Thornblade Chronicles - Volume 1

Chapter 17

Eli followed a cyan-cloaked figure into a large, dark cavern in the mountain. The purple-scaled dragon trudged closely behind. The only light Eli could see was from the moonlight shining through the entrance they walked through.

Looking around, Eli saw large, scattered boulders throughout the room and a mound of ash in the center. "This temple has been asleep for quite a while now," the blue-cloaked being said, her voice soothing and light. "The Gods are not displeased."

"What if it were to reawaken?" asked Eli.

"The Elders believe it never will. It is the perfect location for the artifact. Besides, the material is incredibly strong; not even fire can melt it," the woman turned to face Eli, but her voice did not match her face. Eli's heart sank when he recognized the other person as Ilkama. Quickly taking note of the inconsistency, Eli understood he and Ilkama were the corruptions to the memory; two other people had been here to hide the artifact long ago. The being took out the heart-shaped container from inside his cloak and showed it to Eli, who stared at it and asked, "But why would we hide such an artifact anyway? Surely, this would be beneficial to our own."

"It is a fundamental truth to our lives: we will not live forever," the feminine voice slowly distorted into Ilkama's, the effect sending a shiver down Eli's spine. "Therefore, we are not suited to protect the Dragon Heart. Hiding it from those who wish to defeat us is our best option," Ilkama replied.

"But why hide it instead of passing it down to later generations?"

"You are much more talkative today."

"My apologies."

Ilkama laughed. "The artifact is not as powerful as other enchantment methods. This will only enchant our weaponry for a short period of time. It will be used as a last resort by Mienards who require more weaponry."

"And we hide them out here because—"

"Many of our artifacts are scattered throughout the planet. If Mienardos were to fall, our people would be scattered. While some hold power in other kingdoms, many will have to flee to the Etoum Forest. If those in the kingdoms wish to stay in power, they may require resources to strengthen their weaponry. This would aid them momentarily," explained Ilkama. Understanding, Eli nodded.

When Ilkama glared at the dragon, it huffed smoke through its nose. "Zhotan, carve out a room suitable for the artifact," he ordered. The dragon growled in return, causing Ilkama to lift his hand and hiss a phrase in a language indecipherable to Eli. A ball of light appeared in the man's hand. "Need I remind you that you are under my control until the time that I free you? If I do not free you, you become stuck in our realm forever. You will never see another dragon again."

The dragon, Zhotan, huffed again and walked past the humans. As it began carving out the rocks and blowing away the ash, Eli turned to the corruption. "Would you really trap the beast here?"

"Of course, it would be violating our natural order," Ilkama explained. Eli felt an uneasiness in his stomach. While he knew this was not Ilkama, it did not help that they shared ideologies. "We have evolved and discovered ways to command the other realms. We summon these creatures to do our bidding; we have for many decades. They are lesser than us. If they could summon us, our roles would be reversed." Eli watched the dragon glare at them from a distance, seemingly understanding Ilkama's train of thought. It slashed angrily into a boulder as though the boulder were Ilkama's face.

Once the dragon carved enough boulders into circular slabs, the creature began stacking them in the center of the room. Usings its fiery breath, Zhotan seared the stones carefully, melding them into one large staircase. It growled as it stomped to other stones it would not build with and began pulverizing them with its sheer strength. Eli stared in awe at the beast's progress, asking, "How is it possible the beast is capable of designing like this?"