Then Valao saw the ranks of regular aliens coming down into the ocean.
“He has called upon others. He needs reinforcements, and he got them. Let’s show him we can fight too.” And then Therr swam towards the new army of aliens, slashing them down one by one. He looked back at Valao and said, “Are you going to help me or not?”
Valao surged forward, feeling a new reason to kill the aliens.
And that reason was to protect Thetra.
Then he saw the arrow.
Valao called out, “Watch your head!” to Therr, but the sound didn’t travel well underwater. The arrow dug itself in the back of Therr’s head, and he dropped dead.
“No,” muttered Valao. “No!” He threw himself at the killer, Andwi, crushing him like a bug, but the damage was done. Therr was dead.
HUNTING THE PRESIDENT
“Now I have to kill his brother.”
Ailog was hiding behind a giant boulder in the sea, fearing Valao.
“No one hides from Valao,” said the dragon who was about to kill the magical alien. “And no one kills his leader.” He picked up the boulder and through it. Valao narrowed his eyes on the puny little alien. “Ready to die? I sharpened my claws yesterday.”
Ailog responded with a twinge of confidence in his voice. “No, I will live. And I also know who will die.” He pointed his first finger at Valao. “You.”
“Me?”
“You killed my brother. I watched you from behind this rock.” Ailog drew his gun. “Now I must get my vengeance.” He shot a bullet.
Valao ate it. “Good flavor.” Valao then knocked the pistol out of the president’s hand. “Your brother killed my master. My turn for vengeance.”
“I had no control over him! He did what he wanted to do with free will!”
“Then we are even. We both die.”
“Or we both live.”
Valao bit him, then swallowed him whole.
But the alien was still hurting Valao, giving him a stomach ache by kicking the sides of Valao inside of his stomach.
Each kick made Valao wriggle and kick himself (in some cases that was good, because it wiped out the army of aliens, but in some it was bad, because it also wiped out those of the Good Army).
Valao bellowed a roar that was so loud it traveled a thousand feet in each direction, even sending ripples through the ocean.
“GO!” Valao heard a Good Army Commander yell. The Army Commanders were Therr’s highest troops, and Thetra was one of them.
But this wasn’t Thetra. This was someone that Valao didn’t recognize. It wasn’t Arek either.
It was the traitor: Satym.
THE DEFENSE OF THE DEATH OF A MAGICAL ALIEN PRESIDENT
“But”
BAM!
Everyone in the Underwater Battle froze. Valao felt an aching in his stomach.
BAM!
“What’s going on?” asked an alien to his mate. To the alien’s surprise, his mate just ate him.
Valao looked over his shoulder and saw Satym. She grinned.
She looks so friendly...Stop that! Satym betrayed us. We can’t trust her.
“Retreat,” hissed an inhuman voice.“ You of the Good Army ssshall retreat. Or ssshould I sssay...the Dark”
“No!” yelled one of Therr’s comrades. “You shall not say it, O Unhooked Leg, The Unluckiest of Souls, The Pirate of Kiolerasdarque.”
The comrade’s name was Hortyun. Thetra recognized him from a funeral back in Destville after Hortyun’s aunt had passed away.
“Hortyun,” said Satym, a grim and faraway look in her eyes. “I remember you.”
Shock appeared on Hortyun’s face. “Satym, I”
“Am sorry? Is that what you mean to say? Apology declined.”
“All attention on me, pleassse,” hushed the voice. “You, human and Rider and alien, may call me Opotomues. I am the sssoul of Ailog.”
“And I am the sssoul of Andwi,” hissed another alien voice. “together, we are powerful. And we shall REIGN!”
Just then Satym drew her sword and threw it through the water with no particular target.
But it stopped as it hit something solid, although Valao saw nothing there except the darkness of the deep depths of the ocean.
“What did it hit?” asked Hortyun.
Satym replied, “It hit the soul of Andwi. Don’t you feel its presence absent?”
Then she threw an extra dagger she had at another space in the water and it stuck there.
“I killed Ailog,” muttered Satym.
Then, as green as alien blood blending into an emerald forest, Valao saw the sword of Thetra Eouhjasson floating in the water. It was glowing.
Valao and Satym exchanged looks. Then Satym hopped on Valao and he shot upward to see the battle just taking place on the island.
It was Thetra against the dead.
It was obvious to Valao who would win the fight, but it would’ve been a bloody one.
Then Valao felt teeth sink into his neck, and he turned around and saw the glittering scales of Ghuar. The battle was about to get a lot more intense.
Thetra
AN UNTRAINED WIZARD USING MAGIC
Was it Flyr? How could he have forgotten? He was so clumsy.
“Valao!” yelled Thetra. “Help me!”
“You honestly think you can win this war?” asked Youtren.
Thetra had been struggling all this time to get out of Youtren’s grip, who at the moment had him in a headlock. But now he froze. “War? It’s not a war. Just a battle. Right?”
“Why do you think we paid the fee to come back and not be dead?” He paused. “It’s because we are dedicated to this war.” He drew his sword and pointed it at Thetra’s throat.
He was trapped. There was no escape now.
“Kill me,” said Thetra. He sighed. “Just get it over with.”
“Why do that when I could have all the delight torturing you and seeing you rotting away in a prison cell? It lasts much longer. No, I think I’m going to take you captive.”
Thetra caught a glimpse of Valao, and their eyes met. Thetra pointed behind him at Youtren and imitated a dragon biting a human.
Thetra thought Valao understood the message. He reared back and inhaled real deeply. Then Valao blew a fireball sizzling towards Youtren’s head.
It hit him and he fell backward, still hanging on to Thetra, choking him.
“Let...GO OF ME!” screamed Thetra, coughing and choking. He attempted to unwrap Youtren’s arm from its tight grip on Thetra’s throat. He spat out blood. “Valao, help me with your dragon strength!”
Valao struggled, but slammed into the body of Ghuar, who was blocking his way to saving Thetra. He tried pushing him, but he was a heavier and bulkier dragon than Valao was.
“Move, you fat dragon!” yelled Valao in frustration.
“I will not,” said Ghuar so calmly, it surprised Valao so much that he stopped pushing him.
“How can you stay calm during this...war?” asked Valao in shock.
“I am a peaceful dragon.”
“Then why did you and your Rider attack us?!” demanded Valao.
“Youtren made me do it.” He growled at the unconscious body of Youtren. “He is feeble.”
Youtren coughed. “I am not feeble!”
“Ghuar,” said Valao, ignoring Youtren’s awakening. “Why are you stopping me from killing the mean one?”
“He pays me if I help him. I am sorry, dragon. I must do what he says.”
“No, you mustn’t!” complained Valao, but Ghuar had already raked his claws against his scales. Valao screamed in agony. Ghuar bit the end of his tail. Valao roared a bellowing roar and fought back, pinching Ghuar in the ear, then biting it.
It ripped off.
Thetra saw through black spots in his eyes, a blue ear in his dragon’s mouth. He would’ve whooped and cheered if it weren’t for him being unable to breathe.
Had it been a minute? Two? He knew that he would o
nly last three minutes without dying, and he had already lost a lot. He was almost about to go unconscious anytime.
Yes! It was Flyr! Now he remembered the magical word that could kill a human soul or a Rider.
But he couldn’t talk. He couldn’t command the word to do anything.
He was trapped inside the grip of Youtren.
“You aren’t escaping me,” said Youtren. And those were the last words Thetra heard until he couldn’t see any more.
FLYR!
The world around him erupted in flames, reaching Youtren and, as he fell, his grip did as well, and Thetra was free.
Ghuar was still fighting Valao without his left ear, but was falling over continuously. Valao bit him in the chin, ripping three more scales off. Ghuar yelped with pain.
Thetra was staring at Youtren, though. He was surely dead, lying in flames. Thetra could barely see him through the orange fire.
“I am sorry...cousin,” said Thetra. “I would’ve accepted you on my team, but you chose Morchad over me. Of course I know why. He has more power over Kiolerasdarque.”
Valao shouted something to Thetra, but the sound was blocked out as Thetra meditated.
Then a voice as loud as thunder boomed out from the sky: “Kiolerasdarque shall be renamed! It’s new name is...”
Then all of a sudden Valao and Ghuar flew up into the air towards the sound of the voice. They flew so far up that they were specks to Thetra.
The voice continued, “Ar”
BAM!
Valao and Ghuar came falling out of the sky—Ghuar trailing Valao.
They hit the ground with a loud thump, but Valao got up quickly.
“What happened?” asked Thetra.
“We stopped them,” replied Valao, panting. “We bumped into the voice with so much power it tumbled over.”
As if on cue, a gigantic splash interrupted their conversation. It splashed over the whole island.
“That was it,” added Ghuar.
“Ghuar,” said Thetra. “Now that Youtren’s dead, will you help us in this war?”
“Aye.”
“Good. Now let us go down underwater and continue battling.”
They crept deeper into the sea, not hearing anything.
Then, at random, Thetra heard a battle cry.
Hortyun, he remembered. He had a flashback to the memory at his aunt’s funeral. Hortyun had slipped on the deck where the dead body lay and he got a concussion, but it healed quickly with the army’s good nurses.
“Hortyun!” shrieked a voice. It was female, and sounded very Elflike.
Then Hortyun’s yell echoed around the water, and Thetra, Valao, and Ghuar began to trot a little faster.
The sun was setting, and it was already extremely dark under the ocean.
“Thetra,” muttered Ghuar. “Take the left route. I’ll go straight ahead. Valao, go right.”
They broke up, heading in the direction Ghuar assigned them to.
“Thetra,” called Valao. “Good luck.”
“You too, fellow dragon.”
Thetra started forward, hearing screams ahead of him. He was not prepared for the task ahead.
He would fail. And this time, that meant death.
RIDERS CAN SUCCEED
Someone was watching him. He could feel it inside of his bones. The chilling, shivering sensation that went all around his body. He tensed. He saw a creature ahead. It had four legs, a forked tongue that was sticking out, skin instead of scales that was the color of blood, and all white eyes.
Thetra started sweating. The creature was staring right at him, stalking him.
“Hello, Creature of Evil. What are you called?”
“I am Varick the Ogre. Who else?”
“No one, o Varick. You are diverse, unique, and strong. Am I correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Who do you serve?”
“Morchad, sir.”
Thetra drew Slayer as fast as lightning appears in the sky.
“But,” added the ogre, “I betrayed him.”
Thetra kept his sword out of its sheath but lowered it so that it pointed at the ground, not a threat.
“Serve me.”
“I am forbidden. I am a member of the Thraese Clan.”
“Clan?”
“All ogres have different clans. If you are not in a clan, you are considered an Axmar. It was the name of one of our queens who didn’t fit in any of the clans, not even the Royal Clan, which was for all leaders. Therefore, we use that name for ogres who are not in any clan.”
“I understand. Have you seen any battles raging?”
Varick pointed to Thetra’s right, where Ghuar and Valao were searching.
“Thank you,” said Thetra.
“You are welcome, sir. Now ride into battle with pride!” He gave Thetra a friendly push, and when he touched Thetra on the back, he froze Thetra’s skin. His touch was freezing. It could kill.
Thetra ran away from the ogre but he heard him running after him, chasing him, as Thetra bulleted toward the battle. He heard the screams getting closer.
And finally he reached the battle.
He tried to fit in with the soldiers so Varick couldn’t find him, but soon enough, the ogre tackled him, and then touched him all over, gluing Thetra to the ground and putting him inside an ice cube. He would die freezing.
Valao appeared, looking confused. He looked around, then rammed his head into Varick. Then he whined in pain and fell back.
How can Varick be beaten? wondered Thetra.
Then he saw Valao stand back up, and the dragon shattered Thetra’s ice bubble.
“Thanks,” said Thetra. He drew Slayer. “I hope this works.” Then he thrust the sword out and into Varick’s body.
Icicles spread over Slayer. The ogre’s face broke out in shock as he looked down at his chest and saw the hole in his body. It went straight through, and Thetra could see through it. He saw half of the ogres heart, but it was black. It was made of solid stone. It wasn’t even pumping.
“You,” gasped Varick. “You...You make me look bad.”
“Yes, I do,” answered Thetra. Then he started chopping the ogre into pieces.
Varick yelled out in pain. “No!” he yelled. Then his body dissolved into mist, and the ogre named Varick was no more.
Then Thetra turned to look at the battle going on. Valao was smashing aliens to tiny pulps.
Why did he look so confused when he came to save me? Thetra wondered.
Then Valao’s question explained everything in just in a few words. Thetra’s dragon turned to look at its Rider and asked, “Who are you?”
AMNESIA
Thetra stared at him. Finally he said, “II’m your Rider.”
“I have a Rider?” said Valao in confusion, looking down.
“Valao, act seriously. There is a war going on!”
“I don’t...I don’t know who you are. I’m sorry, human.”
“I’m not a human! I’m your Rider!” exclaimed Thetra in anger. Then he looked up. “What is happening to my dragon?”
To his surprise and relief, a voice replied, saying, He has gotten amnesia.
It was the same voice who had told him about his sword being connected to water.
“Why? Who are you?” asked Thetra, although he had many more questions pounding in his head. One at a time. Maybe two.
I am Ingharr. I was Savar’s magical trainer, and now I shall fight him so I may coach you, Thetra Eouhjasson.
As for your dragon, I cannot fix that. He was hit with a rock by an alien master while you were battling Varick. The alien’s name was Renthueth, and his stone is buried in my palace now, as I took it so he could do no more damage.
But the damage is already done, thought Thetra, and he didn’t realize he was talking to Ingharr with his thoughts.
I understand how you feel, Rider. I was once a Rider also. My dragon got amnesia as well after he slipped on the stone floor that led him onto the Battlefield.
He went on the Battlefield? asked Thetra. The Battlefield was the spread out plain where the biggest battles were fought.
I rode on him. When his tragedy occurred, I fell. And not only did the bone break, but so did my leg. It snapped off of my body and now I have a stump. Ingharr sighed.
Will Valao’s memory return? asked Thetra.
That I do not know, strong soldier. You must figure that out for yourself…soon enough.
Then he continued onto a different subject, Thetra, you know there will be a final battle against Morchad and his army. If you prove yourself worthy, I will help you in that battle. I promise.
Then he left Thetra standing there in the water, helpless.
Another question hit him: If Valao didn’t know who he was, why did he help him by freeing him from the ice?
He was in charge of this war. He was the leader of it. The outcome of it would be because of him. He was battling in Thetra’s War. And his army had to win.
That left him with yet another question: Who would be the new leader of the army? Him? Or someone else?
ANSWERS
I know what I have to do. I have to train Valao. I have to teach him what he’s forgotten.
Thetra sat on the banks of the ocean, looking out over the waters. If only I could see Ingharr in person, I might be able to find out some of his secrets. I’ll have to wait until the final battle against Morchad to see him, if he shows himself and battles, or if he just talks to me in my head and gives me advice.
He was looking at Valao, who was curled up under a tree, sleeping.
He doesn’t normally snore this quietly. Is he sick? wondered Thetra.
“Valao!” he shouted. Valao snorted. Then he continued snoring peacefully.
“He doesn’t respond to his name. That’s not my dragon.” Thetra sighed. “How am I ever going to train my dragon? I didn’t train him before. He just came out of a lake and magically knew me.”
Arek
Arek sat on the cool metal bench, waiting for his Ognok to be released. He stared at the vertical iron gates where his Ognok would come out.
He was in a gigantic circular room that was about fifty square feet around.
Finally someone emerged from the iron gate, but it wasn’t an Ognok. It was Honoglata.
“He will be ready in two minutes. His name is Galorat.” Then the king turned and walked back through the gate. Then the gate closed behind him.