Toby Neighbors: Fierce Loyalty

Offendorl knew he should be dead, but he wasn’t. His body had been rejuvenated by magic for centuries. He was ancient, but the magic he wielded had kept his muscles and organs functioning. But the wounds the scorpion-tailed creatures had inflicted on him should have ended his life. Something else was keeping Offendorl alive-something dark and powerful.

“You’re awake at last,” came a rasping voice that sounded oddly familiar to Offendorl.

The creature that had once been Gwendolyn stepped close enough to Offendorl for the elder wizard to see her face. Her skin was dark red and her body was now covered with a thick, scaly hide. She still had the features of a woman, but she had cast aside her silk dress and the reptilian scales now covered her nakedness.

“What are you doing?” Offendorl managed to say. His tongue was swollen and holding his head up was difficult.

“I’m doing what I was born to do,” she hissed. “I’ve cast off my veil and embraced my true nature. I am the Queen of the Darkened Realm. My power has never been greater.”

“You are foolish,” Offendorl croaked.

Gwendolyn struck the ancient wizard in the side, snapping at least three ribs. Pain lanced through his body and caused the wizard to gasp in pain.

“Do not mock me!” Gwendolyn said. “I am the only thing keeping you alive.”

“Let…me…die,” Offendorl said.

“Oh, no, that would never do. You are a wizard of extraordinary power. I have plans for you. The venom of my horde will take effect soon. You shall become my greatest creation. Together, we shall crush the mortals above and establish my dominion over the realms of men.”

“I won’t,” he said softly.

“You will,” Gwendolyn said. “You have no choice.”

She grabbed a handful of the ancient wizard’s thin, gray hair, holding his head up and forcing him to look into her eyes. He could feel his body changing, feel bones snapping and re-growing, feel his skin stretching, feel muscles shredding and reforming. The transformation was nothing less than exquisite agony, but Offendorl’s mind somehow rose above the pain. He became entranced by Gwendolyn, but not like before, when she had cast her spell of twisted love on the men of the Five Kingdoms. This spell was deeper, born of darkness; it had nothing to do with lust or desire, but it bound the defeated Master of the Torr to Gwendolyn stronger than any bonds of steel.

“Soon you shall understand your place as my pet,” Gwendolyn said. “And together we shall spread darkness across the Five Kingdoms and beyond. Nothing shall stop us now.”

“As you wish, my queen,” Offendorl said.

* * *

Havina rode the horse hard. Her body hurt, but she knew she needed to get as far away from the city as possible. The horse galloped until it could run no more. Then it began to trot, no matter how hard her heels dug into its sweat covered flanks. White foam dripped from the horse’s mouth, but Havina kept the horse moving until finally it collapsed.

She fell hard, but she climbed back to her feet and kept moving. She put the gold circlet on her head, but nothing happened. She had expected to feel some sort of magical bond with the dragon, but she didn’t.

“Dragon,” she said out loud, feeling a little foolish, but there was no one around to hear her. “Dragon!”

Still she felt nothing. The ground shook beneath her feet and she waited, holding her breath in fear that the world would end, but it didn’t. Soon the stars came out and a cool breeze blew across her feverish skin. She took the circlet off her head. It glinted, almost glowing in the starlight. Behind her the dark, unnatural clouds could still be seen, but she ignored them. She studied the crown, afraid that Offendorl had lied about it’s power-but then she saw the name inscribed on the gold band.

Bartoom.

She put the crown back on her head and spoke in a loud clear voice.

“Bartoom,” she said. “I am Havina, your new master. Come to me.”

This time she felt a tingle in the back of her neck, just below her skull. Then, a dream-like image appeared in her mind. She saw the other dragons, one golden, one green, and a small blue one. They were in the air, high above the ground, but that is where the image came from. She heard a roar in her mind, then the image shifted and she realized that she was seeing what the dragon saw. It was turning, leaving the other dragons and coming to her.

It took all night to reach her destination. She had returned to the ruins at Castlebury. The big black dragon waited for her there. She climbed the hill, ignoring the burned ruins of her former home. When she reached the top, she saw Bartoom. The dragon was sitting proudly as the sun lit the sky pink in the east. She walked closer and the dragon lowered its long neck and growled at her, the scaly lips pulling back and revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.

Havina was both terrified and excited. The dragon obeyed her. It was more powerful than any creature she had dreamed of, and now it was hers.

“I want to fly,” she said.

Bartoom growled again, but lowered its body. She climbed up onto the beast’s back. Her hands were raw and bleeding by the time she settled, and once again she was glad that she was wearing the men’s clothing that Offendorl insisted she wear. The dragon was so big that her hips ached a little because her legs were stretched so far apart. She could feel the heat rising off the dragon, and the way its ribs expanded with each breath.

Then Bartoom jumped into the air and Havina was flying. The air was cold, but the thrill of being so high in the air filled her with an exhilaration she had never experienced. She laughed for a long time, holding tight while the dragon rode on the air currents. Then she made a decision.

“Take us south,” she said. “We need a new home.”

They crawled up the jagged walls, their large hands gripping precarious nooks in the rock. Massive scimitars hung from their backs, which were covered with bony armor that was fused to their flesh. Their muscles bulged and their faces were swollen so that they no longer looked human. Their teeth were so large they protruded from between fat lips. They wore thick, metal helmets on their heads, and their eyes seemed small and beady in their oversized faces.

The bone-like armor was fused across their bodies so that they looked almost like hulking insects. They wore only thick belts and loincloths. Their feet were flat and large, their legs swollen with muscles. They grunted as they climbed. They’re bodies ached from the exertion, but their only thought was to please their master. She was the queen of the Darkened Realm and she had given them only one task-to kill.