Alanna sighed and walked back over toward the window that overlooked the mountain trail and prayed for a miracle.
*****
It wasn't long after Judy had skipped away that Thomas discovered what all the food was for. Wave after wave of dragons transformed into their natural form and approached the giant tables with ferocious appetites. It was hard to watch Dragons eating in this way, and Thomas found himself turned around, looking the other way. That is why Thomas gave a start when the hand came down on his shoulder.
“You look a little miserable all by yourself here.” Tretchbolt had not engaged in the festivities yet, and was still in human form.
“I would have thought you would be joining in too.”
Tretchbolt gazed off at the feeding frenzy and sighed.
“Not the noblest of sights. Still I will have no choice if I want to be of any use tomorrow. It can wait. There is enough even with this big lot.” Tretchbolt turned back to Thomas, reached for his waist, and drew out a wicked looking dagger.
“I wanted to give you this. It's an enchanted dagger. It will fly true to whatever target you choose. I hoped it might give you a bit of an edge, no humour intended.”
Thomas took the dagger gingerly from Tretchbolt and examined it carefully. The blade was incredibly sharp, and curvy, like the metal was riding on waves when it was formed. It was a dark black, and one solid piece from tip to hilt. There were a few green gemstones inlaid in the handle, but for the most part, the dagger looked plain. Plain, but deadly.
“Thank you.”
Tretchbolt just shrugged and harrumphed.
“Well, That's about all that I wanted to give you.” Tretchbolt turned back to the tables. “I guess I really should be going. It looks like the reds are hungrier than I thought.”
Thomas watched Tretchbolt as he made his way over to the tables. He was truly alone again. Tretchbolt was busy preparing, Sammuel and Judy were presumably somewhere with the lords preparing an attack strategy and Gatsby... where was Gatsby? Surely he would want to save Alanna as much as Thomas did. He felt a stab of panic overwhelm him as the thought of Alanna came to him. Not for the first time he squelched it by thinking of something else. The possibility of going home seemed to be much closer now. That brought a different sort of melancholy on. These people had become his family over the course of the last couple of months, and now he was poised to leave them all behind. Again the thought of Alanna invaded his thoughts. It was impossible now to keep her out of his heart. So close, but so far away. Thomas wondered what she was doing this moment. Absentmindedly, Thomas ran his hand along the Dragon Seal and daydreamed of his past adventures with the princess of the Blue Dragons.
*****
Victor stood at the top of the fortified wall, drinking in the sharp chill of the night. Letting it set into his bones and fester there. He savoured the pain as one might savour a fine delicacy. The feeling reminded him that he was still alive, when so very little else seemed to touch him anymore.
The large looking glass stood at the top of the wall, pointed down toward the base of the mountain. While out of sight from his vantage point, the glow of the fires below lit up the clouds in the sky. They would be here in the morning, and he would be ready for them. Victor cackled. The fools really had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
“Shadow!” The Shadow was lounging along the shadier parts of the wall, waiting for the inevitable command from his master. “I have one more job for you to do.”
CHAPTER 39
BATTLE
The dark and ominous storm clouds looming overhead reflected the mood of the camp in the faces of the warriors preparing for the coming fight. Such a battle had not been fought in thousands of years, and now, in the snow, in the dead of winter, another army was preparing to storm a fortress that had been stormed hundreds of times over countless thousands of years.
Thomas Kindercook stood on a rise just below the pass, staring up into the thunderous clouds trying to steel himself to the task at hand. In the distance behind him, ranks of dragons formed, in full battle gear, ready for the march up the mountainside. Thomas, who had led a very quiet life until being whisked away to this world, had never been part of a battle. He had never even been part of a fight. He spent most of his days reading in the shade of the tree in his grandfather's back yard, or exploring the storage spaces in the old house they lived in. That life seemed so far away now. What lay before him was one of the most unique sights that he had ever seen. Wizards mounting the ancient armour harness of the dragon warriors. The harnesses were built with seats that fastened the rider securely to the dragon, this however meant, should the dragon go down, the rider was doomed to the same fate.
“It's time Thomas.”
Thomas looked up at the gigantic ancient warrior in admiration. Tretchbolt was really a sight in his natural form. The scars of ancient battles crisscrossed his body. Today, the usual tone of mockery or disinterest seemed absent. Tretchbolt seemed focused and purposeful.
“Tretch, if anything should happen to me... could you make sure my journal gets to my grandfather. I'm not sure how, but he has to know what happened.”
Tretchbolt nodded in acquiescence, both of them knowing that should something happen, there was no way that word would ever reach his grandfather. It was a silly request really, but a little hope was better than none.
Thomas climbed up on the giant mount and Tretchbolt moved himself to the front of the division. He was to lead the Blue Dragons in battle, being one of the only dragons alive to see battle in his lifetime. Sammuel had chosen to stay with Alkamire, and Judy was riding a Blue Dragon that looked oddly familiar. The wizards had chosen to pair up with the Blue and Green Dragons mainly. Given the electric nature of the Yellows, and the generally bad reputation of the Reds, those dragons remained mainly riderless.
The decision to march up the mountain rather than fly had been made by Ganton and Sammuel. In order to keep the element of surprise, the force was going to stay as close to the mountain as possible, and not launch the attack until the last minute possible.
Mount Rift, which was always swathed in cloud and storms, was at its worst the day the Dragon Army mounted its attack. The clouds had grown angry, and the wind had picked up to the point where, if not for the secure harnesses of the dragons, wizards would be blown all over the place. The bitter cold wind, and now biting snow cut into Thomas' skin as he hunched low in the saddle, trying to shield himself from the elements. His line was near the front. Sammuel led the way, and Judy was just behind him. He knew if anyone were to yell a command now, it would be lost in the howl of the horrible wind. The march up the mountainside was gruelling, and aside from the wind, silent. It had given Thomas time to think. There was something off about this. Thomas couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he wondered if the others could sense it too. Close to fifty-thousand dragons marching up a mountainside. Even hidden, he couldn't imagine that no one from the castle had noticed yet. The hillside remained silent however. No signs of life disturbed their march forward.
It was halfway into the day when the call from the rear came. The Red's wished to stop for a rest. Thomas guessed he really couldn't blame them. It had been a miserable march up, and he hadn't had to experience any of it.
The mountain road had opened into a large plateau which would accommodate most of the dragons. Steep cliff walls climbed hundreds of feet up above their heads. The plateau looked as if it had been excavated out of the side of the mountain, leaving a level plain with steep walls surrounding it, leaving the impression that they were sitting in a stone jar, or a giant tomb cut into the stone of the cliff. Thomas shuddered. That gnawing feeling was eating away at him again. Something about this wasn't right. He was sure about it. He examined the tops of the cliff surrounding the plateau, but it was impossible to make out anything through the storm. That's when something did catch is eye. A flash! Something reflective had by chance caught light from somewhere Overhead. Oh no!
Everything happened at once. Thomas screamed “Ambush!” at the same time the cliff above exploded in a hail of boulders. Tretchbolt reared back and avoided the falling boulders with reflexes honed over centuries. From behind came the command to attack. At first this confused Thomas. He couldn't see the enemy, but horror and realization set in quickly as he looked back to see the Red Dragons taking out the surprised Yellow Dragons in quick succession. Thomas cursed, it had all been a trap. Ganton was working against them.
“GANNTTON!!!” There was no mistaking the challenge in Tretchbolt's voice, but before he had a chance to do anything, a loud blast from something that sounded like a tuba, reverberated off the walls of the hollowed out cliff. There was no mistake, the sound had come from amongst the ranks of Red Dragons. Thomas turned toward the noise, and saw to his horror, the largest force of dragons that Thomas had ever seen before. Through the blizzard of white, a storm of Black Dragons were swooping in. A vast sea of creatures that dwarfed the forces of the Blue, Yellow and Green Dragons. Behind the Storm Dragons flew a division of Red that easily paralleled the size of the group that had betrayed them. They were horribly outnumbered and in one of the worst positions they could possibly be in. Thomas had to do something.
Tretchbolt danced around boulders as they dropped out of the sky. Thomas watched as other dragons flew at the advancing forces, only to be brought down moment's later by unseen bolts of lightning coming from the heavens. Victor. That could be the only answer.
Thomas, trying to keep his wits, yelled out in a voice as loud as he could make it.
“Shield of ice that's diamond-like,
Protect us from the enemy's strike.”
A surge of almost invisible blue energy exploded forth from Thomas. Thomas swayed in the saddle fighting off the pin pricks dancing in front of him. The blue energy expanded overhead creating a barrier between the oncoming dragons forces and boulders, and the tangle of dragons and wizards beneath. The first wave of dragons to fly into the shield were the Storm Dragons, which hit with a resounding crack, and bounced harmlessly off. Boulders slid across the frictionless surface and down the side of the mountain. The Storm and Ganton Dragons trapped on the other side of the barrier started to breath fire and bolts of energy at the shield doing everything in their power to bring it down. Thomas could feel the shield drawing on his energy.
“I don't know how long I can keep this up Tretch!”
Tretchbolt peered back at Thomas who slumped back in the saddle. The battle still ensued inside of the barrier. Red Dragons that had betrayed the party had been cut off from the surprise attack forces, and were waging battle with Sammuel's army. Wizards hurtled bolts, threw piles of rock and heaved the ground under the Red's feet.
Tretchbolt charged across to Sammuel and Alkamire, Just avoiding the searing flames of a Red Dragon as they leaped into the fray.
“Sammuel. Alkamire. The shield is not going to hold for long.” Tretchbolt kept things simple, time was of the essence. Thomas knew he had a few more minutes at best. The dragons outside were pounding the shield, and the weaker the shield grew, the more it would draw on Thomas' energy.
“Thomas, get down. I will protect you.” Alkamire drew in front of Tretchbolt while Thomas slid down, careful to stay close to Alkamire in the stampede of dragons now fighting the surge of Reds still in the shield. “Tretchbolt. I want you to take command of the forces at the front line against the Reds. The moment the shield drops, make the push to put those dragons over the edge. We may be trapped, but we have the mountain to our back. Do everything you can to make sure they don't come back up again.” Tretchbolt charged toward the front only stopping briefly to nod toward Thomas.
Thomas was feeling woozy, but he was still holding on to the shield above, if only barely. As if the forces outside could sense the weakening barrier, they had picked up the attack and were hurtling everything that they could at it. Thomas wasn't sure how long it would be before he passed out, but he planned to keep it up for as long as he could.
Thomas had his eyes closed when something grabbed his shoulder. He jumped almost dropping the shield. There beside him, stood Judy. She once again grabbed his shoulder and closed her eyes. A cold shock ran over Thomas, rejuvenating him. He could feel energy flowing back into his body, and with it the shield strengthened against the bombardment.
“Judy! What are you doing here?”
Judy smiled at Thomas, now quite tired herself. “I told you I would protect you. Thomas felt overwhelmed with gratitude. Suddenly it seemed possible they may make it through this.
It looked very much like they were going to persevere through the first wave. Most of the Reds lay fallen on the plateau, one small group was being driven toward the edge of the barrier, pressed by Tretchbolt and his forces, another small group.... was charging toward Thomas!
*****
Ganton Blackrock was roaring like a lion gone mad. He realized the source of the barrier the moment it had gone up. The blasted human Thomas had done this to him! He wasn't going to let that snivelling tiny human ruin this day for him. Then he saw Thomas, standing beside another pitiful wizard. Alkamire was there as well, but his back was turned. The opportunity was perfect. Ganton charged, letting go of the largest bolt of fire he had ever summoned.
*****
Thomas didn't have time to react. He saw the searing bolt coming toward him, but between the shield draining him, and the events leading to the battle, his reflexes were sluggish.
Crack!
It felt like a car had hit Thomas. He went flying sideways, desperately trying to hold on to consciousness. The shield overhead wavered dangerously. Thomas looked back to where he had been standing as he flew through the air. It had been Judy that hit him with the wall of energy. He watched in horror as the blast of fire intended for Thomas slammed into Judy sending her flying across the opening and rammed her into a rock wall. Thomas landed in a heap in the snow. Alive, but sore. Judy had saved his life as she had promised.
It took several moments for the reality of what had just happened to sink in. The battle around him was still being fought, but Thomas just sat there stunned. Watching as if inside a dream the form of Ganton come around the bodies of dragons in search of his prey. Anger. White hot anger boiled inside of Thomas. He pulled himself to his feet. He moved as if controlled by an unseen force. Reaching inside of the small bag strung to his side, Thomas pulled out two yellow stones and charged, screaming, toward Ganton.
Ganton smiled wickedly as Thomas raced toward him.
“You are a fool, little wizard.”
Ganton Blasted bolts of red hot flame at Thomas. Thomas tumbled and jumped avoiding the blasts by seconds each time. He grew closer and closer to Ganton. Ganton grew more frustrated with each miss. He drew his head back and opened wide to draw in a very large breath. This was the opportunity that Thomas had waited for. He took the two yellow stones and threw them as hard as he could into the mouth of Ganton who was still gathering his breath. The stones found their way into Ganton's throat and Ganton started to choke.
Above the dark clouds swirled and two bolt's of lightning, thick as trees, ripped up from the earth, straight through Ganton and up to the sky. As the bolts flew upward, they expanded obliterating the shield, and cutting a swath through the Storm and Red Dragons on the outside, utterly vaporizing Ganton where he stood. Thomas stared in disbelief, it had happened so quickly that his brain was still a few steps behind. A pile of ash was all that remained of Ganton, King of the Reds.
Judy!
Thomas broke into a run toward the cliff face where Judy had been thrown. It was clear long before Thomas reached Judy that it wasn't good. She lay slouched against the stone wall, unmoving. Carefully taking her in his arms, and laying her down, Thomas checked for any signs of life.
Nothing.
Choking back tears Thomas cast spell after spell, trying everything he could. This couldn't be it! He was oblivious to the battle raging around him. The cry to arms, the fight ag
ainst the now descending Storm Dragons, none of it seemed to matter. Once again, Judy had shown him yet another limitation to his powers. She had been a sweet girl, brave beyond her years, and she had given her life to save his. He didn't deserve this.
Thomas howled in rage. Victor.
Charging blindly across the battlefield, Thomas sought out Tretchbolt. He had to get to the fortress and end this.
Eruptions from the earth, and explosions of fire and lightning ruptured the ground as Thomas charged across the plateau. Tretchbolt lay ahead, towering above most of the dragons on the field. The front lines had all but eliminated the Red Dragons, and now had turned their attention to the new wave of Storm Dragons. They were still greatly outnumbered, but because the shield had bought them time to take care of the Red Dragon threat, the tide was slowly turning.
“Tretchbolt!!!” Thomas screamed above the din of battle. Tretchbolt turned back as Thomas jumped onto the saddle, just barely holding on to the tethers along the side and climbed up onto Tretchbolt's back.
“We have to get up to the castle.” Thomas yelled.
Alkamire Aqual and Sammuel were wheeling around in circles. Alkamire being the other dragon to have seen battle was doing fairly well. Sammuel was looking tired, but was definitely giving Alkamire the edge he needed.
“I'm kinda in the middle of something here kid!” Tretchbolt swung his head into an advancing Storm Dragon who was poised to strike Sammuel. Tretchbolt's massively armoured head sent the dragon tumbling over the edge of the cliff. “It never ceases to amaze me that they can forget how to fly so quickly.”
Alkamire and Sammuel reigned in closer to Tretchbolt and Thomas while fighting off an attack from a Red Dragon taking swipes at Sammuel on Alkamire's back. Thomas felt another wave of sadness over Judy's demise. He couldn't tell Sammuel about Judy in the middle of this. Sammuel needed to focus.
“Uncle! I need to get up to the fortress!”
“That would be suicide Thomas! No lone person would be able to make it through their defences.”
Thomas grit his teeth. “I don't care. I'm going after Alanna!” Thomas started to get out of the saddle when a voice stopped him. “Wait!” It was Alkamire. He took a few precious moments before continuing.