A Dragon's Tale Ch. 17

Fortunately, it wasn't.

She forced her eyes open despite her body screaming that they should stay shut. She did her best to block out the pain. She briefly considered healing her wounds, but she was very low on mana; mana that she would need to fight Gonorran.

Still, she couldn't fight while distracted.

She siphoned off a sliver of mana to heal her arm just enough so the torturous pain was reduced to merely excruciating. Another sliver made her headache go from a debilitating migraine to merely agonizing.

She saw Alana rush into the camp, drawing an arrow as she did so. The wood elf glanced her way and slowed, but the redhead waved her on. The wood elf hesitated, but then glanced toward Ethan and nodded.

Rachel struggled to her feet, her body fighting her the entire way. Being blasted into all of those objects had really taken its toll, but she didn't think there was any permanent damage. She started staggering after Alana, hoping she would actually be able to help the wood elf and her husband.

She only had enough mana left for a couple of fireballs, or maybe a few decent air-rams; then she was out. For this fight, she was almost willing to tap into her deep mana to power her spells in order to keep her friends safe. It was dangerous and probably stupid, but she was willing to if it was necessary.

She hoped it wouldn't be.

* * *

Ethan clutched his side as he lay slightly crumpled on the ground at the base of the fence. He started trying to heal the wound, though that would take some time. It probably wasn't life-threatening, but it was damn painful and would greatly hinder his mobility. Plus, his wing membrane was cut deeply enough that he wouldn't be able to fly until he healed it.

Fucking necromancer.

Gonorran suddenly snapped his head up, then whipped around and raised his hands in a defensive gesture. Ethan barely caught a glimpse of an arrow before it skittered off seemingly nothing - thin air - and spun off harmlessly. Alana had arrived and loosed another arrow. This one also skittered off of seemingly nothing and spun off harmlessly.

"Another piece of meat to play with." The necromancer grinned. "You'll make a fine pleasure slave for me."

Ethan growled and called his hammer to his hand. Once it was there, he paused. With his wound, he couldn't jump high enough to get over the necromancer so the electricity could arc down to his foe. He needed the electricity to arc across the air to hit Gonorran. That's when he realized what he needed to do: what he should've been doing with lightning from the beginning.

He started pulling electrons directly from his foe to charge his hammer.

The necromancer gave him a murderous - but confused - look as he could clearly tell that Ethan was using magic, but also clearly didn't recognize it. Alana took advantage of his distraction and tried again with another arrow, but this one also glanced off harmlessly.

Apparently, he wasn't easily distracted.

*Be ready.* He grunted through the pain as he continued charging his hammer. *I'm going to fry him with lightning and you put an arrow through his heart.*

Alana nodded. *It's a small target - if he even has one - but I will.*

Gonorran turned back to Alana and started firing a ton of mini-fireballs at her, the hot afternoon sun on the sand providing plenty of heat from which to draw. Alana dodged and weaved, then headed for cover behind one of the bunkhouses.

Ethan nearly had a heart attack when he saw one of the fireballs streaking towards her head, but it missed. Not my much though, and he saw puff of smoke as one of the mini-fireballs collide with a tiny sliver of his wife's beautiful chocolate brown hair, incinerating it instantly.

Gonorran then made the same drawing motion towards Alana that he'd made toward Ethan. He was trying to freeze her too. The thought of what that spell might do to his wife or their unborn child made his blood boil.

He roared.

Gonorran whipped around.

*Now!* Ethan thought to Alana as he raised his hammer, pointing it directly at the necromancer. "Eat lighting asshole."

CRACK!

The electricity arced outwards, traveling parallel to the ground in the characteristic branching style of true lightning, but at a mere fraction of the power. It slammed into Gonorran's shoulder.

His eyes went wide.

He clutched his shoulder as Ethan heard the 'twang' of a bowstring. Whatever spell he had been using to deflect arrows had fallen, but the arrow didn't pierce the man's clothes. The arrow slammed into his leather vest, but didn't penetrate more than a few millimeters before falling to the ground. The vest must be enchanted as armor like the leather shields that several of the Argo's crew carried.

Fucking necromancer.

Ethan stood, clutching his side in a vain effort to stop the bleeding. He locked eyes with Gonorran again as he started charging his hammer. The necromancer must've felt him begin to draw electrons because He took an involuntary step backwards, glancing back and forth between the dragon and the wood elf. Alana had knocked another arrow into her bow but hadn't drawn it.

The necromancer kept a wary eye on both of them before apparently deciding he was still a match. He conjured two fireballs and launched one at each simultaneously.

They both dodged and then - coordinated telepathically - they both attacked at the same time. His lightning arced at the same instant that her arrow flew, this time she was aiming for his unprotected head. Ethan's lightning hit the instant before Alana's arrow. The sharp pain and impact from the lightning seemed to shake Gonorran's concentration because her arrow didn't completely skitter off completely this time. However, it deflected slightly as it hit the weakened invisible barrier... but it still made a shallow slice in the necromancer's cheek, drawing blood.

He staggered back, touching his cheek and looking at the blood on his hands like he couldn't believe it.

All that work for a single drop of blood.

Ethan growled.

He probably looked a lot more confident than he felt. The pain from his side was threatening to take all of his attention. He looked down to see his left leg covered with blood that had come from his wound. He hoped it looked worse than it was. He had been trying to heal it, but it was hard and took a lot of concentration; not the kind of thing you could easily do in the middle of a fight.

He was also getting a little lightheaded.

He hoped it wasn't from blood loss.

He summoned his willpower and started charging his hammer again. Alana knocked another arrow into her bow. Gonorran took an involuntary step back.

At that moment, Serif and Raklan made an entrance.

They were both fully armed with spears and shields, and looked ready to do some serious damage. Raklan looked especially sour and was glaring murder at both Gonorran and Serif.

"Give up." Serif ordered.

"To the likes of you, never." The necromancer spat.

"How about the likes of me?" Rachel said as she hobbled out from behind the building she'd been blasted into. She was limping and was clearly both injured and in pain. But she was also clearly determined.

The necromancer gaped at her.

Then he looked around.

By chance or fortune, Ethan, Alana, Serif, Raklan, and Rachel had ended up between Gonorran andall of the remaining dead bodies. Cut off from his source of mana, he appeared to be reconsidering. He looked from Ethan's hammer to Alana's bow, to Rachel's fiery expression, to the intimidating sight of Serif and especially Raklan, who were rested and clearly spoiling for a fight.

"To the cave." Gonorran said to the sole remaining guard, who had been cowering behind a nearby tree for much of the fight. The necromancer started backing away as the guard turned and fled.

The wicked mage then summoned a hoard of tiny, marble sized fireballs and started launched them at the Argo's crew. Serif and Raklan merely raised their shields. Rachel ducked behind a nearby bunkhouse and Alana leapt to join her.

Ethan just stalked forward, trusting his heat resistant scales to protect him against these small threats.

It sort of worked.

They hurt like hell but didn't seem to cause any damage. Gonorran adapted by throwing larger fireballs at him while continuing the micro-fireball assault on the rest of the Argo's crew.

The whole time he was backing away toward a large hill. As Ethan dodged the larger fireballs and ran for cover, he saw the other guard had run into a small cave which Gonorran seemed to be heading towards. It was cut out of the rock in the side of a very steep hill, which is why he hadn't noticed it before.

Finally, Ethan had to dive for cover behind a tree as a larger fireball streaked towards him. Peeking out, he saw that Gonorran had turned and ran towards the cave. He was holding his hands out behind him as he did so. He guessed it was for his shield spell, which was proved right when another one of Alana's arrow skittered off it. Moments later, the necromancer disappeared into the cave.

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone emerged from their cover and cautiously converged on the cave's mouth. He staggered slightly, still feeling lightheaded. Fortunately, the wound in his side seemed to have closed enough that it wasn't bleeding much anymore. Bracing himself, Ethan called his spear to his hand and readied it as they slowly entered with him in the lead.

It was really more of a tunnel than a cave and looked man-made. The tunnel turned at an abrupt ninety-degree angle about twenty feet inside. He leaned up against the inside of the bend, partially for the support and partially to peek around the corner.

About thirty more feet into the tunnel, it opened into a large circular room about thirty feet in diameter and twenty feet tall. In the center of the room was a large ring standing vertically with a wooden ramp leading up to it. About ten feet in front of that and off to one side was a short, thick, wooden podium.

Gonorran was standing in front of it with his hand touching it. Beside him, the other guard lay dead. Ethan assumed he'd been murdered so the necromancer could replenish his mana.

Ethan stared at the large ring.

It was about ten feet wide on the inside and fourteen on the outside. The ring had a shallow wooden ramp leading up to it, so he couldn't see the bottom eighteen inches of empty space in the center of the ring.

All around the side of the ring facing him were strange symbols; he counted thirty-nine. Seven Large gemstones were embedded into the ring at equidistance points, but they were arranged as if there was an eighth one that was out of sight below the ramp. Five of the seven gemstones were glowing brightly, the other two were dark.

As he watched, another gemstone slowly lit up and then flashed.

It was the portal; Gonorran was charging the portal.

Speaking of, the necromancer saw him and directed a powerful air-ram at him, Ethan moved, but the force didn't diminish much in the confines of the tunnel. They were all pushed backwards, but not physically thrown.

Ethan dropped to all fours to reduce his frontal area and stalked forward, ready to kill this bastard. About ten seconds later, Gonorran launched another air-ram, blowing them back again.

As he rounded the corner, he saw the necromancer's plan.

The portal had already opened. It looked like a pool of water with the wind blowing over it as it undulated and rippled. Gonorran was backing towards it, firing air-rams at regular intervals to keep them back.

As Ethan advanced, he saw the lower right gem slowly fade and then go out. Then the middle right gem faded and went out. Then the upper right gem. They were slowly dimming and going out in a counter-clockwise sequence, each one taking about five seconds.

If the gems lighting up had been him charging the portal, then...

"The damn thing is closing, we need to get in there." Ethan yelled and tried to advance, but the necromancer's air-rams kept blasting him - and everyone else - backwards.

There were only two gems left; ten seconds.

They still couldn't get close.

Alana fired an arrow, but it went badly off target as the next air-ram buffeted them.

One gem left; five seconds.

Gonorran looked at the gem, then at them, then fired a massive air-ram and leapt through the portal. Everyone was thrown backwards and by the time they'd disentangled themselves from each other and were ready to rush forward, the portal's appearance had changed.

The rippling on the surface abruptly stopped and the membrane separated from the ring. It appeared to start flowing inwards and circling like water down a drain. He stumbled forward, but in mere seconds it had swirled away into nothingness, again like water going down a drain.

The portal was closed.

Gonorran was gone.

Ethan let himself fall to the floor of the tunnel clutching his side. He hadn't even made it into the cavernous portal room. Rachel similarly slid down against the cave wall opposite him. They both groaned, almost in unison.

"Are you guys okay?" Alana asked in alarm.

"Just peachy." He grunted as he focused on healing his side.

"Could you be a dear and fetch Taloni?" Rachel through gritted teeth. "I'm almost out of mana and..." She grimace and took a sharp intake of breath as she moved her arm.

"Of course." Alana said and took off sprinting.

"Go with her and guard them." Ethan said to Serif and Raklan.

Moments later, he and Rachel were alone in the cave. The redhead grimaced and then quietly moaned in pain. The outside shoulder of her left arm was red and looked angry and swollen. There were blisters forming and he could see it was a serious burn. The fact that she still felt pain was good though. That meant it was only a second degree burn, not a first degree burn which would mean irreparable damage and that the nerve endings had been destroyed.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Uh-huh." She said while shaking her head. She looked like she was in terrible pain.

"I'm sorry." He said hanging his head. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. If I would've kept a lid on it - on the dragon - then maybe we could've-"

"Stop apologizing." She groaned. "I almost did what you did after hearing..." She shook her head. "Yeah, it probably would've been better to have a plan of attack instead of going off like that, but it's water under the bridge. Besides-" She nodded to his still bleeding side. "-seems like you're paying as much as I am."

He nodded but wasn't sure he agreed because she groaned again.

Trying to distract her from the pain, he observed. "Those air-rams are very useful. How come you didn't use them against me when we met? Or fought in Beth's room?"

She screwed up her face and took a few deeps breaths. "I don't think I really wanted to hurt you; that was the ring not me." She got a slightly mischievous look despite the obvious pain. "If I wanted to hurt you, you'd be dead."

She winked, then winced.

He chuckled, then also winced as the motion hurt his side.

He continued healing his side for the next few minutes before Taloni and Alana returned. The instant he saw the Fey, he knew something was wrong. She only glanced at him, and there was something approaching trepidation in her eyes when she looked at him.

He supposed he shouldn't blame her.

He was covered in blood, most of it not his own. His hands, feet, and mouth were covered, and the rest of him was splattered with the blood of the men he'd killed. He wasn't sure he regretted it given their crimes, but the look on Taloni's face was heartbreaking.

The Fey focused on Rachel first, healing her head and then working on her arm.

"Well, that's all I can do." She said with a slight flutter of her wings. "Burn wounds are different than cuts and other injuries. I can heal them, but I can't instantly regrow the damaged skin. I'm sorry, but it needs to re-grow naturally." She looked at Rachel apologetically.

"No that's good." Rachel said as she moved her arm. It clearly still hurt, but much less. The blisters were gone and so was most of the redness. However, it was still far pinker than the rest of her fair skin and it would certainly leave a scar. Maybe not an obvious one, but it would definitely leave one.

"Thank you. Now you might want to check on your husband." The redhead said, casting a knowing look in his direction. Then she turned to Alana. "Come on, let's set some people free." The two women left, leaving him alone with Taloni.

The Fey got up slowly and turned to face him. She approached in much the same manner as you would a wild animal you weren't sure about. Her steps were slow and hesitant.

It was heartbreaking.

"I won't hurt you Taloni; I promise I never will." She said.

"I know." She whispered, her gaze fill with both adoration and trepidation.

She bit her lip and stepped closer so she could look at his wound. He had mostly healed it by now, but she finished healing it and his wing. She seemed very reluctant to touch him, which he understood with all the blood, but it seemed to be something more.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She looked very conflicted. She trembled slightly as she knelt there, seemingly riveted to the spot. He checked their bond and could feel relief and heartfelt love mixed with apprehension and anxiety. They were all jumbled up in a swirl of powerful emotion like a turbulent tempest on the open ocean.

"I... um, I need to... to..." She glanced towards the entrance of the cave. "I should check on the slaves; make sure they're okay."

She didn't meet his eye.

"Okay." He nodded, deciding not to push. "But when you're ready to talk, let me know."

She nodded in return and made to leave. Before turning the corner she looked back at him and gave him a small but genuine smile. "I'm glad you're okay."

Then she was gone.

Ethan closed his eyes and rested his head against the cool stone of the tunnel's wall. He had certainly made a mess of things. Gonorran was gone, but now he was on Earth. Or at least, he assumed that's where the portal led. He wasn't too worried because Earth had guns. A few well-placed shots would finish the necromancer off, no matter how powerful he was. It took time to heal wounds and he highly doubted that the necromancer's leather armor would stop bullets.

Still, he felt some responsibility to find Gonorran.

He sat in the cave for another minute and then pulled himself to his feet. He ached almost everywhere. Magical healing closed wounds, but it didn't do much for the aches and pains they left behind.

He looked at his blood-covered hands and feet, realizing he would need to get cleaned up before he wanted anyone - especially Taloni - to see him again. He vaguely remembered seeing a stream to the north while approaching in the Argo and decided to visit it before doing anything else.

* * *

Taloni left the cave feeling conflicted. On the one hand, she truly and dearly loved Ethan. He was the best man she had ever met and she couldn't believe Illuminar had blessed her so much that he was her husband. She was truly grateful for that.

On the other hand...

She shuddered as she recalled the emotions that had come over their bond. She couldn't even comprehend someone being that full of rage and fury. Those words weren't even strong enough to describe what she'd felt from him. There wasn't a word in either the common tongue or the Fey tongue that would describe it.

Not one.

If she hadn't felt it herself, she wouldn't have believed it. Just thinking about it she wanted to curl up in a ball and hide again. She couldn't though; there were people counting on her.

She spotted Alana and Rachel near where the two women were in the pillory. She walked over to see if either of them needed healing. That was something she could do; that she could help with. It would also be a welcome distraction from thinking about earlier.