The Dragons' Will

Chapter 7 - The Mightier Dragon

Darkus emerged from Nixx Wood, hoping he wasn't too late. He gazed upward—the two dragons were still battling. They were too far for a good shot, and with the way they scuffled, he might accidentally hit the silver one.

He cursed his own helplessness. Had he made the wrong choice? Would he be better off getting reinforcements? His army must be on its way, but would still be several days out.

The dragons came lower. They separated, preparing to clash again. Without thinking, Darkus raised his bow and released an arrow. His arrow rebounded off the black dragon's temple and the creature's menacing red eyes turned towards him. Only then did Darkus realise what he'd done—he'd drawn the dragon's attention upon himself.

The creature's roar was disturbing; the whole of southern Slyke must've heard it. Driven by its hatred of humans, it ignored its silver rival and dived toward Darkus.

Darkus turned away and ran. The black dragon drew close, but the silver's talons dug into the side of its body. The two dragons rammed hard against the ground, shaking the earth.

The silver had the upper hand. Forks of lightning rained from its mouth onto the dormant black dragon, filling the air with the foul stench of dragon blood. Darkus could only stand and watch, paralysed in both fear and awe of the two enormous beasts.

When the silver dragon paused for breath, flames spurted upon its head, causing the creature to stumble back. Defiantly, the black dragon rose to its feet, wrapping its tail around the silver's neck.

Its eyes panned upon Darkus.

Flames blasted towards the overlord, so he rifted out of harm's way. Snow melted and earth burned as Darkus materialised behind the black-scaled creature. Almost by instinct, he released an arrow again, striking the black dragon's fleshy underbelly. It proved softer than its scales. The black dragon roared, and the silver dragon wrestled itself free. For a moment Darkus praised his good fortune.

The silver dragon was not so fortunate. Flames engulfed its body and it roared. Emerging from the fire, the silver swept out a talon, but the black dragon struck it away with one of its own, thrusting it through its rival's fleshy underbelly. The silver dragon roared in pain, its lightning blasting into the black. The larger dragon shrugged it off, retaliating with flames. The silver moved out of harm's way, but the black's tail whipped out and wrapped around it's neck, holding it still. Fire enveloped the silver entirely—the shrieks were disturbing.

When the flames cleared, the silver dragon lay limp within the grasp of the black dragon's tail. Where its scales once resembled the bright sheen of steel, they now resembled the dark texture of iron.

The black dragon cast its foe away somewhere in Nixx Wood, crushing countless trees.

Then the black dragon's red eyes were upon Darkus. Terror gripped him. What chance did he stand against this creature?

Overlord... a calm feminine voice echoed in his head. Darkus first mistook it for his own fears playing tricks on his mind. Overlord... it echoed again. It certainly wasn't his imagination. Someone, or something, was definitely reaching out to him.

The black dragon lunged toward him, flames gushing forth. Darkus rifted away, leaving scorched snow and earth behind. He materialised behind the dragon, not wanting to rift blind into Nixx Wood. If a rifter materialised inside a solid object, they'd collide with fatal force. Instinctively, he'd notched an arrow to his bow and pulled back the string—but came to his senses before releasing it. The last thing he wanted was to further provoke this dragon.

Overlord... the voice echoed in his head once more. Darkus finally recognised the familiar voice.

"Minara," he muttered, "how are you doing this?"

My mind is in a state of meditation, Minara replied.

"I see..." If a cerebromancer's mind entered a state of meditation, it increased their voyancy's awareness. It also enabled them to reach out to any minds they made contact with, even while the mage's body was unconscious.

The black dragon spotted his new position. With a roar, it advanced, prompting Darkus to sprint. Behind him, he heard and smelt the flames. The fires were gaining on him. He rifted again. Materialising elsewhere, he smelt something burning, and saw the bottom of his cloak afire. He quickly undid the buckle, casting the hooded cloak away.

Overlord, Minara's voice continued, you must lure it to the coast.

"The coast? What good would that do?"

Just trust me. What other options do you have?

Part of Darkus's mind was screaming for him to lure the creature to Britikis where their war machines had a better chance of taking it down. Perhaps it was panic, or the fact the dragon's gaze was upon him again. He needed to make his choice immediately. Darkus turned southward. There was much fog this evening—he could barely see the vast Slykan Sea beyond Nixx Wood.

The dragon roared. It would lunge at any moment.Wasting no time, Darkus immediately ran southbound—toward whatever awaited himthere.