What pain? How are you in pain?

Blood flowed from Juthom’s nostrils and out his mouth.

Make the promise, and I will answer those questions. I could last for days here until animals picked me apart, unable to stop them. Make that promise, and I will share with you all I know.

Kaen looked at Pammon, and he saw his dragon nod. Sitting on his haunches, Pammon stayed close to Juthom, always prepared to act in case the black dragon surprised them.

I swear I will end your life quickly if you tell me what you know.

Juthom closed his eyes, and a sigh could be heard escaping his mouth.

Very well…

Your father was unprepared for Stioks as you were. When that man approached me decades ago, I had considered fighting him, yet something in my mind told me it would not be easy. His power and use of magic is beyond what most can believe.

While most use fire or lightning or even the rare water use, Stioks specializes in death magic. Everything he touches dies. Even people he loves.

Juthom winced, not because of the pain but because of the memories he had.

He made a pact with me. If I would lend him my strength and let him ride me, he would find me females to have. I would be allowed to roam as I wished and eat whatever animals I desired. He promised me gold and riches beyond my dreams, so I agreed.

Slowly lifting up his left talon, Juthom pointed to a scale on his chest. A slight bit of magical power was flowing through his talon, and Kaen saw a green shimmer appear over the scale.

He bound me and him together through a magic I cannot describe. The pain of it almost made me break it once it started, but from the moment he touched me, I knew I could never kill him. I could not touch him. To do so would end my own life.

Carefully laying his talon back on the ground, Juthom took a few short breaths.

We found females, fighting the last of the males in the area and proving my worth. They followed me gladly, seeing the power and purpose we had. Each promised great opportunities if they produced an egg. One day, he got impatient and wanted more females, so my chance of siring an offspring would increase.

He ran into a silver dragon who proved harder to tame than he had expected.

Juthom opened his eyes and looked up at Pammon.

She was your mother. Proud, mighty, and magnificent. I could not convince her to join me willingly, so Stioks tried by force. She is the one who burnt him into how he looks now. I was surprised he let her live, but he was so angry at his defeat and what she had done that the only punishment worthy of his rage was imprisoning her for as long as he did. He taunted her daily, showing her how close she had come but failed. All he did was keep the fire inside her stoked for the day she escaped.

A thrum escaped his body for a few seconds before the pain made him stop.

Your mother was a magnificent creature, and I can see the same regal side in you.

Pammon snorted, growling at Juthom.

What is your point of these words? Forgiveness? That will never happen!

Shaking his head slightly, Juthom looked up at the bronze dragon, baring his teeth at him.

No. Dragons do not ask for forgiveness. I’m telling you about Stioks and how he thinks. How he brings about revenge. So settle down, young one, and listen.

Pammon growled, saliva dripping from his teeth as he bared them.

Let it go. I made a promise like you did. When the moment comes, you can have your revenge.

Those golden eyes shifted to where Kaen was standing, and Pammon glared at him.

Their bond allowed Kaen to feel the extent of Pammon’s rage and hatred for the dragon next to him. Here was one of the reasons his mother had died.

When that moment comes, he is mine.

Kaen nodded, turning his attention back to Juthom.

Continue.

Everything has been about an egg for generations. You see, Stioks suffers from a problem. Inside him is a power that will consume him. He tried to find a way to live forever, and the same death magic you have inside you, causing the rot you smell like, is from inside him. Elies died from it. You shall die from it. There is no escape that I know of.

Wait, how is Stioks able to survive if he has this magic in him?

Did I not tell you how he steals my power? He drains life from those around him. I cannot tell you the tens of thousands he has absorbed the life force from. His own family and so many others. What makes him strong is the amount of power he has stolen.

Rolling his head over, Juthom focused his black eyes on Kaen.

Your father was one of his greatest gains. Until that day, no other man or woman had stood up to Stioks and survived the first strike. Their battle was a sight to behold. Hoste… Hoste was his name. He fought remarkably well for a man. His skill with every weapon he brought was worthy of a show for a king. Ultimately, he failed not because of his skill but because of the gap between the two.

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Juthom stopped trying to keep eye contact with Kaen and rested his head on the ground again. Taking a deep breath, the black dragon let it out slowly.

One spell… one single spell brought your father to his knees. The fact you have resisted so many is a testament to your strength. Your father woke up, chained and bound in the dungeon Stioks had built so long ago in that mountain. He visited your father every day. Forcing him to eat and drink. Each day absorbing his life from him.

Kaen tried to imagine what Juthom was describing and shuddered. For so long, he had imagined a battle that must have ended with a single blow, or perhaps he died shortly after a well-fought one. Hearing that his father was tortured and his life drained from him opened a wound inside his soul.

How long?! How long did he suffer?

Over two years… for so long, Stioks tried to break him. Every day, he wanted your father to give in, to tell him where you were so he could torture his son. No matter what Stioks did to Hoste, that man fought with a heart greater than any I have seen. The day he died, I remember well… I suffered in his place. Stioks needed to take out his anger, and it fell upon me.

Kaen saw Juthom shudder, even though his body was broken and battered. Kaen could only imagine what Stioks must have done to make a dragon react like this.

Your father told him, 'No matter what you do, my son will never know you or be subject to you. He will grow up happy and with joy. While you rot until you are nothing but a memory people deem worthy of mentioning.’ Those words somehow made Stioks react in a way I hadn’t seen before. He took all your father's remaining power and drained him dry.

Bowing his head, Kaen rubbed his eyes, trying to fight back tears that wanted to come. Rage and fury fought against the pain. Every emotion seemed to need a way to be expressed.

Let it go. Your father would not want you to be like this. Honor his name and his sacrifice by doing what we must. Getting stronger and ending Stioks once and for all.

Kaen felt his chest shudder as he listened to his dragon try to talk him down. He knew Pammon was right, but he felt an overwhelming need to act.

If you were healthy, I would fly now and take the fight to him. We could end this all right now.

But I am not, and you are not either. You do not have your bow or arrows. To go now would be folly, and you know it.

Kaen grumbled under his breath and knew that Pammon was right.

“Now what? What do you want from me now?!”

Juthom let out a sigh and looked up at Pammon.

I want to die. Promise me that you will not hold back the rage you feel if you defeat him. He has done things to me that I will never mention. Stioks will do far worse to you and your dragon if you fail.

Rubbing his finger in his ear, Kaen inspected the soot and dirt that came out of it.

“What about this new dragon?”

That wasn’t part of the deal. You are supposed to end me.

Kaen laughed and shook his head.

“No, I swore I would if you told me what I wanted to know. This is something I want to know.”

Juthom growled, but when Pammon put his front talons on the black dragon’s neck near its skull, it stopped.

Tell him and let me end this. Tell Kaen what he asked.

Very well. The new dragon is weak. I almost regret that he is my offspring. Stioks treats him worse than he ever did me. He lies and tells stories of how you two bring death to the land. No doubt he is filling that eggling mind with lies about how you two are responsible for my death and Upi’s death. That desire for revenge will push the dragon to be like me… like Stioks. He won’t stop till you two are dead.

A cough came, and Juthom trilled.

Kaen felt his eyebrows raise as he heard the dragon trilling.

“Why are you happy?”

Because whoever wins means I have won. If Stioks wins, my offspring will carry my seed, and this land will fall under my legacy. If you and your dragon defeat Stioks, I shall get my revenge, having aided in destroying the man who tortured me.

This is enough. Do not listen to this poor excuse of a dragon anymore. Let me end his life. Let me claim my kill and grow strong off his flesh.

Kaen considered what he knew and had heard from Juthom. Only one thing remained that he wondered about.

What is Stioks weak point?

Juthom thrummed, coughing and blood coming as he listened to Kaen’s question.

That is the best question you have asked yet. Only his pride. Magic will not do much to him. He is resistant to most. Fire no longer touches him. He was surprised that my breath did nothing to you, blaming me for that. His physical power is above yours now that he has a dragon. The older the dragon gets… well, you know, the more powerful he will grow. Only his pride and belief he is invulnerable. Find a way to use that against him, and you might win. Otherwise, the only weak point he has right now is his dragon. Taerar is growing fast; from what I have seen and believe, you and Stioks share a similar lifestone. If that is true, Taerar will grow as fast as you have. Time is your enemy.

His head was bobbing, agreeing with the things Juthom was saying. Only one last thing remained.

Would two more dragon riders help in this fight against Stioks?

An army of dragons might be easier to summon than two more dragon riders. Even if you had them, I doubt their skill and power would be enough to stand against him. Could they survive a single hit from Stioks’s spell? Even if you did find –

Juthom fought to lift his head up, but Pammon still held it firmly in place. He trashed a little bit, and then, after Kaen motioned to let Juthom free, he held his head as high as possible, studying Kaen’s stance.

Are you saying you have two dragon eggs?

Kaen shrugged, and Juthom began to thrum. It began to vibrate the area around Kaen, and for a moment, both rider and dragon weren’t sure if Juthom would kill himself from laughing.

Exhaustion overtook the black dragon’s desire to laugh, and his head and neck fell to the ground.

Do not throw them away so casually. They could be a great instrument if a battle comes, but you must ensure you can protect them when they are revealed. Otherwise, you are just throwing away another life. I would instead recommend you give into the power inside and command other dragons like you did me and Taerar. Fly to the island, command them to serve you. Become what you must to defeat Stioks.

Silence stretched as Juthom said nothing more, and Kaen considered his last words.

I will never be like Stioks.

Then you have chosen a task that is impossible to win. If you do not defeat Stioks before his dragon is strong enough to fly across the sea, know that it will be a battle like you have never known.

Finish him. Eat, and then let’s go.

Pammon didn’t hesitate. His jaw opened and clamped down on the dragon’s neck. Scales cracked and shattered as Pammon used every ounce of strength to sever the dragon's neck.

Juthom thrashed momentarily, groaning and wailing until a loud snap sounded, and the black dragon went still.

Pammon released his grip on the dragon’s broken neck. Lifting his head into the sky, Pammon roared, the sound of it vibrating Kaen’s entire body.

Frustrated at everything he had just learned, Kaen moved to search for his sword as Pammon began to eat the flesh of his fallen enemy.