“I am the essence of Power!” Draeken roared. “I cannot be defeated by fragments!”
The Dark Gate began to collapse, but Draeken remained in the center, desperately trying to keep the portal open. Fire caught a glimpse of War through the breach, as well as Plague, Famine, and Death. War sought to push his way through the portal but the Gate was crumbling, and they were trapped.
Abruptly realizing he could not stop the end, Draeken leapt back—only to find that the threads of magic binding the Gate were linked to him as well. He began to scream as the threads pulled him into the Dark Gate, but no amount of magic could stop the destruction of the Gate, and he was pulled into the center. A rising whine came from arched Gate and Fire sprinted up the stairs to the exit.
The Dark Gate detonated, the pieces of the arch flying upward and embedding into the wall of the chamber. Caught in the center of the portal, Draeken was slammed into the wall with the remnants of the Gate, the remaining magic lashing Draeken to the stone, partially in Lumineia, partially in Kelindor.
The blast rocked the entire fortress of Xshaltheria, flames spilling up the vent. Fire raised his arms to shield himself, the flames washing over and around them. For a terrifying moment Fire worried they would fall into the volcano. Then the fortress settled and Fire lifted his gaze.
Draeken was bound to the wall, his body ethereal, his eyes open but not seeing. He turned his head left and right, calling Fire’s name, the sound filled with seething anger. Draeken’s body shifted but the chains had been of his own making, and were remnants of the destroyed Gate. His effort to prevent the destruction of the portal had left him trapped between the two worlds. His body was no longer of flesh, and seemed to swirl with white and purple energies.
“I cannot be caged!” Draeken roared, his voice like it came from a great distance. “I am the fragment of Power! The mightiest of any being to ever live! I will have my revenge . . .”
Fire lifted the body of his friend and turned away. Without a word, he exited the chamber and departed through the fortress, the sounds of Draeken’s ranting fading in the distance. Fire ascended to the top of the hauntingly empty fortress, where he found Isray and Senia waiting for him.
“Draeken?” Senia cradled her elbow, which bent at an odd angle.
Fire carefully placed Lachonus on the back of Isray. “It is finished.”
Senia nodded soberly, and the two climbed into the white dragon’s neck. Painfully, Isray flapped his wings and they rose above the volcano. As they departed, Fire looked back at the disturbingly empty fortress.
Doors hung askew, gates lay broken, and the valley below had been stripped of all greenery. A solitary catapult remained on the field, miraculously having survived the conflict and the fiend march. Fire guessed that, in time, the ground would be covered in trees and Xshaltheria would fall to ruin. Draeken, for all his power and ambition, had been defeated.
Chapter 44: A Mother’s Request
Elenyr glided through the ground outside the city of Ilumidora, searching. She crisscrossed the earth, scanning the scorched soil and roots of destroyed trees. As much as she felt the need to find all the victims, she dreaded any more discoveries. When she was satisfied she had found them all, she rose to the surface next to Water.
“That was the last area,” Elenyr said. “There are more dead.”
“A terrible task,” Water said, inclining his head. “But the families are grateful.”
She faced Ilumidora. Most of the walls were destroyed, with only a trio remaining standing, all permanently damaged from the assault. The homes, taverns, inns, and shops were nothing but ruins and piles of wood, thatch, and broken glass. Most of the trees had burned.
The upper city, unprotected by the city walls, had suffered the brunt of damage from skorpian spears. Limbs were splintered and broken, some hanging by slivers. Many of the buildings nestled into the branches had fallen into the lake, and they remained half submerged in the water.
The sphere protecting the castle had shattered, and two of the three sections to the fortress were reduced to rubble. Entire wings had fallen next to the trunk, and Elenyr had searched the wreckage for those that had survived. Then she’d searched for the dead.
Elves still labored on the mother tree of Urindilial, working to remove the thousands of skorpian spears still embedded into the trunk and limbs. The bark was splintered, the wood beneath rent in gaping wounds. The tree had not spoken to elven mages since the battle, and they feared the worst.
“Do you think the elves will rebuild?” Water asked.
“I hope so,” she said. “But not here. This site has suffered enough.”
One section of the city had caved into the earth, falling upon the ruins of Dawnskeep that lay buried. Queen Alosia had ordered many to remain outside until dwarven engineers had determined it was safe.
Outside the city, a sprawling camp occupied the space of the battlefield. Well organized by Queen Alosia, the camp cared for the host of wounded, and prepared the dead for a final rest. Weapons had been set aside, and members of every race moved freely through the camps.
Beyond the camps, the forest had been devastated. Trees lay on their sides, some covered by earth. The rent soil and broken limbs stretched in every direction, with most of the elven forests reduced to ash and charred trunks.
Despite the damage, the camps around the city contained an air of hope. Elves spoke to dark elves and humans joined orcs for a midday meal. Draeken may have come to destroy, but he had succeeded in uniting the people.
Elenyr spotted Melora caring for a gnome injured during the battle. She applied a cool cloth to his forehead and spoke words of encouragement before moving to the next cot, where an elf held a bandage over his chest. Water noticed her gaze.
“I admit, I never expected Melora to become so kind.”
“A mother’s sacrifice leaves a mark on a soul,” Elenyr said. “And I believe Princess Melora to be irrevocably changed.”
“A mother’s mark did leave a mark on a soul,” Water said.
Elenyr turned with a smile. “Oh?”
“You have my gratitude.” Water reached around Elenyr’s shoulders and squeezed. “For everything.”
“You have my gratitude for surviving,” Elenyr said fervently.
“Not all in one piece,” Shadow said, climbing the hill. He grinned and pointed to his missing arm. “I still say you should have let me reattach it.”
“You aren’t a full guardian anymore,” Elenyr said. “The attempt would have failed.”
“I can always try later,” Shadow said. “And Rune said she would help.”
“You kept the arm?” Water groaned and look skyward. “Why am I not surprised.”
“If you lost a toe, wouldn’t you keep it?”
“No,” Water said fervently. “I would not keep any appendage.”
