Anders wanted to scream. He could hear Zahara scrapping with Merglan’s dragon, their talons scraping against their hard scales as they battled.
Merglan turned his attention back to Lageena. He held up the dull crystal, examining it in the dimly lit room. “This one’s done,” he said, reaching down into his pocket and pulling a similar sapphire crystal from his cloak. This one shone with a bright radiant light-blue hue. Before handing it to Lageena, Merglan clutched it against his chest and mumbled several words Anders’ didn’t recognize. For a moment Merglan glowed the same hue as the crystal. At that moment Anders gained control of his body. His sword swung forward and he took several steps before the spell took hold of him again. Merglan seemed to show a hint of exhaustion as the blue hue vanished. He placed the new sapphire necklace over Lageena’s head and said, “Return to the battle and finish the job.”
Lageena straightened and saluted Merglan. He waved her away and she disappeared in a brilliant flash of light.
Chapter 44
The Sapphire Soul
Remli led the haggard group of elves and two humans out into Ryedale’s streets. The small army of dwarfs followed, their battleaxes and war hammers battering aside the brutish orcs as they retreated. Natalia cringed, forcing herself to move through the pain, her mental strength wavering as she struggled to keep moving. Nadir coaxed the others along. When he saw Natalia, bloodied and broken in the middle, he slung her arm over his shoulder.
Natalia cried out, the sudden movement sending pain streaking through her midsection. “Ah!” she cried, though her scream was cut short by her need to inhale and exhale quickly.
Nadir helped carry her along, keeping pace with the others. He knew Natalia’s ribs were battered and broken on the side that took the hammer blow. From the way she was fading, he wondered if her bones were the only things broken by the hammer’s strike. Stopping to address her condition wasn’t an option; the best he could do was get her to safety.
Battered relentlessly by the onslaught of orcs, the Lumbapi and elven soldiers struggled to hold the front line until their commanders returned from striking out after Lageena. Though their numbers dwindled as they were slowly forced back little by little, the mixed elf and human force still held a quarter of the west end in Ryedale. Descending from the canyon’s rim when Lageena’s blast occurred, Remli and his dwarfs exposed themselves greatly by choosing to force their way through the midst of Ryedale in an attempt to save the squad who’d been decimated in the blast.
Nadir nearly carried Natalia as Remli led the crew along Ryedale’s riverbank, forcing orcs in their path off the edge into the tumultuous waters below. To his surprise, Nadir saw Solomon and Inama force their way to the front of the dwarfs, joining the final push toward their allies. Solomon pushed orcs aside with his shield and Inama, seeming to be unaffected by the large gash on her side, wielded her spear with excellence. After a short while, they appeared to be gaining momentum; even Natalia miraculously seemed to be holding a steady pace, keeping in stride as Nadir supported her.
Suddenly Nadir heard a wicked snapping and popping from behind. He glanced over his shoulder toward one of the nearby buildings. He’d heard that sound before when Lageena began toppling the multiple-story tall buildings at the beginning of the fight. Though he waited for the two buildings on either side of the street to collapse around them, the structures remained standing.
When Nadir returned to his focus on their retreat, he thought the orcs’ ranks seemed to have thinned. The dwarfs, now running at a dead sprint, neared the wall of elves and humans. A wave of relief washed over him when he realized that they would soon enjoy the safety in numbers they’d been lacking.
Why have the orcs fled from this one area? he wondered as the elven and Lumbapi ranks opened to receive them. Is the dwarf force strong enough to scare them into abandoning their hold? Nadir and Natalia brought up the rear of the group, most dwarfs rushing ahead to join the allied ranks.
Turning to look back one last time, Nadir dropped his hold on Natalia, her momentum sending her stumbling forward as she tried to continue her pace unsupported. Nadir stopped in his tracks. A figure in black plate with crimson trim stood alone in the street, the orcs clearing an opening around her. His feelings of relief were washed away by anger and rage.
Lageena, he clenched his jaw at the thought of her blasphemous name.
A dwarf hurrying to join the safety in numbers, two red braids swaying across his back beneath his helmet, skidded to a stop when he saw the elf king had stopped. "What are you doing? You have to keep moving!" the dwarf shouted, jogging ahead to assist Natalia.
Others from the rear group of dwarfs began to rush back to see what had caused Nadir to stop. Nadir glanced down at the dwarf now helping Natalia along. Nadir called to the dwarf with red braids, “Take her the rest of the way.”
He hesitated, seeming unsure if he should follow the command, but did as the elf king ordered, instructing Natalia to rest her weight on his head while several other dwarfs also came to their aid. The dwarfs began hauling Natalia toward the allied soldiers.
Nadir drew his sword from its sheath as he walked purposefully across the open ground toward Lageena. She stood firm, knowing he would come to her. Nadir saw her clutching the crystal that allowed her to wield powers that should’ve been impossible. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to turn and run behind his friendly lines to be safely protected by his soldiers. For his father’s sake, for his own sake, he wouldn’t allow himself to miss this opportunity to face her.
Why isn’t she destroying me now? he wondered as he tried to gather inner strength. He was so tired. He’d been doomed twice already, staring death in the face, but had somehow escaped each time. She could wave that glowing sapphire of hers and put an end to me right now. Why isn’t she? he thought as he gripped his sword tighter, waiting for a bolt of lightning to come flying from her necklace. He knew the energy that created the crater was more than anything Anders or Zahara could’ve generated. That meant it must’ve come from the crystal. But how was she here? She’d vanished in the explosion. Natalia saw her imprint in the smoldering soil. Anders and Zahara were near where she’d vanished when they, too, disappeared. Now that Lageena had returned, did that mean another rider pair had been destroyed?
Lageena reached up, again clutching the crystal around her neck. Nadir froze, ready to dodge whatever she threw at him. She shot her other hand forward, a ripple of blue light flying from her palm. Nadir leapt to the side, but as the energy shot past him, he saw that he hadn’t needed to dodge it. She'd missed. Maybe she didn’t know how to use the crystal very well.
He heard the clash of metal as the ripple of energy erupted along a charging front of elven soldiers. He turned to see them flattened backward by the powerful blow. Of course, his soldiers would charge her. These elves were loyal to a fault; they'd follow him anywhere.
Rage rose in Nadir again, the same rage he'd felt the moment he thought he'd die. Nadir shouted as he tapped his elven speed and ran toward his father's murderer. Lageena quickly drew her blade, letting go of the crystal and clashing blows with Nadir. He hit her with such force that the former queen stumbled back exposing an opening as she flailed to keep her balance. Nadir slashed his sword across her black armor, sparks flying as the blade dug a deep scratch across her chest. The hit sent her toppling over, so Nadir’s second swing barely clipped the top of her helmet. He stumbled forward, almost losing his balance and falling on top of her.
Lageena rolled to the side as she fell. When she rolled onto her back, she saw Nadir coming down on her with a finishing stab that would pierce her plated armor. Crystal already in hand, she released a small force of energy into Nadir.
Nadir forced his blade downward at Lageena but as he did, she sent a pulse of energy into him, launching him up and away. Now he flailed, falling hard on his back, his bare head colliding with the ground. Colors flashed as he tried to blink away the pain.
Get up, he told himself. Nadir rolled through the pain. Grabbing his blade from the dirt, he wheeled around to face Lageena. She charged at him, sword blazing. Nadir blocked her wild swings, his head swirling in pain as he struggled to keep pace with her speed. Sidestepping a thrust, Nadir pulled Lageena by him, sending her falling face first into the road.
He panted as he backed away from her, tired and breathing heavily. As Lageena quickly rose to her feet and faced him, blade out, Nadir asked, “Why did you do it?”
Lageena smiled through her visored helmet and attacked. Although Nadir’s arms were heavy and sluggish, he was superior with the sword. As she tried to gain an opening, Nadir held his own. With his fatigue yet superior skill, Nadir and Lageena seemed to be evenly matched. He was too weak to advance on her but sharp enough to avoid a killing blow.
He backed away as she lurched forward, breathing heavily through her helmet. “Why did you kill my father?” he shouted in frustration.
“Your father was weak,” she spat.
"No!" Nadir shouted. "My father was kind but never weak."
Lageena lunged at him. Nadir blocked her swings at first, but she gained a strike against his side, clanging off his armor and sending him winging to the side. Lageena saw her chance to strike as he regained his footing. She rushed him but Nadir expected her and forced himself toward her with one last huge effort. They collided, blades outstretched about to strike. Nadir tackled Lageena, dropping his sword in the confusion. He rolled on the ground with her, squeezing her tight as he struggled to gain the upper hand.
Grunting, Nadir rolled Lageena under him, planting his knees into the ground and stopping his momentum. She still gripped her sword and tried to swing it at him. He punched at it, swinging his arm in a backhanded fist into hers. She dropped the blade and he forced his other fist down hard into her helmet. Her head bounced off the ground as he smashed her helmet with three swift punches dealt from his gauntleted fists. In his excitement, he didn't realize that she’d been reaching for the crystal. It was too late, Nadir flew into the air, hit by an explosive wave of energy pulsing out from the crystal.
He landed hard on his shoulder and rolled uncontrollably across the open ground. When he tried to get up, Lageena flew to him with a blade in hand. In a force of energy, she drove Nadir down into the ground even harder. The air escaped his lungs from the force. He gasped but she didn’t let up. He could see light glinting off the blade of a dagger she held in her hand. Her crushing weight continued to pin him to the ground as he struggled to catch his breath.
Lageena pulled the bent visor off her helmet in a rage as she stared at Nadir with bloodthirsty eyes. She flared her nostrils and exposed her teeth, clearly out of control. She spat, "I killed your father because I wanted to, just as I killed your mother and now you!" Lageena’s dagger erupted into flames as she raised it over her head, twirling it point down.
Nadir turned his head, straining for one last breath before she could kill him. The force she was using to press down on him was overpowering and the veins in his neck bulged as he struggled to turn his head. He blinked when he saw a figure in slate gray armor rushing at them. His eyes widened as he watched a stout dwarf with two red braids lower a shoulder and tackle Lageena just as she stabbed at Nadir. In an instant, Nadir could breathe.
Sitting up, he caught a glimpse of the dwarf soldier forcing Lageena’s flaming blade into her own chest, the flame extinguishing as it penetrated. Nadir sat up in disbelief. The roar of elf, dwarf and human soldiers rushing past him and colliding into the enraged orc army became white noise in his ears. He sat on the bare ground in his battered and bloodied plate armor transfixed by the dwarf who still held the hilt of the blade pressed deep into Lageena’s chest. Lageena twitched several times, but the dwarf held her still, the soldiers steering around her as they collided with the orc horde.
In the moments when Merglan had clutched the crystal, Ivan also had broken free of his spell, grabbing his sword and taking several steps toward the sorcerer before he, too, became paralyzed again.
With Lageena gone, Merglan turned back to Ivan, “Ivan, back to our chat.” He strode several steps closer to the old rider and continued maliciously, “What’s it been, nearly two decades since we last saw one another? My how the time has flown. That was an interesting day. You came after me with Jazz. Too bad you couldn’t save her, I quite liked her. You two would’ve made an excellent addition to my team. What’s that, I can’t quite hear you. Your mental barriers are up, not that I couldn’t break through them if I wanted to,” he said, waving his hand and releasing Ivan from his hold. Anders remained frozen.
