Master's Mind (The Dagger of Dragon Rose Book 1)

Do not linger where the dead walk - dark elf Creed

Taren was not prepared for the pain that hit him as he returned to the smoky air of the surface. He was able to determine that there was a battle, and that it must be over. Beyond that, he was only aware of the excruciating pain in his head. He didn’t know what happened to his companions, and was not in any condition to go and look for them. He was only able to crumple to the ground and hold his head, whimpering, while he closed his eyes to try and keep the light out of them.

Painfully, he thought “Cyan? Cyan, where are you?” There was no answer,

“Arrre you all rrright?” A gruff voice asked, the sound making Taren wince.

“No, I am not.” He whispered.

“Let me help you, yourrr majesty.” Taren thought it was strange that his voice knew who he was, but he thrust the thought away.

Taren felt as if someone had reached into his head and removed a portion of his brain. The slightest thought cause him such pain that he wished that he would die, so it would end. That however, was not meant to be. Sturdy hands lifted him, cradling him like baby. He didn’t know if he was hallucinating or not, but the person that was carrying him looked really weird. He seemed to be covered in thick brown hair and his face looked like that of a dog. The idea made his head throb.

“Rrrelax, majesty. I will carrry you to yourrr frrriends.” The weird dog man said. “You will be fine.”

Taren laid his head on the furry shoulder and allowed himself to be carried. It didn’t take very long for them to reach the site where the battle had taken place. The fires where the dragon’s blood had fallen were still burning as they approached. Hope was kneeling over Narissa, the strange blue healing light causing severe wounds in her side to knit themselves closed. He was growing paler by the moment. Shaunna stood next to him, her right arm hanging limp at her side.

When she saw the strange beast approach bearing Taren in her arms, Shaunna cried out,“Taren!?“, and ran over to them. She stopped several feet from them. “What, I mean who are you?” She asked.

The creature grinned wolfishly. “I am Grrrathius Wolftrrracker. I am a Canavarrr”

“I thought Canavars were extinct.” She said.

“Rrreporrrts of ourrr extinction arrre grrreatly exaggerrrated.” He said.

Grathius set Taren on the ground and began to pace on all four limbs. He looked like a large wolf. The only things that belied his true nature were the hands he had instead of front paws and the sword strapped across his back.

The young king just slumped to the ground, covering his head with his arms as he tried to keep the light from reaching his eyes.

“What is wrong with him?” Shaunna asked?

“I do not know.” Grathius replied. “When he came out of the underrr place, he fell to the ground. I do not know what happened beforrre then.”

Hope was pale and looked very tired when he joined them. A fine sheen of perspiration covered him. “She will live, but we can not move her for a while.”

“That may not be feasible.” Grathius interjected. “The spirrrits here grrrow rrrestless. There is one that is trrrying to hold them back, but he will be overrrwhelmed eventually. Therrre is a prrresence herrre that scarrred them. I am trrrying to bolsterrr the one, but even my powerrr can not keep so many at bay indefinitely.”

Shaunna’s eyes looked a bit wild upon hearing this. “We need to get away from here. It is me that they will be coming after.”

Taren groaned as he rolled over and wretched on the grass. “Where is Cyan?”

Hope slowly walked to where the sword lay on the ground, lifeless. He picked up the sword, and the larger pieces of the heart stone and carried them back to Taren.

“Here he is, Taren. At least what is left of him.” He said as he laid the pieces on the ground. “He fought bravely. We don’t know why it happened, but he is dead.”

Grathius tapped Hope on the knee. “It looks like someone is in need of yourrr assistance.” He said as he gestured towards Shaunna’s limp arm.

“No, I will take care of this.” She replied. Hope is still too tired from helping Narissa.” She was looking around nervously as she spoke.

“Come.” Grathius said to Shaunna. “Let us put a splint on that limb. I will need some help. We need to create a way to move yourrr feline companion.”

They walked to the edge of the trees where Grathius found two straight sticks. He then set the broken bone, causing her to wince slightly. Pulling some strips of clean cloth, he bound the sticks to her arm.

“I am not a healerrr, I am a Shaman, but this should keep the bone frrrom moving again.” He said. “Now we need to find some long poles that we can lash togetherrr to make a sled that we can use to pull the cat.”

With Shaunna’s help, he lashed three logs into a rough triangular shape. Taking some more cloth strips, he wove a rough net and strung it between the logs, leaving two strands as hand holds. He then took the rest of the cloth and fashioned a sling for Shaunna’s wounded arm.

He quickly dragged the contraption over and laid it beside Narissa’s heavily slumbering form. With the one armed help of Shaunna and the tired help of Hope, they transferred Narissa to the makeshift stretcher. Grathius grabbed the sturdy cloth handholds and, using his powerful hind legs, began to drag her towards the forest.

“Can you two get the king? She is much heavierrr than she looks, just as her fatherrr was.” Grathius commented.. “It would be nice to have Orrran’s magical prrrowess herrre to help us.”

Shaunna stopped and turned. “How...”

Grathius shook his wolfish head. “Rrretrreat now, question’s laterrr.”

Shaunna did not argue, and hurried to support Taren with her good arm. As they started to follow Grathius, the first spirit appeared. The spirit appeared within, what was once, the heart of the Garden’s of Night. Shaunna’s heart soared as she beheld the lovely form of her mother, looking much as she had in life. The happiness was short lived as the mob of spirits materialized next to the dark elf spirit. Shaunna was horror struck as she once again beheld her mother being struck down by an invisible blade. Shaunna knew that the spirit of the man that had murdered her mother would not be here. He had been the last person that she had been sent to assassinate before Taren.

As her mother’s spirit fell, other spirits began to rise all around them from the castle grounds and what had been the town that had been built around it. All of the spirits turned toward Shaunna and started moving toward h her For the second time in her life, she felt real fear. She didn’t see how she was going to get out of this.

She looked around, wild eyed, and saw Grathius and Hope disappear into the forest. She tried to get her legs to move her in that direction as she bore the extra weight of Taren’s mostly disabled form. Sorrow washed over her as the knowledge that both she and Taren were going to die here.

She continued to urge her body to move as thousands of spirits surged towards her. She was just about to give into complete despair, when walls of flame shot up on either side of her blocking the spirits from her view. Taren’s weight was lifted from her and a gruff voice yelled “Rrrun!!!”

Shaunna did not wait for a second invitation. She ran down the hallway of fire that lead to the forest’s edge, closely following Grathius as he carried Taren. As they entered the forest Shaunna stopped for a moment to look back. The castle grounds looked just as they had before the spirits had attacked, with the exception of the two back strips that marked where the fire walls had been. As she turned, she did not see the single spirit standing where the throne room had once stood sadly watching her go.