The Blade Heir

Into the Deep

He hesitated a moment before attacking the unblinking bump challenging him within the dancing blue cloud. With a yell, he dashed forward, raising his right arm over his head, ready to strike. But before he could smite his enemy, Lucius stopped abruptly and to his horror, finally realized what lay at his feet.

A human skull upon a pile of bones stared blankly at him as he lowered his weapon. His heart thumped rapidly in his chest. He had never seen the remains of a man before and it soon became apparent the chamber he had wandered into served a dark purpose. The round room was a dungeon of some sort and the stains upon the walls were the blood of those unfortunate souls who had ventured inside. Panic swelled within him. He raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow and gasped when he saw his weapon was a thigh bone. He dropped it and frantically wiped his hand on his vest. The sound of hoarse laughter from above startled him.

Lucius looked overhead, but only saw a dark expanse. The laughter subsided and a faint whisper called out his name. A chill ran down his spine as he searched the piercing darkness.

"Who goes there?" Lucius cried. There was no response. He trembled while he searched for movement of any kind. Nothing stirred.

Lucius stepped away from the center of the room, heading toward the staircase slowly. A metal squeak overhead followed by a thundering flap of mighty wings alarmed him. Strong gusts of air from above rushed all around his body. The fog was blown off the floor momentarily, revealing scattered bones and bloodstains throughout the dungeon. Lucius' knees buckled and he hit the floor hard.

A guttural bellow resonated in the darkness. The foul stench finally caused Lucius to vomit and as he did so, a huge beast descended upon him. Its large talons crushed the pile of bones underfoot with a thunderous crack. Lucius looked up to meet the behemoth's glare. Its eyes were intense sapphires shining through the dimly lit room. The monster stood upright on its back legs, spreading its wings at a span which nearly touched the opposite walls of the room. Its breath reeked of death and decay. Large fangs inside a jaw the size of a man's body formed a wicked smile on the creature's face. Black scales adorned its body, save for the monster's belly which was a pinkish hue. The scales shimmered in the dark and as the creature craned its long neck, they lifted to reveal gills like those of a fish. With a sudden jerk, the creature folded its wings and inhaled deeply. It opened its jaw and released the blue mist from its gaping gills. The mist floated down above the floor and once again filled the halls of Arkadeus.

"Lucius, you have come to me," the creature said, lowering its head and staring at him.

"What do you want with me, demon?" Lucius said, cowering before the monster, which let out another laugh.

"I am no demon. I am a dragon, fool! Kraegyn is my name, Lord of Arkadeus and of all the aeries of Ghadarya. Fear my wrath, Ellyllei."

A dragon? Tales of such great beasts had been told to Lucius as a child, but he thought the dragons had vanished long ago. "Please Lord Kraegyn, have mercy. What does a dragon desire from me?"

"Mercy?" Kraegyn grunted. "Mercy shall do you no good, Ellyllei. Your flesh shall burn from the sapphire flame I spew and none will remember Lucius again!"

Kraegyn reared up and spread his wings. The dragon's nostrils opened wide as he breathed in the fog in the air. He let out a fierce growl and blue fire erupted from his jaw into the cavern above. The chamber's immense height was revealed in the crackling flame. The walls climbed nearly fifty feet, ending in an iron grate where the night sky peered through. Between the grate and the room below, dozens of steel perches protruded from the walls. Then they disappeared into darkness when the dragon exhaled the last of its fire and quickly crawled on all fours before Lucius.

Lucius ran toward the staircase, but Kraegyn anticipated his plan and slashed at the foot of the steps with the long claws of his wing arm. Lucius jumped back to avoid the swipe and stumbled, falling backwards on the bones of Kraegyn's victims.

"Foolish boy! You will not escape this chamber, save through dust and ash!" Kraegyn thrust his claw upon Lucius and pinned him with all his weight. Lucius yelled in pain at the monstrous weight. He struggled to free himself, but to no avail. He quickly realized he would die in the dark chamber and endure the same fate as those he now laid upon.

"Be still now, Ellyllei. You will be one with your fathers and share their doom!" Kraegyn said. The black dragon inhaled the remaining mist in the room and snarled as his jaws gaped open.

Lucius felt the blood drain from his face as flames ignited inside the dragon's mouth. Kraegyn lifted his talons from Lucius' chest and propelled the flame at his body. The fire singed his face and chest, delivering torrents of agony throughout his body. Lucius screamed, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of Kraegyn's laughter and seconds later, darkness overtook him.

Siegfried Silverhart woke up abruptly when he heard his brother's scream. With elven swiftness, he jumped from his bed and snatched the elf dagger, Riome, from the wall. He ran outside his bedroom into an elegantly decorated hallway, well-lit by the moonlight cascading from open slits in the ceiling. His brother's yells persisted as he dashed to the last door at the end of the hall. Siegfried quickly opened the door, dagger at the ready, and lunged inside. He saw his human brother struggling on the bed, tossing his head wildly from side to side. A violent nightmare was upon him. Siegfried set the dagger down and lit a candle on his brother's wall. He stood beside the bed and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, trying to shake his brother awake, but he continued to suffer in his sleep.

"Brother, please wake!" Siegfried cried. "Lucius! Wake up!"

Lucius gasped loudly and finally opened his eyes. He looked up at the elf standing over him, not recognizing him at first. He examined Seigfried's silver locks of hair, his fair face, and the pointed ears characteristic of his race.

"Siegfried?" Lucius whispered.

"Yes, Lucius. It is I," he said smiling.

"Did I have another nightmare?"

"Yes. This one more terrible than the last," Siegfried said. The elf grabbed a glass pitcher from a nightstand and poured water into a small cup then handed it to Lucius.

Lucius sat up and drank the water. "It was worse than any of the previous dreams."

"We should talk about it in the morning. For now, you should rest for tomorrow. It shall be a busy day for both of us."

Lucius sighed. "Yes, I know. Please don't tell Father about this. I know how worried he can get over a foolish dream."

"I won't say a word." Siegfried took the cup from Lucius and set it back on the stand. "Rest now, Lucius. The light of D'arya shall be upon you."

Lucius nodded and lay down, pulling the velvet covers to his shoulders as his mind sank to rest. Siegfried walked out of the room and quietly sang an elven song of protection before closing the door. He returned to his bedroom where he lay on his bed pondering the nature of his brother's dream before drifting to sleep.

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