Chapter 18
The wind whistled through Damion's feathers as he shot through the air trying desperately to catch up with the scarlet dragon that flew ahead in the distance. He focused on the human perched atop the enormous beast, intent on following them where ever they flew, even if it meant flying clear across the continent. The sky was clear and moon was full, providing ample light, and making it much easier for him to spot his quarry. He was still quite some distance behind the dragon, which was flying along at a leisurely pace, but he was quickly gaining ground. Kaviel had apparently thought himself safe, assuming they had left Damion far behind in the forest, and was not pushing the beast as hard as he might if he knew he was being pursued.
They were soon clear of the lush forest, steadily pushing their way south. The dragon suddenly swooped low and passed over a small farming village, and Damion feared that it was preparing to attack, but the enormous scarlet beast continued on, not even giving the tiny village a second glance.
Damion finally managed to close the distance between them until he soared directly above Kaviel and the dragon. The scar-faced man had apparently thought he had made a clean escape, and was now cursing furiously about losing another chance at gaining the Dragon Sword.
Damion watched his ranting for several more moments, then suddenly tucked his wings to his sides, and plummeted towards the raging man, his razor-sharp talons aiming for Kaviel’s exposed throat.
Just before he struck, Kaviel raised his head and saw Damion rocketing towards him, and threw his hands over his head to protect his face and eyes, squealing in fright. Damion's talons missed their intended target, and instead, sunk deep into the man's shoulders and back, leaving behind several long-ragged gashes, and yanking him from his seat atop the dragon's back. He fell through the air, screaming in pain and terror as Damion continued to rip and slash with his razor-sharp talons.
Looking down, Damion saw the ground below rushing to meet them and instantly flared his wings to slow his descent, releasing his hold on the flailing man, who continued to fall. He landed with a great splash in a small pond below, sending a wave of water high into the air. After several long moments, he reappeared at the surface coughing up water and gasping for air. He struggled to shore, still clutching the Dragon Gem tightly in his hand.
Damion glided down to land a few feet from shore, then shifted back into his normal form and strolled up to the injured man. “You made a mistake in crossing me, Kaviel!” He growled, kicking the gasping man hard in the ribs, sending him hurtling through the air, where he crashed into a large boulder.
Kaviel groaned in pain, then slowly pushed himself to his feet, still clutching the Dragon Gem. He glared at Damion, his eyes full of hatred. “It was you who made the mistake, freak!” He snarled, drawing a wicked-looking dagger from his belt and limping forward.
Damion laughed, then pulled the Dragon Sword from its sheath. The blade instantly burst into white-hot flames, seeming almost to draw upon his raging fury to fuel the flames. He squared off with the injured madman, carefully measuring his every move, then began lashing at him with a series of stinging blows that unerringly found their mark.
Kaviel screamed in agony as the flaming sword tore into his arms and shoulders, scorching into the tender flesh effortlessly. Another slashing blow left a ragged gash across his unprotected face, crisscrossing the horrible scar that had been inflicted by Sly so many years before.
The blows were not life-threatening, but meant more to injure and enrage the man, who desperately waved his dagger before him in an effort to keep the huge warrior at bay.
Damion easily avoided a reckless slash, then watched with satisfaction as the Dragon Sword passed through the blade of the dagger effortlessly, rendering it worthless.
Kaviel stared at his ruined dagger in astonishment, then scrambled backwards against the boulder, his eyes like those of a trapped animal. He suddenly glanced at the sky behind the warrior, then smiled and threw himself into the pond.
The clearing around the pond suddenly burst into flames, obscuring the fleeing man from sight. The flames quickly died out, revealing the destruction left behind by the roaring inferno. Everything around the clearing was now charred and blackened, and several small fires still burned among the dry grass that covered the ground.
Damion spotted Kaviel struggling his way back towards the shore, his ravaged face deathly pale from blood loss. He started towards the injured man, ready to put an end to their encounter, but was forced to throw himself aside as Tempest suddenly dove from above, her talons gleaming in the rising sunlight, and a sad look in her ancient eyes. She slammed into the ground with the force of a small earthquake in the exact place where Damion had stood only a second before, and one of her huge wings slammed across his back, throwing him through the air and sending him crashing into a smoldering tree. The Dragon Sword flew from his grasp, landing a few yards from where Kaviel was struggling to his feet.
The scar-faced man's eyes gleamed as he saw the sword lying before him, and he scrambled towards it, his eyes alight with triumph.
Damion lurched to his feet and spotted Kaviel as he rushed towards the sword. “No!” He bellowed helplessly.
Tempest's tail suddenly snapped around and lashed him across the back, slamming him back to the ground and sending the air whooshing from his lungs.
He lifted his head with some difficulty and watched in horror as Kaviel grabbed the flaming Dragon Sword, his eyes flashing with an insane light. The scar-faced man let out a triumphant howl of victory and held the sword aloft, then looked at Damion, who was still struggling to reach his feet.
“Behold!” Kaviel laughed cruelly. “The power of the of dragons is finally mine to control! With the gem and the sword reunited, the most powerful force in the universe will finally be mine to command! The entire world will be at my mercy!”
“No!” Damion cried, attempting to rush towards the madman again, but the dragon's whip-like tail lashed out once more, striking him across the back of the legs and sweeping him back off his feet.
Kaviel watched his struggles for a moment, then turned his gaze on the pulsating sword and gem. He held them aloft once more, and prepared to place the gem in the empty setting in the pommel of the sword, but Snowfeather suddenly dropped from the sky and slammed into his face, raking and slashing with his long sharp talons.
Kaviel screamed in agony, and began swinging wildly as he tried to protect his already ravaged face, but the huge owl continued to rake at the man's eyes, tearing one clean from its socket.
Snowfeather let out a loud squawk as he was suddenly knocked away by a wild swing, and crashed down into the remains of a charred bush, where he lay motionless.
“Snowfeather!” Damion screamed, trying to scramble back to his feet and reach his familiar’s side, but he found his way still blocked by Tempest, who drew back to deliver a killing blow. He desperately felt at his belt for anything to use as a weapon, and felt a small round object in the bottom of his pouch. He quickly pulled it out and saw the strange little marble-like orb that Damarius had called a Sunburst.
Without even thinking, he threw it hard against the ground where it shattered into a hundred tiny pieces. An intense flash of blinding light exploded from the tiny marble, searing the eyes of the immense scarlet dragon, causing her to fall back, roaring in pain and surprise.
Kaviel continued to howl in agony, blinded by Snowfeather’s vicious attack, his face torn and bleeding horribly. He stumbled about the clearing, still thrashing desperately, and tripped over a piece of driftwood, crashing hard to the ground. Both the gem and sword flew from his grasp and landed with a splash in the dark murky depths of the pond.
The dragon's huge head suddenly whipped around to stare at Kaviel, who was groping blindly through the sand for the gem and sword. She let out a great roar of triumph as she felt the restraints of the Dragon Gem suddenly lift, freeing her from the madman's control. She whipped back around to look down upon Damion, who was still ex
pecting a killing blow. “I am free!” She roared exultantly. “I am finally free of his control!” Her eyes locked on his. “Go, Dragonkin, and finish what you have started! It is time for you to end this nightmare!”
Damion didn't need to be told twice. He jumped to his feet and rushed over to Kaviel, who was still groping blindly through the muck at the edge of the pond. He knelt down, grasping his father's murderer by the throat, then slowly stood, lifting him completely from the ground. “Guess who?” He growled in a deadly voice.
Kaviel's expression was one of pure terror, and he feebly thrashed against Damion’s vise-like grip, his legs kicking at the empty air.
“I told you that I would make you pay for all of the misery you have caused.” Damion slowly began to tighten his grip, causing the man's face to turn to a violent shade of purple, then he turned and threw him through the air, where he crashed into a large granite outcrop.
Damion strode over and snatched him up once again, then slammed him against the unyielding granite. “I seem to remember promising to strangle you with your own intestines.”
“No, Dragonkin!” Tempest boomed, staring down at Kaviel with hate-filled eyes. “Killing him is not enough! He deserves to suffer for his atrocities for the rest of his existence!”
Damion stopped as he considered the dragon's words, then his eyes suddenly flashed red with anger, and he re-tightened his grip. “Don’t worry.” He murmured to the towering dragon. “He'll have the rest of eternity to enjoy his punishment.”
He drew in his magic, and Kaviel slowly began to sink into the granite, almost as if the heavy stone had suddenly turned into water. As he sank, his body melded with the stone, merging together to become one.
Kaviel screamed out in agonizing pain as the huge warrior continued to slowly push him into unyielding stone until he was completely submerged, then his screams were suddenly cut short.
Damion released his grip and withdrew his hands from the stone, then stared at the granite outcropping with grim satisfaction. All that remained of Kaviel was an outline of the scar-faced in the stone, his face still convulsed in agony.
“Is he dead?” The huge scarlet beast leaned closer to stare at the stone.
“He still lives.” Damion grumbled, stumbling over to the edge of the pond and splashing water onto his face. “But I’d bet that he wishes he were dead. He’s locked in that granite prison, still in pain, and still aware of everything around him.” He was trembling uncontrollably. “He will never again be able to sow his seeds of destruction.”
“A worthy punishment for one who has caused so much misery and death.” Tempest approved. “I would have been hard pressed to think of a more fitting fate for such a disgusting creature.”
Damion rose to his feet unsteadily and looked around the clearing, and his eyes immediately fell upon Snowfeather's crumpled form laying a few yards away. “Snowfeather!” He rushed over and carefully lifted the huge snow owl into his arms. “Snowfeather! Are you okay?”
Snowfeather slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Damion in confusion. “What happened?” He hooted weakly. “I feel like I've been kicked by a horse!”
Damion breathed a sigh of relief, then gently placed his familiar on the nearby branch of a charred and blackened tree. “You did it! You knocked the gem and sword away from Kaviel, and released Tempest from his control!”
“I did?” The huge owl puffed his chest out with pride. “I always knew that I would be the one that ended up stopping that madman.” He squawked smugly.
Damion laughed, relieved that his friend was uninjured, then he turned to stare up at Tempest, who was watching him with wise eyes. “Where is the gem and sword?”
The huge dragon stared down at Damion for several long moments, carefully considering if she should reveal their location, then she finally sighed a great sigh, and motioned to the murky pond. “They landed in the water, a few yards offshore.”
Damion carefully waded out into the pond, then took a deep breath and dove into the murky water. He swam out several yards, then dove straight to the bottom and began searching the depths for the sword and gem. They were quite easy to locate on account they were still glowing brightly in response to one another's presence. He quickly gathered them up, then propelled himself back up, drawing in a great gulp of air as he broke the surface. He struggled to shore, and fell to the ground exhausted.
After several long minutes, he pushed himself up and looked at Tempest, who continued to watch him closely. “What should I do now?” He asked, holding the sword and gem before him. “Should I destroy them?”
“Nay!” Tempest cried, her voice filled with concern. “It would kill all of my brethren that are still trapped inside!”
Damion looked at the glowing objects in his hands. “What do I do with them, then?”
“The only thing that you can do! Join them, Dragonkin! Join them, and release their power! Release my brethren back into the world! It is time to right what was wronged so many centuries ago!”
Damion stared at the massive scarlet dragon for several moments, then looked back down at the sword and gem. He hesitated for several moments, then finally drew a deep breath and set the gem into the empty setting in the sword's pommel.
The Dragon Sword instantly melded with the glowing stone, and finally, after four hundred years, they were one. The sword immediately burst to life, and white flames exploded from the blade, shooting high into the air in a great display of power.
Damion shuddered as his senses were bombarded with the intense magical force released from the flaming sword. The energy flowed through his body, causing every nerve to blaze alive with power. The pain and exhaustion that he had felt only moments before was washed away by the tremendous feeling of power that filled him to his very core. He stood unmoving for several long moments as the power surged through his body, then finally willed the sword to dim the roaring flames that shot from the blade. He watched with satisfaction as the flames immediately died out, and the sword once again looked ordinary in appearance.
He stared at the sword in fascination for another moment, then looked up at Tempest, who was watching him with large, assessing eyes. “It’s incredible! Every nerve in my body is alive with power!”
The enormous dragon lowered her head to stare at him closely. “Now, what would you have me do, Master?”
Damion looked down at the sword, then back to the dragon. “I am not your master.” He declared firmly. “I am your friend.”
Tempest smiled, then lowered herself down to allow Damion to climb atop her shoulders. “Let us leave this place. I'm sure your friends are quite worried about your wellbeing.”
Damion smiled, then quickly scrambled atop the beast’s massive shoulders, and they set off for the Endless Forest.