The Dragons' Will

Chapter 8 - Help From the Seas

To reach the coast, Darkus sprinted around the east side of Nixx Wood. If he went through it, the trees would burn easily. The thick snow was a hindrance, as was the sound of the dragon's wings flapping behind. Having already accustomed himself to the sound of its fiery breath, when Darkus heard it, he rifted away without looking back, materialising farther ahead while fires scorched the snowy earth.

He'd thought moving himself in the same direction he wanted to go would be the best idea, but he was still in the dragon's sight. The dragon's fire was quickly gaining on him. Darkus gritted his teeth and rifted again just before the flames could reach him.

Racing the dragon to the coast would be impossible. Rifting might have kept him alive until now, but even if he continued evading, his mana would run out. Needing a more creative approach, Darkus materialised atop the dragon's back. Even in cold weather, the creature was warm to the touch. Placing a hand on the dragon's back, he conjured cryomancy. Ice spread over the dragon's black scales and the creature looked back with a roar. As the ice reached its wings, it started to plummet. Darkus leapt away just as the dragon spun, rifting back to the ground safely.

Darkus plunged into Nixx Wood, remaining near the outer trees so he could keep sight of the dragon whilst concealed. The creature broke free of the ice through sheer brute force, flapping its wings and staying airborne. It roared in frustration when it couldn't find its prey.

Hidden from the dragon, Darkus slowly plunged southward. Moving on foot not only enabled his mana to recover, but he was able to cover a great distance towards the coast while the dragon searched for him outside the forest. He moved at a slow pace so not to make much noise, closer to a brisk walk than a jog.

Later, Darkus smelt a strong burning scent. Looking deeper inside the forest, he spotted a charred, smoking pile of rocks—a snow-covered, ruined building. He couldn't see it clearly, but knew it was the Order of Iudicium's temple. He doubted any other priests or priestesses survived the dragon's attack.

*

Darkus had been moving southward for almost an hour. Having paced himself well, he wasn't too fatigued. He praised his fortune that the dragon hadn't yet found him; it had flown over Nixx Wood several times searching the deeper parts and burning more trees, intent to continue the destruction it started. The creature's own anger might've been hindering its ability to hunt.

Darkus was soon at the southern side of the forest. The coast wasn't far, the sun disappearing beyond the horizon.

A deafening thud to his left caused Darkus to slip, landing on his elbows and knees. The dragon's red eyes were gleaming at him. He rifted away right before flames gushed through the woods; the trees within incinerated instantly.

Darkus materialised outside the forest and sprinted, hearing the dragon's roar. It was coming for him, and he doubted it would fall for the same tricks again. Lacking the time to think of a better plan, Darkus turned to face the beast, swiftly notching an arrow to his bow. He took aim, but his hands were shaking.

When the dragon advanced, Darkus released the string.

The arrow whistled forth just as the dragon was just about to breathe fire. Darkus had been aiming for its mouth, but struck the forehead. The arrow rebounded off the creature's scales, but hit the dragon's right eyelid. The creature's head wailed outward, its fires shooting to the side.

Darkus was bewildered at how fortunate he'd been. He continued running—the coast wasn't far now.

He focussed his mana, needing to conjure enough so he could make the distance. Only when the dragon closed in did he finally rift.

Darkus hadn't covered as much distance as he'd hoped so had to continue sprinting, but the ice was slippery, and he cursed himself as he fell. Cryomancers were usually accustomed to icy terrain, hence why he had only slipped once until now. He landed on all fours, then a scaly black tail came down and wrapped around his waist, picking him up off the ground as if he were a toy. The tail squeezed, and Darkus wailed in pain.

His arms free, Darkus used cryomancy on the tail. Its grip tightened, shattering his concentration. He shot a few arrows. The few that hit the dragon's scales bounced off, and the few that reached its underbelly stuck inside, yet the dragon remained unhindered. The tail squeezed again, and Darkus lost grip of his bow.

With a loud thud, the dragon landed on the snowy beach. One of Darkus's ribs crunched within its grip, causing him to cry out. The dragon finally hurled Darkus to the ground. If the snow weren't so thick, the impact might've killed him.

Dazed, he could make out the dragon towering over him. Any moment now, its fiery breath would come.

The earth rumbled. A huge splash sounded from the sea.

Something latched onto the black dragon–something of equal size–wrapped its scaly blue body around it like a snake.

The black dragon wailed. Its fires shot upwards, reaching neither Darkus nor its new foe.

As Darkus's sight cleared, he got a better look at the new creature. Its body was scaled on the outside and fleshy on the underside, just like the dragon's. The flesh was white, the scales blue. Its body was more snake-like, but it still had arms, legs, and much smaller wings than the others. Its eyes gleamed yellow and its horns were like a deer's, only much shorter in proportion. A blue whisker poked from each of its cheeks in line with its nose, and white fur grew beside its eyes, beneath its chin, and around the back of its head.

As the two creatures wrestled, the black dragon managed to free its wings and take flight. The blue dragon tried to restrain it and failed, and the pair were quickly in the sky, soaring northward above Nixx Wood.

Free from the dragons for the moment, Darkus tried to move. He pained where a few of his ribs were broken; his left arm was numb all the way up to the shoulder. He sat up for but a second, then immediately collapsed from the pain.

Darkus lay in the snow, trying to compose himself. It would be sunrise soon; someone would find him. Yet, if he waited that long, the fight between the dragons would likely be over. What if the black one was victorious? And what if the blue one wasn't the ally the silver was?

Again, Darkus sat up, gritting his teeth in agony. He was starting to regain feeling in his left arm. He tried to move it, but there was a mighty pain in his left shoulder. Was his shoulder broken as well? With struggle, using only his right arm to push himself back to his knees, he began collecting some of the arrows that had fallen from his quiver. Not many were left.

Standing, he was relieved his legs were undamaged outside of what felt like bruising. He limped to where he thought his bow had fallen but found no sight of it. He lightly kicked the snow aside, but to no avail. His bow was lost.

Cursing under his breath, Darkus gazed northward.The dragons were still wrestling in the sky beneath the setting sun. Evenwithout his bow, Darkus still had the mystical arts. The quickest way would bestraight through Nixx Wood. The snow wasn't as deep inside as it was on theplains. Unwilling to take the chance of letting the black one prevail, Darkuspursued them; the black dragon must fall.