The Battle of Ebulon (18 page)

She holds her breath while
the Orc lifts his finger to his face, observing and moving his
fingernail around until he takes a sniff. He blinks several times.
Something is off and he can smell it. Slowly extending his arm
toward Nova's flank, he pokes again. Nova does all she can not to
yelp.

With another tilt of his
head, he pulls out a dagger from under his skirt. If she were to
use her magic she'd have to stay within its presence, an option she
isn't excited about, especially with the rest of the Orc troop
marching so close. Instead, Nova decides to pounce on this vile
creature, but the moment she goes into a crouch to leap at him, a
leather whip lashes above her head, slapping the Orc across the
chest. The Orc scrunches its face in pain and rolls backward. A
large Orc riding a Fangol and holding the whip comes into Nova’s
view, grunting several aggressive sounds to the scout. The scout
turns and runs quickly ahead, fearfully doing his job by scouting
for any foul play that the humans may have planted anywhere in the
area.

The Fangol and large Orc
now stand about five leopard lengths from Nova. A minute later a
large band of Fangols and Orcs travel past them, grunting ever so
often in rhythm with their march. Her camouflage masks her well,
but the moment she thinks that, the Fangol standing near her
abruptly moves its head, flexing its nostrils to sniff something
unusual. It slowly bares its teeth, making a low lion like growl.
He detects Nova concealed in the snowy brush.

Again, why did
you create these creatures, Great Spirit?
She knows all creatures have their right to live, having their
lessons to learn as individuals or as a species, but these
creatures seem devoid of any purpose other than negativity and
destruction. In resignation, she knows that a soul's advancement
isn't going to excel by her mere judgments. There is a reason for
everything, including these filthy Beings.

The Orc kicks his foot
against the Fangol's side. It jumps slightly in surprise, taking
its eyes off Nova for a moment and silencing his growl.

Nova goes into a lower
defensive crouch, determining that if anything attacks it will be
surprised by the agility of a snow leopard.

The Fangol turns again,
growling and ignoring the several kicks the Orc plants against its
side. The Orc’s mount takes predatory steps toward Nova, and
doesn't flinch when the Orc pulls hard on its reigns. About an inch
away from Nova's face, the Fangol attacks her hiding
place.

Nova is swift, jumping
just a split second before the Fangol lunges. The action is quick,
taking her thoughts away from the shape shifting spell and thereby
releasing the magic that reveals her true form to the army. Her
violet crystals glow brightly as she flips in mid-air, planting her
paws on the back of the Fangol's head. She pushes off its head,
outstretching and thrusting her claws against the chest of the Orc.
He yells some type of ghostly scream and pulls hard on the reigns,
trying to keep himself from falling. The Fangol loses its balance
from the Orc's hard pull, toppling on its side, landing hard on top
of the Orc. The Orc, now trapped, gives a war cry to those who
haven't already seen what happened.

By now, Nova is a few
leopard lengths away from the fallen Fangol and the trapped Orc,
and speeds off, fleeing the scene.

But it's too late. She's
been exposed, and many Fangols give chase.

To Nova's surprise,
Fangol's are everywhere, zigzagging in hot pursuit. When one is
close enough to rake her with its horns, she either flips into the
air and twists, or simply leaps over it, making them all miss her
each and every time.

There is too many of them
to use her magic and she knows she has to rely upon her training,
great speed and quick reflexes. The guard was right though, these
animals are dangerous, far more than she had expected.

Regardless, she has to get
to the castle.

Suddenly a Fangol comes
running at her with his horns low to ram a sharp point through her
skull.

Not hesitating and running
faster toward the oncoming creature, she kicks up some dust as they
are about to collide. Then she sees it—an opening. The Fangol's
head is low, but not quite low enough.

Sliding across the dirt,
she turns with her back legs pointing toward the grotesque monster,
and then easily slips under its chin; undercutting the Fangol's
legs, forcing it to topple over and smash against another Fangol
hot on Nova's heels. This causes a stir amongst the Fangols,
creating confusion and chaos.

Able to escape and peering
over her shoulder, Nova observes the two collided Fangol's fighting
ferociously as other Fangols jump into the fray. Farther off, she
notices that the other Orcs have stopped the rest of the Fangols
from joining the fracas by somehow bringing them back in line and
not giving chase. They obviously view Nova as no more than a
nuisance, instead of a legitimate threat.

Continuing to run, Nova
can see the red castle up ahead. It’s built on a slight incline,
surrounded by a sparse copse of trees. It’s a large castle, and if
it wasn't built for a dragon it was definitely fit for one. The
Keep, the main inner stronghold of the castle, is also large. Nova
decides that if the dragon is anywhere, it has to be in there. High
in the sky, green flags torn from a battle long ago are waving from
poles at the highest points of the red castle. Although frayed, a
black insignia embroidered on each of the flags can still be seen—a
fist holding an arrow. Nova can tell that this castle was created
by a proud people.

The castle’s drawbridge is
down, and as she places her paws on it she hears the creaking of
damp wood through heavy snow with each of her steps. Several wooden
splinters protrude through the snow, causing Nova to take
calculated, accurate steps until she reaches hard ground just
beyond the entrance. She is in the bailey, a large courtyard behind
the castle walls. She can tell it hasn't been touched for who knows
how long. Weeds grow between the aged bricks covering the
courtyard, and old broken carts are sprinkled about. She eyes the
surrounding towers, wondering if a dragon could somehow fit into
any of them. Deciding otherwise, she views the main building.
Shaking her head, she silently walks to the Keep.

The door is missing,
allowing her to peer inside without the nuisance of a squeaky door
announcing her presence to anyone in the vicinity, such as a
dragon. She enters the huge room and sees the door lying on the
ground, half burnt. Dragon sign.

The Keep is
wide and long. On the east and west side of it are two spiral
staircases leading up to a second level. She stares ahead, noticing
a circular hole in the back wall of the Keep.
This must be where the dragon broke the wall's hold, giving
it an entrance and exit.

Below the big hole is a
pile of gold that could make an entire kingdom's inhabitants rich.
The ceiling above her is a bit low, maybe ten leopard lengths high,
but just a couple of paces forward it quadruples in
height.

She speaks loudly. “I'm
here to speak to the dragon. Please show yourself!”

Nothing
happens.

She takes a couple of
breaths and looks around. The silence is oppressive and she feels
an eeriness that tells her something, or someone, is waiting
somewhere in the shadows.

Nova looks up. Hanging
upside down from a thick glass dome built into the pinnacle of the
Keep’s ceiling is a huge dragon, red in color, with yellowish green
eyes shining down at her. The dragon’s bat-like wings open. It lets
go of its grip and roars as it spins, free falling downward. It
hits the ground with a giant thud and the castle Keep shakes and
the gold pieces clink in the pile behind the dragon.

Nova stands unflinchingly,
only a couple of paw lengths from the dragon’s front claws. But,
she moves backwards slightly, hoping to give the big creature some
space—a show of respect. In truth it was, but for this dragon it is
a sign of cowardice.

The dragon bends down and
sniffs Nova’s head. She feels steamy heat coming from its nostrils
as it clears its throat, the sound echoing through the hollows of
the stone castle. Then the dragon rears its head high in the air
and demands, “Who are you?”

Nova dips her head in
gratitude. “I'm Nova, the VioletLight of the PureLight Lineage. I'm
here to help the humans repel the negative beasts coming their
way.”

The dragon
takes a deep breath, straightens himself and puffs out his chest.
For a moment, Nova wonders if fire is going to rain down on her,
but a deep resounding laugh fills the Keep instead.
“
You
help the
humans? They truly are desperate.”

Ignoring the insult, Nova
continues. “I've come for your services, Attor.”

The dragon’s eyes grow
wide, shocked that she knows his name, for a dragon tells only its
closest confidants its name. And their confidants are always few
and far between, or non-existent. A dragon's name is a secret kept
by a dragon, usually until death, for it is the last word it will
ever speak.

He draws his head close to
Nova’s and demands, “Who gave you my name?”

“Aldoren, the prince of
Elves.”

The dragon scratches his
bottom chin, “Ahhh, Aldoren. My friend.” He looks as if remembering
a happy time in his life. Then his eyes turn to rage. “The elves
pose no threat to a dragon. ..nay! Humans, though...” he pauses,
shaking his head up and down. “...take great pleasure in murdering
my kind!” The last words resound against the walls, almost
deafening Nova. Then he takes a deep breath and exhales
fire.

Nova quickly jumps out of
the way. The floor where she had stood is blackened char with wisps
of smoke rising from it. Then Attor turns and leaps, hoping to
smash Nova under his clawed feet. Instead, he is violently slammed
against the wall, as if an unseen, invisible force struck
him.

Attor knows that whatever
can do this to him must possess great strength—immense, in fact—or
be magic!

Attor places his clawed
hands on the ground and pulls himself up. He stares deep into the
eyes of the snow leopard.

“Please, listen to me,
Attor. I don't want to hurt you.”

If Nova had said those
words a moment earlier, the dragon would have given a hearty laugh.
Now he knows she's someone with knowledge in the arts of
magic—something Attor doesn’t like.

“No,” replied Attor.
“Leave my castle!”

“We have gold we can offer
you.” With that, Nova closes her eyes for a second, expands her
aura and sends Attor love. Simple, pure love. Attor hasn't felt
that since his mother comforted him as a baby.

The dragon perks up,
suddenly feeling a comfort for Nova. He ponders about the offer of
gold for a moment. “How much gold?”

He looks interested, which
is strange to Nova. In her world, gold is used to enhance the
spiritual abilities of a Being, not as some object to withhold or
use to bribe others. Gold helps her tribe resonate closer to the
universal spirit, where all knowledge, magical abilities and love
originate. That's why she lives in a hut spun of bright, delicate
gold. It is her sanctuary for dreams and quietude.

“I don't know how much
gold, Attor. It's something you'll have to discuss with King
Yadi.”

“The
fair
King of Ebulon?”
There is a hint of sarcasm in Attor's voice. His tail whips to the
ground, smashing gold coins and flinging them about. “There are no
fair kings among the human race! Let them come to
me
and make peace. Then
I'll consider your plea. Otherwise, let them die!”

Nova shakes her head.
There isn’t time. The humans are readying for battle, facing
annihilation and possible extinction. She has to be bold. “We'll
offer you half of the King's gold.”

Nova figures this is a
gamble, one that the king of Ebulon may likely turn a cold, angry
eye, but if she can get the dragon to complete a few passes over
the Orc alliance while breathing its fire, the human race will gain
a slight advantage, giving them hope.

To Attor, this is a
negotiation to his liking. Half a king's gold was one thing, but
knowing that Ebulon was in the heart of the mountains and their
mines were probably filled with gold. He liked the prospects. Half
would mean the humans would stay busy mining for the dragon, thus
leaving him alone. He wouldn't have to sleep with one eye open
every night. And, it would be proof to the rest of the dragon
nation that Attor was a powerful, fierce conqueror and enslaver of
the human race. He might be chosen to be the next head of the
dragon lords where he could decide the fates of many
dragons.

Attor begrudgingly nods
his head. “When do you need me?” His head lowers to better observe
the leopard’s response, looking for any defiance, lies, or
suspicious words.

“Now.”

Jerking his head in
surprise, he moves back and takes a seat on the pile of gold. “How
will you stop the humans from killing me when I arrive?”

Nova smiles as her
crystals glow a brilliant violet. “I'll make you so attractive that
they'll be in such awe when you fly overhead that raising a weapon
toward you will be a near impossibility.”