Chapter 13

Victor’s belly growled as he watched Raghes pace back and forth before him, Lothar glaring at them in the distance. William sat on his back, and Celesta sat by his side, flicking her tail while listening to Raghes prattle on. One final briefing before the mission.

“Now, even though you’re dragons, don’t be fooled. You’re anything except fully immune from what those traps are capable of. Our hides may be thick, but by no means impervious. Traps can do serious, even fatal damage. And do not forget that you’re not all dragons! Serious damage to a dragon is guaranteed to be fatal to humans, so watch your step!”

Raghes went through every last detail about flying, what to do on a long mission, and what information on Reval’s tomb hadn’t been lost to the ages. Victor struggled to pay attention the scales under his eyes looking heavy. The blue dragon may have been a good teacher in the past few years, but now? Victor preferred falling asleep in class.

“Now, as for combat indoors… dragons are no doubt at a disadvantage in that scenario. You won’t be able to fly around, unless the space happens to be large enough…”

Victor groaned. Gods almighty, wasn’t this supposed to be quick? Does he think I have amnesia?! I can remember just fine, ugh!

“...and so, that is all you’ll need to know. Remember to watch each other's backs! Almost forgot to mention that, but it’s extremely important. You never know if someone’s pointing their musket at the back of your head, and that’s a terrible closing chapter on your lives. So keep an eye on each other.”

Raghes took a deep breath, puffing his chest up before taking a bow. “Thank you for your attention.”

“Thank you for the refresher,” Celesta said, with a nod deep enough to resemble a bow. William gave a short applause, which Victor halfheartedly imitated them both.

Thanks, I guess… at least he’s happy with himself. At least, I hope. My father’s breathing down his neck enough as is… look, there he comes.

With a relieved sigh, Raghes retreated, just as Lothar was about to nudge him off. The gold dragon wasn’t letting himself be outdone whenever he was present. Any future king would be embarrassed to let that happen, let alone before their own son… so Lothar believed.

“Now, now. I’m sure you might be wondering why we needed to repeat all this information to you,” said Lothar, peeking at Victor from the corner of his eye, who didn’t acknowledge him back.

“Sort of,” Celesta said, her tail tip twitching. “ I appreciate the effort, but none of this is new.”

Lothar grunted. “True. But let us not get distracted. This is a monumental task you have been given, after all. To not make sure that absolutely everything is in order is an affront against Divinity himself. But I have seen enough. You are as ready as can be.” The gold dragon spread his wings wide open, then gazed down upon Victor. Tall as they were, Lothar still had a head over him.

“Head for the north. To the northwest of the ancient capital lies the dark, ancient forest of Thorian. It is here where king Reval’s physical form slumbers deep underground, in his necropolis. You will brave its depths, and lay claim to what is rightfully ours… Once the crown is in the right claws, all of Lokahn will recognise its true leader, and the one true faith by which they will all swear by. There will be no more demonic adherence in our lands, there will be no more foreign interference!”

Lothar settled back on the ground. “And all will be righteous once again.”

* * *

“And that, guys, is why failure’s not an option. Get that through your heads.”

Mirage stared at the two men in front of her, the echoes of her tapping foot bouncing off the marble walls. Both seemed rather aloof; she hoped this wouldn’t be the case, but she also knew what wishful thinking was.

“Gotcha. And is that why we gotta be there too?” asked Gennady. “‘Cause, I don’t know about you or Elias here, but it’s not like we’re these great magical heroes or whatever.”

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Mirage raised an eye at him. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Lemme handle this one.” Elias elbowed Gennady out of the way. “Long story short, we don’t have any sort of special training for tombs. Or dragons. Sure, we’re skilled fighters and all, but that doesn’t mean we’re tomb raiders.”

“Tomb raider?” Gennady chuckled. Mirage sighed.

‘This is not the time…’ “No one is specially trained for that. Just keep your head screwed on straight, and don’t do anything stupid. That’s ninety percent of the work down there.”

Elias shrugged. “True.”

“So how are we going to deal with the tomb anyway, huh?” Gennady asked, to which Mirage stretched one arm, then drew a rapier.

“Well, if intelligence wasn’t making up a bunch of nonsense, then we won’t have much to worry about. Get through Thorian, find the secret entrance that supposedly exists, do the deed.”

Mirage walked over to a window. She tapped her rapier on the centre once, then turned the blade towards a giant rose that was growing out of a nearby pot. A special import from somewhere abroad; she didn’t recognise where.

“There’s a secret entrance?” Elias asked.

Mirage shrugged. “Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. We’ll find out when we get there. Now, if intelligence wasn’t lying, then we’re in luck. Apparently the secret entrance should get us in deep. We’ll go in, take the crown, then get out,” she explained, waving her rapier in the pattern of the rose’s blossom.

“And what if there’s no secret entrance at all? What if it ain’t so ‘rosy’?” Gennady said. Mirage shook her head.

“Then it’s going to be a pain.”

* * *

“Remember well,” Lothar said. “You will be challenged in your draconic prowess unlike anything you have faced up to this point. From the entrance to the main tomb, you will have to navigate through the vast network of defences that were built into the tomb. Reval’s slumber is not so easily disturbed. You must prove yourself to be worthy.”

Victor grumbled. “What kind of defences can we expect down there?” The same ones you’ve already told me about.

Lothar’s tail curled around his side. “Only the finest defences that man and dragonkind could produce back then. And rest be assured, the danger and potential… lethality they pose is more than potent, my son. But I have explained that enough as is already. Raghes.”

The gold dragon tail whipped his smaller blue counterpart in the back, causing him to stagger forward with a growl of surprise.

“Go on. Tell them.”

“Eh…” Raghes cleared his throat. “Believe it or not, I studied traps extensively when I was younger… when this whole far was in an earlier phase, you know. Soft human hands don’t fight very well,” he said. William, silent thus far, nudged against Victor’s leg, making him frown immediately. He didn’t need to hear what the problem was, simple squeezes said enough.

“Come on. None of this ‘dragons are superior’ talk, get to the point already.”

Victor’s voice was stern, and filled with disappointed. Raghes gulped.

“My apologies. What I meant to say was… the traps, yes. The traps. Think arrows shooting from the walls. Spike traps. Disorientation. Fire… lots of fire, yes. Chasms and more. And not mention those resting in the tombs themselves… chances are they will not be so happy to have their rest disturbed. You must tread lightly there. Our bodies may be temporary, but the soul is eternal. And the dead do not appreciate it when what is physically left of them is disturbed.”

“Uh….huh.” Victor gulped. ‘That’s a lot to take in.’

“Are the traps meant for humans, or dragons?”

Raghed nodded. “Both. They’re strong enough to kill a dragon too… I think so, anyway. I cannot say for sure, but I doubt our ancestors wouldn’t have considered the possibility.”

“If I may?” Celesta unfurled her wings and fluttered them a few times, her head cocked backwards. “How would we go about protecting ourselves against the traps when we’re down there? Is there some kind of armour we could wear?”

“Yes,” Lothar answered. “Our Draconist priests have worked hard to prepare some armour for you. You will receive it upon your arrival in the north. It should protect you from the worst ailments there, not to mention any… imperial disturbances, shall we say.”

“Alright, alright,” Celesta said, putting her wings back down before trading a glance with Victor, who was anything but impressed.

‘So no one knows what we’re going to encounter down there, exactly, yet we’re getting armour that supposedly protects against everything. Sure.’

* * *

“So that’s why they gave us these special suits of armour!” Gennady said, tracing a finger along the golden grooves on his breastplate. They had a slight glow to them, one that couldn’t be seen in the daylight. “Man. I guess that’s what having a eureka moment feels like, doesn’t it, Elias?”

“Of course,” Elias replied, fitting his own armour on. “Gotta be honest with you though, does anyone even know if these are gonna help us? We’re going into some dusty old tomb, for crying out loud. Who even knows what crazy crap we’ll find down there?”

Mirage bit her lip. “Look at it this way, it’s better than nothing. And have some faith in Illusionism. You’ve seen me in action more than enough to know it’s not nothing,” she said, before her eyes filled with a golden glow. “Or do you need another demonstration?”

“Not at all!” Elias replied, waving his hands back and forth before his chest. “Don’t misunderstand me, I’m a believer alright! Meant no disrespect and all, just kind of nervous about all this. Uncharted territory and all.”

Gennady laughed. “He just says that so you won’t give him crap for it.”

Elias grimaced. “Hey! I’m no loon, I know better than to crack jokes that bad! That’s your job!”

Mirage shot a disapproving stare their way. You both work the same job… “Joke or not, it’s no laughing matter. Have some faith. How am I supposed to have faith for you guys if you don’t have any for me?” She shook her head. “Anyway… we’re leaving in an hour. No use in putting it off for too long. I hope you’re both ready.”

“In an hour?” Gennady folded his arms. “Could’ve sworn we’d be going there right away. I mean, I’m already ready for the trip. Not that you can do much anyway in an hour, but still.”

“Just to make sure you’re mentally all there,” Mirage said with a sigh. “Better buckle up. We’ve got a long road ahead of us.”

She stared out into the woods, once again reminiscing on the long road ahead of her, and the even longer road she’d put past her.

I know your spirit’s still out there, brother… wherever you are, I hope you’ll be with me again soon.