Damiynn
Fantasy Author
Chapter 6
“Well, should I use the eye to guide me? Let the voices tell me how to do this as they did with the saddle? Or are you going to lead me, as you so conveniently stated, like a newly born hatchling fresh from the nest?”
“They’re not voices, they’re remnants of the previous bearers souls but they can’t help you with what we are about to do. In this,” stated Noraxxis, all traces of sarcasm fading from his voice, “we have to do it alone and we need to be serious. Dragonmagic, if used in the wrong way or if used too much, can kill both of us. I don’t want to die or at least not today.”
“So, are you going to keep blathering like an old hen, or are we going to get started before other guards show up looking for him,” returned Micah, throwing a casual hand in the direction of the trussed up guard.
A small flame blew out of Noraxxis’ lips and tendrils of smoke drifted out of his nostrils as he sighed. “Dragonmagic is drawn through two, the holder and the wielder. I am the holder and you are the wielder. I have to open myself up to you through a link of blood, my blood and yours. Only that will allow you to draw on the power I hold. That drawing though is what makes the dragonmagic so dangerous. Most humans aren’t strong enough to handle it and are overwhelmed. It consumes them by ravaging their body, burning through them and scouring their bones, leaving nothing behind but a burned out husk.”
Noraxxis paused. Seeing the fearful expression on Micah’s face he continued, flashing a satisfactory small smile. “Through strength of will and conviction, you control how much power you draw. After that, you use your will to shape or mold what you have drawn from me into what you need. That is what poses the danger to me. If you fail and you draw too much or you can’t control the shaping of what you draw and I can’t contain what is left, then the magic burns back into me and I die from the same death. Is that simple enough for you?”
Micah, realizing that for once Noraxxis was completely serious, straightened, leveling a serious look at him. “What the hell! Isn’t there another way? Something else we can do that will free you? Some way we can practice? I don’t feel like dying and I certainly don’t understand what I am supposed to do.”
Noraxxis shook his horned head. “We don’t have time. All we have to do is open ourselves up to each other. Allow our souls to merge. Only through our surrendering to each other can I release the magic and you can draw on what is needed to free me.”
“So,” Micah stated again, rolling his eyes.
Noraxxis gave him a sideways glare as he flicked his eyes back to the door the guard had entered. “It’s easier if you concentrate on something and allow your mind to drift, you should feel the link between us. Clear your mind of everything but the eye.”
Following the almost hypnotic tone in the dragon’s voice Micah did what he was being told.
He didn’t feel anything at first. The only thing he sensed was that they were in the room together, then he sensed the eye and felt the link, it flowed like a pulsing artery, tying the two of them together.
Slowly, so as not to lose the tenuous grip, he probed gently until he was one with Noraxxis and the eye. He could feel all three as they joined together. It was then that he heard the voices.
“He does well Noraxxis, he learned that really fast.”
“Yes Noah,” answered the dragon, his gravelly voice seemed to be floating in his mind, “a lot faster than you, your first time.”
Micah realized that the voices of earlier were all talking to Noraxxis as if they were all old friends. Not wanting to intrude but knowing they only had a little time he also tried speaking with his thoughts as he assumed the others were doing.
“What do we do now?”
“Now,” answered Noraxxis, and Micah felt the dragon pull back from the other voices and fill his head completely, “we join our life forces together through our oaths and blood. You must feel for what fills both of us, sort of like the bond that you used to join us. Unlike it though, in order to draw on the magic you must surrender.”
Again Micah allowed his mind to drift along the link and slowly he felt it. A walled space filled a place in his mind and Noraxxis’. He tried to reach into the space and couldn’t. He kept trying and was repelled. It felt like he was trying to push through a sponge that never ended. Thinking about Noraxxis’ words, he took a deep breath and slowly allowed his mind to release, let loose of the switches that filled it and surrendered himself like a man giving himself over to the ocean when drowning.
Almost like a trickle of water breaking free from a frozen stream, a sense of power began to flow. Liquid heat filled his body and after a few moments it coursed through his veins, all the way from his head down to his toes, a burning that felt as if he was too close to an open furnace at full blaze. The dam separating him from the power suddenly burst apart in his mind and a raging torrent of fiery heat washed through him.
“Don’t draw too much,” called out Noraxxis in a desperate plea, his voice filling every crevice and corner of Micah’s mind. “Remember what I said about burning yourself out. You will kill both of us if you allow it to overcome you while we are linked.”
Slowly, Micah forced his mind to settle down and gain control. For a moment it was like he was grabbing at the last branch on a cliff side before falling into a fiery river. He struggled, clawing and kicking for a foothold, trying to find a way to hold onto his sense of self and sanity as he dangled over the cliff’s edge. Desperately flailing mentally for a foothold, he found one. A toehold, like a step or a hand reaching out to save him inside his mind, he felt his contact with the eye and clung to it. That and his link with Noraxxis pulsed like a glowing rope having been thrown to him. Drawing slowly upon both, he slowly scaled back up the cliff face he had almost toppled over. Sweat pouring out of his body, he mentally began pushing back the dragonmagic.
Drawing a ragged breath, he shuddered, as the fire flowing in his blood faded to a tolerable level. “I have control.” With a shaking hand, he scrubbed away the sweat stinging his eyes and asked shakily, “N.. now w..what do I do with it?”
The dragonmagic tingled like a whisper of spider web moving across his bare skin and coursed through his blood. His body shivered, he had felt what had happened when it went beyond that.
Power, raw and unlike anything he had ever felt had rushed into him and he had known momentarily as the voices had shouted into his head what he could and couldn’t do with it, but just like he had pushed the power away, he also managed to push away the voices. They were nothing more than a muted buzzing filling a space behind his ears.
Noraxxis’ growling voice cut into his thoughts, “You have to use your will and shape the magic into something that will free me. Something that can cut through my chains and the blood that binds me to them. Please, Micah Williams there is not much time, free me!”
Micah heard the desperate edge in the dragon’s voice and wondered how much time they had. Glancing about the room he looked for something useful, an image that could help.
He saw it. Lying on the stone where he had refused to pick it up. The black blade’s silvered edge gleamed in the flickering light. Picturing the sword in his mind’s eye he placed his hand on the eye. Following the voices instructions, he used his will to shape the dragonmagic.
A glowing white hot blade of liquid fire coalesced in the air above the chains. Staring wide eyed at what he had created, Micah dropped his hand in a cutting motion, thinking at the same time he wanted Noraxxis freed. With a hiss the white hot blade cut through the air. It passed through the chains like a sharp knife through old rope. There was a little tension, Micah pushed harder with his will and the glowing sword was through. As soon as the first link broke, the whole chain lost its golden sheen.
Noraxxis stared at him. Shocked surprise and wonder painted the dragon’s scaly face, then the face twisted into malevolent mask of fury. Yellow eyes narrowed into blazing, angry slits that promised violence to all they saw.
Terrified, Micah stepped backwards, suddenly fearful of what he had done, wondering if he had made a terrible mistake.
Mouth opening wide, Noraxxis showed all of his glittering teeth as he let out a mighty roar. The sound thundered off the surrounding stone and crashed into Micah’s ears.
“Free!” hissed the dragon fiercely. “Finally free, after so long!”
Several of the chain links caught on the enraged dragon’s ridged back. Giving his body a brisk shake, he snapped them like dry twigs and whipped his serpentine neck around, horned head and narrow eyes fixating on the ceiling above him. A low ragged snarl cut through the air and Micah heard, “You had best get underneath me Micah Williams! Those that imprisoned me, those that held me captive against my will and made me commit atrocities in their name against the people of Illanor are about to pay for their arrogance and their actions!”
Not knowing what was coming, but sensing the dragon’s fury through their link, Micah threw himself under its belly.
Thrusting upwards with powerful legs, Noraxxis drove his ridged back and hunched shoulders into the stone ceiling. A shudder shook the stone under Micah’s feet and mortar dust filled the air as it showered down from the spider web of cracks covering the ceiling. Another vicious snarl cut through the air as the dragon thrust its body several more times upwards.
A thunderous boom echoed through Micah’s ears as the overhead stone shattered in an explosive spray. Giant blocks and broken timbers began raining down all about them as the ceiling tore loose in a cascade of jagged stone and smashed into the floor.
Clouds of mortar dust caused his eyes and throat to burn and Micah felt several shards of rock and wood strike his armor and a few bounced off his helm, close to his eyes. After a shard tore into his cheek, he hastily slapped down the dragon helm’s visor, grateful that he had listened to Noraxxis for telling him to have put on the armor and for standing over him. If the dragon had not been protecting him, he would have been crushed by the huge stones raining down all about them. Warm blood trickling down his cheek and neck caused him to look upwards making sure he was completely under the angry dragon.
Above him, Noraxxis’ bulk suddenly seemed bigger. Through the gap around his scaly body, Micah noticed pillars shuddering like pencils on the point of breaking. Noraxxis ignored the collapsing building as his body seemed to shudder with pleasure as he reared up to full height. A snarl of rage came from overhead as the dragon shoved his horned head and clawed feet up through the massive hole he had created.
Micah watched as the dragon’s chest expanded, growing to almost twice its regular size. A roaring filled the air as the dragon released a great blast of flame into the overhead building.
Noraxxis dropped back down. A satisfied expression twisted his maw, but his yellow eyes burned with hatred and fury. Over the moaning screams of men dying in the chambers above and the sounds of crashing rock, Micah heard. “Climb aboard my back and strap yourself in.”
Micah hesitated momentarily, then the memories inside of the dragon’s eye told him what to do. Grabbing up the sword, he leapt up onto the dragon’s lowered shoulder and scrambled over to the saddle. Following the voices instructions, he quickly slid his legs under the straps and pulled them tight.
“Are you on yet?” called out Noraxxis, flicking an aggravated look back over his shoulder as a column toppled down through the jagged hole.
Seeing that he was, the dragon directed his gaze pointedly upwards. “I thought I was buying us enough time to escape but it looks like I succeeded in bringing down the whole building.”
Noraxxis turned half on his side and drove his powerful back legs into the massive barred oaken doors on the other side of the room. An ear splitting scream of metal bindings being ripped apart cut through the air. A second kick from the dragon’s clawed feet shattered the double doors. Wooden splinters filled the air as they exploded outward into a wide courtyard. Sunlight streamed in through the opening and for a moment, the dragon didn’t move.
Micah wondered why until he saw Noraxxis blinking, hastily trying to adjust his eyes. Through the haze of mortar dust, Micah saw men in black armor wielding axes and swords filing out into the courtyard. He recognized immediately the tactics of well trained infantry from what he had learned in the military as they formed into battle lines. A second group lined up behind the first and what they carried caused Micah to cringe. They all had bows, aimed at them.
