“Is this the price you spoke of Draconis?” Rone asked, looking more and more distraught.
“No, this is simply what I require for myself. The price I spoke of will reveal itself in due time. When it does, it will be more terrible than you could imagine.”
His words made Rone break into a sweat, even as a chill spread through his body. Still, what choice did he have? He must save Agnar and the rest of the lands. He must do it for Max and his fallen order.
“So be it,” Rone said as he drew LightVein and ShadowFoil from their hilts.
Draconis smiled in a way that broke Rone’s heart. It was the kind of smile that said someone was accepting their own demise and even welcomed it.
Draconis leaned down and placed his head upon the ground in front of Rone. His hot breath washing over the companions as Rone fought back the tears that were building in his eyes.
“You will find the heart behind my bed of bones. It is tucked away inside the wall there.
Do not let your friends touch it. To do so would undoubtedly mean their deaths. It will be your burden to carry Rone, just as it has been mine. And thank you for giving me the release I have longed for.” With that, Draconis closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Rone stood there for a moment, still reeling from the thoughts of killing such an ancient being. He knew this action was going to haunt him the rest of his days, but with a final exhale of the dragon’s breath. Rone brought his swords down with all his strength.
Driving their tips through the steel like scales on the top of Draconis head. So hard was his strike, the metal of his blades rang through the chamber as they struck the stone beneath the jaw of the dragon. Ending the great SkyFae’s life with little more resistance than a final twitch of his long tail.
As Rone stood there, reeling with the weight of what he had done. The dragon's body began to turn to ash. Slowly at first, then spreading outward until all of his vast body had become glowing embers. That wafted upward through the hole in the ceiling and disappeared into the sky above.
When the last ember was gone, Rone whispered a prayer. Asking the god of love and light to give the great SkyFae called Draconis the peace he sought.
Rone returned his swords to their sheaths and moved to the spot Draconis’s said held the heart. After a quick search, he found the hole and pulled a large leather sack from within.
Peering inside, he could see and feel the energy that coursed through the ancient stone known as the Dragons Heart.
He quickly closed the bag and tucked it away inside his pack. “Trisha, I think it’s time we used that crystal Lunarie gave you. It’s time to go home.”
34
Arch-Historian Casandra sat at her desk, glancing over the piles of scrolls and tomes stacked before her when her concentration was broken by the sound of her chamber doors opening.
As she looked up, she saw the Arch-Mage accompanied by the Cleric she knew to be called Kelenvor. The look on their faces told her something was not right, so she closed the book in front of her and stood to greet them.
The Arch-Mage did not wait for her to ask, he was speaking before they even got to her desk.
“Casandra, Agnar has fallen. The Thorn Callers have all but been wiped out, and Orcs now control the entire forest. Kelenvor says the new commander Tobias, has been gripped by some madness. He has led what remains of the Rangers on some suicide mission to attack the Orcs.
The half-blood has not returned, and we don’t even know if he still lives. We need a plan should the poison reach the Crystal River.”
Casandra sat back down and folded her hands on her desk. A look of worry and exhaustion crossing her face.
“Thaddeus, you know as well as I do no amount of magic will purge Chimera poison once its spread. The only hope we have is for Rone to bring back the heart. At best, we might delay the spread. But only by a few days. “
Arch-Mage Thaddeus slumped into the chair across from Casandra. For all his power, he knew she was correct. There is a reason Chimera’s had been hunted to near extinction. No deadlier poison could be found in all Earthera.
He had all but accepted they were powerless to stop it when Kelenvor spoke up.
“I am just a cleric or the tower, but wouldn’t it be best to try at least? Even if we only delay the inevitable, it may be enough to buy the time needed for the Thorn Caller to return.
If what I have read in the histories about the heart is right, we will need to take possession of it as soon as possible. From what I can gather, to do anything otherwise would most certainly throw the world into chaos.”
“Kelenvor is right, Casandra, we have to try at least. And with the Orcs now having free reign in the forest, that Thorn Caller will need all the help, he can get once he returns there. They aren’t going just to let him walk in without a fight.
We cannot allow the heart to fall into Orc hands. Even if they can’t use it, just them having it could bring about untold destruction. If we go to the river and wait on the southern shore, we could keep a ward of protection going. It won’t last forever, but it should at least buy us a few days before the poison breeches it.
That gives Rone more time to return and will allow us to aid him during the cleansing. Or at the very least we can provide him a means of escape should the Orcs become too much for him.”
The Arch-Mage sat waiting for Casandra to reply. He knew he did not need her consent to enact his plan, but he valued her wisdom enough to want it.
“It seems this is our only choice,” Casandra answered sullenly.
“We can at least hope Rone was successful, and if possible, aid him on his return.”
“Exactly my thoughts,” Thaddeus said with a grin. He was pleased to be doing something, even if the odds of it being enough were poor.
“I will gather the mages I picked for this and open the portals to the river. I would greatly appreciate it if you would watch over those remaining Casandra. Should the worst come to pass, they will need your wisdom.”
Casandra nodded her head, though, in truth, she was genuinely frightened. She had never known Thaddeus to make such a request. He is one of the most powerful mages in all of Earthera. The thought of him not returning was a disturbing one.
He may be boisterous and overly proud, but at heart, he was a decent man. And the world would be lesser for his absence.
“I would like to come as well,” Kelenvor said, looking at the Arch-Mage.
“If there is trouble, you may need a cleric.”
“Agreed,” was all the Arch-Mage said as he rose to leave the room.
“Thaddeus, you be safe,” Casandra said as she sank into her chair and watched the two men leave.
After they were gone, she whispered a prayer of protection to the god of light and love. She couldn’t shake the feeling that even if they succeed in stopping the poison. There was something far worse looming on the horizon.
She looked up at the towering shelves and bookcases around her then whispered a word of power. Instantly a book flew from one of the top shelves and circled around her like some great bird before landing softly on her desk.
As she wiped the dust from the cover, it revealed its title. “The Dragon Treaty” She ran her hand gently across the cover and prayed the answer she sought was within its pages, then she began to read.
If her memory was correct, they could be in more danger than anyone realized. If so, she knew they would need all the time they could gather t prepare.
35
Lunarie Stargazer sat cross-legged in the center of the chamber of fate. Her eyes glossy white, as she gazed at the shifting stars and tried to read the clues that would reveal what the future had in store.