Storm Dragons

Chapter 22. IMMORTAL

THALDERAN'S NORTHERN PASSAGE 

MINUTES LATER...

The blizzard punishes Orgath and Kaijin as they move with slow steps towards their fidgety horses.

Kaijin: "General, we need to seek shelter."

Orgath: "Thalderan will be our shelter."

They reach the animals. A blast of wind hits the General and his men. They contort their faces and try to cover their noses.

Orgath: "What damned smell is that?"

An OLD SOLDIER approaches and points to where the air blast came from: the Dragon's Cave, some yards distant and barely visible in the storm.

Old Soldier: "It's the Breath of the Dragon. We broke the Covenant. The Dragon God is coming after us."

Blood spills out from the Old Soldier's mouth as Orgath thrusts his dagger in his belly. With a moan, the man thrashes about, until life abandons him.

Orgath: "Enough of senseless legends. Anyone else?"

The Axengardian leader mounts his restless horse. Looking at the skies, he notices that the storm has subsided. Then he smiles, pointing forward.

Orgath: "Warriors! To Thalderan... now!"

Orgath, Kaijin, and their army struggle to move towards the Sacred City as the snow continues its heavy fall. A strong light comes from the sky, blinding them for a moment, making the whole army stop. A comet, the same as the Dragons' Festival, crosses the sky. The soldiers become unsettled. Some cover their faces, others cringe, a few fall to their knees. When the clouds dim the light once again, the figures of a priest and a warrior stand before the General and his men. Orgath recognizes them immediately.

Orgath: "Feigon! Jygar! What are you doing? Are you thinking of fighting my army alone?

Feigon: "We are not alone."

Three lightning bolts cut the sky, followed in the same instant by three almost simultaneous thunderclaps.

Feigon: "You profaned this sacred soil, Orgath. Do you know how many Dragon warriors are buried under your feet?"

Orgath: "Many of them. It's a shame that your God can't bring them back to fight for you, priest."

Feigon: "They lived and died believing in the Covenant. You dishonored all of them and your ancestors. You are worthy of pity; the only shame is yours as you are about to see."

Lightning crosses the sky again, followed by a reverberating thunder. The blizzard liquefies into a rainstorm, stronger than ever. Orgath swallows dry. A shiver runs through his body. The clouds that had covered the moon drift away, revealing a full moon. A huge, red full moon: the Ancestral Moon!

From distinct places in front of the army, figures of several warriors, weapons in hand, appear. The rain beats in Orgath's eyes, keeping him from identifying them, the reddish moon behind the warriors making only their silhouettes visible. But the Axengardian heir notices that they are in a much smaller count than his men. His army outnumbers them many, many times. Relieved, the General breathes with an ironic smile in his eyes.

Orgath: "These are your reinforcements, Feigon? Do you want to stop me with a handful of men?"

Jygar: "They're not men, Orgath!"

Orgath looks at him in an inquiring way.

Jygar: "They are dragons!"

Feigon smiles. With a chill, Orgath quivers.