Fear is the great equalizer; it is what allows a meek, timid peasant to kill a well-trained knight. Fear is the ice in your veins that saps your ability to fight, yet it is also the surging will that drives a man to extraordinary feats. You can take any man or woman close to you and claim to know who they are, but you never really know a person until you see them in the throes of fear. Only then do you learn who they are at the core of their being.
I’m a big fat coward apparently.
When that dragon came crawling out of the rocks I ran as fast as my short legs and flat feet would carry me. My lungs were burning for air, and I could feel the earth pounding under my feet as the dragon clawed through the narrow pass. I ran toward Alverd and Alicia. I saw Alverd unsheathe his useless steel sword, and Alicia twirl her maul. I kept running until I was behind him. Only then did I turn and stand my ground. I always found Alverd to be a… reaffirming presence, especially when his heavily armored body was between me and the bad guys. What more could a mage possibly ask for, except for maybe fire-retardant robes and some alchemic ice bombs, maybe?
By the time the dragon squeezed through the hole in the crags, I had my staff pointed at the beast’s ugly face. I wasn’t facing some mercenary scum or dirty bandit though. I was facing a full-grown dragon, much larger than Alicia’s had been. I would need a little more firepower behind this spell.
Normally, mages don’t need much to use magic. We pull power from the elements either around us or within us, amplify it, direct it through a staff, and then unleash it. It’s a deceptively simple and efficient process to use magic. In battle, a mage with a cool head could whip out spells left and right with deadly accuracy and speed. However, those spells are usually only mid-tier in power. Sometimes you just need that extra punch, or more power than what your body can provide. So you beseech a greater power than yourself to aid you in your endeavor.
Basic magical knowledge states that ethereal beings live all around us, watching our every move with varying degrees of interest. Every person is believed to have a personal spirit, akin to a guardian angel, who provides us with strength and guidance when we sorely need it. We learn to ask this guardian angel to grant us the power to vanquish our foes by using a forgotten dialect. The problem is, these spirits are said to be finicky and won’t respond to simple commands like ‘give me more power’. Our teachers hypothesize that it is a safeguard to prevent people from abusing them for their own personal gain. Thus, the idea of incantations was eventually created. The gist of it is while you were busy channeling the power of the spirits around you, the incantation served as a means to convey to the spirit your intent. An incantation, although a sterling example of theatricality bleeding into magical practice, focuses the mage’s mind while aligning them with a spirit willing to lend them their power.
I’m rather good at coming up with incantations. They require a great deal of improvisation. Spirits tend to like concise yet colorful phrases that mirror the emotional state of the invoker. Like people, spirits are entities that understand concepts like good and evil, love and hate, even attachment and theatricality. Nobody in the whole wide world has ever heard of an incantation failing, so the only real downside would be getting killed while I’m in the middle of it.
A mage is a sitting duck during an incantation. We have to stand still and reach out to the power around us, which basically lets every archer within a hundred feet see that, ‘Hey! I’m doing magic over here! Shoot me in the head!’ Having Alverd stand in front of me gave me some measure of security, though it would be little comfort when the dragon stepped over his mutilated and charred corpse to get to me.
I listened past the din of the dragon to what was in the air around us. There was moisture in the canyon, probably enough to form the basis of an ice spell. More importantly, I could feel the presence of otherworldly beings. I could almost sense them, like wraiths moving through the air, tuning in to my magical ability. As the spirits converged on me, I willed the water in the air to form into a ball at the tip of my staff. The water hardened into ice and began growing in size, pulsing with magical might. Calling to the spirits surrounding me, I spoke my incantation.
“On the howling winds of the mountaintops, bring the eternal winter here with all its fury! Seal my foe in a tomb of everlasting frost! Let the blood of my foe run cold as the night itself!”
One spirit responded, then a second. Tdheir power surged into me, cold and adamant, but immense. I felt as though I had died, and that my life was ebbing from my body, but still I held tight. A third spirit came to me and lent me its strength, and I could feel my spell almost grow out of control. The small ball of light on my staff swelled to triple its size, glowing as it drew even more power into itself. As the dragon moved to attack, I threw the ball of ice at it. It streaked toward the dragon, shrieking like a banshee.
The ball of magic impacted the dragon straight on the head. A huge explosion of white snow and ice rocked the narrow valley. The spell flash-froze the dragon, frost spreading all over the dragon’s scales in seconds. The dragon’s movements slowed; it attempted to cry out, but the frost covered its head, coating it in a thick layer of clear ice. Finally, the dragon froze completely. I looked over the results of my handiwork with great pride.
I gasped in exhaustion; I had overpowered the spell. At best, it would take me another few minutes before I could focus on another blast like that. After all, it wasn’t like I went and fought dragons every day. As I attempted to stand up, I saw Alicia’s mouth agape. Obviously, it had been her first time seeing such powerful magic up close. I smirked and waved at her. Her expression turned to annoyance.
But then the sound of a loud crack reached my ears. The coating of ice I’d spread over the dragon was shattering, like cheap pottery. Within moments, the damned thing had smashed through the icy layer I’d placed on it, and it let loose another roar, this one full of rage and pain. A viscous liquid too red to be saliva or blood was now pouring from the dragon’s mouth. Its movements became erratic and jerky, like a puppet dancing from a single string. But I didn’t have the strength to do anything now.
Despite the fact that I had drawn power from an outside source, I had still used my body as a conduit for the channeling of the spell. The fact that three spirits had answered my summons had also taken an immense toll. Never in my illustrious career had I ever channeled more than one spirit. To say that I was tired was an understatement. It was rare to be able to channel more than one spirit, since it was discouraged by the more experienced. After all, the human body had limits, and if one drew too much power into themselves, staff or no, they’d burn themselves out anyway.
As I regained my wind, I saw that the soldiers with us had not run like cowards as I first suspected, but had instead moved into position with special equipment. The men were carrying strange planks of metal that I quickly realized were shields; they were angled in such a way as to deflect incoming fire rather than outright block it. I didn’t have time to compliment the genius behind such a design because the dragon took aim and opened its jaws to unleash flaming hell on us.
Fire shot in a massive jet from the dragon’s mouth. It cut across the ground like a blade, searing everything around it. The stream of fire caught one soldier who wasn’t lucky enough to deflect the fire with his shield. In an instant the man burst into flames, his armor fusing into a solid piece. He only cried out for a moment before he burnt alive like a piece of meat on a stove. What was left of him hit the ground as the fire swept towards its next target.
The next soldier was ready. He hunkered down, planting his shield firmly on the ground. The fire was pushed to the sides of him, his shield creating a safe haven as the flame poured from the dragon’s mouth in a steady stream of death. I could only imagine the pressure the soldier was feeling, the kind of force he had to endure; not only was he stopping a giant blast of fire, but a wave of pressure that threatened to crush him if he didn’t stand his ground. After a moment, the dragon realized that it wouldn’t be able to kill the soldier, so it shifted its attention elsewhere. The dragon tried to roast a few of the other soldiers, but they too had planted their shields to protect themselves from the blazing breath.
Another group of soldiers who were carrying a bunch of long, shafted weapons that were too long to be spears circled around the dragon. They threw the weapons at the dragon, and they immediately pierced the dragon’s hide. It roared in surprise and pain, and prepared to shoot fire at the men. It didn’t get the chance.
Another group of soldiers flanked the other side of the dragon, and they too threw the weapons at the dragon. They buried themselves in the dragon’s abdomen, like the others. This time, however, I noticed that they had barbed points and rope attached to the other end. It took only a moment for me to grasp what was going on. They weren’t spears, they were harpoons.
The two groups of soldiers pulled, and the dragon was yanked to the ground, its wings pinned by the ropes. The dragon reared its head back to try and breathe fire, but before it could, an unfamiliar cry pierced the air. Alicia came running toward the dragon’s head, her maul held back for a strike. With inhuman strength, she drove the maul straight down onto its snout. The dragon reeled from the blow, bits of scale flakeing off as its head shook to and fro. Alicia immediately wound up and dealt another shattering blow to the dragon’s head, this time snapping the horn on the dragon’s nose in two. She gave the dragon no quarter; with every blow, it seemed that her attacks became more and more savage.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
I’d heard the stories about the berserkers of Ishmar. About warriors who surrendered to a rage so deep, that it drove them to destroy their enemies while ignoring even the most mortal of wounds. But to see it in person was nothing short of amazing… and frightening. Alicia’s eyes had a strange hollowness to them; it was as if there was no longer a soul inside her tiny body, only the need to smash the ever-living daylights out of her foe. Berserkers had been involved in the attack on Marevar, as well. They were designed to be shock troops, frontline soldiers capable of breaking the morale of their enemies with their seemingly unstoppable advance. Alverd himself had told me that he had seen soldiers, their bodies studded with arrows, still running forth with weapons in hand, their only objective to crush under heel the enemy before them.
I could scarcely believe that such an unassuming girl could summon such iron will, yet there it was in front of me. She rained blow after blow down on the dragon’s skull, and despite her rage she did it with a nearly emotionless look on her face that chilled the blood in my veins. Goosebumps broke out all over as I watched the grim spectacle unfold before me.
After a few moments, the dragon she was beating seemingly decided that it was done playing by her rules. It reared back with such sudden force that it tore the ropes from the hands of the soldiers restraining it, freeing itself. No longer bound by the coordinated efforts of the soldiers, the dragon snarled and made for Alicia. Without a shield, the tiny Princess would be unable to block its fiery breath. As if it were reading my mind, the dragon opened its jaws wide, and a wave of flame shot toward Alicia.
Alverd lunged in front of her, his shield held high, its eagle emblem glistening. The jet of fire slammed into the shield, knocking it right off Alverd’s arm and sending him flying. The shield, or rather what was left of it, fell to the ground steaming, now nothing more than a lump of molten metal. Alverd regained his feet, and still he stood in front of Alicia, his puny steel sword held in a posture of defense. It wouldn’t do him much good; without one of the specially designed Ishmarian shields, Alverd wouldn’t survive a single blast from the dragon, and neither would Alicia, for that matter.
I had a moment to see the dragon’s face clearly, and what I saw astonished me. It had to be… sick. Parts of its scaly hide were peeling off at an astonishing rate, which had nothing to do with the beating Alicia had inflicted upon it. Blood was flowing out of the dragon’s mouth and its pupils were dilated so much that I had to wonder how the creature could even comprehend the concept of sight at the moment, much less utilize it. I didn’t know if dragons willingly attacked people the way this one had attacked us, but that seemed out of place to me as well. Something was very wrong.
I didn’t have time to question the ramifications. If the dragon was ill, then killing it was doing it a favor. I wasn’t a fan of culling sick animals. Death was still death, even when disguised as mercy. But at this point, it was it or us. And as selfish as it sounded, it made things clearer than a bell for me. I knew what I had to do.
I willed the moisture in the air into my hand, freezing it into another ball of exploding ice. I didn’t have time for an incantation, so I immediately tossed the ball at the dragon and hoped for the best. It crashed into the dragon’s face, and the explosion engulfed it in a shower of white. As the dragon reared back in anger, I aimed my staff at its feet. Searing lances of lightning shot forth from the staff, seeming to almost slither across the ground as I tore the earth beneath the dragon apart with wanton disregard. No longer stable, the ground began to crumble beneath the dragon’s massive weight. As the dragon struggled to stay upright, I directed the lighting towards the canyon walls, triggering explosions that sent showers of stony shrapnel at the dragon’s head.
I had to knock the dragon down. If I could get its head back down to the ground, Alverd and Alicia could kill it. And the only way to do so was to bury it. I could feel the strength leaving my body as I kept feeding it into my staff, blasting the rocks and earth indiscriminately to get the dragon to lose its balance.
Screaming incoherently, I held tight to my staff. At last, the ground gave way, and a hole opened up in the ground. The dragon lurched forward, no longer able to support itself, and its head came crashing down to the ground. As the dragon let out a pained screech, I felt the staff fall from my hands, the lightning winking out with a sizzling sound. I buckled to my knees, gasping for breath.
Alverd saw his chance; he charged ahead, and with a mighty effort, thrust forward, burying his sword straight in the dragon’s unarmored chin. The blade slid all the way into the hilt, and was yanked from Alverd’s hands as the dragon’s head pulled back. The dragon’s neck snapped once, and then fell back to the ground, shattering the icy coating on its head with a thunderous crack.
Silence fell upon the valley once more. Alverd, with some difficulty, pulled his sword from the dragon’s skull. It had been coated with the dragon’s thick, almost syrupy blood. With casual grace, Alverd flicked the blood from his sword and sheathed it, not even stopping to glance at it.
Alicia strode over to where I was. As I looked, I saw that the sanity had returned to her eyes; they were clear and focused once more. At first I thought she was going to thank me for my contribution to her rescue, but I was sorely mistaken.
She clocked me in the face with her fist. It really hurt, even without the berserker rage behind it. It wasn’t a heavy blow, but it was enough to make me fall onto my back. With difficulty, I regained my balance and stared at her, uncomprehending. Alicia glared at me, which, despite her tiny frame, seemed quite menacing. She grabbed me by the collar of my robe, pulled me close, and started screaming at me.
“You idiot! Watch where you’re throwing that magic of yours! You’re gonna bury us all under a rockslide! Warn me next time! No wonder so many of my people think you’re dangerous!” I thought I detected just a hint of remorse in her eyes after she said that last bit, but she was still glaring at me as if daring me to refute her.
Well, you’re welcome. Save somebody’s life, and they show you their right cross? No thanks. I already had a bone to pick with her and her entire kingdom. I didn’t need more fuel for that fire, thank you very much. Hmph. I was only trying to save Alverd. I wasn’t going to put up with Alicia’s crap, especially not after that fiasco, so finally, I let her have it.
“Well maybe I wouldn’t have the opportunity if we weren’t out in the ass end of nowhere about to get eaten by giant lizards! I’m sooooo sorry I wasn’t born in a country that nurtures the asinine notion that dragons should be tamed! Not all of us solve our problems like you barbarians, with every muscle but the ones in your heads!”
I’ll be damned if I was going to let that spoiled little brat dictate my life, Ishmarian law or not. In fact, if not for her stupid shield-wielding escorts, I probably would’ve killed her a couple times over. Or found some way to hold her hostage long enough for the King to be aware of her predicament, before killing her. I wanted the King to suffer, and if killing his beloved daughter would accomplish that, then so be it.
However, I couldn’t forget that the little wench had saved my life. I choked that realization down bitterly, trying to squirm out of the logic of it all. No dice. I opened my mouth again, this time to reluctantly apologize, but Alicia rammed her fist into my face again.It hurt a great deal more this time. Her expression suggested that I had hit a bit of a soft spot, as she was grinding her teeth audibly.
“Do you understand what I had to do there? I had to do that to save not just your useless hide, but the lives of my men! That dragon was out of control! That was…that was…” The maul fell from her trembling free hand. At first I drew a blank. But then she continued. “That was the first time I’ve ever killed something in a berserker trance, and I did it to save an ungrateful little bastard like you!”
She looked pretty distraught, to be honest. I felt a little bad about it now. If that dragon was indeed the first thing she’d ever killed… you never forget that sort of thing. It wasn’t something that could be easily forgotten. Men sometimes spent their whole lives drowning themselves in gold, drink, pleasures of the flesh or any combination of the three trying to forget the first time they ever killed another living being. And now, Alicia was struggling with that very same trauma.
I was about to apologize sincerely, but then she hit me again. This time, it wasn’t like the first two attacks. The fact that I was still conscious was a miracle. I supposed I deserved such after having said something so insensitive, but I really did try to apologize. I threw up my arms as I struggled back to my feet.
“Look, Princess, I’m trying to say- ”
Alicia raised her fist to strike me again, but I didn’t give her the chance. I ran. Again. I was able to make out Alverd in my peripheral vision, smirking at me as if to say, “you get what you ask for”. Smug bastard. I don’t see anybody giving him a hard time. He’s in the same damn boat as me, but nobody ever calls him out on it. I ran frantically, the screaming little hellcat dead on my heels while my only friend left in this world took pleasure in my misfortune.
Gods be damned, I never could catch a break. Never.