Richard Tuttle - Army of the Dead

“I do,” admitted Marak, “but I try not to. It is always better to have a plan.”

“Stop whining,” chuckled Myka. “One of us will kill Yunga.”

Marak gripped his sword as the two giants raced head on towards each other. The demon came in fast and level, and once again it appeared as if they would collide. The Torak wondered which of them would turn away from the collision first. After a few more seconds, he believed that neither one of them would give up until they crashed into each other.

“Raise your sword,” Myka shouted urgently as her body suddenly rolled over.

At the last minute the dragon rolled upside down, just above the level of the charging demon. Marak hung upside down and shoved his sword downward at the demon. The impact of the demon’s head upon the blade nearly tore the Sword of Torak from his hands, but Marak maintained control of the weapon as it sliced the demon’s body open. Myka flipped in a loop to attack the demon from behind, but there was no need. Yunga’s body toppled downward and splattered on the ground.

“Incredible,” remarked Marak. “That was too easy. The Sword of Torak is indeed deadly against the demons.”

“Easy?” retorted the dragon. “Do you know what strength it takes to make that maneuver, not to mention the superb timing required to escape a deadly collision? Easy! What do you know?”

“I know that we make a great team,” the Torak grinned.

“We do, don’t we?” chuckled the dragon as she turned westward to engage the final demon in mortal combat.

Myka’s eyes scanned the sky looking for Zarapeto, but the demon was nowhere to be found. Unexpectedly, a bolt of lightning flashed in the clear sky and streaked towards the dragon. Myka immediately took evasive action by dropping and banking. The bolt of lightning flashed perilously close by and the dragon continued to fly erratically. More flashes lit the sky, and it appeared that several bolts were sizzling nearby instead of only one.

“Head south,” ordered the Torak. “There are mages on top of the temple. They are aiming for us.”

“I did not think it was a thunderstorm,” quipped the dragon as she dropped low to the ground and continued to zigzag in a southerly direction.

Myka intentionally flew over the skeleton army that was entrapped by the tyrik webs. She cackled with delight every time one of the bolts aimed at her smashed into the skeletons.

“Enjoying yourself?” quipped Marak. “If one of those lightning bolts hits us, we won’t find it humorous.”

“No human can forecast the path of a dragon,” retorted Myka. “Let them try.”

Suddenly, thirteen bolts rained down out of the sky directly in front of the dragon. Hundreds of skeletons flew into the air, and pieces of bone bounced off the dragon.

“And if they get lucky?” Marak asked nervously.

The dragon had no reply. She was too busy flapping her wings as fast as she could as she continued to zigzag towards the south.

The sizzling bolts of lightning stopped as the dragon flew over Lake Jabul, and Myka turned to look for Zarapeto as she continued flying southward.

“There is no sign of the last demon,” she reported.

“The demon is not our only worry right now,” replied Emperor Marak. “The Khadoran and Fakaran horsemen are due to begin the attack at sunrise.”

“It is sunrise now,” retorted the dragon.

“And the horsemen will be slaughtered if Vand’s mages have nothing else to attack,” the Torak nodded. “We have to go back.”

“Fight the mages before we have exterminated the final demon?” questioned Myka.

“We must,” Marak said seriously, “but we will need some help.”

“A great deal of help,” agreed the dragon. “Where do you want me to go?”

“Pick up the Star of Sakova,” answered the Torak. “She is waiting in the forest south of the lake.”

Marak expected some quip out of the dragon about Lyra not being the great amount of help that he had just spoken about, but the dragon did not offer any humor. Marak smiled inwardly at the dragon’s new appreciation for the Star of Sakova and her abilities. Myka swept down and landed on the plain near the edge of the forest. Lyra, StarWind, HawkShadow, LifeTender, and Rejji came running out of the forest.

“The last demon returned to the temple while the mages cast their spells at you,” Lyra reported. “Are either of you hurt?”

“We are invincible,” grinned the dragon.

“We need your help, Lyra,” answered the Torak. “We must divert those mages from concentrating on the horsemen. Climb up.”

“You are going to use Lyra as a target?” objected StarWind. “Let me go in her place.”

“You do not have her skills,” interjected Rejji as he helped Lyra onto the dragon’s back. “We will keep her safe.”

“We?” frowned Marak as Rejji scampered up behind Lyra.

“We,” the Astor nodded. “It is the Three who must end this threat to the world. From now on, we must be inseparable.”

“He speaks wisely,” Myka responded as she flapped her massive wings and leaped into the air. “There may not have been time to come back for the Astor.”

“It is decided then,” frowned the Torak as he watched the ground below recede, “but remember that neither of them have harnesses. I could hold Lyra, but not both of them.”

“I understand,” the dragon replied curtly. “How do you want to begin this diversion?”

“Get us close enough to use light blades,” answered the Torak. “Maybe the mages will not be shielded.”

“Unlikely,” frowned Lyra.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” asked Marak.

“Get Lyra onto the roof of the temple,” offered Rejji. “She can raise her blue cylinder and draw attention away from us.”

“But I cannot cast with the spell of protection around me,” objected Lyra. “I will be useless.”

“Useless?” echoed Marak. “Hardly. Rejji is right. If the mages focus on attacking you, I can continue to attack from Myka. Even if some of the mages split their attention between us, the horsemen will be spared.”

“I will get you on the roof, Daughter of Kaltara,” declared the dragon. “You must trust me and jump when I tell you to. Do not delay, and do not ask questions. Just jump when I say to.”

* * *

Pakar sighed in frustration as the dragon fled out of range of his mages. He stood staring at the retreating speck in the sky as Zarapeto landed on the roof.

“Why didn’t you attack the dragon?” questioned the head mage. “Between our spells and your attack, the dragon would have died.”

Zarapeto snarled at the mage, black spittle spraying from his lips.

“Because I told it to return here,” stated Emperor Vand. “I will not lose my last demon by sending it after the enemy on their terms. Did you not witness the destruction of the other demons? Zarapeto is best suited right here in the temple where the dragon cannot go.”

The demon seethed in rage, not only at Pakar’s words, but also at Vand’s statement that he could not defeat the dragon alone. Zarapeto would have liked to reach out and crush someone, but Dobuk had forbidden it.

“The Khadorans are attacking,” shouted one of the mages.

“And horsemen from the east as well,” added another.

“Deal with them,” ordered Vand as he turned towards the doorway to the temple. “Zarapeto, join me in Dobuk’s chamber.”

The demon growled, but he followed the Emperor into the temple and into the sacred chamber where Dobuk resided. Vand bowed low as he entered the presence of the Great Demon. Dobuk did not look pleased with his disciple.

“You have squandered that which I have given you,” accused Dobuk. “Is this all that is left?” he asked as he pointed to Zarapeto.