The Dragons' Will

Chapter 5 - The Duelling Dragons

Roars and thuds filled the air as Nixx Wood came into sight. It had taken him several days to return here, but the overlord paid little heed to the smoke rising from the snow-covered woods. High in the clouds he glimpsed a pair of moving objects. From farther away he mistook them for birds, but soon realised they were far larger than any bird in Slyke. One looked to shine more than the other, blending with the falling snow, while the other was as black as the night itself. The darker one let out gusts of flame, while the other appeared to be spitting forks of lightning.

Darkus spent several moments watching the two beasts wrestle, blasting each other with lightning and flame. Neither one appeared to have the upper hand.

Suddenly they pitched downward, toppling towards the ground like a pair of comets. They were much larger than any creature Darkus had ever seen! The warnings were true; there were indeed dragons in Slyke! He was relieved they were more concerned with fighting each other than ravaging the lands around them.

The one spitting lightning was silver like polished steel, its scales blending with the clouds. Its eyes, underbelly and soft parts of the wings were as white as the falling snow. A pair of white horns sprouted diagonally backward from each side of its scalp.

Its rival was as black as shadow, red eyes contrasting its dark form, a pair of grey horns sprouting from its head. Snow melted when touching the creature.

When Darkus realised they were going to hit the ground, he hid himself behind a nearby snow-coated boulder. The silver one hit the ground first, the black falling atop, pinning its rival to the ground. With a roar, the black dragon spat forth a strong burst of fire, engulfing the silver dragon's head. Darkus thought the beast slain, until the silver kicked its rival away.

The two dragons reeled. The black recovered first, lunging at its foe. The silver leapt high, flapping its wings and taking flight, spitting lightning. Although powerful, lightning, as any aeromancer could attest to, was difficult to aim. Not all forks struck their target; some simply hit the snow around, but the bolts that aimed true sent the black dragon reeling.

The silver dragon prepared its breath again, but the black lunged, sinking its teeth into the silver's neck. It took flight, dragging its rival into the skies with it.

While the gargantuan beasts wrestled, Darkus looked down at his hands. As overlord, life-or-death situations were common and didn't usually frighten him, but before these great beasts, he couldn't stop his hands from shaking. Never before had he seen such mighty creatures. It made him feel so small ... so helpless ... so insignificant...

His eyes panned upon Nixx Wood. If there were any survivors, he needed to find them—but was the risk worth it? If the dragons saw him, would he too be among the casualties? Reinforcements from Britikis were following, but it might take them much time to prepare, let alone march.

Steeling himself, Darkus approached the forest slowly, keeping an eye up on the dragons. He noticed a body lying against one of the trees. He didn't know the young man, but did recognise his yellow robes marked with leaves, angels and doves. He was definitely of the Order of Iudicium. His torso had almost been cleaved in two by a vicious pair of claws.

Taking one last glance to the duelling dragons inthe sky, he turned towards the woods ahead. With the dragons distracted, nowwould be a better time than any to check on the Order. Somehow, Darkus doubtedhe'd find a single survivor.