Part 5
Aliya glimpsed the faerie queen's ring on the desk, covered in dust. All she had to do was grab it while Neteilu was concentrating on them. Then she saw a scroll laid out on the desk. It must be the one they were searching for! Quickly, she made a move to grab them both. As she pocketed the ring, she felt Neteilu's malevolent eyes upon her.
"You! I will destroy you!"
Aliya turned, clutching the scroll. With trembling fingers, she began to read it. This was her destiny. Everything she had been through was for this moment. If she failed, the world would be plunged into darkness.
Zoru released a spell, sending dark energy toward them. Kiperreth cast a protective ward to block it.
"I think not, Zoru," the dragon growled.
"It cannot be," Talrion gasped. Had Zoru been Neteilu all this time, or had Neteilu been murdered?
"Aliya, you must take the key and lock him in," Kip shouted as she chanted. a brilliant portal began to open, glowing with sunlight. He tossed a golden orb to her, which they had gotten from Calduris, the air elemental lord.
She caught it, faltering in the spell. The portal began to close.
"Concentrate," Kip urged.
"Fools," Zoru laughed. "You cannot win! I am more powerful than all of you." To prove it, he sent a bolt of emerald light towards Kip, who writhed in pain as he was struck.
"No," Aliya exclaimed.
"Don't worry about me," Kip told her. "Concentrate on the spell."
The air shimmered as he transformed into his natural shape, that of a gold dragon. His tail accidentally smashed the desk, sending splinters flying. The dragon growled menacingly. Crimson and golden flames exploded as he roared.
Zoru's defenses, however, were strong. "Foolish dragon! You think you can defeat me, but I am the god of serpents. That includes your kind, whether you realize it or not."
Zoru extended an arm. Green tendrils snaked towards the dragon, who recognized the binding spell. Kiperreth cast ward after ward, but it was not enough to escape the serpent god's grasp.
"Must...fight…it," Kip rumbled as he tried his best to maintain control. Despite his efforts, he could not break free. His mind was enflamed with anger and rage. Who were these people? Why were they in his way? Who was he?
He heard Zoru say, "You are a great and powerful dragon, Kiperreth the Golden. These are your enemies, who would kill you for their own ends. Destroy them!"
Aliya had gone pale, but to her credit, she still held the portal open. It was growing as she chanted. Soon, it would be large enough for Zoru to go through. She only hoped that she could survive long enough to do what she had to.
"Oh no," Trin gasped as Kip advanced.
"Bloody hell," Fenrek grumbled. "Should've known better than to trust a bleedin' dragon."
"Fenrek, it's hardly his fault," Trin pointed out as the Melosean loosed an arrow.
"Maybe," he replied, "but this is the last thing we need. If I'd wanted to slay a dragon, I'd have gone over the bloody mountains and looked for one."
"We don't have to slay him," she observed. "Just keep him busy until Zoru is imprisoned again. That should dispel the magic."
"Should? What if it doesn't?"
"Then we're in trouble," she admitted.
"We're in trouble now," Fenrek protested.
Talrion let several enchanted arrows fly. They all landed in the dragon's leathery hide, which only served to make him angrier. Trin cast another protective shield as Aliya continued to chant. The room became an inferno when the dragon breathed fire. Luckily, Trin's shields held.
Aliya raised her voice above the crackling flames and Zoru's maniacal laughter. The portal widened a bit further.
"Now," Trin shouted, "force him through!"
As Tanith charged forward, the serpent god glared at her.
"You think I am that foolish? Silly mortal, you cannot hope to deceive me. I am the god of deceivers!"
"Perhaps," she said through clenched teeth, "but I'll wager you have no power over warriors."
She swung Sirocco again and again as Zoru cast emerald energy blasts at her. One of them struck her and she collapsed with pain. Talrion launched an arrow, aiming true. He knew that it would not harm the snake god, but it would injure his earthly body.
That was not a loss that Zoru was willing to accept. He took several steps back, and Aliya channeled starfire, forcing him back even more. Trin hurled lightning bolts at the dragon, who brushed off most of her attacks. But he was tiring. It was evident in his movements, which were slower and stiffer than usual.
When Zoru stepped through the portal, Aliya leapt in after him. "No," he bellowed as the portal closed behind him.
"Tanith," Talrion gasped as he ran to her side and knelt. "Can you hear me?"
The redhead moaned as she sat up. "Talrion?"
"Thank the gods you're alive."
"Took a direct hit. Shouldn't have…been so foolish."
Talrion shook his head. "No, you were brave. Very brave. Never have I met a woman so courageous as you."
She blushed. "Nor foolish. I should not have underestimated him like that."
He brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I'm glad I didn't lose you."
She smiled. "So am I."
Slowly, he bent down and kissed her. "I hope you'll forgive me for my bluntness, Tanith, but I think I am very much in love with you."
She looked surprised. "Me?"
"I know, 'tis unorthodox and all that, but I can't help what my heart feels."
"We should talk," she said. "But somewhere else."
He nodded again. "You're right, this is not the proper place."
Meanwhile, the dragon sat back on his haunches and shook his head, as if to clear it from cobwebs.
"Kip," Trin asked, "are you all right?"
He appeared confused. "What happened? Oh…Zoru…is he gone?"
"Aye, and good riddance," Fenrek replied.
The dragon let out a heavy sigh. "I apologize for my actions. I never meant to cause any of you harm," he rumbled while he changed back into his human form.
"It wasn't your fault," Tanith sympathized. "We know that."
"True, but I was arrogant to think that he could not get the best of me. I won't make that mistake again." Kip glanced around. "Where is Aliya?"
"She went through the portal with Zoru," Trin answered.
Silence fell like a shroud. Finally, Fenrek quoted, "The say fortune favors the foolish and the fated. Perhaps she'll be lucky."
Kip nodded, though he was worried that his arrogance would doom them all. The world was a dagger on a precipice balanced between darkness and light. The tumultuous winds of fate and fortune threatened to topple the blade. Aliya's journey into the sun would be the deciding factor.
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The End
