Slayer

  “Morchad isn’t a Dragon Rider!” yelled Thetra. He had made his decision, and he did not believe that his worst enemy was a Dragon Rider. His worst enemy was just getting to know him.

  “How do you know?”

  “I don’t know. I believe. He’s no more powerful than Arek and I used to be before our parents died and we found our swords.”

  “I’m too tired to argue, but you do have some questions to ask Savar tomorrow.”

  After studying for over an hour, Thetra went to get breakfast, and Savar joined him.

  “Whoa! You’ve merged!”

  “What do youOh. The nose thing.”

  “Not only that! But your ears!”

  “My what?” Thetra ran to the closest mirror and looked at his ears.

  No ears.

  Gone!

  “How can I hear?” asked Thetra when he sat back down at the good army’s breakfast table. “And I haven’t even been breathing through my mouth.”

  “It’s like your nose and ears are invisible. You can’t feel or see them, but they still work.”

  “What will I lose next, my mouth?”

  “Nay, you will get scars on the sides of your head where your ears used to be leading all the way to your chin. When you grow older, it looks better with a beard.”

  Thetra stared at him with an open mouth.

  Savar smiled. “Should happen sometime today.”

  Arek

    

  SVEWE PALSOA

  “Who are you?!” exclaimed Arek when he saw Thetra.

  “Who are you?” Thetra felt like he was looking at himself. “So it happened to you too?”

  “It did? I haven’t seen myself since I was captured.” Arek frowned, then smiled.

  “We are the Dragons Riders of Kiolerasdarque,” said Thetra, and Arek nodded, agreeing. “I guess you were asleep when it happened, because I felt pain. Hey, listen, I got to go train with Savar, but I’ll meet you back here at dusk.”

  “Aye, Brother Dragon Rider.”

  Arek walked back upstairs to his room and was surprised to find Therr there, waiting for him.

  “My King. What brings you here?”

  “So you’re a real Dragon Rider as well, eh?” When Arek nodded, he continued, “I know you want to be a magician. They’re all stored in Capital Castle, so go there.”

  “Are you ditching me?”

  “It’s your choice.” After a while, Therr said, “I’ll let you think about it.”

  And that night, Arek snuck out to travel quite a distance to the capital of Kiolerasdarque, Bewaldt.

    

  Thetra

  Savar allowed Valao to come to training that day. He ate about all of the firewood that Savar and Thetra were using to start a bonfire with magic.

  Over the next two days, Thetra studied and studied and finally finished the book. Once he did, they started casting spells.

  “I will give you a list of spells. This is your first Lesson List. There are twelve spells recorded of the total 3,671.” He gave Thetra a parchment. “Do it,” he said in a harsh tone.

  Thetra looked at him, then the paper:

  Uolpïshoot sparks into the air.

  Moraas flyr-erupt blue flames.

  Sadjaadisarm opponent

  Lirësuffocate opponent.

  Téshoot water

  Kïlagh-a short blessing

  Reökmake ceiling fall.

  Nehbwasmove an object through the air.

  Ghama curse to the worst enemy.

  Löwenkampthe name of a might creature.

  Munjawdthe spell for killing an alien.

  Dertwühcounterattack spell.

  “Wow. Some of these aren’t spells.”

  “Ah, ah, ah,” scolded Savar for Thetra’s bad memory. “Every word and syllable in the wizard and alien language have the term spells.”

  “Aliens use this language?”

  “They share with us, yes. Now can you cast these” he gestured at the parchment“spells, please?”

  “Yes, Teacher.”

  He started at the top and worked his way down. He only stumbled on one: Ghama curse to the worst enemy. He tried it on Savar, but Savar wasn’t his worst enemy.

  “Now try this: Svewe palsoa,” instructed Savar. “It will see if your worst enemy is present.”

  Thetra did, and his thoughts told him, no, the enemy wasn’t present. But it did not tell him who his worst enemy was.

  “No?” asked Savar.

  “No,” confirmed Thetra.

  “That’s alright. But tell me, for this is rare, who is your worst enemy?”

  When he heard that it was rare, Thetra lied. He always had wanted to be different, which was why he had dreamed of being a Dragon Rider.

  “Morchad,” he lied.

  Savar frowned. “Are you sure, for if so, you are very rare, my friend.” Thetra hid his smile. “Everybody has a worst enemy, and each has one pair. One cannot have more than one worst foe, but I have not ever heard whose Morchad’s is. Much less do any of my trainers figure out their worst enemy using the Svewe palsoa spell. Congratulations. I must inform Therr.”

  Then they ended their lesson, and Thetra went to his sword class.

  He fought against Arek, who also took the lesson, and beat him 10-2.

  Then he went to bed, for it was late, and he was tired.

  Arek

    

  RIDER AGAINST OGNOK

  In the morning, Arek ate breakfast, and while he ate breakfast, had a great idea.

  First he had dreamed of becoming a Dragon Rider, and he was, except for the scars on his cheeks that were supposed to form that day.

  Now he had a new dreama whole new mission. He may have been a little jealous of Thetra, but he needed a wand.

  He was going to kill an Ognok.

  Without telling anybody, he would kill an Ognok.

  But where to look? He knew not, for Ognoks usually came to the one they destined to kill.

  Let’s make our way up to Mthanl, for I have a feeling, and then Ejarshöh and I will march to Bewaldt.

  And so he left with his blood-red dragon.

    

  After covering fifty leagues, which had taken about a week, he lay down. They had about another half week to Mthanl.

  And then he thought about Satym in La lakr-sonx, probably kidnapped by now, for their guards hated trespassers. She would be locked up for life and most likely forced to tell about transport magic.

  That was a minor problem.

  Here Arek was stuck, and Thetra was missing him. Arek wondered who Thetra’s new sword partner was to replace Arek, and he grit his teeth and growled.

  “Arek,” said Ejarshöh’s calm and soothing voice. “You must destroy your anger. You cannot go on like this. Meditate.”

  Arek did as his dragon told him, and it worked. “Let’s go.”

  And they continued on their journey.

  That night, they roasted after Ejarshöh hunted, for it was the red dragon’s turn. They ate good salmon, meat, and other sorts of foods that Arek enjoyed.

  They rested that night, making camp. It took Arek a while to fall asleep, but he finally did.

  “We must destroy him!” yelled Savar. “The Ognok is too powerful! He is attacking our army!”

  Arek stood in the middle of a hot field, looking up at the Ognok soaring high above the plains. The Ognok laughed and shot fireballs, killing scores of the good army.

  Then Thetra came into view, and he flew up on Valao to meet the fiery figure. Thetra drew his wand in his left hand, and sword in right, bow slung on his back. The Ognok growled, then roared, flames shooting into the air, and then falling and killing.

  Thetra tried to get closer to him, but the Ognok was staying away from Thetra.

  “I promise!” yelled Thetra. “I swear before every throne and on every stone I will kill you, O Terrible Creature!”

  Then the
Ognok sped toward Thetra, threw out his big and mighty chest, and laughed a terrible laugh.

  Satym came running from the Ma’s ranks and yelled, “Jutravin!” looking up at the Ognok. “I betray you!”

  And the Ognok gasped. Then he gained control of himself, and got back into his pace of shooting fireballs with his wand. “You cannot kill me, Rider!”

  “I can!” yelled Thetra, and chucked Slayer at Jutravin.

  “Thetra, no!” warned Valao, but it was too late. The sword fell short, falling to the ground. It hit the ground with an amazing plunk, and then buried itself in the ground, covering every last part of it.

  Jutravin smiled. “I guess you’ll have to fight with your wand.”

  “I’m a real Dragon Rider now!” exclaimed Thetra. “I’m no coward like I was in Toage when my parents died!”

  Then Arek yelled something in the alien language, and soon he was soaring like an Ognok. Then he was turning into an Ognok as he felt himself grow fangs.

  But he wasn’t evil.

  He went to Thetra’s side and said, “I got this, Brother.”

  “Arek, what!”

  “Just fly down and take my position on the ground!” yelled Arek, and soon Thetra followed his order.

  The Ognok was still stunned, but he soon shook himself and yelled a curse in the magical language. “You!”

  “Me.” Then Arek drew Stabber, and lunged toward Jutravin.

  They clashed swords, and together, they created what was probably the biggest fight in the history of Kiolerasdarque, or what was to be named of the country.

  Then Jutravin was losing, and Arek had his sword tip pointed low under Jutravin’s chin.

  Then Jutravin yelled a phrase, and he sped away so quickly, that he was gone in less than a nanosecond.

  Then Arek was falling, becoming human once more. And no one was there to catch him.

  He would die with pain.

  Then everything turned black.

  AREK VS AREK

  Yet he didn’t wake up.

  Then he switched dreams, and he had the usual: fighting Morchad with only Stabber and wand.

  Morchad was alone, but it seemed he had soldiers lurking behind every shadow, waiting to taste the blood of Arek himself and Ejarshöh. Morchad drew his sword, and it had no color. It was Vertayish white, a dark color.

  While Arek was focused on the blade, a red dragon flew in, one just like Ejarshöh.

  The two dragons faced each other, then got air and flew up to the million-foot-high ceiling.

  And Arek faced Morchad.

  Morchad growled as his blade turned the same color as Arek’s.

  And then Morchad formed into the body of Arek, and he was fighting himself.

  Morchad smiled, and Arek frowned. Then they clashed swords, neither one of them getting an advantage, as were the dragons.

  Then Morchad’s blade fell, and he collapsed.

  His dragon sailed downward and fell on Morchad, both dragon and Rider dead.

  But Ejarshöhthe real onewas wounded. He flew down from the air and knelt.

  Arek examined the injury—one on the leg, one that made the dragon limp.

  Ejarshöh squealed with pain, and Arek soon gave up trying to calm his dragon. It was useless.

  And then Arek felt a terrible, terrible pain in his ankle. He wrapped himself in a ball and waited for the pain to go away.

  It didn’t.

  For some moments it left, and just when Arek was about to stand up again, it returned. His left ankle throbbed while Ejarshöh’s leg was throbbing as well. Neither one could touch the other. They were too far away. Arek tried crawling towards Ejarshöh, but it was no use. He never made it more than a quarter of a centimeter before the pain came back.

  And he heard Morchad’s laugh, and Ejarshöh said one thing: “I hear his dragon’s laugh too” before Arek heard it.

  “Don’t talk,” he begged, not wanting his dragon to hurt itself any more than he already was wounded.

  “If I must...I must.” Then his dragon closed his eyes.

  He’s only sleeping, thought Arek, but he knew that his dragon was passing, and soon he would as well.

  “If I die,” muttered Arek with his remaining strength, “I’m going to die knowing that I also killed Morchad and his hateful dragon, whatever that copy-cat beast was.” And then he closed his eyes as well, and he was no more.

  Arek woke up sweating, and saw that Ejarshöh was as well awake, and he knew his dream was not real.

  “Did you have the same dream I did?” asked Ejarshöh.

  Arek nodded. “Did you die? Did Morchad turn into me? Did his dragon turn into you?”

  “Now we know he has a dragon, but it is still not known what color he or his blade is, unless it is colorless.”

  Arek smiled. “That is true, my dragon.” Then he cuddled up with his dragon, and together they fell back asleep, no dreams befalling them this time.

  And then he had a thought, a crazy one, but a thought.

  Then he ran back to Destville, for he missed his brother.

  But I will return.

  Satym

    

  ULBALLS ARE THE FISHY ONES

  Satymwas in Casca Doba.

  She had walked the whole way, sometimes getting into a trot, for she had used the last magic she could, without a wand, years ago. She had pushed past the limit, in fact, and paid by going to Bewaldt Jail. It was a terrible place down in those dungeons.

  She was planning to visit her old home in Mthanl before heading north to the Stankl Mountains.

  Stankl.

  It was a strong word, and in the Alien Language, meant Evil.

  Maobn.

  It meant Home. So Evil Home was the name of the mountain Stankl Maobn, one of the many mountains ruled by Morchad. A fitting name, perhaps.

  Of course she could just use her wand to transport herself to Mthanl, and then to the Evil Home of Morchad. But the cities before those destinations, as of Casca Doba and Toage, were amazing. Toage was known for sunsets, so she would sleep there, and Casca Doba was a great little town.

  And she would see her parents at Stankl Maobn. They would be disappointed in her for coming to the army, but they would be glad to see her.

  Is the name of Morchad’s army really Morchad’s Army? she asked herself. Then she translated it into the Magical Language, and she got one word: Ulball.

  “Well,” she said, pretending to be the Battle-announcer of an army, always announcing it like a game of poker or pool. “Ulball vs. Unknown good army. I personally hope that the blank is going to win.”

  My secrets shall never be told. To other people, their goal was to figure out one question: ____. And since the question was ____, then their answer was also ____.

  Then she quit trying to Battle-announce and trudged on.

  I can do this! She told herself, trying with all her willpower to keep going.

  “‘If you believe you can do it, do it.’” She knew this quote was by the seventh king, Vanot. “And I believe I can do it.”

  She continued, then decided she should try to decide all the ways to defeat the Ulball. Morchad would be impossible to defeat, but if she visited a library close to Stankl Maobn, perhaps Toage—which she had already visited—then maybe she could decipher a plan.

  She already had a plan for herself: she would be a fake ally for the Ulball, then go back to the good army and report news, for she was a spy.

  She grunted.

  Mthanl has a library. I used to visit there all the time. Then a thought hit her. He probably knows the way, and he alone. I need to get him to trust me…

  I’ll tell him I’m the daughter of his colleagues. That should do it. Though she doubted it would, she still had to try.

  Then she decided to just transport herself to the Evil Home, hoping to find the way that could help everybody in the great army of Therr. The way that could defeat evilness once and for all. She might as well be a hero when she returne
d to Destville.

  A hero equals pure awesomeness. That’s just who I am…I guess.

  She smiled. They had a chance.

  ROYAL GUEST

  When she arrived in Stankl Maobn, she collapsed, exhausted. Then she passed out.

  Satym was sitting in a hospital bed when she regained consciousness.

  “Where…?”

  Then she heard her mother’s voice say, “Shhhh, Satym. You’re safe in the mountains.”

  Then her father, in a deep voice, “You just fainted. Why are you here, Satym?”

  When Satym’s vision cleared, she first saw her father: a man with a goatee, Vertay hair, brown eyes, and a kindly smile. His mother had circle glasses, big blue eyes, and long, brown hair.

  “Mother, Father,” said Satym. “I just wanted to see you. I—”

  “Well, go back,” growled Father. “You’ll be killed here.”

  “Let me see what Morchad really looks like once and for all.”

  “Let her,” said her mother. “I’ll take her.”

  After a moment, her father said, “Very well.”

  Then her motherLoradaw led Satym through a number of passages and hallways to the king of the Ulball’s throne room.

  “Welcome, daughter of Vertay and Loradaw,” boomed Morchad’s voice. It was pure evil. “I have long awaited you.”

  “Really?” asked Loradaw.

  “No,” answered the king. “My name is Morchad, as you well know. If you wish to join the Ulball, please do so. My given name is Evil, but it sounds better in the magical language of the aliens. So, are you to join me or fight?”

  “If I join, could you tell me a secret?”

  “Of course. Anything.”

  “Then I will join your army.”

  “Then repeat after me: I pledge and swear an oath to follow orders that King Evil gives me, and I will attack the hated army when necessary.”

  After hesitating, Satym did so, and Loradaw yelled, “Satym! You only came to visit!”

  Ignoring her, the king said, “Now do the Yaeno Oath. You shall say, “I swear the Yaeno Oath to King Evil. You shall die if you break it, but if I die first, since I am the one making you do it, then you are released from your oath.”