AHARON WASN'T REAL.
That should have lifted the pain from Josh's chest, but it didn't, because Aharon wasn't exactly not-real either. As he and Xander together explained, the temple guardians sacrificed all parts of themselves except remnants of their souls to enact the spell which sealed away Lucien.
That's all Aharon was. A remnant whose sole purpose was to die fighting for the temple. Always just an inch out of death's door, awaiting for it to finally consume him.
Josh forced himself to look straight ahead despite the burning desire to turn around and gawk at Aharon. Those red particles would still be drifting from the end of his blood. Had it before when Aharon's child form faced the reaper? He had been too confused to notice.
Aharon was going to die. Josh had never known someone who died.
He is already a dead man, Josh. Boomer nuzzled him through the bond. Like Aharon said, either the Shadow Knights make him expend all of his remaining energy or he fades when everyone leaves the temple.
Josh knew that, but it didn't change anything. The inevitability gnawed at him, a constant whisper in his ear he couldn't escape.
Aharon had been speaking to Xander during the run, but when he raised his voice, Josh tuned in. "The room ahead is a recreation of a memorial tomb we created for the dragon who protected our town. We built a large dragon statue for her, and at the base of her forehead is the temple's seal. We will need to get Xander near it, but that's not all we must do to break its barrier and open a portal."
"What?" Cale's voice shook. "We have to take the seal?"
"We never planned for the good guys to get in here," Aharon reminded him. "If I had the choice, there would be no way to leave, but the seal keeps this dimension stable. Once you break its barrier, a portal opens, whether Moshe and I wanted one to or not."
"You said that's not all," Mara pointed out. "What else has to happen besides Xander being close?"
Aharon paused. "When we created the dimension, we didn't want it to be as simple as having the key to the realm. There is also some force whoever arrives must overcome before the seal's barrier will break."
Xander caught on first. "So, if we wish to break the seal free and escape, we must defeat this second... reaper, you called it?"
"Yes," Aharon replied. "You may know it as an escrivus an'zra."
Xander blew out a long breath. "I should have figured from its refusal to die." He took in that information for a moment before continuing. "So, we will need the escrivus an'zra to meet us in the room, perhaps with the Shadow Knights with it."
"Correct."
"Must we wait until then to do anything? Or are we able to weaken the seal's barrier enough that it will break upon the reaper's death?"
"We can weaken it," Aharon said. "We need to keep the Shadow Knights at bay while—we can talk about this later. I did not realize we were so close to the room." Josh had. He'd been watching the opening growing closer and closer every second. Eli had to be in that room if Moshe took him this way, but if it was the end of the temple and they had to face the reaper in there...
Never before had Josh wanted Eli as far from him as possible in that temple.
They slowed down at the opening. Cale entered first. Mara waited for Josh to catch up and squeezed his arm. "He will be safe," she said, shooting him a reassuring smile.
She walked in, Josh only half a step behind her.
The room was at least as big as Josh's old house, possibly even bigger. Stairs scaled the walls to his left and right. The columns were crafted to look like long, serpentine dragons rising into the air, almost reaching the ceiling before curling to stare down into the room. Bright gems glittered in their eyes, and a fiery light emitted from their open jaws to light the room. Vases sat on the opposite side of the steps, a mixture of sloppy and neat hieroglyphs drawn on them. They were a stark contrast to the elegance put into the dragon columns.
At the center stood the room's tribute: a giant dragon sculpture. It towered at least fifteen feet in the air despite its laying position. Whereas the rest of the room had been crafted from yellow stone, the dragon gleamed pure white under the column's fiery light. Gem-eyes half lidded, the dragon smiled down at whoever it was meant to look at. Its lips parted just enough to allow water to flow from its mouth. That water fell into a pool at the sculpture's base.
"Nizar." It was just a guess, one Josh didn't expect to be answered, but he knew it to be true.
"Yes," Aharon confirmed, stepping in beside Josh. "I am glad you recall her name. She deserves the honor."
Josh swallowed and licked his lips. The sculpture was immaculate, with the greatest attention to detail put into it. They had gone as far as including the scales. He could only imagine how much care went into it.
"Was she killed?"
"No. She died of age. Rare for a dragon, but she had lived a very long life. Now her soul continues to thrive in the Soul Realm with others of her kind, no longer knowing the weakness of age." A great fondness touched Aharon's voice, and he smiled up at the statue. "But come." He gestured to the stairs. "We must reach the top, and I have a feeling that is where we will find Moshe."
And Eli. Josh beamed and jogged for the steps. "Eli!" he called, bounding up the stairs two at a time.
"I don't know if you should run ahead," Cale said.
This was the end, and they were the only ones in the room. Josh had nothing to worry about. He heard rustling at the top, then whispered voices.
"Eli—" he repeated.
A little form jumped from behind the pillar at the top. A familiar voice shouted "Wait" at the same time that the form sent something flying through the air.
Josh fell to one knee, and the object flew over his head and shattered against something. He raised his shield to block any other attacks and looked back. Shards of pottery spread across a lower step.
"Moshe, that's my brother."
Josh jerked back around, dropping his shield so he could get a clear view. His eyes stung, and his cheeks hurt from his large smile. He was distantly aware of a small boy who looked like younger Aharon, but with darker skin, a smaller frame, and a mop of curly black hair.
And beside that boy stood Eli, a scratch here and there, but overall okay.
Josh dropped his sword instead of bothering to sheath it and charged up the stairs. He had never been overly affectionate toward Eli, but now he crushed his little brother against his chest. The air whooshed out of him, but Eli hugged him back.
"I'm so sorry," Josh said, squeezing harder.
"Josh, you're going to kill me. Josh!"
Swallowing past the lump in his throat and swiping at his eyes, Josh released Eli and pulled back. He also wore a large smile and had tears watering his eyes. They were already red. He must have been crying before.
"I knew you'd come," he said.
Josh reached out and placed a hand on his brother's head. He'd already said it once, but his apologies pleaded to gush from his mouth. He didn't know everything he wanted to apologize for, but he settled with, "I'm sorry it took so long."
Eli's smile widened. He sniffled and dragged his wrist across his eye. "You should be. I was starting to think you weren't as cool as I thought."
He tried to sound teasing, but he sniffed again and blinked faster. A lump formed in Josh's throat.
"It's okay," he said. "You're safe now."
Perhaps a lie, given they were still in a dimension that wouldn't hesitate to kill them, but he would risk his life to make the promise true.
Eli flung himself at Josh, no longer fighting to hold the tears back. Josh set his jaw. Lightning surged through his veins, ready at a moment's notice.
"How do we weaken the seal's barrier?" he asked.
"That is actually why I'm probably still alive," Xander said. He stood only a couple of steps down now, Josh's sword in his hand. The others were close to him. "The key has to impact the barrier to break it. Or, well, I guess start the break in this case."
"Correct." Aharon wrinkled his nose at the bands on Xander's wrists. "Those must be a new invention. Sage making, I take it?"
Xander nodded.
"No matter. It is the key's presence that weakens the barrier. Come." Aharon proceeded up the steps past the others. He paused at Josh's side and glanced at Moshe.
The young boy stood, half-tensed, another shard held in his hand. As their eyes met, Moshe's brow furrowed together. "I know you," he said.
Aharon grinned fondly. "Yes, you do, and you will understand why that is soon, but for now..." He flicked a glance over his shoulder, and his expression melted to one more stoic. "For now, we must hurry."
Either Eli's trust or the real Moshe beyond the childish appearance soothed child Moshe enough, because he nodded and stepped out of Aharon's path.
"Let's follow," Josh whispered to Eli. Keeping a hand on Eli's back, Josh stood and guided them both after Aharon.
The top floor of the room had walls lined with beautiful objects. Gems, vases, wooden figurines, and earthen slabs with art or hieroglyphs inscribed on their surface. Josh hadn't noticed from the bottom due to the bulge of the dragon's wings, but the floor connected with the dragon's back.
And there, where the dragon's raised neck met its back, was a gleaming yellow scale. Indecipherable runes encircled the scale like a protective barrier.
"All you must do is place your hand on the barrier and channel my dragon's scale into it," Aharon said, and only then did Josh realize Xander stood to his left while Mara and Cale stood to his right. "We need to be ready, because once the reaper senses the threat, it will rush here to protect the seal."
Moshe inhaled a sharp breath. "The reaper? You're bringing it here?"
Eli tensed under Josh's touch. "That dark creature?" he asked.
"You need not worry," Aharon said. Once more, he gave Moshe his fond smile. "We have all we need to stop it."
Eli craned his head back to look at Josh with a worried frown. Josh squeezed his shoulder and nodded. "I told you. You're safe now."
Xander held Josh's sword to him. "I think you will need this."
Josh hesitated, gave Eli one more reassuring squeeze, and took his sword from Xander. His brother moved a little closer to him. "Thanks," Josh said.
The smile he received held hints of bitterness. "Don't thank me yet. If I was any use, you wouldn't have to use that." Xander turned and followed Aharon onto the dragon statue's back. The light glinted off the metal bands.
He wished Aharon could wave his hands and get those things off, but if he could have, it would have already been done. A small, dark voice whispered that they may never be able to undo the bands.
There must be a way, but for now, we must focus, Boomer said.
Josh expected to feel excitement through the bond. They were close to being out of there, and he had found Eli. He faintly recalled a flicker of elation and relief from Boomer when Josh first saw Eli, but that was gone. What Josh felt through the bond now was more like frightened and uneasy.
Like someone had backed Boomer into a corner.
When the reaper comes, his dragon said, a slight growl underlying his words, the Shadow Knights will come with it. From this room, you have nowhere to go unless you defeat the reaper, and what then? You're still with the Shadow Knights. I'm so tired of things threatening you.
An unspoken statement followed that, the emotions trickling through the bond so strongly Boomer may as well have said it. He was tired of Josh being in trouble, and he was tired of how little he could do.
Hey, you're here with me. Remember? Josh reached into his soul, only half paying attention to Aharon and Xander as they drew closer to the seal.
Boomer's presence reacted readily, offering the power that charged their bond.
It may be enough against weak creatures, but what if it isn't enough when it matters?
Josh took a deep breath, leaned his sword against his pants, and wiped the sweat off his palm before picking it back up. I'm coming back, buddy. Don't you doubt it for a second.
Boomer fell silent, and if he was going to say anymore, it faded when Xander and Aharon finally reached the base of the dragon's neck. The runes and scale lit up, shining a golden-yellow light as it flared with its power.
Xander turned to Aharon, his mouth moving in a question Josh couldn't hear. When the ancient Paladin nodded, Xander turned back to the shining scale and relaxed. A yellow glow shimmered to life around him like a protective layer. Not the golden-yellow of the scale, but rather the vibrant yellow of Aharon's lightning.
Aharon took a step back, mouth screwed shut as if fighting against a wince. He watched with rapt focus as Xander kneeled in front of the seal.
Xander reached a hand toward the dragon's scale.
The runes flared, creating a lightning-yellow dome that protected the scale from the rest of the world. Xander's palm collided with the shield, and a golden aura burst to life around him as well. It flowed toward his hand and seeped into the barrier.
As it did, cracks spread across the barrier's surface.
Everyone watched the process, a tense silence covering them like a blanket.
The reaper's shriek shattered the quiet.
Fun Fact: The different hieroglyphs on the vases are the names of different town residents. That's why some of them are sloppy. A lot of them are from kids. Also, I debated having Nizar share a split bond with Aharon and Moshe, but I had already given name to Aharon's dragon so... This happened instead xD
Eli is back! And we are one step away from them getting home. I'm sure nothing could go wrong between this and the final step... But if you have theories (ideas 😏) for things, I would love to hear them ;)
Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!