

“This is very true. I know of dragons who have gone into the Erkensharie, and they never came back.”

“Me too, Gannream,” says Gairddenow.

“Dribrillianth almost took out the Great Erken all by himself?”

“Yes, well, Dribrillianth is immune to all attack, are you, Reegaallia?” asks Gairdennow.

“No.”

“I will summon Interford and Ubwickesdon. Let them monitor the advance of the lesser dragons and keep us informed.” Gairdennow summons the two lesser dragons, and they appear promptly. Ubwickesdon appears, hovering in his up and down slow motions, and Interford appears on his favorite Meglastern, holding his very powerful staff.

“Interford, Ubwickesdon, I want you two to monitor the advancing lesser dragons. Move throughout the forest unnoticed and report back to us on the advancing armies. I want to know how they fare in the Erkensharie Forest.”

They bow and vanish. Periodically throughout the day, the dragons receive updates from their top servants, and find the news is not inspiring. As the day goes by, the dragons can feel that they have lost young and dominant dragons in faraway battles. They day creeps away, and the night is coming, and Gairdennow realizes that the dragons have suffered greatly on this day. He has to constantly calm the restless younger dragons who, in their inexperience, want to attack and feast on the flesh of elf. Gairdennow knows better and prevents them from leaving his and Gannream’s side. Before the sun sets, Ubwickesdon and Interford inform the dragons that the lesser dragons have ultimately failed. They have killed 90 percent of all the Treestriders of Eastern, Southern, and Western Erkensharie Forest, but none of the elves have been engaged. This is not what the dragons wanted to hear. The good news for the dragons here is that none of the dragons have been lost. Gairdennow releases Interford and Ubwickesdon back to their realms and lets them know that their services will still be needed. The lesser dragons vanish, and Gairdennow releases the Wall Gliders, and they return back to the Sarfuse Valley. Gairdennow, Gannream, and the five smaller dragons fly through Dimension Doors back to the lair of Blethstole after making meals of the land herbivores on Fargloin.

They appear in the sky, flying to Mirrimya. The smaller dragons land on the peaks, while Gannream and Gairdennow enter Blethstole’s lair. They find Blethstole still healing from his injuries, and Dribrillianth is with him.

“Blethstole, this has been the worst Dragon Feast. We have suffered greatly. Bailseize and Kertinkpice have been killed.”

“We are in trouble, Gairdennow. The races of man have become incredibly powerful, and they have so many allies. You did not lose any in Erkensharie?”

“We did not attack. The Ilkergire minions were wiped out before ever reaching any elves. The only races to pass the Treestriders were the hobgoblins and orcs. They are on their own now. We feasted on the beasts of Fargloin on our return. No races of man.”

“Ugoria dealt us a heavy blow, but their king and some magic users have been eliminated. We have to keep to our plan. We cannot allow the magic-using races of man to continue.”

“Yes, Dribrillianth. We have lost seven dragons over the past few days, and we fight now, or there will be no fight later. I will not sit around and let the races of man hunt us. We must all attack Erkensharie and eliminate the magic-using elves there. Has anyone felt or seen or heard of Vlianth?” Blethstole asks looking right at Gannream and Gannream replies.

“I have not felt his presence. He is hiding from us.”

Gairddenow shakes his head. “Nor I.”

Gannream adds, “I have seen this Vlianth up close. He was in two of my lairs on Fargloin along with the female. He may be hunting the female dragons. Mezzmaglinggla may be in danger.”

Blethstole snorts loudly through his nostrills and says, “Well we stick together, Gannream. Has anyone felt the presence of or seen Vemenomous?” All the dragons look around silently, adding to the frustration of the dragons on this catastrophic day for them. The three main targets they were seeking have eluded them. Vlianth, Vemenomous, and the human female are still at large.

“I will lead the way to Erkensharie. The Terrahawks are no match for me, and this time, I will finish off the Great Erken and kill all the magic-using elves. This Vlianth has to be with them.”

“I will go with you, Dribrillianth. I will suffocate all the elves and Treestriders with my Gustament.”

“I will go,” says Pryenthious.

“I will go too,” says Blethstole.

All the dragons vow to destroy Erkensharie on the next day. For now, they rest and talk.

CHAPTER 19
Vegenrage and Farrah Are Awakened

Things are quiet on Kronton. All the dragons are on the other two planets, seeking out the magic-using races of man and, of course, Vegenrage and Farrah. Mournbow, Inglelapse, and the band of people are sleeping the day away in relative safety on the northern edge of the Elbutan Forest. They made the crossing over the Strait of Hercon this morning and were very tired from the long journey from Valvernva. Vegenrage could just sense that the people here would be safe. He protected Farrah and himself from the deluge of cries of help that he knew was coming. It took him a long time to fall asleep because he was tormented by the happenings he knows are occurring today. He put all that aside so that he, Farrah, and the people here could get much-needed rest. He knows how susceptible Farrah has been to the images plaguing her mind, and he wants to be there first thing when Farrah wakes up so he can help her with the difficulties of the images he knows she will see. Vegenrage turned the tables on the prophecy written by Hornspire. All the prophecies have talked about what would happen if Vegenrage traveled to help those in Ugoria or Erkensharie. The prophecies did say Vegenrage would help humans to the safety of the Elbutan Forest, but there, he would leave the humans and travel to kill dragons on the morning of the third Dragon Feast. The morning has already passed, and Vegenrage sleeps comfortably by the woman who has stolen his heart. It is too late already for a lot of the prophecies of Hornspire to come true, so Vegenrage believes. Vegenrage has not slept a full night’s sleep since Vemenomous rose from his body. Every time he has tried to sleep, his mind keeps racing, thinking about everything that is going on, and he has found it very difficult to just relax and sleep deeply. The lack of needed sleep has caught up with him, and he is out, deeply sleeping his mind, getting much-needed rest. Fortunately, the people with him are sleeping very soundly as well. The days preceding have been very traumatic for the people of Valvernva and Mourbarria, and they all need sleep as well.

The edge of the Elbutan Forest is quiet with a warm breeze flowing through the trees. The leaves shake and rattle in the wind, giving quiet background, and all sleep well. The birds and squirrels, along with the insects and other animals of the forest, go about their day like they normally do, searching for food and playing. Surprisingly, all the people sleep well, and most of the day has gone. Just before evening, the calm, the quiet, and the soothing rest goes away abruptly. Vegenrage could not see this coming, and what is about to happen changes everything.

The people of Valvernva and Mourbarria start to wake as the ground gently shakes. The rumble grows louder in the forest.
Boom … boom … boom … boom … boom … boom … boom … boom …
The birds in the trees all take flight and fly away. The animals disappear, and all the noise of the forest, except the insects, goes away.
Boom … boom … boom … boom … boom … boom … boom … boom …
The rumble gets louder, and the people wake and get up. They get nervous and try to wake Vegenrage and Farrah. Vegenrage has protected himself and Farrah in a magical cocoon that protects them from sound telepathy and intrusion. The people knock, bang, throw rocks, and beat the cocoon with sticks and rocks, but they are unheard. The rumble is growing closer, coming right for the people, and they start to scatter in panic. A lot of them get on the Graybazells and take off, and this is good. Finally, Inglelapse comes to the cocoon and says, “Here, let me try this.” He uses his Staff of Power that is magical and knocks on the cocoon. This does ring through and gets the attention of Farrah who wakes. She rises, rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms to see Vegenrage sleeping by her, and she smiles. The rings sound like high-pitched knocks.
Tink, tink, tink.
The knocks get her attention, and she looks to see Inglelapse, Mournbow, and a few people desperately trying to wake them outside of the shell. She shakes Vegenrage. “Vegenrage, wake up!” Vegenrage slowly and comfortably stretches from his perfect sleep. “Vegenrage, wake up.”

“What is it, Farrah?”

“Look.” Vegenrage looks to see the people desperately trying to get their attention. He waves his hands, and the barrier dissipates.

“Hurry, Vegenrage. Get up. Danger is coming.” Inglelapse pulls Vegenrage up by his arms and just in time as the loud thumps are growing very close. They can hear the trees being destroyed, pulled up by their roots, and they can see the trees being thrown in the air. The loud thumps sound like a huge giant walking through the forest. “Vegenrage, what is it?”

“I’m not sure, Inglelapse. Where have all the people gone?”

“They got on the Graybazells and have run off.”

“Good. Mournbow, I am going to send you and Inglelapse to Shaspar. There is nothing left of the Shasparian castle, but you should be able to find people near Noireen or Breezzele.” Vegenrage does not wait for them to give disagreement and touches Mournbow and Inglelapse, teleporting them to Shaspar. The now obvious footsteps grow louder and are very close to Vegenrage and Farrah.

“Vegenrage, it’s Vemenomous. I know it is. I can feel him.”

“I know it is.” Vegenrage takes a step forward and turns to Farrah. He points to her with a stern look on his face and tells her, “You stay right here. Do not move from this spot, and if anything feels not right, you fight it with all the power and rage you can muster. Use all your strength in as violent a way as you can. Understand?” Farrah nods without a word, sensing that Vegenrage is as serious as he ever is. “Now listen to me good. You will hear me say things, but they are not true. I am taking a great risk here. I am drawing the dragons to us. Be ready because all hell is about to break loose, and if I cannot get us out of here in time, you will have to use power in you that you do not know you have, but believe me, you do, and when the time comes, it will come to you. Have faith and believe in yourself and what I am telling you. Just do what comes natural, and you and I will come out of this just fine. Okay?”

He takes a few steps forward and raises his hands above his head, cupping his left hand in his right, and swings them toward the ground, spreading them to his sides, bending his left knee to give him a deeper swoop with his arms. He releases a terrific force that rips the trees in front of him from their roots and sends them flying. A half-mile circle in front of Vegenrage is cleared of trees. This exposes Vemenomous who is walking toward them through the trees. Vemenomous is now twenty feet tall. He is almost blown over by the force Vegenrage has sent. Vemenomous is blown back, his left leg raises off the ground, and he staggers back, recovering from the enormous force. Vegenrage walks toward him.

“Vegenrage. Finally, I get to meet face to face with the Vlianth, the one who gave birth to me. I almost feel like calling you Dad, but unfortunately, this is not a social call. Unfortunately, I will have to destroy you.”

“You may find that quite a challenge, Vemenomous. Very clever of you to use the writings of Hornspire to manipulate Blethstole and the races of man to serve your desire for power.”

“So you have me all figured out, do you, Vegenrage?”

“No matter. You were dragon, and I give you credit for having the foresight to see that the time of man is coming, and the time of the dragons is ending. I understand you are trying to change this evolution and continue the rein of the dragons by becoming a new breed of dragon.”

“Yes, I believe we could have been friends under different circumstances. I believe we could have had a great friendship, but on this day, your end is near, and yes, I will continue the dominance of the dragons.”

“You know, Vemenomous, we are very equally matched. We are both the most powerful of our species. What would happen if we were to throw the Maglical System on its head and join forces? I mean, why can’t we have a great partnership? Just hear me out. I have been reading the writings of Hornspire, and they all talk about how I am supposed to kill dragons and demons and even you, but what if I were to actively go against the writings of Hornspire? What if I were to hunt down all the magic-using races of man, and you were to hunt down the dragons? What would happen then? How would the prophecy unfold? I have read no writings on this outcome, and I don’t like to be written about like I am going to do something it makes me want to do just the opposite because I like the unknown.”

Vegenrage is lying his ass off. He is stalling for time. He knows the dragons are searching for him and Farrah, and although the dragons cannot sense Vegenrage due to his permanent Cloak of Concealment, Farrah is very detectable, and Gannream had her in his lair. Farrah held and used the Staff of Barrier Breath many times, and this power she absorbed is very detectable by the dragons. Vegenrage is hoping the dragons sense Farrah and come. Then he hopes to get Farrah and himself out of the way, while the dragons and Vemenomous face off. Vemenomous did not get to be where he is by being stupid, but what Vegenrage has proposed is so unexpected and so alluring to one who seeks total power that he contemplates and actually sees the sense in the madness Vegenrage just expressed to him. Vemenomous is caught completely off guard and ponders the thought.

Like divine intervention has stepped in and worked in the favor of Vegenrage, Gannream and Gairdennow have just recently entered the lair of Blethstole who is mostly healed, and the dragons are talking when Gannream speaks up. “She is here. She is near. I can feel the female, and she is right here.”

“Yes, Gannream, I can sense her too. She is at the crossing the humans use right on the edge of the Elbutan Forest. Vemenomous is with her.”

“Shall we go, Blethstole? Shall we put an end to this abomination? Vlianth has to be with them, but his presence is protected and protected well.”

“Yes, Dribrillianth. We go.” The dragons leave the lair and gather all the young dragons outside and tell them that they go to kill Vemenomous and Vlianth and the female all in one. They know where they are, and the dragons fly through Dimension Doors to the crossing at the Strait of Hercon.

“Very interesting proposal, Vlianth. I am surprised I did not see this coming, and I pride myself on being very adept to the unknown. You propose to kill the magic-using races of man while I kill the dragons and then what? Farrah is to be my queen and raise my young.”

“Farrah is human. Surely, you want to mate with dragon, not a magically altered human. A dragon female will ensure healthy breeding and strong offspring. You will be taking a chance by mating with a human that according to writing can only accept your seed by devouring me. There is no guarantee this will work, but the chance of strong offspring with a dragon female is most certain.”

“You and I think alike human. You make sense, and she is not what I was looking for in my queen. She does not have that killer instinct, not to mention she is so ugly.”

“There is no need to start a new era by insulting the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

“Hahahaha.” Vemenomous laughs. This laugh is ended short as the dragons make a silent swift and brutal attack. The dragons have used strong concealment magic to hide their approach and make their attack. They are invisible and undetectable to the three, very occupied in this surprising discussion. Vegenrage has been concentrating hard and anticipating an attack but does not know how it will come. Well, it comes. Dribrillianth flies with great force, landing on the back of Vemenomous, slamming him to the ground under his feet. Blethstole still has a grudge against Vegenrage and swoops down, catching him in his jaws, and bites hard, crushing Vegenrage in his teeth as he flies up in the air, becoming visible. The dominant dragons have warned the young dragons not to attempt to attack the female because she is still immune to all dragon attacks, but Grapore is feeling confident since he has recently eaten a demon and ignores the warnings of the older dragons. He swoops down, looking to catch Farrah in his jaws and consume her. This is the most fantastic sight. Grapore flies down invisible with his head turned sideways, and just as he is about to touch Farrah, he becomes visible. This looks like Grapore is flying full speed into a three-mile long and three-mile thick brick of solid steel. His body compacts at the point of impact. His head splits at his jaw down through his neck, the rear of his body crushes forward into his head, and he is instantly crushed to death. This startles Farrah, and she turns to Grapor, pointing her hands at him, yelling. “Weeyaa!” Magnificent white light shoots from her hands outlined in yellow and red, disintegrating Grapore and the earth he lay on.

Vemenomous is attacked by Bonaro and Moredown who bite his legs and start to rip him apart. Icerock and Jarclause bite his arms and start to rip him apart. Dribrillianth goes to bite his head in a fatal crushing bite when Vemenomous disappears.

Blethstole bites through the chest and back of Vegenrage, almost breaking his back, but Vegenrage casts a force spell violently, and Blethstole’s bottom jaw is ripped from his neck. Vegenrage pushes his body from the teeth stuck through his body and starts to fall back to the ground, and Blethstole flies after his bottom jaw, spewing blood. Farrah flies toward Vegenrage to rescue him before he hits the ground, but before she gets to him, Browgage materializes and snatches Vegenrage in his jaws, giving him another lethal bite. He starts to fly away with Vegenrage and throws him into the air, ready to chomp down the human morsel, but Farrah yells, “Weeyaa!” and blasts Browgage right in the back with her newly found power of Dragonslaying Hands. The attention-getting light shining from her hands disintegrates Browgage right through his back, and his tail and hind legs fall to the ground. His head and front legs fall right into the light and are disintegrated. The other dragons see this and keep their distance from Farrah who catches Vegenrage before he falls to the ground.

Vegenrage has been severely wounded more so by Browgage. Blethstole punctured Vegenrage’s lungs, which is deadly enough, but Vegenrage can heal fairly quickly from this. Browgage has bit right through the backbone of Vegenrage that is much more difficult to heal. Farrah and Vegenrage disappear after she says, “Take us to the place I dream of.”