Omnixius
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DKP 6-28 heart or nature?
🕑 Added 2021-04-30 09:35:11 +0000 UTCDellain stood alone, a smile on his face as he stared down Lilly and Gersius.
Lilly charged across the yard with a savage roar, her rage flaring to a terrible intensity. Dellain calmly put on a helm that was a mockery of the dragon knight armor. It looked nearly the same except that it was adorned with red stones and bore the image of only one dragon on its chest. Lilly was halfway across the yard when her advance was suddenly broken.
Gersius saw the danger at the last second, but it was too late to warn her. A larger red dragon swooped in from the air, slamming into her side, the impact throwing him from the saddle as Lilly tumbled in the yard. He was on his feet in a moment, sword drawn and shield raised to defend. Despite being rattled, he wasn't seriously hurt, and from what he could feel of Lilly, she was more surprised than anything else. She roared in rage, twisting to her feet in the blink of an eye and coming up like an angry cat, back arched and claws spread wide.
Together they prepared to meet this new threat, only for Lilly to let out a snarl so low and threatening that Gerisus felt primal fear even from his wife. She was fixated on the red dragon, who even now sat back as if to mock her.
“So, you did live,” he laughed as his blazing eyes narrowed. “I am grateful you are here, dear sister of the scale. It has been too long since I last mated.”
If Lilly was enraged before, she was a raging firestorm now as she faced the dragon who broke her wings and stole her hoard all those weeks ago.
“Mulizoth!” Lilly roared. “I am going to skin your corpse!”
“Ha,” the beast laughed as he hunched down, his muscled body over twice Lilly's size. “When I am through ripping your wings off again, I will chain you to the temple and make you my concubine.”
“Lilly, can you handle this dragon?” Gersius asked as he came to her side, the rival beast turning his gaze to him.
“So this is the rodent you despoil yourself with. I will eat him for you, then purify you by giving you a proper brood,” Mulizoth promised with a wicked smile.
Lilly snorted as her aura flared with red. She used the bind to answer, her voice like rolling thunder.
“I will kill the dragon. Promise me you will kill Dellain,” she said and lurched forward. Mulizoth rose to his hind legs with a bellowing laugh; his arms spread wide to reveal those terrible claws. Lilly closed the ground but fell into a song as she did. A silver dragon's claw appeared in the air and swiped the larger red across the face. As his head was turned aside, she leaped and tacked him carrying him back as they tumbled over one another in a chorus of roars.
Gersius stood alone as he faced Dellain, who now stalked forward with a black-bladed sword in hand. The time had come to decide who would be dragon knight, and Gersius raised the sword of Astikar to meet his opponent.
“It didn’t have to be this way,” Dellain said.
“You are the one who chose this path,” Gersius replied. “I only wanted to save lives.”
“Destroy lives, you mean,” Dellain countered as he drew closer. “Do you have any idea the price mankind will pay if Balisha returns? Do you have any concept of what will happen to the dragons?”
Gersius tightened his grip as Dellain continued to advance. Both men raised similar shields except for the single dragon on his opponents and red gems adorning the edge. He listened to Dellains words even as Lilly and Mulizoth shook the ground beside him.
“Balisha only wishes to free the dragons from their curse,” Gersius spat back as Dellain closed uncomfortably close.
“You mean their protection,” Dellain said. “A shield to protect them from the curse of weakness that infests your dragon. Look at her now, futility fighting against a true dragon, one who knows how to use its full power.”
Gersius didn’t take the bait and look, instead trusting in Lilly as he drew into a stance, ready for battle. He would not allow Dellain to lure him into an emotional mistake and kept his focus where it needed to be.
“The Father Abbot once believed you could be reasoned with,” Dellain said. “He thought he could recruit you to our cause and stop this all from happening, but you foolishly trust the divines and give away your true power.” With that, his sword came up, and for a moment, they glared at one another. The opening move was fast, the black sword weaving in a flurry of attacks. Gersius used the shield to block most of them, drawing on divine strength to hold fast. He feared to pull on Lilly when she needed her strength so badly and hoped Balisha's power would last.
An opening came, and he returned a few swipes, eager to end the fight quickly. Dellain was known as the best sword fighter in the raven guard, but Gersius was the best fighter in the order. As Dellains shield was pushed just far enough aside, he drew on Lilly just a little.
A blast of ice and cold escaped his mouth and coated Dellains armor. He was sure the man would be slowed at the very least, blind if he was lucky. Instead, a stream of flame came rushing back, and Gersius found himself throwing up an arm in reflex. Protected by Sarah's love, he was unfazed by the harm that passed around him harmlessly. However, the moment had cost him his focus, and when he lowered his arm, Dellain was almost on him.
The impact hit his shoulder plate and staggered him back. A booted foot quickly followed, shoving him from his feet to fall with a crash to the lawn. Dellain was quick, following every attack to prevent Gersius from recovering. As the sword came racing down, he used his shield to bat it aside and roll with the motion, coming back to his feet.
“How did you resist the flames?” Dellain growled as he pressed the attack but found no opening.
Gersius was wondering the same thing. How had Dellain resisted the ice too easily? Did dragons also protect him? Surely one was fighting at his side, a red that would explain the fiery breath, but did he have a blue dragon as well?
Gersius stood fast and turned his shield to Dellain, who stalked him with murder in his eyes. Gersius had hoped the dragon power would put this battle firmly in his favor. It was clear both men carried the blessings of the dragons and wielded heavily enchanted weapons. Still, Gersius had blessings to draw on and could augment them with dragon power. Unless Dellain was bound with the beast, he would not be able to match it.
Dellain moved first, rushing in with his shield high, and the sword pointed like a spear. Gersius set his feet and reached for Balisha, covering the ground before him with ice. Dellain was taken by surprise and stumbled, his shield going wide as he tried to balance. The opening came a Gersius took it, as Astikar's sword began to glow with a red light. The blade made a resounding ring as it struck Delllains breastplate, sparks and red flames fanning out from the impact. Dellain batted the weapon away as Gersius jumped back, wondering what had gone wrong.
Dellain laughed with a sound of pity in his tone as he rose to his feet and glared at Gersius.
“Did you think you could break my armor?” he mocked, standing tall. “I am protected by the dragon, shielded from harm. Only a divine weapon could hope to strike me.”
“This is a divine weapon,” Gersius said as he glanced at the blade that still glowed faintly red.
The laughter returned as Dellain raised his weapon, orange runes written in dragon glowing on the side. “That's Astikar's divine weapon,” Dellain mocked. “And you can no longer channel his power. You can’t channel Balisha through a weapon not attuned to her.”
“Tell that to Tull,” he replied with narrow eyes. “His armor peeled away like paper.”
Dellain nodded and swung his weapon for show. “I suppose you feel you got your revenge then, if only you had never found that dragon.”
Gersius lashed out with a dragon's claw blessing, hoping to throw the man aside. If he couldn't break the armor, he would strike at the weak points at the neck or waist. All he had to do was weaken Dellains defense and expose the gaps, and the battle would be over.
Dellain hid behind his shield, calling on the Astikar to boost his protection. The dragon’s claw scraped harmlessly on the glowing orange surface, but Gersius was already on the move, charging in to resume the fight. As they joined in the dance, he glanced at Lilly to see her thrown to the side like a sack of grain. The battle was not going as planned, but all was not lost. They had to hold on long enough for Thayle to arrive, then the tide would quickly turn.
Lilly hit the ground and rolled into the pillars beside the yard. Her neck hurt where he had raked her with those massive claws but thus far, she had avoided his jaws. She wondered if perhaps males had the advantage in a fight. They had thick necks only half as long as a female and a broader mouth. They could deliver a far more powerful bite and often went for the long delicate necks of the females. If he got a hold of her, the fight would be over in moments as he bit through her neck and severed her head.
He reared up and jumped, his claws spread wide to skewer her hide. She reached to the side and grabbed a pillar, her claws digging through it in one quick swipe. As it fell, she guided it, using her strength to turn it into a weapon that came crashing down on the red.
“I am going to gouge out your eyes!” the red yelled as he struggled out of the debris. He looked up just in time to see Lilly flying at him as fast as she could, colliding with his side as she clawed ferociously. Blood was spilled, but a firm swipe of his hand knocked her free and caused her to stumble to one side. He was on her in a moment, talons raking as she tried to bat them away. He managed to grab hold of a hand and yanked, sweeping her up to throw her into the ground. She shook the whole of the temple with the impact, throwing up a cloud of dust as her foe foolishly decided to gloat.
“Ha! You are no match for me. I broke you in moments the last time we met. This time I will shatter you just enough to force your submission. You will learn how to be a dragon again as I beat this human weakness out of you.”
Lilly rolled back to her feet, claws tearing up the soil as she came to a stop. He leered with a gaze that promised she would be his, taunting her with the knowledge that she would be forced to rear his brood.
“You ambushed me last time,” Lilly replied as she breathed deeply. “You savagely attacked another dragon just because she wanted to be left alone.”
“I came to your home to save you,” the red said, his eyes burning with fire. “I wanted to save you from this weakness before it began, but you rejected my offer and forced my hand.”
“Your offer was to submit to the Gorromogoth and give him my true name,” Lilly growled. “It was become a slave or die. You call that trying to save me?”
He stalked in, tail lashing as he hunched low, ready to strike. “I did what had to be done. The human was coming for you, and if I could not turn you, then I would spare you the humiliation of being his pet.”
“I am not his pet. I'm his wife!” she yelled and lunged. Lilly realized his stance suggested a low attack, so she would jump high and go over him. To conceal her plan, she opened her mouth and blew, creating a cloud of ice directly before him. As predicted, he leaped a split second after her, diving into her freezing cloud with a roar of anger. She now had the superior position, and more importantly, his wings were exposed. She managed to tear a line down one of the leathery wings, leaving a trail of blood the whole way. She never stopped moving, using her momentum to carry herself clear, but his tail came up and with it the sharp spines. They struck her shoulder, puncturing her scales and drawing blood as she tumbled away. Angry at the use of her breath, he wheeled around and returned the favor as her world was drowned in red flames.
“I will burn this taint from you,” he roared. It was to his shock when she rushed through the fire and jumped at his face, clawing and biting as the fire did no harm.
“You will suffer!” he bellowed and thrashed. Lilly was thrown clear but tried to reach him as he spread his wings and took to the air. She flared hers and gave chase, the two rising into the sky. She hoped the tear would slow him down and leave him vulnerable, but it hardly seemed to matter. Mulizoth banked around quickly, and the two came crashing in. Lilly learned her first lesson in aerial battles, size matters. His more significant weight broke her momentum and threw her back. She lashed out with claws and teeth, but a powerful swipe from his arm traced red lines down her face. She was bleeding and falling as he carried her all the way to the ground. The impact felt as if she had fallen from the clouds, his weight coming down on her as she cratered the ground. Dazed, she tried to roll over, but as she did, something cracked, and she screamed out in pain.
Mulizoth broke her right wing in three places as he twisted with both hands and bit. Lilly wailed in pain and tried to crawl away, but the dragon was on top of her, savagely mauling her beautiful wings. She reached around with a long neck, desperate to bite him as he turned on the other wing. Her head was battered away by a powerful arm, and before she could react, she heard the cracking sound again. Crying in pain, her useless wings fell to the ground as the dragon on her back dug his claws into her hide.
“And now, dear sister of the scale, I claim you as mine!” he bellowed into her face.
Lilly felt a wave of desperate anger and reached for Balisha. Her scales began to glitter as her entire body was coated in frost. She produced an aura of cold, so intense even Mulizoth recoiled and leaped into the air. Lilly crawled to her feet with tears in her eyes, the pain of her wings bringing back terrible memories. She turned to face the red only to discover he was already diving, the impact throwing her back to roll over broken bones to the steps of the temple.
Gersius felt the terrible suffering of his wife and glanced just in time to see Mulizoth break one of her wings. He realized Lilly was losing this battle, and time was growing short. Thayle hadn't arrived yet, and that meant he had to end this fight. Dellain was equipped with magical armor and weapons and carried the blessings of the dragons. Despite that, this fight was far from equal, as Gersius remembered who he was. He was the dragon knight, ordained by Balisha herself, and loved by his dragons. No mere blessing of a dragon's gifts could compete with the power of the bind. His focus narrowed in, blotting out Lilly’s pain as Dellain became the only point of light in the void. All he saw was his opponent as everything seemed to slow down.
Dellain swiped for his head, but the blow was turned aside and countered with a thrust. The attack clipped his helm with a ring, nearly tearing it free. Before Dellain could react, Gersius was inside his guard using the great shield as a ram. It collided with his opponent's shield, but dragon strength surged in Gersius's veins as he drew from Sarah. Dellain was thrown back, desperate to recover as Gersius produced a dragon's claw and swiped up. The impact was caught with the mockery of Astikar's power, but even this was not enough. Dellain was lifted from his feet and hurled a dozen paces to collide with a stone pillar. He looked up in awe to see Gersius leap into the air closing the entire distance with sword raised, his voice screaming a battle cry.
Gersius raged as his hated foe managed to roll away, his sword glowing hot, cut a line through the stone pillar, and shattered its base. It crashed to the ground even as he turned to face the staggered opponent. Dellain was attempting to heal, golden light coursing over his body. Gersius drew his shield hand back as a song of violence came to his lips. A spear of ice formed in his palm, growing the length of his arm before he shoved it forward. It flew as if fired from a bow forcing Dellain to abandon his healing and dive out of the way. Gersius was on him before he could set his feet, and the dance renewed.
` Dellain breathed heavily as the two locked blades again. A moment later and Gersius's sword was inside his guard, cutting a gouge down the side of his armor. He attempted to fend him off by changing stances, but Gersius knew every dance. He broke through his defense again, this time nearly finding the exposed neck. Dellain had to keep moving as Gersius pressed him, never giving a moment to recover fully. He attempted to use the fire breath again, hoping to confuse him, but Gersius, now aware that it was harmless, never slowed.
“You’re a fool!” Dellain panted as a ringing clang echoed off his shield, the impact stinging his arm. “You are going to doom them all!”
“Coming from a man known as the butcher of the order, that is hardly a threat,” he growled and adapted to Dellain's new stance. He caught a shield punch and pulled the man forward, exposing his back, and lunged with his sword for the collar. Dellain twisted just enough to avoid a fatal blow, but Gersius burned an angry line down his back. The force of the impact was so intense it shoved Dellain several paces away.
He barely turned in time to parry the next blow, each attack forcing him back. He tried in vain to shield punch again, thinking he saw an opening. For his reward, Gersius was inside his guard swinging with terrible dragon might. The blade of Astikar blazed as if freshly taken from the fires of the forge. The impact struck the inside of the shield severing the handle and brace. It was thrown from Dellain's arm in a shattering crash, leaving the man without a proper defense.
He was open and vulnerable as Gersius swept in sword raised. His eyes began to burn with red fire as he drew more and more on Sarah, surging with her colossal might. Then he faltered, his strength suddenly gone as a searing pain ruptured through his chest. He felt as if he had been stabbed from behind and clutched at his chest only to realize this pain wasn't his; it was Sarah's. Struggling to focus, he looked up to come face to face with Dellain as both men stared into each other's eyes. A new pain replaced the old as he looked down to see the black sword impaled in his stomach.
Dellain breathed heavily as Gersius struggled to step back, the blade stuck through his armor.
“And so it ends,” Dellain said in a sorrowful tone. “I had to face you alone. Nobody believed I was the true dragon knight. I needed to face you alone in single combat to prove which of us had the right to rule.”
Gersius dropped to his knees, the sword of Astikar tumbling from his hand as he grabbed at the weapon in his stomach. There was something terrible going on inside as he burned with a strange reddish light.
Dellain helped him by putting a boot to his chest and kicked him away. Gersius fell to the side, resting on one hand as the other attempted to clutch the wound.
“Don’t bother trying to heal,” Dellain spat. “My sword is enchanted with what the dragons call severance. You have lost your connection to the divine and dragon power. It only lasts a short while, but you will be dead before it comes back.”
Gersius tried anyway, reaching for Balisha to find only a void. He cried out for Thayle over the bind, but she too felt distant. Only Lilly was close enough to feel, and she was in terrible pain. He glanced up to see her stumbling on the steps of the temple, her wings dragging on the ground.
“Lilly!” he cried as he held out a bloody hand.
“You should have let her die,” Dellain said. “You should never have gone on this forsaken mission in the first place. You are the doom of dragon kind, and we are nothing without them,”
“You are wrong,” Gersius groaned. “Humans and the dragons are stronger together.” He fumbled for his sword, but Dellain kicked it away, denying him any hope of recovery.
“You had no hope of defeating me. My armor is enchanted specifically to resist Astikar's power. His sword was never going to cut through, even if you could channel his might.”
Gersius dropped his hand and reached for the wound, his fingers touching the handle of a weapon he forgot he was even carrying. With a desperate need, he grabbed the handle and slowly pulled.
“He plans to breed her,” Dellain continued. “It was one of the terms of payment he demanded for his aid.” He squatted and pulled Gersius’s helm away to reveal the pained face underneath. Grabbing a handful of hair, he lifted his face to look his eyes. “She will carry his brood, and then another, and another. She is going to suffer this fate because of you.”
Gersius's face hardened as he glared into Dellain's eyes. His armor might be protected from Astikar, but Gersius had another option.
“Do you have anything to say before you go on to your failed goddess?”
Gersius tightened his grip and opened his mouth, speaking a single word. “Dahssk!”
Wind razor glowed with dragon power, making a whistling noise as he thrust up. The power of dragon enchantment met and then breached the armor of his opponent. Dellain's eyes went wide as he dropped Gersius's head and lurched back only to have Gersius surge up, the short blade cutting through bone, flesh, and metal with ease. Dellain issued a final gurgled cry with a throat full of blood and fell over, his hands held out and twitching as he finally died.
Rolling in pain, Gersius turned to see Lilly be thrown aside once more as the red battered her. She rolled across the steps of the temple, limping and bleeding. He tried in vain to call on healing power, desperate to save her, but nothing came.
“Thayle!” he screamed, desperate that their salvation would soon arrive.
Lilly had tears in her eyes as she knew the end was coming and she would not be victorious. She looked up to find where he was approaching from and did her best to scurry out of the way, her broken wings tripping her up as she screamed in pain. She had tried to heal four times, but such a blessing took too long and forced her to stand still. He punished her for it every time, laughing in that deep mocking bellow that promised she would suffer. His next blow picked her up and threw her to the top of the steps as she rolled to the temple doors. Dazed, she struggled to her feet as something caught her eye and made her pause.
Eyes wide, Lilly looked to the inside of the temple to see the massive inner space was one large room. It was impossible to see the floor under the heaps of gold coins and ore that filled the place from corner to corner. It was a dragon's hoard of impressive size, and she recognized small golden items that had once been hers.
“My hoard is here!” she cried. She saw more items mixed with things that were his. He had combined them both and placed them here to lair inside the city like a decadent king. Her moment of distraction came to an end when the next battering blow sent her to the side to roll into the square stone pillar with the bronze bowl. She looked up to see the red dragon’s face carved of polished marble as a sudden memory came back.
“I once hid something of great importance right under the nose of the stone red dragon,” she heard her mother say. Her mother had been the dragon of old, the one to whom the statue had been erected. She had been in this very yard in the past. Could this be the stone red dragon? If so, what had she hidden here?
Lilly blinked to clear the blood from her eyes and slowly climbed to her feet. She looked up to see him preparing to dive and intentionally put her body between him and the dragon's face. He rushed in with claws spread wide, a hungry look on his face as fire flickered between his teeth. Lilly waited until the last possible moment to leap away, ignoring the terrible pain of her wings. Mulizoth collided with the pillar, shattering the structure before tumbling with a great roar. In his anger, he breathed fire in all directions turning the temple ledge into an inferno as he crashed into the gold inside.
Lilly struggled to rush to where the pillar had once stood and looked down to see a large cavity. Something glittered with soft blue light, and she reached down, desperate to get her hands on it.
Black smoke choked the temple doorway as a low growl issued from inside. Red eyes burning with hatred appeared in the smoke as Mulizoth glared out.
“Did you think that would harm me?” he bellowed. “Did you believe such a feeble display could offer you any hope to turn the tide?” He rose to his hind legs, wading into the flames and smoke coming to the temple doorway in a bold display of power. “Fire and stone cannot defeat me,” he growled as a bright blue light blinded his eyes.
“I knew the pillar wasn’t going to harm you,” Lilly cried. “But I bet this can!”
He was taken by surprise as a curved blue blade cut into his chest with a terrible sizzle. Scales shredded as the fang blade of Balisha bit home tearing deeply into his chest, burning everything in its wake. Mulizoth let out a terrible roar and tried to swipe, but Lilly surged forward and pushed the blade in to the hilt. He was carried back, struggling to get away as she shoved him aside and cast him from the temple. He fell to the ground, the blade still embedded in his chest as he twitched his final motions.
Lilly panted and reached out for healing power, calling on Balisha for salvation. She began to glow with golden light, but suddenly the power began to fade. The battle had been long, and they, along with their followers, had overtaxed the weakened Goddess.
“No!” Lilly cried as the golden light vanished. She turned her long head to the side to look across the yard to see Gersius crawling toward her. It was here she finally realized that in her savagery, she lost all sense of the bind. Now she reached out for him, and the sensation that came back made her panic inside.
“Gersius!” she screamed and went to run only to step on a broken leg and fall to her face. Crying, she focused as white mist crawled over her skin. She was engulfed a moment later by a cloud of swirling white clouds that flashed with lightning. Naked and limping, she struggled across the yard to her lover, desperate to get to his side.
“Gersius,” she wailed as she fell at his side. “You are in so much pain.”
“Lilly,” he panted. “Tell Thayle she has to be the dragon knight. She must unite the empire.”
“No,” Lilly wailed and rolled him over to see the terrible wound. In a panic, she put her hands to him and called for healing power, but her fingers barely flicked. “Balisha, please!” Lilly screamed and tried again to no avail.
Gersius tried to take her hand as she cried for help and looked to the far gates hoping to see Thayle.
“It is too late,” Gersius said with a shallow breath and finally took her hand. “I will always love you, my Lilly.”
“Gersius, you can’t leave me. I won’t let you!” she cried back as his eyes closed. Gersius, please,” she begged and put his hand to her stomach. “I never told you, Please, Gersius. Don’t leave me!” Her breath came out in wailing sobs as he went silent and rolled his head to one side.
“Noooo!” she screamed and beat at his chest. “It isn't fair! He only wanted to save them! Balisha, I want him back!” The sky above thundered, and rain began to fall, mixing with Lilly's tears as a presence grew in the bind. She looked up as soldiers appeared in the gate led by Thayle.
“Thayle!” Lilly screamed and tried to drag Gersius to them.
The soldiers surged forward, running as fast as they could through the pouring rain as Thayle tossed her shield and weapon aside, coming to her knees to quickly place her hands on Gersius's chest. She began to sing, but her words quickly died out as she shook her head in disbelief.
“Heal him!” Lilly cried as Thayle looked up with tears in her eyes.
“I can't, Lilly. His aura is gone. Gersius is dead. Only the divines could bring him back now, and even then, it would have to be soon.”
Lilly screamed in defiance and grabbed Thayle's hands, pressing them to his chest. Thayle tearfully sang, but nothing happened as Lilly pleaded to the divines for mercy.
“Gersius,” Thayle said in a broken voice as the soldiers of her army crowded around to witness the terrible sight. Gersius lay motionless at the lap of his two wives as the rain mixed with their tears.
Lilly couldn't catch her breath as she looked around for salvation. This couldn't be happening; she never told him her secret. This was supposed to be the moment of their triumph, and instead, it was their darkest hour. Her eyes fell on the temple behind them as another memory played in her mind.
“One day, you will have to choose between your heart or your nature.”
Lilly looked back to Gersius and reached out, grabbing the collar of his armor. She pulled with what little strength she had left but made no ground.
“Help me!” she wailed and brought Thayle to her side. She and several soldiers helped Lilly drag Gersius to the steps of the temple then up the broken steps to the top.
“Lilly, what are you doing?” Thayle asked as he was laid before the great doors.
“I love you,” Lilly whispered to him before looking up at Thayle. “You and the others need to stand back.”
“Sweetheart, what are you planning?” Thayle asked.
Lilly looked over her shoulder at the combined hoard before turning back and meeting Thayle's eyes.
Gersius is worth the gold!” she cried and put her hands to his chest.
Thayle had to throw a hand up as a brilliant golden light emanated from Lilly. She stumbled down the steps to escape the radiance as she felt Lilly over the bind. Lilly wasn’t drawing on the divines for power; she was drawing on herself, channeling her own energy into her lover. With a scream, she threw her head back as the temple doorway filled with a light brighter than a thousand suns. A great stream of golden power poured out of the doors flowing to Lilly as it collected in a ghostly image of a dragon made of pure light whose hands were placed where Lilly's were.
The ground shook, and the storm above flashed with reds, greens, blues, and yellows. The lightning was near-constant as a great pillar of golden fire reached down to strike his chest. It was as if she was tearing something back from the beyond, screaming as the power flowed through her body and poured into him.
As suddenly as it started, it stopped leaving a silent crowd of awe-struck witnesses to see Lilly laying motionless over his chest. Wisps of smoke curled about her body as Thayle ran to see if she was still alive.
“Lilly!” Thayle cried as she struggled to get over the rubble. Her vision was blurred from the brilliance, but she could see Lilly's aura. It waxed and waned in a weak light that lingered near death.
“Lilly!” Thayle called out again as she reached them and turned her over. She was unresponsive, and her eyes were closed but thankfully still breathing.
Thayle knelt over them both and started to cry again. She had lost Gersius and nearly lost Lilly. The pain she felt inside was terrible, like a claw of ice wrapping over her heart. All the dreams and hopes they shared were gone. There would be no home together, no children for their family. She covered her face and wailed as a hand came to her back.
“Lilly?” she gasped and looked down to see the little dragon was still unconscious. Her eyes went wide as she turned to look behind to see an armored hand pressing at her. She tried to speak, but the words got lost in a joyful cry. She began to tremble, shaking her head as Gersius turned his face to look at her.
“Why are you crying?” he asked her weakly.
“Gersius!” Thayle cried out and fell on top of him.
His arm wrapped around her. His grip was weak and trembling.
“Why do I feel so weak?” he asked.
“You were dead!” Thayle cried. “Lilly did something amazing to bring you back!”
He struggled to turn his head and saw Lilly lying on the stone beside him. “Is she?”
“She is fine. She has overtaxed herself and is in the exhausted sleep that follows. You should have seen the power she was channeling!”
“I was dead?” he said, looking up into her eyes and blinking from the rain.
“You were dead. Your aura was gone. There was no way to heal you!”
“Then how am I alive?”
Thayle laughed and wiped her eyes. “The empty temple to Balisha was filled with a dragon's horde. Lilly absorbed its power and traded it along with much of her own energy for your life.”
“She traded gold for me?”
“She said you were worth it,” Thayle said with a strained laugh.
He rocked his head from side to side and began to cry. “Please get her to me; I want to hold her.”
Thayle nodded and struggled to lift Lilly. She tried to draw on a little of her power and was stunned to find no power to draw on. She dragged Lilly to Gersius, and he weakly put an arm around her and held her to his chest, kissing her head as the rain washed away his tears. Thayle took off her cape and laid it over Lilly’s naked body as the two wounded soldiers lay at the gates of the temple.
He tried to reach out to Thayle but struggled to lift his arm. Thayle understood and laid across his chest next to Lilly as he embraced them both, crying loudly while the storm rolled on. Thayle joined him and sobbed tears of panic and joy, the shock of the moment far too overwhelming.
“My beautiful wives, why do you sacrifice so much for me?”
“I could never have done something like this,” Thayle said.
“No, instead, you faced your deepest fears to bring me love and happiness. Lilly had nothing to lose by loving me, but you believed you would lose your title as a priestess. You were willing to sacrifice everything to have children for me when you are afraid to have them.”
“She is wonderful, isn't she?” Lilly said weakly.
“Lilly!” Thayle screamed, lifting her head to see Lilly's tired face. Her eyelids were heavy, and her face looked creased with strain.
“I love you, Gersius, and I love you, Thayle,” she whispered weakly.
“Lilly, you are too fantastic for words!” Thayle said, wrapping an arm around her to hug her.
For a long moment, they held each other crying, the strain of the moment taking its toll. The city was taken, the battle won, and the love of a dragon for a man was clearly demonstrated. All that was left was the grand temple and perhaps the palace, but that task had been assigned to Sarah, and she meant to see it done. The war with the Doan would come next, but for today, all that was left was loves sweet embrace, and yet there was more to come.
“Gersius, there is something I need to tell you,” Lilly said, a twinge of fear in her voice.
“What is it, my heart?” he replied and tried to make eye contact.
Lilly lifted her head so she could look at Thayle, who smiled with a nod. She wrapped her fingers with Thayles and turned to meet his stare.
Thayle knew Lilly’s secret, and she could think of no better time to tell him. She was so proud of Lilly but what Lilly said next took even her breath away.
“Gersius… I’m pregnant.”
Gersius's brows went wide, as did his eyes and mouth. Thayle jumped back and cupped her hands over her mouth as the shock of the words hit her.
“You are. You are pregnant?” he stammered.
Lilly nodded as glowing blue tears rolled from her blazing eyes.
“But you can not get pregnant. Numidel told us that dragons and humans could not breed.”
Lilly smiled and hung her head. “Gersius, when I went before Balisha, I didn’t ask for my wings back. I asked her to bless me with the ability to have your children. She said yes, and now I can have them. I am carrying one right now.”
“Then how did you get your wings?” he stammered.
“I used the gold Numidel gave me to help Balisha gain enough power to heal them. She said I deserved such a blessing after choosing you first.”
“You choose me over your wings?” he said, unable to believe it. “And your pregnant?”
Lilly turned her head to blush privately as she nodded.
“Lilly, you didn't tell me you were pregnant. When did you find out?” Thayle asked.
“Just a few days ago. I can't feel it in this form, but I can feel the egg inside when I take my dragon form. I will need to lay it soon.”
“My wife is pregnant,” Gersius said through a strained smile as he struggled not to cry. He ran a hand down her cheek wishing his glove was off.
She caught his hand and read his mind, pulling the glove away to rub her cheek over his fingers.
“You’re going to be a father, and you are going to be a mother,” Lilly said, turning to Thayle.
“Lilly, I am so overly happy I don't know what to say anymore!” Thayle yelled.
Lilly smiled and leaned over to kiss her. Their lips met, and they let their passion show, kissing each other with full vigor. Lilly held on to Gersius’s hand until they parted and lay back to his chest.
“Well, I am jealous,” Thayle said, wiping the rain from her eyes. “Here I was the one who was supposed to have the children, and you're having the first one.”
“I will help you catch up tonight,” Gersius said, trying to be funny.
“Ha,” Thayle laughed. “I don’t have the luxury of laying an egg and being able to walk away from it. Besides, I doubt you will be able to do much of anything for a few days.”
“To be perfectly honest, I can not even move my legs,” he said.
“I wish we could go back to the valley now. I wish we could start building our home,” Lilly said, swaying his hand back and forth.
Gersius smiled at her and nodded. “We are going to build that house. It is not a dream, it is going to happen, and we will spend many years there together raising our children.”
“Over there!” a voice called out, and Lilly and Thayle looked out through the rain.
“Who is it?” Gersius asked.
“It is Lengwin and many of the others,” Thayle said.
“Good, I am too tired to lift him,” Lilly said in a drowsy voice.
“You two say right there,” Thayle said and quickly set about organizing an honor guard to build stretchers. They used spears and cloaks to make crude devices and quickly carried Lilly and Gersius side by side to a captured manor house. Thayle watched as they went, holding hands the whole way. She released the warriors of Balihsa to secure the temple ground before taking a good look inside the temple itself. Whatever hoard was once inside this building, not a coin of it remained. Lilly had sacrificed everything, proving once again how much she loved him.
As she turned around, there was a great crash and looked up to see Sarah bloodied and battered, snarling with rage.
“The sky is clear,” she growled. “The dragons have either fled or died, but we saw a terrible pillar of golden light a moment ago. Do you know what happened?”
Thayle nodded as thinking about it brought tears to her eyes.
“Child, what has gotten into you?” Sarah demanded as Thayle stepped up to her and lifted a hand.
“You have to see it to believe it,” Thayle said.
Sarah nodded and lowered her head so Thayle could reach her. She then looked into Thayle’s mind to see her reliving the image.
“By the divines!” Sarah cried. “He died, and she sacrificed everything to save him!” She looked down at Thayle, who nodded with tears rolling down her cheek to mix with the falling rain.
“You and I need to speak about these things I feel,” Sarah said as she was moved to great emotions that frightened her. “But it will have to wait until later, are we prepared for the next step?”
Thayle nodded as Sarah looked about for a place to change. Numidel landed beside her, looking no better and bleeding from a dozen places. The two used the side of the temple change, sharing a quick kiss before striding out with Sarah in her battle dress and Numidel in a strange form of Astikar's armor made of bluish steel.
They took command of the remaining forces of Astikar and pressed on, leading the final assault on the grand cathedral. They chose intentionally to go in as humans, unwilling to devastate the temple with their dragon forms.
Thayle organized a sweep of the remaining temples, securing them one by one as Sarah led the charge into the elite guard that still protected the Father Abbot.
She swept them aside like insects, storming into the inner halls in a relentless tide of death. Together with Numidel and fifty others, they fought their way up the temples many levels seizing the council chambers and throwing open the doors of the crimson hall high on the mountain slope. Here they met the most significant number of the guards, but she and Numidel showed them no mercy and cast their lifeless bodies aside.
He waited inside the office of fathers, standing before the great stained glass window depicting Astikar as a blazing red falcon. When the doors shook, and the crossbeam sundered, he turned with a smile to face his adversaries.
Sarah stepped forward; her red hair pulled through the golden ring and eyes blazing with fire. She locked his gaze as he seemed almost at peace with the situation,
“You are charged with treason and heresy against almighty Astikar,” she growled. “Though I dearly wish your death to be slow and painful, I will show his mercy and kill you here.”
“You think this is over?” he laughed, cold steel eyes showing no compassion. “You fools have done exactly as he planned.”
“Your lies are over,” Sarah said and began to advance as a shadow moved outside the window. To her horror, the sacred edifice shattered as a scaled red arm reached in and snatched up the man. Sarah saw the hints of black on those scales and screamed in rage as she ran for the edge of the window.
“Sarah!” Numidel cried and ran after her as she looked out the shattered window at the dragon that was getting away. She looked down to see the rocks were close but reached for the cord to pull her armor away.
“Sarah!” Numidel cried and grabbed her hand.
“Let me go!” she roared. “I cannot let him get away!”
“Sarah, there is no room for you to change here, and if you jump, you will hit the cliffs long before you complete it.
Sarah screamed and threw her sword aside, reaching out for the fires that burned in candles and lamps. She called to it with a weave drawing it to her hands as she fanned it into a great inferno. The sky filled with balls of fire as she hurled them after the dragon, desperate to incinerate the one she carried.
“Nooo!” she screamed as they vanished into the clouds. She seethed with rage, panting to see that monster escaped. She would hunt them down, following them to the far corners of the world and back. Sooner or later, she would tear him apart, and this dragon would pay the price for all the harm she had caused.
With a defeated sigh, she gave the order to raise the new flag of Astikar from the steeple, the signal to all that Gersius had won. Only an hour had passed since he marched on the gates, Gersius the conqueror of Calathen, had kept his promise. There were still skirmishes in isolated places, especially on the ramparts and walls, but they fell or surrendered one by one, bringing an eerie stillness. Bells rang out again as the blood was washed from the city by the raging storm. They signaled the change and told its people that a new order had begun. Calathen, the unbreakable city, had fallen to the greatest general in history. The age of the Dragon Empire had begun.
Comments
It has been a long time. I am glad we finally got here. I have waited so long to show just how much Lilly loves Gersius.
WhiteRabbit
Wooo! Been waiting a long time for this.
