Echoes Of A Gloried Past (Book 2) (37 page)

The Hythariam gliders were more agile in the air, making the Ryakul seem clumsy as it tried to follow. Gavril fired golden plasma bolts streaking into the Ryakul from his pistol. 

Knowing that the Ryakuls were once dragons made him slightly sympathetic toward the feral beasts, but it was only because they were the shadowy reflection of their purer self. Aaron turned back to Verona and Braden and gasped as Verona began to lose his balance. Braden stuck out an arm to steady him, and they both reached where he was unharmed. They continued to climb, reaching another plateau. Aaron turned to see Gavril blind the Ryakul by shooting out its eyes and the dark beast spun away, plummeting toward the ground. 

Gavril caught up to them easily, and the roars of hundreds of Ryakuls echoed off the surrounding mountains as Tanneth must have uncloaked the Flyer to draw their attention. Verona, becoming more comfortable upon the glider drew his bow with an arrow ready and continued to follow them. Aaron kept his jumps small and precise so they could stay together at first, but the closer he got to the top, the more the distance grew between them. Knowing that Sarah was so close he couldn’t help it.

They crested the ridge and settled down low to look at the other side. The air was a sea of black flapping wings as the Ryakuls pursued the Hythariam Flyer as it streaked across the sky like a golden bullet. Aaron turned toward the left, focusing in on the Drake. 

The Drake was watching the Flyer as it streaked across the sky and immediately spun, heading toward another peak. Aaron scanned ahead and saw two Ryakul keeping a watchful eye around them.

Gotcha. So much for the plan … 

Aaron pointed. "Sarah is over there,” he said, grasping the small curved ax from his belt.

“Go,” Verona said, “We’ll be right behind you.”

Aaron gathered the energy around him and the runes on the staff flared to life. He fed the energy into his muscles and launched into the air. He pushed forward, gliding through the air, and heard the screeching howl of the Drake below him. The Ryakuls snapped their heads in his direction. He unleashed the ax as he bounded off another peak.

The ax streaked silver across the sky, demolishing the Ryakul’s head and its great body slammed down upon the ground as Aaron landed in front of the remaining Ryakul. He dodged the snapping jaws of the Ryakul’s saber-toothed maw. The Ryakul swiped with its poisonous talons, barely missing him.

Aaron drew the Falcons, and as the blades kissed the air, notes from the bladesong surged forth within him. He spun and dove into a roll, avoiding another swipe of the talons. Aaron brought up the blades anticipating another strike, but at the last second the Ryakul spun, sweeping out with its armored tail. Aaron launched into the air cutting through the Ryakul’s hide as he went.

The dark beast roared in pain and sought to overwhelm Aaron as it crashed down upon where he landed. Aaron dove to the side and sliced behind the Ryakul’s forward leg, bringing it down to that side. He danced to the other side, cutting through the hamstring of the Ryakul’s remaining front legs.

Aaron darted out of the way as the beast swayed and crashed down on its side. One of its wings flapped uselessly as it tried to regain its footing. Aaron circled and drove both his blades into the long neck and black blood spewed forth from the dying beast.

He pulled his blades clean and felt something grab his back pack and swung him away. Aaron tumbled and skidded to a halt inches away from the plateau’s edge. He glanced at the dizzying heights at the drop off down below and sprung back to his feet. He nearly stumbled at the sight before him.

Sarah stood with her sword held at the ready. Her eyes glowed yellow, and the black blotches almost covered her exposed skin. There was no recognition in her baleful gaze, just a surety of the murderous intent in her eyes.

“Sarah!” Aaron called. “It’s me.”

Sarah cocked her head for a second and shook it violently.

Aaron was about to step forward when he saw the Drake pull itself over the ledge. The Drake’s howl sawed through the air, and Aaron felt the ancestral blood within rise in protest. He dashed forward closing the distance to the Drake and brought down his blades in a crushing blow toward the Drake’s outstretched arm. The dark swirling armor solidified as his blades made contact and the impact jarred his bones, as his blades bounced off.

The Drake was over seven feet tall, and its great body pulled back, an armored fist planted firmly into Aaron’s face, sending him flat upon his back.

Aaron shook his head to clear it, losing his focus. The Drake punched hard.

The Drake's eyes like liquid steel peered into Aaron, and turned its attention to the stump of its left arm. The surface of the arm bubbled up, forming an armored twin of its other arm.

Aaron charged forward, but the Drake shot its hand forth and something rippled through the air, knocking him off his feet, and pinned him to the ground. There was a cry behind him as Braden leaped off the glider and landed in front of him, driving the Shield of Shandara in front of them both. The crushing force that kept him pinned to the ground stopped. Aaron came to his feet and saw the glint of metal from the corner of his eye. He spun and his blades met Sarah’s. He kicked out with his leg, knocking her off to the side and turned back toward the Drake.

The Drake leveled its staff, firing upon Braden. The bolt of energy bounced off the shield, but the force of the blast sent Braden sailing through the air and over the edge. Aaron cried out, and Gavril zipped past him over the edge, chasing Braden.

Aaron seized the bladesong and the crystals in the Falcons flared anew. He swept out with his blades sending out an arc of energy, knocking the Drake back. An arrow flew past Aaron, but bounced harmlessly off the Drake’s armor.

“Behind you!” Verona cried, and Aaron turned, bringing up his sword.

Sarah swung her sword at him, raining down blows as she came. Aaron met each blow and yielded precious footing upon the plateau. He wielded the Falcons into the bladesong, probing out to Sarah, seeking out the golden core that was her true self and not that tangled mess of the Nanites. He locked her blade in his own and came face to face with her, feeling her ragged breath upon his face.

“Fight them, Sarah,” Aaron whispered.

From behind him, Aaron heard Verona cry out, and he risked turning to see that his friend had engaged the Drake in an attempt to give him time to reach Sarah.

Verona’s arm hung loosely by his side, and the remains of the glider lay broken at his feet. The Drake hovered behind his friend, and Aaron dashed forward, moving with blurring speed. The twin blades on the end of the Drake’s staff began to descend and Verona fell back. Aaron roared, thrusting both his glowing swords in front of him skipping into the air. He twisted in the midair and the Falcons plunged into the Drake’s chest, his momentum carried them both over the side to the depths below.

Aaron struggled against the Drake’s powerful grip as the wind roared passed his ears. The Drake howled in pain as they bounced along the side of the mountain and several Ryakuls began to pursue them.

Aaron released his hold upon one of his swords and rained down blows upon the Drake’s face with his fist. A dark form swooped underneath them, breaking their fall and jarred his senses as a Ryakul flapped its bat-like wings to steady itself. Aaron brought his feet underneath him planting them upon the Ryakul’s broad back with the Drake in between and pushed away. His swords twisted free of the Drake, and the pain of it forced the Drake to release its hold upon him.

Aaron was surrounded amid a sea of roaring Ryakuls, tangling themselves up as they each tried to snap at him. He dodged one saber-tusked maw and used his feet to bounce off another. His swords dripped with the black blood of the Ryakuls, and their poisonous talons tried to tear at him. He leaped to the back of another Ryakul, plunging his swords into its back, and held on tightly as the beast began to spin. His white-knuckled grip was locked around the hilts of his swords, but as the Ryakul spun the blades cut deeper into the beast's hide. The Ryakul leveled off and Aaron saw the golden Hythariam Flyer try to reach him, but was blocked by the sheer number Ryakuls throwing themselves at the craft. Aaron glanced behind him and launched himself into the air, pulling his swords free, as four Ryakuls with one carrying the Drake, converged upon the already injured one carrying him. The Ryakuls tore one of their brethren apart, but Aaron was safely away.

He landed upon a ragged cliff and watched the Ryakul tear apart one of their own. He had to force the bile back down his throat. Perhaps it was the knowledge of what the Ryakuls truly were that clawed away at the walls of his heart, or the knowledge that death was the only remedy that could be afforded to the dragons afflicted with this disease. The Drake’s call rallied the Ryakul. They dropped the lifeless corpse and closed the distance toward him. 

The Drake leveled his staff and fired. Aaron leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the blast, and charged at the Ryakuls. The beast's putrid breath invaded his nostrils as he sailed by, lashing out with his blades slicing deeply into its hide.

Aaron scrambled off the side of the beast to land upon the back of another. The Drake leveled his staff at him, but as it was about to fire, a blue bolt of energy slammed into it from the side. Small bolts of energy spread across the Drake and the smoking staff fell from its hands.

Aaron looked up seeing Gavril rise up from behind the Drake upon his glider. He nodded grimly toward Aaron.

The Drake pulled back on the Ryakul forcing it to fly higher. Aaron drew in the energy around him and pushed, launching himself into the air gaining on the fleeing Drake. The armored tail of the Ryakul was in front of him and he latched on, dragging the beast off balance. The Ryakul crashed and Aaron tumbled away from the tangled mess of tooth and claw. He regained his footing, shaking his head. The Ryakul lay dying with some of its limbs moving feebly until they stopped altogether.

Aaron glanced at the sky around them, hearing the roar of airship engines at full burst. Streaking into view were four airships firing giant crossbow bolts into the Ryakuls that swarmed the sky like insects.

The body of the Ryakul heaved and the Drake came out from behind. The Drake’s armor sent sparks into the air as it moved and almost fell off in a few places. The two holes in its chest from Aaron’s swords had not reformed. The Drake tried to key something into a panel on its arm and screeched a yell into the air, but the call that had previously commanded the Ryakul fell upon deaf ears as the beasts scattered.

The Drake tore the useless panel from its arm and tossed it aside. It cocked its head toward him and for the briefest of moments the smoldering yellow eyes diminished. Then the beast howled in rage and the yellow eyes flared anew as it charged.

Aaron brought up his swords, easily avoiding the blows of the Drake. He lashed out, cutting through the armor in multiple places. The Drake’s attacks grew more feeble and Aaron could sense something growing beneath the surface of its very skin. He cast out, probing with the energy toward the Drake. It was dying, and the Nanites required a living host to survive. A small white light flared faintly from the Drake’s dark form as it fell to the ground

***

Tarimus … again!

Mactar was at a loss as to how Tarimus had tracked them down again and he hadn’t been able to get a clear shot at him. He and Darven decided to split up using the travel crystals to head to separate locations. The Ryakuls flew in a frenzy attacking anything that moved, which included snapping at other Ryakuls. One of his gifts was that of an impeccable memory and having observed the Drake’s call, Mactar knew that it was something he could duplicate. The call however, was only half of the means used to control the Ryakuls, with the other half tied to the device upon the Drake’s arm. Mactar watched as the Drake pursued the Heir of Shandara in his rather impressive acrobatic display as he leaped from one Ryakul to the next. Ferasdiam Marked indeed. He could quite possibly challenge the High King, but not yet. The boy still thought of himself as a man and not one touched by fate.

The Drake was fading, and despite himself, Mactar’s gaze was locked upon the battle before him. None of the Alenzar’seth before had stood against the Drake. They all perished one way or another. He engaged the travel crystal to a spot not fifty feet from where Aaron stood over the fallen Drake. He cloaked himself in such a way as to avoid notice, and judging by the state of the Heir of Shandara, he was not looking for him. Mactar quietly waited and listened to what unfolded before him.

***

“Who … are … you?" the creature that had been the Drake asked him, struggling to get the words out.

“I’m Aaron,” he answered. “Carlowen’s son.”

The deformed figure of the Drake’s face crumpled in pain and grief as it whispered his mother’s name. Aaron eyes widened as he realized that some part of his grandmother was still in there.

“Reymius?” His grandmother asked.

Aaron shook his head slightly. "He protected us. My mother found happiness and Reymius took comfort in that.”

Cassandra’s eyes still flowed yellow, and her face was twisted into something beyond human, but Aaron could tell that the Nanite’s hold upon her were fading.

“He didn’t know. He thought you had died,” Aaron said, trying to give what comfort he could.

Dull yellow eyes searched his as her body spasmed in pain and she glanced up to the plateau where Sarah was. "She is still in there … She still fights for you.”

Aaron felt the tears fall freely and unclenched his jaw to speak. “How can I save her?”

His grandmother’s eyes closed and she drew a shallow breath.

“Please,” Aaron pleaded. “Can you tell me how to save her? She is my heart … my soul … my everything.”

Aaron leaned in as his grandmother struggled to speak, silently begging that fate would allow her to give him this one last message.

“
What … wouldn’t … you … do?
” The last words spoken by his grandmother ran together in a great sigh that he could hardly make out.