Chapter 1
The red dragon circled lazily above the battlements. Horen glanced up from sorting his herbs to watch it glide to a halt on the courtyard. Shading his eyes with one hand, he watched in awe as the majestic beast folded its wings and arched its neck gracefully. Strength and beauty.
That was the only phrase to describe the woman who swung off the dragonsaddle and dropped cat-like to the ground. She spared a moment to stroke the dragon's side before turning to walk towards him. Horen gulped. A Queen's Guard. She had the loose-limbed walk of a warrior and was dressed in full battle armor. Trouble was afoot.
Lorelei came to halt in front of the young man gaping at her. She smiled. So young and already a healer. That smile reached out to the boy and hit him directly in the groin. Young, yes. Dead, no! Horen couldn't take his eyes of her.
Auburn hair tied into an inticate braid, a few tendrils blown loose to curl recklessly about her face. Flawless skin, perhaps more tanned than fashionable but glowing with life. Eyes of grass and a body showing trim and subtly muscled beneath her ornate but lightweight armor. Strength and beauty.
"I bear a message from Her Majesty for the Alvamar. It is of the utmost urgency." This in a voice, low and husky. Horen suddenly came to life.
"The Alvamar is in the Healing Hall. I'll take you to him, my lady."
Lorelei pursed her lips softly.
"Not my lady. I can only be referred to as Warrior," she rebuked gently. Horen turned fiery red. Of course! Even a village idiot would know that!
"I'm sorry, Warrior," he mumbled. She smiled back at him with a gentleness she reserved only for children and small animals.
The Alvamar sighed and wiped his hands. The last of the pilgrims had been taken care of. He looked around the huge hall. Everyday the hall was filled to capacity and everyday he and his mages cleared it. This was the way it had been for 300 years, and he had to admit that he was getting just a little bored with it..
"Master." He swung around to meet a pair of very green, very direct eyes. "A messenger from the Queen."
"This is the Alvamar?" Lorelei blurted out. This was the famed healer, the ageless who seen six generations and would see many more. This was a gorgeous man in the prime of life! Mage? Him? The soft navy robes he wore should have hidden the body beneath but instead hinted at long, lean muscles and leashed power. Tall, with clear grey eyes and thick black hair that waved gently to his shoulders. He didn't belong in this place. The man's sculptured lips curved in an amused smile.
"I do happen to bear that name. What does Her Majesty desire of me?"
Lorelei pulled herself together. "My lord, I bring greetings from the Queen and a plea for help. The Prince has been wounded mortally in battle and needs your talent!"
The Alvamar nodded gravely. "As soon as the young prince is here, I would be happy to do what I can," he answered.
Lorelei shook her head firmly. "The castle healer has warned us that the prince would die if he were to be moved," she stated. "My Lord, the Queen needs your help. She needs you to go to him with all possible speed."
Alvamar fixed her with a steady gaze. Lorelei instinctively stiffened her back. She had never trusted magic and the sheer power of it emanating from this man was disconcerting. But not even by a flicker of an eyelash, did she betray that to him.
"Do you know of the curse that binds me here?"
Lorelei nodded. "You are required to stay within the boundaries of the castle or be hunted to the death."
Alvamar nodded briefly in agreement.
"That was why I was sent to deliver the message. I am to be your protector. No one will harm you as long as I live."
A brief flicker of irritation crossed Alvamar's face.
"I am well aware of the Guards reputation and I am sure that you would be perfectly capable of defending me against physical attackers. But we are not talking about men or beasts here, but demons of magic. Only a mage would be able to defeat them. And I cannot stay awake 24 hours a day to see to keeping myself alive! As I have said before, if the prince is brought here, I would be happy to assist him."
Lorelei's face darkened. "Please my Lord, please reconsider."
Alvamar's face softened. The woman was certainly dedicated, and the battle armor she wore certainly became her.
"I'm sorry."
"So am I," she murmured. She moved in a blur of color. The next instant, she was behind the Alvamar, holding her short sword to his throat.
Horen screamed for help.
Alvamar merely stiffened. "I'm the Alvamar, Warrior. You can't kill me."
"No? My orders are to get you to Miramar and I will. In one piece or many!" she growled. "Now MOVE!"
Lorelei moved him swiftly towards the entrance she had noted on the way in. All the while, her mind was racing. There was no way the Alvamar's mages could stop her. They were healers. Weapons were forbidden them as were spells of attack. She wondered briefly why her captive had not blasted her with a spell of defense but she chose not to continue with that particular line of thought.
They moved out into the small, sunlit courtyard. There were already several blue robes milling around them but a single motion of the Alvamar's hand kept them from breaking their vows and picking up their gardening implements to defend him. Suddenly, a wall of rushing wind hit them, scattering them to the safety of the halls. Lorelei screamed an order as she and the Alvamar stood firm against the buffeting winds. Kirsah slowly descended into the courtyard, his immense body barely fitting within its confines. As soon as the huge wings ceased beating, Lorelei was shoving her captive into the dragonsaddle and they were away!
Now she was really worried. The Alvamar hadn't put up much of a fight at all, which was completely contrary to his reputation. In fact, he was sitting quietly in front of her, trying to keep his wildly flapping robes intact. She would have figured that he would have electrocuted her or something.
Kirsah! She telepathed to her dragon. What do you sense about him? He does not fight us, came a liquid gold voice in her head. He is glad to be going. Thats impossible! He was so worried about his curse! Kirsah shrugged mentally. I can only tell you what I feel.
She shouted against the rushing winds, "Your pardon, My Lord, for abducting you in this way, but I am willing to do anything to save my prince!"
"No harm done Warrior, since you will be shortly taking me back to my castle," he replied.
As if right on cue, the dragon made a wide sweep and started heading back to the castle.
Kirsah! A wave of rage and pain from the dragon flooded her mind. I can't stop him! He's in my mind! Lorelei reacted instantly, reaching instinctively to put Alvamar in a choke hold. She hadn't even managed to touch him when she felt his magic start battering at her magic shield. It broke through faster than she thought possible and an excruciating pain exploded from within her. She suddenly felt like she was being incinerated from the inside out. Gasping, she doubled over clutching her abdomen, all thought of stopping the man erased from her mind.
Firm hands reached for her then, keeping her in the saddle and easing the pain magically.
"It will pass in a minute. You should have known better than to stop me."
Lorelei's breathing stablized somewhat, the pain now receeding amazingly fast. "Why did you let me take you this far? You could have prevented this if you wanted to."
The Alvamar smiled wryly. "It was a break in my monotonous schedule. Quite entertaining, in fact. Plus, I have to set an example for my apprentices. As you probably know, we're not allowed to attack, only to defend. I couldn't possibly have practised that spell until we were out of their sight."
"Practise?" she murmered, feeling a little better. "YOU WERE PRACTISING ON ME??" she yelled, her strength suddenly restored by the thought of shoving him off the dragon.
The Alvamar casually began to study the vicious-looking sparks that started darting from one hand.
Lorelei forced herself to calm down, thinking furiously all the time. Kirsah, if you have any control left at all, pretend to be in trouble. Nothing happened. Kirth! she swore. Then suddenly the dragon practically froze in mid-air and started plummeting to the ground.
Both riders gasped in panic, but the Alavamar instantly closed his eyes and started yelling the arcane words of magic. Little by little, the dragon came out of its dive, borne up by the sheer strength of the Alvamar's will. Stealthily, Lorelei began to unbuckle her thigh guard. As soon as she got it free, she lifted it high and brought it down hard on the man's skull. He slumped forward on the dragon's neck with a soft sigh. With the magic gone, they started falling again. Lorelei screamed Kirsah's name, and immediately dropped the ornate guard to take a firm hold on the unconcious man. The dragon quickly took over and righted himself only fifty feet off the ground!
Lorelei was trembling in fear. No matter how many times she had flown with Kirsah, no matter how much she trusted him, the sight of the ground spinning uncontrollably towards her had cracked her nerve. Getting stabbed in battle was infinitely better than getting splattered all over the ground like a bug.
To Miramar but keep to the hills, she ordered wearily as she took a firm hold on the Alvamar. We need the cover. As for the healer, I'll keep knocking him out until we get there.
They had been flying for thirty minutes when the storm started brewing. Dark clouds seemed to appear from nowhere, boiling ominously around them. The mage was still out cold. Lorelei had already sent the him back into his unwilling slumber a second time..
Kirsah was uneasy. Even a dragon of his power would tire very quickly against the buffeting winds of a major storm. But he also knew that time was of the essence. He would get his riders to Miramar even if he had to fly through a hailstorm. He slowed his pace, conserving his energy for the battle ahead. That was when the dragonriders appeared on the horizon.
I see them, Lorelei answered grimly. Their spies are better than we thought. She loosened the battle lance strapped to the Kirsah's saddle. Two of them, and a few griffons. Lord Taren probably hadn't been able to spare more from his army but what he had sent was probably enough to keep the Healer from reaching the Prince.
"Alvamar! Wake up!" she hissed into the man's ear as she started shaking him.
He remained unresponsive.
Damn! How the hell was she supposed to fight when she had an unconcious man to keep in the saddle? We'll have to land, Kirsah.
Kirsah growled in response. The blood lust was already in his eyes. He didn't want to expose himself to attack from the higher regions, but he also realised that the presence of the mage would keep his rider from fighting effectively. He dropped into a controlled dive, reaching the ground in a few seconds.
Lorelei unceremoniously shoved the mage out of the saddle and they were airborne again in the next minute.
Almost immediately, they were surrounded by snapping Griffons, all darting in and out, claws extended to gouge out some unlucky flesh. Kirsah drew a deep breath and suddenly the world around them was flame! Lorelei winced from the heat, yanking out her battle lance as she did. When the smoke cleared, one of the Griffons was plummeting to the ground with a shrill scream, its beautiful plumage afire.
Kirsah went into a roll, heading after another griffon. A sharp set of claws gashed along his side but a skilled thrust of Lorelei's lance, left a bright red splotch on the attacker's breast. It wouldn't live long. Almost immediately another set of claws fastened on her shoulder plates and yanked up furiously. Lorelei felt some of her harness straps strain and then break. If the screaming beast kept on like this, she would be plucked out of the saddle and dropped like a stone to her death. Keeping hold of her lance with one hand, she reached for her short sword with her other and jabbed sharply upwards with it. A shrill cry from the eagle head, the claws dug deeper into her skin, another stab. and another.. blood flowing onto her hair. she screamed in fury and thrust .. more blood and the lion's body dropped past her.. fire everywhere.. the smell of burnt feathers. And dragons.
The slower dragons finally arrived on the scene. Only one of the Griffons remained to aid them, but the sheer magnificence of the green dragons did enough to dishearten their opponents. They circled lazily around Kirsah, their riders almost invisible on their broad backs. Fight well Kirsah, Lorelei telepathed, perhaps as a good-bye. Fight well, Warrior came the formal response. And then he was soaring up into the heavens. The two dragons exploded after them.
Kirsah made a swift loop and dived below one of the dragons, emitting a blast that singed its back. The other dragon immediately attacked from the side, flames heading straight for Lorelei. She ducked even as Kirsah dodged the blast adroitly. But then he screamed as sharp talons ripped into his flank, twisting around in mid-air to snarl and grapple with his attacker. Lorelei lunged instinctively to drive her lance into the other dragon's side, putting her entire weight on its point. But the other rider had the same idea. Swiftly she deflected his lance with her sword even as her lance sank into the shrieking dragon. A little deeper, she panted. The other rider produced a sword and hacked at her lance. No time! she screamed mentally, yanking the lance out to save it. Both dragons were locked together, wings flapping, mouths snarling, teeth and claws sinking into exposed flesh.
From behind, the other attacked, air whistling as it hurtled towards the struggling dragons. Its rider held his lance steady, aiming straight for Kirsah's spine. Lorelei heard the dragon's cry and twisted around to protect her friend but it was too late. The lance sank into Kirsah's flesh, snapping in two as the force of his attacker's dive carried its rider past them. Kirsah's scream of pain sliced through her, both mentally and physically. He started dropping towards the ground. Lorelei cried out then, suffering together with her dragon but sent a wave of her own energy to him through their bond.
The other dragons were coming after them. Kirsah kept dropping, the shock and pain freezing his muscles. KIRSAH! she screamed, sending him another surge of her energy. The huge wings opened slowly and caught the currents but they were still losing altitude. Kirsah slowly rolled into position as Lorelei felt him recover. Weak but alive! Lorelei felt her fury mount, churned it carefully and sent a surge of that to him. It awoke the battle lust in him again as he swung up to face the oncoming dragons. Lorelei swung her lance into position. The left one!
Kirsah shot up towards the left dragon, meeting its blast of fire with his own. The flames flowed over her like water, bouncing off her armor but digging deep into her exposed thigh. Ignoring the pain, she used the cover of the flames to aim her lance directly at the oncoming dragon's breast. By the time, the other rider saw her, it was too late. Kirsah's force drove it deep into the dragon's heart. She let it go as they thundered past her, their screams fading away as they dropped away. All Lorelei heard after that was the explosion as the dragon hit the ground.
Pain. Lorelei felt it. Her own and Kirsah's. She felt his exhaustion, his draining strength. She could feel his blood flowing around her from his back wound. She could feel the agony of her own burnt flesh. They could never survive an attack from the other dragon. She looked behind them to find it. Diving? Diving towards the ground.. The Alvamar!
Kirsah swung around to follow but his wing beats were faltering. He was losing too much blood too fast and he couldn't feel his back legs. Dying. It echoed in both their minds, but duty came first. They would have to defend the Alvamar. Carefully, he folded his wings in and dropped swiftly in a reckless dive.
The other dragon was sweeping along the valley where they had dumped him, scanning for her victim. Seeing a splash of blue on the mountainside, she swooped in lower, working up a blast that would incinerate him instantly. She opened her mouth to blow, but her rider suddenly ordered a halt mentally. The robes were empty. Where was he? The dragon suddenly felt an insidious presence slipping into her mind. No! she screamed, recognizing it, but the force was too strong. She felt herself wheel around and head towards the cliff on her left.. The force of the blast tore away half of the mountain top, sending an avalanche of rocks tumbling down into the valley.
Kirsah practically crashed to the ground. Miraculously, he managed to land before his huge bulk crumpled to the ground. Lorelei swiftly slipped off him to examine his injuries. The end of the broken lance was still stuck in his back and when she yanked it out, the deep hole started gushing more rich blood. She quickly grabbed some clean clothes out of her saddlebags and stauched the flow. Thinking swiftly, she calculated the time needed to stoke a fire and get her dagger ready to sear the wound closed. But the blood poured out with a speed that struck a little dread into her heart. Ruthlessly she forced it down. Kirsah would need a clear mind to see to him. He would not die.
Kirsah turned his head weakly to face her. Lorelei gasped in horror. Part of his face had melted under the flames from the other dragon. He had only one good eye left and it was regarding her sadly. Its no use, came his beautiful voice in her mind. The wound is mortal. My rear is paralysed. "No!" she stormed. "This isn't over. We have the Alvamar!"
"No," came a quiet voice from behind her. "I cannot help him. His spine is broken. No magic in the world can heal that." He stepped forward to put a soothing hand on the dragon's neck. He turned his head slowly to look at Lorelei. "I can ease his pain though. And perhaps make the end come a little sooner."
Lorelei paled and backed away from him instinctively. No, Kirsah. Please, I need you. She could feel the warmth radiate from him. My friend, you know I love you but I don't wish to live like this. Nothing can bring my legs back. I'm a fighting dragon, not an object to be pitied! I wish to be remembered as I was. Lorelei nodded slowly. She could understand pride and perhaps the proof of her love for him would be to let him go.
She looked at the Alvamar. Her voice, when it came, was cold. "Kirsah has chosen to die. It is my responsiblity to end his suffering."
The Alvamar nodded briefly, but compassion was in his eyes. He stepped back from Kirsah.
Lorelei walked over to the dragon's head. Bending over, she took one of the scales over his heart and broke it off. She looked at the irridescent scale for a long time before tucking in safely under her breastplate. Lifting her hand over her shoulder, she grasped the hilt of the long sword strapped to her back and unsheathed it. The beautifully ornate design glinted softly in the dim light. She could feel the pain that the dragon was trying to hide from her. Peace descended upon her. This was right.
Warrior. Friend, she replied. Lifting a hand, she placed a hand on the soft, black nose of her dragon in farewell. The gleaming red eyes closed. Swiftly she placed the point of her sword against his breast and put her weight on it.
Kirsah stiffened, sighed softly once and it was over.
Lightning flashed over them, followed by the rolling bass of thunder. Both people looked up startled.
"We can shelter under that overhang," said Alvamar, pointing to their left.
Lorelei nodded briskly in agreement. She had put together a survival pack from the contents of Kirsah's saddlebags. She kept none of her armor except for her breastplate. Five hours of walking and even the lightest would feel like wrought iron. She hefted the hefted the pack over her shoulder and loped towards the deep hole in the hillside. The mage retrieved his robes, and followed her slowly, picking up dried branches on his way.
Later, when they had got a fire going and the rain was pouring from the ledge over them, the Alvamar tended to Lorelei's burnt thigh. She winced as he laid his hand on the ugly, puffed flesh. He closed his eyes then and took a deep breath. No chanting, no herbs, nothing. Lorelei bit down on her lip as the pain intensified for a burning moment and then it faded as a sensation of coolness washed over her leg. He lifted his hand then, revealing a patch of redness where the burn had been. She stretched her muscles cautiously. No pain. No pain at all. She smiled involuntarily then. "Thank you. It feels fine."
Later she produced some dried jerkin from her pack. As she glanced over to offer some to the Alvamar, the words died on her tongue. She had been in too much pain to realise it before, but the man had abandoned his robes and was still bare-chested. With a sense of shock, she averted her eyes. She had sensed the lean strength of his body but she never could have guessed the power and beauty that was the reality. In that single instant, she had drunk in the sight of strong, broad shoulders tapering to a slim waist, well-muscled arms and legs that were displayed to their full advantage by the supple leather breeches that he wore.
She was suddenly wary. This was no ordinary mage. He had the look of a warrior and it was pretty obvious that handling herbs wasn't the only exercise he took. Swiftly she tried to recall all the stories that she had heard about him in the past.
Not much. Just that he was a renegade prince whose unrelenting ambition had driven him to seek immortality. He had found it too, but the angry wizard he had stolen the secret from, had put a curse on him as a punishment. He would live forever but only if he stayed within a 5 mile radius of his castle. Any escape attempt would set in motion the intricate spell that would set magical assasins on his trail. The old legends had stated that the prince had repented, renounced his status and settled down to use his magic for the good of humanity. Very altruistic. Unfortunately she couldn't reconcile that romantic figure from the legends with the man leaning casually against the damp wall.
"My Lord."
The Alvamar opened his eyes to look at her.
"My lord, you must know by now that I'm prepared to do anything to get you to Miramar. But you also know that I'm no longer in any position to take you there by force.. That is why, I'm asking you now to come with me of your own free will. We are already a third of the way to Miramar. It would only take 4 more days to get there. I know its selfish of me to ask you to risk your life for the Prince but I can do no more than pledge my own to ensure your safety." She fell silent then, embarrassed for abasing herself in front of him, but it would be worth it if he consented.
He didn't say anything for a long while, but merely regarded her with those calm grey eyes.
"That will be enough," he stated simply.
That single sentence practically knocked Lorelei over. She had figured that nothing would have made him consent after what she had done to him. She quickly found her voice.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "You have my gratitude."
He smiled at her then. A smile of such utter charm that all her defenses went swinging back up. She still couldn't shake the feeling that the man was dangerous.
She reached down into her clevage to pull forth a slim wooden rod from the hidden pocket there and handed it to him. The Alvamar broke the seal on it and drew forth the gossamer thin scroll. Unrolling it on the ground, he read the case description sent by the castle healer. His brow darkened as he read about the treachery and murder he just committed himself to.
Barion. Injured in battle and taken home to recover. Surrounded by part of his Guard, he lay unconcious in his bedroom. The castle healer had left his vigil to recover his strength when Lord Taren's assasins made a strike against the Prince. The Guard died to the last man, but they took the assasins with them. Except for one. He managed to slash the Prince's throat before collapsing on top of him. That was the carnage that greated the horrified healer's eyes as he returned from his dinner. With a great presence of mind, he cast a stasis spell on the dying Prince and halted the gush of blood from his jugular. The Prince would still bleed but time had slowed down for him. His mind wandered now in the twilight world from where only a great mage like the Alvamar could bring it back. Six days instead of two minutes before death. Six days that suddenly seemed too short.
The next day she was shaken awake by the Alvamar. There was barely enough light for her to see him put his finger to his lips. Swiftly she came to her feet and mists of sleep begin to clear. He was standing at the mouth of the overhang, looking out into the cold grey fog, his eyes focused and searching as if for something that only he could see. She came up beside him with her long sword drawn.
"There is evil magic here," he said quietly without looking at her. "I can feel it chilling my bones."
He held out a small pouch to her. A magic shield. She took it and looped it around her neck together with her current one. Suddenly a twig cracked. They both froze. Lorelei felt her instinctive fear of magic rise up to clutch at her throat. Suddenly she felt completely defenceless and very much alone. She could feel the presence now, all around them.
The Alvamar suddenly shouted something and threw his hand upwards. Light exploded all around them, sending the awful creatures in front of them cringing away from the shock. The fireball remained suspended in the air, flames shooting out to light their way.
Lorelei screamed her battle cry and lunged at the closest creature. It stood 2 feet taller than her, bound with muscle and brown fur. It also had the longest fangs she had ever seen.
Alyssa, Lorelei's aunt and personal guard to the Queen, had once commented that the secret behind her nieces' success in the Guards was due mostly to her speed and agility. She was certainly proved right as Lorelei thrust her sword deep into creature's chest, ripped downwards and out, even as she dropped under the blow the thing aimed at her throat. It let out a thin scream as razor sharp claws whistled over her head. She didn't wait to see it fall before she was attacking another.
Behind her, the Alvamar's chanting rose and fell as shrieks and the smell of burning flesh floated towards her. Lorelei fought on ignoring the bloody gashes she had taken across her chest and back. Suddenly light exploded around her as some force slammed into her body, knocking her to the ground. Looking up she caught a glimpse of swirling black robes before one of the mutants threw itself on her. She screamed as claws ripped into her body, as she struggled to get enough space to thrust her sword into its body. Suddenly the snarling beast stiffened and then collapsed on her. She barely heard the anxious voice calling her name and the hands pulling her out from under the creature.
Held protectively within the Alvamar's arms, she turned her head weakly in the direction that he was glaring. A dark mage stood there, black robes fluttering around him. Black eyes, long black hair, he was an impressive sight. He stood impassively for a second before making a courtly bow to the Alvamar. The man holding her paused for a second before acknoledging it with a nod of his head. As if on cue, a firedrake dropped from the sky and landed by the mage, who swiftly mounted and was gone in minutes.
"Its over," Alvamar said harshly. "For now."
That was when Lorelei passed out.
Continued in Chapter 2
World - Chapter 1
Next Story:World - Chapter 2
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