Abased - The Exiled Warrior

Chapter 13.2 - Lady of the Dargu

Hearing was the first of Alam's senses to return.

Nearby someone was grunting and straining. They were also crying.

He was completely disorientated, with no idea where he was. All that he could discern was that he was cold, it was dark, and that a huge weight was on top of him, making it hard to breathe.

"Where am I?" he croaked.

"Alam!" a woman's voice cried out. He registered it as Clarisai's voice though whatever was on top of him was blocking him from seeing her. He felt her hands take one of his.

"What's on me?" Alam asked. "It stinks."

Clarisai laughed for a second, it was a laugh relief, but it quickly turned to sobbing.

"Thank the heavens you're alive. I thought I had killed you and Tajar," she said through sobs.

"Tajar?" he mumbled in confusion. "You killed Tajar?" Alam was too groggy to take in the enormity of her words, which tumbled out of her.

"Maybe. I don't know. I think he's alive, but he isn't moving. I'm so sorry. That monster was about to kill you and I was scared so I panicked and... and... well, everything around me fell to the ground dead. The grag did, Tajar did, there were dargu watching us in the distance and they all fell down as well. I stole all of their life force. I tried to return life force to Tajar, but I'm not sure if it worked. I've never been able to control the power when I'm emotional. I hope he's alive."

She squeezed his hand. "Then I ran over to you, but every time I tried to give you some of my life-force it didn't work. It is like your body refuses to absorb it. So then I tried to push this thing off of you, but it's too heavy."

As the words raced out of her Alam became more aware of his surrounding. He still could not remember where he was, or why a huge smelly creature was on top of him, but by turning his head towards Clarisai he could see her bent over, clutching his hand. There was something wrong about her. Her eyes were glowing red. In his dazed state he accepted it and allowed his gaze to wander. Behind her, some twenty paces away was Tajar's prone form. He lay on his side with his bow next to him. He was utterly still. Behind Tajar two silver braziers cast their flickering yellow light around the black dragon's cavern. Between those braziers was a dragon, but it was not black.

I must be dreaming.

He closed his eyes, squeezed them tight, and blinked them open, trying to get his fuzzy thoughts to take in what he was seeing.

The dragon was still there. It sat on its back haunches, like an enormous cat, calmly looking in Alam's direction. Next to it was a boulder sized black object. Alam ignored it. His gaze was drawn back to the dragon. It's blue scales, tinted green by the yellow light, gleamed beautifully. Even in his foggy state, and despite the dragons size, claws and fangs, Alam was struck by its beauty, its grace, its perfect form.

Then memories fell into place. He had been carrying Sapphire; strange popping noises had come from her; she had grown and transformed from the most beautiful woman imaginable into the monster before him.

The blue dragon's serpentine split eyes met Alam's. "Sapphire," Alam groaned.

Clarisai dropped Alam's hand, spun around and stood up.

"Leave us alone!" she shouted defiantly.

"You have done well, little Evara," Sapphire purred. "I confess I did not realise how useful you would be. Mere moments after he had impregnated me, Grathjusash, the most ancient of our kind, Lord of the Dargu, terror of the skies for a millenia, suddenly died."